Monthly free e-newsletter for teachers

1. March 2011
Volume 5, Issue 3 Inspiring Teachers
Driving educational change through excellence in teaching
TheProfessor.in – launched
It’s a pleasure to announce feedback on the site and have been mentioned as
that the services related to services. part of a discussion between
colleges have been launched The newsletter has an article Ohio State University and
This month: under the new name and and book review by new India.
When teachers website – TheProfessor.in - contributors –Binay Pattanayak We sincerely hope more
promote active
pedagogy – to bring focus to this from UNICEF and Sushma authors will be motivated to
Binay segment. New features like Bhalkikar from GMR send articles.
Pattanayak..….2
ask the expert, faculty of the Varalakshmi Foundation. Our regular fare of links and
Book Review- month are added. Two more books on active humour continues. So have
Sushma Bhalkikar
…………….. ..3 We are eagerly looking for pedagogy in STEM disciplines a good read!
Book Group on Reflecting on the first quarter Careers with TheProfessor.in
Scientific
Teaching…….6 1. Experienced faculty in
• 10000 Women Entrepreneurs is a
Interesting links …4 certificate program sponsored by Goldman professional colleges as trainers
Sachs and delivered in India by ISB. A for our programs. Should be well
three-month course that concluded on Jan versed with subject, internet and
11th, was attended by Dr Uma. The concept MS Office.
and business plan of Teacher’s Academy 2. Marketing professionals
won the best plan award too. experienced in education domain
• Office space has been taken in Somajiguda, for business development.
Hyderabad and there are career 3. Internet savvy with good language
opportunities (see box). skills for Executive Assistant. Will
• Addressed first year students and faculty at be responsible for administration
Aditya Institute of Technology and and documentation.
Management, Tekkali, 28th Feb Interested may read the website and
• Addressed students at SVGroup of send profile along with 200 words on
Institutions, at Chevella – 19th Feb why they want to join TheProfessor.
To info@inspiring-teachers.com

2. Inspiring Teachers Page 2 of 6
When teachers promote active pedagogy
The Right of Children to learn and advocates connection, we do not have
teaching learning processes many examples where
Free and Compulsory
that are based on the child’s teachers have taken a lead to
Education Act emphasises on
previous learning design appropriate strategies
the importance of child
experiences, learning for their children. Here is an
friendly and child centred
interests, learning styles example that clearly indicates
processes in and around
and learning processes. The how concerned teachers have
schools to make RTE a reality
concerned teacher/s has an attempted to put their ideas
of every child. In this context
important role to and learning into practice to
it refers to the
understand these and address the needs of every
recommendations of National
design appropriate child they work with.
Curriculum Framework,
strategies for every child in
2005 which recognises every
the school. In this
child’s unique potential to
Binay Pattanayak - Education Specialist, UNICEF, New Delhi
Binay has been working bring change in their own learning-centred approach.
for 23 years for children, In this context, the story of
their basic rights, schools and materials, and to They realized that children
the development of Active
Quality in school themselves create and show a generally learn much more
education through child- Schools in Latur district of
friendly schools & better model that could through ‘activities’, and began
Maharashtra stands out as a
systems, Right to convince their authorities. to design learning experiences
Education Act, Multi rare and inspiring example
Lingual Education, They began to experiment with which allowed children to
of bottom-up change in
Community based different ways of approaching actively participate in and
School Management, education. This was not a
and Teacher Education the existing curriculum, enjoy the learning process,
programme designed by
Prior to UNICEF, he textbooks, pedagogy and based on their daily
worked for the Sarva experts at the top and
Shiksha Abhiyan as learning assessment system. experiences and interests.
obediently executed by
Chief Consultant They began to discuss and They began to adapt and
(Pedagogy) on behalf teachers. This model arose
the Technical Support conceptualize a new system of enrich the existing state
organically, when in 1998 a
Group (SSA - MHRD) at pedagogy for their schools in materials as per their needs
national level. He small team of interested
provided technical the form of a pilot project that and dreams, and went several
teachers from Latur got a
support to Ministry and centred on improving the steps ahead by designing
States, for nearly a chance to visit various
decade, in the area of teaching learning processes. more systematically graded
innovative educational
quality improvement in self-learning cards, learning
SSA & DPEP, Teacher experiments in different Gradually, through their
Education, RTE, MLE guides, learning assessment
parts of India. Inspired by sustained efforts and growing
and Child friendly papers and other guide books
Schools. He was the innovative learner- confidence, these teachers
for better classroom
actively involved in the centred classrooms that they were able to bring about a shift
large scale Learning transaction.
saw, these teachers started from the traditional teacher-
Enhancement
Programmes in States. dreaming how they could centred classrooms to a Continued on page 4

3. Page 3 of 6 Inspiring Teachers
Book Review – Sushma Bhalkikar, GMR Varalakshmi Foundation
I have a friend whose 24/7 competition among children a good career. But children
mission is to see that her 11 in practically any sphere of need time to play and indulge
year old son gets cent life tends to be intense”, says themselves in activities where
percent marks in all Dr Raghunathan. So, they can purely have fun, which
subjects, plays all sports considering that life is a race, don’t necessarily have to be
viz., football, volleyball, is it realistic that humans can played in a competitive spirit to
cricket, get accolades for run it at the speed of a win or lose. They need time to
participating in dramatics, sprint? Shouldn’t we explore the world and discover
debating, elocution etc. prepare our children to run a themselves as there is more to
She has been thinking of Caption describing picture
marathon than a sprint? life than getting a good rank, or graphic.
putting him into coaching Should we not try to winning a medal, having
classes for cricket and chess optimize life rather than excellent career et al.
in addition to his tuitions. I maximize on ‘speed’? While
It is in this scenario that This is a good read for
gifted her copy of “Don’t we channel all energy in
DrRaghunathan’s book “Don’t
all because of its simple
Sprint the Marathon” by Dr developing their academic style of writing yet the
Sprint the Marathon” comes as
V Raghunathan. And now performance and
depth of addressing
an enlightening experience, for critical aspects in terms
she’s re-thinking!‘I took the performance in formal sports
parents, for teachers and those of learning, instilling
statement “Athletes forcing and hobbies, how many
interested in education! It values, parenting,
their pace unnaturally parents are thinking of schooling etc. In the
makes for easy reading and is
through long runs are making their children race of life, personal or
absolutely apt in the current professional, it is
known to have cardiac holistic, well balanced, well
context as it talks about important to understand
arrests mid course. It’s the socialized and good human
parenting and instilling good and realize the
same with kids who are beings and citizens? importance of long term
values in children rather than
driven to run a sprint goals and look at the
It’s true that most of us want putting them through so much larger picture than work
under acute pressure from
our children to excel in pressure to perform at for short term gains
parents for performance”,
studies and are willing to unrealistically high standards. which may not be
seriously’, she says. sustainable. It is
send them to the best “Competing with self is
Is life a race? “Well, it imperative and crucial to
schools, put them through a synonymous with striving for prepare our children to
needn’t be. Ideally , it number of tutorials etc. In excellence”, says Dr run the race of life as a
shouldn’t be and isn’t. But the process, consciously or Raghunathan. “Marathon” also marathon rather than a
then to treat life not as a subconsciously, we are talks about developing the
sprint. And if you would
race but a wonderful day like to know how to do
pushing them without really ability of an individual to handle
that, just go to a nearby
out on an adventure trek, trying to assess their failures and to learn from them. bookstore and buy a
though idealistically capabilities and interests. Everyone likes to be successful, copy of “Don’t Sprint
compelling, is unlikely to The intention is definitely but as parents, we seldom teach the Marathon”!
cut ice with most parents, not to undermine the our children to handle failures.
particularly in India where importance of education and Continued on page 5

4. Inspiring Teachers Page 4 of 6
When teachers promote active pedagogy – Cont’d
A look at the daily becomes a facilitator, Improved learning
activities in the school clarifying doubts, helping performances of students
reveals a very inspiring with the hard spots and of Active Schools
learning environment. providing direct and convinced educational
Right from cleaning the indirect inputs. Children authorities to apply the
campus, keeping the develop scrap books from pedagogical principles of
Picture Caption Contest garden green and locally available material, these schools in other
organizing the classroom engage in self-learning schools. After a year of
to attending a very eclectic and learn also from toys, experimenting in these
Send a funny but
morning assembly that their environment and initial 15 schools, the
intelligent caption for
the above picture before includes prayer and from books other than project was expanded to a
th
15 March to pledge, songs and stories their school books. There total of 117 schools across
info@inspiring- and also the day’s news, are games – educational Latur district. Ten years
teachers.com children in Active Schools and also for pure fun, later, the project has
are never short of joyous question-answer sessions, grown so well and its
activity. There are boards feedback and suggestion success has spread so
to be updated, self- time… and the day ends much that the State
attendance sheets to be with another assembly, government of
filled, weekly exhibitions with introspection and Maharashtra is now
to be held and self- retrospection. gearing up to scale up this
grooming to attend to! This new approach to model and to carry over
Is your brain aging? Card-based activity teaching has proved much the spirit of Active Schools
Say 'silk' five times. happens in small groups more effective than the across all the primary
Now spell 'silk.' What do
where each child gets a traditional methods of government schools in the
cows drink?
chance for creative classroom transaction. state.
What do you put in a
expression. The teacher
toaster?
Interesting Links
If a red house is made • Bill Gates writes about importance of identifying good teachers and transferring their skills
from red bricks and a
blue house is made and also of need for measurement.http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-
from blue dyn/content/article/2011/02/27/AR2011022702876.html?Hpid=news-col-blog
bricks and a pink house
• A site for people looking for conferences: http://www.conferencealerts.com/
is made from pink bricks
and a black house is • Jack’s page on basic physics and optics www.kw.igs.net
made
• Lovely resource for writing - www.phrases.org.uk
from black bricks, what
is a green house made • The need for measurements and systems: Http://www.thestreet.com/story/11007678/1/a-
from?
charter-schools-successful-system-innovators.html
Answers on next page • Preparing students for post secondary careers -www.newarkadvocate.com

