Philosophy
Use of Folktales
PIP designs projects based on the belief that recently arrived immigrant students will learn English more quickly and adjust to their new community if elements of their familiar cultural environment are integrated into their learning program. Folktales and folk arts serve as a bridge between cultures of origin and the new English dominant culture. Using stories with familiar elements provides students with a point of reference and the hands-on approach gives them the confidence to express themselves using non-threatening art forms. It allows them to retain an element of anonymity, and to test out new skills while hidden behind the mask of a puppet. Puppet drama incorporates the visual and performing arts and requires students to work on projects that require higher order thinking skills in creating and defining characters, constructing puppets and sets, developing dialogue for the script, and performing the show for each other and their families. PIP's experience has been that total immersion of immigrant participants who have language barriers, into puppet drama, pushes them to find new ways to express themselves. Early evaluation studies have found that the PIP process challenges ELLs to use more descriptive language than routine classroom activity ordinarily generates, resulting in their greater success in meeting ELA standards.Use of Memoirs
In addition to using the folklore environment as a hook for engagement, PIP artists are increasingly using a memoir approach as the framework for their residencies. This incorporates oral history, and promotes opportunities to develop narratives and anecdotes, both impacting positively on language acquisition. Starting out by linking personal memories with cultural folklore allows the artists to link together skills in storytelling (building listening skills) with speaking (sharing their own stories). Building vocabulary and a repertoire of expressive phrases improves the participants' ability to communicate their stories as the weeks go by. Part of the process is developed by creating puppet characters through which the participants are able to tell their stories. As they progress, they increase their ability to write down dialogue ideas and then speak them through the mouths of their puppets.Involving Parents
Involving parents meets the double goal of building parent ties to the school culture and helping immigrant parents to overcome the barriers of language and culture shock so that they can better support their children in school, and find their places in American society and its marketplace. PIP's in-school programs generally incorporate classroom workshops tied to the school's curriculum, with special focus on their English Language Learners' (ELL) needs, and are complemented by parent workshops and teacher professional development. Parent ESL programs, likewise are planned to complement in-school residencies for children, so that parent learning will provide supports for their children's educational needs.English Language Learners
With over 25 years of experience, PIP has developed and refined a series of techniques that are very effective in helping English Language Learners (ELLs) make progress in language acquisition.Through the use of puppetry, storytelling and folklore, PIP artists engage these students, and help them build bridges between cultures. Folktales and oral histories are also excellent ways of involving their parents in the educational process, whereby common values and life patterns smooth the transition process, and facilitate learning.
Oral and written language evolves, with students developing scripts, building vocabulary, expanding their ability to use expressive language, and offsetting their shyness or fear of practicing their new skills behind the shield of puppets and masks.
Special Education Focus
PIP has programs that are suitable for self-contained classes, inclusion classes and adult sheltered workshops. Artists team with teachers to identify participants' specific needs, deficits and talents. Some special education students may excel in certain artistic areas, and many find ways in which they can express themselves, so that with puppetry they reach an exceptional level of communication, never before experienced by them or their teachers.One example of these programs is on the PIP Pop Players page that follows.
As part of our residencies, in addition to the classroom work, PIP has helped to develop digital tools that can be used to monitor and track student learning for this population, and which will help to crystallize instructional steps needed to reinforce student progress.
Professional Development
In addition to the activities in the classroom, PIP has extensive professional development opportunities to work with both ESL specialists, and classroom teachers who need to expand their repertoire of techniques in working with a diverse group of students with different levels of English proficiency.Along with these classes, PIP has added various digital tools that support the process and are particularly suitable for ELL populations.
Why Puppetry?
Students gain many skills when working with puppets. These include:
