Reflection #4

 Tuesday's class was the most fun I've had in a class all semester! I think I'll have way more fun in a classroom setting than my students will. I learned a lot of great ideas through the mirroring, machines, and interactive story time. The mirroring was great because it gives students both the opportunity to be a leader and a follower and it enables them to come out of their shell a little bit. They can feel comfortable in expressing themselves because it is a class activity. I learned I like being a leader when my partner tries to do crazy and quick movements and also because I like to be the one using movement to express myself. It was also nice being the follower because it was very soothing and relaxing. It was neat to try and mimmick movements using only peripheral vision as well. My favorite activity was the machines. I will definitely use this in my classroom. I could think of a machine to be right off the bat and picture it in my brain. I also loved being able to add on to the machine and work together in a class. That would be a great activity to use to create class unity and for children to explore their imagination. I would also use a lot of the interactive storytelling techniques used in class. I really love the idea of sound effects in the background and using lighting to change the mood or setting of the story. Decision alley was also really fun and it really encourages the children to think and become a part of the story. Drama is a very important element to implement into the classroom. I enjoy having students act out stories and getting to know their characters. I would definitely use the talk show idea for getting to know characters and understanding perspectives in different texts.

 Children need creative drama because it is a way for them to get to know themselves and express themselves. It is also a great way to create unity in a classroom and encourage cooperative learning. It can also increase critical thinking skills as well as perspective-taking skills. The benefits of incorporating drama into a classroom are many and when you are using drama in other areas of curriculum they are developing these skills as well. The skill set they obtain from effective creative drama carries over to other areas of study like math and reading and writing.