Introducing Me
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Learning Partnerships: the use of poststructuralist drama techniques to improve communication between teachers, doctors and adolescents Helen Walker Cahill Submitted in total fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy March, 2008 Graduate School of Education, The University of Melbourne printed on archival quality paper Abstract Adults working as teachers and doctors can find it difficult to communicate well with young people about the issues that affect their wellbeing and learning and thus miss opportunities to contribute when their clients experience adversity. Drama is often used as a pedagogical tool to assist people to develop their communication skills. Dramatic portrayals however, can reinforce rather than challenge limiting stereotypes, and there is the potential for learning through drama to contribute to a patronising world-view and lead to the assumption that a set of formulaic approaches can bridge the communication divide. There is thus a need for research that engages both theoretically and technically with the use of drama as a tool for applied learning. In this thesis, a reflective practitioner methodology is used to explore the use of drama as a method in participatory enquiry and as a tool in the professional education of teachers and doctors. Use of the practitioner perspective permits analysis of the alignment between theory and practice. The Learning Partnerships project provides the context within which to conduct this enquiry. In this project the researcher leads drama workshops that bring together classes of school students and tertiary students completing their studies in medicine or education. The adolescents work as co- investigators with the teachers and doctors, exploring how to communicate effectively in the institutional contexts of schools and clinics. Poststructuralist theory is used to refine the drama techniques used as tools for enquiry into the discourses that shape behaviour in schools and clinics. Innovative drama techniques are used to deepen the investigation, to interrupt the tendency towards replication of the status quo within the drama, and to guide a critical analysis of the way in which young people are conceptualised. Theory is developed which addresses the way in which the selection of the dramatic form influences the knowledge that can be represented in the drama. Participants find that the methodology makes possible a new level of authenticity in communication. They value the collaborative mode of working and the critical nature of the enquiry. They find that these techniques assist them to humanise each other and to re-frame their assumptions about what is possible in their relationships. The adults value the coaching they receive from the young people who represent their future clients and the opportunity to rehearse their skills in a life-like context. The students gain a sense of pride and purpose through using their skills to make a civic contribution. This innovative approach to deconstruction through the drama contributes new methods to utilise in professional training and participatory enquiry. Recommendations are made about the use of drama to investigate complex professional situations. The research demonstrates the benefits of incorporating the client as coach when developing the skills of those entering the human services professions; the need to engage with investigation of discourses as well as development of skills when learning how to manage complex professional interactions; and the potential of drama as a tool for applied learning. i Acknowledgements A number of people have contributed to my research, and without their support my accomplishments would not have been possible. I thank my husband, Doug Macrae, for his ongoing partnership in my work and my life, and my daughters Catherine and Jessica for their faith in my capacity and their interest in the tales I had to tell. I thank my parents Dennis and Molly Cahill who have provided me a lifelong background of support, given me a love of learning, and a vision that life can be lived as an act of contribution. I thank Don Macrae for his belief in the possibility of my work and his critique of my writing. I thank also those others who encouraged from the side and urged me to find the time to write, including Clare Koch, Dr Kate Donelan, Dr Chris Sinclair, and my siblings Fiona Merlin, Rob Cahill, Sheila Cafferkey and Roy Cahill. Special thanks are due to my supervisors Professor John O’Toole and Professor Johanna Wyn, and those many colleagues who opened their classrooms and teaching projects to me, including Prue Wales, Tracy Carroll, Michael Waugh, Ken Harper, Anna Newbold, Evan Watts, Clare Watson, Glen Pearsall, Bern Murphy, Dr Lena Sanci, Professor Susan Sawyer, Professor Glen Bowes, Dr Zoe McCallum and Debra Tyler. My thanks are also due to all those students who participated in the project and were so generous with their participation and feedback. iii Preface The following papers drawing upon the research conducted in this investigation were published during the time of this study. Cahill, H. (2005). “Profound Learning: Drama Partnerships between Adolescents and Tertiary Students.” Drama Australia Journal (NJ). 29 (2): 59-73 Cahill, H. (2006). “Research Acts: Using the Drama Workshop as a Site for Conducting Participatory Action Research.” Drama Australia Journal (NJ). 30 (2): 61- 72 Cahill, H. (2006). “Sensitive Issues: Supportive Structures.” Drama Australia Journal (NJ). 30 (1): 7-22 Cahill, H. (2007). Powerful Roles: Kids as co-investigators, coaches and key informants in communication training for Education and Health professionals. Melbourne: Are We There Yet? YACVIC conference proceedings. iv LEARNING PARTNERSHIPS: THE USE OF POSTSTRUCTURALIST DRAMA TECHNIQUES TO IMPROVE COMMUNICATION BETWEEN TEACHERS, DOCTORS AND ADOLESCENTS.............................................1 CHAPTER ONE: QUEST(ION)ING .................................................................1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................1 To Start with a Story..............................................................................................................................1 Positioning of the Writer......................................................................................................................2 Working in the Narrative Tradition .....................................................................................................3 The Questions Grew from Practice......................................................................................................4 A Classroom Story...............................................................................................................................4 The Focus of the Study.........................................................................................................................11 The Need for a Theorising of the Form .............................................................................................12 Site of Investigation...........................................................................................................................13 Data Collection ..................................................................................................................................16 Overview of the Thesis .........................................................................................................................17 What’s Next? .....................................................................................................................................18 CHAPTER 2: RESEARCH FRAMES ............................................................21 Introduction ..........................................................................................................................................21 Paradigm and Orienting Traditions of Enquiry................................................................................21 Ontological Orientation .....................................................................................................................22 Epistemological Orientation ..............................................................................................................24 Axiological Orientation .....................................................................................................................27 Methodological Orientation...............................................................................................................28 Theory as a Lens................................................................................................................................29 Primary Frame: Reflective practitioner.............................................................................................30 Insider and Instrument .......................................................................................................................30 Thinking in Action – the Practitioner as Researcher .........................................................................32 Relating Reflective Practice to Participatory Action Research..........................................................34 Secondary Frame - Co-Investigators in a Participatory Action Research Project .........................35 Dialogue and Praxis...........................................................................................................................35