BOAL'S METHODOLOGY IN EDUCATION - COURSE DESCRIPTION

Introduction

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This course is aimed at teachers and school staff from pre-school level to primary, secondary, vocational, adult and special needs education, staff of non-government organizations, government and policy makers and company staff as well as students and all those who are interested in use of drama and theatre methods to address conflicts, passivity and insecurity in order to bring dialogue where only one way communication exists. Participants are expected to have at least B1 level of English proficiency.

Methodology

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The core methodology we are going to use was developed by Brazilian director, writer, politician and activist Augusto Boal who revolutionized theatre and was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2008 for his work on the Theatre of the Oppressed manifest. This methodology is now used in fields such as education and pedagogy, social work and mental health, and political and cultural activism, as well as numerous other areas where people are deprived of their right to dialogue.

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It is based on total involvement of all participants who will be active protagonists of their own learning and live an educational experience centered on the experimentation of their own ability.

Objectives will be carried out through several activities (short lessons, experience comparisons, theatre exercises, improvisations, group works and discussions…) which will allow participants both to learn and to bring their experiences in this event; our principle of teaching is based on “learning by doing approach” and on “mutual teaching”.

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Participants will have the opportunity to acquire theoretical and practical knowledge through a methodology based on team work, discussions and elaboration using also a method of practical exercises and simulations.

Objectives

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• Promoting Boal’s methodology as a tool for dealing with conflicts in schools and our surroundings.

• Facilitating understanding of conflict and analysis of diversity of its forms.

• Facilitating understanding of the language of theatre and ability to use its basic elements, the sound, the image and the movement to convey meaning and engage in dialogue.

• Improving understanding of sensations, feelings and thoughts through individual and collective perceptions.

• Facilitating juxtaposition of individual perceptions to form a deeper collective perception.

• Acquisition of games, exercises and techniques for de-mechanizing sensations, feelings, thoughts and perceptions.

• Developing communication, collaboration, presentation, problem solving, negotiation, critical and creative thinking skills.

• Learning versatile techniques and exercises from the arsenal of The Rainbow of Desire for externalizing internalized conflicts, addressing apathy and passivity and enhancing participation.

• Facilitating ability to create and facilitate a Forum Theatre performance.

• Improving the use of English (official language of the course).

• Promoting intercultural awareness.

• Sharing experiences of drama and theatre methodologies as well as diverse conflict resolution strategies in education in different countries in order to help each of us to be more effective in our work.

• Developing a virtual collaboration platform for preparation, dissemination and networking in order to develop future partnerships and projects.

• Strengthening the European collaboration among people practicing Boal’s methodology or people dealing with conflicts in different contexts but unified by similar drama-pedagogical approaches.

• Providing insights into different education systems.

Preparation

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After registration participants will receive pre-course questionnaire which will be used by the trainer to learn about participants’ teaching backgrounds and to assess their exact needs. Before the beginning of the course a basic reading list will be suggested to participants to prepare for the training. Participants will also be asked to publish a presentation about themselves, their professional context and their culture. The presentation will be available on the virtual collaboration platform. It will be used during the first meeting, but it will also be available online to the other participants so that they can have a preliminary knowledge of the group they are going to be part of. Participants will receive information about the country they are going to visit in order to prepare them for their cultural experience.

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Follow up

After the course participants will be asked to share what they have learned with the rest of the staff in their schools. Since they will all join the virtual collaboration platform they will be able to further discuss and deepen the understanding of the themes of this course and therefore keep on learning. Moreover, they will be encouraged to share materials showing how they are using what they have learned in their everyday work in terms of ideas, photos, videos, lesson plans, assessment and self-assessment forms, etc. creating an open educational resource available to everyone else from the group. Thanks to the virtual collaboration platform they will all be networked which will provide greater opportunities to develop future partnerships and projects. Further books and articles to deepen the topic and contacts with some other practitioners all over Europe and in the world will be suggested by the trainer. The methods shared and explored and the bibliography given will allow the participants to complete and improve their educational path.

Certificate

Each participant will get a course attendance certificate and the Europass Mobility Document.

Paperwork

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We also provide all the support with paperwork you might need for your Erasmus+ project documentation such as mobility agreement and regsitration letter.