Mentor may 2016 volume 9 issue 12 by Mentor Magazine

CONTENT Mentor, May 2016 Volume 9, Issue 12

Mentor Thoughts

Pedagogy

School Leadership

School Governance

05 Sultan Speaks

06 23 19 Sensory Processing Informational Learning What are we

They just need an opportunity...

Disorder

Why label a child?

09 Prayer in Schools

Cover Story

through Inspirational teaching A teacher can make or break the future of an institution...

Develop future-ready global Spiritual development of youth who will enhance the students... society...

Innovation

30 Harvard Alliance

Celebrating? How does one deal with the customary celebrations that are planned all around the year and how far is it relevant?

26 Meeting the future

Impact of Exchange Programmes in Schools...

33 New-Age Publishing We are witnessing a trend for adoption of digital and blended products...

The parent today needs to play the role of a curator and facilitator...

34 Post Scriptum Classroom management is a challenging skillâ&#x20AC;Ś

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

Akansha Thakore

Content Team Ms. Kalpa Kartik Ms. Yashika Begwani

EDUCATORS IN THE SPOTLIGHT Manish Doshi

Prasanna Kannan

To subscribe or to contribute articles please contact

Printed by Mr. Manoj

MENTOR MAGAZINE # 175, 2nd Cross, Lower Palace Orchards, Bengaluru - 560 003 Phone: +91 937 937 8899 Email: info@mentormagazine.net Website: www.mentormagazine.net NO. OF COPIES

2 YEARS (24 ISSUES + 6 COMPLIMENTARY)

3 YEARS (36 ISSUES +9 COMPLIMENTARY)

Rs. 1000/-

Rs. 1500/-

Rs. 1750/-

Rs. 2500/-

Rs. 4000/-

Rs. 5500/-

*Prices inclusive of postage charges To download subscription form - www.mentormagazine.net NOTICE: As an author/contributor you are responsible for the authenticity of the information you provide in your article. The publishers do not accept liability for error or omissions contained in this publication. By submitting letters/emails or other publication materials to Mentor Magazine you agree they are the property of Mentor Magazine. All communication to Mentor Magazine must be made in writing. No other sort of communication will be accepted. All decisions regarding publishing of an article is the prerogative of the publisher and editorial team of Mentor Magazine. Mentor Magazine is owned and published by EduMedia Publications Pvt. Ltd. for and on behalf of Mr. Syed Sultan Ahmed. All disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the competent courts and forums in Bengaluru City. Source for a few pictures - Internet

Printed at Elegant Printing Works # 74, South End Road, Basavangudi, Bengaluru - 560 004. Ph: +91 80 26615507 Published at # 175, 2nd Cross, Lower Palace Orchards, Bengaluru - 560 003, India. A Venture of TM

DID YOU KNOW? Teaching and learning always go side by side. In this technology age, students are smarter than one can imagine and hence teachers have to resort to the role of a facilitator and a continuous learner. Here are some of the qualities of a great teacher• Passion for learning- A great teacher is always ready to learn new things. • Helps students to show creativity- A great teacher always helps the students to generate innovative ideas and display creativity • Always encourages and motivates students - A great teacher always boosts the spirits of her students • Classroom Management – A great teacher makes an impact in class room management by his/her physical presence like eye contact as well as social presence including teaching style. • Time Management – A great teacher makes his/her yearly/ monthly/weekly/daily plans so that no time is wasted in the academic session • Positive reinforcement – A great teacher always shares positive remarks and gives effective feedback. • Handles each and every child in the class- A great teacher must know how to handle a heterogeneous environment. • Has team spirit- A great teacher knows the value of working in collaboration and cohesion with his/her team members • Never uses stereotypes- A good teacher never uses stereotypes to make judgements about the students, instead, s/he are open to perspectives and acknowledges each one’s opinion. A teacher has the power to transform souls and touch someone’s life in a positive way. The mediocre teacher tells, the good teacher explains, the superior teacher demonstrates and the great teacher inspires.

Awarded the Best Teacher award by Dainik Bhaskar and Best Principal Award by Bharat Vikas Parishad, Ms Gunjan Goel has been a significant contributor in the education space in North India. Ms Gunjan Goel is Principal of Cosmos Public School, Hisar, Haryana and has presented more than a dozen papers which have been published in both national and international journals. She has a passion for teaching and learning and has been a teacher trainer herself. With this inclination, Ms Gunjan shares with MENTOR, the purpose of quality teaching and the qualities of a great teacher. es or to us stori Do write dd value a that could es. You s te o d c ane our liv ght to all and thou us at il a m n a c agazine. rm to info@men r letters y nd in ou TOR net or se N ditor”, ME ross, to “The E C d n 2 , 5 7 e,#1 ards, Magazin h rc O lace Lower Pa 3 -0 . Bengaluru 7 8899 9 7 3 3 Ph: +91 9

Source Internet

May 2016

SULTAN SPEAKS

HOW MANY OF THEM? I was standing there admiring the vote of thanks being given by a dear friend, Rajiv Ranjan as the Advantage Conclave Bihar came to an end in Patna. Rajiv is a very well-spoken gentleman and he is what we call a ‘grammar nazi’ but his biggest asset is not his public speaking skill, but his creativity. He has a great eye for design and runs a very successful design agency based in Delhi called Imagica Graphics. The prestigious conclave that I moderated saw the who’s who of India’s industry and media in attendance; Rajiv did all the design and creatives for the event. After handing over the moderator’s baton to him to do the closing honours, I stood there admiring this man’s confidence and eloquence in a wheelchair who I have known for over a decade. Rajiv in his late forties now has been in a wheel chair from the time he was 11, he can barely move his hands a few inches, he cannot put on his earphones without support. The lower part of his body is immobile and he moves around in an automated wheelchair. A fulltime help is always around to do the smallest of things for him including feeding him. Yet he is constantly on his smart phone handling business calls and running his company remotely. It is a joy to see him work on his computer; very few of us can match up to the focus and meticulousness with which he works.

living his life with so much zest and energy. When you talk to him or spend time with him, he never gives you a feeling that he is physically challenged. His confidence, conversational topics and outlook towards life is extremely positive. During my conversation, Rajiv highlighted the role his school played in making him what he was today. Rajiv recalled that when he was studying at St. Michaels, Patna his Principal was the late Fr. Harland. He has a distinct memory of how Fr. Harland had assured his parents that he was the schools responsibility. When he was in grade 9 and 10, his class was shifted to the ground floor instead of the usual top floor just to make it easier for him. His teachers treated him like any other student, they punished and reprimanded him when he went off the line and praised him when it was due. He took part in all activities. He never had to look for anyone to help him get into school or climb stairs, his schoolmates were always around to carry him.

That night during a chat after dinner, I made it a point to speak to Rajiv and tell him how inspirational he was for me for

Rajiv was part of a normal school and treated like any normal student. This made him ‘normal’. Today he is a

successful entrepreneur who runs an organisation, that employs many people and adds values to many companies that are his clients. Basis the report submitted by the Census of India(2011),2.21% of our total Indian population, suffers with some or the other kind of disability. I have always wondered where these children are! Schools come up with silly reasons for not bringing these children on board. Most children do not need any special treatment, they just need an opportunity! Infact the biggest gainers are their classmates who grow up learning empathy with their mere presence. We have laws, we have mandates and yet we have very few Rajivs studying in our schools. How many Rajivs do you have in your school?

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

PEDAGOGY

SENSORY PROCESSING

DISORDER Dr. Farida Raj

Dr. Farida Raj is the Director at the Centre for Special Education in Hyderabad and writes immensely and profusely on issues concerning psychosocial and physical disorders in children. With sound subject matter knowledge and enthusiasm to be heard, she takes pleasure in spreading awareness among teachers, parents and educationists about sensitive issues in children. In this informative article for MENTOR, Dr, Farida Raj, sheds light on Sensory Processing Disorders and Dysfunction delineating their causes and identifying their symptoms.

Five-year-old Anu is at a birthday party. She stands aloof. If you look closely, you find her holding a tattered teddy bear and looking anxiously at other children having fun. She does not like being touched. These traits in her, led her mother and doctors to believe that she had autism. Six-year-old Atul loves to swing upside down at the children’s park. He spends a long time on it, sometimes lying on the stomach, sometimes lying on his back and sometimes, simply whirling. Watching him doing so, may make you dizzy but he is fine. At home he never sits still. He squirms, fidgets or rocks in the chair. During bed time, when his father reads a story, he prefers to stand on his head in the centre of the room. Being in that position helps him remember every little detail of the story. He was diagnosed with hyperactivity. It is a trend these days that those children who do not behave in the manner that is perceived to be “normal”, are taken for professional diagnosis. The experts in turn label them as autistic, hyperactive and dyslexic. We love to label children and while doing so, we forget that these labels get stuck to them for

life – limiting our expectations and their performances. What we need to do is to make an effort to understand the underlying cause of these confusing behaviours. We are well aware that developmental delays, physical handicaps, medical conditions or emotional problems have tremendous impact on the behaviour of an individual but there is a significant contributing factor that is often not considered because many professionals are not even aware of this condition. This is known as Sensory Processing Disorder or SPD. It is also known as Sensory Integration dysfunction [S].

