Monday, March 28, 2016

My Vision - Equal Opportunities for Boys and Girls

Payal Sharma
My vision is to become a good teacher and to build a platform where males and females are professionally given equal opportunities to grow.
As a teacher I want to become a friend, a guide and a helper for my students. I want to become a part of their lives in such a way that they don’t hesitate to share anything with me. My vision is to understand the cause behind student’s disinterest in the classroom.
I want to be a good teacher because I love to be with kids. This profession helps me to be a learner every day. Whenever I talk to my students I forget everything that is happening in my life and I become a part of them.
No other profession gives me as much satisfaction as teaching. The teacher training program happening in my school is helping me to deliver my subjects in the most effective and creative ways in the classroom. But I have to keep improving and learning.
Professional Equality for Males and Females
I want to build a platform where males and females are professionally given equal opportunities to grow. I think this way because of my life circumstances; I wasn’t able to work and research as biotechnologist just because I’m a woman and I received no support that my profession requires. I think many women must be facing it every day. Even today when we live in an educated society, such things happen with women!
To make a difference I have started with my own home with my three years old daughter. I don’t want her to feel later in life that she’s in anyway less because she’s a girl. I don’t want her to think, “Why am I a girl?”
In my neighbourhood, a family is sending their son to an expensive school but their daughter to a less expensive school. I have talked twice with the family and even visited their home to help them understand that girls should get equal opportunities. They said they’ll admit her to a better school later. But I know this will not happen. I dream that one day I’ll join a NGO and work for equal opportunities for boys and girls.
My giving extra time to school to attend training workshops was not liked by few people in my family. However the more I attend these workshops, the more I’m able to understand them.  Now I understand why they behave the way they behave. These workshops are helping me to understand not even children but even adults around me.
At DBN Amarvilla, there are days when resource persons, trainers get to converse with teachers on their vision and dreams. Our series titled ‘My Vision, My Dream’ is all about the aspirations of our teachers ever ready to embark on a journey of learning, exploration and self-discovery.
Post by: Payal Sharma, DBN Amarvilla School, Jammu, Email Payalsharma963@gmail.com 

Saturday, March 26, 2016

My Vision, My Dream – By Girja Koul

Children have the ability to take ownership of their learning and develop and explore their curiosity.”
My vision as a person is to contribute towards the society for positive things, positive change. As a person, I want to experience a change in the society through education, culture and values. My vision is that we must understand the child’s potentialities, his abilities, his aptitude and many other things. My vision is that I wish to dedicate my life towards this work for society, particularly through education.
My experience of my life’s vision has been amazing for the last few years. I have been focussing on my goals. Changes are happening in my school DBN, and it’s amazing to learn new things about my profession and find new clarity to achieve my goals. It’s an incredible period of my life.
As a teacher, over the years, I have practiced every day to learn one new word, one new thought from my students. This practice has changed my life’s vision for good! I started to practice this because of a student in my class – every day this child used to come to me with a new question, new thought or idea. He would ask me, “Aisa Kyon Hota Hai? (Why does this happen this way?)” That child’s habit became my habit! I’m very thankful to my school for giving me the opportunity for this learning.
It’s important for me to achieve my vision because I feel if I don’t make an effort towards it I’ll not grow. How our life process moves on. So to complete my mission, I feel I need to focus on my goal, in my profession as a teacher. I want to be dedicated towards my mission and keep striving towards success. I have gained clarity about my vision, and so I believe I’ll achieve my goal.
I’m a teacher in Jammu – a region with not many sources of quality education and not many opportunities for learning for teachers. We need better educational resources in Jammu because of its unique socio-political context. It’s possible to pass on my vision to my students through the subjects I teach. I believe that my view will help my students to realize their visions and find a purpose for themselves in the world. I want to continue being an honest, dedicated and good learner.

