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DECEMBER 2016
C O N T E NT S COVER STORY
WILL DEMONETISATION SERVE EDUCATION SECTOR WELL?
volume IV issue 9
A. Murali Mukund, Chairman, Jubilee Hills Public School, Hyderabad
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Education
27 Dr. Ashok Kumar Pandey Principal, Ahlcon Intl. School, Delhi
Mentoring
28 Shubha Mahajan Director, MGM Khadi, Aurangabad Maharashtra
Career
Ashok Singh Guleria
Prashant Muley
Dr Ashok Pandey
time to change the way case or inclusive 24 Its 41 Aeducation preschools teach
Ahoy! Get Students Ecology 32 Math 46 Spiritual excited about math and its perception
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52 08 ���������������Readers’ Forum 09 ����������������Editorial 10 ����������������News 16 ����������������Parenting 22 ����������������Mentoring 34 ����������������Education 36 ����������������Pedagogy 38 ����������������Methodology 42 ����������������Survey 46 ����������������Learning 49 ����������������Education 50 ����������������Education 54 ����������������Book Review 55 ���������������British Council 56 ���������������Language Study 58 ����������� Mind Mine
READERS’ FORUM The bogey of math The word Math brings confusion in some people’s mind. It is not everyone’s cup of tea. This subject needs a lot of practice and interest. The right way to bring interest in students is to make them familiar with the basics right from an young age and develop interest in the subject. This practice should be followed both in the school and at home to draw better results.
NEW CONCEPT
Kamakshi Iyer, Kollam, Kerala
Nobel prize winners
WATCH
LISTEN
Now you can read as well as listen to your favourite article and also watch videos on education, career, sports, skill building, entertainment and a lot more. Brainfeed magazine started presenting a new concept – that is you can listen to your favourite article being read by experts while you go through the article. And also watch videos of your interest from the list of videos given in the magazine. This is how it works • A QR code sign will be given along with the article or the video. • All you need is a QR code scanner or QR code reader app on your Smartphone. • Download the app from Google play store or Apple app store. • Open the application, focus and hold the camera on the QR code of the article or the video you want to listen to or watch. • Then the QR code will lead you to the audio file of an educational expert, read the article for you or to the video that you wanted to watch. Don’t you think this is cool – so go on, read like an expert reader by just listening to an expert reader, read an article for you or watch a video to learn about an issue or topic or to learn a new skill.
Kudos to the designer for the Nobel Prize Winners page which is eye catching. The matter laid in the tabular format in different categories was very easy to understand. It was also interesting to see the different medals for the different fields. Indeed a great and smart work. David Abraham, New Delhi
High school to engineering college The article was informative that covered the individual talents and interest of the students to justify their needs. Indeed, parents should know that the world is not going to deal with only engineers but there are many streams to excel. The students should really express their views to the parents and be able to convince them to enter the field they wish to pursue. The world should be the place for all the fields and not only for engineering. Rishabh L, Bengaluru, Karnataka
Whatsapp bullying The word ‘bullying’ creates nervousness in student’s mind. We can find the students addicted to whatsapp, always chatting with their friends individually or in group. As rightly mentioned in the article, once they start hurting each other, it causes a mental tension in them. Parents and elders need to monitor them all the time. We request Brainfeed to cover such topics and also bring out a solution for it from the experts. Hemalatha Rane, Nagpur, Maharashtra
Enhancing communication skills in English The classroom teaching has been revolutionised over the years. Nevertheless, teaching is merely done as a routine mechanically. This affects students’ interest in developing communication skills. The article on ‘Role Play’, as an effective tool for developing communication skills in English is very useful for practising teachers like me. Karthiyayini L, English Teacher, Vishakapatnam, AP
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EDITORIAL december 2016
volume IV
issue 9
Chief Editor Brahmam K V Editor Seshubabu P V Executive Editor Bhageeradha G +91 91775 13996 Sub Editor Vanalatha Reddy T Karuna Raj
Art & Design Lakshmi D Rakesh N Director-Sales SreeNivas R B +91 85018 26497 Circulation Hemachandra Rao S +91 91777 74851 +91 85018 26317 Printed, Published and Owned by Kakani Veera Brahmam Printed at Kala Jyothi Process Pvt. Ltd. 1-1-60/5, RTC X Roads Hyderabad-500 020, Telangana, India Published from 8-3-191/565/K, Vengal Rao Nagar SR Nagar Post, Hyderabad-500 038 Telangana, India Contact Nos. : 040 - 6551 5151 040 - 4262 2024 Email: info@brainfeedmagazine.com brainfeedmagazine@gmail.com
Impact it will, demonetisation that is! N
arendra Modi has travelled 191,000 plus miles since taking over as Prime Minister but the biggest mile he surpassed in his short stint is the November 8 shocker of declaring `500 and `1,000 notes invalid. Everywhere I go, people ask me just one question - whether demonetisation would impact education sector. The question is not whether but how and to what extent. Impact it would but for that we would have to wait for the next 6-8 months to back it up with figures. The cover story in this issue takes a close look at how demonetisation would affect the education sector.
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Going by the mood and response from the world of academia there seems to be no doubt that capitation fee would take a hard hit and donations of every kind a beating. According to estimates, the Reserve Bank of India would be flushed with funds to a tune of `9 lakh crore. One hopes that investment in education will go up several notches and that augurs well for the sector.
Times are changing and the education sector too is bound to change, the hope is, it is going to be for the better. The next six to eight months would be interesting. To know the extent of the impact of demonetisation on education sector, watch out for this space.
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Brahmam K V Chief Editor december 16
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NEWS “Doodle for Google” contest 2016
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leven-year-old, Anvita Prashant Telang from Vibgyor High School, Balewadi, Pune has been named as the national winner for her imaginative, thoughtful and inspiring doodle, titled “Enjoy Every Moment”. The sixth standard student was chosen for her Doodle submission on the theme titled “If I could teach anyone anything, it would be”. Her doodle was featured on Google India homepage on November 14, 2016. Anvita’s creativity and vision towards developing ‘a better world and healthy lifestyle’ is well reflected through her colourful doodle where she has
T
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showcased how everyone should ‘Enjoy Every Moment’ and appreciate the simple things around us and live stress free life. Sapna Chadha, Head of Marketing, Google India, said, “We aim to promote creativity, passion and imagination in younger users “With ‘Doodle 4 Google’ competition”. We congratulate Anvita for being judged as the winner this year.”
TS schools to go digital
he Telangana government launched its digital classrooms programme in 3,352 high schools in the state. Deputy Chief Minister K Srihari, and IT Minister K T Rama Rao formally started the programme. The students would get to watch teaching of various subjects via Mana TV, an educational channel started by the government. The initiative would be extended to all schools by the beginning of 2017 academic year. The initiative has been started in accordance with chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s emphasis on human resource development for realising the dream of making Telangana a ‘golden’ State, Srihari said. Observing that a digital revolution is taking place across the world, the IT Minister said rapid growth can be achieved with the help of modern technology.
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Certificate course on Sand Art he Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) will launch the first ever certificate course on Sand Art. Noted Sand Artist Sudarsan Patnaik from Odisha will help the university to design and develop the programme for a one-month sand art certificate course for enthusiastic art students. This course will be available under the university’s massive online open course (MOOC) programme, which offers students an opportunity to learn online. IGNOU has developed more than 300 MOOC courses. These courses will be offered on the
U
government’s own internet platform called ‘Swayam’. The programme on Sand Art will also come on this platform. Students can access the website and learn the art through videos. Both theory and practical model of the courses will be prepared for the programme. In theory, students will be taught about selection of sand, use of water, measurement of sand and use of props while in practical students will learn making the art, carving, how to form pyramid shape and the whole process of making a sculpture on sand.
Class 10 Board exam for CBSE schools from 2017-18
nion HRD minister Prakash Javadekar said that the government will reintroduce compulsory class 10 Board examination for CBSE schools from 2017-18. He also said that the State governments will be given authority to reintroduce class 5 and 8 Board examinations.”The decision to conduct class 5 and 8 Board examinations will be
left with the state,” Javadekar said. The main focus of HRD Ministry is on improving the quality of school education, specifically of government schools, he said. Narendra Modi-led government is working to improve academic standard and wants the curiosity among students to grow with education, the Minister said.
HSBC GSCs target 100% female intake for internships
Detention policy from class 6
T
he Central Advisory Board for Education’s recommendation to amend the “nodetention” clause in the Right to Education Act and reintroduce pass-fail system from Class 5 has struck a chord with the Council for Indian School Certificate Examination. Gerry Arathoon, chief executive and secretary of the council, said they would want to put in place a cumulative assessment system from Classes 6 to 12, based on a comprehensive continuous evaluation process. “The Council will advise all affiliated schools to re-introduce
a detention system from Class 6. If it is a national policy, uniformity has to be maintained. We feel there should be a detention system in place,” Arathoon said. He also added, “Teachers should be able to evaluate students instead of the current practice where everyone is promoted up to Class 8 without any detention. If one state government agrees to abolish the no-detention policy and another decides to keep it, there will be no parity in the functioning of schools under CISCE.”
H
SBC has announced that it has set a target that 100% of the students hired next year as interns in its Global Service Centres (GSCs) must be female, in line with its commitment to enhance levels of diversity across the Bank. The Bank began an internship programme this year focused solely on its GSCs, which are located in Kolkata, Vizag, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Chennai. A total of 130 interns took up positions in a range of different departments across the GSCs, and 89 were female students.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of HSBC’s partnership with Andhra University. This allows students to attend courses at the School of Distance Education at the university, while serving apprenticeships at the Bank’s GSC in Visakhapatnam. Students, who qualify from the course, are offered Contact Centre roles in GSC Vizag. In recent years, HSBC has sought to increase opportunities for both female students and applicants, while also providing greater flexibility for women working in the Bank’s GSCs.
NEWS Enjoyable ICSE English curriculum from 2017-18
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‘ CSE students will get to study some of the most popular books including Harry Potter, The Hobbit, The Adventures of Tin Tin, Agatha Christie, Noddy as part of their English Syllabus along with the inspiring biographies of APJ Abdul Kalam, Anne Frank and Malala Yousafzai set to be part of the curriculum from the upcoming academic session 2017-2018. The new curriculum was released in Lucknow at the 59th Annual Conference of the Association of Schools for the Indian School Certificate (ISC) at City Montessori School, Lucknow. “The curriculum caters to a varied and diverse range
of individual differences, intelligences and abilities and provides a plethora of opportunities to enjoy the learning experience through integration of generic skills, values and attitude in key learning areas,” said Gerry Arathoon, CISCE Chief Executive and Secretary. If some schools fail to introduce the recommended texts in the coming academic session, they would be granted a year’s extension, he added.
Class 5 & 8 students to face annual exams
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he government indicated that students of Classes 5 and 8 may have to appear for annual examinations. According to an annual survey by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) on the learning achievement of children in Classes 3, 5, 8 and 10, “there is a need for significant improvement in learning levels,” Minister of State for Human Resource Development Upendra Kushwaha informed the Rajya Sabha. The survey also noted that the learning level of children depends on several factors, including “socio-economic, socio-geographic, the educational background of the students, availability of basic infrastructure/amenities in schools, availability of trained and competent teachers in the schools and so on,” the Minister said. There should be Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE) of every child to assess their learning levels and provide additional instruction accordingly.
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HARVEST: Energy harvesting device
M
aanasa Mendu, a 13-year-old IndoAmerican girl from Ohio, recently won the 2016 Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge for creating a $5 energy harvesting device. She has been named America’s Top Young Scientist and won $25,000. She created an innovative device called HARVEST that converts sunlight, wind, and rain into renewable energy. Inspired by a trip to India, where she saw many people without electricity or clean water, Mendu decided to design an affordable device capable of generating clean energy. Discovery Education CEO Bill Goodwyn said in a statement, “Each year, the Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge reminds us of the inspiring ingenuity that results when we empower our youngest generation to apply science, critical thinking, and creativity to solve realworld problems.”
One more feather in Sindhu’s cap
O
lympic silver medallist P V Sindhu battled past Chinese Sun Yu to win her first BWF (Badminton World Federation) Super Series Premier title at the China Open badminton tournament in Fuzhou. The Indian seventh seed won the first game 2111, but lost the next 1721 before registering a 21-11 triumph in the final game to clinch the title.
The final lasted an hour and nine minutes. The latest win, with which Sindhu became the third non-Chinese player to win the title in 30 years, has helped India maintain its firm footing in the tournament. The Hyderabad girl has now added a fresh feather into her cap with a sparkling win to claim her maiden China Super Series Title.
IGNITE Awards
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r. APJ Abdul Kalam IGNITE Awards are presented for a national competition of original technological ideas and innovations by students’ up to class 12 or those out of school up to the age of 17 years. President Pranab Mukherjee on November 7, 2016 presented the Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam IGNITE Awards to the winning children at Rashtrapati Bhavan. IGNITE competition was organised by the National Innovation Foundation (NIF).
