MARCH 2019 | VOLUME 1 | ISSUE 3
®
Gulf Edition
A MATTER OF PRINCIPAL
EFFECTIVE SCHOOL GOVERNANCE Mohammed Shaffe
SCHOOL INNOVATION IN THE DIGITAL WORLD Eric Sheninger
SCHOOL LEADER WITH ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES Srivalsan Murugan
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Invitation to Write
Share your thoughts for Mentor on the following topics: • Importance of Teaching Racism • Teachers and Technology Collaboration • Students as Teachers • Share your thoughts and opinions on any of the topics above and we will publish it in Mentor*!
• You can also send your article under any of the following categories: School Pedagogy, Governance, Leadership and Innovation.
Word Limit: 1,300 words E-mail: info@lxl.in Submission Deadline: 5th April 2019 E-mail Subject: “Mentor Magazine”
* Subject to Editorial Discretion
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2 | Mentor | March 2019
Let t
Vol. 1 | Issue 3 | March 2019 | info@lxl.in
r ito
from the Ed er
Contents
03 Mentor Thoughts
Letter from the Editor..............................................03 What’s Trending.......................................................04 Sultan Speaks..........................................................05
06
Pedagogy
Word Posters............................................................06 How Important is it to Inculcate the Feeling of Self-Belief in Students’ Minds?...........08
11 Governance
Effective School Governance................................11 What Schools Should Focus In 2019..................13
15 Cover Story
School Leader with Endless Possibilities...............................................................15
20 Leadership
Advice On Advice.....................................................20 Building Leaderships Skills in Teacher................23
25 Innovation
School Innovation In The Digital World...............25 Morning Meetings...................................................28
All Rights Reserved 2016 EduMedia Publications Pvt. Ltd. Publisher & Owner: Syed Sultan Ahmed Editor: Kalpa Kartik | Content Developer: Farah Javid Layouts: Muhammad Juraij K H Production: Praveen U M, Sathish C, Guna V Printer: Elegant Printing Notice: the contributions in Mentor Magazine are solely the views of the author and are in no manner to be directly associated with the views of the editorial team or LXL Ideas. Authors/contributors are responsible for the authenticity of information they provide in the article. The publishers do not accept liability for errors or omissions contained in this publication. By submitting letters/ emails or other publication materials to Mentor Magazine the author/contributor agrees that it is the property of Mentor Magazine. All communication to Mentor Magazine must be made in writing. No other sort of communication will be accepted. All decisions regarding publishing of a contribution is the prerogative of the publisher and editorial team of Mentor Magazine. Mentor Magazine is owned and published by EduMedia Publications Pvt. Ltd. for and on behalf of Mr. Syed Sultan Ahmed. All disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the competent courts and forums in Bengaluru City.
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E
ducation still mainly involves teachers’ data dumping information to students to cover the curriculum in preparation for a standardized test. So, if education has not kept up with the changing times, then one has to question its relevance in preparing students for the world of today – not to mention the world of tomorrow. And if education has not changed with time, then it is reasonable to assume that the role of educators has not changed as well. This month Mentor talks about “a reminder of what the school stands for – leadership, outcomes and accountability along side digital learning and research in education. Morning Meetings and Word Posters as methods of teaching and learning. As the cover story Principal, Mr. Srivalsan states, “As a school Principal I feel that there is no tailor-made school governance system readily available to accept and make use of, rather we have to develop our own system and method of governance”. True, for a Principal there are no separate public and private lives. He has to live up to the requirements and expectations of his community for all 365 days. He/ she should be able to motivate others for good and efficient work by setting appropriate examples. Clear outcomes emerge in the form of professional growth and succession planning. Collectively, the school’s leadership team establishes an inclusive school with a purposeful learning culture. It also helps achieve very high standards of students’ learning – both personal and social development. Leadership does not imply just the head of school; good schools demonstrate distinctive leadership amongst staff as well as students. Morning meetings are typically relationship building exercises that fosters both social and emotional and maintains rigorous academic standards by creating the right environment. Accountability matters and is a reality in our work. We are accountable first and foremost to our learners. And with the support of purposeful use of technology and innovative practices, learning will happen. Once an overall vision for learning is firmly in place you can begin to work on the structures and supports to ensure success. Nothing is permanent except change. So keep learning from every experience and adapt to changes in every phase of life with strength and self-belief.
Kalpa Kartik Editor 2019 March | Mentor | 3
What’s Trending
Do you feel
schools should measure its success through happiness of students rather than academic achievements?
“ H
appiness is the key to student success. A happy child performs well at school and in future life. Happy students tend to gain higher grades and be happier later in life. Happiness is an art and the essence lies in the smile that is radiated. Happiness is like the fragrance of a flower which attracts everyone towards itself. If a student is happy then he will be mentally strong & be able to fight any type of adversaries in life.
Dr. R S Sharma PrincipalTriveni Pissues, Vidyapith Chandrahati, Hoogli, WestBengal
“
“ J
ust as a vehicle runs smoothly when the wheels are in perfect alignment, the school also functions efficiently when the happiness quotient of the students and their academic achievements are in equilibrium. Apart from this, I believe that the academic achievement of the students is directly proportional to the happiness of the students. The educational accomplishment increases with the happiness of the student’s and success becomes constant if we equate them. This is how we fine tune the success and measure it. Therefore, at Chitkara International School we have always focused on both the dimensions as it is the spearhead for the holistic development of the students and the school.
Sweety EA l Office of Principal & Vice-Principal Chitkara International School Chandigarh
Y
es, of course. School should measure its success through happiness and skills developed by the students than mere academic achievements. We also need to understand that happier students perform well in academics, too, which is reported in a number of studies and surveys conducted in some countries. Unfortunately, in many countries including India, since most parents, board assessments & the entrance exams are relying on academic achievement, happiness quotient of the child is being put on backstage.
Sreekanth B. Koganti M.S.(USA), Director Andhra Pradesh, India
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Sultan Speaks
STUDENT VOICE MUST BE LOUD AND
VIBRANT IN TODAY’S SCHOOLS!
S
chools are organisations that thrive on traditions and formalities. The older the institution the more the traditions and the bigger the pride in them. One of the oldest traditions of schools has been the nomination or elections of the School Captain or Head Boy/Girl. Over the years, in most schools this tradition has taken legendary proportions and is highly coveted. Every student of the school knew who the school captain is and they all looked up to that leader. Middle school students especially idolise the leaders and used to be in awe of them. We all know that school students have changed dramatically over the years and the present generation of students think, act and behave very differently than they did even a few years ago. These changes demand a lot of improvement in the quality and attitude of the teachers and we have often heard the term that it is no longer ‘the sage on stage’ that is required in classrooms but more of ‘guide by the side’ that is more relevant in today’s classroom. This idea got me thinking that if the role of a teacher has changed then is the role of a Head Boy/Girl relevant in today’s scenario. Most schools continue to have this tradition. I decided to speak to a few kids over the past few weeks to understand what they think about the idea of School Leader and how they respond to it. The reactions I got for my questions and deliberations on the
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topic of School Captain were very cold. There was no longer the spark in the eyes of a middle schooler when they spoke about their captain, most were aware of the concept but that did not have a major impact on them. These interactions got me thinking if the concept of having one leader, the School Captain still holds good in schools or should it be more of a team of equals that should be running the student affairs of the schools? Staying on with a related topic of what should be the role of the Student Body or Council there were a lot of thoughts and suggestions. Students want to be part of many decisions that impact their life at school. Some schools have beautiful systems of including students in the decision making process while some schools choose to remain primitive and not take the students inputs. Students can be valuable resources for teacher recruitment or to give feedback on teachers, creative inputs and suggestions on time table formulation, handling difficult parents or students, school PR and social media, school events and many such areas. Going forward schools would do well to involve a large number of students in the decision making and make them feel part of the process. Having one representative per class or school is an idea of the past, forming teams and forums is in. It’s not about Student Council anymore, it is more about the Student Voice which must be loud and vibrant in schools today.
Syed Sultan Ahmed MD & Chief Learner @ LXL
2019 March | Mentor | 5
Pedagogy
WORD POSTERS A New Way to Teach Students About Vocabulary Introduction
T
eaching is an art and we teachers get proficient in teaching as years pass by. Innovative teachers discover new techniques and invent methodologies for teaching concepts. Whatever may be the content irrespective of the subjects, vocabulary plays a pivotal role in teaching. Each teacher follows his/her own ways to teach the content words. Recently, an idea evolved for the development of vocabulary, word posters. Word posters are collages with words. Although the idea of the word wall is not a new concept, the subject teachers together can do it in a different manner. If it is going to be integrated learning, this method really works out well.
