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Assessment Task Notification

Topic: The Voice of Text: Jump for Weighting: 20% Due: 30/05/18
Women in Theatre Jordan

Task Description:

• You are required to individually write a 1000 word theatre review on Griffin Theatre’s
production of the play Jump for Jordan in relation to the topic The Voice of Women in
Theatre. Your review you should focus and reflect on your experience watching the
play and comment on the portrayal of women in this production. You should discuss
how you believe the production has successfully or unsuccessfully portrayed relevant
social and cultural issues such as the migrant experience, cultural diversity and LGBTQ
identity. You are also required to comment on how the play’s dramatic style, form and
features, as well as how the use of lighting, costume and set added to the overall
message of the play and whether it enhanced or diminished your experience as a
theatre critic.
• You must include 2-3 images from the production.

Steps – Tick each step off as you go

 Select the forum that your review will be published in (i.e. online theatre journal,
newspaper, magazine etc.) and consider the type of language used in your chosen
forum.
 Decide which elements of the production are going to be your primary focus. This
assessment task is primarily your own opinion of the production; however, you must
discuss your opinion in relation to the portrayal of women, at least one social or
cultural issue presented (i.e. Issues that reflect aspects of a society, its people and
institutions such as the strength of a family, community relationships or changing
gender roles and expectations (ABS, 2001)), the dramatic styles and either lighting,
costume or set.
 Convey your informed ideas/perspective clearly with your own language choices. You
may use sub-headings to organise your ideas.
 Edit your theatre review before submission. You will be given half a lesson to conduct
a peer feedback session in class and are welcome to ask questions gain feedback from
your teacher.

Outcomes Being Assessed

H3.1 Critically applies understanding of the cultural, historical and political contexts that
have influenced specific drama and theatre practitioners, styles and movements.
H3.2 Analyses, synthesises and organises knowledge, information and opinion in
coherent, informed oral and written responses.
H3.4 Appreciates and values drama and theatre as significant cultural expressions of
issues and concerns in Australian and other societies.
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Theatre Review Scaffold – You can use this scaffold to organise your thoughts
and ideas.

Paragraph 1 Provide a brief overview of the details of the play:

When did you see the play? Where did you see it?
What play did you see?

Paragraph 2 What did you like or dislike about the portrayal of

women in the play? WHY?

Example: ‘I enjoyed the portrayal of Sophie as it

gave the audience a realistic, unglorified
understanding of the difficulties and ramifications
of breaking traditional female stereotypes and
gender roles. Sophie is an unmarried, aspiring
archaeologist, lesbian woman in her mid-twenties
who is living out of home and stuck between her
traditional Jordanian culture and westernised
Australian culture…’
Paragraph 3 What social and cultural issues in the play
resonate with you? How did they enhance or
diminish your experience watching the play?
You might like to discuss (but not limited to):
• The migrant experience and being stuck
between two cultures.
• Sophie’s LGTBQ identity and hiding it from her
conservative family.
Paragraph 4 What are your thoughts on the dramatic form,
style and features of the play? AND how did
either costume, sound OR set add to the overall
experience of the play.

Example 1: The combination of farce and sit-com

allowed the portrayal of relevant social and
cultural issues to be conveyed to the audience in a
comedic style... (Simmonds, 2014)
This was effective because? This was ineffective
because?

Example 2: Although the play takes place in a

single setting, the set was cleverly designed in a
way that provided the audience a full theatre
experience. The set allowed the audience to
understand that the play takes place in both past
and present times and represents various
locations… (Simmonds, 2014).
Paragraph 5 Conclusion:
Provide your overall thoughts/opinion/evaluation
of the production.
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Use the links to view different examples of theatre reviews on Jump for Jordan
• http://www.stagenoise.com/review/2014/jump-for-jordan (Simmonds, 2014).
• https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/theatre/theatre-review-jump-for-jordan-
griffin-theatre-20140220-333vy.html (Blake, 2014).
• http://www.griffintheatre.com.au/whats-on/jump-for-jordan/ (GTC. 2014).

