From ELT and Theatre trainer of Velammal Edu Network..

It was pay day for me today! As the Elt and Theatre trainer at Velammal Edu Network, I was given the golden opportunity to introduce theatre in the classroom last year in 2017. Today saw the culmination of that vision when the Grade 6 and 7 learners of VNGS Madipakam put up a fabulous show of “Theatre in Classroom”.

In order for learners to understand the world around them it is essential for them to be self-confident and creative, have communication skills and empathy, be problem solvers who can collaborate with others while knowing how to balance discipline and fun. Einstein said: “Imagination is more important than knowledge”, I truly believe imagination and knowledge need not be mutually exclusive. Theatre in education ensures the amalgamation of both, wherein learners make creative choices, think of new ideas, interpret material in unique ways and yes remember the learning for life. The teachers and students of VNGS Madipakam went through the process of bridging this divide beautifully.

With a ceremonial ribbon cutting to inaugurate the show, we took our seats and waited in anticipation. As I looked around I was pleased to see how the humble classroom had been transformed into an applause worthy theatre space with the use of simple wall art and seating arrangements. To bring in a cinematic experience the learners served the audience pop corn and drinks, and extended the analogy by introducing scenes using a ‘cardboard clapboard’. Both Grade 6 and 7 presented ‘Freeze frames’ or frozen images to depict the topics: right to vote and equality based on a lesson from their Social science text books. They then went on to use the ‘Hot Seating’ technique to demonstrate the role of the Election Commissioner, the party representatives with their election manifestos and the general public who questioned them. The audience too was involved in the process and was asked to cast their votes by show of hands. The party that won had the winning proposal which included reducing taxes and giving farmers fixed salaries to curb cases of suicides.

Other drama techniques like role play, decision alley, gallery walk and thought tracking were used ingeniously to explore topics ranging from tribal societies, architecture and world religions. Grade 7 learners placed the cherry on the cake when they engaged in a nail biting debate on gender bias with girls and boys in opposing sides. I must congratulate the spirited Ms. Yogita of grade 7 for being so articulate, firm yet pleasant in her role as moderator for the debate. I was glad to take this as an opportunity to address the parents on how they are shaping the budding ideologies of their children and they seemed to agree on the need for mindfulness in using non gender biased vocabulary at home.

 Kudos to all the teachers, learners and parents who participated whole heartedly in launching a Culture of Theatre and Making Learning Visible on campus. It speaks volumes for the vision of the group schools who believed in the power of Theatre and the Arts. I look forward to more such teaching learning opportunities in the future.

                                                                                                                       Kritika Dhiwahar
                                                                                                                       ELT and Theatre Trainer