This document outlines an art integrated learning project in Jammu and Kashmir aimed at improving education quality through child participation and creative programs. It discusses the challenges facing the education system in Kashmir due to social unrest. The project involves workshops and activities using visual art, theatre, creative writing to develop life skills in children and make learning more engaging. It provides examples of activities conducted and their objectives to enhance learning through creative mediums. The goal is to improve learning opportunities for children and enable them to broaden their horizons.

1. ART INTEGRETATED
LEARNING
IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF EDUCATION
THROUGH CHILD PARTICIPATION AND
CREATIVE PROGRAMS.
INTACH
Jammu & Kashmir
Chapter

2. Project Outline
National Curriculum Framework 2005 lays down the
following guiding principles.
 Connecting knowledge to life outside the school;
 Ensuring that learning shifts away from rote method;
 Teaching should aim at enhancing children’s natural desire to
learn.
 Knowledge needs to be distinguished from information, and
teaching needs to be seen as a professional activity, not as
coaching for memorisation or as transmission of facts.
 Activity to be the heart of the child’s attempt to make sense of
the world around him/her.

3. Kashmir Scenario
 The social infrastructure in Kashmir remained under tremendous
stress due to disturbed conditions resulting in major disruption in the
social fabric.
 The children who were born and raised in this environment faced
the brunt and remained at the mercy of the unsettling times.
 The overall growth of the children as also the education system was
hampered impacting their psychological, educational and physical
processes of growth.
 There was the loss of creative expression, self esteem resulting in
lack of confidence in their prospects of life.
 The children were also exposed to prevailing fear and anxiety in the
society.

4. INTACH’s Initiatives
 In 2009, INTACH, J&K implemented a pilot project in Kashmir
valley in collaboration with the Directorate of School
Education and University of Kashmir with 50 school children
from Kashmir.
 A residential workshop was organised aiming at exploring and
enhancing the learning skills of the children through the
medium of theatre, painting, creative writing, video and
photography.
 The participating children also undertook projects on the
basis of the methodologies that were evolved in the
workshop.
 This project was a major success in achieving the purpose of

5. Outcomes
 After deliberations with the experts, education professionals
and the support institutions, a three year continuous
engagement starting from June 2012 with schools has
been proposed.
 The project is supported in terms of knowledge and funding
by Sir Dorabji Tata trust.

6. Project Goal
“The Project’s goal is to improve quality of learning
opportunities available to children
and enable them to broaden their horizons and
make schools a positive experience”

7. Project Objective
 Development of new child centred
creative learning methodologies.
 Improved and creative environment in
schools.
 Development of life skills and self-
confidence in children.
 Increase participation of children in
education and awareness on creative
arts and education as a career option.

8. Flow of the Project
 Preparatory activities: The project would take forward
the gains from the pilot phase by working with selected
government schools. The proposed phase covers 2
districts in Kashmir, namely Kupwara and Srinagar
and 2 districts of Jammu division, Jammu and Rajouri.
 In each district 25 schools have been selected where
intensive activities have been planned. The project aims at
coverage of 5000 children in the 4 districts.

9. Flow of the Project
 Orientation workshop with school teachers to
arrive at a work-plan. In addition, the
curriculum, resource material is also
formalized for feedback from teachers.
 The training of teachers being undertaken by
experts at the district level. A resource team
constituted to undertake structured activities in
consultation with school authorities.

10. First workshop for initialising the project
(05 – 07 July 2012)
“Improving the quality of education
through child participation & creative
programs”

11. Key Participants
 Mr. M. Saleem Beg, Convenor INTACH
 Prof. Anita Rampal, Delhi University
 Mr. Vinod Raina; BGVS, Bhopal
 Mr. Anil Jain; Head Pedagogy, SSA J&K
 Mr. Nazir Ahmad Kanth
 Mr. Rafiq Ahmad, DIET Sgr
 Ms. Athar Zia, WS Asssistant
 Dr. Aziz Hajjni, Kashmir university
 Mr. Ghulam Mohammad Makroo
 Mr. Mohammad Amin
 Mr. Bashir Ahmad Dar, Education Department

12. Objectives of the Workshop
 Exposing the participants to the general problems that
are impacting the whole school system.
 Faulty structuring of topics and non conformity of the
local content in text books.
 The objectives of National Curriculum framework and
how these can be adapted.
 Some case studies and experiences from the
resource persons on the subject.
 Identifying the inadequacies in the education system
at the school level.

13. Comments from the experts
Vinod Raina:
Quoted Dr. B. D. Sharma, who facilitated the
working of the program.
“ MP ke education ki haalat itni buri hai ki aur
koi isse zyada kharab nahi kar sakta…..”

14. ….continued
 Challenging the current examination pattern,
Hoshanabad Science Teaching Program (HSTP)
stressed on the need to innovate assessment
programs which no longer become a test of
memory, but understanding.
 In 1994, ‘Learning without burden’, a committee
was set up at NCERT. Mentored by Prof. Yash
Pal, the report of the committee stressed on
learning while simultaneously relieving children of
psychological and physical burden.

