The Progressive Teacher Vol 02 Issue 04

progress report
–Abha Adams
One of the more positive
developments of Indian
education in the 21 st
century is the waning romance
of the public with Science
or PCB (Physics, Chemistry,
Biology) subjects and widening
interest in the liberal arts and
humanities. With industryincluding
the media- experiencing
an accentuating shortage of
well-educated communicators,
writers and journalists capable
of cogently expressing corporate
messages, news reports, analyses
and highlighting social sciences
issues, there’s a healthy and involvement with the liberal and performing of designing seals and pottery,
socially beneficial revival of
studying hieroglyphics and
parental and student interest
arts allows students’ multiple intelligences
planning townships. Animated
in the liberal-including the to be acknowledged, developed and
discussions of drama students
performing-arts.
re-enacting the signing of the
appreciated. Children who learn and
Looking back, I can confidently
Treaty of Versailles could bring
state that the many hours think differently may well possess verbal, History alive in a classroom.
spent in rehearsing for stage
physical and interpersonal skills, logical and
Unfortunately, limited time and
productions, choreography
the pressure of exam-driven
and dance; attending music intuitive thinking and spatial and kinesthetic syllabuses discourage exploration
festivals; scripting and shooting
intelligences.
of cross-disciplinary linkages
audio visuals; and running the
through co-curricular activities.
The Importance of Performing Arts
art club in school and college,
were intense formative and
learning experiences. Certainly
not a waste of time as popularly
believed. Indeed there’s no
greater thrill than attaining
excellence while performing live.
It’s the equivalent of scoring
a superb goal or making the
perfect abhinaya, brush stroke,
or swara. That’s when you
experience intense exhilaration
and the magical moment when
the performer is in perfect
harmony with her audience.
Yet despite the proven beneficial
outcomes of co-curricular
education, so many children
never experience it because they
are chained to the millstone
of exams and a system which
insists that learning should be
confined to mastering academic
subjects. Well-known author,
speaker and international advisor
on education in the arts, Sir
Ken Robinson bemoans the fact
that globally, education systems
are designed for churning out
university professors. For most
students, learning through the
arts stops in primary school, with
aimless quizzing and debates as
the only so-called ‘co-curricular’
activities in senior school.
The question needs to be
squarely posed and answered:
Why is liberal and performing
arts education important for
students? The answer can
be found in the curriculum
frameworks of many progressive
countries. By studying and
learning the arts, students
develop skills which according
to Robinson are vital for our
future: critical appreciation and
knowledge of artistic techniques,
and familiarity with the cultural
nuances of dance, drama,
media, music, visual arts and a
combination of art forms.
Indeed with new discoveries
in cognitive science, it is now
well-established that cultural
co-curricular education enables
students to:
• Learn creative ways to
express themselves and
develop critical faculties to
assess their own work and
artistry of others.
• Use their senses, perceptions,
feelings and values to
communicate ideas, emotions
and experiences.
• Produce artistic work to
inform, teach and provoke,
challenge existing ideas and
values and offer new ways of
thinking and feeling.
• Discover personal creativity,
satisfaction and pleasure for
lifelong enjoyment.
More significantly, involvement
with the liberal and performing
arts allows students multiple
intelligences to be acknowledged,
developed and appreciated.
Children who learn and think
differently may well possess
verbal, physical and interpersonal
skills, logical and intuitive
thinking and spatial and
kinesthetic intelligences.
The potential for crosscurricular
links are many and
progressive schools are beginning
to encourage projects that
integrate art, music, dance and
drama. For instance, a study
of the Indus Valley civilisation
offers children the possibility
Abha
Adams: As
a founding
team member
of SBS (Step
by Step
School), Noida
she joined
SBS in 2006.
An alumna and member of
the faculty of English at Lady
Shri Ram College, she holds a
second post graduate degree
from University of Leeds. With
37 years of experience in India
and the UK, Abha’s career
spans education, media and
arts management. In the UK,
she worked with University
of Leeds, BBC North and
Arts Council. She has spent
13 years as director of the
Shri Ram Schools and writes
extensively on education. She
is currently a member of the
boards of Assam Valley School,
Ahvaan Trust and Fab India
Education Trust.
So what can teachers do to
arouse and develop the latent
intelligences of children? We can,
as so many of us are doing, offer
a parallel curriculum and hope
students will find the energy and
time to follow it. Regrettably, the
academic system forces children
to choose between learning
through co-curricular education
and cramming for formal exams
in the pursuit of excellent
grades in board exams. However,
students seeking admission
into universities abroad know
the value of engagement with
areas of student life other
than academics, which often
determines admissions.
Another option is for the
teachers’ community to lobby
for an arts curriculum policy
which mandates that every child
in K-10 schooling compulsorily
signs up for at least one
performing arts activity, be it
dance, drama, music, visual arts
or emerging technologies. In an
ideal world, it should also be
necessary for every student to
participate in one sports activity
as well.
If this could happen through
reducing board examination
syllabuses, by cutting irrelevant
and meaningless portions, we
could, as happens in fairy tales,
wake up one morning and find
our students wanting, willing and
happy to learn.
6 The Progressive Teacher Sep/Oct 2015