Language Group - My Enquiry

Recently in the UK there has been a particular focus on improving boys writing. This stems from much research and observations taken throughout the whole education system on ‘under achievement’ in boys. From my own experience in the classroom I also acknowledge such a trend, but it is not always so gender-specific, and therefore I am reluctant to state this as fact. I believe that on the whole, improvements can be made to enhance literacy, and more specifically writing skills, across the board (for boys and girls).

Andrea Whittemore, a Language enthusiast and teacher says “I definitely agree that there is a difference in attitude and approach to writing between boys and girls. Boys, in my experience, tend to enjoy ‘expository’ text types where they can explain or describe something; this is a more ‘dry’ writing style. Girls on the other hand tend to be more creative”. Andrea also shared some of the strategies she uses to motivate here male students: “At the beginning of every class I hand out a questionnaire about the student. I like to know what they like, what their interests are etc…and I try to use this information to tailor my lessons. I think it is important to use topics where they have more experience e.g. cars and technology. Although I do mix it up so both girls and boys’ interests are covered in the reading and writing elements”.

I agree with Whittemore that we need to use children’s interests as much as possible (and where appropriate) in order to motivate them to learn. If you are interested in a topic/idea, you are compelled to find out more information about it. This is known in education as ‘personalisation’.
I am particularly interested in the benefits of using drama in Primary Education, and have taken modules at University specific to this topic. As part of my enquiry I wanted to see how far other professionals and teachers agree with using Drama to help boys (children) access texts and to stimulate writing activities/written responses. I am also aware of the scepticism some people feel towards the use of drama as a teaching strategy, and how much it actually benefits the child; therefore this is an opportunity to collect, and possible to challenge other people’s views. This is also the basis of my proposed Curriculum Strategy for 2010.

I have used Drama in each of my three official ‘School Experiences’ so far, and have also observed Drama and related activities being used in settings outside of school e.g. at Nursery, Youth clubs, in the home, and in after school clubs. In my experience children respond really well to Drama i.e. roleplay, music, art and dance - as means of expression, moreover it allows them to explore topics/ideas/themes/emotions that potentially they have not experienced firsthand.

For the purpose of this enquiry I would like to exemplify how I would (and have) used Drama creatively to bring a book to life. The overall purpose of the unit would be to encourage children to take on the role of a character and write a story or a recount in first person (from the viewpoint of that character):

IDEA 1: Trial by Jury

Using the book ‘The Three Little Pigs and The Big Bad Wolf’ and ‘The Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig’, we as a class would explore different perspectives in the story: the little Wolves, the little Pigs, the Big Bad Pig, the Big Bad Wolf, and other characters such as the Pigs’ mother etc… This would allow for each each group/pair/person to select a character to explore and much scope for debate.

Trial by Jury is a role play activity where teacher takes on the role of Judge, a group of children are the jury, and some children act as pigs and wolves. Each party has chance to give their plee (their side of the story), and then the jury and judge come to a decision. Who is guilty and who is innocent?

The children are encouraged to describe/act out how they would feel in that position (exploring empathy, anger, fear, concepts of bullying etc…) and even formulate a ‘recount’ in the form of a ‘Eye witness testimony’ or ‘statement of evidence’.

Boys in particular love this type of crime activity and enjoy acting as the Big Bad Wolf!

When children can access the text, they can decide what they take from it and what they don’t; in order to act in role you need to understand the character and how they would be feeling, by doing such an activity children are more likely to be able to write more coherently. It is a quality way of preparing for writing, in my opinion; possibly better than a ‘thought shower’ or plan.

Kevin Pyatt, an experienced teacher and technophile, explains how useful ‘Branching Stories’ are in capturing the attention of your reader. “Getting your students to create the next parts of the story helps them become the story. It’s pretty unique and kids love it! It’s more interactive and they are in control!”. Branching Stories allow children to create their own stories and possible alternate endings. They can be creative by adding twists and turns in their work, and they get to write on the computer rather than with the usual ‘pen and paper method’; so children are doubly as excited.

I have not used Branching Stories as of yet, but I intend to try it out in the next few years of my teaching career.

In conclusion I have found that many teachers/professionals are either positive to accept the benefits of Drama to improve students oral skills/experiences/motivation/writing skills in Literacy development, or they are willing to explore the use of drama to see whether it works in their own setting. I am pleased with the results of my enquiry and will continue this research into 2010 and beyond...