Mentor January 2016 Volume 9 Issue 8

CONTENT

Mentor, January 2016 Volume 9, Issue 8

Mentor Thoughts

Pedagogy

06 Early Literacy

05 Sultan Speaks

Children develop much of their capacity for learning in the first three years of life…

Be the change...

13 Cover Story

Teachers are in the unenviable position of being stuck between a rock and a hard space...

34 Post Scriptum

Forever indebted to you…

08 The Invisible Curriculum

Children learn values by seeing adults around them...

10 Vertical Grouping

I know, I wonder, I predict is my method...

School Leadership

Innovation

31 18 Mentor Conclave Educating children against all odds

Thoughts and Feedback

Recognition ignites the fire in teachers who are not looked-up by our society today...

21 IPSC Report

School Governance

26 On being a good citizen Providing civic education to children in schools...

29 Addressing

developmental stages

Propagating age appropriate learning in children in the pre-school...

Report Galleria...

23 Hole-in-the-Wall

Learning stations and academic performance among rural children in India...

Publisher and Owner Mr. Syed Sultan Ahmed Editor-in-Chief Dr. Vidya Shetty

Kiran Pai

EDUCATORS

Sajeetha Barathi

Content Team Ms. Kalpa Kartik Ms. Vibha Tirumalai

IN THE SPOTLIGHT Ritu Dangwal

Premkumar David

Designed by Mr. Harpreet Singh Production Mr. Praveen U.M. Mr. Sathish C. Ms. Guna V.

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DID YOU KNOW? Green, Red and Gold happen to be the traditional colours of Christmas. GREEN is the symbol of life and rebirth; RED symbolizes the blood of Christ and GOLD represents wealth and royalty.

December 25 was proclaimed as the official date for the celebration of the birth of Christ by Pope Julius, the Bishop of Rome in AD 350.

Santa Claus is based on a real person, St Nikolas of Myra born in Patara, modern day Turkey. He was a non Biblical saint, almost close to Mary, who had been depicted as stern and commanding, almost the opposite of what he is perceived as today with the overweight image, fun loving and jolly characteristics.

According to the belief of most European Countries, spirits, both good and evil are active during the twelve days of Christmas. These spirits evolve into Santa’s elves especially under the influence of saint Clement C Moore.

The word Christmas has been derived from a combination of the words, ‘Christ’s Mass’. Also the letter X is denoted as the first letter of Christ in Greek and hence Xmas is the abbreviation for Christmas.

Julius Caesar, the emperor of Rome declared January 1st as a national holiday. The month of January was named after Janus, the Roman God of doors and gates with two faces one facing back and one looking forward. Caesar thought this name therefore should fit in perfectly.

Auld Lang Sayne, is the traditional new year song written by poet Robert Berns in 1788. The message of the song is to remember their loved ones, dead and alive, and keep them close to their hearts.

The New Year brings with itself a series of promises, some spoken yet most broken!

With the determination that Mentor will continue to enlighten, empower and educate its readers through the following year and the years that follow we wish our readers a Merry Christmas and a promising New Year! ries or to us sto Do write uld add o c t a tes th r anecdo to all ou t h d thoug @ n fo a in e t lu a a s v il u can ma r send o t e lives. You .n e , agazin mentorm rs to “The Editor” tte , le 5 r 7 u 1 o y ,# e in Magazin MENTOR Lower Palace , ss ro 2nd C luru - 03. s, Benga Orchard 8899 7 3 9 7 3 Ph: +91 9 Source Internet

SULTAN SPEAKS

BE THE CHANGE! For over a decade now almost every educational event had a discussion on the topic ‘Change in Education’. Everytime I have heard anyone speak on this subject the arguments were always limited to Why Change is required? I have rarely if ever come across anyone suggesting How Change will happen. For years now I have been pondering over how this change will happen, will someone come in like the messiahs of the millenniums gone by and prophesize what the future of education should be or will the boards wake up one day to dictate what the future of education will be like or will someone have a magic wand to bring about the change. Clearly these fantasies won’t come true.

I have an idea; I think I know how the education system will change!

First let us look at the changes that have happened in the education system or methods over the past decade. Most of the changes that have happened have come in from outside the school through Edupreneurs, corporates and individuals who have come up with technologies, services, products and innovations. Very little change has come from within schools, most of it came in from outside.

If schools start mindful experiments with an intent to change and challenge their existing practices it will lead to amazing innovations and evolution of the Schooling Process.

If schools can identify areas that they find difficulty in like teacher quality, enabling creativity in or innovative assessment systems and then start controlled experiments that are monitored, data analyzed, changes made and learning and outcomes documented it will lead to real change within their schools.

If hundreds of schools start believing in this idea, hundreds of thousands of experiments that cover different challenges in education will be initiated; and if the schools start sharing the learnings of these experiments with one another it will lead to a movement.

Once this movement starts and more experiments happen and more data points are generated; more information would be

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available on what is working and what is not. These learnings will then form the basic building blocks of the new education system that we are all hoping will happen someday.

Be the change, this is how I believe our education system will change!

It is a new year and a great occasion for us to be that change that we hope will come about.

I truly believe that each one of us as educators have the power in our hands to make that small difference in what we are doing, these small changes will eventually add up to the big Change we want to see!

Happy New Year!

May the change be with you!

Most of the changes that have happened have come in from outside the school through Edupreneurs, corporates and individuals

Mr. Syed Sultan Ahmed, MD, EduMedia India Pvt. Ltd. sultan@edumedia.in

PEDAGOGY

EARLY LITERACY Reading aloud to a child every day increases its brain’s capacity for language and literacy skills and this is the most important thing one can do to prepare a child for learning to read.

Dr N N Prahallada, Consultant, National Early Literacy Programme (NELP) shares with MENTOR dimensions of early literacy.

Early Literacy is important. In many Kindergarten schools a large number of children enter with lack of necessary language and pre-reading skills. Experts now know that the development of language and literacy skills begin at birth. Children develop much of their capacity for learning in the first three years of life, when their brains grow to 90 per cent of their eventual adult weight.

Children who are exposed to interactive literacy – rich environments and full of fun opportunities to learn language will develop early literacy skills. Parents play the key role for their child’s success in learning to read.

When the parents read, talk or play with their child, they are stimulating the growth of his/her brain and building the connections that will become the building blocks for reading. Brain development research shows that reading aloud to a child every day, increases its brain’s capacity for language and literacy skills and this in the long run will help prepare the child for learning to read.

Early literacy skills begin to develop in the first five years of life. Early literacy refers to what children know about communication, verbal and non-verbal language, reading and writing before they can actually read and write. Early literacy takes care of the child’s totality of experiences with conversation, oral and written stories, books and print.

Children learn to talk, read and write through social literacy experiences as adults or older children interact with them using books and other literacy materials, including magazines, markers and paper.

Formal instruction which pushes infants and toddlers to achieve adult models of literacy that is the actual reading and writing of words

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is not developmentally appropriate. Early literacy theory emphasizes on the natural unfolding of skills through the enjoyment of readin books, the importance of positive interactions between young children and adults, and the critical role of literacy-rich experiences. Formal instruction to require young children who are not developmentally ready to read is counter-productive and potentially damaging to children who may begin to associate reading and books with failure.

Early literacy theory emphasizes the more natural unfolding of skills through the enjoyment of books, the importance of positive interactions between young children and adults and the critical role of literacy-rich experiences The following are some of the Early Literacy Behaviour • Book handling Behaviour - Behaviour related to a child’s physical manipulation or handling of books, such as page turning.

• Looking and Recognizing - Behaviour related to how children pay attention to and interact with picture in books, such as gazing at pictures or laughing at a favourite picture.

• Picture and story comprehension - Behaviour that show a child’s understanding of pictures and events in a book, such as imitating an action seen in a picture or talking about the events in a story.

• Story - Reading Behaviour - Behaviour that includes children’s verbal interactions with books and their increasing understanding

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of print in books, such as babbling in imitation of reading or running fingers along printed words.

Looking at early literacy development as a dynamic developmental process, we can see the connection and meaning between an infant mouthing a book, the book handling behaviour of a two year old and the page turning of a five year old. We can see that the first three years of exploring and playing with books, singing nursery rhymes, listening to stories, recognizing words and scribbling are truly building blocks for language and literacy development.

Young children need a variety of skills to become successful readers. A group of reading experts have determined that six specific early literacy skills become the building blocks for later reading and writing.

Research indicates that children who enter school with more of these skills are better equipped to benefit from the reading instructions they receive when they arrive at school.

The following are the six specific Early Literacy Skills (ELS): VOCABULARY - it refers to knowing the names of things and is an extremely important skill for children to have when they are learning to read. Most children enter school with a vocabulary between 3000 and 5000 words.

