University of Leeds Drama Teacher Conference 2019

This annual Drama teacher conference aims to bring teachers together to network and share ideas. Head of school Professor Alice O’Grady opens the day by welcoming, and tells us ‘it's your day’.

I meet youth theatre leaders, PGCE tutors; secondary and primary teachers. FE lecturers, HE fellows, people from museums, charities, theatres, theatre companies, students, and more. There is a buzz to the day and the aim of bringing people together has succeeded.

Keynote speaker Hywel Roberts talks us through why he believes Drama and stories are the key to engagement and motivation. He uses personal stories of working with young people, alongside informed research: stories from the classroom that illustrate Drama as a way for us to exercise professional imagination in ‘warming up cold curriculum’. He argues Drama is humanising, and moves learners from engaged to invested.