Different Ways to Implement Word Posters Every fortnight, the teachers teaching all the subjects for a particular grade can sit together for a meeting and jot down the content words present in their own subjects to be taught for the next fortnight/week. After the words have been collected, a discussion has to be made to finalize the list. It can be decided to have a certain number of words per fortnight or a week. After the list is prepared, all teachers have to see if those words
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can in any way be linked to their subjects. This wholly depends on the teachers concerned.
Word Posters in Schools An attractive poster of a chart paper or newspaper size is to be prepared with the words and displayed in a place where every child can see. Allot a place on the walls at the corridors of the school
Vocabulary plays a pivotal role in teaching
and not inside the class. If the list of words is from sixth grade, let us not prepare separate posters for each section. Instead, prepare one poster and post on the corridor wall of the sixth grade floor common to all the sections. During the break or leisure hours, the children can be allowed to see the words and write on the poster whatever they think about the poster. Pictorial representation of the words can increase the interest of the children to see the words. Vocabulary time can even be fixed every day or in intervals. Each section can be allotted the specific time to go through the chart. Teachers handling a class can revise the words when time permits. Acting/ substitute teachers can also do it.
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Pedagogy How to Make Word Posters Interesting for Students? There should be a variety in displaying the words. The words should have different fonts and colours and should be in different shapes. Whenever any coaching or exam is going on, we can combine the words of the month and make a new word list. Since the words are in different colours, the students can easily mind view the words and can write the right spellings. Once in a while a blank chart or a poster can be left in the usual place and allow the students to write the words they can remember and recall. Leave some sketch pens and crayons near the posters and let the children scribble or colour or write what they want. They can also depict the words in pictures which showcases their creativity. The best word art can be rewarded by displaying them on the flannel board or publishing in the school magazine. As days pass by, students can be instructed to prepare their own word posters. In groups, they can prepare the word posters. After the preparation, groups can be mingled and an activity can be done. The groups can compare the word posters and see how many words are similar for both the
groups. During the group activity, the students of various sections can be mixed so that they can revise and revisit the words in different views. While the class is on, you can check if the students are thorough with the words by conducting a quiz in class. The teachers have to mark the list of words in their book while teaching, They can ask students how was that word portrayed in the poster Students can say the colour of the word Letters can be jumbled and students are asked what the word was
Pictorial representation of the words can increase the interest of the children to see the words
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On the screen, the entire sentence is shown without the key/content word hidden or blurred. The students have to guess the word First and last letters can be shown and identified
Sathish Kumar P is the Principal of KSC Public School Erode and is in the field of education for more than 2 decades teaching and training He has been publishing in edu magazines sharing his thoughts and activities. He is an overseas faculty of New Zealand college of Education, certified trainer and TESOL/TEFL trainer. He has authored English workbooks. He continues to read to enhance his teaching competency. sathish_yazhini@yahoo.com
Only vowels in the words are highlighted for the students to find out 2019 March | Mentor | 7
Pedagogy
HOW
IMPORTANT IS IT TO INCULCATE THE FEELING OF SELF-BELIEF IN STUDENTS’ MINDS?
students to take the responsibility to learn and practice the concept of believing in themselves in a structured and rigorous manner, and help pave the path towards achieving their goal. It is important for students to realise that there is a pattern in everything and everyone. Observing those around us and deducing these patterns aids us in better perceiving our own individual capabilities. It is our perception of our capabilities which impacts the degree of selfbelief that is nurtured.
The Importance of Self-Belief, Self-Esteem and More!
Introduction
B
elief, courage, positive attitude, happiness, perseverance, passion, change, etc. These are not mere adjectives. They are the fundamental factors which play an important role in laying a strong foundation for our notion of self-belief. Why is there a big hue and cry about students, the future asset of the nation, to believe in themselves? Self-belief has a great impact on attitude, behaviour, satisfaction, success and ultimately life itself. Hence, it is of utmost importance for parents, teachers and mentors to inculcate and train students to understand their individual potential and to help them nurture their capabilities. The understanding of oneself is the foundation for mental, emotional and personal development. However, it is very crucial for
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Nothing is permanent except change
Attributes That Develop Self-Belief It is hence, relevant to list out, understand and create strategic practices to develop self-belief. Incidentally, this process of self-motivation and improvement happens over time and with continued effort on the part of the students. Some important attributes to be nurtured to develop self-belief are: Self-Psychosis: Every day, every moment, tell yourself – I’m the best, I’m capable, I can do it. It is important to 8 | Mentor | March 2019
Pedagogy understand that the line between confidence and complacence is very thin. In the process of selfpsychosis, parents and teachers should assist the students to constantly improve their knowledge base, help in setting reachable goals, and evolve clear strategies to pursue these goals. Belief: Parents and teachers play a vital role in analyzing and understanding that each individual is bestowed with unique capabilities and to pave the way is to realise their potential. While competition is important to progress, it should not be confused with comparison. Hence it is ideal to appreciate students for their unique personal traits and scholastic performance from early years. At the higher levels of study, the student may be good in offthe-outline fields of study like Liberal Arts, Sports Management, Astronomy, Particle Physics, Geology, etc, which can be lucrative if they are guided and mentored in the right direction.
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Passion: The crux of self-belief lies in bringing out the latent talent in students. To identify the core competency, the students should experiment in various fields like sports, music, academics, performing arts, etc. They should be encouraged to develop and pursue some hobby from early childhood. Schools can incorporate hobby clubs – Philately, Numismatics, Astronomy, Music, Gardening, etc. As a part of their schedule. The realization of their inherent capabilities ensures that they can be ably guided by parents and mentors to develop suitable skillsets to focus on working towards definite goals. Often, the terms “meaningful activity” and “enjoyable activity” as goals are misconstrued. It is crucial to understand the difference and their end result. Psychometric tests help to identify the key areas of interest of the students. Courage: The measure of mental and emotional strength is a decisive factor of the degree of self-belief.
Parents’ role in developing this virtue is vital, since it should be inculcated from early childhood. Children should be tutored to deal with success and failure at the
Passion, the lifeline of self-belief will be obsolete, with lack of perseverance on the part of students
same plane. A combined effort to review success and to identify ways of better achieving goals is intrinsic to an effective strategy of learning from ones mistakes as well as successes. Mentoring students to accept failures, to analyse the reasons, and to subsequently learn from the mistakes goes a long way
2019 March | Mentor | 9
Pedagogy keep moving ahead in spite of the blockades and failures in every step of life, helps to a large extent in optimizing self-confidence and self-esteem in students. The path of perseverance can be smoothened if students are mentored to set clear reachable goals and also trained to compartmentalize the goals to take them on one step at a time. The motivation that parents give and confidence they show in the journey of life with their children, is the focal point of the child’s capability and extent to which they can continue their unstinted efforts to give their best in all their endeavours. in developing core inner strength in the young minds to make them balanced proactive individuals throughout their life. Every day and every experience is new and novel, leaving no room for comparison with previous experiences or with peer performance. Courage is the need of the hour in present times when numerous instances of child abuse are surfacing. Students need to develop the strong courage to stand against any form of physical or mental abuse. They need to be mentored to speak up boldly in stressful and traumatic situations. Positive Attitude: In today’s competitive world, attitude decides the altitude to which an individual can reach. The role of parents and teachers in training students to develop a positive attitude is of utmost importance in inculcating self-belief. Every student has specific individual capabilities which should be recognized and with due training enables the process of improving self-belief. Positive attitude plays a pivotal role in the success of students alongside intelligence and being street smart. Perseverance: Passion, the lifeline of self-belief will be obsolete, with lack of perseverance on the part of students. The undaunted focus and undeterred strength to
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undergo numerous physiological changes which is the cause of lower self-esteem and confidence. It is at this crucial phase in the child’s life that parents and teachers need to affirm and convince children/students, the beautiful transformation happening within and guide them to deal with it in the most understanding and dignified manner. Last but not the least, it is important to remember, the mantra of the present day world is – Nothing is permanent except change. So keep learning from every experience and adapt to changes in every phase of life with strength and self-belief.
Be yourself: Believe that you Are the BEST in your own capacity Can ACHIEVE what you aim for Are capable of much more than you actually PERCEIVE It is crucial for students to maintain their individuality in the process of improving self-belief. Due care and diligence is necessary to help students understand their true potential and inner strength. The best time tested method of understanding one’s potential is to follow the SWOT Analysis – STRENGTHS, WEAKNESSES, OPPORTUNITIES and THREATS. The student should be guided to constantly list out their strengths and weaknesses and mentored to overcome the latter and improve upon the former.
Summary To sum up, self-belief is a trait that needs to be worked upon continuously and in varied directions and methods. There is no uniform methodology or pattern that can be adopted by all, since the requirement and intensity differs for each individual depending on their unique characteristics. As children blossom from childhood to teenage and adulthood, they
Dr. Rajachitra Manivannan, M.Com., M. Phil., Ph. D.is an academician and entrepreneur. She has worked as a Lecturer in the Commerce and Corporate Secretaryship Departments at Ethiraj College for Women ( Self Financing). Event Management, Floral Designing and English language training is her entrepreneurial ventures. mrajchitra@gmail.com
10 | Mentor | March 2019
Governance
EFFECTIVE SCHOOL GOVERNANCE Building an Effective Organisation Through Teamwork
Introduction
S
chool Organization, Management and Administration are areas which have undergone tremendous changes during the last two decades. The relationships in educational policy, administrative requirements and the interaction oriented educational practices traditionally described were much difficult and really far from the common man's understanding. It is still difficult to find out an ideal and most effective system of school governance. Classical educational thinkers have given us some ideas on effective school organizations, management and administration, which cannot be fit into diverse school environments we come across in our country itself. The ideal school governance system should be the one that should take care of all the stakeholders of the school, the students, teachers, parents, management and the community as a whole for whom the school is functioning.
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Effective School Governance As a school Principal, I feel that there is no tailor-made school governance system readily available to accept and make use of, rather we have to develop our own system and method of governance. Many researches, conferences and discussions are going on school governance in developed countries like Germany, Australia, England, etc. and different models are suggested based on the assessment and evaluation of academic performance, quality of students coming out from schools, etc. I feel that as an academician
As a school Principal, I feel that there is no tailor-made school governance system readily available
having served 44 years in the field of education, out of which 24 years as Principal in leading educational institutions in the Gulf, it is my special privilege to talk about the governance of schools. The association with one of the largest schools in Asia with a student strength of 18500 and around 1000 strong faculty inclusive of teaching, non-teaching and support staff as a Principal gives me enough experience to discuss a few aspects about school governance. This institution has achieved glory as one of the best schools not only in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia where it is situated, but in the entire Gulf and even in India. In spite of its universal admission policy and the big number of students appearing for board exams, the school has been maintaining excellent academic results. The institution also maintains top positions in sports, games, cultural and literary activities, and all other extracurricular areas. We have never allowed the quantity to compromise our quality. My past 13-year tenure as a Principal in
2019 March | Mentor | 11
Governance this institution has been the most satisfying period in my entire span of academic experience.
Implementing Effective School Governance We have developed a system which is special for our institution and it has been continuing successfully for last many years. School governance is the task of managing various portfolios of a government by one person. The school Principal should be an expert Personnel Manager, HR Manager, Academic Manager, Finance Manager and what not. When he succeeds on all these areas as an effective manager and succeeds in balancing all the components of the institution effectively it may be concluded as an effective governance of the institution. Our policy of governance is completely based on democracy, decentralization and human values. We read much about democratic schools but rarely see such institutions in practice. In our case, it starts with the School's Managing Committee, which is an elected body of seven members from among the parents, having representation from all over India. Major policy decisions are discussed and decided in this body and entrusted with the school administration for its successful implementation. Total affairs relating to the academic, co-curricular and extracurricular activities are decided and implemented by the academic team headed by the Principal. The core team consisting of the Principal, Vice Principals, HMs and other senior officials, start preparing the plans and calendar at least six months before the commencement of the new session. Decisions are not imposed from above, instead discussions start from below and ideas that come up are accepted as it is, or with minor corrections
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wherever necessary. In core committee meetings as well, ideas and subjects are presented and an effective way of implementation always comes from the members attending the meeting. The advantage of such type of decision making is that all the stakeholders will feel a sense of responsibility and ownership and they will work hard with their team in order to implement the decisions most effectively. Being a large school, it is divided into KG, Primary, Upper Primary, Middle Secondary and Senior Secondary sections in both boys and girls, and a certain level of competition is encouraged among themselves. This ensures quality in academics, sports, games, etc. and in major functions of the school. As an instrument of successful academic management a proper scheme of evaluation, assessment, observation and supervision of 360° level is developed and implemented. Based on this evaluation, good performers are appreciated and average and below average performers are advised and guided. Sufficient opportunities are given to all to improve their performance. A humane approach to staff and students, corrective and reformative pieces of advice, motivation to maintain self-confidence and maintaining the highest level of integrity and objectivity by the head of the Institution shall be key to the success of governance of an educational institution. For a Principal there are no separate public and private lives. All 365 days he has to live up to the requirements and expectations of his community. He should be able to motivate others for good and efficient work by setting appropriate examples. It is always appreciable if the governance of a Principal encourages the staff to do most of the work voluntarily than due to pressure, you will be
reaping great quantity of quality work which will contribute for the development of the institution and its students. There will be trust, confidence and cohesion and a great feeling of one family.
Summary
In order to have exemplary governance, the school should have an exemplary leader with vision, ideals, values and principles. “If your words and actions motivate others to learn more, to do more and to become more then you are a true leader." - John Adams. In order to have really an effective and successful governance in our schools we need true leaders as commented by John Adams.
Dr. E K Mohammed Shaffe
started service as a Teacher in 1976. He has worked for 11 years in India and 33 years in Gulf in various capacities as Teacher, Supervisor, Headmaster and Principal. He has also received Doctorate Degree in Education from a US University for the Research work done on Stress Free versus Challenging Education under the Globalized Environment. He has also won many awards and recognitions like the Prestigious National Award from the President of India 2010, appreciation certificate from Human Resource Minister Mrs. Smriti Irani, Govt. of India for the outstanding achievement in Academics & Board Exam, and many more. mohammedshaffe@gmail.com 12 | Mentor | March 2019
Governance
WHAT
SCHOOLS SHOULD FOCUS IN Change is the Only Constant Introduction
T
he child is father of the man, said Wordsworth, and for generations schools were bound to the notion of making the child future ready. Educators now point out that it is important to take care of the present and then the future will take care of itself. What should schools zero in on this year to make a positive impact on students?
Shift the Paradigm, Please! Years ago, we realised that emphasis on pedagogy alone does not provide complete education. As a result, co-curricular activities and training programmes became a part of every school planner. But now it is time to make a new emphasis.
loop-sided individuals out of students. Along with STEM, schools should ensure VHEMvalues, humanitarianism, ethics and morals. Let the child realise that truthfulness is an abiding value. Dishonesty is often seen as an escape route out of trouble. Teach him to be true to others as well as to himself. If a teacher can appreciate an honest child who owns up his mistakes, it is a valuable lesson learnt. A child develops into good human being through deliberate training of the mind. It is important to reinforce values right from a young age so that a child learns early that he should choose wisely between right and
Parental involvement in school activities can make the school a real second home.
VHEM The recent focus on STEM in education sometimes creates
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The child can learn valuable lessons in VHEM from the world around. Children can be encouraged to discuss the people they know and the situations they have encountered. Each conversation becomes a lesson for life. Jean Piaget’s ground breaking work The Psychology of the Child states that the child understands that the concepts learned in one context can be applied to another. Community service teaches the child that one needs to be proactive along humanitarian lines and that values should be translated into a practical mode.
Train the Heart
Let the spotlight fall on values. Certain skills, hither to understated, should receive prominence.
wrong. He will also understand how actions impact the greater good.
A child develops into good human being through deliberate training of the mind
The objective of education should not be limited to training the mind and the body; training the heart also demands equal emphasis. Contrary to popular belief, it is quite possible to train our emotions and feelings. A child with the right emotional balance will react to people and situations in an appropriate manner.
2019 March | Mentor | 13
Governance The trend now is to do away with competition in a child’s life. We avoid declaring prizes, we give gifts to all participants-in short, there is only applause in a child’s life. How much do we equip a child to face failure? Support the child during unhappiness and failure, but do not take away those moments for they are precious lessons in life skills. It is a good strategy to let children verbalise their feelings. This helps them to externalise their feelings and provides them with an emotional vent. It also helps them to review the incident in question from a different point of view. It is important to teach them that feelings are temporary and changeable like the weather. This helps them to put their passions in the right perspective. Life skills are not always learned on the go. It is not advisable to assume that children will imbibe them automatically. It is essential to consciously provide them with a learning environment conducive to the inculcation of life skills. When students organise school activities let them experience the accompanying anxiety and tension-then the applause at the end will sound all the more sweet!
One Big Happy Family The importance of parental involvement in education is now accepted. But the possibilities offered by this approach have not been fully exploited. Parental involvement should not be limited to PTA meetings or open house discussions. Encourage parents to participate actively in all aspects of the school. This gives more common ground between parents and children. It improves family relationships and helps them to connect.
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Promote active interaction between parents and teachers. This demystifies the educational process for parents and enables them to contribute to the child’s academic training. When parents constantly engage with the school in a healthy manner, student discipline improves. At home encourage parents to make the child aware of his/her roots. Speak about old times, family traditions, customs and culture. When the child takes pride in family heritage, he /she will always try to live up to those standards.
The New Guru The schools should empower the child with the right skill sets suitable for the new generation. Constructive creativity and innovative thinking are of paramount importance now. A child who can think along new lines has a definite edge over others. The framework of education should not be so rigid that the child’s innate creativity is lost. Children cannot be divorced from social media, but it is extremely important to teach them to sift out the truth from the falsehood that is often projected. These days social intelligence is required not only in the real world, but the cyber world too.
The Spiritual Ethos To a child the word spiritual often signifies religion and prayer. The school can help them realise that a healthy mind is the outcome of practical spirituality. With the divine element active in our mind it is possible to be positive always. A cheerful disposition in the face of life’s vicissitudes is an attitude that needs to be cultivated with the help of spirituality. Optimism
is faith; it is faith that leads to accomplishments. Education is never a stagnant process. It needs are ever-evolving and schools should keep pace with the requirements of changing times. The danger lies in turning a blind eye to the need of the hour. To agree with Jimmy Dean, we can’t change the direction of the wind, but we can adjust our sails to reach the destination.
Summary The article details the necessity of educators to think beyond academics. Schools need to change according to the need of the hour. Students need to hone new skills and practise new strategies to be happy in the present. Parental involvement in education can be promoted to new levels so that all stakeholders are satisfied. Values should receive emphasis in education and life skills seen in a new light.
Fr. Varghese Kachappilly CMI is the principal of Rajagiri Public School, Kochi. He has served as Director of Christu Jayanthi Public School and Viswajyothi Public School. He is a post graduate in history and has completed MBA from Amity University, Delhi and is pursuing his doctoral thesis on management from Bharathiar University. He was been awarded the Best Principal by Rotary Club of Trivandrum Royal. rajagirips@gmail.com
14 | Mentor | March 2019
Cover Story
SCHOOL LEADER WITH ENDLESS
POSSIBILITIES W
hat makes a school successful? What are the factors distinguishing the most effective and the least effective schools? With multiple models for school operations, how can we judge if a school model is effective, and if not, what can be done to improve it? There has been a lot of debate and research over what aspects attribute to a successful school. Using the “five factor theory” based on research by celebrated International authors and educators, David Miller Sadker and Karen R. Zittleman, the article describes the story of a successful school based on the five common characteristics that effective schools seem to share. These characteristics include quality leadership, higher expectations, screening student development regularly, clear goals and direction, and safety and structure. In the following issue, Mentor www.lxl.in
Mr. Srivalsan Murugan Principal of Our Own English High School
invites Srivalsan Murugan of Our Own English High School, Sharjah – Boys’ Branch, to share his views by analyzing the school on these parameters of success and provide the elements that set them apart while providing quality education to students. Mr. Srivalsan Murugan did his schooling from St. Mary’s School, Chennai. His graduation in Geography is from Madras University. He obtained his
A leader must definitely have higher expectations from the workforce matched with a conducive environment to meet those expectations
Master’s Degree from the University of Bangalore clinching the top position there and he further obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Education from the Bharathiar University in Coimbatore. He is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, London. He enjoys camping and the outdoors apart from a passion for books.
QUALITY LEADERSHIP Do you believe quality leadership to be integral to the success of your school? Of course, top notch quality leadership can turn around a school. Successful outcomes come from clarity of vision and direction, people empowerment and astute strategic planning; hallmarks of a good quality leadership. Leadership does not imply just the head of school, good schools demonstrate distinctive leadership amongst staff as well as students. Our school takes a lot of pride in 2019 March | Mentor | 15
Cover Story its unique leadership education and development programme, a classic example of how we develop leadership amongst students giving opportunities for everyone to grow into fine leaders.
Define your form of leadership with school contextual examples. (share any 2 key practices of your school that promote leadership skills). I believe in a school that is driven by the people, where autonomy is recognized and appreciated. Distributive leadership is practised where there is a shared and collective responsibility towards change and innovation. Involvement of all stakeholders which includes students, parents, educators and regulatory bodies in decision making is another exemplar of collective responsibility that drives our school. The partnerships that we develop with our stakeholders are productive and beneficial to the school and lead to informed planning, responsive decision making, shared accountability and direct change efficiently.
What are the outcomes that directly result from practicing the above
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mentioned form of leadership? Clear outcomes emerge in the form of professional growth and succession planning. Collectively, the school’s leadership team establishes an inclusive school with a purposeful learning culture and achieves very high standards of students’ learning, their personal and social development.
HIGHER EXPECTATIONS FROM THE WORKFORCE Do you believe as a leader one should have higher expectations from their workforce? If yes, then what has been the pros and cons for you? A leader must definitely have higher expectations from the workforce matched with a conducive environment to meet those expectations. Robust professional development and efficient coaching could provide the necessary impetus to the expectations we have. A school must also provide a psychological safety net for staff to perform with no fear. Trust, transparency and team work form the basis of a thriving culture of an organization. However, it is not without its set of challenges in terms of understanding the
pace at which people could meet these expectations. There has to be a right balance between your expectations and the reality. The context must be relevant and attainable for most of them or else you will end up causing anxiety and stress to the staff.
List down the ways you have felt a mismatch between a teacher’s and the school’s expectations. What was done to resolve them? There have been several instances where we have felt the mismatch in terms of experience, pedagogy and requisite skills to impart successful 21st century learning. Not many wanting to pursue teaching as a profession and dearth of quality candidates add to the prevalent times. We make that up with screening for the right attitudes and attributes. We have a robust in–house professional development to support our colleagues. We employ coaching conversation model to get them to reflect and share the responsibility for their own development.
On what parameters do you judge the success of your school? There is a standardized and unified framework on which the success
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Cover Story of any school is judged in the UAE. The key performance standards are pupils’ achievement, pupils’ personal and social development, quality of teaching and assessment, quality of curriculum, care and guidance, school leadership and management. As a school, we do not just aspire for academic excellence but excellence as an embodiment of right values and scholastic skills.
How does your school enable the teachers to reach their higher potential viz-aviz teacher evaluations and professional developmental programs? The school boasts of a robust performance management system and adequate support to help them achieve their professional targets. Bespoke professional development for different groups of teachers make them skilled practitioners. Good performance is always rewarded with incentives such as the Mariamma Varkey Teacher of the Month Award, GEMS Teacher Award, Most Improved Teacher Award and other incentives thereby keeping the morale of the workforce very high.
SCREENING STUDENT DEVELOPMENT REGULARLY
How does your school screen student development regularly? We measure our students’ success in terms of attainment as measured against curriculum standards and international benchmark tests. Their learning skills and progress are measured as against their starting points through a variety of assessment for learning and assessment of learning strategies. Students demonstrate responsibility for their own learning and are encouraged to collaborate to enhance their skills as independent learners in order to achieve learning goals. Their attitudes to learning and behavior are recorded through pupils’ attitude survey to self and school. Co–scholastic skills like work ethic, innovation, social and environmental responsibility is also graded using a range of parameters. Students are therefore eager participants and remain motivated learners.
Share some of your best practices that have resulted in the improvement of your students’ performance. Remedial intervention is a practice where teachers employ diverse teaching – learning strategies to help remove barriers to learning. This is successfully implemented across all grades and monitored consistently to record progress of individual students. Students set their own targets and target trackers serve as clear indicators for students to measure their achievement
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of learning goals. Scrutiny of students’ work is accompanied with diagnostic remarks which provide motivation and feedback to them. This allows the students to reflect on their strengths and areas of improvement. Our lessons also integrate elements of differentiated learning catering to various groups of students within a class.
Beyond academics, how does the school assess and map the individual skill sets of the student? Students are actively involved in their own learning and show outstanding skills as assessors of their own learning through self– assessment and peer assessment techniques. They are reflective learners and analyse learning situations to discover best solutions. Students demonstrate success in applying their skills to solve complex problems and make connections between their learning in different parts of the curriculum. Well–planned projects, innovative activities assessed through clearly established success criteria, map these skill sets effectively. Our students have been recipients of awards at innovation challenges, quiz competitions, debates, elocutions, sports, etc. A wide array of experiences within classrooms and outside classrooms mold our students into young role models, 2019 March | Mentor | 17
Cover Story better human beings and best among scholars.
Is your school using any assessment measures to compare the student’s performance across the country and abroad? Yes, our school uses data from several international benchmark tests to inform teaching –learning. The school’s performance is above UAE national average score in PISA and TIMSS thus driving the UAE National Agenda parameters. Cognitive Abilities Testing Fourth Edition (CAT4) is administered to provide a perspective on potential student achievement with reliable data on learning profiles of individual students. Additionally, the school tests skills of students through ASSET (Assessment of Scholastic Skills through Educational Testing). It measures students’ conceptual understanding and benchmarks their performance at regional, national, international levels and provides actionable insights.
What are the problematic areas of learning at the classroom level that have been successfully identified and worked around by the school? The school prioritises learning of Arabic as a great step towards our students acquainting with the UAE – a home away from home to a strong expatriate community.
Lack of exposure to the language outside school setting increases the challenge of teaching and learning Arabic. To meet the above challenge, the school employs modern pedagogy and technology to garner students’ interest. Resources in the form of learning aids, audio- visual aids and books enhance the learning experience. Coaching of Arabic teachers keeps them abreast with the latest trends and innovation in teaching –learning. Additionally, the Arabic department engages parents continuously to teach basics of Arabic Language to aid reinforcement at home. It is work in progress as the school strives continuously and consistently to achieve high standards in Arabic. We also understand the profound impact technology has on a 21st century learner and his engagement. It is for this very reason clevertouch boards were installed in all classrooms. Additionally, students in middle school and secondary school get BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) to make use of learning technology. The school has attained the status of Microsoft School on account of almost all teachers being Microsoft Innovative Educators. Group discussions were found to be disorganized and suffered from contributions of very few members in a heterogeneous grouping. Kagan’s Cooperative Learning methods were introduced in teaching – learning to organize great collaborative student interactions and lend structure to classroom discussions. The school is specifically focused on delivery of high quality education and remains committed to it.
What are the 21st century skills being www.lxl.in
addressed by your school curriculum? Our students know how to collaborate effectively in a group setting using Kagan’s Cooperative structures and contribute ideas demonstrating high levels of skills as independent thinkers. They demonstrate proficiency in finding out new information and are able to apply their critical thinking to tasks successfully. They are innovative, creative and problem–solvers. Our biennial school exhibition SparkX and numerous accolades at inter –school competitions are a testimony to the above. Our student innovators have gained recognition nationally and internationally as one of the teams travelled to the United States of America for the Global Challenge Finals. They have set up an innovators’ lab independently in the school. Our students demonstrate maturity and independence of thought worthy of emulation reflected through our TedxOOBSchool talks and Generation Global student led video conferences. The school is a recipient of Generation Global Outstanding Award. Students compare and assess information obtained through various resources, including technology. They make appropriate conclusions and present their learning with confidence. Well –planned project work and practical activities provide opportunities to research and develop independence, collaboration, communication, critical thinking, creativity and leadership – the essential 21st century learning skills.
CLEAR GOALS AND DIRECTION FOR THE SCHOOL If you have to list down your focus areas and goals for the school, what would they be? The school strives to attain high standards in teaching–learning
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Cover Story with specific focus on learning technology, digital citizenship and 21st century learning skills. The school aspires to refine systems and programmes to reflect truly an inclusive school; where diversity is not a barrier to learning. The school priorities include meeting UAE National Agenda parameters and making it as a first choice for many in the emirate of Sharjah.
How do you as a leader bring together every school stakeholder to work together as a community in accomplishing the goals? The local governing body comprises representatives of all stakeholders and meet regularly to establish a sound and purposeful governance. The school boasts of an active parent advisory council which meets every month and involves constructively in the accomplishment of our goals. Additionally, proactive student leadership bodies like the Prefectorial Board and the Student Council contribute effectively to the realization of school goals. There are regular discussions and collaborations with staff members to build a purposeful community. The School Support Centre, GEMS Education, provides great guidance and support that is strategic in outlook and contribute to the leadership and management of the school.
SAFETY AND STRUCTURE On what parameters, do you consider your school to be safe?
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The school is considered safe and secure on account of its outstanding health and safety arrangements. There are policies, procedures and protocols to ensure child protection and safeguarding. All staff members are trained in safeguarding students, themselves and other staff members. The school has a strong anti–bullying committee that protects its students from all forms of verbal, physical, emotional abuse and bullying. Presence of surveillance cameras in its premises ensure that supervision of students is effective and rigorous at all times. The school maintains very detailed records of incidents, accidents and subsequent actions. The school has a medical team that is vigilant and alert in its care of students and maintains comprehensive medical database. The school premises, equipment and resources are well–suited to the needs of all students including those of special educational needs like the ramps, wheel chair lift, etc. Regular fire-drills, lock down drills and risk assessments are carried out to prepare the community for emergency situations. Health and safety audits are carried out every month. Health and Safety committee comprising of all relevant staff personnel and student representatives meet every month to discuss any issues pertaining to the same.
UNIQUE ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE SCHOOL What is a unique achievement of your
school that has stemmed from addressing all these parameters? The school is one of the very few schools to have been rated as highly effective with distinction in the inspection carried out by Ministry of Education, UAE in 2014. The school is rated as a Common Sense School 2018-20 on account of its digital citizenship programme. It is also the recipient of Generation Global Outstanding Award 2018 -20. It won’t be out of place to mention about our outstanding CBSE board exam results in Grades 10 and 12 which rank amongst the top five in the UAE and the subject averages exceed CBSE national averages. Smeet Prakash Shah’s record score of 98.2 percent overall in 2016-17 is an all –time high for commerce stream in GCC.
Share one success story of your school. The one story that I will never get tired of sharing is that of Smit Khandelwal, a story of indomitable courage and endurance. Smit, student of grade 12, who met with a life – threatening accident, bounced back to re-join school a year later. The outpouring of immense care, support and warmth extended to Smit by his fellow school mates and staff was one of a kind. They stood by him like a rock and helped him claw back to life. Smit, not to be daunted by his paralysis, remained exuberant and optimistic throughout his comeback. Helped by his friend, Sidhaartha, as a scribe for the boards, Smit passed the exam with flying colours with a whopping 84 percent. This may not be a story of meritorious success but certainly its equivalent; a reminder of what the school stands for – the school vision of young role models, better human beings and best among scholars.
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Leadership
ADVICE ON ADVICE A Take on Credible and Reliable Advice Introduction
N
o person is perfect or imperfect in this world, all lie within these two extremes and rather we are complementary to others. Advice is one of the oldest surviving methods of acquiring knowledge. Head of an institution may seek advice from internal as well as external stakeholders in the best interest of learners and the institution. At the same time, she/he needs to select very wisely the advisor issue specific to the expertise of the advisor. Advisor must be credible and advice must be both valid and reliable. Based upon relative importance of these two parameters leader should decide to explore or exploit for decision making. Also intensity, sensitivity and how many people will be influenced by the decision also matters for taking an advice. Advice should not be seen as a threat to the position or expertise of the advice seeker if she/he is smart enough to 'use' or 'not use' it wisely.
Why a Leader Should Seek an Advice To be effective leaders, we all need good advice, and we need to give good advice to others. Problem is, advice sharing is not as easy as it sounds, explain Joshua Margolis and the late David Garvin. Nobody is perfect in this world, www.lxl.in
and imperfections make people interdependent to create perfect things. Principal of an institution can go wrong in innumerable ways on innumerable occasions. Taking an advice is nothing but involving more than one brain on the same task. Also, it is about taking advantage of other's expertise and experience. A principal is in the position of a trustee and not owner of the entrepreneur. His decision can affect all the stakeholders ranging from students to society, thus need to be doubly sure that it should have minimal possibility of going wrong. She/he is taking decision by virtue of his designation rather than in personal capacity that is she/he takes decision on behalf of stakeholders. A leader should need to avoid biasness in his decision making, which can be ensured by a genuine advice. Seeking an advice means involving more persons, which also warrants transparency. Finally, advice taking helps other feeling important in the affairs of school.
Where Should a Head Seek Advice James Dinan and Elizabeth Miller, Professor of Business Administration states, "If you've been thinking about a problem in a certain way, and the advice and counsel you get lets you see it in a completely different light, it allows you to see a path through that you
The two most important parameters for assessing situation for seeking an advice is ‘importance’ & ‘urgency’ of the matter at hand didn't see before" that the real need for finding a counselor. Like a question is not always ends with a question mark, an advice may not be exactly a formal suggestion asked by the head of the institution. Technically speaking, there can be three types of people in the system's hierarchy - up line, down line and equals. The up lines can be officials in the management, regulatory bodies, retired heads and professional bodies in the field. Down line include teachers, technical assistants, office assistants and even the support staff including driver and peons. Besides these, principal can seek advice from stakeholders like parents, social organisations and even students. When a principal is new to the job, he/she must find a mentor as advised by a principal Martha Santiago.
Issues/ Matter on Which Advice Should Be Called for As per Thompson, the litmus test for your decision making should be "Is it good for the kids?" To be effective leaders, we all need good advice, and we need to give good 20 | Mentor | March 2019
Leadership advice to others. But the problem is, advice sharing is not as easy as it sounds. This is very much true, because after all, whole venture is being run on behalf of the learner. In other word, all decisions must ultimately be guided by the welfare of the learner. The general rules when head of the institution should seek advice would be, when Decision can potentially affect others and in turn learners Issue needs expertise Advisor is sincere The matter can risk reputation of him/herself or the institution Previous attempt for the accomplishing task has been a failure To be specific, issues in school where advice may be sought may be relate to - rules and procedures, policy relating to teacher recruitment, promotion, staff assignments, financial management, admission, evaluation, certification, discipline, curriculum planning and implementation, co-curricular program, program for exceptional children and the like.
Qualities of an Advisor While seeking an advice one should ensure the credibility of the advisor. The head should check that the advisor should be Qualified for the task Experienced in the field Is a well-wisher of oneself and the institution Whose track record is credible Who values your/institution’s reputation Who is unbiased for choices
Testing the Validity and Reliability of an Advice The validity and reliability of the advice can be tested againstwww.lxl.in
results, technicalities involved, similar previous experiences, success of prototype and feasibility of the advice. The best way to deal with this situation is assessing the advice from one’s own context. Taking advice does never guarantee success in the project, rather sometime it can backfire when it is - unnecessary, irrelevant, ill timed, an isolated event, first of its kind, when it is intuitive or emotions based rather than based on objective assessment of facts and when advisor is by chance rather than by choice. An advice does not mean the decision is to be made by the advisor; rather it is just another alternative course of action for solving a problem. It means advisor should remain in suggestive role, reason being the ultimate onus lies with the leader who is supposed to take the decision. It is but natural, as the credit of successful decision is also given to the leader. The best way is to take advice by taking advice from more than one source or taking advice from a committee where more than one person (brain) are involved. In the institutions, making of committees for various assignments/projects is a standard administrative practice, is nothing but taking advice.
Advice on Advice for a Leader The two most important parameters for assessing situation for seeking an advice is ‘importance’ & ‘urgency’ of the matter at hand. This can be analyzed using Johari window as shown in figure 1. It is urgency and importance of the issue that decides the kind of advice one should seek. Interaction between these two parameters result in four dimensions as depicted in figure 1.
Case 1: The matter is urgent as well as important There are two possibilities to deal the problem - explore or exploit. In
case, matter is important and time is short one should not explore, rather should exploit. Meaning there by one should rely on what has been working for most of the time. In other words, experts in the field must be consulted and the best fit should be chosen as final advice. The best choice can be determined by means of indicators relating to advisor, likequalification, experience, updating, and the like.
Case 2: The matter is urgent but not important Again matter is urgent, but not important, head must go for one of experts instead of many. This can save time and s/he affords a bit of risk.
Case 3: The matter is important but not urgent When it is important, matter one should definitely consult more than one expert, but should do a thorough research on these alternative choices. In case one, confident in one’s own ability to search for the solution, it would be the best choice. It is recommended due to the reason that no one understands the problem better than the person is in. It is just matter of exploring the alternatives and best would emerge from use of available resources.
Case 4: The matter is neither important nor urgent This is the real time to explore rather than exploit. In this situation a head should use his own ingenuity, possible resources and experiment with decisions for theorizing administration from his own context. Decision making is also influenced by the possible impact of the decision. Impact has further two dimensions- how many (number of people) and how much (intensity & sensitivity). When matter is sensitive and intensity is high whether urgent or not it is definitely important and 2019 March | Mentor | 21
Leadership expert/s advice should be sought and best alternative should be implemented. In case the decision affects only the decider, one has full right to experiment, take risk and decide independently, if feels strongly. Even in this situation, if not confident expert advice can be helpful. In case, decision affects other than the decider and number of persons influenced would be large, one should definitely go for expert/s advice, while choosing the best alternative remains right of the decider.
Some More Suggestions for the Advice Seeker Advice should be taken from neutral position One should guard oneself from being emotional while taking advice If one is not expert in an area for which advice is being sought, at least she/he must be expert at choosing the available alternatives in the form of advices Give due importance to the advisor and in case advice works advisor must be given due credit in both private and public Taking advice on too many occasions and too much can harm both person and position of the advice seeker. The leader would earn reputation of a poor decision maker. She/he must be a patient listener, keen observer and active learner She/he should value the feedback and reflect on both success and failures of the advice One must remember that everything cannot be changed overnight, whatever expert advice may be available. She/he should believe in ‘Power with’ instead of ‘power over’ and ‘conversation’ instead of ‘communication’.
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An advice is not a threat to your authority or expertise
Summary An advice is neither a luxury nor it is free, it costs and sometime heavily, too. A leader should be flexible enough to take advice from every potential expert, but at the same time should maintain his/her right to choose the best option. As year passes, the head of the institution must be lesser and lesser dependent on the external advices, rather his/her own experiences must come to rescue as advice. This can better be done by keeping a record of problems one faced, advices offered and outcome happened to be. Advice should be used very economically and efficiently to preserve the best for time of crisis. Advice should not become a habit or addiction, which makes a person heavily dependent on others that devalue the position of significance. On the other hand, advice for the sake of advice devalues the advisor. A head of the institution needs to live between these two extremes i.e. seek advice when it improves the decision and avoid when it confuses the decision making. Advices and advisors should teach a leader the decision making process rather than just making decision as a product or an event. It is equally expected from the leader to learn
the process of decision making by virtue of advices, rather than just solving problem at hand.
Dr Vijay Kumar Grover has doctorate degree in Education and Masters in Chemistry, Computers and English. He is a teacher, educator, an associate professor at DAV College of Education, Abohar, Punjab. He has published seventy-one research papers in national and international research journals of education. He has won best paper award, best teacher award and has been honored by number of schools, colleges, and social organisations for contribution in the field of education. He has been resource person in many seminars and conferences. He is on the advisory and editorial panel of three research journals. grovervijayk@gmail.com
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Leadership
BUILDING LEADERSHIP
SKILLS IN TEACHERS
part of teaching is to focus on learning and to put an extra effort which makes their teaching more effective, more adaptive. This approach would definitely emphasize them to dedicate time effort in their way of passing knowledge only then the united
Why it is Important to Empower Students and Give Your Best?
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Ways to Create Leaders Here are a few methods to create efficient leaders:
Directors Principal
L
eadership refers to an ability to influence others, behavior in a desired manner� as defined under management concept. Today teachers have to be good learners and should continuously upgrade themselves so that they can transform their teachings into leading. One of the most important
purpose of creating to tomorrow’s leaders and educators can be fulfilled.
Co-ordinators Teacher
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Leadership Developing Leadership Skills by each one lead one: Every teacher should be a counselor, leader and guide to students. For this, a hierarchy should be created at learning place where every subordinate is a superior to some other person school directors or HM can be superior to Principal, principals to coordinators, coordinator to teachers. Once all the superiors are trained to create leaders in their respective fields, they would be able to create a leading force.
Principle of Initiative:
Frequent Skills, Building Programs to Learn Beyond Classroom:
Furthermore, it may be assured during learning process, teachers should be able to maintain a balance with EI (Emotional Intelligence). As she/he has to deal with number of students with variety of problems, temperament, etc. Even teacher has to face mood swings so for this the teacher has to achieve a level of self-management. All this would lead to achieve “empathy” that is one good characteristic of a good leader.”
Teachers should be advised time to time to attend development programs, workshops and training sessions. This frequent learning process will surely help them to apply their updated information with the syllabus. They should be emphasized to be more participative, interactive and should be given opportunities to create such a hybrid format to that they can integrate learning and teaching. They should be encouraged to do their tasks differently instead of preparing lectures only.
Always Work Upon the Formula “Every Problem is an Opportunity”:
For Curious minds Problem is an opportunity First mover by bringing solution Will inspire others and create followers
There should be a constant focus on welcoming everyone’s idea. In this way, everyone will get a chance to express. Hence can develop their leadership qualities. By doing so the organization would get the benefit of diversified ideas. Top level can focus on core areas and on the other hand teacher will be motivated and can develop a sense of belongingness to the organization.
