Collected Writings on Education and Drama

Book excerpt: What does it mean to be "an excellent teacher?" To Dorothy Heathcote, one of this century's most respected educational innovators, it means seeing one's pupils as they really are, shunning labels and stereotypes. It means taking risks: putting aside one's comfortable, doctrinaire role and participating fully in the learning process. Above all, it means pushing oneself and one's students to the outer limits of capability--often, with miraculous results. In this lively collection of essays and talks from 1967-80, Heathcote shares the findings of her groundbreaking work in the application of theater techniques and play to classroom teaching. She provides a time-tested philosophy on the value of dramatic activity in breaking down barriers and overcoming inertia. Her insistence that teachers must step down from their pedestals and immerse themselves in the possibility of the moment makes for magical and challenging reading.