Motivation
To function well as a healthcare professional in a diverse society, it is important to understand how differences in religion, socioeconomic status and ethnic background, among others, affect communication. This applies both to cooperation between healthcare professionals and contact with patients. Healthcare education does not reflect society, creating an unconscious bias within it. Understanding this is needed to understand how this bias affects interactions with colleagues and patients. Can immersive theatre in education help recognise this bias and transform it into sensitivity to diversity?
Hypothesis
Otmar Buyne and Esmeralda Blaney Davidson are using their innovation voucher to develop an innovative teaching method. With this method, they aim to transform the unconscious bias into a conscious bias and through immersive theatre, make students more sensitive to diversity. As a result, master's students in Medicine learn to better respond to different backgrounds of patients and healthcare colleagues. Putting students in uncomfortable situations with theatre creates a learning experience that comes in more strongly than attending lectures.
Desired solution
With this innovative teaching method, Otmar and Esmeralda create a learning environment in which students are immersed in realistic healthcare practice situations. Immersive theatre is characterised by the fact that the boundary between actor and spectator is blurred, so students do not just watch but become an active part of the story. As a result, experiences will be lived more intensely. In addition, theatre increases the capacity for sensitivity, empathy and respect for others. After the theatre, in-depth conversations and discussions follow in which students can reflect on their experiences, with the aim of strengthening empathy, respect and understanding of diversity.
Plan of action
Otmar and Esmeralda are working with director Nicky Ebbeng. After conducting preliminary interviews with students and teachers and attending existing teaching on diversity and inclusion, different theatre forms are tested with students. The most suitable form will be developed into a script with format for the post-interview. Based on this, a concept of the theatre form and the after-talk is developed, after which Nicky writes the script. Rehearsals are followed by a try-out, from which feedback is collected via written evaluations among students to measure changes in insights, views and opinions. The outcomes are used to improve script and after-talk, after which the revised version is performed again.