Feb 2012

Posted on February 1, 2012 by TheProfessor
1. Everything you knew about learning may be wrong – new insights
http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2012/01/everything-about-learning/
2. A good essay on evaluation
http://www.forbes.com/sites/artcarden/2012/01/12/dear-student-i-dont-lie-awake-at-night-thinking-of-ways-to-ruin-your-life/
3. A good blog for faculty in universities and colleges
http://derekbruff.org/blogs/tomprof/
4. New e-textbooks from Apple
http://www.csmonitor.com/Books/chapter-and-verse/2012/0119/Apple-announces-iBooks2-a-new-textbook-program-for-iPad
5. Good collection of teaching resources at University of Florida
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/topic_teaching_methods
6. Thousands of free media for public use
http://www.teachersdomain.org/
7. Math Puzzles to sharpen your mind
http://jeyakums-puzzles.blogspot.in/
http://vidyamanohar.blogspot.in/
8. Zero budget natural farming by Subhash Palekar
www.palekarzerobudgetnaturalfarming.com
9. Two teenagers put Lego man in space
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/upshot/lego-man-space-moves-230122438.html
10. A website to help faculty build courses
http://www.udemy.com/
11. Article links good teachers to lasting gains beyond classrooms
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/06/education/big-study-links-good-teachers-to-lasting-gain.html?_r=3
12. UMIC provides infrastructural facilities to nurture inventions among students from various disciplines.
http://gymkhana.iitb.ac.in/~umic/index.php?title=home
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Meeting Project Objectives Differently

Posted on January 22, 2012 by TheProfessor

Blind people work together and make parts of Boilers at Trichy for IOCL’s Paradip Refinery project …..… An experience sharing.

21st December 2011 has etched an unforgettable memory in my mind. I was at Tiruchirapalli on a mission to expedite supplies of Boilers at BHEL’s works for Power plant of IOCL’s ongoing Paradip Refinery Project. BHEL has outsourced non-pressure parts of these boilers to certain vendors nearby Trichy. ‘ORBIT’ is among such outsourced vendors, who is making Pins & Clamps of these boilers for our project. We decided to visit ORBIT also for review and expediting balance supplies.

When we reached ORBIT works, we were greeted by their President Mr. P.R. Pandi,   who himself is a blind person. To my utter surprise, the whole ORBIT workshop is run by blind persons. Though I was aware of certain special schools and institutions for blind persons but never heard about any manufacturing industry run completely by such persons. What I saw next inside the workshop is quite difficult to believe.

I had never witnessed such well coordinated and coherent working by blind persons. People were segregating the raw material, feeding the raw material on cutting, shearing and punching machines with the help of their fellow blind friends, collecting the final products and bagging them after quality checks. The whole manufacturing process was efficiently done and finished product was meeting the quality standards.  I was lost in deep admiration seeing their untiring efforts for making vital parts for my project and emotionally touched. Their interpersonal understanding and collective effort was exemplary and far better as compared to normal workers engaged in other industrial units. Below photos depict it completely but silently…

People were working with no ego and communication was being made not with vital sensory organs like eyes, but with their hearts. I was thrilled and compelled to think that dedicated and sincere working by these special people is a great example towards values of humanity which defies all laws of Project management. Calm and peace prevail here in their coordinated rhythm of working against any feeling of industrial acrimony.

What came next was even more surprising. A physically handicapped welder was doing welding on the job and was assisted by a blind helper. We saw his blind helper almost running and going to store room next door to fetch the electrodes quickly. When enquired how he could do such job with much ease, my fellow companion from BHEL, Mr. Jai Ram told me that every worker working here is fully conversant with the layout of workshop and does the job with calculated steps – concepts of time and motion study, well grasped by them by heart. I was overwhelmed by their indomitable spirit, everlasting zeal and working in perfect harmony.

At the end, ORBIT president Mr. Pandi requested me ‘Sir, if you come across any blind person, please direct him to me, we will make him our team member here’.       I controlled my emotions, advised them to maintain timelines and quickly moved out with mixed feelings, thinking and admiring effort and passion of ORBIT in this endeavour and with firm conviction that Paradip Refinery Project will soon be a realised dream.

