Art & Drama, Creativity
PLAYACT – Theatre Games, Improv & Storytelling for Active Learning
6 days
Drama and play are among the oldest and most powerful learning technologies available to teachers — and yet most educators have had little training in using them confidently. PLAYACT bridges the world of theatre games, improvisation and narrative board games with the reality of the everyday classroom.
Participants learn to use theatre games as ice-breakers, energisers, formative assessment tools and deep learning experiences. They explore how storytelling board games develop language, empathy and creative thinking, and leave with a complete drama-games toolkit ready to use from Monday morning.
Learning Outcomes
Participants to the course will learn to:
Use theatre games and improvisation exercises confidently in any classroom context
Design storytelling and narrative game sequences that develop language, empathy and creativity
Apply drama-game techniques for formative assessment, engagement and classroom management
Build student confidence in communication, performance and creative risk-taking through structured play
Integrate theatre games into cross-curricular lessons in languages, history, social studies and beyond
Lead a school drama-games professional development session for colleagues
Programme
PLAYACT – Theatre Games, Improv & Storytelling for Active Learning
Monday | Theatre Games — Breaking the Ice and Building Trust
Welcome through play: the group learns entirely through theatre games and activities.
The theory of drama in education: Heathcote, Bolton and the tradition of process drama.
Ice-breaker games, trust builders and group energisers: a complete practical toolkit.
Discussion: where can these activities fit in your teaching week?
Tuesday | Improvisation — Learning to Think on Your Feet
The principles of improv: yes-and, listening, ensemble and creative courage.
Workshop: improv games for language learning, critical thinking and collaboration.
Improv as formative assessment: using spontaneous performance to reveal understanding.
Adapting improv for shy, anxious and diverse student groups.
Wednesday | Storytelling Games — Narrative, Empathy and Voice
Narrative board games and storytelling games: an overview of the best for classroom use.
Deep play session: storytelling games and how to debrief them for learning.
Using storytelling games across subject areas: history, languages, social studies, ethics.
Workshop: participants design a storytelling game activity for their own classroom.
Thursday | Process Drama, Forum Theatre and Classroom Performance
Process drama techniques: teacher-in-role, forum theatre and forum game adaptations.
Using drama games for challenging topics: bullying, identity, diversity and ethics.
Workshop: participants design and facilitate a drama-games lesson for the group.
Building your complete PLAYACT classroom toolkit.
Friday | Field Experience & Final Workshop
Cultural visit to selected Braga or Porto landmark relevant to the week's theme.
Final hands-on workshop: design and present your classroom action plan.
Group showcase: share the games, tools or activities created during the week.
Saturday | Certificate Ceremony & Closing
Presentation of each participant's final project or classroom toolkit.
Peer feedback and recognition of contributions.
Certificate presentation ceremony.
Group photograph and informal closing celebration.
Materials, digital tools & other learning resources
Course participants will receive training and engage in exercises designed to develop their skills as trainers. The provision of additional materials or resources will be determined based on the course structure and the instructor’s approach to meeting the learning objectives
Course package content:
Services and activities included in the course package are those described above. Please note that accommodation, transport, and meals are not provided.
Cancellation & changes:
Common sense prevails when it comes to cancellations, which are analyzed on a case-by-case basis.