PRINT MOTIVATION - Print motivation is a child’s interest in and enjoyment of books. A child with print motivation enjoys being read

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to, plays with books and likes to visit library.

PRINT AWARENESS - This includes learning like writing in English or the mother tongue which follows basic rules such as flowing from topto-bottom and left- to- right. An example of print awareness is a child’s ability to point to the words on the page of a book.

NARRATIVE SKILLS - This refers to ability to understand and tell stories. An example of a narrative skill is a child’s ability to tell what happens at a birthday function or on a trip to the zoo or a palace.

LETTER KNOWLEDGE - Letter knowledge includes learning that letters have names and are different from each other and that specific sounds go with specific letters.

PHONOLOGICAL AWARENESS - It is the ability of a child to hear and manipulate the smaller sounds in words. Child can create rhymes, to say words with sounds or chunks left out and the ability to put two word chunks together to make a word. Most children who have difficulty in reading have trouble in phonological awareness. One can strengthen Phonological awareness in children by playing fun word games. Make up silly words by changing first sound in a word - Milk, nilk, pilk, rilk, filk. Say word with pause between the syllables (“rab and it”) and let the child guess what word you are saying. Read stories of poems with rhymes or different sounds to your child.

Early Literacy Research states that - language, reading, and writing skills develop at the same time and are intimately linked. Early literacy development is a continuous developmental process that begins in the first years of life.

Early literacy skills develop in real life settings through positive interactions with literacy materials and other people.

nnprahallad@yahoo.co.in

THE INVISIBLE CURRICULUM Kiran Pai is the Director of Vidyashilp Academy and the founder of Connectivate, a conference platform for educators and students.

Though she is one of the youngest education entrepreneurs in the country, she has nearly a decade of experience in the field of K-12 management. Kiran is also a doctoral student of the Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California and shares with MENTOR her views on Setting a School Culture.

The moment a student or a teacher steps into their campus, they sense something unique and undefined about the school they attend.

Some use terms like ‘atmosphere’, ‘climate’ or ‘culture’ to capture this pervasive, yet elusive element that they just can’t put a finger on. From the front desk executives, to the custodians, administrative teams and educators, the collective attitudes of the whole staff can build up or break down school culture.

Who Shapes the School Culture?

School culture is one of the most significant elements of the success of any educational institution. It influences everything that goes on in schools on an everyday basis: how educators dress, how they interact with each other, their willingness to learn and so on. During one of my interviews with Dr Howard Gardner about school culture, he remarked, “Children, at school, rarely ever notice what teachers say, but they always notice what teachers do. How we behave, as educators, has a tremendous influence on children.” Even at home, much of what children learn today is unsaid. Eda LeShan, a family counselor and author of parenting books, often wrote, “The only way to raise a decent human being is by being

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one.” Children do not learn values simply by being told about them. They learn by seeing adults around them act on and uphold those values in their daily lives. As educators, we can show our students that we respect others. We can show them our compassion and concern when others are struggling and our own self-discipline, courage and honesty and our willingness to learn from mistakes.

How we behave and how we interact with those around us forms a part of the ‘invisible’ curriculum that shapes student learning and impacts how they think, feel and act in school. This highly enduring chain of influence binds the school together and sets the stage for student achievement.

What can Administrators do?

Administrators need to ‘feel’ the pulse of the school. One way to begin is by asking the right questions:

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• What are our underlying beliefs and assumptions about how children learn?

• What is it that we do that discourages students from learning and creates a negative climate?

• What is it that we do that makes students and teachers look forward to coming into school every day?

An honest and thorough analysis of each of these answers will provide a platform to improve school culture. Involving the voices of parents, educators and students will be vital to taking those first few steps towards improvement. A great way to start assessing school culture is by hosting small group staff meetings, conducting school-wide surveys for parents, teachers and students or by setting up feedback boxes in the school hallways.

Here are three practical, tried and tested ways in which school leaders and educators can start cultivating a positive school culture: Positive behaviour referral program: Most schools have discipline referrals, in which teachers document student misbehaviour and send them to the Principal’s office with the discipline form. Todd Whitaker, author of several educational leadership books, suggests that schools start a positive behaviour referral program that recognises students for pro-social and positive behaviour. At our school, we initiated a similar program that we called ‘the joy file’ - a file that had brightly coloured paper on which teachers would write up positive behaviours they have noticed from their students. One of the most recent ones I have read is, “Aditi helped a fellow student on crutches in the hallway today” or “Varun’s effort to improve his subject grades is visible - he participates actively in class now!” When administrators receive positive referrals, they make a phone call home acknowledging and praising the student to their parents. This does two things: one is that with the parents, it builds a positive reputation for the teacher who has recognised the student and two is that it shows the students that they are noticed and appreciated. Many of our students, especially those who struggle, don’t receive nearly enough positive feedback in the

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classroom or in their personal lives.

Build culture ownership with teachers: Effective leadership as administrators means delegating authority and allowing educators to lead the school’s shared vision into action.

Allowing such teacher leadership creates a sense of ownership and builds trust and collegiality. At our school, we have instituted faculty teams that function independently, where teachers take more ownership of the culture of the school, whether it is with regards to professional development, lesson plans, coordinating events or offering ideas for whole school improvement.

Appreciation week: At the end of each academic year, we celebrate the contribution and successes of those in our school community - students, teachers, parents, support staff and administrators alike. Every member of the school community writes notes of gratitude to each other: students put up large posters thanking teachers and support staff for their help and encouragement; teachers make special cards for students in their classrooms; parents email their notes of thanks to school administrators and their children’s teachers for all their support. All in all, it is a fantastic way to build up morale for every member of the school community. Students have an opportunity to see adults in their lives enact values of gratitude and humility through the week.

How we behave and how we interact with those around us forms a part of the ‘invisible’ curriculum that shapes student learning and impacts how they think, feel and act in school. This highly enduring chain of influence binds the school together and sets the stage for student achievement Our students have a major task to accomplish in their lives: to become individuals of character; and character education can be taught only through the invisible curriculum that run in the veins of our school culture.

Sometimes, for real change to occur with students, it is the adults who have to change first.

kiran.pai@vidyashilp.com

VERTICAL GROUPING Sajeetha Barathi, Principal, The Titan School, Hosur states that “we need to provide learners with opportunities to use new ideas. We need to provide a class room atmosphere that encourages students to suggest and discuss ideas”. Having over 21 years of experience in teaching, administration and management of school activities she shares with MENTOR her paper and thoughts on pedagogy.

Science teaching needs to move from investigation by the teacher to investigation by the students. It has to facilitate thinking, observation, prediction and enjoying by students. Science teaching should demonstrate understanding unknown events, identify examples from student experiences, student to conduct the event and discuss. Teachers should ensure prior awareness of ideas that students bring to the learning situation. Teachers should have clearly defined conceptual goals for learners, use of teaching strategies, which challenge or develop the initial ideas of students.

sources (including library books, internet and interaction with experts) facilitated by the teacher and arrive at answers and verify their predictions.

To create interest about a topic and for students to take ownership for learning and be active learners, I used a method called ‘I know, I wonder, I predict’. This shifts the focus from teaching by teachers to learning by students. Let me share this understanding with an example….students are presented with a topic or a problem. For eg. ‘White Tigers’, ‘Sea otters are less in numbers’.

Students will think, reflect and write under the three headings.

Literature in science has always emphasized inculcating scientific temper in students and skill development rather than rote learning or just knowledge acquisition. It has emphasized the need for questioning, analyzing and critical and creative thinking.

I know ................., I wonder ............., I predict...............

Teachers should have clearly defined conceptual goals for learners, use of teaching strategies, which challenge or develop the initial ideas of students Students then write down three to four points under each of the headings. This is followed by teacher student interaction. Students will then work on references from different

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This method used in Science, EVS and Social Science is very effective in generating interest in students. There is involvement, participation and learning that is meaningful and personal. Hence it ensures retention. It facilitates students to find information on various topics – learning to learn.

I know, I wonder and I predict

Purpose: What kind of thinking does this routine encourage?

This routine encourages students to make careful observations and thoughtful interpretations. It helps stimulate curiosity and sets the stage for inquiry.

Application: When and where can it be used?

Use this routine when you want students to think carefully about why something looks the way it does or is the way it is. Use the routine at the beginning of a new unit to motivate student interest or try it with an object that connects to a topic during the unit of study. Consider using the routine with

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an interesting object near the end of a unit to encourage students to further apply their new knowledge and ideas.

a class chart of observations, interpretations and wonderings are listed for all to see and return to during the course of study.

Launch: What are some tips for starting and using this routine?

