2.3.1 The InCrea+ activities' list
9. Challenge to Inclusion: TALENT
ACTIVITY 1: BODY FURNITURE
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TITLE |
Body Furniture |
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GOAL of the ACTIVITY |
The general purpose of this activity is to achieve integration with elements of corporal and visual expression and implicit integration of pupils into the group. The main challenges to be addressed are: - The exploration of the possibilities of the body and space; - Building a dramatic scene that makes sense The main aims to achieve are: - Integration; - Positive relationship building; - To foster the feelings to agree with and accept the others; - To encourage body and ideas expression; - To develop group cohesion with a game where each person needs the support of the others; - To follow the rules for the creative development of the activity. This activity focuses on the experimentation of body movements in spaces either free or scheduled; on the construction of spaces and on developing imagination from spatial stimuli. |
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CHALLENGE to INCLUSION ADDRESSED |
Talent, Social |
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ART DOMAIN |
Performance Art |
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DURATION |
40 minutes |
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STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS |
The activity starts with the teacher dividing the pupils into two groups. Two groups of no more than 12 students The teacher makes sure that each student has enough space to develop his/her idea of furniture and that students do not bump into one another while constructing the furniture. Ensures student safety in that space and creates a suitable atmosphere for them to imagine the life of people living in houses with that furniture. The teacher explains the rules of the activity and states the main aim simply. The integration with elements of corporal and visual expression towards the integration of pupils into the group: One of the groups will create furniture and objects with their bodies - there can be individual or group work. When all the members have formed the furniture, it will be distributed in the place creating particular spaces, e.g. a bedroom, a dining room. The second group will make the description of the imaginative life that the people - dwellers in that space - live. This description acts also as a reflection of the physical activity developed in the first step. Students of the second group are asked to imagine and describe what happens in that room, who lives in it, how people use that furniture, what the furniture tells them about those people’s life. Final Debriefing What purpose do you give to your piece of furniture? Did you think of that piece of furniture as if people living in the house couldn’t do without it? Did you work well together? Do you think you could furnish an entire house? |
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MATERIALS & ADDITIONAL RESOURCES |
Outdoors on a safe surface or on grass OR Indoors in an empty room. No equipment is needed, just plain, comfortable clothes and shoes. |
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EVALUATION |
To what extent do students feel more included having participated in the activity? To what extent have students positively engaged and participated in the activity? Have all students participated in sharing their ideas about how we need others in order to live in a community? |
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SOURCE |
https://off-book.pixel-online.org/files/guidelines/TG04/Body/Body_ENG.pdf |
ACTIVITY 2: SIGNIFICANT SELF-PORTRAITS
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TITLE |
Significant SELF-PORTRAITS |
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GOAL of the ACTIVITY |
Talent, Social, Cultural, Socio-economic Challenges
Self-portraits and Selfies are a great teaching opportunity. Every student is strong, powerful, and their portraits need to be viewed from their own perspectives rather than the negative stereotypes that pervade our society. |
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CHALLENGE to INCLUSION ADDRESSED |
Talent, Social, Cultural, Socio-economic Challenges |
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ART DOMAIN |
Visual Art |
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DURATION |
50 minutes per Day |
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STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS |
Day One: Portrait Studies Students walk into the class and see three self-portraits on the front wall/screen/board. Choose underrepresented minority portraits, socially disadvantaged portraits and others. In groups of no more than 3 students, ask them to write three things that are similar in the portraits, three things that are different. For the rest of the class period, students work in groups to study the photos and write down their observations. Day Two: Self description Hand each student a sheet with questions prompting them to think about their personalities: “What is one word that you would use to describe yourself?” “What is your favourite piece of clothing that you own?” “Where do you feel like you are in your element?” Then give them more portraits (on video projector) and learn about easy photography terms, such as composition, arrangement, close-up, balance, space, and simplicity. Day Three: Developing Hashtags On the third day, students must develop a hashtag for the political issue they are interested in. Some examples of hashtags can be: #StopDomesticViolence, #IAmNotAStatistic, #BlackLivesMatter, and #BuildBridgesNotWalls. They must create their own hashtag. Then they have to make a plan to take their own portraits, including clothing, setting, background, facial expression, pose, and distance from the camera, Hashtags to use.
Day Four: Students take turns using the camera, or phones, to take the photos, with the help of the others.
