This book profoundly altered my own teaching and gave me a glimpse of what it is possible to achieve through drama. Heathcote's approach to drama has inspired teachers in every classroom where active and authentic learning is valued. I am confident that this fascinating picture of a remarkable educator at work will continue to motivate and challenge new generations of teachers and learners.
—Cecily O'Neill, from the Foreword
We all welcome this perceptive revision of B.J.Wagner's classic account of Dorothy Heathcote's teaching. It reads as fresh as ever and is a timely reminder of Heathcote's genius.
—Gavin Bolton
We're confident that this new edition of Betty Jane Wagner's seminal work will be welcomed by drama educators throughout the English-speaking world. Heathcote's work has been profoundly influential in that world. Until the publication in 1976 of Dorothy Heathcote: Drama as a Learning Medium, however, Heathcote's techniques—the pedagogy of drama—lacked full explanation. Wagner's book gives us just that: a close-up detailing of this gifted, dynamic teacher in a variety of classroom settings, along with analyses of Heathcote's remarkable improvisations with young people.
Indeed, much of Betty Jane Wagner's book can fairly be described as drama within a drama. It's an engrossing work, for we listen and watch as Heathcote elicits drama of their own making from students across grade levels and disciplines. Wagner's goal is to share with teachers how they, using Heathcote's methods, can generate significant learning experiences.
