II
SIP & the Teacher
Redefining Roles
I have to teach
50 - 60 - 70 children
day in and day out .....
I have to travel .....
long distances, juggle my priorities .....
I have to see that
all my students acquire skills, learn, pass .....
I have to recognize
that my skills may not be adequate...
that others may know more...
that perhaps I need to learn ...
I have to accept
that I need to adapt, overcome my fears
Perhaps I need to remember
that I, too, was once a child
..... perhaps it would help me understand
how children learn and how to reach out to them.
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& “The role of
the teacher remains essential but very difficult to gauge; it consists
essentially in arousing the child’s curiosity and in stimulating the child’s
research. It accomplishes this by encouraging the child to set his or her own
problems and not by thrusting problems upon the child or dictating solutions.
The adult must continually find fresh ways to stimulate the child’s activity
and be prepared to vary his or her approach as the child raises new questions
or imagines new solutions.” Jean Piaget |
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What is the life of a teacher like ? The day begins with the school bus rolling in, children streaming in, bells chiming, lusty voices shouting across corridors, the scraping and pushing of furniture. Within the four walls of the classroom teachers and students appear bound to everything in every possible way - to a time-table, to a syllabus, to rules and regulations; bound even to their respective places in the classroom. The daily lives of teachers have not really changed much over the years. The teacher is |
teachers have felt ‘bound’ to do so. The traditional teacher is center stage in the classroom, performing all the time. Is there an awareness that the students need the same opportunity to be center stage and perform as well? Possibly not. After all, the teacher herself/himself has been ‘taught’ the same way. And so implementing the School Improvement Programme in the Diamond Jubilee Schools meant bringing about a perceptible change in the role of the teacher. The |
What
happens within the classroom ?
What then of the Indian schools with their classes of 60-70 children and a 35 minute period? How many remain silent, non-participative learners? Is there any learning taking place? How is the teacher to know that it is?
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there to “teach” to fill the students hitherto “empty” minds with inform-ation, cover ‘portions’, prepare the students for exams, ensure they pass. Over and over again, year after year, |
programme demanded that teachers allow children to question, challenge and be curious, and that they learn not to provide all the information every time. |
Opening
up new paths
I wanted to do
something different in class, using some new technique so as to get the
children to make associations and
generate ideas.
I used the theme
of the lesson (a value) as my key word on the board and asked children to make
associations. The word given was ‘sacrifice’. The girls were a little confused
as to what I wanted from them, as this was the first time they were asked to do
something like this. Once they began there was no stopping them . Words and
associations ranged from animal sacrifice to killing to giving of one self
willingly to risk taking.
I told them that
we could take the meaning as ‘giving oneself willingly’. I then asked them to
think of people who sacrifice. A list was created - they spoke of a mother, a teacher, a wife,
a friend. I added to the list - a soldier, a leader, a judge, a journalist. I
then went on to explain how these people risk their lives in the service of
someone or something else. I then spoke about Prophet Mohammed, Jesus Christ,
Mother Teresa and Abdul Hamid sacrificing their lives in service of their
country or for their people.
I then narrated
the story of the young man who ran the
After they
finished I went around and marked each and every student. They were thrilled. I
then asked them to discuss in their groups the following points :
What they felt as
they were writing
What did teacher
really want from them?
What they felt
about the entire activity
They had to select
a representative who would speak on behalf of the group.
The feedback I received was:
There are many
meanings but we have accepted one.
I thought teacher
was wanting me to write about love for my family.
Some of us in the
group wrote down blindly for the marks.
I began to shiver
but after writing I felt proud.
I just felt happy.
Maybe we have
forgotten our leaders so to talk about them.
I was frightened
--- what if I am wrong ?
It is risk taking,
expressing love.
It was a new word
with new meaning.
It is so shameful
we fight for little things.
This will help us
to remember the term and practice it.
I thought the
teacher is checking how much attention I paid in class.
It was a way of
showing my talent at writing.
I felt why can’t I
do?
It will help me
further in life—not to be selfish.
You gave us a
chance to bring out whatever was in our mind.
