Mentor Magazine February 2016 Vol. 9 Issue 9

CONTENT

Mentor, February 2016 Volume 9, Issue 9

Mentor Thoughts

05 Sultan Speaks

Defining Culture...

09 Cover Story

Pedagogy

06 ASL in Schools

Teaching listening and speaking skills could be challenging at times…

School Leadership

26 15 20 Happy Furniture to you From Darkness to Light Adopting Technology Well-designed schools create future leaders of tomorrow...

17 A pleasant melody!

The starting place for all of this lies in the relationship between students and teachers and how their respective roles are changing...

The Principal becomes responsible for creating an intellectually stimulating atmosphere and as a leader she must empower the staff members...

31 Chalk N Duster - Film Review

Innovation

A film with the right intent but an age old technique!…

As much as we love technological advancement, the harsh reality is that the same advancement has quickened the rate of obsolescence of the EEE goods. ...

29 Fitness and You

A few questions that we need to ask about Physical fitness in schools...

32 Mentor Glimpses

34 Post Scriptum

Let her be what she will be…

Jasvinder Singh

The return on investment when it comes to implementation of ERP may be manifold...

23 A Teacher’s Perspective

RTE Section 12 1 (c) is an important step towards the creation of an equitable and just society...

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

EDUCATORS

Content Team Ms. Kalpa Kartik Ms. Yashika Begwani

Jay Shah

Designed by Mr. Harpreet Singh

IN THE SPOTLIGHT Ashish Ranjan

Shanti

Badrinarayan

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School Governance

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DID YOU KNOW? A school, along with parents, shares the responsibility to nurture and churn leaders of tomorrow. However, the school must be well-equipped and be able to drive transformation of learners and the learned.

A study by experts at the Institute of Education in London identified eight characteristics that leaders must have in schools so that they may direct their goals towards student learning that would eventually lead to school transformation.

These characteristics are: 1. To have consistent, high expectations and be ambitious for the success of pupils.

2. To demonstrate routinely that disadvantage need not be a barrier to achievement.

3. To focus relentlessly on improving teaching and learning with very effective professional development of all staff.

4. They are experts at assessment and the tracking of pupil progress with appropriate support and intervention based upon a detailed knowledge of individual pupils.

5. To be highly inclusive, having complete regard for the progress and personal development of every pupil.

6. To develop individual students by promoting rich opportunities for learning—both within and out of the classroom.

7. To cultivate a range of partnerships particularly with parents, business and the community to support pupil learning and progress.

8. To be robust and rigorous in terms of self-evaluation and data analysis with clear strategies for improvement.

Blended with a high level of emotional intelligence and good interpersonal skills, these characteristics are most likely to help school leaders achieve their goals of school transformation and thus churning out better leaders of tomorrow!

Reference Morrison, N. (2013, December 30). Forbes Welcome. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/nickmorrison/2013/12/30/theeight-characteristics-of-effective-school-leaders/#2715e4857a0b 7e8425362576

ries or to us sto Do write uld add o c t tes tha r anecdo to all ou t though d @ n fo a in e t lu va il us a can ma send r o t e lives. You .n , agazine mentorm rs to “The Editor� e tt , le 5 r 7 u 1 e,# in yo Magazin MENTOR Lower Palace , ss 2nd Cro luru - 03. s, Benga Orchard 8899 7 3 9 37 Ph: +91 9 Source Internet

February 2016

SULTAN SPEAKS

DEFINING CULTURE “What is your school’s culture?” I asked this question to the leadership team of a group school recently while I was leading a workshop for them. The audience seemed perplexed with this question. No one had asked them this question in such a direct manner before. They believed, like most other schools and educators that the culture of a school is felt and defined. They were certain that their schools had a culture but it was never documented or spelt out in a manner that you could answer a direct question.

What they could answer immediately was – What was their school’s mission? What were the school values?

I have over the years visited innumerable schools and their mission statement is very boldly displayed right at the entrance to the school building or in the lobby or the school office. More often than naught these mission statements are so generic that there is no way of differentiating them from one another. Almost schools have a mission statement that talk about Global Citizens, Honesty, Integrity, Hard Work, Perseverance and similar terminology. The mission statements are so idealistic that most students and teachers only know it by verse but very seldom is it reflected in deed.

All schools have a culture and there is no doubt about that, but rarely does the essence of culture get documented. In simple terms the culture of any institution can be seen in the actions of its people (students, staff, et al) in 3 situations - how they act on a daily basis, during celebrations and during crisis.

It is important that schools give a thought to these actions. For example: how does a teacher treat a student when he makes a mistake? How does the Principal handle a teacher/support staff’s mistake? How is a student’s achievement celebrated? How is the teacher’s excellence recognised?

Once they identify the desired scenarios these need to be then documented and shared as simple actionable points with its

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students and the school fraternity.

Similarly it is time schools relooked at their Mission Statements and made it simpler so that it’s people can relate to it and live upto it. I do not mean that the core essence of the values or mission needs to be changed, it needs to be reworded and made simpler to follow. I am suggesting that it is better to have a simple mission statement that is seen in action rather than a lofty one that remains on display boards.

Schools thrive on structures and a defined action and mission statements goes a long way in laying the foundation of a strong culture. Get the people that matter together to relook at the mission, values and culture of your school. We keep talking about change its time your culture got a makeover. While doing this be cautious of the fact that all that is old is not redundant neither is it all relevant.

It is better to have a simple mission statement that is seen in action rather than a lofty one that remains on display boards

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

PEDAGOGY

ASL IN SCHOOLS

An electronics graduate from the M G Science Institute, Ahmedabad, Mr. Jasvinder Singh is the founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ahmedabad-based ACTUniv Group (estb. 1989), engaged in providing IT training and English language learning products and services to public, government, corporate and education institutions.

While ACTUniv has also delivered IT trainings to the government of Bangladesh and has also supported various private organisations in Sri Lanka, Singapore and United Kingdom, Mr. Jasvinder, has also provided consultancy to the education department of government of Bahrain on ICT in Education and has grown to be one of the best training companies of Gujarat.

In the below piece to MENTOR, Mr. Jasvinder Singh, CEO ACTUniv(Wordsworth English Labs), Ahmedabad sheds some light on the communication and listening skills of the English language in the education sector with a bagful of experiences in the same career.

Good communication skill is the objective of any language learning. The fact that the learners of any language are able to interpret what is being said and are able to express themselves well using the target language, are the important objectives to language learning or acquisition. It is these primary skills that are the unsaid objectives of any language teaching-learning programme.

With English language undoubtedly the most sought after language across the world, being able to communicate well in this language becomes very important. In fact, success at the global level depends a lot on the adeptness in the communicative use of this international language. It is due to this reason that one sees the omnipotence of English as the taught language throughout the country. Yet, the proficiency level in the communicative skills is often seen as a not up to the desired mark.

Of the four LSRW (Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing) skills, reading and writing with a reasonable degree of accuracy is something that the learners of English are able to achieve easily in most schools.

Imparting these two skills are not seen as too much of a challenge by their respective boards; whereas teaching listening and speaking skills could be challenging at times. It is not an easy task to teach these two skills in a formal setup. The steady and

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assured progression in language learning and acquisition in a natural environment is difficult to surpass.

Communication ability in a language is achieved only after being used for a substantial time. Normally, months of silent period while being drenched in the target language are needed, before a learner actually starts using the language. With this environment missing for most learners, the ability to communicate in the target language gets hampered.

Of the four LSRW (Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing) reading and writing with a reasonable degree of accuracy is something that the learners of English are able to achieve easily in most schools‌‌ whereas teaching listening and speaking skills could be challenging at times.

To help the learners at its affiliated schools to achieve the desired level of proficiency in communicative skills, CBSE decided to conduct assessments for listening and speaking (ASL) for the secondary classes. It was hoped that such a test would motivate the learners to improve upon these language skills and help the teachers in assisting them in doing so. This Assessment of Speaking and Listening (ASL) was thus made mandatory

February 2016

by CBSE in 2012. All CBSE affiliated schools now require having summative as well as formative assessments for English in classes IX and XI. CBSE ensures that teachers are guided to help learners with low level of proficiency to enhance their communicative skills in this language.

