School of the (Im)Possible: Art and Play as a tool to tackle Climate Change in Education.The keynote will introduce the artistic and pedagogical approach of the project School of the (Im)Possible. We will be discussing possibilities for art-education to create social impact on climate change using immersive and playful strategies as a tool. About School of the (Im)Possible: What if S.O.S, an organisation from the future, found a way to communicate with our time? What if they invited our children to embark on an (Im)possible mission to save our planet?
The ‘School of the (Im)Possible’ is an immersive education experience for kids aged 8-10 year olds from primary schools. It is based on a fictional plot: a time travelling bookshelf appears in classroom filled with mysterious still-to-be-written books from the future. The students’ interaction with the bookshelf opens up a communication channel with Massami Alamair, a scientist living in 2072, who invites the young students to join an (im)possible mission: “to re-write the future with sustainable solutions.” This immersive experience sought inspirations in the 17 UN sustainable development goals and it is exploring links with both the Brazilian and the Scottish Curricula. The pedagogical approach has been developing and testing, through this playful, immersive and gamified educational experience, the teaching-learning methodology called “learning adventures”. The experience has so far allowed the construction of new educational spaces permeated by art and new technologies, immersive theatre, and active methodologies with verified social impact. The young students are invited to recognize their potential as transforming agents in society, while they advance in educational goals.
Francine Kliemann is an interdisciplinary artist and theatremaker. She holds a BA in Theatre at UFRGS(BR, 2011) and a MA in Performance Making at Goldsmiths University of London(2017). She is the founder and artistic director of Platô Cultural, a company that creates immersive experiences in Education. Her work explores new ways of learning and connecting to the world through imagination and play. Platô Cultural combines design, immersive art and new technologies to create playful experiences that nurture the individual and the collective learning , looking for new relationships between people and places. Francine founded Plato Cultural in 2018 with support from Goldsmiths University of London. Since 2020, Platô Cultural has been based in Florianópolis, Brazil. Platô’s current project is “School if the Impossible” is an immersive education experience for 8 to 10 year old. The pilot project of School of the (Im)Possible was commissioned by the International Teaching Artists Collaborative (ITAC) as part of the ITAC IMPACT: Climate in 2021 They are now partnering with The Necessary Space (Scotland) and the International Teaching Artist Collaborative (ITAC) to deliver this project to more schools in Brazil and Scotland in 2022, funded by the British Council International Collaboration Grant.
Márcia Donadel is an artist-researcher and educator. She coordinates the pedagogical approaches, and assessment of Platô’s projects. She holds a PhD (2019) and a MA (2012) in Performing Arts at UFRGS (Brazil). She was awarded with the CAPES-PDSE (2018) research grant for a doctoral internship at C-DaRE, Coventry University, UK. Her practice and her research focus on embodied methodologies and creative practices in education.
Simon Sharkey, Director and CEO of The Necessary Space. Simon is associate director of National Theatre of Scotland and part of the senior management team. He is director of "Learn" for the company and leads on participation, engagement and the creation of community based large scale site specific productions. He was part of the original team that built the company from a standing start in 2005 to it's current national and international operation.
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