The educational elements used in EffectiveArts' programs are primarily based on interactive drama simulations tightly coupled to Socratic-style facilitated inquiry discussions and experiential activities.  Very little lecture-style teaching is used.

EffectiveArts' methodology is deeply rooted in the tradition of experiential education (Dewey, 1938; Kolb, 1984).   EffectiveArts' methodology also incorporates elements from research on adult education (Dewey, 1938; Knowles, Holton, & Swanson, 1998), stress training (Cannon-Bowers & Salas, 1998; Driskell & Johnston, 1998), transformational education (Brookfield, 1987; Mezirow, 1991), student-interest -based teaching and learning (Dewey, 1938; Freire, 1970), the affective component of education (Bloom, Mesia, & Krathwohl, 1964), interactive drama (Boal, 1985; Holtom, Mickel, & Boggs, 2003), and facilitation- and inquiry-based teaching and learning (Bruner, 1966; Knowles et al., 1998; Postman & Weingartner, 1969).

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bloom, B. S., Mesia, B. B., & Krathwohl, D. R. (1964). Taxonomy of Educational Objectives . New York: David McKay.

Boal, A. (1985). Theatre of the Oppressed . New York: Theatre Communications Group.

Brookfield, S. D. (1987). Understanding and Facilitating Adult Learning . San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Bruner, J. S. (1966). Toward a Theory of Instruction . Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

Cannon-Bowers, J. A., & Salas, E. (Eds.). (1998). Making Decisions Under Stress: Implications for Individual and Team Training . Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Dewey, J. (1938). Experience and Education . New York: Macmillan.

Driskell, J. E., & Johnston, J. H. (1998). Stress Exposure Training. In J. A. Cannon-Bowers & E. Salas (Eds.), Making Decisions Under Stress: Implications for Individual and Team Training . Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Freire, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the Oppressed (M. B. Ramos, Trans. 20th Anniversary ed.). New York: Continuum.

Holtom, B. C., Mickel, A., & Boggs, J. G. (2003). Using Interactive Drama to Teach the Complexities of Decision Making. Decision Sciences Journal of Innovative Education, 1 (2), 305-311.

Knowles, M. S., Holton, E. F., III, & Swanson, R. A. (1998). The Adult Learner: The Definitive Classic in Adult Education and Human Resource Development (Fifth Edition ed.). Houston, Texas: Gulf Publishing Company.

Kolb, D. A. (1984). Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development . Englewood-Cliffs: Prentice-Hall.

Mezirow, J. (1991). Transformative Dimensions of Adult Learning . San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Postman, N., & Weingartner, C. (1969). Teaching as a Subversive Activity. New York: Dell.