Inspire Curriculum and Training Solutions

Difficult Conversations

2011-12-23T12:19:00.002+05:30

Difficult Choices

2011-12-02T10:57:00.002+05:30

Can Parents Be Friends With Their Children

2011-11-18T14:52:00.003+05:30

Point of View

2011-11-07T11:53:00.007+05:30

A new series

Look around office and workplaces of today.

Have they changed in the last fifty years?
Of course they have. Instead of the individual cabins most work places have opted for open offices.

What about your kitchen?
Is it still the smoke filled place with soot encrusted walls?

Now, think of the schools of today.
Have they changed just as dramatically in the last fifty years?

The class room may have white boards instead of blackboards but schools are still designed as rows of rooms lined along a corridor aligned with some open spaces.

We talk about schools of tomorrow that help our children develop 21 st century skills. Well, pause and ponder- can 21 st century skills be taught within the confines of spaces that are outdated and inefficient?

Schools can offer fantastic opportunities for young children to learn and grow not just because of the materials and teaching learning opportunities they house but through creative and innovative use of spaces that encourages children to explore, experiment, create, collaborate and express.

And who better to help us visualize the school for the future than the ones who are going to use it the most. Here we have children share their vision of the school they would like to study in and share the rationale for their design.

Indeed a rich food for thought for architects, school owners, teachers and parents.

A Picasso in Making

2011-10-21T10:32:00.005+05:30

All young children are imaginative. We only need to look at a three year olds drawing and ask her to describe it. A long story with unpredictable twists and turns is sure to emerge.

Research in developmental psychology clearly indicates imagination and creativity are closely linked. Children imagine, experience, make meaning and express themselves in novel ways.

It is obvious that creativity is a cognitive trait that requires concentration, logical thinking and decision making. Yet it is also a personality trait that requires ability to take risks, work with complete dedication and independence.

All these traits are clearly evident in Tulika’s painting. She spent four months working on it without really knowing what the outcome will be.

Tulika’s work clearly highlights how mentors can support creativity by creating an environment where children are allowed enough time and mental space to be creative.

Not only this will help children grow into confident individuals but will also equip them with intellectual flexibility. So while they will be able to write new songs or paint different pictures they will also be able to use their ability to think differently to solve real life problems at home or at workplace.

Thoughts about a Pot

2011-10-07T18:25:00.011+05:30

Children, especially those in large cities, are enamored by technology and fascinated by gadgets. They seek instant gratification and constant stimulation. This is what makes them overlook the diminutive beauties of life and results in children being not reflective enough.

Isn’t this akin to what many of us, as adults, perceive about the children of today? We consider children as superficial in their thought and behavior unable to perceive the nuances of real life.

Here we present to you the work of 12 year old Dhruv which has made many adults reflect on their acuity about the children of today. Dhruv’s keen observation, his ability to connect with small details in the real world, to internalise, ruminate and express deep thoughts is what has taken many by surprise.

I am really interested in acting and sketching. I play piano and compose music of my own. Apart from this, playing games is something I love.

In school, we made some pots. I was very happy with the way my pot was looking. But, when our pots came back from glazing, they looked so uninteresting. This made me really disappointed.
The person who sent our pots back said that he tried to find an ode for a pot to console us but couldn’t. That’s when I decided to write an ode for my pot.

I showed this ode to my class teacher. Everyone liked it so much that they decided to include it in the pottery manual for reference. I never thought thiswould come out so well. It feels great to get so much appreciation.

Certainly, yes! Even presently, I am writing a comic book. Once I complete it, I would get it published.

Dhruv’s work and a one-to-one conversation with him left us with many questions.
Are the children of today really not allied to nature?
Do they really fail to spot the small details and little beauties that life has to offer?
How many of us, as adults, will be fascinated by an object as mundane as a pot and will use it as a
starting point to derive such deep meaning from a simple every day experience?

The Humorous Homework

2011-09-16T11:34:00.004+05:30

Most of us were not too fond of History when we were in school. Yet we were fascinated by the comic books that narrated stories of historical characters and olden times.

History can be fascinating - if it opens a window to the past- when life was full adventure, intrigue and accomplishment or it can be tedious if it is all about listing of dates, rulers and dynasties.

This brings us to the moot question why do children find a certain subject boring in class. The most obvious response is how it is taught in school.

Here we showcase a History project done by Akshat as a part of a school assignment. Notice how the idea of creating a comic strip piqued the child’s imagination and encouraged him to think out of the box. Notice how a mundane project that could have involved simple downloading of pictures and information from the internet became an absorbing endeavour that showcases not just Akshat’s understanding of costumes down the ages but also his creativity, his skill at visualisation and his sense of humour.

Akshat’s project clearly shows us his wit and inventiveness. We, at Inspire, believe that every child possess an inherent creativity and intellect to come up with something original.

Therefore, as mentors, it is important for us to reflect on some vital questions.

Can we think beyond obvious kinds of assignments to trigger that inherent creativity of a child?
Can we try out innovative ideas to engage, challenge and motivate students?
Can we make a subject interesting for a child by the way we approach it?

Writing a Novel – It’s Just a Child’s Play

2011-09-02T10:25:00.009+05:30

In the last blog post we shared some parents’ perceptions about their children. I am sure many of these thoughts resonate with what we think about the children of today.

We now showcase some samples of children’s work and hear their voices in an attempt to understand what interests, engages, motivates, and excites them. With this we would like all adults to re-examine their assumptions of children and see how valid or relevant these are.

Here, we present a novel written by 11 year old Yash Pradhan. Rather than introducing him formally we urge you to carefully go through what he says about himself at the end of the book.

1. Yash how did the idea of this book come about?

I was playing in the lawns with my Dad on a full moon night. That is when we both started talking about moon, earth, universe and all.

I felt like writing something about it. So, I did a little research on the internet about the topic. Finally, I wrote this book.

2. Tell us more about your interests.

I am extremely interested in Tennis. I go for Tennis classes daily. And, apart from tennis, I think my guitar is something that I am really interested in.

3. When you grow up, would you like to take up writing as a profession?

Writing is more of a hobby for me. I like writing when I am free. I am clear that when I grow up I will become a Computer Engineer because I am very passionate about Computers.

This one to one conversation with Yash Pradhan popped so many questions in our minds. Are the Children of today really careless and confused? Do they really lack an eye for detail? Are they really lacking focus in their lives?

2011-08-19T06:23:00.002+05:30

Khalil Gibran said
Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
and though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

As adults we are fascinated and exasperated in equal measure by children of today. ‘They are sooo smart!’ exclaims a parent about her children who create rap songs or score high on a game of ‘Angry Birds’. Teachers, on the other hand, feel that children do not respect Indian values and argue incessantly. They, also, complain about how children are restless and have poor attention span and those who write answers as if they are writing a sms or a tweet. Then, we see these child prodigies on television who dance to the latest Bollywood hits or belt out jokes in comedy shows.

In this blog series we begin by interviewing three parents to find out what they think about children of today.

Saroj Chowla

1. According to you, what interests the Children of today?

I interact with two set of Children- one who attend the Art of Living classes and the other who attend the present day schools. I feel those who are associated with the Art of Living classes are more close to our Indian values and cultural heritage. On the contrary, children attending the present day schools have a greater western influence on them.

2. How do you think are the Children of today different from what you were as a child?

As a child I was more innocent. I was happy with my upbringing. I was more accepting of the decisions that my elders took for me. However, the children of today don’t acknowledge the experience that elders have and end up being confused.

3. What do you think are the Children of today missing and lacking in their lives?

They are very touched by materialism. This makes them miss on the joy that little moments in life can bring.

Sarika Thukral

1. According to you, what interests the Children of today?

Largely, I think they are interested in television, their friends and a kind of music that is not at all soulful. Even, the friendships they have don’t seem to have any quality to them.

2. How do you think are the Children of today different from what you were as a child?

I was more inclined towards music that is meaningful and friendships that are qualitative. I used to play a lot of outdoor games. This made me evolve as a more focused person in life. Today’s children are simply not focused.

3. What do you think are the Children of today missing and lacking in their lives?

They are missing badly on relationships. They are lonelier.

Arnav Sood

1. According to you, what interests the Children of today?

According to me, the children of today have a keen interest in sports and computers. These are the two things that almost all of them are really good at.

2. How do you think are the Children of today different from what you were as a child?

Thanks to technology, the children today are more exposed to the world around them. It isn’t limited to their immediate surroundings.

3. What do you think are the Children of today missing and lacking in their lives?

I will say that they are missing on the cultural values. We were more attached to our relatives and extended family.

In these interviews, we heard the perspective of parents and grandparents about the children of today. In the following weeks, we will unravel whether children share the same perspective. So in our following blog series’ A Window into the World of Children, get ready to meet the child of the 21st century and get an insight into their fascinating world.

Hear them talk about what motivates and excites them, their interests and their aspirations…

Teacher Training – A Real Need

2011-08-05T16:10:00.010+05:30

So far in this blog series we have explored different aspects of a teacher’s life. We have learnt why they became teachers and understood the joys and the challenges they face in their classrooms every day. Getting to know the teacher led to us realizing the need for teacher training. Effective teacher training provides teachers with opportunities to supplement their knowledge reflect on their beliefs and enhance their skills.

Today, in the final blog of the series we explore the thoughts and ideas of Radhika Suri and Sameera Sood of Inspire Education. Since 2009, INSPIRE has been a pioneer in bringing about notable changes in the field of education by providing effective curriculum, impactful training and relevant school set-up solutions. Inspire’s work reflects its vision to enhance the capabilities of all the stakeholders in the domain of education.

While parents and students are impressed with swanky schools - a school’s reputation hinges on the quality of teaching - learning practices. Teacher training ensures that teachers' remain motivated and challenged. Teacher training also means that teachers get an opportunity to upgrade their skills and grow professionally.

