Mentor July 2016 Volume 10 Issue 2

CONTENTs

July 2016 | Volume 10 Issue 02

Mentor Thoughts Sultan Speaks Page - 05 Computers for Education

Post Scriptum Page - 34 Sharing and Learning…

Pedagogy Rise and Shine Page - 06 The first activity of the day…

School Libraries- A Fresh Perspective Page - 09 Books are for Use…

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A want to build thinkers Invest in your students..

School Leadership Exercising Power and a School Leader’s Responsibility Page - 19 …changing role of the Principal

CCA and academic learning Page - 22 Schools as an instrument for bringing out all-round individuals...

School Governance A Dynamic Curriculum Page - 25 Research-based curriculum...

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Creating healthy minds Page - 28 Making healthy minds in society...

Innovation Social Media in Schools Page - 31 Pop up’s and ad’s are a source of distraction for students...

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Publisher & Owner: Mr. Syed Sultan Ahmed Editor-in-Chief: Dr. Vidya Shetty Content Team: Ms. Kalpa Kartik, Ms. Yashika Begwani Designed by: Mr. Harpreet Singh Production: Mr. Praveen U.M., Mr. Sathish C., Ms. Guna V. Printed by: Mr. Manoj Printed at: Elegant Printing Works, # 74, South End Road, Basavangudi, Bengaluru - 560 004. Ph: +91 80 26615507 Published at: # 175, 2nd Cross, Lower Palace Orchards, Bengaluru - 560 003, India.

NOTICE: As an author/contributor you are responsible for the authenticity of the information you provide in your article. The publishers do not accept liability for error or omissions contained in this publication. By submitting letters/emails or other publication materials to Mentor Magazine you agree they are the property of Mentor Magazine. All communication to Mentor Magazine must be made in writing. No other sort of communication will be accepted. All decisions regarding publishing of an article is the prerogative of the publisher and editorial team of Mentor Magazine. Mentor Magazine is owned and published by EduMedia Publications Pvt. Ltd. for and on behalf of Mr. Syed Sultan Ahmed. All disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the competent courts and forums in Bengaluru City.

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SULTAN SPEAKS

COMPUTERS FOR EDUCATION Technology has transformed our lives in more ways than we comprehend. Sectors like Telecom, Travel & Tourism, Hospitality, and Banking have seen radical changes around us. Yet strangely, technology has not had a similar dramatic effect on our education system in India yet and also in most parts of the world.

Computers were introduced in Indian schools in the late 80s.

Through the liberal 90s and early 2000s it remained merely as a subject. Around 2005, schools in India were exposed to computerbased teaching methods.

After an initial hesitation, most private schools in the country experimented by bringing in computer-based learning into the classroom. It is a known fact that billions of rupees were spent by millions of parents and yet most classrooms equipped with interactive teaching technologies do not use them effectively. This experience has made many educators averse to technology in their schools.

However slow its acceptance may have been in schools, ICT has quietly been revolutionizing learning in several parts of the world in more ways that you can imagine. A new way of digitallyenabled learning -Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) is on the rise which favours both - the teacher and learner.

Online portals like Coursera, edX, FutureLearn, UReddit, Novoed etc. provide exciting learning platforms for teachers to upgrade themselves and stay abreast with the latest in teaching and learning techniques.

Online resources like Duolingo, Memrise, bbc.co.uk/languages,

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Livemocha are great tools to teach languages.

Most of us have heard about Khan Academy but are you aware that YouTube is a world in itself when it comes to teaching aids? YouTube channels like Minute Physics, Minute Earth, Numberphile, Periodic Videos, Veritasium are great resources to teach math and science.

Teacher Tube is another wonderful online resource and so are Edudemic, Edutopia, Quora, Teach Thought.

A new way of digitally-enabled learning -Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) is on the rise which favours both - the teacher and learner.

What’s more interesting about these online resources is that they are mostly free for learning; it is only the certifications that come at a cost!

Spend sometime understanding the online teaching and learning resources and you will realize that the technology revolution is far closer than you imagined.

Simple yet powerful learning

tools that are here to stay are redefining education. Educators who lament about how computers cannot transform education are just oblivious of the change that is sweeping the globe. It is high time that you made friends with and started using Computers for Education!

Over the past few months, our Krayon team has been busy working with Dell - India’s largest PC brand -- to create a very interesting project titled ‘Aarambh – PC for Education’.

This project aims at equipping teachers across India with computer skills that can make teaching and learning an enjoyable experience.

Our goal is to impact the teaching methologies of over 125,000 teachers from 5,000 schools in the next 4 months. This program, like all good resources online, is free for all schools. If you would like your teachers to experience how computers can transform the teaching and learning process in the classroom please do write back to us.

Mr. Syed Sultan Ahmed, Managing Director, LXL Ideas www.lxl.in

PEDAGOGY

RISE AND SHINE Ms Aditi Sharma

Having been in the education space for about 26 years, Mrs Aditi Sharma has served as a Montessori teacher, a Mathematics teacher, a Headmistress and is now the Principal at City Montessori School, Lucknow. She believes in discipline and envisions a bright future for the children of tomorrow. A keen learner herself, she has led a team of students at the Primary Mathematics World Contest in Hong Kong in 2001. In this piece to MENTOR, Mrs Sharma highlights the importance of morning assemblies in schools.

Do you have students and staff members you do not see every day? One way to reconnect with your entire school family at the beginning of each day is with a “Morning Prayer Assembly.” A well-organized assembly establishes a positive tone for teachers and students and encourages community involvement, without cutting into precious instructional time.

“To keep a lamp burning, we must keep putting oil in it; we too need oil for our ceaseless work. What is the oil? It is prayer.

Prayer is the source and strength of our work.”- St. Mother Teresa.

We often talk about building community in a school, but just as often, the youngest children and the oldest children in a

school never happen see each other. With different classroom schedules, recess times and co-curricular times, how can you expect community building to happen?

When we gather for the morning assembly, all classes of our school are present. All the children from the three sections (Pre-primary, Primary and Junior) meet each other and the teachers also see each other; but most importantly, we’re all involved in the same activity and are having a shared experience.

Demonstrated in the assembly is a reiteration of individual values, thoughts and abilities. There is a reiteration of the importance of those elements to the community and the secure place of each pupil within the school. The children are invited to consider their inner capabilities, their positive worth, their place in the community and their purpose for the week, and to start their day on a positive note. Children respond in the affirmative, so that they are focused, positive, calm and ready to start. The school community starts from the individual pupil and the value of each one and allows them to see their part in their own world.

The daily repetition of this sharing begins to build in all of us a history of shared experiences. This is what a shared culture comprises. It is in this forum that the Principal or Head Teacher emphasizes expectations for behavior and character. Here is where we

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July 2016 celebrate our achievements.

The kids love these morning assemblies. So do the teachers and the parents. This is how communities can be built: on the foundation of belonging and shared experiences.

But the question of what activities we should have in Morning Assemblies still lingers The Morning Assembly should become an integral part of the school curriculum. If considered from a proper perspective, prayer assembly is the most important and most productive community building activity in a school. It requires a wellplanned schedule as it can then be effectively used as a platform to develop the latent capacities of children and assist them in directing their energies for the betterment of society through acts of service. Through sharing in the Morning Assemblies, we create opportunities for children to enhance their understanding of their own self, skills and abilities that enable them to become conscious subjects of their own growth.

To make the most of the Morning Assembly some points must be kept in mind. Planning is done such that time allotted for is effectively and efficiently utilized. Listed below are a set of guidelines, which I wish to share with you, for organizing the Morning Assembly in the most meaningful way:

Burning of Incense To create the spirit of prayerfulness and meditation, incense sticks are burnt before the children gather.

..most importantly, we’re all involved in the same activity and having a shared experience

Arrangement of Microphones and Musical Instruments The microphones are checked every day before the children start coming in for the assembly.

