Mentor - India - Vol. 13 Issue 05 by Lxl Ideas

IKFF

AN UNPARALLELED EXPERIENCE IN FILM PEDAGOGY

MEET

MR.CLAPPY THE OFFICIAL MASCOT OF IKFF 2019

ISSN 2320 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 0650 ENGLISH MONTHLY

Contents

Mentor Thoughts

Governance

Letter from the Editor

The Importance of Mental

Sultan Speaks

Health Awareness in the

What s Trending

School Ecosystem

Elements of a Successful School Events Calendar

Pedagogy Digital Pedagogy for Young Visual Learners

Film Festival

Why Should Schools Host International Children Film 12

All Rights Reserved 2016 EduMedia Publications Pvt. Ltd Publisher & Owner: Syed Sultan Ahmed Editor: Kalpa Kartik Sub Editor: Devina Wallang Content Developer: Farah Javid Layouts : OneAndOnlyDesign.in Production: Faisal Ahmed, Sathish. C, Guna. V Printer: Elegant Printing

Cover Story International Kids

Leadership

Festivals

Innovation Technology Integration at All Learning Levels

Films: The Great Catalyst

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.

Mentor ÂŚ October 2019 ÂŚ www.lxl.in

As educators, at some point in your careers, you would have experienced that with young learners, usually, feelings arise before concepts do. Understanding emotionally through intuition comes in advance with the heart becoming involved first, then the rational process clarifies the learning issue. To educate through feelings doesn’t mean that learning is limited exclusively to values and attitudes.

letter editor from the

Instead, if used effectively, it comes from the position that emotions usually come before rational thinking; thus, educators need to recognise the feelings of the learners and then introduce a concept. For instance, certain types of learning have more to do with the affection and love teachers invest in educating children, than with theoretical reasoning. While technical knowledge and skills can be acquired through training, refining attitudes, learning virtues and incorporating values require reflection.

This month, a Special Edition of Mentor on Films talks about learning through aesthetics — where cinema stimulates learner reﬂection. Life stories are a powerful resource in teaching. In various cultures, the art of story-telling, theatre, literature, opera, and films all have and are being used as means to teach. Cinema is the audio-visual version of storytelling. The point is to provoke students to reflect on those values and attitudes, thereby enhancing emotions and setting up the foundation for conveying concepts.

Kalpa Kartik Editor

Film experiences are kept as a reflective reference in a child’s daily activities and events and serve as emotional memories for developing attitudes. To foster reflection is the main goal in a cinematic teaching set. The purpose is not to show the audience how to incorporate a particular attitude, but rather to promote their reflection and to provide a forum for discussion. Teachers are encouraged to be on board while curating these activities so that they are motivated to carry out the event and also, to inspire students to participate. Given that children are already exposed to so much digital content, the focus of schools should be on developing children’s digital awareness. Aside from ensuring digital safety for children, exposure to excellent content will also lead to good content creators in society. Considering there is a dearth of meaningful, age-relevant digital content for children, films act as the perfect platform to expose children to a world of thought-provoking, meaningful and impactful stories, while preparing them for significant life challenges. Since schools are the pivotal places where the nation’s future is shaped, what content our next generation will be viewing therefore, lies in the hands of today’s educators. Schools need to gear up to speak to today’s children in a language that they understand to make education relevant and exciting for them.

References: https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1086983.pdf https://www.thoughtco.com/pros-and-cons-movies-in-class-7762

Mentor ¦ October 2019 ¦ www.lxl.in

Our Contributors

Dr. Shweta Gaur

Head of Research LXL Ideas, Bangalore

Amrita Burman

Neera Aggarwal

Deputy Director Sunbeam Group of Educational Institutions, Varanasi

Consultant and Director of Academics Space International School, Nashik

Dr. Ragitha Radhakrishnan Head of the Department of Psychology Dr MGR Janaki College of Arts & Science for Women, Chennai

Devina Wallang & Farah Javid LXL Ideas Content Team

Mentor ¦ October 2019 ¦ www.lxl.in

Sultan Speaks

Meet the Inﬂuencers! I have been doing a personal, social experiment in the recent past – I was out to discover the social influencers of our society. My learning from this little experiment was tremendous. Here’s a look at what I found.

Syed Sultan Ahmed

MD & Chief Learner @ LXL

For my friends in their 30s & 40s, these were the prevalent trends: Facebook is great for keeping in touch, but they have stopped being active like before WhatsApp is their preferred mode of communication, but most of them are tired of the propaganda and hatred being spread in different groups LinkedIn was their chosen professional platform but now feel that it’s also getting cluttered YouTube was used often, and some of them actively followed YouTubers based on their interests Instagram is aspirational for them; while some of them have an active account, most of them glance through profiles to keep in touch with the world None of them were on Tik Tok However, based on my interactions with teenagers across Asia and Europe during my recent travels, this is what I figured: However, based on my interactions with teenagers across Asia and Europe during my recent travels, this is what I figured: With Facebook, most of them don’t have active accounts, and even if they did, it was meant for keeping in touch with the older generation (family) WhatsApp was popular for communicating, sharing and being part of groups LinkedIn was too professional a platform for them to engage in YouTube is a massive hit, with each one of them following several YouTubers. The interesting thing was that I had not heard of most of the people they were following, and the topics covered – I never thought existed in countries as remote as one can imagine Instagram was fairly popular – apart from international stars, they keenly followed their own school/college stars Tik Tok was a platform that almost everyone accessed regularly. The unique thing here was that they had no pattern on who they followed – it varied enormously

Most adults have very little clue about who was inﬂuencing these teenagers, and what were they doing online apart from playing PubG and Fortnite. Based on this ground reality, I decided to dig into the latest rage – TikTok – and do a little research on it. In 2018, Tik Tok merged with Musical.ly and in just six months, became the highest downloaded app worldwide. Today, it has over a Billion users! If you use the app, you will soon realise that it is very addictive and its content has a distinct pattern - dance, mindless comedy, provocative content and anything bizarre. The more interesting thing I found out is that TikTok stars, unlike Instagram stars, are not that big in real life. TikTok stars come from everywhere – small towns, ghettos, countryside, and all sorts of backgrounds. My real-life experience will give you a sense of the new content creators and influencers of our children. I asked my wife, “who is very active on Instagram”? “Do you know TikTok”? she replied. “I have heard of it, but have no idea what it is about”, I said. I called out to my house help who hails from Orissa and asked her, “do you have TikTok”? She said, “yes”. My next question, “have you made any videos”? She answered, “yes, I have made over 300 videos; in fact, one of my videos has over 30 thousand likes”! My wife’s jaw almost dropped. Writer, Novelist, Content Creator were professions that were reserved for people with a pedigree and an education in the past. Today’s content creators don’t conform to these ideals and standards – almost everyone has the opportunity to create content and influence. Technology is a great leveller, everyone an opportunity to imperative for us to educate decipher what is relevant for noise.

Syed Sultan Ahmed

MD & Chief Learner @ LXL

Mentor ¦ October 2019 ¦ www.lxl.in

and it is giving influence; it is our children to them in all the

What’s Trending

Many Schools, Countless Students, One Revolutionary Experience An Analysis of the Impact of the International Kids’ Film Festival

Cinema has the power to talk to the world, in a language which no other medium has. It is one of the most powerful and effective ways to create an experiential learning environment for the viewer. Films have the power to equip students with social awareness and the necessary life skills to deal with complex problems. The International Kids’ Film Festival (IKFF), is a first-of-its-kind global film festival hosted in schools, by schools, for schools. In 2018, the event was hosted by 3,500 government schools and 500 private schools in 20 countries across the world. Out of these, a total of 822 students participated in an online survey to study the impact of the festival. IKFF involved students from different age groups coming together, with the same enthusiasm and energy, to watch films specially curated for them from all across the world. While describing the impact of the festival, several schools stated that IKFF improved the organisational abilities of their students. In fact, some principals from schools across India such as the Wesleyan English Medium School, Podar International School, Jindal Adarsh Vidyalaya, Sainik School, and many more, revealed that the event fostered essential life skills such as time management, planning, smart allocation of responsibilities, ability to solve problems on the spot, and team-building amongst their students. The students even expressed that these were some of the best films they ever watched.

