A Student Teaching Seminar Using Theater of the Oppressed: Perspectives of University-Based Supervisors

• In Event: Poster Session 10
  In Poster Session: Innovations in Field Experiences

Abstract

This qualitative research employed Boal’s Theater of the Oppressed (TO) in a student teaching seminar. Ten student teachers and two university-based supervisors met for eight seminar meetings during their student teaching internship. They participated in Theater Games, Image Theater, and Forum Theater to reflect on their experiences of teaching in elementary schools. Data included interviews, video recordings, observations, and field notes and were analyzed using Constant comparative methods. From our experiences, we conclude that including university supervisors in a student teaching seminar using Boalian Theater could offer one possible way of creating collaborative professional development contexts for university supervisors to engage in critical conversations with students, faculty, and other facilitators.

Authors

• Foram Bhukhanwala, Arcadia University

• Kimberly Dean, Arcadia University