Ask students to make an observation about an object - it could be an artwork, image, artifact or topic and follow up with what they think might be going on or what they think this observation might be. Encourage students to back up their interpretation with reasons. Ask students to think about what this makes them wonder about - the object or the topic.

Acknowledgement: Visible Thinking, Harvard Project Zero

The routine works best when a student responds by using the three stems together at the same time, i.e., “I see..., I think..., I wonder....” However, you may find that students begin by using one stem at a time and that you need to scaffold each response with a follow up question for the next stem.

In the parallel section (Group II) students were asked to think and write under the three headings – I know, I wonder, I predict.

Based on their enquiry, students discussed, shared with their groups and did reference (kept ready by the teacher). They sought answers from different sources.

The routine works well in a group discussion but in some cases you may want to ask students to try the routine individually on paper or in their heads before sharing out as a class. Student responses to the routine can be written down and recorded so that

The time both classes took was similar but there was a marked difference in the class room scenario and involvement of students.

Group II was participative and assessment showed a difference in understanding.

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Case study: The same topic was given to two parallel sections of class VI. In one section (Group I) students were taught by the teacher using text books and AV tools. They wrote down the answers based on questions posed by teacher and from the text book.

ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSIONS ON THE FINDINGS • The level of interest as measured by participation, involvement and finding information from different sources was visible in Group II. • Group I understood the topic, but it was more information and knowledge gathered.

• In Group II it was curiosity, going beyond the text and hypothesising and thinking beyond.

• The student’s feedback was sought through the check list on a rating scale as in the Table I. Analysis of the results showed higher order learning in Group II and interest of students was also evident in Group II.

TABLE I: CHECK LIST

THE TITAN SCHOOL CHECK LIST S.No

Parameters

1

The class was interesting

2

There was interaction with others in groups

3

Enjoyed discussing what we read in newspapers

4

We learnt beyond the text book

5

We learnt by observation, referring books in the library and from the internet.

6

Our understanding was good

7

We had many questions to ask

8

We were focused

9

We got a variety of answers

10

We will remember the concepts

Strongly Agree

Agree

Disagree

1

2

3

The method I know, I wonder, I predict definitely leads to scientific enquiry, active participation and is learner centered. Learning how to learn could be applied to other areas of learning and understanding as well.

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thetitanschool@yahoo.co.in

January 2016

COVER STORY

PEDAGOGY…. PERCEPTION TO PERSPECTIVE Emerging technologies and resulting globalization have changed the equation of education in the 21st century. Dr. Farooq Ahmad Wasil, CEO Goldline Education, Dubai, a visionary in the field of education has a dream right from his formative years to contribute constructively and meaningfully to education. He pens his thoughts on changes envisaged in schools today through MENTOR, while he also spoke on the same during the MENTOR Conclave, 2015.

Teaching from time immemorial has been considered as the noblest and most prestigious profession.

Teachers were revered as the “Gurus” or masters across the world and as such received due respect and honour. They were confident and strong in numbers. But since the early 1980s, two significant trends have led to the very bases of the profession being called into question.

The first of these trends is the lowering of the quality of education. With the advent of mass education along with a combination of demographic, social and economic factors there has been a distressing increase in the school population. This necessitated a massive recruitment drive for teaching staff which led to a dramatic quantitative jump in numbers; unfortunately it was not a qualitative jump! In many countries, this recruitment was carried out with very limited resources and there was dearth of

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qualified candidates. As a result the quality of education deteriorated and the credibility of teachers was lowered. The teaching profession had to accept candidates who were ill- prepared and its traditional prestige was further devalued by the introduction of a host of new grades for teachers which in many cases bore little relationship to the existing hierarchical structure. These external pressures effectively destroyed the normal staff renewal process and contributed further to the devaluation of the profession’s image.

An additional element contributing to the crisis was the low salaries paid to the teachers owing to economic difficulties. In several countries, teachers’ pay is over fifty per cent less than that of other professions requiring a similar level of training. This obviously makes it difficult to attract and retain the best qualified and most motivated personnel. To add insult to injury, owing to inadequate resources, working conditions are also difficult – over-crowded, ill-equipped and badly maintained classrooms, absence or shortage of teaching materials, as is often the case in the developing countries.

The second significant trend leading to deterioration of the status of the teachers is the emergence and rapid escalation of technological growth and information and communication services depriving the teachers of their former monopoly position as the sole source of knowledge.

Suddenly, education is no longer the concern of specialists alone.

The work of the teacher is now constantly under the microscope and is subject to increasingly critical appraisal as the media has rocketed into the limelight as a new source of information, experience and values. Teachers are perpetually questioned and criticized as transmitters of knowledge and they find a new and impossible task thrust upon them that of helping their pupils to interpret often contradictory information received from a multiplicity of sources over which, as teachers, they have no control.

Organizational structure, policy and indeed culture need to reflect the imperative of supporting staff learning and understanding to secure successful change In this current scenario, there is a growing propensity for teachers especially from the primary level upwards, to give up the struggle. Teachers are in the unenviable position of being stuck between a rock and a hard space; unable to retain their former status and position and with no alternative position to assume, teachers have no means of maintaining the necessary balance between knowledge and authority. Teachers are wary and cautious in their approach to their pupils; their image is tarnished and their confidence is abysmally low, and this further adds to the deterioration of the educational situation.

The 21st century curriculum is a relevant, rigorous and real life curriculum. It is interdisciplinary, project based and research driven. It is connected not only to the local/state or national community but is wholly global providing scope for students to collaborate with people from all over the world. The curriculum incorporates not only higher order thinking skills, multiple intelligences and authentic assessments but also the multiple literacies of this century including financial, eco, media, cyber , the arts and creativity, social / emotional literacy, physical fitness and health literacy, globalization and multicultural literacy. The curriculum and instruction are designed so as to challenge all students and provide scope for differentiation. Skills and content are not taught as an end in themselves but

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students are encouraged to learn through their research and application in their projects. Text books are not the only resource for learning as multiple resources are used to effect learning. Knowledge is constructed through research and application and is connected to previous knowledge and experience and it is no longer mere memorization of facts and figures with little or no understanding or application.

Assessments also move from regurgitation of facts and figures to demonstration of understanding through application in a variety of contexts. Assessments are no longer the exclusive domain of the teacher but include self and peer evaluation too.

Exams are failure free, providing personal learning opportunities confirming progress and encouraging further learning.

Instructional requirements have changed significantly in the last decade hence today’s knowledge economy demands a new kind of learning environment. It is the responsibility of the educators and educating institutions to shape opportunities that help build the skills, ideas and attitudes of the students to help them succeed in work and life in a future heading for greater technological advances. Today’s schools are renovating old classrooms and building new ones to meet important technology-oriented teaching needs. Many instructors now use the Internet, multimedia and presentation software in their classes. Others combine computer-based learning with an emphasis on collaborative teaching methods. There is a growing demand for classrooms to be more flexible than they were in the past, and to accommodate a wide array of instructional technologies that are in sync with the latest developments in pedagogy as well as new styles of learning and teaching.

The traditional pattern of teaching has been to assign students to read a section of a textbook after-school, which was then discussed the next day in class. Students would then be assigned an assessment for homework to demonstrate their understanding of the topic. This traditional mode of learning has now changed, the whole classroom/homework paradigm is “flipped”. The flipped classroom is a

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pedagogical model in which the typical lecture and homework elements of a course are reversed. What used to be classwork or the “lecture� is done at home through teacher-created videos and what used to be homework or assignments is now done in class. The flipped classroom is a form of blended learning which encompasses any use of technology to leverage the learning in a classroom, so a teacher can spend more time interacting with students instead of lecturing. This is most commonly being done using teacher-created videos that students view outside of class time. In the classroom, the pupil then tries to apply the knowledge by solving problems and doing practical work. The role of the classroom teacher is then to tutor the student when they become stuck, rather than to impart the initial lesson.

This allows time inside the class to be used for additional learning-based activities, including use of differentiated instruction and project-based learning.

The school curriculum has two broad areas to take care of all the developmental aspects of the child- the cognitive, affective and psychomotor. Subjects like language, mathematics, science and social studies mainly help the cognitive development of the child. Many other activities are necessary for development of the affective and psychomotor domain. These activities like games and sport, art and music, craftwork are termed as co-scholastic activities or extra -curricular activities.

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In the perpetual race against time to complete syllabi and portions the teachers however tend to teach subjects in isolation within a 40 minute time frame preparing students for examinations rather than learning for life.

Is it any wonder that school students complain that school is irrelevant to the larger world! Students relate to subjects as isolated compartments for English, Math, Social studies, Science, Art, Music and Physical education and begin to perceive the subject areas as separate entities of knowledge with little relationship to one another. This perhaps stems from the fact that the children do not understand the interconnectedness of the curriculum for the simple reason that no one has ever explained it to them.

