It is unique to your group and will contain the notes from the various workshops you participate in over your short introductory course.
You will participate in many activities which should form the basis for further exploration of this exciting area of interactive creative story making for,with and by children.
To start- ask yourself why are we doing this particular task now, and what effect is it having on me and my group. What changes are happening to me- how and why? Drama works on different levels of reality, the conscious(what I can sense, see and hear) and the unconscious ( what influences my values and behaviour). It also works in both the fictional and non fictional world to create a space for learning and transformation.In terms of cause and effect, it both creates and produces a different learning environment.What effect does this way of working have on what we learn adn how we learn it? Am I an individual learner, as Piaget might propose or does the fact that I am in group, as Vygotsky would propose affect how,why and how much I learn? How important is relationship in our learning? So by now you may have guessed that we are talking not only about a different way of learning which honours not only the traditional IQ measurements of mathematical,verbal and spatial ability but also the kinesthetic,musical,interpersonal and intrapersonal abilities a child might have which Howard Gardner calls Multiple Intelligences. What effect might dramatic approaches have on motivation to learn? Would a child be more or less prepared to stick at a topic by approaching it in this way?
If you answer yes to these questions then it woudl seem useful to examine such ways and to feel confident in using them ourselves,to make our classes more interesting places for teachers to be in and for children to learn in.Our early sessions will examine through drama,how one might begin to approach this group exploration. Keeping in mind the goals of creativity, imagination and artistry we set the scene to invite each participant to begin their journey. Firstly we have ot trust the artist in ourselves, then we begin to know what this feels like we can create the conditions for children to do the same. You have the choice and opportunity to make the journey,together. Bon Voyage.