---- A teacher
9
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A whole host of new skills were required by the teachers if they were to fit this role. Achieving a fit between new ideas and practice was fraught with difficulties. Teachers needed to be supported in these endeavours through teacher training programmes. |
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There was another aspect to the training programmes. Participants had to invest in terms of uncompensated time and at times out of pocket expenses. These personal investments meant a varying amount of burden on different teachers, depending on what their home responsibilities were and how far they had to travel on non-working days for training. These were small issues that the project had not at first taken into account. The programme had to recognise that there existed a delicate balance between individual responsibilities and institutional commitments. |
How did the teachers feel about the new demands? To have their role questioned and changed was scary: “I was the head of the section and I didn’t know whether what I was asking the teachers to do was right,” recalls the Pre-school Supervisor. It was thus necessary to get teachers to see the theories that the new curriculum embodied being put into practice in a real classroom. During this period the Project arranged a
number of visits to established schools. Several new ideas were picked up,
but when it became apparent that many of these were not really relevant in
the |
GREAT IDEAS
A
DIALOGUE BOARD
The question “Where’s the time?” is one that is often heard at D.J.
Schools. The “four walls”, of the classroom within which teachers spend most of
their working hours keep them isolated, involved only in their own world of
students, tasks and teaching/learning. The “free periods” a teacher gets in her
weekly time-table get swallowed up in corrections of student work, taking proxy
periods and occasional staff room banter. Where’s the time to discuss a new
idea, a new strategy, a new book ? .... even if one teacher did, did the others
have the time to listen, caught up as they were in their own time-tables ?
A great idea was to chat with others via a bulletin board. If one
teacher had an idea she could write it up -
maybe ask a question in big bold letters and stick it up on the bulletin
board in the passage. Others passing by would stop and add and comment or two,
raise another question perhaps ...... and so the teachers could snatch some
time with each other, without having to
find the time to sit face to face.
SAMPLE : Hey how about a language laboratory for
pre school ?
Great idea but Where’s the equipment
? Super!
We could
where’s the space ? tape children’s voices
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Simultaneously a series of workshops were arranged for the pre-school teachers. The scope and content of these workshops were what the Project perceived as being necessary at that point in time. The content of these workshops was varied. A pattern that emerged was that initially the novelty of these workshops and new approaches appealed to the teachers, but what was put before them was rarely taken up in any consistent way in future classroom activity. Also there seemed to be a lack of clarity about what was really required in the classrooms. Essentially what was happening was that teachers learnt something that they thought was appropriate in the classroom. They tried it out, and having done so once, considered the activity as done. Thus there was no |
real reference point for further application of the principles taught in the workshops. Another problem was that the teachers were faced with a series of resource persons at times giving contradictory messages. As one teacher said, “One person taught us how to teach capital letters while another told us not to introduce capitals at all as they were seldom used in a sentence. How were we to know whom to follow? We also did not feel free to voice these doubts initially - after all they knew what they were doing - we didn’t.” How were teachers to take what they had
learnt at a workshop and apply it in the classroom? Teachers also needed time
to integrate what they have learnt in one workshop before they were asked to
try and learn an additional set of material. |
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Some questions ¨ How do we cope
with large groups of children? ¨ What can we do
with the inadequate space? ¨ How do we
stretch the limited materials? ¨ What kind of
environment should be provided for
different levels of children? ¨ How often
should materials be changed? ¨ How do we ask
open-ended questions of children? ¨ How do we
manage being less directive and yet not worry about children not learning enough? ¨ How do we plan for children’s (individualized/ group) activities based on their abilities? |
Hiring a teacher: What do we look for?
Talk to the teacher:
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ü Is she curious? ü Does he know why he’s in education? ü Is there a willingness to take risks? ü What is her own educational background? ü Could he work in a team? |
Observe the teacher with the child; Does he/she:
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£ listen to the child? £ behave supportive £ or assume total control? £ talk down to the child? £ make all the decisions? |
Observe the teacher conduct a class:
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$ $ Does she accept the child as she is? $ Does he allow for children and their individual differences? $ $ Is his style of questioning open-ended? $ Are there only “correct” answers to questions? $ Are the children in the class engrossed in the lesson? $ How strong is her need to control the class? $ After the lesson, is the teacher able to look at the lesson critically? $ Are most of the children engaged in class ? |
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The Project personnel were beginning to question whether all these workshops were required. With this came one of the early learnings: find out what the teachers need and see if a workshop can be built around those needs rather than serve a “package” of limited utility. Again, if the people involved agreed on a common problem or need, would the holding of a workshop |
resolve it? Or were there other ways? The programme was beginning to discover the strengths of participation. All people affected by a problem needed to be a part of its solution. Participation brought in its wake the gradual disintegration of walls that isolate..... But it took time for people to overcome mistrust, to recognize their own hunger for involvement. |
Musings about Mentors!
....... In one of our co-ordination sessions we were discussing the
ways in which we could make our students be more ‘questioning’ rather than
blindly accepting whatever is told to them. Most of the students never bothered
to question the teachers about anything and carried out instructions even when
not convinced about it, said the teachers.
