Capacity Building Program for PGTs

Day-2

Topics: I           : Positive Classroom Environment.

              II          : Getting ready for the future of education – Turning challenges into opportunities

              III         : Healthy Lifestyle and Healthy Liver

              IV        : Enhancing Personal Effectiveness-Transactional Style

No. of Teachers Involved: 65 (Teachers from Salwan Schools)         

Day & Date     : Tuesday, 28 May 2024

Venue             : SPS Mayur Vihar

Speakers         : Capt Richa Sharma Katyal (Retd), Principal, SPSMV, Dr Sameer Malhotra, Psychiatrist, Max Hospital, Smt. Sangeeta Krishnan, Educational Consultant and Director Academics, GD Goenka Public School, Dr Priti Jain, Consultant Gastroenterologist

Day 2 of the workshop commenced with Capt Richa Sharma Katyal (Retd), Principal SPS MV and Smt. Bhawna Puri, Vice Principal, SPSMV recapitulating Day 1’s learnings. They summarised the key points from all three sessions, highlighting different leadership styles and qualities of an effective leader, discussed by Smt. Meera Balachandran, Capt Richa Sharma Katyal’s session on ‘Enhancing Personal Effectiveness’, that brought concepts like role making, role centrality, and role linking to the forefront, illuminating pathways to enhanced professional efficacy. The key takeaways from Smt. Rashmi Malik’s session, including the importance of making work visible and understanding competencies, were also underlined.

Positive Classroom Environment

The session on ‘Positive Classroom Environment’ led by Dr. Sameer Malhotra commenced, focusing on fostering a conducive atmosphere for learning. Dr. Malhotra stressed the significance of positive body language in communication, noting that over 80% of communication is conveyed non-verbally. He urged teachers to create a positive environment devoid of personal ego or problems.

Conceptual clarity was highlighted as crucial for student growth, with Dr. Malhotra cautioning against self-doubt and scepticism, which can lead to failure. Unrealistic expectations and perfectionism were identified as potential hindrances for both teachers and students. Setting a positive tone in the first five minutes of class was recommended to create an environment conducive to learning.

Empathy, sensitivity, and sensible communication were underscored as essential for building strong teacher-student relationships. Dr. Malhotra emphasised the importance of two-way communication and the need to let go of grudges for maintaining a healthy classroom dynamic. Understanding the difference between distress and dysfunction was also noted as crucial in addressing student needs.

Key takeaways from Dr. Sameer Malhotra’s session included the importance of positive body language, prioritising conceptual clarity, and fostering empathy and realistic expectations. Overall, the session provided valuable insights into creating a supportive and effective classroom environment, equipping participants with practical strategies for enhancing student engagement and growth.

Getting ready for the future of education – Turning challenges into opportunities.

Thereafter, a session on Getting ready for the future of education – Turning challenges into opportunities was conducted by Smt. Sangeeta Krishnan, an esteemed Educational Consultant and Director Academics at GD Goenka Public School. The session delved into various aspects of the evolving educational landscape, emphasising the need for a paradigm shift in our approach. Smt. Krishnan highlighted the distinction between student-centric and teacher-centric challenges and introduced the concept of ‘Propertunity’,  a term coined by Dr. Paul Jenkins, which encapsulates the fusion of challenges and opportunities. She stressed that the first step towards capitalising on propertunities is the thorough evaluation of the problem, followed by the proactive creation of viable solutions. Encouraging educators to view challenges as gateways to innovation, she emphasised the importance of adopting innovative approaches to problem-solving. An engaging video showcased different learning styles and strategies for addressing diverse challenges in the classroom. Participants actively engaged in an interactive activity where they identified various challenges faced by both students and teachers, brainstorming potential solutions. The analogy of each classroom being a puzzle and educators being the master solvers added depth to the discussion.

Overall, the session provided valuable insights into navigating the future of education and empowering educators to embrace challenges as opportunities for growth and innovation.

Healthy Lifestyle and Healthy Liver

Session on ‘Healthy Lifestyle and Healthy Liver’ was conducted by Dr. Priti Jain, a consultant gastroenterologist. The session focused on the importance of maintaining a healthy liver and provided comprehensive insights into liver health and related issues.

Dr. Jain began by emphasising the critical role of the liver in overall health, detailing its functions in metabolism, detoxification, and nutrient storage. She highlighted the concerning trend of higher Body Mass Index (BMI) rates in India compared to the USA, attributing it to lifestyle factors and dietary habits prevalent in the Indian population.

The session then delved into common liver conditions such as fatty liver disease and cirrhosis. Dr. Jain explained that fatty liver is the accumulation of fat in liver cells, often due to poor diet and lack of exercise, while cirrhosis is the severe scarring of the liver caused by long-term liver damage.