This enables the instructions and prayers recited to be heard by the entire congregation and hence they participate whole heartedly in the proceedings.

Musical accompaniments add to the spirit of singing hymns and songs in praise of the almighty.

The Programme The programme comprises singing of devotional songs, the school prayer, repetition of the school pledge, sharing of good thoughts and autobiographies of great personalities by the children. The importance of special days like World Earth

Day, World Book Day, Teacher’s Day, International Day of Peace and Non-Violence or Children’s Day can be talked about and celebrated during the assembly.

Interesting articles on environment, values or educational possibilities for senior children may also be shared during the assembly.

The Principal or Head Teacher must use this opportunity to enumerate the school rules and make important announcements.

It provides a platform for the Head Teacher or Principal to communicate with the school community and become a part of their journey. Achievements of children in different inter-house, inter-school or even international events can be applauded during the Morning Assembly. Activities like quizzes, group discussions, talk shows, declamation, speech contests or spelling drills, to name a few, can also be conducted during the Morning Assembly.

The purpose of having Morning Assembly can be stated as: • To develop a feeling of affiliation and unity among students.

• To develop in students a sense of identity with the school and society as a whole.

• Enable students to share

Proper Physical Arrangements Children come in files from their classrooms and assemble in their different houses for Primary and Junior School classes and class wise for the Pre-primary classes. During the activity time, proper seating arrangements are made so that the children can be seated in order and participate without tiring themselves.

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their experiences, stories or anecdotes with others.

Training students for desirable social behaviour.

To motivate students by positive reinforcement in the form of praise in public.

To celebrate national festivals, Independence Day, Republic Day, birthdays of leaders and so on. These leaders could be political leaders, scientists, poets, writers and so on.

Facilitating moral and religious development of students.

Facilitating national integration and secularism through allreligion prayer meetings in students.

To inculcate feelings of brotherhood and globalism by organizing World Peace Prayers and Mock World Parliaments on international issues to make the student community aware that they are a part of this globe.

Special care should be taken to emphasize on the motto and vision of the Founders of the school such that the same is imbibed in the outlook of each and every learner and member of the school. “Every child is potentially the light of the world and at the same time the cause of its darkness; wherefore the question of education be accounted as of primary importance”.

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The purpose of the school assembly is that the children learn their academic stuff more effectively because they learn in a valued, structured environment

Baha-u-llah said, “Knowledge is praiseworthy when it is coupled with ethical conduct and virtuous character; otherwise it is a deadly poison, a frightful danger”.

The world today presents a contrasting picture of ideologies.

On one hand people pay homage to the victims of nuclear disasters and on the other hand there is the consolidation of nuclear weapons. Let us aim at

developing strong individuals through a balanced mix of material, human and spiritual education.

The most important thing is wholeness - a whole community.

This is not a place that is only devoted to teaching children material things. The purpose of the school assembly is that the children learn their academic stuff more effectively because they learn in a valued and structured environment. ‘Holistic development’ of the individual can be achieved based on the premise that each person finds identity, meaning and purpose in life through connection to the whole school community and society, to the natural world and to humanitarian values such as compassion and peace. The quality of learning is better, and life skills and values are absorbed in ways that are more permanent. No detail about people, individuals, or the conduct of the school, is considered unimportant. There is a clear sense of vision which is imparted during this very important activity of the day The Morning Assembly.

asmgn2@gmail.com

July 2016

SCHOOL LIBRARIES A FRESH PERSPECTIVE Dr. Pardeep Rai

Dr. Pardeep Rai is the General Secretary of the Indian Library Association(ILA), New Delhi.

He is also working as Librarian at Maitreyi College (University of Delhi). He holds a Ph.D. in “Use of Multi-Media Resources by the LIS Distance Learners of IGNOU”. He has many publications to his credit and has also edited two books.

His areas of specialization are Library Computerization and e-resources. He was awarded the ILA Promoters award in 2009. He is also the Managing Editor of the “Journal of Indian Library Association” and the Associate Editor of “Journal of Library and Information Technology”. In this piece to MENTOR, Dr Rai sheds light on growing technology and the fading away of the reading culture in students and reiterates on bringing some elements back into practice.

The school library plays a vital role in school programmes and helps the students cultivate their reading habits. Its importance and impact on users is intangible.

The school is the first step for every child in the process of learning via formal education.

A library is considered as the heart of any organisation, especially an educational institution. A school library is an academic library, which may be further categorised as primary, secondary and senior secondary school libraries. At the primary level, a library may not have a separate building but must exist in the form of a good collection of comic books, picture books and colour books.

The main motto at primary level is to attract the students towards books. The overall philosophy of school libraries starts from inculcating the reading habits of the students. Once the students develop their habit to learn by reading the library material, then they shall proceed to choicebased study or reading.

read but to practice the skills they need to seek, evaluate and use information for their studies and knowledge. The school library provides a model for inquiry-based learning and building knowledge and confidence in seeking and processing information. We can say that the school library is a building within a school where students and teaching staff can access a variety of resources according to their needs. The aim of the school library is to ensure that all members of the school community have equitable access to books and reading material. School libraries are similar to public libraries, in the sense that they contain books, films, recorded sound, periodicals and day to day magazines. However, these items are not only for the education, infotainment of the all members of the school community, but also to enhance and expand the school curricula.

The school library is key to teaching students not just to

The aim of the school library is to ensure that all members of the school community have equitable access to books and reading material

Functions of the School Library • to help the students in developing reading habits and self-study habits;

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• promote learning from books and available published material; • to emphasize an individual study which will lead the students towards independent understanding and selfeducation or learning; • to encourage and assist the teachers to teach through the library in accordance with the educational goals; • to provide guidance on how to use the reference sources like dictionaries and encyclopaedia.

• to ensure students have a pleasurable experience while also making use of their free time for knowledge; • to fulfil the objective of being a resource centre, a social laboratory and a motivating factor to inculcate reading habits among the students; • to provide information for the arrangement of books on the

shelves; and • in a digital world, like that of today, students should also be oriented on how to use the electronic resources.

Digital vs Print In this era, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), revolutionised the whole world of knowledge and the library is no exception to this.

In the 21st century most of the published material e.g magazines, journals, books are available in electronic format.

The ICT environment is very challenging for a school library because there is a flood of electronic information and the school library has to maintain an updated collection to fulfil the needs of its dynamic users. We all are aware of the technology wave, especially in the light of smartphones and its increasingly popular usage

among children. This further adds to the challenge of school libraries to attract students to read printed and published material available in the form of books and magazines. It is the school’s responsibility to make the tech-savvy generation of today, more print book savvy, or else a large part of students may get addicted to smartphones or tablets, gliding away from printed books. Some methods that may be applied to attract the attention of student towards school libraries specially to printed books are: • • • • • •

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Displaying new book jackets Conducting book exhibitions; Putting up a wall magazine; Displaying information from the newspaper; Displaying book reviews in magazines; Displaying book reviews on wall magazines from time to time; Organise a book week; Organise story hours, book debates, book talks, quiz, essay competitions Start Best Reader Award for the students.

Celebrate Library Week (1420 November every year) Celebrate Librarian’s Day on 12 August, every year to attract the students towards the library.

Teachers should advise the students to prepare a list of books read other than those mentioned in the syllabus;

WHY LIBraries?

1 Experts at locating and evaluating information

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Many have expertise in licensing/copyright/ fair use issues

Instructional & research knowledge can help facilitate and connect these conversations

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• Teachers should assign reading a book in the vacation as home work;

The school library provides a model for inquiry-based learning and building knowledge and confidence in seeking and processing information

Besides this, school libraries should increase the digital collection in the light of second law of Library Science - “Every reader his/her book”. When the format of readership is changing, libraries should acquire the desired documents likewise.

Being library professionals we must encourage the students to use printed books. It has been experienced that the printed book leaves the reader with a positive feeling. Besides, books can be read out even without electricity or technological help.

In a nutshell, a school library should be the hub of activities in the school. The role of

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Principals and higher authorities is extremely important in this regard. A trained and expert librarian should be appointed and s/he must be given the freedom and the desired resources to manage the library services for the benefit of students. Library services should be student-centric. The success of any educational model can be evaluated through its reach of having cultivated reading habits among students.

This reminds me of the first law of library science “BOOKS ARE FOR USE” and must not be shut away from its user.

Ms Monika Mukherjee, Librarian at Chitkara International School, Chandigarh with over fourteen years of experience sheds light on the importance of book reviews and how students could be engaged in the library building process.

Role and importance of book reviews in school libraries The school library disseminates information, which inculcates ideas, and develops knowledge that is so important to functioning effectively in today’s digitalbased era. It is primary to any school library to equip students with enduring learning skills and develop in them inventive thinking, judgment and enabling them to become responsible citizens.

In this digital world, where information, is just one click away, automated and digital libraries are playing a vital role for the alpha learners, who do not have time for thorough reading. I feel that providing book reviews as a part of the library database is extremely important as it helps in making an informed choice. I often encourage students themselves to provide book reviews during library periods so the process becomes a cycle, for the student and by the student which further encourages the student to think critically and express his opinions in the form of a review.

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It is a very good practice which inculcates the habit of reading and makes them feel proud of sharing their opinion in the form of a review, thus, making the library period engaging and exciting.

The success of any educational model can be evaluated through its reach of having cultivated reading habits among students

For Example: • Title of the book: Time management for students • Author of the book: Dr. Vijay Agrawal • Keywords: Time, Students • Summary: Brief about the books in your own words • Central Idea: This book gives an in-depth practical knowledge for managing time through the control of mind and various techniques and discussions

Book reviews help students in the following ways: • helps develop reading skills; • encourages critical thought and freedom of expression; • helps improve grammar and writing skills.

A well-equipped and well managed library is the foundation of a digital educational structure.

Hence, “Making Book Reviews”, is an activity which a school could use as an advantage to create love reading among the students. In fact, I also use the reward principle to further this initiative by awarding the three best books reviews from the various entries which further motivates them to visit the library.

A set format of making book reviews for school libraries It contains the following:

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raipardeep@gmail.com

COVER STORY

A WANT TO BUILD THINKERS Mr Arvind Kumar Chalasani

A trained post-graduate with over nineteen years of extensive experience in educational leadership, teaching and community development programs, Mr Arvind Kumar Chalasani is currently serving as the Principal at Pathways World School, Aravali, Gurgaon.

An effective communicator with strong analytical, problem-solving and organizational abilities, Mr Chalasani has been associated with the Doon School in Dehradun, the Indus International School, Hyderabad and has been the examiner for IBDP and chief examiner for ICSE/ ISC in the past. In a detailed interview with MENTOR, Mr Chalasani shares his life experiences and takes us through the future of education while also reflecting back on his experiences in the field of education.

Take us through your early life. Childhood, growing up, education primarily.

I completed my primary education in Hyderabad and higher education from Indore.

This was followed by an M Phil in Environmental Sciences before entering the education industry as a teacher. Education wise it was not that significant, but the fact that I have completed my education from different cities, definitely added to my learning curve.

Education during your times…

If you look at education during my times, it was more of ‘chalk and talk’. There were two boards primarily, the CBSE board and the State Board. My school was affiliated to the State Board and that in itself was strikingly different from my fellows from a CBSE board background.

So, I would say within the same scenario, we were both coming from two different types of education systems.

In my days, the teacher was

merely an instructor and that was an absolute instructionbased system. A single teacher addressed a forty-student classroom and in most cases, seldom noticed if the entire class was even paying attention. There was no question of individual attention and individual focus for students those days, unlike now.

The curriculum and the varied process that we have today are completely different to what we had.

Now the system is different. I have been the head of an ICSE school at Doon as well and I am heading an IB school today. But the international system if you notice, is completely different.

Here, the teacher is more of a facilitator who is not merely instructing, rather facilitates learning. That I feel has been the biggest difference in the education system from our times. Although both CBSE and ICSE systems are also slowly moving towards this system to empower students by playing the role of a facilitator but yes,

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there is a long journey ahead of them to successfully do so!

You have achieved your purpose if you have helped develop an individual who is emotionally and physically strong

Challenges faced at work.

Balancing work and family life Frankly speaking, if you are in an educational set up and in the education world, there is nothing like family and work-life balance for you. You must be aware of what is happening around you.

It is about opportunity and you must seize the opportunity when it comes your way. Say there is an opportunity and you say you do not have time because you are busy with family issues, you would lose out on opportunity.

So, it is more important to make use of the time you have and strike a balance by ensuring you do not lose out on either. The moment you feel something is a challenge, you would have lost out on an opportunity!

not have any challenges per se. Be it schools, parents or students. There is no challenge.

There are opportunities all the way.

Personal take on their child s education/future/career My children for example or maybe the children I am heading right now. They are all my children (laughs). They are all independent in their thought.

Both my son and my daughter belong to schools that follow the IB curriculum and the highlight for them or for any child of today is that they are very clear with what they want from life. They are independent. There is also no pressure of subject choice or career choice. Whatever they are doing in terms of academics, requires hard work and we as guardians would provide them

all the help that they require.

However, we do not suppress the creativity of the child just for the grades or for academics. For me and for my children, I have always preached this. It is not about ranks and grades all the time. There are many avenues that you can explore as a child, be it art, or sport or any other such activity. You may not know if you would like to pursue it as a career later, unless you really explore it in the beginning. If you have been among the herd and been running behind those ranks then I’m sorry, you would have lost out on the opportunity for the child’s creativity to blossom.

So, I have made it very clear to all my children (those at home and those at school). It does not matter what your parents say or think. Explore everything and every career choice possible. A career can be easily made out of the love you have for a field or a subject. So don’t worry.

Earlier the push was from the parent and it is the parent who dictated what the children did.

Today, also for most other boards the subject choices are specific, Science or Commerce or Humanities stream, whereas an international board gives you the option of choosing the best.

It is like an à la carte menu. You choose what you like and then you master those subjects. So you clearly do not need to be restricted to a particular subject.

Looking at it from my school’s perspective, I would say we do

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July 2016 Explore the field you are good at, enjoy it and pursue it to get the best results.

Leadership What directed you into entering the field of education especially considering you come from an environmental science background?

When I started my career as a teacher, almost 19 years back, I must confess it was purely by coincidence. I was actually taking a gap after my M Phil, before pursuing my PhD and that is when I got an offer from the Doon School to teach Environmental Science. I took it up as a challenge and a learning opportunity. And within six months of a teacher’s career, I think I decided that there is no looking back. That is how it is with teaching profession you know. It is very addictive. I must say Doon has really helped me explore my interest along with teaching and that it has really shaped my learning system.

That is when I learnt that a teacher can do loads of things even outside the classroom. It is all about learning at the end of the day. I was actually lucky to get that opportunity. I do not know how many people get that

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opportunity where they could do what they want and also enjoy and explore their learning opportunities. My PhD got shelved but my teaching career progressed. I was a teacher, Head of school and now a Principal. I enjoyed this journey all throughout.

It is important to be open minded to what they say, listen, be compassionate and invest in your students.

Take us through the journey.

What do you mean when you say that the school really helped shaping your career journey?

How did it help?

It’s really exciting you know.

You see I was an EVS teacher.

The school gave me an opportunity to make use of the environment and grow. I started an awareness programme on conservation. Another aspect that is very close to my heart and that I like is community service. I have always had this soft corner for underprivileged children and their right to education. So Doon

really helped me create a space for that and even Pathways for that matter. I was then able to connect with the students at that level, work with a large section of children and with a number of underprivileged children which I wouldn’t have been able to do as an EVS teacher. Overall, they also helped me connect with like-minded people and aid my journey of professional development.

Both these institutions have helped me so much over the years that I truly feel blessed. I have grown as an individual and that is what matters in your journey.

