Share your story and shine at JK Monitor!🌟 Welcome to JK Monitor, where every story matters and every achievement is celebrated! We invite you to share the remarkable journey of your life and showcase your accomplishments to the world. Join our exclusive interviews that honor exceptional individuals just like you. JAMMU: The Department of Educational Studies, Central University of Jammu, organized a two-day online workshop on Puppetry and Puppet Making at Malviya Shiksha Bhawan. The workshop was organized under the visionary leadership of Prof. Sanjeev Jain, Hon’ble Vice Chancellor, Central University of Jammu, and under the guidance of Prof. J. N. Baliya, Dean, School of Education, and Prof. Ritu Bakshi, Head, Department of Educational Studies.
The workshop was organized under the flagship course “Art and Drama in Education”, with the objective of introducing students to puppetry as an innovative, creative, and experiential pedagogical tool.
Speaking at the inauguration, Prof. J. N. Baliya, Dean, School of Education, highlighted the importance of puppetry in creating a comfortable and engaging learning environment for children. He said that puppets can enable children to explore and represent their imaginative fantasies, everyday situations, and realities of the wider world. He further emphasized that puppetry can strengthen teacher-student interaction by improving communication and establishing a friendly and informal connect with children.
The workshop was based on the pedagogical understanding that puppet activities can help teachers assess children's knowledge in informal and playful situations. Fear of exposure may sometimes prevent children from expressing what they know; however, indirect communication through puppets can make children feel more comfortable while sharing their ideas and understanding. Similarly, when children prepare puppet scenes related to a particular topic, they naturally draw upon their knowledge and experiences associated with that subject.
The sessions were conducted by Mr. Pramod Sharma, renowned puppetry expert from NCERT, New Delhi, who introduced participants to various forms of puppetry, including paper puppets, bottle puppets, string puppets, shadow puppets, glove puppets, and cloth puppets. The participants were not only introduced to the different forms but also actively engaged in creating their own puppets.
The interactive sessions combined demonstrations, storytelling, discussions, and hands-on puppet-making activities, making the workshop both educational and enjoyable. The sessions demonstrated how puppetry can facilitate creative expression, spontaneous communication, experiential learning, and innovative classroom practices.
Students from B.A.–B.Ed. 5th Semester and ITEP (B.A.–B.Ed. and B.Sc.–B.Ed.) 1st Semester actively participated in the two-day workshop. Their enthusiastic involvement in the demonstrations and puppet-making activities reflected the potential of puppetry as an effective medium for creative pedagogy.
Faculty members, including Prof. Asit Mantry, Dr. Kiran, Dr. Aman, Dr. Ravi, Dr. Yadram, Dr. Mohan, Dr. Ravail, and Dr. Nidhi, along with guest faculty members, also participated in the sessions and contributed to the collaborative learning environment.
The workshop provided participants with an opportunity to explore the creative dimensions of puppetry and understand its application in education. It concluded with an emphasis on integrating art, creativity, storytelling, and experiential methods into classroom teaching and learning.