Theatre for Learning: Learning Design through Theatre for the 21st Century Youth Development

Abstract

This article presented experiences of the learning process of the students majoring in Acting and Directing Performances in 2^ad Semester of 2014 Academic Year in the Faculty
of Music and Performing Arts of Burapha University as the 21^st century youth development through drama courses. There were 16 students participating in the activities. The researcher
designed the learning process known as “Theatre for Learning” which was developed from the Theatre concept, the Experiential Learning Approach and facilitator’s concept. In fact,
the learning process through Theate was designed as a three-step process. Step 1 was installation of the tools in the body and cohabitation. Step two was the survey of the view
of life through theater activities. Step three was the exposure from a new perspective by taking the students to learn about the communities and their environment. The data were
collected through observation, note-taking, and the arrangement for the activities reflecting the views and feelings (Refection). The instrument used for data collection consisted of
diaries of instructors and students, drawings, and theatrical works. The data were then analyzed to find out the students’ perspectives concerning the 21st Century youth
development. This learning process was experimented to build the youth to  be initiative, self-directed, conscious about the world, responsible of society, and able to communicate
ad work  with other people.
The findings revealed that after the learning process, the learners began to have the desirable characteristic of the 21st Century youth who could feel a connection
between themselves and the environment, who could be aware of making changes starting from themselves, and who could respect and have confidence in the potential of their own,
of other people, and of the communities. The learners began to accept each other and were able to work well with others. In addition, they could communicate with other people
openly. The learning process would bring back the students to think about their past life which led them to learn new perspectives so that they could form their new own idea that
they themselves could do some good things as the citizens of the world.