Every class has a heterogeneous group of students. You always have 68% Average students and 16% Above Average and 16% Below Average. This is best represented by a Normal Probability Curve. One of the biggest challenges of a teacher is to reach out to all students in the class. This is possible only by organising Teaching Activities at various levels of the continuum. We have to have some activities compulsory for all and then either offer a choice of activities to the children or else make a particular activity mandatory for a child.
A gifted child is very precious and needs to be handled properly. We need to ascertain that the child is really gifted and then find out his special abilities and interests. Gifted students have particular behaviour characteristics and we have to keep their interest levels high by challenging them with Enrichment and Accelerated programmes. They need challenges and they are quicker at the uptake. Hence while the teacher is teaching the average, the gifted child is bound to feel uncomfortable. Since, in the situation you are teaching; we do not find many such gifted in a single class; there is no possibility of grouping them. But we can group students who are gifted from each class and assign them tasks, projects and assignments as per their abilities. The school needs to be innovative and provide these students opportunities of working with their classmates for major time of the School Day and then for a specific period with the Group of Gifted students. This will need teachers who understand the gifted students and have knowledge of teaching techniques for the gifted. Some schools have separate sections of the same class for the Gifted. Some call these Sections as the Ability Sections. Some have Co-teachers assigned the responsibility of catering to the academic needs of the Below Average and devising strategies for the gifted. Fortunately, I have had an opportunity of observing these practices in several schools over a period of time. I would not like to undermine their contribution but, in all honesty, I must admit that these have been mere gimmicks and have done more harm than good. We have acute shortage of efficient teachers who can teach the gifted students.
Under the circumstances, I suggest:
• Identification of the Gifted is done objectively after Psychological Testing.
• A programme for catering to the Gifted is made at the very beginning of the Session.
• Teacher assigned with the responsibility of handling such a child is made aware of the Characteristics of a Gifted Child and Trained/Mentored in Teaching Strategies that need to be adopted for teaching the gifted.
• No change is required to be made in either the School Timings or Period Wise Timings.
• In fact, some Programmes of Teaching the Gifted would surely benefit other students also and enable them to enhance their Academic Achievements.
I would conclude by saying that ultimately the whole exercise will be determined by the Giftedness of the Child, the Extent and the Potentialities of his being Gifted, the environment in which he is being educated and brought up, the facilities existing in the School and the availability of competent and committed teachers to handle such a child.
A personal request to you if you are facing the problem: “Please consider each child in your Class gifted. Treat and teach them as if they all were Geniuses. I assure you, they will not disappoint you”. I have Research based Evidence of Psychological Experiments to make this request to you.
Cheer up!
Sunday, November 30, 2008
How can we nourish creative potential in children?
Education has to develop creative potentialities of children and this requires proper understanding of Creativity, choosing the right kind of Curriculum and transacting the same in ways as foster creative thinking and creative ability.
We have various approaches and a lot of information: both Pedagogical and Research based available. Montessori Approach of Sensory Training is best suited at the lower levels. Frobel’s Gifts and Didactic Apparatus can also be used at this stage. It is necessary that teachers adopt a Multi-Sensory Approach. We need to know the Preferred Learning Style and the Brain Hemispheric preference of a child. We have to find the Super Link that will help us to present information and have it processed in the Child's Brain through the fastest pathways. Use of Colour, Music, Movement, Brain Gym and Donkey Bridging are all important.
As the child grows, we have to provide a variety of experiences; in order to allow his latent talents to be explored and then nourished. At this stage I would recommend the Gardener’s Multiple Intelligence Approach and even the SMARTS. The child will need to explore the world. The wider the experiences provided, the easier it will be for the teacher to identify the child's interest and talent. By the age of 16 the child reaches his Highest IQ and research studies reveal that Creativity keeps on growing. Hence there is an imperative need to include Thinking Skills; especially of the Higher Order. I mean activities that help the child to Analyse, Evaluate and Create. This requires Activities that challenge him to do so. He has to be a Discoverer, an Inquirer, a Judge, a Producer and capable of De-structuring Knowledge to understand relationships of the parts with one another and with the whole.
We all know that Creativity involves: Originality, Spontaneity, Fluency and Elaboration. It requires Divergent Thinking, Inductive and deductive Reasoning. Our Educational programme, therefore, needs to be flexible, Activity Based, Child- centred. We have to make provision for Hands on Learning, Demonstrations, Experimentation, Practical Work, Surveys, Projects, Assignments and these have to be such as provide a challenge to his particular creative ability. We have to follow an Integrated Approach; wherein the Bloom Taxonomy, Gardener’s Multiple Intelligence, SMARTS, Tony Ryan’s Thinkers Keys, SCAMPER Strategy and De Bono’s Lateral Thinking are all integrated into Educational Planning and Practices. We have to prepare a Grid- Matrix of Activities and engage the child in Activities that require Thinking, Thinking Out of the Box, being Original and going beyond the limits of what is known.
Please remember that Traditional School practices are routine, monotonous and hinder creativity. We have to find alternative strategies that are flexible and cater to an individual child. I have faith that this is possible.
We have various approaches and a lot of information: both Pedagogical and Research based available. Montessori Approach of Sensory Training is best suited at the lower levels. Frobel’s Gifts and Didactic Apparatus can also be used at this stage. It is necessary that teachers adopt a Multi-Sensory Approach. We need to know the Preferred Learning Style and the Brain Hemispheric preference of a child. We have to find the Super Link that will help us to present information and have it processed in the Child's Brain through the fastest pathways. Use of Colour, Music, Movement, Brain Gym and Donkey Bridging are all important.
As the child grows, we have to provide a variety of experiences; in order to allow his latent talents to be explored and then nourished. At this stage I would recommend the Gardener’s Multiple Intelligence Approach and even the SMARTS. The child will need to explore the world. The wider the experiences provided, the easier it will be for the teacher to identify the child's interest and talent. By the age of 16 the child reaches his Highest IQ and research studies reveal that Creativity keeps on growing. Hence there is an imperative need to include Thinking Skills; especially of the Higher Order. I mean activities that help the child to Analyse, Evaluate and Create. This requires Activities that challenge him to do so. He has to be a Discoverer, an Inquirer, a Judge, a Producer and capable of De-structuring Knowledge to understand relationships of the parts with one another and with the whole.
We all know that Creativity involves: Originality, Spontaneity, Fluency and Elaboration. It requires Divergent Thinking, Inductive and deductive Reasoning. Our Educational programme, therefore, needs to be flexible, Activity Based, Child- centred. We have to make provision for Hands on Learning, Demonstrations, Experimentation, Practical Work, Surveys, Projects, Assignments and these have to be such as provide a challenge to his particular creative ability. We have to follow an Integrated Approach; wherein the Bloom Taxonomy, Gardener’s Multiple Intelligence, SMARTS, Tony Ryan’s Thinkers Keys, SCAMPER Strategy and De Bono’s Lateral Thinking are all integrated into Educational Planning and Practices. We have to prepare a Grid- Matrix of Activities and engage the child in Activities that require Thinking, Thinking Out of the Box, being Original and going beyond the limits of what is known.
Please remember that Traditional School practices are routine, monotonous and hinder creativity. We have to find alternative strategies that are flexible and cater to an individual child. I have faith that this is possible.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
TEACHERS NEED RECOGNITION.
Recognition is what I care for most. Who doesn't?
I look for recognition in the enthusiasm of my trainees. Their non-verbal language speaks a lot; their feedback is my recognition, if that has a few words of appreciation.
Recognition comes to me when my colleagues appreciate the work done, when the press reports about it, when friends call up to congratulate and finally when I am financially benefitted for all my endeavors.
The smiling faces of my students and teachers, the admiration of colleagues and the appreciation of the management; these all are important to me but more important to me than all this is when my wife asks me 'How did it all go?' and if with confidence and with my head raised, I reply that it all went as planned and I am happy. This self-recognition is the highest form of recognition to me.
After so many years of research and work with teachers I have realized that teachers are really unique and we should treat them in a unique way.
Encouragement, motivation, awards, recognition... these are all part of what teachers need to see throughout their career.
As we all know most teachers are in the profession NOT because of the salary but because they love teaching. So if we can't give them a $100,000 annual salary, why not encourage them and bring them into the social spotlight where society at large can also learn about them. That way we can "turn the table" and the image of the teaching profession will change for the better. Then being a teacher will mean more than just going to work and dealing with crying kids. It will be what it used to be - the great art of teaching and shaping kids' future.
I don't think we are giving teachers the necessary credit they deserve.
Let us start recognizing our teachers for their being teachers, for the work they do and for a thousand other good things they do.
I look for recognition in the enthusiasm of my trainees. Their non-verbal language speaks a lot; their feedback is my recognition, if that has a few words of appreciation.
Recognition comes to me when my colleagues appreciate the work done, when the press reports about it, when friends call up to congratulate and finally when I am financially benefitted for all my endeavors.
The smiling faces of my students and teachers, the admiration of colleagues and the appreciation of the management; these all are important to me but more important to me than all this is when my wife asks me 'How did it all go?' and if with confidence and with my head raised, I reply that it all went as planned and I am happy. This self-recognition is the highest form of recognition to me.
After so many years of research and work with teachers I have realized that teachers are really unique and we should treat them in a unique way.
Encouragement, motivation, awards, recognition... these are all part of what teachers need to see throughout their career.
As we all know most teachers are in the profession NOT because of the salary but because they love teaching. So if we can't give them a $100,000 annual salary, why not encourage them and bring them into the social spotlight where society at large can also learn about them. That way we can "turn the table" and the image of the teaching profession will change for the better. Then being a teacher will mean more than just going to work and dealing with crying kids. It will be what it used to be - the great art of teaching and shaping kids' future.
I don't think we are giving teachers the necessary credit they deserve.
Let us start recognizing our teachers for their being teachers, for the work they do and for a thousand other good things they do.
TEACHING CLASSES OF STUDENTS WITH DIFFERENT ABILITIES.
Teachers and I mean all teachers have to face this problem. My teachers faced it, I faced and now I mentor teachers as to how to deal with it.
We never have a homogenous class, it is always heterogeneous. Believe me, teaching a class where there are children with the same knowledge, same skills and same learning abilities (though an impossible situation unless we have a group matched on various variables after detailed psychological testing and Factorial Analysis) would not be a challenge to a good teacher. It would be routine and monotony.