Day Five: Display of the photos on digital format, and discussion on the chosen Hashtags and image. Or School Gallery display. |
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MATERIALS & ADDITIONAL RESOURCES |
3 Printed Portraits or selfies White papers Photo camera or/and phone camera Video projector |
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Has each student created a visual representation of something significant to them? Has each student briefly shared the significance of their creation with their classmates? To what extent do students feel more included having participated in the activity? To what extent have students positively engaged and participated in the activity? To what extent have students learned about the lives of their classmates? Have all students participated in sharing their ideas about how they are unique? |
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SOURCE |
ACTIVITY 3: SEARCHING FOR THE HIDDEN SIDE
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TITLE |
Searching for the hidden side |
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GOALS |
Participants become aware of strengths everyone has and different ways to express them. They will learn the concepts of talents and interests and discover them in unexpected situations or against stereotypes Challenges to inclusion addressed: talents (main) 21st skills promoted: Critical thinking, Creative thinking |
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ART DOMAIN |
Plastic Arts |
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DURATION |
2 sessions: 2h + 45 |
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STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS |
Current issue: We have diverse talents, competencies that we can use to reach our goals. But we need to learn how to discover them and express them Steps Part A brainstorming: the trainer asks students to define the concept of talents, interests, and personal resources. He then provides some definitions arts-related instruction: the trainer introduces the topic of plastic modelling and provides information on ways to realise it to represent the talents and personal resources. activity A1: students are given the picture of an adolescent, a story, or a video where a person describes himself/herself and asked afterward to identify possible strengths, talents in the descriptions
discussion: students discuss overt and hidden talents. The trainer guides them to explore ways to discover them or stereotypes that may prevent them from seeing talents by providing examples. Activity A2: students in groups of 4 -5, are given the task to develop plastic models to highlight the talents or ways to express them part B sharing: students share the products developed and comment on the talents that emerged and the diverse developments that characterise their artistic product summary: the trainer summarises the main points that emerged from the discussion |
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MATERIALS & ADDITIONAL RESOURCES |
portraits with written or oral descriptions of characters videos of adolescents describing themselves dough to be modelled |
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GOAL: Has the goal been achieved or not? To what extent? At the end of the session students should be able to answer the following questions: as concerns the inclusion
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SOURCE |
Gentry, M. (2009). Myth 11: A comprehensive continuum of gifted education and talent development services: Discovering, developing, and enhancing young people’s gifts and talents. Gifted Child Quarterly, 53(4), 262-265. Raley, S. K., Shogren, K. A., & Cole, B. P. (2021). Positive Psychology and Education of Students with Disabilities: the Way Forward for Assessment and Intervention. Advances in Neurodevelopmental Disorders, 5(1), 11-20. |
ACTIVITY 4: TALENTS IN ACTION! A JOURNEY TO THE FUTURE
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TITLE |
Talents in action! A journey to the future |
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GOALs |
Participants become aware of barriers a person may encounter and support may benefit from in expressing a talent. Also, the potential sources of support are identified. Their responsibility in making things happen are underlined Challenges to inclusion addressed: talent (main) socio-economic 21st skills promoted: Creativity, Media Literacy, Leadership and Responsibility |
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ART DOMAIN |
Visual arts |
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DURATION |
multiple sessions 3 sessions 60 to 90 |
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STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS |
Current issue: We have diverse talents, competencies that we can use in our life. We may also face difficulties because of personal limitations, socioeconomic status, or barriers in the context. Everyone can play a role as an obstacle or support in the expression of talents Steps Part A brainstorming: the trainer asks students to define the concept of barriers and supports introduction: the trainer summarises their perspectives and provides a definition of the concept of barriers and supports. The trainer guides them to explore the types of barriers and supports (physical, relational, …) arts-related instructions: the trainer introduces the topic of visual representation on a poster. Provides information on how to develop it and make it accessible to everyone. activity A: students are asked to find out in small groups the biography of a famous painter, writer and a scientist; to highlight how they discovered their talents, what difficulties and supports they found. ( it may well consist in a visit to a museum collecting pictures of notes on the history of the famous person) They are asked to represent on a poster or maps the main points emerged discussion students discuss the main points that emerged Part B activity B: students are given the description of an adolescent with his or her talents but also limits and asked to identify possible barriers and supports to reaching his or her talent-related goals. They will report them on the blackboard or on a poster discussion: students discuss the most common barriers in their context, the role each member of the community can have. The trainer provides examples of supporting actions summary: the trainer summarises the main points that emerged from the discussion Part C arts-related instructions: the trainer introduces the topic of digital storytelling and provides information on how to develop it to make relevant steps appear in the story and be accessible to everyone. activity C: in small groups, students choose a character they had already worked on (either famous or not) and develop a 5-minute digital story where they (a) highlight the journey to the development and expression of talent, (b) the barriers encountered and the supports provided, what members of the community did or (for the example of an adolescent in their living context) what members from the community ( both peers and adults) might do to support him or her. sharing: students share the stories developed and comment on the elements that emerged and the diverse developments that characterise their stories summary: the trainer summarises the main points that emerged from the discussion underlining and encouraging an active personal engagement |
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MATERIALS & ADDITIONAL RESOURCES |
portraits with written or oral descriptions of characters handbooks on history of art, literature, science for reference guidelines to make a digital storytelling |
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GOAL: Has the goal been achieved or not? To what extent? At the end of the session students should be able to answer the following questions: as concerns the inclusion what are possible barriers to reaching a goal what are the potential sources of supports what is accessibility and how to promote it as concern the artistic tool what are the strategies to make an effective digital-story how to manipulate visual representation to make it accessible |
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SOURCE |
https://www.storyboardthat.com https://www.uow.edu.au/student/learning-co-op/assessments/digital-storytelling |