DEVELOPMENT of FAVARMS Pedagogy 2003 Version (2).Pdf
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DEVELOPMENT OF FAVARMS PEDAGOGY This section attempts to present the development of FAVARMS Pedagogy from its origin together with the various processes it underwent day by day till the date of its completion. It also deals with the actual lesson plan followed while teaching through FAVARMS Pedagogy. As a teacher in a middle school, the investigator used to teach history lessons through folk songs and dances, especially through villuppaattu (Bow- song), with the help of the upper primary students from 1987 to 2000. After becoming a teacher educator in the DIET, the investigator has continued and is continuing to teach history lessons through folk arts such as Villuppaattu, Kummi (dancing with rhythmic clapping), Kolattam (dancing with rhythmic striking of coloured sticks) , Oyilattam (dance of beauty), puppetry etc. On 09.01.2003 the investigator got a chance to teach one history lesson -Sangam age of Tamil People, through folk song and dance to 50 students of IV standard in front of all the ninety teacher educators who were handling social science in all the then 29 DIETs of Tamil Nadu. The teacher trainees helped the investigator in the art of teaching through folk song and dance. It was they who took the role of different kings of Sangam age (From 3rd century B.C to 3rd century A.D). All the teacher educators appreciated the investigator and his troupe for having given them an innovative and interesting teaching model. The feedback letters got from them are with the investigator and were shown to the research guide and the samples of them are given in the appendix titled: Feedback from Teacher Educators. In 2004, a mini experiment was conducted, adopting experimental method consisting of two equivalent groups by the investigator. The result was positive and it was exposed in the Inter DIET seminar conducted by the DIET, Aduthurai, Thanjavur on 19th and 20th of March, 2005 and in the National Seminar on ICT initiatives for Quality Improvement at Elementary Stage of Education at NCERT, New Delhi, on 29th and 30th of March, 2005. A Two day workshop was conducted in the DIET, Kurukkathi, on 1.9.05 & 5.9.05 for all the 20 teachers who were handling social science for upper primary classes in Kilvelur union then. At first they were given orientation on folk arts in general and villuppaattu, therukkooththu and oyilattam in particular by the experts from folklore department and the department of Educational technology. Secondly the therukkooththu artists from Neiveli displayed two plays, namely the Mahabharatham and the Ramayanam in front of the teachers and 80 students of seventh standard. (Each teacher brought four students from their own class). These students were expected to act as the helpers to the teachers, when they would teach history through the folk arts in their classes. Thirdly the elements, which could be transferred from therukkooththu to the strategy of teaching history, were listed out by the teachers with the help of the experts. After that the story of Second Pandiyas was told to the therukkooththu artists. They performed the story in their style. The sample teachers, students and the experts observed it. The performance was critically analyzed by the teachers and the experts. Then the teachers were divided into five groups. Each group was asked to choose a particular topic in VII std. history textbook and write the script for the same to display the content through therukkooththu. The same procedure was followed for the other two folk arts. After four days i.e on 5.9.05, once again all the sample teachers were asked to come for the workshop with the same students. First they discussed about their own scripts. Then one model class using therukkooththu, one model class using villuppaattu, and one more model class through oyilattam were performed in front of the teachers and the helpers by the investigator with the help of the teacher trainees. Next in an open discussion with the teachers, the pros and cons were charted out and the necessary modifications were carried out. The modified scripts were prepared and issued to each teacher. The sample teachers were given one-week time (Since it was the first time) to take practice and teach the same topics, through the same folk arts in front of the students in their class with the help of the helpers. The students were asked to write their opinion in their notebooks. The teachers were also asked to (write diaries) note down the difficulties, they came across, during their teaching through folk arts. The needed alterations were made on the basis of the opinion of the teachers and the students in the script and in the implementation too. In addition to this, the teacher trainees (2005 – 2006) were asked to try to teach some history lessons through folk art form with the help of the aforesaid scripts during li their internship period. Though the trainees taught various topics through