35 %

37 %

66%

Gained Exposure to

Learnt about Various

Helped Understand

Different Languages

Cultres of the World

Emotions Better

51 % Developed Various Skills Like Empathy, Creativity, etc.

2% No Learning At All

It is a well-known fact that children not only learn inside the classroom but also from their surroundings. This is evident in the above graphs, which highlights the learnings of the students from IKFF – ranging from exposure to world cultures to coping with various emotions effectively. More than 90% of the respondents said their

Events such as IKFF bring stories from all across the globe into schools, thus providing opportunities for students to become global citizens while making them resilient towards life challenges.

overall experience at IKFF was excellent. Mentor ¦ October 2019 ¦ www.lxl.in

Pedagogy

Digital Pedagogy for Young Visual Learners Engaging and Impacting a Digitally-literate Generation in a Language They Understand LXL Ideas Research Paper

The learning levels of students in India is very low. As per the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER), only 44 per cent of children in government schools and 65 per cent of students from private schools who are in Standard V can read Standard II-level text. According to ASER, the learning levels of children are indicators of the effectiveness and productivity of the education system. This story is not only happening in our schools but even amongst college students who show similar lower learning levels. So, what is happening inside the classrooms? Are the country’s employers spending crores of rupees in trying to make students employable after their parents have paid a hefty sum of money for their degrees? Where is the education system heading? Why are our children not learning?

LEARNING AND PEDAGOGY A research paper published by the University of London, Institute of Education, states, “We trace conceptions of learning in classrooms, including through drawings and photographs by children and notice the dominance of a particular view of learning. We notice that this view of learning – a teacher-centred, passive model – is not necessarily effective today”.

Syed Sultan Ahmed Chief Learner at LXL Ideas,

This research highlights a big disconnect in the way content is taught to children and the language in which they are spoken to.

had established similarity between prisons and classrooms in the April 2019 edition - ‘Cell and Bell’ - of Mentor Magazine.

A recent study was done by UNESCO on the ‘Quality of Education (2018)’, which revealed the two most important facts about schooling – firstly, students find school boring, and secondly, students consider subject matter irrelevant.

Mr Ahmed puts forth a very poignant question, “Gen Z, the kids of today cannot be expected to behave in the same way that baby boomers were behaving in their classrooms decades back. Schools today continue to use the same blackboards, chalks, notes, books, and the same method of instruction which is largely a monologue.

Research has shown that students learn in happy settings, and therefore, need engaging environments and content to connect with.

Mentor ¦ October 2019 ¦ www.lxl.in

Pedagogy If their interests, future aspirations, challenges, and even dressing is not the same as the previous generations, then why are Gen Z kids being treated in the same manner by our education system”? There is an urgent need for infusing the traditional system of teaching with new pedagogical techniques which would attract the attention of students inside the classrooms. There is an urgent need for infusing the traditional system of teaching with new pedagogical techniques which would attract the attention of students inside the classrooms.

LEARNING IS A NATURAL PROCESS Education needs to be handled with utmost care. Many schools look at education as synonymous to academics, and this is often reflected in the classroom environment. However, research has shown that students learn in happy settings, and therefore, need engaging environments and content to connect with. Children are natural learners, and this learning flourishes for as long as we allow their curiosity to be alive.

John Holt GWS (Apr14, 1923 – Sep 14, 1985) Author and Educator, Principal Proponent of the Unschooling Approach Massachusetts, believed that learning happens everywhere; hence, it should not be restricted only to classrooms. In his words, “Since we can’t know what knowledge will be most needed in the future, it is senseless to try to teach it in advance. Instead, we should try to turn out people who love learning so much and learn so well that they will be able to learn whatever needs to be learned”.

SPEAKING THE LANGUAGE OF TODAY’S CHILDREN The need of the hour is to make students capable of learning and transforming this learning to knowledge that can be used. Today’s generation of digitally-literate learners have evolved a new methodology of socialising called the ‘Selective Sociality’ coined by the researcher Misa Matsuda. Social media sites help these youngsters create an online identity and a life around that identity. Given that youngsters under the age of 18 accounts for an estimated one in three internet users around the world, schools need to gear up to speak to today’s children in a language that they understand to make education relevant and exciting for them.

Schools need to foster an environment where children look forward to learning and feel excited about going to school. Dr Sugata Mitra, a Nobel Prize winner, conducted an experiment named ‘Hole in the Wall’ that proved that children are natural learners. Hence, it’s important for educators to develop curiosity in children and provide them with access to different tools that will encourage them to learn on their own.

THE NEED FOR GOOD VISUAL CONTENT There is ample debate going on in the education world about what should be the most relevant medium of instruction. The language which today’s generation understands the most is the visual language, but nobody is talking about how to integrate it in classrooms. Given that most children are online, they are not only consumers of visual content, but also creators of visual content. As per a media website - Mediakix, popular adolescent YouTubers aged 13-19 years are regularly creating

Mentor ¦ October 2019 ¦ www.lxl.in

Pedagogy years are regularly creating videos for their highly-engaged peers, continually reaching out to their viewers, and also have economic gains and millions of fans following. They are young and unattended, with no insight into what their responsibilities towards viewers are. The same goes for young viewers as well; there is no guarantee that they will be watching good content online. There is no one definition of what constitutes good content for school-going children. Many adolescents are influenced by powerful advertising that they see on social media sites, and it strongly influences their buying habits. Students are usually not aware that they are individually targeted as the sites keep track of their demographics and habits. In one study, researchers found that advertisements for sports gear and diets were targeted especially to people placing either nutrition or exercise-related content as a status update on Facebook. Since schools and teachers do not encourage the use of social media or to some extent, even the internet, students do not look up to them for support in handling their challenges of the digital world. With extensive exposure to the digital world, children are picking up information and learning whatever they stumble upon without discriminating the positive from the negative.

In schools, a system with libraries in place, guiding students to good books and reading has evolved with time. Similarly, a method is needed for visual content as well; to make this generation capable of differentiating between good and harmful content. Exposure to good content will eventually lead to useful content creators in society. As it is said, reading Shakespeare will not create Shakespeares, but definitely, students will know what is good literature, and this will guide them towards writing well. This exposure will also handle the risks of being online. Hence, the focus of schools should be more on open communication between children and developing children’s digital awareness.

Schools need to gear up to speak to today’s children in a language that they understand to make education relevant and exciting for them.

Mentor ¦ October 2019 ¦ www.lxl.in

Pedagogy BUILDING SAFE DIGITAL ENVIRONMENTS FOR STUDENTS It should be a fundamental requirement today that visual/media literacy is imparted to school students. This will provide students with the ability to critically analyse all media-related content. Schools need to discuss what children are viewing online. Teachers need to be in sync with what students are exposed to and appropriately learn to respond to their curiosity. If teachers are trained to respond to such queries, schools can provide a much-needed nurturing environment. Therefore, a healthy-media plan should be rolled out in schools to counter children’s exposure to unhealthy content. This will also ensure digital safety for children. A Pew Research Centre survey stated that 59 per cent of teens in the United States have personally experienced at least one of the six types of abusive online behaviours. This is a very high number considering around 45 per cent of teens in the U.S. use the internet “almost constantly”; the number with Indian children is likely to be the same if research in this space is carried out.

