Brewing Knowledge Friday: A Journey of Thoughtful Teaching and Learning

Meeting Summary: Professional and Personal Development Session for Teachers

Purpose:

To engage educators in a meaningful discussion on child learning through the exploration of a significant educational book and a thought-provoking Rumi story, with the aim of fostering both professional growth and inner reflection.

Key Takeaways

• Exploring Child Learning:
  The book What Did You Ask at School Today? by Kamala V. Mukund provides deep insights into child psychology and educational practices. It challenges educators to critically reflect on traditional methods and align teaching with how the brain naturally learns. Endorsed by Dr. Yashpal, the book calls for imaginative and explicit instruction that nurtures higher-order thinking skills.

• Need for Indigenous Educational Research:
  There exists a noticeable gap in culturally relevant psychological research within the Indian educational context. The session emphasized the urgency of:

  • Developing culturally grounded theories,

  • Conducting studies based on Indian realities,

  • Reinterpreting Western psychological concepts within the Indian classroom context.
    Investment in quality journals, academic associations, and dedicated researchers is essential.

• The Rumi Story – The Angel of Death:
  This story served as a metaphor for the inevitability of fate and the transformative power of perspective. It invites teachers to consider how their interpretations shape their responses, both in life and in the classroom.

• Reflective Practice for Educators:
  Teachers were encouraged to become reflective practitioners. The session introduced the happyteacher.in blog as a platform for sharing insights, thoughts, and classroom reflections. Teachers were invited to contribute by writing about either the book or the Rumi story.

Topics Covered

1. Book Introduction: What Did You Ask at School Today?

   • Written by Kamala V. Mukund

   • Addresses cognitive dissonance between schooling practices and brain development

   • Advocates for reimagining instruction to foster creativity and reflection

2. Indigenizing Psychological Research in Education

   • Emphasized the need for context-specific studies

   • Discussed three critical approaches to indigenization

   • Urged institutions to strengthen India’s educational psychology discourse

3. Personal Insight: Rumi’s The Angel of Death

   • Shared as a lens to explore acceptance, perception, and internal growth

   • Parallels drawn between life lessons and classroom realities

Next Steps

• Teachers are encouraged to:

  • View the session recording on the My Good School YouTube Channel

  • Write and share their reflections via the provided email

  • Continue participating in the weekly development sessions

• Upcoming Session Highlight:

  • Vidyotma will present insights on auto-suggestion inspired by Napoleon Hill’s writings, linking subconscious influence with classroom confidence and intention.

As this session marks another step in nurturing thoughtful, self-aware, and impactful educators equipped to lead learning in the 21st century, I invite you to share your reflections and key takeaways with me at mk@learningforward.org.in.

Your personal insights and experiences on this topic will not only deepen your own understanding but also contribute meaningfully to the collective growth of our teaching community.

What makes a school? - Kanishka Roy Choudhary

What makes a School? Is it the building? Is it the infrastructure including classrooms, laboratories, libraries, halls and the amenities it provides? Is it the walls that have witnessed the little kids evolving into mature adults? 

Literally, the word school has two connotations, first, where it is considered as a combination of a building and educational institution designed for teaching students and second the word School has its roots in the Greek word skhole, the word originally had the sense of “leisure,” which evolved into a “place for discussion,”. I consider the second one to be a more apt definition of school. The reason for the same lies in the Indian Tradition. The history of Indian civilization is an incredible evidence of “school” in a broader perspective. 

Tracing back to Education in the Vedic Period, one finds the existence of the Gurukul system, where students after attaining a certain age were sent to Gurukul, to study and learn. Indian epic Ramayana mentions the “ashrama(s)” of Sages Viswamitra and Vashishth; Mahabharata mentions the ashram of Dhronacharya who taught Arjun and made him the best in Archery.

The Gurukul, where the Guru was the focal point and was given the highest form of respect, provided an open space for discussions and interaction between the Guru (teacher) and the Shishya (student). Thus, the education system of the Vedic Period i.e. Gurukul system has a resemblance to the meaning of school that defines it as a “place for discussion”, it was the interplay between the Guru and the Shishya that can be fit in the modern definition of School. 

Now the question is what really “makes” a school in contemporary times? The answer lies in the following Doha : 

“गरुु गोविंद दोऊ खड़े काके लागू पाय 

बलि हारी गरुु आपने गोविदं दियो बताय” 

( ~ कबीरदास ) 

Kabir wants to say that when God and a Teacher are standing in front of you, you're confused about whose feet to touch first. It should be the Teacher, whose feet you should be touching first. Thus, the Indian Tradition has given primacy to the Teacher over God because it is the Teacher who gives knowledge. 

My argument through this is, you can make a marvellous building, get world-class infrastructure, air-conditioned classrooms in some cases, best-structured laboratories, and informative libraries but what is the point of all this if there is no Teacher to teach and no student to learn? Thus it is the Teacher and her students that really “make a school,” without them it is just a building.

Especially in the case of India, this has been the tradition since the advent of civilization as stated above. The recent trends of modernity cannot diminish the role of a teacher in the lives of her students; that of a guide, a counsellor, or an inspiration in some cases. Secondly, it is the endless noise of students during recess and after the final bell of the day rings that makes a school.

It is "them" standing in order during morning assemblies and reciting prayers that "makes" a school. It is their journey from crying on the first day of school on being separated from their parents to crying on the last day of school on being separated from their teachers and friends that “makes a school”. Kanishka Roy Choudhary

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