The beginning of my Action Research Journey

British Council, India has been a part of my life since my college days. My friends used to tease me about my magnetic draw towards British Council Library, Chennai- ‘BCL’ - as we used to call it. I drank in Daphne du Maurier and Nevil Shute from the BCL and got teased for that too.

After a gap of many years, British Council, Delhi came into my life in the form of International School Award (ISA) when DAV Public School, sreshtha Vihar, Delhi,  applied for it and I was in the ISA core team. Since then it has been a very fortuitous and fruitful association for me. After twice accredited with the ISA, 5 teachers from the school were selected by Principal Mrs Prem Lata Garg to work with mentors Mrs Suman Chawla and mrs Chandeep Marwah for the Aptis Action Research  Mentor Scheme (AARMS).

To quote Wikipedia, “Action research is either research initiated to solve an immediate problem or a reflective process of progressive problem solving led by individuals working with others in teams or as part of a "community of practice" to improve the way they address issues and solve problems.”

The first meeting was an exciting one as our mentors Mrs Chawla and Mrs Marwah are dynamic personalities. They introduced us to Action Research, what it is and how to go about it. It was intimidating to all five of us from the school, Ms Preeti Bhatnagar, Ms Shweta Handa, Mrs Ranjana Varma, Ms Nupur Gupta and myself.  We wondered if we will be able to take up the challenge of classroom research with all other duties as senior teachers. With the reassurance and positive vibes of Ms Chawla and Ms Marwah, we promised that we will take it up. As passionate teachers, we indeed wanted to be change makers by bringing in small yet fantastic changes in our classrooms.

In this exciting journey we were joined by 5 teachers from Ramjas School, Karol Bagh. It was an interesting mix of teachers of Chemistry, Computer Science and English from primary to the senior classes. We were told to think of questions on which we could base our action research. It could be “something which has been challenging us in the class room or something which is a success but needed further exploration”. The webinar led by our mentors’ guides Mr Amol and Mr Richard was an eye opener as all of us were impressed and intrigues us the teacher from Mexico and her action research. Through action research, she was able to find out “how to end her lessons interestingly”. As teachers, we plan extensively about how to introduce each lesson and ways to begin every class. We do not give much thinking about how to end our classes. We just summarise and probably exit the class. The webinar in detail spoke about this teacher’s research and how she started practicing different interesting means to end her classes. Wow! Just great!! we thought. Can we also practice such simple, interesting and exciting things in our classroom? 

We started discussing things then. And then...

Relevance of Mythology today

Many of us who grew up in the 70s and 80s cannot forget Amar Chitra Katha (ACK). Uloopi, Chitrangada , the beautiful pictures of Sita and other princesses, the unique sounding names, Pingalaka, Bhasuraka, the beauty of Malavika of Kalidasa – each one has a special place in my life. More than History lessons in school, I learnt about Baji Rao and Kannagi from Amar Chitra Katha.

Such was the allure of the pictures and stories that my father used to bring one or two titles every month. There used to be competition among classmates and friends on the titles one possessed. Titles were exchanged, to be read and enjoyed. It was a matter of pride to possess titles of ACK.  

My initiation into mythology was through ACK only. I was attracted towards Indian mythology and the intriguing stories of the great heroes and heroines like Rani Lakshmi Bai, Rani Padmini inspired me no end.

By the way, once upon a time it was fashionable to be knowledgeable about Indian mythology.  I wonder why it is no longer so now. Why the gen Y, gen X gen Z are running after angry birds, Pokemon, Doremon and other monsters?  What is not there in mythology to attract the active minds of youngsters? Mythology has alluring beautiful ladies, great warriors, black villains, breathless adventure, exciting action and to top these all, values and life skills to follow and imbibe.

How many of the young generation knows the story of Ramayana and Mahabharata? Why do they consider that it is infra dig to know about two of the greatest epics? Is it not the duty of the schools, teachers and parents to introduce mythology to the young generation?

All the schools make it a point to have life skill activities. What better way to introduce life skills and smart thinking than stories of Panchatantra and Hitopadesha? So many competitions are being organized in schools. They have themes in the morning assembly, themes for their annual function, themes like sustainable living, green and clean world etc. these topics again have become fashionable. These can be taught in a wonderful manner with the use of interesting stories from the mythology as well as panchatantra / Hitopadesha.