Understanding SPD Typically, our brains receive a great deal of information from our bodies and surroundings interpret these sensations and organize our purposeful responses so that we may successfully interact with the

6 www.mentormagazine.net

May 2016

Potential Senses Affected by SPD Sense of movement

Smell

Sense of space

Vision

Sense of time

Touch

Hearing

Balance

world around us. This happens without any conscious efforts. But when the brain inefficiently processes sensory information then we may misinterpret or be unable to use this information effectively or in an adaptive way. Most people can name the five senses – sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch through which we receive sensory information. Yet there are three very important senses that are just as essential for survival. According to Occupational therapist and psychologist, A. Jean Ayer’s, these are; tactile sense, vestibular sense and proprioception.

We love to label children and while doing so, we forget that these labels get stuck to them for life – limiting our expectations and their performances

Tactile sense It provides information, primarily received from the surface of our skin, from head to toe. It tells us about the texture, shapes and size of

objects in our surroundings. It tells us whether we are actively touching something or are passively being touched. It helps us discriminate threatening and nonthreatening touch sensations. A child who is over responsive to touch stimuli, reacts strongly to be hugged or he may throw a tantrum because the tag on his shirt scratches his skin, or he may not eat certain crunchy food because he cannot bear the ‘sound’ it makes. These children need a soft toy or a ‘squeezy’ to calm them or regulate their outside world. Anu, from the given example, needs the teddy bear to calm her. In contrast, there are those children who are under responsive. These children crave touch sensations. They love to jump on the bed, bounce off the cushions, or be sandwiched between them.

Vestibular sense There is a small window, vestibule, in our inner ear. It has special receptors that are stimulated by movement and gravity. The vestibular system receives information about balance and movement

from the neck, eyes and body, sends the information to the brain for processing and then helps generate muscle tone that allows us to move smoothly and efficiently. It tells us where our heads and bodies are in relation to the surface of the earth. It tells us whether we are upright, upside down, or at tilt, whether we are moving or standing still or whether objects are moving or motionless in relation to our body. When a child’s vestibular system does not function smoothly, it becomes difficult to integrate, modulate, discriminate, coordinate or adapt to sensation of movements and this has tremendous impact on their play. Atul’s behaviour , in the example above is a case of vestibular dysfunction.

Proprioception - muscle and joints sense or the ‘position sense’ It refers to the internal awareness of the position, direction and movement of our own body parts. The ‘position sense’ helps us understand whether the muscles stretch or contract and how the joints bend and contract. It helps

Postural-disorder Sensory-seeker Hearing Touch gustatory Tactile

Proprioception

Motor-disorder Modulation-disorder

SPD

Interoception

with it effectively so that children who sit wistfully on the sidelines- fearful of joining the fun- who are overly sensitive to noise, touch and movement, grow and emerge from their cocoon of sensory dysfunction.

Smell

Dyspraxia

Sight

Olfactory

Taste Discrimination-disorder Over-responsive Vestibular Under-responsive Auditory us with planning and control of movement. For example, lifting the spoon to one’s mouth without spilling. Proprioception also helps integrate tactile and vestibular senses. What happens when one or more of our senses are not being interpreted properly? A child with vague or hazy feedback about his sense of touch, body position, or movement of gravity, is in a world totally foreign to us. Imagine yourself in a world where something as basic as the pull of gravity or the touch of other children is perceived as something unreliable, or threatening, you will not experience the security, safety and fun that other children do. SPD is a complex problem. It may affect children’s development, behaviour, learning, communication, friendship and play. It may also impede sensory related skills needed to function effectively throughout the day. It makes children overly self-protective or not self-protective enough. Knowledge of SPD helps us understand why overly sensitive children feel that the world is unsafe. They retreat into

8 www.mentormagazine.net

themselves, into a space where they do not feel threatened. These sensitivities place them on the side-lines of life. They are isolated from peers and siblings and often relegated to passive computers and video games.

Treatment When SPD gets in a child’s way, occupational therapy is highly recommended. After a thorough assessment, the therapist plans a sensory integration programme. The child is gradually introduced to purposeful activities in an environment with suspended equipment that are especially designed to meet his needs. Activities such as swinging, climbing, jumping, buttoning, drawing etc. help the child to take in movement and touch information in a playful, meaningful and natural way. The therapy helps the child with SPD to deal with stress and keeps his nervous system in a state of balance. The therapy also helps him respond in a more adaptive way to reconnect with self and environment.

Signs of SPD This is a child who ; • Is over or under responsive to touch, movement, sight or sound. • Has an unusually high or low activity level. • Is impulsive, fidgety, inattentive and easily distracted. • Has poor awareness of the body. • Frequently misjudges distance between self, other people and objects. • Becomes easily emotional and frustrated when things don’t happen his way. • Resists change. Has a hard time with transition. To treat someone with a sensory disorder, it is important foremost to understand the symptoms of a child with the same and then take the necessary course of action to rectify this.

It is very important to understand SPD and to deal

rajfarida@gmail.com

May 2016

PRAYER IN SCHOOLS Arti Chopra

Mrs Arti Chopra, a dedicated educationist with over 27 years of experience in the field of education as a teacher, mentor, trainer, planner, skill developer and a tireless worker for the cause of children, is a firm exponent of amalgamating modern skills and teacher empowerment in education. Mrs Arti Chopra is an alumna of Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi University and was associated with leading institutions like Bal Bharti Public School, Delhi; Sawai Man Singh Vidyalaya, Jaipur and Lawrence School, Ooty. Currently Principal at Amity International School, Gurgaon, Mrs Chopra has also pioneered the setting up of Varanasi Sahodaya School Complex in Varanasi and led the group for 3 years as Convener. In this article for MENTOR, Mrs Arti Chopra shares her take as a leader on how regular prayers in schools form an essential part of child development and how empowerment enables edification of the learner.

Our children are our Nation’s most valuable asset. If we, as educators really want to create outstanding schools of tomorrow, transforming outcomes for all learners, we must continue to incrementally improve the schools of today. We must acknowledge that there is more to education than data and scores and that ultimately, non-achievement factors like ‘life skills’ are integral to success in life, while they may not be easily measurable. The present century has brought about globalization and technology and this ‘wired’ generation is generally seen as deficient in selfdiscipline or found unable to admit their problems due to various reasons that affect their prospects, leading to hampering their psyche. Procrastination is a mental failing as old as time. Students have been finding ways to do everything in the world except for what they should be doing. Distractions coming in all shapes, sizes and sounds are

definitely on the rise. External distractions include things like noise, people talking, TV, music, phone alerts and anything else that diverts their attention from the task at hand. Internal distractions like hunger, fatigue, illness, stress, worries, other distracting thoughts can interrupt their concentration as much as external distractions. When it comes to studying, multitasking has proved ineffective in retaining information too. Generally, we hear students talk about lack of concentration in the following manner: “I try to concentrate, but I soon find myself thinking about something else.” “When I try to focus on what I am doing, soon my thoughts often drift to other things.” “I cannot finish what I start doing.” “I lack concentration. I am unable to focus my mind on one thing for more than a few seconds.” “I often procrastinate, because I cannot focus for long, and then drop what I am doing.”

awareness within gets true light. As per the Quran, the central religious text of Islam, one of the prayers are: “Oh Allah! Make useful for me what you have taught me and teach me knowledge that will be useful to me. Oh Allah! I ask you for the understanding of the prophets and the memory of the messengers, and those nearest to you.” Inability to perform as per the needs of changing times, lagging behind in competition due to poor self-image, peer pressure or having pushy parents etc. have added to the woes of the youth today. While they need to sharpen all their skills, it is equally important for them to make wise connections and righteous choices through self-empowerment. Having faith in the existence of the universe and forming a connect with self or God is a learning experience for many or all. Life is full of uncertainties, and there may come a time when one finds himself in the grip of forces which are beyond his/ her control. Confronted with fear and despair, buffeted by sorrows and difficulties, millions of people turn to God in prayer. An unuttered prayer could be any or every wish. In this sense even an atheist prays; only in his case he prays to himself. If the schools of today, introduce an amicable environment where prayers could be the means to enhance personal image, selfworth and positivity through reflection and meditation, we will succeed in strengthening the emotional quotient of the world communities. Prayers may be grouped into two main divisions: secular and spiritual. Secular prayers are for the fulfilment of worldly desires

10 www.mentormagazine.net

whereas spiritual prayers are practiced as a spiritual discipline. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” as chronicled in the holy Bible (Philippians 4:6-7, NIV).

