The Progressive Teacher Vol 01 Issue 05

- Dr Shayama Chona
- Ajay Aggarwal

Editorial
Nov/Dec, 2014 Vol. 1 No. 5
Editorial & Publishers Office :
406, Sant Nagar, East of Kailash
New Delhi-110065, INDIA
Ph: (91)11 - 26232482, 26232684
E-mail : info@progressiveteacher.in
www.progressiveteacher.in
Editor:
Rita Wilson
Publisher: Sonal Khurana
Consulting Editors: Neenu Puri
Sangita Sawhney
Graphic Designer: Sandeep Verma
Marketing & Sales
North & West
VN Kutty : 09313480469
East
Sanjay Narwani : 09831207202
South
P Srinivas Rao : 09989299945
Annual Subscription:
Rs 600 (6 issues) Overseas US$ 100
Printed, published and owned by
Sonal Khurana 406, Sant Nagar,
East of Kailash, New Delhi-65. Printed
at Rave Scan (P) Ltd, A-27, Naraina
Industrial Area, Phase-II, New Delhi.
Editor : Rita Wilson
We stand indemnified against any claims
arising directly or indirectly from the
publication or non-publication of an
advertisement. All rights reserved. No
part of this magazine may be reproduced
without the written permission of the
publisher. All trademarks and tradenames
mentioned in this magazine belong to their
respective owners.
The Progressive Teacher does not take the
responsibility for returning unsolicited
publication material. All disputes are
subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of
competent courts and forums in Delhi/
New Delhi only. Opinions expressed
in the articles are of the authors and
do not necessarily reflect those of the
editor or publisher. While the editors/
publisher do their utmost to verify
information published, they do not accept
responsibility for its absolute accuracy.
Celebrate
books and
reading
Greetings to all our readers for this
season of festivals from
The Progressive Teacher.
While the entire country celebrates various
festivals, we at The Progressive Teacher,
celebrate books and reading in this issue.
Albert Einstein was once asked how we
could make our children intelligent. His
reply was both simple and wise. ‘If you want
your children to be intelligent, read them
fairy tales. If you want them to be more
intelligent, read them more fairy tales.’ He
understood the value of reading, and of
imagining. I hope we can give our children a
world in which they will read, and be read to,
and imagine, and understand.
When children read fiction it builds empathy.
When you watch television or see a film,
you are looking at things happening to
other people. Prose fiction is something
you build up from 26 letters and a handful
of punctuation marks, and you alone using
your imagination, create a world and people
in it. You feel things, visit places and worlds
you would never otherwise know. You’re
being someone else, and when you return to
your own world, you’re going to be slightly
changed. Empathy is a tool for building
people, for allowing us to function as more
than self-conscious and self-obsessed individuals.
Literacy is more important today than it
ever was, in this world of text and email, a
world of written information. We need to
read and write, we need global citizens who
can read comfortably, comprehend what they
are reading, understand nuances, and make
themselves understood. Books are a way of
communication. They contain tales that are
older than most countries, tales that have
long outlasted cultures.
We have responsibilities to the future.
Responsibilities and obligations to children,
to the adults those children will become.
We have an obligation to imagine. It is
easy to pretend that nobody can change
anything, that we live in a world in which the
individual is less than nothing. But the truth
is, individuals change their world over and
over, individuals make the future, and they do
it by imagining that things can be different.
We have an obligation to help develop the
imagination of our students which we can do
by encouraging the reading habit.
In this issue of The Progressive Teacher,
we bring you the usual column on Education
Mantra by Ashok Ganguly where he
advocates schools becoming thinking and
learning communities in Head, Thinking
Ahead; Ajay Agarwal informs us that
development of the brain is connected to
the pleasure of reading books in Books and
Whole Brain Learning; Vijay Lakshmi Singh
takes us on a voyage of the Amazing World
of Books; John Victor teaches us how to
provide mental first aid in Understanding
Depression in Students; Dr Shayama Chona
asks us to Remember their Problems are
Like Yours in her column on parenting;
Neeta Mehta, once again, brings us some
mouth watering snacks for the students’
tiffin-boxes; Arundhuti Banerjee introduces
a new concept of Learning through Drama;
Madhusoodana’s take on how Feedback
can Transform Rudimentary Skills into
Competency will evoke a lot of interest, etc.
In this issue we are starting a new column,
Ask Sarita through which Sarita Mathur will
answer all your queries on teaching, students,
books, etc. Please do write in with your
concerns/queries which Sarita will respond to.
The Progressive Teacher is planning to hold
a Teachers’ Conclave in the third week of
April 2015. The details of this Conclave are
given further in this issue. If you have any
suggestions/ideas regarding this Conclave, do
write to us.
I await your feedback on how you liked this
issue of The Progressive Teacher.
Rita Wilson
rita@progressiveteacher.in
Rita Wilson has over 40 years of rich experience as educationist including over 30 years of experience in school
leadership positions. She is the former Chief Executive and Secretary Council for the ICSE, New Delhi.
She is a consultant to a number of corporate houses and educational institutions. She is serving as a Member of the
Board of Governors/Managing Committees of some of the most prestigious schools and colleges of the country.
She has vast exposure to the education systems of Japan, Germany, England, Thailand, Singapore, Sharjah and Dubai.
She has initiated, conducted and organised workshops for school teachers and principals all over India
With a B.A. (Hons) English Literature, M.A., M.Phil. (English Literature), B.Ed. to her credit, she has edited two
series of English readers and work-books for school children.
Quotable Quotes
“The mediocre teacher tells.
The good teacher explains. The
superior teacher demonstrates.
The great teacher inspires.”
– William Arthur Ward
“There are two kinds of teachers: the kind
who fills you with so much quail shot that you
can’t move, and the kind who just gives you a
little prod behind and you jump to the skies.”
– Robert Frost
“Everyone who remembers
his own education remembers
teachers, not methods and
techniques.”
–Sidney Hook

Vol 1 I No 5 Nov/Dec 2014
IN THIS ISSUE
03 Editorial
Celebrate books and reading
06 Books
Books and Whole Brain Learning
08 Books
Amazing world of books!!!
10 Education Mantra
Head Thinking Ahead
12 Parenting
Remember their Problems
are Like Yours!
13 Institution
Making of school leaders
14 Counseling
Ask Sarita
16 Teaching
Are Teachers Prepared to Tackle the Next
Generation Learners?
17 Teaching
Corporal punishment
18 Counseling
Understanding depression in students
Letters to the editor
20
20 Nutrition
Nutritious ‘n’ Yummy Recipes for School Cafeterias
22 Teaching
Facilitating Learning
44
23,42 Planner Pullout
24,41 Classroom Display Pullout
25 Worksheet
Class IV: EVS
Plant life
Animal life
The human body
Food
29 Worksheet
Class V: Mathematics
Large and small numbers-1
Large and small numbers - 2
hcf and lcm
Fractions - 1
33 Worksheet
Class VII: Mathematics
Integers
Fractions
Decimals
Rational numbers
I received your most recent bi-monthly publication ‘The Progressive
Teacher’ and read it from first to last page even between the lines
as well.
I extend my most reverential thanks from the unfathomable depth of
my heart for publishing my article ‘Responsibility of a Teacher’.
Needless to say, ‘The Progressive Teacher’ is a cream of the crop and
the articles are very inspirational. Such write-ups are the food for
thought and enhance the intellect-level of consciousness.
The glossy paper and the vibrant coloured photographs of ‘The
Progressive Teacher’ also enhance the beauty of academically fragrant
articles that help to broaden the horizons of knowledge-seekers.
Warm Regards
Dr. Hemantkumar S. Pandya
Principal, Rameshwar Shikshan Sankul, NIKOL, AHMEDABAD
Thank you for sending The Progressive Teacher
magazine. We, at the G.G.I.C. Karanprayag, Chamoli
(Uttarakhand) congratulate you on introducing this
bi-monthly magazine to us and wish you all the best
for the magazine.
Kusum Nautiyal, Chamoli, Uttarakhand
The articles in the magazines are interesting. The layout
and the design are also good.
Regards
Sd/Mrs Norina Fernandes, Principal
Smt. Lilavatibai Podar Senior Secondary School,
Mumbai
Thank you very much for sharing us a copy of The
Progressive Teacher. Very happy to know about this
magazine and its contents. I have decided to subscribe
this for my school for one year.
Thanks & Regards, Principal, MGV
Greetings from Podar International School, Dhule.
Yesterday, I received a copy of The Progressive Teacher
Sept-Oct 2014 issue.
I wish wholeheartedly every success of the magazine.
With every good wish and warm regards
Atanu Roy
Principal, Poddar International School, Dhule

50
37 Worksheet
Class X: History
Nationalism in India
The making of a Global World
Class X: Political Science
Diversity in a Democracy
Gender, Religion and Caste
44 Teaching
Learning through Drama
46 Teaching
Project Work as a tool to develop
21 st century skills in learners
48 Value Education
A case for Values Education
50 Teaching
Feedback can transform Rudimentary Skills
into Competence
52 Teaching
Fear Factor
54 Teaching
Effective usage of ‘Right Hand Side’(RHS)
and ‘Left Hand Side’(LHS) of student’s
class work
55 Events
56 Health
Coronary Artery Disease
58 Fiction Reading List
60 Classified
52
61 Point of View
Centre for Civil Society
61 From The Publisher's Desk...
Freedom to read what they like!!!
62 Principal Q&A
Ms Manjit Batra
62 Contest
‘Best Display Celebrating
India's Mars Mission’
EDUtPRO India 2020
November 07-08, 2014
Bengaluru, India
www.ibcipl.com/EDUtPRO-India-2020
School Brilliance Award
(Celebrating inspirational educators and institutions 2014)
November 07-08, 2014
Bengaluru, India
http://ibcipl.com/sba-2014
6 th International Conference Edu World 2014
‘Education Facing Contemporary World Issues’ Conference
November 07-09, 2014
Pitesti, Arges, Romania
www.eduworld.ro
Workshop on ‘The World is My Laboratory-
Science with a Difference for Primary School’
November 21-22, 2014
New Delhi, India
www. ulearntoday.in/workshops
Education Leadership Conference (ELC) 2014
(Leadership for 21 st century Education)
November 28, 2014
Bengaluru, India
http://edtechnext.com
Workshop on ‘Churning – Learning with 3H s
(Hands, Heart and Head)
December 03, 2014
New Delhi, India
www. ulearntoday.in/workshops
Bett Asia Leadership Summit
December 03-04, 2014
Singapore, Singapore
www.bettshow.com
Online EDUCA
(International Conference on Technology Supported
Learning & Training)
December 03-05, 2014
Berlin, Germany
www.online-educa.com
21 st Century Learning International
(7 th Annual 21 st century Learning Conference)
December 11-13, 2014
Hong Kong
http//21c-learning.com
74 th IPSE Principals’ Conclave
(Theme: Education Through Creativity)
December 17-30, 2014
Indore, India
www.ipsc.co.in
BETT 2015
(A gathering of the world’s leading technology
brands and the entire education market)
January 21-24, 2015
London, UK
www.bettshow.com
LEARNTEC 2015
(The International Trade Fair and Congress for Learning)
January 27-29, 2015
Karlsruhe, Germany
www.learntec.de
7 th ICPPP 2015
(International conference for the pre-primary and
primary principals)
Jan 31-Feb 03, 2015
City Montessori, WUCC, Lucknow, India
www.cmseducation.org/cppp
Subject Specific Seminar (SSS) Workshops
February 20 – 22, 2015
TBC, Mumbai, India
www.ibo.org
DIDACTA 2015
(From extracurricular learning and eLearning to
eco-friendly school catering)
February 24-28, 2015
Hannover, Germany
www.didacta-hannover.de
SITE - Society for Information Technology &
Teacher Education Conference
March 02- 06 2015
Las Vegas, Nevada, United States of America
www.site.aace.org

ooks
Books, traditional or in electronic format, are the primary source
of information and education. Nature has provided us with
unlimited learning capacity. However, because we use our brains
differently it develops differently. We mistake these differences
as something we are born with, and wrongly label individuals
as ‘intelligent’ or ‘dull’.
Books
and
- Ajay Aggarwal
The important thing to remember is that
human brain, intelligence and capacity
to learn can be developed with proper
exercises just like muscles in the body.
The Human Brain
Interesting New Discoveries
The human brain is one of the most complex
organisms in the world. The brain cells or
neurons are basic building blocks of the
nervous system and are infinitely flexible.
Neurons are designed to
receive, analyse, coordinate
and transmit information.
Interestingly the brain of a fruit fly has
100,000 neurons, mouse 5 million and
Chimpanzee - man’s closest animal ‘relative’,
has 10 billion neurons. Only human brain
consists of one trillion neurons.
Neurons
Most of the neurons in humans are created
just before birth at
peak production rate of
250,000 neurons per minute.
Neurons start to segregate soon
after birth to take up different
locations in the growing neural tube to
become hindbrain, midbrain and forebrain.
Interestingly half of the neurons die before
birth. It is not yet clear why.
Before birth, the brain grows to two thirds
of its adult size, but only ten percent of its
eventual weight.
A child’s brain is a miracle learning organism
which consumes twice the food energy of an
adult brain. All babies are gifted by nature
with a super sponge like ability to absorb
huge amounts of information.
The 1.3 kg grapefruit sized brain, goes
through four major structural changes: in
-foetal development, after birth up to age 4,
between the ages of 4 and 12, and the years
thereafter.
The first 12 years are vital for brain
development. This is when the brain has
‘windows’ open for information and fresh
learning to flow though easily. This is when
characteristics like thinking, perception,
language, vision, aptitude and attitudes are
formed. After that the windows begin to close
and the fundamental architecture of the brain
is in place.
All children need loving interactions with
others. Children deprived of
touch, play and interactions
with others have 30 %
smaller brain than normal for
their age.
Curiously a woman’s brain is
about 150 cubic centimetres
smaller than that of a man’s,
but by no means inferior.
‘Intelligence’ defined
The number of neuron
connections in our brain determines our
‘intelligence’ and abilities to remember, retain
and recall information. Neuron connections
are constantly evolving and changing as a
result of infinite stimuli constantly received
from the environment.
The formation of new neuron connections
slows down at about the age of twelve. Useful
neuron connections become permanent; those
that are not useful are eliminated. Scientists
call this ‘pruning’. This process is like the
gardener who sows more seeds than required
and then thins out all but the strongest
plants. This process of pruning is essential for
the proper functioning of our nervous system.
So what makes neuron connections
The brain can be trained in many dimensions
with conscious effort. Just like muscles in
the body the more we use our brain the
more neuron connections are made and
more ‘intelligence’ and mental abilities
of remembering, retaining and recalling
information we exhibit.
Brain’s two hemispheres
The human brain has a very complex
structure. For simplicity, it is said to be
divided in two distinct parts, popularly called
left and the right brain. Each of these parts
has unique set of functions which manifest in
different personal characteristics and form
different neuron connections.
6 The Progressive Teacher Nov/Dec 2014

