Bhubaneswar, Aug. 1: Principals, teachers and parents listened to her with rapt attention as storyteller Kusumika Chatterjee gave them tips on how to make learning interesting.
An educator from Coventry, UK, Chatterjee gave the lecture at the Regional Science Centre here on Saturday.
The workshop -Once Upon a Time - organised by Helen O' Grady International, Speech and Drama Academy, Bhubaneswar, and the Regional Science Centre turned out to be a great learning experience for pre-primary and primary school teachers. More than 75 teachers from various premier English medium schools took part in it.
Kusumika told them how to involve and engage children in the classroom through various activities and address difficult subjects by spinning a funny story around it.
She was conferred the Queen's Award for her innovative methods in converting a boring class into a captivating one through the magic of stories.
"Use your hands and expression while telling a story. When you are a clown, laugh like one. When you are telling a story about a lion, be one," she told the participants.
Apart from advising the teachers about framing and structuring a story for a boring lesson, Kusumika also demonstrated how storytelling can be enriched through mime, movement, puppets and masks.
"I have developed the Indian technique of storytelling based on abhinaya (acting). My contents and stories are based on principles of multiculturalism. Back in Britain, I used to teach stories to the children from different countries who did not understand English with the help of abhinaya. The class used to get more interesting and fun and thereby the children would learn. I would find the difference in them in less than two weeks," she said.
Kusumika also spoke on the topic "Importance of Stories and Dramatics in Today's Education System" during the evening session - Stories and More.
"This innovative method of learning through stories and dramatics, which Kusumika has taught us, will help children enjoy their classroom learning and not consider studies a burden. They will develop clarity, retain more, and become confident to come out with creative methods of problem solving," Sudha Mishra, director of Helen O' Grady International, Bhubaneswar, said.
The Sunday morning session for parents was equally interesting. Titled "Connect," the workshop aimed at teaching parents how to nurture their child's natural leanings and encourage problem solving.
"In this era of technology, children are shifting focus from the real world and trying to live in a virtual one. The acceptance of failure has gone down by 80 per cent, while suicides and juvenile crimes are rising at a rapid pace," she said. To address these issues, Kusumika emphasised how storytelling and books can help reverse this alarming trend.
Project coordinator of Regional Science Centre, Bhubaneswar, Archana Khosla said the centre would love to conduct similar programmes for government schools and children living in slums.
