Just a moment...

If the knowing process is thought of as a kind of dancing, as an interactive, reciprocal, give-and-take relationship between knowing subjects on the one hand and the physical and social environment on the other, then the resulting pattern of thought and behaviour, the known, may be thought of as the dance itself.

The learning cannot be isolated within a script. As Piaget says, ‘it touches everything’ (Gardner, 1982:352).

The experience alone is not enough for the learning to be valued. An understanding of the ways in which the learning is arrived at is integral. This does not mean that learning is predetermined, rather that t hose observing and/or evaluating the process need to be aware of and open to the variety of meanings that can be placed upon experience. It m... See more

Jerry Gill argues that ‘learning to learn’ is of ‘primary importance . . . for when one knows this, he or she will always be able to learn more’. Because of its emphasis upon participation, communication, reflection and the negotiation of reason and emotion, the meta-process of learning to learn is made particularly accessible through drama.

It is important that the embodied experience be understood as available to the many different participants in the communication process. It can be that of the actor or speaker or writer just as it can be that of audience or listener or reader. Such experience demands reflection. This calls up creativity and herein lie opportunities for even greater... See more

Constructivism invites us to approach the object in a radical spirit of openness to its potential for new and richer meaning. It is an invitation to reinterpretation. This is a powerful challenge to traditions of learning that have long focussed on the effective mastery of prior knowledge. This could be pertinent for Startupy's re-curation features... See more

On the workshop: The low teacher-student ratio (4:16), the deliberate cultivation of community, the concentration on fun, the valuing of personal experience, the adaptability of staff and the open acceptance of differences among and between students contributed to an inclusive and diverse learning environment — an ideal teaching environment, one wi... See more

When we recognise our ongoing participation in the sort of interaction that drama models, we are drawn to look at the process from an ethical perspective. A key issue here may be, ‘How do I sustain myself within the intricately balanced network of relationships (that makes up the drama, in life)?’

It is within this paradigmatic drama that learning is realised. Invariably, such experience also raises questions about how learning comes to be understood and communicated. These epistemological questions are similar whether the experience is considered from the viewpoint of ‘dancer’ or ‘learner’. ‘What does it feel like?’ ‘How do you understand i... See more