Abstract

Breaking into the world of theater production can be very difficult.  In order to get actively involved, there are many different things to know and for an outsider looking in, outside of segmented online resources or a full commitment to a higher education in theater, high school students do not have clear pathways to “getting their feet wet”.  With this module that I am presenting, students will get an understanding of how design a set for technical theater.  This module is part of a larger program that I want to create that will teach students about technical theater production.    

The program will be developed using several different multimedia tools.  Primarily, instruction will be given within the medium of videos and pictures, describing different terms and concepts in ways that different learners can understand.  Throughout instruction, practice questions will be used to reinforce ideas as well as test questions at the end of the module.  Also in the end of the module, students will need to create a creative assignment that will display their understanding and allow them to exercise their new vocabulary to critique the work of their classmates.  All of this will be assembled using the web based program Edmodo, software used in the assembly of an immersive learning environment.

Although this program is still under development and largely untested, the idea of using constructivist techniques is well established and provides a practical methodology for instruction.  The hopes of this program and this module more specifically  will be to introduce foundational knowledge of set design to interested high school students.  Following the instruction will give the user the terminology and concepts necessary to work on a successful theatrical set.

An evaluation that will help to assess the achievement of the student will be how the student uses their knowledge to create the design document and the ways in which students discuss the work of others.  Another, lesser challenging assessment is the quiz which is really situated to reinforce ideas and show what is important in terms of concepts that they come away with.