CLASS MANAGEMENT
Many teachers, as my surveys suggest, are reluctant to do drama in their classroom because it lends itself to chaos. This is somewhat true. There are, however, preventative measures to take to assure that your class will flow in an organized, cooperative manner. The following are some suggestions on how to manage your classroom before and during creative drama lessons.

Pre-Activity Guidelines- This consists of creating a set of guidelines to assure a positive experience is had by all. You may even ask children to contribute ideas. Remember that they want to have a good time too!

Use A Management Device- Many seasoned teachers have this secret up their sleeve. Try having a special management device to use only during drama sessions. Flicking the lights, calling out "go" and "freeze," and having students repeat a clapping pattern are some effective ways of getting attention. It is most important to define the proper response to this stimulus before you actually need it.

Time- There may not be much time allotted for your drama lesson. However, it is very important to lead the class in some type of warming up activity, and following the drama, a cool down activity. Students will learn this pattern you set quickly, and be ready for the next subject or lesson of the day.

Group Dynamics- The group dynamic (how students play out the drama together) is an important managing device as well. Remember that regardless of the group dynamic, monitoring each student's work is important. You will soon discover which students work well together and which ones do not. Simple techniques like counting off to divide into groups is fair and often eliminates "cliques." Several effective ways to work with and build group dynamics during creative drama sessions are: Ensemble- Everyone works together toward a common goal. Split-half- The class splits in half. Each half plays a character simultaneously. Small groups- Students work in groups of three to five persons. Individual roles- Roles are "cast" in the drama. Remember to rotate for fairness! Solo work- Each student works on his/her own. A more personal experience.

From Drama of Color by Johnny Saldaña