Theatre: A Quintessential Medium in the Education of Children

Abstract

Learning a language must be an involuntary activity for learners and to make the process more effective and affective it must be participatory in nature. If the students bring in their emotional involvement in the learning process then they can comprehend concepts from the kernel level and sustain that information in their psyche forever. It is in this context that the relevance of theatre in education has gained importance through significant studies worldwide. A brief overview of Theatre in Education (TIE) examines the theoretical basis for TIE in general and a few studies on the significance of TIE recorded in articles have been reviewed in this paper. Theatre enlightens the children of their role in a society and also their relation to it. It is essential for a person to enjoy the work he/she does in order to produce the best result out of it. In this regard, theatre is employed by teachers, educationists and researchers as the most appropriate medium for the children to develop an enthusiasm in language learning. This paper reviews the role of theatre in education especially in language education, highlighting the significance of children’s theatre for recommending the scope for further studies, on how TIE may be used for effective language learning and developing theatrical skills amongst children.

Keywords: theatre, education, TIE, children, language learning.