Department of Education in Arts and Aesthetics, NCERT
Report
National Seminar on Art Integrated Learning
(17th and 18th December, 2012)
Arts have proved to be a natural language of children through which they respond to
their learning and developmental needs to gradually become productive and
contributing individuals of society. Integration of arts with other subjects has served
to overcome inhibitions of a different kind, and promote exploration, observation,
imagination and free expression. Integration of arts with curricular subjects can bring
variety in the teaching-learning process, promote inclusion through participation of
every child, enhance social values by appreciating and respecting the expression of
each other, and practice unity in diversity by sharing experiences of different families
and communities into the classroom.
The Department of Education in Arts and Aesthetics (DEAA), NCERT, following the
recommendations of the NCF 2005 to implement arts education as, (i) a curricular
area of school education from class I to X and (ii) as an approach to learning &
development, across the school curriculum and Implementation of the Right to
Education Act, 2009, has designed and launched programme on 'Art Integrated
Learning (AIL) in Primary Schools of Delhi in 2011-12, as a pilot project. The
programme was undertaken in collaboration with District Institute of Education and
Training (DIET), Rajinder Nagar, New Delhi.
Training based on specially designed training package, helped teachers develop
clarity and understanding about the concept and nature of arts as subject and also
about integration of arts with other subjects. The project is successfully implemented
and running in schools under the AIL project, with their teachers practicing the newly
learned approach in their classes and in schools.
The National Seminar was organised with keeping the following objectives in view: (i)
provide a platform to these teachers and school principals (trained on art integrated
learning) to share their experience and case studies of art integrated learning with
the wide range of stakeholders (teachers, teacher educators from different DIETs
and SCERTs, educational planners, administrators and policy makers etc.) from
across the country (ii) to share and understand ‘arts education’ as an innovative
approach for holistic learning and development at the primary level of school
education and (iii) to share the impact studies on AIL as approach, on the learning
and development of children in AIL classrooms, school environment, teachers'
interest & attitude, etc. and lastly (iv) for the advocacy of AIL for its scaling up in
different regions of the country.
The Seminar was inaugurated by Prof. Parvin Sinclair, Director NCERT, with a
positive note of giving a sincere try to explore and understand arts and their
importance in education as well as in life. 155 participants (School Teachers, teacher
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educators and Principals of DIETs, Directors SCERTs, representatives of different
organisations) attended the programme.
Keynote Address:
Prof. Krishan Kumar, the former Director, NCERT, an educationist and visionary,
gave his keynote speech wherein he stated that the major area of struggle in our
education system has always been in the area of arts education. The experience of
trying to establish arts education as a major curricular area of school education in the
country, the NCF, 2005 and after is a memorable experience for him.
He shared his love for the arts and the influence that arts and the art teacher, Prof.
Devi Prasad, who had made him understand arts has on him. He also mentioned
about Prof. Devi Prasad’s book, 'Arts as Basis of Education', as a must read for
teachers and teacher educators. The book, explains, “art is the way to peace; a
condition for life, to live a happy and healthy life.” To this he commented, “If you want
children to grow up learning something, you have to create an atmosphere of peace.
Peace comes from being able to create something that you will not care of, whether
liked by others or not; but you know that this is what you wanted to create, a creative
expression, and it does not require somebody’s certification.”
Further he stated, “the goal of education is to give the child a sense of freedom to
express and to realize his/her own potential, which is where the door is to make
progress in arts... When children are happier, they get a chance to feel that they are
creating something; their general motivation goes up. This is where arts become
basis of learning of education.”
Themes of the Presentations made:
Themes
Name of the Presenters
AIL – the Process : A project Report
Prof. Pawan Sudhir, DEAA, NCERT
Integration of Arts with Environmental Ms. Neerja, MCD School, Pankha Road
Studies
Integration of Arts with Mathematics
Ms. Rekha, NPV, New Chaukhandi
Integration of Arts with First Language Ms. Jyoti, MCPS, Paschim Puri
(Hindi)
Integration of Arts with English
Ms. Sangeeta C.,MCD School, Janak
Puri
“Kala ke Taane Baane”
Ms. Sharda Kumari, DIET, R.K. Puram
Impact of AIL on Assembly
Ms. Nirupama, MCPS, Nangloi Saidan
Impact of AIL on School Celebrations
Ms. Veena, NPV, New Chaukhandi
Impact of AIL on Bal Sabha
Ms. Rachita & Ms. Sangeeta B., MCPS,
Tagore Garden
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Impact of AIL on Community Involvement Ms. Madhu, MCPS, Nangloi Saidan
Art Integrated Learning and Inclusion- Ms. Shweta, MCPS, Tagore Garden
Different Case Studies
Enclave II
Ms. Sangeeta C., MCD School, Janak
Puri, New Delhi
Mr. Ravinder, MCPS, Mahavir Enclave II
Ms.
Purnima
Sampat,
Mumbai,
Maharashtra
Art Integrated Learning as a Tool for Ms. Neeta, MCPS, Tagore Garden
Continuous
and
Comprehensive Ms. Nirupama, MCPS, Nangloi Saidan
Evaluation at primary level
Ms. Rekha, NPV, New Chaukhandi
Training for Art Integrated Learning - An Dr. Ashok Arora and Dr. Lovely Puri,
Impact Study
DIET, Rajinder Nagar, New Delhi
AIL- the Road Ahead
Prof. Pawan Sudhir, DEAA, NCERT
The project, ‘Art Integrated Learning’ was studied for its impact by the team of
teacher educators and researchers from DIET, Rajinder Nagar, Jamia Millia Islamia
University and NCERT.
A ‘cultural evening’ wherein children from MC Primary Schools of J. J. Colony,
Pankha Road (One of the Schools under AIL project) gave a presentation on the life
of Mahatma Gandhi, and children from MCD school, Nizammudin Basti presented a
play on the RTE Act, 2009, a societal concern.
Coverage of the National Seminar in News paper- The programme was well
covered by the media (‘The Education Times’, a supplement of The Times of India,
dated 24th December, 2012, ‘The Speaking Tree’, a spiritual supplement of The
Times of India, dated 23rd December, 2012, and ‘Sakalbela’, dated 25th December,
2012. It was also covered on the Doordarshan news channel on 17 th December,
2012.)
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