Overview

Dramatic Science : Defining what it is : The different approaches

The Dramatic Science approach provides a first hand opportunity for children to engage directly with scientific processes and concepts to enact, explore, examine and question in various ways appropriate to scientific objects, ideas and perspectives. The drama activities are designed to encourage the development of curiosity and confidence in acting and talking about science in primary schools and should begin to lay significant foundations that will not be easily eroded, and help impede the declining interest as children prepare for secondary education.

On The Table

This approach is designed to ‘dramatically’ introduce intriguing, unusual or unfamiliar objects. The children are encouraged to use their sense of sight or touch to identify an unknown object. Through this technique children can be supported to generate high level questions and reasoning.

Mind Movie

This approach has been conceived to provide visual or auditory stimuli to ‘transport’ the learners to a different time or place. This strategy can be used to ‘set the scene’, usually with eyes closed. The children are guided through an imaginary or real landscape or experience which can be accompanied by sound or music evocative of that place.

Miming Movement

This approach adopts the use of whole body movements or actions to represent or mime scientific ideas or suggestions. This can be used, for example to illustrate the flow of electrical current, the germination of a seed or the change of state of different substances. Reflective discussion can help focus on the interpretations and meanings of the representative actions.

Freeze frame

This technique provides the opportunity to generate ‘a-moment-in-time’ which can be frozen and held like a photograph. This approach facilitates reflective thought regarding ‘important’ aspects of scientific ideas to share as well as offering a 3D ‘picture’ that allows others to consider varied interpretations of science. On this website, for example, the different ways that toys work is illustrated through freeze frame.

Tableau

This technique is similar to freeze frame, in that, it is a ‘still representation’, but it is used to explore a single expression of an idea or viewpoint rather than a ‘moment-in-time’. The frozen pose, may for example illustrate ‘experimentation’ or ‘close observation’ or ‘recording results’. On this website, there is an illustration of the way tableau has been used to help children appreciate the range of skills a scientist needs to be successful.

Spontaneous Role Play

This approach is designed to offer opportunities for children to discuss, from varied viewpoints, what to do or what might be possibilities in particular situations. On this website, for example, there is an illustration of athletes discussing ‘in the market place’ what material might be appropriate for them to wear when playing their sport.

Mini Historical Role Play

This approach was developed to share with young children, some relevant and interesting insights into a scientist’s life and work. The teacher normally reads aloud an appropriate narrative of a scientist’s life and work with the opportunity for listening children to act out roles of different characters in the story or even pretend to be the scientist and echo what they may be doing in their work. The website provides an illustration of a mini-historical play (based on Mary Anning) that could easily be enacted by several groups of children.

Monologue

These are mini-speeches as if from the scientist themselves. The monologues provide personal insights into the scientist’s work and life. They could be presented by the teacher (dressed up with a few props) or a teaching assistant. There are also videos available that could be played for the children to watch. The monologues have been successfully used as an introduction to investigations that are similar or based upon the work the scientist may have done. William Harbutt’s story, about the man who invented plasticine, could be used as an introduction to creating a modelling material (from flour, water, food dye and salt).

Hot seating

This approach is quite commonly used in a variety of ways. It is a strategy where an individual, which could be the teacher as expert or child who has ‘experienced’ something, can be questioned by the others to find out about their experience. it is possible to take characters out of the role plays and monologues and place them in a ‘hot seat’. Here learners can develop their questioning skills by asking characters about their actions and the consequences of those actions. Multiple characters can also be questioned together to gain contrasting responses.

Modelling

This is approach encourages the children to physically changing their shape and movement to (re) create an accurate reproduction of a concept, such as the structure of a tree, an electrical circuit or the floating and sinking of different objects in water. The children can do this individually as well as in groups. When working in groups, there can be a high level of collaboration through discussion and decision-making about how to act out their understandings.