Worship and meditation for 12 minutes a day, delays ageing and reduces stress and anxiety

Just as the Bible describes the prayer, Hindu scriptures have laid it’s significance too. ‘Prarthana’ can be described as asking God for internal courage to do ‘Purshartha’ (karma or work) in order to enhance happiness. According to the Rig Veda, an ancient Indian collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns: The human body is the temple of God. One who kindles the light of

In a generic sense, prayer is used to convey the meaning of, “to request or ask or seek something politely with a feeling of reverence”. Second, by being able to express their faith, people are able to relate to the God, whom they cannot otherwise experience or observe, and this simple activity reinforces their faith in an omnipotent power of universe and helps them sustain their belief. Third, prayers are often said or sung together in temples, churches, mosques etc. and this common activity performed while thinking about God, helps people to develop a common bond of faith that extends to the other as well, thereby fostering a society based on trust and dependability The Hindu Puranas and epics such as the Ramayana and the Mahabharata emphasize through many examples that God never fails to respond to the sincere calls of his devotees and comes to their rescue. Buddhism locates the divine within the life of the individual practitioner. The purpose of Buddhist prayer is to awaken our innate inner capacities of strength, courage and wisdom rather than to petition external forces.”

May 2016 It is clear from the correlational studies within the epidemiology data that positive relationships exist between religious and spiritual practice and health outcomes. Also a variety of different conditions and studies have proved that prayer and meditation have a positive impact on the brain. Dr. Andrew Newberg of Thomas Jefferson Hospital has been studying the effect of prayer on the human brain for more than 20 years, injecting radioactive dye into subjects and watching what changes inside their heads when they pray. “You can see it’s all red here when the person is just at rest,” said Newberg, pointing at a computer screen showing brain activity, “but you see it turns into these yellow colours when she’s actually doing prayer.” Dr. Newberg explains what happened; saying that the pictures showed “activity increase in the frontal lobe which is the front of the brain, a region that becomes active in [any] human being when one wants to focus on a particular activity”. These changes, says Newberg, are signs of the power of prayer to heal. Said Newberg, “We see changes, not only in the activity levels, but in different neurotransmitters, the chemicals in our brain.” Worshipping and meditating for 12 minutes a day, delays the diseases of ageing and reduces stress and anxiety. The submission, worship and praying practices give human beings a sense of peace more love and compassion, while atheism, anger and protest against fate, continuously damage the brain.

Schools today have a huge responsibility towards the spiritual development of their students. This can come about not only through invoking the power of Prayer but also drawing their attention towards service of humanity. Life skills education and value driven assemblies, community outreach programs and practicing good norms could build the school culture of honesty and humility. Choosing a good environment is a proactive step towards monitoring possible distractions. Prayer is the practice of connecting to something deeper and more meaningful in life. It is rooted in a sense of spirituality. I have been practicing two techniques with the students – 1. Internal self-reﬂection and self-awareness exercise students are asked to try to look within, find out where they had gone wrong in their behaviour, hurt someone, failed in their planning and steps to be taken further to steer ahead irrespective of hurdles. Five to ten-minute reflection time is given every day wherein the student is quiet, just with himself and taught to dwell within. They pen down their thoughts, in bullets or pictures. This can be done by setting the mood right, either by lighting the lamp or candle in a bid to offer reverence to the almighty. 2. Connection of self with external creations an inner dependency with all the other creations, leading to acceptance of all creatures and feeling of brotherhood amongst all. This is practiced through praying in large numbers either by chanting with eyes closed or performing

yagna. ‘Havan’ or ‘Yagya’ is the term for a sacred purifying ritual (yajna) in Hinduism Havan/Yagya also brings high energies into our minds and body thereby paving way for the positive thoughts, actions to enter into our life. They help in re-vitalizing the three energies in our body (Vata, Pitta and Kapha) and help in maintaining the energy balance.

Having faith in the existence of the universe and forming a connect with self or God is a learning experience for many or all

Some benefits from praying together are: • It gives us a deep feeling of belongingness, while being part of a large group • It improves our mood. Looking out among others and feeling their love and care, regardless of how we felt when we began, I do leave feeling comforted. • It opens our heart to the needs of the people around us and reminds us that sometimes we can be the answer to someone’s prayer. I have observed that Prayer, when done with the right intention and in moderation of the school environment, can be beneficial in a number of ways: • Daily prayer with the students- It gives students a moderate sense of optimism and a healthy dose of hope.

•

It sets a pattern for the school to be a positive zone. Expressing gratitudeTeaching students to thank the mind, body, soul and universe can help them cultivate a sense of gratitude. Prayer gives the person a quiet moment to use the time to appreciate the positive in life. Control impulsive actions- By using prayer time to calm the mind, students can be taught to evaluate situations to see if their hurried action would create any harm and if it does, to stop oneself from doing it. Forgive and Forget- It can help people forgive easier, and detach from the past and move ahead. Respecting diversityIt can help students find commonality and beauty in diversity as they realize other’s needs, essence and beliefs at the root. Focus and ConcentrationBy taking a break from the daily activities and spending some quiet time, one is able to use it to train his/her brain to be focused on the here and now. Broader perspective- It can give students time to be able to see things from a broader perspective and think of others rather than only

12 www.mentormagazine.net

themselves. • Sense of security and comfort- It can give students a sense of security that they are connected to God or self at a deeper level, thereby decreasing anxiety and irrational fear. • Rational thinking and creative problem solving- It can be used as a time to cultivate rational thinking and give people new and creative ways to solve their problems. • Enhanced Social Quotient and Emotional Quotient- It can be used as a time to learn how to connect better to others and to increase one’s emotional/social maturity. Prayers can do whatever God can do. Schools need to take this as a social responsibility to give this experience to students that they may not be able to change a situation, but if they pray, God can change it. Providing rich content and the best possible curriculum are critical, however, there are several important, intangible – and often overlooked factors of equal or greater importance that make learning possible and teach the timeless skills. There are three characteristics of effective learning - playing and exploring through

engagement, active learning with the help of motivation and creating and thinking critically. Prayer helps to engage the mind in a fruitful manner and motivate the individual for creative prospects. To help students tune out the noise and focus on their studies, I have put together this helpful list of tricks and tools that may help 21st century learners to steer themselves in the right direction by regularly updating themselves: • Develop a routine and stick to it. • Find the right place to study or work • Turn off all electronic devices • Establish priorities via the ‘todo’ or ‘Not-to-do’ list • Visualize with paper • While studying or practicing lesson concepts on computer, block out the potential distractions that exist on your computer • Start saying NO to activities that complicate your schedule, waste your time, • Set reminders. • Schedule distractions. • Reflect and adjust Although we know that God is with us and praying can help us, go nearer to our goals and destination in life, the belief must go down to the younger generation through conscious efforts and sharing experiences. Coupled with prayers, learning can become more fruitful in our classrooms and provide us with rich returns in terms of stable coherent societies who respect diversity, enjoy peace and brotherhood. Schools of today can take a lead in empowering the learner with prayer as a life skill education for edification, comfort and consolation.

artichopra10@gmail.com

May 2016

COVER STORY

LEAD BY EXAMPLE Anupama Sagdeo

A fine educator and a passionate outlook with a warm personality are qualities that describe Ms Anupama Sagdeo, Principal at Amanora School, Pune. She has worked with International Schools, Air Force Schools and Kendriya Vidayalayas previously and has been associated with the education sector for fifteen years now. Her curriculum knowledge has resulted in well laid-out units and carefully constructed assessment tasks. She has a naturally collaborative manner and this coupled with her warm sense of humour makes the work environment more conducive. She has an understanding of pedagogy and displays strong values of her dealings with administration and colleagues alike. She has stayed in the Defence Services environment and hence feels strongly about discipline in school. In this piece to MENTOR, Ms Anupama shares her experiences as a leader, a principal and an educator.

