【Distinguished Scholar Session 】Managing Conflict and Bullying, Post-Covid, through Drama

The long-awaited distinguished scholar sharing is finally here! This time, we have invited Professor John O’Toole, who has deep roots in the Hong Kong drama education industry, to share how drama can effectively help resolve campus conflicts and bullying. With the resumption of in-person classes, besides catering to learning needs, emotional support for students after the epidemic and social life should not be neglected. How can educators from all walks of life intervene with innovative education methods?

John will:

• Demonstrate drama techniques that facilitate safe exploration of conflicts in the classroom through empathy and resonance.
• Share 20 years of global practice experience from the well-known “Cooling Conflict” program.
• Inspire local practice possibilities with participants through the global insights.

The session is now open for registration, and those who do not want to miss the rare opportunity to communicate face-to-face with John should register as soon as possible. Spaces are limited, and the link to register can be found here: https://forms.office.com/r/GLNr4UScsp

Details
Date: 16 May 2023 (Tue)
Time: 7:30pm – 10:30pm (3 hours)
Venue: TEFO Open Space (Arts Studio No. 307, Tai Po Arts Centre, 12 On Pong Road, Tai Po)
Language: English
Fee: HKD$300 per person (fees will be used for TEFO’s operational expenses)
Inquiry: admin@tefo.hk / 2511 5997 (Wincy)

Guest Speaker Biography

John O’Toole has been practising, teaching, researching and writing about drama education for over fifty years, with all ages and on all continents. Former Chair of Arts Education at the University of Melbourne, and previously Professor of Drama and Applied Theatre at Griffith University, Queensland, John has been a frequent visitor to Hong Kong, Taiwan and China since 2000. He co-developed and coordinated the Griffith University Masters of Drama Education (2004-2015) with Hong Kong Art School, and he has led many master classes at Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts and other local educational institutions through the years. In 2012 he introduced his Cooling Conflict program to Asia, where it is now flourishing. From 2015 he has been a regular conference leader, teacher educator, advisor and resources developer for drama in Mainland China. From 2009-2012 he was Lead Writer both for The Arts and for Drama in the Australian National Curriculum. In 2014 he was awarded the Order of Australia (AM), for services to drama education.