the contrast with pre-pandemic classes is distinct. So in a subject where the development of social skills has always been an important adjunct to the development of presentational and creative skills, the need to explicitly teach key social skills has become vital.
Similarly, post-Covid students often lack awareness of how they come across to others; this can be seen in their behaviour around school as well as in lessons. Their speech, body language and interactions with peers and teachers can create negative impressions which the students themselves seem unaware of. Focusing on this fundamental aspect of developing identity has therefore become another element in Drama lessons which needs more explicit instruction.
Finally, the role of play and playfulness now seems more important than ever for young people( Cook, 2024). The demands of the modern education system, coupled with the pressures of the modern world, can lead to students feeling besieged, unworthy, hopeless. While the majority of our students come from wealthy and privileged backgrounds, they are not immune to experiencing these negative feelings. So the opportunity to play and be playful – obviously with purpose and guidelines – can offer some kind of antidote to the burdens of contemporary life. This therapeutic potential is often underestimated, partly because it is hard to quantify and hard to imagine. All I can tell you, after 30 years of teaching Drama, is that the lessons in which students forget their self-consciousness and re-discover the ability to make-believe are often the most rewarding – for them and for me. Being playful – with ideas, with how they present themselves when performing, with each other – grows their ability to be creative and versatile. For a generation predicted to work in multiple jobs across a variety of areas, rather than in a conventional, linear career, this adaptability will surely be critical.
9