Theatrically-rich classroom pedagogy shared by Mr. Vikram Gokhle at Chitkara University

Chitkara College of Education (CCE) welcomed the prospective teachers on the first day of their journey to become the alpha teachers, on September 2, 2019, at the campus. To make the occasion even more special, CCE invited renowned and eminent Indian film & theatre artist, Mr. Vikram Gokhle; and Master Storyteller & Curriculum designer, Ms. Simi Srivastava; to conduct expert sessions on Performing Arts.

Hon’ble Dr. Madhu Chitkara, Vice-Chancellor, Chitkara University; and Dr. Niyati Chitkara, Principal, Chitkara International School; welcomed the guests to the campus. Following the lamp lighting ceremony, the experts interacted with students and later conducted sessions on Performing Arts, and conditioned the prospective teachers to use Performing Arts as a classroom pedagogy – restructuring tool, through highly enriching and engaging sessions on ‘Bringing Theatre into Classroom’ and ‘A sneak peek into the world of Storytelling’.

Theatre and Performing Arts are powerful tools, which not only engage the creative side of the brain but also provide an ideal balance in students’ patterns of study. It’s easy for children to become swamped in a sea of theory, which is why subjects that offer practical learning are essential to rejuvenate and engage students, iterated both the speakers while sharing the objective behind conducting these sessions for prospective teachers.

Mr. Gokhle and Ms. Srivastava also praised Chitkara University for developing such a “powerful and revolutionary B.Ed. program which is in sync with the industry and caters to the demands of the present generation’s learning style”.

Addressing the new batch of alpha teachers at the Orientation Program, Dr. Madhu Chitkara, Vice-Chancellor, Chitkara University; said, “It is very important to keep pace with latest educational trends and techniques when teaching the millennial and digital natives. The students these days have very short attention span and it becomes very challenging for a teacher to conceive engaging lessons for these learners. Inclusion of Performing Arts in education provides the learner with the opportunity to engage their mind, body and emotions into a collaborative expression. Pedagogy maestros – Mr. Vikram Gokhle and Ms. Simi Srivastava, have beautifully depicted the same in their expert talk and workshop.”