5. Page 5 of 6 Inspiring Teachers
…Marathon (Continued from page 3)
Probably that’s the reason that examinations are a is therefore on a lower
we come across heart- part and parcel of every priority. Also many
wrenching news every child’s life (and a scientists are not aware of
now and then about some nightmare!). While we modern pedagogic
child committing suicide cannot do away with findings and are not
for not getting through a exams, as parents and trained in the use of
certain exam or facing teachers, the best we effective methods to
rejection. As Dr could do is to stop generate deeper learning
Raghunathan rightly puts ‘evaluating’ a child based in students.
it, that “while a child’s on the results. This book is an effort to
self-esteem develops with The author gives us improve undergraduate
early successes, can it examples of so many education in STEM
really be developed ordinary people who have disciplines– with specific
without also teaching a done extraordinary things examples in life sciences.
child to cope with real or in life. Most of them have The title also suggests that Jo Handelsman, Sarah
Miller and Christine Pfund
perceived failures?” not gone to the best of teaching is also scientific
Children spend the best schools, are not rank like the research the
part of their day at school. holders or excel in any professors conduct and
So the teacher plays way academically, but that the same rigor and
significant role in shaping did not stop them from discipline must be
the personality of achieving accolades and applied. See note on
children. Guru coming out as true next page
devobhava, teacher is winners in the race of life!
equal to God! How very Read about Raghunathan Answers to brain
at teasers on previous
true. But “Most of our
http://www.linkedin.com/in page.
schools are ineffective /raghunathan
because they usually Water.
Bread.
attempt to teach, while Scientific Teaching Glass.
they should be helping
If you said milk, toast
children to learn,”says Dr We expect undergraduate and green bricks, your
Raghunathan. Its crucial students to get excited in brain must be aging!
for teachers to make the subject and also have
children curious for competencies for rigorous
knowledge, encourage study. However, in most This was another book
them to ask questions and universities teaching is referred in the discussion
motivate them to achieve not rewarded along the between OSU and India
excellence. It’s a sad truth same lines as research and Science Education Group.

6. OSU –India Discussion Group: Scientific Teaching – Jo Handelsman
Teacher’s Academy et al on the book Scientific Judith Ridgeway Assistant
A bunch of professors and
Teaching. While issues Director, Center for Life
research students from
like syllabus and Sciences Education and Anil
Hyderabad Ohio State University and
assessment in affiliated Kumar Challa were the
Vivekananda Degree and
colleges in India are initiators of this book group.
PHONE: PG College and Shadan
97011 41118 different from those in Jonathan Hall, Zenap
Institute of P.G.Studies
OSU, reluctance of Benderlioglu,Ran Furman,
E-MAIL: got together on five
students to work for Wei Liu,Conor Flynn,
info@inspiring-teachers.com Wednesdays over a video
deeper learning echoed on Alexandra Permar from OSU,
conference facility at
both sides. Avanti Rao, Aparna,Vidya
Osmania University to
Using Mindmaps, Jonnalagadda, Vanitha,
discuss and debate about
handling diversity in Pratap Rudra,Uma Garimella,
active learning methods in
classrooms and Usha, Anju from Hyderabad
a biology class. The
assessment were some of and Ramakrishnan Sitaraman
discussions were centered
the key topics. from Delhi participated.
About Teacher’s Academy…
Started more than three raiser for faculty and TA- faculty to be featured
years ago, already 1500 ship training for students every month. Share
teacher members on-line, going overseas are some of articles, useful links,
See us at: 40 colleges and many the new offerings. teaching resources and
www.inspiring-teachers.com schools touched by the Continuous support and tips for effective teaching
training. multiple initiatives will be with a growing
Student awareness included for holistic and community of our teacher
sessions on active learning sustainable change. mailing list.
for employability, curtain Now you can suggest Uma Garimella