How can I use drama for action research with students with severe, profound and multiple learning difficulties? Kay Johnson Prepared for the Second International Conference on Self-Study of Teacher Education Practices, Herstmonceux Castle, UK, August 16-20, 1998

 

I decided to fry the food in its own fat

And that I'm afraid was that

All the flavours from the flavoursome came out

But the more reticent food was flat

Did that quiet food need butter

I hear you mutter

Or maybe a bit of salt

To make the palate jolt

No, No It's my mistake

It's not the food that's at fault

Just my palate, too scared to awake

I wrote this poem, when thinking about the students in my class. I am concerned that I might sometimes impose my thoughts or direction on the students I teach, thereby depriving them of their initiative. I am a class teacher in a school for students with severe learning difficulty. The class group I teach are aged between 14 and 16. It is chronologically ordered as opposed to needs-based, which is a form of integration, where students of the same age stay in the same groups. There are ten students in all, whose needs are wide-ranging, reflecting the nature of the school. I have three students, Sonja (15), Steven (16), and Melissa (15), who have profound and multiple learning difficulties as well as severe physical disabilities. This means, for example, that Steven has no speech or signing skills and is unable to walk as yet. Steven will vocalise loudly at times, often to gain attention. He is now able to focus on a photograph, picture or object for up to 10 seconds, and he is learning to make choices from objects offered, especially if food or drink related. There are four students with highly challenging behaviour, Katia (15) Nina (15), Tom (16) and Drew (16). Drew has some language and can use short sentences appropriately. He finds it difficult to concentrate. The remaining three students, Kai (15), Ashley (15) and Gemma (15) have either spoken or sign language. Gemma knows many Makaton signs and has some spoken language.

I start from the premise that the students understand what we have to say but that they require different strategies for communicating. I want to help them to develop effective communication, using eye contact, facial expression, body language, speech, signing, music and movement. I want students to develop their self-awareness and awareness of others in order that they can express their feelings, wants, needs, likes and dislikes as effectively as possible. I want to provide a broad, balanced and appropriately differentiated curriculum which is appropriate to individual pupil needs, but I want to do this in an integrated group of pupils with diverse needs. I hope that the students will gain improved self-esteem and a notion of the joy of autonomy so that they can go out into the community and experience some level of independence balanced with belonging. I believe that what I do in education should help make changes for the better in our society, and agree with Zeichner (1991:375), that "We must not lose sight of the most important goal, that of working to create a more just and decent Nation for all our children".

The focus of my action research is to teach drama in a way which will be meaningful and useful to my ten students with highly diverse special educational needs (Johnson, 1997). I am influenced by the work of Nind and Hewitt (1988) who believe that young people who have learning difficulties have low self-esteem; and that we need to go back to the beginning in order to rebuild that feeling of self-worth. One way is to respond to students’ own choice of communication as a starting point, to value the contributions made by the students and find ways of building onthis. This fits in with my own thoughts and values about teaching drama. The beauty of the subject is that it allows for differentiation because the layers of access are inherent in the process of learning through drama. For instance, a player such as Kai is more confident and able in communicating his ideas and suggestions verbally than, Melissa. Melissa is eye-pointing and touching objects to make choices. We can ask Melissa to make decisions such as, "Which hat do you think the character should wear?" by presenting her with two styles of hat. We can give Melissa the experience of choice, "You touch this hat, the character wears it." This way she can contribute to the drama even though she is unable to use spoken language.

All the World’s a Stage

Drama is concerned with doing. I believe that in order to learn how to think and how to do, there has to be some action. This is where action research rings true for me. Action research is about trying out an idea in practice with a view to improving or changing something. My action research is about a series of drama lessons. I have called these the ‘inner play’. In devising this production I have used a Mike Leigh approach, where the director has ideas, plans and a skeleton script, but works genuinely collaboratively. Constructing and deconstructing a ‘devised production’ and examining different interpretations of a ‘scene’ seem to me to be methods of examining not only my own stance and part in this scenario, but also acknowledging and beginning to understand other people's viewpoints. I have relied on teamwork with co-researchers and other professionals, for example, the process of rehearsing, rewriting, discussion, building the characters and so forth. My co-researchers and fellow players were my support staff and the students. I have also introduced a ‘third eye’ (Bolton, 1984), my critical friend Francesca, who will observe some of the drama sessions and help me to evaluate them.

It was a natural progression for me to consider the cycles of research as acts in a play. Once I started to analyse data and write up the results I began to realise that transcripts of lessons and conversations lent themselves to presentation as patches of dialogue. The use of a Narrator to describe lessons seemed logical. I began to see how I could represent the action research as a play without a play, a device often employed by Shakespeare. The inner play is made up of the planning, execution and evaluation of the drama lessons. The outer play is the representation of the three cycles of action research as three acts in a play. During the inner play there are various perspectives on the drama lessons and what comes out of them. For example, the teacher provides rationale and philosophy through monologues and uses the technique of the ‘aside’ to comment, tell what she has learned, or give her opinion. There are soliloquies too, time for reflection and evaluation. The pieces of dialogue are authentic extracts from transcripts of conversations. The Critic poses questions. The Chorus provides constructive advice and influences, consolidates and validates the direction of the research. Below is an extract from Act 3 of the play.

