What is Theatre in Education?

Learning anything can be difficult for some people. Attuning the mind to absorb and retain a lesson of any sort can be hard for a person without the learning or having access to the right tools. Tools to be used for education can be a gift that lasts a lifetime, a gift that can be passed on and a gift from an educator to the student.

Using a form of liberal arts as a tool for education can benefit someone who has real trouble learning. A slight learning disability can hamper and frustrate the brightest of students. Theatre in Education uses all things theatre to help students retain the information set before them. Literature and history can be especially difficult to learn through traditional methods.

Teachers are making use of drama to enhance learning for the benefit of the student. Giving students that ability to study the curriculum in full form instead of trying to keep pace taking notes. Using Shakespeare to teach language form and life skills has become great for students and educators. The struggle and frustration that comes with traditional learning is gone.

Skill sets learned through the use of theatre in education are: public speaking, self-confidence, improved communication and speech. Teamwork is essential to theatre, and the skills needed to deal with others on a daily basis, such as the social and interactive skills that most people take for granted.

The new benefits can give the student a greater self-awareness and motivation to achieve higher goals in life. The educator can see greater progress when using this type of teaching because proof of knowledge is used in a new form. Students with slight learning disabilities can achieve a goal of "fitting in" with a crowd through theatre.

Theatre in education is the art of teaching students not just academic lessons, but life lessons. Making the students see things differently than sitting in a classroom staring at a piece of paper.