Workshops
The Centre for Cultural Resources and Training (CCRT) organises Workshops related to specific themes for in-service teachers of primary, middle, secondary and senior secondary schools from all parts of the country, throughout the year. Through these Workshops, teachers are introduced to innovative methods in classroom teaching that encourage creativity and sensitivity in the child. These Workshops help teachers to achieve an integrated approach to education and provide methodologies of a cultural input in curriculum teaching.
They also aim at :
- Creating an awareness of the natural and cultural heritage of India.
- Evolving and trying out new methodologies for creative work in classroom teaching.
- Using specific art forms and puppetry as an aid to education.
The duration of these workshops varies from 10 to 15 days depending on the theme of the workshop. Towards achieving the above mentioned aims each workshop has many activities.
Some of the general activities are as follows
Preparation of Educational Aids:
Teachers design their own educational aids in the form of folios, flow charts, booklets, etc. highlighting the specific objectives of the workshop. For example, during “Socially Useful Productive Work/Work Experience” workshop, a booklet on the steps involved in learning of crafts or in a workshop on “Role of Schools in Conservation of the Natural and Cultural Heritage” an educational aid on comparative studies in Architecture can be prepared. The educational aids aim at an academic approach to the study of art and culture and its input in formal and non-formal education.
Selection and Completion of Projects :
Based on the theme of the Workshop, the teachers select projects and collect data using survey sheets, resource books for making project reports.
Quiz, Educational Games and Audio-Visual Presentations:
For creating awareness of the Natural and Cultural Heritage, selected questions as in Quiz Programmes or Educational games are introduced to the teachers. Audio-visual presentations are also made with this objective in mind.
Learning of Crafts:
Local crafts of a region are taught to the participants by traditional craft persons using locally available low cost material.
Learning of Songs in Regional Languages :
To foster a spirit of national integration and develop a sense of appreciation for the beauty in music and different languages, selected songs from different regions and languages of India are taught to the participants.
Educational Visits:
Educational visits to places of historical importance such as monuments and museums, places of natural importance such as zoo and nature parks are conducted during each workshop. Specific Worksheets are designed for these visits to develop skills of observation and create an understanding of the aesthetics and beauty inherent in the natural and cultural environment. The teachers are encouraged to prepare and use similar worksheets while they take their students on such visits. The role of students in conservation of the natural and cultural heritage is also discussed during these visits.
Interaction with Local School Students:
During the workshops, the participating teachers get an opportunity to interact with students from the formal and non-formal stream of education. Such opportunities help the teachers to practice the skills they have acquired during the workshop. Sometimes, the students come to the venue of the Workshop and at other times, the teachers are taken to schools or other institutions.
Evaluation:
An evaluation is conducted after each workshop to gauge the comprehension of the teachers and to test their grasp of the knowledge gained. This regular feedback after the training helps in developing approaches and methodologies to improve the training techniques.
