Learning Forward Saturday

To discuss teaching strategies and classroom management techniques for early childhood education.

Key Takeaways

  - Drawing is a valuable learning activity for children, not just art

  - Fine motor skills development is crucial and can be encouraged through various activities

  - Creating a print-rich environment enhances learning and engagement

  - Innovative attendance methods can make routine tasks more engaging for students

Topics:

Drawing as a Learning Tool

  - Teachers initially thought that children who draw aren't learning, but this view was challenged

  - Detailed drawings by children often include various elements (e.g., dog, house, family members)

  - Drawing activities can be used to teach complex concepts (e.g., human anatomy)

Fine Motor Skills Development

  - Importance of proper pencil grip discussed

  - Cylinder shape of baby bottles designed for easy gripping

  - Activities suggested:

      - Using clay or playdough to improve grip strength

      - Employing tweezers for picking up small objects

      - Creating a chart with 100 pockets for number placement exercises

Print-Rich Environment

  - Emphasised creating visually stimulating classroom spaces

  - Ideas shared:

      - Large alphabet charts with associated images

      - Weekly rotation of featured letters (A-E, then F-J, etc.)

      - Punctuation and capitalisation rules displayed on walls

Innovative Attendance Methods

  - Goal: Make attendance-taking more engaging and educational

  - Suggestions included:

      - Using plant or nature themes

      - Incorporating math concepts

      - Integrating language learning (e.g., food names, ABC's)

Addressing Distracted Students

  - Discussed strategies to keep students focused during lessons

  - Emphasised calling students by name to maintain attention

  - Suggested using interactive elements to keep students engaged

Next Steps

  - Teachers to implement 2-3 new strategies in their classrooms over the next week

  - Create better learning environments based on the discussed ideas

  - Minakshi to focus on improving students' writing skills, including the correct use of capital/lowercase letters and phonetics

  - Plan to order or create a counting game for use across different age groups

  - Develop charts for English grammar rules to be displayed in classrooms

Host: Neelashi Mangal, supported by Minakshi Prasad
Learning Forward Sessions are curated with a focus on helping teachers focus on ECCE.

An Imaginary Educator... - Simar Kaur

Simar Kaur from Gyanshree School, Noida

‘The best teachers are those who show you where to look but don’t tell you what to see’. 

I think that teaching is one of the most critical and challenging jobs. Teachers are the pillars in students’ lives; without their encouragement and driving force, students find it hard to explore themselves. Dealing with different kinds of students can be hectic, but teachers work hard to make sure that everyone in their class understands the concept. They ensure that everyone feels included and gets equal chances and opportunities. And that is why I admire their profession. They convert present learners to future leaders. 

Now, if I were an educator, taking my teachers as inspiration, I would deal with different students differently. 

For example: If a learner in my class was too impatient to wait for his turn, I would tell him to calm down in a classroom where everyone gets a say. I would ask him to take three deep breaths and write the answer down, and his excitement told me that he knew the answer. However, some learners are unaware of the solution. So, before giving a chance to someone who already knows the answer, we must ensure that everyone else also knows the answer. 

Similarly, a fearful learner will have trouble communicating with the rest of the class and will probably hold himself back from answering. I believe that students know the answer, but they fear getting it wrong and the embarrassment they think they will experience. So, as an educator, I would encourage them to tell their doubts in class and answer questions. Even for a small amount of participation, I will appreciate their effort. Apart from that, fear can also be generated by peers who are not friends. So I would give the student opportunities to be comfortable with everyone in the class so that he doesn't feel humiliated even if he answers a question wrongly. I would tell him to repeat these lines whenever he feels scared or fearful - ‘I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is a little death that brings total obliteration. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past, I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone, there will be nothing. Only I will remain.’ These lines were written in the fictional book ‘Dune’; sometimes, when I feel scared, I tell myself to calm down and repeat these lines. And it works for me. 

Making students aware of the tactful techniques I use to overcome these problems would be my go-to method to help them. By telling anecdotes of my own and of other people, I would make sure that they inculcate these values. These are my current thoughts, but I know I still have a lot left to learn from my teachers and educators, and I’m looking forward to the limited years I will spend with my teachers here at Gyanshree. 

World Teacher’s Day - Prerna Rathod

If school is a temple, then teachers are definitely the God.

World Teacher's Day is celebrated on 5th October every year for celebrating the anniversary of the 1966 International Labour Organisation (ILO) and UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers. This sets the rights and responsibilities of teachers. This day is celebrated to give tribute to the teachers all over the world and to show appreciation and honour. They all find ways to improve the condition of teachers and enhance the teaching techniques for the future generation.  

The theme of this day for 2020 is “Teachers: Leading in crisis, reimagining the future”.  This year due to the Covid-19 the education system has to face a lot of problems and so the teachers are under stress and pressure. But as teachers are great fighters they are learning new techniques and going through hardships, just to keep the light of knowledge alive. They are teaching online and taking regular classes. So this year theme is very appropriate.

Thus, 5th October is a day to celebrate the teaching profession all over the world. Being a teacher is one of the toughest professions as the future of the country is in their hands. It is a profession that will never lose its importance. As we know that there is no age limit for learning and so teachers will always be there to guide the students. 

Prerna Rathod, The Fabindia School <prd@fabindiaschools.in>