Teachers should be advised time to time to attend development programs, workshops and training sessions
To Examine / To Evaluate:
Appreciation (Performance based): The organisation should follow appreciation or reward policy on the basis of tasks handled by them. Time to time monetary or non-monetary incentives should be given to the teacher achievers to motivate them. This will build confidence and of course develops a sense of leadership which in turn will inspire them to adapt the changes instead of them be resistant.
Summary Leadership is not a voyage to be covered by a single; to develop this one should believe in “We” not I. Success stories of school cannot be created solely. It is based on team spirit and with a feeling of not to be a leader only but to create leaders.
Mrs Anu Bhatia the proud principal of St. Edmunds school, Jawahar Nagar, Jaipur has embarked her journey with St. Edmunds as a student and crossed the junctions of teacher, superintendent administrator, vice principal and reached the destination of Principal. She is a post graduate in Business administration with 20 years of teaching experience. She strongly believes that Empathy and ethics are the strongest elements and we as mentors should always follow a democraic leadership style to get creative ideas and team spirit. anubhatia25@gmail.com
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Innovation
SCHOOL INNOVATION IN THE
DIGITAL WORLD The Effectiveness of Providing Quality Learning
A
s a principal, the buck stopped with me. I was reminded of this by numerous superintendents during my tenure as a school leader. However, when we began moving forward with our digital transformation one particular superintendent asked me point blank what evidence I had that actually support our claims that the new method equated to better. This not only stopped me in my tracks, but that moment in time provided the grounding that what my school really needed. To embrace change by all stakeholders, it is critical that we just don’t tell and claim that improvement is occurring, but it’s also important that we show them.
Efficacy in Digital Learning Accountability matters and is a reality in our work. We are
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accountable first and foremost to our learners. As a supporter of the purposeful use of technology and innovative practices, I had to illustrate how effective these strategies were at improving learning. Statements and claims didn’t cut it and this was more than fair. It was at this time where the term efficacy kept finding its way into the conversation and my head. In the real world of education, efficacy matters and it is important that this is part of the larger conversation when it comes to digital. It is a word that, in my opinion, has to be a part of our daily vocabulary and practice. Simply put, efficacy is the degree to which desired outcomes and goals are achieved. Applying this concept to digital learning can go a long way to solidifying the use of technology as an established practice, not just a frill or add-on. The journey to efficacy begins and ends with the intended goal
in mind and a strong pedagogical foundation. Adding technology or new ideas without this in place will more than likely not result in achieving efficacy. The Rigor Relevance Framework provides schools and educators with a check and balance system by providing a common language for all, creating a culture around a common vision, and establishing a critical lens through which to examine curriculum, instruction, and assessment. It represents a means to support innovative learning and digital practice as detailed in the description of Quad D learning.
Quad D Learning Students have the competence to think in complex ways and to apply their knowledge and skills they have acquired. Even when confronted with perplexing unknowns, students are able to use extensive knowledge and skill
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Innovation to create solutions and take action that further develops their skills and knowledge. Aligning digital to Quad D not only makes sense but also melds with a great deal of the conversation in digital and non-digital spaces as to why and how learning should change. A framework like this emphasizes the importance of a strong pedagogical foundation while helping to move practice from isolated pockets of excellence to systemic elements that are scaled throughout the learning culture. It also provides the means to evaluate and reflect in order to improve.
Rigor Relevance Framework Once an overall vision for digital learning is firmly in place you can begin to work on the structures and supports to ensure success. This brings me back to efficacy. The why is great, but the how and what have to be fleshed out. Determining whether technology or innovative practices, in general, are effective matters. Below I will highlight 5 key areas (essential questions, research, practicality, evidence/accountability, reflection) that can put your classroom, school, district, or organization on a path to digital efficacy.
Essential Questions
Research
Questions provide context for where we want to go, how we will get there, and whether or not success is achieved. Having more questions than answer is a natural part of the initial change process. Over time, however, concrete answers can illustrate that efficacy in digital learning has been achieved in some form or another. Consider how you might respond to the questions below:
Research is prevalent in education for a reason. It provides us all with a baseline as to what has been found to really work when it comes to student learning. Now, there is good and bad research. I get that. It is up to us as educators to sift through and then align the best and most practical studies out there to support the need to transform learning in the digital age. We can look to the past in order to inform current practice. For example, so many of us are proponents of student ownership, project-based, and collaborative learning.
What evidence do we have to demonstrate the impact of technology on school culture? How are we making learning relevant for our students? How do we implement and support rigorous and relevant learning tasks that help students become future ready? What is required to create spaces that model real-world environments and learning opportunities? What observable evidence can be used to measure the effect technology is having on student learning and achievement? How can targeted feedback be provided to our teachers and students, so that technology can enhance learning?
Evaluation
Creating
Synthesis
Evaluating
Analysis
Analyzing
Application
Applying
Comprehension
Understanding
Knowledge
Remembering
Knowledge in Apply in one discipline discipline
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Apply Apply to Apply to across real-world real-world disciplines predictable unpredictable situations situations
Research is prevalent in education for a reason. It provides us all with a baseline as to what has been found to really work when it comes to student learning. Now, there is good and bad research
One of the main reasons Tom Murray and I wrote Learning Transformed was to provide a sound research base that supports digital learning and the embracement of innovative practices. The research of Linda Darling Hammond found that technology can have the most impact on our at-risk learners when it is used to support interactive learning, explore and create rather than to “drill and kill�, and constitutes the right blend of teachers and technology. This is just one of over 100 studies we highlight. Then there is the comprehensive analysis by John Hattie on effect size – a listing of the most effective instructional strategies that improve student learning outcomes all of which
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Innovation can be applied to digital learning. If efficacy is the goal, embracing a scholarly mindset to inform and influence our work, not drive it, is critical.
Practicality All of what we do, should align to the demands, and at times constraints, of the job. This includes preparing students for success on standardized tests. If it’s not practical, the drive to implement new ideas and practices wanes or never materializes. The creation of rigorous digital performance tasks that are aligned to standards and the scope and sequence found in the curriculum is just good practice. All good performance tasks include some form of assessment, either formative or summative, that provides the learner and educator with valuable information on standard and outcome attainment. Again, this is just part of the job. The Rigor Relevance Framework assists in creating performance tasks that engage learners in critical thinking and problem solving while applying what they have learned in meaningful ways. There is also natural alignment to incorporating student agency. If we are to improve learning and ultimately school-based outcomes agency needs to be a real element of school culture. Student agency is all about improving the learning experience for kids. The most common strategy that is embraced in schools is empowering learners through voice and choice. This could come in the form of kids selecting the right tool for the right task to demonstrate conceptual mastery or choosing where to sit in a classroom with flexible seating. It might be facilitated by posing questions and then having students respond under cover of anonymity using mobile devices. Or maybe it is combining both elements of voice and choice through pedagogically sound blended learning activities. Learning in and out of the classroom should always www.lxl.in
be at the forefront when it comes to agency. This is exactly what so many of us are championing.
Evidence and Accountability One should not shy away from openly discussing this. Evidence and accountability are a part of every profession and quite frankly we need more of both in education to not only show efficacy in our work but to also scale needed change. Not everything has to or can be, measured. However, focusing on a return on instruction allows everyone to incorporate multiple measures, both qualitative and quantitative, to determine if improvement is in fact occurring.
Reflection When it is all said and done the most important thing we can all do is constantly reflect on our practice. In terms of efficacy in digital learning consider these reflective questions from your particular lens: Did my students learn? How do I know if my students learned? How do others know if my students have learned? What can be done to improve? What point of view have I not considered?
Summary Amazing things are happening in education, whether be it through digital learning or the implementation of innovative ideas. We must always push ourselves to be better and strive for continuous improvement. The more we all push each other on the topic of efficacy, our collective goals we have for education, learning, and leadership can be achieved.
Eric is a Senior Fellow and Thought Leader on Digital Leadership with the International Center for Leadership in Education (ICLE). Prior to this, he was the award-winning Principal at New Milford High School. His work focuses on leading and learning in the digital age as a model for moving schools and districts forward. This has led to the formation of the Pillars of Digital Leadership, a framework for all educators to initiate sustainable change to transform school cultures. As a result, Eric has emerged as an innovative leader, best-selling author, and sought after speaker. Eric has received numerous awards and acknowledgments for his work. He is a CDE Top 30 award recipient, Bammy Award winner, NASSP Digital Principal Award winner, PDK Emerging Leader Award recipient, winner of Learning Forward’s Excellence in Professional Practice Award, Google Certified Innovator, Adobe Education Leader, and ASCD 2011 Conference Scholar. ericsheninger@gmail.com
2019 March | Mentor | 27
MORNING MEETINGS Circles of Respect Introduction
W
e know that schools are safe and supportive environments for students when they recognize, accept and appreciate the unique abilities. Schools also need to help students to affirm their individual identities to make their brains more responsive and open for learning. This article looks at one way of creating this environment in the school by building a habit of morning meetings. Morning meetings are typically relationship building exercises that fosters both social and emotional and maintains rigorous academic standards by creating the right environment. Though, morning meetings with students or circle times as they are popularly known, are not a new concept to most educators, they are normally relegated to a “not so important” part of the school day. However, the impact of well conducted morning meetings is profound.