Ajay Aggarwal is author and master trainer of ‘New Age
Learning and Reading Skills’. He also contributes through
magazines his views on global trends and how India can leapfrog
its education standards.
After a successful corporate career, Ajay co - founded Apsara
Foundation in 2011. He conducts regular workshops for teachers
and students on new age learning skills: mind mapping, long term
memory techniques, managing study time, listening skills, whole
brain learning, speed reading and preparing for exams. He helps
education institutes absorb these study skills into their culture and
curriculum. To-date Apsara Foundation has trained more than 550
teachers and 6000 students.
For more information visit www.apsarafoundation.org or write to ajay@apsarafoundation.org
Generally speaking, left brain dominant
persons think logically and do well in maths
and science. Right dominant persons are good
visualizers and do well in music, arts and
such vocations.
Scientists believe that even geniuses like
Albert Einstein (1879 – 1955), Leonardo
Da Vinci (1452- 1519) and Ravindra Nath
Tagore (1861 – 1941) used less than 10
% of their brain capacities.
Interestingly Einstein, who formulated the
theory of relativity, was considered a slow
learner as a child and failed in Maths. But
he was a good violinist and artist.
Tagore a noble prize winning poet, writer
and philosopher, was educated at home.
Although at age seventeen he was sent
to London for formal schooling, he never
completed it.
What is important to remember is that
geniuses are ‘whole brain thinkers’:– they
use both sides of their brains to think.
Using both sides of the brain
to think is called ‘Whole
brain thinking & learning’.
At present, our education systems are
skewed towards left brain subjects. This
is thankfully changing. It is now possible
to make careers of right brain dominant
vocations. Even then, some students tend
to neglect right brain subjects like music,
dance, painting and acting. Therefore
majority of us are left brain dominant.
So which is better - left or right
dominant brain?
Well neither. Both are important and must
be developed and used to realize your full
potential and unleash your genius.
Note, creativity is not a right brain
function, as is wrongly believed by many.
Creativity involves logic, involves analysis,
words, colour, rhythm, synergy and
imagination. It requires both sides of the
brain to be used in harmony.
Developing Whole Brain
To develop the right brain, practice
freehand drawing of simple objects, lines
and figures; play and enjoy music; practice
storytelling; visualise events and your
future vividly. Remember you don’t have
to become an expert. But practice will
improve your visualizing skills and abilities.
To develop the left brain, attempt difficult
and different types of maths and science
problems, solve puzzles, do brain teasers,
and identify similarities and differences
between pictures and situations.
If you develop your whole brain
the pleasure of reading books will
multiply manifold.
(This article is adapted from
author’s book New Age Learning
and Reading Skills)
Nov/Dec 2014
www.progressiveteacher.in 7

ooks
‘Hey! I have finished reading Harry Potter and the
Deathly Hallows. What about you?’ … A common
conversation of last three decades! Today, in the
name of technology boom, our talk is different.
We talk about downloads, WhatsApp, Google,
Internet and Facebook, etc. What is missing from
these and increasingly from our lives, is the
activity through which most of us learned. What’s
missing is the energy that
instituted the outlines of
our thoughts and showed
us the way of life.
Thank God for books! They are the voices of the distant and
the dead and they make us the successors of the spiritual
life of the past ages. But over the past quarter century, the
e-book sales have superseded the paperbacks and hardcovers. The
death of encyclopaedia, dictionary, etc. speaks volumes of change in
our attitudes. It’s a boon or a bane is debatable. Survival of books
depends upon its benefits over E-books.
For young children and students:
Children learn to love the sound of language before they even notice
the existence of the printed word on paper. When a parent reads
from a book for the child, like storytelling by the granny or grandpa,
a child starts reading with visual effects. The child develops a liking
for reading and visualizing. At this stage a child needs to develop
and imbibe the habit of reading which develops his skills to enhance
thinking critically, analyse strategies and acquire skills. It helps to
improve vocabulary, command over language and communication
skills which will help him in comprehending issues in
their right perspective. Remember, parents and
teachers are partners in children’s learning.
For Leaders
Reading has always been a habit of great
leaders. It’s one of the most powerful
sources of growth, inspiration and
new ideas. To inculcate leadership
qualities we need to develop a
strong self-image, positive attitude,
courage and mental toughness to
take decisions. There are a number
of books on motivation, developing
positive attitude, communication
skills and how to be successful in life
which are a source of inspiration for
many. Reading good books develops
one’s strength to face any situation with
confidence.
For Parents:
Parental reading habits are a major influence on
the reading habits of their children. As parents, we need
to ensure that we read and pass on this good habit to our children.
Reading with children spells success for early literacy. In today’s
busy life we hardly get any time to read but we cannot neglect
our children. We need to spend effective quality time which will
develop good life skills and values as well as educate them about
our mythology, history and above all children feel protected, which
is very important for the right growth of the children. Encouraging
good reading habits and modelling them as well sets up a parent as
a role model for the love of reading.
Good communication skills
To possess the power of words, you need to see them in action
and reading regularly is the single most powerful way to do that.
Reading enhances and broadens the horizons of knowledge and
enriches the soul of a person. A good reader can communicate in a
better way. Interpersonal skills develop the personality and help the
individual to become a better human being and highly successful.
Value education which is being introduced by CBSE subscribes
8 The Progressive Teacher
An M.A., M.Phil, B.Ed, former principal of
G.D. Salwan Public School, Rajendra Nagar,
Vijay Laxmi Singh is presently working
as Director-Principal, Training Vertical, Salwan
Education Trust. Vijay Laxmi Singh has been
an acclaimed school administrator for over
31 years. This rich and varied experience
has given her the right learning vertical to
become an educational management expert
and school leader along with sharpening
her acumen as a curriculum developer. Her
transformational role also includes her reputation as a fine Principalteacher
trainer in various spheres of education. She has received
many awards viz International School Award from the British Council,
Green School Award by CSE, Amity Excellence Award, Indy’s
Education Award for Excellence in School & College Education, etc.
to the idea of reading good books which imbibes
qualities like honesty, kindness, friendship,
compassion, loyalty, bravery, etc. Reading
books helps to develop extracurricular
interests apart from academics. Books are
our faithful friends with infinite benefits.
Reading leads to transformation of
world of cultures, knowledge of what is
happening around the world in various
sectors like I.T., literature, scientific
innovation and development, etc. We
need to solve our day to day issues
with expertise and experience. The
quality of our life depends upon our
problem solving skills, techniques and
assessment. Books shape our lives in the
right direction.
Reading of books -
1. Exercises our brain, develops the mind
2. Improves concentration
3. Helps us focus on our lives and souls
4. Exposes us to practical life
5. Develops language skills of reading and writing
6. Leads to flowering of a child’s imagination
7. Develops various feelings like empathy, compassion and charity
8. Through developed language skills the child excels in all the
subjects in school
9. Great form of healthy entertainment
10. Relaxes the body, mind and soul
11. Helps discover new things
12. Reading helps in a sound sleep
Edward P. Morgan said ‘A book is the only place in which you can
examine a fragile thought without breaking it, or explore an explosive
idea … It is one of the few havens remaining where a man’s mind can
get both provocation and privacy.’
Books are the most faithful of friends. It is rightly said that books are
an abode of knowledge, virtues and selfless guidance. No wonder a
reader becomes a ‘book-lover’.
Nov/Dec 2014

Education ManTra
Head
Thinking
Ahead
-Ashok Ganguly
It is good that in education today, focused attention is being paid to
the development of thinking skills. The need of the hour is thinking
leadership, thinking teachers and thinking students. Albert Einstein,
after the discovery of atomic fission, said, ‘Everything has changed
except the way we think.’ It is so true even today.
The thought processes leading to positive
and enduring change and innovation
in schools is definitely engineered
and initiated by ‘ Heads’. It is said that
outstanding schools have effective principals.
Similarly an effective principal develops an
outstanding school.
Not that we are not thinking. Without
thinking, there cannot be such growth in the
educational scenario or our students would
not have brought glory. But what kind of
thinking and what is its outcome, that is very
important in the present globalised context.
Secondly, we have to create a thinking culture
so that the entire school becomes a ‘Thinking
and Learning Community’. It is not enough
that only a few of the community are thinking
and learning.
We all know that ‘heads’, in most cases,
are talented individuals. There is nothing
wrong with their ‘minds’ - it is only the
‘mindsets’ which need attitudinal realignment
particularly looking into the 21st century
challenges and demands. Educational
leadership is not just about ‘Charisma’.
Heads may not go far in today’s situation
if they believe in charismatic leadership.
Neither can they go far with bureaucratic
managership. Times have changed and so also
the roles of the ‘Head’. That only the ‘Top’
thinks and ‘below’ acts has become obsolete
in today’s leadership and management. The
‘ Head’s’ role is not limited to only giving
direction but also involves action when things
are not giving desired results. In a knowledge
based organisation, ‘Heads’ will do their
work by enhancing the quality of thinking of
those within the organization, rather than
issuing edicts/directives. It gives me immense
pain when I do not find principals taking
regular classes. How many ‘Heads’ attend
their teacher’s classes, not for monitoring or
fault-finding but for mentoring, to give them
constructive feedback?
‘Heads’ are mostly busy with para-academic
and non-academic functions. If a surgeon
does not practice surgery, he cannot head
the surgery unit. One of the most important
roles of the ‘Head’ is instructional leadership.
Heads must ensure that this skill can be built
up in their functioning. The challenge is how
to be a learning individual all the time so that
we can create a vibrant learning organisation.
A saturated mind cannot deliver anything.
We have to create a culture of participation
and team building in the school. Heads must
realise that they are already lonely at the
top, so why can’t they take someone along to
create a culture of excellence in the system.
In today’s world, an important aspect is that
of futuristic thinking. What is going to change
in next 3 to 5 years? As we know, there are
careers today which did not exist yesterday.
Similarly, in another 5 to 7 years, there will
be requirement of skills that we do not even
recognise today. We have to prepare the
younger generation accordingly. We have to
empower them so that they face uncertainty
and unpredictability with confidence. And
this must begin while they are in school.
This requires building an environment where
the head and teachers are collaboratively
involved, that fosters challenging and
interesting academic and para-academic
exercises. This will help in reengineering,
benchmarking, high accountability - one has
to stay ahead of the change curve, constantly
redefining institutions, creating new
programmes and activities, blazing new trails,
reinventing the educational processes and
activities and challenging the repetitiveness
and stereotypes.
In order to ensure this, Heads will need to
decentralise power, democratise transactions,
Ashok Ganguly is an educationist of more than
32 years standing in school education. He has worked
in the government sector in the state of Uttar Pradesh
and also in the Central Government.
He has occupied important positions -
from the principal of a senior secondary
school to district and division level
head and also at the state level. He
was the Director, SCERT and Joint
Secretary of Education in UP; worked
for Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan project in
UP and was Chairman, CBSE, New
Delhi from 2000-2008. He played an
important role in the development of
the National Curriculum Framework
2005 and was the Chairman of the
Ganguly Committee on admissions to
Nursery. Of late, he has been appointed
UNICEF UP supported Consultant – for Monitoring and
Supervision of Model School scheme in Uttar Pradesh
and for setting up of 6000 Model Schools at Block Level
across India as a benchmark of excellence.
evolving a participatory culture, integrating
the parents and teachers in defining thrusts
for the future. They must always have a
culture of celebration of achievement and
giving credit to others. Once the institution
settles into a well-knit, smoothly functioning
unit in which every teacher knows his/her
role, the Head dispenses with centralised
control, motivating the teachers to take more
responsibilities in decision making through
delegation. In such a situation, the faculty is
given lot of freedom and autonomy because
they have become self directed and selfmotivated.
Heads then are not involved in
trivial issues but see a larger picture involving
themselves in bigger issues like system
reform, quality processes, innovation, etc.
Every school head must give some time daily
for reflection and thinking. What type of
thinking? It can be - seeking better ways of
doing things, taking risks and being ready
to test the limits, continuously challenging
assumptions, encouraging innovation and
creativity and helping the faculty to gain
insight into their own thinking process.
Heads must know that the task of reinventing
education means to focus on the teachers and
teacher development, process of curriculum
renewal (school based), development and
delivery for continuous improvement, technology
integration and of course, quality assessment.
10 The Progressive Teacher Nov/Dec 2014

Parenting
These days more and
more parents are
working outside, leaving
their children either to
themselves or in the
custody of other people.
Hence, it is imperative
that parents(and I mean
both father and mother)
help their children
in interpreting their
experiences in school.
their Problems are Like Yours!
From nursery onwards children get
keenly interested in knowing about your
childhood. They may often ask, ‘Tell me
about your school days.’ I am sure parents
enjoy reminiscing about their childhood days.
... conversations are the best way to hear
about the high...of your child’s day—the
school work, minor frustrations or how
another child got into trouble. If you and
your children are in the habit of
talking, then they are more likely
to open up without too
much prompting.
Let them
Talk First
It is a lot simpler if
children tell you what
is on their mind.
- Dr Shayama Chona
her confident that you do care about what
happens to her. You can still say that, in your
opinion, it was not a good enough reason for
hitting her brother round the head.
Give them Time
For different reasons children sometimes do
not say any thing at all. You know your child
more than any one else so let your experience
be your guide. Some children go silent and
some become distressed at events that
wouldn’t normally upset them.
Some children vent their emotions on siblings.
If children are nursing a really weighty
problem they may go off food or sleep fitfully.
You may have to broach the
subject in a private
moment with your
child. You can start
by saying,’I’m
beginning to
think that you’re
worried about
some thing,
aren’t you?’ If
your child is not
forthcoming,
don’t insist. Just
say something
like, ‘Well you
know I’m here
But sometimes a minor trouble may suddenly
feel unbearable to a child. Like your breaking
into an argument with him, a sibling or telling
one of them off for something that is really a
fair cop. Your child shouts, ‘It’s not fair, I’ve
had a hard day!’ and bursts into tears. Or else
she starts to talk about a worry just before
going to bed, or even gets upto talk about it,
late in the night.
You need to listen to the trouble and offer
a sympathetic ear, with any practical help
you can suggest. It is important to take
your child’s feelings seriously and leave
if you want to talk,’ but make sure that you
are available.
Small could be Big
It is hard to say what bothers children. For
instance all children dislike being bullied.
But then they all have different test limits.
It is, therefore, important that you do not
brush aside your child’s concern, even if it
seems minor. If it matters to her then she
deserves to be taken seriously. Giving your
child your undivided attention as you talk
over her concern does not mean that you
12 The Progressive Teacher Nov/Dec 2014

Dr Shayama
Chona, an
academic, was
born in Shimla on
12 August, 1942.
She is the former
Principal of Delhi
Public School, R K
Puram, New Delhi;
Founder President
of Tamana (NGO
for physically
& mentally
handicapped
children); Founder of Anubhav Shiksha
Kendra (a school for the under-privileged);
she has been a member of 96 Advisory
Boards and Committees; she has been
nominated to Managing Committees of 46
schools and other educational institutions;
she has been named in the Limca Book of
Records 2007. She has been awarded the
State Award for Services in Education 1993,
National Award for Services as a Teacher
of Outstanding Merit 1994, National
Award for Outstanding Performance for
Welfare of People with Disabilities 1997,
Padma Shri 1999, Padma Bhushan
2008, and 49 other awards. She lives at
C10/8, Vasant Vihar, New Delhi-110057.
Email; shayamachona@gmail.com,
tamanapresident@gmail.com
spend ages and ages. Sometimes just a short
conversation is appropriate.
Listening Helps
Parents at times feel bad that they cannot
simply take away situations that are upsetting
their children. A lot of the troubles that
children encounter are childhood versions of
the people problems that adults continue to
face in the grown up world.
You can help by offering a sympathetic ear.
Sometimes children do not expect you to set
things right. Sometimes having a talk can
help your child cope with a situation or to see
another perspective.
Remember -
• Listen carefully and patiently. Don’t
assume too much.
• Ask open-ended questions,like: ‘What
happened when you told the teacher about it?’
• It often helps to summarise in your own
words what your child has just told you to
make sure you have understood correctly.
What You Can Do
Quite often there will not be a sure-fire
solution to the frustrations or dilemmas of
your children. You need to provide options.
Sometimes, this means approaching the
situation from another angle. Your child may
need to focus on what she can do rather
than on trying to change how another child
behaves. Focus on the future, never mind how
things have gone on until the present. For
instance, the pencil that Rani broke is gone
and perhaps she will never apologise. Your
child may just need to let that go and stop
trying to make Rani appear sorry. For the
future you can strengthen her in the belief
that nobody has to lend possessions to people
who cannot be trusted. Your child can tell
Rani ‘No, you can’t borrow it. I don’t lend to
people who break things.’
Nov/Dec 2014 www.progressiveteacher.in 13
Institution
Making of
school leaders
Ultimate mission of India School Leadership Institute (ISLI) is to train
school leaders who drive high-performing schools committing to academic
achievement and character development of children from underserved
communities. The Progressive Teacher finds out how this institute is taking
the country’s education system to a new paradigm shift.
ISLI gathers inspirations from the world’s
best school leadership development
programmes. The Akanksha Foundation,
Central Square Foundation, Teach for India
and US-based KIPP jointly founded this
institute in January 2013 with a vision to
transform the country’s education system. ISLI
believes in unfolding a revolutionary change
in education system that can be brought only
when school leaders are empowered with
necessary skills, knowledge and mindset.
Sameer Sampat, executive director of ISLI,
leads the institute’s rapidly expanding team of
professionals at different branches in Mumbai,
New Delhi, Pune and Hyderabad.
Fellows and fellowships
Currently ISLI offers two fellowship
programmes—National Fellowship and
City Fellowship. The former is a pan-India
programme that supports school leaders in
creating models of excellence in education
for low-income students while the latter
aims towards raising quality of education
in specific urban areas. National fellows
are selected through meticulous selection
process. City Fellowship programme is now
piloted around Delhi-NCR area only and
it will be launching in Mumbai, Pune and
Hyderabad by June 2015. Selection process
for this fellowship in cities involves an
orientation programme.
So far, ISLI has trained 30 school leaders,
including both past and present fellows,
who successfully edify 29,000 students.
Shalini Sachdev, principal of KC Thackeray
Vidyaniketan, Pune, the country’s first
public-private-partnership school is an
alumna of the first cohort of fellows at ISLI.
Among the current fellows include Manikyam
Malla, principal of Andhra Pradesh Social
Welfare Residential School and Jr College, a
government residential school for 900 girls
in rural Seemandhra.
Unique approach
School improvement strategies at ISLI
are introduced through theoretical training
conducted by leading education experts, which
is combined with exposure to real-life examples
of best practices. The fellows are also provided
with a personal coach who helps contextualise
the learning and put it into practise in the
school. So, ISLI programme is comprehensive
and it supports school leaders through the
journey that begins at gaining theoretical
knowledge and ends at successfully putting the
knowledge into practise.
Programme structures
National fellowship
• This is a year-long programme comprising a
mix of theoretical training and experiential
learning. Experiential learning will take place at
residencies where fellows will be hosted at highperforming
schools and have the opportunity to
shadow their principals.
• Residences will be followed by inter-sessions where
fellows can synthesise their learning into concrete
plans that will be implemented in their schools.
• This programme is implemented in conjunction with
the school year. So, fellows will have a chance to
implement their learning while receiving real-time
feedback and coaching from the faculty of ISLI.
• ISLI’s faculty consists of experienced school
leaders from around the world, noted executive
coaches and renowned civil society leaders.
• ISLI fixes the size of its cohort to enable the faculty
to customise the programme in accordance to the
individual learning need of each fellow and requirements
of the school they are leading or planning to lead.
City Fellowship
• City Fellows will be learning from accomplished
school leaders from all around the world as well
as within their own cities.
• Residencies will be hosted at some of the city’s
most well-known, high-performing schools.
• Fellows will graduate the programme after
having formed a strong network of educators
from varied backgrounds, upon which they can
rely to support the progress of their school.
• This programme will feature contents in English and Hindi.
• The curriculum will focus on how fellows can
increase their influence as leaders, build effective
teams and improve instruction in their classrooms.
Strategic move
India boasts of having one of the world’s largest
education systems, but learning level among
students in the country is one of the lowest
among all countries. According to Programme
for International Student Assessment (PISA), an
international student achievement survey, Indian
students stand at second last among 73 participant
countries and economies. Studies from around the
world indicate that school leadership is a key lever
that rapidly moves student learning.
As recently as in April this year, a study by London
School of Economics indicates that one point in
school management index is associated with an
increase in school performance of approximately 15
percent. In this respect, ISLI indicates that in order
to bring transformation in the current education
system, it is crucial to invest in the school leaders.
(To know further, write-in at: info@indiaschoolleaders.org
or visit: www.indiaschoolleaders.org)

counseling
ask sarita
Sarita Mathur is a free-lance education consultant offering services to schools, both rural and
urban, in India and abroad.
An alumnus of St. Stephen’s College, Sarita has a degree in Mathematics, Education and a
post-graduate degree in Operations Research. The Mathematics background and her wellhoned
sense of systems and processes had her institutionalise several long lasting and
important changes as Principal of The Shri Ram School placing it firmly on the map as a
progressive and leading school of India. Sarita has served as a consultant on the International
curriculum of the CBSE and also serves as advisor/consultant to several curriculum companies,
schools and start-up ventures.
I am the Head of Department and every
year around October/November we review
our current text-books and see if we want
to continue with them the next academic
year. We really do not know how to decide.
Can you give us some tips?
Yes, it’s that time of year again - loads of
samples coming onto the Principals’ desk
only to be passed on the HOD for intradepartment
discussion and decision-making.
Each one vying for attention with increased
use of colour, better paper, improved layouts
and the inevitable higher price.
The aspects that help you decide which
textbook to use will vary from subject to
subject. In general irrespective of class some
of these tips may help:
For Social Sciences the content style should
be contemporary and connected to ground
realities and challenges of today’s society.
Content should be broken into bite-sized
sub topics. Sub topics that are worded so as
to raise a question e.g. why do states want
power? Help students anticipate knowledge
and keep them more closely engaged with
what they are about to read. Illustrations
always help. We all know what Akbar looks
like, don’t we.
For Sciences, clear diagrams, simply
presented concepts, charts, use of varied
graphic organisers like herring bone cause
and effect, wedding-cake hierarchy, venn
diagrams classification, t-tables help organise
large volumes of information in a manner
that make it easier to store and recall.
Mathematics is rarely taught from a text
book. Its main purpose is to provide a graded
progression of questions for assigning as
class-work and /or homework. Some Math
teachers prefer books with lots of questions
at the end of the chapter. I personally feel
there should be fewer questions so that the
teacher can focus more on concept building
as against ‘finishing’ the exercise. At least one
solved example on each ‘type’ is beneficial for
the students as well, while they self-study.
As for the languages- that’s a tough one! I
would go for a suite of books here that builds
on skills e.g. comprehension, vocabulary, etc
and of course the Reader. Some schools make
their own selection of stories and poems and
print them so that they can chose genres and
authors they find suitable for their students.
That way they are not saddled with one
book with lots of ‘chapters’ that they find
difficult to finish and can spend more time
progressively building skills.
Why do publishers print a whole series of
books in some subjects like Mathematics:
text books, supplementary books, lab
book, workbooks, teachers’ guides, FA
books. The whole package of material
becomes too much to go through. Can you
help us wade through this?
As a school you need to understand what you
want your teachers and students to use books
for. More does not necessarily mean better.
Just as a smart board in
every classroom
does not necessarily
mean that teaching
improves (or learning
for that matter).
Supplementary books
in most schools are
rarely fully utilised;
workbooks are
required in some
subjects e.g. primary
and middle school math.
Teachers’ Guides are very important in those
course books that follow a different, nontraditional
approach. FA books are simply
making the teachers’ jobs easier. However,
do remember that most of the FA books
available in the market do not truly carry
material that can help in conducting ongoing
formative assessment that is meant to be
frequent, informal and effective. They are
simply pen and paper tests!
Your school should develop a policy on
textbooks that aligns with its vision, in case it
does not already have one.
My school is a progressive one. As teachers
we are encouraged to not teach from the
text book. Then how do we teach? Why even
have text books then on our book list?
It is said, the less you use the text-book the
more students learn. This is because text
books tend to fragment the topic under study
in a manner that does not stimulate curiosity,
discovery and exploration. The wholesomeness
of the topic is undermined and the
teacher’s ability to put some of her/himself
in the teaching is diminished if not lost all
together. An inspired teacher integrates
other resources and ideas not found in the
textbook into the lesson and develops his
own curriculum. To this new ideas are added
on every year to make it richer and more
meaningful. Teaching from the textbook is
instructional teaching while using one’s own
knowledge and planning for a variety of
experiences is learning-oriented teaching.
In our country even though the stress of
written examinations is diminishing- let’s face
it- marks still matter. As a result students
(and parents!) need something to lean on
and learn from even when the class room
experiences are over.
So keep the textbook on the book list - just
don’t teach from it!
What is your opinion on moral science
books? Do they really help in teaching
student morals?
Morals need neither a time tabled period nor
a text-book to be taught.
Morals and ethics can be taught through
almost any experience and are best imbibed
when a lesson or moral is embedded in a
story as against directly evident. How the
teacher steers the discussion is of immense
value; how she creates –hypothetical everyday
situations that present an ethical
dilemma is vital. Debate, role-play, reflection
exercises, cartoon-strip making are wonderful
ways to take the discussion forward. The idea
behind the moral science class should not
be to build morals but to build awareness,
sensitivity to various core values e.g. caring,
positivity and tenacity. So, just as ‘sex
education’ classes have morphed into ‘gender
sensitisation’ classes perhaps ‘do not steal’
stories need to be set in more natural and
real landscapes so as to be more in sync with
the world we live in and the lives we lead.
Email your queries at: sarita_mathur@hotmail.com
14 The Progressive Teacher Nov/Dec 2014

teaching
As a teacher you already know that more
than any other generation, the millennial
learners have certain traits that learners
before them did not have. They were born with technology and take
it for granted just as the majority of us took the television and the
refrigerator for granted. Smartphones, mobiles, laptops and Ipads are
not really gadgets for them but necessities they were born with. Nobody
taught them how to use all this technology for information, for socialising,
gaming and messaging; they just know how to do it. So how does a
school teacher who was probably born two generations before them
manage the classroom with this huge information flow this generation of
learners have at their fingertips?
Traditional learning
outdated
Preparedness is the hallmark of
a good teacher but with so much
of technology in use it sometimes
become a little daunting for
the older teacher to deliver a
good learning experience. As
the learner as well as classroom
change you may become unsure
about what steps to take in
achieving learning goals. Firstly,
the teacher must take into
account that for generation Y,
traditional learning is something
that should have died with the
dodo. They don’t like books or
libraries but love the web with
its assortment of hyperlinks. It
becomes a huge challenge for a
teacher to connect curriculum
to this new culture of learning.
However, if you want to be
successful you can easily use the
web to your advantage.
Use the internet
Some forward thinking schools
are making use of Skype to
interact with school children in
other parts of the world, via the
many international friends the
generation Y has, for language
lessons or geography lessons.
Not to worry even if there are no
international friends there are
bound to be some in other states
of our country. Tie ups with other
schools makes any geography
lesson interesting. Webinars are
another ‘cool’ way of connecting
and gathering information.
‘Blogology’
One teacher has set up a class
blog where the children post their
stories, poems their art work.
This encourages their language
skills and spelling efficiencies
as they know a blog is out there
for the world to read. The sense
of achievement is tremendous.
Also it will help in warding off
usage of short forms like u, gr8,
btw, asap, etc, the new generation
learners love to use!
Participatory Classroom
According to research millennial
learners are team players, they
are full of confidence and they
have opinions which they want to
express. Use this trait to innovate
and keep them interested in the
classroom. Lead them first into
a discussion on the topic you
are going to teach. Inform them
about the topic in advance, let
them research and gather as
much information as possible
as homework. You could also
divide them into groups that will
research one aspect of the topic.
Let them compete to see which
group comes up with the most
unique information on the topic.
Extensive travellers
The new learners have probably
travelled extensively in the
country and abroad. Their
knowledge of places is something
they have not learnt in text
books but something they have
experienced firsthand. You
can bring that experience into
the classroom by giving them
projects to do on the places they
have visited, ask them to ‘teach’
that visited place to the rest
of the class especially if it
connects in some way to
the curriculum, be it social
science or geography. Make
the classroom as action
filled as possible.
Let them prepare a
slideshow of the places they
have visited according to
geography or social studies.
Adopt new skills
To be an effective teacher,
learn to intersperse your
lessons with technology
as these learners want
to learn through diverse
methods. They do not want a text
read or lecture based lesson as
they can get all that information
from the internet. So equip
yourself in using multimedia
teaching methods and handling
educational aids like computers,
projectors, etc skilfully or you
could find that you are no longer
in control of your own classroom.
Make the internet your friend
too so you can get ideas about
new methods you can adopt
to make lessons participatory.
Since the learners are so adept
at technology it is important
that the teacher is seen as
having an adequate amount of
technological knowhow too!
Changed Relationships
The new age learners do not view
the teacher as an authoritarian
figure but rather as someone
who will facilitate their teaching
goals so they believe they are
achievers. Since the role of a
parent has changed to ‘friend’ the
same can be applied to a teacher.
Remember they are growing up
in an atmosphere where they
have educated parents who
can as easily guide them. Their
parents probably praise them for
every success they have, be it as
minor as scoring a basket on the
basketball court to mastering a
piano lesson. Their parents are
16 The Progressive Teacher Nov/Dec 2014

