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It's pretty well known in the ADHD and LD communities that students with dyslexia and other learning challenges often excel in the arts and that those islands of competence are important to develop. Theater is an artform which is gaining more momentum than ever this year at Springer.
Building on a tradition of annual theater residences, Springer welcomed Mr. Cory Charbeneau, a full-time theater educator who teaches classes to all grade levels.
Mr. Charbeneau gives students choices in theater class, like picking a story as a group and choosing roles that match their strengths. This helps everyone feel included, work together, and learn from each other.
Charbeneau explains more:
I try to offer the kids agency in their class work whenever possible. For example: In one project, we analyze a script from the perspective of a theatre artist. In this case, I offer a couple different story options for us to pick from as a class. This helps my students feel that their input is valued in the classroom and increases their engagement since they get to control which story we read despite the goal of our examination remaining the same. I also offer various roles/responsibilities for students to choose from/assign as a team when we begin analyzing our story. We have theme thinkers, character trackers, setting snoopers, a conflict/resolution hunter, etc. Each role comes with its own responsibilities and tasks that vary in levels of challenge and make use of multiple learning modalities. This is so students can participate in our class work with a role they feel the most comfortable with and that best suits their skills learning preferences. At the end of our analysis, students come together as a team to share their discoveries so that everyone is involved in the learning process and they learn to trust and work with each other.
For more on how theater can build on strengths and help develop skills that benefit students in many areas of life, check out this Child Mind Institute article.
More Theater News at Springer
Springer Lower School & Middle School are thrilled to welcome Terrence Burke, owner of Wump Mucket Puppets to campus for the 2024-25 Theater in Residence program. Students will learn about puppetry and grades 1-3 will develop a theatrical performance to share with peers and families.
Springer High School has begun their first session of after-school Theater with directors Hannah Abel and Megan Shenshang. Improvisation, script reading and character work help students have fun and build their actor's toolbox. Leading up to spring, a more serious theater session will culminate in March with a performance in Springer's soon-to-be-completed auditorium.
Thank you to contributor:
Cory Charbeneau, Springer School and Center Theater Teacher
