1) English Language Training for Students

(also available for Teachers).

Not just teachers of English Literature could assist with the English language teaching-and-learning process. All of the teachers could be involved with, assist with, and in many cases benefit from, this process.

The School's "Communicative English in-charge" is developing basic English sentences and giving them to teachers. In some cases these sentences would involve back-and-forth conversations. The teachers could give these sentences to the students, for the students to practice.  (Teachers could also practice with these sentences.)

The School's "Coordinator of English Language Training" is gathering info regarding numerous different methods of teaching languages in general, and English in particular. She might at times suggest practice-sentences to the "Communicative English in-charge", for her to give to the teachers. The "Coordinator of English Language Training" would also keep track of which students (and teachers) might especially benefit from practicing speaking (and listening to) English sentences, and would help to find ways for this improvement to occur.

Questions regarding the above could be addressed to the Principal, The Senior Principal, and and/or myself.

Related to my Folklore PhD dissertation from the University of Pennsylvania (based in Philadelphia):

–––

A brief (4-page) description of the leading methods of teaching languages is here.

–––

My contribution to the field, "Ways Verbal Play such as Storytelling and Word-games Can Be Used for Teaching-and-learning Languages", is here.

–––

Links to recordings – and Tamil and English typed transcriptions – of each of the 14 singing-games I collected from children near Thadikarankonum and Kalikesam are here.

–––

A recording of all 14 singing-games (11 minutes) is here.

–––

My PhD disssertation, chapter by chapter, and in one file, is here.

Notes after Observing Teaching:

2) Teaching-and-Learning "Ways of Thinking".

We educators often say we want to teach our students "ways to think". However, many times we settle for teaching them "what to think", so they can score well on the next exam.

But now I feel the time has come to really settle into seeking to teach students (and teachers) regarding ways of thinking.

First of all, at the beginning of a thinking session (whether engaged in individually or with others), it might be good for it to be said what the general topic of the session is going to be.  This provides a "basket" (metaphorically-speaking) into which all that follows can be put.

Yes, we may very well go off into other topics, but I believe it is a good idea to create an intellectual basket at the beginning of a session, and to put the session's products into that basket.

That way, at the end of the session we can see what the session's work has added up to, we can easily store what has come up, and we can access it later (under the label of the title of the session).

So we might ask, in this session:

What is the topic?

What is the general area of investigation and exploration?

How are we approaching the topic?

Regarding the topic, what are some of the questions the teacher is interested to ask and answer?

What is the basic introductory information that the teacher wants the students to know about the topic?

Regarding the topic, what questions is each student interested to ask and answer? (Students should be encouraged to formulate, and to begin to seek to answer, their own questions relating to the topic.

If students do this, they will come to, at least in part, "own" (and take responsibility for) their own learning process, and will be active, not passive learners.

Regarding what we want to know abut this topic:

In what ways might this information be useful or interesting?

Why and in what ways is this topic important?

What is especially important about this topic?

In what ways could we get the information we are seeking?  Where could we get the information?

In what ways is this topic meaningful?

In what ways might our exploration and investigation of this topic be meaningful?

All of the above involves putting the topic in context. That is, seeking to see the topic in relation to society(ies), culture(s), history, and one's own personal life (one's experience).

Notes after Observing Teaching:

3) Regarding Ways of Speaking.

All of the Rojavanam teachers I observed in Jan 2024 are doing excellent work!  They are wonderful and enthusiastic teachers!

***

Some of the teachers could benefit from vocal and breathing training which would base the production of their sound (wind, volume) more in their lungs, and less in their throats.  Our superb Drama teacher could give training in this area.

***

In some of the classrooms of younger children, the children often shout (yell) responses to the teachers' questions.  This shouting makes a mockery of the teaching-and-learning process and puts the teacher in the position of (possibly) having to discipline (possibly) disruptive behaviour.  This does not make for a thoughtful atmosphere.

I recommend that the children be requested to not shout in these situations, but rather to speak in relaxed and  reasonable tones of voice.

4) Pongal Speech 2024.

Va-nak-kum!

Today we are in the Pongal Festival, the time of celebrating the harvest. Here at Rojavanam School we are not famers, we are teachers and learners, so our harvest is what we have gained in teaching and learning over the past year.

Rojavanam is an international school. It is a global school. At present, the most popular global language is English, and Rojavanam is an English medium school, so we will be meeting and communicating with each other largely through English.

However, globalism is a 2-way street.  People who come here will also, in some small ways, be introduced to Tamil language and culture, and they will take this with them to all over the world.

