Reconstructing Pedagogy through Performing Arts

A special session was organized by Chitkara College of Education, Chitkara University, Punjab, on “Reconstructing the Pedagogy through Performing Arts” under CLIL Academic Module Activity. This one-of-a-kind event witnessed the presence of prominent personalities, Padma Shri Dr. Mohan Agashe, and an Indian Theatre and Film actor and Ms. Simi Srivastava.

Opening the session on ‘Bringing Theatre into Classroom’, Dr Agashe talked about the importance of incorporating theatre in classroom learning. He shared notable examples and experiences on how theatre makes an individual think, imagine and express himself/herself, through the medium of communication, be it in any language. This usage of language not only makes the content learning in the classroom understandable but also promotes the significance of regional languages. Once the students understand the content in their language, it becomes easy for them to learn the same in the English language. He also expressed how facilities such as the Language Lab at Chitkara University go a long way in appreciating regional languages and their usefulness in facilitating content comprehension through Theatre.

Ms. Simi Srivastava, Founder Director of Kathashala and Master Storyteller, shared her views on ‘Sneak a Peek into the World of Storytelling’ emphasizing upon how any subject can be taught by telling a story in the regional language and then making students learn the content in English language. For this, she shared various examples that one can use in the classroom. Ms. Simi animatedly narrated many stories by donning various roles, modifying her voice and using expressive gestures. This session, by integrating content and language learning, not only brought about an awareness among the students on the significance of the regional language but also emphasized how understanding in the regional language can help the student learn the content with much ease.