ACT ONE. Choice

Scene 1. The Drama Lesson. Video.

Scene 2. Building the Team. Extracts from field notes.

Scene 3. Soliloquy. Reflections.

Scene 4. The Critic. Devised conversation based on field notes.

Scene 5. The Chorus. Support group.

ACT TWO. Becoming a Player.

Scene 1 Chorus. Support group.

Scene 2. The Drama Lesson. Video.

Scene 3. Forum Theatre.

Scene 4. Soliloquy.

ACT THREE. Inclusion.

Scene 1. Chorus.

Scene 2. Monologue

Scene 3. The Drama Lesson

Scene 4. The Critic

Cast List

The Players: Ashley, Gemma, Kai (SLD students) Stephen, Sonja, Melissa (PMLD students) Katia, Nina, Tom, Drew (Students with challenging behaviour). Pixie, Beth, Lennie, Tina and others (Support staff). The teacher. Francesca (critical friend). The Chorus.

Scene 1. Chorus

You can't see the wood for the trees.

Tell us the whole story.

You're not doing justice to your work.

Tell us about your play

And how it fits together.

We think what you've done is good.

You've convinced us of its merit.

Now get it down on paper.

Scene 2. A Monologue.

We are concerned that the students are moving up to the leavers unit next year. Several of the students find it difficult to cope with change. Drew, Nina, Gemma, Sonja, Tom and Katia experience great anxiety when there are changes in staff groupings, timetables and rooms. We have agreed that the drama will continue to follow the characters in the Wellington Square stories, but we will devise our own plot. We have decided on a new plot, in which Rocky and Ben are moving into a new class but will be split up. We intend to demonstrate scenes that make the emotions of the characters clear. As a preparation, we have starting to talk to the students at other times during the week about changes on the horizon.

Scene 3. A Drama Lesson

Narrator: The drama starts with the teacher signing and saying Drama. She then asks the students who the different props represent. Kai, Gemma, Drew, Ashley and Nina all respond, by signing or speech. Then the teacher moves on to the ‘Hat on,/Hat off’ ritual. After she has done this with the first two players, Gemma takes over completely and goes round everybody doing the whole process, saying and signing correctly, hat on Rocky, hat off Drew, until she has finished the whole circle. She corrects herself when she makes a mistake. The teacher thanks Gemma and asks if they can remember what they have been doing in the drama lessons.

Kai Different classes (signing also).

Two of the other students then join in and copy what he does. The teacher asks if they think Ben and Rocky are sad or happy about being in different classes.

Drew Sad (signing also).

The teacher (using the props) asks them who they would like to see a scene about, Rocky and his Mum, or Rocky and Ben. To do this she puts Rocky's hat on her head and holds the scarf representing Mrs Rockwell in one hand and the hat which represents Ben in the other hand.

Teacher If you choose Ben's cap the most, we'll act out a scene about Ben and Rocky, and if you choose Mrs Rockwell's scarf, we'll act out a scene between Rocky and his Mum.

The teacher goes around the students and they each choose either the scarf or the cap. Sonja chooses by looking, Steven chooses by grabbing at the cap, Melissa chooses by touching the cap. The cap wins.

Teacher OK, you've made a group decision. We're going to do a scene about Ben and Rocky.

The teacher and Pixie set out a scene between Ben and Rocky, where they are sad because they are going into different classes. The group count in the scene, 123 Action!. The scene starts with a silence and the group are quiet for the duration of the scene. At the end of the scene, the teacher goes round the students and asks them, using speech, signs and symbols of happy/sad faces, how they think Ben and Rocky might be feeling. Most of the students give the response of sad, the some need help.

The class then get into groups and work out their own scenes with a member of staff. Gemma is signing what she wants to do. The staff give the students a choice of who they might like to play, by presenting them with the props, which represent the characters. Each group shares their work. One scene is between Ben played by a teacher, Sara, and Rocky, played by Sonja. Sara wears the black cap and Sonja wears the white cap - her choice by touching. The rest of the group shout, 123 Action! and are then quiet.

The Play Within Ben I am so sad, you are my first real friend and now I'm not going to see you anymore. Rocky rocks his head backwards and forwards and looks straight ahead. Ben I don't know... It's everything. I'll miss you, your dog Max and all the fun we've had. I hate my parents for taking me away. Rocky makes a strong grunt-like noise and carries on nodding his head and rocking his body. Ben puts his arm round Rocky and Rocky rests his head on Ben.

