Primary Schools Educational Drama Project

The Educational Drama programme is aimed at children in Primary School level. It is a sister programme to the Balor DCA Secondary School Programme.

The programme has been running for 4 years in primary schools across County Donegal. This programme involves a drama facilitator going into the classroom to work with the teacher and the class. Educational drama is also called process or creative drama and with this form of drama there is no focus on performing or producing an end product.

Using drama in the classroom helps the class learn about how other people live and experience the world, so it links to other subjects such as History, Geography, English and PSHE. It is a creative and engaging way to learn and also helps develop language and social skills as the children have to co-operate and work together and express how they and others feel.

Other elements of this programme include:
In Service training for teachers - Week long summer courses in Creative Drama Evening and Twilight sessions in conjunction with Donegal Teachers Centre Drama workshops in conjunction with the Health Promotions Agency

Aims of this Creative Drama programme

1. To explore how Drama can be used as a creative and stimulating way of encouraging learning across the curriculum.

2. To facilitate the child's imaginative, intellectual, emotional and physical development.

3. To encourage problem solving and working co-operatively as a team, imaginative play and to develop story telling skills, language development including speaking and listening skills

4. To enhance concentration and self-confidence.

5. To allow the child to experience, understand and practise the life skills needed in every day life.

6. To promote empathy with ideas, attitudes and feelings of others.