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VOLUME 01 | ISSUE 07 | JULY 2019
®
GULF EDITION
COLLABORATION & SHARED DECISION-MAKING AS CORE TENETS Mr. Muhammed Ashraff A Group General Manager of Best Schools UAE, KSA and India
A MATTER OF PRINCIPAL
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Vol. 13 | Issue 02 | July 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
The Journey from Pedagogy to Andragogy to Heutagogy.......................................06 Sex Education in Indian Schools .........................09
11 Governance
Alternative Schooling and Collaboration.............11 Improving Communication Within Culturally-Diverse Classrooms..............................14
17 Cover Story
Collaboration & Shared Decision-Making As Core Tenets........................................................................17
23 Leadership
Why Plagiarism in Education is an Ethical Issue........................................................23 Leadership in Schools (Vol. II)...............................26
28 Innovation
Innovative Learning Strategies.............................28 Reaching the Unreachable Student.....................31
All Rights Reserved 2016 EduMedia Publications Pvt. Ltd.
Publisher & Owner: Syed Sultan Ahmed Editor: Kalpa Kartik | Sub Editor: Aditi Dharmadhikari 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, in its contemporary form, and development should be aimed towards the Joy of Learning, and, in a certain way, satisfy the needs of the future generations of humanity. This means that education should help form a desirable sustainable future. School leaders must be “change agents” capable of bringing about transformation. Besides industry (workplace) readiness, there now resounds an increasingly vocal call for “societal” (community space) readiness for the child leaving the school. This all leads to leadership competencies that go beyond the traditional academic realm; the leader must ensure that these competencies trickle down to larger teaching and support teams. This month, Mentor Magazine focuses on all above the mentioned statements and features Mr. Muhammed Ashraff A, Group General Manager of BEST schools (Bridgeway Educational Systems and Training) schools in the UAE, KSA and India, as the cover story. He says, “Putting a name to our leadership style is difficult, as it tends to be situational and needs-based. Having said this, collaboration and shared decision-making with the involvement of all the stakeholders — students, staff and parents — are some of the tenets that we practise.” Can schools, school leaders and teachers continue to hold on to time-honoured teaching-learning mechanisms? Do both the school leaders and the teachers need to understand where their students are coming from, and how their students’ personal journeys will impact their learning? A school is considered to be the mouthpiece of a society, and its teaching methods must reflect the revolutionary advancements that are constantly reconstructing it. We live in exciting times, and in order to help the young generation successfully align its intellectual, physical, moral, emotional and aesthetic personalities with the numerous demands and challenges, we must create an educational paradigm that is innovative, stimulating, insightful, dialogic and conscious of the mammoth role it has to play in the life of a student. Alternative Schooling, culturally-diverse classrooms, Sex education taught right and Heutagogy- promoting the idea of self-driven learning are some of the other topics touched upon.
Kalpa Kartik Editor 3 | Mentor | July 2019
What’s Trending
“A RESEARCH DONE IN 2012 SHOWS THAT THE TEACHER’S ATTITUDE AND TEACHING PRACTICES PLAY A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN THE CHILD’S LEARNING OUTCOMES, AS COMPARED TO A TEACHER’S PROFESSIONAL DEGREE, CONTENT KNOWLEDGE, EXPERIENCE AND GENDER.”
DO YOU AGREE OR DISAGREE WITH THIS STATEMENT?
C
hild's learning outcomes are very much correlated with teacher's teaching practices and attitude. With a positive attitude and positive discipline, even a low achiever can be motivated to learn and perform. In this day and age, when technology has become an integral part of our lives, the best content is available to students. It is the social and emotional aspects that need to be handled very carefully for the best learning outcomes. Even if a teacher has the best professional degree, is very experienced and has a good content knowledge, he or she would be ineffective without the right attitude and good teaching practices. Mrs Arpana Ruth Principal,Ingraham Institute English School Ghaziabad.
I
t could be argued that a teacher’s attitude can make a difference in the classroom. At the same time, I believe that a teacher cannot be successful in the classroom without content knowledge. Experience is an added flavour that can strengthen a teacher. As we understand the aim of education as concept clarification and skill development, content knowledge is essential to a teacher. Students are well-informed and their exposure is wide today. Hence, for an authoritative discussion of the contents, teachers should be well-informed and competent. The resourcefulness of a teacher coupled with adequate classroom experience, I think, can surpass all the obstacles of learning. Dr. John Thomas Principal, Little Rock Indian School Brahmavar, Udupi, Karnataka.
T
eaching is nothing short of an art form and this can be evidenced with the irrefutable, innumerable examples that go on to prove that teachers’ positive attitudes, along with the reinforcement of student-friendly teaching practices, have a far-reaching positive influence on students’ personalities as well as their performances. Thus, I believe, based on this premise, a teacher’s role in education goes beyond a simple knowledge transformation. Gurmeet Kaur Principal, Sunbeam English School Bhagwanpur, Varanas.
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4 | Mentor | July 2019
Sultan Speaks
INDIAN EDUCATION IS READY TO TAKE ON THE WORLD O
ver the past two months, I have been in the Middle East, meeting a lot educators and students of Indian schools. Over the past decade, I have had several interactions with schools in the region, and every time I land up going there, I realise how well these schools have managed to recreate a piece of India within their premises. Yes, they all follow a CBSE or an ICSE curriculum, but that’s not where the similarity ends; the traditions, the culture and systems and processes in place are all so similar that you forget you are in a foreign land when you are inside the schools.
their experience and educational acumen is highly valued.
One of the big challenges that these schools face is the constant interference and scrutiny of the local authorities into the manner in which they run the schools. For every small or big new step they take, permissions are required; in addition, reporting and inspections happen ever so often. New laws and rules keep the school management busy with upgradations to the infrastructure and compliance is the key. In spite of all this, the schools have managed to thrive in the region and are expanding their influence. Many educators of the region are on the advisory board of the local governments and
A thousand years ago, the universities of the Islamic world from Turkey to Iran to Baghdad to Smarkhand led the innovations of the world. After the Renaissance period, Europe took over and led the education movement, and the US has joined in since the past century, as leaders in education. While the whole world still acknowledges the US and Europe as beacons for education, they look to India with a renewed sense of hope. Most countries on the planet are either developing or underdeveloped, and Indian education is a great example for them to emulate. Countries in Africa, South America, Central Asia
In all my visits, I make it a point to meet education ministry officials. I have constantly heard praise from them for the Indian schools. They have a sense of gratitude as Indian schools have educated generations from the region. Indian schools have played a big role in the progress of the region and they continue to do so, even today. The Indian schools in the Middle East and their success in the region has convinced me that Indian education is set to take on a bigger role on the world stage.
and greater Asia relate to the Indian education example better than that of Europe or US. There is a massive opportunity for Indian educators to expand their influence beyond our boundaries and look to add value to the world around us. The world is looking up to India to show them the way forward, with respect to how education can be achieved at a certain scale and at a very nominal cost. For the educators of the future, the world is a playground!
Syed Sultan Ahmed MD & Chief Learner @ LXL
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5 | Mentor | July 2019
Pedagogy
THE JOURNEY FROM PEDAGOGY TO ANDRAGOGY TO HEUTAGOGY Viewing Learning Potential Through a Discerning Lens
INTRODUCTION
T
hree decades of teaching in schools in multi-cultural and geographical contexts has constantly provoked me to adjust and readjust my lens to see the role of schools, teachers and curricula in the learning years of children. Technology and globalisation have indeed changed the way we perceive the world — but perhaps not enough, when it comes to education. If exams, quantitative learning and competition appeal to parents, meeting their expectations and teaching with rigour is the approach schools have taken. We need a discerning or conscientious lens through which to see the learning potential of children. A four-year-old navigates through a smartphone with nimble fingers and explores new shores without a teacher or parent’s help — self-driven!