At DBN Amarvilla, there are days when resource persons, trainers get to converse with teachers on their vision and dreams. Our series titled ‘My Vision, My Dream’ is all about the aspirations of our teachers ever ready to embark on a journey of learning, exploration and self-discovery.
Girja Koul is a senior teacher with decades of experience at DBN Amarvilla School in Jammu; you can contact her by email av@dbntrust.in, please.

Friday, March 25, 2016

On Art Circle

Dear Sandeep,

I'd like to share a new web application called www.OnArtCircle.com that our company launched recently. It's a low cost and simple-to-use platform for creative people to be able to put up their portfolio for sharing with others. It'll be great if you'd review it briefly as well as share it with anyone who could benefit.

Thanks for your help!

Best Regards,
Atul

Atul Gupta

Create . Display . Share
Setup your artsy portfolio on OnArtCircle and display your creativity and talent to the world. OnArtCirle is perfect for setting up your portfolio website and keeping your entire portfolio organized and in a single location. OnArtCircle is extremely user-friendly and very simple to use. You can practically get your web portfolio up and running in a few hours.

What You Get
Setting up your creative portfolio on OnArtCircle is a breeze, and here what all you get on this platform:
  • A variety of Design templates to choose from
  • A broad palette of color themes for your website
  • Features images for the home page with titles and descriptions
  • Unlimited content pages within a three level custom links menu
  • Events module to add your upcoming and past events
  • Testimonials or Quotes from people you value
  • Download section to categorize documents, certificates etc
  • Categorized photo gallery to add all your works
  • An FAQ section where you can put in your Q&As
  • A blog module to add your musings and writings
  • A contact management area to add your contacts
  • Social media Connects
OnArtCircle is ever evolving, and more and more features will keep getting added a platform to make it a powerful tool for creative people to share their portfolio.


Atul Gupta
Co-Founder & CEO of RedAlkemi
A serial entrepreneur started an advertising & marketing services company – Pugmarks, in early 1986. In 10 yrs, his company earned a good reputation and became a leading brand. His mission is "to create a workplace environment where we consistently improve our knowledge & innovate processes to deliver higher value to our customers."

Thursday, March 24, 2016

Shreshtha Pane Ke Liye Vidyarthi Ke Liye Sadhan Avashyak Hai (Hindi)


Julie Bahuguna thank your for your article in Hindi, we have published here as an image in two parts, please.

Julie has extensive teaching experience in Hindi and Sanskrit, spanning over 36 years. Head of department for Hindi and Sanskrit at Welham Girls School. Also, assisted the Council (for the I. S. C. E.) in curriculum making as well as building assessment systems.
#BrewingKnowledge

Please email juliebahuguna@gmail.com
Page 1

Page 2

Tuesday, March 22, 2016

4 Reasons to Start Class With a Poem Each Day | Edutopia

4 Reasons to Start Class With a Poem Each Day | Edutopia

For each school day of the past three years, I've started my ninth-grade English class with a poem. When I first made this commitment, I feared that I might not have the stamina (or enough engaging poems) to sustain us for the full 184 days of class. And I wasn't the only skeptic. Each year, I get a few sideways glances and furrowed brows when I explain our daily opening routine for class. But before long, students are starting English class with Billy Collins and Mary Oliver and Robert Pinsky, Rumi and Basho and Shakespeare. These voices, contemporary and classic, have helped define my classroom culture to such an extent that on the rare occasion when I postpone the “Poem of the Day” until later in the class period, my students interrogate me about it. I confess that it makes me smile.
So if this year's National Poetry Month inspires you to give daily poetry a go in your classroom, maybe even just for the month, consider these four reasons why starting class with a poem each day will rock your world. Just for good measure, I've included a few poem suggestions as well.