Planting and preservation of trees are made sacred in religious functions Indians have worshipped trees, we have tied sacred threads around them, we have taken shelter under them, have held social ceremonies around these, offered these water, milk and sometimes even cow dung.

In short, I mean to say that today’s children are ignorant of mythology, their importance and relevance in today’s time. This ignorance is not bliss. This is nothing but ignorance which can be rectified to make a positive impact on the society. Connect the mythology to science, art, social science and of course literature too. It is a wealth of knowledge and wisdom. Use them wisely to overcome the evils of society.

QUEST for British Council International School Award

QUEST for British Council International School Award

“Persevere in thy quest and thou shalt find what thou seekest. Pursue thy aim unswervingly and thou shalt gain victory. Struggle earnestly and thou shalt triumph.” – Gautam Buddha

The British Council International School Award programme, is not a simple journey, it is a Quest. A Quest for knowledge, a Quest for experience, a Quest for friends and peers, a Quest for personality development, in short a Quest for all things good and beautiful that education can give.

This Quest is not a one man Quest but a team one. The urge for it came from our Principal Madam Mrs Prem Lata Garg, whose motivation and inspiration spurred the ISA team and the entire school staff to move ahead relentlessly in achieving the Quest.

From our earlier experience, we have a clear understanding that the path is neither simple nor easy. Right from planning activities for the Action Plan till the submission of the dossier, our focus should be on the target. This is what we had gained from the first ISA experience.

This time too the whole school was involved in planning and of course implementation of the Action Plan. The ISA team got unflagging support from all the stakeholders without which the Quest would have faced great turbulence. There was turbulence, but everything was manageable.

The school has come a long way, as teaching-learning is beyond the concrete wall and the printed text books. Our students are guided to be on the Pegasus, and enjoy the whole wide universe of which they are the citizens. International Projects make us one with our transatlantic peers in thought and action. The ISA and the Projects have given the school a vibrant and evolving international Policy and ethos. These have been harmoniously blended into the school systems.

Teachers and students upgraded their 21^st century skills especially collaborative skills through technology. The technological skills of students are par excellent, but the need for thorough and proper guidance is needed. That is what the teachers did. With their navigation, the students were able to successfully improve their online skills.

Our Quest was not devoid of turbulence. There were many which were overcome with strong and focused leadership, togetherness and team work. As Henry Ford had said “coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress and working together is success.”  When the team works like a well oiled machine work is no longer a task but a joyous enterprise. The entire ISA Quest was a joy for each teacher and student as we supported each other. Team members for each assignment were chosen with great care so that they complemented each other. Finding the right person for the right task was the toughest job. But as each one was eager to learn, they adapted wonderfully to the job at hand, helping each other, smoothing out frayed nerves and moving ahead.

Getting the ISA Kite mark doesn’t end our Quest. As the school has applied for re-accreditation, we understand that the Quest never ends but it is a constant movement ahead. Our partnership with one of the schools in the UK is its successful 4^th year. We have another school from the UK as a new partner. We plan to work on sustaining these partnerships as well as look for and sustain more such partners from other countries. We also propose to have interesting collaborative activities with our international peers.

We began the Quest with the aim to achieve re-accreditation of the British Council International School Award. The school will not stop here. The Quest will continue as it is the Quest for knowledge, the Quest for experience, the Quest for friends and peers, the Quest for personality development, in short the Quest for all things good and beautiful that education can give. The ISA Programme has given us this unquenchable thirst for more and more rewarding experiences such as what ISA has given all of us.

Rubric for poetry writing

RUBRIC FOR POETRY

Name:                                                                                      Date:                                        Period:

CATEGORY	Excellent  -  4	Good  - 3	Satisfactory -  2	Needs Improvement - 1
THE WRITING PROCESS / EFFORT	Student devoted a lot of time and effort to the writing process and worked hard to make the poem a good read.  The poem has no errors.	Student devoted adequate time and effort to the writing process and worked to get the job done. The poem may have one or two errors.	Student devoted some time and effort to the writing process but was not very thorough. Does enough to get by.  There are several errors.	Student devoted little time and effort to the writing process. It appears that the student does not care about the assignment.  The poem has many errors.
TITLE	The poem has a title that clearly relates to the poem and adds interest to the theme or message of the poem	The poem has a title that relates to the poem	The poem has a title	The poem has no title
NEATNESS	The final draft of the poem is readable, clean, neat and attractive. It is free of erasures and crossed-out words. It looks like the author took great pride in it.	The final draft of the poem is readable, neat and attractive. It may have one or two erasures, but they are not distracting. It looks like the author took some pride in it.	The final draft of the poem is readable and some of the pages are attractive. It looks like parts of it might have been done in a hurry.	The final draft is not neat or attractive. It looks like the student just wanted to get it done and didn’t care what it looked like.
STYLE	The poem is written with a great sense of style.  The poem has been well thought out and makes sense to the reader.	The poem is written with a defined with style.  Thoughts are clear to read and understandable.	The poem is written  somewhat with style.  Thoughts are clear to a degree.	The poem lacks style and the thoughts did not come out clearly on paper.
VOCABULARY	The poem is filled with descriptive vocabulary that appeals to the reader.	The poem includes many descriptive elements and is appealing.	The poem includes some descriptive words and phrases.	The poem lacks description and does not allow the reader to visualize the poem.

