Barter Theatre's Project REAL
Donation protected
The REAL challenge: To make sure Project REAL can continue to serve its schools, teachers, and students at an high level.
To serve Barter Theatre's mission, Project REAL schools are located in severely economically distressed mountain communities in Virginia, West Virginia and Tennessee. Your contribution can ensure that Project REAL will continue making a transformative difference in the lives of its students, teachers and communities—and make a much-needed innovation available to American educators.
HI! My name is Megan Atkinson, and I am the creator of Barter Theatre's Project REAL (Reinforcing Education through Artistic Learning) serving 7 schools in the 2015-2016 school year. To our knowledge, Project REAL’s innovative, transformative, highly personal approach to learning and teaching is unlike any educational strategy in America.
In the high school where REAL has been in place the longest, greater student engagement generated by the program is resulting in better attendance, better grades, better classroom test scores, better standardized test scores—even better graduation rates.
The REAL model: Barter Theatre's goal to serve the Appalachian region as artists and eductors is the reason I'm reaching out for help today. Project REAL assists educators and organizations through a learning-focused instructional strategy, allowing students to connect to the given subject matter through the lens of their own human experiences and the use of applied theatre techniques. Project REAL creates an engaged classroom environment that promotes implicit (hands-on) learning and differentiated thinking; REAL heightens self- and classmate-awareness, builds classroom community, and has demonstrated the remarkable ability to transform school culture.
The REAL results for young people: Among the five participating public schools in 2014-15, 90% of students reported that Project REAL helped them understand the subject matter, and 89% agreed that the program helped to make learning fun and/or interesting. Teachers and administrators at all Project REAL schools consistently report greater student engagement and better attendance after REAL lessons. In Abingdon, where REAL has been in place the longest, greater student engagement and attendance is resulting in better grades, better classroom test scores and better standardized test scores. One administrator credits Project REAL with improving his high school’s graduation rate. Because it offers a different classroom environment and new ways of learning, REAL is especially beneficial for students who are bored or struggling to learn in a traditional setting. Jeff Noe, Ed.D., Assistant Superintendent of Washington County (VA) Public Schools, states: “Project REAL has been a catalyst for innovative learning in the classrooms of Washington County high schools. It is apparent students who may not necessarily learn well through traditional classroom methods are responding positively to this program.”
Not only does the program help to increase academic achievement, it also addresses the social and emotional needs of students. An observer during a REAL lesson will usually find students working collaboratively rather than adhering to the social groups that are common in secondary schools. Students and administrators credit Project REAL with fostering a school-wide sense of community; students who previously felt isolated and struggled to develop friendships have reported that the program has given them a sense of belonging. Teachers report that students who lacked the confidence to speak up in class are now fully engaged and participating. In this way, Project REAL is breaking down barriers and building bridges to new academic and social opportunities.
Why Theatre? Theatre is an ideal route to address all learning styles and can be a catalyst for open dialogue. A lesson on "Beowulf" turned into a discussion about homelessness; activities about topography became a debate on what makes an ideal community; student-created scenarios depicting dependent and independent variables discussed the impact of television watching on studying and grades. These activities encourage the students to become an active participant within their communities.
To serve Barter Theatre's mission, Project REAL schools are located in severely economically distressed mountain communities in Virginia, West Virginia and Tennessee. Your contribution can ensure that Project REAL will continue making a transformative difference in the lives of its students, teachers and communities—and make a much-needed innovation available to American educators.
HI! My name is Megan Atkinson, and I am the creator of Barter Theatre's Project REAL (Reinforcing Education through Artistic Learning) serving 7 schools in the 2015-2016 school year. To our knowledge, Project REAL’s innovative, transformative, highly personal approach to learning and teaching is unlike any educational strategy in America.
In the high school where REAL has been in place the longest, greater student engagement generated by the program is resulting in better attendance, better grades, better classroom test scores, better standardized test scores—even better graduation rates.
The REAL model: Barter Theatre's goal to serve the Appalachian region as artists and eductors is the reason I'm reaching out for help today. Project REAL assists educators and organizations through a learning-focused instructional strategy, allowing students to connect to the given subject matter through the lens of their own human experiences and the use of applied theatre techniques. Project REAL creates an engaged classroom environment that promotes implicit (hands-on) learning and differentiated thinking; REAL heightens self- and classmate-awareness, builds classroom community, and has demonstrated the remarkable ability to transform school culture.
The REAL results for young people: Among the five participating public schools in 2014-15, 90% of students reported that Project REAL helped them understand the subject matter, and 89% agreed that the program helped to make learning fun and/or interesting. Teachers and administrators at all Project REAL schools consistently report greater student engagement and better attendance after REAL lessons. In Abingdon, where REAL has been in place the longest, greater student engagement and attendance is resulting in better grades, better classroom test scores and better standardized test scores. One administrator credits Project REAL with improving his high school’s graduation rate. Because it offers a different classroom environment and new ways of learning, REAL is especially beneficial for students who are bored or struggling to learn in a traditional setting. Jeff Noe, Ed.D., Assistant Superintendent of Washington County (VA) Public Schools, states: “Project REAL has been a catalyst for innovative learning in the classrooms of Washington County high schools. It is apparent students who may not necessarily learn well through traditional classroom methods are responding positively to this program.”
Not only does the program help to increase academic achievement, it also addresses the social and emotional needs of students. An observer during a REAL lesson will usually find students working collaboratively rather than adhering to the social groups that are common in secondary schools. Students and administrators credit Project REAL with fostering a school-wide sense of community; students who previously felt isolated and struggled to develop friendships have reported that the program has given them a sense of belonging. Teachers report that students who lacked the confidence to speak up in class are now fully engaged and participating. In this way, Project REAL is breaking down barriers and building bridges to new academic and social opportunities.
Why Theatre? Theatre is an ideal route to address all learning styles and can be a catalyst for open dialogue. A lesson on "Beowulf" turned into a discussion about homelessness; activities about topography became a debate on what makes an ideal community; student-created scenarios depicting dependent and independent variables discussed the impact of television watching on studying and grades. These activities encourage the students to become an active participant within their communities.
Organizer and beneficiary
Megan Atkinson
Organizer
Abingdon, VA
Barter Theatre
Beneficiary
