Teaching Sanskrit Through Sanskrit

 

A Proposal for Rejuvenating Samskrit Language 

 

Learning A Language Components  Receptive Skills Sound

Listening

Productive Skills   Skills

Speaking

Language Reading Script

Writing

 

Learning a Language  Language  Can there be a difference? 

Write  Write  Read   Read

Speak   Speak Listen

 

Learning a Language  Language  Can there be a difference?  The Natural Way

Conventional Samskrit Learning 

Write Read Speak Listen Read

 

Samskrit Teaching  Do we have inherent strengths?   60% of vocabulary of Indian Languages stem from Samskrit

 Roots of Phonetics & Sentence structure Samskrit   of Indian languages lie in Samskrit Very high likelihood of Samskrit exposure  from childhood literate   30% of literate are also Samskrit literate 

 

Samskrit Teaching 

 

Language Teaching Methods     h   g    i    H   s   e   n   e   v    i    t   c   e    f    f    E

  w   o    L

Many foreign languages follow this method for several decades

2000+ years old European method Still used for Samskrit teaching  teaching 

 

Language Teaching Methods  Grammar Translation Approach   Results in teaching about the language rather than teaching the language

 Even after several years of learning, proficiency in uttering a few sentences in the language never gets developed  The experience of learning the language is awesome and best to be forgotten

 

Grammar Translation Approach  Eventually destroys a language 

Impressions created  Dead?

 Sectarian?  Difficult to Learn?

 Difficult to  

Samskrit Teaching  The need for shift in emphasis  Till Date

In Future

to  What teach

to  How teach

 Learnin

 Learnin

g is a nightma rish

g is a cherisha ble

experie nce

experien ce

 

Reforming Reformi ng Samskrit Teaching  Past experiences project a promising trend 

 Teachers training prgrammes introduced in England in 1920

 Govt. of Karnataka’s directive in 1989 on Samskrit education in primary/secondary levels  Revival of Hebrew language in Israel after a period of nearly 2000 years

 

Reforming Reformi ng Samskrit Teaching  Begins with reforming Samskrit Teachers   Provide them oral communication skills in Samskrit

 Thereby equip them with skills to teach Samskrit through Samskrit

 Help them innovate ways & means of  making Samskrit learning attractive

 Help them instill a sense of hope, confidence and inspiration among the learners

 

Unleashing the passive knowledge Bridge course 

Provides Samskrit teachers & students the needed attitudinal change and a little practice 

 

Making Samskrit thro’ Samskrit •

- An Agenda  A reality Launching a nation-wide movement to teach Samskrit through Samskrit

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Chalking out a 3-year result oriented plan Adopting “Samskrita Sambhashana Shibiram” of  Samskrita Bharathi as the bridge course Conducting teacher training programmes in every district Implementing Samskrit through Samskrit in all teacher training programmes Publishing a journal on Samskrit language teaching Encouraging Samskrit Vidyapeethas & other institutions to do experiments/pilot projects 

 

Samskrita Bharathi  Unquenchable desire to lead the transformation process   A willingness to shoulder the stupendous of teacher training and materialtask production

 A philosophy to participate in any effort to promote Samskrit  A time tested expertise to make Samskrit learning a valuable and cherished experience

 

Samskrit has no future Unless it is infused with fresh blood & strengthened with life saving energy

 

Is The Key to “The Treasure House of  Knowledge” 

 

Poor Man Waiting to re-discover the lost glory & pride 

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