Unit rationale, description and aim
Intending secondary Drama teachers require a strong understanding of curriculum expectations, pedagogical approaches, and assessment practices to plan and deliver effective learning in Years 7–10. Junior secondary learners bring diverse cultural backgrounds and experiences to drama. Teachers therefore need the knowledge and skills to design learning that is coherent, engaging, and responsive to varied learner needs. This unit provides foundational disciplinary understanding and introduces key principles that underpin pedagogies in Drama.
In this unit preservice teachers will build knowledge of curriculum structures, concepts, and terminology for Drama Years 7–10, while engaging with evidence-based approaches to learning and teaching. Through modelling, practice, and collaborative activities, preservice teachers explore Drama-specific pedagogies, including process drama, dramatic inquiry, aesthetic and experiential learning, and inclusive strategies for practical classes. They design sequenced learning and assessment experiences, engage in microteaching, and use diagnostic, formative and summative approaches to evaluate learning. These experiences support development as a reflective, informed, and capable beginning teacher.
The aim of this unit is to develop preservice teachers’ disciplinary and pedagogical content knowledge to plan, teach, and assess Drama effectively in junior secondary contexts, and make informed decisions that promote equitable participation, engagement, and achievement for diverse learners.
Campus offering
No unit offerings are currently available for this unit.Learning outcomes
To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.
Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from 糖心原创 with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.
Explore the graduate capabilities.
Describe the structure, intent and key features of...
Learning Outcome 01
Explain how students learn in and through Drama an...
Learning Outcome 02
Analyse drama curriculum, pedagogical models and c...
Learning Outcome 03
Design coherent lesson and unit sequences in Drama...
Learning Outcome 04
Evaluate assessment strategies and feedback practi...
Learning Outcome 05
Content
Topics will include:
- Reflecting on prior experiences of teaching and learning in Years 7-10 Drama
- Australian Curriculum and local curriculum iterations for Years 7-10 Drama, including Cross Curriculum Priorities, General Capabilities and local curriculum documentation
- Theories of learning relevant to drama education
- Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) in drama, including making, performing and responding/appreciating pedagogical frameworks, drama specific pedagogies, culturally responsive pedagogy methods, collaborative learning, experiential, embodied and aesthetic and explicit instruction
- Designing units of work and related summative assessments for Drama in Years 7-10
- Selection of forms and styles of drama, dramatic texts, performance works, and stimuli to support and engage junior secondary drama learners
- Teaching the language of Drama; using the elements and skills of drama, creating and communicating meaning through making and performing drama, reflecting on and evaluating drama works
- Teaching strategies and approaches for Years 7–10 Drama, including process drama, experiential, aesthetic and embodied learning
- Managing practical classes, including embodied and collaborative learning environments, rehearsals and performance processes, movement and spatial awareness, and inclusive participation
- Strategies for monitoring and differentiating student learning in Drama, including observations, process documentation, feedback and conferencing
- Classroom verbal and non-verbal communication for Drama, including the Initiation-Response-Feedback (IRF) model, embodied demonstration, descriptive questioning, scaffolding, visual thinking strategies, thick-aloud modelling, metacognitive reflection, guided critique and collaborative discussion
- Ethical and professional resource selection and development for Drama, including the use of generative AI in making, performing and responding/appreciating
- Roles and professional responsibilities of a contemporary teacher of Drama, including student physical and emotional safety, student wellbeing and ethical practice in practical, digital and AI-enhanced learning environments
- Digital technologies in the drama classroom including emergent technologies such as generative AI and considerations for ethical, critical and creative engagement
Assessment strategy and rationale
The assessment in this unit is designed to progressively build preservice teachers’ capacity to plan, teach, and evaluate Drama learning in Years 7–10. A two-task structure provides coherence, clear developmental progression, and opportunities for feedback. Assessment tasks incorporate both formative and summative elements and reflect real-world teaching activities, supporting preparedness for professional experience. The ethical and appropriate use of generative AI is scaffolded throughout the unit to support planning and resource development while understanding its limitations, documentation requirements, and the need for academic and professional integrity in teaching contexts.
Task 1 focuses on designing sequenced learning and assessment experiences to demonstrate understanding of curriculum structures, disciplinary knowledge, and inclusive planning for diverse learners. Task 2 builds on this foundation through analysis of resources for drama teaching and their use in microteaching episodes with reflective evaluation of pedagogical decisions. This design mirrors authentic school practice, where teachers identify learner needs, plan responsively, trial strategies, and evaluate their impact on student learning.
To pass this unit, students need to complete both assessment tasks and achieve a combined grade of 50% overall.
Overview of assessments
Assessment Task 1: Planning a Unit of Work ...
Assessment Task 1: Planning a Unit of Work
Design a coherent Year 7–10 Drama unit of work that aligns with curriculum requirements and leads to a selected summative assessment task. Apply appropriate drama-based evidence informed approaches to (1) develop drama knowledge, skills and understanding through making, performing and responding/appreciating; (2) incorporate explicit instruction, aesthetic and experiential learning, differentiation and inclusive practices; and (3) justify curriculum, pedagogical and assessment decisions using relevant scholarly and policy evidence.
50%
Task 2 Description: Repertoire File and Micro Tea...
Task 2 Description: Repertoire File and Micro Teaching
Create a repertoire resource file for classroom drama teaching. Provide a justified explanation for each choice. Then, select one piece from the resource file and create two micro teaching episodes using a spiral curriculum approach. Integrate drama specific pedagogies to show the different learnings possible from the resource. Prepare a reflective evaluation video explaining your pedagogical decisions, use of resources, and impact on diverse learners.
50%
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
This unit is grounded in a social constructivist approach, emphasising active engagement, dialogue, and purposeful collaboration as ways for adult learners to build knowledge and professional capability. Learning activities support preservice teachers to connect theoretical perspectives with practical classroom application through modelling, guided practice, peer feedback, and structured reflection. Online lectures and readings provide key concepts and disciplinary foundations, while tutorials offer opportunities to trial and refine teaching strategies in supportive, interactive settings.
Because adult learners have varied experiences with Drama and schooling, teaching approaches are designed to be flexible, transparent, and scaffolded. Strategies such as worked examples, explicit modelling, aesthetic and process drama-based learning experiences, and structured peer collaboration help preservice teachers to build confidence when tasks involve making, performing and responding/appreciating. The unit also prioritises inclusive learning design, ensuring that teaching approaches are accessible to students with disability and neurodiverse learners through multimodal content, repeated practice opportunities, and options for differentiated participation in practical activities.
By engaging in planning, teaching demonstrations, and microteaching, preservice teachers build the communication, problem-solving, and reflective skills required for junior secondary teaching. These strategies promote professional dialogue, ethical practice, and the ability to adapt teaching for diverse student needs in real classroom contexts.