Suman Singh is a former
English teacher and now a
freelance writer and editor.
Suman’s short stories, articles
have been published in
‘Hindustan
Times’
‘Reader’s
Digest-India’,
‘Teacherplus’,
‘Children’s
World’ and
chillibreeze.com. She also
writes web content for various
websites. Her poetry has found
place in ‘The Enchanting
Verses Literary Review’
‘Asiawrites’, ‘Quest’ and in
an anthology ‘Rendezvous’.
Suman has a Masters in English
Literature and a degree in
Education.
ready to confront the teacher
for any learning gaps and are
quite capable of taking on the
school for any perceived policy
deficiency.
Praise all the way
You have to take that broad
hint from their parents and
ensure that you are praising
your learners (praise is used as
an incentive to get more work
done even by the corporate
sector now) for their smallest
achievement even if it is praising
an improvement in handwriting.
Handwriting today is anyway
a big issue with most teachers
as the ‘new kids on the block’
probably learnt typing in the
cradle while writing with the
pencil and pen is a Herculean
task. Hold regular five minutes of
‘well done’ time so they can each
speak of their achievement of the
day. I learnt a new word, I shared
my chocolate, I did not scold
my younger sister, is all praise
worthy and also a great way to
teach life skills.
Prepare your lessons well
In keeping with the fast paced
learner for whom technology is
as natural as eating food come
armed with it yourself, make
classroom preparedness your
goal. Remember that a classroom
is not just a question and answer
factory but a novel arena which
throws a challenge at you to
make your lessons as creative
and compelling as possible. The
new millennial learners will love
you more if they feel they are on
the right track with a facilitator
that will get them exactly where
they want to go. Achievement is
important as this is what their
parents expect from them and they
are more inclined to be parent
centered compared to the previous
generation of learners.
Nov/Dec 2014
Teaching
corporal
punishment
When I was in school, I was never slapped by any teacher, not that I was
a brilliant student, but I was too precious for my teachers just like all my
classmates were. Taking this into consideration, I was a little surprised on
the need to introduce guidelines for eliminating corporal punishment. As
far as I was concerned, it never existed.
- Priyanka Ohri
The government has been making diligent efforts
to implement these guidelines under Section 35
(1) of RTE 2009. To reinforce these efforts, my
school also organised a workshop for the teaching
and non-teaching staff of the school, so that we could
keep up with the legal implications of the regulations
being put into place. For a moment as the workshop
progressed, my mind was too biased to look at
the regulations as anything good. We are not that
bad, are we? After listening to the guidelines with
objectivity, I realised, one of us is considered bad.
Almost every day national and regional newspapers
carry news of one or the other student committing
suicide on not being treated right in the classroom.
Why? Under Right to Education, these much needed
guidelines are here to address such issues.
Clichéd as it may sound, we teachers are not
only dealing with delicate minds, but we are also
helping the society raise mentally and physically
healthy people. In some part, the guidelines talk
about ignoring minor disturbances like talking in
the classroom and it also clearly mentions that as
teachers we should be able to handle the academic
performance of the students and involve the parents
of the students at crucial junctures. The guidelines
completely forbid the teachers to cause any pain to
students - mental or physical. Indeed! Suddenly, being a
teacher is not a ‘comfortable job’, it calls for diligence,
creativity, vigilance and empathy at all times.
Times have Changed
In the era of globalisation and with the
implementation of these much required rules and
regulations, teaching has become an even more
challenging job. It is no longer the domain for people
who come into teaching for having failed to find
a place in any other profession. Thankfully! This
requires us to be more vigilant and compassionate
at all times. Exhausting as it may sound, but we
no longer can take even a moment easy. It is only
natural, sometimes for a teacher to lose her/his calm
if there is some disturbance in the class over and over
again. Now, these guidelines will coerce us to think
of creative ways to eliminate these disturbances.
Punishment is easy, but looking for creative ways
to channelize all the energy is difficult. And this is
exactly what we need to do.
I clearly remember, I was in class 6 in an English
medium school, straight out of a Hindi medium
school. I was not only awkward, but also low on
self confidence and too complacent to participate
in anything. My homework was sloppy and I was
usually punished. Punishment was effective, it forced
me to do better. But, more effective was the pat on
my back by my principal at that time. Somehow
she understood what I was going through and that
understanding in her eyes pushed me a step closer to
becoming a self confident woman.
After going through these guidelines thoroughly, I
still could not answer one simple question.
Why were these challenging? To answer this
question, I explored every emotional, physical and
knowledgeable corner of my classroom. I found
the answer in the system of teaching. Yes, teaching
and not education. We as teachers sometimes focus
too much on bookish knowledge, which of course is
important, but equally important is the need to give
wings to the students. This Eureka moment came in
when I asked my class 12 students as to what they
wanted to do after passing out from school. Their
answers were simple, ranging from B.A. Political
Science to B.A. Economics. It was a telling moment
for me. Despite being from progressive times and
progressive education system, students were still
not receptive for progressive, out-of-the-box career
options, not that Economics or Political Science is bad.
Priyanka Ohri says, 'Having finished
my schooling from Auckland House
School, Shimla, I pursued my Masters in
Mass Communication and Journalism. At
present, I am teaching Mass Media Studies
in St. Thomas' School, Shimla. Teaching as
a profession was discovered accidentally,
but it is my second love after writing. There
are two lessons that teaching has given me
for a lifetime. First, to do what I love until I become perfect
and second, you never know what you are capable of.'
This attitude of staying in the rut, in the safe zone
and attaching oneself to the familiar percolates
from the teachers to the students and not the other
way round. This is the answer to why we teachers
need to shout in the class or punish the students
for anything. We only see the purpose of their being
in the school, but we don’t see why we are there?
We see them talking and misbehaving, but we do
not see the reason behind it. Every student comes
from a different situation and background and these
guidelines have reminded us about it again.
These guidelines to prevent the use of corporal
punishment in the school have come at the right
time to open our minds and potential as teachers.
Further, not to forget, the guidelines have brought
in just the right change, much needed in the Indian
classrooms. These have tried to do away with gender
discrimination of any type as well.
Loopholes? Yes!
Guidelines to eliminate corporal punishment under
RTE Act 2009 were much required, but somehow
there is no protection for the teachers. What if a
simple effort by a teacher to bring misbehaviour
of the student to the notice of the parents is
misconstrued as negative and the student is unable
to handle it productively? A good, willing and hard
working teacher will be in hot soup.
Taking into consideration the increasing dropout
rate of youngsters from the school, increasing rate
of children resorting to drug abuse owing to a lot
of stress and increasing suicide rate, we desperately
need these guidelines to be implemented effectively.
But, these guidelines cannot work if parents
and students are not made effective and active
stakeholders in the process. Parents and children
need to know about their rights in an appropriate
way. These rules are there to help everyone raise
physically and mentally www.progressiveteacher.in fit children.
17

counseling
As Rollo May puts it ‘depression is the inability to
construct a future’. Depression is of major public
health importance, in terms of its prevalence and
the suffering, dysfunction and economic burden
and more common in women. It is estimated
by 2020, if current trends for demographic and
epidemiological transition continue, the burden
of depression will increase to 5.7% of the total
burden of disease and it would be the second
leading cause of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs),
second only to ischemic heart disease.
It is reported a 3% prevalence of
depression among school attending
adolescents (13–19 years) in a study
that specifically assessed the prevalence
of depression. It is very important to point
out that the prevalence of depression in
children and adolescents in India needs to be
understood in the context of the high and ever
increasing evidence of suicidal behaviour in
young Indian population.
This article describes how teachers should
provide first aid to student who may experience
depression. The role of the teacher is to assist
the student until appropriate professional help
is received or the crisis is resolved.
How do I know if someone is
experiencing depression?
If you notice changes in the student’s mood,
behaviour, energy levels, habits or personality,
you should consider depression as a possible
reason for these changes. It is important to
learn about depression so that you are able to
recognise these symptoms and help someone
who may be developing a depressive episode.
Take time to find out information about
depression such as its causes, its symptoms,
how it can be treated, and what services are
available in your area. It is important that
you do not ignore the symptoms you have
noticed or assume that they will just go away.
It is also important that you do not make
excuses for the student’s behaviour as this
may delay getting assistance.
Symptoms of depression
It is also important to know that for a
student to be diagnosed with clinical
depression, s/he must have 4 or more of the
following symptoms. An unusually sad or
irritable mood that does not go away + 4
SIGECAPS = Depression
SIGECAPS – Mnemonic for Depression for
easy recall to identify depression.
Sleep (increase/decrease); Having sleeping
difficulties or, sometimes, sleeping too much
Interest (diminished); Loss of enjoyment and
interest in activities that used to be enjoyable
Guilt/low self esteem; Feeling worthless or
feeling guilty when they are not really at fault
Energy (poor/low); Lack of energy and
tiredness Concentration (poor); Difficulty
concentrating or making decisions
Appetite (increase/decrease); Loss of interest
in food or, sometimes, eating too much
Changes in eating habits may lead to either
loss of weight or putting on weight
Psychomotor (agitation/retardation); Moving
more slowly or, sometimes, becoming agitated
and unable to settle Suicidal ideation;
Thinking about death a lot or wishing they
were dead.
Normally Indians report depression in the
following statements like; Mann/Mood
theek nahi hai, Mann nahi lagta,
Dil nahi karta, Mann kharab hai, Gussa
ata hai, Tension hoti hai, Concentrate nahi
kar pata hu & Soch nahi pata hu. Visible
Symptoms to look for: Anger out bursts,
Hyper sensitive, Touchy, Crying spells,
Non responsive, Sad mood, Irritable, Slow
in speaking, Saying not happy and I am
depressed.
How should I approach someone who
may be experiencing depression?
Before you try and help the student who may
be experiencing depression, it is important
that you learn about things like the causes
and treatments for depression. Try to find
out what treatment services are available in
your area, especially those of trained Clinical
Psychologists and Psychiatrists.
Contrary to myth, talking about depression
makes things better, not worse. If you think
that a student you know may be depressed
and needs help, you should have a comfort
level with that student. It can be helpful if
you allow the student lots of opportunity to
talk and let him/her choose when to open
up. It is important to choose a suitable
time when both you and the student are
available to talk, in a space where you both
feel comfortable. Let the student know
that you are concerned about him/her and
are willing to help. If the student doesn’t
feel comfortable talking to you, you should
encourage him/her to discuss how s/he is
feeling with someone else.
- John Victor
You should ask the students about their
mood, for instance, if the students say that
they are feeling sad or down, you should ask
them how long they have been feeling
that way. Ask the student if they are feeling
depressed and respect the way the students
interprets their own symptoms. It might be
helpful to reassure the student that feelings
of depression are very common. If the
students would like some information about
depression, it is important that you give them
resources that are accurate and appropriate
to their situation. The students you are
helping may not have the energy or strength
to find out information on their own and you
may need to help them; be mindful of the
severity of the students’ symptoms when you
are giving them information. One source of
information that may be helpful is telephone
numbers of support services provided by
mental health professionals.
How can I be supportive?
Treat the students with respect and dignity.
Each student’s situation and needs are
unique. It is important to respect the
students’ wishes while considering the extent
to which they are able to make decisions
for themselves, and whether they are at
risk of harming themselves or others. You
should respect the students’ privacy and
confidentiality unless you are concerned
that the students are at risk of harming
themselves or others. It is important to be
honest with the students. Let them know in
advance that you will need to intervene and
seek professional help for them if you ever
believe that their life may be in danger.
Do not blame the students
for their illness
Depression is a medico-psycho-social illness
and the students cannot help being affected
18 The Progressive Teacher Nov/Dec 2014

y depression. It is important to remind the
students that they have an illness and that
they are not to blame for feeling ‘down’.
Beware that there is no point in just
telling someone who is depressed to ‘get
better!’ Telling people with depression to
snap out of it is just like telling people
with cancer to just get over it.
Have realistic expectations from
the students
Let the students know that you don’t think
less of them as students, and that they are
not weak or failures, because they have
depression. Everyday activities like getting
up, doing homework, or coming to school
may seem overwhelming to them. You should
acknowledge that the students are not
‘faking’, or being lazy’, ‘weak’ or ‘selfish’. Ask
the students if they would like any practical
assistance, but be careful not to take over, or to
encourage them to become dependent on you.
Offer consistent emotional support
and understanding
It is more important for you to be
genuinely caring than for you to say all
the ‘right things’. The students genuinely
need additional love and understanding
to help them through their illness so you
should be empathetic, compassionate and
patient. People with depression are often
overwhelmed by irrational fears; you need to
be gently understanding of someone in this
state. It is important to be patient, persistent
and encouraging when supporting a student
with depression.
Encourage the students to talk to you
Don’t be afraid to encourage the students to
talk about their feelings, symptoms and what
is going on in their minds. Try to use openended
questions so that the students can say
what they want to, rather than questions that
are likely to be answered with a ‘yes’ or ‘no’.
Let the student know that you are available
to talk when they are ready; do not put
pressure on the student to talk right away.
Be a good listener
You can help students with depression
by listening to them without expressing
judgment. Be an active listener; reflect back
what the students have said to you before
responding with your own thoughts.
It is important to listen carefully to the
students even if what they tell you is
obviously not true or is misguided. Although
the students may not be communicating well,
and may be speaking slower and less clearly
than usual, you must be patient and must not
interrupt. If the students are repetitive try
not to get impatient, but rather keep trying
to be as supportive as possible. Be aware
that silence may be better than talking. If the
students don’t want to talk, then try just to
be with them for a while.
Give the student hope for recovery
You need to encourage the students to believe
that, with time and treatment, they will feel
better. If the students are constantly negative, try
to point out the positive things that are happening.
What doesn’t help?
• Don’t tell the student to ‘snap out of it’ or
‘get over it’.
Nov/Dec 2014
John Victor is a Senior Clinical Psychologist, formerly with
VIMHANS as Faculty & Consultant. Trained all the counsellors of MSF
India, CANSUPPORT and SPARSH in association with MSD (Merck
Pharmaceuticals) in Basic Counselling Skills. Conducted workshops on
Fear and Love for Maths, Living with Teachers Stress, Dealing with Anger
and Aggression in Children, etc. Worked with all the staff of MSF Kashmir
(Médecins Sans Frontières) in dealing with their professional burnout at
the time of severe conflict in 2011, (Kashmir) Conducted series of public
awareness programmes at IHC on topics like 'Violence & Aggression in
Children' and 'Personality Re-Engineering'. Currently associated with
SANOFI in conducting Conscious Parenting Workshops all over India.
• Do not be hostile or sarcastic when the
students attempt to be responsive. Instead,
accept their responses as the best the
students have to offer at that time.
• Do not adopt an over-involved or overprotective
attitude towards someone who
is depressed.
• Do not nag the students to try to get them
to do what they normally would.
• Do not tell the students that they just need
to stay busy or get out more.
• Do not trivialise the students’ experiences
by pressuring them to ‘put a smile on their
face,’ to ‘get their act together’, or to
‘lighten up’.
• Do not belittle or dismiss the students’
feelings by attempting to say something
positive like, ‘You don’t seem that bad to me’.
• Avoid speaking to the students in a
patronising tone and do not use overlycompassionate
looks of concern.
• Avoid using the words ‘I know how you
feel’ or ‘I understand‘ as it is unlikely,
unless you have also been with depression,
that you can exactly imagine the students’
sadness. Rather use ‘I understand from
your words, I understand from what you
have said’.
• Try not to show the student if their
depression is bringing you down.
• Do not tell the student that they are
unpleasant to be around, even if you feel
that way.
• Resist the urge to try to cure the student’s
depression or to come up with answers to
their problems.
Should I encourage the students to
seek professional help?
Ask the students if they have tried to get
help and if they need help to manage how
they are feeling. Everybody feels down or
sad at times, but it is important to be able to
recognise when depression has become more
than a temporary experience for someone
and when to encourage those students to
seek professional help. If this is the case,
you should tell the students how treatment
might help them to feel better, discuss the
options that they have for seeking help, and
encourage them to use these options.
It is important to encourage the students to
get appropriate help and effective treatment
as early as possible. If the students do not
know where to get professional help, offer
to assist them. You should encourage the
students to first see a clinical psychologist for
immediate treatment. If the students would
like you to support them by accompanying
them to a doctor’s appointment, you must
not take over completely; students with
depression need to make their own decisions
as much as possible.
Unless there is a specific risk of harm to
self or others, do not push the student into
seeking professional help before they are
ready. Once they have sought help, ask the
students if they need any help understanding
or clarifying any medical words that were
used by the therapist/clinical psychologist.
What about self-help strategies?
People who are depressed frequently use
self-help strategies. Before speaking to the
students about self-help strategies, you should
know which ones are helpful for depression,
so that you can recommend them like, regular
low to moderate exercise, interacting with
friends and family, not spending lonely time, etc.
Ask the students if they are interested in
talking about self-help strategies. If the
students say yes, then provide them with
information about the ways that they can
help themselves feel better. It might also be
useful to ask the students what they have
done in the past to help themselves cope, and
to ask whether they could use those strategies
again to help themselves now. However, if
the student is using drugs, alcohol, watching
excessive television, playing excessive
computer games or sleeping excessively, you
should encourage them to reduce their use.
What if the student doesn’t want help?
The student may not want to seek
professional help. You should find out if there
are specific reasons why this is the case. For
example, the students might have had bad
experiences in the past, be concerned about
costs, or they might be worried they will be
sent to hospital. These reasons may be based
on mistaken beliefs, or you may be able to
help the students overcome their worry about
seeking help. If the students still don’t want
help after you have explored their reasons
with them, let them know that if they change
their mind in the future about seeking help,
they can contact you.
Sometimes they do not want their friends
to know about their depression. Just to hide
this, some adolescents don’t share till it blows
over the top. (Here teachers must have non
judgemental and non pointing discussions about
depression in the class and try to reduce the
negativity and myths regarding depression.
Sometimes the student may need time to
accept the need for treatment. If this is the
case, slowly and respectfully persist in trying
to get the students to seek help. However, at
all times you must respect the students’ right
not to seek help, unless you believe that they
are at risk of harming themselves or others.
You must only intervene without permission
when the student’s life is in danger.
Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to
pass, it’s about learning how to dance in
the rain. –Author Unknown.
www.progressiveteacher.in 19

