2nd Workshop of Drama: Multiple us

Thursday, February 18, 2016

Every time we plan a pedagogic program we have to think about the characteristics of each group, otherwise it would be much harder to connect with them and to get them into the process. Being in a drama session can be a little bit intimidating. It is important try to find strategies to captivate their attention and confidence.

A puppet can be a very good helper to a drama session. The children are familiar with those characters in many kinds of situations.

When an educator works with puppets must be credible. It is really important to believe. If we do believe they will follows us!

In this workshop we were challenged.

In the first part of the workshop we had to create a sock-puppet as a helper for our drama session.

It is crucial to give life to the puppet. Make it real. Create a background to the little helper. But we must be careful with its role during the moment. The puppet shouldn’t be a dictator.  We can involve it in the activity but, at the same time, must be aware that the session cannot focus on it. The puppet it is just a helper.

The books are always a very strong source of inspiration. They open the door to our creativity and to the children´s universe.

Every question that rests in the child’s souls can be found in the book’s pages.

We had to develop a drama session starting from a book. After the planning we had to put it on practice and join our colleagues inside the session.

Our group choose a story about an egg with some identity problems. I think that is a familiar problem to everyone.  We spend a lifetime trying to figure out who we are without ever getting an answer. So my group and I decided to play a little bit with that problematic. The sock-puppets were used in the beginning of the session. We gave them a very shy personality to create some mystery around them and to captivate the attention from the group.

We started with a very calm moment. Forming a large circle in the floor, we asked our colleagues to close their eyes and to travel deep down on them. We asked them a few questions  “If you were not you what would you be? In what would you like to become? Would you like to be a butterfly? Maybe a very wealthy man? Or a banana?” Each participate had the opportunity to share its wills and to play with the desired character. "And you? What would you like to be?"

 Al this work led me think!

Working with the creatures that lives deep inside us is way to discover more about ourselves and to arouse the imaginary part of us.  The fantastic inside world of each one is a very interesting place to visit and to explore. Dramatic expressions can play with that part of our selves.

Sharing this kinds of thoughts puts the child in a very exposed position. We should provide an environment of trust between the children. The puppet can help us on that. When children participates in the activity the educator must listen their thoughts with very attention and valorize the ideas that come from their heads. We must look to their development in a very closely way and be there to explore the beautiful part of the human’s mind.