This year, a total of 31 students have been awarded for their ideas/ innovations. Overall, 55,089 submissions of students from 458 districts of all the states and Union Territories of India were received during the IGNITE 16 competition, which ran from September 1, 2015 to August 31, 2016.
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Higher education institutions torchbearers of progress: President
resident Pranab Mukherjee said higher education institutions are the torchbearers of progress in the country, and stressed the need for quality research. “Building institutions is not merely a brick-and-mortar activity. It represents a vision of the future, which we all want for our nation and the generations to come,” he was quoted as saying by an official release. He said shortage of teaching faculty had plagued our institutions for a long time. “There is a need for innovative mechanisms to address the problem of vacancies on a long-term basis,” Mukherjee said, adding that 70% vacancies in central universities have been filled.
Dr APJ Abdul Kalam IGNITE Award is an effort to focus primarily on the creativity of the children and promote inclusive and compassionate thinking among them.
CISCE to have own syllabus from pre-school to class 8
I No school bags till class 2: MoS HRD Upendra Kushwaha
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he CBSE has directed schools affiliated to it to ensure that students do not carry school bags till class 2 and also to restrict the number of books to be prescribed in classes 1-8, Minister of State for Human Resource Development Upendra Kushwaha told the Lok Sabha. The National Council of Educational Research and Training
(NCERT) and the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) have taken several measures to reduce curriculum load and the weight of school bags. He said that the NCERT has not recommended any textbook for early childhood education, while only two books for classes 1 & 2 and three books for classes 3 to 5 have been recommended.
n a first, students studying in pre-school till class 8 in schools affiliated to the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) will have to study a curriculum prescribed by the Board right from academic session 201718, said CISCE chief executive and Secretary Gerry Arathoon. The Board prescribed syllabus only for classes 9 to 12. Most schools followed NCERT syllabus for junior classes till 8. The curriculum prepared by the Board was released at the 59th annual conference of Association of Schools
for the Indian School Certificate (ASISC) in Lucknow. The step leads to upward mobility. “Earlier, we were preparing curriculum
for class 9 till 12. But now with having our own syllabus right from preschool will ultimately help students to prepare for ICSE examinations in a better way. Now, students will be capable of working towards the Board examinations much before,” Arathoon informed. december 16
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NEWS Oxford University press launches Oxford Advantage
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n November 25, 2016, Oxford University Press (OUP) launched of Oxford Advantage, an integrated learning solution providing schools with a comprehensive educational tool kit that will serve as an end- toend solution for their various educational needs.
Oxford Advantage is aligned to the CBSE Board Curriculum in print and digital media. Oxford Advantage is based on a distinctive approach that is centered on the concept of integrated or blended learning – its modules are designed to be cross-disciplinary, theme and activity-based, aid conceptual learning – all of which will be delivered through differentiated learning strategies that are supported with reports and analytics. Speaking at the launch event in Hyderabad, Sivaramakrishnan V, Managing Director, Oxford University Press India said, “It also includes lesson plans, question banks, test
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generator, development Oxford teacher and training Advantage training and will also offer workshops.” professional a seamless The integrated development user interface learning modules, for both print solution assessment and Learning will enable tools for use Management parents to stay in school and System (LMS) completely at home, apps allowing access updated on for students, to school their child’s teachers and performance performance parents and and usage and progress. provision for tracking at a reports among Oxford other features glance. Advantage is help track the students’ designed to OUP quality progress throughout the standards and will be academic year. Further offered for classes 1 to Oxford Advantage 3 in the current year, focuses heavily on the going up to class 8 over teacher community the next two years. given the pivotal role Subjects being offered they play in the Indian for classes 1 and 2 are school education English, Hindi, EVS and system, by helping them Mathematics; while maintain an ascending class 3 subjects include learning curve through English, Hindi, Science, a sustained, planned Social Studies and program of professional Mathematics.
100 Maharashtra Government schools to get ‘international status’
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n what could be termed as one of the most ambitious schemes in the public education sector, the Maharashtra government has decided to convert 100 municipal and governmentrun schools into ‘international’ schools. The move aims to bring government school students on par with international education benchmarks. The state-run international schools are set to
be launched in June 2017. The schools will continue to offer education in vernacular/ English medium. Institutions run by Tribal Development and Social Justice Departments will also be included in this scheme. “The international curriculum will be adapted and adopted to the Maharashtra context,” says Nanda Kumar, School Education Secretary.
VIDEOS TO WATCH
http://www. brainfeedmagazine.com/ video-december-01
Can you really tell if a kid is lying? - Kang Lee
http://www. brainfeedmagazine.com/ video-december-02 Going Dutch - an education system which caters for all
http://www. brainfeedmagazine.com/ video-december-03 Sundar Pichai on Indian Education System
http://www. brainfeedmagazine.com/ video-december-04 The interesting story of our educational system Adhitya Iyer
PARENTING
Dr. Shayama Chona President, Tamana LISTEN
well-being of the child are love, patience and commitment.
Spend MORE TIME with children Spending quality time with children and getting them involved in the daily life activities not only breaks the ice but makes them responsible, feel wanted and prepares them for life
I
t involves intensive, personalised and longlasting care. One of the crucial responsibilities of a parent is to create an atmosphere at home that will make the child feel wanted and accepted. Parenting implies integrating the head, heart and the hand of the child. One should remember that parenting is more a cultivated art than a biological inheritance. In this day and age when time is a valued commodity, pressures abound both at home and at work. How does one manage to provide the best for one’s child, and yet cultivate a balance on other fronts as well? Is being around all the time the only way to bond? Parental involvement is all about attitude and initiative. It is about communication and interaction. In other words, it is about how parents relate to their children in the context of the time available to them.
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It is about communication and interaction. In other words, it is about how parents relate to their children in the context of the time available to them. For the child, the family offers a model for identification and a source of protection. A child’s home and family is his microsystem, embedded within larger systems comprising school, the extended family, the network of friends and so on. Giving extra time to children may make people feel like better parents – they may even be recognised as exceptionally devoted – but if the interaction is not appropriately monitored and nurtured, its very purpose will be negated. What brings about long-tem bonding and promotes the emotional
If crucial attachment and dependency needs are to be generously met, parents have to enjoy being with their children and integrate them into a supportive and companionable adult lifestyle. Good conversations with children are a balance between what you want to say and what they want to tell you. Parents should exchange views on preferences and favourites in any area – books, clothes, video, trips etc. thus cementing the relations and alongside encouraging them to express themselves with clarity and confidence. If your children enjoy activities with you, they will often be learning at the same time. For example, activities such as shopping and cooking will tap into your children’s skills and become an exercise in sharing responsibility. Similarly, physical games and exercise can be a good way to spend time together outdoors. A child who is currently struggling with reading may be enthusiastic about learning to ride his bike. This activity would not only boost his morale, but also teach him the value of perseverance. As a source of learning, computer games encourage quick reactions and are very enjoyable. Cards and board games, while enabling you to intensively interact with each other, will also help your child to look carefully, plan ahead and practice numbers and spelling. The great advantage of being a parent is that you can take an overall look at what your child is doing, experiencing and learning. Children will come first in your lives only if you decide to put them first, irrespective of the other prevailing factors.
COVER STORY
P. V. Seshubabu
WILL
DEMONETISATION
SERVE
EDUCATION SECTOR
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WELL?
This is the question that is in everyone’s mind. Will it and if so to what extent? Will the demonetisation change the course of expensive education and make it affordable? Will it eliminate the scourge of capitation fee? Will there be an equal playing field for all? Whether one agrees or not, demonetisation is bound to have an impact on the education sector in more ways than one
december 16
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ndia’s honeymoon with digital economy has just begun and there is not a single sector that would not be affected by demonetisation. The education sector too would be impacted in more ways than one. What came as a bolt from the blue, by declaring `500 and `1,000 notes as invalid is bound to have a ripple effect. India is one of the fastest growing education markets of the world with the approximate worth of the industry close to US$ 110 billion. Over the years, black money fractured the backbone of the Indian education system and created a massive gulf and completely erased parity in education. Demonetisation will unfurl the dark underbelly of the education industry and it will paralyse the deep rooted network of agents who are extremely active within the education ecosystem of the country. This economic reform will usher a new dawn in the education segment and will bring back the much needed balance in the system. Experts opine that digital economy will completely stall the flow of illegitimate money which runs through the veins of the education system in the garb of donation. The number of seats will soar in the private education institutes and schools which will have a farther effect on the entire educational climate of the country. Changes in
core sectors such as engineering and medicine are bound to take place. The decision to withdraw high-value bank currencies to curb unaccounted cash will hurt educational institutions that accept donations or capitation fees for admissions. Admissions in private educational institutions and medical college admissions come tagged with donations and this is one area that would be watched keenly by all. Nursery admissions and private educational institutions too would come under the scanner. It would be interesting to see the changes in the next six months when the new academic year begins. Media reports and expert opinions as of now are in prophesy mode and who bites the dust and to what extent will be unveiled in the next 6-8 months. Will the so-called ‘management quota’ still be up for sale? Will there be a course correction to
MBBS
seats in some private colleges are up for grabs for `40 lakh to `60 lakh and for MD seats it can go up to `2 crore and above. Similarly,
Engineering
and management stream seats have a price tag between `2 lakh to `10 lakh each. Will the demonetisation move change the course of expensive education and make it affordable devoid of the capitation fee is a million dollar question that every parent is asking.
use an economic jargon to bring back some semblance in the education sector? Will the meritorious student breathe easy and find a level playing field? These are questions that the ‘surgical strike’ of November 8 has thrown up for which the answers would only be available in the next 6-8 months when the new academic year pans out. Another theory that is doing the rounds is the probability of a decline of Indian students going abroad to study. According to the Reserve Bank of India data, more than 250,000 Indian students study abroad at any given point of time and the education-related overseas expenditure was US $ 1.98 billion in 2015 -16. A major part of the finance of students who study abroad is through liquid cash. And in a scenario of less and no disposable cash, will there be a drop in the outflow is again something to watch out for. If estimates are to be believed, there would be a dip at least in the near future. Brainfeed invited a few educationists to share their views on the impact of demonetisation on education sector and its impact on the economy. Here are the extracts: december 16
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COVER STORY
Ashok Singh Guleria
Chief-Educator Akal Group of Schools Kalgidhar Trust, Baru Sahib
Demonetisation effect on education In recent years, India has become a key player in the global education industry with 1.4 million schools having more than 227 million enrolled students and more than 36,000 institutions imparting higher education. By 2020, India’s average age will be just 29 years, in comparison with 37 in China and the United States, 45 in Western Europe and 48 in Japan. This demographic trend will confer a significant competitive advantage upon India. To meet the future challenges of this potentially productive population a host of reforms and improved financial outlays is required to transform the country into a knowledge haven. With human resource increasingly gaining significance in the overall development of the country, development of education infrastructure is expected to remain the key focus in the current decade. In this scenario, infrastructure investment in the education sector is likely to see a considerable increase in the current decade.
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India’s average age will be just
29 years, in comparison with
37 in China
and the United States,
45 in
Western Europe and
48 in
Japan. This demographic trend will confer a significant competitive advantage upon India.
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Still the country after demonetisation is in a calculative whirl and is responding to the economic, sociopolitical outcomes. In education and human resource development this will surely help uplift the education sector with expectedly larger budgetary provisions, open investment and infrastructure. Moreover, there is larger scope of spurt in digital advancement in the sector in administration and education management system. In private education system demonetisation will help to curb corruption that enters the sector via donations and capitations. On corruption Demonetisation of currency has eliminated the scope of inflow of shadow money from unknown sources. This will certainly put restraint on the practices of politicians wooing electorates with cash. Fund distribution and utilization for political campaigns, advertisements will come under government scanner as donors to political parties too will come under surveillance as all transactions from accounts will be under scrutiny of finance controlling bodies. There is a need for substantive reforms to bring transparency and accountability to its opaque campaign finance system in the long run success of this move.
On shadow economy The parallel shadow economy run by black money crippled the political systems and public institutions. Demonetisation is a progressive decisive push for democracy to move forward. Merely opposing this massive campaign will only weaken what is a first time initiative to weed out unwanted elements. Many economists predict that cleaning up of the system will add substantially to the GDP – Ambit’s Saurabh Mukherjea, the eminent analyst predicted that within three years this move could lead to an increment of three percent in the annual growth rate. As a result, the government will be able to enhance investments in public health, education, infrastructure resources etc. On energising the economy As per the analysis of Finance Ministry, during 2011-2016, the circulation of smaller currency grew 40% against the circulation of `500 and `1,000 notes that went up by 76% and 109% respectively. Relatively speaking, the economy has grown only by 30% which is way below the money circulation. Since the currency of the banned denominations constitutes around 86% of the total value of the currency in circulation which was not going to the banks in expected limit therefore the move was urgent to puff out from the darker drains. Obviously, the inflow of fair money in the economy will boost investment in public and private sectors leading to growth of the economy in the long run. It will attract impartiality in terms of trade investment and employment.