To promote liver health, she provided dietary recommendations, advising participants to consume a balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins, while avoiding excessive alcohol, sugary foods, and trans fats. She stressed the importance of liver care from early childhood, suggesting that healthy eating habits should be instilled from as early as six months of age.

Complementing this insightful discourse, Ms. Sadhna Agrawal, Lecturer, DoE, conducted a rejuvenating energiser activity and a guided meditation session. Stressing the holistic connection between mind and body, Ms. Agrawal highlighted the transformative benefits of meditation, encouraging its incorporation into daily routines.

The session was highly informative and engaged participants in a discussion about practical ways to maintain liver health. Dr. Jain’s expertise and practical advice equipped attendees with the knowledge to make healthier lifestyle choices for better liver health.

Enhancing Personal Effectiveness- Transactional Style

Session on ‘Enhancing Personal Effectiveness- Transactional Style’ led by Capt Richa Sharma Katyal, Principal, SPS, Mayur Vihar, commenced with an engaging game called Broken Squares, designed to foster collaboration and problem-solving skills among attendees. Following the game, feedback was gathered, with teachers describing the activity as both engaging and stressful, highlighting the importance of participation and cooperation in achieving goals. Capt Katyal emphasised the significance of open-mindedness in teaching, stressing that teachers’ efficacy lies in helping students solve problems and promoting transparent communication.

Drawing from her military experience, Capt Katyal introduced transactional communication concepts, highlighting the importance of understanding the three ego states: Parent-like, Adult-like, and Child-like. She advocated for interactions to be ideally conducted from an Adult-to-Adult perspective. Capt Sharma also discussed life positions, emphasising the importance of fostering a ‘I am OK, you are OK’ mentality to create a healthy classroom environment.

She cautioned against overly restrictive approaches, advocating for a normative teaching style that allows for creativity           and independence in students. The session concluded with an analysis of transactional styles using a scoring key from a questionnaire distributed earlier. Capt Katyal encouraged teachers to identify their dominant styles, work on reducing negative positions, and enhance positive positions for improved personal effectiveness.

Key takeaways included the importance of fostering participation and cooperation, helping students solve problems, and understanding and balancing the three ego states. The session concluded with a valedictory address delivered by Smt. Pooja Dhingra, HoD-I.T.

Facilitated by Capt Richa Sharma Katyal, the workshop provided an interactive and insightful learning experience. Participants engaged in reflective exercises, collaborative problem-solving activities, and learned mindfulness techniques to reduce classroom stress. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with attendees appreciating the actionable insights and interactive format. The workshop concluded with a Q&A session, allowing participants to seek advice on specific challenges, effectively equipping educators with valuable skills to enhance their personal and professional effectiveness in teaching.

The session effectively concluded with Smt. Dolly Dhawan, Senior PGT from SPS Rajender Nagar giving her valedictory address for Group 2 and Smt. Pooja Dhingra, Senior PGT from SPS MV, giving hers for Group 1, wherein they succinctly summarised the day’s discussions, highlighting key takeaways, and extended a vote of thanks to all participants and contributors for their active engagement and valuable insights.

Sharing of Best Practices

A common session on gifted and differently abled students started off with a presentation by SPSRN, showcasing their tailored effective methods across various departments. Key tools such as English podcasts, role-play, debates, and creative writing were emphasised. Additionally, they highlighted their Nukkad Natak reaching the State level in Hindi. Visual and Performing Arts elaborated on relief painting techniques, while the Sports Department focused on wheelchair basketball and adaptive cycling. The Social Science department discussed colour coding and adaptive coding strategies. Finally, the Maths department delved into Mathletics, Maths wizard, and Math O Art initiatives.

Following this, Dr. Preeti Jain from SPS, MV shared insights on addressing the needs of gifted and differently abled students, including strategies such as differentiated curriculum, teaching methods, tiered assignments, technology integration, and classroom management. The focus was on accommodating differences in learning rates, depths, and paces. Strategies for differently abled students included focusing on strengths, building relationships and resilience, breaking learning tasks into smaller parts, frequent assessment, and providing support through private conversations. She apprised the members that Chetna Nagpal, a visually impaired student from SPS, MV, achieved remarkable success by scoring 95% in CBSE Board exams and graduating from LSR, DU.

Shri Vivek Vats from SBSSS then took the stage, initiating the discussion with a quote from Nelson Mandela and emphasising Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Personalised Learning Plans (PLPs) as strategy. Smt. Jyoti from SPSGGM shared the synopsis of research work conducted in the school, followed by a presentation by Smt. Sabha Ahmed from SGSSS, focusing on types of impairments and the role of teachers. Lastly, Smt. Mudita from SPSTDSC shared practices from the English and Social Science Departments.

Bottom of Form

The session successfully showcased a diverse range of effective methods and strategies aimed at inclusive education, reinforcing the commitment towards nurturing every student’s potential and creating an environment where all learners can thrive.