What according to you is the purpose of education?

The purpose of education is to create independent thinkers. That I feel is the most important aspect. We need to create people who can think independently, people who are open minded and those who are empathetic towards the society. Education is not only about textbooks and what you are studying as a part of your academics. You should be able to create a lifelong learner who is also an independent thinker and can take initiatives to work for the larger goal of the community.

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When you say it is for the larger goal of the community, how do you upgrade your skills for the larger goal?

When I say education, we are looking at the perfect physical and emotional balance of children. When you can bring in that kind of thought pattern in children, then your purpose is solved. You have achieved your purpose if you have helped develop an individual who is emotionally and physically strong and can strike a perfect balance. That I feel is the best creation!

Governance What are the key highlights of the advice you would give to your teachers/ staff at the beginning of each session?

I tell them only one thing - be open-minded to the students.

This is the first thing I tell the teachers. Whether it is the new students or the old students. It is important to be open minded to what they say, listen, be compassionate and invest in your students. Invest in them, trust them and that is when they will never disappoint you.

like to call them professional development sessions.

We have a regular session with teachers where we highlight their emotional well-being.

I feel, as a teacher you are bound to be in tune with your academic subjects. You should be able to get a combination of an emotionally stable and an intellectual mind who can connect with the students. That is more important. We train the teachers constantly and guide them so that it may be helpful for their growth.

What are the key challenges that you go through as a Principal/ School Leader and how would you overcome those?

The biggest factor and the greatest challenge is the change in the mindset of the parent. We are still living in a world wherein no matter how much you work for the well-being of the child,

at the end of the day, it is about the parent on the larger scale.

It is important to change the mindset of parents because they still consider education as something that will reflect as black and white on a piece of paper. If you are a 99 percent or a 100 percent ranker only then do you exist, else you are out of the race. For parents that is the goal achieved by the school, but for me that is only one aspect of the school education. Even though it is on the verge of changing, I would say, there is a long way to go to completely bring in this change in mindset.

Where are we with these percentage rankings. Is it a rat race? Where are we pushing our children? So where is the recognition for the child who did so many other things? Who took part in activities? Who organized conferences? Who took other initiatives for the society and the community?

How do you think then, that a school like Pathways or an IB school is any different? How would you provide opportunities?

That is true. Within the IB system, there is definitely a point scale or a rank you need to meet on the academic front but beyond that there are various opportunities.

Firstly, there is a wide variety to choose from. Moreover, within any particular subject you are free to do a diploma. If you go

When you say invest in your children, how would you groom teachers/staff or invest in them to become leaders of tomorrow?

We conduct several professional development sessions. I do not

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to any university or a college, it is not just academics that colleges look at but also overall development which includes these subjects as well. We do scholarships for students which cater to excellence in academics and include entrepreneurshipbased scholarships as well.

For example, someone may have represented the school in an International Karate Championship or Robotics Championship and it is important to recognize children with these skills. However, the best part of the school is the fact that we teach students how to fail. Let them fail and be the anchor to pull them up if they need you but let them fail. You must give them the opportunity to be there and play in the first place.

Innovation How has the teaching-learning process changed from your times to now or a decade ago to now?

How do you/ the school meet the current needs of students?

How has technology brought an advancement?

Technology has helped students think beyond the textbook to begin with. That is definitely there. In the teaching methodology, we have an approach way of teaching to bring in different ways of teaching skills, writing skills,

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which are a part of the learning program. Earlier you would get an assignment and were asked to finish it. Today, the same thing can be approached in four different ways while you go beyond the textbook. Earlier we would just plug in information from the textbook. Today due to technology, the child has an advantage to compile information and put it together in his own words. This helps him think in various ways before reaching a certain conclusion.

That is the biggest difference you have where individual thinking is appreciated and so is enquiry based learning since the curiosity of the child has been addressed.

We teach students how to fail. Let them fail and be the anchor to pull them up if they need you but let them fail.

What is the one thing that you would like to/are trying to introduce in the school blending with the latest trends so that students may be prepared for challenges of tomorrow?

We have introduced so many

things throughout the journey. I cannot say this particular thing is one since it is an ongoing process. For example, people say smart classes were a great idea, but now smart class is history, so many other things have come up like the flipped classroom where the child has access to material before coming into class and the child comes prepared to class, so what happens in class is a discussion and not a download of information. It is important to meet the requirement of different levels of students and technology allows you to do that.

It allows you to think beyond as you start using those kinds of materials. We are today trying to meet needs of students of different learning abilities.

In terms of infrastructure and what are the latest tangible deliverables offered by the school to meet the demands of students today?

We have a 32 acre campus, in terms of infrastructure, we have facilities like a squash court, sports courts, tennis courts and the like. It is important to blend physical and academic coaching for holistic development. In fact, I would say it is not only about sports these days, we have something called a ‘design and technology lab’ which we have included as a subject in their curriculum to satiate the creative bent of mind for the student. Children work with materials like wood, acrylic, metals, moulding them and making objects. It is like a carpentry workshop lab wherein students design and make a product on their own. There is also an art and vision lab, where a child is allowed to make films.

We offer film as a subject where the child makes a five-minute or ten-minute film at the end of the course starting from the

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conceptualizing to screenplay to shooting and bringing the film together. We offer these as additional subjects, over and above the curriculum, so that there is no academic pressure and so the students can pursue these after school hours.

Pedagogy What are the key values that a school/ institute must instill in students?

The school should focus on creating a community. And I always like this word thinkingI want to build a thinking community. Students, teachers and staff should be willing to learn as a part of this community.

When you are doing things for the students, you are also then looking at the larger community.

Share your resources, share your vision and the ultimate goal is to serve the society. That is the larger goal.

Talking about larger goal. The larger goal for anything is life itself. Tell us about learning from life...

One is being really reflective.

In IB for example, we have a learner’s profile. These have attributes like open mindedness, balanced in thought, reflective, independent, someone who is curious and takes risks, one who is principled, is a good communicator and is caring.

These learner profiles are blended in the curriculum. That is how we teach life lessons.

Pathways, I would say goes beyond the basic IB space. This is what the future of education is going to be. At the end of the day it is for the larger good of humanity and as IB says ‘shared guardianship of the planet’, that is more important.

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tête-à-tête

QUICK

7

MENTOR in conversation with Mr Arvind Kumar Chalasani 1. I would describe education as….

Creating independent thinkers 2. You’ve been both a teacher and a Principal, which one do you enjoy more and why?

I like going to the classrooms and teaching. I would say being a teacher. Because that is closest to my heart.

3.Three key takeaways from visit to schools and educational pattern in England?

• Interactive classrooms • Communication through levels (ease with which they communicate) • Initiatives (come up with an idea and we’ll explore together) 4. What are the 3 key skills that a student must be taught in school to prepare for the world outside school?

• Inquiry • Open mindedness • Compassion

• Discipline 5. Give us one technological advancement in recent times that you think has changed the way in which children learn. Why is it important?

GOOGLE is the biggest example I think, because it allows students to explore themselves and they can pin-point and question.

6. You have also been a teacher trainer. What are the 3 things you feel teachers require to keep up with changing times?

• Unlearn (willingness to change and to learn more) • Willingness to go the extra mile for professional growth • The student is most important irrespective of the curriculum 7. Your biggest learning from life has been…

Learn to invest in students and believe in them and they will never disappoint you!

arvind.chalasani@pathways.in

SCHOOL LEADERSHIP

EXERCISING POWER AND A SCHOOL LEADER’S RESPONSIBILITY Ms Sunita Sen

With over 27 years of experience, Ms Sunita Sen, Principal, The Ballygunge Siksha Sadan School, Kolkata, started her journey in the educational world as a teachertrainer. She then graduated to heading schools of different boards including international curriculum, ISC, CBSE and now the State Board of West Bengal. Recipient of the Best Principal Award (more than once), she has received the Aparajita Award of Excellence, 2014 and also the Mother Teresa International Award 2015, for her contribution in the field of education. Passionate, committed and a complete teacher, she has secured a place in the hearts of the students by the sheer virtue of being able to make her career a perfect vocation along with it being her profession. In this article for MENTOR, Ms Sen shares her thoughts on defining power and a school leader’s responsibility.