About the school Amanora School set on its path of providing excellent education in the year 2010 as a CBSE School. The school is co-educational and offers classes from Nursery to Grade X, rested among sylvan surroundings, amidst residential clusters in Amanora Park Town, Pune. The campus is spread across two acres and we also have additional sports facilities across the road. The school has spacious, well-lit and airy classrooms along with fully equipped composite labs, a well-stocked library, dance rooms, music rooms, yoga rooms, activity room for the preprimary, two fully operational computer labs and infirmary. A playground, basketball court, rubber-stick area, the school quadrangle is used by the students for all kinds of activities. The Parent-School-Student trio forms the fundamental component in the growth and

progress of any school. With this belief we have taken strong measures in nurturing this partnership to bloom and spread the fragrance of education all around. We draw generously from the wisdom of our SMC (School Management Committee) and our PTA (Parent Teacher Association). These groups comprise varied range of experts from senior academicians to legal, technological and logistics wizards. Selection of the members is carried out

by following the guidelines provided by the Education Board of State of Maharashtra. Planned meets are organized and a sign-off of elected members is taken for all important and new initiatives of the school. Formal and informal assessments are carried out keeping in mind the objective and true spirit of CCE. A formal assessment (Summative) is a planned and structured written document which is scored

curiosity, determination, independence, adaptability and teamwork, which maximizes learning. • Activity-based learning with a focus on self-discovery and experimentation is given due prominence.

numerically and converted into grades based on the student performance. A large quantum of thought is applied towards the informal assessments (Formative) so as to cater to the needs of the different types of learners. Essentially an informal assessment includes projects, rubrics, checklists, usage of different tools and techniques to assess student performance on a regular basis. Individual attention is given to students as per the need by analysis of reports periodically, setting up of target threshold (Grade wise, subject wise), carrying out gap analysis and formulating and executing effective remedial sessions to bring out performance enhancement. We are a school of several first generation learners and by taking on this challenge in a positive way all measures were deployed that resulted in excellent results for the first batch of Grade X students. Some of the academic highlights of my school include: Pearson Unique Learning Experience (PULE) is based on the integrated learning approach which uses Pearson’s global expertise and resources to provide age appropriate

14 www.mentormagazine.net

learning which is centred and built around the student’s interests and talents.

The emphasis is on What rather than How! We are looking at SMART goals to take the school forward in the next two years

The advantages of PULE are: • It is designed to address every child’s individual developmental needs and abilities. • It promotes creativity,

The Pearson Unique Learning Experience brings together the best researched globally relevant pedagogy, a unique plethora of offerings and an inspiring teachinglearning environment, for the learner. • Mystery Science is a programme developed for students who are scientifically inclined. There are activities which encourage the students to think outside the box and arrive at a solution. • Math Navigator is a special programme which helps improve the conceptual understanding of Math by means of commonly available material around us. This provides students a better understanding of the subject through unique techniques, which also leads to improved interest and participation in the learning

May 2016 process. Hands-on learning experiences of this sort, propels students to think divergently to understand and solve mathematical problems. • Grammar Express builds grammar skills through additional worksheets, assessment of speech, listening and a special focus on conversational skills. It covers all the aspects of Speaking, Reading and Writing, thereby making it easier for children to gain proficiency in English through the natural process of learning practice. • Diagnostics programme helps the student as well as the parent achieve a better understanding of the student’s learning needs. The areas in which the student shows interest and has the skills, are identified and nurtured. Similarly, the areas for which special guidance and assistance is needed are identified and the School as well as the family work together to bridge the gap. • Remedial courses serve as a sorting mechanism for children with differing academic abilities and aid them to ease out these differences. Students who

find it a struggle to deal with certain concepts are invited to attend these classes, where a joyful environment for learning is created. • Assessment of Scholastic Skills through Educational Testing (ASSET) training helps children learn concepts and not just memorise subjects. • The Olympiads are a world renowned championship held for high school students which requires them to qualify at a city, regional and national level to then finally compete at the international level. Students are thus motivated to study math and science diligently to win this prestigious award.

WRITTEN EXPRESSION introduces the nuances of writing and encourages students to collaborate and create their own written texts, for a variety of purposes. Students are encouraged to explore writing as a passion, hobby and a possible career option. 15 BOOKS CAMPAIGN - The 15 Books Campaign is an initiative to get students to read more and to create a culture of reading in the School. The campaign unites the whole School around reading; this means that students, teachers and office staff as well read books and talk about them. The campaign has specific guidelines to ensure that a reading culture is created and a student’s love for reading is fostered. Students are allowed to select books based on their personal interest, which they can read independently. CLUBS – We offer a variety of clubs in the school. The students can choose any one particular club for that academic year. We have Archery Club, Chess, Abacus, Karate, Band Club, Revival of an Art Form, Music, Classical Dance, Young Engineers’ Club,

Good Housekeeping Club, Rope Skipping, Helen O Grady Drama Club and many more. The encouragement of our students’ talents is one of our prime objectives, TIRANGAA & HUNGAMA are two major events among many other that give students abundant opportunities to display their artistic, literary and musical talents. Our School is a member of SPIC MACAY - Society for Promotion of Indian Classical Music and Culture Amongst Youth, is a movement that helps students explore the world of classical music and culture. Outside the prescribed curriculum framework, the School takes active interest in ensuring that a strong foundation of the right values, morals and ethics are embedded in everything students learn at School. The School aims to nurture ethical development, inculcating values and skills required for living in harmony with oneself and others. The School has an exclusively

16 www.mentormagazine.net

designed programme and brings in the iclassroom experience in each classroom. Classrooms are equipped with interactive devices and DigitALLY, a content platform that provides e-learning content for all grades. This content helps the teacher in making the classroom very engaging. We have two fully operational computer labs and teachers ensure that students get a hands on experience of using various software. How do I overcome challenges? Finding good teachers and retaining them is a challenge since very few people opt for teaching as a profession. Attrition is a concern but to arrest it, we have started “Bright Spot” awards for the teachers doing exceptional work in the school. Lead by Example is a unique initiative of appreciating good teachinglearning practices and also a means of sharing such healthy and outcome oriented teaching methodologies. It was aimed at encouraging ‘Out-of-the-Box’ thinking and experimenting creative ideologies to enhance student performance in both

academic and non-academic spheres. The teachers have received merit certificates and awards for this. We have also started a staff welfare club and celebrate the teachers’ birthdays each month. Sustainability can be achieved through meeting basic school needs in the most efficient manner, by ensuring the collective commitment of our staff. Focusing on the safety and hygiene of the school by using only ecofriendly furniture, regular pest control, backed with a sound contingency plan. What do I view as my most important contribution to the daily operations of the school? The most important contribution to the daily operation to the school is that each child is engaged in the learning process by ensuring that all the teachers reach the classroom on time, the lessons are planned well and every child who enters the school in the morning goes home safe and sound in the afternoon. • Teacher observation is part

May 2016

of the schedule as it is very important that the focus remains on the teaching learning in the classroom. • Communication to the parents happen through circulars, emails and SMS. We do not use social networking sites to update the parents. The school website has the required information. • Major part of my day goes in addressing admin and operations issues. I would rather focus on the academic issues of the school. • Campus-based decisions are taken by me. The budgets are being made by the management. Hiring of candidates again is being done by mutual agreement.

and I get feedback from my staff. Optimal Teacher-Student Ratio, ideal for right learning, lead to a fool proof system of imparting lessons that involve instant clarification of doubts and personalized mentoring.

Admission is given on first come first serve basis. We give preference to Amanora citizens and siblings of the existing students. As per the RTE ruling we do not deny admission to any child based on their performance or any disability. I strongly believe in team work. I also have an open door policy. Teachers can walk into my room for any kind of interaction. This ensures that the problems get resolved. There is a connect

My focus on Learning and Development…. We, at Amanora School believe in laying strong emphasis on what a child can do instead of what he cannot do. We have put systems in place to make our school a safe haven for our children. We have regular checks and audits regarding health and safety. We have organized workshops and sessions on safeguarding and protection for students

Finding good teachers and retaining them is a challenge since very few people opt for teaching as a profession. Attrition is a concern but to arrest it, we have started “Bright Spot” awards for the teachers doing exceptional work in the school

and teachers. Our health and safety boards display the do’s and don’ts in case of any eventuality. The child helpline number is displayed all across the school. Ayahs are stationed at all the washrooms. No maintenance work happens during the school hours. All the repair and maintenance is undertaken only after school hours. We have a complaint box installed in the senior girl’s washroom and the key is with lady constable of the local police station. They periodically come to check it. Conflict resolution is a daily occurrence at work that can either propel or disrupt the momentum for a leader, a team or the entire organization. The workplace can become a toxic environment when leaders allow conflict to fester rather than confront it headon. Communication is very important. Conflict between two upset adults can be resolved by face to face discussion. Maintaining an open dialogue with the staff. When people are deeply upset about something, they need to get their story out. This is a basic principle of mediation and one that’s important to remember.

Professional development matters as it translates from paper to practice, driving real improvements to student learning. We organize trainings at regular intervals. We conduct the teacher orientation programme at the beginning of the session. CCE training and Pearson Teacher Training is organized for all teachers.

By maintaining a highly organized transport system, well thought out delivery system of books and uniforms. We nurture the students in a non-threatening environment

The faculty meetings are judiciously used to discuss and communicate the school’s policies and implementation of the plans. The problems faced by the staff members are resolved or alternatives shared. PD days are used only for the training and no day to day activities or calls are entertained during that period.

•

their ability and offering a patient and empathic hearing to their concerns. Empowered the members at different levels and delegated tasks. Assisted in planning and formulating procedures to eliminate and minimize errors in the system. Mentored and guided the Coordinators and Admin staff and brought about clarity and transparency within the system through effective communication. Introduced incentive schemes like Bright Spot awards and Merit certificates to encourage and reward the deserving members.

