Course Objectives

Students will learn to organise activities in day-care centres for children between 0-5 years and for 6-year-old children in the first year of primary school.

Students will develop/acquire:

• Knowledge of, and insight into, the special nature of the subject drama and its roots in the theatrical arts and pedagogy.
• Knowledge, skills and views concerning the development of children’s dramatic play.
• Didactic knowledge and experience of planning, executing and evaluating drama pedagogical activities in day-care centres.
• Experience of drama as a form of aesthetic awareness.
• Skills and experience regarding various dramatic forms of expression.
• Insight into, and knowledge of, the importance of children’s imagination and play.
• Awareness of their own attitudes towards drama pedagogical activities with children.
• The ability to experience, analyse and evaluate theatre for children.

Subject knowledge

The pre-school teacher education course in Drama prepares students for work in day-care centres and for the organisation of children’s dramatic play and aesthetic expression. Drama has its roots in two subject areas:

• The field of pedagogy
• The traditions and working methods of the theatre

Drama-related activities should normally have children’s play as their central starting point. Through dramatic play Children explore their surroundings. They are able to give dramatic form to their inner imagination and creativity through forms of expression such as movement, voice and sound. Students will acquire knowledge of children’s own dramatic play, which is an aspect of children’s culture. Knowledge of this dramatic play will enable the student to plan drama pedagogical activities for children in day-care centres and in the first three years of primary school.

This subject is based onthe traditions and basic elements of theatre: figure – fable – space – time. By working with the basic elements and tools of theatre, students will acquire knowledge and understanding of the content, form and structure of children’s play. In this way students will be able to acquire methods and tools to support and inspire children in the development of dramatic play.

Children ought to be given the opportunity to experience theatre. Students will watch and create productions suitable for children.

Interdisciplinary activities and projects in drama will often contribute to combine various subjects and topics in programme of study. Through interdisciplinary activities students will be given better opportunity to develop an overall view of the daily work in day-care centres

Drama consists of artistic and subject-didactics course components that together are meant to transmit an understanding of the subject as a whole. The artistic course component consists of practical and theoretical work with the basic components of dramatic fiction. The subject-didactics course components concern the teaching and use of drama-pedagogy in day-care centres for children between 0-5 years and for 6-year-old children in primary school.

The course includes the following three target areas:

1. Self-development related to drama

2. Children’s drama play

3. Pedagogical drama work and experience with theatre

1) Self-development related to drama

Drama is a practical subject where dramatic forms of expression are explored on a personal level. In order to use the subject in a subject-didactic approach, students’ personal experiences will be related to pedagogy and theatre representing the subject’s two basic elements.

The students’ development will be stimulated through the following theoretical course components and the forms of expression of drama:

Theoretical course components

• Relations between drama, play and theatre
• Theatre’s fundamental elements, tools and dramaturgy
• Children’s drama play
• The aesthetic dimension
• Drama pedagogical trends

Forms of expression of drama

• Expression of movement
• Vocal expression
• Improvisation
• Mime
• Dramatisation
• Tableaux
• Texts and role-play
• Drama progression
• Figure theatre
• Oral expression – tradition of story-telling

2) Children’s drama play

Students will acquire knowledge of children’s development and forms of expression within the areas of play and drama through the following course components:

• Observation of child’s play and other drama related activities
• Play as a starting point for drama work

3) Pedagogical drama work and experience with theatre

Students will acquire knowledge of and experience with forms of expression of drama that are used in drama in day-care centres through the following course components:

• Planning, carrying out and evaluating pedagogical drama work in day-care centres
• Play, drama and theatre with children of varying abilities and from different cultural backgrounds
• Drama for children between 0 and 3 years
• Drama in an interdisciplinary setting
• Theatre for children
• Puppet theatre for children between 0 and 3 years, and for 3-6 year olds

Course Description

Studiet i drama omfatter følgende tre hovedområder

1. Dramafaglig egenutvikling
2. Barns dramatiske lek
3. Dramapedagogisk arbeid og teatererfaring

1) Dramafaglig egenutvikling

Drama er et praktisk fag hvor dramatiske uttrykksformer utprøves på eget nivå. For at faget skal kunne benyttes i en fagdidaktisk ramme, må egne opplevelser sees i sammenheng med teori som tar utgangspunkt i fagets to grunnpilarer: pedagogikk og teater.

