Playbuilding has a long history in the New South Wales Drama syllabus documents for Stage 4 and 5. However, while it is included as a Drama form in the NSW Kindergarten to Year 6 Syllabus, its presence as a strategic focus of teaching within primary schools is limited. Playbuilding has the potential to engender long term positive relationships between students while developing individual student's knowledge and understanding of a multitude of Drama forms.
This paper will examine these key aspects of Playbuilding by applying the anthropology theory of Gift Exchange. This theory encompasses the notion of a reciprocal exchange where the object that is gifted is inextricably linked to the giver and this in turn creates a social bond between the giver and receiver. The paper will examine this relationship in terms of Playbuilding and will explicate the benefits of Playbuilding techniques related to student learning and social skills and argue for its essential role in any future Creative Arts syllabus. It will also explore the efficacy of using a Playbuilding task as an assessment tool through reporting on a study of pre-service teachers where the assessment task attempts to encourage Playbuilding to be incorporated within teachers' planning. It requires students to source content from Key Learning Areas apart from Creative Arts, and to use the Playbuilding structure to create a group-devised performance suitable for primary students. This paper will explore how this process enables students to develop their practical understanding of Drama forms and to find ways to incorporate Drama techniques across the curriculum. The effects of the Playbuilding concept and its role in the development of rich and relevant assessment will be examined to highlight its potential and impact for curriculum development in the Creative Arts discipline of Drama.