Communication and Confidence the Helen O' Grady way!

Often, when watching our students in action, we are always reminded of how rich and dynamic the Helen O' Grady curriculum is! Developed by Helen O' Grady some 30 years ago out of a need to see children effectively communicating with confidence it is still prevalent and extremely successful today. 

Right from the outset of our classes, students are encouraged to use their voices and bodies as an effective communicative tool. Improvisation, ad libbing, movement, mimes and speech skills are worked into a jam packed hour of fun and energy EVERY SINGLE lesson. This concise and full lesson plan is not seen any where else and that is why our curriculum is award-winning and used throughout the world. 

As Embassadors of the brand, principals and teachers alike use their unique and personalised approach to facilitate the students within the class making a powerful and explosive package which shows results in both students confidence as well as communication skills. 

Students at our Elkanah House SUnningdale Prep Afterschool Club just love their Drama!

Our most important point would have to be that the students LOVE their drama, and if students learn through practical application in a fun and positive environment it goes without saying that the retention of such knowledge will be greater than a conventional setting. 

And while the children love the FUN, parents, teachers and schools love the RESULTS! A win win all round. 

To find out how you can become involved in our fantastic programme please visit our website www.dramaafrica.com or email nastassja@helenogrady.co.za

Why Drama Education is so Important!

 According to the Performance Centers article on educational learning students retain far more information through an active learning process. Studies conducted by the National training laboratories in Maine can be seen through their learning pyramid which details what percentage students retain information learned through the various mediums. 

Image: http://thepeakperformancecenter.com/educational-learning/learning/principles-of-learning/learning-pyramid/

Basically the higher tiers involve lectures and passive learning environments while the lower and broader tiers include the active participation mediums of learning. The findings were remarkable in that the retention of information learnt was far higher in the active participation tiers made up of group discussions, practice by doing and the teaching of others than the upper tiers comprising of lectures, reading, illustrations, audio visual and demonstrations.

This study echos our believe in the arts as an important educational tool and our ethos: "Tell me and I will forget. Show me and I will remember. Involve me and I will understand" - Chinese Proverb

Our fast paced drama scenes and activities are designed to be highly developmental and fun. Furthermore, by getting our students to actively and FULLY participate in our lessons from the outset and throughout we are not only helping them to develop their communication, creativity and confidence skills but also creating articulate individuals with positive social skills which include effective team building, leadership and public speaking. 

We, at the Helen O' Grady Drama Academy, welcome this research and more of it too! Schools and parents alike have started taking note of the advantages of the creative arts but unfortunately there are still many pessimists out there that believe the creative arts is of less importance to educational structures.  Through awareness we hope that every child will be given the opportunity to experience the benefits of drama and of course our amazing programme.

To read the full article on the learning pyramid on please go to:
http://thepeakperformancecenter.com/educational-learning/learning/principles-of-learning/learning-pyramid/