Find as to what are the Learning Styles of your students, check their Entering Behaviour and where you find that it does not suit the minimum expectations at Entry level, organise a Bridge Course and improve upon their Entering Behaviour. If majority of students show poor learning abilities then change your objectives, your expectations and choose Curricular Areas that will help in improving upon their Entering Behaviour.
Most important is your Instructional Procedures or Strategies.
Adopt a Multisensory Approach; choose from a range of Activities on a topic, those that are obligatory and those that are optional. Give students the freedom to choose projects and activities from a Grid that allows them the freedom of choice at two levels; Taxonomical and Multiple Intelligence. You will in the process find that while all children perform activities at Lower Levels of Remembering, Understanding and Application; only a few will choose activities on Analysis, Evaluation and Creating. Similarly different children will choose activities as per their Intelligence.
You have to teach keeping the average 68% in view most of the time and the remaining 32% who are evenly distributed at the two ends of the continuum: 16% Above average need to be challenged with activities, projects and assignments as a programme of Enrichment and Acceleration and the other16%-Below average need immediate Remediation but after Diagnostic Evaluation and they need your time, attention, patience, reinforcement and care. This is the challenge to a teacher.
Please follow practices that have been tested and found useful; like peer work, group work, Use of colour and Music, Movement Breaks, enough opportunities for Review and Practice.
You have to individualise your teaching in a classroom setting. This is not difficult at all provided you have all the background information about each child and you can transact curriculum at various levels.
Cheer up. We all did it. I am sure you can do it better than us.
.
We never have a homogenous class, it is always heterogeneous. Believe me, teaching a class where there are children with the same knowledge, same skills and same learning abilities (though an impossible situation unless we have a group matched on various variables after detailed psychological testing and Factorial Analysis) would not be a challenge to a good teacher. It would be routine and monotony.
Find as to what are the Learning Styles of your students, check their Entering Behaviour and where you find that it does not suit the minimum expectations at Entry level, organise a Bridge Course and improve upon their Entering Behaviour. If majority of students show poor learning abilities then change your objectives, your expectations and choose Curricular Areas that will help in improving upon their Entering Behaviour.
Most important is your Instructional Procedures or Strategies.
Adopt a Multisensory Approach; choose from a range of Activities on a topic, those that are obligatory and those that are optional. Give students the freedom to choose projects and activities from a Grid that allows them the freedom of choice at two levels; Taxonomical and Multiple Intelligence. You will in the process find that while all children perform activities at Lower Levels of Remembering, Understanding and Application; only a few will choose activities on Analysis, Evaluation and Creating. Similarly different children will choose activities as per their Intelligence.
You have to teach keeping the average 68% in view most of the time and the remaining 32% who are evenly distributed at the two ends of the continuum: 16% Above average need to be challenged with activities, projects and assignments as a programme of Enrichment and Acceleration and the other16%-Below average need immediate Remediation but after Diagnostic Evaluation and they need your time, attention, patience, reinforcement and care. This is the challenge to a teacher.
Please follow practices that have been tested and found useful; like peer work, group work, Use of colour and Music, Movement Breaks, enough opportunities for Review and Practice.
You have to individualise your teaching in a classroom setting. This is not difficult at all provided you have all the background information about each child and you can transact curriculum at various levels.
Cheer up. We all did it. I am sure you can do it better than us.
.
Monday, October 27, 2008
HOW LONG SHOULD WE CONTINUE ADDING TECHNOLOGY TO THE TEACHING LEARNING PROCESS?
The answer in brief is "NO LONGER- A LOT OF DAMAGE HAS ALREADY BEEN DONE."
Let us pause for a while and understand the fundamental process of Teaching-Learning. Once this understanding has been acquired, add what you like but with an objective and that has to be only “to improve the process."
Teaching is an objective-oriented activity. It has a well defined purpose. It is meant to induce learning. It is a social activity. You need two people at least.
Learning is a relatively permanent change in behaviour. It is an individual activity and needs both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. We all have our preferred Styles of learning. Our Brain Hemispheric functioning also affects the way we learn. Review and practice enhance learning.
One needs to have a holistic view of the Behaviouristic School of thought and the Cognitive School as also of those who talk of learning as Need-Reduction, Problem-Solving and what not.
What is essential to us is that there are a lot of variables that intervene in the process of Teaching-Learning and while we are able to control a few, there are many that are beyond our control.
We have been constantly endeavouring to bring in efficiency, speed, change in this process and every decade has witnessed the growth of new strategies: Nature as Teacher, Play-way, Project Technique, Child centric methods, Tutorial system, Heuristic approach, Socratic Dialogue, Inquiry based teaching, Developing Schemas and Strategies, catering to the Zone of proximal development etc.
We did speak of and use Technology in Education. We developed a Technology of Education and a Technology in Education.
I am of the view that an approach where the Laws of Learning, the Researches of Behavioural Sciences and the Knowledge of HOW learning takes place in the Brain is concerned; we should use it to our best possible advantage in the Teaching Learning Process.
Then, we need to look for introduction of the Hardware and Software of Technology that can facilitate the Process and make it more effective, enhance learning, individualise instruction, give each learner the space and freedom to learn at his pace, assess learning in objective terms for Remediation and for providing reinforcement.
In fact, the use of Technology as a substitute for Teaching needs experimentation and research based evidence. I have found a display of Technology and the concerned did not have a perfect understanding of its use, its scope and its effects on the Teaching learning Process. When asked why they were doing this or that, the answer was because everybody else was doing it or it gave them a standing in the community or else it added to the marketability of Educational Institutions. Nobody was convinced that it aided learning, improved upon the quality of learning, increased accessibility or made the process more interesting and gain speed. May be I have interacted with teachers in Schools that had their compulsions to use (misuse) Technology in this way.
We have to define the levels, the structures and the types of learning; before we continue with any further addition. Whatever has been added has to prove its worth and has to be used properly before we add any more.
Thanks.
Let us pause for a while and understand the fundamental process of Teaching-Learning. Once this understanding has been acquired, add what you like but with an objective and that has to be only “to improve the process."
Teaching is an objective-oriented activity. It has a well defined purpose. It is meant to induce learning. It is a social activity. You need two people at least.
Learning is a relatively permanent change in behaviour. It is an individual activity and needs both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. We all have our preferred Styles of learning. Our Brain Hemispheric functioning also affects the way we learn. Review and practice enhance learning.
One needs to have a holistic view of the Behaviouristic School of thought and the Cognitive School as also of those who talk of learning as Need-Reduction, Problem-Solving and what not.
What is essential to us is that there are a lot of variables that intervene in the process of Teaching-Learning and while we are able to control a few, there are many that are beyond our control.
We have been constantly endeavouring to bring in efficiency, speed, change in this process and every decade has witnessed the growth of new strategies: Nature as Teacher, Play-way, Project Technique, Child centric methods, Tutorial system, Heuristic approach, Socratic Dialogue, Inquiry based teaching, Developing Schemas and Strategies, catering to the Zone of proximal development etc.
We did speak of and use Technology in Education. We developed a Technology of Education and a Technology in Education.
I am of the view that an approach where the Laws of Learning, the Researches of Behavioural Sciences and the Knowledge of HOW learning takes place in the Brain is concerned; we should use it to our best possible advantage in the Teaching Learning Process.
Then, we need to look for introduction of the Hardware and Software of Technology that can facilitate the Process and make it more effective, enhance learning, individualise instruction, give each learner the space and freedom to learn at his pace, assess learning in objective terms for Remediation and for providing reinforcement.
In fact, the use of Technology as a substitute for Teaching needs experimentation and research based evidence. I have found a display of Technology and the concerned did not have a perfect understanding of its use, its scope and its effects on the Teaching learning Process. When asked why they were doing this or that, the answer was because everybody else was doing it or it gave them a standing in the community or else it added to the marketability of Educational Institutions. Nobody was convinced that it aided learning, improved upon the quality of learning, increased accessibility or made the process more interesting and gain speed. May be I have interacted with teachers in Schools that had their compulsions to use (misuse) Technology in this way.
We have to define the levels, the structures and the types of learning; before we continue with any further addition. Whatever has been added has to prove its worth and has to be used properly before we add any more.
Thanks.
HOW TO REDUCE STRESS?
We all experience stress in one form or another. Children and teachers feel stressed. The degree and level of stress varies from individual to individual. Stress is harmful and affects both performance and health.
I have found that daily Meditation helps reduce stress considerably. One only needs to be guided properly by a Spiritual Master in Meditation.
The simplest technique is to:
Sit in a comfortable posture and ensure that nothing disturbs or touches your physical body.
Close your eyes and look/concentrate on the seat of the Soul. (The Third Eye: the place between the two eyebrows). Do so in a relaxed manner without putting any stress on your eyes.
Repeat the Name of God. Choose any one of the names of God. Repeat it inwardly. It helps to still the mind.
Thus, we withdraw from the world of physical sensation and go within.
Evidence is there that regular Meditation brings an Inner Peace, a sense of physical well being, an equanimity and poise to face the challenges of life. This Inner Peace radiates itself to the outer world. Meditation helps a person rise above Physical consciousness and be detached. At the same time, the person is one with God and can feel the Divine presence in animate and inanimate objects around him. This Inner Peace leads to Outer Peace.
We did try this Technique of Meditation on thousands of students by asking them to meditate at the beginning of the School day for 10 to 15 minutes, under the supervision of their Teachers, in their Classes. The Children were asked to practice Meditation at Home also. We found remarkable progress: increased attention span, more concentration and improved performance. The teachers also felt the same.
What I am writing is based on feedback from students about Meditation and its benefits, if any. The Experiment is still continuing in about 15 Schools managed by Darshan Education Foundation, Delhi, India.
The guiding Light is His Holiness, Paramsant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj; the President of Worldwide Science of Spirituality and Sawan Kirpal Ruhani Mission, Delhi, India.
Visit: http://www.sos.org/ and
http://www.darshanacademy.org/
I have found that daily Meditation helps reduce stress considerably. One only needs to be guided properly by a Spiritual Master in Meditation.
The simplest technique is to:
Sit in a comfortable posture and ensure that nothing disturbs or touches your physical body.