1. Poems Are Short

Time is a teacher's most valuable currency, and though it sounds cliché, there is never enough. In fact, a teacher's first reaction to the idea of beginning each day's class with a poem might even be, "Where will I find the time?"
But remember, poems are short. Not all poems, but I never committed to starting class with pages of Milton's Paradise Lost. Even the shortest poems can lead to potent discoveries.
After we read a short poem twice, I invite the students to engage in what I call microanalysis through an interpretive sentence frame. They fill in the blanks in my sentence: "When the poem says _______, it suggests that _______." Students can find plentiful interpretations in just a few lines of verse. And the best part is that a short poem can be read, dissected, and discussed in just a few minutes, providing an excellent warm-up in a lesson on close reading.
Other times, I lead a lesson on word choice with a poem that is less than 15 lines long, like Carl Sandburg's "Fog" or Anne Porter's "Wild Geese Alighting on a Lake". We identify and discuss the mood created by the poem, and then I challenge them to change the mood dramatically by changing just five words and the title. The results are hilarious, focused on the lesson's objective, and quick.
The short poems "Keeping Quiet" by Robert Bly, "The Balloon of the Mind" by William Butler Yeats, and "We Wear the Mask" by Paul Laurence Dunbar have all generated particularly rich discussions in my classroom. Their brevity makes them sharp, but their themes are provocative and appealing to adolescent readers.
I also encourage you to get your hands on some of the phenomenal books of haiku that are out there right now, from the scholarly anthology Haiku in English: The First Hundred Years to the more whimsical and illustratedGuyku -- A Year of Haiku for Boys and the hilarious Suburban Haiku: Dispatches From Behind the Picket Fence, which brings satire to the form.

2. Poems Are Intense

A novel may take chapters and hours to establish an emotional connection through the characters and plot -- poetry can do so in seconds. Even reluctant readers can be captured quickly by the right combination of words arranged into a powerful rhythm.
Each year, I incorporate "Shock Week" into our poetry routine. I advertise it as "more intense than Shark Week,” which piques the curiosity of my Discovery Channel crowd. We read "Tariff" by Michelle Boisseau, a short, blistering poem about guilt. We read Wislawa Szymborska's "The Terrorist, He Watches", a poem chilling in both subject and tone, giving us pause about the dark ramifications of being a bystander when others suffer.
Even funny poems can be intense. Students always enjoy this kinetic typography rendition of Taylor Mali's spoken-word poem "Speak With Conviction". While it makes us laugh at ourselves, it also urges us to scratch at the underlying issues that may cause our lackadaisical patterns of speech.

3. Poems Connect (to Other Reading)

Poetry can open a door to discussing those meatier, longer works of fiction and nonfiction that often define our curriculum.
Try using Gwendelon Brooks' classic poem "We Real Cool" to introduce an underlying conflict in S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders.
Rumi, the 13th-century Persian poet, has written some poetry that beautifully echoes specific lines in Romeo and Juliet, that standard freshman introduction to Shakespeare. Incorporating writing from a completely different culture that speaks to the same aspect of the human condition sends a powerful message about inclusion and diversity.
I once used a haiku about a falcon by An'ya, a reclusive naturalist poet from the Pacific Northwest, to draw a comparison to Atticus Finch's treatment of his children in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird. The discussion was brief, but the haiku gave us a lens through which to evaluate Atticus and his actions, leading to more specific close-reading that we would have achieved without the poem. (The fact that both texts allude to a bird was just a happy accident, by the way, but the kids loved pointing that out, too!)

4. Poems Inspire (Writing)

Poems make such excellent inspirations for writing. When we share poems with students and invite them to respond with their own ideas and musings while imitating the writer's form or style, we empower them to develop a voice, to work at something that will eventually become their own. A colleague in my school district, Elizabeth Jones, introduced me to Elizabeth Coatsworth's poem "Swift Things Are Beautiful", and I challenge you to read this poem without immediately wanting to write about finding the beauty in other opposites and inversions. Our students have chosen things to write about that are small and large, rough and smooth, foreseen and surprising, and they always uncover beauty as they write.
Penny Kittle, of Book Love Foundation fame, first introduced me to Anis Mojgani's notable spoken word poem "Shake the Dust". Its message of kindness and welcoming cadence provide an invitation to write about the people in our world who are not given a voice. In so doing, your students can find their own.
Even a simple-at-first-glance list poem like "Words That Make My Stomach Plummet" by Mira McEwan or "What I Like and Don’t Like" by Phillip Schultz can get students thinking and writing about the quirky lists that define their own personalities.
In truth, I could write for hours about the positive experiences that I've enjoyed with students over the past three years of using a poem to start class each day. If this is a strategy that you ever wanted to try, I encourage you take a test drive during National Poetry Month 2016. I suspect that you (and your students) will be hooked!

Sunday, March 20, 2016

Leadership is built inside

Trusting the course of one's life - Few days ago I was wondering why does my life not unfold how it's for everyone, the normal course as seen in the life of everyone in society. Somewhere we live comparing ourselves with how things are for others. We never appreciate what is bestowed on us and since we can't appreciate ourselves we can't appreciate the other - we always live in comparisons and always live dissatisfied.

So when in pain and doubt, I had to tell myself, "Trust the course of your life." It's easy these days for me to tell myself this because my life end number of times has proved itself to be beyond my doubts. It's canvas has always been wider and my sight has been limited.

I realized I have trusted my life less when it was investing amazing life circumstances on me to help me enlighten to myself. To respond sincerely to every life circumstance is the best response, commitment, love I can ever give to anyone and rest is out of my control. Surprising I have seen that when I remain committed to my life, my life remains committed to its purpose. When I change inside, things change outside.

It hasn't been easy; I have matured but I'm not perfect and I was far less so earlier. It has taken me time to accept and appreciate my uniqueness. My responses were not authentic, they were either moody reactions or conditioned responses. So when people came to me for help, I would feel flattened rather than calm and responsible. I would feel excited when someone appreciated me rather than having the ability to respond back at the moment with appreciation and love.

Authenticness is an ability to not compromise with what we truly are and for that we have to wade through many layers built during the whole process of our faulty education. We have to let go and keep letting go till what we are left with is our true self. And our true self keeps evolving endlessly, so this journey is endless.

I'm reminded of this more today and started to put down my thoughts because in the past few days during my travel around Chhattisgarh, many of my colleagues shared that they no longer have the joy of work. They have issues and problems at home and concerns about the well being and circumstances of those in their family. Most of these people look for a comforting shoulder and look for that in me and the moment their comfort zone is threatened they withdraw or take offence. Most of us look for lollipops when sick, we fail to understand that medicine is bitter and our misery is our own state of being.
We end up looking for happiness in relationships and material goods and whatnot - it just does not end the misery! We keep aspiring to achieve great things outside without looking for the cause of the misery inside.

It's been a challenge about how to respond with compassion to such people for my smile gets misread in their comfort-books. And before I actually regain my rationality, I get kicked into the group hysteria.

It takes lots of strength, endurance and commitment to one's purpose of life to keep gaining clarity and hold one's front. Leadership doesn't come easy - leaders are built inside. And they are happy to walk alone!
--
Venus Upadhayaya
venusupadhayaya@gmail.com

Saturday, March 19, 2016

SchoolEducation.Com: Innovation and Design

SchoolEducation.Com: Innovation and Design:Is the Education system helping us innovate or are we simply preparing the students to do assembly line work? The more we put in place uniform systems, curriculum and structure, our education will deliver less innovation and design. When you give a block of wood, with two basic tools like a mallet and a chisel to a young person, you will make the person think design and evolve. If you give Lego blocks, a kit to assemble an aero-model or simply use templates, you will stifle design and creativity. The kits and uniform building blocks are good business sense for marketeers, less effort for teachers and easily help build prefab models which are misinterpreted as creation in our education system.


Thursday, March 17, 2016

Learning Forward India Welcomes You

Join Learning Forward: JOIN/RENEW www.LearningForward.org Click here, to sign up  Learning Forward is the only professional association devoted exclusive...