The status of English as a language skill in India is dire. The assumption that learners going through an English medium education should have over the years learnt or acquired the communicative use of this language is far from the truth. Many learners struggle with the use of this language. In fact, most learners are only sound in academic English and not comfortable with the use of the language for communicative purposes.

The acuteness of this issue can be well imagined with the majority of learners coming from non-English speaking environments. Added to this is that, in spite of the importance that this language holds on their future, many learners simply are not motivated enough to make it a language for their day to day communication. The preference to use regional languages even within the school premises results in lost opportunity to use English in natural circumstances. This has a tremendous impact on fluency and accuracy while speaking in English. The onus of bring up the standards of spoken English again falls on the teachers.

This huge and cumulative responsibility of

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the teachers in bringing up the standards of English communication skills of the learners is recognised by CBSE and the board provides the teachers with relevant support material and conducts training sessions regularly.

Suggestions about how to integrate the teaching and practice of these two skills in the regular classes are given to the English teachers, while also making them familiar with the objectives and the formats of the assessments. The teachers are provided with information on both formative and summative assessments.

Fluency and accurate pronunciation are additional areas of language to be addressed. Ensuring improvement in listening skills is no different All in all, CBSE does keep the English teachers at its affiliated schools updated and regular trainings. Yet, with language being a skill and not a school subject to be studied, the results sought through the ASL test cannot be the work of a few sessions alone. CBSE understands that since the test aspires to ascertain the proficiency level of the learners’ English communicative skills, a separate training for the same would defeat the purpose of the test. Only a regular and consistent use of the language will deliver the desired result- an ambitious dream as far the reality is concerned!

As already implied, many learnerssometimes entire batches of learners need

assistance with speaking and listening for the English language. This humongous task can be met only if the teacher is able to stimulate speaking sessions in the class, and is able to create an encouraging environment for them to use the language.

H/she needs to ensure that these skills are consciously addressed in the day-today classroom sessions while meeting the parameters the learners will be tested on during the test.

The art of reading between the lines and understanding what is being meant is a skill that has to be learnt and mastered With the learners coming with varied requirements, this is no mean a challenge for the teacher. Teaching of the speaking skill is a huge challenge especially to learners coming from a non- English speaking environment. Learners have to be taught to interweave vocabulary, language structures and context appropriately to make sense. Fluency and accurate pronunciation are additional areas of language to be addressed.

Ensuring improvement in listening skills is no different. The art of reading between the lines and understanding what is being meant is a skill that has to be learnt and mastered. The learners will have to be consciously taught the skill of looking for hints to interpret and deduce meaning of the context to enhance their listening skills.

of the English teacher. They should ideally comprise of content addressing ASL needs, not only for the learner but for the teacher as well. These would be an ideal set up with a conducive environment for the learner to learn with teaching material best suited for the needs. The learners would then be provided with a bank of vocabulary or expressions best suited to a relevant topic. This hand-holding instils in them the confidence needed to speak and express themselves with confidence.

The guidance given to analyse an audio further helps them to develop a knack for interpreting and understanding what is being said.

Teaching of communication skills using a digital language lab adds value to the preparation process. The regular and deliberate teaching of listening and speaking skills, instil confidence in learners. It is anticipated that they are then inspired to shed their inhibition towards the language and use it frequently. The expressions taught during regular sessions- it is assumed, if used by them in real life, will enhance their active vocabulary and improve their proficiency in speaking the language.

The Delhi Public School, Bilaspur, where this English language lab has been running since 2013, has commented that, the results of the entire software and that of the ASL component have been highly satisfying.

It has made a positive difference on the communication skills of the learners.

Language labs aim at meeting these needs and reducing the burden

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jasvinders@actiuniv.in

February 2016

COVER STORY

THE CHANGING SOCIAL ORDER

Dr. G. Immanuel has been associated with the education industry for over thirty-five years and has been serving as Chairman, Council for the Indian School Certificate Exams (CISCE), New Delhi and as Principal, SDA Secondary School and Jr. College, Ahmedabad.

Dr. G. Immanuel has been felicitated with several honours in the field of education, through the course of his service and continues to learn with changing times. In this informative piece to MENTOR, Dr. G. Immanuel, shares what skills and pedagogy may be required for the 21st century teacher to make a difference in the classroom, while integrating digital technology and activity based learning into their teaching practices.

The wealth of a nation is not dependent on its economical and natural resources as much as it may be dependent on the kind and quality of the wealth of its children and the youth. It is they who will be the creators of tomorrow and will be shaping the nation.

They have boundless stores of energy, will, capability, zeal, enthusiasm and have the power to mould the destiny of a nation. The best way to engage the youth into playing such a constructive role is to educate them with proper training in the desired direction.

There is a famous saying “If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. If you teach the man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.

Therefore, by educating people, they enjoy the benefits of it throughout their life.

Importance of Education Education is the touchstone of the civilization and culture of a country and is the key to solve all problems – political, social, personal, professional, economic, environmental- the list is endless. In a nutshell, the quality of education in any nation determines the quality of the nation.

According to Nelson Mandela, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” This quote exemplifies the importance of education in the world; and how education could bring in significant changes.

The Changing Social Order Education is a dynamic discipline and has been evolving with changing times. In the

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past, education was teacher-centric, the teacher controlled learning and taught lessons like a sage on the stage. Students received the knowledge that was passed on, in the same order and at the same pace. Methods of instruction were lectures, discussions and question answer methods.

Moreover, the subjects of the curriculum were not integrated, rather they were rigid and mostly confined to classroom activities and experiences.

Modern education, on the other hand lays stress on the development of the physical, mental, spiritual, social, vocational, moral, emotional and aesthetic aspects.

Curriculum is flexible, varied and progressive.

Traditional methods of teaching have been replaced by play way, learning by doing, learning by experience, project method, observation, experimental method, problem solving, travelling, etc. Modern education is child-centered and it is an authentic education.

Modern education, on the other hand lays stress on the development of the physical, mental, spiritual, social, vocational, moral, emotional and aesthetic aspects Education 4.0 : A Paradigm Shift Telematics through its evolutions from its Education 1.0 to Education 3.0, has revolutionized the process of education.

This has enabled educators and learners to work with interactive multimedia learning materials and reference materials and collaborating tools. As a result of developing these new models of teaching learners will be able to master higher level of content and do it more quickly.

Education 4.0 – (today into foreseeable future) or innovation producing education.

This education is based on human capital enhancement relevant to knowledge production and innovation applications of knowledge. Education 4.0 empowers students to produce innovation CHARACTERISTICS OF DIFFERENT GENERATIONS Researchers have divided people into various generations. They behave the way they behave because they were born in that period where they were influenced and shaped by the societal demands. Only relevant generations will be dealt herewith.

Baby Boom Generation (born 1946 to 1964): Grew up with idealistic longings and changed the social structure of the country.

They created a place for themselves in history as rebels who initiated many causes.

They are process-oriented and relationshipfocused at work. They are hard workers who strive to do their best, take risks and make a contribution that is worthwhile.

Generation X (born 1965-1976) entered the force during volatile economic times and amid turbulent world affairs. They communicate frequently and truthfully.

They provide feedback on their job performance. They try new things. They resist

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micromanaging them. They are creative and are able to work independently. They value work-life balance.

21st Century Students The Millennial Generation (Gen.Y) – born 1977 to 1998. They are also known as Net Generation/Digital Natives.

Millennials are current generation of students. They were born with technology and take it for granted. Smart phones, laptops and iPads are not really gadgets for them, but necessities they were born with. Nobody taught them but they know how to operate these gadgets. They converse with other students in the class via text messaging.

They too do not understand the lecture method. To solve this problem, the student resolves to Google the concept and finds a better explanation and immediately relays it to others in the class.

Generation Z (the Centennials) born after 1999. They are the children of Generation X and Generation Y. Generation Z are predicted to be highly connected, living in an age of high-tech communication, technology driven lifestyles and prolific use of social media. They have never known a world without the Internet, cell phones or iPods. They are metrosexual.

Thomas G. Carroll, President of the National Commission has explained in teaching reports that a third of the nation’s teachers are Baby Boomers who are wedded to a stand-and-deliver teaching process.