SUMMARY The demographics of new learners are changing due to new forms of socialisation in the digital worlds that they are exposed to. Schools need to equip themselves to the changing needs of these learners. Embracing visual and digital content for teaching will enable teachers to have an interdisciplinary and cross-curricular approach in imparting knowledge. Besides, the task of keeping children safe, even in the digital world, is every individual’s responsibility. Schools should therefore provide children with the necessary awareness and exposure to good visual and digital content as part of their education. This will ensure that students have a greater connection with their teachers and schools. Also, exposure to great visual and digital content will help students be far prepared for life, help them stay safe online, and even aid schools to establish themselves as spaces which foster a holistic learning environment. References: 1. ASER Annual Report, 2018. http://img.asercentre.org/docs/ASER%202018/Release%20Material/aserreport2018.pdf 2. W. Chris, C. Eileen and C. Lodge, (2007). ‘Effective Learning in Classrooms’, Chapter 2, Sage Publication, pp 9-15 3. UNICEF 2018, Student Views on Quality of Education Children Receive in Australia, https://www.unicef.org.au 4. Matsud M. (2017). ‘Technosocial Situations: Emergent structures of mobile e-mail use’, ch. 13 in Personal, Portable, Pedestrian: Mobile phones in Japanese life, edited by Matsud. Based on Interviews by UNICEF in 2017. As quoted in https://www.unicef.org/publications/files/SOWC_2017_ENG_WEB.pdf 5. Pearson,C. K., O’Keeffe, G., (2011). The Impact of Social Media on Children, Adolescents, and families https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/144/3?current-issue=y 6. Villiard, H., Moreno, M.A. (2012). Fitness on Facebook: Advertisements Generated in Response to Profile Content. Cyberpsychol Behav Soc Netw. ;15(10):564–568 7. UNICEF : Children in Digital World, https://www.unicefusa.org/sites/default/files/UN0150335.pdf 8. https://www.pewinternet.org/2018/09/27/a-majority-of-teens-have-experienced-some-form-of-cyberbullying/

Mentor ¦ October 2019 ¦ www.lxl.in

Leadership

Why Should Schools Host International Children Film Festivals Embracing Films as an Educational Medium LXL Ideas Research Paper

Good films play an important role in encouraging a matured understanding of content. Data reveals that in the 1970s, children began to regularly watch television at four years of age, whereas today, children interact with digital media as early as four months of age. The quality of content that children watch and interact with helps form their perspectives about the world. There is no doubt that children are exposed to all sorts of visual content on the web. Sadly, useful content for children cannot withstand the ‘competition for space’ created by a market-driven society and is, therefore, scarcely available to children. The best content made for children is showcased in film festivals exclusively designed for children. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru believed that exposure to indigenous and exclusive cinema for children stimulates creativity, compassion, as well as critical thinking. On this premise, the Children’s Film Society of India (CFSI) was established in 1955. Children’s film festivals play an important role in providing opportunities to amazing filmmakers to showcase their films which are not commercialised and are meant for some serious afterthoughts. Along with playing an essential role in bringing stories from across the globe, film festivals ensure the creation of a community of critical thinkers. Film festival participants/organisers believe that these festivals are about sharing energy and emotions, while also enjoying a unique and carefully-crafted film program. The harsh reality of today is that children film festivals are accessible only to very few children.

Mentor ¦ October 2019 ¦ www.lxl.in

In India, almost all states conduct some film festival for their children, but that is always localised in certain parts of the capital cities. Geographical divides or regional disparities are some of the most critical factors that keep children away from the best international films. In spite of films being available in big cities, very few children from these cities get the opportunity to attend these festivals. Schools also find it logistically impossible to ensure students attend the entire festival and hence, end up showing just one or two films to their students. Schools design their events calendar almost eight to 10 months before any event. As a result, if they are not informed in advance about any children film festival to be held in and around their city, it becomes an ordeal for the school to decide at the last moment to take their students to such a festival. However, with the advancement of technology, schools can host their own film festival for the students.

Along with playing an essential role in bringing stories from across the globe, ﬁlm festivals ensure the creation of a community of critical thinkers.

Leadership TRANSFORMING LIVES THROUGH CINEMA Despite some constraints, film festivals are enjoyable and still function as a unique pedagogy which instils numerous benefits such as creativity, inquisitiveness and acceptance of world cultures. Below are five reasons why schools should host a children’s film festival in their premises. Today’s generation of kids are audio-visual learners. The youth (age 15–24) is the most connected age group. Worldwide, 71 per cent are online compared with 48 per cent of the total population. The Internet and digital entertainment have spurred tremendous creativity and expanded children’s access to visual content, whether it is for entertainment or education. Children and adolescents under 18 years of age account for an estimated one in three internet users around the world. Since this generation is digital native, it is also vital to teach them how to create visual content.

Prepare Children for the Visual World

Research says 500 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute. Most of the consumers that are actively using the internet and uploading content on the web fall in the age group of 15-25 years. They are not only consumers but also the creators of content. It is, therefore, the responsibility of the schools to equip students to differentiate between useful content and harmful content and how to create good content. to equip students to differentiate between useful content and harmful content and how to create good content. Film festivals are a unique way of introducing students to the best, meaningful content from across the world.

Empowered with elements of visual storytelling, films are laden with information and are readily acceptable by children. As per News Daily, the film ‘Gandhi’, provided an exceptional understanding of the time and era, as well as the lifestyle of the historical figure, than what several writings on him would have done. Additionally, films are not limited in the way books are. They occasionally go beyond the curriculum and touch upon topics which might not be part of the course but are equally important. For example, social issues like class, race, and gender conflicts formed an inherent part of watching the film ‘Gandhi’. Besides, teaching complex issues like equality, religious and cultural tolerance, slavery, migration, and the like, require extremely skilled teachers. Nevertheless, issue-based films provide a fantastic platform for discussions and a space to express diverse thoughts.

Create Inquisitive Learners

Film festivals are enjoyable and function as a unique pedagogy which instils numerous beneﬁts such as creativity, inquisitiveness and acceptance of world cultures.

It is predicted that complex problem-solving skill will be the most needed skill in the times to come. Most of the problems existing in society are people problems. Film festivals bring diverse films made for children which gives them great exposure to world cultures, languages and societies.

Develop 21st Century Skills (Complex Problem-solving Skills)

These films enable students to better connect with social challenges that the outside world is grappling with. Students also develop an understanding of cultures and practices across the world; which in turn builds empathy and people skills.

Mentor ¦ October 2019 ¦ www.lxl.in

Leadership A children’s film festival ensures students get exposed to global social issues and entertaining stories from around the world. The unique methodology of a film festival generates a dialogue after watching the film, thereby, creating deep learning of the concept/issue addressed in the film. More than any other medium, the retention and impact of learning from a film is much longer and stronger. A study carried out at LXL Ideas proves that the retention of a film, its message and story stay alive even after three months of watching the film. Experiencing real-life situations through specially curated international films develop a global viewpoint and diverse perspectives in students. On the occasion of the inauguration of the Children’s Film Festival in Seattle in 2016, Elizabeth Shepherd, Director of the Festival said, “This is a world that kids are going to have to learn to navigate on their own eventually, so it’s important to give them a good start”. She also stated, “Cinema has the power to transform people and the world. It’s about becoming global citizens”.

Enhance Global Thinking and Understanding

Film festivals are a one-of-a-kind event which can involve everybody equally and bring all stakeholders under one umbrella of learning and connecting through ﬁlms.

Research has shown that since 2000, the total number of international migrants increased by almost 50 per cent. Due to improved technology, people are travelling and interacting much more with each other. In 2017, with 16.6 million persons living abroad, India was the leading country of origin of international migrants.

Adapt to Future Challenges

Today’s children will travel all over the world following their dreams. They will need to adjust to the demands and challenges of the new world. Exposure to world cultures not only broadens their geopolitical understanding, but they also become more humane, which makes them more adaptable to the modern world.

SUMMARY Children film festivals create global citizens who are ready to take on the world and what the future brings. Hosting it in schools is an excellent way to provide opportunities to those students who are introverts and are unable to participate in other events like annual day or sports day celebrations. Film festivals are engaging and reach out to all viewers in an equal manner and every viewer benefits as much as the viewer desires. This is a one-of-a-kind event which can involve everybody equally and bring all stakeholders under one umbrella of learning and connecting through films. Therefore, schools must host a children’s film festival in their premises and create a space for dialogues on social, political and cultural diversities.