and amazing vocabulary just by watching videos — self-learner! We struggle to teach polynomials while children easily crack the algorithms of PUB-G without our help — independent learners! And we still believe that they cannot learn if we do not teach. Our Indian mindset also makes us control the learning of students. It is either the over-emphasis on pedagogy, or the sheer ignorance about the significance of andragogy or, for
that matter, heutagogy, which is limiting us to see the potential of children to learn on their own. • Method and process of teaching defines pedagogy. • Relevant, engaging, significant and challenging learning defines andragogy. • Learner-defined learning contracts, learner-directed questions and flexible and negotiated assessment defines heutagogy
Learner maturity and autonomy required (+) Level 3 : Heutagogy (Realization)
Level 2: Andragogy (Cultivation) Learner maturity and autonomy required (-)
Level 1: Pedagogy (Engagement)
Instructor control and course structuring required (-)
Instructor control and course structuring required (+)
A child develops an alien accent www.lxl.in
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Pedagogy
The Transition: Pedagogy to Andragogy to Heutagogy It was our collective mission to make our school an ecosystem for inspired learning, and we found resonance in IB programmes. 12 years hence, we are pursuing the art of learning. As the Head of four International Schools with IB Programmes and as an IB Educator, I am thankful to the new perspectives, practices and cultures I am able to cultivate within my colleagues and me. IB PYP (Primary Years Programme) acted as a catalyst in bringing about a paradigm shift in teachers, parents and students. Focus on the learner and learning becomes the core purpose. The sage stepped down from the stage and turned into a friend on the side; pedagogy paved the path to andragogy. The three sacred learning spaces from ancient times have come to occupy the mainstream learning space in the school. • Campfire, which means that the teacher lights the fire from which the learners seek warmth. • Watering hole is group-learning, wherein children learn from each other.
Nearly 160 indicators were developed by CBSE to assess students on their attitudes and skills, and we used them as ‘selforganising learning systems — SOLS’. Once a month, students would self-assess their attitudes or skills. Assessment was not our goal; student reflection was our purpose.
helped them find a direction to their personal learning styles or abilities.
The Essence of Heutagogy
Heutagogy promotes the idea of self-driven learning. When a child questions himself on his thinking skills or social attitudes, he or she is bound to discover what is lacking and what needs to be pursued.
Challenges Along the Way It has not been easy to transform a teaching environment into an ecosystem for inspired learning. We burnt the midnight oil in designing activities to enable children to look inward, whether it was in Math or Science, English or social behavior. If inquiry-based learning engaged them significantly, reflection sheets
Heutagogy promotes the idea of self-driven learning. When a child questions himself on his thinking skills or social attitudes, he or she is bound to discover what is lacking and what needs to be pursued. External influence has a limited shelf life, whereas internal motivation has promise. Lesson plans begin with an end in mind. And the students are
• Cave time allows them to get into a reflective mode. ‘Campfire’ is positive pedagogy. ‘Watering hole’ is andragogy where group-learning creates a social potential besides the exchange of knowledge. ‘Cave time’ enables children to reflect on what she wants to learn, and how to learn. And this is heutagogy, where the students are reflective, responsible and selfdriven in their learning journey. We did not spare the muchappreciated and equally-criticised CCE of CBSE.
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Pedagogy come to class with questions about the topic.
Self-management, communication, thinking, social and research skills comprise the approaches to learning. IB promotes ATLs as tools of learning. Any time learning! introduced to every milestone in that lesson, thereby, helping them identify their goals and encouraging a growth mindset. In furthering the pursuits of selfdriven learning, we deployed democracy in assessments too. Teachers give prompts to students as young as 2nd graders, “What would you like to be assessed on? How? When?” We developed online courses on iTunes and Schoology for selfdirected learning. Both pace and space encouraged students to drive themselves to learning more. Flipped classroom models are a huge success, as students
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Strategies are planned in a way so as to engage and challenge them. Burning questions are posted on the wall and cleared only when they find the answer. Self-management, communication, thinking, social and research skills comprise the approaches to learning. IB promotes ATLs as tools of learning. When children pursue the art of learning, the atomic structure also appears like a game of legos. We used ATLs like ATMs. Any time learning! ATLs as reflective questions hit the nail on its head.
Conclusion IB PYP went one step ahead by interpreting learning as an agency and learner as an agent. Give voice, choice and ownership to the learner, thereby, bringing the learner and learning to the epicentre of the school. Miles to go before we sleep!
Ms. Seetha Murthy is the Director of Education in Silver Oaks International Schools in Hyderabad, Bangalore and Visakhapatnam. Besides presenting as an international educator, she has also led workshops on vision-building, institutional development and collaborative teams in Singapore, Hong Kong and many cities in India. By motivating her students and teachers through a CSR called ‘Me and My Country, we grow together,’ she raised funds amounting to 1.3 Crores in the last 12 years for the education of underprivileged children. directoreducation@silveroaks.co.in.
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Pedagogy
SEX EDUCATION IN INDIAN SCHOOLS Is our approach outdated?
INTRODUCTION
T
he word “sex” is still a taboo word and not used very openly in our society. The other connotation associated with this monosyllabic word is ‘dirty’ thereby limiting it to an act of sin, or something to be ashamed of. Surprisingly, “sex” is the most Googled word today and its search popularity has not diminished over the years, leading to its being interpreted in all its avatars. For educators of the 21st Century, who are dealing with children of the new generation — sex education is still a difficult area to negotiate in schools, colleges, etc. The task of educating students in this aspect is either avoided completely or delaying tactics such as syllabus completion, exams and activities are used to shove it under the carpet. Schools even fail to do the bare of minimum of educating students through third-party intervention viz., use of anime, www.lxl.in
Adolescents have to deal with a lot these days — be it parental pressure, peer group equations, career decisions or, not in the least, this huge pressure to perform exceedingly well in the Board examinations. external resource persons, theatre or even through movies. In all this — we, as educators, have consistently failed to up our game; even the most liberal of us have not been able to understand that educating our students on sex education is not an obligatory job, but a mandatory one. Sex education or education about sex should be a primary responsibility for all schools and colleges in the present time.
Should Sex Education be a Part of the School Curriculum? Wikipedia describes sex education as “instruction or information that is provided relating to human sexuality, which includes emotional relations and responsibilities, human sexual anatomy, sexual activity, sexual reproduction, age of consent, reproductive health, reproductive rights, safe sex, birth control and sexual abstinence”. Sex education covering all of these aspects is known as comprehensive sex education. Adolescents have to deal with a lot these days — be it parental pressure, peer group equations, career decisions or, not in the least, this huge pressure to perform exceedingly well in the Board examinations.
9 | Mentor | July 2019
Pedagogy The crazy race to get into premier colleges puts unmanageable stress on students. College cutoffs and competitive exams have pushed our children to a pressurecooker situation. To add to all this, students have to deal with questions regarding sexuality which may range from simple curiosity to know about the opposite sex, the actual act itself, understanding about how the body works, finding meaning to their own sexuality, and terminology associated with sex to kinky ideas about sex. The most common information source, in this age, is technology, of course. But the fallout to the searches the students resort to, most often leads them to channels which give them incorrect information about sex. Sometimes it may encourage them to experiment thereby giving them a completely different understanding about sex per se.
The Importance of Sex Education in the Curriculum Sex education has an immense role to play in the life of adolescent students. Its importance cannot be minimised. No longer can we resort to the “birds and bees” analogy to teach our children about sex education. It is time to take the bull by its horn and teach — really teach — students. Contrary to what people think, sex education is not about teaching children how to have sex; it is about informing them about what is happening in their bodies and also teaching them to make safe, healthy choices as they grow up. Adolescents are battling with deep insecurities, facing challenging social situations with no easy answers and getting a flood of vulgar, sexist and misleading information from the media, which is usually their only source of www.lxl.in
information about how to interact with their world. All these factors have an immense impact on our kids and the kind of adults they shape up to be in the future.
Sex education has an immense role to play in the life of adolescent students. No longer can we resort to the “birds and bees” analogy to teach our children about sex education. It is time to take the bull by its horn and teach — really teach — students.
Steps Taken to Introduce this Subject in School Schools need to plan in advance regarding the Adolescence Education Program. A good program takes care of intended target groups within and without the school. A haphazard unplanned one-off activity can do more damage than good. A reasonable budget takes care of the cost and can give a free hand to implementing the activities. It must be borne in mind that AEP should be focused towards the development of a broad understanding of the subject. The various modes to implement sex education can be varied and innovative. Editor’s Note: In the next volume of Sex Education in Indian Schools, we will explore ways in which schoools can implement the AEP or Adolescent Education Program, as well as the outcomes of the program and the feedback from stakeholders. Stay tuned.