It is ironical when a similar situation arose among the teachers. There
was a strange feeling in me when I saw teachers conforming to things when they
were not even sure of what they were conforming to.
It made me realise that my target was a wrong one. I needed to work
more with teachers rather than students. It made me understand that if teachers
had this questioning attitude in them, children would follow. After all
teachers are role models, aren’t they?
------- Secondary Co-ordinator & Teacher
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Teachers bring to bear their own temperaments
and personalities into the classroom dynamics. Any changes in methodology
have had to take this into account. When School Improvement commenced, not
every-one was at the same level in terms of how much they wanted to change.
As one teacher commented “We were not asked if we wanted change. Certain
things came in because the management felt they were needed.” The reality is
that teachers operate most effectively within a certain range of expectations
within which they are most comfortable. It is hard for a teacher with a basic
need for maintaining control to operate in a totally informal classroom. The
Programme has tried to encourage individual teachers to take risks in an
attempt to stretch themselves to the limits of their capacity. Some opposed change at the outset - they may have had questions about the need for change, an anxiety about not having the requisite academic skills to perform adequately in the |
classroom. Others may have been drawn to give it a try, discovered how difficult and draining the change effort can be and reverted to their own old ways to reduce stress. Not all dissenters were vocal. There was passive resistance too. Ignoring resistant members would only polarize them and sabotage any efforts of teamwork that were crucial to the success of the Programme. It was essential that a climate of trust be built so that the teachers could express their opinions without fear. In the initial years, teacher turnover was an issue that the project and the heads of the schools did not see eye-to-eye with. The former were focused on recruiting teachers with an openness, a willingness to experiment with new ideas while the latter were concerned with stability and the issue of the school’s image: Was the school being viewed as one that rejected teachers? Would we get reputation for terminating teachers? If this continued would we get teachers in the years ahead? Both had the interests of the school at heart though their focus was different. |
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P I wake up at 3.45 a.m. We
get water only between 3.30 -- 6.30 a.m. I have to ask the man at the water
pump to switch it on. The early hours go in filling water, heating it for
bathing, making tea, prayers. I have 5 members in my family. I cook and pack
the lunch boxes. My children are grown up so they get ready and go to school
on their own. I leave home at 7.30 a.m. If I miss one bus I would have to
wait for half an hour for the next one. Sheetal P I am home alone. I wake up
at 6 a.m., make my breakfast, bathe, say my prayers and then I come to
school. Rafi,
a bachelor P My day begins at 5.45 a.m.
My mother-in-law and I split the work. I am the only one at home who carries
lunch. I clean up my room while my husband and son are still asleep. In the
evening when I return I spend some time taking my son to the park. Once a
week we go out. At night we watch T.V. Last two days I fell asleep watching
and I woke up at 5.30 a.m. to find it on still ! Vaishali P I live just a hop skip and
jump away from school. I make the vegetable the night before. Sometimes I
cook, iron and simultaneously sip my tea.
Philomena P I wake up at 4.45 a.m.,
make breakfast, organize things for my
5 month old baby. My mother in law helps me in the cooking. If time permits I
bathe otherwise I do so after I return home. I leave for school at 6 a.m. I
spend 1½ hours traveling by train. If I get a place to sit I think about what
I am going to teach. I change trains at Dadar station. I have to wait
anywhere between 5 to 20 minutes for the connecting train -- I spend that
time watching the UGC programmes on the T.V. at the station. Atiya P I live in a joint family.
I wake up at 5.30, make tea. I wash one bucketful of clothes daily before I
leave for school. I eat a chapati made the night before, for breakfast. Medha P Between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m.
I am busy with house work. I clean utensils for filling water. I keep my
clothes ready the previous night. Sometimes if we have guests I go down to do
some early morning shopping. Its very noisy you know radios blaring late into
the night. I sometimes shout out asking them not to play so loudly.
Thankfully, I don’t have to travel. Ashrafi I don’t brush my teeth as soon as I get up. I go straight to the
kitchen to keep the cooker for rice and dal. I have to pack the lunch dabba
for the whole family. I sweep my house, make tea and then wake everyone up.
