Introduction
I’d always hear how important arts education is in social-emotional learning. But it wasn’t until I was in the classroom as a drama teacher that I experienced it firsthand. Then I saw how powerful arts SEL really is.
Articles like this one from the New Jersey Board of Education support this by saying, “One of the most important avenues for (social and emotional learning) to take place is in the visual and performing arts.” They call it a potential superpower for schools who embrace it, and I definitely know this to be true.
Skills like decision making, relationship building, and being both self-aware and socially aware are all important when it comes to creating art. And one of the best ways this can happen is with drama class. It can work wonders for middle and high school students.
Fostering Inclusivity in Social Emotional Learning (SEL)
Delve into evidence-based strategies for building and implementing inclusive SEL programs. Essential for directors of counseling and counselors, this infographic elucidates how to integrate SEL interventions that engage all students, particularly those from marginalized groups. This infographic is a tool to ensure SEL benefits are shared equitably, enhancing academic performance, mental health wellbeing, and reducing behavioral and attendance issues for all students.Fostering Inclusivity in Social Emotional Learning (SEL)
Delve into evidence-based strategies for building and implementing inclusive SEL programs. Essential for directors of counseling and counselors, this infographic elucidates how to integrate SEL interventions that engage all students, particularly those from marginalized groups.
- Program Design: Highlights the application of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and the importance of addressing systematic barriers for students with disabilities.
- Program Development: Emphasizes culturally affirming programs and family involvement to enrich SEL.
- Program Implementation: Focuses on the role of teachers and the need for adult development in SEL programs.
- Program Research: Points out the impact of culture on emotional development and the value of culturally responsive pedagogy.
This infographic is a tool to ensure SEL benefits are shared equitably, enhancing academic performance, mental health wellbeing, and reducing behavioral and attendance issues for all students.
5 Ways drama and arts education is vital for SEL
1. Drama class helps us explore our true selves.
Drama is all about being a different character than oneself, right? This is true in a lot of ways, but at the same time, playing someone different often helps students tap into truths about themselves. It can help them portray a range of emotions that may not be “allowed” either by their own self-restriction, their family, or even society as a whole. When they can explore other emotions through a character, it can help students access their own emotions, learn empathy, and practice resilience.
I’ve had many students in my classes who lose themselves and find themselves through character work. Many kids who don’t “fit in” anywhere else can be who they are in the theater. Since we can try on different personas on stage, kids who are questioning or unsure can often feel safe figuring out their identities in a theater space. This is where arts SEL can really help students come out of their shells.
2. Drama helps us connect to one another.
Social skills are one of the main teaching targets in my drama classes, no matter the age. Even when I work with high schoolers or adults, this is an important focus. I always tell my drama classes or casts that drama is a team sport. We have to work together in order to achieve our goals.
Social awareness, how you relate to others, and how your actions impact others can all be challenging concepts to learn. Drama exercises can really help students understand this and get better with practice. I’ve had many students who struggle socially, either because of neurodivergence or a lack of practice, and they can practice this in a drama class setting.
It can also help with those uncomfortable situations. For instance, people will get their feelings hurt in drama class, but we work through this. We talk a lot about consent and physical and emotional space. Friendships and sometimes romances (or as they’re called, “showmances”) are made and broken. We practice the full range of human relationships both on and off-stage.
It makes a big difference, too. I really want my students to feel like they have a home in my class, and I see it happening as the school year goes on. One of the greatest compliments I ever got as a drama teacher was someone passing along that a student of mine told his family that he didn’t have any friends until he joined the school play.
See what Ori Learning’s SEL curriculum can do for your school or district.
3. Drama class helps students with decision-making.
The cliche of “the show must go on” is always true because things always go wrong in live theater. For instance, an actor gets sick, a set-piece falls down, or we have to rush to get a costume ready for opening night—these are all stressful, real scenarios that my students have to deal with regularly. Decisions need to be made and they need to be made on a very strict deadline. Year after year, I see my students step up to the challenge, and I’m so proud of the way they tackle the challenges.