Prashant Muley
Dr Ashok Pandey
Principal, Podar International School, ICSE, Aurangabad MS
Principal, Ahlcon International School Mayur Vihar, New Delhi
Demonetisation effect on education
Impact on Education sector
It is a historical step which will have far reaching impact and needs to be supported. I do not think that school education sector will be affected as much, but there is speculation that higher education sector is one driven by black money.
Educational institutes will also shift to the cashless paradigm. Fiscal discipline, proper budgeting and revenue –expenditure balance will usher in. Capitation fee, wherever they exist, will disappear. Adhocism will no longer be the hallmark of institutional financial management. Private schools must encourage the students to move to e-wallet rather than carrying pocket money in cash. The young generation, in any case, is more aligned to ‘online’ life. Children are also in a better position to influence their parents.
Now that would mean that ‘finishing schools’, training and education players who have always had to follow “rules”, proper books, pay service tax and follow best practices will start seeing demand. On energising the economy
We may see a few of them now lose out on cash and cascade into not being able to meet regulatory requirements and lose out on staff. This will affect the supply to industry.
I feel strongly that it would cleanse the system to a great extent. In principle, everyone will agree that it is a good move although we may debate and discuss its implementation and short-term inconvenience. Demonetisation technically is a liquidity shock. We as Indians need to imbibe in us this very crucial and important attitudinal point of honesty, especially in monetary aspects. Hence this decision of central government will certainly usher in encouraging honesty in political life. As far as the economy is concerned, it will not have any serious negative impact. Any inconvenience due to the lack of liquidity would be in the short term.
On cleansing the system Demonetisation is going to have a ripple effect and there is bound to be behavioural changes as well. There is a perceptible change already in our consumption attitude. The real value for money has dawned. The wholesome purpose is of course to cleanse the system of parallel economy, counterfeit currency, and hoarding. Honesty in political life is a tricky one, and it depends on several systemic reforms including
people’s representation, elections, party funding, etc. The government in the meantime should do everything under its command to mitigate people’s inconvenience. The parallel economy has already got a jolt. The soaring bank deposits indicate that mopping up unaccounted money is underway. I am not enamoured by terms such as a surgical strike. These phrases trivialise reasonable efforts in cleansing the system. I think people are going back to the spiritual wisdom of frugal living and refraining from the vulgar display of wealth. People should make good use of National Unified USSD platform for buying, salary payment, etc. Impact on economy I am not an expert on the economy. But common sense suggests that two economies cannot run together. Fake currency racket is in no one’s interest. Illegal transaction of money is bad, unethical and immoral. That being the case, the present endeavour is bound to help the economy. More money in banks translates into more welfare schemes for the common people. More and more people will go cashless and clean. I have a feeling that the real estate sector will have the maximum impact. december 16
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MENTORING
“I am not a teacher, but an awakener.” ― Robert Frost
Mentor’s Role in moulding a student Mentoring is a professional relationship in which an ‘experienced person’ assists an ‘inexperienced person’ in developing specific skills and knowledge that will enhance the latter’s professional and personal growth. The practice of mentoring dates back to earlier times. In recent years there has been a remarkable rise of interest in mentoring. Mentoring relationships are valued as a powerful means to long-term personal development in an individual. Mentoring includes instruction, assignment, coaching and career development. Ramesh Batlish, Expert, FIIT-JEE explains how mentoring can be implemented in the modern context.
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E
arly growing years in a child’s life are most crucial and are important to be guided by a mentor who understands and guides him towards his better future. It is crucial in a student’s life when he or she is learning to adapt to changes in personal and school life. It creates a relevant image in the child’s mind and the child gets influenced to learn further in a creative manner. Besides, a positive influence from a teacher at elementary level has deep imprint in the child’s mind during his growing years and even after that.
Social Impact of a mentor Mentoring is a professional activity, a trusted relationship; a meaningful commitment. A teacher or a mentor is more of an awakener in a student’s life. There is potential in every student and mentors can leave an ineradicable impression on student’s tender mind by trusting their inherent capabilities. Of late, researches have stated that youth need gentle and consistent bond with adults in order to steer their way through adolescence and further. For many youth, however, there is no adult who is available to endow with this kind of support. In such a scenario, the teacher should act as a good mason and make sound bricks that can be gainfully utilised in the national construction. In order to reach a standpoint, the teacher has a major role to play in moulding the personality of the student and to help in underpinning a strong character for the development of the nation. Thus, the teacher is not only an intellectual mentor but also a spiritual guide to the youth. A teacher should make an effort to cast the personality of the students and to motivate them to be a part of impartial society committed to the Gandhian ideal of ‘wiping every tear from every eye’. On the verge of professing great principles and holding soaring aspirations, translating those ideas into focused action and time bound programme is also essential. Hence, it is imperative to set realistic goals and to steer oneself with focus and intensity to those aspirations with one’s heart and soul.
A teacher should make continued efforts to nurture creativity and independence among the youth. For that purpose, debates and group discussions should be arranged and students should be provided an opportunity for free and frank expression of ideas. Moulding aspirations into reality The primary role of a mentor is to inculcate great values and ideals of education and its reimbursement in creating bright future of students. In addition, a student should be catered at a very tender stage of his or her career and should be guided through accordingly. In order to achieve an aspired goal in life, a mentor plays a vital role in shaping the mind frame of the child. Also, it is important to nurture and develop a scientific temperament in the student in order to raise a practical bend of mind. This can be accomplished by arranging special lectures by reputed scientists, researchers and teachers of science. However, it is never a compulsion to have a scientific approach towards life if the student has an inclination elsewhere. Alongside, a mentor also needs to take risk of training independent individuals so that an effective learning takes place ensuring a better clarity in the student’s mind. Effective mentors genuinely care, like, accept and value their students, while demonstrating kindness, sharing responsibility, accepting diversity, fostering individual education and encouraging creativity. A teacher’s impact on child’s attitude Skilfully directed teachers can alter a student’s thinking and their attitude as a whole. A teacher
needs to promote the democratic spirit among the students, by making them self-sufficient in solving their own problems by proper groundwork. At the same time, a student has to develop a positive attitude towards life under various situations. Accordingly, a teacher has to encourage the youth to develop independent thinking and the ability to question. A teacher ought to make continued efforts to nurture creativity and independence among the youth. For that purpose, debates and group discussions should be arranged and students should be provided an opportunity for free and frank expression of ideas. The teacher should encourage the students to raise questions in the course of the lecture and try to clarify their doubts. Lastly, a teacher has to make two things clear to his or her student, “knowledge is power” and “information is the key for development”. Also, one should always keep in mind the fact that text is only a pretext and a lot more is needed to develop the all-round personality of the students to prepare them to live a purposeful eventful life. Therefore, instilling a positive outlook and honest work culture in minds of youth is the task of paramount importance for a mentor, in order to ensure a fruitful future of a student. Mentor ensures all-round development of student. december 16
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SPECIAL FEATURE
Swati Popat Vats Director, Podar Jumbo Kids Preschools
Its time to change
the way preschools teach The time has come to do away with preschools and turn them into Early Childhood Centres. Integrating preschool education with training for pregnant mothers on child birth, rearing, brain development and child development can do wonders argues, Swati Popat Vats formal learning for children up to the age of 7 is scoring better than all countries. So we have school heads flocking to visit schools in Helsinki, but is there any change in the way we teach our preschoolers? Absolutely not, it is the heads of schools that feel that preschoolers should be given more reading and writing!
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oddlers as young as two years are made to hold pencils and go over dotted lines in worksheets. Three year olds are made to recite rhymes in front of a class and then graded and marked on their ‘performance’. Children are taught number 1 and then number 7, skipping the rest in between reason given: standing line numbers should be taught together! Completely overlooking the fact that letters need not be taught in the A to Z format but numbers need to be taught in the order of counting else children will not have a foundational base
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of what number comes before, after. This is the confused state of preschool curriculum. Examples given above are just a few examples of the atrocious way in which children are taught in preschools. If you ask the preschools they blame it on parents, it’s the parents that want their child to read and write at an early age. To what gain? What do we achieve when we push children towards this senseless method of ‘education’ when they should be learning with play? Are we scoring on the PISA results? Not at all. Sample this: Finland that has no
It is time to give up our traditional mindsets on how preschoolers should be taught. What is to be taught and how much is something that needs immediate attention. Exploration through play is needed. The malaise that is all around is the craze to get kids behind desks and teachers who can ‘discipline’ them. As a result, preschools have turned into ‘entrance exam centres’ for primary schools, where the kids are only ‘prepared’ to learn how to cope in standard one. What has gone wrong with preschools in our country when we have a well drafted Early Childhood Policy and Curriculum by the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development? Our problem is that one ministry at the state level does not handle education. Early childhood care is handled by the ministry of Women and Child Development
but early childhood education is looked into by…well no one at the state level! This leaves no choice but for preschools to make their own curriculum or become ‘preparatory centres’ for standard one. State governments are now starting to ‘regulate’ preschools but without having a policy on quality or curriculum. Bereft of a proper definition and a structure, mindless regulation can be detrimental. And why is each state redefining the early childhood policy and curriculum? Children between the ages of birth to 6 years go through the same stages of development in every part of the country so then why the need to reinvent the wheel and waste precious public money when there is a great policy and curriculum drafted by the central Ministry? The solution to this can come only if Early Childhood Care and Education is not a concurrent subject at the state level. Then we will have a common standard of care and education across the length and breath of our country and our children, our future will get the care and nurturing they deserve. There is also another raging debate going on in the media and amongst many policy makers, on
what should preschools teach? What is the right age to send children to preschool? Some even feel that there is no need for preschools! The confusion arises because we call them preschools and not early childhood centres. Early Childhood Centres look after child development, which means that parents especially mothers can be taught how to foster children’s cognitive and social skills. It can also advise them on nutrition and hygiene. ‘Give me a child’, an article featured in the economist.com makes a strong point that there are multiple benefits that come from putting more emphasis on early childhood development (ECD), a term that includes everything that can be done to boost the physical and intellectual health of youngsters before they reach the age of eight.
Green School initiative is based on the optimal use of resources and innovation is part of today’s learning that maximises the learning of every student.
Preschool suggests ‘preparation for school’ what we need is preparation for life. Children’s brains develop rapidly in the first six years and they need environments that don’t stress them out, after all young brains are sensitive. In the first three years after birth, when up to 1,000 synapses are formed per second, they are vulnerable to trauma that triggers stress hormones. So young brains don’t need to be taught ‘what to learn’ but they need to be nurtured towards ‘how to learn’ and that can only be achieved through play and play based interactions. There are some state governments which do not allow a child to be sent to a preschool until the age of three. The question that arises is where would working mothers leave their kids? In most countries an early childhood centre is all in one, it fulfills the need for parent education, play needs of children and doubles up as daycare too. Why are daycares and preschools separate? An interesting research study by the Rural Education Action Programme, based at Stanford University, suggests that rural children in China have “systematically low cognition”, partly as a result of being reared by grandparents who pay them little attention while parents work in cities. It definitely must be the case in India too. The ACER report states that primary children cannot read or write, that is because there was no stimulation of these young brains in the early years, lack of good quality early years program has its impact on the learning capacity and capability of our primary and secondary students. Its time we woke up as a country and realized the potential of what the World Bank says -every dollar december 16
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SPECIAL FEATURE spent on pre-school education earns between $6 and $17 of public benefits, in the form of a healthier and more productive workforce with fewer wrongdoers. As a New York Times headline asked, “Do we want to invest in Prisons or Preschools?” At the recently held Seventieth Session of the United Nations General Assembly, a new set of global development goals were set that will establish the Development Agenda for United Nations Members States through 2030. To achieve the goals, access to quality early childhood development is recognized as essential for not just human development, but also sustainable development. “What we are learning about all the elements that affect a child’s brain – whether her body is well nourished, whether her mind is stimulated, whether she is protected from violence — must change the way we think about early childhood development … and how we act,” said UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake. “To give every child a fair chance in life, we need to invest early, invest equitably, and invest smartly – not only in education, but in health, in nutrition, and in protection.” What we need to give the children in our country, in the first six years of life is health, nutrition, protection, and education and to accomplish this we need to do away with preschools and instead turn them into Early Childhood Centres that help mothers from pregnancy till their children are six years of age. Would it not be great if a mother joins a centre when she is pregnant and learns not only about child birth but also child rearing, brain development and child development? Would it then not be
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10 point recommendations Early Childhood Association (ECA) with a member base, 3500 preschools, 35 NGO’s, and 45 corporate members has written to Maneka Gandhi, Union Minister for Women and Child Development, Government of India with recommendations 1. Early Childhood Education should not be a concurrent subject as children in the first five years have same developmental pattern, make safety, curriculum, teacher child ratio, class size, salaries, educational qualifications of teachers as some basic nonnegotiable throughout the country. 2. ICDS funds should be equally divided in mid day meal and preschool education. 3. Regulation to curb preschool and daycare centres coming up like mushrooms in private homes and elsewhere; with no quality standards. 4. Every preschool, whether government run or private should go through quality certification by an independent body appointed by Government. 5. No heavy academics at the preschool stage (up to 5 years). Homework and bags are already banned by CBSE for standard one and two but then what about preschools? great when the child is born the mother continues to come to the centre for inoculations, hygiene tips, and sessions with her child that help her understand how to interact, nurture and stimulate the child? Once the child grows independent then the child can
6. Draft a common curriculum for ECE to be used by all states. Standard one expectation should be set by NCERT, in line with the preschool curriculum as per the ECE policy of the Government. This common curriculum should be notified to any one starting an ECE school/ Anganwadi / Pre- Primary School. 7. Staff- Child ratio to be defined as per age group and also limit class size. This should be across all sections whether anganwadis or private preschools. 8. Develop an ECE qualification framework (new Education Policy says DIET to train the ‘teachers’). This should be common, pan India. 9. Continuous in-service training on inclusion, which includes subjects like child development, curriculum, special children, safety and first aid and observation and assessment. continue to come without the mother to the centre for playbased learning. Corporal punishment and too much emphasis on reading and writing during the foundational years could do more harm than good for the child.
