Volume 1 Number 36


Hi Folks,

Kim's Drama Blog  

I frequently get emails asking for advice with finding work in Australia as a Drama teacher. Here is my standard response:

Unfortunately its not a straightforward situation... there is no national system for education... so each state and territory operates its own Education Department with its own policies and protocols... and they are not all the same... therefore you have to consider 8 different government departments and application procedures... then some states also operate a teacher registration system... Western Australia is in the process of setting up the College of Teaching,... so you need to meet their guidelines before you can be considered for work in any system... then there are the Catholic Education Office, who do not normally centralise their employing and you normally need to approach each school individually... then there is the Independent School system.. includes the Protestant schools, Montessori, Steiner, etc... all of whom work independently of each other...

You might try by looking at the state authorities websites as a starting point... I don't know them all... and as I am based in WA I am most familiar with EDWA.. http://www.eddept.wa.edu.au - I think Catholic Ed (WA) is http://web1.ceo.wa.edu.au/ and the Association of Independent Schools (WA) is http://www.ais.wa.edu.au/  multiply this by 8 and you have a sense of what you are facing.

You'd need to do some web searching or contact state Drama Ed associations (URLs on my website) for other states...

Well, an interesting week all around.  Have had some confirmation about my position teaching at university in 2004.  Looks like I'll be teaching in a Grap Dip Ed (Secondary Drama) programme and a B.Ed (Primary Teaching) programme.   I'm very excited about this next phase in my education career.   Once contracts are confirmed I can mention the context.  

Also, I have been contacted by Black Swan Theatre in Western Australia... (thanks to Robin for sending them a copy of my newsletter!)...  and they have invited me to be a part of their teacher advisory team.   Another undertaking I'm looking forward to!   Especially as there are so many changes afoot with Black Swan and their BSX initiative.

A Political rave!

We also had some industrial action in Perth.  One of the most contentious situations I've experienced in my short time in education.  The Government has gotten the upper hand and as a result the media is very critical of the position taken by teachers.   Staff at school are walking around afraid to mention their perspective because a lot of rationality has gone out the window.  Passions are very high for some!  The action took place on our senior graduation date... there are mixed emotions about how to deal with that as well.  I really thing the main focus has been lost... the media mentions nothing but the salary claim... which I think is secondary to the major issue of conditions in some government schools.  If teaching is such a choice career opportunity why is it that new teachers on average last less than 4 years?  Why are so many teachers engaging in stress counselling?  Why are so many teachers drawing on their own personal resources and paying for classroom resources out of their own pocket to ensure students are not disadvantaged?   Admittedly, yes there are some teachers in our ranks who do us no favours - they are the ones that do not examine their own practice, they are the ones who don't know their students needs and interests, they are the ones who haven't tried a new approach in 10 years, they are the ones that ignore any new initiatives or guidelines with such catch-cries as "This is just another fad, and it won't work!" (of course it won't if it isn't properly understood and managed!!)...  they are the ones you never see helping on school productions, weekends, etc.. they also tend to be empire builders - hoarding resources to make their job easier and ignoring the concerns of the larger school community...  they are also the ones who look at you incredulously when you say you are going to a conference, or taking further studies, or offering to volunteer to create resources for the whole school...   by all means, clean these out... but don't judge them as the standard!!   I think the union really needs to focus on its media savvy and shape a campaign that shows the broader community that high quality public education is essential for a healthy community...  every word uttered by the union needs to be considered, just as politicians and spin doctors do...  we cannot afford to provide the media with ammunition to use against us!!

LESSONS/ACTIVITIES

This week our content is provided by one of our subscribers, Rob Marchment from the UK.  Thanks very much Rob, its great to start getting contributions from list members.

What
Here in the UK, once a week I spend Thursday afternoons in our local hospital, on the children’s and young people’s ward, telling and creating stories. The service, in which I am employed as a drama teacher, has as its main business the education of students excluded from mainstream school. The pupils in the hospital are ‘excluded’ because of medical needs.

How
My work as a storyteller is in its beginning phase – each session is another lesson for me as well as the kids! I have always had this thing about the magic and power of story. When the chance came up to do something like this, I just jumped at the chance!

I am exploring the whole business of making and performing stories from the ground up. I saw a good article recently in the Times Educational Supplement by Pie Corbett that outlined a range of story types (19 / 09 / 2003: ‘Once Upon A Time’ ) and I’m going to base future story making work on these. Mentioned are, among others: problem / resolution stories, quests, wishing tales…

I usually go onto the ward with a few stories ready to tell, but everything depends on who is there when I go through the school room door – there could be one or more students of any age from 5 to 18. I have to be ready to ‘go live’ from the first moment. There are a few instants to get a very quick ‘handover’, turn the intuition dial up to max and then go for it! 

One time I had a student whom I encouraged to build his own adventure, in which we both took part – he was doing the most courageous things! Often with the help of puppets, hats and my background in clowning we end up in slapstick land…. This is the magic, as behind the faces that are creasing up with laughter, lie all of life’s troubles. But for a while we are either cracking up or fighting monsters. If, when creating a story and exploring character, a child says that the character sticks his head under the cold tap – and I’m in character-facilitating mode – that’s where I stick my head!


Where
I work in the hospital school room mostly, but sometimes I go on the ward if illness prevents the students from leaving their bed area. I only have a 45 minute slot, so as mentioned, I have to be ready to get going immediately.

Who
All this work is facilitated by the school staff, who are so tuned-in. When arriving on the ward, it takes just a look to tell me how to pitch the session. They really know their students and they are so supportive of this kind of work.