Teachers need to be supported through the change process through professional development opportunities The answer to this educational dilemma regarding the relevance of the curriculum lies in the concept of integration of the curriculum. Knowledge is growing exponentially and fragmented schedules and isolated content focusing on specific subject areas compound the dilemma as students never have the chance to explore a subject in depth.

The goal of a school should be simple; each student is expected to master a limited number of essential skills and areas of knowledge. Keeping this in mind there

should be a paradigm shift in the curriculum design from a conventional focus on subjects to a curriculum shaped by the intellectual and creative competencies that are necessary components of the repertoire of skills required to succeed in life today. An interdisciplinary curriculum combines several school subjects into one active project and is organized in such a manner as to transcend the boundaries of subject matter and content to bring together various aspects of the curriculum into meaningful association.

A shift in curriculum design would by default lead to a shift in the teaching/ learning strategy. If educators aim to provide lifelong learning and the skills necessary to not only survive but also to succeed in life then content based rote learning that focus primarily on accumulation of knowledge will have to make way for the more life related enquiry based learning which is a process that helps to nurture critical thinking, problem solving, analytical and creative skills. Inquiry based learning epitomizes the concept of ‘education is not a preparation for life it is life.’

A great responsibility rests with the organization’s leadership to support teacher learning and understanding of any change initiative Children work collaboratively on a project, to solve a problem, discuss a critical issue, make a presentation, organize an event or simply engage in play activities together. The purpose of these activities is to encourage the pupils to explore and understand the nature of the subject content by activating their existing knowledge and experience and in making links with the new knowledge they are acquiring through cognition and discussion. Collaborative learning redefines the traditional role of a teacher causing a paradigm shift from disseminator of information to facilitator of learning.

The mission statement of most educational institutions always aims high and sets out to challenge every student to excel. However students enter the classroom with vastly different needs and readiness levels for learning, so aiming high for all cannot mean the same instruction and work for all and this

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is the reason why differentiation is a necessity in any classroom.

Schools are naturally expected to be fair to all the students but fairness in a school does not mean giving everyone the same assignment to complete within the same time period. Instead, it means looking at each student’s needs and learning goals, and planning ways to meet those goals in a way that is most appropriate for that student.

Differentiated instruction is simply providing instruction in a variety of ways to meet the needs of a variety of learners.

Students often perceive that it isn’t fair for the teacher to have different expectations for different students. They often feel that they should all be doing the same thing. It is important for the teacher to establish the fact that each student is a unique individual and has different learning needs and thus they will be working at different tasks.

In the current educational landscape as the challenges teachers face intensify in direct proportion to the expectations for quality education the need for quality professional development for teachers has never been more important than it is today. The success of education reform initiatives depends on the effectiveness of teachers and consequently teacher professional development has become a major focus of systemic reform initiatives.

January 2016

A great responsibility rests with the organization’s leadership to support teacher learning and understanding of any change initiative. Organizational structure, policy and indeed culture need to reflect the imperative of supporting staff learning and understanding to secure successful change.

Therefore, teachers need to be supported through the change process through professional development opportunities.

Teacher Education Finland’s primary education system has been the envy of the World since the country’s 15 year olds began acing the international literacy, mathematics and science assessment tests several years ago. In the PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) study, Finnish students showed significantly higher reading achievement than students of any other country/region.

Finland also ranked among the best five countries in mathematical and scientific literacy.

Historically, teacher training in Finland has taken shape gradually and separately for each school type and even for each individual type of teaching assignment.

However, the idea of academic training for all teachers has a long tradition. The training of class teachers emphasizes the theories and methodologies of multidisciplinary educational science and school subjects as well as their practical applications, and all students complete the Master’s degree.

The objective is to link teaching and learning to scientific research in order for students of class teaching to become capable of independently analyzing and solving educational problems and developing their work through research. In Finland, teachers are obliged to participate in in-service training with a minimum scope of three workdays outside school hours per school year. The responsibility for funding such training rests with the employers of teachers — mainly local authorities.

Although the salary of Finnish teachers reaches only the level of international average, young people still find teaching an attractive occupation. Thus, those

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applying for teacher training usually are an outstanding, highly motivated and selected group; for instance, in classroom teacher programs only 12% of the candidates are admitted. Teacher training attracts especially multi-talented students who are good not only at academic subjects but also at arts, music, and physical education.

In sharp contrast, the teaching profession has the largest number of members compared to other professions in India. In 1994/95, about 4.3 million teachers were working at the different levels of the education system.

Teaching in private schools especially in the primary schools is not a lucrative prospect as not only is the salary low but the respect afforded to teachers is also low. Teaching in government schools is a well-paid profession in India and teachers are typically appointed based on political affiliations not on content or pedagogical knowledge. There is no system in place to motivate teachers to improve academic achievement and very little training available to strengthen teaching practices.

The Indian System of education has to evolve with changing needs, demands and to match international standards. The Finnish Education system is only an example from which one can learn and evolve. As Art Williams famously put it “I am not telling you it is going to be easy, I am telling you it is going to be worth it. “ because our children are worth it, our future is worth it… “Just do it and do it and do it and do it and do it............ until the job gets done.”

drfarooq@goldline.ae

SCHOOL LEADERSHIP

EDUCATING CHILDREN AGAINST ALL ODDS I was always fascinated with expressing myself in words and later discovered that this talent in me had to fructify in transforming myself to become a teacher in some form or the other someday. So after working in Reliance Industries Ltd, India’s largest corporate company for two decades in various capacities, I moved to the school as the Director. K E Premkumar David, Director, Daniel Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Chennai, shares with MENTOR how to empower and motivate teachers to develop passion in their profession.

After spending two decades in the corporate world, entering the world of Education was no meagre task for me. My journey over the last 2 years has been tumultuous, exciting and shocking yet satisfying in our school.

Our School is situated in one of the notorious localities of Chennai, Korrukupet known for all kinds of crime and unhygienic living conditions. Our students come from poor homes which lack amongst other essentials, proper parenting due to lack of education amongst most parents. The society our children see in the neighbourhood is very unhealthy, compromising and seems to undo whatever is attempted at school.

We are also faced with challenges of finding good teachers who are fit to coach such a population of students. There are various

instances wherein we do not find quality teachers as per our requirement to educate our children who come from the lowest rungs of society. When I say quality of teachers, it is not about their degrees but their mental strength, passion and zeal that is needed to educate our children against all odds.

Parents are the most challenging partners in our progress in educating the child. Since most of them are illiterate, their expectations from the school are very high. Most of the parents do not know the role that needs to be played by the parent in educating their child. Hence, the onus of educating our parents also falls within our scope of operations most of the time.

So here we are, with a classic combination of an innocent street child from a notorious locality coming from a home that places all hopes on the child but is ignorant of their role in the child’s education. The teacher has two options, either to own the child ignite the fire of learning in them or to ignore and just do one’s job and leave the rest to the child’s fate.

Though our task is daunting, we do our best for our children and their parents who are the main stake holders First, we strongly believe that a school is as good as its teachers. Motivating our teachers to perform against all odds is the challenge.

We do so in many intrinsic and extrinsic ways to keep our teachers motivated.

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• One of the intrinsic ways is to recognise their hard work with genuine appreciation with a small gift during our school assembly.

Increments are not really based on results of the students but based on efforts taken by the teacher. Recognition ignites the fire in teachers who are not looked-up by our society today.

• Further, we have arranged Spoken English classes for our teachers who were educated in Tamil - medium schools and had not been given the opportunity to speak in English inside our campus. This has brought the sense of belongingness towards the school and has increased the confidence level of most of our teachers.

Eventually children gain due to all this value addition we give to our teachers.

• Further, we provide free medication consultation facility for all teachers and are also providing group health insurance policy for all our staff. We also conduct motivational sessions periodically for all our teachers to remain at high energy levels at all times.

• Specific sessions to handle parental behaviour has also been introduced to equip the teachers to respond appropriately to difficult parent interactions.

Students are the reason the school exists.

Hence, we take extra care to understand their needs and problems faced by students.

Firstly, our students do not go back to homes where parents are educated. Their homes

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mostly consist of one or two rooms (a luxury) where the entire family of four or five members live. The student does not have a suitable ambience or a quiet place to study. Hence maximum study has to happen at school.

Though this is against researched norms our students especially in higher classes spend eight to ten hours in school and are being coached and counselled by our teachers who sometimes need to take the role of the parent. Both external and internal experts are used to movitate the student to study as they do not have good examples of educated people in their homes or in the local society in which they live. This is a major challenge we face in our school as students get into bad company in their society very early in life and lose interest to study. Our “Open Day” with parents and student is done for a week

or ten days each term unlike many schools (where only one or two days are allotted) when the management of the school meets all the slow learners. These sessions serve as an eye opener to the parent - student world and help us improvise and improve our teaching and assessment models to bring in results.

