NOVEMBER 26, 1999
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THE UNIVERSITY OF VICTORIA NOVEMBER 26, 1999 |
by Valerie ShoreIf you’ve had any trouble in the last three years finding a UVic library book related to drama in education and violence prevention, it’s a good bet that Magdi Tornyai had it and was reading it from cover to cover. In fact, Tornyai, who graduates from UVic this weekend with a master’s in education, figures she borrowed more than 600 books from the library during her three years of study. “I couldn’t leave the library without taking something out,” she laughs. “I was almost crying when I had to give them back.” Such is Tornyai’s thirst for knowledge and passion for her thesis topic — the use of drama to help prevent violence among children. Books on the subject were rare in her native Hungary, so to her, the UVic library is the motherlode. “For me, the library is almost like a church,” she says. “It is a sacred, magical place.” |
| The daughter of a famous Hungarian actress, Tornyai was raised by her grandmother. To overcome the hurt of maternal abandonment, she immersed herself in a make-believe world that she says gave her strength and a clear definition of her own individuality.
“In your childhood you express your hopes and wishes in your make-believe,” explains Tornyai, who as a drama teacher saw how children from problem backgrounds benefited by “living through” drama. “They became happier, mentally and spiritually, and the violent children lost their masks,” she says. Determined to learn more, she borrowed books from abroad through inter-library loan (learning English in the process) and eventually studied with renowned British drama educator Dorothy Heathcote. Tornyai returned to Hungary to “spread the word” and create a drama centre to help problem children. Then, when her partner became ill from the pollution, she moved with him to Canada and ended up studying at UVic under the supervision of education professor Dr. Antoinette Oberg (curriculum and instruction). Her thesis deals with the concept of “intentional states” in children — their hopes, wishes, beliefs, desires and needs. Working with teachers and a class of six to seven-year-olds in a B.C. elementary school, she developed a series of drama exercises designed to help the children express their intentional states. |
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| Of particular interest to Tornyai were children with violent tendencies. “There is a connection between violence and lack of self-knowledge,” she says. “If you are able to express yourself and the whole community gives you interpretive feedback, you are more likely to feel cared for and understood.”
In fact, teachers have told Tornyai that there have been no more violent incidents in their classrooms. She urges all schools to build more story drama — carefully constructed and supervised — into their regular curriculum to help children nurture a productive relationship with themselves and others. “Children need to learn in an environment which is active, selective and creative,” she says. “This is the environment we have to create to prevent violence.” |