nutrition
Nutritious ‘n’
Yummy
Recipes for School Cafeterias
Nutritious Hara Chillah
Makes 10
1 cup hari tukda moong chhilka
2 tsp chopped garlic, ¼ cup chopped coriander, ½ tsp salt
¼ tsp garam masala, ½ tsp coriander (dhania) powder,
1 cup water
TOPPING
2 carrots - finely grated (1 cup)
2 cups grated paneer, 1½ tsp salt, or to taste
1 tsp roasted cumin (bhuna jeera) powder
Crispy Dalia Tikki
Your kids and their friends are going to
gobble up these bite-size, high-fibre,
peanut-flavoured tikkis!
Makes 18
½ cup broken wheat (dalia), 2 boiled potatoes - peeled &
mashed
1 cup finely chopped spinach, 1 tsp finely chopped ginger
2 tbsp peanuts - powdered, ½ cup milk, ½ tsp salt or to
taste, ½ tsp garam masala, oil for frying
1. Roast dalia till golden in colour. Soak in a bowl with ½
cup milk. Keep aside for 1 hour.
2. Mix well - potatoes and all ingredients except oil
including soaked dalia. Divide the mixture into small
equal portions. Make a ball of each portion and flatten
between your palms in the shape of a small tikki.
3. Heat oil in a kadhai and deep fry 2-3 tikkis at a time
till golden and crisp. Serve hot with tomato ketchup.
The importance of nutrition cannot be
underestimated, more so for growing
kids. Since snack break at schools is
an integral meal-time for kids, it is
important that they eat the right things.
Here, award-winning cooking expert
and cookbook author Nita Mehta shares
three recipes for right nutrition.
Pancake power packed with nutrition, texture and taste! The
pancake (chillah) is made with soaked ground green moong dal.
1. Wash dal well. Soak dal in 2 cups of
water for 1-2 hours.
2. Drain dal.
3. Grind dal to a paste along with garlic, coriander, salt,
garam masala and coriander powder in a mixer. Add 1
cup water. Grind again. Remove from mixer to a bowl.
4. Mix all ingredients of the topping in a bowl.
Keep aside.
5. Grease a non-stick pan and heat on fire. Remove from
fire and pour one karchhi of batter and immediately
spread with the back of a karchhi into a 5” diameter
round. Return to fire. Let it cook for a few seconds.
6. Sprinkle 2 tbsp of the topping on the chillah. Press. Nita Mehta
7. Pour 1 tsp ghee/oil on the sides and on top too, so that the chillah
turns crispy. When you see golden brown patches, turn over. Cook till
golden from both sides. Serve hot.
Nutty Corn Burger
Corn, raisins and nuts take the humble potato patty to gourmet
heights that even a child can appreciate especially when it is
presented to him as a burger.
Makes 4
4 burger buns, 4 tbsp ready-made mayonnaise,
oil for shallow frying
a few red or green lettuce leaves - dipped
in chilled water till serving time
PATTIE
2 medium sized potatoes - boiled and
grated (1 cup)
1 cup frozen corn kernels - put in hot
water for 2-3 minutes, drain and mash
slightly
3 tbsp cornflour, 1 tbsp raisins (kishmish),
3 tbsp roughly crushed peanuts, 1 tsp oregano
½ tsp ginger paste, ½ tsp garlic paste, 1 tsp salt
2 bread slices - churned in a mixer to get fresh
bread crumbs
1. For pattie, mix grated potatoes, corn, cornflour, raisins, peanuts, oregano,
ginger-garlic paste and salt. Divide the mixture into medium balls. Flatten them
slightly to give the shape of tikki.
2. Spread bread crumbs in a flat plate.
3. Moisten tikkis with a little water.
4. Roll tikkis in bread crumbs to coat all over.
5. Heat 2-3 tbsp oil in a pan. Shallow fry 2-3 tikkis at a time till crisp and golden
brown. Drain on paper napkins.
6. Halve buns horizontally. Lightly butter if desired and toast on a pan till crisp
from both the sides or grill for 3-4 minutes in a hot oven till crisp.
7. Place the bottom half of the bun on a serving plate. Put a lettuce leaf on the
bottom piece. Place a hot patty. Spoon some mayonnaise, about 1 tbsp on each.
Cover with the top half of the bun. Serve hot with ketchup and French fries.
Your school cafeteria menu should be created to ensure that students receive proper nutrients
as they need to think clearly, concentrate on learning, and perform well in class.
For your school cafeteria nutritional requirements and monthly menu preparation
consultations contact: nitamehta@nitamehta.com
20 The Progressive Teacher Nov/Dec 2014

teaching
Facilitating
Learning
- Ideas for Effective Teaching
Every academic year begins with hopes, expectations,
optimism and high energy both for the teachers as well as the
students. Capitalising on these highs would go a long way in
determining learning output, streamlining the curriculum to
achieve the learning objectives, and sustaining the pace of
learning throughout the academic session. - P Ajitha
Orientation for new academic session
A good orientation sets the tone and conveys
expectations needed to ensure meaningful
engagement with the course of study and
translate classroom interactions into fruitful
learning experiences. If not done properly
and subtly, there is always the possibility
of instruction going haywire for want of
clarity in communicating the desired learning
outcomes and expectations from students.
Another fallout of not undertaking this
exercise at the beginning of the academic
term is that students tend to be lax and
complacency sets in as they lose the sense
of purpose and direction without clear cut
standards of learning benchmarked for them.
An overview of course curriculum with
brief introduction about the nature of study,
its scope and application in real life helps
provide the stimulus required to launch into
independent investigation of subject matter.
Another benefit of reviewing the curriculum
objectives and intended learning outcomes
is to help learners see the relevance of what
they are learning and how the knowledge and
skills acquired would be of any use to them in
the real world.
I usually begin my new academic session by
getting my students in senior school spell out
clearly what their expectations from their
English class are and what they would want
to learn specifically and how. Believe it or
not every time I carry out this exercise I am
astounded by the students’ perception of their
academic needs, their clearly enumerated
requirements and useful suggestions to meet
their expectations in an interesting and
engaging manner.
Taking cues from the student feedback,
my observations and curriculum framers’
intent and purpose, the next logical step is
to customise the curriculum content to fulfil
learner requirements and satisfy their needs.
Expecting the Unexpected
Now comes the biggest challenge -
implementing the devised plan of action!
Armed with the knowledge of students’
expectations, understanding the curriculum
requirements, having the course objectives
in mind, gauging the students’ readiness, the
teacher may well be on the path to effective
teaching and fruitful learning. But more
often than not, in spite of all the preparations
made and precautions taken, things don’t
work out as planned - causing dissatisfaction
and even frustration to creep in. A quick
reflection would help understand why even
the best curriculum design may deliver below
average results in terms of learning outcomes
in students. Most often when teachers make
lesson plans they confine themselves to the
immediate learning context, making textual
content isolated learning experiences and
not a progressive and unified one. The second
reason for teaching plans going awry is
teachers planning lessons in an ideal setting
where every student is attentive, positively
engaged and responsive - which is seldom
the case! Not taking the disruptive elements
into lesson planning causes unintentional
digressions from the intended course of lesson
transaction and not being able to deliver
the desirable results. Therefore, the mental
preparedness to expect the unexpected in
terms of student behaviour or response to the
course of study stands the teacher in good
stead. Determination and perseverance in
carrying out a customised curriculum plan
keeping the needs of the target student group
in mind are required to make innovative
approaches work and deliver the results.
Corrective measures
Mid course corrections wherever deemed
necessary should be made to keep the
course content dynamic and its transaction
engaging. A critical approach to teaching and
evaluating its effectiveness is indispensable
when it comes to consolidating techniques
and approaches that work and do away with
P AJITHA, being born into a family of
educationists, teaching as a career choice would
have been thought of as the logical progression after
studies but happened accidentally. The foundation
for noble profession perhaps was laid
during schooling at Sainik School, Imphal.
Having the advantage of seeing and
experiencing the myriad hues of Indian
culture through travel and stay in different
parts of the country, has helped develop
an appreciation of Indian ethos and
values which has also been instrumental
in shaping the vision for teaching. The
first teaching assignment was at an
International Residential School in Gujarat.
Had experience in teaching Soft Skills to
MBA students before joining Delhi Public School,
Vijayawada in the year of its inception in 2007 as a
teacher in English.
pedagogical styles that are ineffective in
realising the course objectives. Content that
has limited learning value should be glossed
over and emphasis on courseware that lends
itself to myriad learning possibilities and
which accommodates different learning
styles should always take precedence over
anything else. Such decisions have to be taken
mid-way through curriculum transaction,
when the teacher realises that a particular
approach or lesson planning is not yielding
the desired results. When faced with such a
situation where learners are unable to see the
relevance of what is being taught and thus
lose interest and stop actively participating,
then the teacher should immediately change
her approach taking cues from the learners
themselves and steer the learning process
away from conventional teaching to a novel
and fun filled yet effective learning experience.
Reflective Teaching
In order to make the teaching-learning
process truly functional and deliver the
results, the teacher must continuously
conduct an audit of her teaching practices to
know what approach works best and which
pedagogy does not produce the intended
outcomes in a given learning scenario. The
next step is to consolidate techniques that
are effective in the context of learning and
refine approaches that have been relatively
non productive in the past but could yield
results when given an innovative element. A
word of caution though! Not all successful
teaching techniques guarantee the same
level of success with every batch of students
and all classes. So the teacher must use her
discretion and perception to gauge the level
of readiness of the pupils and the suitability
of the approach to a particular group of
students and then determine the required
course of action in terms of pedagogy. Since
teaching is also a dynamic process, constant
reflection and up gradation is a necessity in
order to remain current and relevant.
22 The Progressive Teacher Nov/Dec 2014

PULLOUT PLANNER
Nov/Dec 2014
www.progressiveteacher.in 23

©
24 The Progressive Teacher Nov/Dec 2014

CLASSROOM DISPLAY PULLOUT
Nov/Dec 2014
www.progressiveteacher.in 41

PULLOUT PLANNER
42 The Progressive Teacher Nov/Dec 2014

teaching
I entered my class, Grade 1. This was a post lunchbreak
class. I opened the door and was welcomed by the
amalgamation of the smell of different kinds of food. The
floor of the class had pieces of paratha, chips, spilled water
and chewing gum. Two-three groups of girls were extremely
engrossed in their highly informative and secretive talks.
They seemed like little women to me. The boys were bragging
about their bravery and vigour, ‘I climbed 100 steps in
1 minute.’ This was the first sentence of the post-lunch break,
boys meeting and the concluding sentence from another little
gentleman in the group was, ‘You know, I have crossed the
river and climbed the mountains in 1 minute.’ This was my
class and perhaps most of us have similar classes.
The challenge is how to impart a lesson
in a class of children with different
moods, energy levels, attention span,
and learning abilities. This is where drama
comes into play as it is a common string that
knits children together. We have often seen
children do role-play. A little girl wearing a
duppatta and becoming a mother to her doll,
or a boy becoming a soldier and riding his
horse. Did anyone teach them the art of
impromptu and lead by a trained teacher
to help children learn through their own
experiences that they gain while being a part
of the process drama.
When my class learnt about personal hygiene.
I had chosen the story book-Inside Mary
Elizabeth’s House by Pamela Allen to impart
the lesson on personal hygiene. The story
talks about a little girl Mary who invites boys
for dinner at her house to convince them of
Learning
drama
through
- Arundhuti Banerjee
Role-Play. The answer is NO. This is drama
that is within them.
Creative Drama is an integrative process that
aims to develop imagination and creative
expression in children. With the help of image
theatre, movement, pantomime, improvisation,
story dramatisation, mimes, public speaking,
brainstorming and group discussion, children
develop a wide range of skill sets like
organisational and problem solving skills,
social and cognitive skills, language and
communication, awareness, self-concept
enhancement, and an understanding of
different facts and building the foundation of
theatre. The aim of creative drama is not to
prepare children for acting but to facilitate
self-driven knowledge through various drama
techniques.
Creative and process drama are informal in
nature and are different from formal theatre.
Unlike theatre, in this kind of drama, there is
no script, no dialogues, and costumes. Stage,
lighting, sound are not mandatory either. It
is not created for an audience but for the
immediate experience for the children who
supply the thoughts, words and action. It is
the presence of a monster in her house. The
story ends with the boys getting frightened of
the monster.
The drama begins after the story ends.
I told my students that the monster is
friendly and that it wanted to make friends
with the boys. The monster is sad because
except Mary Elizabeth, it doesn’t have any
friends. I took on the role of the monster.
The monster was terribly dirty, his mouth
smelled foul, his nails were long and dirty
and he sneezed on everyone’s face. All this
was enacted by me without any pre-planned
script, costumes or make-up. It was a drama
built on imagination, powerful and childfriendly
acting that changed imagination
into an experience. The children promised the
monster that they would make friends with it
if it would keep itself clean. In the shoes of a
monster, I acted as a facilitator and asked the
children about the ways of keeping clean.
The children taught the monster to
brush, scrub and take bath, cut nails, use
handkerchief or tissue while sneezing, and
discouraged scratching of hair, digging nose
and ear picking.
This kind of teaching is based on the popular
approach, ‘Mantle of the Expert’ developed
by Dorothy Heathcote (1926-2011). Mantle
of Expert involves the creation of a fictitious
world wherein students gain access to power
and pretend to be experts in an imaginary
enterprise. Like, in my class children were
experts of Personal Hygiene. In the process,
children encounter various problems, the
difficulty level of the problem depends on the
age-group of children who are involved in the
drama. These problems can come naturally
or are planned and introduced by the teacher.
For example The monster doesn’t have a
brush, soap, ear buds handkerchief, etc. The
children have to brainstorm and come up
with a solution to the problem. The element
of conflict or tension is important for drama
as it adds a challenge, keeps the drama going
44 The Progressive Teacher Nov/Dec 2014

and interesting and promotes new tasks
for learning.
Teaching through drama caters to the three
primary kinds of learners. They are visual,
auditory and kinesthetic. In a class about
jungle, a visual learner grasps by observing
the different series of activities happening
during the course of drama-understanding
Nov/Dec 2014
what are jungle animals by seeing the teacher
who takes on the role of wild animals of the
jungle. An auditory learner hears different
sounds and oral communication-lion roaring,
bats screeching, snakes hissing (sounds made
by the teacher), teacher describing, ‘There is
hardly any sunlight because of the trees,’ etc.
Drama encourages movement which works
best for kinesthetic learners who learn best
by getting involved in physical activities-
Climbing trees, sitting on elephant back,
swimming across the river, etc.
The biggest challenge for me during my
classes was to keep the children interested in
it, owing to their restricted attention span.
This problem can be overcome by bringing
in challenges and tension in the drama,
introducing an element of anxiety, using voice
modulation, taking on quick roles by the
teacher to bring in a new twist, for example
Suddenly becoming an old-feeble lady, whose
identity has to be unravelled by the children,
to know the way to the old cave of buried
treasure in a Treasure-Hunt drama. As a
teacher, all ideas, solutions, responses given
by the children should be embraced and
channelised to the ideal situation. Negation
discourages a child. Applauding even the
slightest efforts by the children and positive
reinforcement self-motivates.
A teacher acts as an enabler rather being a
transmitter.
Drama is a gateway to self-confidence,
imagination, team work, empathy,
communication skills, concentration, selfdiscipline,
problem solving, organisational
skill, physical development, memory, social
skills, social awareness, listening skills,
aesthetic appreciation, creativity and
emotional intelligence. However it doesn’t
work like a digestive pill. It is a gradual
process of self-driven growth. It empowers a
child. Learning through drama is experiential
and self-developed in nature and stays with
children for a lifetime.
www.progressiveteacher.in 45