References: 1. https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/pediatrics/138/5/e20162593.full.pdf 2. https://www.statista.com/statistics/259477/hours-of-video-uploaded-to-youtube-every-minute/ 3. https://www.seattleglobalist.com/2016/12/30/childrens-film-festival-opens-young-minds-to-world/60508 4. https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/publications/pdf/popfacts/PopFacts_2017-5.pdf

Mentor ¦ October 2019 ¦ www.lxl.in

Governance

The Importance of Mental Health Awareness in the School Ecosystem Alleviating the Stigma through Mindfulness Dr. Ragitha Radhakrishnan

Given the current reality within the school ecosystem, mental health is a topic that needs immediate attention. Mental health issues can manifest as poor academic performance, behavioural problems, truancy, dropouts or even suicide. Any attempts to address mental health needs to focus on the core issue in question. Schools can serve as a place for mental health promotion, early identification of a problem and intervention. Considering the high suicide rates amongst children and adolescents, the school system needs to take substantial measures to fix the problem. Steps to promote healthy social, emotional and behavioural development of students should be the key focus of school education. The present school system does not adequately address the issue of mental health in students. Mental health awareness should be part of the curriculum and the school culture as this will bring about a change in the way students and all the stakeholders view psychological ailments. If students are encouraged to talk about the mental health issues they face, they will lean towards being more empathetic and considerate. Additionally, they can develop different strengths and coping skills to emerge as successful and resilient individuals. Psychological problems faced by today’s children are not limited to just exam anxiety. Students in schools may face a myriad of difficulties including depression, anxiety, stress, learning problems, eating disorders and even, substance abuse. They can feel meaningless and empty that can further impair daily living. Our educational system should, therefore, be prepared to cater to the issues and needs of every student.

IMPACT OF PARENTS AND TEACHERS ON MENTAL HEALTH Besides the mental health of students, an equally important aspect is the mental health of teachers. This matter is mostly ignored in most schools. Teachers do not have an adequate platform to speak about their anxieties and personal worries. Moreover, most teachers are stressed due to the nature of their work and low wages. Furthermore, a higher workload, increasing administrative work and trying to achieve a balance between school work and personal life, are taking a toll on the mental health of teachers. We all know that effective teachers lead to capable learners. Research has also shown that the mental health of teachers correlates strongly to the academic performance and emotional wellbeing of the students.

Mentor ¦ October 2019 ¦ www.lxl.in

Governance Parents should also be made aware of the issues faced by their children. Parents often struggle to balance their work-life and taking care of their children as a nuclear family setup is not as equipped as a joint family setup to take care of the emotional needs of children. As a result, children feel a void in their lives as they don’t have anybody to share their feelings with, frequently bottling these troubles in their mind. Therefore, there should be a paradigm shift in the focus of parents from grades to happiness – when parents start penalising their children for getting low marks and not giving any importance to their emotional needs, children start facing mental health issues.

THE ROLE OF SCHOOL COUNSELLORS Stakeholders should encourage conversations about mental health. School officials should recognise that mental health is a fundamental right and not a luxury – this applies to the mental health of both students and teachers. There has to be a professional or an agency within the school premises to cater to the mental health needs of those in the school. Appointing a school counsellor can be a solution. The counsellor should focus on students and teachers. The professional should also connect the management to the staff and students. Students need to have a positive outlook towards their school, teachers and support staff. Nowadays, as a result of the lack of value education at home, children cannot appreciate the blessings they have in their lives. They fail to notice the support that they receive from their school, teachers and peers. Children should be taught to appreciate their teachers as encouraging feedback from students can also positively impact the mental health of teachers.

Further, students need to be taught to focus on values and connectedness. The values that used to be transferred from grandparents to children in the olden times is not present today. That responsibility lies with the parents and teachers. They should teach children how to respect their elders and teachers. Children need to be taught how to feel connected to their families and their schools. This connectedness helps to develop a bond towards their surroundings which can positively influence mental health. Most of the time, children need a listening ear. They need to discuss their concerns with an adult whom they can trust. The development of trust and faith are vital as far as the counselling field is concerned. Though this is the case, not every school in India is resource-rich. Not all schools can afford to appoint a counsellor. Teachers and support staff should be educated about the early signs of mental health issues. Schools should accept students with mental health problems and students with disabilities in the same manner as they would receive any other student. This acceptance should be nurtured at a young age. The school should provide a safe environment for any student who is admitted in the school, irrespective of their physical or mental abilities.

As a part of mental health awareness, teachers and counsellors should educate students about dealing with real-life challenges. For instance, students should be taught the importance of real-life friendships, connecting with each other, empathy, critical and creative thinking, handling stress, open communication, problem-solving, awareness about addiction, as well as safe relationships. As digital media such as videos, short films and creative visual art helps in enhancing the effectiveness of learning, these mediums can be used to convey important messages to students in an effective manner. The counsellor should also work on enhancing resilience and self-worth of the students. Various NGOs can assist in providing avenues for seeking help. As critical as mental health awareness is, destigmatising mental health issues are even more important. Thereby, students will not have any inhibition to approach a mental health professional, openly speak up if they have a mental health concern, and they will also know whom to contact.

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Mental health awareness should be part of the curriculum and the school culture as this will bring about a change in the way students and all the stakeholders view psychological ailments.

Governance SUMMARY Schools should focus on holistic development. The mental health of students and teachers should be taken care of. Students should be taught the value of trust, faith and connectedness. Counsellors can help students to develop their emotional and social skills using new-age audio-visual mediums. It is very important that mental health awareness be part of the school culture. Though the importance of mental health is a trending topic amongst stakeholders in the current situation, steps should be taken to cater to the mental health needs of students and teachers in rural schools that cannot afford to take any measures for promoting mental health. What steps can the state choose to help this stratum of society? What can mental health professionals do to reach disadvantaged educational institutions? These are essential questions that need an answer.

There should be a paradigm shift in the focus of parents from grades to happiness â&#x20AC;&#x201C; when parents start penalising their children for getting low marks and not giving any importance to their emotional needs, children start facing mental health issues.

TRY IT OUT Schools can have sessions where students do basic exercises such as smiling at each other and greeting each other with folded hands or a handshake. This can help nurture a sense of social intimacy and connectedness. Breathing exercises can also be incorporated into the curriculum to help battle stress and anxiety among school students and to develop attention and focus.

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Cover Story

International Kids’ Film Festival The World of Learning Meets the World of Cinema In recent years, educational institutions have embarked on a journey to broaden education beyond the four walls of a classroom. Having embraced a shift in focus from purely scholastic to also including co-scholastic, schools provide an array of learning tools and opportunities in this domain – from sports and art to annual days and cultural activities. These opportunities, however, cater only to those students who have a precise talent for it. Given that the core aim of education is to foster all-round development of children, can schools introduce an event that ensures full participation of all students irrespective of their talents and capabilities?

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Cover Story Speaking of events that involve everybody, stories have always been a platform that unites all students. But more than stories, cinema has emerged as a powerful learning tool offering an all-immersive, transformative and engaging experience. With the potential to nurture minds, films are not only entertaining, they also foster a love for learning that goes beyond academics. An integral part of the global film culture encompasses film festivals which serve to bring effervescent knowledge to students through a medium that embraces all children.

IKFF: THE GENESIS OF A GAME CHANGER THAT CANNOT BE IGNORED

“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn” - Benjamin Franklin

Undoubtedly, schools need to apply Mr Franklin’s words of wisdom to the way vital lessons are taught. What began as an undertaking for schools in India in 2017, the International Kids’ Film Festival (IKFF) has carved a niche for itself as an innovative educational festival across the world IKFF 2018 witnessed the participation of

4,000

schools across

countries, which screened

IKFF 2019 aims to be bigger and better touching the lives of 5 million students, in 10,000 schools, across 40 countries

100

Neha Jain IKFF Associate Festival Director, says, “our main objective during the selection process is to choose films that make students think and make them question the status quo. These films will make children feel emotions they might not have experienced before. Some ideas might be unfamiliar to them, some stories might question their beliefs, but all we ask of the students is to look at each of these with an open mind. They may be surprised by what they learn - the places that they see, and the people that they meet”. To augment Ms Jain’s quote,

of the best international children’s ﬁlms in

languages, making it a global success.