EDUCATION
NOT FOR PROFIT MODEL, OUTDATED CONCEPT f late there is a new found interest among the academia to learn about the educational system in Finland. India and the world in general seem to be following the policy, ‘Look to Finland’. A number of schools and educational management services are heading to Finland on educational tours to get a fair understanding of the system there. Pedagogues who visited Finland diligently brought back ideas to incorporate into their schools are however caught with the question, ‘Is implementation possible?”
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The problems in aping Finland’s model is however beset with problems as aspects such as no detention policy, class size, teacher quality, and infrastructure are something to look at and cost becomes a big factor. Statistics reveal that Finland spends 5.9% of its GDP on education and globally it is 4.9% of GDP; in India the total spend on education is 3.3% of GDP according to the World Bank data. The regulation on fee structure is a huge encumbrance in providing quality education in India. This
A. Murali Mukund, Chairman, Jubilee Hills Public School, Hyderabad
Quality and competition are the buzzwords for every sector you name it, from telecom to health, IT to hotel industry. So why not for education? The government needs to come up with a model that ensures quality and minimum regulation argues Murali Mukund needs to be looked at keeping in view all the stake holders. It may be true that some schools charge more fee than others. The fixing of fee structure by the schools depends on many factors; area of land; leased or rented; the infrastructure provided in terms of buildings, technology, amenities, safety and security, closed circuit cameras, air conditioning; school bus transport; the grounds and fields for sports; sanitary facilities and above all the quality of teachers and the spending on teachers and administrative staff in terms of salaries and professional development.
Based on these facilities each school may fix the fee structure and parents should find out whether the fee charged is in commensurate with the facilities provided. Another issue that needs to be addressed though is the yearly increase in fee. The government needs to intervene. A reasonable and practical percentage needs to be decided. The acute shortage of good and quality teachers is another issue that plagues the education sector. Private schools are forced to pay more salaries than State / Central Government to retain these teachers. If the fee is not charged in accordance with the facilities provided, quality of education suffers leading to private tutors charging enormous sums. In contrast, higher education in India is of international standard as they are not impeded by fee regulation. Prime examples of such institutions are the IIMs, IITs and the ISBs. After the opening up of the economy 1991, market forces are ruling the roost. Competition and quality have been the buzzwords ever since and have become the benchmark for hospitals, power, cement, telecom. Education sector should also compete in a healthy manner with limited controls in the interest of students who are going to be the future citizens. The concept that education should be a not for profit model is an outdated concept forcing people to flout the rules and take recourse to illegal methods. The Government should prepare a suitable model where education is done for profit model but with proper regulation. The mantra should be ‘Perform or Perish’. If schools provide good service they flourish, if they don’t, they would perish. december 16
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MENTORING
PRINCIPAL
AS LEADER
This interview is the seventh in the series of responses from eminent academician. Dr. Ashok Kumar Pandey, Principal, Ahlcon International School, (Global Perspective, Indian Values) responds to the questions of Principals about effective qualities of ‘Principal as Leader’
‘Principal as Leader’ will be a regular feature published every month. Principals may send their queries and Dr. Ashok Pandey will answer. The queries may be sent to editor@brainfeedmagazine. com on or before 15th of every month.
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Mr. T. Jayapal Reddy Principal, Genesis International School Hyderabad
Mrs. R. Parvathi Reddy Principal, Harvest Public School, Khammam
Do Principals require special skills necessary to lead respective schools in the 21st Century?
“Effective leadership means more than knowing what to do rather it is knowing when, how and why to do it.” Please explain.
Yes, certainly they do. These skills were always required even in the past. The difference today is that school leadership is more about instruction, coaching, servant leadership and setting examples. The 21st century leadership is a real hallmark of collaboration, valueaddition and problem solving. It is not about a passive watch and monitoring. School leaders of today are called upon to promote high excellence.
Very true. School leaders’ job is very stressful. Multiple demands in instruction, classroom management, culture-building, managing resources, ensuring safety, etc., occupy the attention of the principal. Meeting the expectations of the other stake holders such as parents, management, and the regulating authorities make things even more challenging.
The only solace one can expect is from an intelligent prioritising and distinguishing between the urgent and the important. If this management of priorities is not perfected, we will only add to the stress at hand. A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way and shows the way, as John C. Maxwell says.
Mr. H. M. Rout Principal, Dewan Public School, Meerut, UP
Ms. Punam Gupta Principal, BGS International Public School, Dwaraka
“A discrepancy between the level of accountability expected of a Principal and the lack of influence he/she has over many factors affecting the school’s success.” Is it true? Please elucidate.
“Finding practical ways to thoughtfully and appropriately assess and develop leaders can have an important impact on the quality of leadership and through that on the quality of education in schools.” Please clarify this statement.
Accountability is a measure of one’s character. For a leader being accountable is both a character and a way of life. As a leader, you are responsible to all stakeholders and their aspirations. A complete fulfillment of all aspirations of all stakeholders should be the core value of all accountable organisations. Any leader in any situation will never have a complete influence or control over all factors, external and internal. I will find it very unpalatable to accept that our accountability should be determined by the extent of influence and control we exert over the situations affecting our environment.
The quality of education in schools is a function of several variables. The impact of leadership on achieving quality in schooling cannot be disputed.
Mrs. B. M. Meenakshi Indus English Medium High School, Kallur, Kurnool
I have argued in my earlier columns that school heads with a background in classroom excellence; pedagogy, assessment, and ICT have a better chance of impacting the learning outcomes. However, to manage the learning ecosystem efficiently, the leadership requires nurturing. As said earlier, pre-orientation, inservice education, continued professional growth, are the pre-requisites. Educators around the world are deliberating around the foundations of a creative curriculum and core learning skills. Designing a well-curated induction package for the prospective school leaders is very helpful.
Is Inductive Course orienting Principal or a Pre-Service Training preparing for the challenges of the job necessary?
I think pre-orientation in the areas of leadership, finance, deep pedagogies, ICT, regulations provisions of the law as applicable to the schools must be mandatory. However, it does not exclude in-service professional growth. I am of the firm view that the school leaders must exhibit leadership in reading, writing, publication and ICT.
Mr. B. Anil Kumar Principal, Chinmaya Vidyalaya, Tarapur “Getting the right people to become school leaders is very important and at the same time providing them with the right set of skills to be more effective leaders.”This is how Christie, Thompson, and Whitely have defined about creating Principals as Leaders. Please explain. Sounds great! Right people assuming a leadership position in any walk of life is good news. Continuously investing in their competency building is a wise thing to do. Specialised training in strategic leadership skills, human and financial resource management is required. A school principal’s job demands a set of personal and professional skills. That includes being a visionary pedagogue, ideate, strategist and a believer in the big picture. Educational research and projects by Christie, Thompson, and Whitely Academy support,the idea that the identification of qualities, characteristics, competencies and other influences of successful school leaders will be helpful in arriving at a set of generic core qualities of the effective school principals. Examples and the best practices of successful leaders must be shared with a larger population of practitioners. december 16
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C
presents
an educational initiative
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SPECIAL FEATURE
Revathi Balakrishnan 2016 Texas Teacher of the Year
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t is 8:00 p.m. on November 8, 2016, the night when the returns from the Presidential elections in America were in full swing. My 5th grade students were sitting in the comfort of their own home but logged in and talking to their classmates through Google Classroom. They were analyzing the election results as they came in and made comments about the data online. They watched for the Electoral College votes and the percentage of various sub-populations voting for either
MATH AHOY! GET STUDENTS EXCITED ABOUT MATH Bring Math to life by correlating with current events and day-to-day activities and see how children take to Math as a duck to water. been in school for only 3 to 4 years and are learning the basics but they have already developed a hatred for math. How can that be? What went wrong in those few years? The answer is easy. It is the rote curriculum and the pure disconnect between what is taught in the classroom and its applications outside the classroom.
candidate. This was an exercise in looking for math in the election results. Percentages, pie charts, calculating totals using the SUM function in EXCEL spreadsheets… they were seeing math in the elections. The next day, I got an email from a parent. “We wanted to share with you that V. really enjoyed the election polls tracking assignment. Her comment last night was: “I love Mrs.
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Balakrishnan even more for giving us this election assignment. It is so much fun.” Looks like kids were all on Google Classroom with their live analysis and was interesting to hear from V. her commentary. Thanks for pushing the kids to explore the world outside their bubble.” How many times have we heard students as young as 10 year say that they hate math? They have
Math is the challenge of arriving at an answer in multiple ways. It is not the reliance on the algorithm but the reliance on understanding the concepts. That is the key. Too many students depend on the algorithm that when the need for critical thinking arises, they are not ready for it. Another problem is that the math done in the classroom is not linked to the math found in the outside world. I am constantly on the lookout for students to “see” the math in the real world. Whenever possible, they collect data from grocery stores and daily activities and we use this data in our math classes. For example, an assignment might be to find the cost of different sizes of cereal boxes in the store. Back in class, they have to find the unit cost
so that can advise their parents on which cereal is a better buy.
My students’ parents have constantly told me that they are astonished how their 5th grader is able to carry on a conversation about the economy, unemployment or immigration because those are excellent topics to how math is applied in real life
I recently read a book to my class called “If the World Were A Village”. This book assumed a village of 100 people (to simulate percentages) and gave interesting facts about religion, languages spoken, etc. Once the students discovered from the book that percentages meant “out of a hundred”, I asked them to research a country of their choice from cia.gov and create a page out of their “If Canada were a Village” or “If Sweden were a Village.” Students not only learned what percentages meant, but they also learned all about using protractors and creating pie charts. To bring in the technology component, I asked them to enter their data on their country into EXCEL and learn how to create pie charts for their country in EXCEL. Another project that I did in class was to teach Braille to students in Math class. It was fascinating to see students discover the patterns in the alphabet. I then asked them
to write a sentence in Braille. This challenges their spatial ability and they learn the concept of transformation. Then I gave them paper and a paper clip to punch out the sentence in Braille. They knew that they had done a great job when their friend was able to read their Braille sentence correctly. One cannot count the excitement in class when I announce a project that deals with finding math in their daily lives. Using coordinates to track their movement around the school (almost like a GPS), asking students to create a survey to find out what concepts students are struggling in and advising their teacher on what to concentrate on. My students’ parents have constantly told me that they are astonished how their 5th grader is able to carry on a conversation about the economy, unemployment or immigration because those are excellent topics to how math is applied in real life. Educators, look to current events for your lesson plans, look to the world outside your classroom for examples that will bring math to life. We cannot afford for our students to hate math; it is too important a subject to be disliked. december 16
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EDUCATION
Vanalatha
BYE BYE SCHOOL BAGS!
The recent circular in September, 2016 by CBSE directing schools not to give homework to classes 1 & 2 and expecting tiny tots not to lug heavy school bags has come as a welcome relief to many. Also, the government order of observing October 15 which is former President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam’s birthday as a ‘No school bag day’ is a move to reduce burden on children. Brainfeed spoke to a few school principals to know their take on the issue and how they have been implementing the ‘No school bag day.’ Some schools implemented it on Dr Abdul Kalam’s birthday whereas there is handful of schools that started to implement this day as per their academic convenience to reduce the pressure in students.
