Last week, our school’s trainers once again worked with a group of students as part of a joint project with the ERS Summer School – “Spaces,” in collaboration with various European universities (Fribourg, Bern, Lausanne, Basel, and others).
Over three days of classes, the participants prepared and performed for an audience of other students of the program. Stories from the audience made the performance warm and cozy, like a home blanket with a cup of tea.
Integrating playback theater techniques into the process of learning a foreign language can serve as an excellent, effective tool for transferring theoretical knowledge of the language into practical application. By telling and sharing life stories, students strive to speak and act in the language they are learning.
The task seems very difficult in the first hours of classes, but as they delve into the emotional components of the stories, there is a sense that something more significant than language occupies the humans’ interaction process.
This refers to the emotional component of communication. The practice of playback theater allows the emotional meaning of the story to be conveyed through all available channels – body, facial expressions, intonation, speech. Thus, the repertoire of one’s own abilities to establish connections with other people is expanded, where speech no longer takes a central place and becomes one of the tools of interaction.
By practicing such methods, it becomes easier for students to overcome the fear of using another language, insecurity, the feeling of imperfection – and just speak, play, share experiences. The atmosphere of unity during the performance gives a sense of support and positive feedback in this process.
We are glad for such opportunities for cooperation and are happy to look for new ways to apply playback theater practices in various areas of life.
See you soon!
