“Teaching children to be knowledgeable about differences, supportive of others, and active in changing structures that are oppressive to various groups can all begin within inclusive classrooms. It is within a classroom that openly and directly addresses the interests, needs, and possibilities of all its members that students may best experience democratic structures that empower and support all participants.” (Sapon-Shevin, 1992)

Inclusive education is a major focus of the 2009 RTE. One of the criticisms of the RTE has in fact been the way it uses ‘disadvantaged children’ as an umbrella term for all sorts of marginalized children or children with special needs – ranging from the socio-economically under-privileged to those with physical or learning disabilities. Indeed, inclusion is a broad term and in most socially stratified cultures of the world, it is an ideal that needs to be worked towards.

Inclusion is in fact a political issue and a concern not only in India, but in developed countries as well. It is a carrot that is dangled to garner votes, as an article in The Independent says, “All parties make a commitment to improving services to such children in their general election manifestos…1” In fact, even the inclusion of children with disabilities in the RTE happened after a lot of agitation by disability activists2. Reportedly, Kapil Sibal was keen on setting up alternative institutions catering to children with special needs, as opposed to the universal principle of inclusion being followed the world over. It was only after demonstrations and efforts of the media that children with physical disabilities were included, albeit with reservations from the HRD minister; which is why, it is conjectured that the categories of autism or cerebral palsy and other groups haven’t been explicitly mentioned in the RTE document.

Disability Rights come within the larger ambit of Human Rights and human dignity. Although full inclusion is still an issue that educationists and policy-makers all over the world are grappling with, it is certainly a question that people need to start engaging with.

An attempt on these lines was made by Oakridge International School, Gachibowli when they organized “A Week on Special Learning Needs’ from 14^th-18^th November 2011 – an annual event for promoting awareness about learning needs and learning disorders, which was open to teachers, parents, educationists, school administrators and psychologists.

A seminar on critical issues on inclusive education in India was held on the 15^th which had lectures by eminent practitioners in the field of inclusive education like Usha Naik, Dr. Shakila Naidu and Farida Raj. But before the lectures, was a screening of a film, directed by the chief guest of the day – film director Mani Shankar, called Buddies. A film that depicts the difficulties faced by the parents of a special child and his subsequent enrolment in a school where he befriends a boy who helps him with studies. The boy’s mother is initially apprehensive of his ‘new friend’, but the father believes the school is doing the right thing. The story goes on to show how not only the special child benefits from the friendship, but how the other boy becomes more independent and caring as a person.

Dr. Usha Naik spoke of the research work conducted by her and Dr. Shakila Naidu in Andhra Pradesh, which highlighted the critical issues involved in inclusive education. Dr. Fareeda Raj, a special educator spoke on the current status of inclusive education in India, while Dr. Shakila Naidu gave the audience an overview on the issue. An open forum was organized for parents, which explained specific learning disorders, causes for academic underachievement, special learning and memory techniques, phonic remediation and identification of learning disorders.

This particular session involved the participation of grade 11 Psychology students of the school who had not only prepared the material and aids used for demonstration at the various stalls, but actually engaged with and understood the some of the concepts of teaching children with special needs. As Simran Wasu, one of the grade 11 students involved said:

“Listening to the speakers who had worked with children with learning disabilities did sensitize me towards them and made me realize that it was not their fault that they are different or learn a little slow. Instead we should be helpful and encourage them by helping them in class. In turn, they being very emotionally driven make us better persons by teaching us how to think from our hearts.”

As Simran Wasu points out, scope for learning exists for both parties involved. Schools that open their doors to children with special needs have the potential of being spaces where more sensitive, feeling, tolerant and adjusting human beings are nurtured. The skill or art of slowing down, of letting go – of being competitive without being cut-throat are values and virtues which can flourish in an inclusive environment.

Equally important is to get the parents involved and also to educate them. Simran Wasu also pointed out that one of the things that struck him the most was the fascinated look of the parents when they were shown some simple methods of teaching multiplication tables to SEN children (Special Needs children) in the Remedial Instruction Techniques session.

Such an effort by Oakridge is to be applauded because such seminars and events act as reminders for teachers and students alike of the need to remain aware of differences and celebrate differences. Perhaps Aristotle’s dictum can also be invoked in this context: To treat unequals equally is the greatest inequality! To include special children in regular classrooms and then to marginalize them by not catering to their learning needs by adapting learning methods and pace would indeed be a grave problem. Oakridge can in fact boast of a separate Special Instruction Cell that helps children with learning issues. Not all schools may be able to – however, the exposure to various techniques and a greater understanding of the students’ needs would help teachers be more sensitive to such children.

____________________________________________________________________________________
References

1. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/specialneeds-education-does-mainstream-inclusion-work-470960.html
2. https://sites.google.com/site/exploreability/reflections-of-the-right-to-education-bill-and-inclusion-of-children-with-disabilities

The author is a student of Education (Elementary) at TISS, Mumbai. She also works as a freelance communication trainer and editor. She can be reached at simranluthra@gmail.com.

On a busy Friday afternoon, I, a product of conventional education set out to cover and participate in a conference that was to explore the present and future of conventional school education in India. It was an event organized by iDiscoveri and quite suitably titled ‘Schools of Tomorrow’. Now, we all know deliberating on school education is no mean task, especially in a country like India which is at the crossroads of intensifying westernization and domestic resource constraints coupled with political and religious prejudices.

It was encouraging to see eminent educators and school leaders starting out on the premise that educating children in Indian classrooms is certainly no child’s play and one that needs introspection at every stage. The opening address by Dileep Ranjekar, CEO of Azim Premji Foundation, set the tone. He presented a reality check on how many schools place emphasis on textbooks and rote learning as opposed to critical skills of analysis and comprehension. He also explored the constituents of knowledge and the extent to which schools are able to decipher that correctly for students.

For a balanced and effective transmission of knowledge from the teacher to the student, he said that the teacher should not miss the social orientation of the student group. This has special relevance in our country, where there is a huge diversity in the type of classrooms if we compare an elite urban private school to a government school in a remote village with severe infrastructural constraints. This diversity is not just at the level of physical infrastructure but it also manifests itself in different predispositions of the student to the teacher and to the delivery of information and knowledge.

Parental attitude in urban areas was a key aspect that was touched upon especially where the parents felt that they have sub-contracted their work to the teachers. I felt that this was something that teachers could relate to easily as they are under increasing pressure to perform. In today’s world, there is rarely as thankless a job as teaching where the teachers do not just manage the classrooms but are forever balancing the rigorous demands of the curriculum with their individual notions of holistic education.

A panel discussion that followed explored whether better resources or improved teaching methods actually determine quality in schools. The panel was moderated by a media professional and comprised eminent personalities and even though there was no real consensus on what mattered more, I concluded that basic physical infrastructure in schools is a pre-requisite to leverage improvements in processes and pedagogy.

