Synopsis:

The Covid-19 pandemic has transformed city life and will continue to change the way children learn and play. In light of the lockdown and tightened social restrictions, the visibility of children's participation and digital engagement has been made more evident by Theatre's move into private spaces. Globally, governments had also recognised that 'digitalisation', a pivotal tool during the crisis, will remain a key strategy in the development of cities. This paradigm shift has led to a reconsideration of what theatre means to children in a digital age: How have ideas of privacy and intimacy shifted? How has access to theatre changed? How will artists and cultural organisations continue to engage children in a changing world?

Workshop for Teachers: Navigating the 'New Normal': Offline Scenarios to Online Strategies

In response to this, SDEA seeks to find new meanings and possibilities in the spaces between young people, theatre education and digital world. If you are an educator, working with students 7 – 12 years old, this workshop is for you.

This workshop is led by Kuo Jian Hong, artistic director of Theatre Practice.

Objectives of this workshop:

Developing the Student Voice in The Classroom
Developing the student voice within the classroom is a perennial challenge for teachers. The need to create a safe space for students to be able to speak fluently, confidently, and sensitively about civic issues they experience or observe within a physical space has been complicated further by the adoption of digital practices – a trend accelerated by the pandemic.

Developing Facilitation skills for Blended Learning
With an increased focus on blended learning within schools, teachers will need to develop new strategies that empower students' voices both online and offline, with smooth transitions between the two. Such facilitation skills are effective for developing student voice within the co-curricular sphere, as well as within the civics classroom.

Strategies to Engage Student Voices through Digital Mediums
This workshop will allow teachers to unpack the strategies they have been using for lessons or programmes such as PAL Drama, while developing new strategies to engage student voice through digital mediums with an experienced facilitator. The discussion seminar will follow up from these learnings to allow for sharing about challenges, difficulties, issues and opportunities in existing and upcoming tools or strategies. This workshop aims to equip educators with using theatre/drama alongside new or popular technology to harness and develop voice and engagement with civic matters in the classroom.