A first-of-its-kind global film festival hosted in schools, by schools, for schools, IKFF endeavours to introduce kids to the magic of films and utilise its power to educate and inspire. These compelling films have been carefully selected with a lot of passion and conviction by a team of industry experts.

Anne Doshi Film Consultant for IKFF, states, “before everything else, IKFF is for us, the programming team, a work of passion. We love searching for cinematic gems and share them with as many children as possible on the planet. We are proud to be part of their exposure to new, bold, emerging stories which will help them discover their own voice”. Mentor ¦ October 2019 ¦ www.lxl.in

Cover Story With IKFF, young minds in schools get to WATCH award-winning stories from around the world, LEARN the intricacies of film making from the experts, and MAKE their own cinema in a one-of-a-kind film-making competition. Moreover, all parents and students of registered schools get exclusive access to the School Cinema App, featuring films specially curated for family viewing. According to Boman Irani, Indian Theatre and Film Actor,

Vikramaditya Motwane, Indian Film Director, Producer and Screenwriter, expresses,

“The International Kids’ Film Festival shows some wonderful ﬁlms for children. These are ﬁlms that can help them grow, learn and more importantly, open their minds”.

“IKFF is a kind of a movement. It’s wonderful that instead of taking kids to a ﬁlm festival, the festival is coming to the kids. With IKFF, thousands of children are watching ﬁlms, all at the same time”.

SOME OF THE KEY HIGHLIGHTS OF IKFF

When asked about the concept of MAKE CINEMA, Mr Irani says, “When children make ﬁlms, they learn to tell stories, and when they tell stories, they also take a viewpoint and develop empathy towards society”.

students’ age group

Schools can become thought leaders in this space and set an example to other schools The format of IKFF is very ﬂexible – schools can decide their own dates and choose shows according to their

Since schools get a commercial license for IKFF, they are free to charge and recover their costs IKFF is simple to execute, requiring very little and straightforward preparation There’s no teacher fatigue and disruption to a school’s

Through an unparalleled experience in film pedagogy, IKFF creates a community of thinkers and storytellers – exposing children to world cultures, languages and societies, thereby enhancing their geopolitical understanding, encouraging them to embrace diversity, and sensitising them to social and cultural issues globally. By providing digital natives with great value-driven content and teaching them skills to create visual content too, children learn to improve self-expression, increase empathy to others, deal with real-life challenges calmly, and obtain new ideas in a happy and engaging environment.

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regular academic schedule (for example, IKFF can be made a part of children’s day)

This ease allows IKFF to be a key calendar event resulting in a complete and enriching engagement program with all stakeholders of the school. Schools that participated in previous years also gained a competitive edge, as well as good publicity and recognition by inviting neighbouring schools and celebrities, having a variety of screenings, and making the event their own by adding their own school culture and uniqueness.

Cover Story IKFF has also been rated as one of the best events that school management and participants have ever witnessed. Here’s a look at what some of the leading schools in the world had to say about their experiences at this prestigious film festival.

“There were around 2,000 students involved in WATCH CINEMA; 131 students LEARNT CINEMA, and 85 students in Kyrgyzstan participated in MAKE CINEMA. In general, schools and students were satisfied with the project. Students proposed to watch local cinema as part of IKFF in the future. We hope that in future we can add a sector to present cinema made by our students in Central Asia. We want to express our appreciation to LXL Ideas for this initiative, their passion, and their endless patience in helping us make IKFF happen in Central Asia”.

“Considering the fact that we had very little time to organise IKFF, it went very smoothly and successfully in terms of logistics. Students of all ages were genuinely interested in the idea of a film festival coming to them. Many students were very excited about the film courses available; their enthusiasm was evident in their questions and inquiries about the courses, before and after the screenings took place. Both students and educators enjoyed the issues that were tackled in the films. Every film contained different feelings and emotions as well as solution, ideas, and messages. Students were encouraged to make their films, knowing that students their age did some of the films screened”. Ahliyyah School for Girls and Bishop’s School for Boys, Jordan

Jenny Jenish, IKFF Festival Coordinator, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan

“Our students enjoyed watching films at IKFF 2018. The films were inspirational and message-oriented. Students could relate the films to friendship, family, and even science and technology. The films depicted people who achieved success by defeating all odds. The festival was a perfect blend of entertainment and learning. I thank LXL Ideas for organising such an event and look forward to seeing good films next year too”. DCM Presidency School, Ludhiana, India

“IKFF 2018 was a highly successful event with students attending from across eight schools in Dubai and Sharjah. Students completely enjoyed their day and had a great experience. The event was very well organised. The films were well selected for the students, and they were entertaining, informative and interesting. With the right touch of sentimentality, values, inspiration and motivation, the thought-provoking films triggered curiosity and kindness amongst the students”. The Indian Academy, Dubai

“Around 2,056 students were shown value-based films at IKFF. The festival held at our school also included 53 kids from Prerana Shiksha Kendra (PSK) which is a school run under the umbrella of DPS East to promote education amongst the underprivileged section of society and 63 kids from the two state-run government schools in the neighbourhood. The primary purpose of showing the films to the children was to invoke a sense of awareness amongst the young minds and to stimulate their thinking ability, analytical power and imaginative skills. Furthermore, the IKFF team helped us to conduct this film fest successfully. Overall, an excellent experience for our children and also, the child within teachers”. Delhi Public School, Bangalore, India

“We are thankful to our Director, for giving us a chance to organise such a wonderful, entertaining and informative festival in our campus. We were honoured to host IKFF. This event was beneficial for our kids. A single platform gave them both knowledge and entertainment. I wish that other educational institutes also organise such type of events in the future for the betterment of the students”. The Spirit School, Pakistan

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Cover Story The Film Festival also includes added elements of thrill and delight in the form of awards for Best Participating School, Most Innovative School, Best Communication at IKFF and Community Building at IKFF. Some of the schools that won awards in 2018 are highlighted in the picture below.

WATCH CINEMA AWARDS WINNING SCHOOLS

WATCH CINEMA AWARDS SPECIAL MENTIONS

Best Participating School

Best Innovative School

Sainik School Nagrota, Jammu

Spirits School, Pakistan Best Communication @ IKFF

School, Bahraich

Best Communication @ IKFF

Community Building @ IKFF

School, Gujarat

FILM PEDAGOGY: A PARADIGM SHIFT IN EDUCATION If the act of watching films can have such a tremendous influence on a child, being part of a film festival is a whole new level of experiential learning. As a distinctive pedagogy, film festivals not only instil creativity, problem-solving and critical thinking, they also encourage curiosity, tolerance and acceptance of world cultures.

Elizabeth Shepherd Director of the Children’s Film Festival Seattle and IKFF Festival Advisor, says, “at Children's Film Festival Seattle, we believe that international film programs can provide a fantastic gateway to the understanding of issues of racial and gender equity, inclusivity and empathy, social justice and global awareness for young schoolchildren. For 15 years, educators have embraced our programs, and the reaction of the schoolchildren has also buoyed us and convinced us that we are on the right track in terms of reaching schoolchildren with important messages”.

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Guru Kripa Divine Grace Public

Hansraj Public School, Panchakula

Orkeeswa School, Tanzania

DCM Presidency School, Ludhiana

The Wesleyan English Medium

Eric Bilodeau Children’s Film Programmer for the Martha’s Vineyard Film Festival (Massachusetts, USA) and IKFF Festival Advisor, feels, “you don't need to be a children's film programmer to figure out that the films that the marketplace decides to ! bring to our communities around the world are driven by one goal, to make money. There is nothing wrong with this model. Howvever, it is no surprise that parents and their children have expressed that they want more options than what the marketplace delivers. You can only watch so many super-hero films, remakes of previous box office hits and once in a while a popular book adapted into a film. The Providence Children's Film Festival (PCFF) is driven by a completely different goal; to bring films that inspire action, educate one about a topic, build bridges to other cultures and sometimes just delight in unexpected ways. In addition, to bringing films to our community, we also invite individuals, organisations, scholars and artists that share a passion for the theme conveyed in the film to discuss the film after the show. Our festival patrons have repeatedly shared with us that the films they have experienced at the festival resonated strongly with them to the point of reaching out and inviting us to bring our films to their schools. In hindsight, we realised teachers have very similar motivational goals as PCFF does – to inspire, connect and educate.