15. ….continued
 Home and the environment are important for
learning and must complement the school
education. The void between the two creates a
conflict.
 The most important thing in learning is
language. We should recognise the potential
of a child who learns language at his home
without any formal education. This potential is
what needs to be fully harnessed.

16. ….continued
 A child should be the constructor of knowledge in
cultural and linguistic background rather than just
be the recipient of information.
 Art and culture can be used as a powerful means
to change the education system of J&K.
 Impatience is not permitted in the process of
teaching.
 Learning has to be both on the part of teacher as

17. Anita Rampal
 Teachers frame syllabi as per their free will,
and don’t understand what is it that a child
wants to learn. Students are blamed for their
rote learning methods.
 Children should relate their experiences on a
larger socio-cultural canvas. They should be
exposed to concepts like inclusiveness,
diversity, gender sensitization, marginalised
communities. This is an essential life skill.

18. ….continued
 With the new NCF syllabi and textbooks we
see various questions that demand personal
answers. Thus, children immediately relate it
to their lives and then construct their own
knowledge.
 In order to breakdown the deep sense of math
anxiety, it is crucial to place mathematical
concepts in a real life context as for example
has been done in the class 4th (NCERT)
chapter, “ Building With Bricks”

19. M. Shafi Rather
 We have large percentage of students who are
suffering from psychosomatic disorders because
of the present education system.
 The children prefer to stay and study at home as
the schools have lost their esteem and position in
a society.
 Existing education system should first be
demolished and then the process of

20. Conclusions
Based on the interaction of the three days of the
workshop, the
following conclusions were drawn.
 It will be ideal that the program is implemented on
continuous basis in each school. This will ensure that
all aspects of the program are absorbed by the
students and they are able to pick up and transact the
skills acquired in the workshops;
 The teachers are also expected to do their own follow
ups on the basis of workshops and school training of
the program.

21. Activities – Visual Art
Activity 1
Collage
Step 1
Ask the students to bring some newspapers or magazines from home.
Step 2
Select a theme for the students.
Step 2
Ask the students to cut the images from the magazines/newspapers
according to the theme.
Step 3
Now the students will paste the images on the drawing sheet and make a
composition.
Step 4
Discuss the composition with the students and enable them to understand
how it could be made better and more understandable.

22. Activities – Visual Art
Activity 2
Wall painting
Step 1
Students will choose a wall within school campus.
Step 2
Clean the wall and ask the students to white wash the selected wall.
Step3
Give the water proof paint of different shades to the students.
Step 4
Now ask them to paint collectively the wall without any preliminary
drawing.
(Try to associate your strokes with other students in your group)

23. Activities – Visual Art
Activity 3
Stray Object
Step 1
Ask the students to collect the things which interest them,
around their locality and bring them into the school campus.
Step 2
Each student will select some objects from the collected
material
Step 3
Think of the possibilities and alter these objects into multiple
forms/shapes, keeping in mind balance and harmony.
Step 4
Now display these sculptures in the campus.

24. Activities – Visual Art
Activity 4
Installation Art with Trees
Trees as Natural Sculptures
Step 1
Ask the students to make groups. Step 2
Each group will select a tree.
Step 3
Each group will collect the material like- flowers, fruits, seeds,
leaves, cloth, paper etc.
(Material associated with the tree.)
Step 4
Now decorate the tree with the selected material.

38. EARTHQUAKE

39. EARTHQUAKE

40. FOUR SEASONS
OF KASHMIR

41. KITCHEN

42. MY SCHOOL

43. POVERT
Y

44. PROTESTS IN KASHMIR

45. STRIKE IN KASHMIR

46. TRADITIONAL
BUILDINGS

47. TRAFFIC JAM

48. Activities – Theatre
Theatre of the oppressed by Arnold
A group of Children from different schools work on a ten (10)
day program for 1 ½ hrs daily under the following segments:
 Introduction to each other
 Physical games / Stage Craft.
 Mental Games or ice breaking session through different
games.
 Improvisation.
 Discussions

49. Activities – Theatre
 Session 1: Introduction through a game called
Name & Impression Game
 Session 2: Different Games related to theatre
and Stage Craft like Mask-making will be taught to the
students.
 Session 3: Mental Games / Ice Breaking
Session through different Games
 Three Questions Game
 The Pocket/Purse Game
 The Talent Show
 Sense Games or Signal Games
 Circle of Friends Game

50. Activities – Theatre
 Session 4: Improvisation / Play Building -
all the students choose their topic from their
different text books for musical exercises.
 Session 5: Discussion - all the students
share their experience of the day to day
exercises.
 Session 6: Screen/ Outdoor Practical:
This session is for two days including a theatre
day and outdoor day to observe the
environment.

89. Activities – Creative Writing
Activity 1
Your Heritage
Geography
 Are the rocks/stones found nearby
 How are rocks formed
 What material is used to construct the building
Architecture/Geometry
 What is the shape of building
 Draw sketch of the building
 Define Arch, Pillars, Brackets, Dome

90. Activities – Creative Writing
History
 When was the building built?
 Who built it?
 Are there any stores associated to it?
Language
 Write a Biography of the Historical Personality
associated with it.
 Using historical facts and imagination to write an
essay on the life of people who lived when the
building was built.