Generation Y teachers often share the values of the Baby Boomers, but they tend to be very idealistic and very oriented

February 2016

to team-work, collaboration, constant communication, multi-tasking, and technology. These young teachers find themselves in classrooms and schools that don’t match their vision or expectations.

Couple that with ‘Boomer teachers’ who are being pushed into uncomfortable technology environments. It is imperative that the teachers adapt to these new teaching methods and consider numerous strategies to accommodate these learners.

21ST CENTURY LEARNER’S SKILLS There are compelling economic and civic reasons for education systems to develop 21st century skills. The skills that students require in the 21st century are not new.

Today, these skills are a necessity and should be made universal and affordable to everyone. Knowledge has become dynamic and the ways in which it is presented is also changing and one must quickly transform with changing times.

CHALLENGES OF THE 21ST CENTURY TEACHER. They are mostly females, 43 years old and married. They are called Digital Immigrants.

They are more educated and experienced than teachers of the past. Some of the challenges of the 21st century teachers are:

Knowledge and skills are not different, but they are intertwined. Schools must move beyond a focus on basic competency to promoting understanding of academic content at much higher levels by weaving 21st century inter-disciplinary themes into curriculum. Global awareness, financial, economic, business and entrepreneurial literacy, civic literacy, health literacy, environmental literacy, ICT Skills, career skills including flexibility, adaptability and initiative are the skills that the 21st century learners need to master in order to cope up with the demands of the ever changing world.

• They may resist learning about new technology. Coming from the Baby Boom generation and somewhat reluctant to adopt, new technology too quickly, some educators feel intimidated by students’ knowledge of too old they do not understand.

• They work in environments where professional development is underemphasized and undervalued by their heads of schools.

• New technology takes them out of their comfort zones. Technology requires teachers to play more of a facilitator’s role, rather than a more directive or authoritative one. The new role conflicts with traditional teaching methods and requires teachers to step back and allow learning to happen without their handson direction.

• Educators must constantly undergo inductive, scientific and progress system of in-service teacher training to be able to make use of the ubiquitous technology and in new pedagogies to get qualified and to be able to form a productive collaboration with the learners for deep learning.

• Most of the schools in India do not have the necessary space, infrastructure, finance and gadgets suitable for 21st century teaching and learning. As a result, the teachers are unable to cope up with the same level of teaching like their counterpart.

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Educators must constantly undergo inductive, scientific and progress system of in-service teacher training to be able to make use of the ubiquitous technology and in new pedagogies 21ST CENTURY TEACHERS’ SKILLS Explore new teaching methods. Millennials and Centennials want their assignments that are more creative. They are more experiential and exploratory learners, so they really seem to benefit from the personalization and customization of assignments. We must also look at different learning styles, e.g. VARK (Visual, Auditory, Read/Write or Kinesthetic learners).

Make it relevant. To make teaching effective, any curriculum must be relevant to students’ lives. Lack of relevance leads to lack of motivation. The relevance of learning specific knowledge and skills is much clearer to students—and much more motivating—if they understand how a given topic fits into

need to develop the ability to apply skills, concepts, knowledge, attitudes and/or strategies they develop in one context, situation or application to another, reflexively (low-road transfer) or after deliberate thought and analysis (high-road transfer).

“the big picture,” or a meaningful context.

Humor and use of current examples also help engage students.

Make your class multimedia. A study found that Millennials want more variety in class.

This is a culture that has been inundated with multimedia and they’re all huge multitaskers, so to just sit and listen to a talking head is often not engaging enough for them. As the world is changing rapidly towards digital information, the role of ICTs in education is becoming a necessity. One of the hottest trends in education today is the flipped classroom: Computer-savvy students turn to online videos for the content normally taught in class and use class time to collaborate in discussion with peers and instructors. The teachers can incorporate Facebook, Twitter and other platforms into their teaching.

Teach through the disciplines. Students develop their 21st century skills and knowledge as they learn why each academic discipline is important, how experts create new knowledge, and how they communicate it.

Develop lower and higher order thinking skills—at the same time. Students need to comprehend relationships between given variables and how to apply this understanding to different contexts. Hence, develop Lower and Higher Order Thinking skills at the same time.

Encourage transfer of learning. Students

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Teach students to learn to learn (metacognition). Since there is a limit to how much students learn through formal schooling, they also must learn to learn on their own. To do so, students need to be aware of how they learn. Learning to learn is a critical skill in itself. The goal of this practice is to increase pupil’s curiosity and motivation to learn.

Address misunderstandings directly. People have many misunderstandings about how the world works that persist until they have the opportunity to develop alternative explanations. To overcome misconceptions, learners need to actively construct new understandings. Teaching topics deeply gives students time and space to familiarize with ideas that contradict their intuitive misconceptions.

Promote teamwork as a process and outcome. The ability to work collaboratively is an important 21st century skill, not to mention an important condition for optimal learning of other key skills. Students learn better with peers. Students can discuss concepts in pairs or groups and share what they understand with the rest of the class.

They can develop arguments and debate them. They can role-play, they can divide up materials about a given topic and then teach others about their piece.

Exploit technology to support learning.

Technology provides students with new ways to develop their problem-solving, critical thinking and communication skills; transfer them to different contexts; reflect upon their thinking and that of their peers; practice addressing their misunderstanding; and collaborate with peers – all on topics relevant to their lives and using engaging tools.

Foster students’ creativity. Creativity sparks innovations that can create jobs, address

February 2016

challenges and motivate social and individual progress. Creativity grows out of intrinsic motivation, which relevance fosters.

If students find lessons relevant to their lives, they are more intrinsically motivated to learn and use their new found knowledge and understanding creatively.

21ST CENTURY PEDAGOGIES 21st Century pedagogy is based on learning partnerships between and students and teachers that taps into the intrinsic motivation of students and teachers alike.

These are not teaching strategies, but new models of learning, blended with the digital tools and resources. The following pedagogies are suggestive because they can differ from teacher to teacher. Every teacher must discover his/her own relevant, appropriate pedagogy to suit the needs and situations of the students.

Pedagogies for students – centered learning: Teaching is about getting to know the child.

The teacher must discover the immense variations in the readiness and ability of every student and must address these multiple abilities with appropriate teaching model.

Teacher must know the students well and build on existing knowledge and abilities to deliver a greater range of teaching styles.

This personalized approach caters to multiple learning styles and adopts education to reflect the learning needs of each individual. In this model of teaching, students will be accessing and engaging with their own content at their own pace of learning.

in a less rigid and controlling environment.

Pedagogies for learning in partnerships In this model of teaching the relationships among students themselves and between them and their teachers provide a supportive context for peer-tutoring, group work, modeling and coaching, collaborative problem-solving and constructive risktaking. The ability to learn and work as a member of a team becomes even more important in a society where knowledge expands at an incredible rate.

The starting place for all of this lies in the relationship between students and teachers and how their respective roles are changing.

Partnership relationships, connecting student aspirations, the right kind of feedback and learning to learn are all essential in the 21st century pedagogies because they set the context in which teachers can more deeply know their individual students and through that, analyse student progress to understand which teaching and learning strategies best activate an individual students learning.

Best educators can encourage learners to work in teams to solve problems, deepen their understanding of various concepts, and increase their knowledge.

This in turn generates the skills such as expertise, creativity, inter- disciplinary thinking and team based problem solving.

Pedagogies of Deep Learning

In this approach every school child will be assessed and receive tailored and dedicated support for attaining performance goals and strongly discourages one size/one style fits all model of teaching. Students must be encouraged to self-evaluate and improve.

The goals of deep learning are that students will gain the competencies and dispositions that will prepare them to be creative, connected and collaborative, lifelong problem solvers and to be healthy, holistic human beings who not only contribute to but also create the common good in today’s knowledge based, creative, interdependent world.

The learning requires students to have adequate access to relevant technologies.

It also requires flexibility in both time and space. Students should be allowed to move and rearrange themselves if they are to work collaboratively. The teacher should operate

This calls for enabling pedagogies, encourage curiosity and a sense of wonder.

They provide learning opportunities that are meaningful and relevant to students, encouraging learners to critique and question, to seek meaning, to make choices,

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and to create and express ideas with skill and confidence. The pedagogies will challenge students with ever-richer and more complex experiences and opportunities to deepen insights and improve skills. In so doing they will develop the necessary skills for lifelong learning.