Cover Story We now see schools as being the lifeblood of our youth film festival. Information these days is conveyed through image and sound more than ever. If you want to just be entertained, go to the marketplace. If you want to be provoked into actually thinking about how you might fit (or not) into the world around you, come experience a festival film. We know teachers realise this and believe that what youth film festivals have to offer are powerful tools to develop skills that connect kids to complex ideas.” In the month of July 2019, four school students – Ranveer Behl from American School of Bombay, Mumbai, Zeke Warsi from Singapore International School, Mumbai, Surya Teja from Abhyasa International School, Hyderabad and Vasu Jain from St. Stephen's School, Chandigarh – had the unique opportunity to represent India as child jurors at the Giffoni International Kids Film Festival, held in Southern Italy. Currently, in its 49th edition, the festival creates a sense of community that is unparalleled, bringing together the entire town to celebrate children and cinema. As one of the world’s most famous children’s film festivals, it witnessed the presence of 6,200 child jurors from over 50 countries. Two of the child jurors from IKFF – Ranveer Behl and Zeke

Two of the child jurors from IKFF – Ranveer Behl and Zeke Warsi, recently met with CNN News 18’s Rajeev Masand and shared their extraordinary experience at the Giffoni Film Festival. Below is a brief excerpt from their heart-to-heart conversation.

Rajeev Masand: Zeke Warsi:

You just got back a few weeks ago from the Giffoni Film Festival, where you were the jurors. Zeke, you’re 15 and Ranveer, you’re 14; what was that experience like as teenagers? It was lovely. I felt independent, and I’d love to do that again

Ranveer Behl:

I also felt independent throughout Giffoni. I enjoyed the friends that I made and the people that I met. Moreover, Italian culture is just something different.

Rajeev Masand:

You had plenty of time to connect and take in the culture. That’s fantastic! Did you watch anything that you particularly enjoyed?

Ranveer Behl:

I saw a variety of films from a lot of different cultures. We watched Japanese films, Swedish ones, German films and cinema from all around the world. I loved the films because of the story and how they portray their own culture. It taught me a lot about the places that the films were from. I think one of the best parts of being a juror at Giffoni is not the fact that you get to watch two films a day, but you watch films that are specially handpicked for kids by the duty office. It was amazing to see well-made cinema, handpicked for us.

Zeke Warsi:

Now after the kind of cinema I’ve been exposed to, any film I watch, I start to analyse it and reflect deeper. It feels nice because it’s not like I’m trying to do it, it just happens. We watched some great films, and you can see the difference between a sad point in a Japanese film and something tragic in a German film. It may be different, but it’s still portraying the same message. This is amazing because cinema is so different, yet, so similar in so many parts of the world.

Ranveer Behl:

We also had these debates after we watched a film. The entire audience had a chance to speak about the film, and it was interesting to hear different point of views and different cultural perspectives.

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Cover Story

Rajeev Masand: I feel like cinema is a window to the world. Not many people get to travel as frequently as some do, but cinema becomes your sort of window to the world. Even if you haven’t travelled, met people from different parts of the world, it becomes your window, it becomes your understanding of cultures. Why do you think that exposing youngsters to cinema from an early age is important? Zeke Warsi: Cinema to me, I think, is pretty influential. If you grow up with great cinema, I think you can end up becoming a great person. Ranveer Behl: Now, after going to Giffoni, I have realised that I enjoy reading when it is something that I am interested in. However, films are better because they visualise what I am interested in and give me a sense of reality; I feel more grounded during the experience of watching a film. Cinema can open up different worlds, and it has made me a more open and understanding person.

The fact that children are already exposed to so much digital content, the focus of schools should then be more on developing children’s digital awareness. Aside from ensuring digital safety for children, exposure to excellent content will also lead to good content creators in society. Considering there is a dearth of meaningful, age-relevant digital content for children, films act as the perfect platform to expose children to a world of thought-provoking, meaningful and impactful stories, while preparing them for significant life challenges. Since schools are the pivotal places where the nation’s future is shaped, what content our next generation will be viewing therefore, lies in the hands of today’s educators.

Rajeev Masand states, “Films open up the world for you and affect the way we look at the world and people. Films allow us to understand cultures, as well as have a lot more sensitivity and empathy towards those that are not as fortunate or those that are in different situations from us”.

As evident in the above interview, a film festival is an incredibly powerful instrument of change, capable of completely revolutionising and shaping a better future for school children. While there is no doubt that the technological wave upon us is disrupting current pedagogies, there is a prime concern amongst teachers and parents about the kind of audio-visual content children are exposed to. Statistics tell us that the least amount of quality digital content created and shared is for the age groups between 6 and 16 years.

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THE DAWN OF A NEW ERA

SUMMARY

As the adage goes, “A picture is worth 1000 words”. However, in today’s digital world, one could say, “If a picture is worth 1000 words, then, a video is worth a million”! YouTube witnesses over 500 hours of content uploads every minute and a billion hours of content views every day, while Facebook videos enjoy a viewership of up to 8 billion views a day. Very few educators would differ with the notion that technology has not only changed the world but is also dramatically changing childhood and the learning process.

Schools can embrace a 21st Century education by taking the lead to prepare students for the future, being aware of global trends outside the education system, and proactively seeking novel ways of thinking and doing things. This system of learning not only sets students up for success but also empowers them to be better and happier individuals.

Literacy is no longer about just reading or writing. These elements were essential when knowledge remained in books. However, with a smartphone in nearly every pocket, and children being introduced to technology at a younger age by the day, digital content, especially by way of videos becomes an essential tool for the dissemination and consumption of knowledge. Due to their condensed formats and ease of understanding, students prefer videos over articles or text which will require further reading and assimilation.

There is no question that the drive to revolutionise education is higher than ever; so, is your school ready to transform the way your students think and feel, to spark their imagination, and to make an impact that goes beyond the lessons of a textbook?

References: https://www.statista.com/statistics/259477/hours-of-video-uploaded-to-youtube-every-minute/ https://www.brandwatch.com/blog/youtube-stats/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/miketemple-

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Governance

Elements of a Successful School Events Calendar Fostering the Holistic Growth of Children Amrita Burman

Time and again, India’s numerous education policies have emphasised the role of education in shaping the citizens of tomorrow. Since schools are the places where children spend a considerable amount of time, they are responsible for imparting relevant education to mould the country’s future citizens. The 1992 National Education Policy (NEP) clearly states, “The coming generations of students should have the ability to internalise new ideas constantly and creatively. They have to be imbued with a strong commitment to humane values and social justice”.

Most schools in India have made education synonymous with academic performance, often focusing on rote learning and what students should know from books, rather than what students can do. In the rat race to score good marks, the real potential of young India is getting lost with a majority of children and adolescents struggling in different aspects of their lives - from being labelled as failures to lacking the confidence to excel and live happy lives.

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TRANSFORMING LEARNING THROUGH EVENTS Policy-level interventions have been developed to ensure that children are brought out of their classrooms and to prevent their childhood from being crushed under the weight of books. The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has made it mandatory for schools to include life skills/value education as part of their curriculum. However, the irony is that this, too, is being taught through textbooks. To make learning fun and relevant is one of the biggest challenges for schools. If we all take a trip down memory lane, some of the best moments in school are during recess, sports, competitions and school events – a part-and-parcel of the growing up years for children. These activities not only create memories that last a lifetime but also help build the identity of children beyond academics. Events set the stage for experiential learning to take place inside the school premises. According to Humanities and International Studies Program (HISP), “Through attendance at events, students broaden their horizons and gain unique insights into their communities, as well as a broader global perspective of the world’s diverse cultures”. Mark Heyward in his phenomenal work on international school’s ability to develop an understanding of intercultural literacy, defined intercultural literacy as ‘understanding competencies, attitudes, language proficiencies, individual characteristics and participation necessary for cross-cultural identities’. Various cultural festivals held in schools provide the perfect platform to build intercultural literacy. The independent newspaper of Delhi University Students – ‘Delhi Beat’, stated, “Cultural fests facilitate students to work for a fixed goal in unison, and this eventually develops a sense of responsibility in them. It elevates confidence and also teaches them how to work in a team and how to handle various challenging situations”. School events, therefore, foster a spirit of community and serve as a stepping stone for students to realise their dreams and understand their true potential. These events also encourage the development of 21st Century skills such as team-building, self-awareness, communication, planning and management, critical thinking, and handling emotional stress.

