SLH: Understanding science through drama

Join Dr Carrie Swanson and Greta Dromgool in a session which will inspire you to explore science through drama.

Science learning involves exploring ideas through different perspectives and imagining objects, processes and connections that can’t be viewed by the naked eye. Using drama to enhance students' learning experiences deepens their understanding. Drama can play a significant role in helping students to better understand science concepts, the nature of science, and to explore the complexity of socio-scientific issues.

During this free webinar we will share examples of how different kinds of drama can support science learning. We will include simple ideas that can be used easily in the classroom and provide links demonstrating how other educators have developed an integrated curriculum approach using science and drama.

Carrie's research involves both science and drama education. Her PhD explored the use of the dramatic inquiry approach Mantle of the Expert (Heathcote and Bolton, 1995) in science education at years 7–8. She is connected to the wider drama and science communities in Australasia and world-wide including the Dramatic Inquiry Aotearoa Network Trust and has contributed to two books.

This session will be valuable for all teachers.

Register here.

See our Twitter feed for inspiring tweets posted during the live webinar. We will be using the hashtags #SLH_webinar and #SLH_PLD.

Joining the webinar

Follow these simple steps to join our webinar:

• Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android by clicking on the link https://waikato.zoom.us/j/359736528 and following the instructions. You can also access Zoom on your phone, just follow the prompts.
• Find the chat box located in the toolbar at the bottom of your screen. You may need to access this by clicking on ‘More’.
• Using the chat box, introduce yourself, where you teach and, if you are in a group, how many people are there.
• Set up your screen for optimal viewing. If you’re using a mobile device, you may wish to view in landscape. We recommend selecting a thumbnail view of the presenters – this way you can easily see what is being shared on the screen.

Then you can:

1. watch, listen and respond via chat to the presentation and discussion
2. ask questions using the chat box at any time
3. continue your learning on Slack – our online discussion forum and join the #primaryscience channel.

The Science Learning Hub team will be there to support you and answer questions.

PLD certification

We currently offer recognition of teachers’ involvement in our online PLD.

To qualify for a professional learning and development certificate, teachers must:

• register for and watch the live webinar or let us know they have viewed the recorded version once it is published on the website
• register in Slack and participate in our discussions about teaching science and how the Hub can help or in the Slack learning reflections channel.

If you need any help accessing our Slack forum, please see our help info or email us.