National Endowment for the Arts: As students across the country head back to school, we have a conversation with Dr. Thalia Goldstein about the significant impact of theater education on child development. Dr. Goldstein is an associate professor and director of the Applied Developmental Psychology program in the Department of Psychology at George Mason University where she directs the Play, Learning, Arts and Youth Lab (PLAYlab), and co-directs the National Endowment for the Arts Lab, the Mason Arts Research Center (MasonARC) which focuses on arts engagement, child development, and education.
2 comments:
From the time I started taking drama classes in middle school I began to notice that I became more empathetic towards others around me. I was longing for a community to be a part of and I had found it within my drama classes. Not only are these drama classes important for shaping these critical skills like empathy, creativity and collaboration, you’re also learning how to use what you learn in other classes and apply it to a text that is put on stage. Throughout middle to high school I was always thankful to be part of the community that theatre offered. It was often that in my drama classes or in a rehearsal room or a tech rehearsal I would learn a valuable lesson about patience, understanding, trust and collaboration than I would from sitting in a classroom reading a textbook. It continues to amaze me at how often arts programs are overlooked and underappreciated even though they become that safe space community for some students that help them thrive and shape who they become. Theatre education will always be important for any age group to learn and grow from.
My high school did not have a drama or theatre program due to insufficient funding, and what seemed like a general lack of understanding and demand for such a program. However, in middle school, one of the English teachers saw the cultural impact that Hamilton had on the student body and put together a little production of the musical for the community. She was the only teacher I ever came across in my school who understood the art of theatre. She had a distinct teaching method, and often held class wide discussions that created a sense of belonging and community. I always looked forward to her class because there was a feeling of being seen for who you are. The connection between her teaching style and her understanding of the importance of theatre was not lost on me. I sometimes wonder what lessons and benefits my classmates and I could have learned earlier on in life if we had been exposed to theatre in school.
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