The Qattan Centre for Educational Research and Development launched the 7th round of the Drama in Education Summer School (DiESS) which takes place between 1 - 12 July in Jerash, Jordan. DiESS is held this year in partnership with the Welfare Association, and in cooperation with the Al Balad Theatre in Jordan.
The school offers educators the opportunity to participate in an intensive two-week training course on methods for teaching drama theory and practice in the classroom. DiESS is considered the first of its kind to be offered in the region, as it encourages participants to use methods outside the conventional teaching models. Through a comprehensive approach based on integrating drama into everyday educational practices, the course encourages interactivity at all levels of education, thus making the education process more enjoyable and more effective for both students and teachers
This year, DiESS was announced locally and across the Arab world, 624 applications were submitted, with 106 male and female teachers selected to participate. The participants are from Palestine, Jordan, Egypt, Mauritania, Tunisia, Lebanon, and Syria. This year's academic team comprises Wasim Kurdi, Malik Rimawi, and Sawsan Mar’i from the Centre, in addition to Kostas Amoiropoulos from Greece, Luke Abbott, Richard Kern and Chris Cooper from the UK, and Maha Moussa from Lebanon.
The DiESS awards a Drama in Education diploma to participants who complete the school requirements over three summers.