Dorothy Heathcote is a huge name in Theatre In Education. I know very little of the theory behind this field of practice but even I had heard of her. She was a pioneer, recognizing that drama could be a powerful learning tool across education. In part her big idea was placing the learners – usually children – at the heart of situation, having to think creatively, acting the roles of others to see the world from their perspective, address problems they may face.
I will leave it there before I embarrass myself further with the shallowness of my knowledge. The point is, she died earlier in the month and I only found out about it today via an obituary in the Times Educational Supplement. She recently got an MBE but deserves a bit more recognition than that. Hopefully the broadsheets will step in with some beefy obituaries at the weekend.
Respect where it’s is due: Dorothy Heathcote.
Thanks to Dr Sandra Hesten for pointing us to this obituary which The Guardian published on 17th November.