After two years in this pandemic, our students are still lacking opportunities for real connection with others. Creative drama games and techniques can enhance some of the social-emotional learning needs of young people. In this session participants will explore how to use drama to strengthen a classroom community, build empathy and understanding, and allow students the space to form strong connections with educators and fellow learners.
(Focus Area: Arts Integration, Creative Drama, Movement)
Rachel Hamilton holds degrees from Arizona State University and Texas Woman’s University. She currently works with Thinkery, a children’s museum in Austin, Texas, as vice president of guest experience. At Thinkery she creates welcoming, inclusive, and inquiry-based STEAM programs and museum experiences for learners from birth through age eleven. Before moving to Texas, she ran the theatre division at Metro Nashville Parks and Recreation and was associate director of education at Nashville Children’s Theatre. Hamilton is also a recipient of the National Arts Strategies’ Creative Communities Fellowship and a past member of the Metro Nashville Arts Commission’s Racial Equity in Arts Leadership cadre. Her work focuses on community building, storytelling, and facilitating opportunities for students to use their innate creativity to shape the world into a more vibrant and equitable place.