– Sameera

The reality is that there is no training program where teachers can go to enhance or upgrade their skills. Also, the courses that are offered are very high on pedagogy and not on practice so there is a gap between what is being taught and what they

actually need.

– Radhika

The goal of teacher training should be to help teachers enhance the quality of their teaching. It should enable them find solutions to real problems that they encounter in classrooms. They should be able to re – examine their strategies and adapt it to reach every child.

– Sameera

Our approach is simple. It first and foremost merges pedagogy and latest research with workable classroom practices. We are skilled at this as we have been in the class for over a decade and know the reality of the classroom. We make our participants take small steps and enhance their skills. We also offer support and assessment so that they stay motivated.

–Radhika

Teacher training can be ineffective if the teachers are perceived as passive receptors of knowledge rather than active stakeholders in the process. Training that introduces teachers to new theories and paradigms without helping them explore the class room implications can prove to be redundant.
– Sameera

It is because of the quality of programs that is being offered. One needs to understand the psyche of a teacher, the time she can spend on training and what she actually needs and wants to learn. Also the quality of the trainer makes a huge impact. In my view teacher training and teacher education is critical and needs attention. Programs can be a blend of human interface and technology.
– Radhika

From the interviews we can see that a training program can be effective if and only if it is based on a real and felt need. Teachers learn best by exploring, experiencing and actively participating. Opportunities to demonstrate and practice the skills taught in the class will better engage the teacher.

Inspire offers a number of training modules that schools can opt for based on their training needs and teachers’ interests. Each training module follows the Inspire ‘Circle of Empowerment’ model to provide an interesting and engaging experience.

Effective teacher training provides teachers with opportunities to supplement their knowledge reflect on their beliefs and enhance their skills.

India is a developing country. The key to the development process of a country is a strong education system. The teacher is the building block of the kind of education system we aspire to have in our country. This is why teaching the teacher is as essential as teachers are the bridge between knowledge that is available and knowledge that is acquired.

Teaching the Teacher

2011-07-22T12:02:00.005+05:30

One of the most frequently asked questions in the field of education is ‘Are good teachers born or made?’ It is believed that good training, skills and support can help teachers become better at the profession. Teaching is like any other skill – it can be acquired and honed. Most teachers can learn tools, strategies and skills to transform themselves into effective teachers who connect with their students and motivate them to excel.

So far we have explored the lives of teachers. In today’s blog we are going to meet two teacher trainers from different backgrounds who are working in different settings and see what they have to say about teacher training and what led them into the profession. .

Q. What made you become a teacher trainer?
Ritu Marwah	Dhruv Singh
“Sharing ideas with my colleagues in school, implementing them and seeing the joy of learning on my students gave me a high. This slowly transformed into teacher trainings which helped more teachers across the country and the feedback from them about their experiences made me go on.”	“I became a teacher trainer to facilitate teachers to reflect on the onus of being a teacher and to spread the passion and respect I have for this profession. Unless the teaching community looks at education both in terms of the social as well as the individual perspective there cannot be citizens who are able to balance social and individual concerns. If the education system needs to improve it is the teaching community that needs to be the role model; a responsibility that it no longer wants to shoulder.”
Q. What has your experience as a trainer been like?
“It has been amazing interacting with teachers from across the country. To help them with their constraints and make ideas work within their resources gives me immense satisfaction. I have learnt a lot from all the teachers I have interacted and it is amazing to see how diverse teaching experiences in our country are.”	“My experience as a teacher trainer has been rewarding: spiritually, cognitively and monetarily. I am idolised by many and teachers look forward to trainings. The flip side however is that in spite of teachers reverence, the idolising, the conviction with which they talk of the philosophy, their class room practices are devoid of the constructivist touch because it calls for perseverance, hard work and humility: so easy to appreciate but so difficult to practise.”

Q. What do you think works with teachers-content/mode of transaction.

“The best approach is a hand on approach keeping in mind the situations the teachers work in and their limitations. It works best when you customize the modules according to the school resources, student strength and the teacher background rather than giving them ideal solutions which may be very difficult to implement practically. Scaffolding the teaching strategies for teachers work best rather than giving them all at one time. Frequent trainings are the need of the hour rather than one training and then forgetting all of it later. “

“A balanced mixture of both: firstly the mode of transaction and secondly the content. People connect to you first for what you are and then with what you have to say. The mode of transaction should be what you want the teachers to do in the classroom, the content would determine they way and how teachers reflect on what they do in the classroom.”

The key to effective teacher training is understanding the adult. Adults are independent and self – directed. They need to be free to decide on what they want to learn.

A training program can be effective only if it is based on a real and felt need, and is attuned to the reality of the classroom situation. A trainer needs to be sound in pedagogy, but she needs to provide a practioner’s insight into how pedagogy will translate in class. She should be a skilled communicator, an empathetic mentor and a strong motivator. A tall order indeed! The goal of teacher training should be such that the teachers become stakeholders in the training process rather than passive receivers of knowledge.

Parallel Teaching Worlds

2011-07-08T10:37:00.005+05:30

Every corner of our country has a school and every school has teachers. We have been intrigued by this fundamental question: Do teachers in different geographical, social and economic settings differ significantly in their approach to teaching, their interactions with the students as well as their career goals and aspirations. We decided to talk to some teachers from different settings to try and find answers to our questions. Three Teachers were interviewed:

Ritu (name changed):- Working as a PRT teacher in a Government School.

Prachi (name changed):- Working as a PRT Teacher in an Urban International School.

Irfaan (name changed):- Working as an educator in an NGO.

Ritu: Most of my students are first generation learners. Their families are usually economically backward. As a result, you would find the boys employed as part time workers in factories and the girls doing household chores. For these kids, coming to school is in itself a struggle.

Prachi: Almost all my students belong to a very affluent background. This automatically influences the performance of students. The education that they get in school is supported by the additional resources like story books, language games, internet access etc. that they get at home.

Irfaan: I teach at an NGO which provides free education to underprivileged rural youth. Our students come from very poor backgrounds, and realize the importance of the opportunity they are getting. They dream of not just doing well themselves, but of making a difference around them.

Ritu: I follow the syllabus as prescribed by CBSE. I use NCERT books in the classroom. Honestly, there is not much of teaching resources that I use in the class. In the kind of school environment we have and the kind of work teachers are required to do in the government school set-up, it becomes next to impossible for me to use any teaching aids.

Prachi: I teach Grade 1 students. In our school, we have a concept of buddy teachers for primary grades. Under this, each class has two teachers. The idea behind buddy teachers is that each child should get individual attention. What we do is that all Grade 1 teachers sit together and plan the curriculum for the coming months. We make sure that we include a lot of activities and resources that provide students hands-on-experience.

Irfaan: Our curriculum is based on the NCERT textbooks, though we do not limit ourselves to them. Resources like reference books, internet, and teaching aids are used.

Ritu: First, there is no kind of support that I can expect from the families of students. So, giving home assignments, expecting them to learn or revise something at home is out of question. Second, as government teachers, we are expected to maintain accounts, go for census duties and election duties along with teaching which wastes a lot of time.

Prachi: I don’t feel that there are any challenges or struggles that I face in school as such. The school environment, my colleagues and everyone for that matter in school are very supportive of each other.

Irfaan: I have been extremely fortunate not to have faced any struggles as such in my profession. In schools where I worked previously, creativity in teaching methods was somewhat curbed, but in my present employment, I get to experiment, learn and hone my teaching style.

Ritu: It would be the time when I was acknowledged by the whole staff and the principal as the only teacher whose students are able to speak and understand some amount of English. It is good to see that they are learning gradually.

Prachi: This year, just before the summer vacations, when we ended the school day, I in my usual way, said good bye to my kids. Everyone responded. That is when one of my students came near me, hugged me and said “I will miss you. I enjoy learning from you; you always listen to what I have to say.” That one incident really touched my heart.

Irfaan: A student was having trouble with life in general. He had become a bully, and was about to be thrown out of school, after he was detained in class 11. Through gentle, non-invasive guidance, we helped him, and today, watching him in-charge of his life is very comforting.

Ritu: If I look back at the training sessions that I have attended, I think that there are hardly any that benefitted me. They don’t talk practical things. I feel people who come to train us live in a dream world. They visualize classrooms that are not practically possible in our situations.

Prachi: Of course, teacher training is essential. We should not only have a strong grasp over the concepts we teach but also possess the skills that would help us efficiently transact the concepts to our students.

Irfaan: Yes, teacher training is essential. Teachers can come up with new thoughts and ideas when questions are asked of them, and they are given the time and space to search for the answers. Also, training offers a new perspective on what teachers are already familiar with.

The relevance of a right kind of support system comes to light clearly in these interviews. On the one hand we have a teacher who is learning and growing because of the school environment and parental support while on the other hand we have a teacher who is struggling with trying to keep her students in the school.

To make education a meaningful and evolving process, it is essential to have an innovative yet simple curriculum and also provide teachers with training. It is evident from the interviews that teacher training itself should change with the school setting of the teacher. Teacher training is an extremely effective tool to make better teachers and help teachers grow. However, there is a need for practical teacher training which is in touch with the reality that teachers face each day.

Teaching Perspectives

2011-06-24T12:54:00.004+05:30

The title of this blog may sound like something you have heard and read about many times before! The role of a teacher, their importance to the education system, the importance of teacher training programs has all been discussed extensively. So we ask, what is different in today’s piece? Well, the difference is that today we introduce our new series of blog articles titled ‘Teacher Perspectives’ where over a few weeks we explore the lives of teachers and teacher trainers by actually talking to them, looking at what inspires them, understand their goals, challenges faced by them and what drew them to this profession.

The first place to start this journey into the minds and lives of teachers all over the country is by asking what draws people to this profession. The question to be asked here is: "Why am I aspiring to become a teacher?"

