PUPPETS AND MASKS IN EDUCATION - COURSE DESCRIPTION

 

Introduction

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This course is aimed at teachers and school staff from pre-school level to primary and special needs education, staff of non-government organizations, government and policy makers and company staff as well as students and all those who want to learn about the creation and use of puppets and masks for mediation and expression facilitation. The course will focus on technical and practical aspects of creating masks and puppets and on theoretical and functional aspects of the use of puppets and masks in mediation, special needs education, integration, creative thinking and creative expression. Participants are expected to have at least A2 level of English proficiency and should be able to work with materials and techniques for creating masks and puppets. No prior knowledge of the topic is necessary, only the physical ability to operate scissors, knives, fabric, etc.

 

Methodology

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Methodology is based on theoretical input, presentations of examples of good practice as well as demonstrations and experience comparisons and in the most part practical work on creating and use of masks and puppets. Participants will have the opportunity to create several kinds of masks and puppets (such as a personalized mask made of cast, hand puppets and finger puppets). Participants practice methods for use of masks and puppets in their professional context

 

Objectives

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• Learning how to make a simple finger puppet and hand puppet and animate them.

• Learning how to make and decorate a personalized mask out of cast and decorate it.

• Understanding how puppets and masks can be used in work with pre-school, primary school and children with special needs in order to teach morals and values, reinforce good behavior, handle sensitive topics, stimulate imagination, encourage creative play and aid discovery, give instructions and guide learning.

• Boosting participants’ confidence in use of puppets and masks.

• Enhancing professional skills through mastering tools for creating and using puppets and masks in their professional context.

• Providing and exercising creative ideas and practical resources for successful use of puppets and masks in education.

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

• Promoting intercultural awareness. 

• Sharing experiences of school project work and use of puppets and masks in education from different organizations in order to help each of us to be more effective in our work.

• Strengthening the European collaboration among people using puppets and masks in education  in different contexts.

• Providing insights into different education systems.

 

Networking opportunities and cultural programme

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The course includes networking opportunities and cultural exchange opportunities to create European dimension and find possible partners for future projects as well as a city tour or a cultural trip (depending on the location). These are included in the course fee and at no additional expence for participants.

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Preparation

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After registration participants will receive a 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. 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. 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. 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.

 

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, registration letter, etc.

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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.