A partnership between Norwich Theatre and eight primary schools from the Wensum Trust, Wise About Words focuses on helping teachers to develop the skills and confidence to embed drama-based approaches in the classroom and across the curriculum. Jo Reil, project co-ordinator for Wise About Words, provides an insight into their learning journey as they move into the second year of the programme, supported by the Teacher Development Fund.
Norwich Theatre is a large regional theatre working with local, national and international partners to create and share extraordinary theatre experiences. The Theatre is committed to inspiring the next generation, offering inspirational learning programmes for young people both within and beyond formal education. For nearly ten years, the theatre has worked with the Wensum Trust (a not-for-profit education Trust with 11 schools arranged into three geographical hubs across Norfolk). Wise About Words provides an opportunity to consolidate this partnership and develop the theatre’s work with teachers.
Wise About Words works with eight of the Trust’s primary schools across Norfolk, from inner city to coastal, for two years to develop teachers’ skills and confidence in using drama as a tool within the classroom and across the curriculum.
Four artists worked closely with eight teachers in the first year through a mixture of school residencies, development days and CPD twilights and over the course of the year teachers went from observing, to delivering and eventually planning sessions themselves. This process proved successful and is currently being repeated with a second teacher from each school. The artists continue to mentor the first cohort of teachers and as triads they will now start disseminating the learning across all staff.
It took a while for teachers to fully understand the learning behind the project and for the project to find its feet. The first term saw a change of artist and project coordinator and we were all learning the challenges of working so closely with schools. However, our skilled artists worked hard to build trust amongst the teachers and they soon became a formidable support group for one another. One teacher commented:
“Teaching is actually very lonely. It’s incredible to have such a supportive group of peers to explore with. It’s inspiring.”
Case studies took place in term two and changes in children’s confidence, team work and resilience drove the teachers’ desire to learn more and make sure the project was understood within the whole school environment. Our third term became about making sure the SLT were fully on board, fundamental if the embedding and dissemination were to be successful. We looked at barriers to SLT support, and it became clear that we had to change some of the language we had been using and link our findings to strategies already embedded within the schools. A new document was written showing how the project enhances these, and SLT were encouraged to take part in workshops to see for themselves how the pedagogy worked. Support increased and it was agreed that five CPD staff meetings would take place in each school across the second year.
It’s a great start to the embedding and dissemination process, but the biggest advocates will be the teachers themselves. Their belief in their learning and their drive to share it throughout the whole school will be the legacy of this project. Teachers are now giving us wonderful examples of how they use drama techniques across the curriculum and spontaneously.
“This project has changed my perspective of teaching. It’s taught me I can be flexible and creative and make learning personal to the children. It levels everyone up and is accessible to all.”
Year one has already had a big impact on some of the teachers. We are extremely excited to see what learning comes from the second year and where this project will take us all next.