Summer Courses for Teachers – In Their Shoes
Friday, June 10th, 2016 at 4:50 pm | Resources, Special Courses
Drama in education is a learning experience that is based on working in role and is active, interactive, reflective, shared and creative. Drama in education cuts across subject-matter lines and brings together various aspects of the curriculum in a meaningful way. With the current focus on emotional health, schools are seeking ways to build resilience and combat bullying. In 2013 the Gaiety School of Acting outreach team responded to this issue by creating a unique training programme ‘In Their Shoes’ for teachers and students of Primary Schools.
The course content for teachers is centred on the learning aims and objectives taken from the Primary school curriculum: Drama (DES, 1999). One strand ‘drama to explore feelings, knowledge and ideas, leading to understanding’ is addressed incorporating units
• ‘exploring and making drama’,
• ‘reflecting on drama’,
• ‘co-operating and communicating in making drama’,
The following strand and strand units, taken from the Primary school curriculum: SPHE (DES, 1999) are also explored: ‘Myself and other people’, ‘my friends and other people’ and ‘relating to others’. This course also looks at ways of integrating literacy and numeracy skills into the drama curriculum, in line with the recommendations of the Literacy and Numeracy for Learning and Life report (DES 2011).
The overall aim of the course is to give teachers themselves a chance to experience the drama at their own level. It is envisaged that each teacher will then be equipped with the skills to deliver same or similar content with their own students. Teachers are encouraged to plan and develop ideas; how they can use the methodology to support students’ learning across the curriculum. This is the third year of the course and each time the . teachers’ feedback has been consistent with the programme mission. Responses indicated that there was significant improvement in students’ attitude. Teachers continued implementing new methods and were confident in delivering the curriculum in a way that creates positive and innovative learning experiences within the classroom.
The course has been approved by the Department of Education and Skills allowing all teachers who complete it to claim Extra Personal Vacation (EPV) days the following school year.
Dates:
Dublin & Cork: 4th-8th or 11th-15th of July and 15th-19th or 22nd-26th of August
For more information go to: https://gaietyschool.com/outreach/primary-school/summer-courses-for-teachers/
To apply email educate@gaietyschool.com or call 01-679277