Generation Next: Bangalore Bridges Drama Workshops

Bangalore Bridges Drama Workshops

July 2009

Organizations

Bangalore Bridges is an ongoing project to bring together children and young people with an aim to use the medium of theatre and movement to facilitate personal and social change. The uniqueness of this initiative lies in the multi-arts approach to addressing development issues. As a collective of arts educators and practitioners, Bangalore Bridges strongly believes in the power and potential of the arts to facilitate this change.

Dream School Foundation (“DSF”) is an Indian non-profit registered organization working towards making the right to quality education and a happy childhood with overall development a reality for the child.

Sackhumvit Trust is a public, charitable Trust registered under Income Tax Act, 1961. It is a non-profit organization rendering services in the field of health, education, and economic development to underprivileged communities in India.

Project Objectives

Sackhumvit Trust and DSF financed a series of eight workshops in collaboration with Bangalore Bridges in the month of June 2009. The facilitators of Bangalore Bridges, Maitri Gopalakrishna and Shabari Rao, worked with a group of 12 students in 8th and 9th standards at Bapu School to reflect on how the environment is related to their daily lives and their responsibility to their immediate surroundings.

The workshops did not intend to educate participants on the environment but rather inspire them to think critically about environmental problems in their community. The workshops focused on developing critical and independent thinking skills, and exploring the topics of the environment and responsibility in alternative arenas of dance, drama, song, movement, and real-life experiences. Lastly, the workshops were designed to encourage student creativity, confidence, and communication and teamwork skills.

As non-profit organizations dedicated to the holistic development of underprivileged students, Sackhumvit Trust and DSF believed the Bangalore Bridges workshops offered a new educational experience focused on topics, teaching methods, and skills otherwise not learned at school. Bapu School was selected as the host site for these workshops given its close working relationship with DSF and support of the Head Mistress in promoting extra-curricular activities.

Selection of Students
Students were selected to participate in the workshops based on the following criteria:

• Interest in the creative arts, particularly drama, as demonstrated during the sample drama workshop hosted at DSF’s Yeshwantpur centre by Bangalore Bridges.
• The ability of the students to attend the workshops on a regular basis considering their academic load and distance from Yeshwantpur centre.
• The extent that students would benefit from exposure to an alternative educational experience. A wide range of personality types and academic scorers were selected for the program based on the individual advantages they stood to gain. The selection was undertaken by DSF in consultation with Sackhumvit Trust.

Program Components

Certain observations were apparent at the onset of the workshops regarding students’:

•  perception of the environment;
• their ability to analyze environmental matters in their community and conceive of their responsibility to the same;
• and their relationships to one another.

These observations largely informed the content and desired outcomes of the program as detailed below:

1. Enthusiasm for the Environment
A mental disconnect between the environment and the daily lives of students was noticed right from the beginning of the workshops. When asked if the theme of the environment was interesting most students responded unenthusiastically and in a confused tone. The majority of students thought the topic was random given that they were enrolled in a drama workshop and questioned why they were selected to explore this issue. Based on these initial observations, facilitators appealed to the interests of students in order to make the topic of the environment engaging and relevant in their minds. This was done through exploring environmental issues through drama, emotion, and real-life experiences.

It would have been beneficial to organize a briefing session prior to the workshop to inform students about the program’s focus and objectives. This would have enabled students to discuss and conclude amongst themselves if analyzing the environment was important, hence taking ownership of their participation in the workshops. The benefits of a briefing session were made clear during the final workshop session where students had the chance to ask critical questions to the facilitators regarding the purpose and implementation of the workshops. The question and answer session helped students process their experiences over the past month, and enhanced their motivation for the closing session where they performed in front of their peers, teachers, parents, and DSF facilitators.

  

2. Independent Thinking and Personal Responsibility
In order for students to critically analyze environmental issues and their responsibility to their community, they must develop confidence in thinking for themselves. This proved a difficult challenge for workshop participants who were more comfortable repeating text-book / rehearsed answers instead of developing an opinion or analysis of their own. On a similar note, students had a hard time conceiving their individual responsibility to the environment as well as conceptualizing other stakeholders that should be concerned by this issue. When faced with an environmental issue that seemed beyond their control, students were quick to blame authority figures, such as the government, or reiterate vocabulary and concepts learned at school without stringing these pieces of information together with their own analysis.

In an education system where answers are meant to be learned and repeated, moving to a frame of mind where one is expected to engage with and analyze an issue to arrive at an independent understanding proved to be quite a shift for students. This became a central focus of the workshops with the facilitators engaging students through a wide range of activities encouraging students to independently assess information, develop opinions, and learn through mediums extending beyond traditional instruction methods. These activities were applied in the context of analyzing environmental issues prevalent in one’s surroundings and the notion of responsibility. Several of the learning strategies employed during the workshops are detailed below:

• 20 Questions Game: A simple guessing game that requires students to frame questions, categorize information, and apply deductive reasoning. This game was applied to student’s observations during a walkabout from Bapu School to DSF’s Yeshwantpur centre, thus raising awareness about environmental concerns in the immediate vicinity while also developing strategies for critical thinking. The activity also emphasized the importance of working as a team and paying attention to one another’s comments.

