Having considered the needs of the school with regard to the drama curriculum, it is important to consider the features of school organisation that will best facilitate their fulfilment. In practice these will often be considered together and will entail a collaborative and consultative process involving the principal, the teachers and, where appropriate, parents and the board of management.
Planning for drama should contribute to the overall school plan, which will be reviewed by the board of management. Within the resources available to it the board will, as with other subjects, provide support for the implementation of drama.
Arising out of and in conjunction with curriculum planning, a number of organisational issues will need to be considered by the principal and staff in order to facilitate the successful implementation of the curriculum. Among them are:
- developing among the members of the staff a commitment to drama in the school
- co-ordinating the allocation of time to drama
- planning for the various sound levels that drama entails
- organising parent-teacher contact in relation to drama.
Developing staff involvement in drama
As discussed under ‘Curriculum planning’, the principal and staff should regard drama as an important feature of the curriculum and as a unique mode of learning. With regard to school planning this will involve seeing it not as a peripheral or ‘add-on’ activity but as central to the child’s learning experience.
Members of the staff should be encouraged to consult each other regarding the integration of drama in the curriculum and in the organisation of co-operative drama activities. It is important too that teachers avail themselves of in-service education in order to enhance their skills in teaching drama. This will help to ensure the successful implementation of the curriculum. Whole-school in-career development is most effective and relevant in facilitating maximum staff involvement in both the planning and the operation of the school’s drama programme.
It is important too that if a member of the staff evinces a special interest or expertise in drama in the school, this should be encouraged by the principal and the board of management, and such teachers should be facilitated in obtaining whatever further training they might need.
In the process of curriculum planning and development a co-ordinator in drama could be of great benefit to the school’s drama programme. He/she could facilitate the curriculum in ways such as
- taking responsibility for the organisation of drama in the school
- organising school-based in-service education in drama
- encouraging and supporting other members of the staff in the teaching of drama.
The co-ordination of time allocation to drama
Decisions made in the curriculum planning process will have implications for the organisation of drama in the school. Most frequently these will concern the use of the different facilities the school has at its disposal. The most obvious locations for drama are the classroom and the school hall or generalpurposes room, although there is no reason why, in good weather, effective drama activities cannot be pursued out of doors.
Teachers can do drama very successfully in the classroom, but the varied nature of drama activity will also require the facility of the greater space that the school hall or general-purposes room can provide. The allocation of time for the use of this facility can become an important element of the organisational planning of drama in the school.
Although every class should have a weekly time allocation for drama in the school hall or the general-purposes room, the nature of drama and the variety of drama activity will require flexibility from all members of the staff. For example, when the type of drama activity in which a class is engaged during a particular week does not demand the use of the larger space, it could be allocated to another class on a quid pro quo basis. This would require both co-operation and regular consultation among staff members. The availability of a teacher who organises drama in the school would be of great assistance in this regard.
Sound levels
It is important that drama allows children as much freedom and choice of expression as is consistent with the content, characters, action and situation of the particular drama activity in which they are engaged. This may, on occasion, result in sound levels that are quite high.
However, all members of the staff should recognise that what may seem an inordinate level of noise in a classroom is not necessarily caused by indiscipline. On the contrary, noise may at times be an essential ingredient of a successful drama lesson.
Involving parents
It is important that, in the context of regular parent-school contact, parents are made aware of the contribution that drama has to make to the child’s learning and development. In the approach to drama in the school parents should be involved in planning to support the implementation of the drama curriculum. They can also, on occasion when it is appropriate, contribute to the organisation of drama activity. Most importantly, parents should be encouraged to discuss children’s drama experiences with them. This can give them a valuable role in facilitating the children’s reflection on drama.