Ms. Ipsita Choudhary M.Sc (Sociology & Anthropology), MA(English), B.Ed, DLP(Guidance & Counseling) is an educational professional with over twentynine years of proven ability to create and monitor policies and practices that promote a safe learning environment; ensuring a school culture that encourages continuous improvement for teachers and students. Holding a senior educational administrative position in the educational corporate setup of Ambuja Cement Ltd (Lafarge-Holcim). Instrumental in the development of conducive environments that encourage open communication with colleagues, students and parents; creation and implementation of innovative lesson plans, class instructions, best practices and student assessments in conjunction with the best in the new-age education world. She is also a passionate blogger and writer. ipsita9@rediffmail.com
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Governance
ALTERNATIVE SCHOOLING AND COLLABORATION Exploring the Norms & Curriculum Design Process
INTRODUCTION
L
iving in a society that has been following a 150-year-old classroom system, we are at odds with what we want for our children. Professionally qualified parents do not want their child to be part of a mentality which follows the herd and does have any real-world experience. There has been little respite from the traditional school setting for quite some time now. Sir Aurobindo propagated the Theory of Integral Education where every child is considered unique, and so is his learning ability. The practice of following the same method of education for all, irrespective of the differences and individuality, puts an unnecessary burden on the child and does not give the desired learning outcomes. The answer to this lies in providing Alternative Schooling. Alternative Schooling is a free, progressive school in which the
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education is based on the qualities of the child and what he needs, not on what a child “should” have. It looks beyond the classrooms and does not follow the “one-size-fitsall” approach. The grading system and the rote method is not the way forward. Alternative schooling makes learning fun and enriching; it is a natural learning process. The failure of the current system of traditional schooling has made
Alternative schooling provides a respite to the parents of this generation to shrug off the pressures of the rat race and let their children live with joy, and learn with a will.
parents seek out alternatives where their children can learn at their own pace, get worldly-wise and follow their dreams.
The Fundamental Difference Between an Alternative School & An Affiliated School In traditional schooling, students thrive in a structured learning experience that offers rich broadbased education. It provides many academic as well as co curricular opportunities. Traditional or Affiliated schools have a lower students-to-teacher ratio while the Alternative schools have an even lower student-toteacher ratio, sometimes five students per teacher. Affiliated schools have elective courses besides the provincial curriculum and Alternative schools are enriched with elective as well
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Governance as deeper course content such as animal husbandary, carpentry, growing food crops etc. In Affiliated schools, the campus is big with well-equipped labs, sports rooms and a cafeteria while the campuses of Alternative schools are generally smaller and specific to the practices followed there. The entrance test of Affiliated schools is rigid and the aim is to enroll bright students, whereas the Alternative schools aim to admit creative children who can think independently as well as children with learning disabilities.
The Pros of an Alternative Schooling The best concept of Alternative schooling is the fact that it considers each child to be unique and considers the possibility that not everyone wants to join the bandwagon of getting the bestpaying jobs. • Specialised Curriculum: It designs the curriculum around the child’s skills in order to enhance them. At times, the classes for each subject are held on alternate days, to give the students time to do their homework. Trips are arranged to places to view heritage and architecture firsthand. It’s all about learning by doing — for example, children grow crops while, at the same time, learning about soil, the types of soil and the quantity of fertilisers required. This way, they get a practical knowledge of the topic which — if solely taught in a classroom — does not give the learner the benefit of hands-on knowledge. • Sense of Community: The student community is small and closely-knit . There is more play time and a free flow of interactions between teachers and students. Teachers don’t have to teach the same thing throughout their lives.
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• Guidance & Counselling: Alternative schools are backed by a team of child psychologists and counsellors, who work relentlessly to provide help to the children who need it.
How the School Curriculum is Developed in an Alternative School The curriculum in Alternative schools is designed in such a way that it provides functional literacy to learners. It features indigenous practices, knowledge and local beliefs about health and food. The curriculum also focuses on identity, history, economics and life sciences. Its curriculum provides both formal and informal education, giving comprehensive knowledge to the learners. Classes are tailored to meet different learners’ requirements; specialised programming may feature arts instructions, gifted education and technology training for select career areas. Alternative schools can also help students catch up and graduate with their class or get ahead to graduate early.
the Vedic schools and Gurukuls system were based on the principle of acquisition of occupational skills, cultural and spiritual enlightenment. Most of the schools are affiliated to Education boards eg. KFI Chennai is an Alternative school in Chennai which is affiliated to Council for Indian School Certificate Examination in Delhi and the students appear for ICSE and ISC in classes 10th and 12th respectively.
The Importance of Alternative Schools Collaborating with Educational Boards • It is important for alternative schools to collaborate with Education boards as they bring about credibility about the education imparted. • Parents will feel secure about their child’s future, in terms of employability and financial security. • Affiliation to any board will help the school to conduct examinations eg. 10th and 12th examination, like other affiliated schools. These factors will attract more learners towards Alternative schools.
Alternative schools are an option now — but will it be the necessity in the near future? You need to reflect and answer this question, as there is a huge population getting ready to enroll themselves in schools in the near future.
The Norms that Govern an Alternative School The Alternative schools concept is not something new to India;
The Views of Fellow Educators & Parents on Alternative Schooling “Alternative schools are a blessing for children in these times, when everyone wants to join the rat race, keen on bagging the best job and a good pay package. This is not just taxing for the child, but in doing so, he or she is not able to live the lives for which they are born,” say the parents of a child admitted in traditional schools. A few, however, disagree, saying, “This might lead to exploitation of the teachers, as they may have to
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Governance impart education in fields for which they are not trained. Hence, they will be paid less.”
Relevant Statistics & Research Consider the list of Alternative schools in India eg. Rishi schools, School of KFI Chennai.
‘Try It Out’ section: Practices You Can Try in Your Own Classroom 1. During vacations, the class teacher should encourage students to make videos of any activity they have done and share it in the class. This way, the child is motivated to do something constructive during the holidays; he learns to value time. He learns to share and educate others, and ultimately feels good about himself. 2. Learners can be given a few words and made to write short stories out of it; this will help him to form creative ideas. His formal communication skills will improve and his skill of speaking, sentence formation and dialogue writing will be enhanced.
CONCLUSION To learn more about a subject and all its aspects, the rote system is quite tedious and it leads to drained learners, resulting in a vast majority of children suffering from depression, diabetics, and obesity. The rising popularity of Alternative schools in India is a result of the realisation that one education system does not fit all learners, as the basic fact remains that every child is unique. Through specialised learning and lower students-toteacher ratio, Alternative schools design a curriculum that is better suited to a student’s individual learning requirements and natural strengths and weaknesses. Alternative schools is a choice now — but will it be a necessity in the near future? You need to reflect and answer this question, as there is a huge population getting ready to enroll themselves in schools in the near future.
Ms. Shahnaaz Ojha is an Environmental Science graduate with a Masters in Marketing Management with a B. Ed degree. She writes on educational programs for schools, and her articles have been published in various magazines and newspapers. Being a teacher for the last 12 years, she has to her credit a vast generation of children learning social studies under her guidance. She has authored many fictional pieces and is particularly efficient in studying human psyche know-how related to children. shahnaazojha@gmail.com
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Governance
IMPROVING COMMUNICATION WITHIN CULTURALLY-DIVERSE CLASSROOMS Its Impact & Importance in Indian Schools
INTRODUCTION
T
he school is a microcosm of the society or the community in which it exists. In a multicultural society, the school would reflect this diversity in culture and would have to take into account the background of its students in order to foster successful learning. Students coming from varied cultural, ethnic, linguistic backgrounds bring a wealth of different experiences to the classroom, which a good teacher can use to create good learning outcomes. Having students of diverse backgrounds promotes empathy, acceptance of differences, challenges stereotypes and reduces prejudices and biases in classrooms. It also enhances better communication and collaboration between different cultures — which students experience later on in their workplaces; in fact, www.lxl.in
good citizenship is promoted in this way.
