Right now we are in a stage of evolution, an evolution of not just technology and how we live, but also how we learn and teach.
Our education system, for lack of a better word, is slightly lacking and while it is centuries old and no doubt has a lot of importance to it, one cannot deny that the times are changing and so is the society around us.
We can no longer sustain on just rigorous exams, memorizing, and shutting off any other distractions in order to get the top marks. In fact, the society has changed so much that top marks have started to matter less and less and it is more about how much knowledge one has been able to retain that truly is admired.
In this case, many schools are coming up with workshops and sessions that encourage students to think outside the box, enhance creativity and actually digest what they are studying instead of just studying to get good marks.
Storytelling Is A Major Way To Do This
It has been found that writing and storytelling are major ways to inspire creativity and expand students’ learning abilities.
Not only it inspires creativity in children, but it also makes them aware of diverse cultures, stories, their histories and absorb all this in a more productive manner than just rot learning.
Many studies have taken note of the fact that storytelling is a good way to work on knowledge retention and is a good memory technique for children to have.
It also helps students to be able to bring out their thoughts and opinions and communicate their feelings in a healthy manner.
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The Education Sector Is Also Realising This
A lot of the schools these days are holding interesting workshops that encourage students to be more creative even while taking on routine subjects.
Storytelling, writing your own story, creating art and more are some of the ways that are becoming popular and are a hit with the students too.
In lieu of that, recently an event called the MyPedia Reader workshop was held wherein students from various parts of the country came and created a storybook that was by the children and for the children.
Creating your own stories allows children to feel a sense of accomplishment and responsibility that they have created something that is worthwhile.
The workshop was held with about 20+ kids and parents wherein they were taught on how stories are built, creating an understanding what artistic formation means and then eventually moving on to sharing those stories.
During the workshop, students got to recite their works by the way of a monologue and it brought forth some extremely interesting and creative ways of storytelling.
Afterward, the kids whose stories were eventually selected for the MyPedia Reader even got to launch the 3 books by themselves to thunderous applause.
According to me, this kind of a workshop, where students are encouraged to take the reins and do something on their own instead of just following orders teaches them a lot of valuable life-lessons.
The fact that some of these students also got to recite their work in front of an audience only creates a sense of pride that their work is something to be celebrated.
The book itself is a pretty good way to actually bring about a change with its 42 original stories written and illustrated by the kids themselves. The youngest author in the book is just 8 years old and is from the 4th grade.
There is also a ‘meet the author’ page for each story which gives each young author their time in the spotlight and a unique identity as a writer. There are also ‘scribble pages’ and a place where the reader can write short stories and flesh out ideas based on prompts given in the book.
Apart from that, the ‘inspiration wall’ creates an environment of ambition and something to work towards by taking a look at achievements of kids who have accomplished something at a very young age.
But the feature of the book that will be great for upcoming authors would be the ‘chart and checklist’ feature which gives out interesting and useful tips and tricks on story-writing.
With this initiative, not only are students given a new outlet for their creativity, but budding authors and illustrators can see that their dream profession can be a reality someday.
Image Credits: Google Images
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