My elder daughter who’s six keeps my toothbrush ready for me. I manage to
drink a cup of tea and run to the station. There is no time for snacks. I
take the train from Kalyan to Byculla where I have to change trains to catch
a slow train to |
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The problem of resistance took place at two levels - the institutional and the personal. At the personal level the fear was: what does it entail and how will it interface with the way I currently function? At the instit-utional level the motivated teachers may have been seen as being “encouraged” and “preferred.” Dissent stemmed from a lack of understanding or a lack of conviction about the changes. When questioned |
about any activity, some teachers’ responses were: “We don’t know...... We were told to try this.” There was an attempt on the part of some to not take responsibility for what was happening in the classrooms. All these were moments of learning for the Project. Increasingly the need was felt to get teachers to experience the philosophy before asking them to implement it in the classroom. Another learning was that if teachers are asked to present a concept at a workshop the background research they undertook to make their presentation a success deepened their own understanding of the concept. The teachers were becoming responsible for their own learning. It also proved to be cost effective as a couple of teachers could attend a seminar or visit a school, come back and share their learnings with the others. |
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A teacher questions SIP «
Are
we not stifling children who are capable of learning more by providing them
with limited content ? «
As
new people enter the project new ideas and philosophy come in ..... where is
the link ? «
Have
we not wasted money on materials that we no longer use ? «
Why
is there no awareness of the programme among our own school children ? «
Why
are our children from low income backgrounds being made to pay such high fees
? «
What
happens to the children beyond Std VII as the programme does not extend
beyond it ? |
WHY AM I AT D J ?
I was not
satisfied with the way the students were taught in most of the schools.
Everywhere there was the same information bureau, the teacher the great
provider and the pupil, the humble receiver. I wanted a change from the formal
school I was teaching though everything about that school was good: children
literally adored me, friends and parents respected me (even now, I am in touch
with them) but somewhere there was internal dissatisfaction, I wanted to do
something different, I wanted to bring my ideas and principles about education
of a different kind into practice. I
neither believed nor promoted rote-learning. It kills creativity. It blunts the
mind. There is no joy in the learning process.
And during that
turmoil, I happened to see an advertisement in the newspaper saying that some
schools in
I knew that I had
got an opportunity to experiment with new methods and follow child centered
education. I’d no formal training in
playway method but I totally believed in the SIP’s objectives. Some felt that I
was a fool to leave behind a permanent job with four and a half years of
experience and join D.J.S. But my belief
in the methodology and my faith in the SIP never got shaken. Today after 6
years of School improvement the work is at a much higher pace for everyone is
involved and we are all swimming together against a tide. And we have reached a
point where we ourselves have become highly motivated and now in a position to
disseminate the project. Infact some of us have started disseminating our learnings
and experiences to other school teachers.
Krishnaveni
WHY I CAME BACK
I felt that our
school called for maximum work but are poor pay masters and so began my search
for something more attractive, better pay and a big name. To my good fortune or
bad I can’t really say, I was selected for a prestigious school from among 22
candidates and given a responsible task of assuming class teachership for Std
VIII.
I began my job
very enthusiastically. I was being paid very well after all...... but something
was missing. I was not enjoying teaching as much as at DJG. I consoled myself
saying its just the start and everyone faces this type of uneasiness; but there
was no charm or excitement to go to the school, something I had never
experienced in the 4 years I taught at DJG.
On day 5 I was
tired not physically but mentally at the thought that I had a big mistake. The
spark was slowly dying. I was looking miserable and feeling so too. It was my
husband who told me there was no harm in accepting that I had made a wrong
choice. He told me that it was important to be happy.
I was embarrassed
to come back again but I had to leave. I came back on the 13th of June. Many
teachers were happy, some surprised and some totally indifferent. All the
excitement flooded back into me and I was glad I came back. I started
reflecting about the one question that almost everybody asked me, “Why did you
come back ? What made you do it ?”
Well I think what
brought me back was the philosophy of education that the DJ schools follow. There
is scope for freedom, creativity and experiments. As far as I know the
hierarchical structures are not rigid and one does not have to end up doing
something that he/she is not convinced about, as I was forced to do in the
other school.
One lesson that I
learnt real hard was the importance of job satisfaction. Sometimes, even as
important things like money cannot substitute job satisfaction and
happiness.......
