use of drama in the classroom

Constructivism is a philosophy of learning founded on the premise that, by reflecting on our experiences, we construct our own understanding of the world we live in. It is a new approach in education that claims humans are better able to understand the information they have constructed by themselves. According to constructivist theorists, learning is a social advancement that involves language, real world situations, and interaction and collaboration among learners. Vygotsky (1978). There are several tenets /principles that rationalize the development of the constructivism educational theory. Drama in education provides activities, strategies and techniques that underpin all these tenets. Therefore revealing how the constructivism learning theory justifies the use of the use of drama in the classroom. “Drama in education is the use of drama techniques to support learning in the classroom. Drama in education was at first called creative dramatics and the founder of the field was Winifred Ward. By creative dramatics she meant a classroom teaching method that emphasizes self-expression, training in spoken English and literature appreciation. The term is also sometimes used interchangeably with development drama, educational drama, informal drama, process drama, and framed expertise.” Firstly, the constructivists believe that learning is a search for meaning. Therefore, learning must start with the issues around which students are actively trying to construct meaning. They also believe that meaning requires understanding wholes as well as parts. And parts must be understood in the context of wholes. Therefore, the learning process focuses on primary concepts, not isolated facts. They also believe that in order to teach well, we must understand the mental models that students use to perceive the world and the assumptions they make to support those models. Another assumption posited by the constructivists is the belief that the purposes of learning is for