Recently, I read a book, Leverage Leadership by Paul Bambrick-Santoyo (A practical guide to building exceptional schools). The book demonstrates, exceptional school leaders succeeding because of how they use their time: what they do and how and when they do it. The author talks about the seven levers a school principal can use to make a difference and be effective. The seven levers are:

• Data-driven InstructionsDefine the roadmap for rigour and adapt teaching to meet students’ needs. • Observation and FeedbackGive all teachers professional, one-on-one coaching that increases their effectiveness as instructors. • Instructional PlanningGuarantee every student well-structured lessons that teach the right content. • Professional DevelopmentStrengthen both culture and instruction with hands-on training that sticks. • Student Culture- Create a strong culture where learning thrives. • Staff Culture- Build and support the right team for my school. • Managing school leadership teams- Train instructional leaders to expand the impact across the school. The book empowers the readers by making them realize that the key to replicating remarkable educational success truly lies in their own choices of time, method and urgency!

New Work Methods that I focussed on… Very basic functional structure and procedure was lacking in the school due to instability and constant change in leadership. The entire team lacked motivation as they were always firefighting and reacting to situations. The need of the hour was just a little direction and channelling of energies and here is what was done to address the situation: • Motivated the team members by instilling confidence in

18 www.mentormagazine.net

principal@amanoraschool.edu.in

May 2016

SCHOOL LEADERSHIP

INFORMATIONAL LEARNING THROUGH INSPIRATIONAL TEACHING Prasanna Kannan

Introduction Mr. Prasanna Kannan is an Engineer, turned entrepreneur and accomplished academician. He has published over 20 research papers in various international conferences, IEEE and Springer-Verlag journals and has served in various positions in top semiconductor corporate giants such as Texas Instruments and Intel technologies. Due to his passion in the field of education and volition to transform the field of academics in a positive way, he has been involved in training teachers and students of schools, colleges and corporate all over India. He is the director of Centre of learning for Academic Masterminds (CAM), Bangalore and his vision is to enable students and teachers to make learning a blissful experience with the support of a like-minded team of elite academicians, school management and teachers. In this article for MENTOR, Mr. Kannan shares methods and areas of professional development for teachers.

As quoted by our honourable former Ppresident of India and truly inspiring academician Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam, “Educationists should build the capacities of the spirit of inquiry, creativity, entrepreneurial and moral leadership among students and become their role model”. Success of an institution is greatly dependent on the quality of teachers in the institution. There is a greater need for teachers of today to not merely be experts in their respective subjects, but also to be open in understanding the various learning styles of students and tune their teaching to match the learning style of student. Teachers need to be trained in skills to handle social, psychological and academic heterogeneities of students in the classroom, adopt creative teaching styles, employ effective classroom management techniques, involve students in the learning process, inspire students at every opportunity, be open to adapting to fast changing environments and keep pace with technological growth. Make or Break? A teacher can make or break the future of an institution. An uninspired teacher can kill the curiosity in an aspiring student and can put thousands of students’ future at risk. On the other hand, a compassionate

and skilled teacher can ignite the minds of millions of students and contribute to the crowning glory of the nation. Filtering at the Hiring Process of a teacher We agree that the hiring process does involve testing if the candidate has good subject knowledge, academic records, has passed from reputed college, expectations with respect to compensation and perks, comes with handson experience, has good communication skills, etc.

A compassionate and skilled teacher can ignite the minds of millions of students and contribute to the crowning glory of the nation

However, it is most important to know firstly, if • the teacher loves his/her subject • loves the teaching profession • he/she can love the students as much as one loves his/her biological child. If answer to any of the above questions is a NO, s/he must reconsider being in the teaching profession.

Mystery demystiﬁed Some of the top lingering concerns for every management and Principal are: • How do we get the best out of our teachers? • How do we get them to work together as one team and work with synergy that takes the organization to the next level? • How do we get the teachers to help our students perform to their potential and produce best possible results? • How do we get our teachers to become compassionate, committed, united and skillful? • What kind of trainings do our teachers need so that they can bring about a great transformation in the work environment and make the school one of the very best in the city, increase the trust in the parents who are becoming more and more specific and choosy these days? The answer to all the above questions lies in ramping up the teachers by imparting specific, systematic and ongoing skill building trainings. Speciﬁc Skill areas where teachers require training Subject presentation skills If we remember our school days, we liked a subject when we liked the subject teacher. The reverse was also true. We hated a subject when we did not get find the subject teacher inspiring. It might even be possible that we have landed up in a profession today, directly or indirectly because we liked a particular subject or we disliked it. A teacher can make the subject interesting or too difficult and

20 www.mentormagazine.net

boring for a student through the way the topic is introduced and presented. Subject presentation skill includes: • The way in which any chapter in the subject is introduced. For example, one can introduce Geometric Progression (G.P), a chapter in Mathematics as follows: 2,4,8,16…. represent a Geometric sequence … there is a common ratio, r = (second term )/(ﬁrst term )=(third term )/ (second term )… a=2 is the ﬁrst term … nth term is ar^(n-1) … sum of n terms is a((r^n-1)/(r1)) if r>1… Vs Introduce Geometric progression with a simple question Suppose, you work with me for 30 days, which of the following offers do you prefer? Option 1: I pay you a lakh per day for each of those 30 days you work with me. OR Option 2: I give you 10 rupees

on the ﬁrst day of work, 20 on the second day, 40 on the third day, 80 on the fourth day and so on up to thirty days And then introduce the formulae of G.P to prove, how by choosing option 2, the student could become the richest in the universe in 30 days!!! • The speed at which a particular chapter is covered • The teaching style of a teacher • The openness of a teacher to encourage students to participate in the class and promote them to ask questions

A compassionate and skilled teacher can ignite the minds of millions of students and contribute to the crowning glory of the nation

Solution: Short-term: Inviting passionate and accomplished subject

May 2016 are being the role models. The student may be going through a personal trauma which may be affecting his/ her performance.

Planning for Successful Outcomes

Creating a Learning Environment

Analyzing and Adjusting

Instructing

experts across the country with vast teaching experience in the specific subjects for guest sessions time to time to provide guidance on the above mentioned areas. Long-term: Identify such experts who can mentor upcoming teachers in the school on an ongoing basis, train the teachers how to be creative in introducing the subject with appropriate examples and clarify the subject related doubts of the teachers. In addition to external stimuli through a mentor, subject presentation skills do get nurtured when a teacher has a burning desire to make every lecture of his/hers, exciting enough to create a positive impact in every student. Handling social, psychological and academic heterogeneities inside the classroom

Common trait amongst some of the teachers is to put down explicitly or implicitly, students with poor academic records. This only makes the student get worse in the subject and is certain to harm the morale and self-esteem of the student. It is important to acknowledge that every child is unique and has his/ her own learning curve. If majority of the students in a class are not doing well in a particular subject, it’s time for the teacher to introspect what needs to change in self.

• Training a teacher to involve in personal interaction, • Instilling confidence would make a child believe in oneself • Create a new redefined future. Steps to handle psychological heterogeneity: Students do come with a baggage of past regarding anything and everything and their stereotypes must be broken slowly and gradually.

The answer to all the above questions lies in ramping up the teachers by imparting speciﬁc, systematic and ongoing skill building training

Teachers can be trained in using Self-talk techniques, methods to build positive mental attitude and techniques to get over the past impressions and create new consciously designed future.

It is true that there does exist heterogeneity in a classroom and accepting it, not just tolerating it, is the first step.

This can further be trained to students by the teachers in due course.

Steps to handle social heterogeneity Students come from various social and economic backgrounds. Not every student is blessed with a happy home where parents are an epitome of love and

Steps to handle academic heterogeneity: It is essential to become aware that there can be students with different learning styles inside the same class. A teacher needs to be catering to the specific learning styles of the student.

that the teacher establishes control in the class but not at the cost of compassion.

Learning style 1: Some students may learn primarily by means of listening (Auditory learners), where the modulations of the teacher, the sense of humour, the way the teacher explains the concept appeal to these learners. Learning style 2: Anything that is visual, impresses this category of learners (Visual learners). They get excited when the teacher gets some demo kit to show them, shows presentations on the slide, videos, uses relevant body movements / tools to enact. Learning style 3: Some set of students prefer learning by reading and writing (Intellectual learners). They learn best when they read a concept that is written on the board and learn as they write it in their notebooks. Learning style 4: There are learners who learn best by physical activities (Tactile learners). They cannot sit in one place. They want to move around. When you involve them in activity based learning, they like it best. There are ways in which every lecture can be made effective to the entire class by redesigning the structure of the teaching to include the above

22 www.mentormagazine.net

mentioned learning styles. This would bring down the academic heterogeneity to a great extent with time. Effective Classroom management techniques The line between firmness and harshness, between string leadership and bullying, between discipline and vindictiveness is very fine, but it has to be drawn.

It is true that there does exist heterogeneity in a classroom and accepting it, not just tolerating it, is the ﬁrst step

The teacher should take the responsibility to create and maintain a learning atmosphere in the classroom without which effective learning can never materialize. There are specific techniques to get this done. Mother-style technique of imposing discipline is one of it’s kinds. A mother, when she holds the hand of her child does so while applying optimal pressure, neither tight nor loose. Similarly, it is essential

An effective teacher learns to involve student into the subject by asking interesting questions, generously encouraging the student to ask questions without the fear of getting exposed of one’s ignorance at times, allowing the students to commit mistakes in their arguments/explanations, help them correct the mistakes, appreciate them for their participation, bring in a sense of humour and liveliness into the class. Conclusion We are always comfortable with what we have always been doing. Changing causes resistance. A concern could be how one could find time to include all these aspects in teaching and spend some quantum of time and money on training teachers on the above mentioned aspects. Common excuse could be that the teachers already are pressed for time to complete the syllabus, need to start their revisions, correct the examination papers and so on. The real question to be asked is “Are we going to sharpen our axe and get more effective OR keep saying that we are too busy cutting the trees to even look at whether or not is our axe sharp enough”. We can keep complaining, giving excuses, keep procrastinating and stay away from doing what is necessary to be done OR we understand what is needed for growth and go ahead and do it since it would eventually result in carving inspired and productive citizens excited about their future.

cam.education.blr@gmail.com

May 2016

SCHOOL GOVERNANCE

WHAT ARE WE CELEBRATING? P Ajitha

Ms P Ajitha is an eager learner and teaching practitioner who believes that true education is transformational in nature. A second generation teacher who claims to have inherited the aptitude for teaching as a legacy from her parents, Ms Ajitha owes them her solid foundation in education by virtue of having studied in Sainik School, Imphal. She is presently teaching at Delhi Public School, Coimbatore, but prefers to call herself a co learner in the journey of self-discovery which she embarks on, with her students. In this contribution to MENTOR, she questions the grandeur of celebrating events like Teacher’s Day or Children’s Day in schools and leaves the readers to ponder as to how these days could be used purposefully.

With both Teacher’s Day and Children’s Day over for this academic session following the celebrations around it, it is time now for some reflection. How does one deal with customary celebration which is planned all around the year and how far are they relevant? It is one thing to honour the memory of two distinguished personalities, whose birthdays are celebrated ritualistically as a tribute to all the great teachers who were responsible for transforming the lives of many of their pupils under their tutelage and guiding them towards realizing their infinite potentialities, in keeping with Dr. Radhakrishnan’s wish to observe his birthday as Teacher’s Day and fulfilling Pandit Nehru’s desire to celebrate his birthday as Children’s Day, drawing attention to the need allow our children to grow and blossom into self-realized individuals. However, it is completely another thing to use the occasions as an excuse to indulge in unproductive

activities in the name of celebrations and let go of an opportunity to capitalize on these days and address the ever increasing problems and challenges that teachers and students face today. It is perhaps important to engage in some introspection and reflect on the state of education today, that ought to be the focal point of any programme organized to mark these important days.

It is one thing to honour the memory of two distinguished personalities whose birthdays are celebrated ritualistically as a tribute to all the great teachers

Coming back to the ‘celebration’ part, I want to put forth this question to all those who disagree and are for continuing with the ritual of wasting two

Furnished below are a few concerns every educationistteacher, teacher-trainer, NGO working in the field of education, management of private schools, trustees and heads of education boards and others involved in the policy making process must reflect on, if they want to restore faith in the education system of our land and give back to the teaching community the pride of the place it used to enjoy in the society during the rich guru- shishya tradition of the yore and do justice to the future citizens of our country: whole days (take into account the teaching hours lost) in the name of paying tributes to people in the pretext of keeping their legacy alive - what are we actually celebrating? If the ASER report, that gauges the learning outcomes of children in government schools located in rural India, is any indication of the state of our primary education system, there is little to celebrate. If the skill deficit and un- employability of our educated youth is considered, what are we celebrating? If teenagers and college students are going astray and plunging head-long towards selfdestruction due to inadequate or dysfunctional counseling and guidance, what are we celebrating? When we are unable to retain bright young people to work in our country, what are we celebrating? When the lure of a “foreign” education is making the educational institutions of other countries boast of a sizeable international student population, what are we celebrating? When a considerable chunk of the upwardly mobile urban population who are heavily

24 www.mentormagazine.net

investing in their children’s education are not satisfied with the dividends of the investment in terms of the products of learning, and a vast majority who have unequivocal faith in the education system but get disappointed towards the end, what are we celebrating? When the education being imparted (if it can be called education at all!) is producing violent, self-destructive, unhappy, disillusioned young people without adequate employability skills, knowledge , aptitude or basic life skills , what are we celebrating ?

Is “Life skills” training and “value based education” that has become a common parlance in educational discourses, the sole prerogative of educational institutions? • What objectives does the present education system strive to achieve? • Acknowledging the fact that societal expectations influence and shape the

May 2016

educational policies that in turn bring about modifications in curricular planning to meet the aspirations of the emerging society, will it not stand us in good stead if the policy makers and curricular framers could anticipate the emerging trends, demands, and requirements of the upcoming generation and initiate reforms and changes to make the education imparted to them, relevant to their needs? • Is customizing education according to the needs of the time always desirable? • Is a strict demarcation between various schools of education, based on the different educational philosophies the ideal thing to do? Can’t we have a judicious mix of all, incorporating what is timeless and universal on one hand and immediate and relevant on the other? • Is holistic education and all round development of a students’ personality really possible through our obsessive preoccupation with ‘academic’ disciplines and test scores?

• Are ‘life skills’ training and ‘value based education’ (that have become a common parlance in educational discourses), the sole prerogative of educational institutions? If the answer is yes, how meaningfully and effectively are they being taught? If the answer is no, then how can all the stakeholders be engaged proactively to realize the objective of shaping complete personalities of our

children? • Is there a provision for a system of checks and balances in place to constantly monitor the health and efficacy of our education system? • How do we ensure that professionals who are entrusted with the responsibility of nurturing and educating young and impressionable minds, are entirely capable of this highly challenging endeavour? • How can the gross disparity that exists among all the highly esteemed professions (of which teaching should occupy the top slot) be addressed? With these questions, I request all the educationists to take some time out to think if there is any tangible use of ritualistic celebrations. Instead of plunging head long into meaningless activities can we instead, do something to renew the commitment to make a difference in the lives of our students and consequently make our lives purposeful and observe these days as they ought to be observed!

ajithapaladugu@gmail.com

MEETING THE FUTURE Akansha Thakore

Ms. Akanksha Thakore Srikrishnan is a Life Skills Facilitator, Education Consultant and Founder, Ripple Effect, Mumbai. She works with students, teachers, parents, and school leaders on personal and professional growth programs using drama, reflection, and creative art. In her previous role, Akanksha worked as Associate - Strategy, Innovation, Training with R.N Podar School (CBSE) in Mumbai, on innovation projects, life skills, teacher development, student engagement, wholeschool development, and quality improvement. She has worked with organizations such as Hindustan Unilever, Reliance Foundation, FSG (on a project for UN Women), Theatre Professionals, and Blue Ribbon Movement, in the past. She holds an MBA from IIM, Ahmedabad and a Diploma in Personal Counselling from Heart to Heart Centre, Mumbai. In this article to MENTOR, Ms Akansha shares her views on the role of the parent of tomorrow.

26 www.mentormagazine.net

Do you feel your child spends too much time with friends and is too influenced by them? Does s/he avoid family gatherings like the plague? Does your child lack obedience? Is s/he perennially lost in the cell phone? Great, so, perhaps, some things don’t change. I remember being a teenager and finding these to be issues with ‘our generation’, except perhaps TV was the major distraction instead of the mobile phone. Challenging times for parents While we can take comfort in these familiar parent-child apparent conflicts of interest, the nature and intensity of conflicts has grown. You are competing with a multitude of stimuli for your child’s attention. It is hard to keep up with your child‘s world today, given the phenomenal exposure they have to mainstream and social media. In a single internet

minute, 10 million ads are displayed, 38,194 photos uploaded, 31,773 hours of music played, 6.9 million messages sent. All, on the internet, in a single minute. It is mind-boggling, isn’t it? Add to it the fact that cities are seeing more nuclear families, dual working parents and lesser community living. While earlier the moral compass to equip your child was clear and constantly reinforced by other adults around home and school, today the same vastly varies. It is no longer about respecting your elders, doing your homework on time, keeping shoes polished and so on. Besides, you are trying to balance work pressures, uncertainty of the future and increasing expectations of you as a parent from your child and society alike. Where is the time to pause, reflect, course-

May 2016 create conditions for these skills to develop. More choices and resources do not always make the task easier, rather, sometimes they complicate the matter by confusing us with more noise. If this is the case today, one can only imagine how confounding tomorrow will be.

correct? Did so many parenting books and seminars sell, when our parents brought us up? In my mother’s words, ‘Tum log bas bade ho gaye’! We were children in simpler times.