I am from New York City, USA.  As a teenager, I decided I wanted to study stories and storytelling in an ancient culture.  I chose India.  Then, 46 years ago, when I was in college, a professor suggested I read an English translation of the Silappathikaram (the Epic of the Ankle Bracelet).  I read the book, and it changed my life.  I had to visit Tamil Nadu, the land of Kannagi, Kovalan, Madhavi, and the Pandian King.

The Silappathikaram is of course primarily the story of Kannagi, so when I first visited India and Tamil Nadu in 1988 (36 years ago), to conduct research for a Masters degree at that time I went to Poompuhar and I began to walk the path that Kannagi walked (approximately).

I walked from Poompuhar to Madurai, and later to near the Kerala border.  Approximately 500 km. 

An ancient Tamil poet wrote, “All places are my home, all people are my family”.  And I truly felt that way as I walked across the Tamil countryside.  The Tamil people I met along the way treated me like family -- even though then as now, “kon-jum  tha-miLRŻH  ther-ri-yum”.

I wrote a small book about the experience of the Kannagi Walk, walking in the path of Kannagi.  The text of that book is on the Internet, on the website of the NGO I direct, the World Storytelling Institute (please see below).

Thus, I can tell visitors about the Silappathikaram.  The great words of Kannagi are, “Yen-nuk-ku  ni-dhi  vee-Num”.   “I want justice!”   And Kannagi got justice.  Tamil Nadu is a land of justice.  In this regard, Tamil Nadu sets a good example for the rest of India, and for the entire world.

As Subramania Bharati wrote, “The sweet sound of Tamil language should be heard all around the world”.

“tha-miLRŻH  mo-LRZHi-yin  i-ni-ya  o-li  u-la-gum  mu-LRZhu-va-thum  pa-ra-va  veeN-Dum”.

More recently, in 2003 and 2004, 21 and 20 years ago, near here, near Thadi-karan-konum, I did research for my PhD, which was in Folklore.  For that I studied Tamil children’s singing-games, and ways these activities help the children learn spoken language.

Some of the Rojavanam students here today are playing these singing-games based on the recordings and transcriptions I made then:

“o-ru  kuu-dam  than-ni  koo-ri,  o-ru  puu  puut-tatch-chi”, and “ko-lai-ya,  ko-lai-ya,  mun-thi-ri-kaa”, and others.

I especially love this singing-game, which is sung and acted-out physically with the children following each other in a circle:

o-ru  kal-lu  e-Duk-ka-vee, 

o-ru  kal-lu  e-Ri-ya-vee,

o-raa-yi-ram  ki-Li  thaa-vi  pa-Rak-ka-vee

aa-Da  ki-Li  paa-Da  ki-Li

am-ba-lam  pa-Rak-ka-vee

am-ba-lam  pa-Rak-kum  ki-Li

aa-haa-yam  pa-Rak-ka-ve

One stone, pick up,

One stone, throw,

One thousand parrots, having jumped, are flying.

Dancing parrot, singing parrot,

Flying to the temple.

The parrot is flying to the temple,

Flying in the sky.

(First one stone and one thousand parrots,

then two stones and two thousand parrots,

then three stones and three thousand parrots, 

and so on.) 

Human will and energy sets the stone in motion.  The stone turns into a bird, and then a thousand birds, flying towards a temple, which is a place of ideals. 

What beautiful poetry!  And this song was not created by a teacher, or even by an individual artist: it is folklore, it was created and has been passed down over the generations by a community.

In conclusion: Many thanks, and Happy Pongal!

***

***

***

References

Materal relating to the singing-games is here.

***

Materal relating to the Silappathikaram (the Epic of the Ankle Bracelet):

This article is a report about my walking in the footsteps of Kannagi:

"Silappathikaram Teaches Respect for Human Rights: US Scholar",  The Hindu, 10 Dec 1988,

https://storytellinginstitute.org/225.jpg

The following were written by me:

1

"Tamil Nadu's Silappathikaram (Epic of the Anklet): Ancient Story and Modern Identity", a booklet concerning my experience of walking in the footsteps of Kannagi (1991),

https://storytellingandvideoconferencing.com/18.html

2

"In Praise of Citizen Kannagi", op-ed article in The Hindu (2006), https://storytellinginstitute.org/14.pdf

3

"Kannagi: Global Symbol of Justice", text of a speech (2007),

https://storytellingandvideoconferencing.com/12.pdf

4

"Variations in and of the Story of the Silappathikaram (the Epic of the Anklet)", article (2016),

https://storytellinginstitute.org/22e.pdf

5

"Researching and Rethinking Folklore, Communication, and Kannagi", text of a talk (2022),

https://storytellinginstitute.org/6May2022.html