European Commission - SOCRATES Programme
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“Le français par les techniques théâtrales” |
European Commission - SOCRATES Programme
Action Lingua 2 - Contract n° 89874–CP–1–2001–1–IT–LINGUA–L2
Website address: http://www.edutheatre.it
This
project aims at experimenting innovating techniques
which may help improve teaching systems and have a positive influence on
learning.
Though it is linked to foreign language (French both for Italian and Romanian students) this project aims at selecting models which may be used in the teaching of other subjects as well, as they study and experience integrated forms of communication (words, gestures, emotional involvement and multimedia).
The basic notion behind this project is that communication is involved in the changes characterising our society much more than anything else, it conditions behaviour and is behind the socio-economic development of the so called “global village”.
School, therefore, must understand the characteristics of communication, elaborate and integrate them into the formative and teaching dimension.
School has an extremely important role in the growing process, and this should make all those who work in the field of teaching particularly careful to avoid mistakes which may impair the future of younger generations. Usually emotions and feelings are kept out of classrooms, as if learning would involve only the rational part of an individual. As a consequence, the learner does not feel involved and has often only a passive role in the learning process.
Our main objective is to involve the learner by fostering the integration of reason and feeling in the cognitive process. This is why we want to bring changes into the usual approaches to language teaching and offer alternatives by exploiting techniques which are widely used in the field of theatre.
Our practical objective is to produce multimedia materials which teachers and students may use on their own.
A Cd-rom will give simulations of the activities included in the units with the necessary explanations and plenty of opportunities for different strategies which may enable the learner to chose the best possible route.
10-12 teaching units recorded in a videocassette, to be used in curricular or extra-curricular contexts, which will show how theatre techniques may be used in the teaching/learning process of French.
A handbook to explain the rationale behind the exercises
Revision of the Italian and Rumanian curricula concerning students between 14 and 16 years of age (false beginners) as a result of the use of theatre techniques.
An interactive multimedia CD-Rom to be used both by teachers and students who will be given examples, feedback and opportunities to check by themselves whether learning is taking place.
We aim at producing a set of materials which may be used by all those secondary schools willing to adopt the new approach.
We plan to make this project, and what has been experimented in class, known thanks to the opportunities offered by the Internet
The project will be concluded in January 2004.
Productions of videocassettes including the exercises to be done in class
Productions of handbook and CD-ROM connected to the audio-visual aids.
Revision of curricula as a consequence of the introduction of the new approach
The making of an Internet site to make the project and its results known
Trans-national meetings (Bucharest and Naples)
Seminars in Italy and Romania
Monitoring the work in progress and conclusive evaluation from within and by independent observers
The project will be carried out by six partners belonging to three nations (Italy, France and Romania) with the help of two associations:
Association “Vents et Marées” (Printemps Theatral) – France and Association Roumaine des Professeurs de Français – Romania
MARIO PAGANO ITC (Istituto Tecnico Commerciale)
Mario Pagano ITC is a State vocational School which has two main orientations: a
Linguistic and a managerial one.
The school has had a theatre workshop for 10 years and has staged performances in French within the international festivals organised by Vents et Marées. In February for the past five years it has organised an international theatre festival in French.
Mario Pagano ITC has a great experience in the field of co-operation at various levels and among other things in the year 2000-01 it started the Action Théatre Project within the Connect Project.
BABELE s.r.l.
Babele is a limited company working
To plan and develop software for schools and vocational training
To plan and implement courses dealing with vocational training
To plan within the European Community
To carry out research and testing
Since 1995 Babele s.r.l. has been interested in the new learning strategies in connection with Schools and Professional Associations and in projects funded by the Community.
SCOLA CENTRALA
Scoala Centrala is one of the best schools in Bucharest and it is one of the 200 schools which, in the opinion of the Ministry, can represent Romania. Languages but also mathematics and high technology are taught in this school whose main foreign language is French. They have been using theatre techniques to teach French for years. They have had a theatre workshop since 1987 and have performed in French at several national and international festivals, receiving several prizes (1993, 1994, 1995, 1999).
UNIVERSITATEA BUCURESTI - Facultatea de limbi si literaturi straine
The University in Bucharest is concerned with teaching of foreign languages and the training of trainers.
Its French learning students have to follow a course in foreign language teaching and a semester in pedagogical methods; at the end of this type of study they have to produce a teaching project.
This University is also in charge of the in-service training of teachers. About a hundred teachers a year follow the courses.
At transnational level the University is a partner in a Socrates Project which aims at producing instruments – including high technology ones - for the teaching of foreign languages and in a project concerning a multilingual dictionary of “management” of teaching at high level.
LYCEE INTERNATIONAL
The lycée international in St Germain en Laye is a comprehensive State school. It is an international school where teaching of literature, history and geography is carried on in the native language while all the other subjects are taught in French. This type of teaching and learning leads to a “baccalauréat option internationale”.
The school has many theatre groups and the theatre activity is taken into account for the final evaluation. Theatre techniques for the teaching and learning of French are often used.
The “Vents et Marèes” Association (Printemps Théatral) and the “Association Roumaine des Professeurs de Français” will act as consultants in this project.