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1. July 2010
Volume 4, Issue 7 Inspiring Teachers
Driving educational change through excellence in teaching
Time to celebrate - Teacher’s Academy completes three years this July. To mark
this occasion, we offer three free sessions in August – send mail to info@inspiring-
teachers.com (before 8th July) if you want to schedule one in your college or school.
Reflecting on June
Pic above: 1. 4th June at NMR Foundation School, Hyderabad on Active Learning Methods.
Sevalaya’s MKB 2. 7th June- use of ICT for teachers at Academic Staff College, JNTU
High School, 3. 9th June at Hyderabad Public School, Begumpet, Hyderabad on Differentiated
Kasuva TN Teaching.
June 2009 4. 11th June at St Arnold’s High School, BHEL. It is a 40 year old school.
5. Weekly session for IIIT-Hyderabad’s summer batch of 70 teachers from engineering
colleges in AP.
Articles this 6. 24th June, launched a long term school development program at Adam High School,
month: Hyderabad
7. 26th-27th June at Sevalaya’s MKB High School. This is the second workshop for them
Assessment for since they have found the first one useful. Madhan Kumar (now with Training and
learning………..…..2 Research, Infosys assisted for Tamil)
You can help us serve you better. Answer this survey.
Take a break….…..3 https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?hl=en&pli=1&formkey=dHl1eS1KdmVfTUlMM0ZzcUNMaGo2TVE6MQ#gid=0
Swaraj University ..4
Feedback from KLU!
Interesting links ….4
The 3-day teachers’ training programme in Oct ’09, conducted by you for all Deans,
Directors, Heads of various Departments and senior professors of KL University
Humour ….........….6
was very useful. Faculty members were educated about different pedagogical aids
and other various aspects of effective teaching. Sessions were conducted in true
sense of “workshop” where faculty members were made to “work”. Emphasis on
different pedagogical aids in teaching professional courses started giving results as
more and more faculty members are coming forward to use these aids in their
classroom.
The programme was more educative and entertaining. In my capacity as Dean
Academics and Pro Vice Chancellor of the University, I can authoritatively say that
there is a difference in faculty members before and after the workshop. It was easy
for me to initiate changes related to academic matters, after the workshop. Since
senior faculty members were involved in the workshop, the benefits of workshop
have flown to the lower level. This semester we have implemented Bloom’s
taxonomy successfully for all courses of KL University.
We are planning to have more workshops from you in near future for other faculty
members as well.
Dr. B.S. NAGENDRA PARASHAR
Pro Vice Chancellor and Dean Academics,
KL University
Guntur 522 502, AP

2. Inspiring Teachers Page 2 of 6
Rubric – assessment for learning Uma Garimella
Assessment of learning papers or take a viva, if you certain marks, you are unable
As experienced teachers you see a few ‘bad’ answers, an to justify.
must have faced the average answer you see after 5.You notice that some
following situations: this set will be immediately students perform beyond
1. You have given a question given high marks. expectations (by their own
or task to be performed by 3. If you had seen a few initiative). There are few more
students and you have in excellent answers before students who have not
mind some idea of the that, then the same average reached this excellent
correct answer. Your answer might be given performance because they
assessment is based on your lesser marks. lack initiative, but they also
judgment for every paper or 4. This needs more mental have potential.
viva. effort and when student Now let’s talk about
2. As you start assessing the asks you why he/she got assessment for learning.
What is a rubric?
A rubric is a tool that helps you to assess students’ learning, in a more transparent and
consistent manner. It reduces variance within the group assessed by the same teacher as well
as variance between teachers for the same task. But it goes beyond that. Most teachers can
identify excellence when they see it but with a little effort they can define it. How?
The rubric is dependent on the subject, on what you want students to learn (learning
objectives) and on what kind of performance you are expecting from students (common
For consultation and errors, criteria for excellence). See example below for a numerical problem.
training on how to
Errors are serious Minor calculation Calculations and All aspects of
create excellence leading to wrong errors. Steps to solution accurate solution are
through rubrics contact solution. Student the solution are and clearly completely
info@inspiring- has just guessed inconsistent or supported. accurate. Showed
teachers.com answer with no step unclear multiple ways to
by step solution. compute the
answer or
interpreted result
Calculation
So in a rubric, the rows are the aspects of tasks/activities/products that we want to assess
and the columns are the levels at which these are performed by students.
Some students may excel by themselves. But a majority of students who are at average or
good level will move to excellence by defining excellence as in the last column. Think about
it, can everyone not move up this ladder wherever he or she is? In fact, these are not the
only ways to be excellent. There may be many other ways in which a solution could be
superior to the ‘good’ one. And this is not just for tests. Prepare a rubric for various tasks
and notice the how your students reach better performance. We have tried it and found that
class performance improved by 15%. (see more on page 5)

3. Page 3 of 6 Inspiring Teachers
Take a break and think! - Vinish Gupta
In today’s society, studies, literature, Jeevanshala.
education has been reduced language, music, and arts. One significant activity of
to competing for the 3. Classroom sessions, GYC/Jeevanshala would be
highest marks and gaining dialogues, readings and short training/enrichment
entry into top universities. films, hands-on training, programmes for
The decision about one’s fieldwork, seminars, trainees/teachers/educators,
future and one’s career has interactions, exposure seeking to imbue them with a
been reduced to whatever trips, and personal deeper understanding and
happens to be the trend at exploration. vision of holistic education
that time and to whatever 4. Access to a very wide (rather than focussing on
one expects will bring range of prominent methodology/methods).
money and respect. As a mentoring personalities These programmes are Vinish Gupta
result, the pressure on from across the nation. conducted in both English and
everyone has become 5. Preparation for excellence Hindi or regional language. Enquiries on
overwhelming, with no time in almost any field of GYC/ Jeevanshala is Jeevanshala:
gupta.vinish@gmail.com
and space to actually human endeavour. looking for partners.
+91.9640284217
discover themselves and Some background: A location / campus able to
what lifestyle and work will Started originally as an house 2-3 families (resident)
truly bring them happiness. alternative educational and 10-30 visitors (temporary)
The idea that the work they programme for young people at a time, in either simple pucca
do could actually be a in 2007, till 2009 it was accommodation, or a
source of happiness and based at the campus of an combination of pucca and
meaningfulness has often NGO in Kempty, near tented accommodation. To
been lost. The Gap Year Mussoorie. In 2009 there reflect the ethos of the
College is an attempt to were several administrative GYC/Jeevanshala initiative, the
offer guidance on how to and ideological changes at the campus/premises should ideally
think, not what to think. NGO leading to be located in a rural/natural
Structured around a non- discontinuance of the GYC environment.
Vinish, a linguist by
religious, rational programme, even though by This would also help ensure that formal training, has
understanding of life, this then the programme had the workshops/academic- been a teacher and
educator in different
college offers: become financially self- activities of the initiative take universities and
1. A wide range of sustaining. Now the team place in the backdrop of natural colleges for over a
decade.He was
functional involved with the programme resource management based educated at Jawaharlal
competencies. is seeking a location/campus livelihood activity. Nehru University, at IIT
Delhi, and at Deccan
2. Courses on philosophy, from which to run the Turn to page 5 for details of
College, Pune.
ontology, lateral programme successfully once requirements
thinking, cultural again, with a different name –

4. Inspiring Teachers Page 4 of 6
Swaraj University – for anyone over 16 yrs and open to new ideas
Swaraj University is a two- are exposed to green impressive list of
year learning program enterprises and a host of organizations who are
that creates opportunities skills including technology willing to accept
for young learners to and soft skills. individuals in their
develop the knowledge, Instead of a degree or organizations based on
With Brig T Ramaiah and trainees skills and perspectives diploma students receive their portfolio work.
at Engineering Staff College
they need to create viable Letters of Recognition Interested must fill a
Hyderabad
green-collar enterprises from mentors and document of intent and
and to support healthy organizations where they discuss to find interest
For Swaraj University:
Please write to and resilient local have done internships. and passion. Details:
at swarajuni@gmail.com communities. Students Swaraj University will http://swarajuniversity.org/
to find about the program introduce you to an
start date.
Interesting Links
• This blog contains moral tales, moral stories, inspirational stories and motivational
stories. Take a moment to browse around, I hope you find something worth while.
http://academictips.org/blogs/
• Amazing work with a single paper
http://whyinternet.blogspot.com/2008/01/hirshhorn-modern-art-gallery-contest.html
• Exam preparation using iProf -
Indo-US Collaboration http://www.infocera.com/iProf,_India's_First_Personal_Education_Tablet_at_price_Rs.
for Engineering _14,990_8544.htm
Education, with help
• Nice ideas for making library a truly lively place
from the American
Society for http://www.scribd.com/doc/32301051/Manual-for-Running-a-Library-in-a-High-School-
Engineering by-Usha-Mukunda
Education, the Indian
Society for Technical • An engineered revolution in teaching(see side bar)
Education and many http://chronicle.com/article/In-India-an-Engineered/66087/
others conducts
summer workshops
since 2007 on active Must See Videos on Education
learning techniques.
• Jose Antonio Abreu is the charismatic founder of a youth orchestra system that has
We have also been transformed thousands of kids' lives in Venezuela. Here he shares his amazing story
driving this point to and unveils a TED Prize wish that could have a big impact in the US and beyond
many college teachers
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/jose_abreu_on_kids_transformed_by_music.html
which has begun to
show impact as seen by • Benjamin Zander, conductor of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, explains why we
the feedback received should stop listening to the negative voices in our heads and give ourselves and others
from these colleges
an A-grade. http://www.teachers.tv/videos/benjamin-zander
AFTER USING THE
METHODS. • A collection of videos and other resources for best practices in teaching

