Definition
The lead adult/adult shows the children their ‘dramatic remote control’ which has the power to ‘pause’, ‘fast-forward’, ‘rewind’, and ‘slow-motion’ the action. The children act out a scene and then react to the lead adult’s Remote Control commands and respond accordingly.
By expanding on the ‘freeze-frame’ technique, the lead adult/adult can also ‘thought-tap’ the characters to deepen the children’s understanding and assess learning.
Purpose
- To encourage visualisation of a scene
- To prepare to write character descriptions
- To empathise with characters
- To practise explaining (For example a science concept, historical details or geographical information)
- To identify the order of key events in a story/process
Example
In history, a group of children might be asked to create a freeze frame of a battle between Boudica and members of the Roman army. The children might choose to become soldiers fighting or they might be the war chariot that carried Boudica into battle.
The lead adult can use the remote control to ‘play’ the action in ‘slow motion’ so that the children can act out the ‘battle’ in a controlled manner. The lead adult can then use the remote control to pause the action and thought tap different characters. A Roman soldier might share his thoughts about his fear of the savage Boudica or he might be thinking of his family at home. Boudica might be thinking about avenging the many wrongs done to her family or about hoping her followers will stay with her if the fight gets worse. The lead adult could even thought-tap the chariot to hear more about what it is made of and how it has been designed.
The remote control could be used to rewind the action and replay the part where Boudica’s army responds to her powerful speech at the start of the battle. The children may then become more enthusiastic, fully embracing their roles, with the repeated exploration of the scene.
