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Presenter
The Getting to know the Drama 7–10 Syllabus 2023 presentation is an opportunity to explore and plan for key syllabus changes. We recognise the Ongoing Custodians of the lands and waterways where we work and live. We pay respect to Elders past and present as ongoing teachers of knowledge, songlines and stories. We strive to ensure every Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander learner in NSW achieves their potential through education. Meaningful opportunities for students to work respectfully with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander content have been embedded throughout the new Drama 7–10 Syllabus and across content groups. Drama students engage with this content as they stage, analyse, create and refine works, and explore, apply and explain protocols and processes.
This presentation provides an opportunity to explore the key changes in the new Drama 7–10 Syllabus. By the end of the presentation, participants will understand the structure, outcomes and key content of the new Drama 7–10 Syllabus 2023, investigate syllabus materials to inform the development of school-based documents, and plan teaching, learning and or assessment activities for making, performing and appreciating drama. To demonstrate learning, participants will understand key differences between the current syllabus 2003 and new Drama 7–10 Syllabus 2023. They will also apply understanding of the course content through optional planning activities. This NESA-accredited PD addresses standard descriptors 2.1.2 and 6.2.2.
All new syllabuses will be part of the digital curriculum, a purpose-built digital space, providing one-stop access to syllabuses, resources, support materials, links, teaching advice and evidence. We recommend you have a copy of the digital syllabus open throughout today's session.
This graphic from the new Drama 7–10 Syllabus shows how knowledge, understanding and skills are built through engagement with 3 interrelated practices, Making, Performing and Appreciating, which are the focus areas. These are explored through the 3 content groups, Dramatic contexts, Dramatic processes, and Dramatic elements. Like the 2003 syllabus, drama may be studied as a 100-hour or a 200-hour course. Students may commence the elective study of drama at different points and may progress at different rates across Years 7–10. Students may not access Life Skills outcomes, and other outcomes from the same subject. Play building has been replaced by devising in the new syllabus. Students must make, perform and appreciate at least one group-devised performance and at least one scripted work for each 100 hours of elective drama. You'll also notice that drama students are often referred to as practitioners throughout the new syllabus. There are some more key differences between the 2003 syllabus and the new drama syllabus.
The following slides will unpack some key changes that could be considered throughout your planning. The content within the familiar focus areas of Making, Performing and Appreciating is organised into 3 new content groups, Dramatic contexts, Dramatic processes, and Dramatic elements. NESA has also released comprehensive downloadable teaching and learning support documents for all 3 content groups. These include definitions and examples, and we recommend you have these on hand as you explore the syllabus further.
The Dramatic context group is very similar to the current syllabus organisation of content in the context of a range of dramatic forms and performance styles. Dramatic contexts are defined in the new syllabus as influences on the development of dramatic works and approaches. The interrelatedness of the focus areas and content groups is evident in this definition and in the inclusion of devised works, both here and in the Dramatic processes content group where devising and processes are referred to. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Knowledges are also included in the list of dramatic contexts. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander content has been embedded throughout the new syllabuses and across the content groups.
NESA has provided downloadable teaching advice on working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander content to help your students engage meaningfully and respectfully with these complex content points. As you explore the dramatic contexts, it's worth noting that for each focus area there is one content point which explicitly aligns with each of the bullet points in this definition. We'll look at some examples for dramatic conventions, forms and styles, and devised and scripted works.
On screen, you can see some examples of the Stage 5 content points for Dramatic contexts. It is important to remember that these are not descriptions of teacher action. The content points describe the essential knowledge, skills and understanding that students must engage with and demonstrate in each phase of learning. The content in the Dramatic context should be used to frame the learning students are engaging in as they make, perform and appreciate drama. For example, teachers will need to design making activities that ensure students have the chance to experiment with conventions, forms and styles as they engage with dramatic works or dramatic practitioners.