Governance CORE ELEMENTS TO CONSIDER WHILE DESIGNING AN EVENTS CALENDAR Schools plan excellently for their academic calendar, but what is often excluded is the non-academic part as there are no specific guidelines provided by most regulating bodies. To develop holistic children, the planning of a school extra-curricular calendar is just as necessary so that there is a delicate balance between academic and non-academic domains. While the manifold benefits of school events have been established, the biggest challenge in creating an all-inclusive and impactful events calendar is time. Given the extensive pressure of academic performance in schools, finding time to balance between academics and extra-curricular activities is a challenge for most educators. Besides, teachers are not as excited about non-academic events as children are. Parents too, fail to understand the importance of events and do not allow their children to participate in these activities wholeheartedly. One of the most critical factors for educators to consider while designing an events calendar is the number and type of age-appropriate activities that the school wants to carry out in an academic year. At Sunbeam Group of Educational Institutions, all the stakeholders get together to decide how many events should be done per class and whether it should be intra-class, inter-class or inter-school.

ENSURING THE ENGAGEMENT OF ALL STUDENTS At Sunbeam, when an activity has been planned, a very democratic procedure is adopted to choose children for the activity. Information is provided to every child and parent, and usually, students come up willingly to participate. Some students repeatedly come up, but sometimes, some children do not volunteer. At such times, teachers spot these students and talk to them to encourage and motivate them to participate, even going to the extent of speaking to their parents. Once they are on board, they are guided through the preparation process, which is followed by selection. While the selection is a democratic process, the school gives preference to those children who have agreed to muster the courage and are participating for the first time. During the selection round, each child gets a chance to either do a little speech or a small performance, thereby giving the student hope and encouragement to participate. The students are also provided feedback on their performance, besides guidance and coaching for further improvement. Once the students are nurtured, they become part of the school team and represent the school at various prestigious platforms. With every student getting a fair chance, more and more children are being engaged and positively impacted.

The different activities are also reviewed extensively to gauge which activity would hone maximum skills and provide the maximum benefits for children. The stakeholders also check for the amount of time each event would take and then, decide the right time to fit it in the calendar. These calendars are developed at the beginning of the year to factor in time management between academic routines, so that planning becomes easier for the school leadership team and also, for the teachers. Teachers are encouraged to be on board while curating these activities so that they are motivated to carry out the event and also, to inspire the students to participate.

When all stakeholders come together for events, the understanding amongst them as a team is excellent, thus ensuring the smooth sailing of all activities within the school.

Given that children’s preferences for the type of events – outdoor events, indoor events, events with individual participation, team events, sporting or non-sporting, etc. widely vary, Sunbeam school believes in the theory of multiple intelligence. Care is taken to include activities that will cater to everyone’s interest. In today’s day and age, it is imperative to include events of the latest or most new-age formats to further challenge students’ capabilities, meet their different needs, as well as hone their skills.

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Governance BRINGING ALL STAKEHOLDERS TOGETHER It is essential to involve all stakeholders in different events. They not only provide complete information but also share feedback to improve the levels and types of activities continuously. When teachers have negative thoughts about non-academic activities, they are taken on board to curate events, and the benefits of these events for children are actively discussed with them. Teachers and mentors who take these activities forward are praised and acknowledged for their efforts, so over the years, many teachers willingly handle different activities. When all stakeholders come together for these events, the understanding amongst them as a team is excellent, thus ensuring the smooth sailing of all activities within the school.

When students participate in such events, they come back with different ideas and want to try different things. They even challenge their system, thoughts and beliefs. Interaction with children of other schools makes them analyse what they want to change for the better, without anyone telling them to do so. Students also discover/recognise their hidden talents and often convince their parents to allow them to participate in various events, thus making the job of the teacher easier.

SUCCESSFUL PRACTICES ADOPTED BY THE SCHOOL Preparing a calendar at the beginning of the year. The calendar is divided class-wise and also contains information on which activities would be part of the calendar – from debates to declamation to quizzes to sports, etc. Including field trips, learning expeditions, heritage walks and special weeks – from a gadget week to a Varanasi week, etc.

Since schools are the places where children spend a considerable amount of time, they are responsible for imparting relevant education to mould the country’s future citizens.

CREATING IMPACT THROUGH COLLABORATION It is always good to collaborate, as educators cannot be experts in all possible fields. As an institution, Sunbeam has tied up with great external organisations who have held some fantastic activities. Before making any decision, a thorough analysis of the activity and reputation of the organisation is carried out. Such collaborations provide students and teachers with exposure to national and international platforms enabling them to come back rich in experience. This has helped the school’s levels improve tremendously over time.

When students participate in such events, they come back

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Many things are introduced through special assemblies and clubs so that every child can be part of at least one club out of the 45 in the school, and pick up a hobby to excel in, over the years.

These practices are now an essential part of the system, and after plenty of feedback and fine-tuning, they have been successfully accepted by parents and all stakeholders. Parents have seen a remarkable change in their children and the students, in themselves. Students feel they are performing better in their academics as a result of these activities. Teachers are now witnessing the change, and they are not only convinced but are also proud of being a part of a group that’s bringing about this transformation.

Governance

TIPS TO FOLLOW Believe in the fact that children develop better when there is a good balance between academics and non-academics. Plan ahead and plan well by giving yourself enough time and making the required effort. Plan annually and don’t overdo anything. Take outside help and collaborate. You cannot be an expert in everything. Also, take all stakeholders with you as the journey will be smooth sailing, successful and gratifying. Constantly review what you are doing as this is a very dynamic area, and there is great room for innovation. Some old formats will have to be dropped, and the challenge levels will constantly have to be worked upon.

SUMMARY It is the need of the hour for schools and parents to shift their focus from defining success based on grades to also including other non-academical achievements. Academic accomplishment is incomplete without essential life skills. As it is rightly said, degrees will take you to an interview, but it is your skills that will get you the job. CBSE has realised the importance of these events in the holistic development of children. Events and activities conducted in schools are even graded by the board now.

It is the need of the hour for schools and parents to shift their focus from deﬁning success based on grades to also including other non-academical achievements. Academic accomplishment is incomplete without essential life skills.

Mentor ¦ October 2019 ¦ www.lxl.in

Innovation

Technology Integration at All Learning Levels Experiencing the World of Learning through the Lens of Technology Neera Aggarwal

Integrating technology at all learning levels is very important from the viewpoint of all the stakeholders in education - the students, teachers, management and parents. A seamless integration acts as an enabler â&#x20AC;&#x201C; generating interest and a sense of inquisitiveness amongst students of all age groups. If appropriately utilised, technology has the power to motivate students to learn and at the same time, instil a sense of achievement in teachers who can then channelise their energy more effectively. Technology allows teachers to invest their time in doing more value-added work rather than something unproductive like planning daily routine tasks. It also opens up possibilities for teachers to share their knowledge, in real-time, with students anywhere in the world. Furthermore, technology supports students to teach others, and this becomes a great learning experience in return.

