The Samagra Shiksha, Kerala, is looking to theatre to improve students’ communication skills and proficiency in English.
Two-day camps to improve English skills of lower and upper primary students with the help of arts, especially theatre, will begin in the district on Saturday.
The camps will include a number of activities that will equip the students to present a skit or a small play on the second day of the camp. The Samagra Shiksha has prepared a module for the camp. For instance, children will initially be asked to make some place to hold the workshop and leave their footwear outside, all in 10 seconds. All instructions will be given in English. The time taken to complete the task will be checked and the students asked why they were unable to finish it in time and why they failed to ask for more time. This will help the students learn how to plan and visualise and implement activities.
Training has been given to one resource person or teacher from each of the 12 block resource centres in the district to lead the camp.
First camp
The first camp will begin at the VMJ Upper Primary School, Vallakkadavu, on Saturday. V.S. Sivakumar, MLA, will inaugurate the camp. A camp will be held at Government Upper Primary School, Vithura, too on the day. The next weekend, camps would be held in six schools, Samagra Shiksha District Project Officer B. Sreekumaran said.
Teachers of other schools nearby will be invited to take part in the activities. They can then implement them in their own schools.
