On 23 September 2023, I conducted a CBSE Capacity Building Programme on Art Integration for teachers at Holy Cross Senior Secondary School, Najafgarh, Delhi.
Art Integrated Learning (AIL) is a framework of experiential learning which helps students engage in art activities and construct personal meaning through their learning in an art integrated environment. The National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020) has emphasised that the curriculum and its pedagogy should provide experience which makes learning holistic, integrated, enjoyable and engaging.
This concept has been around for some time. In his book Gitabitan, Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore declared, "When I see the Universe through my songs, I recognise it, then only I know it...". Putting his thoughts into practice, he founded a school called Kala Bhavana in 1919 that was envisaged as an alternate model of art education moving away from the Western academic pedagogies in favour of immersive and experiential learning.
After a brief introduction to the program, the teachers were divided into seven groups as per their respective subjects. Initially, they had some apprehensions as to how to integrate art into teaching subjects like science, maths, economics and accountancy. A few teachers also felt that much time would be spent in the process. I shared some videos / ppts on integrating art with such subjects, explained the thought behind this initiative and discussed the importance of planning for these initiatives. Their creativity, thereafter, flowed.
We discussed the importance of art-integration in aiding the shift from the traditional methods of rote learning to a modern approach towards holistic understanding. The competence assessment can only be done through application of knowledge by the students. Collaboration between teachers of different subjects is necessary to make the learning process interdisciplinary and is the need of the hour. We need to move away from teaching in silos. The use of hands-on learning and arts integrated education as standard pedagogy within all subjects and with explorations of relations among different subjects is the way to go.
Finally, we all discussed how art-integrated learning makes a remarkable difference in the school environment by increasing the level of student involvement in the learning process. It is not only the improvement in students’ attendance and academic achievements, but one can see a marked difference in their confidence levels and openness to handle new situations.
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