We need to transform curricula so that they focus less on ‘things to know’ and more on ‘strategies for learning the things you don’t know.” As new technologies continue to quicken the pace of change in all parts of our lives, learning to become a better learner is far more important than learning to multiply fractions or memorizing the capitals of the world. When digital tools would be blended with the pedagogies, the process of deep learning is bound to accelerate.

Pedagogies for building Learning Communities Learning in the 21st century must ensure truly to be socializing in that, it must enhance the learners communal and global consciousness and foster responsible citizenship.

It must be socio-critical, deepening awareness of the nature of the society and its need for development.

And it must be transformative enabling learners to make a difference to the lives of individuals, communities and the changing world in which they live.

21st century education isn’t about technology or skills for the global economy. 21st century education is about creativity, cultural awareness, problem solving, innovation, civic management, communication, productivity, collaboration, accountability, exploration, initiative, responsibility, leadership, productivity and making the classroom as dynamic as the world around us. We need to bear in mind the fact that students we teach today are completely different from the students of 20th century. It is our responsibility to acquire new classroom skills and absorb new pedagogies. As teachers, we must compete with ourselves to be more evolved better and competent person than ever before. Be a good observer, analyzer and learner and update yourself to be good role model in front of children.

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To teach using 21st century pedagogies and skills, teachers must be student-centric.

They should make use of collaborative based learning, using enabling digital tools and resources to facilitate deep learning.

21st century teachers are digital immigrants.

Hence they need to undergo a scientific progressive system of teacher-training in order to be able to blend new pedagogies with digital tools. 21st century learners are millennials and centennials. They are techno savvy and they function only with digital gadgets. They want to learn at their own pace, time and convenience. They prefer to use technology to study at any time of the day or night, telecommunicate from anywhere in the world and define balance in their own individual ways.

Students must be key participants in the assessment process.

References: • S. Samuel,Education in Emerging India, PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd., 2015.

• R.S. Pandey, Principles of Education, Agarwal Publications, 2009 • A. Mariyammal, Revolution in Teaching Approach, Random Publications, • V.K. Rao, Contemporary Education, A.P.H. Publishing Corporation, 2007 • Dr. Safia Mukadam, Collaborative Learning Communities, A.P.H. Publishing Corporation, 2016 • Bhaviskar, S.G. Modern Technology in Education, • N. Ramnath Kishan, Global Trends in Teacher Education, 2007 • R.L. Nikose, Teacher Education in Twenty First Century, A.P.H. Publishing Corporation, 2013 • K.K. Bhatia, Educational Psychology and Techniques of Teaching, Kalyani Publications, 2004 • Mujibul Hasan Siddiqui, Challenges of Educational Technology, • A.P.H. Publishing Corporation, 2004.

• Sunanda Ghosh, Education in Emerging Indian Society, PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd., 2016.

• Education magazines & google

sdahss@gmail.com

February 2016

SCHOOL LEADERSHIP

HAPPY FURNITURE TO YOU It is interesting how the right furniture can play a major role in enhancing the learning experience of students and more importantly generate a positive feeling among them. In this piece to MENTOR, Ms. Mononita Paul, Marketing Head, Popcorn Furniture and Lifestyle Private Limited, Noida, highlights the role of furniture in modern day education.

“Well designed schools create the future leaders of tomorrow”.

A great learning environment is an essential need of any good institution today. A school has variable demands today for its infrastructure.

It is therefore an important endeavour for the schools to take care of the ergonomic features of the furniture along with the form and functionality so as to meet the needs of students Proper infrastructure plays an important role in creating an effective, high performance learning environment. Hence selecting the right kind of furniture for the classrooms, laboratories, cafeterias, libraries in schools has become equally important. The aesthetic appeal of the furniture along with ergonomics and functionality are important parameters for the students

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and help in creating a conducive learning environment. A child spends considerable number of hours in the school and hence the environment and the furniture are important for the health and wellness of students. For example, if the seating arrangements are not up to the mark, they may affect the child’s posture as he happens to spend about 7-8 hours at school hence leading to a bad posture perhaps which could be detrimental to his health.

The key criterion of selecting appropriate School furniture should be ensuring that the furniture is ergonomic which means that the flexibility features within the furniture should support the body’s natural inclination to shift and vary postures. With a wide range of ages and body types, the furniture must have flexibility to adapt to different bodies as well as different ideas of comfort. In a recent CNN report, it was stated that more than one-third of children and teens are overweight or obese and proving too large

to fit into traditional school desks. With adjustable tables and chairs, students are able to exercise some control over their environment. It is therefore an important endeavour for the schools to take care of 3 key factors while selecting furniture for students: • ergonomic features of the furniture or its flexibility • form • functionality The kindergarten section of a school is very important for example, in terms of furniture as it attracts, stimulates and encourages young minds to think. The furniture in the kindergarten section should be colourful and vibrant, so as to attract the young minds. Theme based classrooms would allow the kids to spread their wings of imagination.

Progressive schools engage in a curriculum wherein children perform group activities and furniture which allows collaborative learning is recommended. Well-coordinated storage spaces with innovative designs allow proper and optimum use of space.

Hence each classroom at each level must be designed differently so that they are unique, appealing and attractive.

A middle or high school has certain other areas besides classrooms and they need

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fitted customised solutions along with regular furniture to optimise the space usage.

It is also important that the furniture be knocked down, as logistics is a major issue while computing the cost of transporting furniture. Schools need constant shifting of classroom desks according to lesson needs and want stack ability options. “One design or size fits all” does not work anymore. It is therefore important to spend a lot of time in designing school furniture keeping in mind the safety parameters, quality and ergonomics. Tamper proof tops with PVC injection moulding and riveted accessories are some of the add-ons that would make the furniture maintenance free for schools.

Dr. Shyama Chona, Educationist “Popcorn has transformed the concept of classroom interiors. The play areas in the schools are also undergoing a revolution with Popcorn equipment which attracts the kids to the school.”

Ms. Sapna Chauhan, Vice Chairperson, Amiown Preschools and Amity Centre for Educational Research and Training “We were looking for exceptional quality furniture and play equipment for our upcoming global schools in Noida and Gurgaon. Popcorn was a great choice in meeting our design and custom needs.”

mononita@popcornfurniture.com

February 2016

A PLEASANT MELODY!

Ms. Shanti Badrinarayan entered the education industry as a teacher and went on to become the Principal of The Silver Oaks School, Bengaluru. She has worked on several research papers with educators both in India and abroad and has also worked with Government of Tamil Nadu and several Non Government Organizations to establish language labs. Ms Badrinarayan was elected as representative of International Development in Asia Committee (IDAC) and a Resident Scholar of Reading Research Quarterly (RRQ) of International Reading Association (IRA) and has also been awarded ‘Nation Builder’ by Rotary club of Coimbatore North in 2014. In this article for MENTOR, Ms Shanti Badrinarayan, Principal at The Silver Oaks School, Bengaluru, shares her experiences as a leader while enlightening the readers about transformational leadership and how adding a few changes in the administrative process could help empower the teachers and staff members.

“All humanity is divided into 3 categories: those who are immovable, those who are movable and those who move” - Benjamin Franklin To begin with, let us get an insider’s view of what is experienced in schools. Most schools in this 21st century tend to follow a traditional stratified system – there is a fundamental divide between the service delivery role of teachers, of other staff and the leadership role of the school administrator. The school leader i.e. the Principal, for reasons of personal safety and security follows McGregor’s theory of X style of management. This theory advocates for ease of operation and states that the employees need to be controlled and strictly supervised, be pushed to be more productive and be directed to do things with rewards/punishments being sources of motivation. A hierarchical approach such as this promotes inclusiveness to a select group of employees who form the ‘Principal’s clique’ for the Charismatic Leader. They end up promoting a narrow vision, control conversations and fix problems unilaterally.

In contrast to the Charismatic Leadership model is the now emerging Transformational Leadership model. A transformational leader motivates and involves other important stakeholders in the decision making process, is open minded to accept various

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views, is a dialogue creator and effective communicator, actively participates in problem solving and promotes creativity. In the school system this demands the Principal, who is the most important instrument for advocating change, to be a visionary. The Principal becomes responsible for creating an intellectually stimulating atmosphere, which inspires individuals to step out boldly, take risks and evolve to positively impact the learner community.

