Erasmus+ Strategic Partnership
L'ARTE DI LEGGERE - alfabetizzazione e teatro
in carcere
N°2015-1-IT02-KA204-014891
2015-2018
Output n°2
TOOLKIT
“Drama in literacy teaching”
the implementation of drama-literacy courses
CONTENTS
Introduction 5
Product Genesis 7
Foreword 9
The Drama-Literacy
Workshop 13
Example of Workshop 15
Games 17
Transformation Games 19
Glossary of Concepts,
Terms and Expressions 20
Part One – Exercises for Warming
Up and Creating an Atmosphere 23
Part Two – Deepening the
Bonds Between Learners 31
Part Three – Literacy:
Communicating with Words 37
Writing and Reading:
Specific Exercises 39
Introduction
This TOOLKIT for the
implementation of drama-literacy courses is intended not only for educators and
teachers but also for trainers, animators and social workers involved in adult
education, especially in more underprivileged contexts; it is particularly
useful as an educational tool for stimulating the active participation of
learners in the acquisition of actual skills – not just knowledge and learning
– and thus represents a support and precious supplementary tool for learning
professionals in their didactic and pedagogical activities, its added value
deriving from its being part of a creative growth and learning process, both
integrated and transversal.
One of the most
significant features of the Toolkit is its great transferability, or rather,
the ample use that can be made of it outside the Partnership, in all the
contexts listed above. The activity models proposed, in fact, can be adapted
easily to meet the needs of each different target group, and the Toolkit
contains tips for educators on how to modify the activities and add new ones –
given that it is the educators, first and foremost, who have a thorough
knowledge of their own group and its needs!
The contents of the
Toolkit have been developed on the basis of training experiences and
experimental teaching results.
The Toolkit is divided up
into the following sections:
- foreword on literacy
teaching and theatre pedagogy;
- brief description of
key concepts (theatre and games, theatre and neuroscience, imagination,
inspiration);
- how to set up a
drama-literacy workshop - practical aspects (atmosphere, government, energy and
assistance);
- description of a
working example and its components;
- drama-literacy game
models, described in three increasingly complex steps, for easier application.
The exercises are
designed for use either consecutively or in sets, depending on the situation.
The objectives of each exercise are described, together with the preparation,
execution and assessment activities.
To ensure maximum
dissemination at European level, the Toolkit is available in the Partnership languages
(Italian, French, German, Spanish) and English.
It can be downloaded free
of charge from the websites of the partner organisations.
§§§
Product Genesis
This product is the
result of experimental work done by the project partners – Teatro del Norte,
Alarm Theater and Teatro Nucleo – in theatre workshops in the prisons of Oviedo
(Spain), Brakwede–Bielefeld (Germany) and Ferrara (Italy).
Thanks to this project,
the partners were able to organise learning experiences in the various
workshops, attend the lessons and, in some cases, witness the results in the
form of public performances. They were able to compare notes with prison
personnel, educators and collaborators in order to assess both how the methods
were working and what the relationship between formal and non-formal education
was. Subsequently, they were able to introduce the things they had learnt into
their own drama workshops and carry out the methodological experiment.
Personnel from the partner Alpha Centauri participated in and supervised the
whole process – as regards data collection and synthesis – and researchers from
the Belgian partner, CRIS-University of Liège, had the specific task of drawing
up the Guidelines.
We will now propose a
series of exercises which, we believe, can be of help to educators involved in
literacy teaching processes in environments which, from the human dynamics
point of view, are markedly critical, such as prisons. Educators will be able
to choose the exercises they want and combine them in their own ways, according
to their own preferences and the physical and social conditions they are
working in.
One important aspect that
came to the fore in the experimental work, and was subsequently theorised in
the Guidelines, is the breadth, depth and importance attributed to the concept
of “literacy”. What became apparent was that literacy wasn't just a question of
“learning a language”, but rather of acquiring the social skills needed to use
it, including body language and many other aspects of non-verbal communication.
A significant amount of
workshop time was dedicated to constructing and caring for the work group. From
a sociological point of view, in fact, a theatre group is not a “class”, but
rather a group governed by sets of dynamics and relationships that must be
heeded if the group is to express its full potential. The group is the
environment in which you “learn to be literate”, where everybody participates,
where it really is “all for one and one for all” and where hierarchies are
functions rather than roles. For example, everyone can, and often must,
function as an “educator”, because it is only by educating others that you can
understand your own education.
The exercises described
here reflect this experience. Their provenance is owed to the great variety of partner’s
experiences, and they belong by now to a sort of common background that had
been growing in the last centuries and transmitted directly from masters to
pupils, like it’s normal in non-formal pedagogical contexts. The aim of the
exercises in the first part is to enhance the creation and fostering of the
group, and they can be (re-) proposed at any time in the course of workshops
should the need arise to re-establish the appropriate dynamics.
Foreword.
WHY DRAMA IN LITERACY
TEACHING?
Drama in literacy
teaching creates a situation in which learners and teachers become co-players
in a game, involving each other reciprocally through a willingness to
empathise, communicate, experiment, inter-react and discover. The game is a set
of rules by which the players agree to coexist. The rules, rather than being a
restriction to the participant, are the things that allow the game to take
place. The game is not a diversion, but an integrating activity that enhances
awareness of the problems and basic notions of intellectual growth. It can be
used not only to improve oral and written expressive skills, but also
non-verbal ones. It is a source of energy, helping learners to develop their
powers of concentration, resolve problems and interact within a group.
The skills and strategies
needed to do the exercises are developed in dramatic play. Inventiveness and
creativity make it possible to overcome whatever difficulties the exercise
presents, because what is made clear to the players is that they can achieve
their objectives however they want – doing handstands, flying – and still be
keeping to the rules of the game. No matter how the player decides to solve the
problems of the game, the way he or she chooses is very likely to gain the
consensus of the other players and the educators.
Many of the skills
acquired through play are social. Most games have a strong social component.
They set a problem that has to be solved and each individual has to interact
with the group to get results. The theatre workshop is organised in such a way
as to give everybody the possibility of equal rights to freedom, respect and
responsibility within the community formed by the class.
Play is democratic:
anybody can join in. Anybody can learn by playing. Play provokes, stimulates
vitality, reawakens wholeness – body and mind, intelligence and creativity,
spontaneity, intuition and feeling – when everybody, learners and teachers
alike, keeps their mind on what is essential to theatre: the here and now, the
present moment.
The player must have the
freedom to take part in the game fully and feel free enough to interact and
experiment with the physical and social environment. This condition, which may
seem obvious, becomes critical when the literacy teaching takes place in
certain contexts, such as prison – people living their daily life in a
restrictive situation, where the range of possible choices is extremely limited
and where “out of order” behaviour is heavily penalised. All of a sudden,
paradoxically, inmates are asked to behave “freely”; to move, to use their
vocal chords in ways that are neither habitual nor permitted. It is only when
the body and voice are able to move freely that the mind puts itself in a state
better suited to coping with the difficulties of the learning process and more
likely to appreciate the results. Also, this particular situation, or rather
all these possibilities for expressing oneself, can be an additional reason for
joining the literacy classes.
