The digital navigator : teacher as dramatic curator of aesthetic encounters

The proliferation of learning opportunities in an increasingly competitive landscape populated by MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses), billions of websites and rich interactive digital content mean people can learn ‘virtually’ anything they like, wherever and whenever they like. This raises questions about the nature of the teacher’s role in the contemporary classroom and specifically within the drama classroom. The role of teacher as dramatic curator is therefore proposed as one that is essential for the contemporary educator, especially for those working in the field of drama education but also for others whose activity is concerned with human interactions and experience. This teacher is a knowledgeable and nimble curator with a nuanced understanding of the power and purpose of the tools available, including the digital and technological, but also the physical and embodied. Their role involves exercising high selectivity, crafting aesthetic encounters, and taking an active role as a digital documentor and creator, weaving together the threads of experience and interpretation to support participant meaning making.