As they engage in Performing outcomes, students will need opportunities to craft meaning in devised and scripted works. When planning Appreciating activities and tasks, teachers will need to consider how to scaffold the analysis and interpretation of dramatic works on stage for their students. The dramatic processes are ways of shaping dramatic meaning and experience. The key processes are embodied, collaborative, safe, creative and critical, improvising and devising. Most of these processes have familiar pedagogical underpinnings from the current 7–10 syllabus. However, the explicit ways in which some of these processes are now addressed in the syllabus may be unfamiliar.
Unlike Dramatic contexts, the content for this group shows the deep interrelatedness of the dramatic processes and this connection within and across all components of the syllabus points to process as essential knowledge in drama pedagogy. We'll look more closely at how safe processes and creative and critical processes content operates across, Making, Performing and Appreciating. While it is new to have explicit content points related to safe processes, as you investigate the syllabus further, these points provide welcome clarification of the importance of safety within a subject that actively encourages creative risk taking. These safe processes also sit along Stage 5 creative and critical processes. Content such as take creative risks to strengthen dramatic intention and influence audience response, explore, document and evaluate ways to use performance skills to develop dramatic action through trial and error, and seek exchange and question perspectives with others to reflect on collaborative experiences. It may also be helpful to select and view the examples attached to the safe process content points in the digital syllabus.
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The content in the Dramatic processes group creates an authentic interrelationship between all 3 content groups. For example, when designing activities for students to engage with these 2 Dramatic processes content examples, the collaborative and creative and critical processes will be naturally connected with the Dramatic context when students work within an ensemble and engage in the staging or development of dramatic action.
As they engage in these dramatic processes, students will also draw on their knowledge, skills and understanding of some of the dramatic elements, including elements of production and elements of performance. The dramatic elements are the tools dramatic practitioners explore, apply and interpret to shape dramatic meaning and audience engagement. Dramatic elements have been broken down into 3 subcategories or aspects. The familiar elements of drama: role and character, focus, tension, situation, space, time, structure, language, moment, atmosphere and symbol remain, but movement has shifted to the new elements of performance where it sits with voice as a key performance skill and sound has now moved to the new elements of production. Rhythm has been removed, but is covered in the longer definitions of both time and dynamics. The most significant change to the elements of drama seems to be the addition of belief, which like the addition of elements of performance and elements of production, clearly points to an alignment with the requirements of the current Stage 6 drama course.
All syllabuses have been streamlined in line with the government priorities. This means that the number of outcomes have been significantly reduced while the 2003 drama syllabus has 10 outcomes in both Stage 4 and 5 the new syllabus has 3 outcomes in Stage 4 and 6 outcomes in Stage 5. The reduction in outcomes will have implications for the design of teaching and learning activities and assessment. However, the increasing complexity and depth of the Stage 5 course has been recognised with 6 outcomes that allow for more meaningful learning experiences and increasingly nuanced assessment design in this phase of learning.
The Balance of content section of the syllabus states that the amount of content associated with a given outcome is not necessarily indicative of the amount of time spent engaging with the respective outcome. And that teachers are to use formative and summative assessment to determine instructional priorities and the time needed for students to achieve the expected outcomes. On the screen, we've highlighted the way the focus areas, outcomes and content groups work together to reflect the interrelated practices of Making, Performing and Appreciating. Each of the content groups, Dramatic processes, Dramatic elements, and Dramatic context appear in the outcomes.
It's time for you to dive into the new 7–10 Drama Syllabus to explore these key changes and start planning teaching and learning for the new outcomes and content. There are several models of curriculum implementation that you could use to guide your planning. This graphic should help you visualise how different implementation models might work with NESA's current published timelines for the new Stage 6 drama syllabus being examined for the first time in the 2028 HSC, now is a more important time than ever to stay in touch with our Creative Arts curriculum team. Use the QR code to sign up to our e-news and Creative arts statewide staff room. Join today to stay informed and be involved through this critical phase of curriculum reform. You can also email us directly. Best of luck with your planning.
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