Creative-development workshops in schools’ extended stay: Integration of drama education, elements of child psychodrama, and somatically oriented approach

Irena Vitaljić

Elementary School K. Š. Gjalski, University of Applied Health Sciences, Zagreb

irenavitaljic@gmail.com

The importance of art education for the cognitive, social, and emotional development of children and youth

Abstract

Extended stay programs in elementary schools provide organized care for children after regular classes, offering an opportunity for integrating various activities, workshops, and projects. Apart from contributing to the exploration of curriculum content, these activities create space and atmosphere for learning through play within peer groups, fostering the development and acquisition of developmentally appropriate social and life skills.

Recognizing that children best meet their developmental needs through exploration, movement, and play, and that drama games easily integrate into lesson themes while encouraging active participation, projects "Who am I?", "Learning through play," and "Imagination can do anything" have been developed. Projects are implemented through a series of creative-development workshops using methods of drama education, drama games, exercises, and selected techniques of active and somatically oriented approaches with elements of child psychodrama.

The integration of these methods is aimed at achieving educational and developmental goals. Learning becomes implicit and applied within the context of activities providing support and prevention for maintaining mental health, while also enhancing the school curriculum beyond regular classes.

Describing the methods used in extended stay programs and providing examples of work with children in these programs (integrated classes for the first three years of elementary school) and with interested individuals and groups (grades 4 to 8) will demonstrate the significance and contribution of learning through play in educational work.

Key words

drama games; learning; elementary school; mental health; psychodrama

Irena Vitaljić

Elementary School K. Š. Gjalski, University of Applied Health Sciences, Zagreb

irenavitaljic@gmail.com

Važnost umjetničkog obrazovanja

Sažetak 

Produženi boravak u osnovnim školama omogućuje organizirani boravak djece nakon redovne nastave i pri tom pruža priliku za integraciju različitih aktivnosti, radionica i projekata. Osim što doprinose istraživanju nastavnoga gradiva, ove aktivnosti također stvaraju prostor i atmosferu za učenje igrom unutar vršnjačke skupine potičući razvoj i usvajanje razvojno primjerenih socijalnih i životnih vještina.

Budući da je poznato da djeca najbolje zadovoljavaju svoje razvojne potrebe istraživanjem, kretanjem i igrom, a dramske se igre lako uklapaju u nastavne teme i potiču aktivno sudjelovanje, osmišljeni su projekti „Tko sam ja?", „Učenje igrom” i „Mašta može svašta”. Projekti se provode nizom kreativno-razvojnih radionica koristeći metode dramskoga odgoja, dramske igre, vježbe i odabrane tehnike aktivnih i tjelesno orijentiranih pristupa s elementima dječje psihodrame.

Integracija navedenih metoda usmjerena je na postizanje odgojnih i obrazovnih ciljeva. Učenje postaje implicitno i primijenjeno u kontekstu aktivnosti pružajući podršku i prevenciju očuvanja mentalnoga zdravlja te se unaprjeđuje školski kurikul izvan redovne nastave.

Opisom metoda rada u produženom boravku i primjerima rada s djecom u produženom boravku (integrirani razred prve tri godine osnovne škole) i rada sa zainteresiranim pojedincima i skupinama (4. do 8. razreda) pokazat će se važnost i doprinos učenja igrom u odgojno-obrazovnom radu.

Ključne riječi

dramske igre; mentalno zdravlje; osnovna škola; psihodrama; učenje