Another assumption that
determines a condition of reciprocity is that the situation created is not in
an exclusively formal classroom one, where a group of completely ignorant
persons – the learners – have to acquire a certain kind of knowledge from
another person, the instructor. The reciprocity of dramatic play, typical of
non-formal teaching, encourages learners to seek knowledge and underlying
skills they didn't know existed, and which emerge precisely because the game
demands them, is borne by them. Being illiterate doesn't mean you know nothing
at all; you can talk, you can use words, you can communicate beyond words, and
all this assumes a level of learning that can be used to acquire the new
knowledge brought by literacy. And when this knowledge emerges and is
appropriately noted by the educators, it boosts learners' self-esteem and
equips them to cope better with the strain of learning.
Inspiration and
transformation in theatrical games.
Inspiration derives from
total involvement – physical, intellectual and intuitive – in an environment.
Intuition, despite being a fundamental factor in the learning process, is often
neglected. It is thought of as a natural talent possessed only by some. But we
all have moments when the right answer just comes to us, when we do the right
thing without having to think about it. Often these moments are exceptional
ones, of crisis or danger, and much has been written about this. The workshop
situation, which generates moments of freedom and spontaneity, is a preparatory
step towards inspiration, which is born from intuition. Learners concentrating
intensely on a game are capable of transforming or creating objects. They can
create a world out of nothing, a world difficult to describe in words that
seems to originate from the intensification of the physical movement and energy
amongst the learners.
The basic concept is that
channelling and stimulating intense concentration on a certain activity frees
the attention required for inspiration to manifest itself spontaneously, guided
by intuition. Neuroscientists tell us that this phenomenon is explained by the
fact that the activity causes the phased functioning of the right and
left hemispheres of the brain. This makes learners more “permeable” to the
penetration of the technical knowledge – related to grammar and syntax rules –
essential to the learning of a language. Things learnt in what we could call
this highly “personal” manner remain impressed on the memory and become
knowledge, in a way much more effective than revising and memorising. Revising
and memorising, in fact, involve the activity of the left hemisphere alone,
leaving the right one, which controls subjectivity, intuition and creativity,
to get “bored”. This, in some learners, tends to generate distraction and
negative, disruptive attitudes. This means the teacher has to put effort into
the dual function of guardian of discipline and provider of knowledge.
Paradoxically, those who “get bored”, if stimulated in the right way, can often
be the most creative and inspired of all, capable of drawing the others into
the game and getting good results and satisfaction for all.
What this line of
reasoning points to is how important and necessary it is for educators to
adjust their teaching techniques, their didactics, in such a way as to be able
to benefit from this natural condition, common to every human culture and every
context.
So, the formal teacher
and drama instructor must find their participatory dynamic, a dynamic that is
both propaedeutic and compatible with the specific situation they are working
in. Usually, the teacher will attend the exercises and games led by the
instructor and take notes about certain aspects that regard his or her specific
field: use of language, syntax and grammar problems and pronunciation. The
teacher will then intervene, either after the exercises or in a later class,
clarifying the problems and giving the necessary explanations. The teacher can
also suggest how the instructor can orient or develop certain exercises or
games to bring them into line with didactic requirements.
THE DRAMA-LITERACY WORKSHOP
The workshop has a drama
instructor and a literacy teacher working side-by-side. The drama instructor
has the task of introducing the standard teaching topics proposed by the
teacher into the games. Together, they must develop an alchemy all of their own
for teaching the basic elements of language – grammar, syntax, etc. – in a
creative, dynamic atmosphere.
Each session has a
beginning, a middle and an end. To start with, various warm-up games or
exercises are proposed get the learners ready and create the necessary
atmosphere. Then come the games, some of which are outlined below. Finally, a
good closing routine needs to be created to end the session in a relaxed way
and sort out any critical points that may have arisen.
The atmosphere in the workshop
The workshop should
engender a sense of well-being in all the participants. Granting learners the
right to experiment in their approach to a problem, though, is a big
responsibility for the educator. At first, this teaching method seems harder,
because of the need to wait for learners to find things out for themselves,
without interpreting or drawing conclusions on their behalf. But it is only
when the players fully realise that they aren't going be asked any questions
they can't answer or set any problems they can't solve – and that their
intrinsic skills are likely to be recognised and appreciated – that they can
let themselves go and start experimenting and learning.
Control
No educator wants to lose
control of their class, and the inherent freedom of drama improvisation games
can give rise to worries about indiscipline. In practice, though, learners are
held in check by the need to dedicate their attention to the basic concept of
each game and by the peer pressure of being in a team game. The learners will
be orderly not because of coercion, already abundantly present in prisons and
contexts alike
, but because they
themselves have chosen order. Creative freedom doesn't mean sacrificing
discipline. True creativity means free individuals, no matter who they are and
how they express themselves artistically, respecting a rigorous discipline.
Discipline imposed from above often produces only frustrated or rebellious
attitudes and can turn out to be totally negative or ineffective. But if,
rather than being a kind of tug-of-war over the assertion of authority,
discipline is chosen freely for the sake of an exercise, it results in
responsible action – creative action. To achieve self discipline, imagination,
devotion and enthusiasm are needed.
Energy
The high energy levels
referred to in the Toolkit may give rise to worries about potential disorder.
But high energy levels are actually needed to keep the group united and
compact, keep apathy and boredom at bay, generate interest and focus attention
on the events or projects being worked on.
Too much indiscipline or
restlessness in a workshop session, however, is not a good sign. If this
occurs, take a break and change the focus of attention. Stop whatever you're
doing immediately and switch to something calmer that involves the whole group.
Make use of anything – such as an activity that settles everybody down again –
rather than reverting to admonitory or disciplinary action. This will make the
whole thing more fun and consequently more productive and effective. Let the
drama games be in control, rather than you yourself.
Freedom in a drama-game
workshop doesn't mean taking liberties. Theatre is a rigidly disciplined art
form. Expect neither too much nor too little from participants. The
self-discipline of the group members will develop as soon as they get fully
involved in the activities.
Most sessions begin and end with typical warm-up games
and closing routines.
§
Plan for the day.
To start with, draw up a
plan for the session that includes five to ten games. This is probably twice
the number you will actually use, but it's always better to be prepared, also
because it allows you to choose the games best suited to the developing
situation. The degree of interest, energy and enthusiasm (or lack of them)
might make it necessary switch games at any time. Put a ring round the games
that have been played. Mark the order they were played in. You might want to go
back to the unused games in a future session, although starting with a new
warm-up game is advisable. If a list of exercises for a particular session
doesn't meet your requirements, move on to another one.
All introductory games should be simple, fun and
relaxing. Remember that you'll be playing it too.
EXAMPLE
OF WORKSHOP
For the benefit of educators
not very familiar with drama games, we will now describe a typical workshop
situation.
Note that what follows
must be seen simply as an example. Educators are encouraged to experiment and
try out their own combinations, drawing inspiration from the situations
created.
Game area
Any space that can be
created in the class can be the game area. It should be big enough to
accommodate both the specific game chosen and an audience of learners.
Naturally, the game area can change according to the needs of the game. Some
games can be played with the learners sitting at their desks.
Teams
Most drama games require
a certain number of learners in each team. To encourage a sense of group
belonging in the class, the teams should be picked at random. This will help to
avoid the disappointment, discouragement and feeling of solitude that almost
always comes to learners expecting to be picked by the educator or team
captain.