The old-school model
of passively learning facts
and reciting them out of context
is no longer sufficient to prepare students to
survive in today’s world. Solving highly complex
problems requires that students have both
fundamental skills (reading, writing, arithmetic)
and 21 st century skills (teamwork, problem
solving, researching, time management,
information analysing, utilizing high tech tools).
These 21 st century skills
include:
• Personal and social
responsibility.
• Planning, critical thinking,
reasoning ability and creativity.
• Strong communication
skills (interpersonal and
presentation).
• cross-cultural
understanding.
• analysing and decision making.
• knowing how to use technology
and choosing the most
appropriate tool for a task.
One of the major advantages of
project work is that it makes
school more like real life. It’s an
in-depth investigation of a realworld
topic worthy of children’s
attention and effort. Through
project based approach, students
are encouraged to become
independent workers, critical
thinkers and lifelong learners.
Project based learning is
not just a way of learning,
rather it’s a way of
working together.
If students learn to
take responsibility for
their own learning,
they will form the
basis for the way
they will work with
others in their
professional lives.
Assessment
through
Projects:
Assessment and
evaluation allow us
to systematically
document a child’s
academic progress
and development of
skills.
Project work
encourages this as:
• It lets the teacher
have multiple assessment
opportunities.
• It allows a child to
demonstrate his or her
capabilities while working
independently.
• It shows the child’s ability to
apply desired skills such as
research and presentation.
• It develops the child’s ability
to work with his or her peers,
developing interpersonal
relationships and conflict
handling through logical
evidence.
• It allows the teacher to learn
more about the child as a
person.
• It helps the teacher to
communicate with the child
or a group of learners in
progressive and meaningful
ways on a range of issues.
Project work promotes
long-lasting learning
Teaching has been an activity
undertaken behind closed doors
between moderately consenting
participants.
Project work promotes lifelong
learning because
• Project work and use of
technology enable students
and teachers to reach out
beyond the school boundaries.
• Students become engaged
constructors of a new
knowledge and become active,
lifelong learners.
• Project work teaches students
to take control of their
learning, the first step to
becoming lifelong learners.
We are living in a new economy
- powered by technology, fueled
by information and driven
by knowledge. Therefore, our
students must be skilled enough
to incorporate their learning in
real life.
Project work accommodates
students with varying
learning styles:
This is a known fact that children
have different learning styles. They
build their knowledge on varying
backgrounds and experiences.
It`s also recognised that children
possess a broader range of
capabilities than they have been
permitted to show in regular
classrooms with the traditional
text-based focus.
Project work addresses these
differences, because students
must use all modalities in the
process of researching, solving a
problem and then communicating
the solutions. When children are
interested in what they are doing
and are able to use their areas
of strength, they achieve a higher
level of satisfaction.
As a teacher one can assess
and develop the dominating
intelligence of his or her learners
as suggested by Multiple
Intelligence theory.
Students have a choice to share
responsibilities as per their
interests and the skills they want
to develop in themselves and in
their peers.
Implementation of
Project Work:
Projects, like good stories have
a beginning, middle and an end.
This structure helps the teacher
to organise the progression
of activities according to the
development made by learners
and their personal involvement
with the topic.
During the preliminary planning
stage, the teacher selects the
topic of study (based on the
learner’s interests, curriculum
requirements, availability of
resources, etc.). The teacher
during brainstorming sessions,
shares her own experience,
knowledge and ideas, and
represents them in a structured
‘frame’. All through the project,
students have to add their ideas
and their findings to this frame.
This helps students to be specific
about the topic under research.
46 The Progressive Teacher Nov/Dec 2014

This also helps limit the scope of
research work while going through
reference books and internet
resources.
Phase 1: Beginning the Project
The teacher discusses the topic
with the students to find out
the experiences they have had
and what they already know
about it. The children represent
their experiences and show their
understanding of the concepts.
A letter about the study must
be sent home to the parents. The
teacher encourages the parents
to talk with their children about
the topic and to share any
relevant expertise they have.
Phase 2: Developing the Project
Opportunities for the students
to do field work and speak to
experts will be arranged. The
teacher provides resources
to help the students in their
investigations. Real objects,
books and other research
materials are collected. Teacher
suggests the ways for students
to carry out a variety of
investigations. Each learner is
involved in representing what
he or she is learning and each
participant can work at his or
her own level in terms of basic
skills, constructions, drawing,
music and dramatic play. The
teacher enables the students
to be aware of all the different
work being done through class
or group discussion and display.
The ‘frame’ designed earlier
provides a shorthand means of
documenting the progress of the
project.
Phase 3: Concluding
the Project
The teacher arranges an event
through which the students
share with others what they
have learned. The students can
be made to tell the story of their
project to others by featuring its
highlights. Teachers have to help
the students select material to be
shared. While doing so, teachers
have to involve themselves
purposefully in reviewing and
evaluating the whole project.
This is a general outline of the
common features of projects,
but each project is unique in its
development and presentation.
The teacher, the students, the
topic and the location of the
school all contribute to the
distinctiveness of each project.
Documentation of
project work:
How do we know what the
students are learning through a
project?
How to facilitate students’
learning through the project
process?
How can you make others see
the value of project work in your
curriculum?
These are the questions that a
teacher undertaking project work
may be asked.
Because each project is unique
and each group of students
approaches the project topic
in its own way, there can be no
hard and fast plan for a teacher
to follow. The teacher must
assess accurately the knowledge
and skills that students have
acquired, and the effectiveness of
the learning experience.
The processes of carefully
collecting, analysing, interpreting
and displaying evidence of
learning is called documentation.
Documentation enables the
teacher to effectively manage
the project process and optimize
the learning opportunities.
When shared with others,
documentation also provides
evidence that students are
mastering the skills as required
in the curriculum.
Documentation may be in the
form of photos, videos, samples
of students’ work, anecdotal
records and teacher reflections.
The displays and the project
notes provide insight into how the
work in these projects flowed and
progressed in the classroom.
It may be helpful to have a
checklist for your classroom
with children’s names and any
particular knowledge or skills that
you want to observe or document
during the project process.
The teacher might also consider
keeping a journal. Many teachers
take time each day to outline
what was done on the project
that day and to write about
anything significant which took
place. These entries can focus
on that whole class, a particular
student, a group of students or
the project work itself.
At the End of the Project
Sharing of documentation can
educate others about the learning
which occurred over the course
of the project. The teacher can
plan when and how to share
documentation with parents such
as in parent-teacher meetings or
some other school events such
as annual day. Displays can be
moved to central areas of the
school to be more visible. Project
books and videos can be sent
home with children to share with
parents. Children can reflect on
the learning experience as they
review the documentation.
The teacher can design a ‘self
assessment form’ for participants
so that they can share their
experience that they gained
through the course of project work.
Impact of Documentation
Time spent on documenting
the students` learning must be
considered as a good investment.
Careful documentation of a
project can provide evidence
of the wide ranging and indepth
learning that takes place
while using the Project Based
Approach.
Documentation of a project
can enable the teacher to
see strengths of students not
always measured in traditional
assessment. Perhaps the most
important benefit is that
documentation informs and directs
the teaching learning process.
Accomplishing a project without
documentation denies the teacher
the gift of looking into the minds
of the students, their analysing
and collaborating strategies,
their needs and a chance of
challenging students’ thinking.
Documentation enables the
teacher to maximize the learning
experience for a student and to
be a partner in learning with his
or her students.
Give the project a
purpose beyond the
classroom:
If possible, try to build
connections to the outside world
into projects. If students can
Khushwinder
Singh has been
associated with the
education sector for
the last ten years.
He has worked
as Teacher and
Principal with the
Bharti Foundation.
Currently he is
working as a
Teacher Trainer with DS Digital Pvt
Limited. He has conducted training
sessions for 3000 teachers on
E-learning and CCE in the states of
Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and
Jammu & Kashmir.
work on something that will
directly benefit the school or
community it can really help to
build engagement in the class.
Knowing that your work will do
more than get you grades can be
a powerful motivator. Students
will also help to motivate each
other when they know that their
work is important and useful.
In this way, we see that Project
based approach of teaching and
learning, if undertaken
effectively can be a revolutionary
step to develop skills in our
students.
As an evaluation tool project
work can provide a 360 degree
evaluation about the performance
and personality of a learner.
Nov/Dec 2014
www.progressiveteacher.in 47

Value Education
A Case for
Values
Education
- Jyoti Kumta
Given the state of public life in our country
today, where corruption is the order of the
day, crass materialism a status symbol and
violence and intolerance increasingly evident
in day to day interactions, I would consider
it high time that we made a concerted effort
to teach values. However, the very first
objection from many is that values cannot be
taught, they are only ‘caught’. My contention
is that of course they are ‘caught’ but they
must also be taught because the current
world–wide situation is unprecedented, and
for every new situation/problem we have to
find a new way to address it. Most teachers
I have spoken to agree that values should be
taught but also believe that they cannot be
taught. Quite contradictory, isn’t it?
Jyoti Kumta is a trained teacher,
counsellor, assessor and trainer with a
wide variety of experience. She initially
taught in various Army and Air Force
schools around the country. Then
she counselled parents, teachers and
students in Delhi Public School, Agra.
She has also worked as an Executive
Assessor for Development Dimensions International (DDI),
an internationally recognized company in the field of
corporate assessments and training. However, she realised
that her heart lay in schools so she consolidated all the
skills (teaching, counselling and training) learnt over a
period of more than two decades and prepared a training
program for school children and teachers in the area of
Value Education/Life Skills. She is currently conducting a
year long training programme for teachers of Vikhe Patil
Memorial School, Pune. Her aim is to create a structured,
sustainable, blended learning programme which will ensure
that Values Education becomes an integral part of the curriculum.
48 The Progressive Teacher Nov/Dec 2014

First of all let us look at how much importance we
currently give to Values Education in our urban
English medium schools. The situation is probably
similar or worse (I very much doubt that it could be
better) in other run-of-the-mill schools but I would like
to restrict my comments to my experience. During the
course of my workshops, I have asked more than 500
teachers whether they would consider teaching of values as
important, more important or less important than teaching
pure academic material. Ask yourself this question as well.
In all probability you will have said either more important
or as important. If that is so, then let us take a look at
some ground realities.
The table below highlights the significance (or rather the
lack of it) that is accorded to V Ed in most schools. I have
used certain criteria for comparison but you could try it
with any that may come to mind or compare with any
other subject. Let me know if you find any situation where
Values Education wins over other subjects. I would love to
know of the exceptions!
Music/
PT
English
Value Edu.
Life Skill
No of classes per week 1-2 6+ Max 1
Standardized syllabus No Yes No
Teacher training Yes Yes No
Specially selected Yes Yes No
teacher
Teacher’s interest in Yes Yes No
subject
Permeates through No Yes No
the school
Secondly, I personally do not understand why some
educationists say that values cannot be taught. What is
teaching after all? If teaching is… to impart knowledge
or skills... or give instruction… and if it is done through
discussions, experimenting, lectures, demonstration/
modeling, role playing, etc, why isn’t it possible to use the
same methods to teach values? The knowledge content
for teaching of values, I must admit, is a nebulous area
but there is no doubt that all methods of teaching could be
used to get students to understand the need to live ethical,
meaningful and fulfilling lives.
Take a look at the table below. Can the lecture method be
used to teach each and every subject including Values? Can
discussions be used to teach all the subjects? I believe you
will agree that it is possible to use all methods to teach
all subjects including Values. Only the proportionate use
of the methodologies would vary. While teaching Dance
or Music the use of demonstration is more as compared
to lectures or discussions whereas in social studies there
would be more of the latter. So also in teaching of values
the proportionate use of methodologies would be different
from other subjects.
An English teacher needs to be articulate to be effective;
similarly a good teacher of values needs to be a good
role model and should be willing to ‘walk the talk’. This
in other words is ‘demonstration’. Experimentation and
practice are a must if we want to learn something new.
Values too cannot be inculcated unless the laws of life are
experimented with and put into practice. So though all
methods are used, demonstration, discussion and practice
would be the most important when it comes to teaching
values.
Eng Math S.St PE Music/
Dance
Lectures Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Demonstration Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Role Play Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Discussion Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Games/activities Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Brain storming Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Practice Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
To those who still say that values cannot be taught
I would like to quote some great luminaries like Sri
Aurobindo, Swami Vivekanada, Socrates, Galileo and even
Einstein who said…
Sri Aurobindo - ‘The first principle of teaching is that
nothing can be taught.’
Swami Vivekanada – ‘No one was ever really taught
by another. Each of us has to teach himself. The external
teacher offers only the suggestion which rouses the
internal teacher to work to understand things.’
Socrates – ‘I cannot teach anybody anything, I can only
make them think.’
Galileo – ‘You cannot teach people anything. You can
only help them discover it within themselves.’
Einstein – ‘I never teach my pupils; I only attempt to
provide the conditions in which they can learn.’
If we were to take cognizance of only the first part of
these quotations we could end up saying…’why bother to
teach at all?’ Which is what we are doing with V Ed right
now. However, we know that teaching should be more an
act of facilitation and obviously that is what these great
philosophers and scientists meant to tell us. We can only
By Jyoti Kumta
assist the process of learning by providing the students
with activities and opportunities to learn. Whether it is
Maths, Science, English, Music or even Values for that
matter, the pedagogy would remain the same.
So, the issue really should not be about whether values
can be taught or not, but about finding good role models
who will then use modern teaching methods to teach
values so that the chances of the children learning good
behaviour and making better choices in life are far greater.
Thirdly, (unknown to many of us) across the globe,
educators have been involved in the field of character
education/moral education/ social and emotional learning/
values education. To get a peek into this very vast world
of research have a look at the work of
Thomas Lickona and Mathew Davidson…
http://www2.cortland.edu/centers/character/resources/
SandG/index.dot
or Angela Duckworth and Dave Levin….
http://characterlab.org/
or even Martin Seligman and his work on Positive
Psychology for schools…
http://www.ppc.sas.upenn.edu/
positiveeducationarticle2009.pdf
In India it is the religious organisations who have been
quietly working at moral instruction for decades. I say
decades, because in recent times even they have developed
courses which are very secular in nature and could be
appreciated by a person belonging to any religion. There is
material available which has been developed by UNESCO
and Brahma Kumaris, Ramakrishna Mission, Chinmaya
Mission, Sathya Sai Trust and many others. All of them
have no doubt in their minds about whether values can
be taught or should be taught. All research by western
organisations has also come to similar conclusions. It
is only in recent times that CBSE has started speaking
about integration of values in the curriculum and has
published a handbook for teachers, a set of cards and
a CD with values based songs. All are steps in the right
direction, but the task on hand is so gargantuan that
unless we all join hands with the firm belief that values
can, and must be taught we will not even start thinking
about the possibilities of Values Education.
Values Education
Nov/Dec 2014 www.progressiveteacher.in 49