There were two very pithy case studies that showed how relevant and forceful learning experiences can be created by schools that adopt alternate curriculum approaches within the existing syllabi. This also brought to the forefront how existing school resources can be redeployed for better educational effectiveness. The story of Vidyaranya High School and its success as an alternative school was a case study to behold as educators and other intellectuals soaked in alternative strategies to meet conventional goals of education.

The case studies were followed by a presentation by Ashish Rajpal, Founder and CEO of iDiscoveri Education, wherein he introduced some concepts that he believed empowered the learner or the child in the learning process. In this context he coined the term ‘Destinic Skills’ by which he meant – skills that are destined for application, later in the learner’s life. He further categorized these skills into:

1. Basic Skills – such as language and arithmetic,
2. Profession Specific Skills – those that would have relevance in professional life
3. High Order Meta competencies – by which he meant the cognitive awareness of education
4. Character – this was defined loosely as something that allows one to make judicious decisions in life

As everyone in the crowd grappled with these pedagogical hints, the conference moved to the most interesting stage. This was the keynote address by Prof Alison Gopnik, professor of psychology and philosophy at the University of California, Berkeley. She has been extensively researching children’s learning and development and has authored several books, including “The Scientist in the Crib” and “Causal Learning”. She shared interesting insights on how the conventional school mostly achieves the opposite of what it sets out to.

Prof Gopnik stated that children are much more intelligent than the average scientist before being touched by conventional education. To validate this, her address comprised videos of interesting experiments to understand child behaviour, one of which showed that if a child is allowed to unravel a complicated toy spontaneously, the child ends up exploring more as opposed to being told the use of the toy and how it is to be operated. The latter restricts the discovery of alternate possibilities by the child. This was to advocate more power to the learner in the process of learning where the teacher needs to be a facilitator as opposed to traditional modes of educational delivery rooted in transfer of information.

Finally, though the extent to which such measures can be implemented depends on the extent of autonomy given to teachers by the syllabi and the aims of education agreed to by the policy makers, there is no substitute for innovation in the classroom.

The author is pursuing a Master in Business Laws from National Law School of India University, Bangalore. He can be reached at themounik@yahoo.com.

Want to teach preschoolers science? Well, first, learn how to make yourself scarce! Yes, that’s right. Preschool science is best taught by a teacher who knows when NOT to intervene. “Children should be allowed to ask questions and find the answers themselves,” says Sheelu Rao (Founder – Center for Initiatives in Science and Environment Education), speaking to a group of preschool teachers at Sutradhar, Bangalore.

Thus is born the concept of ‘Little Science’ – where youngsters play with everyday materials and discover scientific concepts independent of adult interference. “Each subject should hone different skills,” Sheelu explains. “There’s no point in teaching English in the same way as you teach Geography, for example. And confining Science teaching to the classroom, textbook, and laboratory greatly reduces the sense of wonder that a child of any age feels at scientific phenomena. Science is all around us, all the time and children should learn to explore constantly.”

So, how do you go about teaching science to children in the age group of 4 – 6 years? Follow these steps for a fun-filled, forward learning approach:

Decide the activity.
Discuss it with other adults responsible for the group, to determine possible cross-curricular links.

Conduct a discussion with the children to identify what they know about the topic on which the activity is based.

Collect supplies for the activity – these are everyday objects, easily available around the home or school. Identify specific areas in which children will need help with the materials or procedures (and while conducting the activity help them only with those!)

Try the activity yourself, think of possible questions you can ask to stimulate interest, and possible variations in the activity.

Create work-stations, where children can carry out the activity in small groups. Let them work as independently as possible.

Encourage children to predict, ask questions, and compare results to their predictions. Let them share their observations – but do not coax them if they are unwilling to speak up. Give each child the opportunity to try the activity, and remember to focus on the process skills and not the product.

After the activity, let children record their observations either pictorially or in writing, and apply what they have learnt to the science around them.

Take the activity ‘Dry Paper’. You need a bucket of water, a glass and a wad of newspaper. Crush the newspaper and tuck it deep into the glass, so that it doesn’t fall out. Then, holding the glass straight, insert it upside down into the bucket. Ask the children to predict whether the paper is going to come out wet or dry. Once all children have stated their predictions, pull the glass out and take the paper out. Let the children feel the paper. Is it wet or dry? Could they predict the result accurately? Let the children conduct the experiment themselves. Ask them if they feel anything. They’ll feel the air inside the glass resisting their efforts to push, but the teacher should not tell them that this is what it is. Allow them to feel it and think for themselves, let them try variations like inserting the glass in slanting or right-side up. Try using a smaller glass, a bigger bucket and so on – changing only one variable at a time.

Another activity, ‘One Eye Power’ calls for a plastic cup and some coins. With his arm held at slightly above head level and both eyes open, the child tries to drop a coin into the plastic cup, which is placed on the floor at arms’ length. The activity is repeated with one eye closed, and the results are compared. Variations include marking objects, like a paper, and placing it on the floor, and trying to touch the mark with the coin, with one or both eyes open.

‘Making a Water Well’ helps children understand how rainwater percolates and reaches wells. The materials needed are – an empty paper towel roll, a large container, gravel, sand and a mug of water. While one child holds the empty paper towel roll in the container, another child places the gravel around the empty tube up to about half the height of the container. On top of the gravel, a child puts a thick layer of sand. Water is poured slowly into the container, and children observe how the water percolates. An interesting variation of this is to place a plastic bag in the sand, and observe its effects in the filling of the well. An environmental message learnt quickly and effectively!

Want more? Try making boats with different types of paper, to find out which sinks first. Try rubbing different foods on to tissue paper, to determine the level of oil in the snack.

Above all – remember – science is all about curiosity, wonder, and endless exploration!

The author gave up a corporate career to become a librarian in a leading school in Bangalore. She now conducts workshops in literary topics for students, parents and teachers. She is interested in unique approaches to education and in writing about these. She can be reached at sonaliarun@gmail.com.

Arvind Gupta is well known for his innovative science and mathematics teaching aids. He prepares the aids from material that is accessible. He currently works at the children’s Science Centre of the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Pune. He has done several translations too. He has set up the website arvindguptatoys.com where he shares his entire work for all of us to make good use of.

Arvind Gupta conducted a workshop at the IIIT, Hyderabad recently. For the initial hour he was requested to talk about his personal journey. As he walks in, the group looks with wonder at this simple, khadi clad person with a disarming smile. He quickly gets to the point and speaks the story of his life, just as he would start the workshop of activities an hour later!

