Capacity Building of Master Trainers on Art Integrated Learning (AIL)
Venue: RIE, Mysore
Date: 03-01-12 to 07-01-12
Number of participants: 40
Coordinator of the programme: Dr. Pawan Sudhir, Prof. and Head DEAA
The five day workshop for Master Trainers of South Indian States: Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra
Pradesh and Tamil Nadu on Art Integrated Learning began with a discussion on the role of Arts in
Education. All the participants were provided with a training package on art education, and a copy of
the Position Paper on Arts, Music, Dance and Theatre.
Prof. Premalatha Sharma, Principal, RIE, Mysore addressed the participants and talked about
the need to integrate arts education into the learning of different subjects. She encouraged the groups to
make use of the beautiful campus for conducting activities and wished the programme success.
The team of Key Resource Persons: Prof. Pawan Sudhir, Dr. Sharbari Banerjee, Smt. Veena
Gandhi, Dr. Ashok Arora, Smt. Purnima Sampat, and Smt. Uma Sharma, all worked closely with the
participants throughout the five day long program. The main objective of the program was to bring
quality into primary education through Art Experiences, 'the art integrated learning'. How arts help
individuals have better control over their body and mind, grow sensitive to the world around, maximize
perceptions, promote divergent thinking and avoid stereotypes.
Sessions were based on the modules namely: Ice-breakers, Arts in Every Day Life, Methods and
Materials of Visual and Performing Arts, Meaning and Concept of Arts Education, Integration of Arts
in Education, Role of Museums in Education and Evaluation. Every session was fully interactive and
participatory. There were brain storming sessions on integration of arts with subjects, group work to
develop exemplary materials and mock sessions to have firsthand experience of conducting art
integrated learning. There were art based ice breakers and performances to keep everyone alert and
involved throughout the day.
Everyday there were a number of video films/clips and power point presentations to support and
clarify the concept building sessions; this made learning easier and faster. The beautiful RIE campus
was more like Shantiniketan, providing shady trees for group discussions and performances.
Participants enjoyed exploring the campus for gathering natural materials to be used for organizing art
experiences.
The session on role of museums in education was followed by the field visit to Folklore
museum, Jaganmohana Art Gallery and Mysore Palace, and later in the evening to Brindavan Gardens.
The visit was educative on various counts. We all felt that Art perhaps is naturally interwoven with life.
However, we need an eye for experiencing it and exploiting its potential for our own advancement. We
need to be aware of it, we need to experience it deeply, we need to incorporate it in our lives and we
need to grow with it, finally to reach the sublime. Integrating Art into learning is to help children
explore their own nature and nurture qualities unique to them.
Reflections from the participants:
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Mock sessions and presentations helped in developing clarity.
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The discussions essentially centered around how activities can be made more aesthetic.
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The discussions on how daily assemblies can be creatively planned and made meaningful to
children and viewing the video on taking attendance were very interesting and helped in
generating a variety of ideas, discussions and insights.
•
Art activities created a lot of enthusiasm among the participants and evoked the creative talent
in every one. Arts can lead to the overall development of the personality of the child, making
him/her a better human being.
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Every day was a day of ideas in a continuum, starting from the stereotypes, moving towards out
of the box thinking. It is surely possible to brighten up the routine activities by bringing in the
art element.
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Starting from creating simple vases, the groups went on to make masks, drawings, puppets,
stick figures, and models. The activity built awareness among all participants about the
possibilities of using locally available resources as learning material.
•
The DIET faculty, who are not regular classroom teachers, proved that they could be as good as
regular teachers. The teachers exhibited their art works using drawings, charts, models,
worksheets, role plays, discussions, story enactments through the use of body language as well
as locally available resources. After each presentation, the RPs discussed the session, and
highlighted the points to be taken care through brainstorming and group discussion method.
•
The discussions were quite useful. The manner in which positive points were appreciated and
some not so good practices were analyzed made everyone comfortable to receive the feedback.
•
This program was different in regard with 100% involvement and joyful learning for all.
Suggestions from Participants:
•
The question of integration of arts into learning seems to stop with the preparation of material
and using them in the classroom. Using the material is not an end in itself. Arts here become a
means to an end. Hence, conceptual clarity and appropriateness in the use of materials would be
very crucial. This can be discussed further.
•
Identifying material cannot precede identifying the competencies to be learnt. Mere collection
of materials would not mean anything, however good they are. A discussion on the very concept
of learning - constructivism and its classroom applications - succeeded by integrating arts
would make better sense.
•
Should AIL limit itself to classroom learning or can it stretch its scope beyond is another
question that needs to be considered side by side. Fine tuning sensibilities, helping learners
grow sensitive to the environment around; holistic approach to learning could be discussed.
The groups need to engage in some meta-thinking in order to assimilate whatever is practiced
here into their respective systems.
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The involvement of community could also be discussed. Many a times, the efforts done in the
school are put in a reverse gear by the community. It is necessary to educate parents on how
they should regard learning; how resources in the house should be put to proper use; how the
TV programmes have to be understood, etc. This might look a little out of place for this
training. Unless the community is considered in our efforts at improving the quality of
learning, it would not yield the necessary results.