Creative education
Posted on Wednesday, December 9, 2020
Category: News
A Very Victorian Christmas show
Drama teacher Marcus Dilly believes access to creativity and education enrichment is vital to enable children to engage fully with learning and for their personal development and wellbeing. He tells us why he's created 'A Very Victorian Christmas' show for schools, which is now available to buy online.
Marcus Dilly writers, 'Education enrichment comes in many forms and, with the ongoing pandemic, will have changed dramatically for most schools.
Stunning starts, marvellous middles and fantastic finishes are a staple part of topic-based projects and literacy learning, and schools often use these 'moments' to add enrichment - either through fun activities led by teachers, trips out of school or visitors into school.
Theatre workshops and live performance bring learning to life, but with new parameters that schools are now having to operate within, how do we ensure that children still get the opportunity to take part in enrichment activities that can transform their learning, at a time when it is needed most? The pandemic presented me, like many who work in the Arts, with numerous challenges - not just with how to make a living, but ensuring children have access to all-important creative education enrichment.
Online Activities
Moving my activities online was the first step, so that children could continue to engage with history and stories in a creative format. Following a series of live #SchoolAtHome shows that I ran for free in lockdown, I have written, performed and produced a library of videos that schools can access online covering a range of history topics for primary school-aged children - Mr Dilly's History Shorts. All with a tripod and a mobile phone at home - modern technology can be amazing! Each video focuses on a different period of history brought to life with multiple characters and an overarching narrative.
This creative enrichment builds on knowledge children have already gained in lessons and introduces new ideas and concepts - which is so important for their overall learning and development. And the proof is in the pudding: there has been nothing more inspiring than seeing children excited about history and stories; nothing more gratifying than feedback from teachers, sharing the impact the shows have had on their pupils' engagement in the subject.
Victorian Christmas traditions
I use a lot of improvisation and humour and this, along with carefully researched content, has proved to be a recipe for success. Sparking children's imagination and curiosity through performance can be transformational. For Christmas, I really wanted to create a show that would do just this and bring to life the Christmas Spirit for all.
With so many of our Christmas traditions rooted in Victorian history, this was a good place to start ensuring an educational element throughout. I then set about building the narrative, using characters from the Nativity and the story of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens to emphasise the wonderful messages of Christmas; hope, kindness, family, love.
Using humor along with the factual narrative means children (and adults!) can laugh and learn at the same time. In the show, children meet characters such as Charles Dickens and Prince Albert, the Innkeeper and the Shepherd alongside new characters including Terry the Turkey and Godfrey the Gingerbread man! This combination of education and entertainment is one I know works. Bringing together all the things we love about Christmas was the concept behind this film, as well as encouraging children to consider where our Christmas traditions come from and embrace the Christmas spirit. Creativity exists in so many forms - literature, art, music, dance, drama and the stories created through these mediums provide an uplifting antidote in what is an ongoing difficult time.
I hope the show will bring much-needed festive cheer to school communities, children, teachers and all who watch it. They deserve it!' A Very Victorian Christmas is available online . Find out more here:
