From chalk to Talk The Art of Teaching
About Me as a teacher, a teacher educator, as a principal. My interests, my passion, my vision, my achievements and my deliberations. My Podcast A story for your query, my book reviews, books read
Testimonial – Sonali Desai, Co-ordinator Primary, Pawar public school, Kandivali.
The workshop was very interesting and the content was informative. We as teachers do ask questions but it was Ma’am who helped us to understand the different categories of questions by using the 5 wise men wisely. The group activity was engaging and helped us to upgrade our skills of asking questions. Ma’am you are a great speaker. Your enthusiasm and positive spirit helped make our time productive and fun.
Questioning skills are the core of learning. Asking questions is the simplest way to focus thinking. This module deals with types of questions, pitfalls to avoid for teachers and analysis of questions. If you are interested in getting your school teachers to learn more contact: yourquerymystory@gmail.com
SQ4R is a technique that would help you in self-study. This should move students away from tuitions and make them independent learners. Particularly, since exams are fast approaching, this technique would help you to study on your own.
Spoke on a healthy mindset at the online webinar conducted by Metamorphosis on 19th May, 2023.
Let me start with an anecdote:
Once a young man was sitting at the beach very upset in life. It looked like he was planning to end his life. Just then he heard a voice come on just one more time. He turned around and saw a group of athletes getting trained. A young boy was trying to reach a mark but failed multiple times. But his coach wouldn’t give up. After almost 18 attempts he did it. The young man smiled and cheered along with the other onlookers. He then went to the coach and asked him how he stayed so calm and kept cheering. The coach said let me finish my session I have the answer to your question. Soon the coach and the young man started walking together. The coach then asked – Did you know that lions only succeed in a quarter of their hunting attempts — This means they fail in 75% of their attempts & succeed in only 25% of them. Despite this small percentage shared by most predators, they don’t despair in their pursuit and hunting attempts. The main reason for this is not because of hunger as some might think but it is the understanding of the “ Law of Wasted Efforts ” that have been instinctively built into animals, a law in which nature is governed. Half of the eggs of fish are eaten. Half of the baby bears die before puberty. Most of the world’s rains fall in oceans. And most of the seeds of trees are eaten by birds. Scientists have found that animals, trees, & other forces of nature are more receptive to the law of “wasted efforts”. Only humans think that the lack of success in a few attempts is failure. How to deal with failure is not taught i school.
What kind of a mindset did the young man and the coach have?
After decades of research, world-renowned Stanford University psychologist Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D., discovered a simple but ground breaking idea: the power of mindset. In this brilliant book, she shows how success in school, work, sports, the arts, and almost every area of human endeavour can be dramatically influenced by how we think about our talents and abilities. People with a fixed mindset—those who believe that abilities are fixed—are less likely to flourish than those with a growth mindset—those who believe that abilities can be developed. Mindset reveals how great parents, teachers, managers, and athletes can put this idea to use to foster outstanding accomplishment.
With the right mindset, you can motivate those you lead, teach, and love—to transform their lives and your own.
These two mindsets have led to the formation of many more. Scout mindset, entrepreneurial mindset, Self-trust mindset, Goal-setting mindset, Patient mindset., Courageous mindset, Focused mindset, Positive mindset, Learning mindset and so on…
What is a mindset?
Mindset is a set of beliefs that shape how you make sense of the world and yourself. It influences how you think, feel, and behave in any given situation. It means that what you believe about yourself impacts your success or failure.
How is Mindset Formed?
Dweck’s research reveals two primary sources: praising and labeling, both of which occur in early childhood.
The Impact of Praise
In a series of experiments, Dweck and her colleagues found that kids behaved very differently depending on the type of praise they received. They found that personal praise, or praising a child’s talents or labeling them as “smart,” promotes a fixed mindset. It sends a message to a child that they either have an ability or they don’t, and that there is nothing they can do to change that fact.
Process praise, on the other hand, emphasizes the effort a person puts in to accomplish a task. It implies their success is due to the effort and the strategy they used, both of which they can control and improve over time.
One of the best examples is Sachin Tendulkar. At the young age of 15, he played 55 matches back to back. He would practice 2 hours and then play for 6 hours and practice 2 hours again. He would reach home and fall asleep at the dining table. His coach would keep coins on the stumps. He focussed on the process of the game.
The Impact of Labels
Labelling, which involves assigning people characteristics based on stereotypes or associations with different groups, can also lead to the development of fixed or growth mindsets. A person who holds a stereotype that girls are bad at math or that boys are bad at reading may form a fixed mindset about their own abilities in those specific domains.
The Impact of Mindset
Your mindset plays a critical role in how you cope with life’s challenges. When a child has a growth mindset, they tend to have a hunger for learning and a desire to work hard and discover new things. This often translates into academic achievement.
How to Unfix a Fixed Mindset
While people with a fixed mindset might not agree, Dweck suggests that people are capable of changing their mindsets. Here’s how.
Many people struggle with the concept of self-love. It can be hard to have self-love when we are constantly comparing ourselves to others.
· Make healthy food choices
A healthy, balanced approach to eating is actually sustainable for the long-term, and can make you feel so much better in your everyday life!
· Appreciate the little things
Our lives can be so hectic, and many of us have to balance demands from different areas in our lives — work, friends and family
· Find a hobby
Starting a new hobby is also a great way to be productive with your free time, or for you to meet like-minded people and expand your networks beyond your usual social circle.
· Give back to others
Being part of a community and offering support to others is a part of maintaining healthy relationships.
· Talk about your feelings
Many of us keep a lot of our feelings in, whether that be sadness, anger or disappointment.
It might be that you don’t talk about your feelings because you don’t want to “bother” people with your problems. However, talking about what you are feeling can help to process your thoughts and feelings, and move on from them.
· Review your life regularly
Time is so precious, and it seems to be going by faster and faster each year. You may have goals in mind that you would like to achieve. Every few months track them.
· Focus on what you can control
Many of us spend a lot of time worrying about things we can’t control, but ultimately this can cause further stress.
· Use failure to encourage success
Instead, focus your efforts on problems you CAN control, and if these seem enormous, break them down into smaller problems and tasks.
A Few more mindsets
Dr. Harish Shetty mentioned in his post a few days ago that after his session he received 3 chits of paper saying ‘I want to die’. He immediately contacted the school and asked them to compare the handwriting in order to identify the students. They identified two and search is on for third one. Depressed mind set. Such cases cannot be ignored.
Two teachers of Rhymes n Rumbles preschool in Mumbai were arrested for mistreating, hitting and pinching toddlers after video footage was provided by parents.
I would say that teachers should cater to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs before teaching Bloom’s taxonomy.
If the teacher is herself / himself going through a dark phase it would be difficult to deal with the problem on hand. Counsel the teachers and get her / him to think positive, find personal strength, thankful for what he / she has, discover new meaning in life, when one door closes god opens a window – new possibilities open up.
Help the teacher to de-catastrophise the issue on hand. Counsellors should be able to do this.
As a colleague you could empathise, and give a shoulder to lean on.
In the movie ‘Man called Otto’, it is shown that Otto is a cantankerous old widower, who pines for his wife. He is depressed, wanted to end his life. But the bubbly neighbour imbued in him a sense of belongingness and transformed the cantankerous, disgruntled old man into a caring old man. Share love, compassion and care.
Topic: Are the parents and teachers well equippedwith the approach to education?
I would like all of you to close your eyes and think of your favourite teacher for a minute.
What did you recall?
Teacher was a disciplinarian, had an excellent way of teaching, had good content knowledge and a caring nature?
Education is not just academic qualification it is the ability to live in society as a global citizen. Children to become independent thinkers, develop critical thinking skills. These teachers practiced reaching out to the children. They had the 3 Cs – care, compassion and commitment.
If all teachers need to have these qualities, the onus lies with the school to promote these qualities. In addition to this, the school needs to build a sense of trust.
Our parents never came to school to check on us. There never was a need. There was a major trust factor that existed between the school and home. Whatever the teacher does is for your good was the attitude of our parents.
The identity and self-concept of the child will be honed by both the school and the home. Identity can be self-identity or social identity. We identify with the school uniform or the men in blue.
Parenting styles – authoritarian, authoritative or lassie faire has a lot to say about the personality of the child. The child brought up in an authoritarian household might rebel against rules. The one brought up in a lassie faire set up knows no rules. The child brought up by authoritative parents will know how to be disciplined. Indulgence and over pampering is not going to build a balanced personality – eg. Parents were woken up by the police – son had met with a bad accident, he had taken the car keys without the parents knowledge with his friends.
To go ahead, in one of the recent Bollywood movies Mrs chatterjee vs Norway. In this movie Mrs Chatterjee is shown to be a caring mother, loving mother but not very socially intelligent. Had she been socially intelligent she would not have tried to kidnapped the children when she knew it was the law of the land. She let her heart rule over the head.
Another story another learning. This is a story of Ursula burns. Her father. deserted them and her mother brought up to 8 children by herself Ursula wore hand me downs and longed to have new clothes and a better lifestyle. Every Saturday the whole family would sit down discuss & Sing. This gave them a purpose in life and Ursula decided that should one day reach a stage where others will look up to her. She went on to become the CEO of Xerox.
These are the 2 stories which give us different point of view about parenting. But both the parents in the examples cited above had The emotional intelligence to rise up to the challenges. They had the grit and perseverance.
Professional ethics involves honesty and integrity. Teachers should try to rise above favouritism. Sharing important questions with the tuition students is not acceptable. Similarly, parents permitted their children to copy during the online exams. Parents and teachers are the role models for their kids. We need to walk the talk.
The Tata Group I believe recruits their staff from B2 towns. Marks are not the criteria for selection but values. this is the sole reason why the employees did not run away when the terrorists attacked Taj. The behaviour was so strikingly different that Havard did a case study.
The needs of the children and their nature are not what it was a decade ago. Children of today are more independent more tech savvy and more vocal than their counterparts of yester year. Therefore their expectations are different.
The parents and the teachers need to realise that gone are the days with the children would be quiet in the house when dad came home, The practice prevailing at that time was that children had to be seen and not heard. Today this has changed. The pin-drop silence in the class is passe. A murmur of discussion among students is a healthy sign. A teacher is not a storehouse of knowledge. Google has taken over that function. Teacher should be a facilitator, counsellor, provide crutches when needed and give a focus to the learning at school.
Parents want their children to do better than they did in life. Very often their expectations are not fully based on reality. This can cause problems for the teacher. During COVID time this very factor led to the formation of helicopter parents the teachers have to be very cautious and tread on their toes so that parents don’t get offended.
The wholesome personality of the child blossoms when home and school work in tandem. While teachers communicate a great deal through our actions, they also communicate a great deal through our inactions – establish the ground rules. Based on my experience and learning I have categorized 4 aspects that both teachers and parents need to possess or develop
I urge teachers and parents to let children become independent learners and not depend too much on AI.
I end with an anecdote very apt for metamorphosis. Once a man saw a butterfly struggling to get out of the cocoon. He took pity on the butterfly and slit open the cocoon and freed the butterfly. What came out was not the beautiful creature that we enjoy watching. This creature had shrivelled wings and was not even able to fly.
It is the struggle of getting out of the cocoon that makes the wings strong. Provide the platform of a discoverer to the child and enjoy the growth.
Dr. Pramila Kudva is invited to speak at the Education and change makers conclave on the topic Human mind and body connect.
Le me start by telling you a story. Tom a 17 year old was driving home after his soccer match. Out of nowhere came a car from the front straight into him. Brakes screeched. Tom was flung out of his car into a neighbouring compound. While he was in the air he remembers seeing his left arm still sitting in the car. He was a left hander.
What happened next is eerie. Even after recovery from the hospital, he could still feel the presence of his arm. He would extend that arm to pick up the phone, tuck his brother into bed and started getting fearful and paranoid.
Philadelphia physician Silas Mitchel described this phenomenon after the American civil war and called it a phantom hand. The frayed and curled up nerves in the stump that supplied the limbs get irritated and inflamed and send signals to the brain centres which believes that there is a limb.
Neuroscientist Dr. V.S. Ramachandran is internationally renowned for uncovering answers to the deep and quirky questions of human nature that few scientists have dared to address. He has dealt with the phantom concept In his book Phantoms in the Brain. Strange but true.
Before I delve into the topic let’s try to understand the what is a brain and what is a mind. Are they the same or different?
Each learning, each person, every single experience is represented in our brain by a network of neurons.
The denser the network, means more synaptic connections there are within that network,- the stronger that information is, the easier we will recall it.
Put a person in a positive supportive environment and our brain will learn that we can trust others. So, ensure that the school and home are safe environments. When you teach theme teaching or use integrated approach , the neurons make connections and the memory is long-lasting.
Teaching therefore, cannot be done in silos but linked to the earlier concepts taught.
Now put that same person in a fearful environment subject to physical or emotional harm and he will learn this as well.
This is due to neuroplasticity of the brain. But, this gift of nature has far reaching consequences.
Not only should we be aware of it but we have a duty to choose wisely whatever we decide to dedicate our lives to.
Lets take for example, A soldier risking his life serving for his country he will have developed the same set of skills than a terrorist plotting the destruction of his sworn enemies.
Neuroplasticity of the brain has no moral compass.
What then is the mind? Is it different from the brain?
The mind is a concept that has been debated and explored by scholars, scientists, and theologians for centuries. It can be defined as the complex network of thought processes and consciousness that arises from the neurological activity of the brain.
It can be rewired in the sense that if you try to button your shirt with the non-preferred hand , over a period of time the brain gets adjusted to do it. Research has found that the pilots can fly the virtual planes even when they are seated upside down! Mind skills such as decision-making, problem-solving, creativity, and communication can all be trained over time to increase the effectiveness of a person’s mental processes.
Your mind is in fact an ongoing construction of your brain, your body, and the surrounding world.
Lets move to some incredible work done by neuro scientists which indicates the power of the mind over the brain.
Krishna Shenoy a Professor in the School of Engineering, a professor of electrical engineering and, by courtesy, of bioengineering, of neurobiology, and of neurosurgery at Stanford University, and one of the world’s foremost authorities on how the brain creates movement in the rest of the body died at a young age of 54. Battling pancreatic cancer for 12 years. What he did brought smiles on the faces of several patients, students and colleagues.
He along with his team, implanted in the brain paired chips with algorithms which could decipher the chatter between neurons, allowing people with paralysis to control computers and mechanical limbs with their thoughts.
Dennis DeGray, a 69-year-old man paralyzed from the neck down who, aided by Shenoy’s technology, was able to control a computer cursor and to shape letters on screen by simply visualizing himself putting pen to paper. Was it the brain or the mind that made this possible? I leave it to you to decide.
When can brain be in control of the body?
Let me give you an example : Suppose you are an animal roaming the forest and you see a blurry shape in the distance.
Does it have value for you as food,? Is it worth spending energy to pursue it? The answer depends partly on the state of your body – if you’re not hungry, the blurry shape has less value. It also depends on whether your brain predicts that the blurry shape wants to eat you. Flight response will then get triggered.
When we ask our children any question, after they finish their exams. The answer would be NIL. Let me explain this with an interesting anecdote.
Bluma Zeigarnik a Russian psychologist went out for dinner with her friends. The waiter was amazing. He took the order, did not write it and knew exactly who ordered what. Bulma forgot her overcoat on the way back. when she returned to the restaurant she was surprised to find that the waiter did not even recognise her.
When a task is completed, our brain hits the delete button. And our memory gets wiped clean. Our short term memory struggles with space to retain information. So it keeps only the unfinished tasks alive. And the minute a task is completed it hits the delete button. And that’s why waiters at restaurants will remember every little detail of your order. But only until the bill is made.
The Zeigarnik effect explains why at a bank’s ATM, you are now required to pull your card out before collecting the cash. They know Zeigarnik will be at play and once you collect the cash, the task is finished and good chance you will forget to take your card back.
It’s something we can all put to good use. Look at what Netflix does. You will find through all their serials, every episode ends tantalisingly. That 30-minute episode ends at a point where you will say ‘wow, what happens next’? You want to know, you want to come back. There is no closure at the end of that episode and that’s what brings us back all the time.
It might be in order to say there is no mind without the brain and mindfulness improves connections in the brain.
Harvard University research points out that Mindfulness meditation improves connections in the brain. Mindfulness practice positively impacts the areas of the brain associated with learning, memory, emotional regulation, empathy, compassion, perspective taking, and stress response.
Mindfulness meditation is a mental discipline. It takes practice. Some meditaion practice at the beginning and /or afternoon may be useful.
Lets look at the educational implications in the next segment.
This masterclass is meant for all those who need to make a presentation. It was observed by me that this aspect of this skill is prominently missing from the curriculum.
Some old, some young,
Some from Mumbai,
Some from Pune,
A few from Bengalore & Kochi,
A few from Gujarat & Goa,
Not to leave the gulf countries,
Made up a group that visited Egypt.
Team leader Yogesh,
With a smiling disposition,
And a soft demeanor,
Needs to be a little more assertive,
And deal with the critical issues.
The guide Tamer was good,
Tarique was jovial.
A few IT professionals and doctors,
The whistler who brought in mirth,
The singer who enthralled the audience,
The lady who helped in collecting tips,
The tiny tots with a hunger to learn,
The reluctant astrologer,
Defined the group profile.