Sometimes we feel that de-linking the spiritual aspect in our secular form of education makes it dry and removes the emotion behind every act we teach in the school Parents are the key stake holders in the education process of the student. However, due to illiteracy and innocent ignorance of parents, sometimes what is done in the school gets undone at home. Students do not see an example in their parents or relatives and fail to have mentors in their society. This is a very damaging problem we face in our school. Parents mostly have low self esteem due to their illiteracy and openly accept they are ignorant in front of the child. This leads to a cyclic effect of the student disrespecting the parent after a certain age. Students are being left to fend for themselves. Some understand the realities of life and shine while others fade away into mediocrity. What is the school’s role in this problem? We meet parents jointly and individually and counsel them on proper parenting and emphasise the

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need for them to be good examples for their children. Special parent education sessions are conducted periodically at our school to highlight the importance of parenting in the schooling of a child. These sessions have a lasting effect on the parent who then strives to live up to the expectation placed before them in educating their child. They are addressed as partners in progress and not as one who pays and forgets their responsibility to the child and expecting the school to do everything in educating a student.

Sometimes, at our school, we feel that educating the child is the easiest task compared to educating the parent who is equally responsible for the child’s education.

Moral and Spiritual education is given utmost importance in our school and regular workshops for both students and teachers are being conducted. Sometimes we feel that de-linking the spiritual aspect in our secular form of education makes it dry and removes the emotion behind every act we teach in the school for students to become good human beings instead of becoming human doings.

That is the spirit of joy that keeps me going as we have miles to go before we sleep...

Educating India - our greatest task . Let us do our best where we are with what we have ...no complaints , only opportunities to be the change you want to see.

premkumardavid69@gmail.com

January 2016

IPSC REPORT

The IPSC Principals’ Conclave was a three-day event that was held at Lawrence School, Lovedale in the first week of December, 2015. The Conclave marked the 76th IPSC celebrations.

Indian Public Schools’ Conference, formed in 1939 is known for its glorious traditions. The conference has deliberated on the educational problems of residential schools and it endeavours to promote the efficiency of such schools keeping in mind the changing trends in the educational technology while maintaining the age old traditions and heritage. A report shared with MENTOR by Mrs. Sangita Chima, Headmistress of Lawrence School, Lovedale.

The 76th IPSC Principal’s Conclave was exquisitely unveiled with the Ceremonial Parade at the Top Flats on the 2nd of December, 2015. The Conclave officially commenced when the Chief Guests Mr. Amish Tripathi and Dr. Sumer Singh hoisted the IPSC Flag. Keeping alive the tradition and legacy of this isle of excellence in the expansive sea of education, the Alchemy unleashed.

The guests and delegates were welcomed

by Mrs. Sangita Chima, Headmistress of Lawrence School, Lovedale.

The Speakers shared their views on education and what it holds for children in today’s world.

The Chief Guest, Mr. Amish Tripathi, a recognized contemporary Indian fiction writer best known for writing The Shiva Trilogy, stated that schools are an immeasurably important aspect of life and every student has unique skills which can be moulded into professions.

He articulated that schools must encourage those skills by creating a new education system. His final advice to youngsters was, ‘Follow your Dreams’.

Editor of ‘Education World’ and the founder of ‘Business World’ Mr. Dilip Thakore suggested ways in which education could be made the top

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national agenda and requested an increase in educational expenditure. He spoke about the importance of the collaboration of IPSC and other such organizations to achieve this.

Encouraging the setting up of small schools to further the cause of education, he also expressed his concern over the neglect of primary education. Mr. Thakore urged the need for the presence of foreign universities in India and requested teachers to stimulate democratization of the classroom by encouraging self-expression among students. Emphasizing on the importance of universalizing vocational training, he also put forward the idea of encouraging the charter model of governance for Government schools, allowing NGOs and Corporate houses to adopt and manage them with minimal Government interference. He

stressed on creating a bond between industries and the educational system so that the syllabus can be more far-sighted.

for radical thinking in accordance with education and the need to embrace their silent storms.

Mr. B S Baswan, Chairman, Board of Governors of the Lawrence School, Lovedale, voiced his concerns over fundamentalism, describing it as a major problem. Mr. Baswan stated that the management of a public school requires more EQ (Emotional Quotient) than IQ (Intelligence Quotient). He also conveyed that there is no absolute truth in education.

He concluded his speech by indicating that each successive generation is better than those that come before.

Founder and Director of Going to School and Be! Ms. Lisa Heydlauff elaborated on how stories are powerful mediums of communication, whether they are good or bad. She stated, “India’s story is a mega-narrative of festivals, culture and development; and all its problems- be they pollution or poverty- the greatest part would be finding solutions to those problems”.

The Chairman of the IPSC, Dr. Sumer Singh stressed upon leadership roles for students, and the development of Life Skills. He also mentioned that IPSC is no longer a collection of elitist schools but down-to-earth schools producing down-to-earth citizens, who are sensitized to values, traditions, environment and society: young men and women who have the strength to look the problems of the world in the eye and take them on.

The capacity to learn is a gift; The ability to learn is a skill; The willingness to learn is a choice - Brian Herbert. In line with the theme of the Conclave several learning interactions were held to facilitate the learning process during the conference.

Mr. Arun Agnihotri, artist, bohemian educator, story-teller, traveller, writer and wildlife conservationist is a firm believer in making a difference in children’s lives, who in turn will make a difference in society. He spoke passionately about the problems of communal drift and crimes against women.

He declared that the world is upside down because a vast majority allows it to be, in order to state their hollow and misdirected interests. He emphasized on the need

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ceit@thelawrenceschool.org

January 2016

HOLE-IN-THE-WALL

The present paper is a continuum of the thoughts of the last published paper and indicates that the HiWEL LSs seem to complement as well as supplement formal schooling in rural and semi-rural villages.

Children organize themselves and become self-regulated learners.

However, so far no study has been undertaken to determine whether children accessing Hole-in-the-Wall learning stations (HiWEL LSs) can improve in Mathematics and English. The intent of the present study is to examine whether groups of children are able to pick up Mathematics and English on their own using the learning station. Ritu Dangwal, Researcher and Project Coordinator, School in the Cloud TED Speaker, Delhi shares with MENTOR her insight and learning from the study.

Hole-in-the-Wall learning station Hole-in-the-Wall learning station (HiWEL LS) consists of two to four computers (depending on the density of population) mounted on a wall facing outside at public places. The computers are placed at a height that can comfortably be accessed by children (Plate1). They are either set up in community playgrounds or on the school boundary wall either facing towards the school or facing outside towards the road. The learning stations are fully equipped with educational content consisting of games and internet (depending upon resources available).

These computers have proprietary hardware and software which enables it to run on its own. There are no teachers/adults to teach.

They are opened and closed by local champions in that area (whether from the community or school) and are accessed free of cost by children in the age group 6-14 years.

HiWEL LS works around the minimally invasive education (MIE) pedagogy: Minimally Invasive Education is defined as a pedagogic method that uses the learning environment to generate an adequate level of motivation to induce learning in groups of children, with minimal, or no, intervention by an adult/teacher.

Studies conducted at these HiWEL LS indicated that urban slum/rural children use

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computers to browse, play games, create documents and paint pictures within a few days of its installation (Education Guardian, 2002; Mitra and Rana, 2001; Frontline/ World, 2002; Mitra, 2003; Mitra et al., 2005).

Similar results were reported through field observations as well as through the graphical user interface (GUI) Icon Association Inventory (IAI) test administered to children (Mitra, 2003; Mitra et al., 2005). Observations across locations show a learning process of random exploration, collaboration, discovery, vocabulary construction, generalization, practice and peer tutoring (Inamdar, 2004).

Over the years, it has been established that irrespective of the background, children organize themselves into groups and are able to attain basic computer literacy (Mitra et al., 2005; Inamdar, 2004; Mitra, 2003, 2004).

Research also suggested that there is an increase in the value system of the children using the HiWEL LS (Dangwal and Kapur, 2009). Interestingly, one study even indicated that Tamil-speaking children in a remote Indian village can learn basic molecular biology in English on their own (Mitra and Dangwal, 2010).

Objective of the present study All the research findings cited at the HiWEL LS have clearly indicated that groups of children learn basic computing skills on their own using the MIE approach where they collaborate with each other to construct their own knowledge at the their own pace.

evidence of progression and development as a result of implementation of technology.