91. Activities – Creative Writing
Environment
 What are the natural surroundings of the
building?
 What type of flowers, vegetation and
stones/rocks are found in the surroundings.
 Undertake cleaning drive in the area.
Art
 Are there any paintings and murals in the
building
 What are other Arts associated with it

92. Activities – Creative Writing
Activity 2
An open activity
 Ask students to write on any topic of their choice
and complete it within half an hour.
 Interact with students individually regarding the
topic they have selected.
 Discuss with students regarding how their essay
could be made more attractive and meaningful.
 Discuss regarding modifications needed, if any, in
their piece of writing.

93. Activities – Creative Writing
Activity (3)
Travel from Home to School
 Ask students to write one or two pages on the
topic.
 Help the students by giving clues like:
 What they observe one the way to School.
 Are there any difficulties which they face regularly
or occasionally on way to School?
 What should be or/and what should not be there.
 What kind of facilities they want for students for
smooth schooling.

94. Activities – Creative Writing
Activity (4)
Interaction with a Friend
 Ask students if they have been to a friend’s
home in recent past.
 What did they share/discuss during the meet?
 What was the main topic of discussion and
why.
 What did the student enquired from his friend,
what was his reaction and vis-i-versa.
 Ask students to write down the whole

95. Activities – Creative Writing
Activity (5)
Poetry
 Give students 1st line of a simple verse from 3rd,
4th, or 5th primary book.
 Ask them to write down 2nd line of the verse of
their own that should.
 Make a condition that the 2nd line of the verse
should be different from that of book.
 Help students by elaborating 1st line so that they
will try to create 2nd line of the same thought.
 Discuss main requirements of a verse or poem.

96. Activities – Creative Writing
Activity (6)
Visit to a Garden
 Take students to a nearby garden.
 Let them roam for one hour.
 Ask students to observe each and every thing of the
garden very minutely.
 Gather the students at a central point within the
garden.
 Ask the students to pen down whatever they have
observed in the garden.
 Ask the students to try to write down their
observations in Poem/Prose forms.

97. Activities – Creative Writing
Activity (7)
Eid/Holy
 Ask students to write down:
 What special they have planed for Eid/Holy?
 How they are going to celebrate this festival?
 What kind of dishes they will have to taste on
Eid/Holy?
 What do they feel most loving thing on this day
and why.

98. Activities – Creative Writing
Activity (8)
Traditional Utensils
 Ask students to enquire from grand parents:
 What were the merits and demerits (if any) of
traditional utensils including clay pots.
 What types of traditional utensils are being
used at your home even today?
 What are the reasons that traditional utensils
are not common today.

99. Activities – Creative Writing
Activity (9)
Visit to a Heritage Building
 1. Take students to a nearby Heritage
building.
 2. Take a class of all students there and tell
them geographical,
Historical, Environmental and artistic features
of the said building.
 3. Let them observe keenly every aspect of the

100. Activities – Creative Writing
Activity (9)
Visit to a Water body
 The students may first identify the water body then choose to
study.
 How did it get its name? Has it always been called by the
same name.
 Next the students are to identify its source and the course of
its travel, as in the case of rivers.
 Discuss the role of this water body in present day life, its
importance to animals, plants and local people.
 Study with the students what has affected the water and its
original natural habitat.
 After discussing all the aspects ask students to write down
one or tow pages n it.

101. Activities – Creative Writing
Activity (10)
Visit to a Museum
 Share with students why it is important to visit
Museums.
 Museums usually represent some of the finest
creative achievements of human beings that
belong to every one.
 Museums offer direct experiences with objects
that we may otherwise see only in books.
 Museums contribute to our knowledge of who we
are.
 Museums can foster the creative potential of a
country.

102. Activities – Creative Writing
Activity (11)
Visit to a Handicraft Centre
 Take the students to a handicraft centre.
 Make them watch the craft keenly while the craftsman
is on job.
 Ask students to enquire from the craftsman the
different stages of craft making.
 Ask students to enquire regarding infrastructure and
material required for the craft.
 Ask students to note the important points on a note
book.
 Next ask students to write down an essay on the said
handicraft.

103. Activities – Creative Writing
Activity (12)
My House
 Ask students to enquire from elders of their families as
follows:
 How many years old is their house building.
 What type of material has been used to construct the
building.
 Ask students that how they use different parts or rooms of
their house.
 Ask students to observe specifications of their house and
surroundings.
 Ask students if they have Kitchen garden at home and who
look after it.
 Next ask students to write down the information they have
collected at home.

111. The implementation module for the
proposed activities is as under
Creative Volunteers (Resource) Teachers trained at SIE & DIET of
respective districts
INTACH/ School Education Deptt J&K
Fine Arts Educational
Theatre
Creative
Writing
Child
Psychology
Photography Career
Counseling
25 Schools x 4 Districts

112. Thank you