WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS TO STUDENTS TAKING LAMDA CLASSES
AND EXAMINATIONS?
Children and young people of any age can engage in LAMDA classes around the world. The classes are usually run by after school/weekend drama schools or by peripatetic teachers in schools.
The benefits of taking LAMDA classes are numerous both for the student’s personal and educational development whilst at school and later in life both emotionally and in the workplace.
COMMUNICATION SKILLS
The Communication syllabus is separated into three main categories
- Speaking Verse and Prose
- Reading for Performance
- Speaking in Public
Students taking Verse and Prose classes will study a piece of poetry and prose. There are nine levels, Entry to Grade 8 (gold medal). Grade 6-8 are also known as Bronze, Silver and Gold Medal. These grades come with UCAS points to aid entry to University, grade dependant.[1] As the grades advance the material becomes more advanced in vocabulary and context.
Communication skills are important for children and for the future. A child who is unable to communicate with their family, teachers or peers will be emotionally fragile.
Employers seek individuals who can problem solve, work as a team, listen and respond appropriately and communicate and present a message or idea.
60% of employers rated communication, problem solving and resilience as their most important consideration when recruiting. In primary schools 7-% of businesses would like to see children developing their listening and creativity skills for the future workplace[2] Employers want more than just qualifications they see communication and creativity as key – see Appendix 1
INCREASED CONFIDENCE
ORACY SKILLS – speak and listen. Engage in constructive conversation
LAMDA exams are a method of evaluating and assessing the students oracy skills. The students are monitored during their lessons and advanced appropriately with the exam result as a guide of achievement. Teachers build upon strengths and pinpoint any weaknesses to be developed.
The language skills gained can then be used in different ways and contexts both in and out of the classroom.
Two in Five businesses are not satisfied with the communication and problem solving skills of their employees.[3]
The English subject in the National Curriculum for Key Stage 1 and 2 states that high standards of language and literacy are sought from students “by equipping pupils with a strong command of the spoken and written word”[4]. Students should be able to have discussions in the classroom to improve their public speaking skills via detailed discussion concerning their ideas and understanding. It was highlighted that primary schools need to do more to develop children’s public speaking skills. On a basic level they need to be able listen and discuss and further build skills to present and debate with confidence. In spoken language it was understood that students need focus on building confidence and competence through speaking often in class.
Students are often told to be quiet in class however asking questions to problem solve and further understand a subject is essential.
NHS England statistics suggest that “early language skills are powerful predictors of later life chances”[5]
Oracy skills built in primary school form strong building blocks for the future. A child who can listen and question will have a greater interest in a subject and therefore recall the debate. A child who is taught to sit and listen in order to learn can switch off as they don’t have any ownership of the subject. Enabling a child to be a part of the process of learning aids memory of the subject and a greater understanding generally. Often children think that they must not question or be heard generally. But being encouraged to speak in public can help a child’s confidence and increase their understanding that there is often more than one point of view or answer to a problem. Building oracy skills at a young age helps children to order their thoughts before putting pen to paper.
The University of Cambridge have recognised the need for senior school children to develop their oracy skills and are trialled a Oracy Skills Framework and Toolkit for teachers to assess 11-12 year[6].
Experts in the field of developmental psychology have shown that spoken language skills impact young peoples social and cognitive development. Conversation skills as a child and into adulthood can greatly affect individuals general happiness and future opportunities.[7]
COGNITIVE SKILLS
Drama is an essential teaching and learning tool that works with how the brain works.
“The field of neuroscience in particular is beginning to unpack the complex ways that certain types of arts experiences affect cognitive development – research that will have major implications for the field of education, including helping to shape arts experiences for maximum benefit to students.”[8]
Drama to be seen not just as a performance but used in every day life.
- do you ever pretend to be someone else, even though you know you are not really? (Creating a character)
- Do you ever pretend that you are somewhere else (Create a setting)
- Do you ever pretend that something is happening when it isn’t really (creating a plot)
The basic structure and function of the brain and the significance of the imagination to learning and feeling. Learning experiences are primed to occur during synaptogenesis (the connecting of neurons and establishment of neural pathways for learning). These periods for learning are mainly in the first five years of a child’s life. This key time is when play based learning is most prevalent and the learning of language. Drama is a continuation of play based learning.
In drama for learning children assume roles that see them imagining they have skills that they are aspiring to and this can help them improve in the task
Drama teachers encourage children to improvise and re-enact. If we were able to for fMRI apparatus on actors we would find their mirror neurons (imitation, mimicry and imagination) are activated and strengthened through enabling externalizing and enactment rather than just internalizing. Imitation and mimicry “the first learning style” have links with dramatic play and drama. If areas of the brain that are used to do a task and also used when imagining it then this has important implications for the learning value.
