How does one develop the way of thinking? For an average Indian student, science is just a stream one chooses when one gets good marks in 10th standard. We tend to view science as “just another subject”. And the reason for that is rote learning – an epic failure of our education system – that dispenses with the beauty of learning, making us hate our subjects as we think only of and dread the exams, instead of looking forward to exploring new ideas. I would rather not jump down that rabbit hole. Instead, let me introduce you to one specific tool that has taught me a lot, and has the potential, among other methods, to rectify some of the problems stated before – Drama. It would be difficult to believe that any student has not taken part in a drama at any point in their life. Would you imagine that there are quite a few institutions exploring the use of dramatics as a teaching methodology!

Several schools in Lebanon, Korea, and the United Kingdom have adopted theatrical activities in pedagogy. All the major aspects of theatre – performance, script reading, creation, role play and improvisation – have been used to teach children basic science concepts like the blood group system, Mendel’s Laws of Genetics, Evolution, static electricity, and many more.

An excellent example of the same is the drama on Electrolysis performed in a Turkish school. The formation and decomposition of water were enacted. In the drama, two students acted as oxygen atoms; four students acted as hydrogen atoms; one student acted as electric current; one student played a curious boy who wanted to decompose water, and the chemistry teacher acted as himself. Special costumes were designed and provided for these players by the teacher. Here is a short conversation from that play, in the form of a comic strip:

There are two oxygen atoms. They hold each other’s hands, which represents the double bond between oxygen atoms, and talk to each other.

O1: “Huh! I am too bored today.”

O2: “What happened? Why are you so bored?”

O1: “Look. Our life is too ordinary so it is boring”

O2: “Please speak honestly. Are you bored of me?”

O1: “Of course not. You are my best friend. We have a good double bond, but I want to meet new atoms and form new molecules with new properties.”

O2: “Yeah. You are right. In fact I think so, but I couldn’t explain.”

At this moment, hydrogen atoms (H1 and H2) enter the stage slowly. These hydrogen atoms are smaller than oxygen atoms. They are hand in hand, which represents a single bond. Having the similar conversation, Hydrogen atoms decide to make a new compound. They start talking with each other. Hydrogen and oxygen atoms talk as follows:

O1: “What do you think about forming a new molecule? Do you want to form a covalent bond by sharing our two electrons? “

H1+ H2: “Okay”

O2 (to O1): “You forgot me. What will I do if you leave me?”

O1 (to O2): “Ah yes, I forgot about you.”

O1 (to H1 and H2 atoms): “Just a moment. If I form a new molecule with you, my friend will be alone, and a single oxygen atom cannot survive.”

H2: “It is not a problem. We can call a hydrogen molecule for your friend.”

H1: “Wait a minute. We will call our friend.”

H1 and H2 walk away to call their friend. At this moment, oxygen atoms start talking to each other.

O2: “I don’t know what to do? How can I form a bond?”

O1: “It is too easy. You will share your electrons, thus you will form a covalent bond.”

Hydrogen atoms walk towards them.

O1: “Ah, they’ve come. Are you ready to form a new molecule?”

O2 + H1 + H2 + H3 + H4: “Yes, we are.”

There was a notable difference in the test scores of students who had been shown the play and the control group. The mean scores of the drama group students were higher than those in the control group at a statistically significant level!

Coming back to the aspects of theatre, – performance, script reading, creation, role play and improvisation – performance includes prewritten scripts enacted out by students. This helps the students get into the shoes of the characters, physical or metaphorical, and explore their relationships. It makes mundane and unrelatable concepts in a textbook suddenly become lively and real. By exploring the relationships between the characters, students can better understand the dynamics between molecules, electric or magnetic fields, etc, as the case may be.

Creation includes students picking up any scientific concept they like and writing a script of their own, centrally based on that concept. Once students are ready with their scripts, they can perform in Reader’s theatre where discussions take place regarding the flaws, loopholes, and points of critique in all the scripts. This not only encourages students to think creatively, but also helps in bringing out subtle, more nuanced ideas to the forefront during critique, which solidifies the core conceptual understanding of scientific ideas being portrayed.

Role play and improvisation activities are loved by the students. These activities provide them the steering wheel of the play. Genres and other restrictions are also revoked, and students create their own sketches. Thus students learn to enjoy studies, rather than dread them. Not only that, role play during studies can also prove useful in their careers later, for example at the University of Michigan, freshman medical undergrads take a mandatory course on dramatics, wherein they interact with students from acting schools. It teaches them how to perform a task which is regarded as one of the toughest jobs they will have to do in their field – conveying the news of the death of a patient to their relatives.

Theatre is an art of looking at ourselves – it is a sharp reflection of society. There are several examples in history like Leonardo Da Vinci, Voltaire, Leibnitz, or Benjamin Franklin combining art and sciences. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was author of numerous plays, but also a keen science enthusiast. One of the most brilliant examples is Richard Feynman. Feynman has been a part of musical theatre and was a bongo player as well.

The separation between science and art is not only objectively erroneous, but also dangerous if taken seriously. It prevents the real world from being an object of fascination and fantasy. The main intention of science through drama is to break the authoritarian atmosphere of a classroom and create creative learning opportunities. Science drama gives a humanistic viewpoint on its authorized scientific knowledge by emotional and active participation. By no means can it completely replace classroom teaching, however, it can be an effective teaching tool nonetheless.

“Science is a way of thinking much more than it is a body of knowledge.”

– Carl Sagan

Ultimately, be it a professional thespian actor or the kid who has played the role of tree in a school play, all of us are exploring this sea of knowledge, looking for beauty and meaning, as of yet unknown.

Don’t be calm, be dramatic!