The word ‘leader’ is derived from words meaning a path or road and suggests the importance of guidance or a journey. Both the word, leader and the role of a leader is about looking forward, identifying the way ahead or steering others towards set goals or objectives.

To understand leadership, it is important to know the relationship among the terms “lead, leader and leadership”. A look at the dictionary meaning of the verb ‘to lead’ will show that this term is used in two different contexts. In one sense it means ‘to excel, to be in advance and to be prominent’. In the other sense, it means ‘to guide others, to head an organization and to hold command’. A leader can be said to be an organizer of a system or an organization.

An efficient leader is one who creates a spirit of association, cooperation and teamwork throughout the institution / organization.

Organizational theorists, Harold Koontz and Heinz Weihrich, have defined leadership as the art or process of influencing people so that they strive willingly and

enthusiastically toward the achievement of group goals.

Thus leadership may be one or a combination of: • The use of non-coercive influence to shape the group’s or organizational goals, and motivate behaviour toward the achievement of those goals.

• A process whereby one individual exerts influence over the others.

• Involving other people – who by their willingness to accept direction, help define the leader’s status.

• Involving authority and responsibility in terms of deciding the way ahead and being held responsible for the success or failure of achieving the agreed objectives.

• Involving unequal distribution of power between leaders and group members. Group members are not powerless; they can and do shape group activities in a number of ways.

Still the leader will usually have more power.

• Leadership is all about values.

A person who is skilled in the art of leadership is the one who has: • The ability to use power effectively and in a responsible manner • The ability to comprehend that people are motivated by different forces at different times and in different situations • The ability to inspire

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• The ability to act in a manner that will develop a climate conducive to responsiveness and arousing motivation The effective educational institutions’ literature of the 1980’s highlighted the role of the Principal as the formal instructional leader.

The stated assumption was that the Principal controlled and directed the work of teachers, held high expectations and aligned the curriculum. Only then, the teachers would work cooperatively and the school would be effective.

Research has demonstrated the positive effects of Principals acting as partners with teacher-leaders in examining school practices

In the 1990’s, the new paradigm was to acknowledge the changing role of the Principal wherein s/he worked in collaboration with teachers and students to create learning communities that purported to enhance teacher and student learning. The distinction between

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the erstwhile paternal, top-down, hierarchical decision making to today’s shared decision making is critical to understanding the importance of teacher leaders in implementing school reforms.

In the hierarchical approach, the stress was on specialization, delegation and efficiency. In shared decision making, the emphasis is on collaboration, consensus around goals and shared responsibilities.

Research has demonstrated the positive effects of Principals acting as partners with teacherleaders in examining school practices and the resultant perceptible impact it had on student learning.

In this kind of a situation, Principals should work on developing the following qualities: • S/he should be strong but not rude. This helps him / her to become a powerful and capable leader with a wider reach.

• S/he should be kind but not weak.

• S/he should be bold but not a bully. S/he should be able to walk in front of the group, ready to take the first arrow, tackle the first problem and discover the first signs of trouble.

• S/he should learn to be humble but not timid. Humility is a virtue whereas timidity is a weakness.

• The key to becoming a good Principal is being proud without being arrogant.

• S/he should have a good sense of humour.

• A good Principal should be realistic. S/he should develop and maintain high standards.

S/he should be a strong believer in moral values.

• S/he should be able to locate the right leaders under him / her to be able to select Heads of Departments, Mentor Teachers, Team Leaders, Curriculum Developers and Designers of New Assessment Procedures, to name a few.

• S/he must reveal novel ways of doing things. They must model new instructional strategies. They must freely share their knowledge with others. They must initiate new programmes and make instructional decisions based on what is best for students.

• S/he must suggest and inspire with ideas and discourse, drawing others upward to higher places. They must encourage learning.

• They must demonstrate a positive regard for their colleagues and a belief in

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July 2016 students and their ability to learn.

• S/he helps others with problems that seem insistently interlocked. They find ways to attack and resolve such problems, often by new learning. They are not scared of risk-taking.

• Finally, s/he supports other teachers, and respects the people they work with, believe that they can do their job and that they are capable and willing to work together as a team.

Educational leadership and management have to play an important role in translating aims of education into action

Educational leadership and management have to play an important role in translating aims of education into action.

Executives and heads of institutions, schools and colleges are involved in the function of decision-making. Management and Principals have to initiate an innovative process and thereby give a dynamic, directional

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and moral leadership to the institutions. Principals have to ensure that a healthy and valuecharged atmosphere echoes all around the campus as values are caught rather than taught.

Some of the advantages of educational leadership are as follows: • Development of more studentcentric institutions • Decrease in time required for quality education • Enhancement of professional satisfaction • Enhancement in teacherstudent relationship • Increase in staff and student participation in all educational activities • Enhancement of parent and societal involvement.

Leadership development is becoming closely aligned with and used to support corporate strategy. Issues such as

globalization, decentralization and the rapid pace of today’s world have forced educational institutions to evaluate the way they operate. Paradigms that have worked for years are no longer effective.

Realising the need for change is important. Determining exactly how to turn these challenges into opportunities is, however, a task that keeps many leaders awake at night. In some cases, bold strategic initiatives are under way to revamp the way educational institutions work while recreating the workforce undertaking these efforts. Thus, power is more of the mind rather than an external force to ornate the leaders of today. The ability to adapt and adjust with the changing global scenario of education is where the success of the leader lies.

principalbss.sen@gmail.com

CCA AND ACADEMIC LEARNING Ms Shanti Badrinarayan

Aims of formal, classroom-based education

Ms Shanti Badrinarayan has been a teacher, a leader and an education evangelist throughout her career. Currently serving as the Principal of The Silver Oaks School, Bengaluru, she has also closely worked with the Government of Tamil Nadu and several Non-Government Organizations to establish language labs. A keen learner herself, Ms Badrinarayan feels it is important for students to look beyond textbooks and focus on holistic development.

In this article for MENTOR, Ms Badrinarayan shares her views on how students can be prepared for a dynamic world that lies ahead of them by focusing on activities beyond academics.

A paper published in 1997 on ‘Excellence in Schools’ described education as a vital investment in human capital for the twenty-first century. The paper said: “If we are to prepare successfully for the twentyfirst century, we will have to do more than just improve literacy and numeracy skills. We need a broad, flexible and motivating education that recognizes the different talents of all children and delivers excellence for everyone.” Education today, has to unlock the potential of every young individual, enabling them to apply their potential talent to build a great enterprise economy.

“Students prosper best with a broad curriculum that celebrates their various talents.”

Sir Ken Robinson.

For real learning to occur, a student requires the opportunity to step out into the unknown, trace the journey from a familiar environment, crossing over to a more exploratory space beyond the threshold. Thus, to prepare the students for the art of living and working together, making the grade-trade alone is not enough. There has also been an epistemological shift in considering the source of true knowledge. This can be gained via holistic education, which brings together applied learning (via Co-curricular Activities, CCA) and academic learning in a traditional classroom setting.

Most young people graduating out of educational institutions should be prepared to expect change several times in their working lives, which requires them to be adept and robust learners

What is CCA? Co-Curricular activities (CCA) are activities that are undertaken along with curricular (academic) activities (Figure 1). It gives the students an opportunity to develop specific skills and exhibit their non-academic abilities. CCA forms an integral part of school education, which enhances the quality of school life experience and helps students to overcome the stress

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July 2016

of “stunts” in education. CCA forms the socio-cognitive aspect of school activities that may have little or no relationship to grades but contribute to overall satisfaction and development.

Figure 1: Examples of CCA used in schools. Source: Google images.

