Leading through the arts: an aesthetic leadership research project

Abstract

This project was to engage in a reflective inquiry process exploring notions of student leadership in the context of an extra-curricular drama production in a British Columbia ‘offshore’ school in Bundang, South Korea. There are two key components: a film project, and accompanying documents including a literature review, reflections and implications. Research related to student leadership, drama as a subject, drama assessment and how drama can work in assistance with EL learners has been reviewed for the purpose of supporting a documentary style film produced at BIS Canada, a BC Offshore school in Korea. The documentary film followed an extraordinary group of ELLs that were involved in the creation of an extra curricular secondary school drama production. The creation process took place at BIS Canada from September 2014 to March 2015. Through interviews and candid observation, evidence of student leadership, achievement, growth, confidence and a sense of self was displayed through the medium of drama and captured in the documentary film. Reflection on this process and what can be gained through this method has been displayed. Another surprising result was a significant shift in the leadership style of the drama teacher/director in response to the desire to support the emergence of self-regulated student leaders.