Teacher workshop on Emerging Challenges in Education

The Indian School not only aspires to provide holistic development to students but also conducts believes in a continual enrichment of teachers through workshops, seminars, conferences and symposiums. One such workshop was held at School on 26 June 2019, conducted by Dr. Mrs. Usha Ram, Elected Member-CBSE and former principal.

Dr. Ram started the session with an ice breaking activity. discussing the various challenges faced by the teachers in their classroom which disrupted effective learning. Picking up from there Dr. Ram took each challenge separately and suggested ways to tackle. She spoke about adopting the 4 H model ( head, heart, hand and health) for the holistic development of the learners. This implies that a teacher should plan her lesso in a way that it enhances the students cognitive, affective and psycho-motor skills. She postulated the changing role of the teacher in the modern education system; more as a facilitator than an academic guru. The present day teachers aim should be to prepare global citizens by instilling the right kind of life skills in their learners.

Dr. Ram advocated a balanced mix of Experiential, Collaborative and Enquiry-based learning techniques as the focus of any teacher while planning lessons. Adopting this approach enables the learners to think critically, work in a team, enhance communication skills and gain exposure to diverse approaches of learning in a fun yet effective way. To ensure that the teachers understood the elements of the three techniques of teaching, an activity was used. Teachers were divided into groups, where each group had to select a theme, based on which they would plan their lesson plan. The lesson plan was to be designed in a way that provided an opportunity for students to learn through experience, collaboration and making enquiries. The speaker emphasised that it is essential to record learning outcomes to bridge the gap between teaching and learning. The auditorium was witnessed to good enthusiasm amongst staff members as they prepared their inter-disciplinary lesson plans and presented them.

The workshop ended on a happy note with a beautiful quote- Teacher is no more a sage on the stage but a guide on the side.