Close your eyes and look/concentrate on the seat of the Soul. (The Third Eye: the place between the two eyebrows). Do so in a relaxed manner without putting any stress on your eyes.
Repeat the Name of God. Choose any one of the names of God. Repeat it inwardly. It helps to still the mind.
Thus, we withdraw from the world of physical sensation and go within.
Evidence is there that regular Meditation brings an Inner Peace, a sense of physical well being, an equanimity and poise to face the challenges of life. This Inner Peace radiates itself to the outer world. Meditation helps a person rise above Physical consciousness and be detached. At the same time, the person is one with God and can feel the Divine presence in animate and inanimate objects around him. This Inner Peace leads to Outer Peace.
We did try this Technique of Meditation on thousands of students by asking them to meditate at the beginning of the School day for 10 to 15 minutes, under the supervision of their Teachers, in their Classes. The Children were asked to practice Meditation at Home also. We found remarkable progress: increased attention span, more concentration and improved performance. The teachers also felt the same.
What I am writing is based on feedback from students about Meditation and its benefits, if any. The Experiment is still continuing in about 15 Schools managed by Darshan Education Foundation, Delhi, India.
The guiding Light is His Holiness, Paramsant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj; the President of Worldwide Science of Spirituality and Sawan Kirpal Ruhani Mission, Delhi, India.
Visit: http://www.sos.org/ and
http://www.darshanacademy.org/
Sunday, October 26, 2008
HOW TO TEACH CHILDREN WITH DIFFERENT ABILITIES?
Teachers and I mean all teachers have to face this problem. My teachers faced it, I faced it and now I mentor teachers as to how to deal with it.
We never have a homogeneous class, it is always heterogeneous. Believe me, teaching a class where there are children with the same knowledge, same skills and same learning abilities (though an impossible situation unless we have a group Matched on various variables after detailed Psychological Testing and Factorial Analysis) would not be a challenge to a good teacher. It would be routine and monotony.
We ought to find after testing as to what are the Learning Styles of our students, check their Entering Behaviour and where we find that it does not suit the minimum expectations at entry level, organise a bridge course and improve upon their Entering Behaviour. If majority of students show poor learning abilities then we need to change our objectives, our expectations and choose curricular areas that will help in improving upon their Entering Behaviour.
Most important is our Instructional Procedures or Strategies. We should adopt a Multi sensory Approach; choose from a range of Activities on a topic, those that are obligatory and those that are optional. Give students the freedom to choose projects and activities from a Grid that allows them the freedom of choice at two levels; Taxonomic and Multiple Intelligence. In the process we will find that while all children perform activities at Lower Levels of Remembering, Understanding and Application; only a few will choose activities on Analysis, Evaluation and Creating. Similarly different children will choose activities as per their Intelligence.
We have to teach keeping the average 68% in view most of the time and the remaining 32% who are evenly distributed at the two ends of the continuum: 16% Above average need to be challenged with activities, projects and assignments as a programme of Enrichment and Acceleration and the other16%-Below average need immediate Remediation but after Diagnostic Evaluation and they need our time, attention, patience, reinforcement and care. This is the challenge to a teacher.
We have to follow practices that have been tested and found useful; like Peer work, Group work, Use of colour and Music, Movement Breaks, enough opportunities for Review and Practice.
We have to individualise our teaching in a classroom setting. This is not difficult at all provided we have all the background information about each child and we have learnt to transact curriculum at various levels.
Cheer up. We all did it. I am sure you can do it better than us.
We never have a homogeneous class, it is always heterogeneous. Believe me, teaching a class where there are children with the same knowledge, same skills and same learning abilities (though an impossible situation unless we have a group Matched on various variables after detailed Psychological Testing and Factorial Analysis) would not be a challenge to a good teacher. It would be routine and monotony.
We ought to find after testing as to what are the Learning Styles of our students, check their Entering Behaviour and where we find that it does not suit the minimum expectations at entry level, organise a bridge course and improve upon their Entering Behaviour. If majority of students show poor learning abilities then we need to change our objectives, our expectations and choose curricular areas that will help in improving upon their Entering Behaviour.
Most important is our Instructional Procedures or Strategies. We should adopt a Multi sensory Approach; choose from a range of Activities on a topic, those that are obligatory and those that are optional. Give students the freedom to choose projects and activities from a Grid that allows them the freedom of choice at two levels; Taxonomic and Multiple Intelligence. In the process we will find that while all children perform activities at Lower Levels of Remembering, Understanding and Application; only a few will choose activities on Analysis, Evaluation and Creating. Similarly different children will choose activities as per their Intelligence.
We have to teach keeping the average 68% in view most of the time and the remaining 32% who are evenly distributed at the two ends of the continuum: 16% Above average need to be challenged with activities, projects and assignments as a programme of Enrichment and Acceleration and the other16%-Below average need immediate Remediation but after Diagnostic Evaluation and they need our time, attention, patience, reinforcement and care. This is the challenge to a teacher.
We have to follow practices that have been tested and found useful; like Peer work, Group work, Use of colour and Music, Movement Breaks, enough opportunities for Review and Practice.
We have to individualise our teaching in a classroom setting. This is not difficult at all provided we have all the background information about each child and we have learnt to transact curriculum at various levels.
Cheer up. We all did it. I am sure you can do it better than us.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
HOW TEACHERS INFLUENCE LIVES?
Question Asked by Prof. B.L.Handoo
Which Teacher influenced and shaped your Life? What was it that he had in him or did for you?
We all have been influenced by our teachers. I want to know from you in what ways were you influenced and how did your teacher do so. Please give us the details as it might help us to tell and inspire our teachers as to how their predecessors have influenced and shaped lives
Good Answers (8)
Steven Engravalle
Chief School Administrator at Hamburg Borough School District
This was selected as Best Answer
1.Being a professional educator is a privileged position that demands humility as much as respect. It is crucial that educators recognize the power inherent in their roles and are self-reflective about their actions. In my work, I strive to be attentive to my position as a role model of the type of learning and character I strive to promote among students. Learning is a reciprocally educative endeavor that is informative and uplifting for teachers and students alike. Education is about opening hearts and minds and changing lives for all those involved in the process. Your students will know they are successful in their work as educators when students tell them that they have learned to see the world through a new lens and to think more critically. Without a doubt, these are tools of empowerment and the rewards of teaching and learning. This all becomes possible when teachers choose to know their students before trying to teach them. Children want to know their teachers, and teachers must want children to know them as well. Teaching is about relationships: significant learning only becomes possible once significant relationships have been established. The teachers whom made the most difference in my life and career were the ones who cared for me as a person.
Alan Bleiweiss
Senior SEO and Internet Marketing Consultant at Hey Dude Where's My Site?
2. There have been several teachers who have helped shape my life. In every instance, they've done so through seeing where I was passionate as it could relate to the subject matter, and helped to draw that out - encouraging it, reinforcing it, rewarding it. A major aspect of this has also been that each challenged my thinking, - from my motives to my reasoning. Not to shoot me down - instead to help me understand how to evaluate my own position, to allow myself to change my view / perspective or belief if in the process I discovered flawed aspects of my assumptions or motive. These teachers all set an example for me in how I can best participate in life, remain open minded, and succeed in any aspect of life where I am passionate about something. Truly remarkable people.
aurora bramble
Independent Entertainment Professional
3.althea kaplan was my music theory fourth term professor she assigned our class to write 24 bars of music in any style we wanted i found a melody based on indian ragas stuck some chords under it and handed it in the next day i was asked if i would like to be a composition major with ms kaplan as my private lesson instructor (she had a phd in music comp from eastman rochester school of music) i went for it it was the best thing that ever happened to me and the most meaningful gift i have ever received she poured everything she knew into me in the two years she was in remission from cancer she gave me everything: direction career status and unshakable confidence and deep satisfaction
Robin (Yates) Burgoon
I help users to understand SAP (and other software and hardware) with clear, direct documentation and other materials.
4.Great question! For the most part, I think that almost every teacher that I have ever had, from nursery school (preschool) through college, has influenced me in some way. I can still remember and name almost every one of my teachers, too. Although I could go into a good bit of detail here, I'll just say that my teachers of whom I think first are the ones who took time to understand the differences in the students in their classes, and challenge the students appropriately. While I excel at languages, I'm not so great at math, so while many of my language teachers challenged me by giving to me more difficult assignments than they gave the rest of the class and, in some cases, even 'student teaching' the lesson for part of the class period, many of my math teachers spent extra time, one-on-one, explaining the lessons to me in more detail. I really struggled with Theoretical Algebra in high school, and even with the extra help and my best efforts, only managed a 'C' in the class; however, when I had the same material, the logic part, in college, I finally *got* it, and ended up tutoring others in my class. Recently I had the opportunity to speak with one of my high school English teachers, who is now the principal, and he remembered me, more than 15 years after I graduated. A few years ago, my *Kindergarten* teacher recognized me at a community event. I was happy and yet surprised that the teachers still recognized me from the hundreds (if not thousands) of children who have gone through their classes! That is so special to me, and I think it's a great testament to those teachers that they remember students from their classes decades ago!
Kelly Karius
Owner, Karius & Associates Conflict Resolution Consultants
5.Hello Professor! A lot of teachers influenced me in many ways - most that I didn't realize or understand until later. In Elementary years, I was lucky enough to have my mom as my grade one teacher, and an influence and a support that was always in the school. In later years, I was a difficult teenager - fun, but difficult. A few memorable teacher interactions: I had an invisible dog and one teacher used the dog to make me sit alone in Chemistry class - the first day of class he told me that he had a table for me and my dog, specially reserved...influence: humour, distraction and using what you have at hand. In my grade 12 year, I was living on my own - spoiled by my parents, not neglected - and shouldn't have been. I was drinking way too much. My French teacher was the only person that ever commented on it, I didn't realize it at the time, but the fact that I thought a lot about what she said, then and over the years tells me that she was a great influence. influence: being direct. And finally, my policies professor - who took a class that should have been painful for me and turned it into something that allowed me to embrace and interpret policy, without fear or resentment. influence: unlimited ability to deal with policy! Thanks so much for this question! Have a great day. Kelly
Brian Thoma
President of Thoma, Inc.
