TALK is Zodiak workshop method, invented for teaching languages. The workshops are thought by a dance artist together with the language teacher. The workshops offer functional, movement based ways of learning languages.
TALK workshops are suitable for all levels of education and age groups, and also for example for immigrant's Finnish lessons. We offer workshops in seven different languages: English, Swedish, French, German, Spanish, Russian and Finnish as a second language. Zodiak offers TALK-workshops for children and teacher training for schools.
Video Guide
We have produced a video guide about the exercises for children. The videos are available below. The exercises can be used and modified freely. However, if they are used in training or in a publication, the origin of the exercises should be named.
Video 1: start of the lesson
00:18 Beginning: greetings, introductions and numbers
05:14 Interview with dance artist Anniina Tuhkunen
07:25 Forming of a group
09:48 Numbers
11:12 Greetings at the beginning of a class
12:05 Interview with French and English teacher Katja Nieminen
Video 2: Learning new and revising old
00:18 Colours
01:43 Interview with dance and language teacher Liisa Taimen
02:17 Verb exercise
07:51 Interview with dance artist Anniina Tuhkunen
08:38 Body parts
10:35 Body parts: a statue
12:38 Adjectives exercise 1
15:03 Adjectives exercise 2
15:38 Interview with dance artist Jenna Rignell
Video 3: Learning new and revising old
00:18 Prepostitions football
02:42 Interview with dance artist Jenna Rignell
04:06 Time attributes 1
05:27 Time attributes 2
06:53 Interview with dance artist Jenni Koistinen and teacher of preparatory class Eeva Suhonen
08:13 Weekdays
12:46 Cyrillic alphabet
16:33 Auxiliary verbs: sein ori haben?
18:24 Interview with dance and language teacher Liisa Taimen
Video 4: Learning new and revising old
00:18 Furniture
02:51 Are you? game
04:06 Interview with German and English teacher Rita Virta
04:49 Inversion in a sentence
10:10 Adjectivs and adverbs 1 The ball goes round in the circle
12:16 Interview with Mafalda (student)
12:30 Adverbs 2 Moving + how
13:47 Interview with Nuutti (student)
14:08 Advebs and directions
17:40 Interview with Pinja (student)
18:04 Interview with dance and language teacher Liisa Taimen
Video 5: Learning new and revising old
00:18 Exercise about vocabulary and writing
01:15 Exercise for producing vocabulary and speech over - under...
02:09 Interview with dance artist Jenni Koistinen and teacher of preparatory class Eeva Suhonen
03:10 Numbers and creating own movement Hards and Softs
07:34 Directions and prepositions rap
12:40 Interview with dance and language teacher Liisa Taimen
Video 6: Creative exercises
00:18 Verbs, prepositions and adverbs dancer - choreographer
06:40 Parkour
08:08 Interview with French and English teacher Katja Nieminen
08:36 Murmurs
12:19 Ninjas
15:09 Interview with dance artist Jenna Rignell
16:21 Snow flakes dance
17:25 Interview with dance artist Jenni Koistinen and teacher of preparatory class Eeva Suhonen
Video 7: Ending of a class and tests
00:18 Greetings Tervehdykset
01:18 Interview with dance artists Amandine Doat
02:19 Listening stretching
03:14 Interview with dance artist Jenna Rignell
04:33 Verb test
06:03 Listening test
07:30 Interview with dance artist Jenni Koistinen and teacher of preparatory class Eeva Suhonen
09:54 Test: movement, describing and interpretation
11:00 Interview with Englsih adn Spanish teacher Andrea Aalto
TALK by Zodiak in publications and thesis
- Article: Eeva Anttila, University of the Arts Helsinki: Migrating Pedagogies: Encoutering Immigrant Pupils through Movement and Dance, 2019 (INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CRITICAL PEDAGOGY)
- Katja Kirsi: TALK – Taidetta ja liikettä kieltenopetukseen, Teatterikorkeakoulun julkaisusarja 2019
- Viivi Niiniketo, Pro Gradu: Körperlichkeit im frühen Dancing Fremdsprachenunterricht : Eine Aktionsforschung zum Embodiment, Helsingin yliopisto, humanistinen tiedekunta 2019
- Nikkanen, Kirsi, Anttila: Artistic Process as a Frame for Collaborative, Embodied Pedagogies – Combining dance with language learning, teoksessa Across Borders – Perspectives on Dance, Young People and Change, 2020
TALK project has been supported by Kone Foundation, The Finnish Cultural Foundation and Alfre Kordelin Foundation.