Picking the teams
If a game requires teams
of five and the number of participants is thirty, there will obviously be six
teams. Even before explaining the game, get the learners to divide up into
groups of six, for as many teams as required by the game. To divide up into the
groups of six, each participant in turn (following the order of the row or
desks) will say a number from one to six, in sequence. The sequence will be
repeated until everybody has said a number. The learners who said “1” will be
in the first team, “2” in the second and so on. If there are 31 learners, one
of the teams will have an extra player.
If individual progress in
a group is uneven, it may be necessary to make the teams more balanced. This
can be done by reshuffling – without making it too evident – the groups after
the initial division in such a way as to ensure that all the learners get the
chance to take the initiative in the course of the workshops. Arrange the
groups so that the naturally exuberant characters are put in a position to
encourage the development of the action. Take care, though, that these characters
don't take over. Over time, every single player will develop the attitude
required for taking leading positions.
Freedom of choice is
always respected in the workshop, even about whether or not to play.
Fear of participating
The reason why learners
exercise their right whether or not to play might be because of a fear of
participating. A fear of disapproval, or uncertainties about how to gain
approval, could be the things that are holding a player back. The random
division into teams almost always throws learners into the fray before they can
offer any resistance. A learner who doesn't want to play, however, should stay
and watch the game so as to break down their fear and encourage eventual
participation. If a player drops out of a game during an action try using an
assistance phrase such as Help that teammate of yours who isn't playing! In any event, never refer to any
player by name. Uncertainty about who isn't playing keeps the group on its
toes.
As soon as learners start
acquiring skills in the games and the
kind of approach needed for playing, they will accept the differences that
exist between them.
Group understanding
Group understanding means
neither conforming to the “tyranny of the majority” nor blindly following a
leader. Within the group understanding, learners will have complete freedom of
choice, which means allowing for alternatives. Nobody will be ridiculed for
suggesting things. Nobody will impose themselves on the decision-making. A
feeling of mutual respect is generated between learners. Each person has the
right to participate according to their abilities. Each person has their own
responsibilities as part of a whole and will
decide freely how to shoulder them. All the individuals will work together,
committing themselves fully to the complete accomplishment of the event.
Fairness will be achieved, together with discipline,
when learners appreciate the value of group understanding and free themselves
of the need to be “the best”.
To sum up: the best arrangement for “teaching literacy
with drama” is that of a formal teacher working in parallel with a drama
instructor, in the games that we shall now go on to describe.
GAMES
Basic concept
The “basic concept” is
the main problem in each game, which has to be solved by the learners. The
instructor explains it to the learners as if it were part of the game itself,
and refers to it in the course of the game in the suggestions and prompts made
to guide them towards the objective. It is the idea that brings the game to
life, encouraging a feeling of comradeship amongst the players as they all
grapple with this same problem. The importance of diversity – both ethnic and
cultural – is also emphasised, and how approaching the problem from different
viewpoints will enhance the whole process and lead to a quicker solution. The basic concept is not the objective of
the game; its purpose is to trigger concentration, which generates both the
energy needed to complete the game and the attention required to inspire and
guide the playing process. The effort involved in following an idea and
uncertainty about the outcome both act as a brake on prejudices, fostering
reciprocal support and producing organic involvement in the game.
Assistance
Often, during the game,
there are moments of stagnation, disorientation and “negative chaos”, with
inevitable drops in the level of attention, or moments of conflict for all
kinds of minor reasons. At these and other times it can be useful to get a
possible “audience” – members of the group not participating actively in the
exercise – involved, either physically or verbally. This “assistance” consists
of repeating, out loud, the expression the drama instructor uses to keep the
learners focused on the basic concept. It allows the instructor to intervene
directly in the game. A number of assistance models are proposed in the
games described below.
Assessment
This is neither a
judgement nor a criticism, but is derived from the basic concept of the game,
and is often a reassertion of this concept. Some examples are given in italics,
next to the word assistance.
Their purpose is to prompt the direct participation of the audience (i.e. the
participants not involved directly in the game) and heighten learners'
awareness. Conjecture or interpretations must be avoided at all costs: the
assessment must regard only things that are actually seen.
Transformation games
MAKING THE INVISIBLE
VISIBLE
The purpose of games that
use imaginary objects is to develop the learners' capacity for orientation, by
giving hidden feelings and thoughts the chance to come to light. The objects
used in these games are parts of space, the thing that surrounds us.
Imaginary objects should
be seen as manifestations of our innermost being, the part of us hidden from
the visible world. Learners creating imaginary objects will discover that
surpassing limits in their outward behaviour is equivalent to overcoming them
within themselves.
An imaginary ball is not
a non-existent ball. It is part of space, air that gets to be called “ball”.
When you throw an imaginary ball you become conscious of the real ball that is
missing at that moment in time: you act with the idea of a ball. An imaginary
ball is is an imaginary object perceived as real. In practice, this distinction
is not abstract. Any audience can see the difference.
The use of intuition cannot be taught. You
have to let yourself be surprised
The use of imaginary
objects in a theatrical space is often thought of as pantomime, but in actual
fact they are used in a different way to real pantomime – a venerable art form
closely related to dance and conjuring. When the players create an imaginary
object they are not trying to bring an artistically created illusion to life,
for public use. Rather, they are experiencing the re-awakening of an intuitive
area of the brain that is able to perceive the imaginary object as it appears.
They is making the invisible visible; that is the magic of theatre!
The way learners actually communicate amongst
themselves is often invisible.
In practice, an invisible
ball thrown to a another player in the BALL GAME helps the player to share and
to form a relationship with the player who accepts and catches the invisible
ball. To help them establish this relationship, suggest Keep the ball in space and not in your imagination! Then Give the ball time to cross the space!
After a short time, everybody in the room will be able to perceive the spatial
material intuitively, as if it were real, without actually seeing it! The space
– the invisible – becomes visible with the cooperation of the learners as they
throw and catch the the imaginary object.
Glossary of Concepts, Terms and Expressions
Creative leap: when a player's spontaneity comes to the fore to cope
with a crisis; letting yourself go, seeing things from a different perspective,
surpassing past limits.
Imagination: part of the intellect. When we ask somebody to
imagine something we're asking them to access a personal reference structure,
which has limits. When we ask somebody to see,
we put them in an objective state that enables them to come into contact with
the surrounding environment and acquire a new awareness.
Play carefully: a defence strategy; a way to get learners to be wary
about unexpected discoveries. Playing carefully stops learners from committing
themselves fully and using up new energy.
Metamorphosis: new creations and visible events emerging from
intense physical movement and from the dynamic energy exchange between
learners.
Explore intensely!: be on your guard for little nuances and details that
shouldn't go unobserved. An Explore
intensely! order is used to heighten the energy level, broaden and
intensify the experience and discourage preplanned actions.
Not in the mind! In space!: if these expressions are used during an exercise
they define an actual area – a space – where the energy exchange between
learners and the playing actions has to take place. Not in the mind! In space! is advised not only for assessment but
also for assistance. Even the youngest of learners will react subjectively and
perceive this new piece of invisible material – space – clearly, as if it was
real! Not in the mind/In space! is
used to eliminate or prevent conditioned reactions. The perceptive capacity of
the whole body is strengthened and the energy exchange intensifies.
Ride your body! : useful for creating a powerful detachment from the
self during the game.
Definitions of basic concepts used when explaining the
games
OBJECTIVES: the main
result you hope to achieve with each game; all the games are useful on
different levels, however.
