Drama strategies for outcomes-based learning in the poetry classroom

English: The implementation of outcomes-based education (OBE) in South Africa left a number of teachers feeling disadvantaged in terms of the knowledge and skills needed to pursue the ideals of the educational system. English teachers from Bloemfontein revealed the need for expanded opportunities to support the existing teaching approaches, particularly in the poetry classroom. It was claimed that pressure to 'cover' the curriculum together with time constraints and excessive workloads has led to a lack of teacher creativity. As a result, cases of learner boredom, indifference and an aversion to the subject were observed. This issue was addressed by investigating the connection between OBE and drama-in-education (DIE) and it was found that the two approaches have a number of features in common. Two Grade 10 English Home Language and two Grade 10 English First Additional Language teachers were recruited, by means of semi-random sampling, from two different schools in Bloemfontein. One teacher from each school was placed into the Control Group and the other into the Experimental Group. Teachers were subjected to a seven-month empirical study consisting of three phases, namely pre-intervention (Phase I), intervention (Phase 2) and post-intervention (Phase 3). During Phase I, the researcher conducted a situation analysis to identify the existing teaching methods in use in four Grade 10 English poetry classrooms, as well as the attitudes/perceptions of the teachers and learners to these and drama methods. The data (gathered through interviews, questionnaires and classroom observations) showed the use of traditional and OBE methods. While some of the teachers demonstrated a positive attitude to the existing teaching methods in use, others revealed that they either had a neutral attitude to these methods (due to a lack of knowledge with regard to alternative methods) or that they felt ambiguous about using them. Learner responses indicated that they were indifferent to these approaches, but that they had an overall preference for OBE methods. By contrast, all four teachers, as well as the majority of their learners, demonstrated a positive attitude to the hypothetical use of drama strategies in the poetry classroom. During Phase 2, the teachers in the Experimental Group were provided with a short training course on the implementation of drama strategies in the poetry classroom (the Control Group did not undergo training). The data, gathered through questionnaires and focus group discussions, confirmed the positive attitude of the teachers to the use of drama strategies, while revealing a sense of determination to implement these methods in their lessons. Phase 3 aimed to establish which drama methods had been employed by the teachers in the Experimental Group, which methods they found most useful, what their and their learners' attitudes/perceptions were to these methods, and the overall success of the lessons. The data showed that the teachers and the majority of their learners felt positive towards the use of drama methods and that the teachers found sound-tracking, examining archival materials, role-play, small-group drama, interviewing, and discussion-in-role to be the most effective drama strategies. Furthermore, the lessons proved successful since the learners demonstrated higher levels of cognitive, emotional and physical engagement with the poems under investigation. In addition, the researcher found that there had been a dramatic shift from learner indifference/boredom in the poetry classroom to learner enjoyment as a result of these methods. Another objective was to compare the trends between the Control and Experimental Groups in terms of their perceptions/attitudes to the use of drama strategies, especially after the exposure of the latter group to these methods. Finally, a statistical analysis of the results at the end of Phase 3 proved that both groups had made equal progress throughout the study and that the intervention had made no difference to the results of the learners in the Experimental Group. By contrast, the qualitative analysis showed that the learners in the Experimental Group demonstrated higher levels of engagement with the poems, improved levels of enjoyment and a decrease in boredom, indifference and aversion to the subject.