Secret Teacher: Issue 90

Is Drama an academic subject? I would think that most Drama teachers would vehemently answer ‘YES’. For many years, drama teachers have grappled with acceptance alongside other subjects for status and power. As Drama teachers, we often find ourselves justifying the role our subject plays in student development processes such as decision making, problem solving and perseverance as well as exposing our cohorts to real-life issues usually taught through the realms of role-play and textual study. The new Ofsted framework which seeks to include character education lends itself to a strong dramatic approach to learning.

So is Drama academic? In answering this question, we need to define the two terms. An online search for the word ‘Drama’ produces responses such as ‘a play for theatre, radio or television’ and ‘the activity of acting’. The term ‘academic’ by Collins Dictionary states ‘…[an] emphasis on studying and reasoning rather than on practical or technical skills.’ This is problematic because our subject is driven both by practical and technical skills. The question, therefore, is how do we measure or judge (indeed, one might say ‘assess’) Drama education in schools for the subject to be classified as academic?