BASIC CONCEPT:
participants keep their mind on the BASIC
CONCEPT just as footballers keep their eye on a moving ball. Guarantees the
involvement of all at any time in the game.
EXPLANATION: suggests to
the instructor how to organise the game, where to position the learners, when
to start the assistance, when to stop, etc.
NOTES: comments about
what makes the game more effective, the difficulties that can arise and how to
deal with them, the opportunities to look out for, relations with other
players, etc.
ASSISTANCE: when in bold,
this is the link between instructor and learners. Advice and support offered while
the game is taking place.
ASSESSMENT: when in
italics, these are questions aimed at both learners and observers. Brings out
what has been perceived, learnt and/or achieved in the course of the game.
Not all learners will be
able to play effectively at first. Accept this situation without making it a
talking point. If somebody in the audience insists on the fact that some of the
learners didn't manage to solve the problem, simply point out that not
everything can be solved first time round. The important thing is: were the
learners working on solving the problem?
Audience, have you started recognising the
thing that was in space or the player's imagination yet?
Learners, do you agree
with this?
PART ONE
Exercises for Warming Up and Creating an Atmosphere
EXERCISE n° 1 TUG OF WAR
OBJECTIVE: to reawaken
implicit communication between learners
BASIC CONCEPT: holding the rope, made of “spatial
substance”, as if it were a link uniting the two learners
EXPLANATION: Divide the group up into pairs. One pair at a
time, each player tries to pull the other one over a central line, just like in
a real tug of war. Here, though, the rope isn't visible; it's made of space.
Ask the learners to Choose a partner
of equal strength! This request will be met with a laugh. A situation
calling for mutual cooperation – not competition – will be created. While one team
plays, the others observe.
Hold the rope together!
Watch your back, your feet! Pull with your whole body! Keep to the same rope!
Heave! Heave!
Notes:
1. Keep on playing the
rope and imaginary ball games until the phenomenon of the object taking shape
in space rather than in the mind has been explored and understood by everybody
in the group.
2. As soon as the group
gets good at playing the game in pairs start adding more learners at both ends
of the rope.
3. Implicit communication
and understanding could provide an explanation for many exceptional events.
Most scientists agree that sightings of flying saucers, abominable snowmen,
etc. occur when a number of people simultaneously see something that isn't
really there.
Audience, were the
learners pulling the same rope? Did the rope unite the two learners? Was it in
space or in their minds? Learners, was the rope in space or in your minds? Do
the learners agree with the audience? Does the audience agree with the
learners?
EXERCISE N°2 - SKIPPING
OBJECTIVE: to develop
interaction between members in a big group, using spatial material
BASIC CONCEPT: keeping a
rope moving in space
EXPLANATION: Divide up
the class into groups of four or more, either with the counting method or
randomly. Each group does skipping, with some members turning the rope and
others skipping. Play until everybody has had the chance to turn the rope.
(Turning the rope calls for more concentration than skipping).
Keep to the same rope!
Play with your whole body!
Were the learners holding
the rope in space or in their minds?
Notes:
1. When the player doing
the skipping makes a mistake he or she has to change places with the one
turning the rope, just like in real skipping.
2. All the different
varieties of real skipping can be used.
EXERCISE N° 3 - BALL GAME
OBJECTIVE: to focus
learners' attention on a moving imaginary object
BASIC CONCEPT: holding
the ball in space and not in the mind.
EXPLANATION: The learners
divide up into two big teams with the counting method. The teams take turns at
being the audience. Each player in the team, by himself, starts bouncing the
ball against a wall, etc. The balls are all made of spatial substance. When all
the learners are moving, give the order to change the speed of the bouncing balls.
Throw the ball using your
whole body! Keep your eye on the ball: Change! Faster! Throw and catch the ball
as fast as you can! Go back to normal speed!
Allow the right time for
the ball to cross the space! The ball is moving very slowly! Catch the ball with
very slow movements! Now the ball is moving at normal speed!
Alternative version: The
ball's getting lighter! It's a hundred times lighter! Now it's getting heavy!
Throw the ball using your whole body! Keep your eye on the ball!
Notes:
1. The instructor has to
choose his or her words carefully when describing the game. The learners are
not being asked to pretend. The instructor simply has to suggest that they hold
the ball in space and not in their minds.
2. A player knows whether
the ball is in space or in his mind. When it's in space it "appears”
before the eyes of the player and the audience.
3. The assessment
questions are important because they recognise the fact that the audience is
responsible for observing the appearance of the object, should this occur. The
audience is just as responsible for keeping focused on the basic concept as the
team playing the game is.
4. After assessing the
first team, get the second team to play. Does the second team benefit from the
assessment of the team before it?
5. Emphasise the need to
use the whole body to keep the ball moving. After playing, learners should feel
as if they've been in a fast-moving team race, in terms of physical effects.
Learners, did you imagine the ball or really
perceive it? Audience, do you agree with learners? Was the ball really made of
space or were the learners pretending it was?
Learners, did you allow the right time for the
ball to cross the space?
Audience, do you agree
with this?
Alternative versions:
1. Play the game with an
imaginary ball that changes weight. When the ball gets heavier or lighter the
learners' bouncing actions have to give the impression of being heavier or
lighter or in slow motion. Don't divert the learners' attention on to this
subject during the playing of the game.
2. Play other games -
volleyball, baseball – with balls made of spatial substance.
3. Point out that
different planets have different forces of gravity. Playing football on the
moon would be much lighter than on the earth. Ask the learners what it would be
like playing football on the moon.
EXERCISE N° 4 PLAYGROUND
OBJECTIVE: to discover
different ways of using spatial substance in games
BASIC CONCEPT: keeping
the play objects moving in space, letting them take space
EXPLANATION: The group
divides up into teams picked by different numbers and each team chooses a game
requiring equipment or special accessories (not just ball games like football,
basketball or volleyball but also games played with things such as bowls or
marbles). Whichever game is chosen, all its rules must be followed. The
learners have to succeed in holding the ball or other accessories in space and
not in their heads. The teams spread out around the classroom playing the
different games simultaneously, like in a playground. The objects played with
must be imaginary.
Don't lose sight of your
object! Use your whole body when you throw the ball!! Intensify the movement!
More energy! Stronger!
Go from group to group
and join in the game if your presence helps.
Notes:
1. PLAYGROUND is ideal
for moments of calm and relaxation.
2. If the learners start
to get the idea of imaginary objects, the whole play area will be full of
excitement, energy and fun. PLAYGROUND should be played often.
3.Games like this benefit
from audience assessment. The suggestion made by teams acting as the audience
can be Keep your eye on the ball!
Audience, was the object
being played with just an idea? Was it in space or pretend? Learners, do you
agree with this?
Play with your whole body! Keep your eye on
the ball! Hold the ball in space! No hits above the belt! Throw and catch with
your whole body! (If the player in the middle is hit): Change places with the
player that threw the ball!
EXERCISE N° 5 – GAME FOR
TWO
OBJECTIVE: to make the
invisible visible using imaginary objects as props
BASIC CONCEPT: the object
between two learners
EXPLANATION: Teams of two learners agree on an object and
start an activity based on the object itself, such as folding sheets or
unwrapping a sweet.
Hold the object between
you! Hold the object in space! Make the object real! Show it! Don't tell it!
Use your whole body!
