Adaptation of drama to storytelling for classroom teaching: the modern training institute, Uyo experiment

Abstract

The need to reduce the complex plot of a drama into a simple, uncomplicated, and enjoyable form through the adaptation of a drama to a story for classroom teaching is the pivot of this work. In traditional African societies, our forefathers used storytelling to teach children the norms and values of society. At the night, during moonlight, the storytelling mode was used, as children gathered under trees to hear stories from elders. Storytelling in the classroom will not only entertain children by making the class work lively and attractive but will also enable the teacher to inculcate all the intended lessons in his set objectives as well as help to mould the child’s character. This work is on the adaptation of Sons and Daughters (drama) by J C De-Graft to a story for classroom teaching. It is a qualitative study and is hinged on Dorothy Heathcote’s postulation that the content of dramatic experience is far more important than literary assumptions. Heathcote views dramatic content as the pivot on which the child’s learning experience revolves because, it will help the child to grow intuitively, and creatively and build confidence which enables him to take decisions. The study concludes that the techniques of adapting drama to story with emphasis on the thematic and dramatic contents as well as the dramatic methods used during the experiments: adaptations, storytelling, role-play, improvisation, reflection, and evaluation, helped the students in the textual interpretation and understanding of the lesson. The study recommends the adoption of participatory techniques to make classroom teaching an enjoyable experience for the teacher and the student.