Using Dramatic Inquiry to Enhance Teaching and Learning for Students With Disabilities in Early Childhood

• In Event: Millennium Hotel Roundtable Session 13
  In Roundtable Session: Classroom Practice, Education Policy, and Creativity

Abstract

In this action research study, university researchers collaborated with a practicing special educator to implement dramatic inquiry practices in an inclusive preschool classroom. This presentation will explain how this partnership created dramatic inquiry units to develop student engagement and learning opportunities for preschool students of all abilities and backgrounds. Researchers will explicate how the teacher’s dramatic inquiry units evolved over the course of two consecutive years through a process of co-planning, reflection, and revision. Additionally, researchers will share how the observation process developed throughout their time working with the teacher to implement these practices and supported this educator in reflecting upon her teaching and identifying ways to take action to implement new and effective dramatic practices in her classroom.

Authors

• Kathleen Farrand, Arizona State University - Tempe

• Megan Troxel, Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College Arizona State University

• Wendy P. Oakes, Arizona State University