Subject of drama for kids is so pointless

[toomanycremeeggs]

Why?

Unless they want to do gcse. It's just fucking pointless to do it as remote learning. I'm not even the one doing it!
Just watching my child do it such a waste of learning time.

As remote learning I'd probably agree it would be hard to do drama.

But they can learn self confidence, speaking skills etc.

Also at DD's school they cover some important PSHE issues in drama such as knife crime.

They'll be back next week anyway.

Nope disagree - it may not be an easy subject to do remotely, but what about soliloquys, learning about different dramatic techniques, studying themes? 'Staged' could be used as an amazing example of to camera remote drama.

I'm an introvert, and doing drama at school (and then school plays and public speaking) has taught me methods to act confident even when I'm shaking inside.

I do agree to a point, I think for some children the 'value' of all non academic/creative subjects can be questionable if they aren't going to pursue it further, and I can only imagine it's really really hard to teach a bunch of teens drama over zoom but on the other hand, I don't think we should unilaterally sweep all non academic subjects, art, music etc away just because it isn't directly linked to GCSEs. For some less academic DCs this may be the only subject they enjoy or shine in, and for some it might be a valuable chance to explore some pastoral type care/subjects and express their feelings in a different medium. I know none of mine were ever talented enough to really progress but they found music lessons great for stress busting and a bit of a break from academic pressures.

Plus even if only tangentially relevant, having speaking skills over Zoom, talking into a camera/mic etc is actually pretty useful in modern working life, plus I assume they have to work with others, follow instructions, manage their time to complete a task/prepare a piece etc which again is useful practice? And it's what, half an hour/an hour a week, and as PP says they're going back next week anyway?

I know it wasn't lockdown then but I loved drama, got an A @ gcse (the days before A*s. Which lead to Theatre Studies A-level which covered so much: scene setting, design, directing, and the play writing and production aspects went together really well with my English language & Lit A-level.

Depends if your DC want to do it or not surely?

I think it is useful, as long as everyone participates (not just the people who are naturally good). It makes them aware of diction, how they present and express themselves, and prepares them to speak in public, which is an unavoidable part of many jobs.

I did very badly at drama at school. Mainly because there wasn't any guidance or how to improve. You just did whatever the exercise was without any feedback.

Is drama still like this or do they actually teach things in it now?

'Led to' ty autocorrect.

It's about giving kids a well rounded education. We make kids do all kinds of things they may not want to study. It gives kids an opportunity to express themselves in a different way. Maintaining the standard curriculum during remote learning is important and any good drama teacher should be able to make it accessible and engaging.

@EmmaStone

Nope disagree - it may not be an easy subject to do remotely, but what about soliloquys, learning about different dramatic techniques, studying themes? 'Staged' could be used as an amazing example of to camera remote drama.

I'm an introvert, and doing drama at school (and then school plays and public speaking) has taught me methods to act confident even when I'm shaking inside.

Your point is interesting especially given your experience.

I guess that is what leads all of us to an extent.

My view is very influenced by experience. School drama was horrific and linked to bullying an exclusion by a particularly nasty group of children - the drama crowd

I would say though that my ability to speak in public, present etc is in no way impacted. The bullying however......

I will be happier when dc is back in school learning properly. Remote learning of making puppet shows etc seems such waste of time.

I will add that my child has no idea about my view or experiences. I help her when I can with it.

Putting aside the previously mentioned benefits, just because you personally aren’t interested in it then does that mean it shouldn’t be open to all children? The same could be said about art and music.

1. It’s teaching children skills.
2. Some may never know they enjoy it or are good at it if they’re not given the opportunity to experience it. We’re lucky enough to have a curriculum beyond ‘just’ maths and English. I’m never going to sneer at that.

I’m so sorry you had an awful time though. You’re probably right that that’s clouded your view of it.

I'm sorry to hear you were bullied, that sounds horrific and no wonder you have a bit of a visceral reaction to drama lessons now! I have a similar thing about school PE (with all the added horrendousness of changing rooms, PE kit etc)!

But I would say that where there's a culture/practice of allowing bullying and there are bullies around, they'll find a way to pick on the vulnerable in whatever context, if it's not drama it's PE, if not PE it's maths or english or whatever so it's not the fault of the subject really. I do think the way school drama is taught it's not always the most helpful for the quieter/shyer children who in some ways would benefit the most from extra confidence in public speaking and it can end up being a forum for the already confident/popular children to shine, but it's obviously not easy to meet the needs of all 30 children in a class and the same can be said for a lot of subjects!

I was painfully shy as a kid, drama was so useful to me - great for learning social skills.

Drama's actually quite good remotely. Ds loves his drama. Lots of radio shows, monologues etc.

• You learn about cultural history in an experiential way eg evacuated children
• You learn about texts with cultural significance eg Shakespeare
• In a normal situation you learn about focusing on the creation of a piece rather than whether you are friends, this includes, time management, negotiation and compromise
• Learning lines takes slowing down and just doing it - there are no shortcuts- and improves memory.

Drama is one of the few subjects that is ‘real’ in the sense that if you are performing on stage in front of the class you are an actor.

As a very quiet teenager, it was something I was good at, and it enabled me to find my voice. I went on to teach it and I still act for my job today!

As remote learning , yes. As a normal subject I think it is great and am saddened that DS’s secondary school doesn’t have it on the curriculum. Apart from the benefits people have stated above, I think it really feeds into English, and gives you a real idea of all the aspects that go to give a theatrical production meaning, like staging, scenery, etc, which can be lost in an English lesson which often just focuses on the language.

DS loved drama, he did it for A Level with music technology and photography. He didn't really enjoy lessons in year 7 though because he was shy, it was only when he got a really good teacher (former West End musical actor) that he started to become more into it. He's now hugely into musical theatre.

Drama has so many good reasons to do it, as with art, music etc. It also allows kids to shine who otherwise wouldn't engage with school. Remotely it might not work but I can assure you that they are not a waste of time. Many school subjects don't have direct relevance to later life eg never had to analyse Shakespeare but actually presenting skills, something we did in drama are very useful!

I am really sad to see comments suggesting schools shouldn't do anything other than academic subjects. Dont we want interesting well rounded adults with a mix of skills and emotional intelligence. I was hoping the fact we've cancelled exams for two years might make us all think about how we educate our children and how we can do it differently/better. Dont we think children should be exposed to lots of things they may not come across in their daily lives and that doesn't just mean disadvantaged/ less able children being a chance ' to shine '.

As remote learning I agree, but not once children are back in school. I also agree with the sentiment of @Sleepingdogs12 about skills and emotional intelligence.

It never did Emmanuel Macron any harm, incidentally!!!

I disagree too. I was quite happy to see my dc doing the drama assignments. Of course the learning at school is better, but I didn't think any remote learning was pointless at all.

My DS has done some of his best remote work for drama. They've been writing plots for murder mystery plays. As a teacher, (not of drama) I see kids who rarely speak in my lessons be amazing in drama / school plays. Not all subjects or topics translate well to remote learning - you can't just do the lesson you would have done in class and its when DS's teachers have tried to do that it hasn't worked well. When lessons and tasks are adapted it works well.