teaching
Feedback
can transform
Rudimentary Skills into
Competence
- Madhusoodana S
It is not the horse that draws the cart, but the oats
–Russian Proverb
This might be everybody’s experience who is involved in teaching
and evaluating students. Why don’t students make better use
of the feedback we provide on the exam paper, presentations
and assignments? Why does the same error get repeated? Is it
that students don’t read the feedback? Is it the problem of the
feedback? Are we communicating the way they understand the
strengths and weaknesses while attempting the answer? We do
see some improvement as we look back across a course but we
also see quite a few same errors repeated throughout the course.
Feedback has been widely cited as an
important facilitator of learning and
performance. Its aim is to increase
knowledge, skills and understanding. Good
feedback tells the students what needs to be
fixed or revised. Such feedback tends to be
specific and reduces cognitive uncertainty
than facilitative feedback.
When teachers grade the assignments and
write comments providing feedback hoping to
explain the grade and simultaneously offering
an insight into the mistakes the students
committed, it may involve a sort of advice or
suggestions. This helps the students write a
better paper next time and improve the grade.
But often the feedback does not achieve
these goals. We are always under a delusion
that the feedback we give is insightful and
encouraging; comments, we hope students
will take to heart and use to improve their
writing next time. We return the paper and
students curiously take their calculator
(though sometimes they won’t get it for the
math exam), look at the grade and stuff the
paper in their backpacks! Perhaps muttering
something under their breath as they usually do.
It takes a lot of time and effort to provide
students with good feedback. Most of us
tackle the task seriously and scrupulously.
But are we getting a good return to our
investment - though we think students
are grade oriented, they would want to do
better on subsequent tests and assignments
and would use our feedback to help them
accomplish that goal.
Feedback leads to better performance but not
all the time and not as often as the teacher
would like it, given the time and effort we
devote in providing students feedback. But
it’s sure that there is an alternative to this
unproductive cycle of giving the same feedback
again and again and getting the same errors
from the students. Through this article I want
to alert the teaching fraternity who I feel is
dumbfounded by the same experience that
I had - that feedback works wonders if we
communicate it knowing its the purpose.
It is a challenging task I agree but the
feedback that we offer students tends to be
focused on justifying the grade - it may defend
the awarded grade. Though it is appropriate to
a certain extent, it does not highlight what the
student needs to do to improve.
Rae and Cochrane wrote, ‘If assessment
feedback is to be effective in guiding learning,
it should focus on growth rather than grading;
encouraging and advancing student learning.’
This gives much thought to our feedback. We
know we can identify problems but did we
communicate as to how they could be fixed or
have we assumed that it would be obvious to
students?
There are many techniques and researches on
assessment, evaluation and feedback effects
in the learning process. Most of them agree
on the benefit of the feedback which requires
adopting a method of communication that pays
attention to what is being said as well as how it
is said. Feedback should always verify the work
done by the student. It should indicate whether
the answer is correct, and also it should be
elaborated. Feedback can encourage and
discourage the students in writing.
50 The Progressive Teacher Nov/Dec 2014

It depends on the specificity of the message.
Let me present the psychological point of
view. First, of all the content of the feedback
should reveal that we care about the students
and students are capable of doing well. We are
concerned and take responsibility to guide them.
We will guide them to the path to success by
keeping in mind their aptitude and capacity.
Secondly, feedback should not be just
advice, though they are connected but not
related. You are giving feedback by knowing
the student’s strengths and weaknesses
so that the student can get to know what
his mistakes are and what was correct.
When it comes to advice, it is an opinion
or recommendation offered as a guide to
action. Hence, we are less sure about the
student’s strengths and weaknesses, thus we
advise. Feedback needs to specifically point
out where changes and improvements are
required, where the teachers have identified
extra focus is needed like misspelled words,
deviation from the question, etc. Though we
remind the students still they don’t read the
question properly.
For students to be able to act on feedback
provided by the teachers, Sadler, Dr (2010)
(Beyond feedback: Developing student
capability in complex appraisal) asserts that
students must develop appraisal expertise
that relies on knowledge of concepts in three
areas: task compliance, quality and criteria.
Task compliance refers to whether the
student does what the answer requests.
(Command term) It doesn’t make sense when
students make the effort to construct an
answer that purposefully doesn’t answer the
question. When confronted, students are often
surprised and don’t seem to understand what
the problem is or question is. That means
they did not understand the question and
command term or the task they have been
asked to complete.
Quality refers to the ability to make holistic
judgments that differentiate excellent work
from work that is not. Sadler points out
that quality is often difficult to define in the
abstract but easy to see in examples. Teachers
grade student work a lot; quality judgments
are made easily. But when a student
compares his answer with that of a fellow
student who received more points, the student
frequently objects that his answer is just as
good. He made the same points but didn’t
get as much credit. The issues here involve
quality and the student’s inability to see what
distinguished the colleague’s answer from his
own. Some criteria teachers use in assessing
student work is simple and straightforward.
Hence, teachers should be well trained on
these criteria which clarify the rubrics so
teachers can go ahead with that.
Feedforward is another term equally
Madhusoodana S is a post graduate in Psychology with
specialization in Clinical Psychology and Counseling. He also
has a diploma in Human Resource Development and in Special
Education. He is presently working as an IB Diploma Psychology
Teacher at the Indus International School Bangalore. He has served
as Senior Lecturer and Head of the Department in Psychology
for 14 years at the university level in India and Sri Lanka. He has
conducted workshops for teachers on effective teaching, importance
of counseling and adolescence psychology. His articles related to
teaching skills, effective classroom management, how to deal with
emotional problems, stress management, etc have been published in
a number of magazines and newspapers.
important as feedback. Feedforward is more
future oriented. Feedback is a response to
what the student did but in the light of what
needs to be done on the next assignment.
Feedforward includes description of the
assignment and the criteria that will be used
to assess it. The criteria may be detailed as
they frequently are when rubrics are used.
Feedback should be specific and goal directed
that provides the learner with information
about his progress towards a desired goal.
This will also include the acquisition of tasks
or behaviour towards achieving the goal.
In conclusion good feedback can significantly
improve the learning process and out-comes
if delivered correctly. The last three words ‘if
delivered correctly’ comprise the crux of the
whole process. It all depends on the teacher
how well he makes an effort to provide a
good feedback with the intention of improving
the present level of the student.
Let us all make this aspect of teachinglearning
process effective by facilitating the
child’s rudimentary skills transform into
competence.
Nov/Dec 2014
www.progressiveteacher.in 51

teaching
‘There is perhaps nothing
so bad and as dangerous
in life as fear’
The examples cited below will convince
the readers that timely action on the
part of the teachers will save their
students from any and all kinds of failure.
Basically fears or phobias are our attitude
and that attitude is based on negativity that
acts in our life as rust on solid metal like
iron. If timely action is taken, this malaise can
be removed, and it will not affect the metal.
In the same way if an individual has
a fear psychosis of anything like
examinations, tests, darkness, lizards,
snakes, electric poles, heights,
insects, cockroaches, even water,
etc, such an individual needs
counseling and coaxing to help
him overcome the problem.
With timely action from the
elders, peers, teachers and
parents, the victim can get
over the fear though it
takes time.
A student, while studying
in one of the residential
public schools of repute
in Nainital, had a fear of
insects and this fear would
lead him to bouts of fainting
and he would turn blue. I was
one of the teachers of that
helpless, unfortunate boy,
and got rid of
his fear by
holding
S I M Jafri is a
postgraduate in
English literature
and has a library
science degree
with approximately
26 years of
teaching and
managing library.
He has been
working as a librarian managing more than
6,000 books and catering to the needs of
600 students of Aditya Birla Public School in
Rajasthan over the last 12 years. Earlier he
worked at Amtuls Public School in Nainital
for 11 years. His general interests include
poetry, singing, theatre, mimicry, writing, etc.
He has published many of his articles on
several topics of significant social issues in
various national dailies and magazines.
a live insect and rubbing the insect against
my face and hands in front of that boy.
After that the same was enacted upon the
boy. Initially the boy showed reluctance, but
ultimately gave in. And lo and behold, instead
of fainting, the boy started smiling and his
fear was gone forever.
Another example is a girl, who was the
student of a higher secondary school of
Aligarh. She used to faint merely on getting
a scolding from her teachers on any occasion.
Once she became acquainted with me, I got
to know her weakness. One day I called her
in the break-time and counseled her for more
than twenty minutes. She was convinced that
if somebody shouts at her, she should not
take it to heart so that it takes its toll over
her body. I taught her to be bold and face all
formidable challenges in life bravely. After a
lot of coaxing and persuasion, she gathered
courage and became quite normal.
In both the cases, because of patience and
humane attitude, I had successfully helped
the victims overcome their fears. Had they
not met me as their teacher, they would have
certainly continued with the malaise till they
met some psychologist or psychiatrist. In
such cases, one has to harness ones intellect
and do the needful.
An attitude very common to all is ‘this is not
my job’. I do only the job, assigned to me.
Another excuse is ‘I don’t have time for
such tasks’.
Such a lackadaisical approach is detrimental
for us. With such an approach, we should not
be termed professionals but machines – which
do not have any human sentiments, love and
feelings. Unless we rise above this, we cannot
do anything noble in our life.
Therefore, for the sake of our students and
in their interest, we must learn to take
initiative. Sometimes people do not come
forward fearing that their involvement could
make them the laughing stock among their
colleagues and other members of society. But,
if any job is done with sincerity, we certainly
harvest a rich crop.
And last but not the least fear is nothing,
but a psychological problem that could prove
deadly, if not cured in time and if dealt with
judiciously like the approach I adopted, will
certainly have positive results. Do you have
any doubt?
52 The Progressive Teacher Nov/Dec 2014

xxx Teaching xxx xx
Effective usage of
‘Right Hand Side’(RHS)
and
‘Left Hand Side’(LHS)
of student’s class work
- Dr Raghuveer Y V
Dr RAGHUVEER Y V is currently working with Treamis World School, Bengaluru as Principal and Director.
He is a dynamic professional with over 18 years of experience in college / school teaching, administration, training
& development, library & laboratory establishment, CBSE affiliation, module designing and people management. A
committed academician with an excellent track record of effective teaching and research in multi-disciplinary areas, he
is a dedicated and self-motivated leader with proficiency in handling administrative activities entailing faculty appraisal/
training, student-parent relationship, etc.
He has headed a number of schools and developed several teaching training modules on multiple intelligence, unit and
lesson planning, continuous and comprehensive evaluation, formative and summative assessment, teacher-student
mentoring, shadow teaching technique. He is also the author of a Biology text book for college students.
‘Ram, next week
is your unit
test followed
by assessment
series. Have you
ever bothered
to revise your
class work as
preparation at
least once? You
are not even
bothered,’ said
Ram’s mother.
‘I am going to sit
from tomorrow,
Mom,’ answered
Ram. But, that
tomorrow never
appears.
Whenever any student like Ram makes an
attempt to read and recall the subject content
for the tests / exams, they face this problem of
starting anything.
As teachers, can we try a simple but effective teaching
method to avoid this student dis-interest? The only thing
that we need to do in our classes is to incorporate both
the formal and informal parts of our explanations in
writing. If ‘How’ is your question? Please read on…
If the left hand side (LHS) of the student class work
book is used for understanding and justifying the subject
content informally, the corresponding right hand side
(RHS) of the book has to be used for the formal way
of writing. This practice will serve well for the purpose
of making ‘learning’ an enjoyable experience and the
examination corner.
Brief Procedure:
1. Repeatedly instruct the children (from grades 1 to
10) to form structured writing on ‘one side’ of their class
work. Let it be only on Right Hand Side (RHS).
2. If the RHS of the child’s book contains structured
writing for his assessments/tests/exams, the Left
Hand Side (LHS) corresponding to that page is given
the following varieties of informal and un-structured
information to facilitate him/her proper recall and
reasoning from the actual class room setting:
IT IS ALL ABOUT GOING FROM
THE KNOWN TO UN-KNOWN
Following are some of the contents that could be
written by students on the LHS of their class work
on a daily basis:
1. ‘Analogy’ that was discussed by the teacher to begin
and explain a concept
2. ‘Flow chart’ to depict the flow of your lesson day after day
3. ‘Critical points’ to be remembered by the child in the
form of bulletin points
4. ‘Extra information’ relevant to the subject content
to think and extrapolate
5. ‘Web sites/Books/TV programmes to be watched
by the students
6. ‘Relevant stories/jokes’ that were discussed for
better anchorage for learning
7. ‘What is heard, spoken and written’ in the day to
day child’s activity
8. ‘Summary’ created by children at the end
of your class
9. ‘Activities like quiz and debate’ that was executed
in the class for individuals/groups
10. ‘Twisted question tags’ that were created by
children for better understanding of a concept
11. ‘Mind Map’ to summarise the concept /
lesson that was done
12. ‘Related common sense’ revealed by the child to
any subjective discussion pertaining to syllabus
13. ‘Diagrams with labels’ related to the subject
explained
14. ‘ Pictorial representation’ of the concept that
needs to be understood for depiction
15. ‘Circuit diagrams’ for better understanding
16. ‘Beginning and Ending’ of any diagram to be drawn
17. Important ‘comparisons’ and ‘objective
questions’ to be well memorised
18. Any important hint on the ‘Examination corner’
19. ‘Formulae’ that need to be recalled and applied
more frequently....
Many more such ‘useful tips’ can be incorporated by
the teachers. It is left to the individual subject and the
teacher’s style of dealing with children.
INFERENCE: IF THE CHILD GETS REASONING
FROM THE LHS OF HIS CLASS WORK, THE
TEACHER’S EXPECTATION FOR TESTS AND
EXAMS WOULD BE CATERED TO ON THE RHS.
I am very sure that you will use this simple practice in
your classes to increase the penetrative levels of your
students.
For any more clarifications on this new thought, you can
contact me.
54 The Progressive Teacher Nov/Dec 2014

