eDUCATE (Drama for change: european valUes and theatre pedagogy for aCtivATing learning and Empowering students) Erasmus Project

Project Title

eDUCATE (Drama for change: european valUes and theatre pedagogy for aCtivATing learning and Empowering students)

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 2018

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Creativity and culture; Cultural heritage/European Year of Cultural Heritage; Access for disadvantaged

Project Summary

Drama, Theatre and the european values represent a bridge in terms of educational cooperation and exchanging good practises among 6 European European schools in order to enhance the quality of education .
The focus of the project promoted the role of European cultural heritage in 2018, the acquisition of European citizenship, emotional and social skills and competences of our students by using Theatre and Drama as an effective way of teaching in classes in order to motivate them to learn, with a particular emphasis on English language.
This project was mainly addressed to students facing difficulties (educational, health, emotional, economic, cultural, social) that we wanted to motivate by providing a meaningful and concrete learning context promoting acquisition of skills and helping reduce disparities in learning outcomes. In this connection it turned out to be an effective tool to limit school failure and consequently to fight against early school leaving. It was also open to students willing to increase their competence in English language, interested in drama activities, in digital technologies. This project supported models of inclusive education which not only benefited students with disadvantages but also created an environment in which every student had the opportunity to be successful. We fixed the maximum number of 50 students in each country which was eventually divided in smaller groups. We created a student-centered, inclusive learning environment and to implement contexts based on cooperative Learning, non formal learning of European Values to stimulate learning language and European citizenship through drama and theatre activities.

The project was divided into two phases. The first phase called “Learning by playing”. We used the Twinspace for working, learning the first scenes with the help of theatre pedagogical methods. We created many theatre activities, coordinated a teachers’ meeting in Seville and a delegation meeting with students and teachers in Germany. In the second phase, “From work to play”, we expanded the theatre method and created a theatre curriculum in Italy. We planed to perform a joint play as a final activity with all 6 delegations in Malta. Unfortunately, with the arrival of the Covid pandemic, we were unable to complete the last activities of the final phase of the project and the last meeting in Malta in May 2020. We extended the project to January 2021 with the hope to work the final phase, but our governments decided to return to the lock-down because of the high incidences of the pandemic. Despite the pandemic, we worked virtually during the last months and reached our initial goal. The implementation and the processes of the project phases were documented, evaluated and assessed in the Twinspace. We developed topics based on social problems related to young people and that could be connected with the European Values under a common language: English. We used theatre and drama as an alternative holistic environment to promote aquisition of both educational and emotional skills and competences. Students developed intercultural understanding and gained new perspectives on their own learning. “Drama” became an activity based on the assumption of roles and simulation of real life situations(role playing) and “theatre” an extra curricular concept which focussed of practicing of European Values.
Theatre became also a valuable tool to foster relationships because, working in group, students were faced with the problem of the relationship with the others, starting with the respect for diversity and the desire to communicate emotions.The theatre practice developed into pedagogy because it aimed to the increase of individual creativity in the respect of the uniqueness of each one. All participants and teachers gained knowledge and experience by the project. Through the project, we intended to share experiences and find solutions in terms of educational difficulties, economic obstacles and improving learners’ attainment in other school subjects.
In this process teachers supported the concept that it is possible to teach and learn creatively, outside the classroom.
The exchanges of practices and cooperation among schools turned to be an excellent method to improve student’s education in all its aspects, leading them to complete European citizens with EU values as well as providing new tools for teachers to build these citizens. The European partnership has proved to be a valuable resource for professional development. It increased cooperation among teachers, students and parents promoting life long learning.
We have disseminated the project, and will continue to do so, to all the related people and organization who have a role in students ‘educational and social life: teachers, families, peers, local schools in each partner school’s area, local authorities, European authorities by the help of European partners

Project Website

https://www.erasmus-gbs.de/projekte/projekte-ka2/educate/

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 147097,78 Eur

Project Coordinator

Georg Büchner Schule & Country: DE

Project Partners

• LICEO GINNASIO STATALE ” M. BURATTI “
• 5 Gymnasio Veroia
• Instituto de Educación Secundaria Palomares
• St Benedict College Secondary School
• FURNESS ACADEMIES TRUST