Sunday, March 13, 2016

Learning Forward India

The mission of Learning Forward India (LFIN) shall be to support Learning Forward’s (LF) mission of building the capacity of leaders to establish and sustain highly effective professional learning. Learning Forward (LF) believes the term professional learning means a comprehensive, sustained and intensive approach to improving teachers’ and principals’ effectiveness in raising student achievement. 

www.SchoolEducation.com
SchoolEducation.Com was set up by EBD Educational Pvt Ltd with the mission to help provide better governance, good leadership and build a professional learning community at school. The philosophy of My Good School works for the personal and social development of an individual by offering an environment where experiential learning is made possible through activities beyond just study; this brings vital knowledge that would otherwise be theoretical and uncoordinated. School teachers have the most important role in delivering affordable quality education. 

There is an enormous paucity of good teachers, the only way out is in-service training and building a Professional Learning CommunityIn association with Learning Forward, SchoolEducation.Com has set up Learning Forward India with an altruistic motive and to establish a sustainable platform for building a professional learning community in India, in line with the Learning Forward mission of helping educators up skill and deliver quality education for enhancing the joy of learning. The key focus of the association is to:
  1. Build professional learning communities
  2. Provide Systems, training and management support.
  3. School leadership development.
Founded in 1969, Learning Forward (formerly NSDC) is a non-profit membership organization focused on promoting the research-based qualities that lead to productive, sustainable professional learning environments for educators. These classes are outlined in Learning Forward’s Standards for Professional Learning serve as a rubric or guide for policy-makers, administrators, and teachers looking to identify and evaluate the characteristics needed to build strong cultures of learning in schools. In addition to promoting these standards, Learning Forward hosts conferences, publishes articles, facilitates individual and group learning opportunities, and provides consulting services.

Members of Learning Forward, whom usually include teachers and school administrators, are given access to publications, an online community (Learning Exchange) and discounted rates for some services, such as bookstore purchases. Four different membership options are available and cost between $69 and $299 for one year. Additional discounts for multi-year subscriptions.

Learning Forward hosts several events open to members and non-members including 2-day learning institutes and an annual 5-day conference. The organization also publishes several journals and newsletters on relevant professional learning topics such as the role of principals in learning communities, instructional coaching, and student outcomes. Also, Learning Forward offers online courses, webinars, and hosts an online community which provides members with a forum for discussion and sharing resources.

The organization also provides two facilitated courses: Academy and Learning School Alliance. Academy is a two and a half year train-the-trainer program focused on providing an individual with long term coaching and support in one identified area. Learning School Alliance is a year long team-based professional learning community. School teams receive professional learning training, customized professional learning plans based on their needs, access to a Learning School Alliance facilitator, and additional educational resources. Participating organizations are encouraged to collaborate with other schools’ teams to build a lasting network. The Learning Forward Foundation provides grants and scholarships for educators demonstrating alignment with the organization's values. 

Build capacity for yourself and your teams.
Learning Forward is the only professional association devoted exclusively to supporting those who work in educator professional development. Members stay up to date on the latest knowledge and trends with our cutting edge publications, exclusive learning opportunities, discounts, and expanded learning networks. Click on the link below and this will open a new world of learning and professional development for you!

Please note the Brewing Knowledge platform is only an open source free social media network for professional learning communities in India, Learning Forward is the only Professional Learning Association that works for enhancing the capacity of educators in the world. Sandeep Dutt is the Managing Director of SchoolEducation.Com is the Founder of Learning Forward in India. You may email him on sd@ebd.in and visit www.LearningForward.in. 

Friday, March 11, 2016

Making Research More Exciting!


Tarun, an edupreneur, working on a startup called Sciensation, tries to convey the excitement of research in pure sciences, through events and lectures in schools. They present abstract ideas through riddles and analogies. Students discover Darwin's theory of evolution through bullet firing puzzles, Organic Chemistry through middle monkey game etc.Our tagline has been- We challenge the filmstars and the cricketers, scientists can be rockstars too! We talk of Physics of Rajnikanth, Evolutionary Love Guru, Sherlock Holmes in a Chemistry lab etc.