6.One of my college professors helped me in making a decision about which university to attend for graduate school. One of the schools had a better reputation in my chosen field of study, but was located in a "rat hole" (those were his words -- he had lived in the city). He suggested that I choose the school with the lesser reputation (in that field of study) in the very nice city of Williamsburg, VA at a school with a beautiful campus. Here was a college professor who made his career in this particular field of study steering me away from the (alleged) academically "better" school towards the "nicer" school. I was extremely happy with my choice of the nicer school. To provoke some additional thought, what is the message of this story? ************* I had a college professor who, I assume, was burned out. He taught courses in my major field of study. He was the oldest professor in his department. In the classroom he simply provided information. He was severely boring and seemed to not really care whether we learned or not. One of my favorite teachers was an art professor. The art appreciation course was one of those courses that I was required to take even though I wasn’t really interested in the subject. I initially had no interest in learning how to appreciate paintings and sculptures. But, this professor was so passionate about art that she excited me about the subject. I loved watching her face light up as she explained about a certain shading or form. Her lectures were like performances. It was education and entertainment. The boring professor was very influential in a backhanded way. The passionate professor exhibited the kind of passion that I seek.
Michael Sanford
Graduate Student at Carleton University, Freelance translator & application localizer
7.Though this will sound like a stereotypical answer, my high school physics teacher was arguably one of the most influential teachers I've had. Aside from expertly teaching physics, he was also the coach for the rowing and cross-country skiing teams (which our school always did exceptionally well in). As an extra curricular facilitator, he was also an instrumental mentor in the Canada FIRST robotics team (in which we designed a robot to play a sport). He taught me how to manage people (in all three senses of manage: as their superior in a hierarchy, as a collaborator and in tolerating difficult people). These skills have stuck with me ever since, and I believe have helped to shape the way I behave with colleagues and with students. He was also a fantastic teacher, and imparted knowledge in a way that I try to model myself. His vigour was viral, and has stayed with me ever since. I've become a life-long learner, and
Kate Podkopayeva
ESL Instructor
8.I believe, that any person may become your Teacher, If s/he inspires you to develop, helps your ethical growth, gives rise to your thirst for knowledge. Sometimes it happens that a professional teacher becomes your Teacher. For me, one of such teachers was Igor Doubinin, who taught Logics at our University when I was a student. He managed "to breathe life" into the dry formulas and laws, he made us reflect on different social events, taught us introspection and critical thinking. Thus, he tried to bring up Active Personalities, to awaken us, students. I think that potentially any professional teacher may become a person who influences positively her/his students, shapes their lives. And first of all, if you would like to become a Teacher for someone, you should get to know yourself better - examine your abilities, your weaknesses and strong sides. Develop the best qualities you possess, and make use of them! Build up your relations with students on the fundament of these qualities. Don't try to be like someone. Instead, become a person who will be an ideal for someone else. Thus, your confidence, your constant mental growth and development will make you a teacher!
More Answers (3)
M. (Monica) Begum
Journalist (investigative)/researcher/writer/yoga addict/sports fanatic/deep thinker/firm believer/wannabe bottle washer
1. Hello and thank you for the note you sent me earlier today. The teachers that really matters to me, in fact, are essential in my life are God, the Dalai Lama and quite a bunch of Buddhist monks. They are all my greatest examples.
Neil Barker
Corporate Trainer at GS E&C
2.For me, it was a Professor I had in university that taught International Security and Strategic Thought. He really opened my eyes to a lot of the unknown conflicts during the Cold War. His way of teaching really showed me to look at information beyond the headlines and obvious places. Still remember some of his lectures from 10 years ago.
Robert Rohr
Rail and Transit Education Professional, Retired IBMer, and Deep Generalist
3.His name was Franklin Meyers and he was recruited from a Ivy League College to head up the English Department at my High School. He only taught the College level courses for the high achievers. He asked to School to give him a class of capable but under motivated students. He took this motley group and has us, reading short stories and writing papers. He also had us write papers on topics of our own choosing. I wrote one paper and it was graded and A+ on content and a F or technical grounds. He said we will now make this a A+ A+ paper. At the end of the class we discovered we had done all of the work his advanced classes had done. He had simply used a new approach. I went on to College and become the Editor of the school paper in my junior year. He was an educator and not just a teacher. I owe him as much as anyone in my life. Too many Teachers simply teach, and not inspire or encourage.
Which Teacher influenced and shaped your Life? What was it that he had in him or did for you?
We all have been influenced by our teachers. I want to know from you in what ways were you influenced and how did your teacher do so. Please give us the details as it might help us to tell and inspire our teachers as to how their predecessors have influenced and shaped lives
Good Answers (8)
Steven Engravalle
Chief School Administrator at Hamburg Borough School District
This was selected as Best Answer
1.Being a professional educator is a privileged position that demands humility as much as respect. It is crucial that educators recognize the power inherent in their roles and are self-reflective about their actions. In my work, I strive to be attentive to my position as a role model of the type of learning and character I strive to promote among students. Learning is a reciprocally educative endeavor that is informative and uplifting for teachers and students alike. Education is about opening hearts and minds and changing lives for all those involved in the process. Your students will know they are successful in their work as educators when students tell them that they have learned to see the world through a new lens and to think more critically. Without a doubt, these are tools of empowerment and the rewards of teaching and learning. This all becomes possible when teachers choose to know their students before trying to teach them. Children want to know their teachers, and teachers must want children to know them as well. Teaching is about relationships: significant learning only becomes possible once significant relationships have been established. The teachers whom made the most difference in my life and career were the ones who cared for me as a person.
Alan Bleiweiss
Senior SEO and Internet Marketing Consultant at Hey Dude Where's My Site?
2. There have been several teachers who have helped shape my life. In every instance, they've done so through seeing where I was passionate as it could relate to the subject matter, and helped to draw that out - encouraging it, reinforcing it, rewarding it. A major aspect of this has also been that each challenged my thinking, - from my motives to my reasoning. Not to shoot me down - instead to help me understand how to evaluate my own position, to allow myself to change my view / perspective or belief if in the process I discovered flawed aspects of my assumptions or motive. These teachers all set an example for me in how I can best participate in life, remain open minded, and succeed in any aspect of life where I am passionate about something. Truly remarkable people.
aurora bramble
Independent Entertainment Professional
3.althea kaplan was my music theory fourth term professor she assigned our class to write 24 bars of music in any style we wanted i found a melody based on indian ragas stuck some chords under it and handed it in the next day i was asked if i would like to be a composition major with ms kaplan as my private lesson instructor (she had a phd in music comp from eastman rochester school of music) i went for it it was the best thing that ever happened to me and the most meaningful gift i have ever received she poured everything she knew into me in the two years she was in remission from cancer she gave me everything: direction career status and unshakable confidence and deep satisfaction
Robin (Yates) Burgoon
I help users to understand SAP (and other software and hardware) with clear, direct documentation and other materials.
4.Great question! For the most part, I think that almost every teacher that I have ever had, from nursery school (preschool) through college, has influenced me in some way. I can still remember and name almost every one of my teachers, too. Although I could go into a good bit of detail here, I'll just say that my teachers of whom I think first are the ones who took time to understand the differences in the students in their classes, and challenge the students appropriately. While I excel at languages, I'm not so great at math, so while many of my language teachers challenged me by giving to me more difficult assignments than they gave the rest of the class and, in some cases, even 'student teaching' the lesson for part of the class period, many of my math teachers spent extra time, one-on-one, explaining the lessons to me in more detail. I really struggled with Theoretical Algebra in high school, and even with the extra help and my best efforts, only managed a 'C' in the class; however, when I had the same material, the logic part, in college, I finally *got* it, and ended up tutoring others in my class. Recently I had the opportunity to speak with one of my high school English teachers, who is now the principal, and he remembered me, more than 15 years after I graduated. A few years ago, my *Kindergarten* teacher recognized me at a community event. I was happy and yet surprised that the teachers still recognized me from the hundreds (if not thousands) of children who have gone through their classes! That is so special to me, and I think it's a great testament to those teachers that they remember students from their classes decades ago!
Kelly Karius
Owner, Karius & Associates Conflict Resolution Consultants
5.Hello Professor! A lot of teachers influenced me in many ways - most that I didn't realize or understand until later. In Elementary years, I was lucky enough to have my mom as my grade one teacher, and an influence and a support that was always in the school. In later years, I was a difficult teenager - fun, but difficult. A few memorable teacher interactions: I had an invisible dog and one teacher used the dog to make me sit alone in Chemistry class - the first day of class he told me that he had a table for me and my dog, specially reserved...influence: humour, distraction and using what you have at hand. In my grade 12 year, I was living on my own - spoiled by my parents, not neglected - and shouldn't have been. I was drinking way too much. My French teacher was the only person that ever commented on it, I didn't realize it at the time, but the fact that I thought a lot about what she said, then and over the years tells me that she was a great influence. influence: being direct. And finally, my policies professor - who took a class that should have been painful for me and turned it into something that allowed me to embrace and interpret policy, without fear or resentment. influence: unlimited ability to deal with policy! Thanks so much for this question! Have a great day. Kelly
Brian Thoma
President of Thoma, Inc.
6.One of my college professors helped me in making a decision about which university to attend for graduate school. One of the schools had a better reputation in my chosen field of study, but was located in a "rat hole" (those were his words -- he had lived in the city). He suggested that I choose the school with the lesser reputation (in that field of study) in the very nice city of Williamsburg, VA at a school with a beautiful campus. Here was a college professor who made his career in this particular field of study steering me away from the (alleged) academically "better" school towards the "nicer" school. I was extremely happy with my choice of the nicer school. To provoke some additional thought, what is the message of this story? ************* I had a college professor who, I assume, was burned out. He taught courses in my major field of study. He was the oldest professor in his department. In the classroom he simply provided information. He was severely boring and seemed to not really care whether we learned or not. One of my favorite teachers was an art professor. The art appreciation course was one of those courses that I was required to take even though I wasn’t really interested in the subject. I initially had no interest in learning how to appreciate paintings and sculptures. But, this professor was so passionate about art that she excited me about the subject. I loved watching her face light up as she explained about a certain shading or form. Her lectures were like performances. It was education and entertainment. The boring professor was very influential in a backhanded way. The passionate professor exhibited the kind of passion that I seek.