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Anjali Razdan
Principal, P. Obul Reddy Public School, Hyderabad
Explain how your school adopted ‘No School Bag Day’. It may not be related to mere “academic” bag and books, but a day where children need not read and write and observe academic instructions, instead shift the emphasis from learning to can be referred as “No School Bag Day”. At Obul Reddy School, we call it as ‘Talent Showcase Day’. Our school observes it in the month of February as this is the time the syllabus is completed and the students and teachers can focus on the other activities. There is no academic burden on this day. We have sports and other activities. The sports field and the stage is abuzz with activity. Teachers identify the hidden talents of the students. Recently one such talent found was “beat boxing” (art of playing table/ drums through mouth).
It is learnt that your school has been adopting ‘No School Bag Day’. Please explain how your school follows this programme? The ‘No school bag days’ are observed during the first two months of Pre-school students. Students have a lot of activities, circle time and games on these days. The activities help them know each other and the mentors. It also helps reduce the separation anxiety and removes stress of coming to a big, formal school. How are the students engaged on this day? Pre- school students are engaged through Nayi Disha digital game, hands on activities in which they roll clay and make articles. They are given worksheets for colouring and a story is woven around their
How are the students engaged on this day? Students eagerly wait for this day! We encourage everybody to participate and showcase their talents. No preparation is required for this as they can perform it on the spot. Few students are shy to come out but watching their friends performing, they also try to perform. Our aim is to engage each and every student. How is students’ response? They feel amazing as they are away from the academic burden. Even teacher monitoring is not required as everybody enjoys it. Each and everyone enjoy a lot on this day. We hope in a few years everyone will surely participate and it would become the most sought after day, and will discover their latent talent, which the children could further promote if they wish to do.
C. Rama Devi
Sr. Principal, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Public School, Hyderabad
Tell us about ‘No school bag day. Bhavan’s Vidyashram believes in innovative practices and recently introduced the concept of ‘no school bag day’ in November, for pre-primary and primary students. It was an initiative taken by the teachers to reshape the mindset of the children that learning can be more fun and meaningful by doing various activities. The teachers meticulously planned a host of activities beyond the text book, yet connected to the
Nita Arora
Head Learner, Sri Venkateshwar International School, New Delhi
work. Other students have special days in which special camps are organised. They are engaged in space and astronomy activities, special sports and fitness camp, circle time, reading time, activity club engagement - music, dance, theatre, social service or community work, eco club, photography club, adventure camp activities, study tour, field study and related activities. What do the students feel about it? Students find the days de- stressing. This gives them time to engage in many co-curricular activities besides sports and fitness activities. The story time activity during circle time is loved by them. They look forward to this time. Not only the students but the parents also feel that the school successfully addresses the need to develop an overall personality of the students and help them develop their life skills.
syllabus. This gives scope for the students to develop their skills and for teachers to identify their inherent talent. As planned well in advance, the parallel teachers chalked out the activities for the classes they go and made sure that all the required facilities were provided to them. How are the students engaged on this day? Students took part in various activities such as speaking skills, listening comprehension, creative writing skills, group discussion on different topics, scientific skills like science activities, observation of experiments. It was a different kind of learning where students used skills such as public speaking, choreography, acting, art, reading etc. With such high levels of interaction and participation, the Primary Block was buzzing with activity. What do the students feel about it? The students enjoyed a lot. According to them, it was a joyful and active day unlike the normal working days. Their favourite activity was pencil shaving and reading story books in the library. They also played many games and interacted with other class friends. The teachers along with the students participated in various activities that were being performed. Students, Parents and Teachers enjoyed the day and are looking forward to more such days. The senior students are also eagerly waiting to have a ‘no school bag day’.
Nandita Aggarwal
Principal, Sunderdeep World School, Ghaziabad, UP
It is learnt that your school has been adopting ‘No School Bag Day’. Please explain how your school follows this programme? From the very moment a child steps into school life, he gets by an all-time friend – his ‘school bag’. But children of Sunderdeep World School will bid adieu to their dear friend (bag) for a day. We are all geared up to celebrate the ‘No School Bag Day.’ The aim of this day is to give a welcome break from work stress and study pressure to our children and staff and let them enjoy the pleasure of being in school with a free mind. We will be starting the day with ‘Om-chant’ and some yoga exercises. Later on they will be engaged in some fun games and certain classical outdoor games. Adding to the fervour of the day will be simple and holistic lunch-boxes. Finally to end up the day, there will be a music and dance session for the students as well as the teachers. We are certain that our endeavour to give them a healthy, physical and psychological break will surely help our children relax and bounce back to studies with greater energy and rigour How are the students engaged on this day? The main focus will be on bringing the students close to ‘mother nature’ and to inbuilt the craze for classic outdoor games. Further to enhance their enjoyment, the richness of traditional Indian games are accompanied with some new-age, technology-driven, recreational games and activities are planned. Our focus will be both on building their stamina and creativity along with leadership skills and team-spirit. What do the students feel about it? The idea is very much new and innovative for the students. They are really excited about the programme. They are curious to know about the various games and activities planned. They are already looking forward to bond with their friends over sumptuous home-cooked food. december 16
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PEDAGOGY
Surekha Nayani Science, HOD, Delhi Public School, Nacharam, Hyderabad
Correlate subjects
for better understanding orrelating subjects can be fun and at the same time enhance one’s knowledge. A number of principles have some relation or the other with others and an inter-disciplinary approach helps in better understanding. Teachers’ effectiveness lies in integrating the various concepts of subjects and also relating them to real life situations.
C
Correlation with in Science Science is an interdisciplinary subject. All the branches of science are interrelated and interdependent, as there are a number of facts and principles, which are common to a number of science subjects. The subjects of Botany, Zoology, Physics and Chemistry are all related through some common principles. New and applied sciences like Biochemistry, Biophysics, Biotechnology and Molecular Biology have been developed from traditional subjects Botany and Zoology. An efficient science Teacher has to integrate the different concepts of science wherever required to develop a comprehensive knowledge of science.
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For example 1. Working of parts of the body is related to some physical principles like, structure and functioning of the eye can be related with functioning of the camera. 2. The photosynthetic activity is related to the bio-chemical reactions taking place in the plant body. 3. The various metabolic activities in the living organisms are related to physiology as well as biochemistry. 4. Principles of light can be used to explain the mechanism of vision in the eye. 5. The formation of curds and the softening of bread can be related to the processes of microbial fermentation. 6. The structure of cells, atoms and molecules all form part of biology and also organic chemistry.
Correlation with Language It is the responsibility of a social or math or Science and Language teacher to develop the required language skills like listening, reading and writing in the students. The student should be able to express his views, write the answers and translate some material. Proper command on the language will help the students to participate in seminars, conferences and write scientific articles. To have clarity in the concepts of lessons and understand the various types of questions (application based, knowledge based etc) given in question paper, students should have command over grammar and language. Correlation with History Science becomes very interesting when we relate it to the history. A number of scientific discoveries found their place in history.. Historical events when connected with the scientific discoveries
make an interesting study. The history of science is history of civilization of mankind. Teachers of Science and History may cooperate and design some projects, to correlate the scientists and scientific discoveries with historical data and further enhance the students’ knowledge and an interest in the subject of science. Correlation with Geography. Science and geography share many common principles. Both subjects are interdependent and inter-related. Topics on rainfall, climate, soil types, interrelationships between plants and animals, movement of planets in the universe are all related in both biological science and geography. The geographical experiments utilize the scientific instruments. Secondary education commission has realized the inter- relation between these two subjects and geography in the science group. Geography and Science teachers should correlate these topics
wherever necessary to make them interesting to these students. Correlation with Mathematics Study of science is not complete without basic knowledge of Mathematics. The knowledge of ratios, proportion, equations, graphs and statistics is necessary for a comprehensive understanding of Physics, Chemistry ,Biological Science , Bioinformatics etc. In a school cooperation between mathematics and a Science Teacher is very essential for developing a comprehensive knowledge of these subjects. Physics and Chemistry involves many formulae and mathematical calculations. Correlation with Art Art is dependent on creativity and creativity is very much a part of Science and Mathematics. Art is involved in drawing shapes, organ systems, apparatus, making models, making charts etc in subjects like Science, Math, Social Science etc. Students need to know the appropriate usage of colours and proper spacing of visuals. Students should be trained in drawing and painting. All subjects when studied with a holistic approach will really give a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the subjects and benefit the children. A monthly meeting with all subject teachers to prepare a comprehensive plan on correlating subjects would go a long way. Short-term projects between two subject teachers, Mathematics and Science, History and Art, so on and so forth could be designed. Lesson plans could be designed towards this end and a report on the findings after these projects could help in understanding the usefulness of the approach. december 16
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METHODOLOGY
Ms. Padmini Sriraman Principal, The Hindu Sr. Sec. School, Chennai
Education at
Teacher empowerment
Effective teaching and teachers
A few problems which we still face are
S
Fear of school Learning difficulties of students Peer pressure and high expectation of parents
Lack of resources
Career options Poor attendance
Low achievers
CROSSROADS Poor attendance
The education system is at a crossroads today for more than one reason. Problems that one faced a few decades back still linger and new ones have raised their head. The list goes on. It is not that we do not know what the challenges are but how to overcome them is the question.
ignificant progress in improving the quality of education has taken place in the recent years, more so in urban centres.
Most of the challenges faced by the education system are in semi urban and rural areas. The problems are not the same in all areas and it varies according to the level and expectations of the people. There is no common system and students are being pushed into private, Government and Government aided schools based on their economic status. Education for all is safeguarded by the constitution but it is only on paper.
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Fear of schools
Lack of resources
One of the challenges faced in education in India is that large number of children in the semi urban and rural areas fear of going to the schools. Poor infrastructure, lack of basic facilities like sanitation and proper classrooms are major issues. Safety of the girlchild is undoubtedly a big concern for parents these days. The schools in rural areas are situated quite far from the residences and the children have to cross a stream or highway to get access. In such cases, parents prefer not to send them to school. There has been a sharp increase in dropout rate of girls at primary and secondary level as compared to boys.
The poor quality of facilities, nonavailability of resources and teaching aids etc. has led to the system becoming ineffective. Many schools use rote method which does not encourage one to think. Use of creative and innovative methods of teaching with weightage for extracurricular activities will help in retaining the students.
Poor attendance A student may get admission into a school but will not attend. The reasons vary from being forced to help in earning daily bread, low learning levels. Heavy syllabus coupled with pressure of examination and not so conducive environment in schools.
Interactive classrooms will help to stabilise the concept in the minds of the students. Skills to be developed Students are not just empty vessels to be filled with our expert knowledge. Rather than focus on textual learning by rote, conceptual understanding and everyday skills need to be taught to children from the very young age. The teaching system must be student driven. They must construct their own understanding through learning experiences. Interactive classrooms will help to stabilise the concept in the minds of the students.
Professional status of teachers Quality of delivery is seen affected by lack of teacher training and a high student teacher ratio. Surveys and research have proven that teachers do not receive sufficient training or preparation before they start teaching. The next challenge is to raise the status of teaching as a career choice. Steps must be taken to attract more efficient people into teaching and to develop teaching as a knowledge-based profession.
Features of the highperforming schools include rigorous teacher education courses and well-developed processes for defining and recognising advanced teaching methodologies. Meeting this challenge requires an understanding of why teaching is currently not more attractive, and what strategies are likely to make teaching a highly regarded profession and sought-after career. Most of the teachers teaching at the primary and secondary levels must build their ability in terms of global standards. Hence the eligibility criteria need to be considered before teachers start teaching. december 16
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METHODOLOGY Teaching methods The teachers must prepare their daily lesson plans and go beyond the text book. Teachers must identify the grey areas in learning and remove doubts and difficulties at the right time. Many teachers say that they have finished the text book or completed the portions but while testing the knowledge of the students it is seen that a wide gap exists in teaching and learning. Where is the mistake? How to bridge the gap? It is the teacher who must identify the skills, concepts to be taught and the knowledge to be imparted. The text book is just a tool and teachers can rearrange the lessons from known to unknown to provide continuity from previous lesson and make learning easy and joyful. The methods of instruction could include a book,
diagrams, showing life examples of the subject matter, discussing relevant characteristics which are directly related to the lesson. The key issue is how to meet the challenges of delivering content and skills. This is achieved through a creative worksheet, group work, presentation, illustration and various types of formative assessments.
explosion of knowledge and increasing complex social and environmental issues.
A teacher needs passion and patience but more than anything she needs to know what she is teaching, how she is teaching and to whom.
Meeting this challenge requires a significant rethink of the school curriculum. Objectives should include giving greater priority to the skills and attributes required for life and work in the 21st centuryincluding skills in communication, creativity using technologies, working in teams and problem solving and their ability to apply these in realworld problems.
Curriculum design Another challenge is to re-design the school curriculum to prepare the students for life and work in the 21st century. Advances in technology, communications and social networking have greatly increased access to information resulting in
The emergence of multi-disciplinary work and teams engaged in innovation and problem solving has led to much greater requirement for skill based learning. The school curriculum must attempt to equip students to face this fast-changing world.
