Exploration Through Process Drama with Kindergarten Children

Abstract

Process drama refers to social, educational and artistic activity carried out by a teacher in a classroom. Specifically, process drama can be used to explore an everyday problem or a specific situation or theme through artistic activities or unscripted drama and play. A teacher may choose activities from a variety of drama conventions and create activities that challenge children to actively investigate questions, issues or dilemmas from different angles. Drama activities in kindergarten are closely related to children’s role-play, and the two mutually influence one another. For example, when participating in process drama, children may regard the activity as play that involves meaning, joy and excitement. This implies that process drama is one means of openly encouraging children to explore. The teacher’s own knowledge, skills and playfulness also influence this process. Few research studies have examined the concept of process drama or the concept of exploration in process drama for children aged 3–6. This chapter will expand knowledge in this field by examining the following research question: How does exploration occur in the activities of process drama? Examples will be taken from the observations of an early childhood educational setting. This chapter will specifically examine how process drama can be performed in settings with children aged 3–6 and how exploration plays a part. Furthermore, the teacher’s role in the activities of process drama will be analysed and discussed. Vygotsky’s concepts of play and child development are crucial for this discussion. The chapter will therefore discuss possible practices and means of child engagement in exploration (Vygotsky LS: Play and its role in the mental development of the child. In: Bruner J, Jolly A, Sylva K (eds) Play: its role in development and evolution. Basic Books, New York, pp 537–554, 1967).