Melissa Martis
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Within the classroom the reflective process for a teacher began with experimenting with teaching differently, stepping back and seeing what works better in the classroom. Not every one was equally willing to take the risk. But those who did so gradually found their own perceptions of teaching changing. With these changing perceptions came reflective problem sharing. The teacher gradually acquired the notion of her role as being a reflective collaborative planner. What did the teacher really need to reflect upon? What questions did he/she have to ask himself/herself ? The teachers had to be critical about what they were looking for in their own teaching, accept constructive feedback about their teaching strategies from their colleagues. The openness to question, the ability to accept feedback, the facilitation skills to critique meaningfully, were areas in which the teachers needed to grow. The reflective processes had to be at two levels: interpersonal and intrapersonal - an amalgamation of self reflection and insights gained from others. The Project recognised the need to provide
structures within which teachers could collaborate, plan and reflect. Subject
and class coordinators were appointed to build collab-orative planning into
the school schedule. Subject teachers were ‘freed’ simultaneously to attend
coordination meetings. This
system |
enabled the project to provide career ladders for teachers with caliber. Over time the coordination sessions proved to be a period where teachers planned activities for the classroom. Did they actually execute these ideas? How effective were these ideas any way? These were issues for the project team to ponder. The sessions grew to incorporate demonstration lessons where ideas could be tried out and then be discussed in practical terms. The teachers who gave the demonstration themselves had to research, reflect and then present their topic. As the system evolved the project personnel recognised that the teacher’s reflection was limited to the demonstration lessons he/she under-took. It was felt that if this format incorporated conducting a workshop on a certain topic the research and reflection undertaken would be deeper. For a workshop the teacher would necessarily have to present many more activities than what a 35 minute period would require. The coordination sessions made the teachers question their actions in the classroom. Do we reflect enough at the end of the day on what went well? What worked well or what didn’t and why? Teachers discovered some answers and perhaps many more questions. The reflective process was cyclical. It
involved experiencing, reflecting upon the experience, conceptualizing and
experimentation which led to further new experiences. |
The Reflective Cycle
Experience
Experimentation Reflection
upon experience
Conceptualization
Teacher as Reflective Researcher
Removing Blocks
A child was banging a block against the wall of the window. Suddenly,
when the teacher noticed, she shouted at the child saying, “Why are you
throwing the blocks out of the window?.” In this situation, the teacher had
totally misunderstood the child’s action. Actually the child was banging the
block and not throwing it out of the window. From this, I realised how often I
too tend to make such mistakes i.e. directly shouting at the child before
analyzing the whole situation. For instance, when two girls are fighting and one of the girls comes to me
saying that the other one hit her, I usually ask the other one, “Why did you beat her?.” But now I ask, “Did you beat her?.” This is a
little shift in me.
Watch and Learn
In the first year of our observations and research, we were passive
observers. We had to prepare a daily report on it, and this report was to be
written without getting biased with our own interpretations. Thus, we did not
get a chance to think about our own thoughts/feelings with regard to any
particular situation.
Sample observation : “Today
In the second year we had to talk with the children. These interactions
helped me in becoming aware of the abilities or inabilities of the children,
and also to cater to their individual needs. I learnt to work with a child from
where he/she is.
Sample observation : “I drew a house
with two doors and a boy opening the door. I also drew the knob and key-hole on
one door. I drew a tube-light and a fan
in the house.
Thus in my first observation, I have just written what I had observed.
In my second observation I have been able to realise the feeling of
incapability of the child. In my third observation, I have been able to build
upon what the child had already drawn, rather than my telling her to draw
things which she can’t. Here I’ve made the child think and reason out things by
my questions.
Sample observation : I went to
A thorny issue
One girl in my observation class kept drawing a house with thorns all
around it. I asked her why. She did not reply. I did not insist much, accepting
her unwillingness to reply.
This act of a child drawing thorns around her
house was making me feel uncomfortable. What did it mean? Is she representing
something to me?
I brought up this issue in one of the Child
Observation Research Project meetings. The other teachers could not suggest
anything. Even I myself could not think of anything. The Consultant then
suggested, “Why don’t you tell the child that you’d like to enter her house and
ask how you can enter in with thorns all around and no space to enter. Also
that the thorn would hurt you if you would force entry.”
Gradually, I suggested that she make some space for me to enter. She drew a small door in between the thorns. To me it meant that she had given me a little place to enter her house. The next day again, she drew a house with thorns only on the roof. This told me that now she had given me enough space to enter. I thought to myself that there are still some thorns somewhere. The next day brought a complete change in her drawings. There were no more thorns. In fact, the structure of the house had also changed. She showed her openness in other ways, too. She visited other areas of the class. Initially, she used to color within the given outlines. But now, she was coloring freely.
Learning from children
I began this project with a lot of apprehension and curiosity. In what ways would these observation differ from our daily classroom observation? How much would it benefit me and how far would I succeed in implementing it in my classroom?
Prior to my exposure to CORP I showed a lot of anxiety in teaching children. If I had to teach a particular alphabet I felt that this was the only day I could teach and children could grasp and learn. This would build up a lot of frustration in me that led me to believe that I would never be able to reinforce it again.