Michael Sanford
Graduate Student at Carleton University, Freelance translator & application localizer
7.Though this will sound like a stereotypical answer, my high school physics teacher was arguably one of the most influential teachers I've had. Aside from expertly teaching physics, he was also the coach for the rowing and cross-country skiing teams (which our school always did exceptionally well in). As an extra curricular facilitator, he was also an instrumental mentor in the Canada FIRST robotics team (in which we designed a robot to play a sport). He taught me how to manage people (in all three senses of manage: as their superior in a hierarchy, as a collaborator and in tolerating difficult people). These skills have stuck with me ever since, and I believe have helped to shape the way I behave with colleagues and with students. He was also a fantastic teacher, and imparted knowledge in a way that I try to model myself. His vigour was viral, and has stayed with me ever since. I've become a life-long learner, and
Kate Podkopayeva
ESL Instructor
8.I believe, that any person may become your Teacher, If s/he inspires you to develop, helps your ethical growth, gives rise to your thirst for knowledge. Sometimes it happens that a professional teacher becomes your Teacher. For me, one of such teachers was Igor Doubinin, who taught Logics at our University when I was a student. He managed "to breathe life" into the dry formulas and laws, he made us reflect on different social events, taught us introspection and critical thinking. Thus, he tried to bring up Active Personalities, to awaken us, students. I think that potentially any professional teacher may become a person who influences positively her/his students, shapes their lives. And first of all, if you would like to become a Teacher for someone, you should get to know yourself better - examine your abilities, your weaknesses and strong sides. Develop the best qualities you possess, and make use of them! Build up your relations with students on the fundament of these qualities. Don't try to be like someone. Instead, become a person who will be an ideal for someone else. Thus, your confidence, your constant mental growth and development will make you a teacher!
More Answers (3)
M. (Monica) Begum
Journalist (investigative)/researcher/writer/yoga addict/sports fanatic/deep thinker/firm believer/wannabe bottle washer
1. Hello and thank you for the note you sent me earlier today. The teachers that really matters to me, in fact, are essential in my life are God, the Dalai Lama and quite a bunch of Buddhist monks. They are all my greatest examples.
Neil Barker
Corporate Trainer at GS E&C
2.For me, it was a Professor I had in university that taught International Security and Strategic Thought. He really opened my eyes to a lot of the unknown conflicts during the Cold War. His way of teaching really showed me to look at information beyond the headlines and obvious places. Still remember some of his lectures from 10 years ago.
Robert Rohr
Rail and Transit Education Professional, Retired IBMer, and Deep Generalist
3.His name was Franklin Meyers and he was recruited from a Ivy League College to head up the English Department at my High School. He only taught the College level courses for the high achievers. He asked to School to give him a class of capable but under motivated students. He took this motley group and has us, reading short stories and writing papers. He also had us write papers on topics of our own choosing. I wrote one paper and it was graded and A+ on content and a F or technical grounds. He said we will now make this a A+ A+ paper. At the end of the class we discovered we had done all of the work his advanced classes had done. He had simply used a new approach. I went on to College and become the Editor of the school paper in my junior year. He was an educator and not just a teacher. I owe him as much as anyone in my life. Too many Teachers simply teach, and not inspire or encourage.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
COEDUCATION- MANAGING EMOTIONS.
Co-educational System was meant to foster competition, do away with curiosity about the opposite sex and to build healthy relationships- both emotional and interpersonal. Unfortunately, our laxity, non-availability of a well defined policy, confusion prevailing between modernisation and traditional values and the absence of an Adolescent Education/Sex Education Programme in our Schools has led to severe problems. We come across cases of puppy loves at much junior classes and some teachers take delight in making fun of these, rumour mongering, gossiping and making young children conscious of their infatuations. There are scores of cases where the teachers have been found love -sick and setting a bad example before students. Teachers of opposite sexes have been seen dating each other, flirting and news travels to students. On many occasions teachers have got married after a protracted so -called affair and continue to work in the same School. There are instances of teachers marrying students and even some Heads of Institutions have been found guilty of moral turpitude. This is the example we are setting. On the other hand, the Media sensationalises every incident and the young fall a prey to their emotions.
If we study a few chapters of Freudian Psychology about the development of sexual urge at various stages of Growth and Development, read about the Seven Stages of Moral Development and study literature on Emotions and how to sublimate and channelize Emotions; I am sure we will find many answers to our problem. But that will not be enough. Let us ask ourselves, are we ready to execute some strategies, experiment and use a multi-pronged approach to the problem. If our answer is yes; I suggest the following:
> Introduce a Programme of Adolescent/Sex Education in our Schools. The CBSE had already engaged an Expert and the Expert would travel to various States and Regions and train the Teachers. Find out about this Programme.
> Call Senior Doctors who are Specialists to talk to our students on Health, Hygiene, Habits and Sex related Issues.
> Organise Debates, Presentations by Students on Topics related to the Issue and let students express their views freely. Ask them for their suggestions.
> Have a very congenial Academic Climate, where the focus is on dedicated Scholarships, healthy interactions for exchange of views, information, joint surveys and projects. Ensure that students are always busy and never left free, unsupervised or idle.
> Trust them and build a climate of mutual trust. Do not suspect, do not allow rumours to be spread and accept emotions and feelings as natural.
> Have a proper Dress Code for students and Staff. Do not allow any laxity in this. Take Students and Staff into confidence while deciding this. The students need to understand that we want them to look decent, elegant and beautiful. They have to be ladylike and gentlemanlike.
> Introduce a variety of Co-curricular Activities of all types and see that students get an opportunity of spending their spare energy, exploring their talent and canalize their emotions. Sometimes, dance, theatre and other performance may help in Catharsis and per rogation of emotions.
> Talk to them often, make them speak and even call parents to speak to them. They are being exposed to a lot of influences of varying types' why can't we provide enough examples of positive behaviour and these have to be real life stories.
> Be a Role Model. See that all Teachers are Role Models.
> Have Trained and adequately qualified Counsellors on Staff and they should be available for help, counselling and advice.
> Have a Student Body-Boys and Girls- assigned the specific task of counselling cases that seem to suffer infatuation and drift away from expected behaviour patterns.
> Be firm and yet caring.
Wishing you the very Best
If we study a few chapters of Freudian Psychology about the development of sexual urge at various stages of Growth and Development, read about the Seven Stages of Moral Development and study literature on Emotions and how to sublimate and channelize Emotions; I am sure we will find many answers to our problem. But that will not be enough. Let us ask ourselves, are we ready to execute some strategies, experiment and use a multi-pronged approach to the problem. If our answer is yes; I suggest the following:
> Introduce a Programme of Adolescent/Sex Education in our Schools. The CBSE had already engaged an Expert and the Expert would travel to various States and Regions and train the Teachers. Find out about this Programme.
> Call Senior Doctors who are Specialists to talk to our students on Health, Hygiene, Habits and Sex related Issues.
> Organise Debates, Presentations by Students on Topics related to the Issue and let students express their views freely. Ask them for their suggestions.
> Have a very congenial Academic Climate, where the focus is on dedicated Scholarships, healthy interactions for exchange of views, information, joint surveys and projects. Ensure that students are always busy and never left free, unsupervised or idle.
> Trust them and build a climate of mutual trust. Do not suspect, do not allow rumours to be spread and accept emotions and feelings as natural.
> Have a proper Dress Code for students and Staff. Do not allow any laxity in this. Take Students and Staff into confidence while deciding this. The students need to understand that we want them to look decent, elegant and beautiful. They have to be ladylike and gentlemanlike.
> Introduce a variety of Co-curricular Activities of all types and see that students get an opportunity of spending their spare energy, exploring their talent and canalize their emotions. Sometimes, dance, theatre and other performance may help in Catharsis and per rogation of emotions.
> Talk to them often, make them speak and even call parents to speak to them. They are being exposed to a lot of influences of varying types' why can't we provide enough examples of positive behaviour and these have to be real life stories.
> Be a Role Model. See that all Teachers are Role Models.
> Have Trained and adequately qualified Counsellors on Staff and they should be available for help, counselling and advice.
> Have a Student Body-Boys and Girls- assigned the specific task of counselling cases that seem to suffer infatuation and drift away from expected behaviour patterns.
> Be firm and yet caring.
Wishing you the very Best
INTERVIEW OF PARENTS FOR ADMISSION OF KIDS.
Admission procedure of Toddlers to Schools in India has been very defective and has come for a lot of criticism and flack. Parents raised the issue in The Supreme Court of India. Ganguli Committee Recommendations were tried for a Session and finally the Court gave detailed ruling on each contentious issue. But there have been very little changes.
Small Kids and the Parents are interviewed and the process is called "Interaction."
Parents are to fill Registration Forms that seek all personal, educational, professional, financial information. Besides, questions like: "How will you help the School?”- “How much time will you devote to supporting your child with School work" are asked If one makes it to the list of shortlisted applicants for Admission, one has to attend an Interview at a fixed time on a scheduled date.
Parents are grilled. Sometimes perplexing questions like: "Who attends to the child when both of you are working?', " How much time do you regularly spend with your child?', “In which language do you converse at home?",', "How often do you take your child out with you to a Circus, a Zoo, a riverside, a holiday trip?”are asked. Parents are tense and stressed. They look for agents and touts, pay under the table and get the Admission of their wards confirmed. The School Authorities say that it is more a process of elimination rather than selection.
Supreme Court has laid down a policy where Schools are required to give weight age to Proximity, Siblings, Alma-mater, Qualification of Parents, Girl Child, Management Criteria (To be announced in advance) and allot marks to each. Hence the List of Admitted/ Selected students has to be put up on the School Notice Board.
The Schools need to Interact with the parents on a regular basis. The home and the School have to co-operate for the education of the child. The School needs to Orient the Parents on its Philosophy, Teaching Methodology followed, Assessment Procedure, Learning Outcomes expected in a Term or Month or Week. The Parents need to keep the School informed about the changes they observe in the child’s behaviour and what they expect.
Education level of parents does have an impact on the child’s education and upbringing but then there are glaring instances of children from slums and of rickshaw-pullers topping, not only the Board Exams but also in Competitive exams. I would say NO to refusing admission to any child on the grounds of his parents not being adequately educated.