Change the school culture to accommodate diversity, to impact the community by building a strong ecosystem that will tap curiosity, nourish inquisitiveness, cherish independence, support strugglers and uphold diversity While the effective Principals of the past were good managers and acceptably effective problem solvers, the empowered Principals of the present and future are expected to play the role of inspirational role models.

Realising this, school managements and the governing bodies have reversed the pyramid - the Principal and teacher leaders run the schools and the management provides necessary support and assistance to help the team succeed in the only place that matters i.e. in the classrooms.

Like the famous proverb states “If you continue to do what you always did, you will only have the same result at best or a mixed up one at worst”. The need of the hour is change. Change the school culture to accommodate diversity, to impact the community by building a strong ecosystem that will tap curiosity, nourish inquisitiveness, cherish independence, support strugglers and uphold diversity.

The important question then is ‘What is needed to be an inspiring Transformational School Leader?’ A few pointers are provided below: • Be a motivator and inspire others towards collaboration and interdependence, working towards a shared goal.

• Delegate responsibilities amongst the team.

• Concentrate on increase in productivity.

• Emphasize the common core and purpose for all to be at school - which is to enable the students to succeed.

• Empower others to experiment by respecting and valuing diversity.

• Be a good listener.

• Manage conflict creatively and in-timely manner • Advocate for those who need support • Uphold high standards for students, teachers and self.

• Be courageous • Ensure campus is safe and welcoming for all.

For building a collaborative and professional climate based on trust and respect, a Principal should be adequately mentored.

Apart from educational qualification and professional instructional experience, the Principal should be emotionally strong and psychologically comfortable with a democratic and participative decision making process. It is also important to start small, evaluate the existing culture, interpret available data, know what you stand for as a person, be genuine in involving people, be confident in your knowledge and be accepting of diverse personalities and skill sets.

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For a school to run smoothly, both the academic and administrative wheels of the school should be treated at par and kept well coordinated. Here are some practical and applicable steps to achieve an effective running of the school as a Transformational School Leader Constitute School Leadership Team (SLT) consisting of Principal, Senior Teacher leaders or Assistant Principal and Administrative leaders.

Create committees to function independently. Examples of committees include cultural committees, opening day committee, hygiene and sanitation committee, safety committees (school/ bus), publication committee, others. Each of these committees should draft a broad frame of Standard Operating Procedures (SOP). The members of these committees

February 2016

Review performance based on standardized presentations. Minute these reviews to rule out gaps in understanding. Communicate these minutes with the SLT and significant persons.

Display progress or talents using display or pin up boards. Establish a problem solving and decision making body with Principal, Assistant Principal, teachers and admin staff which will meet to take quick action or review the action taken in an emergency.

should have an equal distribution of teacher leaders, students and parents wherever possible. Every member of a committee is accountable and responsible for its effective functioning. Their performance can be audited by the SLT. Frame Common policies to uphold core values and philosophy of the school (home work policy, stationery policy, transport policy, recruitment policy others.)

Delegate responsibilities to decentralize‌.

Coordinators should act as immediate mentors for new comers; Heads of Departments should ensure effective methodology is followed; Sections incharges should monitor punctuality and ensure that commonly agreed disciplines are adhered to.

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By sharing responsibility the Principal becomes visible, approachable and accessible as a progressive thinker and directional decision maker and will be a visionary who would be able to orchestrate the entire system into a pleasant melody in the workplace The transformational democratic leader (the Principal), will then be available for periodic reviews based on standardized presentation formats and give appropriate feedback and mentorship. By sharing responsibility the Principal becomes visible, approachable and accessible as a progressive thinker and directional decision maker and will be a visionary who would be able to orchestrate the entire system into a pleasant melody in the workplace.

principal@silveroaks.co.in

SCHOOL GOVERNANCE

ADOPTING TECHNOLOGY

Technology and its advancements have been a boon in many ways, especially as they help in reducing administrative tasks. While most corporates already have one, developing a web based application that possesses the capability to bring all the stakeholders of an education system through a universal platform helps eliminating errors and streamlining the process further. One of the widely used ERP softwares in the education sector called – Any Time Student Information (ATSI) was developed and marketed by Mr. Rohit Kumar, CEO and CMD, XIPHIAS Technologies Private Limited, Bengaluru. The concept and design was awarded second most promising School ERP Software by Silicon India and for Technology Implementation and Deliverables in The Business Excellence and Achievement Awards in 2015.

In the below informative piece, Mr Rohit Kumar, CEO, XIPHIAS Technologies Private Limited, Bengaluru, shares with MENTOR how Employee Resource Planning software can be useful in schools.

The requirement for ERP in schools The relevance of the employee resource planning software (ERP) is primarily because of the efficiency it brings in the work. It helps to pursue the operations in an ideal way.

With the assistance of this software, any institute does not require the hard efforts put in by manual workforce, as it guarantees the required accurate outcome. This software has been essentially devoted to reduce manual efforts.

Any institution, big or small, needs to build an organized system that records all information of the students and allows ease of use and access.

Some of the most elementary problems faced on a day to day basis are: • Administrative offices are overloaded with files and piles of information • Procedure to gain access to any small data is long and heavily bureaucratic • Most of the information provided is out of date and inconsistent • Functionality is scattered throughout different organizational units To reduce the issues faced by schools, ERP implementation is extremely important. ERP aims to remove or reduce:

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• Poor communication among the different departments and functions in an educational institute • Disorganized and scattered file management system • Errors and difficulties faced in generating a time-table across classes and sections • Huge amount of manual work – data entry and maintaining registers, analysis of class performance, storing registration and admission documents • Difficulties faced in tracking old data • Lack of transparency and delayed official processes When implementing the software, management may not even think about the Return of Investment they get from the software, however the ROI can be manifold Hence, ERP indeed increases efficiency of the entire management. Moreover, it reduces the communication gap between the parents and teachers and also automates administrative activities.

Usage and benefits of having ERP in schools • automates registration and admission processes

February 2016

ERP provides the mobile application for each and every parent so that they may access the same from anywhere in the world and see the progress of their child.

Here is how ERP may be helpful for parents in many ways.

• manages student information efficiently • manages classes, subjects according to requirements • automated time table generation with options • transport maintenance management • track attendance for students and staff members • library management • staff salary generation and expenses management • automated examination management system • maintain grades and create a grade book • analyse class performance • manage hostel boarding and lodging With the assistance of the ERP software, any institute does not require the hard efforts put in by manual workforce, as it guarantees the required accurate outcome ADDITIONAL FEATURES • Generate countless MIS reports • Security feature - manage Login and Access • Streamline flow of information • Improve decision-making capability • Keep parents up-to-date with their ward’s progress The role of ERP to connect with parents effectively

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a. They can view the daily attendance, b. They can view the syllabus completed c. They can view the Library items issued to their child d. They can view Fee pending details.

If possible they may also pay the fee online. e. Most importantly they get the report card of their child directly in the app.

Here the communication gap between the teachers and parents is bound to be reduced. f. They can also get the information about the notices, bus timings, hostel details and holiday list.

ERP technology and schools - At a glance Looking at the basic structure of the school, here is how ERP could be helpful in a fourfold manner, keeping all stakeholders in mind: • Parents Parents will have an option of viewing day-to-day attendance, view the exam results directly, pay the fee online through net-banking, view notice, track transport through GPS and so on • Students For students all the above options will be available but only for viewing. They cannot make any changes in the dashboard.

• Staff/Teachers Here, Staff can apply for leave, enter the syllabus, enter the results, check the notice and others • Administrators Administrator will have the complete rights of the software. All the modules can be accessed by administrator. He can give the permissions to access the modules for other users related to their field. Like library access for librarian and others.

Apart from the software itself, a few addons like a Face Recognition machine, RFID Cards, Smart Cards, Touch Screen Kiosks, Podium Kiosks , may also be helpful for the institution and in helping reduce manual effort.

The current status of ERP adoption in India All the educational institutes (schools and colleges) and mostly private controlled institutes adopt ERP solutions. Mainly because of CBSE and ICSE boards which have made school automation compulsory.