For teachers to insist that children sit and listen for long periods seems cruel when we learn how the brain works and how children learn actively through playing together, though adults modelling and through multi-sensory and multi-sensory and imagined experience.
LAMDA is a way in which children can work socially and educationally with the whole class as a peer group through imagination. Socio-Drama dramatic role play enables children to imagine they are in someone else’s position. This support development of empathy and personal growth.
Imagination is key to creativity – playing with ideas, connecting to what is already known and using it in new ways . To use imagination in LAMDA is to play and learn. Dramatic play and drama are synonymous with the way that the young child’s brain is stimulated and wired to learn and how it integrates and influences the cognitive and affective.”[9]
It should be stated that cognitive research into drama is in it’s infancy compared to similar fields such as music and much is still to be learnt. [10]
“Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world”. Albert Einstein
GAIN QUALIFICATIONS
LAMDA is an awarding organisation recognised by Ofqual[11] .
The UK’s Regulated Qualification Framework (RQF)[12] allows comparisons between GCSE and A Level and LAMDA qualifications.
Exams are graded based on learning outcomes and assessment criteria.
Students work towards taking an exam with a LAMDA Examiner.
The Lamda teachers receive a feedback sheet to discuss with the student. Feedback sheets are helpful as give the student positive feedback and areas to focus on for the next time. A certificate is provided stating the student’s syllabus, grade and level of achievement – Fail, Pass, Merit or Distinction. The certificate gives the student a sense of achievement. Students who achieve a Pass, Merit or Distinction at Grade 6-8 will receive UCAS points, dependant on grade.
MAKING KNOWLEDGE AND ENJOYMENT OF LITERATURE, POETRY AND DRAMA ACCESSIBLE TO ALL
LAMDA operate a reasonable adjustment and special consideration policy for students with learning or physical disabilities. The student’s SENCO teacher or doctor files a report for LAMDA which is then taken into consideration when taking exams. This ensures that students are on a level playing field and helps to encourage and involve all children in learning and achieving results.
WORK WELL INDIVIDUALLY AND AS PART OF A TEAM
LAMDA Exams can be taken as solo, duologue or as a small group. Working individually with a teacher children often find they learn the same amount as in a much longer class. The 1-1 attention makes for detailed, thorough work.
Lamda classes also lend themselves to small group work. Christine Howe, Professor of Education at The University of Cambridge :“In the world of work, teamwork is important and working together in groups at school helps prepare children for those different social rules”.
- or small groups has the benefit over large school classes of 30+ in that:
- students receive individual attention and therefore feel more involved in the class.
- Results are often better
- Enhanced learning
- Teacher and student can interact
- More time for feedback
- Individual class plans can be structured to the student
- Ideas are shared
- Quieter students feel more comfortable which builds their confidence when back with the entire class
PERFORMANCE SKILLS
In the Performance syllabus students work on …
Articulation
Character
Using the performance space
Staging
Understanding the objective, role within the play
Improvisation
Devising
Later grades research well-known drama practitioners
RESEARCH AND CREATE PERSUASIVE INFORMAL PRESENTATIONS
CREATE AND DEFEND ARGUMENTS
ENGAGE IN CONSTRUCTIVE INFORMAL CONVERSATION
Public Speaking is not just about standing up and talking to a group, although this is the end result. Many skills come into play – research, planning an end result/decision, organisation of thoughts and materials, oral persuasion, communication, subject mater knowledge, performance skills, posture, confidence
98 senior school students were involved in a study with North Carolina State University for their own views on public speaking success through experience . 90% said they felt their self- confidence had grown.
VERSE AND PROSE
A Cambridge University research project into children memorising poetry discovered that memory is enhanced, analytical skills are developed and an emotional and intellectual appreciation occurs. Debbie Pullinger of the Cambridge Research Study: “Memorisation and recitation may be back on the curriculum, but their exact relationship with the existing requirements for appreciation and analysis have not been properly articulated. “[13]
Schools will return to the 1940s method of reciting poetry and whilst it is good news to get poetry back on the agenda LAMDA classes still have their place as they give time for the student to do more than just recite and memorise. LAMDA method is to analyse the piece – the rhythm, metre, stanzas, rhyme, figures of speech but also to appreciate it. The poem gives an emotional connection and greater understanding of how you feel when performing it, bringing it to life and the sensory qualities of speaking a poem aloud.
Studying language and its structure including syntax, grammar and phonetics.