Also I used to judge children from my moral standards. If a child would snatch away from another child’s hand I would intervene and return the snatched toy saying “good children don't do such things.” But now my attitude has changed; I either wait to see if they can resolve their own fights or ask them to share and play together or see if I could indulge one of them in some other activity.
I learnt that much of the teacher-child relationship takes place if we go down to the level of the child and probe into what is interesting to them by actually being one of them and playing with them. The type of conversation which takes place at this time also stimulates the child’s ability to think. I have learnt that a mere acknowledgment does not give a feeling of satisfaction to the child. Accepting and reflecting what the child says; having a non-judgmental attitude, encourages him to talk e.g. Would you like to talk about what you have made ? or I'm interested in how you made this ?
Reflections in the classroom
Jaws of Judgment
A game was being
played with the 3 ½ year olds. The concept being introduced was “hot” and
“cold.” The teacher introduced a game.
The children were told they were standing on the banks of a river. The river
had an alligator. If they answered correctly the alligator would allow them to
cross, if not the alligator would swallow them up.
As the game
progressed the teacher asked one child whether coconut water was “hot” or
“cold” the bewildered child thought for a while and said “eh... hot” for the
choices given to him were only two - “hot” or “cold.” Another child
watching this announced “its not fair”
that the alligator ate him up. Coconut water is “sada” (neither hot nor cold).
This incident was
discussed later at a meeting. Do we as teachers reflect upon the answers that
we expect from children? Are there
straight answers for all questions? Do we accept any answer given by children? Or do we punish them ..... get the alligator
to eat them up? The game had its terrifying aspect for some. Did we as teachers
reflect on the fear that was undeniably being experienced by the children at the thought of being eaten up by the
alligator ?
Crocodile Tears
The little fellow was howling away
demanding that he be taken to his mother. All entreaties to him, all approaches
to distract or divert his attention were disregarded and he kept up his howl. I walked up to him and said “how
can you say he’s crying. I don’t see any tears.” Promptly this 2½ year old
stuck his finger in his mouth and smeared some saliva over his cheeks.
What need is there
for me to teach him to differentiate between wet and dry ? What is this daily
struggle to devise a myriad activities around a concept ?
No Rhyme Or Reason
I walked into the
Jr.Kg. class. The regular teacher had not come.
An assistant teacher in an attempt to engage the class was getting the
children to come up and say something- a poem, a story relate any incident. We
realised that all the children who walked up to say something recited age old
poems Jack and Jill, Mary had a Little
Lamb.
We looked at each
other these rhymes hadn’t been taught in this school. We’d long realised that such rhymes had
little or no relevance to the child’s experience. We asked individual children where they had
learnt these rhymes: “My aunty taught me” “my tuition teacher taught me” “my
mummy says I should learn this to tell other aunties who come to our house.”
I raised this
subsequently with the consultant of the programme and the project director. It
became clear to us that what we needed to do was to talk to the parents about
why we were not teaching certain things that have been handed down the ages.
More importantly, we needed to talk to the parents about the notion of getting
private tutors for 3½ year olds! What
was it they needed at that age that the school was not providing? Did they really think tuition’s were
necessary?
Call This A Pig ?
I remember a classroom we visited. The teacher had drawn a pig on the
blackboard and the children were expected to make a pig just like it. Why ? If she wanted them
to practice making circles she could
have come up with an activity that did that . I certainly have never seen a pig
that looked like that !
Four-thought
In one classroom
the children were learning about the number 4. They were given worksheets in
which they had four things to color and the number to trace several times. Some
children finished quickly. The suggestion was made that the child could turn
over the sheet of paper and draw 4 of anything he or she wanted. This would be
a good test of whether or not the child understood the concept of 4; but the
child was hesitant and bored.
The question is in what ways can teachers
extend activities for children who complete a given task quickly ? The notion
of extended activities is also important when trying to find ways to continue
to stimulate the very bright children.
Assembly-line Art
The tiny tots were sitting quietly in rows. Far away
at the teachers table there was some activity. The teacher had some cups of
paints and some vegetables. She would take a blank sheet call out the name of a
child. The little fellow would come and stand non plussed before the teacher
who would dip the end of a Lady’s finger into paint, ask the child to hold her
wrist and dot the page with blobs. The activity, as far as the child was concerned
was over.
This process was
on with all 40 children in the class. What was the purpose behind this
activity? In what ways was the child really involved in it? How was the teacher
extending his learning? Was the child really enjoying this activity?
A Dose of Medicine
The topic being
discussed was the uses of plants with an emphasis on the medicines that come from plants. The
children could talk of medicines only in terms of tablets and capsules.
