TESOL Drama Workshop Testimonials
TESOL Drama Florence Workshop 2019
“After 30 years of teaching and three published grammar books, I found this course to be a marvelous combination of artistic and drama techniques for the classroom, both creative and unusual. Under the guidance of Marisol and José, this remarkable group was able to bond in one day. I was inspired to rewrite a few pages of my curriculum and change the order of the grammar exercises to give the students more flexibility and chance to relate to each other like we did in the course. I intend to take this course again or another like it.”
- Barbara Bregstein, Spanish Professor & Founder of Educational Theatre of New York
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“I’m still living off the positive vibes that Marisol and José put in motion this past summer. Every time I get a little or a lot frustrated at school, I look back to our week of team building and I feel ‘serene’ and confident. And, I try to pass that along to the children:
Happiness, confidence, and serenity.”
- Ann McCollum, Kindergarten Teacher, Italy
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“This course reinvigorated me. It was a great balance of theory and practice, with a strong focus on practice and giving teachers tools to help students meaningfully engage in the learning process. In addition, Marisol and José were a wonderful teaching complement.
I highly recommend it.”
- Stacy Denny, Dean & Professor, University of The West Indies at Cave Hill, Barbados
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“I am very pleased to have had the opportunity to acquaint myself with a new perspective of language teaching and to enrich my methodological grounding. What impacted me most profoundly professionally and personally was the fact that I could learn about the different layers of my personality and those of the group members through the shared group experiences enhanced by the synthesis of the diverse tasks, which contributed greatly to the effectiveness of both individual and group work...Experiencing the impact of a new perspective and learning from enthusiastic and knowledgeable experts in an intercultural group environment will surely prove a life-long memory. I am grateful for the opportunity.”
- Anita Gaál-Szabó, Kindergarten Teacher, Hungary
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“The course was a moving, psychological experience. We had lessons in a very friendly and funny environment, the atmosphere was professional and easy going as well. We learnt a lot and found it very useful. We felt over the moon.”
- Malgorzata Gawlińska Lazar and Katarzyna Kordek, Elementary &
Secondary School Teachers, Poland
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“Thank you Marisol and thank you José, for creating such an open and inspirational atmosphere where learning from each other was fun! Well done group, great to have you all as "long-distance-drama&language-teacher-colleagues"!”
- Sanna Sova, Elementary School Teacher, Finland
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Acting for Teachers & Students, Florence Workshop 2019
“I am more than happy to testify that this week in Florence with Marisol and José was a great opportunity to improve my knowledge in drama and to practice very useful workshops. I have already shared this experience with my colleagues, and they are convinced that drama techniques are useful to improve the relationships between students and develop social and emotional skills. José and Marisol made us feel very comfortable while practising drama.”
- Vincent Gravouil, Secondary School Teacher, France
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“Thank you very much once again for the fantastic and inspirational course in acting on the classroom stage I took part of this past July. I enjoyed every minute of it! It was wonderful to be disconnected from the Internet and communicate with the facilitators and other participants of the course through Viola Spolin's and Meisner's games and exercises. We are starting this week and I hope my students will enjoy it too! The course turned out to be the most fascinating adventure and introduction to the improvisational theatre
and its techniques.
Although I am a theatre-goer, I haven't heard about improvisational theatre much before coming to Florence. I imagined myself and our group staging scenes from Shakespeare in the Florentine environment. Recently, I have watched lots of films on improvisation and found out that there are some improvisational comedy clubs in Warsaw as well as improvisation schools. I am eager to develop my improvisational skills in order to teach students how to speak and communicate in a foreign language.
I will let you know about the results. I am also going to have a presentation about your course in our school and encourage my colleagues to come to the course.
Moreover, I hope to participate in one of these courses again.”
- Małgorzata Maras, Language Professor, University of Warsaw, Poland
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Discussion Tools for Teaching and Learning, Florence Workshop 2019
“I would like to thank Marisol and José for an amazing time we had in the classroom in Florence. I am grateful for your enthusiasm, passion and patience. I learnt so much about communication not only as a teacher but also as a person.
Now, I am really happy to use new communicative techniques both with my students and...with my family (sensitive listening - quite hard!).
For me, the course in Florence was a valuable experience full of openness, sincerity, and friendship which I will never forget!”
- Anna Orzyłowska, Centre for Foreign Language Teaching, University of Warsaw, Poland
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“We have started our new school term and there is no day I don't use the ideas or activities from the course with you. Some of them have great success, and I find them very useful...
Once again THANK YOU Marisol and José for such a great experience. You have created very inspirational atmosphere and I am full of unforgettable memories.
I hope and I wish we all will keep in touch.”
- Jana Jenny Beníková, School Psychologist, Slovakia
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“The course in Florence was a wonderful experience! The two instructors, Marisol and José are passionate and inspirational professionals. Not only did I learn how to make students more willing to talk and how to make them good and attentive listeners, but also how to become a good and attentive listener myself. Very friendly and active atmosphere during the workshop, lovely group and ... Florence. I came back home with a head full of new ideas for the classroom and memories of all the wonderful people I met.
Thank you, Marisol and José, and thank you, my group ”
- Kinga Kasperczyk-Pliszka, Language Professor, University of Warsaw, Poland