What It Brings to the Teaching & Learning Experience At the core of all educational practices is the relationship between the student and the teacher. The relationship is both personal and academic. A culturally-diverse class brings a
Students coming from varied cultural, ethnic, linguistic backgrounds bring a wealth of different experiences to the classroom, which a good teacher can use to create good learning outcomes
wealth of stories and experiences of the learners into the classroom, which, when skillfully turned into learning tools by a teacher, can stimulate enhanced learning. Learners coming from different backgrounds face — besides the common problems of all learners — several culture specific challenges: i) Difficulty in following a core curriculum. ii) Peer pressure. iii) Inability to communicate. iv) Lack of co-relation between their personal reality and the school instruction. iv) Perceiving the teacher as different. Teachers who take into account the diversity of their students adopt strategies to overcome the challenges faced by these students; they practise different communication styles that bring about a positive learning in their classrooms. 14 | Mentor | July 2019
Governance
How Teachers Can Raise their Awareness & Become More Culturally Sensitive Teachers with a class of diverse students can use different strategies such as: 1) Learning about their students through different methods: Answering a short questionnaire, a paragraph about themselves, asking questions in class about the different types of food cooked at home or the different languages spoken by the students, the meaning of their name, a little bit of information of their home country/town. 2). Talking to the parents of their students. 3). Reference culture when creating word problems e.g names in a question, sportsmen from a region or country in word problems. 4) Using media like videos to create awareness about different cultures.
the learning environment.
Having students of diverse backgrounds promotes empathy, acceptance of differences, challenges stereotypes and reduces prejudices and biases in classrooms. 5) Celebrating festivals or culture specific days in the class by involving parents.
The Impact of a CulturallySensitive Classroom In today’s globally-connected world, educators need to create global citizens by exposing them to people from diverse cultures. It is important for both teachers and students to be able to work with colleagues and peers from a variety of backgrounds. This reaffirms cultural identities and enhances
Students who learn in culturallydiverse environments become more comfortable when they encounter people from different cultures in society, they feel secure and confident in their interactions with people. Because they have learnt to deal with diversity in school, they do not feel threatened at the workplace and in social situations and are comfortable with themselves. Students, as well as teachers, become more empathetic towards other people’s experiences when they have been educated in diverse classrooms. Their perspective widens and they are able to counter stereotyping. Exposure to other people’s histories and a knowledge base of different cultures leads to a more in-depth understanding of the structures in the world and can only increase student achievement. Creativity, critical thinking and problem-solving are facilitated in diverse classrooms. In such classrooms, students are often challenged by situations and problems brought by their peers from diverse groups, which results in critical thinking.
Relevant Statistics and Research In her article “The Education of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students,” Sunita Sharma writes that, according to Grant, as cited in Penny et al., “there are nine principles that educators need to follow in order to provide multicultural education to the changing demographics of a multicultural society: 1. It must help students increase their academic achievement levels in all areas, including basic skills, through the use of teaching approaches and materials that are sensitive and relevant to the students’ www.lxl.in
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Governance socio-cultural background and experiences. 2. Attention to voice must be a part of multicultural instruction. 3. Verbal and non-verbal communication patterns between students and teachers must be analysed to increase involvement of students in the learning process. 4. The learning styles of students and teaching styles of teachers must be understood and used to develop effective instructional strategies. 5. Multicultural education must permeate the formal curriculum. 6. Multicultural education must impact the hidden curriculum at all levels. 7. Multicultural education must teach students to think critically by allowing them the freedom to ask questions and develop the tools to reason. 8. Multicultural education requires an understanding of the culture of families in the community. 9. Multicultural education “must use the community as a resource” (p. 220). Journal of College Teaching & Learning – November 2007 Sharma, whose survey consisted of asking school teachers their perceptions of their professional preparedness to teach multicultural students, came up with the following findings and recommendations:
CONCLUSION With the increase in globalisation and the flow of immigrant populations, many countries like the US, UK and Canada, among others, have schools with multicultural students whose experiences, modes of communication and learning methods are vastly different from the existing norms. Can schools, school leaders and teachers continue to hold on to time-honoured teaching-learning mechanisms? Do both school leaders and teachers need to understand where their students are coming from, and how their students’ personal journeys will impact their learning? The obvious affirmative to both these questions then leaves us with more challenges. The need for teachers to be sensitive to diverse students, to impart this sensitivity and awareness to all students, to adapt their communication both verbal and non-verbal to their multicultural students, and — more importantly — to create an integrated classroom whose lessons will permeate into the students’ lives as citizens of a global world.
Anna Correa is the principal of St Stanislaus High School, a prestigious 155-year-old institution which offers the Maharashtra State board curriculum and the Cambridge CIE. She has taught for over 33 years and has been an active participant in leadership programmes like ISLI (Indian School Leaders Institute) and SLN (School Leaders Network). She believes in collaboration between school leaders so that the best practices are shared, and also in constantly evolving the school curriculum so as to keep pace with global education goals. principal@stanislausbandra.in
• Inclusion of multicultural education topics at the University level. • In-service workshops. • Need for real-life experiences with multicultural people. In short, they expressed serious concerns about the lack of training to prepare them for culturallydiverse classes.
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Cover Story
COLLABORATION & SHARED DECISION-MAKING AS CORE TENETS How Effective Leadership Drives Schools Forward
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here has been a lot of debate and research over which aspects contribute to a successful school. In this article, we raise some pertinent questions that are worth asking. What 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? We travel to several BEST (Bridgeway Educational Systems and Training) schools in the UAE, KSA and India, through the vivid words of Mr. Muhammed Ashraff A, Group General Manager of BEST schools, in this story. Using the “five factor theory” based on research by celebrated international authors and educators, David Miller Sadker and Karen R. Zittleman, Mr. Muhammed Ashraff A, brings to life the story of her school based on the five common characteristics that effective schools seem to share. www.lxl.in
"Our vision is to become a world-class learning community that promotes human excellence."
QUALITY LEADERSHIP Yes, it is; in fact, one of the most important factors that singlehandedly contributes to the success of the school is effective leaders. The world is constantly changing and technology is advancing in leaps and bounds; the social, emotional and cognitive needs of students have altered with time, as well. School leaders must be in tune with these changes and drive the school vision and philosophy. So leaders must be “change
agents” capable of bringing about transformation. Besides industry (workplace) readiness, there now resounds an increasingly vocal call for “societal” (community space) readiness for the child leaving the school. This all leads to leadership competencies that go beyond the traditional academic realm; the leader must ensure that these competencies trickle down to larger teaching and support teams.
The Form of Leadership Your School Follows Putting a name to our leadership style is difficult, as it tends to be situational and needs-based. Having said this, collaboration and shared decision-making with the involvement of all the stakeholders — students, staff and parents — are some of the tenets that we practise.
Key Practices of Your School that Promote Quality Leadership Going beyond merely instructional 17 | Mentor | July 2019
Cover Story capabilities, the teachers are empowered to take up more community-oriented leadership roles beyond the classroom, like: I) Internationally-benchmarked Communication and Leadership Skills Development Programmes through Toastmasters forums. II) Conscious cultivation of nonacademic leadership capabilities by assigning responsibilities for value-adding programmes like School Cinema, International Award for Young People (Duke of Edinburgh Awards), UN Simulation Conference (UNSC) and Scouts & Guides Movement. Our school leadership team keeps expanding beyond the Principal, Vice Principal, HM or HODs to include teachers and administrators who demonstrate leadership skills. Apart from this, we have a yearly summit, “Exercising Leadership in Schools,” where we have a sort of “boot camp” for the leaders. We empower our students by giving them “a choice and a voice” across grades.
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The Outcomes of Practising Quality Leadership We see an enhanced level of engagement, as teachers and students feel that their opinions and ideas matter and they have a ‘voice’ in the school. There is a greater level of transparency, and communication tends to be clear yet respectful. There is a collective perception of what the school should look like, and what needs to be done to get there. Moreover, there is a sense of collective responsibility.
HIGHER EXPECTATIONS FROM THE WORKFORCE Definitely — having higher expectations helps, as motivation levels are far higher. Competent working teams continuously look for progression in life and career. Having said this, one of the many roles of the leader is to groom their team to step out of their comfort zones, take up challenging roles and realise their potential. For this, it is imperative that the leader should be aware of the strengths and the areas of improvement for
each and every member of the team. One of the biggest mismatches we have seen is between the school vision and the “teaching style” of the teachers. More often than not, the teachers limit themselves to traditionally-accepted instructional roles within classrooms. It requires a very proactive and forwardlooking leadership to help teachers break this mind-warp and start envisioning themselves as “community leaders” who are making a difference in society Conducting frequent training sessions to orient them to the school’s vision and classroom observations and immediate feedback help us to address the issue to a great extent.