The above quotes by students of Elementary Education from different parts of the country shows that most of them believe in the ideal of teaching and consider teaching one of the key instruments in bringing about the change that they want to see in society. However one cannot overlook the fact that teaching is also considered a ‘soft’ career choice. By this we mean something that it is considered easy and convenient to undertake. This may not be the actual case. Now that we have understood what drives people to this profession, it is time we look at teachers who have been teaching for a while now and see what they have to say about why they are teachers.

The students who aspire to become teachers have almost an idealistic view of the profession. They believe that their vision to make a difference would help them overcome the challenges and the lack of motivation faced in this profession. However, after talking to experienced teachers we see that after many years they still remember what drove them to become teachers and it is this vision that helps them learn as teachers and bring the change they want to see!

Today’s blog was the first step in understanding why people become teachers and what keeps them in this profession. In the upcoming weeks we will explore what teachers do every day and how they grow.

Nature Wise

2011-06-10T10:34:00.000+05:30

In our previous posts we have shared our thoughts about the change that is in happening in schools, families and within society. Meanwhile the mother of all changes has been taking place around us.

Mother Nature has been stretched quite a bit with all the human action of ‘modernization’. Her reaction to the mayhem we created has come forth through global warming, changing seasons, melting glaciers, parched lands in one geography and torrential rains in another. It is not difficult to understand that impacts of these changes are going to stay with us for a while.

We often hear environmentalists complain about people being completely disinterested in issues related to conservation of the natural environment.
Most middle-class families have a car, often more than one. They consider it inconvenient to use public transport, have a car pool or walk. People pluck leaves and flowers from trees with the same nonchalance as they throw a soft drink can out of a moving car or dump garbage under a tree or any vacant plot they can find.

Yet, we also know that some people like our friend Tara carry back a toffee wrapper home to dispose it in the bin if they do not find a suitable spot to trash outside. Tara attributes this to the fact that ‘No littering’ was a message drilled in her school. She explains that the convent she attended was spotlessly clean at all times. The teachers constantly talked about the importance of cleanliness.

This brings us to the question: “Given that each one of us needs to become more sensitive and caring towards the environment, how do we instill this in the minds of young children?”

A story that a kindergarten teacher shared with us recently, provides us with a clue to answer this.

This teacher is a Nature lover. She introduced her students to gardening in school. Every day her students would visit the patch of garden where they had sprinkled some carrot seeds, until one day it was time to pull out the carrots from the ground. Her fondest memories are of the look of wonder and amazement on the little ones’ faces as they realized that the seeds they had sprinkled had grown into marvelous red carrots. “This was hiding under the ground,” one child said. “Miss I can smell the mitti!” said another one. This small exposure for the children to the wonders of Nature would have probably developed a greater sensitivity and interest in plants than all poems, stories, songs put together they had heard in class.

So let’s think of how adults can create real and authentic experiences with Nature for their little ones. What about lifting a huge rock and asking children to see what is underneath? Or pointing to a squirrel seated outside the window and having children decide on a name for it? Then weaving a story around it?

In this context we share a curious problem that a teacher faced in her class. There was a lizard that refused to be chased out. Several of the children were scared of the lizard; while many others were for throwing things at it or stamping on it. The teacher named the lizard ‘Changu- Mangu’ and created a story about it. So every morning the Circle Time concluded with a story about “Do you know what Changu-Mangu did last evening?” Finally when the housekeeping was able to remove the lizard from the class, the story was concluded because “Chang-Mangu had gone visiting her friends.”

This is not to suggest that we allow our classrooms and homes to be infested with pests. We want to highlight a teacher’s ingenuity in turning an irksome situation into an opportunity to help children develop a feeling of compassion for animals including the not-so-cute-ones.

Simple initiatives like setting up a bird feeder so that children can feed and observe birds can bring children close to Nature. Another suggestion is to have children lie on their backs, observe the clouds and then draw them. Or have them adopt a tree or a plant during a year and care for it.

We adults in our role as mentors and parents have myriad ways to help our children develop a sense of fascination and respect for Nature. Caring for the environment will be a natural corollary.

Yes Ma’am

2011-05-29T10:33:00.001+05:30

As adults we reminisce fondly of our school days. We hold memories of our teachers walking into class, all students becoming silent, scrambling up to stand straight and saying “Good Morning/Afternoon” in a typical sing song voice!

Contrast this to a classroom of today ... A teacher walks in. Some students become silent; many continue to talk regardless. The teacher looks dismayed and asks students to stand up and greet her. A lecture on respecting teachers follows. Most students hear her out with a bored look. The teacher goes back to the staff room fuming about how this generation lacks manners and values!

Why has the behaviour of students changed?

In the past was it fear or was it respect that prompted students to stand up and greet the teacher? Or was it the successful drill of the moral science classes where they learnt endlessly to “Respect your elders!”

On this thought we would like to share a school bus episode. A few front seats of a school bus were always ‘reserved’ for teachers. Over time the number of teachers commuting on that bus went up. Students who travelled on the same bus resisted giving away seats to teachers, especially those who did not teach their class. This prompted a senior teacher to scream at them and ask them to give up their seats. She questioned their behaviour and told them that they needed to have respect for their teachers. Some students got up reluctantly that day only to repeat the same story the next day.

As adults we find it natural to impose authority and demand respect. However, do we really look at children to offer us seats for the fear of punishment? Or do we want them to respect us because they consider us worthy of their respect?

Teachers in the past were revered as being the fountains of all knowledge. Today children have access to this knowledge easily in the print and electronic media and on the Internet.
The school system in the past was entirely geared towards ‘doing as you are told to’. So students unquestioningly accepted all information that teachers provided; and did as they were told to do.

On the other hand, teaching methods now adopted in schools encourage children to think, ask questions, debate and share opinion. To demand respect and unquestioning obedience from students who have internalised these skills is - unrealistic.

Let us also reflect on current societal attitudes. Adults nurture relationships only when they see some tangible benefits from them. Children imbibe this at a very early age.

The days of blind respect and obedience are over. Teachers today need to work on building bridges with children; enjoying the new age children who at times are ahead of adults!

Teachers may need to think of new age roles for themselves - as facilitators or mentors and work towards bringing wisdom rather than just knowledge to their students.

Learning to Introspect

2011-05-14T10:32:00.001+05:30

As times have changed, so has parenting. Unlike mothers of yesteryears who were preoccupied with catering to large families and a never ending series of house-hold tasks, mothers in modern times have clear cut priorities.

Raising a ‘perfect’ child seems to be the unspoken ambition for them. Mothers of toddlers are seen in a frenzy of buying picture books, educational CDs and toys. Mothers of five to eight year olds hunt desperately for the ideal activity class to bring out their child’s hidden talent. The more the child grows, the more parents become excited and anxious to go that extra mile to bring him/her up perfectly. What the child needs is often asked but seldom understood.

At the same time parents are anxious to instil the right values in their child. The child is made to learn the 'good behaviour' norms almost as quickly as he/she is encouraged to learn the multiplication tables! The rigour with which this is enforced can make a Marshal proud.

Inspire believes that along with exhibiting these aspirations and expectations for the child, parents must consider giving the child the ‘space’ he/she deserves. This space eventually helps to accentuate emotional and intellectual growth in the child.

Here we would like to share Arun’s story with you.

Arun shared a special relationship with his mother. Every morning she would drop him to school in their Maruti 800. For some years the arrangement went on well. As Arun entered teenage he developed a sense of self-consciousness. He began to compare their Maruti 800 to all the big and fancy cars that streamed in to the school entrance each morning. One day, he casually told his mother, “You don’t have to drive all the way in mother. You can park the car a little before the main entrance and I can comfortably walk to school from there.”

What do you think the mother did?

She could have indulged in morality talk and lectured the boy on being content with what they had. She could advise him to stop comparing and look at himself with dignity. She could even go ahead to prove that owning a Maruti 800 did not in any way make her or her son inferior.

Arun’s mother, however, did none of this. Instead, she did exactly as her son had asked her to do. In doing so she honoured the state of mind her son was in. She gave him the space he needed to think and realise his feelings. Although she wanted her son to be happy and proud of what he was, she drew a line and did not rub her own values and thoughts on to him.

Six months later, Arun brought up the topic again. This time he said, “I am fine with it mother, you can drop me right in. I think it is just fine.” His mother smiled with pride and warmth. She knew her son had come around.

During the six months that her child went through a confusion of identity, she resisted the temptation more than once to ‘help out’. She chose to give him the space and independence to develop his own sense of self.

The question that arises here is, - 'Will a child always make the right decision? Will a firm value system evolve if children are always allowed their space and freedom?'

If the focus shifts away from trying to raise a perfect child, this is definitely achievable. We will need to trust our children and give them the opportunity to figure things out for themselves.

As one of the first steps in building a sense of self worth in children, we do not have to immerse the six year old in days packed with back-to-back activity schedules. He/She should be able to appreciate learning things instead of running against time to complete his/her karate- skating-swimming-drawing- dancing routine. The value of learning increases manifold when the child understands that he/she does not need to do all of this, but he/she may like to do some of them.

Similarly the child should find it natural to make a few minor mistakes or errors of judgement without bringing forth a strong reaction from the parents. These mistakes will help him/her explore choices, experiment, and eventually pick the right one.

* Inspire does not claim copyright of this image

Nothing in the world can work better than this to boost the child’s self-worth and confidence.

Socialising Over the Net

2011-04-22T10:31:00.001+05:30

The journey of our young students from socialising to social networking has been a rather quick one. LinkedIn, Netlog, Friendster, Classmates.com are some of the popular sites that help in keeping friends ‘connected’. But Facebook is the one social network site that seems to be rocking.

Inspire asked people across age groups what Facebook meant to them.

Well, social networking is all this and perhaps more. Networking sites provide a medium that has global reach and yet is personalised. It connects countless people to each other. Yet when you are logged on, it speaks to you alone. To top it all it is free.