How to Bring Cohesive Interactions Between Teachers and Students? One of the toughest questions that we struggle to answer is “what defines a school?” The answer, however, is simple though nebulous - the school culture. Every school has a unique and distinct culture which though intangible, is clearly visible to the larger community. The school culture emerges from the vision and mission of the school and is woven around 5 core thoughts 1. What are the fundamental beliefs of the school? 2. What are the shared values? 3. What are the norms? 4. What are the patterns of behaviour that are observed? Do they match the value and the norms?
Innovation 5. What are the tangible, sensory evidences seen in the school? To address these questions and establish a strong student culture, it becomes imperative that there are many warm and cohesive interactions between the teachers and students and one of the easiest ways of doing this, is to build a culture of morning meetings.
What are Morning Meetings? Morning meetings are a time when students and teachers gather together mostly in a circle to kick start the day. As educators, we struggle with a lot of issues - there are students who have behaviour issues, students with personal problems, students who are constantly absent and so on. Morning meetings are a way to address these issues in a subtle, non-threatening and congenial manner and establish a climate of positivity and warmth. The meetings usually last for 15-30 minutes.
Goals of Morning Meetings The broad goals meetings are to
of
morning
When I took charge of my school, I realised that my school had certain issues like low student attendance, bullying, disinterest of the students in the academic processes, low teacher expectations and so on. I realised that, before initiating any other reform, I needed a quick and easy way to change the climate of the school. Morning meetings became my new “mantra” and became a way by which I could establish a strong student culture.
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28 | Mentor | March 2019
Innovation Facilitate a smooth transition from home to school Set expectations for the day Establish lines of open and transparent communication Provide a sense of trust among the students and help them understand that everyone matters Create a culture of ‘respectful’ learning Foster empathy and life skills like collaboration and communication Support each other in social, emotional and academic aspects Share the responsibilities for the day ahead At the end of the day, students need to feel that they are in a safe learning environment that accepts, respects and appreciates their varied backgrounds and their unique physical and mental abilities.
How to Implement Morning Meetings? To establish morning meetings as a regular routine requires a fair amount of work. A few steps that helped me were Finding out more about the process. Searching for online information, talking to educators who have successfully implemented the process, visiting professional learning forums and so on helps to find out the “why”, “how” and “what” of the process. It helped me to weigh the pros and cons and take an informed decision Introducing the thought to the teachers. Any reform can succeed only if there is a “buy in” from the people who are going to implement the same. Orientation to the teachers, answering their queries and allaying their fears/ concerns as well as overcoming the resistance, forms an integral www.lxl.in
part of the process. Morning meetings are a way to establish school values, beliefs and norms and it is essential that the teachers are passionate about the same Make teachers introduce the concept of morning meetings to the students. Ensure that the teachers orient the students to their goals and expectations underlying the value of open and respectful communication Introduce the measure to the parents. Any reform in a school works only if parents are aware and support the same. Conduct an orientation session for parents, explaining the benefits of the process and how it would support their child in his academic, emotional and social growth. Model a circle time for them. If possible, post pictures on the school social media or on the bulletin boards Establish a time. Most important of all, establish a fixed time for the morning meeting which is inviolable and non-negotiable. In other words, the time becomes sacrosanct despite the pressures of the day ahead
What Happens in Morning Meetings? The next big question is what happens in a morning meeting? How does it support the goals outlined above? Morning meetings follow a basic routine as given below. Normally, morning meetings begin with the students and teachers seated in a circle. The teacher is a part of the circle and a facilitator for the process. Greeting: As the name implies, this phase of the morning meeting is when the students and teachers greet each other. The greeting is a crucial phase as it sets the tone for the whole meeting. The greeting should be warm, cheerful and include each and every student
Sharing: In the second phase of the morning meeting, the students are encouraged to share something about themselves like an incident in their lives or their feelings. The teacher can make this phase more structured by introducing teacher-chosen topics and having students share their information, feelings or ideas. As each student shares, others listen actively, offer empathetic comments or ask clarifying questions. It is important that sharing happens immediately after the greeting, as it ensures that the students’ attention and focus is sustained in active listening Group Activity: After sharing, the members of the group work together on a short task or activity. The activities could vary, however should foster team work and collaboration Morning Messages: This phase looks at setting expectations for the day. It could also include important announcements, a brief of the day’s events or a thought for the day. This phase of the morning meeting helps the students to settle down and transition smoothly to the rest of the day. Throughout the process, it is essential that the teacher monitors the pulse of the meeting and transitions between phases keeping student needs in mind
Laying Ground Rules for Morning Meetings Like all classroom or school activities, morning meetings will succeed only if ground rules are laid right from the beginning and students are aware of the same. Have rules for how students come for the meeting Encourage them to sit with people who they know the least about Make sure that they know how to sit during the meeting Have signals to grab attention. For example, a time-out sign or a raised hand 2019 March | Mentor | 29
Innovation Set time limits Make sure that everyone gets a chance to talk. Pass a baton or a puppet or toss a ball. More importantly, make sure that everyone listens while others talk, discourage other students from interrupting Guide students on how to respond empathetically and sensitively
How to Create Variations in a Morning Meeting? Like all other programs, morning meetings must hold the interest of the student. It becomes imperative that the morning meetings are planned in such a way that students look forward for the same. In the course of my career, I have seen variations brought in every aspect of the four phases of the morning meetings. Greetings can vary from a simple round of introduction to an energetic clapping exercise or cheer greetings. Sharing is structured and used as a tool by the teacher to deliver a point. The teacher could address a burning issue in the class like bullying sitting around in a circle and sharing using simple sentence starters like, “I feel upset when…” Pairing up of students to share on a teacher chosen topic or having a dialogue on a topic are other variations. An interesting variation, I came across recently was when students were asked to provide critical and constructive feedback on the school newsletter before releasing the same. The feeling of ownership and pride in the students was clearly palpable that day. The activity phase could include playing games, singing songs, reciting poems or the tables - The key point being that it is an energy buster after a quieter and directed session. Morning meetings work equally well in all classes. Traditionally, they have been restricted to pre-primary www.lxl.in
and primary classes. However, in middle school, the emotional and social needs of the children are enormous and morning meetings establish a sense of camaraderie and community and builds positive relationships among students. It gives teenagers opportunities to discuss their feelings and emotions openly and reduces anxiety and stress. An important point to note here, is that the themes have to be changed according to the age group. The need for autonomy becomes critical in middle and high school and so do the issues they face.
Greetings can vary from a simple round of introduction to an energetic clapping exercise or cheer greetings
Outcomes of Morning Meeting Morning meetings create a distinct sense of belonging and trust in the school. Students develop the much needed 21st century skills like critical thinking, problem solving, decision making, empathy, collaboration, communication and so on, in an informal and stressfree environment. Communication becomes richer, robust and thoughtful. Over a period, not only are these skills clearly visible in the students, there is greater engagement of the students in the learning process and warmer and more sensitive interactions between the teachers and students.
Summary Morning meetings are easy to implement, the only investment being time (an average of 20 minutes a day) and a commitment to make the meetings work. However, the results are far beyond expectations and go a long way in building a school that stands out due to its culture and ethos. Overall, I would say aim for quality. Go slow, introduce the phases of morning meetings one by one with explicit modelling till students are comfortable and then move on to next. Wait for the rewards, they are slow to come, but infinitely sweet.
Maya Paliath Divakar is a proactive educator who is an instrumental in creating school cultures enhancing learner potential and optimizing performance through targeted learning strategies. She has contributed to the professional development of teachers in over 50 schools through training, classroom observations and intervention measures to bridge gaps. She has conducted high level workshops for teachers on varied pedagogical strategies like Differentiated Instruction, Multiple Intelligences, Classroom Management etc. She is also certified as a Master Trainer by NCERT. Developed ‘train the trainer’ programs and compiled content for educator training and assessed effectiveness of training strategies. maya.divakar14@gmail.com 30 | Mentor | March 2019
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