Motivation to Teach Social Action:
I am interested in the Social Action approach as a whole, particularly from the perspective of a teacher of Politics. I would like to learn how Social Action could be effectively implemented in mainstream secondary education.
The students at my school grow up largely disconnected from political life and institutions. Many come from families with limited educational backgrounds, yet with strong aspirations for social mobility. Even those who choose advanced-level Politics often struggle to develop a meaningful understanding of political thinking, political institutions, and political processes. In other words, all dimensions of politics — policy, politics, and polity — often remain abstract and unfamiliar to them.
I believe that the Social Action approach has the potential not only to deepen students' understanding of politics but also to empower young people to see themselves as active members of society. My hope is that it can help them recognise their own capacity to contribute to social and political change and to understand that they themselves can become agents of that change.
Course Description:
In my upcoming introductory course in Drama Education, I intend, following an initial phase of ensemble building and the exploration of fundamental theatrical techniques and methods, to examine together with the students how Social Action can be integrated with theatre practice. By the end of the school year (at the latest), the students will collaboratively devise and perform a theatrical production developed through Social Action methodologies and, where appropriate, enriched by Augusto Boal's Theatre of the Oppressed approach and/or other forms of performative theatre practice.
Taught By:
Lisa Salih
Fachbereich Darstellendes Spiel, Politik, Deutsch
Hannah-Arendt-Gymnasium Berlin