EdTA Learning Center

Although many schools reopened for in-person instruction, teaching was no less disrupted by the pandemic in 2021. In fact, theatre teachers had even more challenges to face as COVID remained an ever-present threat: How do I keep my students safe while bringing back live theatre productions? How do I manage the seesawing need for remote or hybrid instruction? How can I use theatre to help my students start recovering from their pandemic trauma?

EdTA continued developing resources and programming in its Learning Center to respond to those needs, including:

• 150 new lesson plans with embedded social-emotional learning concepts to support student emotional health
• updated in-depth toolkits on virtual instruction and virtual productions
• additional interactive Click to Teach online lessons for use in all types of class settings
• expanded resource collection on DEI and Theatre for Social Justice, with webinar topics including culturally inclusive teaching and anti-racist theatre
• “level-up challenges” for students that gamify learning activities to engage them in a remote/hybrid environment

Teachers showed their appreciation through their engagement with the content: Theatre Educator Pro traffic spiked to more than 37,000 users and 189,000 page views. Nearly half of adult EdTA members had engaged with the Learning Center by the end of 2021 — and found them to be a lifeline.

“I have to tell you what a lifesaver your tools have been for me. With COVID issues, this has been the hardest two years of my life professionally,” noted one member. “If I didn’t know those options were there, I’m pretty sure I would have thrown in the towel a while ago.”