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 integrates into lesson themes while encouraging active participation, author’s project Who am I?, has been developed. Project is implemented through a series of creative-development workshops using methods of drama education, drama games, exercises, and selected techniques of active and somatically body-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 activitiesactivities, providing support and prevention for maintainingthe preservation of mental health,health while alsoand enhancing the school curriculum beyond regular classes.

Describing the methods used in creative-development workshops and providing examples of work with children in extended stay programs (integrated classes for the first three years of elementary school) 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 organiziranoorganizirani boravljenjeboravak djece nakon redovne nastave i pri tom pruža priliku za integraciju različitih aktivnosti, radionica i projekata. Osim što doprinose istraživanju nastavnog 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 djeca najbolje zadovoljavaju svoje razvojne potrebe istraživanjem, kretanjem i igrom, a dramske se igre lako uklapaju u nastavne teme i potiču aktivno sudjelovanje, osmišljen je autorski projekt Tko sam ja?. Projekt se provodi nizom radionicakoristećradionica koristeći metode dramskog 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 prevencijuza očuvanjauvanje mentalnog zdravlja te unapređuje 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) pokazat će se značaj i doprinos učenja igrom u odgojno-obrazovnom radu. 

Ključne riječi

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