Extending Your Practice: Teaching and Facilitation
| Module title | Extending Your Practice: Teaching and Facilitation |
|---|---|
| Module code | DRAM152 |
| Academic year | 2026/7 |
| Credits | 60 |
| Module staff | Dr Erin Walcon (Convenor) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 11 | 11 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 18 |
|---|
Module description
Through an experiential learning model, you will consider how to extend your practice into spaces of facilitation and teaching. You will devise a series of facilitated creative and pedagogic projects, underpinned by exploratory research and practice. This module offers professional experience and mentoring that may include developing and delivering teaching within higher education or other settings where you can develop and hone the craft of facilitation and pedagogy. You will work with mentors and/or colleagues to identify an area of your own teaching or facilitation practice which you would like to develop; this will become part of the focus of your Digital Portfolio (summative assessment). As a student on this module, you may be eligible to opt and take part in the Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (LTHE) programme, subject to approval.
Module aims - intentions of the module
The module aims to:
- Provide an opportunity for you to apply theatre practice skills in educational or facilitation contexts
- Provide an opportunity to interweave documentation of your teaching practice with evidence of your evolving capabilities and competencies as a cultural leader and educational practitioner
- Enable you to explore the role of the teacher, facilitator, creative practitioner or pedagogue, supporting future pathways into employment
- Support critical reflection on your practice, identifying areas of growth and development
- Familiarize you with key methodologies in the field, including approaches to pedagogy, practice-based research, action research and reflective practitioner methods.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Observe, apply and evaluate a range of high quality facilitation, teaching, assessment, feedback and evaluation methods to support learning and engagement in theatre practice.
- 2. Adapt design and delivery methods to create effective inclusive conditions for embodied drama-based approaches to learning and engagement, supporting a wide range of learner and participant needs.
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 3. Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the different methodologies for teaching and facilitating theatre and be able to articulate and situate your own approach within the theoretical discourse.
- 4. Demonstrate a highly competent understanding of the necessary communication, assessment and curriculum planning skills necessary to deliver a high-quality advanced programme of participation and learning.
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 5. Develop self-efficacy, working in an independent and self-reliant manner, setting goals and managing your own teaching and delivery timetable
- 6. Improve and reflect on your own skills, taking on feedback and working on areas of improvement
Syllabus plan
Whilst the content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that during the module you will:
- Shadow and support experienced mentors delivering educational or facilitation of theatre practice
- Read and think critically, encountering resources and training specific to facilitation, teaching and participatory delivery
- Develop pedagogical structures, curriculum, workshop plans or other frameworks for participation & learning in arts settings
- Participate and/or observe in delivery of taught and/or facilitated creative sessions, helping to deliver these frameworks and structures
- Conduct reflection and evaluation, with a focus on your own personal development, areas of praxis and future trajectory & progression
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 15 | 585 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning & Teaching Activities | 15 | Planning and reflection sessions; skills-development workshops; supervision sessions with mentor(s) |
| Guided Independent Study | 160 | Shadowing participatory programmes, supporting teaching and facilitation, or equivalent project-based learning in Terms 1 and 2 |
| Guided Independent Study | 355 | Independent reading, curriculum planning, reflection & critical response |
| Guided Independent Study | 70 | Engagement in teaching framework or other CPD training opportunities |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Practice Journal: Ongoing documentation of facilitation delivery (workshop plans, curriculum) with accompanying reflection | 2000 words or equivalent | 1-6 | Verbal & written |
| Supervision Sessions: Colleague/mentor feedback on your practice & your own reflections (reflexive models of praxis) | 500 words and 2 supervisions | 1-6 | Verbal & written |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Digital Portfolio | 100 | Portfolio (equivalent to 5000 words) and critical commentary (2000 words) | 1-6 | Written |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Digital Portfolio (equivalent to 5000 words) and critical commentary (2000 words) | Digital Portfolio (equivalent to 5000 words) and critical commentary (2000 words) (100%) | 1-6 | Referral/Deferral Period |
Re-assessment notes
Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.
Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 50%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of referral will be capped at 50%.
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Anderson, A., Michael, 2012. MasterClass in Drama Education. Continuum Publishing Corporation.
