Gwent Theatre and Early Years

Saturday 4th April 2009

Gwent Theatre and Early Years

Gwent Theatre is in the process of a major research project involving drama as a teaching strategy with pupils in their early years.

The Foundation Phase has recognised the need to place the child at the centre of the learning process once again.  In its desire to encourage creativity and the imagination, the education policy of the Welsh Assembly Government has shown the way in revitalising the work of nurseries and primary schools encouraging approaches that are at the core of drama in education.

Gwent Theatre therefore has decided to utilise its expertise in this area and embark on a project whereby we can work alongside teachers in experimenting with techniques which develop the children’s educational experience creatively and imaginatively.

So far, company members, led by the Education Officer, have conducted 22 workshops observed by over 200 classroom practitioners in schools and nurseries in Monmouthshire and Blaenau Gwent.

Mantle of the Expert

The workshops have used the Mantle of the Expert technique as devised by Dorothy Heathcote.  The premise of the work is that children look at their school building anew and imagine that it is something other than a school.  Once ideas are given the pupils move around the outside and inside the school re-allocating functions for each area and establishing roles for themselves as workers, visitors or inhabitants of the building.

The Sessions
Many different locations were decided upon by the children some of which were:

Police Station
Hotel
Giant’s Castle
Airport
Farm
Fire station

In the farm, for example, the pupils decided that they would keep all sorts of animals and tend crops.  They chose to welcome visitors, especially school parties.  Drawing on their own experiences they decided on a cost for entry, the amount of money they needed to feed the livestock and designated each area of the school as a farm area.  The hall became a stable, the library was a visitor cafe, the classrooms were filled
with children visiting the farm where they were drawing and writing about what they had seen.  The school secretary became the cashier at the entrance to the farm and various other people were roped into roles as the children created the fiction. 

Much speaking and listening took place  during the ‘journey’ and the children became totally absorbed in the new narrative.

It is important to stress that all ideas came from the pupils and the facilitators accepted each suggestion without question.  The only questions asked by the adult contributors were things like: Where is this?  What are those people doing? What is your job?

Pupils fell into and out of a variety of roles as the narrative developed.  Sometimes scenes were acted out on the spot eg., a litter of puppies were born and all assisted, giving names to each and ensuring their comfort.

A whole narrative was created by the pupils as they lived through the experience.  Whilst doing this many curricular activities were explored naturally, eg., calculations, measurement, mapping, speaking and listening, etc.

The Project Continues

Gwent Theatre is now in the process of developing teaching materials based on their findings from the research project.  Many teachers have been inspired by the technique and are experimenting in their own classrooms. 

The company is delighted that the Mantle of the Expert has inspired so many educationalists in South Wales and hopes to further develop the work.  We are now in a period of reflection and evaluation when we hope to devise programmes which will extend our involvement with schools into partnerships which can ensure a creative approach to the educational needs of early years pupils in as wide an area as possible.


For further information on this work contact:

Paul Gibbins
Education Officer
Gwent Theatre

By e-mail: paulgibbins@uwclub.net
By phone: 01873 853 792
By mobile: 07877 218 582

Released at 19:57 on 04/04/2009 | Permalink