Through CCAs like sports, school band, clubs (such as science and guides), choir, literary and dramatic activities, social service and newspaper reading, students can learn new skills, explore interests and passion, connect with one another and learn to appreciate themselves and their peers. Important skills such as communication, negotiating, conflict resolution and time management are built automatically as students exercise their leadership and work together in teams.

Why is CCA important?

Academic learning is an isolated learning module where the individual has to master conceptual knowledge based

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on cues and guidance given by instructors. But in real life, knowledge is applied based on context or group setting.

Appropriate application of theoretical understanding is therefore very important. This is where CCA plays an essential role. These activities act as resources for students to build ‘transferable skills’ and can enrich learning experience by creating a lasting impact. For instance, learning music can enable a student to garner multiple skills from being a critical listener to a tolerant and appreciative audience. At the same time, the student also comprehends the importance of perseverance and practice, cultural enlightenment and perhaps even scientific thought process. CCA is thus a channel to reinforce and apply lessons learned in classroom in real world context (Figure 2).

What are the drawbacks of the current system of implementing CCA in schools?

In many educational institutes the importance of CCA is overshadowed by the importance given to academic learning and testing. There is a visible achievement gap between potential and performance. To close this widening gap, it is essential to increase opportunity as well as raise morale, motivation and self-esteem of participating and mastering co-curricular activities.

Some reasons for the gap in successful implementation of CCA 1.

Lack of commitment especially in the field of arts and sports. Students do not show the necessary zeal and enthusiasm in these activities as the teachers lack the ability to extract the very best from the students. Mediocrity is acceptable, as the importance of CCA is not emphasized.

2. Dearth of qualified teachers to act as role models in these fields of expertise.

3. Schools tend to make larger investments for academics by investing in infrastructure and equipment for labs, classrooms or library, but lack the resources or motivation to create an environment which is conducive for implementation of CCA. 4. School timetable concentrates more on academic periods, while co-curricular activities are sidelined. A CCA teacher would readily part with their classes to math or science teachers.

Figure 2: Examples of impact CCA has on skills developed by the students. Source: Google images.

5. Students do not take active interest in CCA due to lack of perseverance and interest.

Technology and social media platforms keep students more

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easily engaged/ entertained.

6. Parents feel students will deviate from academic learning and scoring.

What is the way forward?

Many students participate in numerous extra or co-curricular activities (such as debates or team sports). For some, these events keep them motivated and interested in school! Sometimes CCA participation can reflect the true interest of a student; however, in certain instances (especially in the case of sports) some participate with a hope of securing admission in colleges. In any case, the aim of academics should be to ensure talent development in varied walks of life by being able to nurture the interest of students in fields that motivate them.

The world needs not only an intelligent and creatively inclined person, with fluent communication skill and adept at using information technology, but also a team player and problem solver, a self-motivated and open-minded person. Cocurricular activities facilitate the development of various domains of the mind and personality (intellectual, emotional, social and moral).

Some best practices to ensure co-curricular activities happen are listed below. Indeed,

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progressive schools already incorporate these strategies in their teaching.

1. Ensure a healthy balance is given for both curricular and co-scholastic learning right from primary classes till senior secondary education during timetable planning.

2. B.Ed colleges should include one compulsory co-scholastic subject.

3. Allow artistic freedom as well as compensate and encourage teachers equally.

4. Give same attention and importance to students interested in co-curricular activity. Guided learning with milestone markers should be planned along with the individual student who either displays talent or interest to pursue any one of the co-curricular activities in school.

5. Integrate CCA along with academic concepts wherever possible.

6. Parents can also contribute by appreciating the diversity in skills in their children and encourage them to embrace the world of opportunity.

7. Comprehensive scientific studies have been published in this field. Educators and parents

should read these to understand the importance of CCA and their role in implementation of the same.

For real learning to occur, a student requires the opportunity to step out into the unknown, trace the journey from a familiar environment, crossing over to a more exploratory space

Most young people graduating out of educational institutions should be prepared to expect change several times in their working lives, which requires them to be adept and robust learners. In the current economic scenario, young people need to have appropriate skills for a complex new world of global markets and competition.

They also need to be able to adapt to change and to new opportunities.

The role of education should be to prepare independent individuals who are capable of living constructively in responsible communities. Their education has to enable them to live in a tolerant, culturally diverse and rapidly changing society. We expect education to help young people to build lives that have meaning and purpose in a future we can scarcely predict. CCA plays a central role in ensuring that this can be achieved during school-based education. Remember the ageold saying, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy!�

principal@silveroaks.co.in

SCHOOL GOVERNANCE

A DYNAMIC CURRICULUM Ms Jasmine Gandhi

Ms. Jasmine Gandhi has been serving as the Director of Kangaroo Kids, Billabong High International School, Noida and Sanchetna for the last 12 years.

She has been associated with several NGO’s and believes every child has the potential to bring something unique and special to the world and that each one’s needs must be catered to with utmost care. In her journey with Billabong, she has introduced several reforms and novel methodologies in the school. One of these was the introduction of a research based curriculum, which she firmly believes in. “Research based curriculum can be a powerful and effective tool for learning”, says Ms Gandhi and shares with MENTOR her experiences on having introduced the same in her school.

Over the last few years the conceptual approach to education has replaced the traditional approach with an innovative curricular framework designed to manage information overload, engage students in an active learning environment, develop their logical reasoning skills, and fully prepare them for an increasingly competitive landscape.

Stimulating discoveries in neuroscience and continued developments in cognitive psychology have made new insights about the brain, the human neurological structure and even the attendant perceptions and emotions that contribute to learning more accessible to us. What we learn from these researches, theory and experiences is what helps educators to guide students in becoming lifelong learners and attaining the level of literacy that’s critical for their successful future.

By

the

late

1970s,

education researchers tuned their focus on developing a theme of study that reflected the combined influences of science, technology, and society.

The theme based study was expected to generate curiosity, pose inquiries, questions, problems or scenarios— rather than simply presenting established facts and thereby developing inquisitiveness among learners. The relevant researches are then synthesized into a dynamic curriculum and other learning manifestations, to enable children to learn in a way that is effective as well as engaging.

Educators today are fascinated with the implications of connecting knowledge about how the brain works with teaching and learning in the classroom

many Research-based curriculum has always been at the core of our teaching and I feel it is a very reliable tool for educators to develop the curriculum for the school/institution likewise.

Fundamental to this is the purpose to ensure that our learners gain highest benefit from a shared understanding of the rationale.

Educators today are fascinated with the implications of connecting knowledge about

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how the brain works with teaching and learning in the classroom. Mathematics is a subject which is linked with every other subject with one or another way. For example, while teaching the principle of calorimetry to grade 8 and heading towards how heat lost by a body is equal to heat gained by another body suddenly in the mid of discussion, one student out of excitement stands up and says “Ma’am, is this not a linear equation?” . That moment is fascinating for the educator since the student has clearly managed to connect different terms of different subjects.

may ask students to construct maps of their colony or society using parallel lines, lines, segment, intersecting lines and ray. Tools like Base Ten Blocks, Table Shapes, Time Snap Cards, Abacus, Clock Face Tracers and the likes are used to make Mathematics fun, comprehensive and more meaningful.

For example, global warming is conveyed through life skills again by apprising them of healthy habits that lead to a developed and a prosperous nation or even get the students

to engage in activities like ‘plant a tree’, or celebrate ‘World Environment Day’. The concept of carbon footprint and many other associated concepts may be introduced at this level which gives the student a glimpse into the current scenario of the environment so that s/he may relate theories and concepts to real life events. Thereby, integrating a rich, research based curriculum even for a subject like Environment Science.

The highlights of any researchbased curriculum should be

By the late 1970s, many education researchers tuned their focus on developing a theme of study that reflected the combined influences of science, technology, and society

Terms like ray, lines and parallel lines can be taught using different hand postures. To make these terms clearer, we

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July 2016 encapsulated in the ‘what’ and the ‘how’.