Notes:
1. Learners will
naturally want to plan the action beforehand, but this will result in them
being awkward and lacking in spontaneity. To stop learners trying to invent a
story rather than acting spontaneously – i.e. trying to construct a story
mentally, like a playwright, then reciting it – get each team to write down the
name of an object on a piece of paper, put all the pieces of paper in a hat and
get each team to pick one out just before it's their turn.
2.The learners mustn't
make up a story about the object, so there is no real need to talk. Suggest
choosing an object that is widely used.
3. This is a
conflict-free dramatic situation. Even though most dramaturgists argue that
conflict is essential in a scene, good actors generally try to help each other
during a performance.
What was the object? Did the learners show it or tell it? Did the learners work together?
Did this team benefit from the assessment of the previous one? Learners, do you
agree with this?
EXERCISE N°6 : GAME FOR
THREE OR MORE
OBJECTIVE: to encourage
team agreement and joint participation
BASIC CONCEPT: holding an
object in the space between learners
EXPLANATION: Teams of three or more players. Agree on an
object that can't be used without involving every member of the team. The
players participate in a joint action in which everybody moves the same thing.
For example: pulling up a fishing net, carrying a canoe, pushing a car that's
broken down.
Work together! You need
each other to solve the problem! Hold the object in space! Hold the object
between you!
Were the learners working
together? Or was one of them not needed for the task? Learners, did you need
each other for moving the object?
Audience, do you agree with this? Did this team benefit from previous
assessments?
Note: The reciprocal
involvement of learners by means of an object in GAME FOR TWO and TUG OF WAR is
virtually automatic. This game, however, can tend to confuse learners at times;
for example, there is a risk that the players will let themselves be led by a
single participant, rather than everybody participating in the same way.
EXERCISE N° 7 – FINDING
OBJECTS IN THE IMMEDIATE SURROUNDINGS
OBJECTIVE: to make the
invisible visible
BASIC CONCEPT: making use of the things the immediate
surroundings can offer
EXPLANATION: Three or
more learners agree on simple forms of relationships and conversations capable
of involving all the members of the team, such as a parent-teacher meeting or a
family reunion. The conversation can take place around a table made of space.
In the meeting, each participant has to find and use as many objects as
possible. The learners mustn't plan in advance what these objects will be.
Take all the time you
need! Let the objects appear! Continue the conversation! Join in and make your
voice heard! The objects have to emerge from space! Help the teammate who isn't
playing!
Notes:
1. This game presents a
dual problem. The main occupation in the scene, the meeting, must have
continuity, but the occupation the game is based on, the basic concept, must
always be kept in mind. Some learners will put their efforts into making the
meeting a success but neglect the basic concept. Organise your assistance
accordingly!
2. When this problem has
been solved all the learners will start enjoying themselves tremendously and
endless things will start appearing: a thread on somebody's jacket, dust
floating in the air, pencils behind people's ears. All learners will have the
chance to make new discoveries for themselves.
Did the objects really
appear or were they invented? Did the learners see their teammates' objects and
use them? Did the learners allude to the objects or relate to them? Learners,
did you let the objects appear?
EXERCISE n° 8 –
DIFFICULTIES WITH SMALL OBJECTS
OBJECTIVE: to tackle the
problems presented by imaginary objects
BASIC CONCEPT: overcoming
the difficulties inherent in certain objects
EXPLANATION: The
learners, working individually, grapple with small imaginary objects or items
of clothing that present some kind of problem, for example: opening a
hermetically sealed container, struggling with a stuck zip, a blocked drawer,
over-tight boots, etc.
Make the object real! Get
the audience to join in! Explore the object! Increase the difficulty!
Notes:
1. When the learners seem
ready, two or more of them can play the game together.
2. A refusal to keep to
the basic concept shows that the player in question is tending to
intellectualise the problem (by inventing a story) rather than facing up to the
material difficulty presented by the object. For instance, if the problem is a
hole in a shoe a player could react with a “joke” by fixing it with a banknote;
this can only be seen as a way of avoiding the exercise.
Audience: what was the
object?
EXERCISE N° 9- OBJECT
MOVES LEARNERS
OBJECTIVE: to give
movement, or even life, to imaginary objects
BASIC CONCEPT: an object
that moves the learners.
EXPLANATION: The
learners, sorted by different numbers, agree on an object, such as a sailing
dinghy, a roller-coaster, an elephant, etc., that is capable of moving
everybody simultaneously.
Feel the object! Let the
object move you! You're on it all together! Don't make it disappear! Show the
life in the object using your whole body! Feel the object moving you! Let
yourselves be moved by the object!
Alternative version: Get
each player to choose an object which is either living or has different
possible ways of moving: a cat, an insect, a yo-yo, a kite, etc. The nature and
identity of the object are communicated to the audience by the way the learners
use it.
Notes:
1. If everybody focuses
totally on the moving object, the learners will really start to perceive the
object amongst them and the audience will be able to recognise it.
2. Learners who are
unable to concentrate at first might be tempted to look at the others to know
when they have to move. Keep on suggesting Let the object move you to
help them break this habit.
PART TWO
Deepening the Bonds Between Learners.
BONDS BETWEEN LEARNERS
Becoming or being part of
a whole means creating a single entity in which everybody (the learners on
stage, the audience and the teachers) is directly involved in the game and
committed to its outcome, supporting each other reciprocally in a mutually
satisfying process. Each participant, working with body, mind and intuition to
bring out his or her subjective energy, must attempt to surpass all past limits
in the process of cooperating with the other players. The learner, supported by
those around him, feels free to play; the group acts as if it were a single
person.
The effort spent and the
resulting success (if achieved) are equally shared by all, as parts of a whole.
A player starts to
understand that you can't play tag unless there's somebody to chase you; a
football team starts to see the other side not as adversaries but as a set of
fellow players – it is at this point that both teams will become part of a
(harmonious) whole and everybody will start giving and taking and getting the
same satisfaction out of it. This is what we call play!
Competitions that involve
breaking existing records – in sport, music and other fields – were probably
invented because of the pure pleasure, euphoria and exaltation of surpassing
limits (plants getting taller to reach the sun, man landing on the moon).
Don't encourage
competition by praising the “better” players and highlighting the failings of
the “less able” ones.
A significant success for
one becomes a success for all. Willingness, interaction, attention,
observation, physical and verbal vocal expression, narrative ability, sensory
agility, emotional self-awareness and many other qualities develop more easily
when students become part of a whole.
Important concepts, terms and expressions in this
section
Freedom:
a discovery made during the workshops when learners, as parts of a whole,
acknowledge not only existing limits but also the right to explore ways of
surpassing them.
Community (harmony, unity): a spirit that establishes itself in the classroom
environment when people start contributing individually to the solution of
shared problems; it releases laughter and individual initiative and heightens
self-belief.
Don't tell it! Show it!: aims to help learners make objects, relationships,
and their own involvement physically evident, putting themselves in the
background. The objective is to achieve subjective communication.
Share your voice!: encourages self-projection and a sense of
responsibility before an audience.
Use your whole body to
play your chosen part! Join the game! Be brave!
Change! Transform to
another part! There are no right ways and wrong ways!
EXERCISE n° 10- PART OF A
WHOLE (OBJECT)
OBJECTIVE: to create an
interdependent relationship between learners
BASIC CONCEPT: becoming
part of something bigger
EXPLANATION: A player
enters the game area and becomes part of a bigger object or organism (animal,
vegetable or mineral).
