Four days after returning from Drama in Education Days 2025 in Uppsala, I’m still smiling, still reflecting, and still buzzing with ideas. There’s something magical about gathering with passionate educators, storytellers, and drama experts from around the world, the kind of energy that stays with you long after the conference ends.
I wish I could have attended every session (I’m still working on cloning myself for conferences 😁), but even the sessions I did experience were full of inspiration, insight, and practical ideas I can bring back to my own classrooms and workshops.
Here are some highlights and lessons that particularly stayed with me:
1. The Power of Story and Identity
Keynotes by George Belliveau and Fiona Dalziel reminded me how drama can connect us to memory, identity, and lived experience. In language learning, these connections are incredibly powerful. Stories aren’t just entertainment — they help learners connect emotionally to language, explore perspectives, and build empathy.
In my own workshop, I shared the Palestinian folktale “Milk is for Milk and Water is for Water”, a story I learned from Hala, a brave girl from Gaza. Watching educators respond to her story, understanding its lessons, humour, and wisdom, reinforced just how much stories can travel, inspire, and create meaningful learning experiences.
2. Drama Can Be Simple, Yet Deeply Engaging
One thing I loved seeing across the conference was that drama doesn’t need to be complicated to be effective.
- Bara Müller Dočkalová showed how dramatic play can form the core of EFL lessons, not just a fun add-on.
- Sprakmetod workshops filled the room with joyful language play, simple but deeply engaging.
- Stefanie Giebert led us on a pirate adventure that reminded me how movement, imagination, and narrative naturally create connection and learning.
Lesson learned: even small, simple drama activities, guided carefully, can open learners to curiosity, empathy, and meaningful engagement with language.
3. Creativity Can Take Many Forms
This conference reminded me that there are countless ways to bring creativity into teaching:
- Ivona Randjelovic’s King Midas drama: powerful, immersive, and fun (I got to perform in it! 👑🤩)
- Erika Piazzoli’s vertical re-framing: seeing things differently through spatial perspectives
- Roxane Gagnon’s improvisation: the magic of thinking on your feet and embracing uncertainty
- Michał Gostyński’s performative poetry: combining words and performance to inspire new forms of expression
- Sarah Dyble: blending music and drama to enrich storytelling
The takeaway: creativity isn’t one method. It’s a mindset. And as teachers, we can find ways to bring it into our classrooms that suit our style, our learners, and our goals.
4. Safety, Clarity, and Participation Matter
A recurring theme throughout the conference was how important it is to create safe, clear, and inclusive spaces for learners:
- Åsa Backéus and Tusen ord showed the power of carefully guided imagination.
- Nené Lazaric’s puppetry workshop reminded us that even props or simple tools can give learners confidence and a clear role in the story.
For ELT teachers, this is crucial: students need to know when fiction begins, when it ends, and that they are safe to participate. Clear boundaries, simple guidance, and shared engagement make drama effective, meaningful, and enjoyable.
5. Personal Reflection: Why I Love This Work
Conferences like this one remind me why I do what I do. Drama and storytelling are not “extras” in teaching- they are tools to help learners connect, imagine, and explore. They give children and adults alike space to practice empathy, problem-solving, and collaboration.
Sharing Hala’s story in my workshop was a particularly moving moment. It reinforced the human side of teaching: the voices we lift, the perspectives we introduce, and the ideas we spark can travel far beyond the classroom.
Gratitude and Looking Forward
A heartfelt thank-you to Eva Goksel, Stefanie Giebert, and Teater Aros for creating such a welcoming, warm, and inspiring conference. To all the presenters, performers, and participants: your energy and creativity were contagious.
And to those wondering why I didn’t answer my phone during the conference well, now you know! I was fully immersed, learning, performing, and connecting in a space where ideas, stories, and play came alive.
Drama in Education Days 2025 reminded me that teaching, like drama, is an ongoing adventure. I return home with new ideas, renewed energy, and a smile that isn’t going away anytime soon. Till next time, Uppsala! 🌍🎭