Introduction
Children are the fountain of joy and hope. They run around with no boundaries and are intrigued by everything on their way. There is no paved path for their growth, they have to find their own way. In this journey as parents and teachers let us walk along as guides for these little ones. See them laugh and cry, happy and disappointed. Let everyday be a practice and see them dare to speak their heart out so that they can write their own story and be proud of it.
With respect for each child individually the inner and outer world differs. They experience it, feel it and create their own understanding. This does not come in Textbooks. The only way to make this possible is by providing an environment, the freedom where they can experiment, express and create. The only way to achieve this is to flow with the nature of the child. Playfulness, innocence and intelligence are all important.
Once you understand nature you are not in a hurry for the seed to grow but you nurture them with love, respect and freedom. In order to make education more vibrant, is Creative Drama the answer?
Let’s read how creative drama helps children achieve this. Creative drama works on the element of play to create a nonjudgmental learning environment where the child is totally involved, happy and fearless. The guide helps the children to get aware of themselves, their abilities, ( sensory and Motor) once they know themselves, they are introduced to activities and games which help in cooperation and coordination i.e. knowing the others. Lastly their imagination and creativity is stretched and in this process their observational skills, sensitivity and problem solving skills are sharpened.
It is only after being aware of oneself and developing the sensorial perceptual motor development that cognitive learning begins.
If the earlier developmental areas are omitted then the problems are manifested in later learning and personality.
The Development Path
Body awareness: It is not just naming the body parts but being aware of them, understanding the body’s movement in space in relation to other limbs and objects. It is the information that the brain receives from the muscles and joints to make us aware of body position and body movements which in turn allows skills to become automatic.
Eye hand coordination- the ability to process information received from the eyes to control, guide and direct the hands in the performance of a given task such as catching a ball or handwriting.
Postural control– The ability to stabilise the trunk and neck to enable coordination of the limbs for controlled task performance.
Ocular motor control– It refers to the six muscles surrounding each eye. These muscles work together to produce controlled eye movements. When there is oculomotor dysfunction evident a child may have difficulty in visual attention, visual memory, balance, reading and writing.
It is after these developments that cognitive learning begins.
My Story: How Creative Drama Worked
I was a silent observer to this for 5-7 years. It is then I took this as my research study to understand the magic happening here.I did a lot of case studies. It had helped one and all. The quietest in the class could be loud and bold on the stage, the autistic child who was shy and withdrawn in the class would participate wholeheartedly in storytelling, the super energetic ones were ready to work in teams.
The child who was unable to write his alphabet for the last two years was now ready to learn anything. Not just this, the conditioned students or the disciplined ones had now felt the freedom, children could imagine and express, and bloomed developing their senses, motor capacities, stretching their imagination, believing in the moment.
For further insights about various theories and how creative drama can be included in the curriculum, please continue to read , Creative Drama Theories And Improvised Curriculum: Part II
Dr. Ritu Dak is Principal Vidhyashram Public School Bani Park Jaipur. Firmly believes in providing a safe and secure space to children to blossom. Tendering with love and care she helps children to connect with the world with all the goodness and infinite capabilities within their own selves.
An ardent traveler who strongly believes that travel is learning.
Dr Ritu can be reached at :-
Email :- dakritu@yahoo.com
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