DICE (“Drama Improves Lisbon Key Competences in Education”)

 Appetizer

To work with drama is great, releasing, creative, who does it, knows it. However sometimes it is worth to prove this feeling by collecting opinions, observations and good practices. To show and share that not only is drama great, but it is also useful, developmental and needed. This is the aim of this project.

Short introduction

DICE (“Drama Improves Lisbon Key Competences in Education”) was an international EU-supported project. In addition to other educational aims, this two-year project was a cross-cultural research study investigating the effects of educational theatre and drama on five of the eight Lisbon Key Competences.

Project framework

Two-year-long Comenius program – 2008 – 2010

Link to the website of the project

Website: http://www.dramanetwork.eu/

As a final product of the project a book was published – you can find the online version here: http://www.dramanetwork.eu/education_resource.html

Project coordinator

Kava Drama/Theatre in Education Association (Káva Kulturális Mûhely) – Hungary

email:  cziboly.adam@kavaszinhaz.hu

Partner countries

Czech Republic, Netherlands, Norway, Palestine, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Sweden and United Kingdom

Target group

Young people aged 13-16 years

Objectives

• To demonstrate with cross-cultural quantitative and qualitative research that educational theatre and drama is a powerful tool to improve the Lisbon Key Competences. The research was conducted with almost five thousand young people aged 13-16 years.

• To publish a Policy Paper based on the research, and disseminate it among educational and cultural stakeholders at the European, national, and local levels worldwide.
• To create an Education Resource – a publication for schools, educators and arts practitioners about the different practices of educational theatre and drama. To disseminate this pack at the European, national, and local levels worldwide.
• To compare theatre and drama activities in education in different countries and help the transfer of know-how between experts.
• To hold conferences in the partner countries in order to disseminate the results of the project, as well as a conference in Brussels to disseminate the first main results to key EU leaders in the relevant areas of arts, culture, education and youth.

Project description

DICE was an international EU-supported project. In addition to other educational aims, this two-year project was a cross-cultural research study investigating the effects of educational theatre and drama on five of the eight Lisbon Key Competences.  The research was conducted by twelve partners. All members are highly regarded nationally and internationally and represent a wide variety of formal and non-formal sectors of education. Educational theatre and drama practitioners have believed in the efficacy of their work for a long time, but until now it has rarely been measured with scientific tools. In the DICE project, several dozen educational theatre and drama practitioners from twelve countries, with the widest theoretical and professional background, have allied forces with academics (psychologists and sociologists), to measure the impact of educational theatre and drama.