The key challenges faced while adopting or implementing the ERP solutions There are many challenges that may be

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faced while implementing the ERP Solution. For example, schools/ colleges may not want to implement the ERP because of its transparency and accountability or the staff may not be comfortable or capable to handle the advanced technology offered. The age old habit of doing the work manually takes over and the readiness to change and adopt technology may not be there.

Hence, making the institutions to use the software can sometimes be a very big challenge.

Do’s and Dont’s that institutes should keep in mind while implementing ERP solutions/ applications.

The most important thing that they have to do is to use the software and adopt it on a day to day basis. The school administrators should be actively using the software. School Management should avoid manual usage as much as possible. When implementing the software, management may not even think about the Return of Investment(ROI) they get from the software, however the ROI can be manifold. The staff should also be capable enough to use the ERP or be trained to implement it or else all the work done by management might go in vain.

rohit@xiphiastec.com

February 2016

A TEACHER’S PERSPECTIVE

While the Right to Education Act was formalized in 2009, there have been various hurdles that teachers have been facing with regards to its implementation. Team MENTOR conducted a research at a micro level, getting inputs from teachers on challenges faced by them with regards to implementation of the RTE Act. The results have been highlighted along with a few thoughts shared by Mr. Ashish Ranjan, Research Associate at the Right to Education Resource Centre, Ahmedabad. Mr. Ashish is a graduate from IIM(Ahmedabad) and has been working on Section 12 of the RTE Act, which highlights the admission of 25percent RTE students in private schools.

With the government formulating the Right to Education Act in the year 2009, a lot has gone into formalizing the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education until the age of fourteen in private and government institutions in India. The right not only reinstates that every child has the right to free and compulsory education irrespective of his economic background, funded by the government but also indicates private schools (both aided and unaided) must admit at least 25 percent of economically/socially backward children into their institutions without any fee. While the Indian legislature aimed to bridge the social and economic gap with respect to education with this Act put into practice, it is unfortunate that the Act has had its own share of impediments while being implemented successfully across the country.

A study conducted by Ojha in 2013, aimed at highlighting the challenges with respect to implementation of the RTE Act, found out that school infrastructure, less qualified teachers, inadequate training on CCE and assessments, impact of no detention policy on student learning were some of the major issues faced by institutions while implementing the RTE Act. Furthermore, lack of accountability among teachers and age appropriate classrooms for students were also highlighted as major challenges while implementing the same (Zubail Kales and Takur, 2014; Aasvari, 2015). With the existing literature and the lack of studies on the challenges faced by teachers in

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particular upon implementation of the Act, the research team at Mentor used the case study method to understand the perspective and the issues faced by the teachers in a few schools in Bangalore, so that the gaps identified may be taken up to improve the scenario.

The teachers felt that the learning pace of the RTE children was much slower as compared to others… It was therefore suggested that RTE be implemented at the kindergarten level itself thereby acquainting the child with the classroom environment at the earliest stage possible As a mentor and a guide, a teacher may often want to sit back and ruminate on the existing practices and try to find ways to fill in the gaps if any, to ensure they are in line with the child’s development.

While the Right to Education Act was an initiative of the government to enlighten and empower children with free basic education at the private and government level, it also becomes the responsibility of the teachers thereafter to ensure its smooth and successful implementation. It may be fruitful therefore, to chew over some of the following questions while addressing the RTE implementation as teachers: • How well versed and aware are we about the sections covered under the larger umbrella of the RTE Act? • What are the kind of challenges we face

with respect to the implementation of the Act? • What are the areas that require attention while aiming to successfully implement the act?

• How can we enhance ways of introducing new concepts to RTE children so as to improve their retention?

• What is the scope for improvement in the existing practices to ensure the Act covers what it intends to?

Some facts and figures: Even though most teachers (convenient sample of teachers across ICSE, CBSE and State Board for Private aided and unaided schools) agreed that the implementation of the RTE Act was as high as about 78 percent in their schools, several facts revealed through the study were surprising and may require some attention.

• Most of the teachers (62 percent) accepted that they had been getting special training for dealing with RTE children, however only about 50 percent attended thee orientation program for RTE • Most teachers (72 percent) agreed that there was a huge difference in the learning abilities of RTE and non RTE children. Also it was unanimously revealed that the schools did not follow a different evaluation pattern while grading the children.

• Though it was agreed by most of the teachers (72 percent) that resources like books, stationery, uniforms etc. were provided to the RTE students, the schools did not have a provision for special training or counseling for these students • Even though remedial classes were conducted for RTE children, more parental involvement would be appreciable for better results.

• Hygiene among the RTE children also happened to be one of the major concerns raised by the teachers.

Challenges and Suggestions An initiative such as this to promote education may often bring with itself a set of challenges and as a successful teacher

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one would often be concerned to highlight these issues and find ways to combat them.

The facts above bring forth some of the major concerns existing amongst teachers when it comes to dealing with the RTE children and implementing the Act to the best of their abilities. While the government schools may perhaps have a more or less similar set of students (economically and socially), it may be challenging sometimes at the private level wherein 25 percent of the crowd comes from a different economic and social background. It is in such cases that the teachers may require sound understanding of how both the kinds of students (RTE and non RTE) must be dealt with, such that both thrive. A series of training programs spread across the year at regular intervals for the teachers to deal with and handle these children was considered as a probable suggestion. Additionally, regular sessions with the parents of the RTE children especially, was considered important, so as to enlighten and involve them with the child’s progress seeking their support as well. Since parental support adds to the child’s performance, it was highlighted that

February 2016

parents be actively involved and aware of the child’s progress and meet the teachers from time to time, thereby helping the child to improve and practice what has been learnt in class. Also the importance of a counsellor and their presence within the school premises to help in addressing these issues for the students was highlighted by the teachers.

While the Indian legislature aimed to bridge the social and economic gap with respect to education with this Act put into practice, it is unfortunate that the Act has had its own share of impediments while being implemented successfully across the country While RTE children and their learning and grasping patterns were highlighted, some teachers also pointed out curriculum specific challenges faced by them, considering RTE children were admitted to schools only at the Primary stage. For example, the teachers from the ICSE board felt that phonetics, which was taught to other students at the kindergarten level, was an area of concern for the novice RTE learners and a different approach would perhaps be required to deal with both kinds of students. Furthermore, when it came to the CBSE board, wherein formative and summative assessments were emphasized time and again, the teachers felt that the learning pace of the RTE children was much slower as compared to others, thus leading to tests and retests and making learning cumbersome. It was therefore suggested that RTE be implemented at the kindergarten level itself thereby acquainting the child with the classroom environment at the earliest stage possible.

the challenges faced by teachers from the existing studies. The question therefore arises as we ponder, are we facing similar (or even other) issues while dealing with this situation? Are we bringing these issues to the forefront so that suggestions for probable solutions may flow in? How could we re design/re structure the schedules/routines for the RTE children so as to maximize their learning? Where do we stand and how must we improve?

With these questions as food for thought, we at Mentor invite you to write to us with suggestions, opinions, thoughts and ideas, so that we may be able to share these experiences and come together to find solutions for all such kinds of challenges being faced with respect to pedagogy, discipline, hygiene, etiquette, parental support etc, upon the implementation of the Right to Education Act for students.

ExpertSpeak: “RTE Section 12 1 (c) is an important step towards the creation of an equitable and just society. It is high time that children of our country grow with each other in a diverse background. This makes the task of schools especially the private unaided ones all the more important. Many motivated schools and teachers have shown that despite all the challenges Section 12 1 (c) or 25% quota can work and impact not only 25% but 100% lives in their classrooms. What is required today is that the schools who are properly implementing this should come forward and share their experiences with rest of the schools.�

- Mr. Ashish Ranjan, Research Associate at the Right to Education Resource Centre, Ahmedabad. (p12ashishr@ iimahd.ernet.in)

Teachers seemed to be satisfied with the infrastructure and other facilities provided to the RTE children however, highlighted the gaps when it came the training and orientation of the RTE program for teachers.

They emphasized the need to be involved in training programs from time to time, so that they may implement the changes wherever necessary in the classroom. While the study was conducted at an extremely micro level, it seemed to identify and further validate

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info@mentormagazine.net

INNOVATION

FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT Mr. Prashant Kumar has over 4 years of work experience in the IT sector.