Making subjects come alive at home through conversation and helping them enjoy the process of education will turn them into lifelong learners

New-age parenting Given this explosion of information, the parent today needs to play the role of a curator and facilitator more than ever. Forget being an expert or the go-to person to answer all your child’s questions. Today, the answers are all easily accessible; you just need to ensure your child is asking the right questions. Directing your child’s curiosity is vital. That extends to building comfort with not knowing all the answers, something which parents are usually not comfortable admitting. In fact, as a parent

you will need to be open to being questioned on your own parenting approaches, beliefs, and value systems. The child of today is not going to settle with your instructions only; s/he needs to reason and understand and make sense of the world through her own lenses of beliefs. The more you empower your children to know their mind, the more you are preparing them to meet with turbulent times ahead. Taking the world in their own hands What do children of today need to deal with the present as well as the future? They need, not just compliance but creativity, not obedience but innovation, not parroting but problemsolving. They need to be culturally aware, collaborators with excellent communication and require critical-thinking skills. They need initiative and responsibility, strong citizenship, and a keen sense of ecology. They need to not just receive but also create their own learning. To bring up such children requires us as parents to fundamentally challenge and change the way we have been brought up in order to

The crystal ball is speechless There is a sea change in the environment that your child is growing up in, today. Today, Google handles 1 billion queries everyday. Many of the top jobs in 2012 did not even exist in 2002! Did you ever hear of ‘Social Media Strategist’, ‘Fashion Blogger’, ‘Personal Shopper’, or ‘Sustainability Manager’ while picking your own career, during your times? Hence, the job your child will probably end up doing does not even exist today. How do you prepare your child for this uncertain future? Schools are grappling with the same question, while trying to hold on to the ropes of ‘21st century skills’, that will hopefully hold the students in good stead. Time to break free of certain old notions of parenting, especially with respect to their schooling, and embrace radical new approaches. How kids are learning today The global movement in education is moving more and more away from rote and towards application-based learning. Exciting experiments in giving ownership of learning to students are happening in classrooms across the country. Technology is no longer an add-on, but an integral part of how students learn. If not used in school, they take to it at home. It comes naturally to our children to turn to tech tools to

assist them in their homework and research. As parents, we can enable this kind of learning by encouraging application of what they learn in their everyday lives, and by moderating their exposure to and use of technology. Instead of handing over gadgets to them, at their sole discretion, we need to monitor the duration and nature of its use. Else the gadgets will creep into family and social life, keeping the child hooked. Making subjects come alive at home through conversations and helping them enjoy the process of education will turn them into lifelong learners. Says Ajit Nair, a Senior-Secondary teacher, ‘At my home, study time and play time were not demarcated where if I did one I

28 www.mentormagazine.net

would get the other in bargain. My parents asked about what I had studied in a way that I knew they cared about it – we used to chat about planets over dinner time!’ Although both his parents were professors and this came naturally to them, we can adopt this approach at home too, to show interest in and participate in what our child is learning. Huddle up How do we know if we are on the right track with our approach? ‘Parents need to talk more to each other. Else we keep thinking we’re the ones making mistakes in how we are bringing up our children’, says Mrs. Avnita Bir, Director-Principal, R.N. Podar School, who answers questions from parents in her fortnightly

parenting column, ‘Ask the Expert’, published in the Times of India. She encourages parents of students from her school to stay connected with the school staff and with each other to address common concerns and personal issues with their children as well. This regular exchange, energizes parents and reassures them about their parenting approaches while also giving fresh ideas on what they need to do differently. The more we are open to sharing and learning as parents, the more we will evolve in this journey, together.

The more we are open to sharing and learning as parents, the more we will evolve in this journey, together

The Basics Don’t Change While we talk of new-age parenting, what children fundamentally need from parents does not change. Many parents today worry about stressing their children out and pushing them in a corner, and so desist from displaying authority when it is needed. However, like many parents have reported in New York Times article from 2009 titled ‘Becoming the Alpha Dog in Your Own Home’, being calm and assertive in the face of unruly behaviour helps both the child and the parent. Children like structure, and they need to be within boundaries while they grow up. Else, it leaves them lost and uncertain. Parents are a child’s first and everlasting

May 2016 anchor. At the other end of the spectrum are parents who do not hesitate in hitting their child when they find themselves frustrated and stressed. Both are detrimental to the child’s well-being. While one needs to create an open atmosphere at home for joyful learning and playful creativity, one need not relinquish all control to the child. This balance will hold the child in good stead and complement their schooling journey by creating a strong foundation of positive values and behaviours. Children pick up on parents’ behaviours and responses, and model them, whether consciously or not. So, as parents we need to be mindful of the example we are setting every day. Clear communication and quality time are important, since both the child and parent struggle to find time to connect. Sharing the child’s world, directly through conversations and indirectly through their friends and interests, is the only thing that will allow the parent to stay tuned on the same wavelength as the child. On the other hand, sharing our own world – ups and downs alike – with them allows them to see us as fallible humans with emotions and experiences.

they will do well, rest assured.

we barely give them time to have a carefree childhood, let alone time to get bored. Will you find your child making paper boats in rainwater puddles? Or aeroplanes out of torn notebook paper? Competition, both real and artificially created, begins early in life and hounds them for decades thereafter. Let us breathe easy and allow them to do so, as well. If they skip one out of the seven odd hobby classes they go to, it won’t make them any less smart than the neighbour’s child. As long as you make them strong individuals capable of finding and creating their way in life,

Summary Certain parent-child conflicts have remained the same over ages, but beyond that parenting has increased in complexity. To keep up with the times and prepare our children for the future, we need to help build them into lifelong learners. Skills such as creativity, critical-thinking and problem-solving have taken centre-stage today. Curating and moderating their digital experience, participating in their learning, encouraging application of what is taught in schools, are some of the ways parents can partner with the school for their child’s development. Connecting with other parents, sharing and being open to learning will help parents grow in their role. All said and done, the basics of parenting remain the same – establishing groundrules, communicating regularly and clearly, spending quality time with children – all help in bringing up healthy individuals!

Let them have their time and space Kids today do not have the luxury of getting bored. There is always something to fill up their time. However, there is virtue in allowing them to experience boredom, in figuring out what to do with empty time. Out of that empty space emerges creativity and solitude. We are so busy packing off our kids from one class to another that

akanksha.thakore@gmail.com

INNOVATION

HARVARD ALLIANCE Satheesan KG

Mr. Satheesan KG is the Vice President- Group Human Resources of K Hospitality Corporation, Mumbai. With an experience in the Human Resoures field for about 27 years and having served as a member of the Board of Directors, he was actively involved in the Harvard alliance with K hospitality, which is one of Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest F&B corporations, with businesses spread across restaurant management, food courts, bars, banquets, catering and travel retail. K Hospitality is associated with Harvard Business School (HBS) through an alliance wherein students can take time to work with the group and learn the craft. K Hospitality Corp is a partner for HBS Field Immersion Experiences for Leadership Development (FIELD) student exchange program, which has partnership in 13 countries across the world and opens up the opportunity to study various avenues for growth, and built up proposals for new development, including methods of service delivery, marketing, concept strategy aligning them with best practices followed internationally. In this article for MENTOR, Mr. Satheesan shares how exchange programmes can benefit students and schools at large.

30 www.mentormagazine.net

A student exchange or internship program complements a studentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s formal education in important and exciting ways. Students generally live in another country for over two to twelve months and attend the local university. Being an exchange student is challenging, rewarding and a fun experience while gaining valuable international exposure too. You are actually living in your host country as a member of that community and learning important lessons like integrating yourself in a foreign environment, increasing your adaptability and most importantly actually implementing your management education and learnings. Student exchange programs promote tolerance, maturity and independence. They also encourage an international perspective and open their eyes to other cultures. In a competitive world like ours, these are highly sought after qualities. In fact, students with international experience are

better prepared for careers in an increasingly globalized economy and are better suited for collaboration within an internationalized workforce. Needless to say that the benefits of such programs are immense and that is what creates true and genuine learning and experiences. They offer excellent broad-based benefits for students who are keen to embark on such an international adventure! Through my experience, I have realised that the advantages are intertwined and come together to constitute the overarching exchange experience: Educational: The wider vision and perspective of situations that is gained through international learning and knowledge, is unparalleled. This propels students towards acceptance and understanding of an array of different cultural and community perspectives. â&#x20AC;˘ Awareness and adoption of alternative, multi-faceted

May 2016 culture of the host country but also realise that it is indeed fun to learn another language and if you are a quick learner, one can do a fairly decent job at speaking and understanding it which enhances better bonding between other colleagues and friends.

approaches to learning – while classroom learning provides a student with the academic fundamentals, a full perspective of handling a situation comes through various means – it maybe by learning better inter-personal skills, people management, skills on the job and enhancing your learning curve. • Analytical and problem solving skills – I learnt that no situation can remain unresolved if thought through analytically considering all aspects of the challenge as well as the opportunities that may not be very visible immediately. • Enhanced interest in global issues as well as a broader general knowledge – through the Harvard alliance, just as the team at K Hospitality Corp was able to benefit from the perspectives and knowledge of how operations or marketing within the F&B industry is approached internationally, bringing in best practices and implementing them with the Group to supplement

our growth, similarly, the HBS team of students also appreciated the challenges of operating in the Indian F&B industry as well as India’s socio-economic challenges and opportunities, being a country of 1billion+ citizens, the growing potential of non-metro cities and on an overall basis, India’s growing importance as an emerging market that cannot be ignored. Hence, there is perfect knowledge sharing.