‘What’ refers to the explicit and implicit content. Explicit content is what people see, hear, and the books they read. Implicit content teaches students a variety of skills and helps them develop a level of awareness. For example, in class when children are studying about world leaders, they not only learn history but also understand the attributes of leaders. They introspect and emulate the qualities of a person of eminence.

The highlights of any research based curriculum should be encapsulated in the ‘what’ and the ‘how’

‘How’ refers to the various methodologies used to engage all the senses of our students. We adopt within the curriculum varied research on evolving a high level of learning effectiveness. This methodology helps in engaging the child in a fun and interactive way and aids learning

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During the study of the revolution of the earth, when the learners are taught about revolution and months of the year, they also study about how different months got their names in form of a story. While the study of the moon and its phases can be easily related to various festivals like Ramadan, Chinese Moon Festival, Eid. , the story of their evolution would intrigue and engage the students and deepen their understanding of word origins.

Hence, teaching important topics through multiple learning pathways such as several senses (hearing, seeing, touching) as well as through several subjects

(cross-curricular topics) makes these topics more relatable and students are more likely to grasp the concept faster, retaining them for a longer period.

Learners who experience multiple intelligence learning triggers, improve significantly with respect to social and emotional skills; attitudes about themselves, others, and school; behavioral adjustments; achievement test scores and school grades; all round performances. These positive impacts do not come at the expense of performance in core academic skills, but rather enhance academic achievement.

director@billabongnoida.com

CREATING HEALTHY MINDS Prof B M Hegde

A born teacher, Prof. B. M. Hegde from Mangalore, started teaching in a medical school almost from his 23rd year and continues to do so whenever he gets a break. Starting his career as a tutor he rose to be the Vice Chancellor of Manipal University. He was one of the rare Indians appointed a regular Visiting Prof of Cardiology at The Middlesex Hospital Medical School, University of London way back in 1982. He was also the first Indian teacher to be invited to examine at the Royal College’s final examinations since 1988 both in the UK and laterally in Ireland.

He has been a revolutionary researcher and his papers have been published in journals from UK, USA, Germany, Kuwait, China, in addition to India. His public lectures and scientific talks are a rage with the audiences both scientific and laymen.

One of India’s highest civilian awards, the Padma Bhushan, was awarded to him in 2010 and Dr. BC Roy National Award in the category of Eminent Medical teacher, the highest medical award, among many other awards that he has been honoured with.

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Education, higher or lower, should have the prime goal of making healthy minds in society in addition, of course, to making comfortable careers.

Unfortunately, today the sole aim of our present education seems to be manifesting into successful careers; the higher the pay the better. This looks good on the face of it but, in the long run, this could prove to be a dangerous game. Sir George Pickering, FRS wrote many years ago that the main function of education was “to kindle the flame, not fill the pot”.

The noble professions of medicine, law and scientific enquiry have ceased to be what they ought to be. The medical profession of the early 20th Century in London was assessed to be a bunch of “incompetent, corrupt and nepotistic” humans who resembled a stinking pus filled abscess on society, wrote a young MP and a physician, Thomas Wakeley in 1823. To set it right and let out that bad pus, he started a medical science journal with the name of the surgical instrument to drain pusThe Lancet. The journal had a chequered career of nearly 190 years to date.

“Corporate Monstrosity,” today which would cut any Wakeley at his knees! Many, if not all, ills of society today could be traced to the faulty educational philosophy followed by the globalization concept of the post Second World War world.

With the advent of the Cold War era, western education, even in the UK was slowly tilting towards the US model. Been to America (BTA) was considered an additional qualification for all top posts in the UK. Colonial countries in Asia and Africa, naturally, followed suit.

Even India, despite our hoary excellent educational base which had attracted the best European brains in the past, was bending over backwards to fall in line with the American thinking in this area.

A recent audit by a medical journalist/historian has thrown up more surprising data.

Hillary Butler, writing in the famous, British Medical Journal, feels that the “nepotistic, incompetent, corrupt” bunch of 1823 has been replaced by a

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July 2016 should be appropriately utilized to make primary (elementary, middle and high school) education not just compulsory and free but also effective and fruitful. The meritorious must get scholarships, and the poor must get interest free loans from a newly created Educational Development Bank, License and Permit Raj must end giving place to “quality” controlling the standards of institutions!

With the fall of the Berlin wall and the advent of the new economic liberalisation era in India after 1991, there has been a renewed emphasis in following the USA model here.

With European and American Universities starving for rich paying students, especially after the 9/11 tragedy which brought a drastic fall in rich west Asian students gravitating to USA and Europe for higher education and soon, all those countries focused their attention to India to cater to their needs. This led to the ‘brain drain’ of more than 700-800 million young men and women looking for higher education in the next four to five decades while there was clearly a renewed awakening in the minds of young Indians, about

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the hassle free life in the west!

While there are both good and bad sides in any system, especially educational system, the time has come for us take stock of these fall outs. The simplistic argument is that India will not be in a position to offer (free) higher education to the needy in the future.

Even the much touted, privatepublic partnerships, seem to have run into road blocks already. The ‘PROBE’ report on primary education in India, commissioned by the GOI in 1997, shows that our primary education is in real mess. I strongly feel that quality primary education is the one that lays the foundation for making healthy minds, which is the essence of education. Tax payers’ money

The meritorious must get scholarships, and the poor must get interest free loans from a newly created Educational Development Bank

Inclusive education for a country like India India is a very rich country with the largest world population of the poorest of the poor existing alongside the super-rich; the former forming the major chunk of the population. Nearly sixty-seven million children in India have a peculiar disease, Nutritional Immune Deficiency Syndrome, (NIDS) which is deadlier than AIDS. While the whole world population of AIDS is just about 33 million about which there seems to be so much interest among the public and the medical profession, NIDS is not even mentioned in textbooks in medical school!

Those children die in hundreds daily. The question of their going to school does not arise. If we want inclusive education in India we have to tackle poverty at a war footing. Nutritional midday meal for pregnant mothers is a must, much more important than midday meal for the children!

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alike! The only difference is the different opportunities they had in their early educational careerone coming from the Ivy League where he got in because of his affluence in society. This gap between the haves and the “have nots” that has been growing wider by the day, thanks to unhealthy educational system, which is at the root of many social ills.

Education today has become a multibillion dollar industry and profit-making, its major motive!

Teaching business management in isolation without teaching social philosophy, social conscience, moral responsibility and business humanism will bring forth a set of unscrupulous greedy sharks who would market unethical business tricks of the trade. While it is true that education is a mind-sharpening business, it is definitely not a money spinning business and must be equally distributed.

Career based vocational education at the end of good primary education at High School level must be encouraged to lessen the unnecessary burden on Universities

Down side of elite education Let us look at the down side of elite education. The glaring disadvantages of elite education are that it removes one from the stark reality of life in this world.

The student does not have touch with the most important problem of life, which is poverty.

Students from such schools are uncomfortable in the company of the poor and people coming from non-elite schools. The

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former are fed that they are the best and those institutions especially the Ivy League try and see that their students get the A grade all the time. Elite schools create an atmosphere where greed gets generated in the student’s mind. Students are reminded that they are the best and they are the leaders of the future. Many of these leaders are not in touch with reality.

In life too, we try and give an ‘A’ grade to some people, preferring them over others.

One example is the fat pay packets that the top managers of some private companies get.