This is achieved through a creative worksheet, group work, presentation, illustration and various types of formative assessments.
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Promoting flexible learning arrangements A challenge is to provide more flexible learning arrangements in schools to meet the needs of individual learners,identifying low achievers at the earliest possible age and intervening intensively during the early years of school to address individuals learning needs and to give as many students as possible the chance of successful ongoing learning. The organisation of schools and schooling also has been largely unchanged to meet the present requirements. A curriculum must be developed for each year and students must be placed in mixedability classes and the teachers’ should deliver the curriculum for the level of students by they must use variety of tools to assess the ability of the students. The learning difficulty level of students must be considered while testing the students. Open book test can be tried for students having poor retention power.
SPECIAL FEATURE t is a known fact that children with special needs learn better in the same environment. My children too have been exposed to an experience where children from diverse backgrounds come together and now they have no problem in the presence of different learners.
I
The inclusive outdoor classroom, a community project was initiated for the purpose to create better awareness about inclusion for the special needs. Banumathy Devi, a mother with a typically developing child in the programme shared this story.
Ms. Anne Sivanathan Educationist, Malaysia
A case for
inclusive education Inclusive education fosters a sense of brotherhood and makes children more receptive to others who are not endowed with equal talent
LISTEN
she was clinging on to me for the first two classes. At the end of every class, she would ask me when the next class would be. Within the first two months, I started observing some changes in Swetta’s character and behaviour. She was starting to be very caring, friendly, open and always ready to mingle with other children. In April, when I met Swetta’s class teacher, Ms Yap, during a parents teachers session, interestingly Ms Yap mentioned that she could see a major change in Swetta’s attitude in class. In addition to becoming more tolerant, Swetta was caring, understanding, become more willing to give – and to ask for help. Two of Swetta’s classmates, have learning disabilities (Autism and Asperger). Ms Yap noticed how Swetta was more forgiving and accepting of others’ weaknesses. She also brought her other classmates together to value the contributions of every individual in class. I was so touched when I heard Ms Yap and I owe it to Anne for giving Swetta this wonderful opportunity that money cannot buy.
I first started to know what inclusive education outdoor classroom on Saturdays through my ex school-mate Anne, late last year. I enquired if my daughter, Swetta, who had just turned four, could attend. This was in January. Anne explained about inclusive education where different and diverse students would learn side by side in the same classroom. Swetta was then in nursery and going into reception year at a private school. I was excited and immediately agreed. Being the only child in
the family, Swetta was often, very selfish, did not easily share anything with others, was bossy, seeked attention all the time and got irritated if not given what she wanted. She showed all the traits of what is commonly called “only child syndrome”. I accepted Anne’s invitation as I felt it would give Swetta the ability to mingle with kids over the weekend. Swetta started going for the inclusive education session in January 2016. The sessions were conducted once every fortnight. Swetta enjoyed every single session, to the bits, even though
Respect and understanding seem to grow when students of diverse abilities and backgrounds play, socialize, and learn together. I also noticed that Swetta now has less fear of people who looked and acted differently, learned to be more tolerant of others as she became more aware of the needs of her peers with disabilities. I also found that Swetta demonstrated more positive feelings about herself after spending a considerable amount of time helping her less able classmates. She tends to feel good about herself because she has helped her friend. december 16
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SURVEY
Francis Joseph Co-founder, School Leaders Network
School Leadership
Survey Findings 2016
The School Leaders Network™ is an Indian-based, independent professional network of School Leaders working with primary, secondary and higher secondary schools. The objective of this “soul-searching’ anonymous survey of School Principals was to understand them as an important learner. In the process of developing students & teachers as learners at School, many of us forget that the School Principal & Parents are also valuable learners and they would also need to be mentored as they lead a large “human resource” in their respective schools. Schools is all about human relationships; with a sole mission to enable and develop our precious human resource leading to the development and progress of our country. Understanding the School Principals and their values & beliefs, governance role, reponsibility, perception, aspirations, process of decision making is extremely critical for the success of a school. The survey is part of our effort to remain focussed on leadership development. The survey respondents were School Leaders (Principals). They were questioned on areas such as challenges faced, data-driven decision making, teaching – learning process, teacher support, perception, Governance, Quality accreditation, teacher appraisals, mentoring, aspiration and Beliefs. 42
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Respondent interviewed
430 5
>>>>>>>
Private School leaders were interviewed in Cities: Mumbai Pune Nagpur Cochin Hyderabad
School Leaders of
ALL TYPES OF CURRICULUM were interviewed (CBSE/State/ICSE/IB/Cambridge)
Respondent’s Experience
16% 12%
>>>>>>> more than 20 years
20%
16-20 years
8%
26%
18%
6-10 years 3-5 years 1- 2 years For the first time
Important Challenges Faced By School Leaders
2%
Availability of dedicated and quality Teachers
9% 13% 28%
>>>>>>>
Parent Interference
47%
Government Regulations (RTE, Fee hike) Admission pressure Others
Data–Driven Decision Making
Teaching – Learning Process
•
Do School leaders analyse Data to improve student teaching & learning
•
Only 23% School leaders analyse data; while 77% School Leaders don’t.
School Leaders observing instruction in classrooms and giving feedback to teachers - 58% observe & give feedback to teachers; while 42% delegate the task to their coordinators.
Out of these 23% school leaders who analyse data, only 43% analyse data through technology; while the 57% analyse data manually through “intuition”. Out of these 23% school leaders who analyse data, 93% of them analyse the assessment marks (mostly pass or fail), while 7% analyse the financial data. No School Leader among the survey respondents had analysed the perception data, alumni data, teacher/parent/student feedback, demographics, online reputation, website, social media, classroom observation etc.
Perception
>>>>>>>
Why do School Leaders feel that the parents choose a specific curriculum or a school ?
3% 9% 27%
61%
Aspiring for high Performance in HighEducation Entry exams post 12th Aspiring for overall development of a child Aspiring for modern Facilities Others Do School leaders feel that homeschooling will challenge the school system? 98% said NO 2% said YES
Governance
>>>>>>>
What tasks are the School Leaders mostly involved in the school ?
4%
3%
11%
Administration & HR Academics Handling Parents
28%
55%
Financial Management Teaching
School Leaders Monitoring Students work – 34% of the School leaders monitor student work; while 66% feel it’s the role of a teacher. School Leaders taking initiative to discuss matters, when a teacher has problems in the classroom - 96% do often, 4% never. Do School Leaders find time to teach lessons in classrooms - Only 20% of School Leaders find time to teach in classroom; while 80% of School Leaders don’t find time to teach. Does giving freedom to teacher to choose their own instructional techniques lead to poor teaching - 46% agreed, 54% disagreed.
How many School Leaders were aware of whether their teachers were performing well or badly in their teaching duties - 62% said yes, 22% said no and 16% were not sure
Teacher Support
Do School Leaders encourage teachers about possibilities of updating their knowledge and skills 57% do often, 43% don’t
>>>>>>>
Do School leaders feel that training teachers will increase the possibility of losing them to other schools: 87% feel it would; while 13% don’t.
>>>>>>>
Are Schools in today’s time driven for social responsibility or business ethics - 72% said driven by business ethics, while 24% said driven by social responsibility, 4% said they are not sure. december 16
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SURVEY Is the main role of a School leader to: •
>>>>>>>
Ensure that the teaching skills of the staff are always improving - 84% agreed and 16% disagreed Resolve problems with the timetable and/ or lesson planning - 92% agreed and 8% disagreed.
•
Establishing student disciplinary policies 68% respondents said Principal, 8% teachers, 20% said School Management while 4% regulatory authority
•
create a task-oriented atmosphere in the school - 96% agreed and 4% disagreed
•
•
Task responsibility of School Leaders (active role played)
Establishing student assessment policies- 68% respondents said Principal, 6% teachers, 20% said School Management while 6% regulatory authority
•
Selecting teachers for hire - 56% respondents said Principal, 42% said School Management while 2% regulatory authority
•
•
Firing teachers - 54% respondents said Principal, 40% said School Management while 6% regulatory authority
Approving students for admission to the school - 64% respondents said Principal, 4% teachers, 24% said School Management while 8% regulatory authority
•
•
Establishing teachers’ starting salaries 30% respondents said Principal, 66% said School Management while 4% regulatory authority
Choosing which textbooks are used - 56% respondents said Principal, 12% teachers, 26% said School Management while 6% regulatory authority
•
Determining teachers’ salary increases 34% respondents said Principal, 60% said School Management while 6% regulatory authority
Determining course content - 62% respondents said Principal, 8% teachers, 22% said School Management while 8% regulatory authority
•
Deciding which courses are offered - 62% respondents said Principal, 2% teachers, 32% said School Management while 4% regulatory authority
•
Allocating funds for teachers’ professional development - 38% respondents said Principal, 48% said School Management while 14% regulatory authority
•
•
•
•
Formulating the school budget - 52% respondents said Principal, 44% said School Management while 4% regulatory authority Deciding on budget allocations within the school - 44% respondents said Principal,
Quality Accreditation
16%
>>>>>>>
24%
63%
School leaders feel prepared School leaders feel not prepared School leaders are not sure
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46% said School Management while 10% regulatory authority
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Do School leaders feel prepared for quality accreditation of their schools as per international standards: Only 24% of the school leaders feel prepared, 63% are not prepared and 13% are not sure. Were the School leaders aware of any existing school evaluation framework in the country. - 82% were not aware; 7% were aware; while 11 % were not sure. Has the School Leader developed an extensive school development plan keeping the future in the mind. 53% said yes, 38% said no and 9% were not sure. Has the school ever conducted their self-evaluation of school as per an evaluation framework - 22% said yes, 66% said no while 12% were not sure
Teacher Appraisals
>>>>>>>
What do School Leaders aspire “to be” in their future?
What aspects are considered during teacher appraisals?
4%2%
6%
9%
Teaching practices
58% want to remain as School Principals
Subject knowledge
23% want to consider offering consulting services
Teacher’s overall contribution in school work
32%
Student assessment marks
21%
Student feedback
26%
Parent feedback Teacher-StudentParent relationship
What is the objective of conducting teacher appraisal in the school ?
9% 24% 67%
Aspirations Of School Leaders
19% want to move to higher-level management responsibilities Beliefs Whether the School Leaders believe in the following practices Competing with other schools - 44% said yes, 38% said no while 18% were not sure Prepare now for the unforeseen regulations 66% said yes, 10% said no while 24% were not sure
Change in salary
Update the school with newer trends - 96% said yes, 0% said no while 4% were not sure
Change in work responsilities
Teacher Training is important - 88% said yes, while 12% were not sure
Others
Importance of Class observation - 92% said yes, while 8% were not sure Student poaching from other schools - 30% said yes, 44% said no while 26% were not sure
Mentoring
>>>>>>>
What type of Mentoring Programme does School Leaders believe in?
Between
School Leaders
Between
School Students
Teacher poaching from other schools - 28% said yes, 48% said no while 24% were not sure Developing Standard Operating Procedures 78% said yes, 8% said no; while 14% were not sure Importance of Delegation - 80% said yes, 12% said no while 8% were not sure
77% 23%
28% 72%
Between
Between
Integrating technology in the classroom - 82% said yes, 7% said no, while 11% were not sure
17% 83%
International collaboration - 78% said yes, 4% said no while 18% were not sure
believe in don’t Mentoring
Teachers
38% 62% believe in don’t Mentoring
believe in Mentoring
don’t
External Mentor & Student Mentor believe in don’t Mentoring
Importance of Succession planning - 68% said yes, 18% said no while 14% were not sure
Structured and scripted curriculum - 54% said yes, 36% said no while 10% were not sure december 16
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LEARNING
Dr Vijayam Ravi Educational Consultant
Spiritual Ecology
and its perception in Classrooms Gems from the sacred Isophanishad and the fundamental principles of spiritual ecology need to become part of education. Recognizing that all the five elements form part of our physical existence is the first stage to this knowledge piritual ecology is the fundamental principle of human life and its connectivity with nature and believes in the core principle of treating every living being with respect. It offers a philosophical approach to environmental issues and guides humanity against any form of self-destruction. Man has always considered himself supreme and dominated other creatures. But spirituality in ecology totally negates it with a theory of equality which is called spiritual communism in the language of the sacred ‘Isophanishad’.
S
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AIR
SKY
WATER
Spiritual ecology is a spiritual response to the environmental crisis that we are facing today. The wisdom from the indigenous culture of past considered everything sacred and the creation of the supreme soul. Spiritual ecology is a quiet revolution that is happening. Recognising that all the five elements form part of our physical existence is the first stage to this knowledge. We all need to understand what we have done to the Earth, the skies and the soil. The earth-human relationship has to be rediscovered and nature respected. People and their practices need to be intertwined
EARTH
FIRE
with environmental, spiritual understanding. Lacks of concern, compassion, love and empathy have eroded the environmental values as well. All creation is sacramental. Everything is manifestation of a supreme power. The trees, the rocks, the mountains, the grass, the small creatures, the big ones, the animals and the human beings–animate and the inanimate–the sole proprietorship is that of the God. What is available to one at a point of time is not available to the other. This is spiritual communism.
