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STIMULATION OF STUDENTS` CREATIVITY THROUGH ENGAGING IN THEATRE AND PERFORMING ARTS

2020-1-BG01-KA227-SCH-0951042020Partnerships for Creativityfinalized
Countries: BG|EL|DK|RO · Grant: €139,216
Creativity and cultureNew innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training coursesInclusion - equity

Project summary

Post pandemic world will be in economic turbulence for many decades and thus the EU needs to invest in creative participation of its population towards economic rebuilding. Promoting creativity in a real classroom is far easier and here the social environment is a key factor in developing creativity along with various cognitive skills. In this light, the diffusion of performing arts in schools can be seen as an alternative to traditional teacher-led, scripted schooling and an answer to the challenges of current increasingly digitalizing knowledge culture, which answer aims at deeper conceptual understanding by preparing students to be more creative and to create multimodal knowledge. = Needs Taking into account this challenge, the project team is aimed to address the following identified needs: - No adequate training content for students having interests in performing arts and drama - No training content on theatre techniques adapted to low-educated and socially challenged students - No opportunity for disadvantaged students to express and develop vital social skills as well as artistic talents and subsequent realisation in the field of art The general objective is to to promote active citizenship and inclusion through theatre and performing arts, to identify talents and to stimulate their advance in creative domains, and to foster the collectivist spirit in order to prepare the transformation from the digitalized distancing during the COVID-19 times. The specific objectives are: - To create training content adapted to low-skilled students on how to improve their communication and personal expression skills using the fundamentals of the theatre. - To provide an access of the disadvantaged students to performing arts and to broaden their opportunities for personal development - To give the participants real chance to develop their talents and expression abilities by practicing short drama fragments based on popular topics and on their own ideas. Within the project the following participants across BG, DK, RO and GR will be involved: - Low skilled and socially challenged students who are falling behind their peers in terms of development of their creativeness, mindfulness and personality (at least 120 in total) - Socially isolated students living in high risk of marginalization and lack of appropriate support (at least 120 in total) - Students with interest in preforming arts and drama but deprived to practice because of COVOD-19 (at least 120 in total) The project will include the following activities: = Development, piloting and optimization of intellectual outputs: IO1 Training course for students on theatre and complicated interaction environment IO2 Teacher`s Manual on raising the theatre mastering in classroom IO3 Toolbox on theatre proficiency = Project management, dissemination, quality monitoring and exploitation In order to produce the planned outputs and to achieve the results, the project team has adopted a methodology consisting of a set of the following approaches: - Building of deliverable-oriented work breakdown structure around the project’s desired outcomes - Selection of proper methods for project management - Using of up-to-date technological tools - Structuring of balanced hierarchy framework of involved actors - Maintaining proper document and reporting system preventing from misunderstanding due to different language levels - Mobilizing of associated partners and partner organisation outside the consortium On its completion the project will achieve the following results: - Stimulating pro-active behaviour of the students in risk of isolation for acquiring necessary competences towards successful civic inclusion. - Provision of support by artists on how to implement theatre fundamentals. - Supporting cross-thematic and multi-directional opinion share on the difficulties towards successful insertion of the elaborated training on linking theatre and school. - Establishing multilingual online platform for share of useful examples, knowledge, advices and feedback. - Supporting the insertion into curricular activities of subject related to the development of social competences and communication skills by the means of theatre. The potential project longer term benefits will be expressed by: - Ameliorating the perspectives for active social integration of disadvantaged students - Improved understanding within society on problems of the graduates facing challenges to their integration due to disparities in social and personal skills. This would be of a significant importance either for these individuals themselves or for their families because they could acquire hope that their problem is not only theirs, that much more can be done not only for them but also with them. - Establishment of a network among organizations with common field of action - Greater understanding of interconnections between personal development, formal learning and parents, and the importance of seeking interactions

Objectives

The general objective of the project was to promote active citizenship and social inclusion among young people through theatre and performing arts, to identify talents and to stimulate their advance in creative domains, and to foster the collectivist spirit in order to prepare the transformation from the digitalized distancing during the COVID-19 times to the normality of human relations. The specific objectives were: - To create training content adapted to low-skilled students on how to improve their communication and personal expression skills using as role model the fundamentals of the theatre. - To provide an access of the disadvantaged students to performing arts and to broaden their opportunities for personal development - To give the participants real chance to develop their talents and expression abilities by practicing short drama fragments based on popular topics and on their own ideas.

Background

The initiators of the project wanted to put efforts and provide contribution as COVID-19 pandemic and related lockdowns caused deep interruptions in students` lives profoundly changing their usual way of studying. Health measures forced students to shift their relationships and behavior as well as influenced perspectives in connection to teachers and classmates, impact on productivity in class, well-being and mental health and many other aspects of their lives. On the other hand, modern economy is based definitely on knowledge and creativity and here the generation of ideas is a key element. This shaped the need to nurture creativity among the students even in online teaching and learning. In this light, insertion and stimulation of performing arts in schools can has been seen as an alternative to traditional teacher-led, scripted schooling and as an answer to the challenges of current increasingly digitalizing knowledge culture. = Needs The performing arts such as drama have the potential to play a distinct and unique role in bringing the ideals of quality education into practice. Thus students need an insight into the creative processes when exercising these arts, and a wider appreciation of the arts and artists. The students also need to be encouraged by professional artists in their creative, critical and reflective thoughts by allowing divergent thinking about exploration and exploitation of various art approaches and designs. The partners addressed the following identified needs: - No adequate training content for students having interests in performing arts and drama - No training content on theatre techniques adapted to low-educated and socially challenged students - No opportunity for disadvantaged students to express and develop vital social skills as well as artistic talents and subsequent realisation in the field of art

Project partners (6)