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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.

Do you sometimes feel like Goldilocks? This class is too big! This class is too small! How do you make your class feel just right? Join us to talk about how to zero in on adapting and adjusting your curriculum based on the size of your class.

How do you encourage students to delve deep into difficult, perhaps ugly characters, characters who do and say things your students normally wouldn’t? We’ll be talking about character and script analysis, separation of actor and character, and we’ll learn how to recognize the external nature of the work. How do we prepare our actors and our school environment ready for challenging roles?

Being a teacher makes its hard to say no. Being a Drama teacher makes it almost impossible! Drama teachers wear so many hats - instructor, director, designer, councilor (not to mention parent and partner!) that there is always something, or someone, that needs your time and attention. It’s just a matter of time before a ball is dropped and everything comes crashing down. It’s no wonder that drama teachers burn out! With so many people and projects fighting for your time how do you find balance? Sometimes you just have to say…No! Join us to talk about finding balance between life, work and art.

The new school year is a few weeks in, and we are using this PLC to count down the most important preparations you can implement right from the beginning. From setting up your classroom, to setting goals/rules/responsibilities, to the best games and activities to engage new students, this PLC will prepare you to blast off to a successful new year!

The closing of schools forced a lot of teachers to move their productions online or to an alternative performance model. This shift to virtual performances challenged directors with a whole new set of questions: Does the show have to be live streamed? Can I capture the performance? Is there a way to design lights and sound online? What about costumes? What about radio plays? How do I edit my virtual performance? So many questions! That's why we have dedicated an entire PLC to the ins and outs of virtual performances. We will talk with teachers who have successfully navigated these uncharted waters and learn the tricks and tips that will make your online production shine!

Ready or not, the new school year started. And what a start! We were confronted with a mind-boggling array of unknowns and tackled them with a mix of trepidation and creative moxie. Because as drama teachers, that's what we do: We solve problems. And then we share our brilliant solutions with our fellow drama teachers because it takes a village. And we are Village DTA! We are here to help because when one of us succeeds, ALL of us succeed. So join the village for a start-of-year "check-in" where we will talk to drama teachers about the struggles and solutions they have faced so far.

Spring is still in full swing, but it’s already time to start looking to the fall. Believe it or not, this is the time for choosing plays, and to start adjusting your curriculum for your next group of drama students. It’s never to early to get organized and start checking things off of that to-do list for next year. This will be a discussion of the do’s and don’ts of planning ahead.

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.

You and your students want a good story and script, even if you have to write it yourselves! But what does that look like? Who's in control? How would that work? How exactly do you devise new work with students? Join us in this PLC on Devising to learn the ins and outs of generating new works with your students.

There's no getting around it: Running a Drama program costs money! Besides a never-ending need for props, costumes and scenery, we also spend money on scripts, rights and travel to contests and festivals. It's enough to break the bank! As much as we may hate the thought of fundraising, sometimes it's the only way to keep a programs afloat. That's why this PLC is dedicated to the art, craft and strategy of raising funds. So break out your receipt book and join the conversation!

Technical Theatre Tips Tips for set design, costuming, lighting, and more! Dealing with small budgets, overcoming obstacles, and making the most of what you have. BONUS material at the end of the PLC! Hosted by DTA instructors Holly Beardsley, Matt Webster, and Lindsay Price. Recorded on September 15, 2015 at 8pm.

What makes us reluctant or afraid to fundraise? How can we involve the students, community, and reach beyond to get resources for our programs? Listen in to find out and hear some great ideas from our hosts and participants! The discussion is led by Matt Webster, Lindsay Price, and Kristin Caraway. Recorded February 1, 2016.

As we approach the end of another difficult year, we face one last hurdle before we wrap up our classes with a little bow: Assessment! Assessment in the Drama classroom can be hard enough, but assessment in a VIRTUAL Drama classroom can present some real challenges. How do we fairly assess students who we may never have seen in person? Or started virtually and then went hybrid? Or a "half and half" class? There has to be a way to give honest, useful, feedback to ALL of our students, isn't there? Join us for this PLC and find out...

Our host and panel discuss budgets, production options, student/parent contracts, and the tips that make staging a musical worthwhile. Hosted by Matt Webster, joined by Tricia Oliver, Roxane Caravan, and Lindsay Price. Recorded on January 12, 2016 at 8pm

How do you advocate for yourself and your theatre program? Listen in to find out and hear some great ideas from our hosts and participants! The discussion is led by Matt Webster, Lindsay Price, Gai Jones, and Carolyn Greer. Recorded February 16, 2016.

Are your theatre classes a “dumping ground”? Some kids choose your class but others are placed there by admin or counsellors? Join us for a chat about a) how to manage classes like these and b) how to prevent your classroom from becoming a dumping ground.

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.

Another school year comes to an end and that means it's time for the annual house cleaning we call a Postmortem. Why do a Postmortem? Because - The past is prologue and the future is closer than you think! Join us as we talk about the good and the bad, the do's and the don'ts, of this last year. We'll do it with a handle on the past and an eye to the future.

We are halfway through the spring semester with the starting gun a distant memory and the finish line not yet in sight. But the marathon goes on. What better time to check in on each other and see how we all are holding up! Join us for this PLC check-in to get the fresh ideas, collegial commiseration and positive feedback that just might get you to the end of the race.