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Teachers’ Guidelines

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Findings from theatre laboratories

Practical Examples of Theatrical Laboratories

There has always been a continuous approach to make education more involving, more comprising, without making it more difficult. From simply giving information to students to experiential education and the relatively new theatre laboratory activities, people have been adjusting education to the present day society, focusing on the psychic as well as the social and physical side of the students.
This guideline will shortly introduce you to examples of existing projects in Europe. Countries in which they are held are Denmark, Malta, United Kingdom and Norway. The main criterion was that organisations must have been founded by the governments or other reliable authorities. The activity of such organizations should be clearly focused and should have systematic programs that show their long lasting results. The main aim correlates with OFF- Book project in such a way to prevent bullying in schools and in private life.
In the last part of this guideline we explore the role of theatre as a site for learning in a community context and how it can provide informal learning opportunities for young people experiencing social difficulty. Theatre in Education (TIE) is used to encourage effective learning in schools. It calls for careful consideration of the audience’s age and requirements in order to engage them and get the message across. Theatre as education has a number of important functions for young people. Using structured processes such as rehearsal techniques and exercises that involve the experiences of young people, theatre can positively contribute to the transmission of their skills development, influencing and supporting intellectual development, as well as empowering them to affect change in their own lives by opening up further education opportunities. In this chapter we describe how to use theatre as learning tool from setting-up to final feedback.

1. Case Study

The purpose of this chapter is to thoroughly investigate a subject of analysis in order to reveal a new understanding about the research problem and, in doing so, to contribute new knowledge to what is already known from the previous approach. In this chapter, we present the findings from two theatre laboratories. We explain how the laboratory was done e what specific outcomes were obtained.

1.1 1st Case Methodology (Context, Characteristics, Research Methods and Design)

1.2. 2nd Case Methodology (Context, Characteristics, Research Methods and Design)

2. Case Studies Outcomes

In this chapter, we present the findings from two theatre laboratories and the outcomes obtained. We describe the findings revealed from the work we did within the group during theatre laboratories. We highlight all findings that were unexpected or especially profound.

2.1. 1st Case Outcomes

2.2. 2nd Case Outcomes

3 Theatrical Laboratory Tabs

To better complete the OFF-book project’s output, we are now describing n° 15 Theatrical Laboratory Tabs’ examples. Tabs are described following these specific criteria:
  • General Purpose
  • Challenges to be Addressed
  • Aim to Be Achieved
  • Exercise Procedure – The Students’ Role
  • Laboratory Phase
  • Group Size
  • The Leader’s Role
  • Setting
  • Equipment Needed
  • Possible mistakes
  • Safety
  • Final debriefing
Tabs are a tool for the educator and can be implemented according to the specific needs of the group involved. The implementation is carried out, in a discretionary way, adapting the management of the laboratories and thanks to the specific skills of the educators. Teachers who want to use Tabs and start a proper OFF-book Theatre Lab need a training course and a training on the job phase before. Training course and training on the job phase are two fundamental aspects of the teacher’s preparation, they are not separate from each other but are complementary: all are necessary to allow the teacher to acquire more and more skills and competencies in the development of effective systems against the expenditure of school dispersion through the use of OFF-book Theatre Lab. As example, in the case of the use of a particular activity aimed at helping the inclusion of the class members, the information for the passage to be followed and the errors to avoid is contained in the descriptive tabs; the training takes place in the acquisition of skills to use and handle successfully, the training on the job is to focus on the style to be kept and the precautions and details to be garrisoned. A specific training allows the teachers to acquire the necessary skills to properly perform their duties within the project; the training on the job, however, consists of learning concretely the correct use of the Tabs, putting into practice what is indicated in the Tab itself.

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This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This web site reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.