His childhood memories, he said, are of indebtedness – to his mother who was determined to educate her four children and to his sister, who was ever caring of Arvind. Arvind’s brothers were studying medicine and chemistry. Although they were on a‘standard’ path, his mother always had encouraging words for Arvind’s unconventional passions. After graduating in 1975 from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur as an Electrical Engineer, Arvind joined TELCO. It was a good training period but after two years he realized that he could not continue to make trucks! He took one year’s leave and went to Kishore Bharati (Hoshangabad, MP), engaged in rural development and developing child-centred science ‘learning by doing’ initiative in village schools. He recalls that the first object that opened new windows of opportunity in making things was the cycle tube!

Arvind Gupta remembers that the period of the Seventies were full of influencing social forces and revolutionary movements. He quotes Kosambi, “In a stagnant society, only the scum floats to the top”. He was part of a churning society and had the opportunity to meet inspiring people – Laurie Baker, the architect who touched the lives of the Indian poor and Anil Agarwal who set up the Centre for Science and Environment.

After the exhilarating experience at Kishore Bharati, Arvind returned to TELCO. The question “Why does the hardest working labourer get paid the least?” haunted him. He was not able to continue working in the corporate world. For three years he worked with a Trade Union in Chattisgarh.

He left TELCO in 1980 and since then has been in the area of science education, as an innovator of low-cost, enjoyable learning toys. When he decided to leave TELCO, there were several different remarks but he received spontaneous appreciation from his mother. She said, “Good, he left the job. He will do honest and good work for the world!” Such was her trust in her son. He concluded saying that it is very important that we show trust in our children and sow the seeds of confidence in them.

After listening to him for one hour, the audience quickly reassembled for the workshop. Arvind started by demonstrating some practically useful things that could be made with the newspaper, like a box and a baseball cap. Having got the audience to make the box he announced that it could be used to store all the toys that were going to be made that evening!

Arvind gave out the raw materials needed for each toy, soon after each demonstration. He then moved through the crowd helping them along before showing them how to make the next toy. The raw materials used were everyday waste–straws, broken Hawai slippers, etc. Some of the things used were materials that we almost always have at home like a piece of string or the midrib of the coconut frond. Only that we never think of using these things innovatively.

Using a simple straw he made a reed and demonstrated how it works. He then cut holes along the length of the straw and made a flute from it. Even better, he played on this flute! He took a softer and wider 2” length of another straw. The open ends of this straw were flattened and stuck. Then angled cuts were made at diagonally opposite ends of it. A hole was punctured in the middle of this and a ‘Frooti straw’ with a hole punctured at one end was passed through this. When air was blown at the other end of the ‘straw’ the piece that was perpendicular to it spun like a propeller.

Next, he took a five inch length of the midrib of the coconut palm frond, broke off a piece and tied it at an angle less than 90 degrees to the first. He then stuck the longer piece into a piece of a Hawai slipper. Then, placing his finger at the angle, he spun the thing around. He then made two lengths of string about two feet long, tied its loose ends to make two loops. He wedged a piece of ice-cream stick into one loop and enmeshed the second loop into this. As the second string was pulled and released in turns, patterns were made. When the audience had made the same toy all the twine was used up. The reel that remained and which we very often discard was used to demonstrate the working of an elevator. In this manner he also made us rethink about the waste we produce.

These fun to make and inexpensive toys can amuse and engage a child no end, both during its making and also later as it plays with it. Interestingly, these toys can be used to explain difficult science concepts. Arvind Gupta went on to show us several such toys.

The programme was attended by people of all ages, from school-going children to adults. All of them were interested – following instructions, distributing raw materials, and helping people beside them to make the toy being demonstrated. It was a great learning experience.

S Subbalakshmi is a software professional and is also associated with Ananda Bharathi, a voluntary organization for underprivileged girl children. She can be reached at sslak03@yahoo.co.in.

Anu Kurian is an English language teacher. She can be reached at annukmathew@gmail.com.

Meera Verma is now a class 6 student and she loves performing on stage. But in nursery school, the stage was the last place she wanted to be. Once again, the reason for this dramatic change was Meera’s nursery teacher, Sujata Mishra.

On October 2, 2010, teachers like Indumati Srinath and Sujata Mishra were felicitated at the Inspiring Teachers Awards ceremony organized by Teacher’s Academy in Hyderabad. Uma Garimella, founder and director of Teacher’s Academy says it was her deep desire to look at and appreciate all the good things in the world of teaching that led her to organize a teachers’ award. “All around us we hear of people only talking about the ills in the education system and while it is necessary to point out mistakes, I think we should also recognize the good that there is,” she says.

Teacher’s Academy is holding this function second year in a row now and it has grown in popularity since last year. The campaign for the awards started three months ago when Uma sent out online appeals asking students all over India to nominate teachers who have most inspired them, for the award. “I thought this was one way of showing our appreciation and thanking those teachers that have been most influential in our lives,” says Uma. The response that Teacher’s Academy received to this appeal was overwhelming and students young or old instantly liked the idea. Students who had long finished school or college and students who are still studying were all allowed to nominate their teachers. Bhavya who is now working in IOB in Chennai says, “This gave me a wonderful opportunity to get back in touch with my teacher Mr. ML Saikumar.” Many other students who attended the function to see the teachers they nominated receive awards were also of the same opinion. Student after student walked on stage to express their deep gratitude towards their ‘friend, philosopher, and guide’.

The Inspiring Teachers Awards not just brought students and teachers together but also brought teachers from different walks of life together. There were teachers from the army, nursery school, high school, colleges, and even games teachers. It was also heartening to note that a lot of teachers who are a part of Naandi’s ‘Ensuring Children Learn’ programme were felicitated during the function. ‘Akkas’ as they are called, these teachers spend two hours daily, after school, to teach children in government primary schools. These ‘tuition classes with a difference’ help many school children, who are otherwise not able to read or write, make progress in their education. Sukanya, a class 5 student in a government school, says her akka, Sajida Khatum is very patient with her and explains with great care, concepts and topics which she did not understand in school. Sajida’s intervention has actually helped Sukanya learn to read, something she found very difficult despite being in class five. Now, from all appearances, Sukanya, has a bright future.

In the Indian tradition the teacher occupies a very high pedestal. ‘Gurur Bramha, gurur Vishnu, gurur devo Maheshwara’ we say equating the guru to god. But in practice, teachers are the least respected lot in our society. As a young teacher at the function was saying, if young people enter the teaching profession, society likens them to losers who joined this profession only because they didn’t find work elsewhere. While society is quick to point fingers and show a teacher her flaws, she never gets credit when her students succeed.

This is why such efforts from organizations like Teacher’s Academy are very important. The Government of India has been recognizing meritorious teachers working in primary, middle and high schools by giving away the National Award for Teachers every year on September 5, since 1958. There are other organizations like Microsoft, Varkey Gems Foundation, the Centre for Cultural Resources and Training and even state governments as well that give away awards to teachers. But every bit of appreciation that a teacher receives encourages her to continue to strengthen the profession.