He has completed his post-graduation from Azim Premji University and holds a degree of Masters in Development Studies with primary focus on. He currently works as the Project Coordinator for Saahas Zero Waste Solutions Private Limited, Bangalore, which provides professional services to all waste generators, including companies, apartment complexes, institutions and communities.

In this informative piece to MENTOR, Mr. Prashant Kumar, Project Coordinator, Saahas Zero Waste Solutions Private Limited, Bengaluru, draws the attention of the readers towards e-waste management and e- waste solutions and how this program is important for schools.

The dark side of technology: E-waste The trajectory of human development has witnessed a paradigm shift of the traditional, frugal communities into a modern, extravagant lifestyle. The market led global economy has given rise to consumerism.

Electronic and Electrical Equipment (EEE) is perhaps, the fastest growing industry in the world today.

Think over this – you press a light switch and it eradicates darkness, you can talk over with someone sitting miles away from you on your mobile, you watch a live cricket match on television, listen to your favourite songs on your iPod, there are healthcare equipment which could detect even the minutest biological dysfunctions inside the human body etc. All of the above mentioned, are the gifts that scientific advancement has bestowed upon human beings.

But, as I sit and type this, there may be some new technology being developed in some part of the world, which will render existing knowledge and working technology useless and obsolete.

I am not sure if many of you have seen a floppy disk. When I was young, it was in vogue. 1.4 Megabyte(Mb) storage meant a lot. Wait, what? 1.4 Mb? Yes, you read it right. And now we have pen-drives in Gigabytes(Gbs) and external hard disks with storage capacities in Terabytes (Tbs). A 1.4 Mb storage device, as of today, would

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not even be able to store your Facebook or WhatsApp display picture! This is how dynamic technology has been.

As much as we love technological advancement, the harsh reality is that the same advancement has quickened the rate of obsolescence of the EEE goods.

These obsolete EEE goods then become what is called electronic waste(E-waste).

E-waste is the term that describes the rapidly growing stream of waste from electronics and appliances, whole or in part of rejects (which are intended to be discarded) from their manufacturing and repair processes.

But, these days most of these electronic devices or appliances are often not obsolete or old, rather, they are simply given up for the latest version of the same product available in the market. E-waste includes anything from old computers, televisions and phones to washing machines and refrigerators, to everything else in between.

However, compact florescent lights (CFLs), tube-lights and wet batteries do not come under e-waste. These are categorized as hazardous wastes.

February 2016

E-waste in India: India was the fifth largest generator of e-waste in 2014. India generates an alarming figure of 12.5 lakh metric tonnes of e-waste per year. 90-95% of the e-waste is recycled in the informal sector in India. Women and children extract these metals by directly burning the equipment parts or dipping the same in corroding solutions to extract these metals. This open burning and boiling of waste material in acid used to extract the metal components is posing great hazards to human health and the environment.

The informal sector is the biggest employer of child labour. The workers in this sector, lack awareness about the hazardous chemicals present in e-waste and have no access to protective gear, so as to protect them from the noxious fumes.

These ‘backyard’ techniques of substandard recycling are leading to environmental catastrophes. For example, Guiyu in China and Agbogbloshie in Ghana are examples while Moradabad in India is on the way to join these two cities E-waste is the term that describes the rapidly growing stream of waste from electronics and appliances, whole or in part of rejects from their manufacturing and repair processes Why E-waste is a problem?

E-waste consists of heavy metals like mercury and hazardous chemicals like lead and cadmium, which if not handled scientifically, will pollute the air, water and soil. Harmful materials like these and many others found in e-waste, cause all sorts of health issues like neurological damage, kidney damage and some cancers, to name a few. These will also impact the health of the people working in the informal e-waste recycling industry. Hence, it becomes critical to manage e-waste formally or scientifically.

Why should schools focus on E-waste as a separate School Program?

Children work in dire conditions.

Man dipping his bare hands in corroding solutions to extract precious metals

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As individuals, we all use various electronic gadgets but do not know what to do after we are bored with them or cease to use them. More often than not, we probably sell this e-waste to a kabaadiwalla/scrap dealer, who will in turn sell it off to an informal e-waste recycler. The fact here is that even after e-waste regulations put forth by the government, 90-95 % of the e-waste still lands up in the informal sector for recycling.

The informal recyclers use all crude ways of extraction of metals like aluminium, copper zinc, gold, silver etc. It is therefore important to create an awareness on safe and responsible recycling of e-waste amongst children and the school staff. At the same time, it is also important to generate awareness about the correct ways of recycling and the authorized recyclers.

Recycling metals from e-waste is referred

to as ‘Urban Mining’. Urban mining is an environmental friendly way of extracting metals as compared to mining metals every time from ores.

Suggested below is what an individual must do for tackling the problem of e-waste: a. REDUCE • Do not discard your old, but fully functioning electronics and appliances for newer models when unnecessary. b. REUSE • Instead of buying new electronics, buy refurbished or second-hand products whenever possible.

• Donate or sell your old items to other users. c. RECYCLE • Never throw away any unwanted electrical and electronic equipment in the dustbin or sell it to the scrap-dealer • Search for E-waste drop points.

formal methods of e-waste recycling.

Imagine how much more e-waste could be effectively channelized if many more schools made e-waste awareness and collection a part of their school program?

Impact of the Program An overwhelming response from Baldwin Girl’s School where students went for a door to door campaign and collected 358kg of e-waste from households The students of an under privileged school, Parikrma, managed to encounter informal sector recycling, just after having been made aware of its ill effects. They were so sensitized that when they saw informal recycling taking place they shot a video and asked questions to the workers working there.

Like for any other category of waste, e-waste is a resource if managed scientifically and managed well, can really help in reducing health and environment hazards.

Food for Thought: Through the e-waste awareness program, Saahas has reached out to over 60 schools across Bengaluru and has conducted awareness sessions and collection drive for e-waste. And from only 60 schools, Saahas was able to channelize over 1.5 tonnes of e-waste. The children from schools who were part of this awareness program also visited E-Parisara, which is a formal e-waste recycler and were made to witness the

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School children with Saahas and E-Parisara team

prashant@saahas.org

February 2016

FITNESS AND YOU With a passion in the sports field and a firm belief that sports in the country did not suffer due to lack of places or funds only, but essentially the lack of ideas and initiatives from people, Mr Jay Shah, co-founder (along with Mr Paresh Kothari) of The Sports Gurukul Pvt. Ltd , Mumbai, was founded in the year 2012. Their unique initiative was selected amongst the top 40 (among 16000+) business ideas across India at the Economic Times Power of Idea Contest 2010 and received a grant from the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India. They are spread across 25 cities in India and are reaching out to 1 lakh children.

In this article to MENTOR, Mr. Jay Shah, co-founder, The Sports Gurukul Pvt. Ltd, Mumbai, shares how sports and physical education must be conducted in schools in an integrated and structured fashion and shuns the mental block of outsourcing physical education in schools.

Today’s schools are no longer defined by their age old large school buildings, classrooms filled with wooden chairs and table and a black board. They have a dynamic environment fuelled with security cameras, professional security guards, complete computerization of operations across the school, e-learning resources, ergonomic furniture, professional catering, housekeeping and what not.

Today’s schools are knowledge hubs which need to provide everything as part of education that can help a child achieve his or her true potential. All the above mentioned, once considered more of a USP for schools are now seen as standard offerings across most upcoming as well established schools with years of legacy in the field of education. So like we see, outsourcing already is strongly present in a school operations system and schools certainly realize the benefits of outsourcing, which finally help them deliver their core function of education more effectively and efficiently. With sports forming a major part of a child’s physical development in schools, here is how sports and sports items are looked at, in schools.

Should schools outsource Sports and PE? Outsourcing in schools Should schools outsource? What should

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it outsource? If everything has to be outsourced then what does a school exist for? And many such similar questions that I have come across and answered during my various interactions with the hundreds of school owners and leaders while talking of what we do at our organization and how we help schools complete their education program through integrated sports and PE program.

Why outsource sports and PE? Having established that outsourcing has been used effectively by various schools I now take the opportunity to explain the benefit of having a correct and effectively functioning sports and PE program in schools.