Dangwal and Kapur (2009) did an intensive study to understand the process of how children work at the learning station. They found that groups of children explore randomly till they are able to understand the basics of using computer icons: This form of group-based discovery happens continuously until basic computing skills are learnt. Of importance here is that the group is fluid, flexible, open to outside influence and incorporating all those aspects necessary to maintain the Fig: Children using Hole-in-the-Wall computers social network. Another important feature at an urban slum setting in Kalkaji, Delhi is that, since the group is flexible and open, The next challenging question was to members of the group can change. Groups examine whether these learning stations evolve over time and new groups emerge. can also have an impact on the academic While groups may change, their structure performance of children. By academic and function remain the same. Each child performance, we are specifically referring to learns computing skills with the help of Mathematics and English marks. This question “others.” Social networks form as one child is imperative because in rural areas there are approaches another for information. undoubted challenges in addressing quality They further elaborated by saying that education. And, it is vital to find methods by children learn to share, cooperate, which these challenges can be reduced to collaborate and assist each other: some extent.

It is interesting to note here that the environment of the public MIE kiosk seems Thus, the present paper seeks to examine to encourage children to do all of the types whether government school going children of learning enumerated by the UNESCO living in rural areas and having access to (UNESCO, 1996; Delors, 1996) namely: HiWEL LS are able to improve their English • learning to know; and Mathematics performance as against • learning to do; children not having access to HiWEL LS. • learning to live together and • learning to be.

Numerous theoretical and empirical efforts have been made to review the impact of Explaining the dynamics of learning at these ICT on educational performance in various stations, Dangwal and Kapur (2008) found settings (Aristovnik, 2012). According to Yusuf that children use methods like observation and Afolabi (2010) it has been found that ICT and modeling, trial and error, accidental helps to improve the quality of learning and discovery, and self-discovery, whether educational outcomes. While a lot of studies individually or in groups. Dangwal and Kapur (Iqbal and Ahmed, 2010; Hameed, 2006) (2008) stated that: Hole in the wall learning also claim that in order to be successful, a stations encourage the emergence of group country should improve its education system processes or social networking and, this in by implementing effective and robust ICT turn enables the manifestation of learning policies. methods and strategies used by groups of children. According to Marsick and Watkins Children improving in Mathematics and (1986, p. 187): Incidental learning is defined English due to learning station reveal as a spontaneous action or transaction, the

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intention of which is task accomplishment, but which serendipitously increases particular knowledge, skill or understanding. Incidental learning, then, includes such things as learning from mistakes, learning by doing, learning through networking and learning from a series of interpersonal experiments.

Research done by Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory (2001), found that exploratory use of computers (rather than, for example, drill and practice) is more effective. According to the report, children’s developmental gains from using computers are significantly greater when used in a classroom or an informal setting, rather than in a computer lab. This is due to the fact that when used in a natural setting the computers are perceived as more of a voluntary activity rather than a task.

Piaget (1957) and Vygotsky (1978) highlighted social interaction to play a critical role in enabling cognitive development among children. HiWEL setting encourages shared learning in public places. Interaction that arises in the course of such activities provides a context for social and cognitive learning (Brownell and Carriger, 1991; Resnick, 1991). HiWEL research confirms that young children learn most efficiently when they are engaged in interaction, rather than in merely receptive or passive activities.

Mitra (2005), cited: Schools segregate learners by age bands and usually do not permit or encourage mixing of different age bands. The “Hole in the wall” experiment, on the other hand, places no restrictions on the constitution of a learner group and in fact, this experiment does allow groups consisting of very young and older children and sometimes even adults. There is also no gender restrictions as there may be in certain social situations.

Dangwal and Kapur (2008) further explained the dynamics of learning at these stations.

According to them, children are free to use the learning station alone or in groups. They observed that: “the gap between the learner and the expert disappeared as all individuals are considered to be experts in some capacity in the ‘hole in the wall’ computer

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setting”. “ ‘hole in the wall’ computer setting encourages shared knowledge amongst children. The heterogeneous group at a ‘hole in the wall’ computer goes on to play the crucial role of providing a platform for each child to draw upon in times of need of any information. It is the act of sharing necessary information that enables the evolutionary development and continuous progress of the learning environment. In a traditional setting, adult caregivers normally regulate the dialogue with children, but with ‘hole in the wall’ computers we note how peer group learning takes place. A key phenomenon in such interactions is that children maintain dialogues between each other. Jerome Bruner and his colleagues called this scaffolding. It takes place within a child’s zone of proximal development.

Scaffolding and dialogue are especially useful concepts or frameworks for shared learning in public places”.

In the words of Prof. Mitra et al. (2005): to improve the learning outcomes in the rural schools, there is a need to improve teaching quality or look for alternative pedagogy.

Improving teacher quality through preand in-service teacher training does not necessarily address this problem.

Summary We can summarize by saying that HiWEL LSs are a bonus in the educational space. Despite variations in ethnicity, geographic, cultural and religious diversity, children having access to the learning station seem to have improved in their English and Mathematics scores. This reinforces the importance of self-organized learning among children and the criticality of experiential learning and being able to construct one’s own learning environment.

The present paper has encouraged us to believe that the HiWEL LS is one such innovative and alternative method that can address to some extent the challenges of primary education in conjunction with formal schooling in remote areas. Though, for us to conclude, we would need to replicate these findings at other sites and observe similar behaviour. This paper encourages us do a more extensive study in this area.

ritudangwal@gmail.com

SCHOOL GOVERNANCE

ON BEING A GOOD CITIZEN Civics remains an important part of school curriculum in India and yet active citizenship in India is far removed from reality. Urban development, planning and infrastructure maintenance by the public only occurs in scattered parts of the country. Often, being a good citizen in India means having copious amounts of endurance level.

It is then that we must look at children to possess civic virtue and foster in them the desire to do community service. Informed and involved citizenry means children are aware and actively conscious of their local governing environment.

In this context, the non-profit Janaagraha Centre for Citizenship and Democracy (JCCD) under its Bala Janaagraha program provides civic education to school children. Class VIII students are encouraged to be active citizens by engaging them in a live project that aims at teaching active citizenship and becoming informed citizens, writes Chaitanya Deshpande from EduMedia India Pvt. Ltd. to MENTOR. Importance of Civic Awareness Urban planning has long been seen a rescuer of India’s—and indeed the world’s— increasing population problem. Mainstream urban planning however is largely absent, debilitated or goes unnoticed. Having said that, we need urban planners working with active citizens who care about the city they live in.

By virtue of its format, the Civic Project under the Bala Janaagraha program develops in school children a deep sense of awareness and responsibility towards the community.

At some levels, the seeds of being a better citizen are sown here. One might argue that at the age of thirteen this might be premature. But there is hope. There is also the rationale that by actively doing a project that concerns their home and city directly, students will grow to be irreplaceable agents

who achieve sustainable development in the future.

“By including participants who belong to Std. VIII, Bala Janaagraha is doing a great job at grassroot level”, notes Principal Vijaya Desai of Somalwar Nikalas High School, Nagpur. She is among a growing number of principals and schools who take pride and enthusiastically motivate their student to take part in a unique civic fest organized by Bal Janaagraha across India.

Learning in the trenches The Bala Janaagraha program is an interactive child-focused pedagogy with three core components: a structured module of classroom sessions, a hands-on practical civic project and a civic fest which is an exciting platform for students to showcase their civic projects Part of this is the awareness program: I-Change-My-City. As a curriculum it is poles apart from typical civic lessons taught in schools. The curriculum aims at explaining ‘quality of life’ in the context of local governance, its key aspects and their thoughts and opinions on these. Along with it, the curriculum works in explaining what ‘active citizenship’ means to children with special focus on imbibing ‘civic sense’.

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Hence, school children don’t just learn by rote the civic administration structure, they are encouraged to influence it. The theme this year focused on “understanding urban planning and design through our roads”.

Being a hands-on program, the students also learn to identify key actors of local governance and their roles. They learn to relate quality of life to the functioning of these actors and how they can be made more responsive by practicing active citizenship.

At its core, however, lies the idea that school students also must understand how to source data to make evidence-based decisions on every day civic issues and how to work together—and with local governance—to solve these. Via the curriculum, the students are instigated to be catalysts of change. As a teaching methodology, the policy of the program is to foster creative thinking, inspire analytical thinking and create a problemsolving approach in the young citizens of India.

In itself, the project is simple: group of children choose one road near their schools or home, carry out a survey, analyze the road and understand its positives and negatives and then find solutions to its problems. This road is given a Quality Score by the students.

They measure the road, its width and length, interview the residents, businesses, experts, officials—everyone who uses the road.

