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A lot has changed in the classroom in the past few years, but one responsibility remains the same: You still need to assess your student’s work.  Assessment has always been a challenge in Theatre classes, but these days there are more challenges than ever when it comes to grading your students and their work.  So hop on to this PLC and join the conversation as we re-examine assessment in the Drama classroom. 

Checklist for teaching in the digital era: Technology Training - Check! Lesson Planning - Check! Classroom Management - Ummm...? Of all the teaching fundamentals that need reassessment in the digital era, classroom management might be the hardest to get your head around. Do you have to follow school rules when no one is at school? How do you discipline students who are sitting at home? Can you have classroom management without an actual classroom?? Join us for a discussion of how to manage your virtual classroom in the real world.

Monologue writing is an activity that is easily adaptable for distance learning. It’s also something that students can do without technology. Join us for a walk through a "no internet necessary" monologue writing project with added video conferencing options.

Mid-September and the school year start has been like no other. Whether you're teaching at a 'social distance', mask on, or you've got a hybrid situation, or you're fully remote, we are all in this together. Checking in with our panellists and fellow teachers is a great way to ground yourself, to get those affirmations that we're all doing the best we can, and to share the struggles with people who really 'get it'. Join us to check in on the school year so far.

As teachers return to their classrooms, they are desperate to rebuild the collaborative and supportive environments that are so vital to a well functioning Drama class.  Thankfully, there is a resource in the DTA created just for such a task. The Empathy Project is one of the most popular resources in the entire DTA library. Based off the Empathetic Classroom course by Steven Stack, the project focuses on these essential questions:   • How can theatre evoke empathy?  • How can we apply empathy outside the drama classroom?  Join teachers who have used, adapted, and successfully led the Empathy Project with their students, and add this powerful tool to your classroom management toolkit.

Pacing is one of the invisible hands of good teaching. Pacing impacts your classroom from curriculum planning to classroom management, but it isn't always easy to identify when pacing issues arise. Should you speed up? Should you slow down? Most importantly, what do your STUDENTS need? Jump into this PLC and keep pace with us as we explore Pacing in the Drama Classroom.

As we work our way through pandemic teaching, we are hitting a few bumps along the way. One of the biggest hurdles facing teachers right now is absences. The extended absence of one, or more than one, student can drastically increase a teachers workload overnight.  That's when having access to some ready made distance learning materials can be a real lifesaver. And that's why the DTA has a ton of independent projects - appropriate, detailed, and easy to assign - ready when you need them.  In this PLC we are going to identify the top 5 Independent Projects in the DTA, and walk you though how to use them with your students.  You won't want to miss it!

The start of school is just around the corner, (in fact, some of you have already turned that corner!) and it's time to get serious about "Back to School" preparations.  Is your classroom ready? Is your curriculum in order? Do you have the supplies you need? The classroom materials? Scripts? Journal Prompts? Warm ups??  ...Anxiety?!? It's okay! Take a deep breath and relax.  We have tons of tools, techniques and materials for Drama teachers, whether this is your first year, or 50th. In fact, we have so much useful material we are going to dedicate this entire PLC to getting you what you need from the DTA.  It will be like Christmas in August...Join us!

Your program is doing great things: Skills are being learned! Shows are being staged!  Students are brimming with confidence! Your administrators should be singing your praises to the rooftops! There's just one problem - Your admin has no idea what is going on in your classroom.  It's hard to get your administrations to advocate for your program when you can't tell them what they are advocating for.  This PLC will focus on how to highlight the work you are doing in your classroom in order to get the attention and respect of your admin.

A new school year has begun, and the importance of Social Emotional Learning has never been greater.  With everything that has been going on in the world, teachers and students alike are navigating a very different school environment, and Social Emotional Learning could be the key to establishing a healthy, high-functioning classroom this year.  Join us for an exploration of SEL from concepts to curriculum and everything in between!

Musicals!  There's nothing like them.  Especially if you have never done one before...  Musicals aren't like "regular" theatre - they are so much more: More planning, more performers, more crew, more time, more money...more, more, more!!  It's enough to give a new teacher nightmares - When do you start? How do you organize? Who do you cast? WHY DID I AGREE TO THIS...??   Take a deep breath, relax, and join us for an in depth conversation about the nuts and bolts of producing your first musical.  

March is Theatre in our Schools month, and we think that is worth celebrating. Why, just look at some of the benefits a theatre program brings to a school and community - Improved test scores, community outreach, growing student self confidence, focused Social Emotional Learning and increasing empathy...and that's just the beginning! Theatre programs (and the people who run them) deserve to be celebrated for the valuable educational services they provide. So join us for this PLC as we celebrate all things Theatre!

If you talk to teachers these days, the same topic pops up over and over: Post pandemic classroom management.  It doesn't matter if they are a highly experienced educator or fresh out of their student teaching, they all say the same thing - the vibe in the classroom has changed.  Teachers say they need new tools in their classrooms to address these changes, so in this PLC we are going to break out the best tool in the toolkit: Social Emotional Learning (SEL).  Join us for a timely conversation about how you can use SEL in your classroom to reset your students and improve your classroom management.

The drama classroom is all about connection and engagement. How do you connect to students who do not feel comfortable turning on their cameras in a virtual classroom? Theatre Educator Karen Loftus has been working with no camera students and shares her insights.

As we reach the halfway point of what can arguably be called the most challenging school year ever, now would be a good time to take a little time to reassess the situation and recharge our batteries. We have expended a lot of mental and physical energy since the start of school, and if we have any hopes of crossing the finish line with our students we are going to need to make sure we have something in the tank. That's why this PLC is going to focus on Self Care. Join us to talk about ways to refocus and refuel before starting the second half of the year. Remember: In order to help someone else you have to start by helping yourself!

Theatre teachers and their students are ready and eager to rehearse their fall shows. There's just one problem: How do you have a rehearsal when nobody is in the same room?? Holding a virtual rehearsal raises a lot of questions - Should the entire cast be called? Are warm ups really necessary? Can your stage manager work in virtual break- out rooms with small groups? And what time of day (or night) might work best for maximum involvement? It's a whole new world of rehearsal, so we will explore these and other pressing questions in this vital PLC.

Want to try a playwriting unit but have no idea where to start? Or have you tried introducing playwriting in the past but didn’t get the results you hoped for? We’ve got a great panel of playwright/teachers who are here to share their most successful approaches and strategies.

Summer is upon us and it is time to plan how we are going to spend those glorious months! Rest? Relax? Recuperate? Of course! But also Read, Recharge and Reimagine! These summer months are a great time to take a breath and recover from the stresses of the previous year, but they are also a great time to apply some professional “Me Time” in order to get you excited and prepared for the year to come. Remember: A small investment in the summer will pay big returns during the school year. This PLC will cover some of the summertime basics that will get you charged up and ready to tackle a new year.

Drama teachers are professional problem solvers. Give a Drama teacher some cardboard, a staple gun and a can of green beans and they can take over the world! However, sometimes you get stuck on a problem and just don’t know where to turn. That’s where we come in! Send us your questions and we will access the hive-mind to maximum effect. In this special PLC we help solve your most nagging problems and get you back on track.

Nothing says "21st Century Teacher" like the skillful use of technology in the classroom. But for theatre teachers, it can be challenging to find technology that benefits our students and enhances our lessons. That's why we are dedicating this PLC to the use of technology in the drama classroom. We will explore such programs as Google Tools and Google Classroom, as well as other beneficial technology for classroom and stage. So join us to talk tech and face the 21st century head on!