In a Socialistic, Democratic Republic committed to Equality and Equalisation of Educational Opportunities, admission can not be denied on the grounds of Parents Qualification or their financial status. Even private (what we in India call Public Schools) that do not receive or accept Funds and Grants from the State, have a moral obligation to admit and educate one and all.
I am of the firm belief that we must have Neighbourhood Schools and all Children within a particular radius-be it 1km to 3 km’s- should be admitted to this School. This will bring children from different sections of the society together and we shall have strong Foundations of a future societal order.
As on date, we have Branded Schools, Schools for the Affluent, Public Schools, Government Schools and Minority run Schools. Each has its own characteristics, strengths and weaknesses and ‘believe me each is contributing in dividing the Society into the Elitist and the Non-elitist, the Highbrows and the Lowbrows, the One’s that get all facilities and exposure and the others who are deprived of the basic facilities’. What pains me that education is meant to create an egalitarian society and our Schools are creating divisions.
The ripple effect has begun.”
Small Kids and the Parents are interviewed and the process is called "Interaction."
Parents are to fill Registration Forms that seek all personal, educational, professional, financial information. Besides, questions like: "How will you help the School?”- “How much time will you devote to supporting your child with School work" are asked If one makes it to the list of shortlisted applicants for Admission, one has to attend an Interview at a fixed time on a scheduled date.
Parents are grilled. Sometimes perplexing questions like: "Who attends to the child when both of you are working?', " How much time do you regularly spend with your child?', “In which language do you converse at home?",', "How often do you take your child out with you to a Circus, a Zoo, a riverside, a holiday trip?”are asked. Parents are tense and stressed. They look for agents and touts, pay under the table and get the Admission of their wards confirmed. The School Authorities say that it is more a process of elimination rather than selection.
Supreme Court has laid down a policy where Schools are required to give weight age to Proximity, Siblings, Alma-mater, Qualification of Parents, Girl Child, Management Criteria (To be announced in advance) and allot marks to each. Hence the List of Admitted/ Selected students has to be put up on the School Notice Board.
The Schools need to Interact with the parents on a regular basis. The home and the School have to co-operate for the education of the child. The School needs to Orient the Parents on its Philosophy, Teaching Methodology followed, Assessment Procedure, Learning Outcomes expected in a Term or Month or Week. The Parents need to keep the School informed about the changes they observe in the child’s behaviour and what they expect.
Education level of parents does have an impact on the child’s education and upbringing but then there are glaring instances of children from slums and of rickshaw-pullers topping, not only the Board Exams but also in Competitive exams. I would say NO to refusing admission to any child on the grounds of his parents not being adequately educated.
In a Socialistic, Democratic Republic committed to Equality and Equalisation of Educational Opportunities, admission can not be denied on the grounds of Parents Qualification or their financial status. Even private (what we in India call Public Schools) that do not receive or accept Funds and Grants from the State, have a moral obligation to admit and educate one and all.
I am of the firm belief that we must have Neighbourhood Schools and all Children within a particular radius-be it 1km to 3 km’s- should be admitted to this School. This will bring children from different sections of the society together and we shall have strong Foundations of a future societal order.
As on date, we have Branded Schools, Schools for the Affluent, Public Schools, Government Schools and Minority run Schools. Each has its own characteristics, strengths and weaknesses and ‘believe me each is contributing in dividing the Society into the Elitist and the Non-elitist, the Highbrows and the Lowbrows, the One’s that get all facilities and exposure and the others who are deprived of the basic facilities’. What pains me that education is meant to create an egalitarian society and our Schools are creating divisions.
The ripple effect has begun.”
TEACHING AND WOMEN.
Indian Society has down the ages witnessed male-chauvinism in its extreme forms. Although women have been held in high esteem, yet their joining professions of choice has been a long drawn battle. Women have often faced ridicule and even been ostracised for making a choice of profession.
The choice of taking to Teaching was allowed because of the high degree of prestige attached with Teaching.
With emancipation of women, spread of education, special facilities for their academic and professional education; more and more women have joined professions that were deemed a male prerogative, so far.
Teaching is respectful. Working hours suit women. Mother is the first teacher of a child and the mother extends this role to the society by joining a School. Her innate qualities, her patience, her love and care and her “Mother Figure” role enable her to be ideally suited for this profession.
In the present scenario of education, especially in India, women have often outclassed men in academic pursuits and there is proof of it in the results of Boards and Universities. Women are finding the teaching profession safe, respectful, satisfying and many have proved their mettle.
It is a fact that in India the male member happens to be the main bread earner for the family. The family unit in rural and urban sector accepts women as equal partners in work and as her earnings are often meagre in comparison to their male counterparts, hence women only supplement. Exceptions are their but they are so few. With the family as an institution undergoing change and more and more women taking up professions that are lucrative, demanding and competitive; we have more and more mediocre teachers joining schools
If we want a change, we have to stop exploitation of Teachers, we have to restore this profession to the level of esteem in which it was held in the past, we have to make it a very lucrative profession and we have to create awareness among people to look at the profession not only in terms of what is apparently visible but lots and lots of intangible work that goes on behind the screen in moulding personalities, in transacting curriculum, in a lot of record keeping and paper work, in evaluation, in managing behaviour and in influencing lives through role-modelling and living in practice what they teach. Mahatma Gandhi called “Women as incarnation of Ahimsa”. Teachers are called Nation Builders. Teachers do need appreciation of their work and contribution to Society. No lip-service please. The work environment, the salary and perks, the facilities for upgrading one’s skills and incentives for performance are to be improved.
Let us hope that it happens soon.
The choice of taking to Teaching was allowed because of the high degree of prestige attached with Teaching.
With emancipation of women, spread of education, special facilities for their academic and professional education; more and more women have joined professions that were deemed a male prerogative, so far.
Teaching is respectful. Working hours suit women. Mother is the first teacher of a child and the mother extends this role to the society by joining a School. Her innate qualities, her patience, her love and care and her “Mother Figure” role enable her to be ideally suited for this profession.
In the present scenario of education, especially in India, women have often outclassed men in academic pursuits and there is proof of it in the results of Boards and Universities. Women are finding the teaching profession safe, respectful, satisfying and many have proved their mettle.
It is a fact that in India the male member happens to be the main bread earner for the family. The family unit in rural and urban sector accepts women as equal partners in work and as her earnings are often meagre in comparison to their male counterparts, hence women only supplement. Exceptions are their but they are so few. With the family as an institution undergoing change and more and more women taking up professions that are lucrative, demanding and competitive; we have more and more mediocre teachers joining schools
If we want a change, we have to stop exploitation of Teachers, we have to restore this profession to the level of esteem in which it was held in the past, we have to make it a very lucrative profession and we have to create awareness among people to look at the profession not only in terms of what is apparently visible but lots and lots of intangible work that goes on behind the screen in moulding personalities, in transacting curriculum, in a lot of record keeping and paper work, in evaluation, in managing behaviour and in influencing lives through role-modelling and living in practice what they teach. Mahatma Gandhi called “Women as incarnation of Ahimsa”. Teachers are called Nation Builders. Teachers do need appreciation of their work and contribution to Society. No lip-service please. The work environment, the salary and perks, the facilities for upgrading one’s skills and incentives for performance are to be improved.
Let us hope that it happens soon.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
FEAR FREE TEACHING-LEARNING.
Dear Friends,
Teaching is building inter-personal relationships and facilitating the process of Learning. Fear has no place in this.
Fear is an emotion that distorts reason, reduces mental capabilities and develops apathy, depression and leads to frustration. It also hampers learning and effects performance adversely.
Once we realize this, half the battle is won.
The relationship of a teacher and a student is that of a Guru and a disciple. It is based on mutual trust and faith. A teacher who believes in the innate goodness of all human beings, who believes in Fatherhood of God, who believes that every child has it in him and it is only the right kind of learning experiences, the right type of teaching strategies and the right form of environment that can draw out the latent talents of students; will never resort to any kind of practices that even come close to developing fear.
"To be in Love or to Doubt", says Othello.
The Process of Teaching -Learning is one where fear can be detrimental to the process and the personality development of both- the child and the teacher.
We need to create an open Classroom environment where asking questions becomes a habit, where committing mistakes is acceptable as it leads to learning, where every small success is celebrated, where every desirable response is reinforced and every undesirable response is ignored. Rules to be followed are decided upon after deliberation by students for the students, discipline is more a matter of self-discipline, social control is Modeled in the behavior of teachers, the systems are flexible to adapt to changed needs and conditions, the school environment is one that caters to emotional security and channelization and where confidence building measures are a routine activity.
Teachers have to be of this firm conviction and thoroughly mentored in Classroom behavior management techniques. The teachers need not be unduly friendly. Mutual respect has to replace authority. Discussion has to give way to one way communication and the number of activities in which students and teachers participate together, both inside the classroom and in the playfield, indoors and outdoors have to be in plenty.
Cheer up my friends, there is a vast store house of Research based information available on Managing Students. Read from the net: www.pivotaleducation.com/behaviour. You will find wonderful Tips of Behavior Management be Ellie Wood-Pivotal.
Teaching is building inter-personal relationships and facilitating the process of Learning. Fear has no place in this.
Fear is an emotion that distorts reason, reduces mental capabilities and develops apathy, depression and leads to frustration. It also hampers learning and effects performance adversely.
Once we realize this, half the battle is won.
The relationship of a teacher and a student is that of a Guru and a disciple. It is based on mutual trust and faith. A teacher who believes in the innate goodness of all human beings, who believes in Fatherhood of God, who believes that every child has it in him and it is only the right kind of learning experiences, the right type of teaching strategies and the right form of environment that can draw out the latent talents of students; will never resort to any kind of practices that even come close to developing fear.
"To be in Love or to Doubt", says Othello.
The Process of Teaching -Learning is one where fear can be detrimental to the process and the personality development of both- the child and the teacher.
We need to create an open Classroom environment where asking questions becomes a habit, where committing mistakes is acceptable as it leads to learning, where every small success is celebrated, where every desirable response is reinforced and every undesirable response is ignored. Rules to be followed are decided upon after deliberation by students for the students, discipline is more a matter of self-discipline, social control is Modeled in the behavior of teachers, the systems are flexible to adapt to changed needs and conditions, the school environment is one that caters to emotional security and channelization and where confidence building measures are a routine activity.
