Why Drama?
One of the presentations that really grabbed my attention in my class was the "Why Drama?" presentation. It was something that I think my students would be very engaged in. They are all Middle School Special Education students and they love to use their imagination. Not to just do their school work, but also to try find ways not to (smile).
Using drama techniques to support reading would be a tremendous help. The Frozen Moment technique would be definitely something that they could relate to and do since most them have a hard time communicating, but know how to act out their frustrations. This would give them a great opportunity to express themselves without the frustration and would give me a great deal of insight as to their individual characteristics.
Since most of my students have Autism, they tend to go with body movements and repetitive words. When they are upset or confused by something they either wave their hands around a lot or repeat a line. If you say something to them, they repeat it. But the best part of the Frozen Moment is their ability to use this technique to show how much they understand what is read to them. If they can act out what is happening in a story that is read to them, then it shows that they comprehend it.
But how to teach this skill. That is something that is challenging. Here are some resources that might help.
Here is a book that I found was very detailed and easy to implement. It can be a great resource for teachers to kick off this type of literacy technique.
And here is an article that gives us more insight into how it can be used for Special Education students.
http://www.artsonthemove.co.uk/education/secondary/specialneeds.php
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