Events
Summit on Changing Educational Technology
NetSpec and Universal Learn Today organised a summit titled
‘Leading Change in Changing Times’ on educational technology
for school principals/administrators from October 07 to 08,
2014 at the Vasant Valley School in New Delhi. On the first day of
the summit a panel of eminent speakers and educationists underlined
the changing paradigm of the education landscape, learners and
leadership. Participants in this two-day summit
comprised school principals, leaders, directors of
education companies, academicians from more
than 80 educational institutes, such as Saupins
School (Chandigarh); Shiv Nadar Foundation, Army
Public School (Nasirabad); Gurukul Global School,
Ridge Valley School, Yadavindra Public School,
Amity Group of Schools, APS (Suratgarh); APS
(Jhansi); APS (Bikaner); Symbiosis International
School, APS (Gwalior), among others. The inaugural
session titled Digital Leadership was unveiled by
Rajendra Pawar, Founder & Chairman, NIIT Group
who emphasised on society and evolution, how learners of today are
changing, and the concept of leadership in a learning environment.
Calling the attention of the audience to the innumerable educational
tools in today’s technological scenario, Rajesh Bakshi, Founder and
Chief Architect, NetSpec Global, stressed the importance of software,
as well as applications. Keynote addresses in the follow up sessions
along with group activity urged the participants to develop a vision for
technology integration in their respective schools. On the second day
of the summit, another set of eminent speakers conducted a string of
inspiring sessions, such as ‘Integrated Technology Classrooms’ in which
Arun Kapur, Executive Director, Universal Learn Today emphasised
on the selection of the most suitable technology that helps children
become great adults — and allows them to actualise their potential.
A series of successive sessions on case studies based on teaching
resources, interactions with representatives, feedback and many others
marked the end of the two-day summit which will be back with its
second edition next year.
WORLDDIDAC India 2014 marks grand success
Bringing the education and training fraternity together on a
common platform, WORLDDIDAC India 2014 and Asian
Summit on Education and Skills (ASES) conference held from
September 10 to 12, 2014 at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. The 6 th
edition of the international expo showcased a spectrum of educational
products and solutions addressing the current needs of all levels of
education from primary to vocational training in the Asia Pacific
region and more
specifically the
Indian education
and training sector.
More than 9,000
visitors thronged
the event where
exhibitors from 15
countries, including
India, staged
latest and innovative education and training solutions, methodologies,
technologies, contemporary advances and services that aid learning,
teaching and skill improvement.
WORLDDIDAC
India 2014
facilitated an
ideal network
across the
continents
between
educators and
those from the
educational
supply industry.
Some of the
prominent
exhibitors including Pop Corn, Dovetail, NC Kancil & Sons, Nauri
Tech, Vardhaman, Extramarks, Veinto Furniture, New Alpha Infotech,
JIL Info and others showcased a gamut of learning material, smart
classroom products, etc. ASES also brought policy makers, influential
leaders and decision makers from across India and Asia to create an
unparalleled platform for exchange of dialogues on education and
skill policies as well as implementation practices, with an objective to
empower educators on various educational and training advancements.
IDA Connect Workshop sessions during the three-day event attracted
more than 2000 principals, heads of educational institutions, teachers
and professors.
Bigger and better opportunities spotted at XSEED conference
Becoming Bigger & Better – Opportunities for Aspiring Schools
in India’ was the theme of the 6 th annual XSEED School of
Tomorrow Conference organised recently at New Delhi. Since
new schools keep popping up each year with great fanfare and
aspiration, quality maintenance is one of the biggest challenges for
them and the conference focused
some pragmatic solutions and
provocative ideas on how to
re-invent schools for the future.
More than 400 school owners, key
decision makers and educators
from all over India turned up
at the event where experts
from international universities,
national foundations and leading
Ashish Dhawan
Nov/Dec 2014
Ashish Rajpal
schools delivered persuasive
research presentations and panel
discussions. XSEED is a comprehensive school learning programme
that raises the level of learning in classrooms by integrating wellresearched
curriculum with ongoing teacher development, applicationoriented
student resources and skill-based assessment.
Practical issues addressed during the conference revolved around the
topics on empowerment of students with skills and abilities to face the
competitive future; role of school leadership in building institutional
capability, academic quality and reputation; schools balancing
the demands
of parents,
regulators and
market while
delivering quality
learning; and
maintenance of quality inside and outside the classroom and ways to
sustain it over time. Ashish Dhawan, Founder & CEO, Central Square
Foundation (CSF) spoke about private entrepreneurship bridging the
quality gap in Indian schooling. Among the other keynote speakers
was Tony Wagner from Innovation Lab, Harvard University, who
elaborated the need for creating innovators and skills required to
survive in the 21 st century. Ashish Rajpal, Founder & CEO, XSEED
Education shared his thoughts on the importance of key skills and
role of leaders in implementing programmes to develop skills among
school children.
www.progressiveteacher.in 55

Health
Coronary Artery Disease
Commonest Heart Disease is called Coronary Artery Disease
(CAD) or ischemic heart disease (IHD) or atherosclerotic
cardiovascular disease. Coronary Arteries supply the heart with oxygen and nutrients to
maintain normal cardiac function. Imbalance between the demand of the heart and supply by
the coronary arteries may lead to Coronary Artery Disease. The basic concept of the supply
and demand relationship is that for any given oxygen need, the heart will be supplied with a
sufficient quantity to prevent under perfusion.
- Dr Narottam Bhardwaj
Coronary Artery Disease is a global
problem. It is the commonest
cause of morbidity and mortality.
It is characterised pathologically by the
atheromatous plaque which may stenose
the coronary arterial lumen sufficiently to
cause the CAD. There are differences in the
ethnic groups for this disease. In south Asians
(Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis) living
in the native country and living abroad this
disease is highly prevalent. Its incidence is
rising in the underdeveloped countries and
India also. In the USA its prevalence has
gone down in the last one decade due to
control of risk factors. In our country the
susceptibility to CAD has been difficult to
explain in terms of conventional risk factors
and there is growing consensus that it is
the result of genetically determined insulin
resistance syndrome, abdominal obesity, high
level of triglyceride, low good cholesterol
(HDL), high blood pressure and diabetes.
RISK FACTORS
Although the cause of atherosclerosis is
unknown, a number of ‘risk factors’ have
been identified which, though associated with
coronary artery disease, are not essential for
its development. Conversely, the absence of
risk factors in an individual does not confer
immunity against the disease.
Reversible risk factors
These are particularly important because
their avoidance or correction may protect
against the development or progression of
coronary artery disease. Most important
are cigarette smoking, hypertension and
hypercholesterolaemia.
Cigarette smoking
The risk of coronary artery disease rises
in proportion to the number of cigarettes
smoked. Stopping smoking reduces the risk,
although it remains higher than in individuals
who have never smoked. The components of
tobacco smoke causing vascular disease and the
mechanism of the damage are both unknown.
Hypertension
The risk of coronary artery disease rises in
proportion to the level of both systolic and
diastolic blood pressure. Thus systolic and
diastolic pressures – > 160 and > 95 mmHg,
respectively, increases risk by 2-3 times.
Treatment of hypertension provides some
protection against coronary heart disease but
significantly greater protection against stroke
and heart failure.
Hypercholesterolaemia
Risk rises in proportion to the total blood
cholesterol level. For example, at levels of
6.5 and 7.8 mmol/l, the risk rises to two
and four times than that seen at 5.2 mmol/l.
Low density lipoprotein (Bad Cholesterol)
is the major component of total cholesterol
and is particularly atherogenic; high density
lipoprotein (Good Cholesterol), on the other
hand, protects against the disease. Reducing
total cholesterol levels, and the ratio of
LDL to HDL, in the general population and
in patients with coronary artery disease
reduces risk. Treatment may also slow the
progression of established coronary artery
disease and in some cases lead to regression
of atheromatous plaques.
Hypertriglyceridaemia is not usually regarded
as a risk factor for coronary artery disease;
however, it is often accompanied by low levels
of high density lipoproteins and
may increase risk, particularly in women. In
Japan the high level of triglycerides are risk
factors for CAD.
Lipoprotein (a)
This is the one which is high among Indians
and is genetically determined. This lipoprotein
is produced in the liver; blood concentrations
above 0.3 g/l are associated with an
increased risk of coronary artery disease.
To date, there is no effective treatment for
reducing raised blood concentrations.
Homocysteine
There is now clear evidence of an independent
relation between serum homocysteine
concentrations and the risk of CAD, perhaps
due to a direct toxic effect on the vessels. It
increases due to the deficiency of folic acid.
Obesity
A person is called obese when the BMI
is more than 30. The increased risk of
coronary artery disease in obese individuals
is largely due to associated hypertension,
hypercholesterolaemia and diabetes.
Physical inactivity
A considerable body of evidence links physical
inactivity to an increased risk of coronary
artery disease. Until recently, however, this
was regarded as a rather minor risk factor
operating indirectly through plasma lipid
profiles and systemic blood pressure, both
of which are adversely affected by physical
inactivity. It is now recognized that physical
inactivity is an important independent
determinant of risk which operates in a
graded fashion, the risk of coronary artery
disease declining progressively with increased
physical fitness.
Irreversible risk factors
Advancing age, male sex and family history
of CAD is a risk factor. Diabetes mellitus and
Dr Narottam
Bhardwaj completed
MBBS in 1973 and
MD in Medicine in
1978 from Maulana
Azad Medical College,
University of Delhi.
He worked for three
years in LNJP and
GB Pant Hospitals,
New Delhi from 1982. He has been in
private practice as a consultant physician
to various hospitals like Indraprastha
Apollo Hospital, etc. At present he is
senior consultant- Internal Medicine at
Max Hospital, Saket, Sukhda Hospital,
New Delhi. He is also Medical advisor to
Power Grid Corporation, Power Finance
Corporation and SIEMENS. He has
published several papers on diabetes,
hypertension and heart disease. He has
special interest in diabetes. He is a member
of Delhi Medical Association and American
Diabetic Association.
type A personality (Chronic sense of time
urgency) are also risk factors for CAD.
New protective factors
Sleep: One must sleep for at least 6 hours
a day to prevent getting diabetes and heart
disease. Less duration of sleep makes you
prone to heart diseases.
Mediterranean Diet: It is protective against
heart disease.
Alcohol Intake: Moderate intake of
alcohol (2 alcoholic drinks per day
corresponding to 20-40 gm alcohol)
decreases the risk of CAD.
Symptoms of heart disease
Major clinical manifestations of CAD are
angina, myocardial infarction and sudden
death. Other includes abnormal rhythm of
heart and heart failure.
Angina: It is a discomfort/distress of the
chest caused by the poor blood flow. It is
usually brought on by exertion.
The distress includes
constricting, suffocating, crushing, heavy and
squeezing feeling in the chest.
Myocardial infarction: it is a severe pain in
the centre of chest due to no supply of blood
to the muscles which goes into myocardial
necrosis. It is usually associated with
sweating, nausea and vomiting. The pain can
be referred to the jaws, left arm and upper
abdomen.
CAD is the most common type of heart
disease. Lifestyle changes, medicines, and
medical procedures can help prevent or treat
CAD. These treatments may reduce the risk of
related health problems.
56 The Progressive Teacher Nov/Dec 2014

58 The Progressive Teacher

www.progressiveteacher.in 59

Workshop
60 The Progressive Teacher Nov/Dec 2014

Point of view
Centre for Civil Society
Reshaping education policy
Translating policy into practice, New Delhi-based Centre for
Civil Society (CCS) envisions a world where students receive
quality education of their choice. In a brief conversation
with The Progressive Teacher, Parth J Shah, president, CCS
reveals how the centre is reshaping the landscape of school
education policy to bring equal opportunities among students
from different economic strata, bridging the barrier between
the rich and the poor.
A
flashback to the inception CCS would
date back to the year 1997 when
Parth J Shah, who used to teach
Economics at the University of Michigan,
returned to India to establish this centre
designed to trigger social changes through
public policies in education, civil society and
various other parameters. Core vision of CCS
is to help each individual lead a life of their
choice in personal, economic and political
spheres. The centre constantly carries out
campaigns and programmes viz. School
Choice Campaign (SCC), Right to Education,
Jeevika, Azad Me, among others.
Flexible system
On the CCS’ move towards reshaping the
country’s education policy, Parth remarks,
‘With our philosophy that every child is
unique, we believe that an education system
can be called truly successful when it is
flexible enough to cater to each student
equally. So, we aim to reform education policy
through School Choice Campaign (SCC)
to make it more responsive to the needs of
each child and provide parents the choices to
decide what is best for their kids, whether it
is government or convent or budget private
school.’ He further mentions that under the
Right to Education (RTE) Act 2009 for free
and compulsory education for all children,
CCS looks forward to calling schools ‘socially
inclusive’ only when children of different
economic backgrounds in all classes enjoy
privileges as equally as possible.
‘RTE Act makes it compulsory for every
private unaided school to admit 25 percent
of its entry-level classes, children from
underprivileged groups. For students from
the weaker economic background, the state
governments shall reimburse schools an
amount equal to either the fees charged by
the school or per child expenditure, whichever
is lower,’ asserts Parth. So, CCS believes that
the most powerful component in this Act is
the reservation of 25 percent seats in private
schools across the country for economically
weaker students.
Strategic platform
National Independent School Alliance
(NISA) is yet another platform of CCS where
budget private schools from all over the
country come together to raise their unified
voice to address concerns about laws and
legislations that apply to them, to facilitate
improvement in overall quality. As of today,
NISA represents around 36,400 private
schools and 26 state associations of private
school owners from 20 states. Systemic level
change is what NISA is striving for. Focusing
on building a strong platform and creating
awareness around budget private schools,
NISA aims to create an
Parth J Shah
ecosystem for quality improvement by
partnering with different organisations
working in the education space.
Learning outcomes
A change required so significantly in the
current education policy of the country,
according to Parth, is shifting the focus of
government rules and regulations towards
the perfect garnering of learning outcomes of
students. ‘Whether a person is qualified with
B Ed or not, if she/he is capable to provide
students better learning we should not stop
her/him from becoming a teacher,’ he opines
adding that the legal requirements of making
sure that a teacher completes the syllabus are
perverse and it undermines the larger purpose
of education. ‘Since learning outcome is of
prime importance, teachers should be judged
according to the ability of the students they
teach, to read and comprehend,’ he reasons.
Now that the world has been caught up in
ultra-modern technologies sweeping across
all spheres of life, Parth urges teachers to be
part of the revolutionary change, so that they
do not remain traditional orators
in confined classrooms but evolve into good
modern facilitators of knowledge with an
open mind.
From the publisher’s desk...
Freedom to read what they like!!!
‘Today a reader, tomorrow a leader.’ – Margaret Fuller
Reading is a habit which we all wish
to inculcate in our next generation.
Undoubtedly, the habit begins at
home and is best ingrained when the child is
young. As a parent myself, I have tried my
best to instill this habit in my son. Books
that caught our fancy would be read to him,
when he could not read. But, now that he
is growing up, he actually likes to select his
own books and that set of books is often
read and re-read with pleasure. That set me
thinking – yes, children would read when they
have the freedom to choose what they like.
Even schools have libraries, where children
can pick up books of their choice. But,
sometimes, their choice is affected by their
peer group and sometimes by their teachers
who think that certain books should be read
by the students. Sometimes, parents dissuade
children from reading comic books. Of course,
it is important for parents/teachers to see
that the content is appropriate for
the child as per his age and thought process,
but they should not impose their likes and
dislikes on the child.
It is really important for children to pick
up what they like.
There should be
a designated time
slot for students
every week to read
books of their
choice. For tiny
tots, it could be a
time slot for 15
minutes or so, while
for older children,
it can extend upto
Sonal Khurana
one period of the
sonal@progressiveteacher.in
class. They can either bring their own books
or select a book from the school library.
Let’s give wings to their imagination…let
them travel to places unknown…let them be
themselves…in their world of books.
Nov/Dec 2014
www.progressiveteacher.in 61

Principal Q&A
Principal Ms Manjit Batra
City Montessori School, Gomti Nagar, Lucknow
Birthday:
May 03, 1954
Hometown
Lucknow, U.P
Sun sign:
Taurus
Place of birth:
Lucknow
First School as a Teacher, City: City
Montessori School, Lucknow
Year:1975
The Best Thing about being a Teacher:
Children
How did you feel on the first day being
a School Principal/Leader?: Nervous and
apprehensive
Book
The Best Thing about being a Teacher-
Leader: The Process of Learning and
translating to action
What are the traits of an effective
Principal: Vision
Please describe the role you feel parents
should play in the operation of the school:
Proactive
When you visit a classroom, what are the
first things you look for as signs that the
classroom is an effective learning place?
Connect between Teacher and students
What is your vision of Special Education:
Inclusion
What’s your view on CCE? Workable till
class VIII
What’s your view on e-learning platform:
Great! But accessibility of all must be there
How to make inclusion a Reality-
Proactive. Practice what you Preach!
The most touching things that school
children have done for you: Their Degree of
Respect
Best conference/seminar that you have
attended on education: Adhyayan
movie
What are the major qualities you seek in a
new teacher: Communication that translates
into comprehension
Your favourite Book: ‘Mistress of the
Game’- Sidney Sheldon
Your favourite Movie:
Gone With the Wind
Your favourite Song: I Have a Dream
62 The Progressive Teacher Nov/Dec 2014