Examples: a machine, the
gears of a clock, abstract mechanisms, animals, elements of nature. As soon
as another player guesses the object's
identity, he or she joins the game and becomes part of the whole. The game
continues until everybody becomes part of it, working together to form the
complete object. Learners are free to choose any movement or position and
imitate any sound in their contribution to completing the object.
What was the complete
object? What did you think it was before you joined the game?
Notes:
1. This game can be
useful as a warm-up, or as an exercise to close the workshop session, in that
it releases spontaneity and stimulates group energy. Learners often move away
from the first participant's original idea and lose themselves in fanciful
abstractions.
2. The instructor must
help any learners in difficulty, such as those hesitating to join the group
because of a fear of getting the object wrong, or those wanting to add their
part too quickly before having a clear idea of what the whole object is.
3. This game is also
widely known as THE MACHINE.
EXERCISE N°11 PART OF A
WHOLE (ACTIVITY)
OBJECTIVE: cooperation in
an on-stage activity
BASIC CONCEPT: showing
the wholeness of a shared activity by taking part in it.
EXPLANATION: Big teams
are needed, ten to fifteen learners each. A player is selected. This player has
to decide secretly on a task for the group and perform an activity inherent in
this task. When the nature of the whole activity becomes clear, other learners
start joining in, one at a time, playing a part in the task. An example could
be doing a garden: the first player rakes the leaves into a heap, the second
one digs with a spade, the third one spreads fertiliser, etc.
Show! Don't tell! No
dialogues!
Waiting learners, allow yourselves time to see
what's happening! Risk it! Join in the activity! Become part of the whole!
Notes
1. The interaction within
the group should generate a flow of energy. Keep repeating the game until this
happens; stop, though, if it doesn't seem to be getting anywhere.
2. The learners mustn't
know in advance what the first participant is doing.
3. Any learners who
didn't join in because they were worried about not having understood the game
can be reassured during the assessment, when they can be made to realise that
not all the learners had the same idea about the common activity.
4. Even though the play
area might seem chaotic with all the learners moving about and talking at the
same time, resist the temptation to make it more orderly. The initial fun and
euphoria are essential to the group's social growth.
5. PLAYGROUND is a good
introduction to this game.
EXERCISE N° 12 – PART OF
A WHOLE (JOB)
OBJECTIVE: to define a
character by a typical kind of behaviour
BASIC CONCEPT: assuming a
role in a work activity
EXPLANATION: The teams,
with five or six members, choose the first player. This player thinks of a job,
without telling anybody what it is, and starts doing an activity inherent in
the job. The other learners join in one at a time as clearly defined characters
(the who), starting or joining in with an activity related to the job in
question. For example, the first player washes her hands and then waits,
holding her hands up; the second player, playing the role of the nurse, enters
the play area and helps the doctor put her gloves on. The other learners can be
anaesthetists, patients, internists, etc.
Show! Don't tell! Join in
the activity as clearly defined characters! Become part of the whole! Show your
feelings and intentions throughout the activity! (If a dialogue starts) join in
with your voice!
What was the group's
activity? Learners, were you part of the whole? Was it possible to carry out
other activities in the plan? Were the objects in space? Audience: do you agree
with the players?
Notes:
1. The learners mustn't
know in advance what the first player is doing or portraying.
2. If the learners talk
too much instead of acting, or get agitated purposelessly, then the basic
concept of the game isn't clear enough. Take a break, or switch to another
game.
3. Even though this
exercise includes the Who, stress that the basic concept is the
activity; otherwise, the learners will start "reciting”.
4. If learners find it
difficult to relate to a certain job, point out to them that people in
different jobs have different attitudes and interests. Doctors, writers,
plumbers, postmen, security guards and estate agents going into the same room
would notice different things and show different interests.
Audience, what was the
job? Did the learners show it or tell
it? Learners, do you agree with this? What did you think the job was before
joining the game? Audience: do you have anything else to say about what you
saw?
EXERCISE N°13 – PART OF A
WHOLE (RELATIONSHIP)
OBJECTIVE: to define a
character by its human relationships
BASIC CONCEPT:
communicating the Who (the
relationship) by means of an activity
EXPLANATION: Divide the
group up into teams of five or more. One participant starts a simple activity
without choosing a character. The other learners choose a relationship with the
player on stage and, one at a time, join in the activity. The first player has
to accept and relate to the learners joining the action as if he knows what
relationship they are portraying.
Example: A man is hanging
a picture up. A woman comes in and says the picture would be better higher up.
The man accepts the woman as his wife and carries on with the job. Other
learners take the roles of sons, daughters, neighbours, etc. They all show what
kind of relationship it is with the activity.
Don't tell, show! Keep
doing the activity! Don't try and guess; there's no rush! Act so that your
character emerges through the activity! As soon as you discover who you are,
show it by playing the role! (If a dialogue starts) join in with your voice!
Act so that the character is revealed with the activity!
Notes:
1. This game outlines an
on-stage event based on the basic concept (i.e. the first signs of a
relationship) and not simply on a set of simultaneous activities.
2. Try to resist the
temptation of making the scene more orderly.
Audience: who were the
learners? What were the relationships? Did the learners reveal who they were
through the activity?
Learners: when you joined
the game did you know what your role was? What is your best friend's most
typical action or mannerism? What are the noticeable habits of your favourite
TV personalities? Have you ever imitated members of your family or other people
you admire? Do you know any families whose members all do things in the same
way?
PART THREE
LITERACY: Communicating with Words
Most drama games involve
dialogue, but the fear of verbal exchange can be a difficult obstacle to
overcome. In the first games, where the players join in with an action (such as
PART OF A WHOLE, ACTIVITY), some of the learners might start referring to some
words; if this happens it's a good idea to say Share your voice!
Learners might also ask:
“can we talk?”. If they want to talk, encourage them cautiously. The games in
imaginary language described so far are actually based on a level of
communication that is non-verbal; in the games, verbalisation can be limited or
even prohibited, in order to restrain the tendency to communicate exclusively
with words.
The basic concept of the
games to follow, on the other hand, is to have the word as the main object.
When you stay focused on the game you don't have time
to worry about what other people think.
To stop inexpert learners
expressing themselves in an overly stilted way, the dialogue part should be
tied to at least one other solid basic concept. Multiple stimuli can create the
right kind of tension to get over this problem. The learners will be so
absorbed in the effort of keeping focused on the basic concept that the dialogue
will flow naturally, avoiding the stiltedness of forcing yourself to appear
happy, fascinating, sad or whatever. Over time, the learners, concentrating on
the basic concept, will acquire the certainty that the right words will come by
themselves, without having to think about it. In the games, just as in everyday
life, words can be used to say what somebody wants to hear and hide what they
need to know.
Warm-up and preparatory exercises
The exercises done with
the learners aren't just drama exercises involving body and voice expression;
they are also, and above all, oral expression exercises regarding vocabulary
and oral expression. In these exercises, attention is focused on good
articulation, tone, intensity, quantity, accentuation and pauses. The aim of
all these exercises is to improve vocabulary, increase verbal expression,
improve articulatory agility and the relating of words to emotions.
Form a circle, point to
another person and say the name of a woman or a man. The person pointed to then
points to somebody else and says the name of another woman or man.
Point to another person
and say either “ground”, “sea” or “air”. The person pointed to has to name a
ground, sea or air animal, depending on which was said.