The quiz Sciensation started off in 2011 with the focus on exciting students into sciences. Our format is inspired by Socrates’ Dialogue- we award points for questions/answers/counter questions and encourage a rally of Q&A around the topic, rather than settle with one answer. We are very different from most quizzes which are answer centric.

Sciensation is a media-startup which does science communication. Our mission is to build a full-fledged media house(Print/Tele/Event/Social) to market science as entertainment/education/consulting. Our vision is to empower a layman so as to help a Feynman in his research.
Sciensation is an early stage startup, founded in 2011, their goal is to start a popular science television channel after scaling and generating interest in people. Their Long-term goal is to enter the Contract R&D business and work on bridging the gap between the academia and the industry.
Sciensation is the cocktail of a scientist, a science-communicator and an entrepreneur.

Want to connect with you to discuss Sciensation and explore opportunities for collaboration?

Tarun Ayitam, Founder, Sciensation Email: tarun@sciensation.tv

Information courtesy Sneha Kataria

Thursday, March 10, 2016

Who is your ideal teacher?

Someone who taught well; cleared all your doubts and answered every question no matter how foolish or irrelevant that question was?  You liked those teachers even though they were strict disciplinarians and sticklers about submitting assignments on time. Why?  Because they explained everything extremely well?
Or was that teacher your favourite one who often came late to class; was frequently absent and gave plenty of free time?
Personally, my favourite teachers were the ones who were approachable and friendly; teachers who were patient and always wore that cheerful look of tolerance. Moreover, I was always in awe of well-groomed teachers – Oh yes, I noticed how well they draped the sari, and how perfectly those pleats were pinned in place; the colour of the lipstick, size of the heels and how perfectly she wore her eyeliner; those eyes that twinkled often, either in amusement or mischief. I followed every word she spoke, the way she pronounced the words and also how often she smiled at me.
So, we can see that everybody has that favourite teacher in school life for some reason or the other. I know someone who liked a particular teacher because she often asked him to stand outside the class where he had plenty of fun with friends.
So let’s find out what makes a teacher the favourite one with students?
But before that, we need to know that there might be favourite teachers, but there is no perfect teacher.
Why so?
That is because the day a teacher claims to be perfect; she will stop growing completely. She will assume that she is so perfect that she does not have to strive towards improvement and betterment. Just the way students are always learning, teachers are also consistently learning and growing.
A teacher plays an important role in the educational system because h/she inspires learners to be cultured, knowledgeable, independent and world worthy.  A teacher thrusts them forward in such a manner that students can function without the teacher; they can make wise decisions; they can distinguish right from wrong, and they have the courage to do new things and pursue their passions relentlessly.
And for that teachers have to be role models and consistently endeavour to imbue in themselves virtues that will help them in fulfilling these goals in a place we call - ‘the classroom’.
To be an ideal teacher, he/she must have a great sense of humour. This means that a teacher should be willing to look at the positive side of everything that happens in a classroom without losing temper. She should also have the courage to laugh at herself if she makes a mistake while teaching instead of getting embarrassed or angry.
Teachers who wish to be one of the best must have good knowledge about the subject they are teaching. They should consider themselves to be diligent scholars and not accomplished educators who have learnt it all – who know it all. Teachers should always be eager to read more and upgrade themselves to fit in today’s academic world that is consistently and irrevocably changing and modifying. She should learn different ways in which her subject can be taught so that learners look forward to learning with enthusiasm.
An ideal teacher should always be flexible. If learners are not in a mood to study that day , which happens occasionally, h/she should not be rigid in attitude to somehow start that lesson and also complete it,  indifferent to the fact whether students are paying attention to it or not. It is always a better part of wisdom to first find out the reason for that lethargy and disinterest,  discuss it and then get back to teaching after bringing back that ‘affable mood’ in class.
Popular teachers are good communicators. They are clear in thoughts about what is expected of the students in their class. They are diligent and hard-working.  And this is conveyed through their work in a very positive manner. Students also respond in an affirmative manner when teachers are able to communicate to the learners, objective and goals that have to be met in that subject.
An ideal teacher is always positive, inside and outside the classroom. This positive attitude can be seen and felt by everyone around them. Such teachers inspire positivity in others also. They convey to others through their work and appearance that nothing is impossible and where there is a will, there is always a way. They never look down at failed attempts, but rather lend a hand to others to stand up after falling.
Teachers who wish to be role models in the lives of their students are always seen smiling. Students consider such teachers to be open and approachable. This trait is often noticed when teachers share with learners how they felt in a particular situation and how it was dealt by them. This attitude opens vistas of communication between teachers and learners because students can connect with teachers emotionally. And right emotions help students to be better learners.
An ideal teacher who is willing to grow and learn makes consistent effort to make the topic h/she is teaching extremely interactive. This is done by relating theory to practice. When a teacher introduces activity based learning in the class, it takes away fear and antagonism if the topic or concept is difficult. It also makes room for fun and interest if the topic is uninteresting.
And last but not the least; ideal teachers are always pleasantly dressed. Such teachers take good care of personal hygiene and are always well groomed. They wear the kind of clothes that is acceptable in the school where they are teaching.  Having the right body language is equally important along with right grooming because it speaks a lot about the personality and intention of teachers. The body language of a teacher should not be offensive or aggressive that can put students off learning.