Children, preteens, teenagers and even adults seem to be thriving in this ‘Net Connect’. The pictures that we get to see on these social networking sites have created a revolution of sorts. Bizarre hairdos and wacky tattoos; pouted lips and blowing kisses; cool clothes and funky gear; hugs and goodbyes; hills and flowers; cakes and cookies; cars and cell phones...you name it and you’ll see it.

‘Chatting’ consists of all subjects one can think of under the sun. Social network mania is not just affecting the upbeat metro children and youth. People from small towns and cities are equally under its influence with phones and sms. The chatting lingo is a hit with all. All feelings, expressions, thoughts—find a place in the little space of the chatting window. New found confidence is kicking in everyone. There is also a great deal of exhibitionism seen emerging from this addictive habit.

One wonders why a twelve year old schedules his evening hours to catch up on the Net assured that his tennis and guitar practice can wait. Schools and parents are in the blame-game mood. The child’s over-indulgence in social-networking is the discussion point of many meetings.

Inspire feels, parents, teachers and older siblings have to play the role of moderators for young children. These children are growing up in a digital age, where they see the parent responding to an sms before responding to the doorbell. If the parent is more relaxed that the child is ‘happy and safe indoors’ even if he is for hours on the Net, then the child will surely find ways and means to thrill himself through that channel. Then again, telling the child – “You cannot go online”- may be less effective than connecting with the child on a personal level and explaining how they should also try ‘offline’ things like playing a game of football or painting perhaps.

Social networking can be fun and useful, as long as it does not get addictive; does not hamper studies; does not become a source of temptation; does not lead to overpowering fantasies; and does not eat into one’s time for work and other interests.

It is a matter of concern if it comes in the way of real-life socialising. There are people experiencing healthy and meaningful friendships online, though their actual flesh and blood friendships and associations are going through a dip. This can be alarming as the virtual world is after all not absolutely real.

The High-Tech Factor

2011-04-15T10:30:00.000+05:30

As Inspire explores ‘change’ in a student’s everyday life, the magnum of it seems vast and almost infinite. We delve into the different facets of change through a series of articles. The first of this is on technology.

Today we focus on digital media and its repercussions on students. Educational CDs, online portals, computer games, the very popular PS3, specialised educational digital boards are all different avatars of digital media, that have become an integral part of a student’s life.

Gone are the days when getting to know the happenings in the school involved reading notes from the child’s School Diary or scheduling a meeting with the Class Teacher. Today, school portals have it all accessible for students and their parents within a few clicks, sitting in the comforts of their homes. The class lists, class schedules, events, competitions, breakthroughs, results, loads and loads of pictures- you name it and it is there. So schools are on an all-time communication high thanks to digital media. This at any rate does not seem to affect the student’s performance or level of interest in academics.

Specialised educational digital boards, on the other hand, are innovative teaching and learning tools. The blend of interesting visuals complemented with audio keeps students engaged. It facilitates the teacher to present otherwise mundane topics in interesting ways.

The amazing popularity received by ‘Hole in the Wall’ (where NIIT made breakthroughs in taking technology and education to the neglected strata of society) speaks volumes about the power of digital media.

The wow factor however takes a u-turn when we look at some other aspects of digital media. Take for example the PS3, Kinect or Nintendo games - that have half the current generation of children glued to them. Look at educational and interactive CDs that are marketed by the dozens to over indulgent parents for their ‘tech savvy’ children. The publishers of such ‘educational’ games and CDs have a limitless market. So they have enough reasons to smile.

The virtual world of social networking sites (with the likes of games like Farmville on Facebook) demands so much of a child’s attention that he forgets to connect with the real world outside. Infact, when did you last hear a child say – “The sky looks so beautiful today.” Or, “The rain feels so fragrant and cool.” At this rate, that day is not far when a cricket expert will mean someone who is an expert in digital cricket!

The proficiency of digital media is in fact gearing up to challenge the entire system of teaching.

At Inspire, we find this alarming - for the child, for the student, for the teacher and for the entire system of education. Imagine the epitome of a tech-savvy class for a four year old. A self sufficient specialised educational digital board backed by perfect audio, teaching the child a nursery rhyme; or perhaps the sound made by ‘b’. Sounds astonishing, but it is not very far into the future.

Teaching, however, is so much more than a pre-recorded flawless voice, attractive visuals and overload of information. For children in formative years, it is the compassion, affection and the human factor that brings the classroom to life. Teaching is reaching out to the child, knowing him and helping him learn and evolve; something that digital technology can not supplant. Like any other place, here too we cannot assume a ‘one size fits all’ approach. Different children may respond differently to this technology.

E-books, online education and projects are all very welcome, provided the teacher is there to mentor and scaffold a child’s learning. Digital media - as a stand-alone mode of education is an impersonal and soul-less style of education for our children, even though its opportunists may say otherwise.

After all tele-factor and online friends that are ‘soul-connects’ for children don’t have souls, do they?

Feel the Change

2011-04-08T10:29:00.001+05:30

Progress is impossible without change; and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything - George Bernard Shaw

Change is inevitable, change is constant and change is a necessity. The 80s, 90s followed by the turn of the century have left us all elated and puffed up with ‘change’. It sure is a great feeling to be ‘updated’ versions of what we would have otherwise been. The ‘generation next’ is indeed a progeny of this process of change.

However, there is another perspective of ‘change’ that is happening alongside. These are the intangibles that are either changing, or getting influenced by the elaborate progress that is happening all around us. From talking about sundry things with the unassuming kiryana wala bhaiya to getting greeted by a somewhat English speaking attendant at a big store - has not our approach towards shopping changed?

How are relationships today – within homes, amongst friends and most importantly at school? Does the sanctity that marked a teacher-child relationship remain still? Or are we experiencing a change there just in many of the other things?

One look at schools, arty classrooms – and you can say that ‘we have changed’. Preschools today look bright, pretty and all done up. At a senior school level, ‘digital media’ is infusing newer techniques into the teaching and learning process. With technology, consumerism, exposure, media, the change is happening at express speed. What we see as a result of this is – a student who belongs to the ‘generation next’.

Inspire is all set to explore this phenomenon of ‘change’ and its impact on the child today. We question - are we changing with a direction and purpose? Is change getting transferred in to a teaching and learning style where rote learning ceases to exist? Is change happening in the teachers approach towards the over informed child of today?

Are we ready for the change we are inviting?

Beyond the Curricula

2011-03-17T10:29:00.001+05:30

At Inspire, our commitment towards the cause of education is paramount. Over the past half year since we launched the blog, we have covered a broad spectrum of issues that touch upon education in its different manifestations.

The child being the ‘inspiration’ behind Inspire, we have shared how varying levels of ability, diverse reading habits, different approaches towards textbooks and even examinations have had an impact on our education system and the children who are part of this. We reiterate that we view ourselves as facilitators creating relevant learning experiences that will help children to gather, examine, validate, modify and extend knowledge.

In this drive towards education, there is yet another perspective that crops up. This takes us beyond the curricula and brings us face to face with some pertinent questions. Is the educated generation reaching where it ought to? What about the not-so-lucky ones who have not had the opportunity to complete their formal schooling? Can the onus of their development simply be left to fate? At Inspire we strive to make a difference there as well. Today, we share with you - Maya’s Story.

Coming from a small town in Nepal, with a responsibility to support herself and also send money back home, Maya was just another girl struggling to survive in the big city. Trained in a parlour, her meagre salary was barely enough to make both ends meet. At Inspire we realised that Maya could do much better for herself if she became functionally literate.

She underwent a ‘Functional Literacy Makeover’, with Inspire under our ‘Empowered to Share’ initiative. We supplemented her education as per her needs. Maya, who had decided to be a ‘beautician at your door step’ needed support with language skills to begin with. She needed to look and talk like the businesswoman that she was becoming. Above all she needed to build her network with ladies who belong to the ‘sms’ and email-cult. So Inspire guided her through the stepwise process – where the concept of her beauty services business was formed; next we made her aware about work culture and ethics; in parallel we helped her design the collaterals and refine her communication skills; finally we taught her nuances of operations, budgeting and accounting.

Today we see a new Maya sporting a business card-with the brand name ‘Arshia’, dressed in a crisp uniform, and making conversation confidently. Her ‘education’ also comprises of maintaining her ‘Customer Database’ which she is now beginning to do in MS Excel, and learning to write business emails and sms.

Maya is now a confident young lady, who has a business partner, Krishna. She is inspiring many others like her to adopt functional literacy, to create a better position in life.

There are people from all strata of society, with distinct skill-sets and different aspirations. For education to become holistic, they all have to be guided within the circumference of modern and practical education. The amazing part is, it is people like Maya, who tell us, “We are eager to learn, provided you teach us what we really need to learn.” That is precisely how functional literacy can be successful.

As educationists we need to identify what education needs to provide. Whether we ‘teach’ children, adults or skilled commoners, it is education that is ‘worthwhile’ that really matters in the end.

Progression of Textbooks

2011-03-11T10:28:00.001+05:30

Textbooks have an indelible influence in the lives of children, such that that it is almost impossible to imagine a school scene without simultaneously thinking of chalkboards, chalk, notebooks and textbooks.

For a very long time textbooks were the only teaching- learning aid in the classroom. Typical to any demand-supply scenario, they changed character based on the needs of the education system.
In olden days, the teacher was the head of the classroom. He was the mentor – who guided students with his words and wisdom accompanied by the writings in the textbooks. The textbooks were mostly ‘reference material’.

However for the past many decades, the purpose of teaching became simply to ‘complete the syllabus,’ prescribed in the text book rather than focusing on knowledge gain for the students. This system relied less on the teacher’s competency and more on the textbooks. Teachers merely read out from the textbooks; students learnt to memorise the words and reproduce them exactly in their examinations.

