Course Description

Creative drama is an instructional approach that uses role-playing and improvisation to engage pupils and enhance their understanding of various subjects. It is a form of interactive and active learning that encourages pupils to explore different perspectives, express themselves creatively, and think critically.

Creative drama helps pupils to develop their social and emotional learning, as they learn how to express themselves, empathize with others, and work together in a safe and supportive environment. It also helps to improve their language skills, as well as their confidence and self-esteem. Pupils are able to engage, demonstrate, and observe in what is referred to as a “managed,” or safe, setting when they are given the opportunity to do so through the medium of drama. To put it another way, it gives kids an additional opportunity to learn and demonstrate that they have learned something that is not typical. Drama, on the other hand, assists pupils in getting in touch with their inner creativity and spontaneity, as well as in developing self-assurance in the manner in which they articulate their thoughts. Lastly, it teaches self-discipline, the ability to accept criticism and positively respond to it, as well as the ability to cooperate with others. The main goal of creative drama is to provide pupils with opportunities to actively engage with the material, rather than passively receiving information. It allows pupils to use their imagination and creativity to understand and explore different concepts, characters, and situations.

This training course is designed to provide educators with an in-depth understanding of the principles and practices of creative drama, and the skills necessary to design and implement effective creative drama instructional strategies in the classroom.

Learning Outcomes

Successful graduates of the course will have the knowledge and skills to do the following:

• Understand the basics of creative drama and its potential for education
• Learn how to use creative drama techniques to engage students and enhance their understanding of various subjects
• Explore how to use role-playing and improvisation to explore different perspectives, create collaborative learning experiences, and foster critical thinking skills
• Develop the skills necessary to integrate creative drama into the classroom and take advantage of its many benefits
• Understand the importance of using creative drama for social and emotional learning
• Learn how to create and use lesson plans incorporating creative drama

Course Details

 
TARGET GROUPS

Professionals in the education sector (e.g., teachers, guidance counselors, principals, and administrators at elementary, middle, higher education, vocational institutions, kindergartens and pre-primary schools) and non-governmental organization (NGO) staff.

METHODOLOGY

Participants will be introduced to the basics of creative drama, including its definition, history, and potential for education. This will include an overview of the key concepts and techniques used in creative drama, and an introduction to the various types of creative drama activities and exercises. By hands-on activities, they will have a chance to experience creative drama for themselves. These will include role-playing and improvisation exercises, as well as other creative drama techniques such as tableaux, pantomime, and forum theatre. Participants will engage in interactive discussions to explore the potential of creative drama for education. This will include brainstorming sessions to generate ideas for using creative drama in the classroom, and sharing and discussing examples of creative drama in education. They also will learn how to create and use lesson plans incorporating creative drama. They will get knowledge about how to integrate creative drama into different subjects and grade levels, and how to evaluate the effectiveness of creative drama in education. Case studies will give them a perspective of creative drama in education, to understand how creative drama has been used in real-world educational settings and the outcomes observed including best practices for using creative drama, troubleshooting common challenges, and assessing the effectiveness of their use of creative drama.

Course Objectives

• Enable participants to understand the concept of creative drama.
• Develop participants’ expressive skills through the use of drama techniques.
• Enhance communication and collaboration skills through creative drama.
• Explore drama games and exercises that stimulate imagination and creativity.
• Foster emotional expression and empathy skills through drama.
• Acquire the ability to effectively use body language and gestures.
• Improve storytelling and character development skills.
• Boost self-confidence on stage and reduce performance anxiety.
• Develop the ability to embody different roles and perspectives.
• Gain the skills to apply creative drama games in various contexts, such as education, social awareness, or team-building.
• Strengthen self-confidence, leadership, and problem-solving skills through creative drama.
• Develop the skills to plan and facilitate their own creative drama activities.

Tentative Schedule

Day 1 – WELCOMING DAY

• Introduction to Creative Drama
• Icebreaker activities and warm-up games
• Overview of key concepts and techniques used in creative drama
• Types of creative drama activities and exercises

Day 2 – HANDS-ON ACTIVITIES

• Role-playing and Improvisation
• Engaging in role-playing and improvisation exercises
• Understanding the importance of improvisation in creative drama
• Symbolic games, collective creation games

Day 3 – USING CREATIVE DRAMA IN THE CLASSROOM

• Exploring the potential of creative drama for education
• Generating ideas for using creative drama in the classroom
• Sharing and discussing examples of creative drama in education
• Choosing the title of the dramatic game
• Choosing characters and scenography
• Creating the scene

Day 4 – HANDS-ON ACTIVITIES 2

•  Using other creative drama techniques such as pantomime and tableaux
•  Understanding the importance of nonverbal communication in creative drama
•  Vocal games
•  Character games
•  Storytelling games
•  Relaxing games

Day 5 – EDUCATION ON THE STAGE

• Studies on the relationship between theater and creative drama
• Movement, sound and breathing exercises
• Studies on the basic concepts of creative drama
• Communication and interaction studies
• Detailed studies on warmth, harmony and trust
• Studies on the components of dramatic fiction

Day 6 – OUTCOMES OBSERVED

• Implementation
• Best practices for using creative drama
• Troubleshooting common challenges
• Assessing the effectiveness of use of creative drama

 Day 7 – DEPARTURE DAY

• Conclusion and evaluation of the course
• Reviewing key points covered in the course
• Discussing how to apply what has been learned in the classroom
• Cultural Visits

*The schedule describes likely activities but may differ significantly based on the requests of the participants, and the trainer delivering the specific session. Course modifications are subject to the trainer’s discretion. If you would like to discuss a specific topic, please indicate it at least 4 weeks in advance. Our courses usually include two cultural activities. Further information is available on the webpage of each course.