Verse and Prose have the potential to enrich students lives, emotionally and intellectually now and into adulthood.
PERFORMANCE SKILLS
“We need to underline how dangerous it would be for education if you turn it into a fact-gathering exercise, with no space for children to make emotional or creative sense of their lives” James Graham, Playwright
Understanding British culture and place in history as well as reflecting on the childrens own lives – through performance and story-telling.
Drama is a fun release from sitting in the classroom learning by book. Young people can express themselves, learn something about themselves and bond with their peers maybe even surprise themselves.
LAMDA has been addressing the need for young people to use the spoken word effectively and confidently.
LAMDA Exams in Devising Drama focus on the processes and challenges of student-led devising drama. The students have freedom to create, explore, experiment with ideas, images, stimuli, concepts or themes and are not stilted by having to follow a script. The stimuli could be for example a poem, mask, painting, object, music or movement. The result may be non-verbal if wanting to explore the Mime syllabus.
The work often helps to make sense of students own culture and society. Students own ideas are explored and their own experiences can be included. A process will be developed, collaboration between students is needed, individual ideas and team work is vital to create a multi-vision and creation of an original artistic piece of drama.
Time is needed to create a devised piece of drama and this luxury is possible in LAMDA lessons.
Original, detailed, complicated pieces can be created from building on a simple truth or stimuli. The students find the process creative, fun and inspiring as it is their own work, not scripted therefore the students have ownership and a great sense of achievement.
Scott Graham, Artistic Director and Co-Founder of Frantic Assembly Devising Drama: “We begin with little more than a fierce work ethic and a desire to do something differently and to do it differently.”[14]
MIME
The Mime syllabus looks at movement direction. The movement in the pieces can be complex or simple but are powerful and truthful. Moments of great truthfulness can be discovered also during the times when the performers are still. The idea that subtle movement can indicate a powerful message to the audience. LAMDA Mime class helps students gain an understanding of just what their bodies are capable of and the power of the message behind the movement.
IMPROVISATION
The Devised Drama and Acting LAMDA syllabus both have Improvisation as part of the examination criteria.
To use drama improvisation practitioner Viola Spolin’s[15] words the performer should have a “direct experience” to allow themselves to be affected by the improvisation. Of not “being in your head”, but rather to go with the improvisation without judging or analysing.
The improvisation within the LAMDA class stems from solving a problem. This work creates a very natural, spontaneous acting style. The performers have the freedom to play and explore. They are fully immersed in the task at hand. This gives the student a sense of flow which is ever more important in a stressful school day – freedom to work without pre-thinking in a spontaneous method. Surprising, imaginative results can be created using the improvisation process.
CONCLUSION
LAMDA classes and exams are beneficial to student’s emotional wellbeing, educational advancement and future opportunities.
Student’s taking LAMDA classes and exams can expect increased communication and performance skills as well as the ability to organise thoughts and materials for presentations and speeches.
The youngest students taking Introductory grades will gain the ability to read fluently and with a good understanding as well as building confidence and expression. The older students will have the opportunity to gain UCAS points for potential University entrance. All will gain fundamental communication and performance skills which will help them at school and in the future, a great sense of achievement and hopefully a love of drama and literature that will last a lifetime
Acknowledgements
[1] https://www.lamda.ac.uk/lamda-exams/learners/ucas
[2] 3CBI/Pearson Education and Skills Annual Report (November 2018)
https://www.cbi.org.uk/media/1171/cbi-educating-for-the-modern-world.pdf
4] Department for Education (2013, last updated 6 May 2015)
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/425601/PRIMARY_national_curriculum.pdf
[5] https://www.england.nhs.uk/ltphimenu/children-and-young-people/speech-language-and-communication-services/
[6] https://www.educ.cam.ac.uk/research/programmes/oracytoolkit/oracyskillsframework/Oracy%20Skills%20Framework%202020.pdf
[7] Bert Van Oers The Transformation of Learning (2008). Cambridge University Press
[8] President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities (2011)
[9] With Drama in Mind: Real Learning in Imagined Worlds. Patrice Baldwin (2004)
[10] https://www.tes.com/news/learning-averse
[11] https://register.ofqual.gov.uk/Search?category=Qualifications&query=Lamda&status=Available%20to%20learners
[12] https://www.gov.uk/search/all?keywords=LAMDA&order=relevance
[13] https://www.tes.com/news/learning-averse
Debbie Pullinger from the Cambride Research Study
[14] Scott Graham, Artistic Director and Co-Founder of Frantic Assembly
https://www.franticassembly.co.uk/the-frantic-method
[15] Viola Spolin https://spolin.com
