Oxford University Press, Education

Skip navigation

Home

About Us

Email this to a Friend

Printer-Friendly View

Gateways to...

Information & Services

Top Tips

Use active teaching and learning strategies, including drama

Much of the research in to raising boys’ achievement tells us that active teaching and learning strategies can have a huge impact on boys. For boys in particular, ‘doing stuff’ makes learning feel real, gives it meaning and purpose and helps them to remember and internalise what they’ve learned. It is also motivating and enjoyable and can help build children’s confidence and self-esteem.

Photo by MTJ Media

What you can do:

Build a range of teaching and learning strategies in to your planning, so that the activities are focused and have a clear objective. This will help the children focus too, especially when lessons get lively!
Make sure you are comfortable and confident in delivering any active learning or drama session with the children
Use drama and role play to support children’s understanding of a text – this can be done with fiction or non-fiction
Use drama to explore texts but also as a presentation device, before a real audience if possible (again, this gives the activity a purpose)
Use small world play figures and vehicles to encourage talk and imaginative play
Make use of toys and puppets to engage children of all ages
Use dressing up and role play to reinforce learning and reading across the curriculum
Use practical activities as a follow up to reading and/or as a stimulus for writing – e.g. make an object featured in a story, make a mask of a character, try out a recipe or science experiment
Use themes to inspire the drama, role play and other activities over a period of time – e.g. pirates, myths and legends, travel

An example of a practical activity

Use events such as World Book Day or National Poetry Day, or another special day in the life of your school, as an excuse for dressing up as characters from stories or history. It’s important that the adults get involved in such events as it adds to the fun and provides role models for the children. Have a specific focus for the day and include celebrations and prizes. Make sure the day is inclusive and involve children in other jobs such as taking photographs/video, creating displays, presenting prizes and so on. Create a book to add to your reading resources.

If you would like more information about the reasons for some boys’ underachievement in literacy and how we can overcome this we suggest you read the Project X Handbook: Get the Boys Reading and Writing: The Essential Guide to Raising Boys’ Achievement.