5. Page 5 of 6 Inspiring Teachers
Take a break and think! from p 3 Rubrics from p2
Jeevanshala being a social Cont’d from page 2
initiative, it can at most only pay a The rubric may look like a matrix when a
modest 'token' rent. However, the task has many dimensions. For example, to
responsibility for proper assess a piece of program, you may consider
maintenance of the premises will the logic, the documentation, the formatting
rest with Jeevanshala. Any of I/O, the test cases and the use of
additions/alterations made to the appropriate structures of the language. An
Students have liked it and
premises will be only after essay, for example, will have components
worked in a more focused
permission from the owners, and and language used, the supporting manner when we shared
the rubric with them. Their
any such additions/alterations information etc. Each of these parts may
performance improved.
will become the property of the have a different weightage for the overall Manjunath Mattam, MSIT
Coordinator, IIIT-H
owners, even though paid for by quality of the work.
Jeevanshala. If required, a more Learner centred course objectives – a
detailed MOU can be signed step towards making a rubric
between Jeevanshala and the The key to making a rubric is identifying a
owners; the MOU would in that set of tasks a student can perform at the end
case only be a formalised of a particular chapter or unit of syllabus.
instrument reflecting the mutual These course objectives must be observable
trust and respect upon which this actions and in tune with the well known
relationship between the owners Bloom’s taxonomy or Fink’s taxonomy of
and users of the premises must be learning. In layman’s terms, these
based. taxonomies have provided a ladder for a
Initially the period of use of the student to move up from memorizing to
campus can be 2 or 3 years, to be understanding, applying, analyzing,
extended beyond that period only synthesizing and evaluating levels in
if both the users and owners are thinking. Similar ladder exist in the skills
satisfied with the progress of the and attitudes areas also. Plenty of support is
initiative. available on the internet to write objectives
So what we are looking for is a and create activities for various levels of the
partnership, a sharing of the taxonomy. The Teacher’s Academy website
content and vision that we have also provides links to such resources.
with the resources and We provide long term consultation to
infrastructure that others might colleges and schools to create the objectives,
have! A sharing of the earth: the assessment for learning and teaching
http://sharedearth.com/ skills to achieve these outcomes.
Objectives: http://inspiring-teachers.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=179&Itemid=83
Rubrics: http://inspiring-teachers.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=134&Itemid=73

6. I have so much homework, it doesn’t leave me time for studies…..
Have some laugh at our own expense….from internet resources
Son: Dad, I'm tired of change the names of all the the course."
doing homework constants and variables: a to There was much rejoicing in
Dad: Now, son, hard work b, x to y, and so on." the class as students got up
never killed anyone Not quite convinced, the and took the offer. As the
Son: I know, but I don't student hands his last taker left the room, the
want to be the first completed assignment to professor looked out over
the classmate for copying. the handful of remaining
Q: What does the zero say After the deadline, the students and asked,
to the eight? student asks: "Did you "Anyone else? This is your
A: Nice belt! really change the names of last chance."
all the variables?" One final student left. The
Teacher’s Academy Teacher: "Who can tell me "Sure!" the classmate professor closed the door
what 7 times 6 is?" replies. "When you called a and took attendance of
Student: "It's 42!" function f, I called it g; when those still remaining. "I'm
Hyderabad T: "Very good! - And who you called a variable x, I glad to see you believe in
can tell me what 6 times 7 renamed it to y; and when yourselves," he said. "You
is?" you were writing about the all get 'A's."
PHONE: Same student: "It's 24!" log of x+1, I called it the
97011 41118 timber of x+1..."
Teacher: What is 2k + k? The geography teacher was
Student: 3000! lecturing on map reading.
E-MAIL: A professor stood before his
After explaining about
info@inspiring-teachers.com class of twenty senior
A math student is latitude, longitude, degrees,
biology students, about to
pestered by a classmate to minutes, and seconds the
hand out the final exam. "I
copy his homework teacher asked, "Suppose I
want to say that it's been a
assignment. The student asked you to meet me for
pleasure teaching you this
hesitates, not only because lunch at 23 degrees, 4
semester. I know you've all
he thinks it's wrong, but minutes, 30 seconds north
worked extremely hard and
also because he doesn't latitude and 45 degrees, 15
many of you are off to
want to be punished for minutes, zero seconds east
medical college after
helping. longitude...?"
See us at: summer. So that no one gets
His classmate calms him After a confused silence, a
their GPA messed up
www.inspiring-teachers.com down: "Nobody will be voice volunteered, "I guess
anyone who would like to
able to trace my you'd be eating alone."
opt out of the final exam
homework to you. I'll
today will receive a 'B' for
About Teacher’s Academy…
Our client list is growing Share articles, useful links,
and the change is beginning teaching resources and tips for
to show in those institutes. effective teaching with a
Long term projects are being growing community of our
taken up for schools and teacher mailing list.
colleges. Continuous Our forthcoming workshops
support and multiple are at St Holy Cross College,
initiatives will be included BHEL; Nizam’s Institute of
for holistic and sustainable Engg (NIET), Deshmukhi; St
change. Ann’s HS, Secunderabad;
Please do leave your AMS School of IT, Hyderabad;
feedback on workshops on Anyone who wants to work
the site About Us Clients with me can send your
say resume.