PLAY IT OUT LOUD Playing drama for social inclusion of shy children Erasmus Project

Project Title

PLAY IT OUT LOUD
Playing drama for social inclusion of shy children

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for school education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2018

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Inclusion – equity; Health and wellbeing; Migrants’ issues

Project Summary

Shyness disorganizes and severely limits the social and professional activity in different periods of life over 50% of people and is still increasing. P. G. Zimbardo justifies the increase in the development of the civilization which contributes to a growing isolation of people (L. Henderson, 2000; P. G. Zimbardo, 1990). The reasons of shyness can be genetic or socio-cultural. These socio-cultural ones are connected with growing isolation of people, not proper parental attitudes towards children or their social and economic state. Children from low social and financial status families are less confident and afraid of social rating.
The consequences of shyness and social anxiety may be as follows: the lack of interpersonal relationships; the lack of friends and their support in difficult situations; avoiding asking for help; pessimistic style of explanation resulting in depression; avoiding challenges; social inactivity; difficulties with expressing own opinion; the lack of self-realization; solitude and even social phobia.
The idea of the Play It Out Loud project is using drama lessons to reduce shyness which is a “tip of the iceberg” indicating deeper socialization difficulties.
Drama is natural way of playing, behaving and thinking of children. Cognitive therapies are less useful for children than drama. It is not easy to explain and teach small child to think and behave in an expected way without action and role playing. Drama exercises are also very useful for the classroom application because it concerns a group process and drama can be use for more purposes: learning knowledge, skills, creativity, attitudes and values. Experience of the partners of this consortium (who use drama as a method for learning and development) shows that drama can help children to deal with their shyness and social anxiety. The consortium consists of 5 partners from 5 European countries: England, Greece, Poland, Ireland and Spain. They represent various educational, drama and ECEC related institutions with rich experience, what ensures that the project objectives will be met and all the material will be produced at the highest quality fulfilling the modern standards.
The target group of the project are teachers who works with the 6/7 year old shy, inactive socially, withdrawn, avoiding challenges children. The project is addressed especially to teachers/tutors who works with immigrant children, children from low socio-economical status or children with some special needs and with difficulties in communicating and learning.The project is going to be implemented in primary schools which are the most common and available places in every city, town and village. That increases the range of influence. About 500 children are going to be involved to the project.
We are going to train 25 teachers from 5 European countries and evaluate the program of using drama in working with shy children. The teachers will gain the new competences of working with the shy. They will also learn drama method which cover many children skills and is proper method dedicated children.
In order to achieve the objectives of the project and produce the foreseen deliverables the project will be divided into several phases. Methodology will include:
1. Preparing the questionnaire of shyness for children based on literature, the final questionnaire for evaluating the outcomes of the process of using drama in shyness therapy of children and the template for case study of shy children.
2. Developing 20 drama lessons dedicated children’s shyness.
3. Developing a training course for teachers.
4. Teachers training.
5. Drama lessons in practice. During 3 months, once a week the teachers lead a drama lesson with children.
6. On-going evaluation. In the middle of the process – about 5th drama lesson – the tutor is observing the lesson and giving the feedback to the teacher. The lesson is also filmed and used in the final promoting film.
7. Ex-post evaluation. The questionnaire and the case studies of shy children (at least one child presented by one teacher).
8. Sharing the experiences on the virtual learning platform. Sharing experience on the international level, making the international web for drama in social inclusion of shy children.
9. Multiplayer in each partner county involving 5 teachers sharing their participation and effects of the project with other early education workers and local authorities, stakeholders and media.
10. Final conference and workshops.
Effective communication, mutual trust and commitment of all partners are crucial to the success of the project and special importance will be given to these aspects by the coordinator and partner institutions. All partner organisations will benefit from the project outputs. In AHE, ND, Smashing Times Theatre, FyG Consultores and ECTE the modules and training programme will be embedded into regular training offer and the trainings will be carried out after the completion of the project.

Project Website

http://playitoutloud.eu/

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 105372 Eur

Project Coordinator

Akademia Humanistyczno-Ekonomiczna w Lodzi & Country: PL

Project Partners

• National Drama
• SMASHING TIMES THEATRE COMPANY LIMITED
• EUROPEAN CENTER IN TRAINING FOR EMPLOYMENT
• INSTALOFI LEVANTE SL