Marking Criteria 16-20

Band A
Critically Studying: Students make outstanding choices in their writing that
work to present a sophisticated and insightful perspective and evaluation of:
• The current portrayal of women in theatre.
• Current social and cultural issues.
• How the dramatic form, style and features, as well as the lighting
costume and set enhanced or diminished their experience.
Band B 12-16
Critically Studying: Students make highly developed choices in their writing
that work to present a sophisticated perspective and a perceptive evaluation
of:
• The current portrayal of women in theatre.
• Current social and cultural issues.
• How the dramatic form, style and features, as well as the lighting
costume and set enhanced or diminished their experience.
Band C 8-12
Critically Studying: Students make adequate choices in their writing that work
to present a clear perspective and evaluation on:
• The current portrayal of women in theatre
• Current social and cultural issues.
• How the dramatic form, style and features, as well as the lighting
costume and set enhanced or diminished their experience.
Band D 4-8
Critically Studying: Students make limited or misinformed choices in their
writing that hinders their ability to present a basic perspective/evaluation:
• The current portrayal of women in theatre.
• Comment on current social and cultural issues.
• How the dramatic form, style and features, as well as the lighting,
costume and set enhanced or diminished their experience.
Band E 1-4
Critically Studying: Students make inadequate or incomplete choices in their
writing to present a minimal perspective/evaluation on the:
• Current portrayal of women in theatre.
• Current social and cultural issues.
• Dramatic form, style and features, as well as the lighting, costume and
set design.
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Evaluation

Assessment refers to the ‘gathering and interpreting of evidence to make judgements about

student learning. It is the crucial link between learning outcomes, content and teaching and

learning activities.’ (ACT education and training, 2016, p.6). Assessment is used to improve

student learning and to inform teaching strategies aimed at developing the highest

educational outcomes. (ACT education and training, 2016). Assessment is important in the

drama classroom as it is used by learners and teachers to gauge where students are in their

learning, identify gaps in their learning and determine how they can improve their

outcomes (ACT education and training, 2016). Assessment takes many forms, however, the

role of authentic assessment in the drama syllabus along with the relevance of formative

and summative assessment approaches will be the focus of this analysis as they provide the

opportunity for ‘timely and appropriate feedback to students about their learning’ (AISTL,

2011) to improve outcomes.

For an assessment to be authentic, it must be a part of a realistic learning context and

centre on meaningful, real world problems or tasks. Student’s products or performances

being assessed must have meaning and value beyond success in school (Frey, Schmitt &

Allen, 2012). The drama stage 6 syllabus states that ‘drama can be employed as a technique

for exploring personal and community issues and develop social skills’ (BOSTES, 2009, p.6),

highlighting the strong focus on issues that are also relevant outside the classroom. It is

apparent that authentic assessment is a critical tool in conducting assessment in the drama

classroom. Authentic assessment could be embedded into the stage six drama syllabus

through the form of a theatre review which has been designed in part 1. Conducting a

theatre review on the play Jump for Jordan allows students to explore many ‘real world’

social and cultural issues presented in the play. Educating and drawing student’s attention
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to these issues highlights that the task moves beyond that of their grade, and places

emphasis on their ability to understand, construct, appreciate and communicate social and

cultural values (BOSTES, 2009) that are relevant beyond the classroom.

Bergen (1993, as cited in Frey, et al, 2012) suggests that effective authentic assessment

should involve a group project and evaluation as a ‘valid and productive approach towards

student evaluation’ (p.2). This further reinforces the importance and relevance of an

authentic assessment approach as a compulsory area for HSC drama is a group performance

paired with a rationale, where student’s work to ‘show a personal response rather than a

pure literary one’ (NESA, 2017). Bergen’s idea on authentic assessment is also evident in the

7-10 drama syllabus as there is a strong focus on ensemble work, collaboration and group

devised activities that focus on individual interests and ‘personal, social, and cultural

differences and diversity’ highlighting the ‘real-world’ nature that works to ‘prepare all

students for effective and responsible participation in their society, taking account of moral,

ethical and spiritual considerations’ (BOSTES, 2003, p.5). Students are also required to

evaluate the contribution of individuals and groups and their process in their logbooks

(BOSTES, 2003).

Formative assessment is a reliable and relevant tool used in drama through a range of

assessable instruments (Jacobs, 2017) which provide opportunities for feedback and to

inform student learning prior to implementing a summative assessment whereby students

are given a grade and marked against criteria (Jacobs, 2017). Cockett’s assertion that ‘the

most important function of formative assessment…is to give the students critical evaluation

of their strengths and weaknesses in drama’ (p.248) highlights that formative assessment is

an essential step in the learning process in drama, allowing students to act on their
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feedback to adequately prepare for their summative work (Jacobs, 2017). Without the

objective teacher feedback in a formative assessment, students have no sense of how to

improve and successfully progress their drama (Cockett, 1998). In drama, formative

assessment often takes the form of performance. For example, HSC drama students in NSW

may perform their major performance works to an audience before performing to external

examiners. Utilizing public performance as formative assessment allows for continuous

diagnostic feedback of achievement and provides students with the experience of engaging

with their audience (Jacobs, 2017). This formative assessment may eliminate anxiety and

pressure prior to performing in the altered context in front of external examiners. Formative

assessment can also be employed in drama theory. For example, when teaching a text such

as Jump for Jordan the teacher may pose inquiry questions around social and cultural issues

that are thoughtful and reflective, inviting students to discuss their thoughts on an issue

(Boston, 2002) that may be relevant in their summative assessment. This task gauges where

students are currently at in their learning, identifies gaps that may exist between their

desired goal and current knowledge and allows the teacher to adapt teaching and learning

plans and sequences to meet student needs (Boston, 2002).