Arvind Kumar, Chief Project Manager-PDRP

Indian Oil Corporation Ltd.,Refineries Head Quarters, New Delhi

Mobile: 9582262166, Email: kumarar@iocl.co.in

PS:I would like to thank IOCL Management & BHEL team for giving me an opportunity to have such wonderful experience with a noble cause during project expediting at BHEL,Trichy.

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Teacher Accountability – Part I

Posted on January 17, 2012 by TheProfessor
This year on Nov 11, National Education Day, the PM of India Mr Manmohan Singh launched a nationwide campaign “Shiksha Ka Haq Abhiyaan” to motivate the children of the country to do well in studies to achieve their dreams.
Though India has been late in implementing the Right to Education Act, it has set up several schools in every nook and corner of the country to ensure easy access to education facility. As many as 83 per cent of the total 1,061 thousand habitations have access to primary schooling facilities within 1 km and 76 per cent habitations to upper primary schooling facilities within a distance of 3 km guaranteeing that access would not feature as a major road block for enrolment. Similarly the number of teachers both at the primary and upper primary levels of education over time has increased many folds.
Though the government had made strides in ensuring easy access to education can it also assure a quality that is on par with good education systems across the world? The Government of India has spent INR 88,000 Crores (~$18 Billion) on education since 2004. For this, the government should get the credit for investing in education which has no definite outcomes. Less than 5% of the education budget is spent on non-salary recurrent expenditure [Kingdon, 2010]. The maximum education budget is allocated for teacher salaries and benefits that have increased generously to respectable levels in recent years, due to the 6th pay commission. Despite, why are the educational institutions shying away from taking accountability for the achievement outcomes of their institutions?
While leading the assessment of GyanShala, an alternative education provider in Gujarat, which provides quality education to thousands of slum children in the selected Gujarat and Bihar cities, I was astonished to learn that the government school teachers refused to implement the successful GS pedagogy in their schools. Equally surprising was the reason for refusal, the teachers felt that the implementation of GS methodology meant more work, more pressure and more accountability.
The fundamental question that has been intriguing the stakeholder populations for decades is why do teachers especially in public schools lack accountability? What are the factors that determine the lack of accountability among teachers? Is it possible to make schools accountable for student achievement levels?
Education in India is both Centre’s and State’s responsibility, giving the state governments a stake in the state education policy making. Different states follow different teacher recruitment procedures in India. Though the procedures are different there is a single definite outcome for all state government teachers anywhere in the country, total job security. This aspect of the job determines the entire behavior of a school teacher throughout his career in schools. Whereas in a corporate sector where cut throat competition is the drive to excel in performance, in public sector and especially in schools there is a lack of motivation to excel as the work force is confident of regular cash flow in the form of salaries and yearly benefits.
There are many factors that determine the accountability among teachers. The first and the foremost as discussed above is the job security. This aspect has been the most advantageous for the teachers as no power can easily terminate their services. Teacher behavior is conditioned by the fact that their jobs are eternal, untouched by any power. Therefore there is no reason for teachers to enhance their performance by setting goals and targets.  The schools lack clear plans, measures and strategies that collectively define the direction and outcomes of a business. Their thinking as an individual institution is a far thought of notion as they are bound by state policies and dictums. Hence, institutional plans and strategies are of little value as they are not accountable for their schools’ results.
There are a few basic behaviors that showcase teachers’ accountability anywhere in the universe, one of them being attendance which is the most compromised one by the teachers and most favored one by the heads of the institutions. The school staff exemplifies marvelous teamwork in being absent regularly from the campus.  There is a subtle harmony among the teachers and the leaders in maintaining the balance of teacher and leader absenteeism. A chronic problem in India, teacher absenteeism in government schools stems from weak monitoring mechanism, high level of corruption, influence and power of teacher unions, lopsided policies that cannot fire teachers, seniority-based salary structure, and the extreme centralized nature of the education system. Though the systemic maladies manifest in all sorts of irregularities in the public schools, the teachers per se are highly qualified and well informed in stark contrast to the teachers of the private providers. However, when the students’ outcomes and achievement levels are compared the students of private schools stand out in terms of high grades, always.  It is difficult to deny that the private school teachers are more accountable than public school teachers.
Though the constitution of India guarantees Right to education to all the children it is the prime duty of the enforcement agencies specifically the learning institutions to enable the government machinery to achieve the national goal. Unless the schools contribute to the nation’s commitment young India cannot feature as the most literate population in the world in the distant future.
It is still a mystery that though the government invests heavily on capacity building of the faculty for its sector schools, nothing has changed from the dawn. The set up remains the same, the systems remain the same and the staff too remains the same with the same lackadaisical attitude towards their profession and their accountability to the community.
Well, defining the problem is not the solution in itself.  What is needed is a complete remodeling of the recruitment structure with well defined policies and norms that govern the weak accountability mindset of the department. A few strategies that might ascertain that individuals become more accountable to their professions are introduction of PMS (performance management system) more accountable teacher unions, demand driven services and an empowered community that does the quality check of educational institutions on departments’ behalf.
Performance Management System
Let’s not be blinded by the thought that PMS cannot be introduced in the government organizations.  The job becomes easier if the objectives for the department are clearly mentioned and monitored by the senior officers. If profit is the objective for a business unit or private firms, then service obviously is the main objective for the public schools. The activities of the department can then surmise from the main objective where the entire hierarchy becomes accountable for its performance. This ensures that the quality is mainstreamed from beginning to end. PMS can be introduced in a phased manner where the senior management team is accounted first followed by the middle management level and lastly the teachers and the administrative staff.
Though the existing schools cannot be closed on the premise of lack of student strength as access is an important promise by the union and the state government, the services can be demand driven where the community decides whether the school is functioning effectively or wobbling due to non committal attitude of its important stakeholders.
It is man’s nature to wink responsibility in the absence of monitoring. If the monitoring mechanism is weak then there is more plausibility of accountability shunning among teachers. The lack of honest hierarchy and infrastructure compounds the problem further. Therefore, a strong monitoring system is essential to help the school staff account for their responsibilities. School self evaluation complemented with external review could be the best way to pin the school leadership and the faculty for their actions and outcomes. This method debars the interference of unions in the day to day administration of schools. Similarly if the teacher unions are localized and made accountable for the progress and development of schools in their own areas, our schools could feature as the best models of excellence in the continent.Performance Management
Empowering community
This could be the biggest and most successful example of democratization of education process in the world. The community can be trained and empowered to monitor the education systems across the country through the use of simple monitoring instruments. National agenda requires local actions and leadership. The localized community will ensure that the schools excel in their provision apart from minimizing the state’s expenditure on defunct monitoring system. When the community is empowered to take decisions on the efficacy of provision, changing policies and changing governments’ interruption on education system in the states will be reduced.
This will also pave for a more successful, strong partnership with the community. Unless the learning institutions are trained for societal and organizational accountability through a set of work guidelines it is difficult to improve the provision in our government schools.
Author: Ms Anitha Jagathkar is the Project Manager with CfBT Education Services, India. She led her team in evaluating various alternative educational programs in India. She has assessed several schools for institutional effectiveness in various districts of Andhra Pradesh. She has also authored several baseline reports and drafted school improvement plans for both public and private schools. As a Leadership trainer she mentored school principals to improve the provision in their schools. Currently she is pursuing her Ph.d at National School of Leadership, Pune.
She can be contacted at ajagathkar[at]gmail[dot]com
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Jan 2012

