PS 212 teams up with 'Puppetry in Practice' to teach lessons through art

A school in Gravesend is changing up the way many of its students learn.

News 12 Staff

Jan 14, 2020, 11:52 AM

Updated 1,572 days ago

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A school in Gravesend is changing up the way many of its students learn.
Through a partnership with the non-profit Puppetry in Practice, art is at the center of the learning experience. 
The second-grade classroom at P.S. 212 is full of eager students learning about the history of Coney Island and how rabbits inspired the neighborhood's name. The subject may not be innovative and unique, but the way the students are being taught the lesson is.

"This is stop-motion animation. They're using webcams and software, laptop, computers,” says Jason Leinwand, education director at Puppetry in Practice.

P.S. 212 is one of 20 schools around the city partnering with Puppetry in Practice, a non-profit based at Brooklyn College that proves art isn't just another class.

"Art is not external to the learning process. It is the learning process. So once we integrate the arts into everyday classroom learning, then it accelerates the process,” says Michael Perreca, executive director of Puppetry in Practice.

Using scissors, markers, cameras and computers to learn about a variety of subjects.

"We need to access them in a way, in a common language and artmaking or creativity is the common language,” says Perreca.

Organizers say art is a common language that also links learning with fun.


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