Social Theater: An Experience with Melissa Gilbert

Since the students in the Women in Leadership seminar will be working with and mentoring young girls, it is only appropriate that we learn how to communicate and connect with them. This seems like a daunting task for an untrained teenage college student, but luckily, Melissa Gilbert, the head of co-curricular activities, stepped in as our first speaker in class to help us.

Ms. Gilbert trained us by using members of the class to act as students, and showing us one method of getting a concept across to a group of young people in an entertaining and visually striking way: social theater.

Ms. Gilbert almost immediately moved the class from the conference room to the more open space in the juvenile section of the library ("Make sure to use movement as a part of your presentation to keep the kids engaged," she advised as she walked us out). Once we were out there, she began her presentation of social theater.

Social theater stuck with me as a good way of teaching kids for two reasons: It's visually interesting and it's the kind of activity that children love.

As a highly visual learner, I think that it is important for children to be confronted with a strong image, as this is more likely to stick with them than merely a lecture or handout. Seeing other classmates symbolically acting as barriers to leadership and solutions breaking down these barriers presents children with something memorable. Their own participation would make the experience all the more valuable.

In high school, I was a HUDDLE Peer Leader. My role was to teach elementary school students about the risks of alcohol, drug use, and other destructive things that they were likely to encounter in life, such as bullying and peer pressure. One of my most powerful tools was scripted role-playing. One of the things that the students often told me they most enjoyed was acting in skits, and their ability to recall skits that we had done several months previously was astounding. I think that this would also be useful in our mentoring projects, since our time with the children will be limited. As a result, presenting a memorable lesson is all the more important.

Ms. Gilbert's presentation of social theater will undoubtably prove to be useful in the coming months as we prepare our lesson plans for our group projects. I am looking forward to using this new method to teach the girls we will be mentoring lessons that will be vital to them throughout life -- how to live as strong, independent female leaders.