C:\Users\senior28\Desktop\Kavita.jpg
About the author
Kavita Bhupta Ghosh
Faculty (Teacher and German Pasch Project Coordinator)
Delhi Pubic School Bangalore South
And author of ‘Wanted Back-bencher and Last-ranker Teacher’

Wednesday, March 9, 2016

Learning Experiential Methodology

Applying Experiential Methodology
Schooling is becoming an exciting space. 
Why? 

Because there are so many confused people out there running institutions, who have a nagging doubt that what they are doing isn’t really delivering what the children want or the industry needs. Each place then tweaks what they ‘do’, hoping that something different will happen for the children. It does. Therein lies the danger!

We begin to believe that what we ‘did’ got the results. Then we ‘do’ more of it, and the ‘change’ stops happening. That’s because all we think of is the ‘do’ piece. The DO piece is easy to think about, get teachers to practice, and apply in the classroom. But that’s not what triggers change. Lets call the DO piece the ‘HEAD’ stuff, because it is designed to affect Thinking. The other 2 pieces in the process are the HANDS and HEART.

It’s the magic of what we experience (HANDS), and how we feel (HEART) that really gives life to the learning process. Its when we can get the HEAD, HANDS and HEART working together – Thinking, activity, reflection, and meaningfulness - that learning will become real.

The answer could lie in some principles that enrich the practice of experiential methodology. These principles affect each one of us in our role as educators, and must eventually affect how we do what we do as educators. For example, many new approaches talk about child-centeredness. How do we apply it? Can a classroom really be for the children, by the children? How do I get out of this role of a teacher? It seems to eventually point at personal change. And for change to happen the need must be felt individually.

If you want to know more, check out 2 books written by Laurie Frank – “The Caring Classroom”, and “Leading Together”.

The Author: Vishwas Parchure has been in the space of experiential education for the past 25 years. His training comes from time spent at The Brathay Hall Trust, UK, Project Adventure Inc. USA, Outward Bound, and many years of practice. He has traveled to the UK, USA, South Africa, Peru, Costa Rica, the Middle East to learn and teach experiential application. He currently runs a Diploma in Experiential Education & Practice in Pune and Bangalore, and possibly in Delhi in 2016-17. You can see more of what he does at www.vishwasparchure.com