Why
What I’m trying to do is build up a repertoire of stories that might offer something to students in hospital. I am equally interested in developing techniques that enable these students to create their own stories. While these may be fun, I know that such tales may have indirect therapeutic value. Not being a trained drama therapist, I make no claims here but I am aware of the subtle power of story telling and making.

The memory of the faces of these kids when they are ‘taken up’ by this process is the best thing ever! It’s really hard to beat in terms of ‘reward’.

Rob Marchment

RECOMMENDED WEBSITES

Rob Marchment

PROFESSIONAL NEWS

PLEASE keep me informed of any professional events that can be listed here.  This is totally free publicity for your event if it is included.  Remember this newsletter is read by people all over the world and many are passing it on to hundreds of others (teachers to students, students to students, pre-service teachers, etc)... 

CALL FOR PAPERS
During the last century, the art of the theatre was developed by directors’ intentions and the various systems elaborated by them, which included a wide range of functions - aesthetic, social, psychological, historical, educational and organizational. The director’s personality dominated theatre life and defined the innovations and the tendencies the stage was to take. In short, the director became the author of the scenic text and was the key person in the process of creating the structure of action and the interrelations which represent the theatre event in its entirety. The director’s ideas, principles and intentions defined the development of the art of acting, stage design, theatre music and all related elements of modern theatre, including playwriting.

We need, at the turn of the present century, to rethink the role of the director in the world of the theatre and the different kinds of artistic relations now being established; to focus on the contradictions between subjectivity and objective national, social and cultural processes, and artistic intentions and the perception of spectators. Discussion of these issues concerning directors provide a key for understanding dominant trends in theatre practice in the past and the present, and possibly suggest ways for the future.

Proposals for papers should be submitted on the downloadable form (see below) and should include an abstract of about 200 words. Please include your name, affiliation, title of your paper, any technical equipment for the presentation. We kindly ask you to attach your short biography.

Deadline for proposals: 1 December 2003.

NEW SCHOLARS’ FORUM

Papers for the New Scholars’ Forum do not need to follow the theme of the conferences, and while they are expected to be shorter than papers in regular sessions the time for discussions and response is longer. The Forum's work is parallel with conference sections, and consists of 3-5 sessions with 3-4 papers. Each scholar in the Forum will be allocated a total of 20-30 minutes, 10-15 minutes for presentation of her/his paper, followed by 10-15 minutes'

For more information about the New Scholars' Forum please see the website at http://www.firt-iftr.org/firt/site/index.jsp

Deadline for proposals: 1 December 2003.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCES

The Art of Storytelling: Easy Steps to Presenting an Unforgettable Story
by John Walsh

John Walsh is president of International Learning Solutions, Inc. which helps students and adults with learning problems; and runs Midwest Christian Academy, a homeschool program emphasizing individualization and quality. John's storytelling skills have made him an effective teacher.

Book Description
Whether speaking in front of a small gathering or a large congregation, public speaking strikes fear into the heart of the bravest person. Plagued by stuttering and resultant school problems, John Walsh still found himself called to be a preacher. He has written The Art of Storytelling to encourage and teach anyone with a fear of public speaking how to speak successfully, confidently, and compellingly.

 

Improving Your Storytelling: Beyond the Basics for All Who Tell Stories in Work or Play (American Storytelling (Paper))
by Doug Lipman

From Publishers Weekly
Aspiring storytellers will be pleased to know that Lipman's down-to-earth approach allows for flexibility rather than an emphasis on memorization. A professional storyteller who has appeared at such prominent venues as the National Storytelling Festival, he presents a thoughtful framework that can apply to anyone whose livelihood depends on keeping an audience rapt, including lawyers, teachers and salespeople, although his remarks are more specifically tailored to performing artists. Advising the would-be speaker to "think in the present" when performing, Lipman articulates basic concepts in the use of oral language (tone of voice always prevails over meaning, he says) and of imagery and gestures. He believes that retelling a story informally many times helps the speaker determine what is most meaningful about it--a connection he terms the Most Important Thing (MIT), since he firmly believes that a story's meanings flow from the speaker's MIT. In addition to a sensitive discussion of how to build a relationship with an audience, he also focuses on the importance of warm-up techniques, including the use of a "healing yawn" to reduce tension and get an oxygen boost, and numerous anti-anxiety techniques. The best result? In storytelling as in life, one must "combine the knowledge of how to work toward transformation with the patience to let it happen out of your control." (June)

Artstarts: Drama, Music, Movement, Puppetry, and Storytelling Activities
by Martha Brady (Author), Patsy T. Gleason (Author)

Integrate creative arts into the curriculum with a variety of engaging, classroom-tested arts activities. Drama, movement, pantomime, puppetry, storytelling, visual arts, media arts, and music come alive with innovative activities. Reproducible scripts for readers theatre and a score for a musical are included. Each activity notes the intended grade level, materials needed, purpose or objective, time involved, sequential guidelines for the activity, variations on the activity for other content areas. Grades K-6.

 

The Storyteller's Start-Up Book: Finding, Learning, Performing, and Using Folktales: Including Twelve Tellable Tales
by Margaret Read MacDonald

 

 

 

 

The Power of Personal Storytelling: Spinning Tales to Connect With Others
by Jack Maguire

 

 

 

 

eBOOKS - Can be downloaded immediately - A full listing of available eBooks.

 

Kim Flintoff

Copyright © September, 2004