Teachers have to be of this firm conviction and thoroughly mentored in Classroom behavior management techniques. The teachers need not be unduly friendly. Mutual respect has to replace authority. Discussion has to give way to one way communication and the number of activities in which students and teachers participate together, both inside the classroom and in the playfield, indoors and outdoors have to be in plenty.
Cheer up my friends, there is a vast store house of Research based information available on Managing Students. Read from the net: www.pivotaleducation.com/behaviour. You will find wonderful Tips of Behavior Management be Ellie Wood-Pivotal.
Discussion on Quality Education/Schools/Teachers?
Dear Friends,
Education has the function of transmission of culture, social control and social progress. It is always based on the philosophy of the people of a nation. In India, we follow the Philosophy of Scientific Humanism. Our Educational System is based on Macaulay's Minutes and hence it is an alien system transplanted in our Country. It has been surviving on a patchwork of recommendations from Commissions and Committees since 1942.
We had the Radhakrishnan Committee Report for improving University Education in 1942, then the Mudliar Committee in 1952-54, looking in depth at the Secondary Education and why it was divorced from the realities of life. Again we had a very Comprehensive Kothari Commission Report in 1964. The Indian Educationists regard it as their Bible in education. We followed it with the NPE-National Policy on Education after a Nation-wide debate and then for the first time we had a POA-Programme of Action- Goals were decided, Time-frames were set and every thing came to naught with a change in Govt. We have the latest Recommendations of CABE-the Central Advisory Board on Education and in Feb.2005, the NCF-National Curriculum Framework was decided, announced and implemented in a phased manner. I gave this historical background so that we have a clear perspective of what went wrong. We never had an indigenous system of Education. Experimentation, sudden changes and drastic reforms with changes in Govt's have left the Educational System in shambles. This is our first casualty. Let me honestly share with you, these Recommendations decorate the shelves in our Libraries and we only pay lip service to them.
Our schools which we regard as our ‘Temples of Learning’ got into the ‘Business of Education’ and soon made ‘Education their Business’. These Educational Institutions over a period of time lost their missionary zeal, their social character and ignored the stakeholders thus distancing themselves from those, whom it was meant to serve.
We do have a few Good schools here and there but that is just an Oasis in a huge desert. Schooling has become drudgery, routine, monotonous and there is no scope today for innovations, creativity. Status quo is being maintained rigidly and we find a lot of gimmickry in the name of Education. Our kids are being treated as guinea pigs for being experimented upon by quakes and novices.
Teaching has and never was an occupation in our country. Teachers are there more by chance rather than by choice. They are humiliated, exploited, blamed, used for every work and drilled into practices that are meaningless. Their Pre-Service Training is defective, there is a huge yawning gap between Theory and Practice and once appointed in a School, they are regimented and carried along. By the way, our Country happens to be perhaps the only country in the World where Heads of Institutions are appointed because of their experience as Teachers and there is neither a training before appointment as a pre-requisite, nor do we make a sincere attempt at Training them in Administration and Management of Schools after appointing them.
The Curriculum is lengthy, concept ridden and encourages rote-learning. The teachers take great pains in covering the content and Examination is the End. All possible means are adopted to get through these exams and hence we have malpractices, depressions, suicides, disappointment and yet a few excel and we forget the rest and bask in the glory of the achievements of the few.
Finally, Quality in Education is a misnomer. We are unaware of its true meaning and in spite of some Schools having started Quality Circles; we are not a Quality conscious community of people.For me Quality would mean meeting requirements. It is that Zero Error state where you are aware of PONK. Quality in Education is nowadays- a misnomer and we are paying the price for not maintaining or even aspiring for Quality
Education has the function of transmission of culture, social control and social progress. It is always based on the philosophy of the people of a nation. In India, we follow the Philosophy of Scientific Humanism. Our Educational System is based on Macaulay's Minutes and hence it is an alien system transplanted in our Country. It has been surviving on a patchwork of recommendations from Commissions and Committees since 1942.
We had the Radhakrishnan Committee Report for improving University Education in 1942, then the Mudliar Committee in 1952-54, looking in depth at the Secondary Education and why it was divorced from the realities of life. Again we had a very Comprehensive Kothari Commission Report in 1964. The Indian Educationists regard it as their Bible in education. We followed it with the NPE-National Policy on Education after a Nation-wide debate and then for the first time we had a POA-Programme of Action- Goals were decided, Time-frames were set and every thing came to naught with a change in Govt. We have the latest Recommendations of CABE-the Central Advisory Board on Education and in Feb.2005, the NCF-National Curriculum Framework was decided, announced and implemented in a phased manner. I gave this historical background so that we have a clear perspective of what went wrong. We never had an indigenous system of Education. Experimentation, sudden changes and drastic reforms with changes in Govt's have left the Educational System in shambles. This is our first casualty. Let me honestly share with you, these Recommendations decorate the shelves in our Libraries and we only pay lip service to them.
Our schools which we regard as our ‘Temples of Learning’ got into the ‘Business of Education’ and soon made ‘Education their Business’. These Educational Institutions over a period of time lost their missionary zeal, their social character and ignored the stakeholders thus distancing themselves from those, whom it was meant to serve.
We do have a few Good schools here and there but that is just an Oasis in a huge desert. Schooling has become drudgery, routine, monotonous and there is no scope today for innovations, creativity. Status quo is being maintained rigidly and we find a lot of gimmickry in the name of Education. Our kids are being treated as guinea pigs for being experimented upon by quakes and novices.
Teaching has and never was an occupation in our country. Teachers are there more by chance rather than by choice. They are humiliated, exploited, blamed, used for every work and drilled into practices that are meaningless. Their Pre-Service Training is defective, there is a huge yawning gap between Theory and Practice and once appointed in a School, they are regimented and carried along. By the way, our Country happens to be perhaps the only country in the World where Heads of Institutions are appointed because of their experience as Teachers and there is neither a training before appointment as a pre-requisite, nor do we make a sincere attempt at Training them in Administration and Management of Schools after appointing them.
The Curriculum is lengthy, concept ridden and encourages rote-learning. The teachers take great pains in covering the content and Examination is the End. All possible means are adopted to get through these exams and hence we have malpractices, depressions, suicides, disappointment and yet a few excel and we forget the rest and bask in the glory of the achievements of the few.
Finally, Quality in Education is a misnomer. We are unaware of its true meaning and in spite of some Schools having started Quality Circles; we are not a Quality conscious community of people.For me Quality would mean meeting requirements. It is that Zero Error state where you are aware of PONK. Quality in Education is nowadays- a misnomer and we are paying the price for not maintaining or even aspiring for Quality
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Dear Friends,
As an Educator engaged in teaching since1965 and as a Teacher-Educator & Administrator since 1977; it has been my earnest endeavour to improve my teaching, to grow professionally and to share what I had learnt with others. I have lost count of the number of Seminars, Extension Lectures and Workshops that I attended for the purpose.
After 1980 I had the opportunity of organising these Workshops for Pre-Service and In-Service teachers. I experimented with different approaches to training of teachers, including the Diagnostic Remedial Approach in Training Teachers in Skills of Teaching.
I owe a lot to the experts from NCERT, IGNOU, CBSE, UGC and other Agencies; with whom I interacted, learnt a lot (if I did not learn more, the fault was mine and not of the experts) and tried to put it into practise.
The best opportunity came my way when I joined Darshan Education Foundation- Delhi and had first hand experiences of training teachers on Activity-Based Teaching, Classroom Management through DA Agreements, Buddy System, Key-Priority Areas, Practice and Review Techniques and Scores of other Topics.
I owe a deep debt of gratitude to Madam Suzanne Lauber, Director, DEF; who became my Role-Model of a Teacher Educator/Trainer. We also had opportunities of interacting with dozens and dozens of Experts from India and Abroad and from them we had Sessions on Memory, Study Skills, Time Management, Team Building, Leadership, School Administration, Systems Management, Quality Circles, Value Education Models, Non- Violent Communication, etc.
During the last 20 years, I have conducted Workshops for thousands of teachers across the country. It has been a privilege to interact with teachers at Srinagar, Jammu, Jaipur, Ajmer, Udaipur, Gwalior, Aligarh, Hathras, Rohtak, Sampla, Hissar, Ambala, Ludhiana, Kolkatta, Kaithal, Pune, Varanasi, Lucknow, Kanpur, Allahabad, Jhansi, Lalitpur, Datia and Delhi.
In the process, I have met teachers and Principals of the reputed and prestigious Public Schools of Delhi and of other cities, of Air Force Public Schools, of Kendriya Vidyalaya, of Residential Schools and also of Schools trying to establish their identity in the community.
What I have observed and experienced is, that although the Teachers and Principals show a lot of enthusiasm, are willing to learn, participate actively, deliberate and contribute during the workshop; although their Feedback is very encouraging; but what really is transferred to actual classroom situations is not even a fraction of what the teachers were trained in and for.
This is appalling! An in depth study and discussion with Principals revealed that these workshops were an eye-wash and each School had an ulterior motive behind the conduct of the Workshops. Most often the workshop was organised to publicise the School through press and Media. Sometimes the Principal organised these workshops to prove to the Management that he was on the job of Professional Growth of Teachers and in most of these workshops, he was the one who was not a participant. Workshops were being used for Image Building, Publicity, for inviting authorities from the State Administration, Boards etc; and even for providing an opportunity to the Publishers to talk about their publications and how their Text-Books were better than those of other Publishers.
As a result there has been a Mushroom growth of so-called Experts in various areas and the Quality of Workshops conducted desires a lot. The teachers are on the receiving end. Workshops are held on Holidays, Sundays and during Vacations. The Workshops are dull and boring. These are far from the realities of classroom practices and situations. Most of them are Lectures or presentations. There is hardly any activity which the teachers could take up when they return to schools. Managements are least bothered about professional growth of teachers. No one bothers to keep the teachers abreast of the latest in the field of teaching-learning.