As the chief guest, Dr. S Nagabhushan Rao, Chairman, Institute of Engineers, AP Chapter mentioned in his opening remark, “A teacher destines the future of every student and honouring the teacher is honouring ourselves.”

“Do you believe in karma?” – was the question posed to the group gathered on the morning of August 28, 2010 at the American School of Bombay. A majority of the audience raised its hands in affirmation – in India most people do believe in karma. What followed in Craig Johnson’s humorous speech was a personal story of his father being the principal of a school in Panchgani – where Craig spent more than 12 years of his life, after which he went back to America, built a house, got married and then moved to Brazil for 15 years and returned to the American School of Bombay as Superintendent. Karma anyone?

This personal anecdote not only lightened the mood, but also filled each person in the audience with inspiration – there was a purpose to why we were all sitting in that room. The collection of individuals there were people who had made time from within Mumbai or outside the city to be part of a conference, aptly called ‘InspirED’ – a conference which promises to kick-start a movement in education in India.

On Friday, August 27, the Xavier Institute of Mass Communication auditorium hosted a two-hour showcase of the conference. With Ashish Kumar, Additional Municipal Commissioner, MCGM, as the keynote speaker for the evening, the event was an informal collaboration of the government, educationists from the private and public sectors and the media.

The event (slated to be an annual one) was hosted by Akanksha, Teach for India and Asia Society. The main themes for the two- day conference were: ‘Teaching as Leadership’ and ‘Innovation in Action’. Multiple sessions were held around these major themes and participants could sign up for at least 2-3 sessions a day. Both the days ended with panel discussions on current topics like the RtE and youth movements.

The major take-away for the participants who comprised teachers, principals from both private and government schools, educationists from NGOs and For Profits, Teach for India Fellows, students and others interested in education was simple:

1. Build a toolkit full of new ideas for students.
2. Network with other educators – take time to listen, share, connect with other educators. There were many, many years of experience and wisdom in the room.
3. Give yourself permission to become inspired. When a teacher in a classroom is inspired, the opportunities to learn are endless.¹

The hard part was choosing which of the four simultaneous sessions to attend! And it is no exaggeration to say one was spoilt for choice. For instance…

• Checks for Understanding: Using Assessments Wisely – Vishnuteerth Agnihotri from Educational Initiatives
• Conceptual Change and Learning for Understanding – Maya Menon from The Teacher Foundation
• Classroom Management and Culture: Creating a Culture of Learning – Nandini Parekh and Deepa Avashia from Riverside School

… and several others.

Craig Johnson’s keynote address was followed by Ramya Venkataraman’s speech, both of which were grouped under the theme – “Innovations in Education: An Indian Perspective”. Ramya is the head of McKinsey’s Education Practice in India and her informative presentation focused on the shifting trends in the educational landscape in India. On the basis of those she put forth certain recommendations relevant to the government, For Profits as well as Not for Profits.

Post the keynote speakers’ address, the individual sessions began. Shaheen Mistri, founder of the Akanksha Foundation conducted a film-screening and discussion based on the theme ‘“Teaching as Leadership” in Action: Stand and Deliver’. Stand and Deliver is a film based on the true story of a high school mathematics teacher, Jaime Escalante who died early this year. It is the story of his relentless dedication and love for teaching as well as his determination to challenge the system and students to a higher level of achievement.²

The discussion that followed the film was animated and had the audience brimming with responses. Along with that, Mistri provided a 6-step model to Teaching as Leadership:

1. Set a big goal
2. Excite students
3. Plan
4. Execute
5. Work relentlessly
6. Reflect

Maya Menon’s session was another example of how teaching is all about the basics. Her theme was ‘Conceptual Change and Learning for Understanding’ where she explored how children learn with the emphasis on ‘understanding’ as opposed to rote learning and more importantly what factors impede understanding – why misconceptions happen and how they can be rectified and avoided.

The session was made far more interesting and interactive by her use of videos from actual classrooms where we saw teachers teaching and also students talking about their teachers in some. Participants were invited to come up with reasons for what factors may lead to children not understanding the concept being taught in the videos shown – math and English.

Maya then shared what she had delineated as primary reasons for impediments to understanding:
- Language and tone of the teacher
- Students’ own misconceptions
- Teacher’s understanding of the concept

This was followed by a number of useful suggestions to avoid to whatever extent possible, misconceptions in learning. Some of these are:

• Asking children to make index card summaries – to write what they have understood as well as their doubts.
• Using hand-signals in the classroom to indicate to the teacher how comfortable they are with the concept covered.
• Visual representations made by students in the form of webs or concept maps.
• Analogy prompts
• Oral questioning
• Follow-up probes – organic exchanges to clarify and check for understanding

The session was enriched by the presence of four middle-school students from Riverside School whose inputs and reactions exemplifying the perspective of students lent greater validity to Maya Menon’s points. All in all a simple but extremely fruitful exercise was indulged in as Maya facilitated the audience through the elusive subject of ‘understanding’.

All in all, InspirED promises to be more than just an ‘event’. Such an informal and energetic gathering of stakeholders of Indian education is rare. The conference spanned interests and needs ranging from those of the teacher in the classroom, to the principal at the level of providing a vision and a mission, to giving the policymaker a more comprehensive picture of the ground reality, albeit in a limited capacity… A lot more needs to be done, but if this was a start, it was a promising one. Perhaps as much, if not more in any field, it is in education that the process of dialogue, exchange of ideas and energies, sharing of stories, challenges and successes is most needed. The business of education is so much about the human spirit that ‘inspiration’ is one of the key elements in sustaining it and ensuring it prospers in the right direction; given this, the organizers couldn’t have come up with a better name than ‘InspirED’!!

Here’s hoping EDucation in India gains momentum and mileage from InspirED…

References

1. From the handbook provided to the participants in the conference.
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stand_and_Deliver.

The author is a student of education (elementary) at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai. She can be reached at simranluthra@gmail.com.

On an equal platform

Gaurav Singh

If you were to do an opinion poll on why the standard of teaching in our schools is so low, the most common answers will revolve around inspiration. “Teachers are not motivated”, “Teachers don’t care”, etc., etc. But, what I saw this weekend at the InspirED conference in Mumbai told me this is not true, at least not universally. I saw a group of about 300 educators from across India who were passionate about their work, eager to learn, willing to listen and most importantly, really truly cared.

What struck me though were two things: the diversity of the participants and their openness to new ideas. The standard image of a teacher, set in her ways; not bothered with stretching herself or learning something new, was totally shattered. Here were educators who were excitedly choosing which workshops they would attend during the day, sharing everything they had learnt during the day in their reflection groups, exchanging notes and promising to pass on the knowledge of their sessions to others who couldn’t attend it.