Posted on December 31, 2011 by TheProfessor

Academically adrift! A study finds that college grads don’t learn much because of low expectations of faculty!

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2011/01/18/study_finds_large_numbers_of_college_students_don_t_learn_much

Assessment of graduating students

http://www.collegiatelearningassessment.org/

Earn a master’s degree in teaching

http://mat.usc.edu/

IBM predicts future technologies

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/innovations/post/ibm-five-in-five-company-makes-tech-future-predictions/2011/12/19/gIQAvGKl4O_blog.html

Save the earth

http://www.youtube.com/embed/nGeXdv-uPaw

Hand Shadowgraphy by Amar Sen On Calcutta

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=H9LBHwlAeOU

MIT adds assessment to its OCW to offer certificates/degrees online

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/19/education/mit-expands-free-online-courses-offering-certificates.html?_r=2

Computer science is beyond just using IT – curriculum needs a reboot

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/computing-in-class-needs-reboot-6268889.html

Google and Pearson team up for  free LMS

http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/pearson-and-google-jump-into-learning-management-systems/33636?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+chronicle%2Fwiredcampus+%28The+Chronicle%3A+Wired+Campus%29

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Alumni Association: Building a win-win relationship

Posted on December 29, 2011 by TheProfessor

Friendship is a pledge, not a promise – for a lifetime, not merely a season.