• Enhanced Consciousness of Daily Experiences: Activities such as walkabouts in and around Bapu School and recreating sounds heard in their immediate surroundings encouraged students to experience their community with heightened attention to detail and hence in entirely new ways. Students generally perceived the walk from Bapu School to DSF’s Yeshwantpur centre to be mundane and some students even questioned why they had to participate in this activity – “What was new about this?” However, during the course of the walkabouts they developed a consciousness about the environment and social problems taking place on their streets and were quite vocal on the same.
• The most apparent observation to students was the ubiquitous presence of garbage and its invasion of vital activities such as the preparation and eating of food, and public facilities such as schools and hospitals. The passion with which they discussed this matter following the walkabout inspired their closing session performance on the garbage problem in Yeshwantpur.
• Another critical observation made by students was the health affects of second-hand smoke and whether this counts as an environmental problem. This would be an interesting discussion topic to follow-up especially given its relevance to the health education of teenagers.
• One of the students during the walkabouts demonstrated incredible knowledge on the variety of flowering trees in his / her community, listing the vernacular names for all of the trees passed during the walkabout. It is fascinating to observe the vast knowledge of our youth, and they should be encouraged to further explore their interests.

• Human Relationships / Emotions: Students explored relationships between different aspects of their community as a way to analyze environmental issues. While a unique teaching method, this could have been implemented better during the workshops. Students were highly engaged when analyzing human relationships and emotions, but lost interest in extending these emotions to objects in their surroundings. In other words, the love and hate relationship between a man and a woman felt more real to participants than the same relationship between a tree and the water tank. It is understandable for students to experience this disconnect and alternative strategies for exploring environmental matters through relationships and emotions should be considered. Perhaps discussing how human relationships are strained by environmental circumstances is a good starting point.

• Critical Group Discussions: Facilitators often interspersed workshop activities with reflective group discussions where students generated the flow of dialogue in response to questions asked by the facilitators. Since these conversations required students to express original comments they were very challenging. It was interesting to note that in some cases students who found it easier to share their opinions were generally those who scored poor academic marks at school. Students scoring high marks were largely silent participants. While it is encouraging that the workshops appealed to students who are otherwise left-behind at school, it is imperative that activities focused on creative thinking, critical analysis, and self-expression are incorporated into regular school programs.

• Learning from Movement: Students explored the implications of being a leader through a hand-following exercise where one student is bound to follow the movement of their peer’s hand. In discussing which role in the activity they enjoyed (the leader or the follower), students observed that the leader’s power makes him/her responsible for ensuring the well-being of the follower, hence the realization that with power comes responsibility. Students then transitioned to analyzing areas of their lives where they can exert control / influence and hence possess responsibility. This experiential learning process helped students recognize that they do have power, responsibility, and hence the potential to make a difference. Given that discussions of responsibility have a tendency to take place as lectures or preaching, i.e. “You should clean your room because I said so,” this activity was effective in making students recognize responsibility on their own.

• Social Atom: A social atom is a spatial map that plots one’s responsibility to a social problem. The workshops utilized this teaching concept to help students explore how different stakeholders in society, including themselves, are connected to environmental issues. Students also used the social atoms to plot their personal responsibility to various components of their community that extended beyond the environment, from keeping the streets in their neighborhood clean to being a responsible elder sibling and so on. The social atom provided an alternative arena for students to explore responsibility beyond traditional instruction methods of lecturing and note-taking. Students had to conceive of responsibility in terms of a spatial relationship, from the perspective of multiple players in society, and ultimately acted out their rationale for responsibility in the form of a T.V. news show drama production! 
• Enacting the social atom was the highlight of the closing session performance organized by students. Students concluded their performance by passing around a ball of waste paper to whoever they blamed for the garbage situation in Yeshwantpur. This resulted in waste paper being tossed all over the auditorium leaving the performers with no choice but to each take responsibility and pick up some of the garbage. This performance provoked a lively discussion from the audience including questions such as “Why did the students focus on not being responsible?”, “Why didn’t the students come up with a solution?”, and “What is the lesson of the story?"

• Identifying Responsibility through Negative Association: As strange and counterproductive as this activity may seem, it worked brilliantly! This learning strategy was manifested when students acted out their social atom in the context of a T.V. news show. Students took on the part of a particular stakeholder in society and argued why they were not responsible for the problem of overflowing dustbins in the Yeshwantpur community. Facilitators had students argue why they were not responsible to avoid responses learned at school or from parents. The negative association proved to be highly engaging, as students enjoyed debating why they were not responsible and ‘pinning the blame’ on their peers (or other stakeholders). In so doing, they participated in a lively discussion that actually brought out multiple reasons for why all stakeholders in society are accountable for environmental issues.

