What Are The Advantages and Disadvantages Of Drama In The Classroom?

Using drama in the classroom is generally considered to be a positive thing, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have its disadvantages!

Advantages of Using Drama in The Classroom

• Engages kinesthetic learners (those who learn through moving or doing)
• Can boost students’ self-esteem and confidence
• Can be used to teach team-work and to help new classmates to bond
• Can help students to engage with difficult or dull plays
• Useful when trying to teach Shakespeare to a young class with a short attention span

Disadvantages of Using Drama To Teach

• Children can get disorderly and over-excited
• Some students may feel inadequate or self-conscious compared to those who are naturally good at drama
• Some children may see it as an opportunity to avoid “real” work
• Not everybody likes drama
• Not all students will be kinesthetic learners
• The focus of the activity is often lost, especially with younger groups of students

As you can see, there are plenty of arguments both for and against using drama in the classroom. I don’t think it should be used as a replacement for reading drama, but it can’t hurt to use it as an alternative occasionally!