In this system it was easy for publishers to develop textbooks. New text was really regurgitated material from books written ages ago. Old content was sold under a new cover. This worked very well to save development costs. More students and schools meant higher volumes of sales. A combination of these two gave publishers enormous margins. The books had little to engage a child and cater to his interest. A by-product of this system was a generation of students who ‘learnt’ by rote - including the answers for a published list of questions, and promptly forgot what they had learnt once their exams were over.

Fortunately the wheel has begun to take a turn. There have been significant changes made in the education system – NCERT being a pioneer in this. Teachers now enjoy a higher status, including more pay and benefits. This has led them to move beyond just reading the books out to their class. Emphasis has gradually begun shifting from rote learning to one that is based on experiencing, thinking and applying. As a consequence to this change in demand, the character of textbooks has begun undergoing changes. Books are being designed to be engaging and containing text that is relevant for modern-day students. They are interactive and provide many hands-on activities for students to apply their learning.

Textbooks continue to form an integral part of this ‘collaborative’ learning process. The influence of technology has helped give them a fresh lease of life since the medium is now no longer only print, but digital and mobile as well. Research has shown the necessity of including support or supplementary learning material alongside the text books. This material like the textbook not only helps in classroom teaching, it also makes learning easier and more interesting for students.

With rapid changes in technology, it is hard to imagine what form textbooks will take in future. One thing can be said however – just like a good teacher is irreplaceable in the life of a student, a good textbook is non-pareil.

To ensure that all children benefit from the current ‘revolution’ in textbooks, it must reach schools and students across different strata of society. Moreover focused effort needs to be given to research; content needs to be reviewed and upgraded periodically and feedback from actual classrooms needs to be incorporated in order to make these books most effective.

Just like a favourite storybook, a textbook should hold a special place in the heart of a student.

Bring on the Reading!

2011-03-04T10:27:00.001+05:30

Eleven year old Sabina loves to read. Even at the breakfast table she has a book propped open in one hand. Sanjit’s mother makes it a point to buy books for him regularly, but he rarely gets beyond the first few pages of a book.

As educationists, we have thought for a good reason to this phenomenon - why some children read and others don’t? We find that in an average class, perhaps 10 out of 30 children read habitually, while the rest seem to shy away from books. They are all taught in the same classroom, exposed to the same texts and teachers. So what could possibly cause some to befriend books while their classmates show no such inclination?

The reason we found is quite simple.

Children in classrooms have varying levels of ability and interest in Language. Just like their performance in school, their extracurricular reading is also influenced by this. Thus some children develop an interest in the literature prescribed at school, and also like reading similar books outside school. The majority, on the other hand just about complete their prescribed readings at school.

To make all children read with interest, we need to answer - what are the books that most of them would find appealing?

Everything in our children’s lives has gone through dynamic changes over time. Supplementary reading lists remain the same as they were thirty years ago. We cannot expect modern children to naturally relate to texts from a bygone era. The language of the books, the flavour of the characters, the settings and contexts are very different from what they are familiar with. Contemporary languages, particularly English have evolved so much over the years that it is hard to understand the language of a book written hundred years ago. Most of the books are presented with limited or no illustrations making them even less attractive.

In earlier times, children loved to hear or read stories of fairies and dwarves and princesses. A few decades ago Enid Blyton was the reigning author for children. She created a world of boarding schools, full of adventure and pranks. Children from today’s age of technology find it difficult to relate to the adventures of the Famous Five and the Secret Seven. It was for this reason that Harry Potter became a global hit. The series came at a time when writing for children was going through a lull, and reintroduced children to the world of magic and fairies; only this time the context was modern. A world of Playstations and computers. Harry Potter gave children the gift of imagination without taking them back in time.

Comic books also hold a special place in the hearts of children. They are attractive and do not contain too much text, thus engaging even struggling readers. The graphics help children better visualise the story. While this is not to say that all comics are good, they can certainly be used to gradually build children’s interest in books and help them enter the fascinating world of literature.

So why aren’t these alternative reading materials referred to at school? Why do we leave it to the children to bump into these by accident, that too beyond the purview of scholastic activities? After all, the purpose of introducing children to literature at school is to ensure that they read. Why can we not tell them about Tintin and Potter at school? Why can we not get them to discover Nancy Drew and Wimpy Kid in school? These texts do classify as popular literature. They use decent language and manage to hook the children’s interest. They encourage children to use their minds and give wings to their imagination.

Why then, can they not be part of school reading? That is a question to ponder upon.

Endorsing Children’s Opinions

2011-02-25T10:25:00.000+05:30

Our education system includes all the following persons in the decision making in schools – school owners, schools leaders, teachers, parents, representatives from politics and bureaucracy.

It does not however include an important stakeholder - the student. While we have built the entire edifice of education around students, we make them passively accept and imbibe all processes and policies that we adults consider pertinent. When we incessantly talk of moving away from teacher-centric classrooms to child centric ones, should we not also consider schools adopting a more child-centric approach to decision making?

Many adults may respond to this saying - “Ah! But children do not really know what is good for them. If given a choice they will only like to spend their time on fun activities. In any case they cannot think about serious issues such as learning and education.”

So we spoke to some children to understand what they had to say in this matter. We asked them to mention one thing they liked in their school and another that they wanted to change. The responses we got from them were startling. Here is a sample of what the children shared.

Mridula is 13 years old; fond of dance and painting. She has this to say about the public school in a Tier 2 city she goes to.

Eleven year old Akshat is quite a musician. He plays the keyboard and the tabla. A voracious reader, he loves to read the ‘Wimpy Kid’ series. He writes:

Thirteen year old Meena studies in a government school. She aspires to use her education to succeed in life. She said that she likes her teachers in school because most of them teach very well!

These three responses from three very different children emphasise that they notice and appreciate the intangibles in their school environment. They’re not just thinking about having fun, having things easy, or focusing on the obvious such as infrastructure and comfort.
When we asked some children about one thing they would like to change about their schools, the suggestions were equally insightful as their opinions about their schools.

Mridula wrote:

Sanah has just stepped into her teen years and has an equally relevant comment. She says:

When asked to cite an example of a pointless rule she shared that they are allowed to borrow only one book from the library every week. She often is able to read through a library book in three or four days but has to wait for the next library period to get her hands onto another book.
Meena would like her school to teach more English and Math since she considers them important for her future education and career. She also suggests they should offer extra-curricular activities like dance and music.
Jay would like his teachers to be more willing to answer questions rather than telling him not to be cheeky. He says he asks questions because he is really intrigued by a topic and not because he is trying to be as his teachers call him - ‘oversmart’.

Notice how none of the respondents spoke about having air-conditioned classrooms, comfortable bean bags instead of chairs, soft drinks instead of water in the hot summer months. Each child has tried to focus on a real and essential issue.
This small survey reiterated that children are thinking individuals; they can distinguish between their wants and needs and express them clearly. Children's expectations from their schools are not frivolous or immature. We must begin to accomodate their thoughts and aspirations for their centres of knowledge. Not only will this make schools more democratic, it will instill in children a greater sense of responsibility towards their own learning.

Testing Times

2011-02-18T10:22:00.001+05:30

In our last article, we discussed how children should be exposed to a balance of good and bad in order to make informed decisions in their future lives. By ‘protecting’ children, adults just manage to delay their point of contact with bad. Since there is no way to remove it altogether, it leaves children unprepared for the bad or ugly things in life.

On the same lines, today we look at the role of examinations in children’s lives. Several policy changes have been demanded for our examination system – some of these managed to see the light of day and others remained buried under bureaucratic files. One such was the shift from a ‘marks’ system to a more egalitarian ‘grades’ system. Strong voices had been raised for some time about how the percentage/marks system was causing obscene levels of competition among children and leading them to great stress. The superficial change to the grades system meant to control this. Effectively it was like saying to a child, “You must get an A+,” instead of, “You must get above 90 percent.” How these two statements were any different to the child was anybody’s guess.

Let us for a moment play the devil’s advocate and plead the marking system be. Before you think of us as callous and insensitive, just step back and reflect on life and work. Can you single out a job that is completely devoid of stress? Can you name an area of expertise where people don’t face competition? Then again, can you forget the joy and sense of self actualisation that we experience when we achieve something that is difficult? If their future lives are going to be about managing a certain amount of stress, pressure and competition, then how correct are we to shield our children completely from it in their present lives?

Examinations can be stressful for children who are unprepared and have not learnt time management skills. They have also been made ‘monstrous’ by the gamut of adult influencers – parents, schools, society - who are more pressurised than the children themselves!

Let us share here about Akshat - a 6th grader who is appearing for a formal examination for the first time. When asked if he is scared, he replies “No, my teacher says exams are just like worksheets that we do in class all the time. They are only a bit longer.”

*Photo Disclaimer - Inspire does not claim copyright on this picture. Any resemblance to any person alive or dead is purely coincidental.

For a child, annual examinations, continuous assessment and the grading system are all the same. Each experience can be equally stressful or completely blissful. A child is not anxious about an examination till adults make it seem that his/her entire worth is dependent on the received marks or grades. So, no matter what the mode of assessment is, as long as we adults continue to pressurise the child, there is no solution to this examination conundrum.

The only way we can prepare children for the future is by creating an atmosphere where they want to do the best for themselves. They are guided by their natural instincts to excel and achieve in any area of their interest, and not just math or language or science. Let us not make them wilt under our expectations and pressure. We need to reflect on the role we play as facilitators to bring up children who are informed and prepared for their future without having undergone unnecessary strain to learn all of this.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

2011-02-11T10:21:00.000+05:30

In today’s world, where children have multiple sources of information, parents feel the need to be the primary communication source for their children. Parents are seen often adopting a rather protective stance, not wishing to tell children about the bad that balances the good in the world. It is useful to think if children should be shielded from everything bad or ugly or made aware of them, perhaps in moderate measures - so that they gradually develop the skill of dealing with such things on their own.

We recount an event which exemplifies this - from Dussehra, a well-known festival in India celebrating the triumph of good over evil.