What again is disturbing is that the teachers and Schools seem to act on herd mentality and suddenly experts spring up from nowhere to conduct workshops on: Blue Print of a Question Paper, Parenting, Counselling, De -stressing, Motivation, Teaching without Burden and now the HOTS Questioning. It looks as if one school is trying to outdo the other. The Focus is lost. No one seems to remember the Objective behind the Workshop. Customised workshops or Need-Based Workshops are not possible in the absence of a seasoned Expert teacher trainer. Question and Answer sessions have been forgotten. A lot of precious time is wasted in introductions, reception, report about the achievements of the school, a few words by the Chief Guest, a vote of thanks at the end, which usually is a summary of what the person has understood at the workshop rather than what the Expert tried to convey. The poor expert has no other alternative but to cut on the activities for Hands-on -Learning and deliver a talk and thus we have been talking at the teachers.
Some Board Members have asked me occasionally as to how the workshop is going to benefit the School, or how have the Workshops conducted so far benefited the teachers. This is obvious since their is a dichotomy between what the teachers learn at the Workshops and what they are required to do at the School.
In such a situation how do we expect sound Educational, Pedagogical and Psychological practices in our schools. We come across a plethora of teaching techniques and many are not even able to justify these or speak of their relevance. What is going on in the name of teaching is..........TRASH! A good practice here and another there are an oasis in a desert of dead habit.
Kindly give me the benefit of your opinion and advice to remedy the situation. If I am wrong in my assessment of the situation, please correct me and let me have your experiences.
With Hope
Prof. B. L. Handoo
As an Educator engaged in teaching since1965 and as a Teacher-Educator & Administrator since 1977; it has been my earnest endeavour to improve my teaching, to grow professionally and to share what I had learnt with others. I have lost count of the number of Seminars, Extension Lectures and Workshops that I attended for the purpose.
After 1980 I had the opportunity of organising these Workshops for Pre-Service and In-Service teachers. I experimented with different approaches to training of teachers, including the Diagnostic Remedial Approach in Training Teachers in Skills of Teaching.
I owe a lot to the experts from NCERT, IGNOU, CBSE, UGC and other Agencies; with whom I interacted, learnt a lot (if I did not learn more, the fault was mine and not of the experts) and tried to put it into practise.
The best opportunity came my way when I joined Darshan Education Foundation- Delhi and had first hand experiences of training teachers on Activity-Based Teaching, Classroom Management through DA Agreements, Buddy System, Key-Priority Areas, Practice and Review Techniques and Scores of other Topics.
I owe a deep debt of gratitude to Madam Suzanne Lauber, Director, DEF; who became my Role-Model of a Teacher Educator/Trainer. We also had opportunities of interacting with dozens and dozens of Experts from India and Abroad and from them we had Sessions on Memory, Study Skills, Time Management, Team Building, Leadership, School Administration, Systems Management, Quality Circles, Value Education Models, Non- Violent Communication, etc.
During the last 20 years, I have conducted Workshops for thousands of teachers across the country. It has been a privilege to interact with teachers at Srinagar, Jammu, Jaipur, Ajmer, Udaipur, Gwalior, Aligarh, Hathras, Rohtak, Sampla, Hissar, Ambala, Ludhiana, Kolkatta, Kaithal, Pune, Varanasi, Lucknow, Kanpur, Allahabad, Jhansi, Lalitpur, Datia and Delhi.
In the process, I have met teachers and Principals of the reputed and prestigious Public Schools of Delhi and of other cities, of Air Force Public Schools, of Kendriya Vidyalaya, of Residential Schools and also of Schools trying to establish their identity in the community.
What I have observed and experienced is, that although the Teachers and Principals show a lot of enthusiasm, are willing to learn, participate actively, deliberate and contribute during the workshop; although their Feedback is very encouraging; but what really is transferred to actual classroom situations is not even a fraction of what the teachers were trained in and for.
This is appalling! An in depth study and discussion with Principals revealed that these workshops were an eye-wash and each School had an ulterior motive behind the conduct of the Workshops. Most often the workshop was organised to publicise the School through press and Media. Sometimes the Principal organised these workshops to prove to the Management that he was on the job of Professional Growth of Teachers and in most of these workshops, he was the one who was not a participant. Workshops were being used for Image Building, Publicity, for inviting authorities from the State Administration, Boards etc; and even for providing an opportunity to the Publishers to talk about their publications and how their Text-Books were better than those of other Publishers.
As a result there has been a Mushroom growth of so-called Experts in various areas and the Quality of Workshops conducted desires a lot. The teachers are on the receiving end. Workshops are held on Holidays, Sundays and during Vacations. The Workshops are dull and boring. These are far from the realities of classroom practices and situations. Most of them are Lectures or presentations. There is hardly any activity which the teachers could take up when they return to schools. Managements are least bothered about professional growth of teachers. No one bothers to keep the teachers abreast of the latest in the field of teaching-learning.
What again is disturbing is that the teachers and Schools seem to act on herd mentality and suddenly experts spring up from nowhere to conduct workshops on: Blue Print of a Question Paper, Parenting, Counselling, De -stressing, Motivation, Teaching without Burden and now the HOTS Questioning. It looks as if one school is trying to outdo the other. The Focus is lost. No one seems to remember the Objective behind the Workshop. Customised workshops or Need-Based Workshops are not possible in the absence of a seasoned Expert teacher trainer. Question and Answer sessions have been forgotten. A lot of precious time is wasted in introductions, reception, report about the achievements of the school, a few words by the Chief Guest, a vote of thanks at the end, which usually is a summary of what the person has understood at the workshop rather than what the Expert tried to convey. The poor expert has no other alternative but to cut on the activities for Hands-on -Learning and deliver a talk and thus we have been talking at the teachers.
Some Board Members have asked me occasionally as to how the workshop is going to benefit the School, or how have the Workshops conducted so far benefited the teachers. This is obvious since their is a dichotomy between what the teachers learn at the Workshops and what they are required to do at the School.
In such a situation how do we expect sound Educational, Pedagogical and Psychological practices in our schools. We come across a plethora of teaching techniques and many are not even able to justify these or speak of their relevance. What is going on in the name of teaching is..........TRASH! A good practice here and another there are an oasis in a desert of dead habit.
Kindly give me the benefit of your opinion and advice to remedy the situation. If I am wrong in my assessment of the situation, please correct me and let me have your experiences.
With Hope
Prof. B. L. Handoo
Managing Director
Indira Educational Consultancy Services.
Cell:09810890998, 09313706527.
Visit:- www.iecs-india.com
Monday, March 10, 2008
SAVE OUR CHILDREN
How is it that our 3yr & 4yr old kids are subjected to Formal paper pencil Tests and Interviews at the time of Admissions by the School Authorities? All this is camouflaged under the name INTERACTION. It is a SHAME!
I recall having interviewed most of the Principals, Heads & Teachers and let me honestly admit that they never made the Grades, but we had no choice since they were able to express themselves better in comparison to others.
How many of these Heads & Teachers have read about Cognitive Psychology, Maria Montessori, Jean Piaget, De Bono, Gardener, Mel Levine and others? Are they aware of Multi sensory Teaching, Sensory Training, Multiple Intelligences, Six Hats, SMART ,Play-way, Bloom's Taxonomy, Teaching to Think, Learning Styles, Brain-hemispheric preferences, Intervention Techniques etc?
How dare the Schools Interview kids against all norms of decency, respect for the talent & integrity of a child and Childhood and in utter disregard to the decisions of Courts, the Ganguly Committee Report and even the Recommendations of Prof. Yashpal in his "Learning without Burden".
I was flabbergasted to overhear a self styled Counsellor in a School telling a mother of a 4yr child that she will have to put in a lot of effort in preparing her child during the Summer Break, since all Kids in the Nursery in their School had already finished writing the Big & Small Letters of the English Alphabet. She did not say that the kids had learnt all this, nor did she say that they had succeeded in damaging the finer muscles and the sensibilities of each child and so lovingly (callously) robbed them of their childhood.
Since I regard Schools as "Temples of Learning", I didn't butt in or say a word but as I drove back home, I decided to fight this battle. I was reminded of the words of Browning;’” I have ever been a fighter, One fight more, The Last & the Best".
Please join me in this Fight against the Mafia of School Managements, their Puppet head Principals and their unethical practises of Interviewing small kids and admitting them after garnering huge sums; misguiding and exploiting teachers, damaging children, following traditional outdated techniques of teaching and assessment and misrepresenting Academic Performance as talent & excellence in Education.
How long can it continue? Are we dumb cowards to see it, bear it and let our future generation be harmed irreparably? I want you to join and then we can wage a war for the sake of our children.
It is a SHAME!
I recall having interviewed most of the Principals, Heads & Teachers and let me honestly admit that they never made the Grades, but we had no choice since they were able to express themselves better in comparison to others.
How many of these Heads & Teachers have read about Cognitive Psychology, Maria Montessori, Jean Piaget, De Bono, Gardener, Mel Levine and others? Are they aware of Multi sensory Teaching, Sensory Training, Multiple Intelligences, Six Hats, SMART ,Play-way, Bloom's Taxonomy, Teaching to Think, Learning Styles, Brain-hemispheric preferences, Intervention Techniques etc?
How dare the Schools Interview kids against all norms of decency, respect for the talent & integrity of a child and Childhood and in utter disregard to the decisions of Courts, the Ganguly Committee Report and even the Recommendations of Prof. Yashpal in his "Learning without Burden".
I was flabbergasted to overhear a self styled Counsellor in a School telling a mother of a 4yr child that she will have to put in a lot of effort in preparing her child during the Summer Break, since all Kids in the Nursery in their School had already finished writing the Big & Small Letters of the English Alphabet. She did not say that the kids had learnt all this, nor did she say that they had succeeded in damaging the finer muscles and the sensibilities of each child and so lovingly (callously) robbed them of their childhood.
Since I regard Schools as "Temples of Learning", I didn't butt in or say a word but as I drove back home, I decided to fight this battle. I was reminded of the words of Browning;’” I have ever been a fighter, One fight more, The Last & the Best".
Please join me in this Fight against the Mafia of School Managements, their Puppet head Principals and their unethical practises of Interviewing small kids and admitting them after garnering huge sums; misguiding and exploiting teachers, damaging children, following traditional outdated techniques of teaching and assessment and misrepresenting Academic Performance as talent & excellence in Education.
How long can it continue? Are we dumb cowards to see it, bear it and let our future generation be harmed irreparably? I want you to join and then we can wage a war for the sake of our children.
It is a SHAME!
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