Brain on Stage: Drama-Based Learning Through Cognitive and Neuroeducation Principles
Introduction
Step into a dynamic learning space where neuroscience meets drama. This course empowers educators to transform classrooms into engaging, inclusive environments through embodied learning, storytelling, and brain-based strategies that enhance attention, memory, creativity, and emotional connection.
Description
“Brain on Stage” is an innovative teacher training course that integrates principles from neuroeducation, cognitive psychology, and drama pedagogy to enhance teaching and learning processes. Grounded in current research on attention, memory, emotion, and neuroplasticity, the course explores how embodied and experiential learning approaches can significantly improve student engagement and knowledge retention. Participants will engage in a variety of drama-based techniques, including improvisation, role-play, storytelling, and devising theatre, all aligned with brain-based learning principles. Emphasis is placed on inclusive and emotionally safe learning environments, supporting diverse learners and promoting wellbeing. Through hands-on workshops, collaborative design, and reflective practice, participants will develop practical strategies for integrating drama into their own subject areas and educational contexts.
Learning Objectives
By the end of the course, participants will be able to:
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Understand key principles of neuroeducation and their relevance to teaching and learning
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Explain the role of emotion, attention, and memory in effective learning processes
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Apply drama-based strategies to support engagement, inclusion, and creativity
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Design learning experiences grounded in embodied and experiential approaches
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Use storytelling and role-play to enhance critical thinking and perspective-taking
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Adapt drama techniques to diverse learners, including SEN and multilingual contexts
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Foster safe, inclusive, and emotionally supportive classroom environments
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Develop and deliver brain-based, drama-integrated lesson plans
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Reflect critically on their own teaching practices and learning design
Methodology and Assessment
The course follows an experiential, participant-centred approach combining practical drama workshops, collaborative learning, guided reflection, and micro-teaching. Participants actively engage in designing and testing activities. Assessment is continuous and formative, based on participation, peer feedback, reflective tasks, and the development of a final lesson plan.
Materials, Digital Tools & Other Learning Resources
Participants will use a range of resources including drama prompts, scenario cards, reflection journals, and lesson planning templates. Digital tools may include Padlet, Mentimeter, Canva, and video/audio recording tools. Supporting materials include research summaries, case studies, and adaptable classroom resources.
Preparation
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 prepare a presentation about themselves, their professional context and their culture which will be presented during the course. Participants will receive information about the country they are going to visit in order to prepare them for their cultural experience.
Follow up
After the course participants will be asked to share what they have learned with the rest of the staff in their schools. 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 on request we will complete the Europass Mobility Document.
Accommodation
We do not directly offer accommodation and subsistence and participants are responsible for organizing it by themselves.
Paperwork
We also provide all the support with paperwork you might need for your Erasmus+ project documentation such as mobility agreement and registration letter.
Fee: 560 €
Cancelation policy
Free cancellation up to 30 days before the start. After that, the reservation is not refundable. Changes in name and profile of the participant are possible any time before the start of the course (replacement participants from the same school/org are accepted at any time). In case the school/org doesn't find a replacement, we will still offer a place at any of our confirmed courses later in the year without any additional costs but we can not guarantee that every course session will be confirmed and the school/org will only be offered to choose from already confirmed course sessions. In case it will not be possible for the participant to attend the course or for us to organize the course due to extraordinary circumstances (classified as such by the European Commission) which present themselves in the period of less than 30 days before the start of the course and we don’t manage to find an alternative solution, we will keep 50 % of the payment and refund the remaining balance of 50% to the payer’s bank account.
Draft Programme - 35 didactic hours
Day 1
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Welcome and introduction
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Outline of the programme
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Cultural exchange
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Warm ups and icebreakers
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Course expectations and needs analysis, setting up a collaborative learning environment and creating an educational contract
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Foundations of brain-based drama learning
Day 2
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Inclusion, wellbeing & safe learning environments
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Low-risk participation techniques
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Impact of stress on learning
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Optional participation and scaffolding
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Differentiation through drama
Day 3
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Introduction to Neuroeducation
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Link to experiential and embodied learning
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Embodied cognition in practice
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Creativity, imagination & brain plasticity
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Divergent thinking exercises
Day 4
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Attention, engagement & cognitive load
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The role of novelty and movement
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Avoiding overload through drama structuring
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Improvisation for focus
Day 5
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Emotion & memory
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Introduction to amygdala and emotional encoding
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Why emotional learning sticks
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Mirror neurons & empathy in drama
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Empathy-building scenarios
Day 6
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Storytelling for deep learning
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Narrative structure and memory
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The social brain in learning
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Role-play & perspective taking
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Improvisation & creative risk-taking
Day 7
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Design of personal plan for implementation of drama-based learning through cognitive and neuroeducation principles
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Presentation of outputs(personal implementation plans)
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Group reflection, feedback and discussion
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Dissemination strategy and European dimension
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Validation of the learning outcomes
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Evaluation of the course
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Closing session