During a particular Dussehra, one preschool designed the following play to help children realise how it is important to identify one’s mistakes, be apologetic for them, and learn from them.

Scene 1
Children having fun - drawing, playing, talking in a classroom. Suddenly, Raavan enters the scene. He has only one head.

Child 1: “Hello! Who are you?”

Raavan (sadly): “I am Raavan, and I am very sad.”

Child 2: “Why are you sad? And if you are Raavan, where are your other heads?”

Raavan: “That is why I am sad! I have lost the rest of my heads! Dussehra is just around the corner. If I don’t find my heads, what will people do for Dussehra?!”

Child 3: “You want to find your heads, so that people can punish you? Why don't you hide or run away?”

Raavan: “I made a mistake by taking Sita away. So I have to make up for my mistake and say sorry for what I did.”

Child 4: “Oh it is okay if you’re sorry! Our teacher said the most important thing is to be sorry if you have made a mistake! You’re sorry Raavan. So we will help you!”

Raavan: “Thank you children! I will be so happy if you find my heads!”

All Children: “Don’t worry Raavan, we will find them!”

Scene 2
Raavan leaves.

Child 1: “We promised Raavan that we will find his heads. How do we do that? We don’t even know where to start looking!”

Child 2: “It is okay! I know what we can do! Do you remember our last Art and Craft class?”

Child 3: “Where we learnt to make things with papier-mâché?”

Child 4: “Yes! We will make Raavan’s heads with papier-mâché!”

All Children: “Wow! That is a great idea!”

Scene 3
Children at work making heads from papier-mâché.
Raavan enters in a while.

Raavan: “Did you find my heads, children?”

Child 1: “No, but we did something better. We made you new heads from papier-mâché! Look at them..so colourful!”

Raavan: “They are such lovely heads! Now Dussehra should be fun! You saved Dussehra, my dear children. For that reason, I will tell you something important. I was a rich, just and intelligent king. But I became proud and made a mistake. So I was punished. Always remember to say sorry if you make a mistake. I did that - and you all helped me today.”

All Children: “We will always remember this lesson Raavan!”

Raavan: “Bye children! See you on Dussehra!”

Through this simple play, the children were exposed to an example of bad in the world. They also learnt an important lesson – about saying sorry.
If children are not acquainted with the negative influencers and unpleasant aspects of life, they may remain incapable of dealing with them and making informed decisions in their future lives.

The Day that Comes Once in a Year

2011-02-04T10:18:00.001+05:30

Annual Days are quite the big deal for all schools. Weeks and months of toil and hard work are put into the preparations for the event. On this day the school comes out and tells the world, “Look at how good we are! All our students participate in extra-curricular activities.” In our adult wisdom we consider annual days a platform for children to exhibit their creativity and develop confidence.

Today we share a story about one such Annual Day.

A harried teacher was instructing her pre-scholars to remain quiet and line up for their performance. She kept running around, from one end of the waiting area to the other, getting her students ready. Just as the Chief Guest was to walk in, one of her students, Priya, started calling out to her loudly. The teacher ran to Priya, first urging her to keep quiet and then asking her what the matter was. Priya, with a face full of wonder and amazement that only a four-year-old can have, looked up at the skies, pointed with her small, chubby finger, “Look! Pigeon!”
The teacher was stumped. Should she shout at little Priya for being amazed by a pigeon, even as the Chief Guest was walking in? Or should she build on this wonder and fascination to talk about pigeons?

As people who are engaged with educating children we often encounter such ‘opportunities’. Yet we often ignore them for our pre-determined agendas. While we talk about experiential education and harp on the Play Way method, we often tailor these approaches to incorporate what we think is appropriate for the children. We try to determine the experiences and takeaway for children from these experiences. What we tend to forget is that each child is capable of thinking. We tend to ignore their authentic responses because we presume that they do not know enough.

Children can partner with adults in their own learning process, if their perspectives are accommodated in. We need to reflect on how we impose our ‘agenda’ on children. Take for example the choice of colour for their dresses - do all girls have to love pink? Or the kind of story books we select, as well as the learning experiences we create for these little individuals.

Let us go back to our story.

The teacher reflected on her experience. She realised that the children were not engaged in the show because it was not something they had wanted to do. They were merely abiding by her instructions. No one had asked them for their ideas or suggestions. So the next year the teacher started a theme on ‘Water’ a month before the Annual Day. Children experimented with water, shared experiences. Among other activities, the class heard stories on water and rivers. The children identified a story they wanted to act out. The teacher then asked the children to pretend that they were 'water' and to decide how they wanted to move. The young children with the teacher’s guidance actually choreographed their routine - deciding movements that were simple, suitable and spontaneous!
Every day the children looked forward to practicing their story. For Annual Day they put up their best performance because they were showcasing ‘their’ story for their parents!

Children have an infinite capacity to learn and express. We as teachers and parents just need to tap the potential and watch how they blossom.

Manifestations of Art in Children

2011-01-28T10:17:00.000+05:30

Take a look at this picture.

Picture 1 – A child’s drawing

What do you see? A riot of colours and lines. How would you react if a child presented this as his drawing? Would you think it has a meaning, a story? Or would you be inclined to believe it is gibberish?
Now take a look at this.

Picture 2 – An adult’s drawing

What do see in this picture? Controlled, conformed, structured, lines and a defined form. It looks like the artist had a definite idea of what the objects look like, almost like they couldn’t look any other way.

We live in times of innovation where we constantly look for novel solutions, out-of-the-box thinking, ideas that maybe unconventional but ground breaking. Innovation requires creativity.

Whereas we teach children, with enthusiasm, how ‘apples are red’. When a child comes up with a drawing of a purple apple, we disapprove and tell them to do it ‘correctly’. We never stop and ask the child what he/she was thinking while drawing a purple apple. We are so keen to propagate norms and teach the child what is ‘correct’, that we overlook something equally important. While criticising a four-year-old for drawing a purple apple, we actually tell him/her that thinking beyond ‘apples are red’ is taboo. Thus instilling in his/her mind a rigid thought.

Picture 3 – Adult’s drawing of a house

Picture 4 – Child’s drawing of a house

Look at these pictures of adult and child drawings of a house. The child’s drawing is visibly influenced by the teacher. Many of us will draw a house similarly when we are asked to draw one. Can we for a moment reflect on where we see such a house that looks like a box with a triangle on top? More importantly, why do we continue to teach children to draw such a house? Since it is a convention?

However, is it really wrong if a child drew a home any other way? From experience or from imagination. Did you ever stop to think that everything that children draw reflects what is going on in their minds? Take for example, Picture 1. It comes with the most magnificent story of a snake eating eggs from a bird’s nest, while the mama bird is away.
When you first looked at Picture 1, you may have never thought that it had such a deep meaning for the artist. Imagine if some adult wrecked this wonderful story by saying, “What are these squiggles? Go and colour within lines.”
This sort of an attitude would just crush the child’s imagination and confidence. He/She would feel uncomfortable when asked to draw again.

Think of when a four year old says, “I can’t draw.” Such loss of confidence at such a young age!

That is exactly what happens when we take a child’s mind - unrestricted, free, a riot of colours with no conformity, as shown in Picture 1, and try to add lines, structure and the ‘correct’ way of doing things.

Build the Trust

2011-01-21T10:15:00.000+05:30

Today we will talk about the influence teachers have on the minds of their students. We have a lot of stories to demonstrate this, but the ones we have chosen were shared with us by two parents.
The first story is about Ishaan who is fifteen years old and like most teenagers spends more time in the virtual world. His parents often worry about the amount of time he spends in front of his PC. They feel that he is somehow losing touch with the real world and Nature. On a recent road trip to the country side, Ishaan was spending a lot of time on his smart phone updating his friends about the journey rather than experiencing the real journey. As the car was passing near a village, Ishaan suddenly asked to stop. There were sugarcane fields on either side of the highway. He stepped out of the car, entered a field and just touched a sugarcane plant. He then requested one of the farm hands to give him a cane. He turned to his mother and said, "Mom, do you remember in KG we did the theme on sugarcanes? Seema ma'am got some sugarcane for us and we had so much fun chewing them! I never realized that sugarcane plants grow so tall and that the leaves have such sharp edges! It has always fascinated me….and Nature too."
Seema would never have thought of the deep impact her getting sugarcane to class would have on the children. She had simply done what she thought then was the right thing, to help children learn better. It eventually influenced at least one child in the way he looked or connected with Nature.
Here is another story.
A little while ago, when the environmental conservation drive was just gathering steam, prominent schools across the country started a 'Ban Polythene' drive.
Our friend, a parent from such a school was strictly instructed by her son to never pack his lunch in a polybag again. Back in those days, paper bags weren't readily available. Packing anything for school had become a daily battle. Every morning there were tears and fights about not taking poly bags to school. This continued for quite some time, till one day, during a struggle to find paper bags, the son just shouted, "Give it to me in a poly bag!"
The parent was taken aback. After months of abstinence from polythene bags, why did her son suddenly not mind them anymore? More than anything, she was concerned that maybe her son no longer gave enough importance to rules or socially-relevant causes. So she asked him, "Why are you asking for a poly bag all of a sudden? Won't your teacher tell you off?" To this her son replied, "How can she tell me off? She gets polythene bags to school herself!"
Adults have incredible impact on children. Sometimes this influence is way beyond what they intend or expect it to be. This is an important message for all adults who engage in 'educating' children as parents as well as teachers – Practice What You Preach. Always try to be honest in your intent. Children look at 'grown-ups' with trust and expectation. We need to work towards retaining and building on their feeling of deference. For if children stop trusting us, then who will they look up to for guidance?