Parameters to Judge the Success of Your School Going by traditional and quantitative ways of reckoning success, we must be happy with the stable admission levels, which are repeated year after year. However, what brings the school more gratification is an iterative improvement
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Cover Story Our focus has always been to improve student performance. Some of our best practices are:
"The world is constantly changing and technology is advancing in leaps and bounds; the social, emotional and cognitive needs of students have altered with time, as well. "
in teacher competencies and student accomplishments. This has happened as the inevitable outcome of continuous addition and upgradation of our school programmes. Service tenures of our academic and administrative leadership teams lasting 1520 years marked by regular promotions and job enrichment, intangible elements like staff and student culture and parent satisfaction are other parameters we believe speak eloquently of the success of the school.
How Your School Enables Teachers to Reach their Higher Potential We willingly invest time, money and energy in enabling our biggest resources, our teachers. Professional development programs happen on a continuous www.lxl.in
basis. These programs are differentiated keeping in mind that one size does not fit all. To assess the impact of the professional development programs, there are regular classroom observations. These also help us identify the areas we need to build on in the professional development program.
SCREENING STUDENT D E V E L O P M E N T REGULARLY Student development is screened both informally and formally. During the process of planning, teachers set clear learning objectives with respect to both, knowledge as well as skills, and learning outcomes are measured through a variety of assessment strategies, ranging from observations to anecdotal records to written tests. We make sure that every teacher knows his or her learner — their strengths, areas of improvement, skills, abilities and special needs. This record, titled “Know Your Learner,” is cumulative (i.e. the record carries on from year 1 to year 2 and so on) and, in turn, is used to track and improve student performance.
The Best Practices that Have Improved Students’ Performances
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●We follow a system of experiential learning, which provides ample scope for students to reflect, internalise and become independent learners.
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●We ensure that we go beyond the textbook by bringing in integrated learning activities, both inside and outside the classroom, that not only extend learning, but help students to collaborate, create and present.
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●A data-driven framework for assessment that helps teachers analyse student performance and derive insights on the way forward. Teachers have a clear understanding on the modifications that they need to bring into their teachinglearning activity, as well as the support they need to extend.
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Circle times have helped to build student-teacher rapport as well as to motivate students.
How to Assess the Individual Skill Sets of the Students Beyond Academics Understanding the diversity of learners, we try and include varied learning experiences/activities that permit the student to explore and identify their individual strengths or abilities. The learning experiences range from Integrated Expos to Robotics, public speaking / debating platforms and other literary events. UNSC, quizzes, sports, cultural programs and student-led events help us develop and enhance student skills in different spheres.
Assessment Measures Used by Your School to Compare 19 | Mentor | July 2019
Cover Story
Students’ Performances Nationally & Internationally We use both the Learnometer (XSEED) and ASSET assessments. Both test the skills of the students and help us benchmark ourselves. The assessment reports are effectively used to focus on the skills of the students that need improvement. The details of the reports are also used in identifying the areas of improvement in teacher effectiveness and capacity-building.
Problem Areas of Learning in the Classroom that Have Been Successfully Identified and Resolved As in all classrooms, one of the challenges we have faced has been classroom management. We began by developing a classroom management policy that stresses on positive reinforcement. We soon realised that we needed to take it up a notch and create a robust student culture, so that students’ perspectives and thoughts matched the school vision and ideology. To further this, students were
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divided into groups and each group was assigned a teacher-mentor. Being an international school, we have students from different nationalities; communication, at times, tends to be a major issue. We have consciously developed programmes to address this, like reading programmes for our kindergarten and primary school, as well as literary events for the higher grades.
The 21st Century Skills being Addressed by Your School Curriculum Our school curriculum is based on 21st century skills, as the mere delivery of content is redundant. We try to develop these in a variety of ways. At a basic level, lessons are planned to bring in cooperative and collaborative learning. We also strategically run various learning programs to facilitate this, such as the XSEED classes or Robotics program, which look at conceptual understanding, critical thinking and problem-solving; the Scouts & Guides movement and the Outward Bound Program, designed to develop life skills; the
Gavel Club, which recognises the importance of effective communication; the Model United Nations Simulation Conference and Mock Parliament, which focus on developing skills like critical thinking, debating and public speaking. Structured Sports Development Programs bring in motor skills as well as teamwork and sportsmanship, while the School Cinema program reaffirms life skills, values and attitudes.
CLEAR GOALS DIRECTION FOR SCHOOL
AND THE
Focus Areas & Goals for your School Our vision is to become a worldclass learning community that promotes human excellence. We would continue to incorporate more and more approaches that emphasise on students exploring, experimenting and creating knowledge as a team, with teachers mentoring the process. A school can function only if all the stakeholders work together
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Cover Story
to achieve outcomes. •
•
•
•
positive
learning
The Annual ELS (Exercising Leadership in Schools) is a highly effective residential training platform, where the management and school leadership receive transformational leadership training and mentoring programs. The School Leadership Council (SLC) is also designed to create persuasive and adaptable leaders. These platforms play a very important role in shaping the rapport across the organisation and help the participants build a connect to the community. Our biggest support system is our parents. To keep the lines of communication open and honest, yet respectful, we ensure that we hold parent meetings frequently. These meetings range from informal coffee meetings or fun events for parents, to formal orientation sessions and curriculum road mapping days. Even before the buzz around the student-led conference,
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we initiated conferences led by students. We constantly prepare them to take up the leadership of their own curricular and co-curricular achievements.
incorporated into the school day. •
Regular audits are conducted to gauge whether safety parameters are met.
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We invite resource persons, conduct field trips and educational visits to ensure that our students are in touch with the community and its needs.
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We try to ensure emotional safety by conducting sessions on areas of concern like bullying (and how to respond to a bully) or body-shaming or self-esteem issues.
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We smartly use our digital media and social networking sites, with purpose to build our brand and increase its visibility through communicating with potential patrons and stakeholders.
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We conduct cyber-safety sessions, normally conducted by the members of the student council or by senior students.
SAFETY AND STRUCTURE Parameters Used to Consider a School Safe •
We look at three levels of safety — physical safety, emotional safety and cybersafety.
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We have a well-defined safety policy that outlines processes and procedures.
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Awareness programs for students, drills and emergency processes are
UNIQUE ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE SCHOOL A Unique Achievement of Your School Stemming from Having Addressed These Parameters Our schools in KSA have won accolades from the Ministry of Education for meeting almost all the standards set by it regarding academic quality, infrastructural excellence, institutional integrity, and administrative responsibility. The directives of the ministry are in line with the Kingdom’s Vision 21 | Mentor | July 2019
Cover Story 2030, and we have secured a much higher benchmark grading for meeting the said requirements. The recommended education quality framework is designed to place learning outcomes and educational achievements in perspective. The regulations, of course, have been instrumental in enabling the school to achieve a qualitative leap in both the academic and administrative realms.
A Success Story of Your School Our Under-17 football team represented the Saudi Arabian Chapter for CBSE in the National Football Championship held at Haryana, India, after lifting the championship trophy at the recently-concluded 28th CBSE Cluster Meet at Riyadh, KSA. We are the first private school in the Kingdom to achieve this glory. Our student delegates won laurels in the SAI Model United Nations, Bhubaneswar, a prestigious threeday international conference. The achievement of our scouts and guides is unparalleled in the KSA. Eight scouts and guides of our schools had the privilege of attending the 23rd World Jamboree, the pinnacle of the
scouting experience, held in Japan. Another group of 20 scouts and guides are all set to be a part of the 24th World Jamboree to be held in the USA this year.
