If You Can't Say It, You Can't Write It!

“I found the workshop useful as I can now see how it comes together. The use of pictorial representation combined with a contextualised text – was REALLY GOOD!” said  Velina Murari from The International School, Bangalore, after attending the two day course on Writing, organized by The Teacher Foundation in Bangalore on 27 and 28 July 2011. 27 teachers from 11 schools in Bangalore actively participated in the 2 day course, delivered by Gina Menon, Deputy Head Teacher of Raynham Primary School,London.

 

 

Children often experience great difficulty in writing independently unless they already have a fund of oral stories, rhymes and songs upon which to draw. This difficulty becomes even greater when children come to write factual reports, explanations or discussion texts. The teachers of primary schools have had an opportunity to take back into their classrooms practical techniques to enable their pupils to begin to write independently with increasing confidence and fluency. They tried out lively, interesting strategies, adapted to be manageable within the Indian education system, for developing primary age children’s writing competency. Participants took part in a wide range of classroom activities for stories as well as factual writing.  “I learned about telling stories through story maps and using gestures builds the inner confidence” said Ektha Shetty, Sherwood High, as she explained what she gained from the course.

 

Posted by Firoza Maneksha-Sinha, Sr. Centre Coordinator, The Teacher Foundation