> This sounds *interesting* ... Is it part of the 'popular education'
> movements? Or something else? Are these school-based?
Many groups of popular education use theater games in order to increase
interaction between members. Also as a way of discussing some themes. In
school education brazilian theater educators are fighting to include
theater as a regular activity ( drama play, theater games and Theater )
aside math, portuguese, history etc.
We "got" the inclusion of arts in school education curriculum in the
recent Law of Education Direction, published last year... after a very
hard fight involving art educators all over the country. Although
specially theater games had been used in popular non school education
movement...
> *which schools*? I read that word, "school" and break out
> in hives, if you want to know But I'm also basing my reactions on
>
> North American schools - could you tell me a bit about the
> schools' cultures where you work?
As I told you above, the new law of education in Brazil opens ways to
concieve school as a place in which people can be organized and decide
their pedagogic project, voting their director (director of school) -
students, teachers, fathers and mothers, people who work in school. But,
theres much to be done. Now, there are discussions all over the country
about the new Law. In some states and cities/towns people yet elect
their school director, but in many places they stay beeing indicated by
governors, city majors...unfortunately. As you see, we think that our
presence ( theater educators ) in school are very important... We also
want to participate of brazilian school education democratization.
We "make" the institutions, we can change them... nothing is forever. To
live is not forever. Everything is always changing all time and we can
contribute to change things, at least in our neighbohood. Don't you
think? I said "WE"... one plus another and on other one...
Many of the problems you had told me about NA school education are
present here too. But "in" and "out" school we must be fighting to
change things, to change the "world" and so change we ourselves too.
That's what I think, at least until now.
It's necessary to understand that we can learn not only at school...
that we learn too in our interaction day-by-day with people, media,
other countries...
Well, what we call "drama play" are the children dramatic play.
Now-a-days many children don't have space to play their dramatics...
neither friends or brothers/sisters... schools had been converted in
the "hall" or the "park" to those children... A place where they can
play together safety. Specially in big cities, where the space of
the living room of people were to much reduced. And as Vygotsky had
said... children began reading/writting "playing". So "drama play" are
activities to childreen in kindgarten... not only because it help them
to discover how writting language operates with symbols, but also
because many children had left the "space" and "fiends" to play at their
home.
Theater games, are "games" played by people in which a part of them
"shows" and antother part "watch", like in theater houses. Those are
games in which people act as "actors" and as "audience" or "public". (
My english is very pretty bad, you know... ). The basis of theater games
is the theatrical improvisation, spontaneous theater... The "old"
dramatic plays only makes sense for the children now as "theater
games". Those activities are recomended to children from first to fifth
class of "alfabetization". Generally we use a tree based methodology (
make theater/ watch-critical performances/ cultural-historical context
in wich performance happens. Those are activities very similar to
many of the American Alternative Theater (off-off broadway) in
sixties/seventies.
Theater is recomended to children after fifth classes, in a tree based
methodology too. Studying the age in witch playwriters did their
artistic criation/ videos or productions of these plays... re-criation
of scenes etc
Well... I guess I had answered your questions.
> diane
>
> "Every tool is a weapon if you hold it right."
> Ani Difranco
> *********************************
> diane celia hodges
> faculty of education
> university of british columbia
> vancouver, bc canada
> tel: (604)-253-4807
> email: dchodges who-is-at interchange.ubc.ca