What is the relationship of puppetry to education?

Question

What is the relationship of puppetry to education?

Answer 1

simple, student engagement.  Young learners learn through play and imagination.  They do not come to school to learn, they are not advanced enough in their cognitive ability to truly understand and focus on their future in that manner.

Thus, puppetry, becomes a means to engage the imagination in narrative.  The student may watch a show, be entertained, and accidentally learn something in the process.  Puppetry is popular because it is a cheap low tech, and easy to prepare.

No additional props such as powerpoints, print outs, audio visual are needed by some teachers who have two white socks and a permanent marker.

Answer 2

Puppetry is a powerful tool both as a teaching tool and in helping solve behavior problems.  Young children believe the puppet is real, even when you're holding it on your hand and your lips are moving.  They will talk to the puppet about their problems before they will talk to you.  It's fascinating.

Puppets also provide a great focus when you're instructing.  I often used two puppets in a conversation with each other.  I could enter in also.  I worte a puppet play about Silly Circle, Terrific Triangle, Stupendous Square and  Ready Rectangle.   It was to introduce the characteristics of these four basic shapes.  I wrote songs for each puppet.  We learned to sing them, so we could continue to sing them during the year after we had concluded our basic study of geometric shapes.

I also put the puppets in a drama center so the students could use them.  A shy child will let his puppet do his talking.   Children will also use the puppets to retell familiar stories, which is a great skill to later help them discuss story structure.

The great thing is you don't need the expensive muppet puppets.  A sock and two buttons for eyes is all you need.  Your students' imaginations will do the rest.