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Patron and Global Partner Schools Patron Professor Jonothan Neelands National Teaching Fellow, Chair of Drama and Theatre Education in the Institute of Education and Chair of Creative
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Education in the Warwick Business School (WBS) at the University of Warwick.
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Global partners
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Atlanta International School, USA Artist Residency Thailand, Prem Dulwich College, Singapore International School of Phnom Penh, Cambodia ISTA Performing Arts Academy, Hong Kong Near West, China St Julians School, Portugal
Scene Editor Helen Abbott
Contents
Artwork
3 Editorial
Melissa Carne
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Living in an interdisciplinary world
by Claudia Kennedy © International Schools Theatre
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Association (ISTA) 2021-2022
by Randy Moss
ISTA and its editors accept no liability for the views, opinions and advice contained in this journal. The editors reserve the right to edit any materials submitted for publication. ISTA contact information International Schools Theatre Association (ISTA), Lakeside Offices, The Old Cattle Market, Coronation Park, Helston, Cornwall TR13 0SR United Kingdom office@ista.co.uk
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Teaching an old dog new tricks cross curricularly! People before content: creating a culture of care
by Siobhan Buckman 16
ShakespEALe
by Nick Pillow 20
Why bother going cross-curricular?
by Awelani Moyo 23
Creative arts collaborative projects
by Cindy Kennaugh 27
Panda lesson
by Debbie Kidd 30
Poetry in motion
by Hannah Northcott 34
The story’s the thing...
by Louise Clark 37
Matters of the arts and connection
by Kelli Horner 42
Biographies
Editorial Welcome to my first edition as the new editor of Scene! At this very minute, as I write this foreword, I am feeling daunted, excited, nervous and everything in between - it is a huge responsibility after all. Scene has been going since 2001 and is such a valued and respected publication. Over the last 10 years as an ISTA artist I have seen with my own eyes the glossy rainbow of issues stored on drama office shelves around the world, a treasure trove of creative delights. I have also heard people refer to the legendary Artist Toolbox edition that was published several years ago and is still used by many today. I am fortunate though, that as I take my first steps into this new role, I have Emmy Abrahamson’s legacy to support me - it is thanks to Emmy that we have the focus of this quarter’s issue and many of its wonderful contributors. Let’s get cross curricular - what does this mean exactly, why use it as an educational tool and how can it be applied? In this issue Claudia Kennedy begins by addressing some FAQs in her article Living in an interdisciplinary world. Nick Pillow and Awelani Moyo give some great practical advice, Randy Moss reflects on an impressive MYP Interdisciplinary Unit and Cindy Kennaugh writes about how the whole Creative Arts Team at the British School Yangon created an innovative way to work online using traditional Myanmar fables and puppets. We also have Siobhan Buckman’s ‘go-to resources and activities’ that she uses to support a people centred approach amidst the chaos of the outside world and a step by step process guide that integrates Drama, Music and Art ending in a performance from Hannah Northcott. Kelli Horner looks back to her time in 10th grade when she was ‘riding the sophomore buzz’ and was introduced to Chemistry in the Community while Louise Clark and Debbie Kidd focus on primary interdisciplinary units starting with a children’s book and a picture of a panda in a zoo. I am not, nor have ever been, a teacher so I am sure I have a lot to learn about the ways education and school systems work, but, it has always struck me that life doesn’t run like a school timetable - subjects bleed into one another, the lines are blurred. The vast majority of skills I have or lessons I
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information from one subject can infuse and
interdisciplinary project, students are asked to
strengthen learning in another.
transmit their experiences and what they have understood through the project to the audience,
The strongest interdisciplinary projects include a
with a specific intention. To inform? Shock? Inspire?
transferable conceptual understanding. According
Encourage action? Persuade? Change minds?
to Julie Stern, a concept is an ‘organizing idea’. Concepts are ‘timeless, universal, broad and
Other important considerations in the design of the
abstract’ (Erickson). Examples of a concept share
assessment: it must allow students to demonstrate
common attributes, so this makes them ideal as a framework for interdisciplinary learning because a
•
Their disciplinary knowledge and skills
concept can be approached from many different
•
Their understanding of the interrelatedness of
perspectives and subjects.
the disciplines •
For example, the concept of ‘boundaries’ could be explored through many different topics or
role of each in solving a particular problem •
issues: political boundaries and borders, personal boundaries, boundaries between one genre
How the disciplines can be combined and the The transfer of this understanding to creating an artwork / piece of theatre
•
Perspectives on the effectiveness of the
/ tradition and another, boundaries between
product / outcome and thoughts about
communities…. Each time students encounter a
learning.
different example of a concept, their understanding of the concept grows. They build a mental
Conclusion
framework they can continually add to as they discover different examples in different contexts of
I would argue that theatre teachers are particularly
their education (and their lives).
well-placed to teach interdisciplinary units. We work with interdisciplinarity All. The. Time. We are very
After teachers have discussed a collaborative
used to working from a stimulus or starting point
approach and a topic for the interdisciplinary
to develop a full piece of theatre, devising from
project, it is then useful to agree on an overarching
an idea, an image, music, even just a few words or
conceptual focus that connects – integrates – the
lines of text. In all our productions, we collaborate
subjects and makes the project coherent for the
with numerous arts disciplines and weave them
students. Once this is clear, teachers can structure
together into a whole. Interdisciplinary for theatre
activities that will lead students to develop the
artists and teachers? It’s what we do.
necessary discipline-specific and interdisciplinary knowledge, understanding and skills.
Works cited
How do we assess an interdisciplinary project?
Principles of concept-based learning, an article and a video, Global Goals Education.
An aspect to consider when planning an
https://globalgoals.education/mod/page/view.
interdisciplinary project is what the outcome or
php?id=79 (accessed 27 October 2021)
product of the project will be, and how it is to be assessed. In a project that involves theatre, or
Boix-Mansilla, Veronica: Interdisciplinary
another arts discipline, the outcome will tend to
understanding - what counts as quality work?
involve creating an artwork / piece of theatre.
Interdisciplinary Studies Project, Harvard University. Accessible at: http://wacenter.
Theatre makers in particular are well-placed in
evergreen.edu/sites/wacenter.evergreen.edu/files/
their knowledge of how to choose an appropriate
interdisciplinaryunderstandingwhatcounts.pdf
audience for theatre pieces – or other art works -
(accessed 27 November 2021)
arising from interdisciplinary projects. Important decisions when creating a piece of theatre
Erickson, Lynn H. & Lanning, Lois: Transitioning to
revolve around the directorial intention and the
Concept-based Curriculum and Instruction.
impact the piece will have on an audience. In an
Corwin, 2013
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Stern, Julie https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=k4DeP9v9JPY (accessed 29 October 2021) Wiggins, Grant & McTighe, Jay: Understanding by Design. ASCD (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development), 2005 (page 1-2)
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be considered healthy. In today’s
more harm than good? Are there
towards a solution. They can
connected classrooms, we could
alternatives that the scientists
also prepare their speeches and
use the model of ChemCom
have not considered? Students
debate topics.
to create an interdisciplinary
would need to prepare their role
unit between Science, Theatre
as the scientists as well as various
This unit can be modified for
and Language and Literature.
members of the community to
almost any age group. Instead of
Students could be asked to
consider the alternatives and
providing unlimited choice, the
consider a societal issue, i.e.
perspectives of anyone affected
teacher could assign the problem
pollution, hormones in food,
by the problem. There is also
the community is facing or give
climate change, etc. They would
space for a debate to take place,
a limited amount of choices so
then use specific experiments to
where students prepare their
students don’t spend all of their
solve a problem.
speeches and the community is
time trying to create the problem.
able to determine a winner.
In theatre, performers could
This lends itself to a certain
experiment with various ways
level of student voice and
In the Language & Literature
to share their ideas in a formal
choice as well, giving students
class, students can write the
setting, as well as practicing
the opportunity to choose
scenarios they’ve created as a
improvisation.
from a variety of interests and
proposal or using propaganda
incorporating the exploration of
techniques to convince others
elements, compounds and the
why they should or should not
structure of substances.
use specific experiments or
Interdisciplinary units between
chemicals in their exploration
Theatre and Language
In theatre, students could write a script for a town hall meeting where community members discuss concerns for the various ways the scientists want to address solving the problem. Will some of the experiments cause
Theatre and Lang & Lit
and Literature almost write
‘There was a mystery here to be solved.’
themselves. But there is room to explore more than just, read this story, act it out, Readers’ Theatre or the play study. A few years ago, I was teaching the same group of 6th grade students Language
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