Mr. Muhammed Ashraff Has an M.A. (English) and M.B.A. (Marketing) is the Group General Manager, BEST Schools (Bridgeway Educational Systems and Training), which include New Al Wurood International School, Jeddah, KSA, Al Khozama International School, Dammam, KSA, Peevees Ilex International School, RAK, UAE and Bestkidz Nursery, Dubai, UAE. He has 23 years of experience with Bridgeway Group, Dubai, UAE, under his belt in various Business verticals, of which 16 years were in Education Management and School Operations. Bridgeway Group is into K-12 education in India and the Middle East. Apart from the K-12 Schools in India, KSA and UAE, the group has also launched a first of its kind Nursery in Dubai, UAE inspired by the unique Finnish approach to Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC).
ashraffam@besteducation.co
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Leadership
WHY PLAGIARISM IN EDUCATION IS AN ETHICAL ISSUE Exploring the Influence of the Internet on Students
INTRODUCTION
R
eplicating the good ideas of others by imbibing the values in it is called “following”. Since the inception of the internet, copying others’ work has increased exponentially. People have started copying others’ ideas without their consent and are using it as their own, which is termed as plagiarism. The concept of plagiarism is a peril to this generation of learners, as the easy access to the knowledge and data in the Google bank is making our learners take the shortcut of “Ctrl C and Ctrl V”. With the huge classroom size in the Indian scenario, it is a challenging and time-consuming task for a teacher to identify plagiarism in the students’ products; it needs keen monitoring and constant followups. But teachers are the best people to validate the originality of the content. Though there are many online tools available for www.lxl.in
Students should be made to understand that learning to reveal is more important than stealing others’ work. Rather than being lenient, I would advocate a clear antiplagiarism policy and educate them on the consequences.
teachers (like PlagiarismCheck. org) to check plagiarism, it can also be identified quickly at a glance by the teachers, if the content is inappropriate compared to the level of the students.
Why Plagiarism is Problematic Plagiarism has stolen from the habit of reading and referring to books, magazines and
newspapers. Reading is gradually fading as a habit since the internet has become the commander and primary information provider for our entire search. Students generally plagiarize because of their lack of depth in language and knowledge, lack of confidence, reluctance, laziness and poor time-management. It deprives the students from learning and it curtails one’s own thoughts and ideas.
Why Plagiarism is an Ethical Issue Plagiarism is as good as claiming someone else’s delivered baby as yours. Any creation always has a history of hard work, effort, pain and sweat behind it. In such a case, it is not fair to steal others’ creations. It is not only unethical but illegal. Plagiarism is considered academic duplicity and violation of morale, otherwise 23 | Mentor | July 2019
Leadership known as copyright fraudulence. It is equal to an act of stealing.
Handfuls of information are available today at the click of a button, and instances of academic dishonesty have been reported amongst students, researchers and academicians.
How do you convey this message to students? Consequences of plagiarism can range from suspension from a class to the state of getting debarred from the course, and, at times, involves monetary repercussions. An individual’s academic record will also reflect such an act and it would have a huge impact in their admissions to Universities or higher studies. A person can even get sued for the act of fraudulence he or she has been involved in.
Skills to Develop in Students to Borrow Someone Else’s Content Ethically It is also essential for students to have access to the knowledge bank available online, but they should be educated properly on using it wisely. A well-defined academic practice has to be employed in the curriculum plan. • Students’ independent reading, understanding, thinking and creative or original writing practices have to be inculcated. • Students should be accountable for their own learning. They need to convert themselves from memorisers to problem-solvers. • Students can be encouraged to paraphrase, but they should be cautious in drafting their document to avoid reflecting the original text or content. • Content can be used with citations, with the credit given to the original author. Have the author’s key words in italics or within quotation marks.
How do you deal with cheating in assignments, stealing and other ethical misbehavior? Students should be made to understand that learning to reveal is more important than stealing others’ work. Rather than being lenient, I would advocate a clear anti-plagiarism policy and educate them on the consequences. Instead of leaving them to err and levy penalties later, support can be extended through the following means: • Create a clear plagiarism policy at the school campus and ensure that all the stakeholders adhere to it. • Provide plagiarism-proof topics. Consider the interests of the students as well, while selecting the project or assignment topic. • Students tend to plagiarise when they lack subject and language competency, hence, levelappropriate topics should be practiced. • The process of draft approvals should be practised to ensure students’ contributions to the project. • Allow the students to submit manually-scripted drafts and reports; this will indirectly improve their writing skills and language skills. • Project submissions should be followed by a viva voce to understand the originality in the paper presented.
The Pros & Cons of Your Method Plagiarism is like a plague in the academic career. Yes, this unethical practice should be duly paid attention to, through an impact on students’ grades. It is also suggested that instead of impacting their grades, one could www.lxl.in
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Leadership educate them on the nuances, ethics and consequences of plagiarism. Though it is a time-consuming affair, in the long run, it builds up the students’ competence level, selfconfidence and imparts the required ethical and judicial usage of others’ work throughout their lives.
How Education Stakeholders Encourage the Development of An Ethical Approach Among Students Having an end-card to this issue is not just an individual responsibility, but a collective one. The school, teachers, parents and students all have to aim towards it together. • Schools should create their own digital citizenship policy, including the consequences of plagiarism. Schools can have an undertaking signed from the parents and students on honouring intellectual property rights by not dabbling in plagiarism. • Faculty members should plan appropriate due dates and an action plan for collecting secondary and primary information, giving outlines, giving room for submitting rough drafts; all this certainly curtails practices of plagiarism. • Students can write their own code of conduct which will foster more ownership in their learning. • Parents should be called for an orientation and insist upon deep monitoring of their children when they’re working on projects and assignments at home.
Statistics and Research In a survey of 24,000 students at 70 high schools, Donald McCabe (Rutgers University) found that 64 percent of students admitted to cheating on a test, 58 percent admitted to plagiarism and 95
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percent said they participated in some form of cheating, whether it was on a test, plagiarism or copying homework. (Jun 7, 2017)
ethics in our children? Is quoting inputs of others against the law? If so, how do we educate the children on the ethics of plagiarism?
‘Try It Out’ section 1. Schools should create their own digital citizenship policy including the consequences of plagiarism. Schools can take an undertaking from the parents and students on honouring the intellectual property rights. 2. Training the teachers on how to set assignments for the children. 3. Orienting all stakeholders on the hazards of plagiarism.
Consequences of plagiarism can range from suspension from a class to the state of getting debarred from the course, and, at times, involves monetary repercussions
CONCLUSION Handfuls of information are available today at the click of a button, and instances of academic dishonesty have been reported amongst students, researchers and academicians. Many of the educational organisations are not considering this as serious a problem as they should. It is very pathetic to observe that many students and teachers are not aware of the concept of plagiarism and they don’t teach the students how to cite the sources. They do not take plagiarism as a matter of fraudulence. But the society is in need of more original thinkers. Who takes up the responsibility of building these
Mrs. Sujatha Guptan, Director Academics at Queen Mira International School (QMIS), has been in the teaching field for more than two decades and has been leading institutions for a decade. She is the founding Principal of QMIS and had been one of the instrumental members in moving her school towards the accreditation process of Council of International Schools (CIS), headquartered at Netherlands. With this effort, her team takes the credit of the school being the first-ever national curriculum (CBSE) school to get the global recognition as CIS member school. She takes pride in calling herself as a teacher by choice. She works with a passion and has dedicated herself to the vision of creating responsible global citizens. gupthan@queenmira.com
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Leadership
LEADERSHIP IN SCHOOLS (VOL. II) Leadership Tips For Every Educator
3. Push away the negative
INTRODUCTION
G
ood leaders are made not born. If you have the desire and willpower, you can become an effective leader. Good leaders develop through a never-ending process of self-study, education, training, and experience. Leadership is a process by which a person influences others to accomplish an objective, and directs the organisation in a way that makes it more cohesive and coherent. In other words, leadership is a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal. In the second volume of this series on Leadership in Schools, we explore 20 leadership tips to improve your leadership skills.
20 Leadership Tips to Improve Your Skills Keeping our team motivated is essential to reach our goals. Finding a way to motivate yourself www.lxl.in
Good leaders develop through a never-ending process of selfstudy, education, training, and experience
Drive negative people away from your team. Reject those ideas that bring the team’s spirits down.
4. Recruit positive people Same as you must avoid unhealthy relationships, be sure to open the door to those that provide motivation and satisfaction to the team.
5. Appeal to values and convey that mood to your team is the key to move forward. Take note of these tips to strengthen self-motivation, inspire others and improve your leadership skills:
1. Get inspired True motivation is inside oneself. Find what it is that inspires you and visualise your goals. If we are not motivated, we won’t be able to lead our team.
