Abstract
In the current age of academic rigor, standards and accountability, the fostering of caring relationships in the classroom may not always be a priority. Expressing care for another person is a skill that can be taught and nurtured through a supportive educational environment. Sociodrama encourages each of its participants to develop self-confidence and self-expression through risk-taking and exploration in activities that explore real life personal feelings and situations. By using sociodrama as a means for exploring issues in the classroom it is possible to celebrate participants’ individuality and to create caring and nurturing relationships among educators and students. This article examines the research describing the benefits of including sociodrama in the elementary curriculum.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Amatruda, M. J. (2006). Conflict resolution and social skill development with children. Journal of Group Psychotherapy, Psychodrama & Sociometry, 58(4), 168–181.
Aronson, E. (2004). Reducing hostility and building compassion: Lessons from the jigsaw classroom. In A. Miller (Ed.), The social psychology of good and evil. New York: The Guildford Press.
Barthes, R. (1957). Mythologies. Paris: Editions du Seuil.
Barton, B., & Booth, D. (1990). Stories in the classroom: Storytelling, reading aloud and roleplaying with children. Portsmouth, NH: Pembroke Publishers Limited.
Berry, D. (1998). Kids and art: Learning through the senses. Principal, 77, 28–34.
Bieber-Schut, R. (1991). The use of drama to help visually impaired adolescents acquire social skills. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, October, 340–341.
Blizek, W. (1999). Caring, justice, and self-knowledge. In M. Katz, N. Noddings, & K. Strike (Eds.), Justice and caring: The search for common ground in education. New York: Teachers College Press.
Blum, L. (1999). Ethnicity, identity, and community. In M. Katz, N. Noddings, & K. Strike (Eds.). Justice and caring: The search for common ground in education. New York: Teachers College Press.
Boal, A. (1985). Theatre of the oppressed. New York: Theatre Communications Group.
Boal, A. (2002). Games for actors and non-actors (2nd ed.). (A. Jackson, Trans.). New York: Routledge.
Cook-Sather, A. (2002). Authorizing students’ perspectives: Toward trust, dialogue, and change in education. Educational Researcher, 31(4), 3–14.
Courtney, R. (1989). Play, drama and thought (4th ed.). Toronto, ON: Simon & Pierre Publishing Company Limited.
Creekmore, N., & Madan, A. (1981). The use of sociodrama as a therapeutic technique with behavior disordered children. Behavioral Disorders, 7(1), 28–33.
Derrida, J. (1976). Of Grammatology. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.
Dianna, M. (1983). Vitalizing your social studies class with role-play. Pennsylvania: Resources in Education. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED237372).
Diaz Soto, L., & Swadener, B. B. (2002). Toward liberatory early childhood theory, research and praxis: Decolonizing a field. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 3(1), 38–66.
Eisler, R., & Levine, D. (2002). Nurture, nature, and caring: We are not prisoners of our genes. Brain and Mind, 3, 9–52.
Goble, J. (1990). Didactic psychodrama and sociodrama. Nurse Education Today, 10(6), 457–463.
Grieco, M., & Chambliss, C. (2001). Educational methods for addressing diversity issues: The use of sociodramatic techniques. Pennsylvania: Ursinus College. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service N. ED456368).
Grumet, M. (1988). Bitter milk: Women and teaching. Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press.
Heathcote, D., & Bolton, G. (1995). Drama for learning: Dorothy Heathcote’s mantle of the expert approach to education. Portsmouth: Heinemann.
Howard, L. A. (2004). Speaking theatre/doing pedagogy: Re-visiting theatre of the oppressed. Communication Education, 53(3), 217–233.
Kellermann, P. F. (1998). Sociodrama. Group Analysis, 31, 179–195.
Lambie, I., Robson, M., & Simmonds, L. (1997). Embedding psychodrama in a wilderness group program for adolescent sex offenders. Journal of Offender Rehabilitation, 26(1–2), 89–107.
Landy, R., & Borisoff, D. (1987). Reach for speech: Communication skills through sociodrama. English Journal, 76(5), 68–71.
Langen, R. (2004). Supervising the dance: One hundred years of failed education reform. Have we missed the child? Education Forum, 30(3), 22–25.
Levine, D. (2002). Introduction to the special issue on brain development and caring behaviour. Brain and Mind, 3, 1–7.
Maslow, J. (1968). Toward a psychology of being. New York: Van Nostrand.
Mathis, J. (1980). Psychodrama and sociodrama in primary and secondary education. Psychology in the Schools, 17(1), 96–100.
Moreno, J. L. (1943). The concept of sociodrama: A new approach to the problem of inter-cultural relations. Sociometry, 6, 434–49.
Moreno, J. L. (1944). Sociodrama: A method for the analysis of social conflicts. Beacon, NY: Beacon House.
Moreno, J. L. (1946). Psychodrama (Vol. 1). Beacon, NY: Beacon House.
Moreno, J. L. (1953). Who shall survive? (Revised ed.). Beacon, NY: Beacon House.
Noddings, N. (1996). The caring professional. In S. Gordon, P. Benner, & N. Noddings (Eds.), Caregiving: Readings in knowledge, practice, ethics and politics. Philadephia: University of Pennsylvania Press.
Pinar, W. F., Reynolds, W. M., Slattery, P., & Taubman, P. (2000). Understanding Curriculum: An introduction to the study of historical and contemporary curriculum discourses. New York: Peter Lang Publishing Inc.
Riley, J. (1990). Sociodrama: Group creative problem-solving in action. Journal of Creative Teaching, January/February, 28–30.
Rosenthal, G., & Tetel-Hanks, J. (1981). A program for intervention in schools. Education Unlimited, 3(4), 9–16.
Schutzman, M., & Cohen-Cruz, J. (Eds.). (1994). Playing Boal: Theatre, therapy, activism. London: Routledge.
Sime, H. S., & Lee, J. H. (1998). A comparative analysis on the therapeutic factors of the psychodrama and sociodrama for juvenile delinquents. Korean Journal of Counseling & Psychotherapy, 10(1), 251–271.
Stein, S., Ingersoll, R., & Treadwell, T. (1995). Sociodrama and professional/ethical conflicts. Journal of Group Psychotherapy, Psychodrama & Sociometry, 48(1), 31–41.
Torrance, E. P. (1975). Sociodrama as a creative problem-solving approach to studying the future. Journal of Creative Behavior, 9, 182–195.
Trend, D. (1992). Cultural pedagogy: Art/education/politics. New York: Bergin & Garvey.
Trzinski, A., & Higgins, J. (2001). Therapeutic play activities: Building cohesion and socialization among nursing home residents. Activities, Adaptation & Aging, 25(3–4) 121–153.
Warren, B. (1993). Using the creative arts in therapy. London: Routledge.
Warren, B. (1996). Drama games (2nd ed.). Canada: Captus Press.
Way, B. (1967). Development through drama. Atlantic Highlands, NJ: Humanities Press.
Zachariah, M., & Moreno, R. (2006). Finding my place: The use of sociometric choice and sociodrama for building community in the school classroom. Journal of Group Psychotherapy, Psychodrama & Sociometry, 58(4), 157–167.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Pecaski McLennan, D.M. The Benefits of Using Sociodrama in the Elementary Classroom: Promoting Caring Relationships Among Educators and Students. Early Childhood Educ J 35, 451–456 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-007-0195-2
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-007-0195-2