Full Description
Drawing on qualitative research exploring the techniques of playwriting instructors, this book outlines signature pedagogies within playwriting instruction for 'novice' writers and how they may be reimagined and reinvigorated.
Through research gathered in interviews with 11 instructors, and surveying their methods, syllabi and handouts, Andrew Black interrogates key challenges within dramatic writing pedagogy: the myth that it, along with creativity, cannot be taught; the lack of clarity about the instructional value of playwriting education for diverse contemporary audiences; the tendency to allow the writing product to drive instruction rather than process; and the tension between traditional and experimental models of play construction and how this can confound instructional techniques.
Identifying 3 indispensable and signature pedagogies that are consistently used in the classroom - the writing exercise, the use of mentor texts and the workshopping of student material - this book describes key strategies and practices used by seasoned instructors which bring these pedagogical strategies to life, strategies and practices which can support instructors in reimagining their playwriting classrooms. An intervention for "lorebased" pedagogical models that are often out of date and reflect the biases of previous generations, Black offers a starting point for instructors developing their inclusive lesson plans, offering a comprehensive understanding of pedagogical options available to the instructors.
Contents
Introduction
Chapter One—Setting the Stage
The backstory on playwriting: how we got to where we are
Lore as the pedagogical standard in playwriting
Who is the learner in our classrooms: instructing the novice
A qualitative approach to disciplinary research: what is going on out there?
The book's organization
What it is/What it isn't
Chapter 2: The Challenge of the Romantic Model
Understanding the challenge
What educators think
Teaching self-efficacy: I can do this; I can write a play!
Chapter Three: Instructional Objectives, or Why Teach Playwriting?
The challenge: not just the vocational objective
Multiple objectives for playwriting instruction
Using expanded objectives to justify the offering
Chapter Four: Linear Versus Non-linear Models of Theatre in the Classroom
Closed and open models for plays
Some historical context
Teaching using the linear approach: pro
Teaching using a linear model: con
Dealing with this tension in the playwriting classroom
Frameworks and models / the advance organizer
Let the student lead
Chapter Five: Teaching Playwriting as a Process
Understanding the challenge known as "focusing on product" not process
Stages in the writing process
Strategies for teaching "process": pre-writing, writing, rewriting
Chapter Six: Signature Pedagogies--The Writing Exercise
The value and purpose of the writing exercise
Exploring the universe of writing exercises
Setting up, conducting, following through
Linear and non-linear approaches and the writing exercise
Chapter Seven: The Mentor Text as a Signature Pedagogy
What is a mentor text?
The value of the mentor text
Students don't read the plays
Building a comprehensive, yet diverse, reading list
Talking about the play versus learning how to write a play
Teaching the play in class
What about copyright?
Chapter Eight: The Playwrights Workshop
What is the playwrights workshop?
Context and background for the workshop
The purpose of the playwrights workshop
Strategies for a playwrights workshop with novices
Chapter Nine: Other Pedagogical Models
Self-Efficacy and the playwriting instructor
Context assessment
Time management
Understanding student goals
Non-Mentor texts / Secondary texts
Next steps for students when the class ends
Chapter Ten: Bringing the Curtain Down
Lore as a pedagogical practice
Applications to other forms of dramatic writing (screenwriting, digital storytelling)
Playwriting instructor as dramaturg
A call to action for the discipline and the instructor
Appendix A: A Proposed Flow for a Playwriting Class for Novices
Appendix B: A Playwrights Workshop Punch List for Critique
Works Cited
Index