The concept of giving a Quality Score is fascinating. As citizens, the students while doing the project learn to prescribe

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accountability to persistent infrastructural problems on the road selected. Students then present their findings via a written report, a presentation that involves skits, sloganmaking, and even singing to showcase and highlight their research in a city-wide competition. Each team also writes to (or meets) local ward members and corporator to get their feedback and response on action being taken. Ultimately, the project is about children being able to measure the quality of life around the street or road. This is something that children can learn at an early age and extend to the town, state and even the country.

Activating Public Participation The Janaagraha Centre for Citizenship and Democracy (JCCD) that runs the Bala Janaagraha program has the objective to improve the quality of life of urban citizens with Urban Governance as the focus.

JCCD works with citizens by catalyzing active citizenship in neighborhoods, local administration and governments to institute reforms in city-systems. As a hyper-local social change network, Janaagraha has created a community of citizens keen on solving civic issues in a city.

With Janaagraha, fixing civic issues is simple.

All one has to do is post a complaint on the site (www.ichangemycity.com). This complaint is then up-voted based on its seriousness or priority by an active community of 3,16,677 users and is then passed on to the local civic

administration and elected representatives who ensure that the complaint is resolved.

In Bengaluru, this initiative has been a work of inspiration and resulted in successful resolution of some stubborn civic problems in the city of Bengaluru like potholes on busy Bommanahalli Junction, excessive garbage accumulation in Bhadrappa Layout, and even intermittent water supply in Shanthi Nagar area to name a few. To date, the I-Change-My-City initiative has 94,737 complaints posted and 36,627 successfully resolved complaints.

But this initiative is making a greater impact in schools. The innovative ‘I-Change-My-City’ curriculum and the road project encourage children to solve civic problems around them and thus impact society positively. Specially designed textbooks in six Indian languages (Marathi, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi) are made available for the program. The impact numbers of the program are large: 25 cities, 531 schools and 40,000 students. As a civic-oriented project, the students understand the value of urban planning and various factors which form the basic focus of city plans.

Change is coming The program is a success if numbers are to go by. This year, close to 25,000 students from 266 schools across India have participated in the ‘I-Change-My-City’ program. In Bengaluru alone, the number is 9,000 students from a 100 private, public and government schools.

There is more than just numbers. Students have responded to this hands-on method of learning by working on projects tougher than expected. A case in the point is the brilliant example of the ten-member student group from The East-West School in Bengaluru.

Early in the year, they wanted to find a solution to the poor state of Susheela Road near their school in Basavanagudi area of South Bengaluru. Here they zeroed in on piezoelectric footpaths: a foot step on the Piezo tile that can generate 0.05 watts of electricity, which can then be used to light up street lamps on the stretch. Subsequently, the team contacted a UK-based company that manufactures the tiles that convert

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mechanical energy into electricity. The plan is to lay tiles and generate electricity to light street lamps along the 556-metre long road.

The group also received an anonymous donation of Rs. 200,000.

Yet another example is of a group of students who ensured that the local corporator made arrangements for a CCTV system to be fitted near a garbage bin. The idea was to dissuade people from throwing the waste while riding two-wheelers or walking. Another example is of the students of Bhavan’s BVM Srikrishna Nagar (Nagpur) who made a report on the condition of the Central Avenue road in Nagpur and envisioned a system wherein speed breakers could be converted into a source of power generation, triggered by pressure of vehicles passing over it!

These are just but few stories of innovative and excellent citizenship by the students inspired by the Bala Janaagraha program.

The Civic Fest enters its zonal stage where city winners will compete at Zonal Finals to qualify for the national finals. Slated to be held in February next year, the finals in Bengaluru will see the top four school teams present their innovative projects for the grand prize.

There is certainly a glimmer of hope where we can see active citizenship become a norm. Amidst dismal institutional failings, this program seems to bring strength to the idea of citizenship. What needs to be kept in mind is that such transformational impact is not a product of spontaneity but constructive planning.

As a teaching methodology, the policy of the program is to foster creative thinking, inspire analytical thinking and create a problem-solving approach in the young citizens of India Note: You too can be a part of the civic awareness campaign by downloading the mobile app “I Change My City” Google Play and the App Store of iOS or visiting the site: www.ichangemycity.com

chaitanya@edumedia.in

January 2016

ADDRESSING DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES A strong believer in the role of technology in improving learning, he has led various tablet-based learning app development exercises for preschool and the school segments. He is an expert in conceptualizing online simulations and using learning management systems to customize learning experience for users. Mr. Dipnarayan Chakraborty, Research Head at Zee Learn Limited, Mumbai shares with MENTOR. Developmental psychologist Jean Piaget observed that children ‘construct’ their own understanding. The way they identify and understand the world, absorb and organize their information and experiences and respond to them, is dependent on their age. The focus of age-appropriate learning is to identify a child’s level of understanding along with her readiness to learn and then, based on it, think of ways to teach the child in the manner best suited for her. So, starting by addressing the developmental stage the child is at, one helps her to move ahead in order to reach the goals set for her. Therefore, it is crucial for parents as well as educators to acquaint themselves with the psychological, cognitive and social maturity of the child along with her developmental age, rather than solely considering her chronological age while choosing an educational path.

Another important aspect of early education is that along with benchmarks related to

letters, colours and numbers, we should focus on identifying and regulating emotions, social behaviours and engaging in independent learning. This foundation of early education, based on the social and emotional domains, sets the stage for future complex learning.

It is common for parents and educators to become a little impatient during these early years, but one must understand that rushing a child into grasping too many concepts too early will not benefit her in any way at all. Therefore, even though development may not be ‘seen’ at this stage one must remember that this phase is mainly about providing an enriched environment and strengthening the roots for future learning.

So how does one as a parent or an educator propagate age-appropriate learning? Let’s look at a few practices that can help us do that: 1. Be observant. Take notice of things the child does or say. Let her know that you are there for her by giving positive attention through encouraging comments, being there for her and actively observing her.

2. Encourage the child. It is important for you to encourage the child for the efforts she put in performing an activity. The end result is not important, but how the child struggled to achieve it is.

3. Share specific feedback. It is important for you to let the child know what she missed while performing an activity, rather than just sharing the end result. Specific feedback will help her understand her mistakes/misses better and work on improving them.

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4. Show rather than tell. It is important that you model attitudes expected from the child by showing her various ways in which a problem can be approached or how should one behave in a given situation. Demonstrating the correct way of doing things will help the child understand things from a practical perspective.

5. Challenge and ask questions. It is important for you to add an element of challenge in order to keep the excitement level up in any activity, but ensure that the challenge is such that the child can attempt to do it with assistance; a challenge with a high level of difficulty will only discourage the child.

Also, while she is attempting the challenge stimulate her thought process and give her indirect hints by asking leading questions.

6. Provide assistance. As Vygotsky stated, scaffolding is a very important aspect of learning. Therefore, as much a challenge is important to make an activity interesting for a child, equally important is the role of assistance in order to sustain her interest in performing the activity. Appropriate assistance will help the child understand the path she needs to take, in order to perform the activity. This is done by sharing appropriate facts/information along with the directions required to perform the activity.

7. Serve and return: Responding to a child’s questions, gestures and behaviour can be tiring for parents, but Harvard University’s Centre on the Developing Child recommends responding to children to enable better

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brain architecture development. Lack of a responsive relationship with a caregiver may prevent children from developing according to age-appropriate milestone. This, in turn, affects the cognitive abilities.

8. Do not push the child. Remember, if you force a child to learn something she does not want to or is unable to, it will hamper her zeal to learn. Therefore, it is important for you to stop whenever you see your child showing signs of tiredness or boredom.

Reconsider the topic by adjusting it to the child’s level of learning (which will be based on her developmental age). Toxic stress, as identified by the Centre on the Developing Child is a key inhibitor to development.

Positive stress and tolerable stress are natural part of development; children feel challenged and engaged because of such stress. However, prolonged exposure to toxic stressors, which include lack of relationship, nutritional deficiency, abusive or violent family atmosphere etc., seriously hamper a child’s development.

Another important aspect of early education is that along with benchmarks related to letters, colours and numbers, we should focus on identifying and regulating emotions, social behaviours and engaging in independent learning Also, remember that developmental milestones are achieved over a given agerange and not at any specific age. So ease out and give your child the space and time she needs to develop without any pressure.

dipnarayan.chakraborty@zeelearn.com

January 2016

Mentor conclave 2015 was a successful, reinvigorating forum for all educators who had gathered. The Forum not only had eminent speakers from across the world, but was stimulating in terms of the topics selected for deliberations, the thoughts and ideas that left behind a vacuum for the school leader to question and co-create education for the future. All in all, the forum did justice to the four pillars identified by Mentor for all School leaders to strengthen them in: Pedagogy, Leadership, Innovation and Governance. A few lines of feedback from speakers and participants for sharing, along with a synopsis of the Conclave....