different folk art forms, one lesson taught through villuppaattu in P.U. middle school, Poravachery; another lesson taught through therukkooththu in P.U. Middle school, Kilvelur; and one more lesson taught through Oyilattam in Kumaran Middle school, Manchakollai, were observed by the investigator and video coverage was made. As it is presented in the review of related empirical studies, the investigator carried out a few mini experiments with folk arts with the help of the teacher trainees. During this period the trainees from Kurukkathi DIET were invited to various CRC centers to take model class i.e teaching history lessons through folk arts. The invitation came not only from Nagapattinam district but also from the nearby district, Tiruvarur. One such lesson was taught in the CRC, Pulivalam, in Tiruvarur District on 22.07.2006. The audience (teachers from Tiruvarur block) was taken up very much by the way of teaching history and they started to present the troupe, money and articles like pen, towel, cloth etc. On the request of the investigator, the money was returned back and the articles were distributed to the DIET students, who helped to perform the art. Stimulated by the model class performed by the investigator and his troupe, many teachers both in the Nagapattinam and Tiruvarur district tried to teach history lessons through folk arts. To mention a few, Balu and Nandakumar from Tiruvarur union, Tiruvarur district and Tilaga, Vembaian, Srinivasan, Chandiraprapha from Kilvelur union, Nagapattinam district, continue to teach history lessons through folk art forms even today. Thus the investigator has started the art of teaching history through folk arts since 1987 and continues the same with certain modifications and improvement at each and every time. Now it would be better to discuss about the final shape of the lesson plans used for the experiment conducted for the students sample in 2009 – 2010 and for the teacher sample during 2010 – 2011. lii LESSON PLAN FOR FAVARMS PEDAGOGY The lesson plan of the FAVARMS Pedagogy has the following parts: 1. Presentation part, 2. Practicing part, 3. Presentation part, 4. Evaluation part, 5. Follow up work and 6. Estimation part . Preparation Part This includes selection of a particular topic, determining the objectives of the topic, choosing a particular folk art that could be used to deliver the content, writing the script suited to the folk art chosen, correcting and improving the script. Practicing Part The second part consists of selecting the performers and giving them practice. It also includes selection of dress materials and other make up things for the performers and preparation of teaching learning materials such as word/sentence cards, pictures, maps, etc. Presentation Part The presentation part starts with motivation. Motivation Conventionally villuppaattu and therukkooththu start with motivation activities like praying to god, welcoming the audience, introducing the performers and introducing the theme of the day. The same features were adopted here too. Additionally reviewing the previous day theme was also added. But the traditional oyilattam has no motivation part. It straightly starts with the theme of the dance. While teaching through oyilattam, motivation part was added and it is explained in the following session under the heading ‘Application of the plan to Oyilattam format’. Teaching – Learning process Traditionally in villuppaattu and therukkooththu the theme is introduced through songs and explained through dialogue in the former and through koothu (a folk style of dance) in the latter. In oyilattam, the theme commences with the song and is explained through the series of steps. The same patterns were adopted in teaching history through FAVARMS Pedagogy with some additional techniques. Reinforcement Reinforcement is the new technique launched by the investigator, while performing the folk arts with the intention of teaching history. It was done by repeating the last portion of the songs, or the dialogue or the dance and by raising questions and clearing the doubts. In addition to this, group activities were also carried out at the end of each topic. liii Values learned from the topic Though throughout the lesson i.e from start to end values were insisted at each and every stage or scene, finally after the formal evaluation was over, the students were asked to narrate or write down the moral, social, political, cultural, aesthetic, economical or educational values they learned through the topic. Evaluation of students’ achievement This technique too was introduced by the investigator, while performing the folk arts for the purpose of teaching history. Inbuilt evaluation was carried out along with the progress of the lesson. In villuppaattu, the Pulavar or his disciples would question each other and get answer. Sometimes they would question the audience and get answer or help them know the answer. Similarly in therukkooththu, the hero or the buffoons play the above mentioned role.