TOTAL SCORE:  __________________________________

ENGLISH LANGUAGE DAY 23^rd April, 2015

Mahatma Gandhi had said, “English is a language of international commerce, it is the language of diplomacy and it contains many a rich literary treasure; it gives us an introduction to western thought and culture.”

Today  is English Language Day and also commemorates William Shakespeare’s birth anniversary.  

The appropriate use of language and communication is the basis for success in virtually every domain of human activity, from politics, to business, to all areas of work, even to personal and family life. There are uncountable languages in this world. Every country has its own national language. There are different local languages spoken and understood by people in different regions.

English is by far the world’s most important language in terms of international business and trade, intellectual activity, technological and scientific advances, social trends, and popular culture.

English language is the dominant language of international communication and with increasing globalisation, it is important to have a refined understanding of the nature and structure of English and how we communicate with each other. An understanding of the various dimensions of language and communication will give you the ability to communicate more effectively in this complex, globalised world.

English is the chief language in the Indian education system today. All the prestigious schools and colleges use English as their medium of instruction. Today, careers in the field of science and technology, business and commerce require a good knowledge of English. Most of the works in the field of space, nuclear technology, medicine etc. are available only in English. The vocabulary and terminology used in these are available in English. Therefore, English has become a passport of getting a good job not only in India but also abroad in almost all fields.

Being fluent in a second language clearly demonstrates a powerful brain and reflects someone who has put in the huge amount of time, resources and commitment needed to master another language. No matter what combination of languages you speak, adding English to your CV will be particularly useful. English is an incredibly useful language to learn because so many countries speak it. English skills are just as desirable to employers in your own country as they are to employers in English-speaking countries. 

  

English is widely regarded as the language of higher education. Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard and MIT are just a few of the famous universities that occupy the lofty heights of the top of the world education league tables, and you’ll need to speak English fluently for access to any of these, as they’re all English-speaking.

Did you know that 55% of the world’s webpages are written in English? Knowledge of English therefore allows you to tap into far more of the world’s intellectual resources.

Generally, English is used among Indians as a ‘link’ language and it is the first language for many well-educated Indians. It is also the second language for many who speak more than one language in India. The English language is a tie that helps bind the many segments of our society together. Also, it is a linguistic bridge between the major countries of the world and India.

English has special national status in India. It has a special place in the parliament, judiciary, broadcasting, journalism, and in the education system. The language permeates daily life. It is unavoidable and is always expected, especially in the cities.

A positive attitude to English as a national language is essential to the integration of people into Indian society. Using English you will become a citizen of the world almost naturally. India is, without a doubt, committed to English as a national language. The impact of English is not only continuing but increasing.

When he said that “Language is not a genetic gift, it is a social gift” Nelson Mandela was of the opinion that “Learning a new language is becoming a member of the club -the community of speakers of that language.”

Our dear students must try to understand and appreciate the importance and status of English Language and strive to be able to use it flawlessly.

A VERY HAPPY ENGLISH LANGUAGE DAY

CHANGING ROLE OF TEACHERS

CHANGING ROLE OF TEACHERS

A teacher has to renew himself each and every day as his students are full of youthful energy and vigour. They are able to internalize new technologies and novel scientific advancements with great ease. As facilitators, teachers need to keep pace with their students. This is true not only to teaching profession … but true to all professions. A tailor, for example, stitched ‘bellbottoms’ in 1990s. if he continues to stitch clothes in the same style and fashion followed then, he will have to close shop. He has to fall in line with the world.