2. Think of the rest Care about people, make them know you count on them and you want the best for your team.
Find out what’s important for your team and turn it into a driving force for motivation.
6. Celebrate small achievements No matter how small the triumph you and your team achieved, it will be a great source of motivation.
7. Reward your team There are many ways of rewarding good performance and the achievement of important goals. The team will see it as an incentive to keep moving in the right direction. 26 | Mentor | July 2019
Leadership
8. Trust and delegate Trust your team and delegate tasks. You will find that things can be done in many different ways and you will encourage creativity.
9. Get your team involved Ask them how they are helping each other, and encourage them to improve.
10. Be transparent Share information. Your team must know the circumstances which have an effect on the project they are part of.
11. Report problems For that very reason, you must report problems. Working together, the situation will be faced more efficiently and finding solutions and alternatives will be easier.
12. Congratulate and don’t point fingers Avoid pointing fingers at a specific person when there are mistakes; on the contrary, try to emphasise good performance whenever it happens.
13. Develop the potential of your team Start training projects for your team to improve their skills, such as time management.
14. Demand A good leadership is demanding; step away from mediocrity. True motivation only appears by overcoming difficulties.
Leadership is a process by which a person influences others to accomplish an objective, and directs the organisation in a way that makes it more cohesive and coherent the rest of the team. Make the professional development of these people a priority.
17. Don’t be afraid Mistakes make you learn. Don’t be afraid of possible mistakes because of wrong decisionmaking.
18. Finish what you start Do one thing at a time, and do it through to the end. Avoid leaving something half-done so as to be more productive and more aware of your progress.
19. Team up Strengthen the team’s unity by doing activities to change up the daily routine, such as cultural acts, team buildings or meetings outside the office.
20. Don’t give up! The key to success is to persevere. Every leader knows that giving up is not an option, even though it is wise to know how to quit intelligently.
Dr. Thakur S. Mulchandani is an educator with an experience of over 27 years with renowned educational institutions. A trainer and a mentor with a sound track record of creative scholastic achievements, he is an expert in planning, organising, coordinating and monitoring all types of curricular and co-curricular activities for the overall development of the personality of students and management of the institution. He also has experience in organising educational seminars, workshops, literary meets, debates, and other cultural programs at inter and intra school level. He has received many awards and accolades for his contribution to the field of education. mulchandani.thakur@gmail.com
15. Ask Ask people what it is that motivates them and also the things that discourage them. Work on taking the discouraging aspects out of the equation and focus on that which encourages them.
16. Pinpoint “motivators” They are those who work enthusiastically and pass it on to www.lxl.in
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Innovation
INNOVATIVE LEARNING STRATEGIES How Classrooms Can Be Geared Towards Joyful Learning
The Innovative Learning Strategies that You Believe In
INTRODUCTION
E
ducation, in its contemporary form, and development should be aimed towards the Joy of Learning, and in a certain way, satisfy the needs of the future generations of humanity. This means that education should help form a desirable sustainable future. What becomes relevant to the learner is a balance between what the teacher thinks is important and what interests the learner. This would work best when the curriculum, the pedagogy and the assessment patterns complement each other. The role of a teacher needs to be viewed in a new perspective — from merely completing a syllabus to the role of a knowledge-transfer facilitator. At the end of school education, the kid should be knowledge-raised. It is the creative ability of a teacher that makes a child smart. To be honest, most of us specialise in a subject which was usually taught by a teacher who stimulated a love for that subject in us. www.lxl.in
Innovations do involve radical changes and these are essential for the progress of the teacher and the learner. There should be a constant urge in a teacher to develop innovative pedagogical practices. Teaching needs to be effective and meaningful where both the teaching and learning processes get stimulated to comprehend the nuances of the subject. This is something beyond the comprehension of a lesson plan, which can never explain or assist today’s teacher-facilitator. To a teacher, a class may be a challenge, but to the teacher, every class is a dream and not a challenge. Dream big, and dream beautiful.
The Amphioxus FilterFeeding Mechanism As a teacher for 45 years, I would rather share my practical experiences than theoretical recommendations. My first tryst with visualisation was with the Amphioxus filter-feeding mechanism in 1975. To describe the filter-feeding mechanism in Amphioxus, the most difficult part for the children to understand was the concept of the atrium. I prepared a paper role with slits to represent the pharynx. Another roll, slightly wider in diameter, was made in such a way the pharyngeal roll rested in it and was pinned on the top with a jam clip. Children easily understood that the water which entered the pharynx exited into the atrium.
Drawing Diagrams Never take a chart to the classroom; many would disagree. I believe that if I cannot draw a 28 | Mentor | July 2019
Innovation diagram on the board, I should not expect my learner to draw the same. I experienced this when I was teaching Amoeba in 1975. I said repetitively in a class of 40 that Amoeba is shapeless, and drew Amoeba on the board. As I supervised I realized 99% of the students drawing the “shapeless� Amoeba the way I had drawn. While teaching Osteology, I could see my colleagues expecting children to draw the bones. Children concentrated on the shape of the bones and ignored their curiosity to understand the name and location of the bones. My human hand changed from
the shape of the bones to the relevance of the bones.
Information & Communications Tools I adopted several such methods in science and when I was to teach blood cell count, a new challenge with the haemocytometer, in 1987. I was explaining haemocytometer
to my students and observed a blank response. I had then started working on the BBC Micro computer at RCE Bhubaneswar. I made a simple ICT tool where the lines and chambers on the haemocytometer would appear on each click. In class, I focused the haemocytometer under a microscope. Each student was to just observe the slide and the markings. They were then explained using the ICT tool.
Back at the lab, I could observe that almost 75% of my time was saved and children were confident. I developed this concept and NCERT published it as a software during 1991-92. The scope of ICT in education today is enormous. Skype is an excellent tool for school networks. My Skype class on vermiculture to students in Puducherry proved successful. As one of the pioneers in Vermiculture in India, I had tried vermiculture as an educational hands-on tool, which earned me a commendation from CASTME 1995-96. The need for such experiments with support of the NCSTC, DST we brought out a manual of 100 science experiments which teachers and learners can perform (www.simpletasksgreatconcepts. wordpress.com).
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The Outcomes of These Innovations Innovations do involve radical changes and these are essential for the progress of the teacher and the learner. There should be a constant urge in a teacher to develop innovative pedagogical practices. Such interventions become successful when teachers evolve strategies to understand what motivates learners. Effective
communication with visual aids is so beneficial that the Government of Tamil Nadu has introduced QR codes linked to videos in its new textbooks. This is a pioneering effort by a Government towards pedagogical strategy.
The Practices Followed to Promote New & Innovative Learning Strategies A successful teacher is a continuous learner. Institutions should identify, recognise and appreciate innovative teachers and create a library of innovative pedagogical tools.
Determining Which Learning Strategies Are the Most Effective Through Need Analysis, I appraise my teaching methodology and 29 | Mentor | July 2019
Innovation
my knowledge in that subject, on which my plan and design shall evolve based on the time I have to implement and monitor the effectiveness of this intervention. My observations reward me with feedback, based on which I may refine or modify my strategy to make the teaching learning process effective.
The Pros and Cons Faced While Implementing these Strategies Pros are aplenty. One serious Con is time as a limiting factor “to complete the syllabus”.
‘Try It Out’ In Your Own Classroom Every child is fascinated with colours. Take a white writing chalk. About a cm from the base, make a mark with a black sketch pen. Repeat marking in the same place to make it dark. Stand the chalk on its base in a small plate containing water in such a way that the mark is above the water level. Observe the water raise on the chalk as a column… as the water reaches the apex of the chalk, observe the several colours that have spread from the black sketch pen ink. Discuss why. www.lxl.in
A successful teacher is a continuous learner. Institutions should identify, recognise and appreciate innovative teachers and create a library of innovative pedagogical tools.
CONCLUSION An innovative classroom is dynamic. Dear teacher-reader, you are today blessed with abundant information and advanced technological tools. Go ahead and take up a challenge to innovate a new strategy for any topic of any one class this week, and see how that strategy pans out in your classroom. In my experience, the glow in the eyes of my students and their appreciation are testimonials which I truly cherish.
