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Spotlight On Sophie realises her dream - Education through Drama in Italy
Spotlight On Sophie realises her dream - Education through Drama in Italy
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Teaching English language through drama and danceI have always wanted to be at the stage in my life where I could actually teach people something. After what feels like endless years of education I finally got the chance to do just that. Currently I am studying philosophy and Italian at university, but have always had a love of dance and drama. Summer Abroad! The perfect opportunity came this summer when I was offered the chance through ACLE Summer Camps , to teach English to Italian Children through dance and drama methods. This meant get the opportunity to travel around Italy for a month doing something I had always dreamed of. We started in the north west of Italy in a small coastal town called San Remo, where we spent 5 days of intensive English training, learning various songs, games, role play and poems to use with the kids at summer camp ACLE Summer CampsThe idea of the ACLE Summer Camps is to encourage English language learning and rid the use of the 'old school' teaching 'Chalk and board' method. Hundreds of Italian Children each summer travel to different parts of Italy to improve their English and at the same time learn a little dance and drama, this kind of interaction promotes language learning in a dilutable and fun way. The children focus on producing a show for friends and family at the end of the week. San GiorgioOn successful completion of the ACLE course I travelled to San Giorgio (a small town half an hour from Venice) and spent a week teaching English there. This was a nerve -wracking but exciting experience as we stayed with Italian families and spent our days with a class of 15 children. I had a group of 12-13year olds who were constantly exciteable and difficult to manage at times, but I found using drama games and role play directed towards their interests, such as Linkin Park and Spice Girls, I was able to produce a final show, and even better, their English improved during the week although we rarely sat down, thus showing the traditional 'chalk and board method is not always effective.
A Strange Cinderella Story!Our show ' a Strange Cinderella Story ', consisted of Cinderella dancing with the Spice Girls and then going to a Linkin Park Gig (instead of a ball), then finally back to home for dinner as this fit in with my teaching of grammar. I found that the children were really expressive, particularly the misbehaved ones, but once I'd given them their own specific role that suited their interests and needs, their behaviour dramatically improved.
GemonaAfter a long, tiring but successful week I then moved on to Gemona in the North East where I spent another week with 14year olds. I found this group a lot more reserved and better behaved but this meant the idea of producing a show was extremely daunting for them and many tried to get out of it. I then had to change my teaching style for this group and emphasise the different skills of each of them and we practised long and hard doing role play, singing and miming to build their confidence. We then created a show based on 'Pop Idol' and various other talent contests as the extroverts could show off their talents and the quieter ones could be the judges, DJ or card holder.
Sophie's Reflection on the ExperienceTeaching in Italy has been one of my best experiences as it has taught me about different learning styles and reinforced in me the importance of dance and drama to improve confidence, and as a learning aid it touches people a lot more than words on a page. I regularly found the Children singing the songs we had taught them, on their break times and after classes. I also think it sows the need for interactive learning and the importance of repetition, as I learn choreography through lots of repetition which is the same teaching method as that of language learning. Many children before the summer school didn't like 'drama', they saw it solely linked to Shakespeare or Dante. Once they could relate to it through things of interest to them, their fascination for drama and dance increased. Drama and dance should be a variety of styles and adaptable for all, no one way is the right way as with all learning, everyone needs their own grapnel to be successful. Since my trip to Italy I have joined a innovative, contemporary drama group as I felt distanced from the theatre and it made me realise the need for different styles of learning, teaching and theatre, as the key is in finding the Niche that best suits you in order to be successful. |
| Last Updated on Tuesday, 21 July 2009 14:00 |
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