3. Group Dynamics
Student interaction during the workshops demonstrated that while students share a common background inclusive of DSF and Bapu School, they were not all familiar with each other. Students had favorites to work with, and boys and girls often separated themselves in distinct groups during warm up activities and class discussions. Facilitators addressed this by having students work with different peers throughout the workshops. Certain students in the group regularly displaying uncooperative behavior were managed on an individual basis by facilitators . However this presented a minor issue and is to be expected when working with children. Overall the workshops provided an opportunity for students to examine their own behavior in the context of being responsible to a group; a personal experience that students will have to reflect on throughout their lives.

An important indicator of group dynamics was student attendance for the workshops which leveled at around 60-70% for most sessions. It is understood that certain instances of absenteeism are unavoidable and that it is impossible for the workshops to appeal to all students. Furthermore, there were no perceived ‘real’ consequences for being absent. There was no punishment and no reward. The commitment that was demanded needed to come individually from each participant. The low attendance at the workshops therefore reflected the sense of personal responsibility that each student had toward the group; a concept that the facilitators constantly emphasized to students. This is relevant given the fact that environmental issues are ultimately a collective problem which requires each individual to recognize his/her responsibility to their community. Facilitators encouraged students to think this way by examining their own commitment to the workshops and their peers.

Outcomes

A summary of workshop outcomes along with quotes from students are detailed below:

• Relating the environment to the interests of students and their daily lives such that they understand the significance of environmental issues in their community.
• “I learned about my responsibilities toward the environment.”
• “I learned how to keep my surroundings clean and how to frame questions.”
• Developing an understanding of personal responsibility and how this extends to a larger community ranging from the group of peers attending the workshops to Bapu School to DSF to the surrounding neighborhood to the families of students to the environment, etc.
•  “I learned about discipline such as being punctual to class. I also learned about the environment by observing what is around us and what is missing.”
• Encouraging students to think analytically and independently, and to ask critical questions.
• “I learned how to determine which questions to ask and how to frame them when learning something new.”
• Exploring the creative and imaginative sides of students through song, dance and drama to develop knowledge.
• “This is the first drama workshop I attended and also the first workshop on the environment.
• “I learned that drama can be different from what we see in the cinema because we created it to understand our experiences here.”
• Enhancing group dynamics so that students were comfortable and cooperative while working with each other. Group dynamics were also emphasized so that students recognize their responsibility to each other.

Follow-Up to the Workshops

1. Knowledge on the Environment

While the purpose of the workshops was not to educate students on environmental issues but analyze these matters for themselves, it became apparent that knowledge on the environment, particularly in the urban context of students, is essential for constructive opinions and dialogue. This is not to say that students were completely unaware of the environment, as they themselves brought up matters of natural disasters, waste disposal, water shortages, deforestation, and so on. However, their references to these issues often raised more questions which should be addressed through environmental education / awareness programs. Some examples of these instances include:

• Student X’s explanation that earthquakes are caused by human activity and particularly the drilling of borewells into the ground as he/she learned at school.  A more sophisticated discussion of the causes of natural disasters would be beneficial. The student makes a valuable point in arguing that natural disasters can be man-made, but his/her example is incorrect.
• Student Y’s explanation that spilling of clean water on the road is not wasted because this water evaporates and is then rained down as part of the water cycle. While an insightful application of the water cycle to real-life observations, it would be valuable for students to learn about the sources and affects of water pollution, and the energy / resources required to purify water.
• Student Z’s complaining that garbage on the streets is the fault of the garbage trolley lady / man and the government. This is a simplified perspective on how urban waste is collected and managed. Students would benefit from learning about the types of urban waste produced by human activity and best practices that can be implemented on an individual level to minimize waste pollution.

The purpose of an environmental education program is not to discourage students from expressing their opinions (whether correct or incorrect), but rather support them with factual content so that their dialogue is constructive and will add-value to their own lives. It would even be beneficial for facilitators and teachers working with students on these matters to enhance their understanding of environmental issues.

2. Learning by Doing
The workshops demonstrated the value in educating students through activities where they are encouraged to make observations and draw conclusions independently. Not only does this encourage students to be creative and explore their imaginations, but it is also conducive to building self-esteem and communications and teamwork skills. These learning methods should be shared with schools so that their benefits are experienced by a wider audience. This could be done through teacher training workshops and through offering more of extra-curricular activities.

3. Self-Expression through Performance
While the students enjoyed the workshops, they were disappointed that the drama workshops were more analytical than performance-based. Given that students are very engaged by singing, dance, and drama, they should have more opportunities to explore self-expression through the arts. Such an activity would not be bound by a specific topic (pre-decided for students) nor would it require analytical discussions / assignments. Instead, students would be encouraged to explore elements of performance based on their inspiration from any cause. This experience would build on the creative and communications skills of students, as well as encourage students with talents in the fine arts to push their limits.