As William Shakespeare once said, “all the world’s a stage.”
So true, right?
As your students grow throughout their lives, they will play many roles and present themselves to the world in a variety of ways.
How Can Theatre Help Your Students?
I used to ask myself these questions…
How can I help my students:
- internalize everything they need to know about communication?
- learn in a way that is meaningful and lasting to them?
- feel motivated to tackle goals that feel challenging to them?
One day I had a lightbulb moment. I could help my students in this way by thoughtfully incorporating drama into my lessons.
When our students make progress, we want to shine a spotlight on their success and shower them with applause, right?
This begs the question…WHY DON’T WE?
So, given all of this, drawing from my background in drama therapy (see my article in the ASHA Leader Magazine about this), I began bringing more and more theatre into my speech room and came to realize that it held meaning for every goal across my caseload.
Enter Articulation and Language Theatre…
Necessity is the Mother of Invention
As a busy, school-based SLP looking for creative ways to bring my students to the next level in therapy (and, most importantly, in their lives), I started writing scripts, and bringing them into the speech room.
- My student working on /r/ “rehearsed” lines containing that sound
- Another student working on vocabulary had similar lines filled with context clues
- A third student practiced compatible lines containing idioms…
Here’s What Happened…
Well, first they started laughing (because the lines were silly!)
Then, they wanted to keep rehearsing and take the lines home to LEARN!
That’s when the magic happened…they took ownership. The goals were practiced repeatedly in a context that felt meaningful.
The icing on the cake? They enjoyed the process as a team (even though they each had different goals!)
My students transformed from wanting to hide their struggles behind the curtain to stepping into the spotlight that showcased their hard work and growth.
You’d better know that the applause they received was as heartfelt as it gets. I wanted others to experience this, so I set to work!
Articulation and Language Theatre for Group Therapy
Articulation
The more my students became excited by this new approach to therapy, the more I wrote.
I started with articulation, and focused on the sounds most commonly worked on: /r, s, l, sh, th, ch/. I made sure all of the scripts were compatible, so that my mixed articulation groups could rehearse together.
After publishing this collection of Articulation Theatre Books for Group Therapy with Northern Speech Services, I wanted to include my language students in the same way so I got to work!
Language
As a creatively-driven SLP, I began creating scripts that were completely compatible with the articulation set focusing on…
- Synonyms
- Antonyms
- Context Clues
- Idioms
- Vocabulary Attributes
- Inferencing
This led to the creation of Language Theatre Books for Group Therapy with Northern Speech Services! (Both sets have since been bundled together since they are totally compatible).
I had the incredible experience of collaborating with the thoughtful and talented staff at NSS. We created a diverse array of illustrated characters in each set which allows so many wonderful students feel represented.
As these books have become more widely used, it has been incredibly rewarding to hear feedback from other SLPs about how theatre has been a game-changer for their students.
Curtain Call!
Over the years, I’ve seen how drama can build confidence, foster teamwork, serve as healing outlet, teach poise and create lasting memories.
It has been incredibly rewarding to get to fuse all of this with targeted speech and language therapy for kids. This whole process helps students feel nurtured, grow and have fun!
Have you ever used theatre in therapy? Share your experiences with us in the comments below!
Learn more about the Articulation and Language Theatre for Group Therapy program with Northern Speech Services here!