Point to another person
and say names of trees.
Point to another person
and say names of flowers.
Point to another person
and say an adjective that seems to suit them.
Point to another person
and name an animal that seems to correspond to them.
Tell the story of a
western film, but with each person saying one word only and following a
sequence.
Ask in a high voice and
answer in a low voice
Say some names of jobs to
another person.
Say some words to do with
love.
Say some insults using
augmentatives and diminutives.
Whisper a little story in
the ear of the next player. This player then whispers it to the next one and so
on until it goes all round the circle and gets back to the one who started it.
How has the initial story changed?
Somebody names an animal and the others imitate its
call.
In pairs, one names a job and the other names three
actions related to it.
Example: gardener - irrigate, plant, gather leaves.
Game: newspaper headline
In a circle, somebody whispers a newspaper headline to
the person next to him The headline goes from ear to ear all round the circle
and then you see what it ends up as.
In a circle, point to somebody and name an animal the
person reminds you of. The person “does” the animal.
In a circle, everybody has to point to somebody else
and ask them to talk about a wish, a dream or a love, telling little stories.
One is blindfolded, the other asks him questions. The
blindfolded one has to answer in three different ways:
1- with noises only
2- talking, but always telling lies
3- talking, but always telling the truth
Writing and Reading: Specific Exercises
EXERCISE N°14 – BIG
WRITING
OBJECTIVE: to discover
the power of a single word or phrase
BASIC CONCEPT: writing
words as big as possible
EXPLANATION: All the
learners, one at a time, have to try and fill the blackboard by writing their
favourite word or expression.
Use your whole body to
fill the blackboard! Write the word as big as you can! Fill the whole space
with your word! Hear the word!
Have the players filled
the space? Or could they have filled a bigger space on the blackboard?
Note 1: Don't worry about
spelling or handwriting in this exercise. The learners trying the hardest to
keep to the basic concept will probably be the ones most likely to make
spelling mistakes or write badly. The players are being asked only to fill up
as big a space as possible with a word or expression.
Note 2: Later on (another
day) the instructor will organise a proper grammar lesson on the mistakes that
were made in the game.
EXERCISE N° 15 – SMALL
WRITING
OBJECTIVE: to discover
the independent existence of a word or phrase
BASIC CONCEPT: writing
words or sentences as little as possible
EXPLANATION: Each learner
works individually at their own desk with pencil and paper. Their hands are
still but their entire bodies move. The learners think of and write their
favourite words, expressions and sentences, trying to use as little space as
possible.
Write small! Small! Very
small! Let your body work! Keep your hands still and see what happens! Think about the words and sentences you're
writing!
Learners, hand your
sheets of paper in. Are the words readable by somebody else, written so small?
Notes
1. Here too, don't worry
about spelling or style. The learners simply have to try and write the words as
small as possible.
2. Learners enjoy
themselves tremendously in this exercise. Try doing it again from time to time.
If it gets frustrating, stop immediately!
EXERCISE N°16- WRITING
BLINDFOLDED
OBJECTIVE: to acquire a
new familiarity with a word or an expression
BASIC CONCEPT: writing
words or sentences without looking
EXPLANATION: The
learners, either sitting at their desks or at the blackboard, try to write
words or sentences with their eyes closed. Using a blindfold makes the game
more fun.
Note: Spelling and style
are not so important; the important thing is the learners' ability to decipher
other people's words and sentences.
Cross your t's! Dot your
i's! When you've finished, look at what you've written! Do it again! Keep
you're eyes closed and let your hands do the writing!
Did the learners cross
all their t's and dot all their i's? Can you read the words and sentences the
others wrote? Player, can you read the words and sentences you wrote yourself?
EXERCISE N°17- NAMING SIX
OBJECTIVE: helping to
learn how to use words quickly and fluently
BASIC CONCEPT: quickly
naming six objects that start with the same letter
EXPLANATION: All the
learners sit down in a circle, except for one, who stands in the middle. The
one in the middle keeps his eyes closed while the others pass a small object
round from hand to hand. At a certain point the player in the middle claps his
hands, sees which player is holding the object at that moment and says a letter
of the alphabet (there's no need to hide the object from the player in the
middle). The player with the object starts passing it again straight away, and
before it does the complete round of the circle and gets back to him he has to
name six objects starting with the chosen letter. If he can't do it, he has to change
places with the player in the middle. If the circle is small, the object should
do two or more rounds.
Notes:
1. This traditional game
is useful as a warm-up, for settling the group down.
2. The game is easily
adaptable for normal lessons, by choosing as a subject something that the
learners have to memorise: six numbers that can be divided by four, six parts
of the body, six counties, six verbs, etc. Sometimes the game works better if
the player in the middle is the instructor.
EXERCISE N°18 – GIVE AND
TAKE - WARM-UP
OBJECTIVE: to help
learners reach a group agreement
BASIC CONCEPT: seeing and
hearing
EXPLANATION: The learners
form a circle. Any player can start doing a movement. If a participant moves, the
others have to make her feeze (pause). Any player can decide to move at any
time, but has to freeze if another player anticipates her. Sounds are considered as movements. A player “takes” when she sees another player move
(“give”).
Note: “Freeze” is a more appropriate term here than
“stop””. A “stop” is a complete break, whereas a “freeze” is a wait that can
transform suddenly into rapid movement.
Freeze the movement!
Don't interrupt the flow of the movement! Freeze when another player moves!
Give!
EXERCISE N°19- GIVE AND
TAKE
OBJECTIVE: to reach a
non-verbal agreement with a partner while being ready, in the meantime, to act
with the other team
BASIC CONCEPT:
listening/hearing with a partner to know when to give and when to take
EXPLANATION (Two tables
and two chairs will be useful in this exercise)
The learners divide up
into teams of four. Each team then divides into two. These subgroups (each
sitting at their own table) take part in separate conversations. At the same
time, they have to listen and be aware of the other subgroup's movements in
order to know when to give and when to take.
Part 1: The instructor
keeps calling Table 1! and Table 2! until the game is clear to both
subgroups. The subgroups start their conversations at the same time. When Table
1 is called, subgroup 2 has to “eclipse”. When it's table 2's turn, subgroup 1
has to eclipse.
The learners must
understand the difference between eclipse and stop. The learners no longer
centre stage have to freeze their actions, relationship and dialogue, keeping
quiet and still but ready to continue actively when it's their turn to take the
stage again.
Table 1! Table 2!
Eclipse! Keep your relationship going even if you're eclipsed! Don't stop! Sit
back, relax and keep still!
Table 2! Table 1!
Eclipse!
Part 2: as soon as the
subgroups have understood how the reciprocal exchange mechanism works they will
be asked to carry on playing without any assistance, continuing with their
conversations and giving and taking the
stage.
Part 2: Give! Play! Play as if you were all
one!
Part 3: continuing as
described above, each subgroup tries to take the stage from the other. The
subgroup that takes the stage gets the audience's attention.
Part 3: Take! Take! (until they take the stage). The audience will know when a
subgroup has taken the stage.
Part 4: both subgroups
give and take the stage without any assistance.
Part 4: Do it yourselves! Give and take! Try to know the right moment to give! Try to know the
right moment to take!
Notes: The learners in
the subgroups learn to give and take as if they were all one, thus developing
communication and comprehension skills at a non-verbal level.