Why does college need to keep their alumni relationship alive? What do alumni get out of connecting with their college or school?

Alumni Association for engineering colleges has become a must for accreditation. The college needs to keep track of their careers – assuming part of that development is due to the education their students received while at college.  Alumni are also a great source of endowments and enrichment in terms of resources they can bring once they reach high positions in the society or profession. But alumni benefit even more by remaining connected. As a 50 yr old, who has met old friends at school and college reunions, I can vouch for the fact that the joy we get is immense and priceless. Out of thousands of alumni, a few may contribute their resources to the alma mater, but there are more who receive this unique gift of memories and happiness. You never have as many friends as when you are 13- 20 years old!

So how can we go about having a good Alumni Association? Here are a few tips:

Step one: establish AA

  • Have a senior administrative member or faculty on board. This helps co-ordination and collection of information.
  • Organize an alumni committee. At least 3 members from faculty.
  • Based on their willingness, they can be allotted responsibilities of communication, database management, events, publishing etc

Step two: Define and Execute activities of AA

  • Build the alumnae database
    • Have a simple on-line form (google forms, if none exists)
    • Find alumnae needs – which will decide what type of events/work you need to focus on
    • Have merchandise (mugs, shirts…)
    • Plan events
      • In college – annually
      • State wide  and nation wide groups – small informal meets
      • host special jubilee meets

Use Technology – Try to see how alumni can still be part of your college life.

  • Facebook, Linked In, Mail groups – where current students are also part
    • Database builds incrementally
    • Start a blog
    • Publish a e-newsletter – upload on scribd, slideshare
    • College can also include a section on their website for writeups /articles by alumni.
    • If you have a college mail, the best way is to give a lifelong mail id to every student.
    • It is not difficult nowadays to have a social networking interface for your college website. This way all their announcements – like weddings, children, new jobs become automatic.
    • Prospective students want to find out about college from alumnae
      • Put alumna quotes or testimonials in your college/school brochure or website.

Creative ideas to rope in alumni

Alumni on a break from job

  • Have job-search tips in newsletter, blog
  • Invite them to attend any guest lectures, skill update courses
  • Informal meets at other cities can be events for employed and not-employed to network
    • Some small and medium companies have options of working from home – which are not generally advertised.

Those alumni who are employed

  • Give interview tips, study tips for students on a web based system
  • Send referral job-posts for newsletter, blog
  • Offer to arrange guest lectures, skill update courses
  • Be Visiting faculty
  • Host Informal meets at other cities
  • Help in placement by recommending to their organisations
  • Projects and internships at alumni’s offices
  • Mentor students, participate in their clubs
  • Institute fellowships, contests, prizes
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May 2011

Posted on December 21, 2011 by TheProfessor
Big Thinkers: Judy Willis on the Science of Learning.  The noted neurologist turned educator talks about the science of boredom, lessons learned from video games, how to capture student attention, and the most important lessons for 21st-century learning.
http://www.edutopia.org/big-thinkers-judy-willis-neuroscience-learning-video
A talk that touches on a very important issue of childhood stories
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story.html
IISc’s plunge to train school teachers
http://www.ias.ac.in/currsci/25apr2011/1137.pdf
Good link for communication and team building activities
http://www.community4me.com/
Learn English with comic strips
http://learnwithcomics.blogspot.com
Inside a hard disk drive – see related videos also
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdmLvl1n82U
Magazine and website for resources to empower people with the vision and tools to create a healthy planet and vibrant communities.
http://www.yesmagazine.org/for-teachers
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Oct 2011

Posted on December 21, 2011 by TheProfessor

If it feels right – about lack of awarness of what is right and wrong

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/13/opinion/if-it-feels-right.html?_r=3&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha212

