Policy Paper - Drama Improves Lisbon Key Competences in Education

R e s u l t s
“
While working on problem no. 2 the students understood something very important
about ethics in business. We did not know that a human element is the key to
success as much as the creative use of available resources. A good entrepreneur
has a good intuition about human needs. They [the students] needed to learn it in
their own skin. It was not so obvious for them then that a team of workers who are
simply cheap will not get you anywhere. It was also a revelation to them that it is
not so important what grades your partners had at school, but if they can simply
cooperate, listen before making a judgment, appreciating the skills of others on the
team, checking facts instead of jumping into action. I did not have to preach it. The
acting in roles was stronger than a good lesson, I think. 68
As this is a very subjective method of research we have
no grounds to attribute the success of the programme
solely to the “mantle of the expert” approach. We
do have some reason, however, to consider it as a
promising alternative way of thinking about developing
the competence of entrepreneurship.
B.13. Qualitative research:
Big Brum’s Theatre in Education
programme “A Window” (Birmingham, United
Kingdom)
The aim of the qualitative research undertaken in the UK was to explore with some of the
pupils involved in the theatre in education (TIE) programme what their views were of the
activities. One of the schools that participated in the DICE project was selected, and five
pupils agreed to be interviewed (three girls and two boys, aged 14-15 years). The pupils
were allowed time out of a drama lesson by their teacher, and were interviewed together
as a group for approximately one hour. The interview took place ten weeks after the
pupils had taken part in the half-day theatre in education programme.
The schedule of questions was as follows:
• What moment from the play do you remember most? What did that moment make
you think or feel?
• Did you find yourself identifying with any of the people in the play? Why do you think
that was?
• What moment from the workshop/activities/discussion do you remember most?
• Has being part of the programme changed the way you look at or think about things
or other people?
• [Follow-up question to q4] Has it made you think about the world in different ways?
• Do you think that you were able to make decisions about the work that was done in
the workshop / activities. Did you come up with ideas yourselves?
• Were you able to share your ideas about the play with other pupils when you were
in the workshop session?
• Do you think that being part of 'A Window' has changed the way that you behave
towards others?
• Have you talked to anyone else about 'A Window' (apart from other pupils who took part
in it)?
The pupils were not shown the questions beforehand, and time was given to allow them
to think about their answers and to return to them later in the session or to add to them
when they wished. The interview was conducted as a conversation, with the children
responding as much to each other as to the interviewer.
The interview was transcribed and then analysed for its relevance to the five Key
Competences being investigated by the DICE project. The following comments from the
children are particularly apposite in relation to the competences selected by DICE. (Some
of them illustrate a relevance to more than one of the Lisbon Competences, but have
here been allocated to the one that seems most relevant.)
Communication in the mother tongue
“
I think it was good the way they got everyone involved. There are the louder people
in the class and the quieter people, but they’d ask the quieter people what they think
and let them express what they think. In other lessons the quiet people just sit there
and just listen to what everyone else says, and the louder people kind of overpower
them and they’re always talking and answering questions because they’re more
confident. But Big Brum let the quiet people express what they think as well.
Learning to Learn
“
When we asked a question to the actor-teachers they just repeated it back. It allowed
us to get our brains in gear for it. Instead of asking and then getting an answer back, it
allowed us to think about it.
In drama they always ask ‘what do you think of this?’ We asked them ‘what do you
think of this?’ and they asked back ‘well, what do you think of it?’ And that’s how they
got all the stuff out…
R e s u l t s
68 Teacher in report 9.
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