Studentenes dramafaglige utvikling vil bli stimulert gjennom følgende teoretiske emner og dramatiske uttrykksformer:

Teoretiske emner

• Forholdet lek - drama - teater
• Teaterets grunnelementer, virkemidler og dramaturgi
• Barns dramatiske lek
• Den estetiske dimensjon
• Dramapedagogiske retninger

Dramatiske uttrykksformer

• Arbeid med bevegelsesuttrykk
• Arbeid med stemmeuttrykk
• Improvisasjon
• Mime
• Dramatisering
• Tablå
• Stasjonslek
• Dramaforløp
• Figurteater
• Muntlig formidling - fortellertradisjon

2) Barns dramatiske lek

• Observasjon av barns lek og annen dramatisk virksomhet
• Lek som utgangspunkt for dramatisk arbeid

3) Dramapedagogisk arbeid og teatererfaring

• Planlegging, gjennomføring og vurdering av dramapedagogisk arbeid i barnehagen
• Lek, drama og teater med barn som har ulike forutsetninger og ulik kulturell bakgrunn
• Drama for 0-3 åringer
• Drama i tverrfaglig sammenheng
• Teater for barn
• Figurteater for aldersgrupper 0-3 år og 3-6 år

Learning Methods

Drama is an artistic subject and competence can only be developed through interaction with others; the study of the subject is consequently organised in groups of varying sizes.

Teaching and learning methods will alternate between practical, dramatic activities, lectures and group work.

The study programme is organised so that practical work, theory and subject-didactic elements form a coherent whole. This involves using different working methods focusing on experiences, reflection and assessment of methodical aspects. Discussions are central in the various working methods as a means of enabling students to develop a reflective attitude.

Participation in the practical teaching is mandatory, and the teaching is mainly process-orientated.

Students are expected to study substantial parts of the subject theory individually and in groups.

Parts of the study will be organised through the use of the university college’s link to Classfronter on the Internet.

Drama in an interdisciplinary setting

Drama is part of a co-operative project with other subjects from the very beginning of the study.

Other interdisciplinary work may include figure theatre, theatre for children, dramatisation and oral mediation.

Interdisciplinary work may be documented through presentation and/or in the form of a written report.

Teaching practice

As regards the overall appreciation of the subject students ought to experience how pedagogical-dramatic work may be integrated into everyday work of a day-care centre throughout the practice period.

During the teaching practice students ought to map, observe and analyse children’s drama play. They ought to be given the opportunity to plan, implement and evaluate a programme of pedagogical drama-related activities during the period of study. Subject teachers will provide relevant supervision in the teaching practice and other work in the day-care centres where students are placed.

Assessment Methods

Both ongoing and final assessments will be used. The following parts will be assessed:

A) Interdisciplinary work and practical drama. Pass/fail.

B) Theatre performance for children. Graded A – F.

C) Practical/didactic seminar assignment. Pass/fail.

D) Four hour individual written final examination. Graded A – F.

Before students will be permitted to sit the final examination they must first have fulfilled the following requirements:

• Completed the obligatory participation in practical teaching and interdisciplinary project work.
• Attended two performances for children.

The final grade is awarded on the basis of the graded marks in

B) Theatre performance for children, 60% and D) Individual, written final examination, 40%.

A single final grade will be entered on the diploma, graded A to F, where A is the highest grade and E is the lowest passing grade.

Please refer to Telemark University College’s Examination Regulation for further information.

Minor adjustments may occur during the academic year, subject to the decision of the Dean