So, at the end of the day when I sat down with my group of 15 to debrief on the entire conference, I asked them to say in one word how they were feeling. The response in consensus was – InspirED. Thrilled, I asked them – Why? I expected the answer to be: because the workshops were great or because they learnt so much or that they met many good educators. But their answer surprised me.

They said they were InspirED because they felt special. In this conference they were made to feel like they mattered. Whenever they had a question someone was there to answer it, whenever they had a concern someone was there to address it – efficiently and respectfully. When they gave feedback, people listened not defensively but humbly. They said they had never experienced this before, a place where their opinions were valued, they were given a platform to share, a chance to contribute and all of this with a smile.

Maybe then inspiration is not about giving speeches and lectures but simply about making people feel special, strong and cared for. Making them realize they matter. That is what will give them the self-belief and the confidence. Couple that with hardcore skills and you have a troop of people ready to go back and bring change in their schools, classes and kids, all because they are now – InspirED.

Gaurav Singh is a Teach For India Fellow(2009). He is interested in education equity and is passionate about empowering his fourth grade students in a municipal School in Mumbai. He can be reached at gaurav.singh2009@teachforindia.org.

“I” moments

Madhumita Subramanian

I walked into the InspirED conference hoping to be intellectually stimulated and emotionally moved by the plethora of ideas zooming past me. I would like to refer to these as my “I” moments, instances when “I” got inspired to act.

My first “I” moment presented itself when Craig Johnson, Superintendent, American School, Mumbai, delved into the concept of leadership. Leadership entailed two aspects, which, if viewed as mutually exclusive, could be dangerous; Inspiration and Empowerment. One must be inspired and feel empowered to ACT, otherwise the thought remains an idea, a figment of the imagination. Feeling empowered but lacking in vision would result in energy being spent in vacillating. Applied in the context of the classroom, this would mean empowering my children with a vision that they relate to, that they can achieve and also instilling the belief in them that they are equipped to turn their vision into reality.

My second “I” moment too, sprung during Craig’s session. A great teacher, he mentioned, has one striking quality- the ability to MOTIVATE. Quoting Daniel Pink, he said in order to motivate one needs to show purpose, give autonomy and enable mastery. Simple. “If I were to teach my 8 year-old student gravity, I would relate it to him by stating that if it weren’t for gravity he wouldn’t be able to play cricket, for the ball would never come down and the batsman would never get out! I would give him a sense of ownership by having him experiment with various objects to test gravity. I would enable mastery by having him explain it to a friend! I have motivated my student to learn about gravity”.

Heeru Bhojwani’s session on storytelling made me realize that today’s children are 21^st century learners who want to be constantly engaged. What best way to achieve that than through the power of visual storytelling? I have now planned to incorporate visual storytelling into my SSC chapters. Another “I” moment!

Several other “I” moments did prop up but this space is unfortunately not enough to do justice to them. Inspiration is an experience, a very personal one that too. Once inspired, the capacity of an individual to propel change is multi-fold. I left Inspired and I’m sure there are plenty others who will ensure change happens.

Madhumita is a 2009 Teach For India Fellow and also one of the main editors of the TFI Publication “Firki”. She can be reached at madhumita.subramanian2009@teachforindia.org.

The five As of learning

Romana Shaikh

The five steps to real learning delivered by Ashish Rajpal was an eye-opening session. He spoke about the state of learning and the methods of teaching in schools across the country and brought to the fore the key steps involved in making the learning process truly enriching for the student. Some major points of discussion were around the current gap in pedagogical innovation and the reliance of teachers largely on rote. The effort should be to equip teachers, support them and guide them to use alternative strategies and methods of teaching.

He outlined the five steps to real learning as being a continuous cycle of –

• Academic Plan – a comprehensive outline of all the objectives, content areas and skills that children need to acquire in an academic year. This Academic Plan should clearly lay out the path to the end of year goals. It is essential to start with the AIM in mind.
• Creating a learning experience – Implementation of the academic plan in the classroom is the key to learning. Learning takes place most effectively when students do rather than hear or listen. ACTIVITIES should be structured to be engaging, interactive and experiential.
• Analysis – A process to check for the effectiveness of the activity after its execution, it is at this stage that inquiry is the key process. Students engage in an objective dialogue which is reflective in nature. This pushes students to understand and learn by questioning and critical thinking, skills that otherwise don’t get honed in a traditional practice.
• Application – While at the activity stage the emphasis is on learning by doing, it is fundamental to allow for opportunities to practice. At this stage the pace of the learner would be of utmost importance and teachers need to intervene and differentiate to create that transfer of learning to APPLICATION.
• Assessment is the final stage of the process. It is the process that involves the testing of students’ abilities. Using methods that go beyond the paper-pencil format, a holistic approach to ASSESSMENT often yields the most useful data. Based on this data, teachers need to repeat steps if necessary or then move on to the next objective as laid out in the academic plan.

Each of these five steps is fundamental to creating a culture of learning in the school and really pushing students to academic achievement.

Romana Shaikh is a 2009 Teach for India Fellow and teaches the third grade. She is also an Advisor to the 2010 Fellows. She can be reached atromana.shaikh2009@teachforindia.org.

Truly InspirED!

Dhanya Yadav

The first annual InspirED conference saw many educators come together to celebrate innovation in education. The concept of innovation was introduced using the image of a pencil.

There is a little pencil
Not quite new and not quite bold
A red, plain-looking pencil
That will do what it is told

Who lives inside my pencil box
With others of its kind
Who leaves an ordinary mark
On printed, notebook lines

And then there is the pencil
Who is sparkly and is bold
Who doesn’t always follow rules
And do what he is told

Who bends to make a pencil trunk
Who flutters as he flies
Who sometimes is a rocket
Pushing children to the sky

Ah look – this pencil is the sun
He dazzles with his rays
He knows that orange-yellow light
Can brighten wetter days

This pencil goes deep in the sea
And flaps its sharpened fins
And shows us if we try real hard
That all of us can win

And sometimes, as he’s deep in thought
He grows into a tree
Who watches all the world around
And questions quietly

And so, this day, together
As we start on this journey
A question from him to each of you
Which pencil do you see?

I was really inspired by the session with Craig Johnson. In addition, a host of organizations brought innovation to life – Ummeed, BNHS, Navnirmiti, idiscoveri and the Teacher Foundation. The Art Workshop was hugely successful with educators tracing themselves on brown paper and charting out digestion, drawing to the music of fireflies and bringing history to life through art. Each day ended with people breaking into small reflection groups, enabling educators to meet and interact on a deeper level.

Dhanya Yadav, is a 2010 Teach For India Fellow and teaches second grade students in Shindewadi Mumbai Public School. She can be reached at dhanya.yadav2010@teachforindia.org.

“Small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises”, remarked Demosthenes. Indeed the Teaching Aids exhibition is one such event that seems to grow in leaps and bounds every year.

