Dharamshala: The Department of Education, CTA organised a 3-day Theatre and Storytelling Workshop for the Pre-primary teachers and Crèche caretakers of North Zone from 30 May – 2 June 2022 at the Library of Manjushree Educational Services, McLeod Ganj, Dharamshala.
Deepa Balasubramanian – the founder of Story Arts Foundation, international storyteller, national award-winning Educationist, TEDx Speaker and Writer – took part in the workshop as a resource person.
At the inaugural program of the workshop, the head of the Academic Section Tenzin Dorjee spoke about the ECCE program of the Department of the Education and the objectives of the workshop.
Since early childhood teachers have to be exceptionally responsive to young children’s individual needs and their overall growth, participating in this theatre and storytelling workshop can stimulate teachers’ creativities and thought processes by making them more aware and sensitive toward children’s overall growth.
During the workshop, Deepa took session on various topics under storytelling such as: different ways of story-telling by using whole body communication by giving demo on how to tell story to children, how to choose a good story, drawing the emotions and sharing it within the group, how to create a story by understanding Hero’s Journey, voice Modulation, how to do Read Aloud by giving demo, followed by group activity, pre-requisites of creating stories, and using props for storytelling.
Govind who is currently in the U.S also took a virtual session on Origami and Meena Swaroop from Mysore took a virtual session on Book Making by children for children.
Twenty-Six participants took part in the workshop consisting of 19 Pre-primary teachers from 9 different schools and 7 Child Caretakers from 4 different Crèches in Dharamshala. Last year, 50 pre-primary teachers were trained virtually on the same topic and with this physical workshop, all the Pre-primary teachers in the North & North-East Zone are trained on the Theatre & Storytelling.
Secretary Jigmey Namgyal of DoE graced the closing session while the coordinator of the workshop Sonam Gangsang presented a brief report of the workshop followed by 2 groups of participants acted out the story they created by using the props they have prepared. Few of them also shared their experience of taking part in the workshop. In addition, Director of Manjushree Educational Service Buddha Kyab spoke briefly on how the NGO focuses on the ECCE program and its objectives.
Before concluding the event, Jigme Namgyal expressed appreciation to resource person and commended participants for actively participating in the workshop during their school’s summer holiday. He spoke on the importance of storytelling and recommended a few good books related to storytelling for small children. He further said the Early Childhood Care Education (ECCE) program is one of the important projects that helps to build the proper growth & development of small children which has been initiated by DoE in recent years.
The Department of Education will organise the same workshop, funded by USAID, for the Pre-primary teachers in the South Zone before September of this year.
-Report filed by Department of Education, CTA