The teacher was holding a tiny vial of Eucalyptus oil.
She was dipping in a little stick and applying the merest drop of the contents
of the bottle on the wrists of the children in her group and asking them to
smell it. The smell didn’t seem to make any impact. Suddenly the bottle fell
from her hand. A strong smell of Eucalyptus oil pervaded the atmosphere, not
just the classroom but the entire primary section reeked.
Amidst the confusion, the teacher heard one child say
“My mummy puts that on my nose when I have a cold.” Another piped up “you know
we have a tree in our compound - its leaf smells like that.”
Maybe it was a
good thing the bottle broke, the teacher reflected. It evoked past experiences
and the linkage between plants and medicine was made in a manner the teacher
had not foreseen.
What do I want from my girls ?
I found that the
Std. VIII girls lacked the confidence to speak on any issue concerning
themselves. If I asked them to imagine or place themselves in any situation,
they were unable to do it. I also found that fear gripped some students. I
questioned myself : Why am I not able to produce any reaction from them?
I commented that
if they are not able to respond; there was something wrong with them. One of
the bolder girls asked me what I thought was wrong. I told them that for the
past seven years they had only listened, never questioned and never used their
minds. Well, the period was over and I left.
I began thinking.
It soon dawned on me maybe it was not the fault of the students. Maybe we had
never provided them with an opportunity to think beyond their books; we only
emphasized sticking to the text. Set me thinking as to what I really want from
my girls.
During the co-ordination meetings, it became clear, that while the teachers were able to brainstorm on innovative methods of teaching, they were often unable to match the innovation to the needs of the children. It is one thing to be able to think of an exciting way to introduce say, letter writing, and another to think of whether this, would actually be equally exciting for the children. At the end of Phase I, the then Project Director observed: “We require a good deal of sophisticated observation of children, reflection, planning and organization of class rooms and activities adapted to the children’s interests & stages of development.” Observe
and Understand Phase II acknowledged the relevance of this comment by introducing at the pre-school level a Child Observation Research Project (CORP) wherein four teachers were provided with the space and time to observe sixteen randomly selected children at ‘Work Time’ a segment of the daily routine where children selected their own activity and worked with materials. The objectives of the project were to allow practising teachers to under-stand the spirit of the methodology by enhancing their understanding of children, thereby building the capacity of the institution, as well as generating data that is research based for dissemination. The interactions with the children led to the observers recognising their own urges, responses and reactions to the actions of the students. In
the initial months
researchers |
grappled with issues of what to observe, how to articulate, how much to write, whether their role encompassed giving feedback to the teacher. The teachers in whose class the researchers observed had to deal with their own feelings. Are they observing me, my actions, do I get discussed by the research group in its meetings? Gradually, as researchers were able to focus on the child alone and teachers became comfortable with having an observer in their class, there was a growing understanding and appreciation of the teacher’s role in class. Researchers learned to identify areas within their own teaching that needed a different approach. The change became evident in their own classrooms and those of them who had children discovered their relationships changing at home as well. There was an increasing clarity about the manner in which children gained cognitive skills while being engaged in activities. What the observation exercises underscored clearly was that unless the teachers have the space for reflection they may not think of providing a similar environment for the child. Through the programme, the teachers grew, as
collaborative plan-ners in the day-to-day classroom activities. At another
level they became reflective researchers, reflecting upon not just teaching practices
but perhaps making an enquiry into Education itself. |
Growth of the Teacher as a
Reflective Practitioner
|
Reflective
Collaborative Planner within the classroom |
|
Reflective
Researcher examining broader issues of child development and learning (CORP) |
The Teacher and Personal Growth At another level the Programme was beginning to recognise an important aspect of teacher development. A teacher had to learn to know more about herself, her feelings, her needs, her own childhood experiences, and their contribution in building her frame of reference. Teachers, it was recognized, were in many cases housewives, who were attempting to juggle with a career and managing a household, to supplement the monthly income. Workshops that took them away from the pressures of school and home into a relaxed environment that provided comforts hitherto seldom obtained, helped them see number of teachers shared with each other. |
These sessions proved to be very emotional as each member got in touch with themselves. The dropping of defenses, the sharing of constructive feedback that these workshops provided, cemented many relationships and the group returned after such retreats much rejuvenated and more willing to work together through situations. However the euphoria that such a workshop provided blew away once the mundane routine set in again. the programme recognised the need to work on an ongoing basis with teachers, as well as other members of the support staff. Phase II tackled this issue differently. ‘Orientations’ an organisation reputed to build learning. |
OUR
BELIEFS ABOUT CHILDREN .....