The year 2007 was truly a red red letter day in the history of teacher training, for a challenge was thrown open by Prof. Jayasree Mohanraj (English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad) to the fourth batch of B.Ed (English) participants. They were asked to prepare teaching aids that were not only simple and easy to make but also explored the different ways of teaching a topic.

Teaching becomes successful and effective when it is associated not just with textbooks or lectures but with auditory or visual supplements. These supplements, called teaching aids are in sense a must for a complete teacher. Such complements further make the teaching and learning process more effective.

What started of as a low key event drew so much admiration as well as feedback that the audience was keen to visit the event the following year as well. The responses from the audience also culminated into two first time milestones. Firstly, the entire event was captured on a video and a DVD was compiled to that effect. It showcased the diverse ways of creating and using the teaching aids for developing integrated skills. Secondly, for the first time a teaching aids book was put together titled “Pedagogic Treasure Trove”. This book is one of a kind and is handy for a teacher. It not only provides information on the various aids that can be used for teaching a particular topic but also on the materials used how to prepare as well as how to use it in the class. This book is a must and is a priced collection for all teachers.

Devices like a computer or an overhead projector are still out of the reach of teachers teaching English in schools located in the remote parts of this sub continent. However, a teacher can refer to this book and prepare a volley of low cost teaching aids. With the said objectives and ideas in mind a two day exhibition was organised by the B.Ed (English) participants this year on 19^th and 20^th March 2009. A total of 155 exhibits were displayed for two days. There was an array of teaching aids that ranged from models (based on lessons in various textbooks) to word games, puzzles to puppet shows, flash cards and cue cards to the use of language activator. It also focussed on skills development-be it LSRW or even study skills. There were plenty of aids that addressed the needs of the teachers to teach grammar as well. The list is so pluralistic that it seems that hardly anything was left by.

Around 2000 visitors attended the event and eagerly listened to all the explanation and notes shared by the “authors” (B.Ed participants). The extreme contentedness that one could perceive as the visitors left the place was testimony to its undoubted success.

The authors are B.Ed students at the English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad.

Does an adopted child need special attention? was a question posed to Mrs. Sheela Ramakrishnan, educator, entrepreneur, teacher-trainer and an adoptive parent herself. She was addressing educators at a workshop “Adoption and Education” recently organised by SuDatta Adoptive Families’ Support Group in Bangalore.

Sheela explained that many students in Indian schools come from differently composed families such as single-parent, grand-parent-only, step-parent and adoptive families. There is an emerging openness around these “differences”. Educators must be aware of a child’s family composition because having a ‘non-traditional’ family may cause emotional turmoil for a child.

Sheela Ramakrishnan making her presentation

The core issue
What’s different about a child who was adopted?
It’s what happened before adoption that is at the root of a child’s emotional issues. A child takes time to understand and process her life story.

Children who were adopted may have a heightened sensitivity to rejection. They are constantly searching for acceptance, approval and identity, because they feel that the first adults in their lives “gave them away”. This may impact their self-esteem, and consequently academic performance and behaviour. They need support to build their self-esteem.

Adoptive parents may be vulnerable as well; constantly challenged by questions from society and the child himself. They must cope with tricky situations when the issue of their child’s adoption is dealt with in an insensitive manner by others.

Adoption in school
What is the role of an educator in the life of a child who was adopted?
A child interacts with an extended community of relatives, friends, teachers and neighbours. Our schooling system focuses on the use of the child’s hand and mind, and ignores the role his heart and emotions play in the learning process.

A child who was adopted is usually intelligent, along with extra sensitivity and deeper thinking. He may over-perform or under-perform because he periodically grapples with emotional issues.

She tends to have good relationships with most people, but friendships with only a few. He may hide creative talents to avoid the spotlight.

A booklet “Talking about Adoption with Educators: Experiences from Families and Classrooms in India” was released by Mrs. Vanditha Sharma, Principal Secretary, Education, Government of Karnataka. The booklet showcases incidents where educators had to handle this sensitive topic in the classroom.

Questions and statements made in class have caught teachers off guard and inspired “tough” questions and comments:

• “I have two mummies and daddies, can I put them all on my family tree?”
• “I was adopted at the age of 4; I can’t bring my baby photo.”
• “How can I trace my genetic inheritance? I don’t know my birth parents’ genetics.”

The workshop stressed on the need for a proactive partnership between parents and educators.

Openness and comfort levels
How an educator handles the topic of adoption depends partly on the parents’ openness and comfort. Many parents tell their child early in life about her adoption; they are open to a dialogue with her and with other people also, including the school. The family is fully empowered.

Some parents are open with their child but not with the community. Consequently the school does not know. This is a one-sided empowerment. The child, is often the one to “spill the beans” in school, while telling her friends what’s special about her.

Awkward situations arise when the child herself is not informed, but everyone else knows and is extra careful.

The last category is the toughest to deal with; only the parents know. The burden of secrecy sabotages an honest relationship with their child. Ironically, counsellors called in to handle difficult situations concerning these children are often told, I know I’m adopted, I’m just waiting for my parents to tell me.

Why tell the child early in life and then keep talking about it?
A successful relationship is built on an honest and open communication. Children’s curiosity about their own life must not be suppressed. Sheela took educators through adoption issues at different ages.

Mrs. Vanditha Sharma releasing

The pre-school and primary years
Educators and parents can handle questions with relative ease during these years. Children may be asked why they look different, or relate their adoption story with as much pride as any child tells his birth story.

Gradually, he grasps that he was first born to another woman and then brought up by his present family. He becomes conscious of the losses involved; of his lineage, birth family history and some early records of his life. Indian adoption laws seal all records about the birth parents’ identity.

The middle years
The child begins to understand her life story better. It also becomes a more private matter for her. She prioritises her acceptance by peers. She may also express a desire to search for her birth parents.

Parents and educators are challenged to give detailed, age-appropriate and sensitive answers. What is said is not as important as saying it with love, genuine empathy and understanding. The child’s feelings must be honoured and validated.

Secondary years
These are tricky years. The adolescent has anextensive understanding of his life story, and the possibility that his birth may have happened under socially unacceptable circumstances.

Adolescents are building their social, familial and sexual identity. Young women struggle with society’s morality in relation to their birth mother’s situation. Young men feel let down since the first male in their lives (the birth father) is not anywhere near a role model. Raging hormones, peer pressure and parental expectations peak in high school, coinciding with tremendous academic pressure. The child has to use her hand and head while her heart and emotions are in turmoil.

The adults in their lives need to reassure them that they are loved and accepted regardless of their birth.

