Module 3 research and interviews

Hi Everyone,

I haven't blogged in a while as I have had some health issues but I am now back in the saddle and working like a steam train on my research project.

My working question is -

"How can I develop Drama learning to benefit the social skills and emotional literacy of Key Stage 3 & 4 learners with Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties (EBD)? Can developing these skills aid independence?"


I have drawn up a consent form/set of interview questions and should hopefully have completed the interview process in a couple of days so I can begin analysing my research.  The interview questions are as follows:

a)    How would you best define social skills in relation to the curriculum taught within this school?  What are the main topics covered within the schemes of work?

b)   What does the term ‘social skills’ mean in relation to KS3/4 with EBD?  Are there any particular topics within these social skills lessons that KS3/4 children with EBD struggle with (generally speaking)? Any examples?

c)    What does the term emotional literacy refer to in the context of this school?

d)   Does having developed emotional literacy impact KS3/4 in any way and does it impact differently on KS3/4 children with EBD? How? Any examples?

e)    What does future independence mean for students with EBD within this school?

*Independence; Capable of thinking or acting for oneself

                          ; Not depending on another for livelihood or subsistence

f)     In your opinion, would a series of workshops or a curriculum of work, specifically targeting social skills through drama teaching, benefit or inhibit the KS3/4 children in this school with EBD?

g)    How important is the role of a Drama curriculum within this school at present and (usually) how engaged within drama lessons are the KS3/4 students with EBD ie. Highly engaged, mostly engaged, somewhat engaged, not at all engaged/refuse to participate or even stay in the setting?

h)   In your opinion does drama impact upon KS3/4 with EBD?  How?  Are there any specific instances you could share?

i)     Are there any ethical implications/limitations to take into account when teaching EBD children?

j)     In a drama workshop situation, how many EBD children would you recommend working with at once (with support assistant(s) present) to most benefit the engagement and learning of participants and keep the sessions controlled but relaxed, in equal measure.

k)    In relation to creating workshop activities, are there any elements of a drama lesson you feel may not be appropriate/may be more beneficial to teaching adolescents with EBD i.e. Role-play, method acting, improvisation, script writing etc.

l)     In your opinion, would single sex or mixed workshops keep the participants with EBD more engaged? Why?

m)  Do you have anything else to add that you feel may be of interest to the research?

 *As defined by http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/independent

To go alongside the interview research, I am also sending out an email at work (SEN school KS3/4) to all the teachers asking them to select three of their  EBD students that they can observe and mark against the EBD criteria (as defined by the therapy team at my workplace).  This will give me a clearer context for the level of pitching for my artefact.

The artefact I am working on is going to either run as a scheme of work that can be used by the Drama department or as a series of workshops which could be run as an enrichment scheme or after school club, which specifically targets the areas of social skills that children with EBD general struggle with.

In terms of context, my workplace is extremely focussed on giving our learners the life/social skills they need to be able to live and survive independently upon leaving education.  Although it would be ideal that all learners have at least basic literacy/numeracy skills upon leaving education, these academic skills are not necessary to get a job for example.  If learners are able to follow audible/visual instructions, they are therefore able to fulfil a role in a workplace, earn a wage and live, for the most part, independently.  As I mentioned earlier, it is this independence that the head is most concerned with.

I have also been reading some brilliant literature on EBD (two books that were recommended by colleagues), as although my practical techniques for working with learners with EBD were successful, my academic knowledge of the subject was sparse.  This research project has afforded me the opportunity to underpin my practical knowledge and fill in the gaps of why I cannot always understand an individual or connect with them.

If anybody would like to offer any of their own experiences in relation my my interview questions above, ideas on successful drama techniques they have used with EBD learners or anything else you feel would be beneficial, I would find it very useful before I begin compiling my research.

Thanks Everybody :)