Puppetry for primary schoolkids on anvil

The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) and the State Council for Education and Research Training (SCERT) are planning to introduce a separate module for puppetry and storytelling in the curriculum for primary school students.

While puppetry already forms a small part of Activity Based Learning in classrooms, a separate training module dedicated to puppetry and storytelling is among the seven modules being developed by the SSA and the SCERT for the academic year 2016-17, based on which the Block Resource Trainers (BRTs) are being trained.

J. Inbaraj, Reader at the SCERT, said the Council had framed the curriculum, based on which the SSA had been carrying out training sessions for the BRTs, who in turn would impart the knowledge to teachers across the State. Based on the curriculum, the SSA and the SCERT have also drafted manuals for BRTs as well as teachers.

The storytelling manual for teachers contains a number of stories based on moral values and basic concepts which can be acted out with puppets, and also tips for teachers on how to promote classroom interactions.

Elaborating on the module, R. Malathy, senior consultant with the State Project Office of SSA, said the initiative was aimed at encouraging teachers to use puppetry as a form of storytelling, not only to impart basic morals and values but also as a means of teaching some challenging concepts in subjects such as Mathematics, Science and Social Science.

“We are encouraging this method to induce interest among students to learn and help them grasp concepts easily,” she said.

A training module on puppetry and storytelling is being developed for the 2016-17 academic year