Some helpful strategies
Sheela concluded with strategies for educators to handle emotional issues about a differently composed family. The acronym TOAD is useful to remember:
Think on your feet in an unexpected situation
Offer individual attention
Ask for information from the parents, school and your student
Do not be judgmental

When planning classroom assignments or lessons, an educator must look out for:

1. Stereotypes
2. Black and White areas
3. Judgements of any kind
4. Insensitive language. Positive Adoption Language is introduced in the booklet released at the workshop.

With increased awareness and experience, educators will get a feel for handling situations with sensitivity.

Participants said the workshop was an eye-opener for them and suggested that more schools and educators can increase their awareness about adoption through similar workshops.

For more details on SuDatta and the work they are doing visit www.sudatta.org

The author is the General Secretary for SuDatta Adoptive Parents’ Support Group, Bangalore. She can be reached at nayantaramallya@yahoo.com.

A conference on ‘India’s Textbook Culture’ organised by Learn Today, the learning division of the India Today Group, held in December 2008, focused on how learning resources and textbooks are conceptualised, produced and used. People from the government, the non-formal sector, private publishers, students, Principals and educational theorists attended the conference.

Key issues included new learning resources, the economics of publishing, local knowledge and the implications for assessment, and policy implications for the future that Learn Today intends to present to the government through a seminal paper.

Prof Krishna Kumar, Director, NCERT delivering the keynote address

In his welcome address, Mr. Arun Kapur, Executive Director, Learn Today, set the stage for a challenging agenda. He referred to the educational philosophies of Tagore and Gandhi and felt that the textbook could be an important tool for achieving these ideals. “The textbook can act as a powerful tool. As a trampoline, with a little creativity and imagination, it is a jumping-off point that propels all learners to new heights. The danger, however, is when it remains a hammock – a comfortable, lazy lounge chair that one takes a nap on. It is how the teacher uses it that makes the difference.”

Prof. Krishna Kumar, Director NCERT, in his keynote address brought up several issues that traced the evolution of textbooks. Before the National Curriculum Framework 2005 was set out, textbooks held centre stage and were a source of tension and even conflict. It was a challenge to create textbooks that reflected a sense of peace and decency.

Education meant creating a space for the student and teacher, even to the extent of questioning the textbook. The latest NCERT textbooks made teachers think about their subject, and ‘attempt to create an experiential India for our children’. Professor Krishna Kumar felt however, that the purpose of the NCERT had been misunderstood even by child-centred schools. The NCERT was therefore working on making exam questions more imaginative, but to evaluate such questions, there is a need for teachers who can assess a student’s argument.

Prof. Krishna Kumar felt that we are mired in the textbook culture of the nineteenth century that required the textbook to be a bible, because we haven’t accepted the agency of the teacher, who the world now sees as a knowledge worker. In this connection, teacher associations can be important as agents of change. Prof. Krishna Kumar’s viewthat Early Childhood Educators deserve the highest salaries, should be welcomed by underpaid and sometimes unappreciated Kindergarten teachers nationwide.

Prof. MM Pant of Planet-EDU, in his inaugural address focused on how the textbook will transform itself into a dialogue with the reader. He talked about the challenges faced by education in a knowledge rich society, where ‘thinking’ skills are more important that just learning, and where students can become ‘producers of knowledge, not consumers’.

The second session dealt exclusively with the economics and use of textbooks and was chaired by Ms. Abha Sahgal, Principal Sanskriti School.

The first speaker, Prof. Janaki Rajan, Jamia Millia University put the economics of publishing textbooks into perspective by pointing out that roughly 90 per cent are in the hands of state governments and only ten per cent with NCERT and private publishers. Her experience as Director, SCERT and the bureaucratic hurdles showed that the dialogue was all about money and size, and not academic content. A very important lesson learnt was that texts which were carefully crafted got the best student response, and that ‘children who are poor can appreciate the best of research’.

Ms. Sajili Shirodkar of Madhubun Books, discussed the factors in play when a textbook is under consideration by a school. At times the criteria for selection may be the amount of teacher support that is available in a book. Ultimately, if we wish to move away from the mechanical use of a textbook or rote-learning, teacher-training is the key, she said.

Dr. Sarada Balagopalan of the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies opened the third session by introducing the eminent speakers.

Ms. Rashmi Paliwal, representing the Eklavya Foundation, emphasised on the teaching/learning being transacted in the classroom. Eklavya’s success could be attributed in part to its motivational writing style; text was based on real-life experiences, and the narrative provided ‘guided space for the learner to reflect’. The student is part of the text, and the teacher was involved as a facilitator of discussion.

She advocated open-book exams after teaching students the skills of referencing, as one aspect of the assessment process. The most successful chapters were the ones where the text was ‘vivid, gripping and substantial’ validating the notion that big ideas can be retained, even if chapters are longer, if the transaction is good.

Mr. Dilip Ranjekar, CEO, and Ms. Aanchal Chanal of the Azim Premji Foundation, gave some details of their activities, specifically in partnering the Government of Rajasthan by developing materials for Grades 1-8 in all subjects. On investigation, the APF had realised that school textbooks were inadequate, facts were incorrect, concepts did not link, and vocabulary was anything but age-appropriate. They had hence decided that developing workbooks was the most effective way to proceed. To this end they sent 55 people to Rajasthan and developed these workbooks in six months. The APF has recently begun action research for the Governments of Uttarakhand and Haryana.

Ms. Suchismita Srinivas of Educational Initiatives dwelt on the focal activities of EI on assessment. EI has been conducting ASSET, a diagnostic test, which is currently being taken by 4 lakh students in India and the Gulf. She also spoke about the difficulties encountered in standardising assessment in India. With regard to textbooks, her opinion was that a textbook cannot be effective if the teacher isn’t, hence teacher support materials are essential.

Policy implications were summed up in the final session. Prof. Shiva Kumar, Adviser UNICEF, cited Howard Gardner’s ‘Five Minds for the Future’ as a reference point for the mindset we wish to create in our students. He referred to the ‘kunji marts’, coaching classes and private tuition as some of the ills affecting Indian education, but most of all he recommended a change in the exam system, which according to him, had destroyed the reading habit.

Prof. Shiva Kumar mentioned the government schools which had many contract teachers who were insecure about tenure, and this, in turn, created a feeble classroom environment, poor student-teacher ratios and a very low level of teaching activity. He advocated teacher training, regular appraisal of teacher performance, and higher salaries.

Professor R Govinda, Head, School and Non-Formal Education Unit, NUEPA, acknowledged that textbooks are the entry point for mass education, but argued strongly for a professional role for the State. The SCERT produces textbooks, but they should not be the products of bureaucratic minds. The model needs to change and creative minds should be working on texts. He asked why we could not liberalise textbooks or create greater variety, and allow teachers to choose which book they wished to use. Since very often there is only one book to teach from, reference and learning materials should be made available to the student and teacher alike. He recommended starting a cycle of change in assessment methods, improvement in teacher training, the anchoring of teacher learning around the textbook, and policies that look after the needs of our teachers.

