“Tell me, and I'll forget. Show me, and I may not remember. Involve me, and I'll understand.”

Schools, teachers and parents have always been talking about the significance of student involvement, whether in classroom or in extracurricular activities. The purpose has always been holistic development of children not only as students but as individuals as well. In other words, for the overall development and growth, children should not only excel academically but also with equal participation and enthusiasm in non-scholastic activities.

No wonder academicians and teachers figured this out quite early, and hence stressed on the importance of a well-designed school curriculum. Speaking of which, sports, art, music, theatre, drama are all such activities that were found to bring out the best in children, especially at school level. And so is the significance of Drama, which holds a special place among all other art and extra-curricular activities. Drama is special because it involves a unique blend of thought and feeling that makes learning exciting, challenging as well as enjoyable.

Thakur International School, Mumbai (IGCSE & A Levels) strongly believes in the fact that as educators, it is equally important to provide students a fun and meaningful environment to learn. Thus, the school has always been conducting events promoting drama as a significant part of their school curriculum. Drama contributes to a great extent in developing the overall personality of students as individuals. It puts their mind and body in action and makes learning deeper and even more ingrained. Drama helps students in actively becoming a part of the rich learning process rather than just being mere observers in classroom theory. It gives an opportunity to teachers and parents to have a glimpse of children’s rich imagination and presentation skills. It aids in improving negotiation skills during dialogue delivery and communication skills with the sophistication of language used in drama. Students get to learn and explore the perspectives of the characters they personify.

Drama in education is thus, not a new idea; in fact, drama and theatre arts have been around since ancient times. Back then, ‘Plays’ were heavily advocated as a great way of learning and even in today’s modern times, educators around the world still believe it to be a very significant element in school curriculum. TIS, Mumbai (IGCSE & A Levels) has always been stressing on Drama as an important element in the school education curriculum. The school has been extensively promoting drama classes as an ideal cross-curricular activity, giving its students the opportunity to explore and express their emotions in a supporting environment.

Thus, drama not only teaches students how to act or perform but also aids in making them effective communicators. It is through drama that schools strive to encourage pupils to learn actively and interactively – preparing well-rounded and versatile individuals for the future. After all, “It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.” – Albert Einstein