Workshop on Classroom Management

A one day In-service Training Program for teachers of our School was held on 26 June, 2014 in the school premises. The workshop on the pertinent topic of Classroom Management was conducted by Ms. Gitanjali Kumar and Ms. Pooja Yadav of Expressions India. It was a part of a compulsory training program initiated by the CBSE and was an endeavour on the part of our School authorities to keep the teachers abreast with the latest strategies to manage the 21 century classroom environment effectively.

Right in the beginning, through discussion, it was established that with changing times, the challenges faced by teachers in the classroom have also changed and the need to develop and implement rules and procedures to tackle the same is of utmost importance. At the outset, the teachers were shown a video to help them ascertain their individual strengths and weaknesses and the areas that could be improved upon. A discussion on the teachers' individual strengths and the problem areas was followed by a group activity wherein the teachers, in groups of seven were asked to draw a mind mpetit the different areas that cover classroom management such as the influences, problems and challenges, characteristics, the stakeholders etc. As a result of this activity, the importance of varied factors such as seating arrangement, clear instructions, cleanliness, teaching aids, rapport and soft skills was reiterated and highlighted.

Next, interesting real life scenarios in today's classrooms such as handling special needs' children, unruly behaviour and abusive language as well as adolescent children sitting as couples etc were enacted and offered some fun- filled moments as teachers brainstormed ideas and got under the skin of the characters they were portraying! Through feedback on the positives and the areas that needed improvement, each group, through, role play activity brought a greater understanding of better classroom management to everybody participating in the workshop.

A discussion on sensitising teachers to students' expectations of them was held next and towards the end, the role of positive discipline and being a proactive teacher, was emphasised by Ms. Kumar. The teachers watched a touching video ' The Heart of a Teacher' that communicated the cardinal role the teacher can play by constantly connecting to the children through kindness and compassion in a non-reactive manner.

Filed by Ms. Geetu Bali.