In the industry they are the “A graders”. If one had a trained healthy mind during his/her education he/she would have realized that it is unethical, even down right sinful, to receive a pay package, which is more than hundred thousand times the pay of the lowest paid employee of the same organization. Both are born alike and both will die

Conclusion In conclusion, one could take the best of both the worlds and make a new system that incorporates the positives, bereft of the disadvantages of either elite or inclusive education for the future. Foreign Universities will, of course, be most welcome as they would give a tough competition to our Universities to come up and survive amidst such healthy competition. But we must not forget that Universities exist ONLY to make healthy minds. Careers are secondary in University education. Career based vocational education at the end of good primary education at High School level must be encouraged to lessen the unnecessary burden on Universities. It is necessary to emphasize that education is not a money spinning business lest all our efforts to give our country a new ethical “healthy mind making” educational system to prepare our youth to be healthy world citizens of tomorrow, should go down the drain!

hegdebm@gmail.com

INNOVATION

SOCIAL MEDIA IN SCHOOLS Ms Aparna Mahesh

What is Social Media

A counselor-cum psychotherapist and founder of Shreya Centre of Well Being, Bengaluru, Ms Aparna Mahesh is also certified and trained for substance use disorder from NIMHANS, Bengaluru where she is a voluntary visiting psychologist.

She attends to cases from 8-80 years and has dealt with various adolescent related issues in her career which can impact school children. With a belief that ‘nothing is impossible’, she believes in helping the society improve today which will lead to a brighter tomorrow.

In this piece to MENTOR, Ms Aparna Mahesh, shares her views on social media, it’s use and overuse by children and suggests the way forward.

Social Media is the collective channel of online communication dedicated to community based input, interaction, content sharing and collaboration.

Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, What’s App, perhaps initiate more discussions than we may have on a one to one basis.

While websites and applications dedicated to microblogging, social networking and social bookmarking seem to have gotten the better of us, it is important to also know that the usage of social media has its drawbacks.

What is required, how much and how can it be useful to facilitate learning One day, I sat with my sevenyear-old to browse through some automobiles for a school project and was most embarrassed to find nude women posing in front of cars. Pop ups and ads

may bring in some unnecessary and illicit content which is a source of distraction for students exploring content while browsing the internet. Social media has definitely made the world a smaller place to live in, connecting millions of people globally, however, it’s usage for children must be closely monitored. Chances of misuse, overuse and diversion from academic duties is very easy.

It is therefore very important for parents and teachers to create a technologically safe environment with antivirus tools and parental control tools in place. It is also important for schools to generate awareness among parents and students alike to ensure healthy usage of technology and social media.

..one must appreciate and integrate the novelty that technology has brought about and use it as a value added resource of information

Any latest information can be shared and accessed instantly and updates on calamities and disasters float as quickly as the moving waters. Applications and programs nowadays have a quick approach with dayto-day school activities like assignments, question papers which can be accessed and circulated among a large

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number of people immediately.

While this has had a large impact in easing communication channels, however, as they say, too much may not be too good!

While this has had a large impact in easing communication channels, however, as they say, too much may not be too good!”

It is recommended that school students always follow the norm of stepping into a library while searching for information.

Information available online and via social media channels could be add on’s. However, making internet the primary source of information dilutes the purpose.

Again, the authenticity of information available online may be questionable sometimes. An ideal situation would perhaps be a combination of reference books, information available online, a chat with teachers, guides, parents or siblings, all of which put together bring out different perspectives and facilitate thought.

learning from event-based to process based learning. One reason why social media is so popular, is that it allows people to personalize the way they experience and interact on the Web. Tools like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram used to be channels exclusively meant for taking a break from the academic monotony. However, it is increasingly being leveraged as a study tool especially for today’s tech-savvy students.

It is common for students to be challenged by the same learning concept or course while given a collective assignment.

It can help centralize the collective knowledge of an entire class to make studying and communicating more efficient for everyone.

The younger generation who are in their teens conveniently opt

for social media for information than reaching out to parents and teachers for the questions they are curious about and can also easily make friends from unknown sources via social media channels. Some friendly advice from parents or teachers or a candid conversation with the young ones would guide them in the right direction.

Advantages for students • Quick connectivity especially for tech-savvy students of today • Information is easily accessed and shared immediately within seconds • Communication with friends or relatives living in far off places has become easier • It has a global reach making the world a smaller place

Most workplace learning happens informally today, through learner-directed actions, including the use of social media tools. There is now a call to change workplace

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July 2016 Disadvantages for students • Chances of technology addiction which may lead to serious problems later such as phobia (Nomophobia), depression, anxiety, low selfesteem which may lead to social withdrawal, emotional instability, introversion and if not addressed on time can also lead to major psychiatric disorders • Social media can pose to be a high risk challenge for teenagers who are shy, introverts or are psychologically distressed • It distracts students during their exams, disturbing their daily routine.

• Children especially during their teens are more curious and hence try to explore all kinds of unwanted information through the internet, which is absolutely unnecessary.

• This practice clearly drives them away from outdoor activities which lead to life style disorders like obesity.

Good habits such as reading books or playing outdoor games are replaced by games on the smartphones and other devices.

• Sudden and unhealthy exposure to pornography on the sites can be dangerous for growing children.

In conclusion as a Psychologist Undoubtedly, easily available information via social media and other internet related sources are convenient alternatives to deep research. However, there is no substitute to personal touch for any relationship. Having a personal conversation with children can never be replaced by any social media channel.

While I have been dealing with adolescents regularly

and see that communication between adults and children is growing more complicated due to growing technology, it is imperative for the parent or the teacher to be able to draw a line on its usage. Also, at the same time, one must appreciate and integrate the novelty that technology has brought about and use it as a value added source of information.

An ideal situation would perhaps be a combination of reference books, information available online, a chat with teachers, guides, parents or siblings..

Social media is an endless world of information where children can learn, develop and watch easily, so they must be strictly monitored by parents/ guardians at home and by teachers in the school. One must ensure that unnecessary information is not overpowering necessity thereby harming their developing, tender minds and also not reaching the point of addiction, which can later become a major challenge.

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POST SCRIPTUM

SHARING AND LEARNING Dr. Vidya Shetty, Editor-in-chief MENTOR

MENTOR as an exclusive magazine for Principals and School educators has always believed in encouraging positive change among school leaders and teachers.

The information and ideas generated from the writings of educators, the confluence of leaders, the ages of experience they carried with them have only added to this enriching journey of MENTOR. Eventually, we realised the importance of ‘sharing and learning’ and the role it plays in providing inspiration to bring about change. This has resulted in Mentor being a rich learning platform for sharing best practices and ideas amongst schools.

Our conscious effort throughout this sojourn has focussed on ideas and contribution towards effective teaching and learning in the classroom. Additionally, we have also journeyed through various leadership experiences, innovative learning methods and building “learning communities” in which teachers and leaders collaborate on various inventive learning projects, all of which have helped in redefining the meaning of education. As a result, MENTOR over the period of time, has been successful in building teams of leaders and teachers from various corners of the world, who have worked together to bring about a noticeable change in the education system. This is where the true success of MENTOR

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lies and we look forward to further grow in the journey of collaborating with educators, principals of schools and the community at large to achieve our goal.

A special memoir has been the interaction with late Mr Neil O’Brien, who was featured twice in MENTOR. Some of the visits to schools and thoughts shared during MENTOR Conclave gave us the opportunity to observe schools demonstrating best practices, listen to inspiring educators who made a difference and also reflect on the challenges in the system.

We hope to continue our learning journey and further grow and develop leadership skills to contribute to a motivating and successful team of leaders and schools. Working in teams has further enhanced our journey, for we believe that none of the achievements could have been possible if the team at Edumedia, now LXL Ideas, had not interacted with each of you.

Insight makes all the difference!

After having identified our thoughts on what MENTOR should be, our focus and belief has always been on peer learning, sharing of best practices and coaching the less

experienced ones. To be able to lead as a leader, I strongly believe that we need to be updated with the latest learning strategies and also be able to provide the best resources for teachers and students while also understanding the importance of getting parents involved in our schools.

MENTOR over the period of time, has been successful in building teams of leaders and teachers from various corners of the world,

With eminent education leaders sharing ideas and experiences, instructional leadership and positive school culture have proven to be more effective than I’d ever imagined.

Keep sharing and keep learning in this world of education!

vidya@edumedia.in