Eric.ed.gov – Bringing Language to Life: Quest’s TheatreBridge Enhances Learning in Class

In math, students and teachers toss tennis balls. In science, students become rain, hail, sleet, and snow. In language arts, students maneuver their bodies into related positions and hold into a frieze they call “tableau.” The students and teachers are part of TheatreBridge, a four-year model demonstration and dissemination program lead by Quest Visual Theatre, a nonprofit company based in Lanham, Maryland. Activities from TheatreBridge feel like play, but whether the students are in math, science, or language arts, the learning from TheatreBridge is deeply serious. TheatreBridge applies the principles and strategies of visual theatre to classroom instruction. By applying visual theatre modalities and strategies, TheatreBridge supports visually- and kinesthetically-based instruction that is culturally appropriate for deaf and hard of hearing students. It creates a learning environment that is more fully accessible to deaf students, consequently laying a foundation for success in school.