Mentor Conclave 2015 – Questioning & Cocreating Education hosted at the J N Tata Auditorium, IISc campus, Bengaluru had themes such as School Leadership, School Governance, Pedagogy and Innovation as its four pillars of focus.

This year had most of the sessions featuring on innovative and engaging formats ranging from Plenary Sessions, Lecture Demonstrations, TED talk Format, Pecha Kucha Format, Ignite Talk Format and Action Workshops. Nearly 400 odd Principals from across the country and abroad participated in the two day sessions. A quick list of takeaways from each of these sessions would give the readers a glimpse of the learning that all the Principals went through….

Mr Vaitheeswaran in his key note address touched upon the present and future of schools and education in India. His talk focussed on skill based learning and role of institutes in preparing students for advanced education. He also gave an insight into various career opportunities for students.

Dr Farooq Wasil who was the second speaker of the Conclave addressed Principals on the importance of getting away from compartmentalized learning in schools, pedagogy today and the new learner and how teachers can encourage, collaborate, communicate and build on critical thinking in learners. The entire focus of his session was on engaging the nexgen learner which is a challenge in the classroom today.

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Dr Balasubramaniam’s session on Transdisciplinary learning in the classroom today gave Principals an understanding of how thematic learning is different from transdisciplinary learning, how does learning transfer between subjects and on facing the future learning using this approach.

Dr Emanuel engaged the audience with his talk on enabling a 21st century teacher with the right pedagogy and skills to empower the newgen learner. His talk addressed gaps between experience and aspiration through the curriculum….integrating more practical activities, use of people coming from outside, audio-visual resources and use of these as a tool apart from focus on online learning and support in the classrooms.

Dr Gururaj’s session on creativity in the classroom had the audience participate and takeaway tips on how to create an engaging classroom and address classroom learner styles.

The other speakers during the Conclave were Ms Poonam Bir Kasturi who spoke on waste management and had the audience thinking about green campus in their school.

Dr Farida Raj, who emphasised on the growing demand and need for Inclusive Education in schools, the difference between remedial teaching and differentiated instruction and building systems and processes for inclusive education in schools.

Ms Gitanjali spoken on the understanding of

ABT and sensitized Principals on a School’s adaptability to such a therapy while Mr Lourd Vijay demonstrated how an artiste can teach in the classroom by using dance as a story, as a form of expression, as a medium to connect with children, as a form of learning to build team spirit and a spirit of trust.

The other speakers were Dr Smita Desai, Ms. Ruvneet Bains, Ms. Vidya Virkar, Ms Sajili Shirodkar, Ms Vasu Primlani and Principals from various schools like Ms. Avnita Bir, Ms. Maya Mohan, Mr Vinayak, Ms. Amrita Burman and Mr Rajiv Vasudevan. who had a quick presentation on the best practices of their schools.

The Conclave had select topics, choice speakers and divergent topic that revolve around the four pillars of thoughts of Mentor: Leadership, Governance, Pedagogy, Innovation TESTIMONIALS...

“I enjoyed the interactions and was impressed with the participation and energy levels in the interactions.”

Vaitheeswaran, MD & CEO Manipal Global Education Services “Thank you for the hospitality, warmth and the interesting conversations that have all left indelible impressions in my mind which I shall cherish for time to come. I congratulate the entire team on an event worthy of appreciation.

I am confident that with such sincere efforts, there is a lot of hope for reform in our education scene and I pray the Almighty to bless you with continued success.

Wishing you continued success and happiness.”

Dr. Farooq Wasil, CEO, Goldline Education, Dubai – U.A.E “Thank you for a truly outstanding event the team conducted. We in the education space are so fortunate to have Sultan and Dr. Vidya

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as thought leaders helping in the realisation of tomorrow’s schools. Thank you for trusting us to support this wonderful initiative, glad to be a part of this and definitely look forward to collaborating with you and your lovely team!”

Ruvneet Bains, Ex- Assistant Director, Centre for Assessment, Evaluation and Research (CAER) “Hats off to your team for pulling off such a wonderful job. I have been on a TEDx stage but must tell you the attention to detail in the planning and execution of the conclave by your team was brilliant and will put most to shame. So proud of the team.

I am looking forward to a lot more synergies with this group. Let us together walk that extra mile in creating that wonderful world of learning for the children, parents and educators.”

Gitanjali Sarangan, Executive Director Snehadhara Foundation “I enjoyed participating in the Conclave.

Initially I was concerned whether I would be able to speak for 40 minutes. That was the first day I had come out from my hospital stay and forced silence. But, for a teacher, nothing could be more stimulating than a classroom session.

I am grateful to you for providing me that opportunity. If the delegates liked my presentation, it is a bonus.”

Dr. Gururaj Karajagi, Chairman and MD Academy of Creative Teaching “I really appreciate the topics covered in conclave, it was the most successful training event I have attended; your understanding of the challenges of 21st century education and it’s solution has helped me focus and will be a great asset to me. The project and skills in engaging the participants was outstanding.”

Priti Mehta, VP, S. R. N. Mehta School, Gulbarga

January 2016

“I take this opportunity to convey our appreciation and congratulations for organizing such a wonderful and fruitful Conclave. I have been attending the Conclave since the last three years organized by the Team. I have attended many seminars organized by many organizations, but yours is a unique one.”

S.A.Nair, Academic Director, BGS National Public School “It was a pleasure attending the conference and it was very useful and informative.

Looking forward to attending more such conferences.”

Bakhtawar Krishnan, CEO, KIC Education “We thank you for the wonderful rich learning experience we had at the Mentor Conclave.

The quality of the Conclave was extremely

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good. We look forward to more such valuable sessions.”

Shalini Kadwe, Principal Wisdom High International School, Nashik “As an educator i felt refreshing, rejuvenated and enriched. The careful choice of speakers and their relevant topics added to the beauty of the subject. With special focus on Pedagogy, School Governance, School Leadership, and Innovation in Education, Trans-disciplinary Learning and 21st Century Learning Pedagogy for Learners has enriched me and pushed me to cross my comfort zones and act as a Mentor to my juniors. I hope I shall be able to implement these in my school and community.”

Shubhangi Raajput, Adani Vidya Mandir, Ahmedabad

conclave@mentormagazine.net

POST SCRIPTUM

FOREVER INDEBTED TO YOU… Dr. Vidya Shetty, Editor-in-chief MENTOR

Reading a book on pedagogy and what makes an effective teacher in the classroom, left me focussed on Wayne Carlson’s piece on: 10 insights into developing a productive career in education….some sharing for the new year that begins

Wayne writes, “I have come to a firm conclusion that what you teach is not nearly as important as how you teach. Children do not really care about what you know until they know that you care. I would like to share some of the insights that I have gained over the tenure of my 30 years career…”

either because of resources or because of some other reason; be flexible and patient and not lose your balance of mind

Let me try and share a quick brief of what Wayne puts down in this article with all my fellow educators-

#7 Continue your education. Do new things, learn new things, even an excursion or a summer camp or an exchange programme can be a new learning for you

#1 Be consistent. Deliberate over the rules that you set for your class and keep them simple. Be clear about the consequences and never make threats till you plan to carry them out. #2 Be creative. Pretend that your classroom is a vehicle that has 24 gears. Change directions frequently.

Kids like active learning. #3 Be friendly. If I stand at the doorway and greet each student with a friendly greeting, s/he treats me differently than if I don’t. Be cheerful and friendly with your colleagues, even the ones that can be difficult to get along with. Maintain good relationship with the administration and support staff. Do not look at the Principal as “the enemy”, but be positive, cooperative and helpful. #4 Utilize community resources. Talk to parents, use them as resource people whenever you can. Take field trips and get to know as many people as you can. #5 Be flexible. A lesson or activity planned for an observation by the Principal or the supervisor or for a regular class can go wrong

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#6 Be involved. Take an active role in your professional organization. Be a leader and an innovator. Join the educational sorority.

#8 interact with your colleagues. Use your planning period well. You may not like some of the people you work with, but it is important to realize that each one is an individual with many ideas that can make you a more effective teacher. #9 Have fun! Sometimes your days will seem to pass so slowly that you will feel like the next vacation will never come. When you get to the end of your career, you will wonder how time could have passed by so quickly. The most important piece of advice is to have fun. Never talk about school or children when you are relaxed and after school time. #10 You are important. The financial rewards of teaching at school are not great. But the intrinsic rewards of this profession are greater than any other. The chance to influence young lives like we do is an awesome privilege and a tremendous opportunity.

Happy New Year to all of you!

God bless!

vidya@edumedia.in