The Missing Regard for Teaching

2011-01-13T10:14:00.000+05:30

Education on one hand can be seen as the most basic route of transmitting knowledge - that schools practice. That is centred on the teacher and her students.
On the other it encompasses the ever-growing educational publishing industry, school stationery industry, educational service providers, tuition classes, co-curricular training centres, et al.
One can find that the growth of teachers has not been commensurate to the continuing enormous growth in other aspects of the education sector. While the some school teachers are well-paid and some others also enjoy such perks as attendance to foreign training workshops and certifications, the general state of teachers in the country is mediocre.
In spite of schools being money-churners for the proprietors, one often finds that the most important player, the teacher, is neglected. Why is teaching considered to be the profession for bored housewives and those with a lot of spare time on their hands? Why does every child who is asked want to be a doctor, an engineer, MBA; none wants to be a teacher? Why hasn't teaching come over to the other side, and become an aspired profession?
Many think that those who cannot find other jobs begin teaching. How true is this thinking? Is teaching not one of the most challenging professions, considering the enormous responsibility it comes with?
Only someone who has engaged with an easily distracted preschooler or an angst-ridden teenager for an extended period of time will understand how difficult it is. A teacher's job is not just to engage a classroom full of them, but guide them; make them learn with interest and understanding; work towards shaping their futures.
Appreciating this aspect of the job, can make one well agree to have the teacher well paid and satisfied!
Another line of thought is that teachers nowadays do not take their jobs seriously and have let the quality of teaching slip. Examples from Indian legends are often taken to stress on the elevated status in society of theguru – who was knowledgeable, wise and who gave up everything else in life to pursue teaching. The guru therefore was most respected, as he moulded the futures of his shishyas (students), many of whom later became scientists, scholars, famous warriors and great kings.
The onus is therefore on both teacher and society to reclaim the lost glory of teaching as a profession. Just like in the past, only people who are qualified and trained should become teachers, not those who could not qualify to become doctors, engineers or managers.
At the same time, society should encourage teachers to be treated as any other person working in corporate – who is compensated according to her qualifications, experience and work profile.
By doing this the quality of teaching and teachers can see the same proportionate growth that the education sector is currently witnessing.

Aspects of Education

2011-01-07T10:14:00.000+05:30

The education sector comprises of a multitude of things. People who work in this sector are often asked, "So, what exactly do you do?"
The sector is no longer just about teaching and teachers only. People from diverse fields like management, sales, marketing and finance have moved into education.
Opening and running school is as much about marketing it right, as it is about getting the academic curriculum in place. Educational products are related to core curriculum and supplementary learning; language improvement programs; learning games and toys, television programs; and the newest additions – digital products. Marketing for these products is just as important as creating appropriate content and design.
As Inspire does work in different areas of the education sector ranging from curriculum design, to providing infrastructure and branding guidelines, and teacher training, we regularly come across different kinds of people with different approaches to the sector.
Two such interactions made us think about the kind of work we would like Inspire to be known for.
The Inspire team is frequently invited by a key central government educational organisation to offer trainings to groups of teachers from across India.
For Inspire these workshops help to remain in touch with an audience very important to us – teachers. At each of these workshops, our trainers meet teachers from across the length and the breadth of the country.
The regional and cultural differences in the teachers most definitely bring variances in the ways they teach their classes. There is however a quality that most of them possess - passion.
They are absolutely enthusiastic about teaching children. They are also keen to learn. The zeal with which each of them participates in the workshops goes on to show that they take their jobs as serious missions. Teaching may well be the most undervalued and yet the most publically revered profession. While many teachers understand the importance of their occupation, the undervaluation brings their motivation levels down. Each one of us wants to be appreciated for the work we do. But consider this, how many times have you seen a teacher or an educator publicly appreciated for their work? To top this societal undervaluation, we have the 'sarkaari' (bureaucratic) system. So we have teachers being pulled out for collecting census data. Once, an animated discussion during an Inspire workshop was halted midway because it was some senior professor's farewell! With constraints like these, it is justified that the teachers would suffer from low morale and motivation.
Inspire's association on the other hand has been with corporate organisations that operate with an evident focus on bottom lines. One such engagement has been with an enterprise that ventured into education, considering it a noble profession, but more importantly seeing it made good business sense.
Education is currently beginning to see the same high that IT had seen a decade back. It is the bandwagon everyone wants to ride. In that process, academics, the basic A, B, C of the field, sometimes takes a backseat. As the domain gets increasingly competitive - infrastructure, branding and marketing become the drivers, - marketing a school; an educational program; even marketing curriculum.
Ever noticed how every school now claims to 'nurture' a child?
Contrast to ten years ago. How many schools advertised in newspapers or put up billboards? All this shows the infiltration of marketing in education.
While marketing itself is a positive aspect, it is counterproductive for the domain if the focus shifts from quality.
These two associations have been learning experiences for Inspire. We realize that the way ahead is going to be challenging. While many teachers will continue to do good work in their individual classes, the second group can help expand these islands of excellence. This will again have a direct and positive impact on teacher compensation and their motivation.
The challenge is therefore to work with teachers to ensure that they make each school day interesting and enriching for children. At the same time encourage corporate funding to ensure that 'good quality' education is available to many more children.
Inspire is enthused by these recent changes in the sector. It views the entry of corporate into education as positive as it adds value and ensures reasonable returns and growth for enterprises, showing it is possible to do both.
In all the work that Inspire has done, one thing has emerged clearly – education cannot be compromised for the sake of higher profits. While we are a business enterprise, we know that each minute of our existence is because of the child – whose life we intended to influence with quality education.
We also urge the consumers – the parents to be alert and mindful of these influences when deciding on their child's education. After all it is their choice that makes their child's future.

Lesson from a Four-year Old

2011-01-01T10:12:00.000+05:30

Warm Wishes for 2011 from Inspire!

We begin the New Year by sharing some experiences that have influenced who we are and how we work at Inspire. As you read on you may find likeness with something you have seen or been through in your life.

For every teacher all her students are special. Each class that she has taught stays on in her mind beyond years. Sometimes even a single memory of a student lingers.

Radhika had a student, whom we shall call 'A' for the purpose of this narration. A was a precocious toddler, who wore glasses, that partially covered his droopy eyes. Even as a child he carried himself with immense confidence, looking his teacher straight in the eye and calling her 'Ms Radhika' instead of the usual 'Ma'am'. He always had an opinion about things and a matching wit too. All in all – he was a little guy who could not be missed easily.

During one time around the Annual Day celebrations of the school, Radhika was readying her class for the rehearsals. The children were not the most enthusiastic considering they had to wait for hours for their turns for practice. They would get restless. Some would even cry.

Radhika, aware of this spoke to her class "Children, I know it is difficult, I know it is boring to sit still for so long. But we need to do this so that we can put up a good show. So let's think how we can make the waiting time less boring for all of us." The children came up with several suggestions. After hearing them out Radhika said "Okay, while you wait your turn you can choose between blocks or books. As a class let us decide on one of these that we can take with us. Once we have made a choice we will carry it with us to make the waiting time less boring for us. But on your part, you will need to keep quiet during the practice time."

Children chose to carry blocks. Radhika had guessed this would work. She tried this successfully later in many schools during similar situations. Children always chose blocks and remained engaged and quiet after that.

On that day too children agreed unanimously and grew less restless almost immediately. Radhika, satisfied, turned around to see A staring straight at her. Radhika asked him, "What happened A? Why are you looking at me like that?" Taking his time, as if mulling the question over in his head, wondering how to approach it, A said, "I was just thinking, you are a pretty good dealmaker."

Radhika was stumped. This was totally unexpected from a four-year old, whom she was teaching nuances of proper speech. A, meanwhile walked past her to his place in the waiting area, as if he had said nothing out of the ordinary.

That day, Radhika learnt two things.

First that children are capable of taking decisions and providing solutions. They do not need to be told always to make them understand. Instead their perception of things needs to be given more respect.

Second and perhaps a more important one, that children understand moods and situations much better than what adults give them credit for. They are vigilant and pick up cues from adult talk and behaviour. So a teacher or parent needs to be a role model whose conduct a child can emulate.

Many of Inspire's methods are thus based on lessons learnt from four-year-olds. We have many more such lessons, each unique and interesting.

If you have a similar incident from your life, do share with us.

The Inspiration for Inspire

2010-12-29T10:11:00.000+05:30

At the onset of a new year, a recount from the founders on how the journey of Inspire began...

Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration. Thomas A. Edison

This one-percent though small carries a lot of significance – quite simply, it differentiates someone who completed something successfully from someone who did not.

It is this one-percent that makes an explorer sail in search of undiscovered lands; an inventor labour to craft that unknown miracle that could change the world; a writer pen hundreds of lines to find that perfect prose.

It is this one-percent that brought together the founders of Inspire.

Inspire started as a thought – to bring a change in the 'learning' experiences for a child.

Radhika Suri and Sameera Sood had been educators for many years. They had seen how parents though keen and involved in their children's education were hampered by lack of understanding of what actually 'good' education is. They often based their choice of schools on factors such as infrastructure or catch phrases used in the brochures. On the other hand the school promoters and publishers used the advantage of the situation parents were in to create a successful business model based mostly on superficial elements.The entire industry built around the child paid little attention to what the child really wanted!

The inspiration behind Inspire is the child.

One of Sameera's fondest memories is of a day when she wore a pink sari on a school occasion. She recalls vividly one compliment among many that she received – this came from one of her students who said "Oh! You look so nice today! Just like a strawberry ice cream!" She had been teaching her class colours. The little child's simple and honest response showed her attempt to extend and apply her learning beyond the class. This has remained with Sameera after so many years.

Radhika recalls how during a class she realized that teaching demanded more listening than speaking. One of her students when asked a question responded exasperated and confused. "Arre Ma'am! Aap chup rahogi toh sochunga na!" (I can only think if you keep quiet!) Radhika calls her it her 'Lesson on Teaching from a 4-year old.'