Andrews, D.J.C., Brown, T., Castillo, B.M., Jackson, D., Vellanki, V., 2019. Beyond Damage-Centered Teacher Education: Humanizing Pedagogy for Teacher Educators and Preservice Teachers. Teachers College record (1970) 121, 1–28.
Baim, C., 2020. Staging the Personal: A Guide to Safe and Ethical Practice, 1st, 1st ed. 2020., 1st Edition 2020 ed. Springer International Publishing, Cham.
Bartlett, L., 2005. Dialogue, Knowledge and Teacher-Student Relations: Freirean Pedagogy in Theory and Practice. Comparative Education Review 49, 344–364.
Brookfield, S.D., 2006. The Skillful Teacher: On Technique, Trust, and Responsiveness in the Classroom, 2nd edition. ed. Jossey Bass, San Francisco, CA.
del Carmen Salazar, M., 2013. A Humanizing Pedagogy: Reinventing the Principles and Practice of Education as a Journey Toward Liberation. Review of Research in Education 37, 121–148.
Fleming, M., 2011. Starting Drama Teaching. Taylor & Francis.
Freebody, K., Finneran, M., 2015a. Drama and Social Justice: Power, Participation and Possibility, in: How Drama Activates Learning: Contemporary Research and Practice. Bloomsbury Academic, pp. 47–63.
Freebody, K., Finneran, M. (Eds.), 2015b. Drama and Social Justice: Theory, research and practice in international contexts. Routledge, London.
Freebody, K., Goodwin, S., Proctor, H. (Eds.), 2019. Higher Education, Pedagogy and Social Justice: Politics and Practice. Springer International Publishing, Cham.
Gibbs, J., Hartviksen, J., Lehtonen, A., Spruce, E., 2021. Pedagogies of inclusion: a critical exploration of small-group teaching practice in higher education. Teaching in Higher Education 26, 696–711.
Gibbs, P., 2017. The Pedagogy of Compassion at the Heart of Higher Education. Springer International Publishing.
Grove O’Grady, A., 2020. Pedagogy, Empathy and Praxis: Using Theatrical Traditions to Teach. Springer International Publishing.
Harrison, N., Burke, J., Clarke, I., 2023. Risky teaching: developing a trauma-informed pedagogy for higher education. Teaching in higher education 28, 180–194.
Hunter, M.A., 2008. Cultivating the art of safe space. Research in Drama Education: The Journal of Applied Theatre and Performance 13, 5–21.
Kearney, S., 2013. Improving engagement: the use of ‘Authentic self-and peer-assessment for learning’ to enhance the student learning experience. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education 38, 875–891.
Lachaud, Q.A., 2024. Academic and disciplinary narratives that inhibit teaching for racial justice. Teaching in Higher Education 29, 1409–1424.
Matthews, B., 2006. Engaging Education: Developing Emotional Literacy, Equity and Co-education. Open University Press, Maidenhead, Berkshire.
Preston, S., 2016. Applied Theatre: Facilitation, Applied Theatre. Bloomsbury Publishing PLC.
Preston, S., 2013. Managed hearts? Emotional labour and the applied theatre facilitator in urban settings. Research in Drama Education: The Journal of Applied Theatre and Performance 18, 230–245.
Smele, S., Siew-Sarju, R., Chou, E., Breton, P., Bernhardt, N., 2017. Doing feminist difference differently: intersectional pedagogical practices in the context of the neoliberal diversity regime. Teaching in Higher Education 22, 690–704.
Wald, N., Harland, T., 2022. Reconsidering Vygotsky’s ‘more capable peer’ in terms of both personal and knowledge outcomes. Teaching in Higher Education 27, 417–423.
Whitfield, P. (Ed.), 2021. Inclusivity and Equality in Performance Training: Teaching and Learning for Neuro and Physical Diversity. Routledge, New York.
Whitfield, P., 2019. Teaching Strategies for Neurodiversity and Dyslexia in Actor Training: Sensing Shakespeare. Routledge, New York.
Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources
- Lipmanowicz, K.M., Henri, n.d. Liberating Structures - Liberating Structures Menu. URLhttps://www.liberatingstructures.com/ls-menu/.
| Credit value | 60 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 30 |
| Module pre-requisites | DRAM167 Contemporary Performance Practices: Training and DRAM168 Performance Practice Project |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 7 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 06/03/2025 |
| Last revision date | 23/06/2025 |