I wish you all a very happy 2012, full of love and peace inside your hearts! A year of rewarding work, creative projects and profound laughter...!
"We need to create environments -in our schools, in our workplaces, and in our public offices- where every person is inspired to grow creatively."(The Element-Ken Robinson.)
LET'S START NOW!
miércoles, 28 de diciembre de 2011
viernes, 28 de octubre de 2011
LOVE
I've been giving a lot of thought to this idea:
"If you have passion for what you do, if you love what you do, then, it'll be easier to touch your students' hearts, and they will understand what it's all about."
You may ask: -But...what is it all about?
In my case, I feel children, or teenagers, find it difficult to find people with whom they can reflect, with whom they can laugh, share, speak...in a way, they feel "isolated". I think that we, as educators, must find the way to reach to them, to "touch" them, so that they don't feel like this.
In my experience, when they meet you for the first time, they look at you, and "analize" you. (especially if you try to teach them Drama!) They don't relax immediately, because TRUST is not somehing easy, something that comes "for free". But, if you show passion for what you do, if they see you love and you feel happy when teaching, when working with them, then everything changes.
When that happens, you must really take care of that trust. You must understand that you are privileged, cause you have a chance to reach to your students, to be part of their lives.
I remember some of my secondary school teachers....I was really lucky to attend a secondary school specialized in Arts. A bunch of my teachers showed their passion, they didn't care about what the others thought, (or about what we thought). They just showed their love for what they did (which didn't exactly mean they were always kind to us... some of them were quite crazy, and extremely strict!...but they taught us with so much passion...!) .
And I realize now, many years after, that LOVE and PASSION for what you do are the ingredients that make everything possible.
It may sound silly, but, for me, that is what's all about.
"If you have passion for what you do, if you love what you do, then, it'll be easier to touch your students' hearts, and they will understand what it's all about."
You may ask: -But...what is it all about?
In my case, I feel children, or teenagers, find it difficult to find people with whom they can reflect, with whom they can laugh, share, speak...in a way, they feel "isolated". I think that we, as educators, must find the way to reach to them, to "touch" them, so that they don't feel like this.
In my experience, when they meet you for the first time, they look at you, and "analize" you. (especially if you try to teach them Drama!) They don't relax immediately, because TRUST is not somehing easy, something that comes "for free". But, if you show passion for what you do, if they see you love and you feel happy when teaching, when working with them, then everything changes.
When that happens, you must really take care of that trust. You must understand that you are privileged, cause you have a chance to reach to your students, to be part of their lives.
I remember some of my secondary school teachers....I was really lucky to attend a secondary school specialized in Arts. A bunch of my teachers showed their passion, they didn't care about what the others thought, (or about what we thought). They just showed their love for what they did (which didn't exactly mean they were always kind to us... some of them were quite crazy, and extremely strict!...but they taught us with so much passion...!) .
And I realize now, many years after, that LOVE and PASSION for what you do are the ingredients that make everything possible.
It may sound silly, but, for me, that is what's all about.
sábado, 27 de agosto de 2011
Creative Technology: Education on the 21st century
Creative Technology: Education on the 21st century: I found this really interesting video about Sir Ken Robinson's ideas on education in the 21st Century and I immediately decided to share it with all of you. I hope it makes you think and develop new ideas!!
lunes, 8 de agosto de 2011
The Performers Educational Plays in Tandil
The international theatre company The Performers Educational Plays will be in Tandil next August 24th at Teatro del Fuerte (Fuerte Independencia 360) with their three theatre proposals of this season:
"The Green Kitchen": A musical comedy for young learners that attempts to enhance the ecological consciousness in children through the three Rs: Reduce/Reuse/Recycle, lively music, colourful costumes and a bunch of great actors. (at 11 hs. and 14hs.)
"The New Sherlock": A musical comedy for children and teenagers. In a world of pretence, the message of this play is "Just be yourself". (at 16hs)
"The Tempest": A classical adaptation of this Shakespeare's play for advanced students, teachers of English or any theatre lover who likes this great playwright. (at 17.30 hs)
Tickets: $25
Tickets: $25
To book your seats call me at (02293) 387 385 or (011) 15 5 731 1364 o write to sole_afra@yahoo.com .
Facebook page: English Drama
lunes, 4 de julio de 2011
A great experience
Last Friday I travelled to Ayacucho to deliver a Creative Drama Workshop for teachers and students from the EMEAI. We improvised, played miming games, sang, learned new ways of stimulating our students' creativity, laughed and had a lot of fun. We also had an interesting books'raffle! It was a great experience. Thank you all, but especially Silvina, for her trust, and Teresita Crovo, the headmistress, for her love to ARTS. I hope to see you all again!
miércoles, 22 de junio de 2011
miércoles, 18 de mayo de 2011
Thanks to all the attendants!!!
Last Saturday morning we had a great meeting with teachers and advanced students interested in learning Drama techniques in order to reinforce their English teaching methods.
We had fun improvising, singing, miming and playing theatre games.