Creating Leaders

A good leader is one who leads by example and not by just preaching. The leader should not create followers, rather create more leaders. Leaders must have the confidence to produce more leaders; one must tell his/her team that you can question me if they are wrong at any point in time. It will open up hearts and open up minds and will get the leaders food for thought, from time to time. If a leader accepts his wrong decisions and revises them he earns more respect than before among his team members and each one will be focused on achieving the set targets since it will be a common target rather than an individualistic target. The victory is celebrated by one and all equally. If a team member questions you for your wrong decision, you should take that individual as a resilient member of the team, further if you can satisfy him or change your decision in the interest of the institution, you will find stronger team emerging out of your way of taking things positively. If a person questions you, in the individual you will find your strongest team players for the future. It is only the attitude and strategy of the Leader, that leads to success.
A good leader is one who has taken everyone together but in a democratic way and not as a herd of followers and sycophants. Good leaders make their critics the biggest strength and do not defend, rather takes the feedback for introspection and uses that for goal setting and future course of action. Finally, a good leader is known for how many more leaders has he inspired and created in his course of measures and not by how many years has he been making the people follow his instructions without even questioning once.
Trilok Singh Bist
Principal, Jodhamal Public School, Jammu 
President, Sahodaya School Complex Jammu Chapter
Email principaljodhamal@gmail.com

Tuesday, March 8, 2016

Schools Can Launch Their Own Apps!

I would like to share with you information about one of the best mobile app for Educational Institutes. Schools can now launch your own apps (both Android and iOS ) for as less as INR 2000/month or USD 35/month. So why wait? Lets go digital today! Let Parents download your mobile app from Google and Apple stores and you can start digital communication with them. 

There are very exciting features we offer in the app. Please see the attached presentation for details. If you know other schools that might be interested - please forward the email to them. 

Other schools are already launching their apps, don't be left behind. Call us today at +(91) 9673005022 or +(61) (2) 8006 0214. You can also Whatsapp us on +(91) 9673005022. Our friendly team will guide you towards launching your mobile app. 

We at Konverv are also looking for channel partners - please feel free to refer any colleague or acquaintances interested.

Regards,
Kunal Sehgal
Thought-Leader EdTech, Founder- Konverv (App for School Parents communication)Editor - Konverv Times (e-Magazine for Educationists) -www.konverv.com/community
Australia +(61) (2) 8006 0214
India +(91) 967 300 5022

Friday, March 4, 2016

Sustainability is about simple understandings

School education should not just be about strategy but also about content. As rightly said, a strategy can only help in the process of communication. Content, on the other hand, is about introducing concepts and building knowledge through them to create new knowledge. Resources that enable learning to take place, a technology that motivates the young learner to engage in her learning through collaboration and school architecture that uses space as an instrument for creating a conducive environment for learning. Needless to say that the learner should be an integral part of it all.
The year in the life of a school is very structured and predefined into terms or semesters. We know when assessments will take place, when and how feedback will is provided, what are the instruments for reporting, yet time appears to be the single biggest luxury in the life of all the stakeholders.
It is quite paradoxical when the whole school apparatus is geared to provide a learning experience for the pupils, then how is it that the recipient is so stressed for time. What then is the core need that needs to be addressed? Good grades, recognition, better admissions, are all tangible benefits. What about intangible benefits of education? Ability to remain motivated, manage time, acquiring problem-solving skills, entrepreneurial skills, conflict resolution etc. are skills that somehow get left out in our schooling system. Would it be ambitious of me to state that if we were to invest a little time in developing intangible benefits that we could add more value to the tangible?
Schools must learn to break down the traditional silos that they work in to work more collaboratively to make education more sustainable. If the system does not help in building trust amongst all stakeholders, distribute adequate time between teaching and testing, provide opportunities for knowledge creation and management through reflection then it cannot be termed sustainable.

Sapna Yadav has extensive experience of over 20 years of facilitating students unleash their academic potential. 
At Samaskaara, Mrs. Yadav channels her experience to provide customized Learning Frameworks to students; equipping them with 21st-century skills, to develop their profiles and this allows them the freedom to plan their academic and personal growth. Under her guidance, her students have secured admissions in various reputed colleges such as Yale University, Princeton and the University of Pennsylvania in the USA, McGill University, University of Toronto, UBC, the University of Waterloo in Canada, HKU and HKUST in Hong Kong to name a few. You can connect with Sapana by Email sapna@samaskaara.in or Phone 9818108908.

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