Subgroup 1, did you have
any problems knowing when your partner wanted to give?
Audience, could you see
when one member of a subgroup didn't want to give and the other did?
Learners, in Part 4 of
the exercise, did you take the stage before the other team gave it?
Other subgroup, do you
agree with this? Audience: do you agree with this?
2. Use Give and take in your assistance in
other games too, whenever the learners speak and move simultaneously without
listening. This will help the learners to find the scene's focal point.
3. See below for the use
of Give and take! in another game.
Exercise N°20 GIVE AND
TAKE - READING
OBJECTIVE: encouraging
learners to give their full attention to others
BASIC CONCEPT: trying to
seize opportunities to read aloud
EXPLANATION: The learners
divide up into teams of balanced reading ability. Everybody reads the same
passage at the same time, to themselves, giving any group members who want to
read aloud the opportunity to do so. Only one player at a time can read aloud.
A participant can take the opportunity to read – from another player – whenever
he or she wants. Preferably, these changes should be frequent. Skipping words
or repeating the last words of the previous reader are not allowed.
Only if necessary: Give when somebody takes! Take when somebody gives! Stay on the exact words that have just been
read! Only one participant at a time can read! Share your voice!
Was the reading as
flowing as it would have been if it had been read by one person? Or was it full
of breaks, restarts and repetitions?
Note 1: The frequent
gives and takes, and the fact that some of the changes are made right in the
middle of a word or sentence, make the reading fun and exciting.
EXERCISE N°21 – SEEING
WORDS
OBJECTIVE: to heighten
the stimulation of sensory perceptions
BASIC CONCEPT: the
narrated event
EXPLANATION: A single
participant enters and describes a real experience, such as a journey, watching
a football match or going to see somebody. The participant has to keep focused
both on the basic concept (the event) and the assistance. The important thing
is to keep talking while listening simultaneously to the instructor's
suggestions.
Focus on the colours! The
sounds! The time! The people! The smells! Try to picture yourself!
Note: As the assistance
reawakens the participant's sensations, try to notice at what point these
sensations move away from the word and start referring to the scene.
The voice will become natural, the body will appear more relaxed and the words
will flow rapidly. When the participant breaks free from depending on the words
and concentrates on the environment that evoked them, the narration will no
longer seem unnatural and stilted. A past event becomes a present experience.
Did the scene seem real?
Could you picture yourself on a journey with the narrator?
EXERCISE N°22 – MIRROR
SPEECH
OBJECTIVE: to follow
another person's words, creating a dialogue
BASIC CONCEPT: mirroring
the words of another person out loud
EXPLANATION: Two
learners, facing each other, choose a topic of conversation. One of them starts
telling and the other one mirrors his or her words out loud. They both say the same words out loud at exactly the same
time. On the order Change! the roles
are reversed. The mirrorer becomes the teller and vice versa. These role
changes should be seamless, without interrupting the flow of words. After a
while the instructor will stop ordering the changes. The learners will “follow
each other”, thinking and saying the same words simultaneously with no
conscious effort.
Mirrorer, say the same
word! Mirror what you hear! Mirror the question! Don't answer it! Share your
voice! Change mirrorer! Keep the words flowing between you; Say the same word!
Change! Change!
(When the learners
start talking as if with one voice, with no time lag): Follow the teller! Follow each other!
Audience, were the
learners saying the same word at the same time? Could you hear when they
started to follow each other? Everybody, what's the difference between
repeating speech and mirroring it?
Notes
1. The instructor should
advise the teller to avoid questions. If a question is asked the mirrorer
should simply mirror the question and not answer it.
2. The difference between
repeating and mirroring has to be understood and felt by the whole body (all
the senses) before “following each other” can happen. In real mirroring the
time lag between telling and mirroring is tiny, almost non-existent. In a
certain sense, the learners come to a perfect agreement on the same word and
become a single mind, open to reciprocal communication.
3. If lesson time is
limited, divide the group up into teams of three, one of whom will be the
instructor. All the teams play at the same time in different areas of the room.
4. This game can also be
played mirroring the teller's words silently.
EXERCISE N°23 VERBALISING
THE “WHERE” PART 1
OBJECTIVE: to make
learners more aware of their environment
BASIC CONCEPT: keeping
focused on the Where and verbalising all the contacts, observations and
relationships occurring in the meantime
EXPLANATION: Two learners
choose a Where, a Who and a What and sit down in the game area. Without getting out of their
chair, they improvise an event (scene), verbally describing their actions in
the Where and the relationships that
link them to the other learners. Any necessary dialogue is spoken directly to
the other participant, interrupting the narrative. All verbs in the present
tense.
Keep the EXPLANATION in
the present tense! Describe the objects that can be seen in the Where! Describe
the other learners for us! Keep your opinions out of the EXPLANATION! Imagine
that it's you yourselves in action! Use dialogue if it seems necessary!
Describe the touch sensations felt by your hands on the chair! No opinions!
That's an attitude! A preconception!
Example: Participant 1:
“I tie the strings of my red and white apron around my waist and go to the
cloth-bound cookery book on the table. I sit at the table and open the book,
looking for a recipe...”
Participant 2: “I open
the folding door and rush into the kitchen. Dammit, I ran into the door again!”
“Hey, Mammy, I'm hungry. What's for dinner?”
Was the player in the
Where? Was the player inside his mind (giving information, judging, expressing
opinions and showing attitudes related to his way of thinking)? Learners, do
you agree with this? Could anything else have been added? Could the story have
gone another way? How would it have ended? What other characters would you have
wanted in it? How would you have changed the Where?
Notes:
1. This exercise can be
useful for dispelling learners' preconceptions and attitudes in their work.
2. Don't go on to the
next game until all the learners have understood and successfully applied the
basic concept.
3. So-called observation
is usually linked to personal attitudes – seeing something on the basis of
rights and wrongs, prejudices, preconceptions, etc. – exactly the opposite of
simply seeing the things around you. If learners can limit themselves simply to
seeing, here and now, it will open previously closed doors in both their
speaking and writing.
EXERCISE N°24 -
VERBALISING THE “WHERE” PART 2
OBJECTIVE: to make the invisible
visible
BASIC CONCEPT: prolonging
the material reality constructed in VERBALISING THE “WHERE” PART 1
EXPLANATION: The same
learners who were seated in VERBALISING THE “WHERE” PART 1 now stand up
to act out the real event (the scene). There is no longer any need to describe
the actions, as in Part 1; speak only when dialogue is necessary.
Prolong the physical
sensations of the Where - - smells,
colours, materials – communicate them! Don't say them in words!
Learners, was the first
part of this game helpful for creating the scene in Part 2? Was acting the
scene or the event easier because you'd talked about it before? Audience, when
the actors stood up did the scene or event acquire more depth? Did the
improvised scenes seem more expressive than usual? Did the learners seem to be
more involved and harmonious? Learners, do you agree with this?
Notes:
1. If the basic idea of
Part 1 was helpful to the learners, the Where
with its imaginary objects should become visible to all the observers (the invisible
becomes visible).
2. Any of the narrated
details can be left out of the acted scene.
3. If the narrated part
of this exercise was based on learners' ways of thinking rather than on the
details of the material reality that surrounds them, Part 2 will be nothing
more than a soap opera.
4. Note how, in these
scenes, when the real improvisation starts, the tendency for the learners to
pretend will disappear without a trace.
