Description
Traditional communication at school often lacks the power to connect the students in the classroom and bridge the gap between them and the teachers. Accordingly, it also falls short of dealing with recurrent issues in education such as conflict management and bullying prevention.
Luckily, there are effective ways to involve the students in deep social interaction. In particular, teachers can exploit performative arts to give voice and choice to the students, henceforth encouraging socialization, and the manifestation of conflict among them – for better management and solution.
This course will show how the use of different forms of performance art (including theatre, storytelling, and role-plays) can help resolve conflict within the classroom or to prevent bullying. Significantly, practicing such techniques within the classroom will also promote effective communication and creativity.
During the course, participants will gain practice with basic drama techniques, storytelling, and role-plays. They will also learn how to foster active listening, empathy, and emotional intelligence among their students.
By the end of the course, participants will be able to use various forms of performance art as a tool for socialization and conflict resolution. They will master different tools and strategies to improve their students’ collaboration and socialization, thereby making the learning environment more engaging and satisfactory.
Learning outcomes
The course will help the participants to:
- Exercise active listening for conflict resolution;
- Introduce a narrative-based inquiry approach to model student behavior;
- Use storytelling as an expressive tool for a student-centered approach;
- Use body language as a communicative and expressive tool;
- Understand the relation between empathy and Performance art;
- Foster emotional intelligence among students;
- Design and implement art performative activities for conflict resolution.
Tentative schedule
Day 1 – Course introduction
- Introduction to the course, the school, and the external week activities;
- Icebreaker activities;
- Presentations of the participants’ schools.
Art and communication
- The role of Art as a communicative tool;
- Nonverbal vs verbal communication: read your learners’ body language (so you can better help them communicate).
Day 2 – Storytelling as a tool for understanding others
- The key to creating a positive learning environment: Empathy, active listening, and reformulation;
- Developing emotional intelligence through the Hero’s Journey;
- Maslow’s hierarchy of the needs: mapping the needs of characters;
- Writing a story: storytelling for understanding the other.
Day 3 – Performance Art in conflict resolution
- Active Listening: the process of translation;
- Socially-engaged artists and community artworks;
- Theatre as a therapy;
- Practical activities and role-play for conflict resolution and improving communication.
Day 4 – Role-Playing and bullying
- Defining the problem of Bullying and Cyberbullying;
- Bullying interventions: School, Classroom, and Individual level;
- Practical activities and role-play about bullying scenarios.
Day 5 – Co-creation of a play
- Case of study of theatre as a conflict resolution tool: Theatre of Witness;
- Art-making activity: implementing real stories into a series of performances;
- Final presentation.
Day 6 – Course closure and cultural activities
- Course evaluation: round-up of acquired competencies, feedback, and discussion.
- Awarding of the course Certificate of Attendance.
- Excursion and other external cultural activities.