The eager beavers,
The questioning minds,
A handful of calm and collected senior citizens,
The two young historians
Mothered by my room partner,
I had a delightful time,
A home away from Home.
The last hotel that we stayed in,
Was awesome but not user-friendly,
Scaling down the stay standards,
Might have saved a few rupees.
A visit might have been worthwhile,
My feeling at the end of the trip,
A Time well spent, contented, and happy.
he museums at Cairo were crowded. We were given to understand that at any point of the day it is crowded. Go through the video carefully. Warning – before you touch the link – STOP. Ask yourselves. Are you looking for some trivia or entertainment? This is not your cup of tea. This is a lot of information for History buffs, for keen minds, thinking brains and learning individuals.
Recently I had been to Egypt and have collated some of the things that impressed me. I have put this in a video format so that it can be viewed by one and all.
Egypt had been on my bucket list for long. Finally I got an opportunity and I packed up and left. A rich civilisation that it is, it has many parallels with the Indian civilisation.
We had our invasions from Greek, finally, the British established their rule. The Egyptians went through similar experiences.
Some old, some young,
Some from Mumbai,
Some from Pune,
A few from Bengalore & Kochi,
A few from Gujarat & Goa,
Not to leave the gulf countries,
Made up a group that visited Egypt.
Team leader Yogesh,
With a smiling disposition,
And a soft demeanor,
Needs to be a little more assertive,
And deal with the critical issues.
The guide Tamir was good,
Tarique was jovial.
A few IT professionals and doctors,
The whistler who brought in mirth,
The singer who enthralled the audience,
The lady who helped in collecting tips,
The tiny tots with a hunger to learn,
The reluctant astrologer,
Defined the group profile.
The eager beavers,
The questioning minds,
A handful of calm and collected senior citizens,
The two young historians
Mothered by my room partner,
I had a delightful time,
A home away from Home.
The last hotel that we stayed in,
Was awesome but not user-friendly,
Scaling down the stay standards,
Might have saved a few rupees.
A visit might have been worthwhile,
My feeling at the end of the trip,
A Time well spent, contented, happy.
Some old, some young,
Some from Mumbai,
Some from Pune,
A few from Bengalore & Kochi,
A few from Gujarat & Goa,
Not to leave the gulf countries,
Made up a group that visited Egypt.
Team leader Yogesh,
With a smiling disposition,
And a soft demeanor,
Needs to be a little more assertive,
And deal with the critical issues.
The guide Tamir was good,
Tarique was jovial.
A few IT professionals and doctors,
The whistler who brought in mirth,
The singer who enthralled the audience,
The lady who helped in collecting tips,
The tiny tots with a hunger to learn,
The reluctant astrologer,
Defined the group profile.
The eager beavers,
The questioning minds,
A handful of calm and collected senior citizens,
The two young historians
Mothered by my room partner,
I had a delightful time,
A home away from Home.
The last hotel that we stayed in,
Was awesome but not user-friendly,
Scaling down the stay standards,
Might have saved a few rupees.
A visit might have been worthwhile,
My feeling at the end of the trip,
A Time well spent, contented, happy.
This is the title of my newsletter on LinkedIn. I publish a topic of interest. If you are a writer and want to contribute send me the write-up. If found relevant, I shall publish it with due credits. Any ways, here goes the link.
https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/your-voice-matters-7032384250767106049/
Currently, there are these titles:
Surface Learning is a necessity. It is this learning that leads to deep learning. This article contains an activity that takes one from surface learning to deep learning.
Deep learning takes us from Lower-level thinking to higher-level thinking like analysis, creativity, and beyond. If the Physical education teacher knows how many kids in the primary have flat feet, it would be deep learning.
Mind and Body Connection – Part 2. Each child should be able to explore and discover, thereby developing critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
Mind and Body Connect – Part 1. Is action contingent upon the reactions of the brain or mind? Is the brain different from the mind? Are they one and the same? Read to find out. This is an article presented at the Education Conclave of Metamorphosis on May 13, 2023.
What do effective teachers love? – the teachers love for the subject and the students are dealt with herein.
Learning process Demystified – how to make the students become independent learners.
Monkey with wooden apples deals with CLear the cobwebs. Let go of those thoughts that weigh you down. Let go of the EGO. Open your heart and build bridges.
An eternal learner – the Teacher. the lockdown during COVID was not applicable to the teacher.