BE CREATIVE BREAK THE BARRIER Erasmus Project

Project Title

BE CREATIVE BREAK THE BARRIER

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 : School Exchange Partnerships

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Disabilities – special needs

Project Summary

CONTEXT
As schools whose student populations are entirely/partly made up of disabled students, we want to give them the best support for mainstream integration. Our needs analysis with our teachers highlighted that, as the Erasmus+ priorities emphasise, they need continuous support to boost their specialized professional profile – they need know-how and training on contemporary teaching techniques, and how to apply new tools in the classroom.

A very beneficial tool in special education is that of creative drama. This is an integrative process that develops imaginative thought and creative expression in children. Through movement, pantomime, improvisation, story dramatization and group discussion, they acquire language and communication skills, social awareness, problem solving abilities, self-esteem enhancement, and an understanding of theatre. Academic studies show that it is an even more useful learning technique for disabled children. Drama is an alternative to the classic classroom system, which is boring and inadequate for disabled students. It gives them an opportunity to perceive, solve and explain any problem in their own levels and has important physical benefits – with the movements made during drama, they develop the body’s control, coordination skills and sense of rhythm.

ACTIVITIES & METHODOLOGIES
This project intends to empower special education teachers to make new or better use of drama in their teaching techniques, through training and the exchange of good practices. We have designed a project consisting of 5 LTTs – each school will host a 4-day mobility on their respective niche area of expertise:
-C1 MT: Multi-modal drama therapy
-C2 PO: Stage, costume & prop design
-C3 IT: Story-based creative drama
-C4 TR: Integrating drama into curriculum
-C5 LT: Body language in creative drama

Each will consist of 3 days of training (hands-on workshops, seminars, lectures, presentations) and a final day that is geared towards the exchange of best practices and creating a subsequent ideal lesson plan. Moreover, each LTT will provide time for classroom visits and touring each school’s specialised infrastructure. This is important in the field of special education, as seeing practices, technologies and equipment in other countries will inspire them to aspire to different and improved methods themselves.

The LTTs are supported by local activities for LTT preparation, online documentation, and drama activities with students.

OBJECTIVES
1.To train 64 educators in the use of drama as an educational technique, covering various aspects (music/drama/dance therapy; stage and costume design for music theatre; story-based drama; body language; integrating drama across the curriculum)
2.To provide 64 educators with the opportunity to learn from each other on the topic of creative drama
3.To adopt a train-the-trainer approach to pass on the knowledge acquired by the participants
4.To establish a strong transnational cooperation between 5 Programme Country schools

PARTICIPANTS
Each mobility will be attended by 4 participants; 3 special education teachers (different each time) and 1 coordinator from each school (part of the SMT) who will remain consistent. The latter is important, as it will ensure consistency and facilitate learning outcome integration into SDPs and curriculum, ensuring each school’s capacity building. Following each mobility, the participants will disseminate the learning outcomes and materials with their colleagues via each school’s established internal staff training channels

RESULTS
1. 64 educators receive training on the use of drama in education (music/drama/dance therapy; stage and costume design for music theatre; story-based drama; body language; integrating drama into curriculum)
2. 64 educators improve their own knowledge on the topic of creative drama in education by learning from other educators;
3. This training and improved knowledge will be disseminated to non-participant educators within our schools, so that the project has the maximum impact possible.
4. 5 European schools will undertake mutual capacity-building.
5. Online documentation and dissemination of the project via booklets, a DVD of local activities, digital magazine/e-journal, blog, and articles

IMPACT
-Educators will gain competence in using creative drama techniques;
-SEN children will benefit immensely on a personal level via more engaging and interesting learning techniques in their daily classes, and will improve holistically (eg. self-esteem, motor skills, creativity, critical thinking).

LONG-TERM BENEFIT
-Schools will build their capacity to support children with learning disabilities.
-Schools will strengthen their European dimension and their capacity for cross-border cooperation.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 106560 Eur

Project Coordinator

St.Clare College, San Miguel Primary Education Resource Centre & Country: MT

Project Partners

• AHMET YESEVİ İŞİTME ENGELLİLER ORTAOKULU
• Vilnius Municipality’s Grigiskes Sviesos gymnasium
• IV CIRCOLO DIDATTICO “CAROLINA SENATORE”
• Zespol Szkol Specjalnych