Unlike Radhika and Sameera, Tilottama comes from a corporate background. Her first interest in education came from the time her son started school. When she began hunting for a 'good' preschool for her son, all the schools she visited looked more or less the same and said the same words. In many of the schools she saw children moving around mechanically with expressionless faces. Ultimately she settled for a school which had strong recommendations from some parents she knew. What she found later in the school was something she had hated as a child – homework! Toddlers were expected to complete worksheets to be signed and graded by the teacher.

Each such experience that the founders went through was like a seed for thoughts of doing something different - wherein a child would be loved, respected, asked, listened to, given opportunities to explore her likes – to channelize the boundless enthusiasm and energy that the child has.

The learning experience would make the child look forward to learning.
The learning tools would be appropriate to enforce this learning in the child.

In its journey, Inspire looks to find many persons who share this thought of bringing in a change. A change that must happen among schools, teachers, parents and even children – in order to be effective.

It is Inspire's aim for a collaborative and accelerated effort towards better education.

That is the remaining ninety-nine percent...the journey for which has only begun.

Can there be another way?

2010-09-28T10:09:00.002+05:30

9 am - Innocent faces, bright expectant eyes, proud owners of new school bags and bottles (with their favourite cartoon characters); walking with moms, looking forward to the first day at school.

9.30 am - Heart rending cries; some children on the floor, some banging the classroom door to get out - inconsolable, heartbroken, feeling intense pain of separation from the loving warm mum they feel one with.

Do the first steps have to be so painful?
Why can't the change be gradual, children engaged in outdoor play or indoor games - slowly getting used to the increase in separation time. How long will it take—2-3 weeks?
Why can't that time be taken out to secure a child's trust and settle him/ her in the new surroundings?
Why do we let them cry so till they get tired of it and realise it is futile — as mom will not come till their time at school is up.

Is it just because we know they are dependent, powerless in the world of adults and this is 'best' for them or that the school knows 'best'?

Feeling all this intensely and knowing in my heart that there should be another way - would I still let my child cry and cry and then get used to the school - interestingly playschool - or will I pull him out , hold him close to me and apologise and take him home?

What is it that stops me from doing this...Is it a feeling that he will settle down eventually or knowing that all the fees have been paid at the time of admission or some sort of deep fear of failure to be able to provide the kind of stimuli a school can - I do not know!

And as I go along ironing clothes for the next day at playschool- preparing my child to know that I am in his heart, I am always with him, I will be at the reception waiting for him - asking him to enjoy himself, wish his teachers, play, paint etc, etc....

And at the reception I sit, hear him cry for me - heartbroken, almost in tears myself, feeling as helpless - that maybe I haven't prepared him well enough.....
Sentimental, crazy, over sensitive- you can call me. Maybe I am all of these.

But that is because I care, because I love children - not just my own. With each child moving on from loud protests and crying to silent voiceless sobs- I wonder what we (adults) have done to his/ her soul.
Can there be another way......?

Seema Wahi Mukherjee

Curriculum Planning

2010-08-25T10:08:00.000+05:30

Average school-going children in India spend about 7 hours a day, 160 days in a year inside classrooms - through 13 years of their lives.
They also spend additional time at home, studying or doing homework.
This means that more than a third of the children's growing years are spent in formal education or in the company of school books.
Creating a good curriculum is therefore the first step towards helping children develop a comprehensive education. This includes knowledge of Science or Math concepts, World Affairs, History, Geography and Language.
This learning begins at preschool years.
So what comprises a good preschool curriculum?

It should keep in mind the fact that preschool children are curious and anxious to know new things. At the same time, they are easily distracted.

The curriculum should therefore introduce topics in a variety of ways that become interesting for children. It should use examples that children identify with or can find in their real lives. This will help generate interest for a topic in children.

It should include activities or hands-on exercises related to topics – which children can observe or participate in themselves (in a safe setup).

Children this age group find great interest in taking part in activities that make them feel 'grown-up' or 'independent'.

Children look for means of creative expression – so the curriculum should include occasions for these.
The curriculum should ensure that children are provided opportunities for development in multiple domains – which is a requirement at this stage in their lives, but often ignored by traditional methods of learning.
Finally- the curriculum should be flexible enough for facilitators who are transacting it to adapt it in their own ways; perhaps add innovations, to suit the learning styles of the children they're guiding.

Classroom Settings

2010-08-10T10:07:00.000+05:30

If you are asked to close your eyes and imagine a classroom – what do you see?

For most of us, it conjures a vision that consists of rows of desks and chairs seating students who are either bent over their books or listening to a teacher standing in front of the blackboard.

Think however if the learners as well as the way they learn are undergoing rapid and significant changes, can classrooms remain unchanged?

No.

A singular change needed in classrooms is the way they are set up.
The current setting of desks in rows is suited to the industrial model of education where teachers teach what they think is important and students are expected to learn.

Yet if we are looking at an increasingly democratic approach to education where students are informed about educational choices and are encouraged to voice their opinions, our class room settings should reflect this as well.

Having an imposing desk at the top of the class represents power and control. Most of us can recall the dread of being summoned up to the teacher’s desk to have our various sins of carelessness, indiscipline or general laziness highlighted.

Can there be an alternative way of organising classrooms where the teacher’s desk does not intimidate? Should the teacher’s desk have apermanent position as the Sun in the Solar System?

If we believe that education for the future is about helping children examine, evaluate and extend current knowledge, then we need to create classrooms where children can think creatively and divergently. This will involve providing opportunities for children to discuss, debate and critique - in other words learn not just from the teacher but from each other.

Co-operative learning encourages children to gain knowledge in a non-threatening environment which is essential for nurturing creativity. Try thinking out-of-the-box when you have been asked to stand up and have everyone’s eyes trained on you!

Classrooms need to be flexible to allow permutations and combinations of settings – which in turn support collaborative learning.

Learning Environments

2010-08-04T10:05:00.001+05:30

Schools along with libraries and museums are considered to be the primary learning environments. Much of present day learning takes place in these physical locations.

In future, as the world becomes more and more inter-connected and technology-enabled, our definition of a learning environment will have to be extended to include the virtual and online world as well. As educators we need to realise that a learning environment need not necessarily be a physical setting.

On the other hand, if we wish to provide education that enables and supports social, cognitive, spiritual and creative development in young individuals, we need to ensure that our schools and classrooms also support positive human relationships.

The requisite for educators, designers, and architects therefore is to design physical spaces in schools such that they optimise children’s learning in all the domains of development.

Schools of future will have to try to merge technology with physical space and at the same time provide rich and diverse opportunities where children can interact with peers and adults and develop a sense of community.

An implication of this dynamic interactive approach to learning is that spaces in schools should have built-in flexibility. It should be possible to create multiple layouts using the same furniture, equipment and storage options in a variety of configurations.

Finally - given the ecological damage that the Earth is experiencing, it is important that our children grow up into environmentally responsibleindividuals.

Educators, architects and designers need to collaborate to create spaces where children can experience, explore and work with the natural environment to develop sensitivity and responsibility towards it.

Changing Mindsets

2010-07-27T10:01:00.001+05:30

Teachers often complain that some children in class are just not interested in learning. They are not willing to put in the effort needed to learn.

Yet any of us who have taken care of a three year old know how physically and mentally tiring it can be to answer their incessant stream of questions and follow them as they go exploring the
environment.

Every waking moment in a toddler's life is spent on learning.

So are we as teachers saying that some children don't want to learn while actually implying that they do not want to learn in school?

Why should they - schools are contrived environments while the world outside is so much more rich, diverse, nuanced, dynamic and challenging.

Our schools and education system still equate education with acquiring information.
Knowledge is absolute, so a good student is someone who can download the knowledge, save it in memory and reproduce it as is, whenever needed. Learning is therefore all about obeying orders and following instructions. Moreover schools continue to function under the illusion that knowledge is available only in the class.

The world however is changing rapidly. While it took the radio over three decades to reach 50 million people, Facebook reached this number in just a couple of years.

Our children's world is one of instant information, communication, entertainment and collaboration. YouTube has over one billion page views per day and there are over 31 billion searches on Google every month.

We as teachers need to accept that knowledge can no longer be considered as absolute and unchanging. Neither can we continue to believe in ourselves as the fount of knowledge.

Instead, we need to view ourselves as facilitators - creating collaborative, inquiry-based learning experiences that will help students to gather, examine, validate, modify and extend knowledge. We need to support and guide them as they use the current knowledge to create new products and solutions as well as discover what is still unknown.

While this will have implications in the school design, classroom setting, practices and curriculum, the change will have to begin from the change in teachers' attitudes towards teaching and learning.

Series - Education for Future & Schools of Tomorrow

2010-07-22T09:53:00.000+05:30

The pace of change and technological advancement in the world has been exponential in the last century or so.

The light bulb was invented in 1879. Since then, we have seen the invention of cars, the telephone, air travel, radio and television.

For today's common man it is hard to imagine how life would have been just a hundred years ago. Unimaginable inventions like submarines, spacecraft and even the atomic bomb have taken place.

Computers, micro-processors and most famously the Internet have come to occupy a place in our everyday lives.

Cloning, 3D Television, holographic images - the world around us is changing at a relentless pace.

That brings us to the question of what changes should we bring in education to keep up to the huge changes happening in our world today?

Think about this - children who are starting Kindergarten today will retire by 2065 or even later. We can only imagine what their world will be like during that time. If we are unable to predict, let alone visualise the future, how can we provide education to our children that prepares them for the future?

As parents and educators we often marvel and envy at the ease with which children learn to use and adapt to technology. They seem to pick up and learn to use the latest phones and gaming devices almost instinctively, while we adults struggle to figure out the mechanics of how they work.

This is a simple example of how we need to test our paradigm of education, reinvent our understanding of teaching and learning and make it relevant for today and also for the future that is nebulous and uncertain.

Beginning with this, we will publish some thoughts we have on this - what changes we can bring and how to the system of education that is rapidly getting out-of-date.