How is this possible? The fundamental principle that is very close to spiritual ecology is the fact that the human life and all life for that matter is born out of the five elements. Science claims that the physical body of humans is all about few biological organs that have some specific function to do so that the humans exist. Sankhya philosophy goes further to say why those organs at all and from where they are originated. From these subtle tanmatras arise the gross subjects as follows.From the Sabda Tanmatra (sound), originates the ‘Aakasha’-with the quality of sound which is perceived by the ear. From the essence of touch (sparsa tanmatra), combined with that of sound, arise ‘air’ with attributes of sound and touch. Out of the essence of colour (rupa tanmatra), combined with that of sound, touch , arise light or fire with attributes of sound, touch and colour. From the essence of taste (Rasa tanmatra) , combined with sound, touch and colour, arises water with the attributes of sound touch, colour and taste. With the essence of smell (Ganndha tanmatra) with
the combination of all the above, give rise to Earth with all qualities of sound, touch, colour, taste and smell. The sky, air, light, water and earth are therefore the five mahabhutas namely ‘Pancha mahabhutas’ that are essentially required for making a human and any living being. Each succeeding element will progressively add the qualities of the others and occur here. Thus from subtle particles, the gross elements get created. The Aitreya Upanishad describes that all the five elements are within us as particles of life – This understanding and deep knowledge about oneself and the presence of divine soul in oneself is the basic principle of Spiritual ecology. Environmentalism and the impact in education: Environment has influence on Economics, Engineering, Ethics, Management, Genetics, Humanities, Physiology, Psychology, Toxicology, Social Sciences, Geometrics, Hydrology, Archaeology, Geography, finance, History, Politics and theology as well. Children’s attitude develops
at a very young age. They are a bundle of joy and curiosity. At this stage, if we are able to arouse the interest of children towards environment, they will be able to address the connections of humans with Nature-the Earththe Sky and Water. Environmental studies should not be a separate subject in schools-it should be a part of their growing itself. How can we do it at a classroom level? In the smaller classes of schooling itself we need to start with the basic values of love, compassion, empathy, kindness etc by introducing them to animate and inanimate objects and teaching them how to take care of each item. We have to bring into their mind that every little thing in the universe belongs to one single power and we are all equal before it. Giving such a large picture of environment at a kindergarten may not work and so this has to be split into smaller units that are visible for them because abstract things may not work here .One can start with teaching them to observe the movements of small insects, birds, worms slugs, squirrels and teach them to appreciate how they move around us without disturbing the human being yet helping them in many ways. Teachers can create this attitude easily in classrooms-to respect all living beings-look at them, learn about them, and leaving them alone and let go of them and not to torture those small little things. These bring in a great value of empathy in them. Environmental education brings various skills in children and the outcomes of this education are seen through development of skills. Teachers would be promoting the spirit of environmentalism through various objectives and practices december 16
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LEARNING Science: • Observation • Rethink, reuse, refuse, reduce and recycle • Comparison between different living and non living entities and revel at the wonders of God
• Complexity of Nature has to be revealed through the connectivity it makes between humans
Schools can also suggest:
• Responsibility to make them aware of their duty in protecting and preserving them
• Use cardboard note books and folders and recycled papers
Health /Hygiene
• Spirituality through science
• Learn to live in healthy waysimple foods
• Descriptions about the different attributes of Nature
• Make the right choices –whether to live or die
• Saving energy and prevent wastage of energy
• Factors that contribute to healthy living-physical, social and cultural impacts of living
Language /Math • Classifying skills
• Preservation of Nature by not destroying it
• Synthesis
• Live and let others also live
• Description of the beauty of Nature and appreciation
Physical education/Arts/ Music /drama
• Quality of things that make things work • Integrating the life of man with that of Nature
• Using outdoor activities, they are taught to respect the earth • Acceptance of failure in a dignified way
Social studies:
• Participating fairly
• Responsibility of ensuring equality for all living beings
• Free expression of artistic talents ideas/concerns etc
• Understanding the fundamental concept of ‘Change’
• Commitment
• Comparing different environments • Adaptability and adjustability • Realization of Co existence in Nature Aesthetics/Ethics • Children should be taught to appreciate the beauty of Nature and that of living beings • They should be taught to appreciate the way Nature accommodates everything
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• Divinity of music and calmness to the mind How can Schools give education to ‘Go Green’? Schools can give year long environmental ideas like
• Green transportation, cycles, buses and carpool system
• Avoid paper wastage • Pack healthy lunch and avoid junk food • Old clothes, stationery and toys may be shared with needy children • Turn off all electrical appliances when they are not in use • Avoid water wastage • Avoid throwing garbage everywhere • Keep premises and classrooms clean • Surplus unconsumed food may be given to the poor • Treat pets with kindness and understanding Nature has creation, evolution and destruction. This is the law of nature-everything has its time, space and energy. Knowing this and developing the right attitude towards maintaining it and preserving it is the core theme of environmental ecology. Understanding the spirituality involved behind the ecology is the beginning stage of any environmental study.
1. The Autumn idea 2. The Winter idea 3. The Summer Idea 4. The Rainy Season idea
Growing children should be imbued with this spirit and therefore such education in classrooms become relevant and the support systems from homes also become greatly significant.
EDUCATION
Dr. Mona Lisa Bal Chairperson, KiiT International School
Becoming a resilient human being backed by reason and rationality with an independent mind is what is needed, avers Prof Monalisa Bal
ithout exception, educational academies with a mission towards high standards of education and commitment along with an environment of strong sense of community, reflect significant nuanced learning. International Schools in India have become the harbingers in pioneering International Baccalaureate, IGCSE and CBSE in our country. A journey on a path which led to internationalisation of our curriculum, inclusiveness in our learning, integration among the various subjects, innovation through our various labs, and most importantly creating independent minds in which it is an arresting sight to find children inquisitiveness thunder storm their facilitators with thought provoking questions.
W
One effective strategy that schools must follow is to make the content relevant, meaningful and interesting by building
discern the right from the wrong, and think independently. The books hold a mirror to such righteous judgment, and enlightened path.
The labyrinth of global education on real life experiences. As the famous economist Keynes has remarked: “We can take the horse to water, but we cannot make it drink unless it’s thirsty”. Thirst or interest has to be created in children, to make them think about issues that are relevant to their lives, to read, write and speak about them. Like in Theory Of Knowledge, the IB deals with topics like: “To what extent religion shapes our moral beliefs”; “Is it true that ethical beliefs are more based on emotion than on reason”? We also notice that students move from one subject to another without a thematic continuation of information, whereas through integrated teaching and learning, students discern meaningful connection between subjects as they delve into the intricacies of learning.
LISTEN
Technology is both a boon and a bane as it has added to the many distractions that today’s children confront. The students have lost their zeal to embark upon the joy of reading novel or important literary work. Keeping this in mind, educational institutes are hosting National Children’s Literary Fest to inculcate in children the fervour to read and get our teenagers into an interface with the world of imagination through books. And also to get them connected with authors whom they would not have possibly seen in a whole life span. The sessions are designed to intensify their interest and get them hooked on to various discussions that follow. The whole drive is to inculcate a culture towards having an independent mind, where they can
It’s a pacifying factor to see International School students empathising and relating to their counterparts at various ashram schools and tribal schools through diverse programs like community education and social work programs. This has led to internalisation of a value system which will take them a long way. Students are by nature happy spirited, carefree, unbiased and indifferent towards religious barriers, economic inequality, caste barriers, class barriers. But they grow up in a world which is so rapidly changing with new challenges. We are in the cusp of a dilemma: Do we teach them what is tolerance? Or do we look at creating different perspectives on tolerance? As parents and facilitators we need to make them determined, strong willed, resilient human beings who will face the challenges of life with unprejudiced resoluteness. They need to be a part of global reality “where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreamy desert sand of dead habits”. december 16
49
P G Rajeswar Rao Founder CEO, Third Apple
EDUCATION
Want to become A SUPER TEACHER? It is not that hard to become a super teacher. Just a few changes in how one goes about the job will do wonders s we know there are vowels and consonants in any alphabet, these vowels are called praan or swar in Hindi. That means vowels are the life of any word
A
Let’s take the word teacher. The vowels here are E....A....E
E A E
stands for energy stands for accuracy and another
stands for enthusiasm
Energy, accuracy and enthusiasm are the qualities which gives life to teaching. TOP SIX TIPS to become a super teacher
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december 16
1
Be creative in introducing the new topic
Instead of plunging into a new topic, it is better to play on the curiosity factor with applications and poems. If an introduction of the topic is interesting, students spirit for learning rises several notches. For example: To introduce quadratic equations in class IX you can use a tongue twister as follows: “number plus number, number minus number, number into number and number by number gives another number 100 can you find that number without using a number? Tools to give creative introduction of the topic: • Puzzles • • • •
Stories History of the topic Real life situations Career prospective
2
Encourage questioning
There is nothing such as a stupid question. A child comes to school to learn and know new things. For instance, if a student asks, “Why cannot the Government of India print crores of rupees and distribute to all the poor people of India so that no poor remains poor. Do not brush away the question but instead understand the inner idea. First explain that the economy does not work that way and then encourage the student to ask more questions. How to encourage? • Healthy Discussion • Appreciating the students who questions • Putting those questions in weekly discussion forum • Conducting creative question making competition
3
4
Activity makes a child active
The more we plan the better we perform
Students don’t like listening but love performing
I feel it is appropriate to present a very practical statement by Confucius on how the human mind approaches the learning process I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do, and I understand.
Plan your day
• A one–to-one discussion approach based on everyday situations • An instructional approach that revisits concepts regularly
-- Confucius
• Frequent practice of basic skills, often through games,
I play and I learn with joy. ---MODERN TEACHING MANTHRA
• Lessons based on activities and discussion
Activities that can be done:
• Effective and entertaining Evaluation
• Paper Folding • Shadings and colorings
Tools that help teachers ... in planning
• Pattern findings
• Lesson plans
• Data collection
• Students’ progress Reports
• Photography on real life situations
• Reference Books
• Internet surfing
• Schedules
5
Become valuable
Think beyond the text book. A teacher should be a one stop shop for information and knowledge. Our students should have confidence on their teacher and should feel free to approach him and know that he would get answers for questions. Tools to become resourceful • Internet surfing • Attending seminars and conferences • Reading subject magazines and journals • Interacting with experts • Visiting other teacher’s classes
• Time-Log Books
6
Stick at it until you win.
Most people fail because they quit too soon. We often hear about taking the horse to the pond but cannot make it drink water. If one tries there is a possibility that the horse would one day drink the water from the pond. Keep at it. Do not throw the towel so soon. How to go about? • Give easy questions and set achievable targets • Stories • Fun filled conceptual tasks • Real life situations • Project work using contextualized multiple intelligences (CMI) december 16
51
CAREER
Vanalatha
Thumbs up for
HANDLOOM SECTOR Job responsibility in handloom industry • Research and development in handloom machineries and equipment including processing. he Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on National Handloom Day on August 7, that a weaver weaves a sari just as a mother brings up her daughter. India was and is known for its exquisite handloom and has a rich history.
T
What makes handloom stand out is the original colours and ethnicity associated. Though time consuming, handloom sector is seeing a major revival and could be a great career option for the ones who love textiles. Textile industry occupies a unique place in our country. It accounts for 14 percent of the total Industrial production, contributes to nearly 30 percent of the total exports and is the second largest employment generator after agriculture
The handloom sector plays a very important role in the country’s economy. This sector contributes nearly 19 percent of the total cloth produced in the country and also adds substantially to export earnings. The strength of handloom lies in the introducing innovative designs, which cannot be replicated by the power loom sector. Thus, handloom forms a part of the heritage of India and exemplifies the richness and diversity of our country and the artistry of the weavers. How to enter the field? Students should have passed 10 +2 with minimum 50 percent with a minimum average percentage in Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry Different job positions available in Government handloom sector Superintendent Junior Assistant Assistant Manager Deputy Manager Senior Manager Chief Manager and so on
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• Training of weavers by disseminating improved techniques and new designs. • Providing market support by arranging interface between designers, producers and buyers. • Arranging exhibitions, seminars, workshops for the benefit of handloom weavers. • Preserving and documenting traditional skills and revival of traditional skills and revival of traditional designs for production and marketing. Prominent Institutes in India • The Handloom School, Gadikhana, Madhya Pradesh • Institute of Handloom and Texture Technology, Kannur, Kerala • Indian Institute of Handloom Technology, Salem, Tamil Nadu • NGF college of Engineering and Technology, New Delhi
What is the role of handloom in the textile industry? Handloom industry is largely household based and is spread across thousands of villages and towns in the country. It exhibits our rich and cultural heritage. It is ancient and plays a very important role in the country’s economy. Handloom industry, being the largest cottage industry in the country provides direct and indirect employment to over 12 million weavers and is the largest economic activity second only to agriculture. The numerous handloom production centres and the implementation of various development and welfare schemes, by government of India have led this sector to compete with power looms and mill sector. What is the scope of handloom sector? Indian weavers impart highest levels of skills and craftsmanship while weaving handloom textiles. With almost one fourth of the local textile production and contributing substantially to the export earnings, the handloom remains dominant industrial segment in the country. National Handloom Development program (NHDP) is being implemented as a centrally sponsored program for development of handlooms. Concerted efforts are being made through the schemes and programmers to enhance production, productivity and efficiency of handloom sector and enhance the income and socio economic status of the weavers by upgrading their skills. Handloom fabric and weavers are an integral part of the
the handloom industry provides livelihood to over 90 million in country. Over the centuries, handlooms have come to be associated with excellence in India’s artistry in fabrics.