‘I don’t know how to handle computers, I am used to pen and paper or blackboard’… teachers who stay aloof from the changing time have been rejected by time itself. Likewise, this is the time of specialists. Doctors with only MBBS degree have less value. He has to upgrade himself with M.S. or M.D. degree. One has to specialize in any particular field. But it is not right to run a hotel with the tagline that ‘we serve only special dosa’. A hotel has to serve other things than only special dosa. This is the time of multiplexes. There should be specials as well as other items available to suit different tastes. Positive attitude towards being constantly updated, the urge to be skillful in one’s chosen field, the urge to gain knowledge all that is relevant to one’s chosen profession, always ready to accept and learn new technologies and novel ideas – all these are basic requirements in all professions.  

These are basic requirements to be successful even in the most ordinary jobs. Teachers who shoulder the responsibility to guide generations, need these qualifications more than others. The changes happening in education systems, the pros and cons of the country’s education system, the way developed countries put technology to good use in classroom teaching and the latest in educational technology …. A teacher has to possess unquenchable thirst for these things. If it is not so, it is only the students who are affected and suffer.

If a tailor is not worried or bothered about latest trends, it is his personal loss. Whereas, if a teacher is behind his times, it is the loss of all his students, their families which in turn will affect the society and the country. A teacher needs this wide perspective to be passionate about his job.

It is now time for the best human brains i.e. the teachers to go hand in hand with technology to make our country walk shoulder to shoulder with other developed countries.

-          Courtesy anantha vikatan 10.08.2014

-          By S.AKILANDESWARI

The Invisible Man by H G Wells ----- Summary of Chapter 1

The Strange Man's Arrival

It was a wintry day, in February, with biting wind and driving snow.  He was wrapped from head to toe, his hands were thickly gloved and his face was completely hidden. Only the tip of his nose was visible. He reached ‘Coach and Horses’ – a local inn - and as he was feeling terribly cold he wanted a warm room. He threw a couple of sovereigns (gold coin of the United Kingdom used in the past) and settled in his room.

Mrs Hall, the innkeeper, prepared a meal for him. She felt happy and satisfied because

1.     A guest in Iping (the name of the place) in wintertime was a piece of luck.

2.     A guest who did not argue or bargain, who immediately gave the money demanded by her (couple of sovereigns).

When she entered his room with the meal, the fire was burning and the room was quite warm. Mrs. Hall was surprised that the visitor had not removed his hat and coat. He was standing with his back to her. He refused her offer of taking his hat and coat for drying. Her attempts at a conversation were cut short by the strange visitor.  She served him lunch and left.

Only the sound of his scraping the plates could be heard by her from the kitchen. Then she noticed that the mustard was not served. She scolded her help Millie about this, took the mustard to him. (mustard – is a condiment made from the seeds of mustard plant. The whole, ground, cracked or bruised mustard seeds are mixed with water, salt, lemon juice and other flavourings to create a paste or sauce).

As she entered his room with the mustard, she saw he had removed his overcoat and hat. She was about to take them for drying when she heard his muffled voice asking her not to take the hat.

When she looked at him, she was too surprised to speak. He was holding a serviette over the lower part of his face and was speaking through it. This had muffled his voice. But it was the face which startled Mrs Hall. All his forehead above the blue glasses was covered by a white bandage, and another covered his ears. Not a scrap of his face was exposed excepting the pink bright and shiny tip of his nose. The collar of his brown jacket was turned up about his neck.

Still holding the serviette (napkin or face towel), he told her again to leave his hat. She tried to converse with him and tried to find out the reason for his strange appearance. She assumed that he had met with an accident. As she left baffled and bewildered he pulled the blind down and the room was left in with a dim and dull light.

When she went to clear his lunch, she observed that he was smoking his pipe. He had a silk muffler wrapped around the lower part of his face, and without removing it, he put the pipe’s mouthpiece to his lips.

He enquired Mrs Hall about his luggage. He wanted them brought from Bramblehurst station where he had left them. Mrs Hall replied that it would be possible to arrange for the luggage to be brought only the next day, but the visitor wanted them earlier.

Mrs Hall guided the conversation towards accidents and operations in the hope that the visitor would disclose the truth about his appearance and what exactly had happened to him.  But her attempts were cut short rudely by him. She wanted to reply him but the two sovereigns shut her up. Everything was quiet till four o’ clock in the evening except for the occasional sound of the visitor pacing the room and the creaking of the armchair as he sat down.