Scene 4. Soliloquy

Today I felt that the students responded positively to the content covered in this lesson. Over the two terms there has been a gradual improvement in the students ability to focus their attention overall, and in this particular session it was very good. When myself and Pixie acted out the scene there was mainly silence and a good response to the questions and symbols afterwards. The students are being offered a variety of strategies for communication. We have also improved the way in which all the students can be involved in the decision-making process. In today’s lesson, the students were given a choice of who they wanted in the scene. What was exciting was Steven's response. Steven always chooses a scarf or a soft object in these situations, possibly the tactile element determines it, but today he looked at the objects and grabbed across to the opposite hand and took the cap. I would like to think that he was making a real choice to see a scene between Ben and Rocky as opposed to a scene between Rocky and his Mum. The lesson is now punctuated with opportunities for all students to have some control over events, and I feel that PMLD students are being more effectively included.

Flash Back: In a lesson last week (16.5.97) Melissa was able to respond to a question with an attempt at a Makaton sign. During the feedback at the end, I asked Melissa if she liked the session and to put up her thumb (Makaton sign for good) if she did. She brought her hand out and tried to put her thumb up. It was a bit shaky, because Melissa does not have very good coordination, but there was no mistaking what she was trying to do.

There is another major component, improved confidence. This has been remarked upon by every person who has been into a lesson and, overall, there have been five other teachers, ten other support staff (where cover was needed or extra help available), and four student nurses, (one per half term). Sara said that the way we spoke with the students was important because we continually paid attention to developing their self-esteem by being constructive. She also said we started from a premise that the students understood what we were saying, and she felt that this communicated the important message through intonation and context, that everyone's contribution was equally valuable.

Flashback: Lennie I think one of the factors we are probably overlooking is the relationship with staff and among staff and the way the students are picking that up. In the sense that everything we say or do is actually scrutinised and because most of the time it's positive, that's coming out through most of the students, the likes of Kai, for example, or Gemma or Nina. That's important, they're learning from us. Beth They're learning things like humour.

Scene 5.The Critic.

The Critic How are the pupils encouraged to work independently, make choices and assume responsibility?

Lenny Gemma is practically taking the lesson, at the beginning she went round and did the whole hat sequence.

Beth The students are choosing who they want to be and what they want to do.

Teacher The scenes were of a good standard, the students seemed to understand they were saying 'Goodbye' as the characters. Sonja and Steven did particularly well. They were both quiet and attentive in their scenes and had expressions of understanding on their faces. The whole group were quiet and moved during these scenes and the staff input was gentle and timed sensitively.

Francesca This is clear evidence of the involvement, progress and learning of these young people who have profound and multiple learning difficulties.

Epilogue

The significance and importance of the drama, which mirrored the forthcoming real events for the students, only became apparent in the last week of term when the students were able to say real goodbyes. There were no outbursts and, though it was sad, they knew what to do and that it was a time to thank each other. They had a practice, a rehearsal. There was a structure. Drama lends itself well to the ethos of action research. It is the ideal framework for looking at issues from other points of view and has the added advantage of being able to provide forms and structures which enable us to examine these sensitive issues through distancing. I have shown that the drama lessons allowed for differentiation which at the same time was inclusive. Fundamental goals, in relation to individual targets were met. For example, students expressing preferences, improving communication, increasing confidence and participating with or without help. On a practical level, students in the class are able to concentrate for the half-hour periods of the drama session, keeping their attention focussed on task. The involvement of the PMLD students has been very central to the research. In addition to using signs, symbols, props and pictures, we managed 1:1 staff support, so that the students with PMLD could be part of the scenes we acted out. This worked on two levels: firstly, they took part more fully in the sessions, and secondly, the other students, staff and visitors perceived the students more positively through their co-active roles. When I originally looked at my concern over the students having choices and independence as part of the decision-making process, I had no thought that this would then influence the way I worked with the staff. I thought I was a team player and in many ways I was. I value the staff and I listen to them. I select and give them credit for suggestions and advice that I think will work with the group. I used to have the ideas and they, good naturedly, went along with them. But this is not involving them in a decision-making process. This is not empowering them to actively be involved in developing and transforming the work we do with our group of young people. Becoming a player, was the realisation that I had to involve the staff more completely. It is realising that everyone has a contribution to make and that some players may take on different roles, but all are valuable. I have attempted so far to interweave my values into what I have written, because I believe values should be an integral part of what we say and do, not something separate that we can refer to just when it suits us. I have been able to examine my personal and professional values more closely. It has helped me to question my values and also to identify those values and where they permeate my professional work. I believe in the ethics, ethos, ethnicity and ethereal nature of the group both as a whole and in sub-divisions. The belonging is vital, the perception of others and ensuing positive attitudes and opportunities for constructive evaluation, limitless.

Bolton, G. 1984 Drama as Education, Longman.

Johnson, K. 1997 How can I use drama for action research with students with severe, profound and multiple learning difficulties, Unpublished MA, Kingston University.

Nind, M. & Hewitt, D. 1988 Interaction as curriculum, British Journal of Special Education, 15 (2) 55-57.

Zeichner, K. 1991 Contradictions and tensions in the professionalisation of teaching and the democratisation of schools, Teachers College Record, 92 363-379