Drama ‘explores the world through enactment. It is a collaborative art form that involves

the creative interaction of individuals using a range of artistic skills’ (BOSTES, 2009).

However, summative assessment is both achievable and necessary to establish and

maintain ‘the credibility of the field of drama education and to provide systems for

identifying student achievement within the formal school curricula’ (Jacobs, 2017, p. 130).

There are however, issues with summative assessment in drama education as it can be

argued that assessing student’s artistic creations can result in ‘a stifling of individual

expression, imagination, creativity and originality while not allowing for the fresh pursuit of
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ideas’ (Jacobs, 2017, p.128). Therefore, this places emphasis on the importance of prior

formative assessment, that informs student learning with continuous feedback that is

‘specific, respectful, timely and constructive’ (Jacobs, 2017, p.3) to emphasize progress,

achievement, and promote student’s motivation to learn (Jacobs, 2017). Summative

assessment is crucial in the drama syllabus, however, the summative theatre review on

Jump for Jordan designed in part 1 also draws on formative assessment with an

incorporated peer feedback session. Students are provided the opportunity to gain peer and

teacher feedback and recommendations during the assessment to improve their final

outcome where they will then receive additional meaningful feedback to aid their

development (Brown, Bull & Pendlebury, 2013) in drama.

Consistent informal, diagnostic, formative, summative (AISTL, 2011) and authentic

assessment are critical components of drama teaching as they not only determine student

readiness for particular class activities, but also gauge a student’s competency in drama

(Landy, 2006, as cited in Jacobs, 2017) and assist in meeting accountability standards

(Boston, 2002). Developing a clear understanding of these forms of assessment and how to

provide subsequent feedback will inform my practices as a drama teacher and allow me to

reliably and effectively implement the correct assessment methodology for the context of

the drama classroom.

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References

ACT Government Education and Training. (2016). Assessment for Teachers.

https://www.education.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/297182/Teachers_
Guide_to_Assessment_Web.pdf.

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2001). Measuring Wellbeing: Framework for Australian

Social Statistics. Accessed 1st May 2018.
http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/0/C8F1BE430A3CA90DCA2571B7000ACC
41?opendocument.

Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership. (2011). Australian

Professional Standards for Teachers. Retrieved form
https://www.aitsl.edu.au/teach/standards.

Board of Studies NSW. (2003). Drama 7-10 Syllabus.

http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/syllabus_sc/pdf_doc/drama_710_syllabus.p
df.

Board of Studies NSW. (2009). Drama Stage 6 Syllabus. Accessed, 1st May 2018.

Boston, C. (2002). The Concept of Formative Assessment. ERIC Clearinghouse on Assessment

and Evaluation College Park MD. Accessed, 2-8. Accessed 8th May 2018.

Blake, J. (2014). Theatre review: Jump for Joran, Griffin Theatre. The Sydney Morning
Herald. Accessed 1st May 2018.
https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/theatre/theatre-review-jump-for-jordan-
griffin-theatre-20140220-333vy.html.

Brown, G., Bull, J. & Pendlebury, M. (2013). Assessing Student Learning in Higher Education.
London and New York, Routledge.

Cockett, S. (1998). Formative Assessment in Drama. Research in Drama Education, 3(2), 248-
250. DOI: 10.1080/1356978980030210.

Frey, B., Schmitt, V., & Allen, J. (2012). Defining Authentic Classroom Assessment. Practical
Assessment, Research & Evaluation, 17(2), 1-18.

Griffin Theatre Company. (2014). Jump for Jordan – Donna Abela. Accessed 1st May 2018
http://www.griffintheatre.com.au/whats-on/jump-for-jordan/

Jacobs R. (2017). Six critical issues in senior secondary drama performance assessment in
Australia. NJ Drama Australian Journal. 41(2) 127-140,
DOI:10.1080/14452294.2017.1438043.

NSW Education Standards Authority. (2017) Drama Stage 6 Course Prescriptions 2019-2021.
http://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/wcm/connect/83784209-49be-4347-
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8f49-6ce70011713d/drama-st6-course-prescriptions-2019-
21.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CVID= .

Simmonds , D. (2014). Jump for Jordan review. Stagenoise. Accessed 1st May 2018.
http://www.stagenoise.com/review/2014/jump-for-jordan.