These important teenage skills get used in other classes, too. I’ve seen my students grow and mature, putting the things they learn in drama class into math, science, and humanities classes. They are better problem solvers, speech givers, and group project participants, all became of drama.
4. Arts SEL is a great introduction to real life.
One of the ways I’ve seen drama apply to real life is an overall disappointment. Casting can be heartbreaking, but it’s inevitable. When students don’t get a certain part, it helps them learn how to cope and adjust. These are such important skills that will help them for years to come.
Probably my favorite skill students learn is collaborative problem-solving. Students really have to learn how to work well with others, and they can transfer this skill into so many other parts of their life. This is true for both now and the future. This is another one that will be with them for years.
It’s been true for myself. I’ve learned to be a great improviser over years, both in the classroom. It helped me deal with irate customers in my first retail job. It helped me make people laugh on first dates. And it has even helped me parent my own children at home.
Many drama students go on to do non-theatre jobs and use their skills to great success. Law schools apparently love theatre majors. I also know many project managers who used to be great stage managers. And yes, many theatre kids become educators because teaching uses all sorts of important SEL skills.
From adding a mindful minute to your day to journal keeping, enrich SEL instruction with these 7 research-based activities.
5. SEL skills and drama go hand in hand.
In this write-up for American Theatre, Stephan Sachs writes, “Rehearsing a play teaches young people teamwork, collaboration, tolerance, the importance of listening to and following direction. They learn about problem-solving, discipline, goal-setting, and time management. And they discover that getting something significant accomplished can also be fun.” All of these are SEL skills. Plus let’s not forget that the activist kids who spoke out after the Parkland shooting were the drama kids.
While I love to be a patron of the arts and I enjoy teaching drama for the sake of the art itself, it’s the arts SEL skills that bring me the real, life’s-work-worthy joy. Having kids feel safe and loved in my auditorium is more important than a kid feeling like a star. Plus having a student be able to use their voice to express their true thoughts or stand up for what’s right is more important than whether or not they can sing on-key. And having a group work together and feel like they achieved a goal is better than a production being flawless.
I love the theatre and I love working with drama students because they are social, they are emotional, and we are all learning to be most fully human.
More on arts SEL in education
Arts SEL refers to the integration of social-emotional learning in arts education, crucial for developing skills like decision-making, empathy, and resilience, which are vital for personal and social growth.
Drama class aids social-emotional learning by allowing students to explore different emotions and identities, improve social skills, and practice resilience through character work and collaborative exercises.
Students in drama classes develop collaborative problem-solving, decision-making, and social awareness skills that they can transfer to other academic subjects and real-life situations.
Incorporating arts SEL: Next steps
The skills that students develop in drama class—ranging from empathy and resilience to teamwork and problem-solving—extend far beyond the rehearsal room: these skills prepare them to succeed academically and to face real-world challenges. By embracing arts SEL, schools provide students with a nurturing environment where they can explore their emotions, connect with others, and grow into well-rounded individuals.
Ori Learning’s SEL curriculum provides a simple yet powerful framework for nurturing students’ emotional intelligence, social skills, and overall well-being. By understanding what SEL stands for and the benefits it provides, educators can create a supportive and inclusive learning environment that benefits students academically, emotionally, and socially. The integration of SEL into educational settings offers numerous advantages, including improved academic performance, the development of essential life skills, the fostering of positive relationships, and the promotion of a positive classroom climate.
Laura Wheatman Hill
Laura Wheatman Hill (she/her) lives in Portland, Oregon with her two children. She has a master's degree in arts in teaching and has taught English, writing, and drama to students in preschool through adulthood. She writes plays, essays, and reported pieces, and is attempting her first novel. She has been published by CNN, Real Simple, Parents, and others. You can find her at laurawheatmanhill.com and on Twitter @Lwheatma