I shared my love for Drama and the certainty that one of our main aims as teachers is to bring love back to the classroom. Thank you all!!!
martes, 26 de abril de 2011
lunes, 25 de abril de 2011
Using Drama to Teach English as a Foreign Language
TESOL article, by Kerry Boorman
“This article will highlight what is meant by the term ‘drama’ before moving onto look at why drama is a ‘…very effective weapon ‘(Boal, 1979: ix) in the classroom. It will then add to this information a number of influential factors that will demonstrate why drama should be considered as key strategy in teaching English as a Foreign Language.
Drama holds an array of interpretation and definition. For the purpose of this article I refer to drama as a process of learning and adhere to Booths description that ‘In its broadest term drama covers a wide range of techniques which incorporate interaction, movement, vocal action and mental concentration’ (Booth). In this sense ‘Drama’ is not about creating a spectacle or being an actor/performer but is rather a ‘…property which stimulates the process of learning by experience’ (Boal, 1994; 94). Drama in Education therefore employs the use of Drama Games, role play, improvisation, script writing, devising and reflecting.
Having outlined the articles use of the term drama, I will now demonstrate why it plays an important role in the classroom.
There is a Chinese proverb that reads; ‘I hear and I forget, I listen and I remember, I do and I understand’ (Chinese Proverb). This is in essence why drama is a powerful classroom tool. It works through our ‘experiential’ senses. It sees, hears, says and does. The student is not a passive recipient but an active meaning maker. The student engages on a much deeper and personal level than simply being given information. In drama the student demonstrates his understanding by acting out or being what Boal refers to as the ‘spect-actor’. This ‘acting out’ is not prescribed but comes through personal internalisation, context and group dynamic.
...
As well as benefits to learning, the use of drama in the classroom can have very positive personal benefits. The student develops communication skills, leadership, team work, compromise, listening skills, presentation skills, self esteem, confidence, self-acceptance, acceptance of others, empowerment , pride in work, responsibility, problem solving, management, to name but a few.
Drama in the classroom makes the classroom ‘….a place where teachers and students meet as fellow players, involved with one another, ready to connect, to communicate, to experience, to respond, to experiment and discover’ (Robinson).
Having established the need for drama in the classroom, I will now specifically apply it to the teaching of English as a Foreign Language. In teaching English as a Foreign Language the balance of receptive and productive skills is an important area to address. Drama effectively deals with these requirements. Through drama a class will attend to, practice and integrate reading, writing, speaking and listening.
At its most basic level drama can be used via drama games. Drama games introduce basic language skills and are a great way of introducing vocabulary. Games require speaking and listening skills and many words and sentences are repeated. They are a way of focusing on the externalisation of language rather than the internal study of it. In an informal and non confrontational way, the student begins to interact with the English language and in doing so can increase their confidence and reduce their inhibitions to ‘have a go’.
The use of role play and real life situations similarly encourage students to organise and activate the English language in a developmental way. It is important to consider vocabulary, word order, tense, correct grammar and pronunciation yet because the communication approximates reality, the language is brought to life.
(...)
Drama can also be used to demonstrate how we communicate with no language at all. Our silent expression is a vital part of our communication. Miming verbs and adjectives helps students to match their body language to their words.
Drama is a part of everyday life. We are surrounded by the visual image, it grabs our interest. Stories are told, heard and repeated every day, both real and imaginary. Newspaper articles, favourite films or characters from soap operas, they can all be used to prompt discussion or creative writing in an interesting and relevant way.
This article is a sprint through why drama is so useful to TEFL. As Conrad Toft observes ‘Advocates of using drama to teach foreign languages say the technique brings the language to life’ (Toft). Not only are students more relaxed, interested and less afraid to speak, but they are also motivated ‘…to generate imaginative and detailed ideas, greatly expand their vocabulary, actively practice language skills and attain far greater fluency, it also provides a setting in which they can explore the social values of a different culture’ (Berlinger).
In conclusion then, we have seen that drama, in the broadest sense of the term, is not only useful in the classroom but gives a tangible benefit to the students learning and personal growth. More specifically in teaching English as a foreign language these two benefits combine. By strengthening a student’s confidence in English you support their successful acquisition of the language. I therefore argue that the use of drama as a specific strategy to teach English as a Foreign Language is a highly effective experiential learning approach”.
Kerry Boorman
“This article will highlight what is meant by the term ‘drama’ before moving onto look at why drama is a ‘…very effective weapon ‘(Boal, 1979: ix) in the classroom. It will then add to this information a number of influential factors that will demonstrate why drama should be considered as key strategy in teaching English as a Foreign Language.
Drama holds an array of interpretation and definition. For the purpose of this article I refer to drama as a process of learning and adhere to Booths description that ‘In its broadest term drama covers a wide range of techniques which incorporate interaction, movement, vocal action and mental concentration’ (Booth). In this sense ‘Drama’ is not about creating a spectacle or being an actor/performer but is rather a ‘…property which stimulates the process of learning by experience’ (Boal, 1994; 94). Drama in Education therefore employs the use of Drama Games, role play, improvisation, script writing, devising and reflecting.
