A lesson well learnt

Making
learning a participatory process in schools always seems a tough task
to achieve. Involving children to rake up their imagination is indeed a challenge. In this article first published in the Teacher Plus
magazine, Chintan Girish Modi
shares some of his ideas, inspired by reading a book called Mr.
Forgetful, on how to make language lessons funner.

First,
on getting the kids to reflect upon the story:

“Read out the title of the story to your
students – Mr Forgetful. Ask them to think about the title and
guess what the story might be about. The objective is to get them to
reflect on how a title can often throw light on the plot. Elicit
answers and put them up on the black board in the form of a mind map.
If something sounds silly or weird, do not reject it outright. You
have offered students an opportunity to use their imagination, and
they might want to let it run wild as they predict what lies in
store. It is often great fun to hear the amazing range of things
students come up with. There is a lot of scope for laughter in the
classroom as they share their thoughts. And there’s just so much
more material for stories of different kinds to take shape!

This is what a mind-map could look like: [A box in the middle
of the blackboard saying ‘Mr Forgetful. Arrows jutting out of the
box, pointing in different directions. Each arrow corresponds to a
student response — 1. forgets his house address 2. forgets to do his
homework 3. forgets to switch off lights and fans 4. forgets to have
a bath 5. forgets what his mother sent him to buy from the market 6.
forgets to brush his teeth]”

Then,
on urging them to let their thoughts fly:

“Ask each student to choose an adjective and
create a character possessing that quality. For example: Miss
Naughty, Mr Happy, Miss Kind, Mr Cruel. These are just examples. Ask
students to come up with adjectives. Fill up the blackboard with all
the adjectives they come up with. Each student is expected to now
write a story in such a way that the quality chosen by them is
embodied in the characterization, and highlighted in the events and
dialogue.

* Write along with your students. It is a great way to enter
their shoes, and feel what they feel like. It is also tremendous fun.
You cease to be just their teacher. You become a fellow writer, a
comrade of sorts. They will welcome your participation and gain
confidence to write their own stories and share them freely.”