Date: May 23-25, 2016
Location: AuroMirra International School, Bengaluru
Twenty-five teachers enthusiastically participated in a Theatre in Integral Education Workshop spread over three days from May 23 to 25, 2016 held at AuroMirra International School in Bengaluru. The teachers were able to explore, via the workshop, the complete process of developing a theatre performance and the vast scope of theatre arts as a tool for discernment of self and surroundings. They began with some of their observations they felt strongly about, and through the process of synthesis they discovered their central theme. Moving ahead with their central theme they experienced the seed (their central theme) develop into a fully blossomed tree (their performance). The entire workshop was orientated towards realizing the scope of this developmental process as a means to bring about an integral development in children in a bound and unbound classroom. The improvisational play way method of story building and its preparations, performance and assimilation of what they realized, uplifted our teachers’ confidence and showed them how they can incorporate processes and elements of theatre arts in their day-to-day classroom teaching.
The workshop was facilitated by Ravi Shanker, a theatre in education enthusiast, stage and voice actor and now a part of ICIE as Creative Director for Theatre in Integral Education.
Some feedback
“Wonderful, beautiful experience of exploring myself . . . These nine hours of knowing theatre with its various possibilities in the light of integral education has thrown up so many questions about myself. It is most certainly going to help me a lot in understanding my children even more and in a better way. And yes, it’s also a discovery of life: that life is not only about aspiring towards a supreme goal but also about knowing oneself and gradually overcoming all obstacles . . .”
– Pratima, Pre-primary and primary teacher at AMIS, Bengaluru
“I always assumed that you need to have a flare for theatre. The workshop helped me realize that a forum like this facilitates and brings out what’s within you. In my experience as a teacher I have noticed children coming forward to enact and most often choose to act like their icons. I have asked children to enact a story that they have heard or read, but I never facilitated in helping them create a theme which is from their heart. I like to plan and think on my own, but coordinating my thoughts with others also resulted in a flow and theme. This is an area which I need to explore more and learn to integrate. This will help me to be an effective facilitator.”
– Jubailene, Pre-primary teacher AMIS, Bengaluru
“I was a little hesitant and reluctant to speak and perform but all the discussions and sharing that took place in the session helped me open up . . .. The plays that we performed on various themes such as ‘Creative expression’, ‘Be the example that you want to see’ and on ‘transcendence’ will help us in our personal lives as well as with our children in the class . . .. I will now be able to narrate and act out stories in front of my class in a better way by making use of music, movement, art and craft.”
– Sharmin, Pre-primary teacher at AMIS, Bengaluru
“These beautiful days of acting made me realize various hidden aspects about myself. Overcoming fear was one of those key aspects . . .. All this while observing Mr. Ravi Shanker I also noticed the importance of posture, body language and hand movements and how he used it to captivate his listeners . . .. I learnt the importance of positivity and appreciated how Mr. Shanker used positive gestures and comments always leaving his listeners with a good feeling about themselves.”
– Kevin Rosario Rodrigues, Music Teacher at AMIS, Bengaluru