Research across various metros and nonmetros indicate that in metros 1 out of 4 and in non-metros 1 out of every 6 children is obese. The flexibility quotient amongst students studying in metros is 24.7% and 31.1% for non-metros and similarly alarming is the ratio of the anaerobic capacity in children studying being 27.5 % in metro cities and 30.2% in non-metros. These are alarming statistics of the physical education chart of our school going children.

With children spending 10 to 15 years in schools, the onus of overall development

(which includes physical development as well) certainly rides on the shoulders of a school. A school wouldn’t want to give their nation a lopsided grown individual who is intellectually stimulated and physically obese by the time he leaves the school.

So does it mean schools are failing? Does it mean they do not have the know all to correct this? Does it mean schools are ignorant about this fact? Does it mean schools really don’t care?

I would say a ‘yes’ in some cases as well as a ‘no’ in certain, but certainly the data suggests heightened attention required on the part of schools and immediate corrective action without which the school education program will be incomplete.

So does that mean schools should shut or fire their PE department?

The 2-3 PT periods in a week are probably the most important periods of a child wherein correct foundation of fitness and health could go a long way in developing the child’s overall health and well being.

Also, it has been scientifically proven that a physically fit body stimulates the intellect and hence to begin with, a school must give complete attention and understand the importance of making every child in their school physically fit.

Having understood the above, here are some questions worth pondering over: • Do we have a well-defined plan for fitness and sports of children in our school?

• Is the sports curriculum well designed and progression of each child tracked and evaluated?

• Are diet and nutrition given importance in our programs?

• Is there regular assessment of our children conducted through worldwide established scientific fitness test batteries?

• Are we using age appropriate sports equipment for children?

• Is my teacher using the right physical education teaching pedagogy and ensuring each child is equally attended?

if the answer is no then it must be a good idea to re-look at the sports curriculum, as it would need immediate attention.

Most PT sessions are unstructured and nonplanned, which over a period of time result in a wasted period for the students. While the thought process for fitness requires the same attention the school gives to core education subjects, sadly physical fitness has been highly neglected in the past, primarily with the pressure of academic goal achievement of the school.

In USA, over 3000 institutions use a scientifically structured sports program and the same must be replicated in ways that are possible within India too, through a scientifically researched curriculum and a well-structured physical fitness program.

Using play way methods and making fitness fun along with intensive pedagogy training for trainers, a structured fitness program can be reworked fitting the Indian context and customised for each school basis their needs. Schools must either adopt to training the trainer or the physical educator so that the fitness is systematic or they may also look at outsourcing the fitness program altogether and share the load with experts in the field. This effort is bound to improve the results of the existing school PE and fitness programs Therefore, as schools, or centres of overall development of the child, we must stop and think, if we are really living up to the expectations of students or parents. Are we being able to build a strong fitness foundation with a well-structured program?

If the answer to all the above is yes, your school certainly is doing the right things. But

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jay.shah@thesportsgurukul.com

February 2016

FILM REVIEW

CHALK N DUSTER Amidst the hullaballoo of potboilers as entertaining films, the month of January saw the subject of ethical education manifest itself into a dramatic feature film called ‘Chalk N Duster’. In this film review for MENTOR, Yashika Begwani, a self-proclaimed film critic and enthusiast, shares excerpts and nuances of the film highlighting the chord that it intends to touch.

Materials Used: CHALK N DUSTER Subject: Ethical Education Teachers and Staff: Shabana Azmi, Juhie Chawla, Girish Karnad, Divya Dutta, Arya Babbar, Jackie Shroff, Rishi Kapoor, Zarina Wahab and Richa Chadha Principal: Jayant Gilatar Lesson Plan: “Can you imagine what the world would have been without a teacher”, gushes Jyoti (Juhie Chawla), a dedicated Science teacher, in one of the initial frames of Chalk and Duster within the staff room of Kantaben High School, a noveau-riche school amidst urban Mumbai. Jyoti almost encapsulates the essence of what one should expect in the next 150 minutes of the film.

Jyoti ma’am is accompanied by the ethical and morally correct Vidya ma’am (Shabana Azmi), an enthusiastic senior Mathematics teacher who has her own secret formulae to teach her students. The two along with their entourage, seem to be the heart of the school , headed by Ms. Indu Shastri( Zarina Wahab), an equally qualified principal and owned by an over confident Gujarati businessman, Arya Babbar, who claims “education is the best business in the market!” Things take a tumultuous turn when Kamini Gupta (Divya Dutta), a committee member, takes over as the Principal and attempts to bring in changes in the school staff, playing petty politics to remove a few senior members. Kamini seamlessly uses unethical means to replace the old staff with a bunch of new teachers, to glamorise the school. It is at the juncture when Shabana Azmi is terminated on grounds of incapability

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and age old teaching practices, that the film takes its dramatic turn as Jyoti ma’am takes on the battle to bring her comrade back and highlight the lost respect for this ‘noble profession’ through various mediums.

What follows is a series of melodramatic events and a ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’ like quiz show to eventually win back the dignity and respect of the two teachers.

While Juhie brings in her usual effervescent charm to the character, Shabana too lives up to the ethical senior teacher’s character with poise. Girish Karnad, Divya Dutta, Zarina Wahab and Upasana Singh too, do justice to their parts while Richa Chaddha’s talent could have been used better. Rishi is the usual adorable self in his little cameo.

The music blends well and Sonu Nigam and Alka Yagnik’s voices bring back the 90’s era with Javed Akhtar’s words. It is perhaps due to the age old cinematic technique which could have been far superior, that the film slips away along with some easily avoidable melodrama.

The film does live up to the pure intent of paying a tribute to millions of teachers across the country who have perhaps touched the lives of a zillion children year after year, but are forgotten heroes of the past and are seldom given their due credit.

It also highlights the so called ‘business’ that somewhat consumes the purity of imparting education where knowledge comes much later, among other things that have taken over as the primary purpose of the education industry. However, the treatment and execution turn it around and tend to fade away the impact it could have made otherwise.

reachyashika@gmail.com

POST SCRIPTUM

LET HER BE WHAT SHE WILL BE….

Dr. Vidya Shetty, Editor-in-chief MENTOR

As a mother, I was keen and determined to have my daughter study in a girls’ school after a co-ed pre-primary schooling. A week ago, had me sitting with her one lazy afternoon and watch her graduation day at school, wherein I had delivered a poignant farewell speech. Why did I choose a girls school for her then?

Big question that needed logical answers to a grown up daughter today…..same are these questions that rise in young mothers even today a decade and more later.

The school I chose for her is and was even then the most impactful girls’ school. The School was measured by me in terms of its academic progress over the decades of years, a culture and aura of achievement that seeps into you right from the gates of the school to the classrooms and corridors.

The School had created a culture of achievement in its history of existence and developing every girl’s potential mattered to the school and was paramount. This was enough for me to consider the school.

school or lamenting about how things could have been done better with boy students around. Absence of boys is never a challenge but the self-assurance, poise and daring to do attitude of girls is praised by all. Challenging subjects like Science and Maths have genius in the classroom and thus are a joy to teach. On the contrary with experience these are teachers who are knowledgeable about what to expect from the students right from the primary levels to the secondary levels.

How different are girls schools or what we term single gender education? Right from the gate where ID cards are checked to the assembly to sharing a stage..girls occupy every role. Every position in the school cabinet was with a girl, each team member in the basket ball or throw ball or any sport had a girl leading it. Academically and non-academically these schools create an avenue for self-exploration and development. Alumni of the school can only boast of role models and success stories of women. Class discussions, school annual days, theatre fests, inter-school activities have these girls leading teams without inhibition and fearlessly. Research, projects, creating strategies for the school, planning and implementation are led by girls.

Girls tend to ignore gender stereotypes and develop their competitive side more fully in a girls’ school. We do hear them in the higher sections crib about there being no boys to impress, but at the same time they do not have to worry about being called tomboys. Their peers understand what’s happening. Everybody feels comfortable being themselves.

Teachers find it easier to handle emotional and social development of the girls and rarely do you come across a teacher complaining about teaching in an all girls’

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I quote Robin Robertson: “When girls go to single-sex schools, they stop being the audience and become the players.”

The School was measured by me in terms of its academic progress over the decades of years, a culture and aura of achievement that seeps into you right from the gates of the school

vidya@edumedia.in