Dr Sultan Ahmed Ismail, M.Sc., M.Phil., Ph.D., D.Sc., (9.10.1951) is Managing Director of the Ecoscience Research Foundation, a not-for-profit organization in Chennai. He has done extensive work (both research and applied) on ecology and environment, earthworms and organic inputs since 1978. He has been associated with several institutions, farmers and self-help groups promoting the concepts of ecology, sustainability, organic concepts, waste management, waste water treatment, etc. and has a long list of prestigious awards to his name. Presently Member of the Tamil Nadu Curriculum Framework Committee to oversee syllabus revision and implementation for Classes 1 to 12 of the Government of Tamil Nadu, he has published about 80 research and review papers in National and International Journals, guided 32 M.Phil and 20 Ph.D, students. More info about his work can be accessed from www.erfindia. org - or just Google his name! sultanismail@gmail.con 30 | Mentor | July 2019
Innovation
REACHING THE UNREACHABLE STUDENT How the Digital Revolution is Shaping Classrooms Today
INTRODUCTION
T
he fast-paced spread of Digital Culture has made digital literacy mandatory today. It has become imperative that all and sundry are made aware of the correct use of the information transmitted at the click of a button. Schools are working at breakneck speed in order to keep up with the accelerating technological developments. Courses are also being made available online. Modern technology has made smart classes an integral part of all classrooms.
What is ‘Digital Literacy’? ‘Digital Literacy’, as per definition, refers to an individual’s ability to find, evaluate and compose clear information through writings and other mediums on various digital platforms. Digital literacy is evaluated by an individual’s grammar, composition and typing skills. It also includes the ability to produce writings, images, audio and designs using technology. www.lxl.in
Understanding the role of digital technology in shaping culture and behaviour and using it to an advantage, is the key to a safe and happy future
Widespread unmonitored digital access and the cheap and ready availability of internet services has given rise to the need for digital literacy programs for everyone — from the urban to the rural world, from children to adults. Under the digital literacy program, students are taught how to stay safe in cyberspace. They are taught various literary skills such as how to verify credible sources online.
The other areas in which the students are made literate are: Photo-visual literacy, reproduction literacy, branching literacy, information literacy and, over and above all, socio-emotional literacy. The government, too, is leaving no stone unturned in an endeavor to create a digitally-literate nation. National Digital Literacy Mission has been initiated with the vision to empower at least one person per household with crucial digital literacy, by 2020.
How Digital Literacy Programmes Can Benefit Literate Students with Computer Access The digital world, if correctly used, can be a boon for the people. Literate students with access to computers can benefit hugely from these digital literacy programs. Adequately armed with the proper skills, the students can tread into the digital world and not have it turn 31 | Mentor | July 2019
Innovation into a quagmire. This would be a workforce preparation activity for them. These students will be, not only economically, but also socially and emotionally more secure. Easy access to the internet has made digital literacy necessary for the correct use of various digital platforms. Literacy in social networks helps people stay connected, and it also helps them from being taken advantage of online. Since the people who commit fraudulent acts possess digital literacy abilities, it becomes imperative for all to always think one step ahead when treading into the digital world. More and more jobs now are primarily computer-dependent, and will be more likely to hire and promote digitally literate people. Also, with the current generation being more socially responsible, many youngsters can become the primary trainers and help in spreading the program, thus creating a more safe and secure world.
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• Time and place no longer remain a constraint as teaching and learning does not have to remain confined to the four walls. Social media like WhatsApp have drastically reduced the distance between a teacher and a student; a passionate teacher is now available 24/7 for a student.
There is no doubt that teachers, who are the architects of the society, are definitely the greatest untapped innovation engines today
• For organisations and schools alike, the reduction of cumbersome paperwork and availability of data at any time and place has become a blessing. If adopted with proper safety knowledge, this availability is a boon for an employer and employee alike.
How Digital Literacy is Effective for Schools & Organisations Schools and organisations digital literacy very effective.
find
• Teaching through digital media is gradually replacing the traditional ‘chalk and duster’ method. The audio-visual aids used in digital technology not only make the teaching-learning process more interesting and vivid, but also help in longer retention.
• Working with digital technology also helps in safeguarding the environment.
Practices Used to Implement Digital Literacy • Students and teachers are trained to be socially aware and responsible while using any digital medium. Proper training programs are conducted for the same.
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Innovation
• In order to keep up with the latest technological advances, including the use of software in school, teachers are encouraged to keep themselves updated through regular reading and seminars.
The Effects of Implementing these Practices • It helps in cultivating a digitally-safe environment in the school. • Eliminating the time and place gap makes the learning progress exponentially.
and reluctant, but with proper motivation and support from colleagues, are in the process of learning.
wise to be digitally literate and help in spreading this education far and wide, otherwise this digital world can become a quagmire for our children.
• The management has a very progressive approach and is keen on making the school cent per cent digitally trained.
Leaders need to realise that the human workforce is being replaced by a digital workforce, with the unstoppable development of artificial intelligence. It is important that a digital culture and mindset is created and nurtured. It is of equally vital importance that we hold on to our values. Since it will not be possible for us to let ourselves be completely immune to the digital influence, it is important that we dig our roots deep and keep our moral and emotional values intact.
How to Keep Teachers & Students Motivated Through the Process
• Keeping abreast with the latest technology also acts as a catalyst for the teaching fraternity, making them perpetual learners and helping them deliver better in their field.
Believing in the adage, ‘Be the change you wish to see in the world,’ being an enthusiastic learner, setting targets and acknowledgement and appreciation where its due, helps in encouraging the teachers and students to stay motivated throughout the process.
The Response from the Students, Staff & Management
What Education Stakeholders Can Do to Encourage Digital Literacy
• Students take digital learning in their stride and are forever keen on learning more.
Education stakeholders have to understand that the digital world is a reality today, and in order to be ahead and safe at the same time, digital literacy is imperative. It is
• The older staff are a bit skeptical www.lxl.in
Are teachers K-12’s greatest untapped innovation engines? There is no doubt that teachers, who are the architects of the society, are definitely the greatest untapped innovation engines today. There was a time when the teachers were venerated. Never financially secure, but they were always passionate to teach, to ignite the little 33 | Mentor | July 2019
minds and to catalyse the minds to think. They tapped the talent lying dormant in students and gave the world great achievers. But today, the scenario seems to have changed. Teachers are no longer considered to be the architects of the society. The profession was never financially rewarding, but the respect gained used to be an impetus for people becoming passionate about it. Now, with even that respect diminishing rapidly, and constantly being subjected to stress about one thing or the other, teachers are probably left with no passion for this profession. This digital world was not created by a digital personality, but by a living human being, a leader. Is it not time to realise this and tap into its potential for a better world? Thomas Hardy’s lines from ‘Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard’ seem to be apt here:
“Full many a gem of purest ray serene, The dark unfathomed caves of ocean bear, Full many a flower is born to blush unseen, And waste its sweetness on desert air.”
CONCLUSION The digital revolution has taken the world by storm and has brought with it an era of human
empowerment. It has advantages galore — you have all the knowledge in the world displayed in front of you at the click of a key. People can stay perpetually connected, information can be easily disseminated, data can be easily obtained, shopping can be done within the comfortable confines of home — the list seems endless. Digital platforms deliver immense value, enabling us to connect, collaborate and broaden our minds. But is it all as simple as it appears to be? Have we ever stopped to think about how digital technology is influencing human behavior? From where has this need of doing ‘ Happiness Surveys’ arisen? Understanding the role of digital technology in shaping culture and behaviour and using it to an advantage, is the key to a safe and happy future. The onus falls on the shoulders of all leaders, which we all are in some capacity or the other, to ensure that those we lead are digitally, morally, emotionally trained so that they can soar securely in this digital world. Are we equipped to take up this responsibility which can open doors of unimaginable opportunities for one and all?
Ms. Rachna Mishra M.A.(Eng), B. Ed, is a passionate educator with a rich experience spanning over 22 years. She has been with Greenland Public School, Lucknow, in the capacity of a Principal since November 13. She strongly believes that reading broadens our horizons and enriches us in more ways than one. Being a voracious reader and an avid learner herself, over the years, she has tried to inculcate the habit of reading amongst her students and teachers. rachna.mishra12@yahoo.com
Rachna is a contributor from a Dell Aarambh School
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