A nice website for college faculty
http://www.facultyfocus.com/
How does a slinky fall when extended by it’s own weight and then released? We discover the surprising answer using a slow motion camera that records 300 frames per second.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCMmmEEyOO0

Disruptive models of education

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=RVRNLzIwMTEvMDkvMjIjQXIwMTkwMA%3D%3D

Transformation in Education – from a differently abled perspective

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YftMFOcBcBA&feature=player_embedded

Very innovative use of a plastic bottle

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOl4vwhwkW8&feature=youtu.be
A dedicated teacher who made it her purpose to teach prisoners

http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/open-page/article2462750.ece

A beautiful video on eye donation

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBvQ_wf2g7w

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Sept 2011

Posted on December 21, 2011 by TheProfessor

Explore for different formative assessments.  Good for CBSE schools

http://wvde.state.wv.us/teach21/ExamplesofFormativeAssessment.html

Lots of useful information on the following web link regarding assessment tools and techniques.

http://ozpk.tripod.com/assess.html

http://ngopost.org/story/funds-room-rent-and-musical-poor-kids-pune

Interactive Teaching for English – word bags

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4z6vUq5Ov0&feature=channel_video_title

World’s largest Montessori school in Lucknow

http://www.jagdishgandhi.org/inspiration.html

Now fitness in schools!

http://www.hertzfurniture.com/school-matters/fitting-fitness-schools

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Dec 2011

Posted on December 21, 2011 by TheProfessor

Atlanta’s solution to finding math and science teachers? Train them!

Top Indian Academics Press Government to Allow Foreign Universities

Reliance announces entry into Education in a big way

Virtual schools are multiplying, but some question their educational value

CBSE moots Integrity Clubs for ‘value’ addition in kids

Indian Engineering Congress

Stanford puts its CS lectures free online

Video games that teach math

Grace Hopper India Conference

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Open Source Teachers’ Handbook

Posted on November 30, 2011 by TheProfessor
Many people understand what is Open Source in software – a philosophy which gives access to the product’s source material. It is also a philosophy where people contribute and cooperate to build a product.  Bhagirathi Behera, a teacher with more than 10 yrs experience and now working as a principal has initiated a book compilation project with the help of the community of teachers. He has partnered with Teacher’s Academy to bring out this compilation of experiences, opinions, ideas and expertise and make it available to all teachers.
What you have to do?
Please respond to the following questions and send to us along with your picture and brief profile (include information about high school, college, activities, honors, work experience, why you have chosen teaching as a career, what are your strengths as a teacher, your career goals in next 1, 3, 5 and 10 yrs )
QUESTIONS
Your philosophy of teaching
1. Think of your best teachers. What positive characteristics do you believe these teachers had? Which of these characteristics do you believe you have?
2. Think of your worst teachers. What mistakes did they make or qualities did they have? How are you avoiding those mistakes/qualities?
3. What three words would your students use to describe you?
4. Define student and school according to you.
5. How do you see the teacher’s status and role in society change in the recent past?
Parents
6. What role have parents played (and are playing) in shaping today’s education system?
7. What are some ways you involve parents in your student development strategy?
8. How do you approach a parent who is upset and and/or angry?
Teaching
9. Explain how you structure the 40/45 minutes of a class period?
10. How much effort do you put in planning this lesson? (in terms of subject, method, aids)
11. How do you cater to the different needs of students in your class?
12. How do you incorporate technology into your instructions?
Beyond class
13. What is the purpose of homework / projects? What is your typical homework / project?
Classroom management
14. How do you handle disruptive students in the classroom? Any special strategies for the occasional and for the repetitive behavior?
15. How do you create an atmosphere of tolerance and friendship among students in your class?
Deadlines and dates
30 March 2012- Last date to receive responses for questionnaire.
30 April 2012- Announcing editorial team and title of the book
5 September 2012 -Inauguration of the book at Hyderabad
If you want to be in editorial team
Any educator interested to be a part of the team can contact personally on 8084125247, or 9440607287
Mail us at
bhagijune19@gmail.com/rediffmail.com
info@inspiring-teachers.com
Project Coordinator:
BHAGIRATHI BEHERA
PRINCIPAL
GREEN VALLEY INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL,MALINAGAR
SAMASTIPUR ,BIHAR-848125
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