The wider vision and perspective of situations that is gained through international learning and knowledge is unparalleled. This propels students towards acceptance and understanding of an array of different cultural and community perspectives.

• Language acquisition is achieved through practical immersion: not only do students appreciate the

Personal: Self-development and awareness create selfconfidence and this is often the most noticeable change in returned exchange students. This comes from the ability of successfully dealing with a wide variety of people particularly not belonging to your own country. That means as a student, the person would have utilised skills and abilities to connect, interact and communicate with each other, bringing about a set of skill sets, not known previously! • Maturity and social poise, fuelled by the necessity to confront challenges outside a familiar support network and comfort zone- Once again our association as a FIELD Partner with HBS brought to the fore the team’s maturity in assisting the HBS students with their respective projects, brainstorming with them on challenges and probable solutions. • Integration into another family as well as the development of life-long friendshipsfor students living with a host family can be a new experience and with feelings of uncertainty. However, an open mind, an attitude of warmth and friendliness can go a long way to foster lifelong friendships. • A huge sense of accomplishment upon completion encourages students to develop confidence, independent

opinions, make informed decisions and strive to attain fresh goals- on completion of their assignments and projects, students return with a different perspective of operations and challenges of enterprises in India and have a much stronger understanding of the Indian environment.

In fact, students with international experience are better prepared for careers in an increasingly globalized economy and are better suited for collaboration within an internationalized workforce.

Long-term • Prospective employers look favourably upon experience gained while living overseas and a wider knowledge obtained of another culture- nothing surpasses the experience obtained through an internship with an enterprise in another country

32 www.mentormagazine.net

or an exchange program as it brings a unique level of maturity, confidence and adaptability. It broadens the experience of foreign students and long term experience with other cultures help students to think objectively while also respecting diversity. The Harvard alliance has provided students with not only a panoramic view several key aspects in a leading Indian enterprise but also a competitive edge. • The compelling need to communicate and relate to others have helped students to appreciate the dynamics of working in a group and develop sensitivity towards others- Leadership is one of the most studied and key aspects of group communication. Students naturally learn about leadership and group dynamics and learn to think in new ways about human behaviour attending to not only the individual but also the larger systemic and interactive dynamics between people. It may be natural for both teams to

discuss in a group and often have differing viewpoints but always keeping in mind the larger goal of benefit to the organisation. • Successful program completion represents an excellent measure of personal flexibility, encompassing an ability to reach a winwin solution, achieve focus and succeed through any challenge- There is a huge sense of accomplishment at the end of the exchange program or an internship as it culminates into an ending of a new beginning – as students go their way into the professional world more enriched with experiences that will definitely play an integral role in their future professional lives and careers.

satheesan.kg@k-corp.in

May 2016

NEW-AGE PUBLISHING Manish Doshi

Mr. Manish Doshi is VicePresident (Education), South Asia at Cambridge University Press. Passionate about education in the K-12 space, he has been working with the Press for over 9 years. Mr. Manish did his graduation from Gujarat University and his Learning Development Programs from I.I.M, Kolkata. He has more than 14 years of experience in the educational publishing industry. His expertise lies in understanding of the International Boards as well as the state level requirements of Indian education boards, this range of expertise allows him to consult with schools and assist them in adopting learning solutions from Cambridge that meet their educational goals. In this tete-a-tete with MENTOR, Mr. Manish Doshi, shares a University Pressâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; perspective on how the publishing industry has had to evolve with changing trends in multimedia and technology.

How receptive are the boards to new age products? We are witnessing a trend for adoption of digital and blended products. New age learners and teachers are definitely receptive to innovative products that enable teaching and learning and are willing to adopt the same to enhance the learning process. As for the boards, it would be best for the boards to comment on their opinion. Are the teachers being able to adapt to the new age learning techniques? Nowadays teachers, educators, principals and even parents have become very technosavvy. Each key stakeholder realizes that the learners have to be equipped with 21st century skills. Teachers now demand for adequate and effective training of not only the digital solutions and products, so that these may be used in their classrooms effectively, but are also equally keen for exposure on how technology could be integrated with classroom teaching seamlessly. What is the process being followed by learning material providers, to move away from rote learning and text book learning in schools? As a learning material provider to schools, we need to keep updating our products with changing trends, even though we do not run schools ourselves. The textbooks, learning materials and resources that we publish for the school segment reflect newage thinking, an all-inclusive

approach and integrate the various learning styles relevant for the given subject. These are duly supported with innovative digital solutions and products, which add value to the learning and help create immersive and structure learning experiences for the young learners. What is the future of digital education in India? The Blended approach â&#x20AC;&#x201C; be it the blend of several media, blend of instructional approaches or various learning systems - is here to stay and grow. The Digital Initiative by the government will give it the necessary boost. The differentiated instructions and learning, platforms with adaptive logic, personalized learning tools, digital ecosystems that are all-inclusive and available and accessible 24X7 are bound to grow and develop further. The results are new approaches to learning with rich digital media generating immersive yet structured learning experiences, with greater emphasis on teachers as mentors and enablers. The need for technology and tools that empower teachers to do justice to their new roles and the scope of technology-enabled learning have increased manifold. The future looks promising and varied. What will be the future of publishing? From being print publishers and content partners, it is evolving to being the Learning Solution Partners.

mdoshi@cambridge.org

POST SCRIPTUM

ENGAGEMENT IS KEY Dr. Vidya Shetty, Editor-in-chief MENTOR

Walking through one of the quieter lanes in Bangalore had me witness a youth very close to the edge of a car passing the lane. A quick manoeuvre by the driver behind the wheel and the sound of the brakes too did not alert this young man who was on his mobile and with his ears plugged. A common scene this one! Watch them jog early in the morning: their ears are plugged, their devices playing loud, at times disturbing the peace of the morning ambience. Watch them idle, they are unaware of the world around, not a smile on the face, but with the minds preoccupied with apps and games. Classroom management today is a major challenge for teachers with devices like the mobiles invading the classroom. Smart phones, Ipads and other gadgets are permitted by many schools today, but then how many teachers are trained to check and understand how to monitor them? How does a teacher control and monitor usage of technology in the classroom of 30 students? How does s/ he ensure that students do not go to inappropriate sites atleast in the classroom? A device in hand and distractions many; how do we sustain the interest of the students? And with such novelty gadgets around! Gone are the days when children drew our caricatures on the

34 www.mentormagazine.net

last page of the note book and quickly scratched it over or destroyed it before it was confiscated. Today, graffiti is rarely found on walls, but social media gets infested with what goes wrong or like or dislike of whatever happened in the classroom. Students who were lazy to write and use their fingers are so adept at texting or checking Facebook on their phones that it can push us to shame when we comment saying s/he is lazy to write. Classroom management is a challenging skill and many of us at the beginning of the year employ trainers for sessions on classroom management. A new dimension emerges to these classroom management sessions, a few thoughts: • Do the ground rules of the class need a change? • Do we add ‘technoexpectation setting’ for the class and clearly define dos and don’ts: smart phones on silence, devices permitted to sit in the class face-down on the desk? • Our discipline policy needs a revisit: set rules for not following the techno-policy at school and consequences of violating these rules • Our housekeepers will need orientation and a policy too for the lost and found property at school • How do we make our lessons more engaging, visual,

technology aided and move conscientiously away from using just the text book to creating sustainable, interesting, technology aided learning in the classroom • The school diary that we religiously followed with reminder and caution notes: will need transition, reminders for assignments can go on whatsapp, deadlines and caution notes for late submissions and other records will also go the techno-way

Watch them idle, they are unaware of the world around, not a smile on the face, but with the minds preoccupied with apps and games

Finally, we need to reinforce during these sessions that the more active and ‘mobile’ the teacher is in the classroom, the easier it is to ensure that students are working on what they should be.

vidya@edumedia.in