An exploration of the Theatre techniques for education laboratory as a training tool for interpersonal affordances
Pierangelo Bordignon
This study explores the formative potential of the Theatre Techniques Laboratory for Education within the university curriculum for social and healthcare professional educators. It aims to investigate students’ perception of interpersonal affordances. Adopting an enactive framework (De Jaegher e Di Paolo, 2007; Brancazio, 2020), the research collected data via a focus group. Results show the laboratory promotes embodied learning, relational reflection, and ethical dimensions. Students overcome initial inhibitions, gaining awareness and risk acceptance through shared action, refining their interpersonal affordance perception and fostering inclusion. These findings highlight the crucial importance of integrating direct experience and embodied reflection in education. In a digital era that can alter interpersonal perception (Firth et al., 2019; Firth et al., 2024), universities must equip future educators with competencies for conscious practice, attuned to others’ dignity, especially vulnerable groups, preventing inadequate perceptions in social work.
Keywords
Interpersonal affordances, enactivism, theatre workshop, social and healthcare professional educator, interaction.