|
J
Sensitive, J
Capable, J
Responsible when given
responsibility, J
Curious by nature, J
Resourceful, J
Caring, J Imaginative. |
|
Children need .......... K
to express feelings, K
to be heard, K
freedom, K
love and understanding, K
to touch and feel things, K
interaction with adults, K
peer group interaction, K
individual attention. |
|
Children learn .......... ¶
by themselves, ¶
by doing, ¶
from mistakes, ¶
by sharing, ¶
by playing, |
|
|
communities was approached to work with the schools over a two year period. Having the same facilitators made a difference. From a time when teachers had to be encouraged to take time off from their families and go away for retreats in Phase I, came a stage when for each residential workshop, |
Snippets of conversations
with the staff who support the school -1996
On their
jobs, their colleagues and management
|
Uma : We are not a team. Some of the older set don't get along with the new ones. SIP tried to do something. They took us to a hill station. We had fun and games, some workshops also. We came for some solutions but people are irritable because nothing has come of it. Those who listen at these workshops benefit from them. Ahire : I feel we have not achieved anything talking about our problems. We have immediate needs. We need loans for emergencies and we don't have any policy. Peons in other schools have better benefits. I wish people could show more concern about us. Yusuf : Our work has increased over the
years. There is no fun in having workshops if our problems are not solved I
would rather not have them. I feel the management views the teachers and
peons differ-ently. Something should be done about it. I was a student of
D.J. Boys school in 1965. I studied upto Std. V. In those days there was
Gujarati medium. I joined this school in 1975. I feel as I am senior I should
be empowered to organise the working of the support staff in the school. Then
half these problems of insubordination would not come up before the
Principal. I could deal with them at my own level. |
On SIP Yusuf : Children are given real experience through this programme so that they understand immediately. I like that. I feel the support staff could be trained say as plumbers, electricians, etc. The school spends so much money on these areas every time there is repair work to be done. If they would only train us and pay us a little extra, we could take on these jobs. We could save money. Sunil : I got this job when SIP began. I have no idea what to do. The Project Director of Phase I got me trained in maintenance and use of educational equipment. How to use the OHP, service the TV or VCR I learnt to make charts, transparencies. I value that training. I wish people would ask me to help them. Pramod : Teachers get knowledge through this Programme. They all co-ordinate to teach better. I don't know if they carry out everything in the class. Sometimes I feel they find the workshops boring. Vijay (Computer Operator and SIP employee) : My job is largely typing. While typing when I read about the
objectives of how to teach say grammar, I realise through this Programme the
teachers and students are learning. I think we need to organise things more. |
|
the list of volunteers had to be pruned to a manageable size. The
groups experienced very varied processes from body awareness exercises,
meditation, to developing a personal mission statement. “Every workshop was a
different experience. We would generally go in with the plan and relevant
materials. However, our greatest strength has been the capacity to respond to
the emerging data and events in any group. This has often forced us to give a
different angle to our practice,” reflects Dr. Taba. “In the SIP programmes
we were given full freedom and this trust in our perceptions gave us room to
experiment which we feel was very helpful to our groups.” Participants
carried away from these workshops a little more of themselves, a little more
of others. “Is like the peeling of an onion ...... a layer at a time,”
recalls a participant. This programme aimed at building a ‘critical mass’ of
people who would influence others in the institution. The contribution of
these |
process workshops to the programme has been immeasurable. Gradually, this idea was used with other members in the school system, the support staff of helpers often neglected in organisations. Some teachers, recognised as being endowed with the skills to communicate, were asked to assist in this process. The recognition of the needs of these members, the communication channels these workshops provided have been significant moments of learning for the project. Over the last seven years much has been
achieved vis-à-vis the teacher. The attempt has been to equip the teacher not
merely with skills and techniques, but also with an understanding of herself
and her strengths in the belief that
the more the teacher is in touch with her childhood, the better she would understand
her students. That in turn would impact how she taught and how her students
learnt. |
OUR
BELIEFS ABOUT LEARNING .....
|
Learning happens ... ?
naturally
when children can touch and feel, choose, observe others ?
when
children can express themselves freely in art, ?
in
craft, ?
in
language, ?
in
any expressive way, ?
Learning
happens in play, ? what’s more it happens all the time. |
OUR
BELIEFS ABOUT TEACHING .....
|
Teaching is .......... ¬
a
sensitive art, ¬
having
an observant eye, an understanding heart, ¬
being
positive, encouraging, ¬
giving
individual attention when needed, ¬ sincerely loving children. |
The above
beliefs were articulated at a workshop in 1990.