Act Out! Using Drama to Enhance Learning

When it comes to summer tutoring, it's imperative to get creative. That's because tutoring sessions—no matter how beneficial—are competing with trips to the pool, meeting up with friends at the mall, or catching the latest blockbuster. In the summer, it's key to strike that delicate balance between relaxation and enrichment. In this way, summertime tutors can learn some valuable lessons from the arts-integration programs that are flourishing in schools throughout the country. These programs take basic curriculum (e.g., science, social studies, reading, math) and pair it with fine-arts activities. This includes creative writing, as we discussed in a post last week. And, it includes drama, which can provide a total-immersion experience.

While more introspective students might prefer a storytelling or poetry-writing activity, those with a flair for the dramatic will love learning through playacting. This type of tutoring session can include just you and your child, although it can be extra-instructive (and extra-fun) to include other students—or even other family members. Drama-based activities work particularly well for students who are auditory learners and kinetic learners; these students are not passive learners but active ones. Below are a couple ideas to jump-start your (and your child's) creativity. These activities can be tailored, of course, to fit your child's interests and academic level. If possible, you may also want to take a look at the curriculum list or syllabus for your child's upcoming school year. (True enrichment reinforces what's been learned in the past and looks to the future!)

Social Studies Drama: "We Will Not Be Moved." Nonviolent resistance was a tenet of the Civil Rights Movement. All across the American South, African-Americans protested unjust and inhumane treatment by taking seats on buses, in movie theaters, and at lunch counters. This simple act spoke volumes: They had every right to be there, and they were not going to retaliate when people acted cruelly. Nonviolent resistance has played out in numerous scenarios across the years, and is still used by many political protesters today. You can pretend that you are an organizer, exhorting students on a college campus to get involved in protesting injustice. Ask your child what she would do in such a situation, where protesters faced persecution or even arrest. Would she choose to participate? Why? How do the benefits outweigh the risks? Encourage her to interact with you as if she were an actual college student in the 1950s or 1960s. Use the opportunity to discuss key civil-rights leaders, and to trace the roots of the American Civil Rights Movement back to Indian pacifist Mahatma Gandhi.

Science Drama: The Discovery of Genetics Genetics may seem like a dry topic—until your child realizes the story behind it. The "father of genetics," Gregor Mendel, carried out his early work not in a science lab—but in the garden of his monastery! Mendel cross-bred pea plants and uncovered the nature of dominant and recessive genes. Have your child "become" Gregor Mendel and explain his process to you. You, as one of Mendel's contemporaries, should ask plenty of pointed questions—after all, most people did not value or even accept Mendel's theories until after his death! The same question-and-answer activity (i.e., your child playing the role of the scientist while you play the role of the skeptic) can be applied to many scientific discoveries, including Darwin's theory of evolution and Copernicus' mathematic proof that the universe revolves around the Sun, not the Earth.

As you can imagine, the possibilities for dramatizing curriculum are endless! And, we'd love to hear your ideas—just leave a comment on this post!

By looking at your online options, you should be able to find a tutor who uses drama-based activities as part of their tutoring plan.