Safe to speak? A teacher’s story of one child’s apparent ‘liberation’ and ‘transformation’ through the security of role

Abstract

The following article arose out of conversations between the authors, Shay Cowley, a second year student at the School of Education, The University of Waikato, and Dr. Viv Aitken, who lectures in Drama in Education at the same university. Shay contacted Viv to tell her about the successful drama unit she had taught on her first year teaching practicum and, in particular, to report the apparent ‘transformation’ that had occurred for one student in the class (referred to here as ‘Kate’). Through continued discussion about Shay’s experience, a decision was made to share her story and to position this within related theory on the transformative potential of drama. In terms of methodology, then, the article emerges from practitioner reflection: in this case, the anecdotal reflections of an emergent teacher. The student’s narrative is then deconstructed and the anecdotal material is used as the basis for the exploration of hypothetical questions which are seen as having relevance and importance in the field of drama education.