Mr. Subhash Khuntia, Joint Secretary, Bureau of School Education, Department of HRD, spoke on the importance of textbooks, as they ensure that certain things get taught. However, because of the exam pattern, textbooks have become compulsory, and most schools go in for one textbook to get better results.

The government, he said, would be very happy to publish well-designed and creative textbooks. Teachers are free to write books and the adoption of a book would be left to its merits.

He pointed out certain ground realities: from project-based activities that cannot be carried out as many schools do not have libraries; subversive and retrograde material in texts that compels the Book Council to vet all material.

He suggested that the NCERT could create exemplar books which the States could adapt or better still, write their own. In 21^st century schools, he concluded, the have-nots need to be considered.

Dr. Shalini Advani, Learn Today, at the conference

Dr. Shalini Advani, Director Education, Learn Today, summed up the four main points of learning from the conference: Learning from textbooks is an active process, but we need to ensure that this happens for all books; there is a real need for a massive expansion of teacher training, not just subject training; in the interests of democracy, we cannot have relevant learning for the middle class and just content for the lower economic classes; assessment is not an end-of-the-line process, assessment should be for learning, not of learning.

The author is Manager, School Systems, Learn Today. She can be reached at kmuttoo@ulearntoday.com.

The convener of this conference, LEARN TODAY, is the learning division of the India Today Group, India’s most diversified media group. The India Today Group owns and manages Vasant Valley School. Learn Today aims to enrich the world of school education through the promotion of professional standards. Its activities include setting up schools that are centres of excellence, professional development of teachers, promotion and dissemination of education research, school audits, workshops and school improvement programmes, the creation of learning and teaching material, and advocacy and policy inputs for progressive educational development, among others.

Once in a while, it helps to step out of our classrooms and reflect on the broader educational scene in our country. I am surprised I include myself in the community of teachers, though my teaching experience has been rather humble compared to many who may read this piece. I taught on the ‘English at the Workplace’ programme of the English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad, for about three months; helping gardeners, mess workers, plumbers and other support staff with basic English. I say ‘our classrooms’ not because of my short teaching stint, but because I believe I am a teacher at – to borrow a photographer friend’s expression – “the level of the soul”; a teacher who is both seeker and sharer.

A few months ago, I attended a seminar on the Common School System (CSS) and its relationship with the Right to Education. It brought together several people who have been thinking seriously about education, working at the grassroots level, or doing both. Held in Mumbai on May 31 and June 1, it was jointly organised by a number of organisations – Yusuf Meherally Centre, Hindustani Prachar Sabha, Socialist Front, Maulana Azad Vichar Manch, Janata Trust, Dr. Lohia Janma Shatabdi Samiti, Sadbhavana Sangh and Mumbai Freedom Fighters Sabha.

The keynote address was given by Dr. Anil Sadgopal, former Dean of the Department of Education, Delhi University. He eloquently laid out the crucial issues pertaining to a CSS in India. The origins of the CSS in India go back to Mahatma Jyotirao Phule, who along with his wife Savitribai Phule, played a major role in ensuring access to education for the disadvantaged communities in Maharashtra. Sadgopal noted that people often mistake the CSS for a uniform system that would ignore the diversity in our country. Another objection that is raised is: What will happen to the talented children? The problem occurs – according to Sadgopal – because of the narrow definition of talent based on exams that are essentially competitive in nature.

Sadgopal provided an insightful analysis of the fragmentation in our current education system in the form of various teacher cadres. We now have a number of para-teaching cadres like shikshakarmis, shikshamitras, shikshasevikas and others; as a result the teaching community is unable to stand together as a unified force and press for their demands to be fulfilled. Moreover, teaching ceases to be seen as a profession that most young graduates and post-graduates would want to get into.

On the second day, participants were divided into five discussion groups; namely National Curriculum Framework 2005 and the CSS, Neighbourhood Schools, Right to Free and Compulsory Education, Privatisation and Commercialisation of School Education – A Retrogressive Government Policy, and Building a Campaign and Social Movement for the Common School System.

I was in the group, discussing the National Curriculum Framework 2005 and the CSS. We were expected to list out the components of our vision of a model national curriculum that would be compatible with a functional CSS. Despite some initial confusion about the difference between a syllabus and a curriculum, we eventually agreed that a curriculum would only spell out core elements; matters such as list of topics and sub-topics, textbooks, annual calendar and evaluation methods are best decided by decentralised bodies comprising principals, teachers and parents. Such decentralisation would be most effective only in a system of neighbourhood schools wherein every child would have the fundamental right to secure admission in the school in his or her neighbourhood.

The group came up with some basic principles that the national curriculum should emphasise: relevance to the needs of people and their lives, learning by doing, history of the Indian nation and freedom struggle, Fundamental Rights and Duties to be realised in a holistic manner instead of rote learning, peace education and gender sensitisation to be integrated in the teaching of all subjects, skill development, and that all these should be in accordance with Constitutional directives.

Sadgopal stopped by to listen in on the group’s discussion. While he agreed that all the listed items were important, he pointed out one crucial area that was neglected: social exclusion in schools. Sadgopal’s comments provoked further discussion, and we realised that it was not enough to write textbooks that are sensitive to the concerns of the marginalised; it is vital to make inclusion a part of the ethos of every school and classroom.

Several questions emerged after all the discussion groups presented their reports. The one that was pursued most doggedly was about the place of English in our education system – whether English should be the medium of instruction, or whether the regional language or the mother tongue should occupy that space? Sadgopal remarked that research studies indicate that the child learns best in his or her mother tongue. Some of the participants argued that classroom instruction at the primary level should take place in the mother tongue. Others pointed out that the problem is that in higher education, it is difficult to find teaching-learning materials, dictionaries and reference books in the mother tongue. Most felt strongly that students should be allowed to answer their examinations in their mother tongue, but there was the attendant concern about training teachers to meet this challenge. Cities, particularly metros, have a mix of language groups, and the local language or language of instruction may be a second language for many. How does one determine what language would work as the ideal medium of instruction? This question remained unresolved.

The seminar gave me an opportunity to acquaint myself with a large number of issues in Indian education, and to listen to people like Anil Sadgopal, Medha Patkar, Simantini Dhuru, Heramb Kulkarni and Jayashree Ramdas, all of whom have worked closely with communities. Engaging in dialogue with people who care about the same things is a rewarding exercise. It not only enables you to clarify your own ideas, but helps you consider other perspectives with openness. A glimpse of the big picture prompts you to reflect on your own role and contribution. It prepares you to engage with the classroom as more than a knowledge transaction space; as a space for learning about each other, especially the disadvantaged.

The author is an M.Phil student at The English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad. Apart from education, his interests include poetry, travel and children’s literature. He can be reached at chintangirishmodi@gmail.com.