Published on 11 November 2026

A group that always does whatever the same person suggests. A photo of a classmate circulating in the class chat “just as a joke”. A group assignment in which someone feels they always end up doing more than everyone else. These are scenes that any secondary school teacher will recognise, and the hard part is not knowing what is right, but knowing what to say and how to act in that moment.

With that idea in mind, we have created the fourth and final LIFE SKILLSdidactic unit, devoted to social skills: empathy, active listening, assertive communication and conflict resolution.

Forum Theatre: when the audience steps onto the stage

The unit is built on Forum Theatre, a participatory methodology created by Augusto Boal. Unlike traditional theatre, the audience does not just watch: when they think a character could act differently, they can stop the scene, take that character’s place and try out an alternative. In this way, students stop observing the conflict from the outside and begin to experience possible ways of resolving it.

The aim is not to act well or to find a single correct answer, but to see how small changes in the way we act can transform how a conflict unfolds and what its consequences are.

Two sessions to rehearse

The proposal is designed for two 60-minute sessions:

• First session: the class is divided into three groups, and each one performs an everyday situation from a script (“We always do what you want”, “It was a joke” and “It’s not fair, I always end up doing more work”). First the class observes without intervening and analyses what each character felt and needed; then one of the scenes is replayed and anyone can stop it to suggest another path.
• Second session: students create their own scenes based on real or invented situations of everyday coexistence, always making sure nobody could feel singled out, and perform them directly using the Forum Theatre dynamic.

After each performance, the group reflects: what consequences did each alternative have? Does it respect everyone’s needs? Which social skills helped improve the situation? The unit closes with a dialogue circle and a personal take-home challenge, “I act accordingly”, in which each student chooses a concrete action to put into practice over the following days.

A safe space to make mistakes

For Forum Theatre to work, the classroom climate is key. Before starting, the group agrees on some basic rules: we analyse the characters’ actions, never the people; we listen before intervening; making mistakes is part of learning; and nobody has to act if they do not feel comfortable. Following Universal Design for Learning, each student can take part in the way that suits them best: writing the script, organising the scene, suggesting alternatives from their seat for someone else to perform, or contributing ideas during the discussion.

The unit also guides teachers on which situations are worth working on (misunderstandings, rumours, being left out of a group, peer pressure, difficulty asking for help) and which are best avoided, such as real cases that identify a particular student or conflicts that are still ongoing in the class.

Completing the didactic block

With this unit we complete our journey through the four main LIFE SKILLS blocks: personal growth, emotional intelligence, organisation and social skills. The project now moves into its teacher training and piloting phase in schools in Belgium and Italy, and all materials will be free and available under an open licence.

Fancy bringing Forum Theatre to your classroom? Get in touch and we will tell you how.

Disclaimer

The project “LIFE SKILLS – Life Skills for teachers and students: Journey to Wellbeing, Personal Growth, Emotional Management and, Organisation and Productivity Skills” (2024-2-BE02-KA210-SCH-000292934) is co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of the Active Learning Association, RHIZO 05 and Liceo Classico Federico Frezzi – Beata Angela, and neither the European Commission nor EPOS, the Belgian (Flemish) Erasmus+ National Agency, can be held responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains.