Abstract:
This paper reports a question that emerged from recent doctoral research, when two groups were interviewed about their perceptions of effective drama teaching in the primary classroom. One group was of expert practitioners, the other of practising teachers. The data sets have already supported an analysis of the features of drama teaching, but much valuable knowledge can still be retrieved from the participants’ voices to continue to inform our understanding of the processes and provocations around drama education. One question that raised curiosity was the difference in the discourses of the two groups of participants, experts and practising teachers. Although experience and time might seem obvious explanations, looking and listening closely to the gaps and the connections between the two allows consideration of the challenges and opportunities that face classroom drama teaching in the 21st century. The researcher’s initial concern remains for reinvigorating the place of drama in the curriculum and reviving practices and understandings about drama education. This paper focuses on the discourses and what might be learned about the path from novice to expertise in drama teaching.