Towards an Effective Teaching and Learning of Theatre Arts in Nigerian Colleges of Education
College of Education, PMB 250, Ikere-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria
ABSTRACT
As a process, teaching and learning moves jointly in a continuous manner. Although the former may involve a considerable level of learning, the learner through adequate learning can eventually become a teacher since as a learner, he influences the behaviour of his teacher(s). Nevertheless, the process of learning must move abreast of teaching to achieve the set goal. Although learning is not necessarily an outcome of teaching, the effectiveness of the former must reflect in the latter through the product who supposedly should be a harmonious all round developed personality whose head, heart and hands must have been adequately cultivated. The Theatre Arts discipline possesses a feature that makes it more demanding than other disciplines in the arts and humanities. This feature entails the practical aspect which arguably, is not inherent in other disciplines of the arts and humanities. As a result of this, a graduate in the discipline is enhanced with skill in at least one of the arts of the theatre as well as the theoretical acquisition. Professionalism in teaching aside, the skill makes him/her a complete theatre artiste. This discourse examines the factors that may enhance the effective teaching and learning of Theatre Arts in Nigerian Colleges of Education. It argues that the present curriculum is inadequate if the objective is to produce self-reliant and well groomed teachers with abilities to teach all aspects of the Arts. The paper concludes that the authorities concerned should give the discipline a double major status, redesign the curriculum so as to give room for more practical, and provide necessary equipment for the teaching and learning of the course.
KEYWORDS
Effective teaching, Learning, Theatre arts, Education, Curriculum