Shubha Mahajan, Director, MGM Khadi, Aurangabad, Maharashtra enlightens the readers more about the handloom industry. cultural heritage and tradition of India. What are the benefits of handloom industry? The benefits of the handloom fabrics are many. There is minimum use of power, it is eco-friendly, flexibility of small production, one can create a lot of designs, weavers can adapt to market requirement, there is availability of skilled labour and the most interesting part of the sector is there is a wide range of avaible fabrics. What are the skills required for an aspirant to enter this field? An aspirant should posses literacy, have market exposure, good technological and communication skills. Weavers should have skills and capacities in handloom weaving and should be able to understand designs and technology and translate them into finished products. How has handloom industry developed? August 15, 1947 marked a turning point for the handloom weavers of India. Mahatma Gandhi’s use of charkha was largely responsible for the breakthrough. At the time of independence, there were hardly three million small scale handlooms whereas now
India Handloom Brand is an initiative for branding of high quality handloom products with zero defects and zero effect on the environment. Development Commissioner for Handlooms provide design input to the weavers through their designers, arrange training programmes for the weavers in various pre weaving, weaving and post weaving disciplines. Export of handloom goods also has become the one of the largest economic activity in the country. What advice would you like to give the students who would like to enter this field? Students who would like to enter this field should have creativity for design, an eye for detail and good knowledge of testers, colours and fabric. Students with complete knowledge of handloom weaving, spinning, printing, dyeing can easily implement innovative designs to handloom textile. This way new and better designs can attract local as well as global consumers and handloom industry will be economically profitable. Along with innovation and creativity, students should have business skills, knowledge of advance technology to reduce hard work by weavers and satisfy the demand within timeline. Students can implement new ideas to increase the purchase of handloom products on internet and e- commerce. Today’s youth have capacities and potential to develop handloom sector worldwide. december 16
53
BOOK REVIEW
THE PEDAGOGICAL LIFE
ESSAYS IN EDUCATING INDIA By Ashok K Pandey
A
collection of thoughts on education, its purpose and method, presented in The Pedagogical Life- Essays on Educating India,is an educator’s travelogue of ideas and experiences accumulated over the years. The book maps strengths and weaknesses of the contemporary education system. The author vehemently advocates teacher preparedness, value based education and technology integration as integral parts of an efficient school system. While touching upon modern approaches to impart holistic education, the author emphasises on the time-tested tools like storytelling,heritage education and positive reinforcement. Ashok Pandey, an illustrious educator, has drawn heavily from his experiences of setting up new benchmark schools and experimenting evolving philosophies in the classrooms. When he talks about the collaborative relationship between the school and parents, one knows where he is coming from. Mr. Pandey believes in turning students and teachers as
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independent ‘Imagineers’ and the principal playing the role of an alert observer, coach, a mentor, and an assiduous facilitator. He rightly makes a case for the teachers being treated as assets for the schools if the results are to be rewarding. The book spotlights much debated Right to Education Act (2010), landmark legislation, as an opportunity to pass on the benefit of education to fight inequality. The foremost concern for the country should be to make quality education accessible to all, particularly to the marginalised. Author’s experience of working in India’s premium schools like Mayo College and Delhi Public School has helped him pick the pearls of classroom practices and yet question the Mr. Pandey believes shortcomings of the system in turning students in a detached approach. The and teachers purport of education, as a as independent noble service, lies in extending ‘Imagineers’ and the benefits to the last child the principal playing in the country. Some of the the role of an alert other vexed issues in our observer, coach, teaching-learning process a mentor, and an concern school-wide discipline, assiduous facilitator. reward, punishment, and collaborative problem-solving. These problems have been dexterously handled by the author. The book is a journey of the optimism in an era of rapid and unprecedented social changes. It serves some freshly squeezed ideas; presented in simple, conversational language from the contemporary trends in education across the globe. It is engaging, enriching and inclusive - a collector’s pride for aspiring educators, especially those inclined towards engaging students in an evocative learning process. The thought process unfolds logically and seamlessly on a diverse canvass of contemporary school system. The book is priced reasonably. Review by Onkar S Shekhawat, Educationist
TeachingEnglish
BRITISH COUNCIL
English in the classroom
This series of articles from the British Council aims to help you think about your teaching and bring new ideas and activities into your classroom. The series covers topics including homework, working with large classes and finding resources. Today we look at English in the classroom. Why speak English in class? Do you agree with Hanan and Kazimierz? ‘If the subject you are teaching is English, then you should always try to speak in English!’ Hanan, Egypt
‘Students will think that English is just for reading, writing and practising grammar points if we do not speak it in class!’ Kazimierz, Malaysia
Getting started You might feel nervous about using English in the classroom. Start by thinking of some useful expressions for you and your students to use. Write them down and practise them. For example: Good morning. Turn to page 12. Repeat this. Please close your books. Find a partner and work in pairs. You can use just a little English in each lesson, and gradually increase it. Try to use English in all stages of your lessons. When you give instructions, demonstrate with humour and gestures to make your message clear; a hand next to your ear to demonstrate ‘listen’: make a book with your hands to show ‘open/close your books’. Use drawings and write the phrase on the blackboard.
What do you think? Kuheli from Zambia writes: My younger students love singing and chanting so we use songs and chants in English for all parts of the class routines. I start each class with a ‘hello’ chant like this - Teacher: Hello students, Students: Hello teacher, Teacher: How are you? Students: How are you? Teacher: Very well thank you, Students: Very well thank you, Teacher: I am too. Students: I am too. With older students, I get them to make ‘classroom language’ posters. They write useful expressions like ‘Sorry I’m late’, ‘Can I have a pencil please?’ ‘Have a good weekend’, ‘I don’t understand’ and draw pictures for each phrase. We put the posters on the wall so there’s no excuse for not using English in class!
A classroom activity - experience Give students the language they need to talk about their own experiences in English with this activity. Write 3 yes/no questions on the board with the words in the wrong order. For example: • English/at/Did/you/speak/the/weekend? • you/read/a/book/yesterday/Did? • this/morning/for/breakfast/Did/you/eat/cereal? The students sort the words to make questions. (Did you speak English at the weekend? Did you read a book yesterday? Did you eat cereal for breakfast this morning?) Now the students can ask you the questions. Answer either ‘Yes I did’ or ‘No I didn’t’. Students ask and answer the questions in pairs. You could finish by saying ‘Hands up if you spoke English at the weekend’. ‘Hands up if you…’ and indicate hands up with a gesture. Tip: If you are more confident at speaking then add more information to your answers – ‘Yes, I did. I spoke to some tourists in the city centre’. Encourage the students to do the same.
If you translate to make something clear, go back to English as soon as possible and encourage your students to do the same. Try to personalise your lessons by talking about our own experiences. Perhaps tell you students about something that happened to you recently. You can exaggerate and use gestures; pointing backwards as you say ‘yesterday’ to indicate it happened in the past, for example. Think about what younger children enjoy - games, songs, stories, etc.Teach your students the language needed to do these activities in English, for example, ‘It’s my turn’. ‘Throw the dice’. Encourage students to speak English to you and praise them when they do. The beginnings and ends of lessons are a good opportunity to chat more informally with your students; you can talk about the weekend…. or even the weather! Using English in the classroom demonstrates that it really is a language for communicating. If we prepare well it is easy to use a lot more English in our lessons.
Glossary A gesture is a movement of moving your hand or body to explain ideas. In personalised activities students communicate real information about themselves, e.g., talking about their favourite sport. A syllabus is a list of language items in the order that they will be taught on a course. A yes/no question is a question that can be answered by yes or no, e.g., Do you like chocolate?
Think about: When you plan future lessons, build up your confidence by aiming to be a step ahead of your students. If you are following a text book or a syllabus and you know what is coming up, then look at future units - check the key language in a dictionary and think about what instructions and conversations you will need in English to introduce and practise the language. Then write it down!
Want to find more teaching tips? Visit www.teachingenglish.org.uk
© British Council 2011
december 16
55
LANGUAGE STUDY
LISTEN
VOCABULARY in
DEUTSCH
for BEGINNERS Here is some everyday vocabulary in DEUTSCH (German) language. Listen to the Audio for correct pronunciation.
BOOK
Review Author: A. P. J. Abdul Kalam Publisher: Rupa Publications Format: Paperback No. of Pages: 147 ISBN: 9788129124913 Price: `195
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december 16
ENGLISH
DEUTSCH
PRONUNCIATION
I will be staying a few days.
Ich bleibe ein paar Tage.
Ish blybe eyn paar taage.
My wife and I have a joint passport.
Meine Frau und ich haben einen gemeinsamen Pass
Myne Frow wund ish haaben eyenen gemynzamen Pass
Do you want me to open my suitcase? Which one?
Soll ich meine Koffer offnen? Welchen?
Zoll ish myne Koffer offnen? Welchen?
They are all personal belongings.
Das sind alles meine personlichen Sacher.
Das zind alle nyne personlishen Sacher
Do you want to see my handbag/ briefcase?
Soll ich meine Handtashe/ Aktenmappe aufmachen.
Zoll ish myne Handtashe/ Aktenmappe aufmachen.
I can’t find my keys.
Ich kann meine Schlussel nicht finden.
Ish kann myne shlulezzal nisht finden
May I leave now?
Kann ich jetzt gehen?
Kan ish yetst gehen?
Where can I find a luggage trolley?
Wo gibt es Gepackwagen?
Wo gibt es Gepackwagen?
You have not marked my suitcase?
Sie haben meinen Koffer nicht markiert
Zee haben mynen Koffer nisht markiert
I need a telephone directory.
Ich brauche ein Telefonbuch.
Ish browtche eyn Telephone book.
My Journey – Transforming Dreams into Actions From a small boy growing up in Rameswaram to becoming the country’s eleventh President, Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam’s life has been a tale of extra-ordinary determination, courage, perseverance and the desire to excel. ‘My Journey’ is an honest take on life and aspirations and how to get to achieving it all. It speaks of a man’s humble beginnings and how he remained grounded till the end. The writing is simple and it can be read by anyone. With warmth and affection the author talks about the people who left a deep impression on him as he was growing up and the lessons he drew from his interactions with them. Dr. Kalam also writes about the times when failure and dejection nearly overtook him and how he prevailed over the obstacles by drawing strength from books and spirituality. Nostalgic, honest and deeply personal, ‘My Journey’ is the story of a life as rich as it is unusual and the beautiful lessons to be learnt from it.
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TODAY
CRISS CROSS PUZZLE 05 L I N E A G E T
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Address
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...................................Pin:...............................
Mobile No. : ........................................................................ Email
PUZZLES 05
School Name: .......................................................................
Ans: 789 Solution: 29 + 49 = 78 and 7+2=9
846
481
: ........................................................................
365
YEARS
ISSUES
ACTUAL AMOUNT
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SUDOKU SOLUTION 41
Amount: ................................................................................. Bank & Branch: ......................................................................
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Date: ...................................................................................... Signature: ..............................................................................
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MIND CRISS CROSS PUZZLE 06
MINE
FAMOUS INVENTIONS
A criss cross is a fun puzzle in which you are presented with an empty grid and a list of words underneath. Each word must be placed into the grid in either an across or down direction in order to fill the grid.
4 letters
7 letters
OVEN SOAP TYRE
AIR BAGS BICYCLE FREEZER PLASTIC
5 letters
8 letters
CLOCK MODEM RADIO
AQUALUNG COMPUTER
9 letters
6 letters
AEROPLANE GYROSCOPE TELESCOPE
CAMERA GLIDER LASERS ROCKET TEFLON
PUZZLES 06
What number should replace the question mark?
12
?
december 16
11
4 1
19
7 9 9 6 1
2
5 16
4
58
3
8 18
SUDOKU 42
6
8 4
2 4
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5 9 7
2 6
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