Having outlined the articles use of the term drama, I will now demonstrate why it plays an important role in the classroom.
There is a Chinese proverb that reads; ‘I hear and I forget, I listen and I remember, I do and I understand’ (Chinese Proverb). This is in essence why drama is a powerful classroom tool. It works through our ‘experiential’ senses. It sees, hears, says and does. The student is not a passive recipient but an active meaning maker. The student engages on a much deeper and personal level than simply being given information. In drama the student demonstrates his understanding by acting out or being what Boal refers to as the ‘spect-actor’. This ‘acting out’ is not prescribed but comes through personal internalisation, context and group dynamic.
...
As well as benefits to learning, the use of drama in the classroom can have very positive personal benefits. The student develops communication skills, leadership, team work, compromise, listening skills, presentation skills, self esteem, confidence, self-acceptance, acceptance of others, empowerment , pride in work, responsibility, problem solving, management, to name but a few.
Drama in the classroom makes the classroom ‘….a place where teachers and students meet as fellow players, involved with one another, ready to connect, to communicate, to experience, to respond, to experiment and discover’ (Robinson).
Having established the need for drama in the classroom, I will now specifically apply it to the teaching of English as a Foreign Language. In teaching English as a Foreign Language the balance of receptive and productive skills is an important area to address. Drama effectively deals with these requirements. Through drama a class will attend to, practice and integrate reading, writing, speaking and listening.
At its most basic level drama can be used via drama games. Drama games introduce basic language skills and are a great way of introducing vocabulary. Games require speaking and listening skills and many words and sentences are repeated. They are a way of focusing on the externalisation of language rather than the internal study of it. In an informal and non confrontational way, the student begins to interact with the English language and in doing so can increase their confidence and reduce their inhibitions to ‘have a go’.
The use of role play and real life situations similarly encourage students to organise and activate the English language in a developmental way. It is important to consider vocabulary, word order, tense, correct grammar and pronunciation yet because the communication approximates reality, the language is brought to life.
(...)
Drama can also be used to demonstrate how we communicate with no language at all. Our silent expression is a vital part of our communication. Miming verbs and adjectives helps students to match their body language to their words.
Drama is a part of everyday life. We are surrounded by the visual image, it grabs our interest. Stories are told, heard and repeated every day, both real and imaginary. Newspaper articles, favourite films or characters from soap operas, they can all be used to prompt discussion or creative writing in an interesting and relevant way.
This article is a sprint through why drama is so useful to TEFL. As Conrad Toft observes ‘Advocates of using drama to teach foreign languages say the technique brings the language to life’ (Toft). Not only are students more relaxed, interested and less afraid to speak, but they are also motivated ‘…to generate imaginative and detailed ideas, greatly expand their vocabulary, actively practice language skills and attain far greater fluency, it also provides a setting in which they can explore the social values of a different culture’ (Berlinger).
In conclusion then, we have seen that drama, in the broadest sense of the term, is not only useful in the classroom but gives a tangible benefit to the students learning and personal growth. More specifically in teaching English as a foreign language these two benefits combine. By strengthening a student’s confidence in English you support their successful acquisition of the language. I therefore argue that the use of drama as a specific strategy to teach English as a Foreign Language is a highly effective experiential learning approach”.
Kerry Boorman
Dramatic Arts Education/ by Matt Buchanan
“Dramatic Arts education is an important means of stimulating CREATIVITY IN PROBLEM SOLVING. It can CHALLENGE STUDENTS' PERCEPTIONS about their world and about themselves. Dramatic exploration can provide students with an outlet for emotions, thoughts, and dreams that they might not otherwise have means to express. A student can, if only for a few moments, BECOME ANOTHER, explore a new role, try out and experiment with various personal choices and solutions to very real problems-problems from their own life, or problems faced by characters in literature or historical figures. This can happen in a SAFE ATMOSPHERE, where actions and consequences can be examined, discussed, and in a very real sense EXPERIENCED without the dangers and pitfalls that such experimentation would obviously lead to in the "real" world. This is perhaps the most important reason for Dramatic Arts in schools."
Matt Buchanan
Matt Buchanan
Creative Drama in the Classroom
“I strongly believe in Creative Drama as a way of developing self-confidence while learning a different language. Creative Drama brings students into an artistic frame where they feel safe. There they can enjoy speaking and interacting in a second language without the fear of being judged or corrected. They assimilate pronunciation, acquire meaningful vocabulary items and structures, work with a team, learn discipline from a joyful perspective, and most of all, they have fun. That is all about: having fun while learning. That is my aim as Drama teacher, both with children and with adults. The possibility of learning never dies, that is a gift we’ve all been given, therefore, my aim in each drama class or workshop, is to stir that capacity, to wake it up, in order to enjoy each moment”.
Sole Martínez
Sole Martínez
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