STAGES OF TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION IN LEARNING According to Terry Heick, Founder and Director of TeachThought, technology integration in learning takes place in four stages, described below. 1. Directed: Learners are given support and guidance while using technology 2. Access: Here, learners have access to information, communities and network, but still require support to leverage this access 3. Mobile: At this stage, mobile technology is used to disrupt traditional classroom practices and pedagogy, thus giving mobile learners a flexible curriculum 4. Self-directed: In this final stage, learners consistently self-direct significant and critical components of learning experiences

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Innovation PRACTICES TO FOLLOW Below are a few tips that teachers and educators can incorporate to help better integrate technology into learning. • Incorporate audio-visual aids and music while teaching young children. A whole world of information is available with the click of a button. Teachers can teach about animals, music, dance, drawing, and even numbers in a more entertaining manner, thereby, effectively engaging learners who typically have a short attention span. Teachers can also use smart art, infographics, slides, films, PPTs, etc. to talk about data and facts to older children. • Use technology to address critical social problems such as cultural diversity, environmental issues, conflicts, etc. Technology has the power to deliver essential messages by emotionally connecting with students rather than being sanctimonious. Technology also enables learners to come together and work towards causes that they are passionate about. With technology, learners can also reach out to more people to make a change.

• As much as possible, incorporate technology everywhere – in your club activities, board-decoration, events, exhibitions, projects, group discussions, school set-up, managing libraries, curriculum design, reporting systems, as well as teacher training programs. • Have an E-library and/or provide students with mobile technologies such as tablets, to help students carry out extensive research on topics that they may be interested in, but are not necessarily taught in school.

SUMMARY Unquestionably, technology is one of the most powerful tools to implement in education. Digital communication technologies especially are an excellent platform for increasing the speed and ease of learning, improving the quality and variety of educational material, improving teaching and learning efficiency, as well as building confidence in students and teachers.

• Teachers can utilise excel sheets for the result documenta-

If appropriately utilised, technology has the power to motivate students to learn and at the same time, instil a sense of achievement in teachers who can then channelise their energy more effectively.

• Teachers can utilise excel sheets for the result documentation process. The analysis becomes easier and more systematic. Preparing/writing question papers or drawing sketches and figures, which is usually a cumbersome process is much easier, quicker and neater using technology. • Technology can help explain different concepts, such as mathematical ones in a much easier manner. Language teachers can find dramas, stories and grammar activities to teach proper pronunciation, spellings, and ensure a better understanding of words. History can be made more exciting by showing films or viewing different personalities and monuments. By using different visuals and videos, teaching geography can also be made more innovative.

Technology has the power to deliver essential messages by emotionally connecting with students rather than being sanctimonious.

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Innovation

Films: The Great Catalyst Exploring a Contemporary Dimension of Literacy Dr. Shwetha Gaur

After watching the film ‘Mission Mangal’I, I was caught up in a whirlpool of thoughts. Being a movie buff, I always get carried away whenever I encounter a story that’s expressed beautifully. But Mission Mangal gripped me not for its intriguing storyline or protagonists, but predominantly for its passion for science. It took me back to my childhood memories when civil engineers were termed ‘builders of the nation’. My father, a civil engineer by profession, was primarily motivated to change the lives of people using the knowledge of science. He would encourage my siblings and I to think about ways in which science would empower people and make their lives better.

Father would discuss how time stood still in certain parts of the country, with many people following the mundane ways of living – be it in their agricultural practices or craftsmanship. He would always say that change will come when we begin to embrace technology, and science will enable it. During my school holidays, sometimes we would get the opportunity to accompany him to various construction sites, where canals were being constructed in the remotest parts of Western Rajasthan. I watched him interact with the villagers, often giving them a sense of hope that their hardships would soon be over when water makes its way through the canals.

Films have always been a great inspiration to me. I grew up watching diverse films, back in the days of the Video Cassette Recorders (VCRs). Although in those days, exposure to world cinemas was extremely limited, Doordarshan – India’s public-service broadcaster established in 1959 – used to telecast award-winning regional films every Sunday. Those afternoons were some of my most cherished moments. I recall watching these films with English subtitles, which were always trailed by in-depth discussions and debates with my father. He was a man who was always keen on giving his children an exposure to the world, as much as possible.

His conversations always revolved around making an impact in the lives of people through science and technology. Mission Mangal took me back to those days when we did things because we loved doing it; there was no other factor involved. However, in the process of growing up, the choice of areas of study for my siblings and I were greatly affected and directed by which subject would offer better career opportunities, rather than a genuine passion for the subject matter. Personally, the whole idea of studying science so that I could bring solutions to unanswered questions in life became disillusioned in fear of earning a livelihood.

Films contribute immensely towards creating socially-aware citizens of the nation.

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Innovation UNDERSTANDING SOCIETY THROUGH FILMS Ask any student about cinema, and they will tell you how much they like watching films. The topic of films inside the classrooms, initiated by the teacher, brings an unimaginable kind of happiness. However, if we scratch the surface a little further; what kind of films are the children of today watching? The answer will range from Disney movies to the Avengers. But, are children learning anything valuable that they can positively contribute to society from these films? It is believed that cinema is the reflection of the community, but one has to choose the right films for building any connection with society.

There is an ample body of research that talks about the influence of motion pictures/films on the attitude and behaviours of children. Various economic and socio-political dynamics of the society influence filmmakers, which in turn is reflected in films, thereby, influencing the ultimate audience.

When these topics are brought in to the classroom through films, students gain an understanding of the society around them, but most importantly, develop the skill of empathising with other humans – by understanding the struggles of people and by rejoicing with the smallest of successes.

Films like ‘Three Idiots’ are a true reflection of a specific section of the society which is driven entirely by scores. Or even a film like ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’ is a representation of the despair that people experienced during partition. Films have persistently dealt with the problems of the society, and have assisted audiences to experience these problems through an emotional connect with the protagonist. In the process, films have helped viewers develop their own understanding of various social issues – be it ‘Sanath’ii, or ‘Chillar Party’iii, ‘Tare Zameen Par’ or as a matter of fact, even ‘Daughters of India’iv or ‘Avatar’v. The topics covered in films include bullying, corruption, inequality, poverty, child marriage, women issues, and the small mundane struggles of people in their everyday lives.

Students with excellent academic achievements but with no real connection to humanity will end up becoming just centrepieces in society. Socially-aware students will, however, eventually strive towards becoming more informed citizens of tomorrow. If engineers, doctors or social-scientists are not aware of critical issues like climate change, poverty, inequality, illiteracy, etc., how will they be passionate about finding solutions to these problems? Education is not just about being able to read and write, but also to be able to connect with the outside world. This is the information age, and digital literacy or media literacy is synonymous to basic education. Films can help students connect with their society better, thus aiding students to identify what is it that they want to do in life.

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Innovation SUMMARY In India, the whole rat race of becoming an engineer or a doctor stems from the belief that it will bring about a good job and a satisfactory lifestyle. We are a society which witnesses child birth happening in hospital corridors due to the apathy of doctors and nurses, children dying due to electrocution from hanging open wires as a result of the negligence of engineers, and caste/religion-based atrocities done by the common man, every other day. What about the power of science which enables people to bring about change towards the betterment of lives? Mission Mangal connected me with those forgotten moments – where the passion for doing something for society was the primary driving force for any action. This is the power of cinema; a guiding light to remind you of your values and passion. Cinema can even inspire people to follow their dreams and follow a path that’s right for them.

This is the power of cinema; a guiding light to remind you of your values and passion. Cinema can even inspire people to follow their dreams and follow a path that’s right for them.

References: iA film made by Jagan Shakti, based on true events of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launching the Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan), making it the least expensive mission to Mars. ii National award-winning film which narrates the story of a victim of medical negligence who becomes invalid for life. Uneducated and facing economic difficulties, he opens educational institutions where thousands can learn and become successful in life. iii This film was awarded a National Award in 2011. The film takes on complex issues related to political corruption, media, child labour, and love for animals via an adorable group of children located in an apartment block of Mumbai. The director playfully and innovatively moves towards instilling a sense of responsibility and values both amongst children and adults. iv National-awarded documentary film on the New Delhi Rape victim and a societal approach and understanding of the issue. v A Hollywood blockbuster by James Cameron which talked about human greed and the extent to which we can go to fulfil this greed. man/2017/09/06/17-stats-about-video-marketing/

Mentor ¦ October 2019 ¦ www.lxl.in