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Unlocking Significant Transformations: The Power of Minor Adjustments

When I reflect on my journey as a Teacher Development Coordinator (TDC), I am reminded of the invaluable tool that accompanied me throughout my professional growth – my unique record book. This record book serves as a tangible representation of my transformation from a teacher to a facilitator, as well as my role as a Teacher Development coordinator representing the modern education system of Delhi. 

I accepted the challenge of becoming a TDC in 2021, the period after Covid when all the teachers were confronting a lot of problems. On the contrary,  our department was working relentlessly to deliver techniques, and activities keeping in mind the momentous psychology of the students. My challenge was to dench through these studious efforts and to carry them to my colleagues. Like most of us, I overestimated my memory and thought that I had captured everything that was discussed during the Co-Learning Session (CLS) of the Learning Improvement Cycle (LIC) and other meetings. However, when I met my colleagues to share my learnings, I realized that I was able to capture only the bits and pieces of what was discussed at the LICs. I felt I was not doing justice to the task assigned to me. I had to find a solution.  

I decided to gather all the details and particulars so profoundly and convert them into documentation that would not only be a recording of words but a photographic and graphical representation of my learnings. Since then, whenever I go to a LIC meeting I remind myself and record all my experiences with the support of PPT prepared by our DIET facilitators and mentors.

When I go to facilitate my colleagues after this, a different type of confidence boosts me up to deliver up to a maximum level. I believe that would be a great asset to my colleagues. Satisfied with this training my colleagues are doing miracles day by day. The teaching-learning strategies and activities they are practicing are guided by the efforts of DoE and SCERT. 

Through my experiences, I have come to believe that a well-maintained record book acts as a catalyst, empowering educators to venture into a world of endless possibilities. It serves as a tangible reminder of our collective growth, as well as a repository of best practices that can be shared and disseminated throughout the education community. By leveraging the power of documentation and reflection, we can continue to elevate the quality of education and pave the way for a brighter future.

As narrated by TDC Nirmal Sagar.
School – Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalya, Pocket -7, Sector – 1, Dwarka, Delhi 
DIET – Ghumanhera

Improving Teaching Through Peer Collaboration

As teachers, we did not share a trusting relationship with our peers and students. We used to work in isolation and had no opportunity to discuss our classroom challenges with anyone. We had no one to support us in solving our problems or appreciate us for our efforts. This left us feeling very isolated and at times disengaged.

I, Manisha Rani Verma have been teaching at GGSSS East Gokulpur School, Loni Road since 2009. I have been a Teacher Development Coordinator (TDC)* since 2017.

In my school, we share a good relationship with teachers, students, and Head of the School but it was not always this way. As teachers, we did not share a trusting relationship with our peers and students. We used to work in isolation and had no opportunity to discuss our classroom challenges with anyone. We had no one to support us in solving our problems or appreciate us for our efforts.  This left us feeling very isolated and at times disengaged.

I feel the monthly meetings and weekly faculty meetings introduced by Centre for Intrinsic Motivation have really helped us to overcome our hesitation and engage in the academic part of our job. During such discussions, we find that most of us are facing similar problems and some of us have already tried out solutions. Such open discussions encourage us to talk to each other and seek help without any fear of criticism.

We discuss different teaching pedagogies and reflect on what they have been already doing, what went well, and what challenges they faced. For instance, I recall one teacher shared, “Earlier I found it so difficult to engage my students in class. But now the discussions gave me some ideas to effectively engage the children. I tried out group discussion and it really helped me to foster peer learning and strengthen the bond between the students.”

Sharing classroom practices during meetings encourages us to observe each other’s class occasionally. The thought, “I am a teacher. I know everything,” has now shifted to “My colleague taught this topic so effectively, let me observe her class once and see what she is doing differently.” The mindset of seeking solutions outside school shifted to reflect and collaboratively seek solutions inside the school.

The mindset shifted from, “The system is responsible for our problems and the system has to get solutions for us,” to “Let's try to brainstorm solutions collaboratively, and if nothing works, then seek support from officials.”

I came across a story that talked about a teacher who called students by name and how this helped create a bond between the teacher and the student. This was in stark contradiction with our practice of calling students “Hey, this girl in the fourth row”. It felt impossible to remember the name of so many students in so many classes. “How can we do this?”, we asked ourselves. Once the teachers collaboratively agreed that calling the names of students was essential to establish a bond with them, we just had to think of the solutions. That came in us all wearing name tags for two weeks. The problem was solved, and the students were empowered.

Personally, I used to feel that my role was confined only to my class but now in the role of a TDC, my leadership skills and communication skills have improved. Now, as and when required, I help my teachers in solving their problems. I remember how a new teacher struggled with classroom discipline. Students would not pay attention to her teaching and she had no clue how to deal with this situation. I suggested to her that she should devote 2-3 periods to observing the class of other teachers. At the end of the day, we sat together and reflected on her observation. 

She shared, “I noticed that those teachers brought themselves to the level of the students and then taught them whereas I would go on teaching without noticing if my students are able to comprehend“. I suggested to her that for another one or two periods completely forget about teaching and plan some interesting activities and I will be there with you in the class. The next day she planned a group activity on the related topic. Children that day enjoyed her class. Children in that class were very active and she channeled their energy into some constructive activity.

These are encouraging and satisfying learnings for us as teachers. Through such collaboration with our peers, we feel supported and empowered. I’m grateful to Centre for Intrinsic Motivation for their support which has made a great difference to my school. 

* The Teacher Development coordinator program is an initiative introduced by SCERT in the year 2017. As a part of this program one intrinsically motivated teacher who volunteers, is deployed as Teacher Development Coordinator (TDC) in all government schools under the Directorate of Education. The TDC provides academic support and encourages peer learning/collaboration among teachers.

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Role Of Positive Teaching Practices In Thriving Classrooms

I probe the children on each step and encourage them to reflect on mistakes and think harder on the “Why” of each step. This is very important to shift their mindset from rote learning to comprehension.”

SKV Seemapuri, a school in North East Delhi, was slightly hesitant to embrace the Teacher Development Coordinator (TDC) program. There was low exposure to the program and the teachers hardly had any time for additional assignments. The situation was further exacerbated by  limited  infrastructure and space constraints. However, when the TDC program established a strong peer network among teachers, a gradual shift could be seen from ‘How is this possible?’ to ‘Yes, it is possible’ in them. The TDC programme exposed teachers to boost classroom learning through innovative modes of engagement such as think-pair-share, reflective diaries and exit ticket strategy.

This case study shows how the TDC programme, facilitated by STiR, has the potential to motivate teachers to approach challenges with a growth mindset. The network meeting facilitated by the TDC in this school had a humble beginning with a tennis board for a projector screen.

Through the experience of a teacher, Ms. Ekta we see how strategies to foster classroom improvements discussed in network meetings helped to create an inclusive environment for students of different learning levels. This collaboration, saw a two-way shift  in the students between 2019-2022:

  1. Improvement in academic competencies
  2. Boost in cognitive and socio-emotional growth

As a teacher of secondary classes, Ms Ekta often faced issues with students who did not pay attention. The network meetings along with the peer discussions, helped her discover the concept of interactive lessons. While talking about her experience, she shared “When I implemented these new teaching practices, children found it interesting. Previously, they tried to learn maths formulas without understanding the concept but now they try to understand first.” She explained the process she adopted to implement the concept of interactive lessons-

  1. Establishing classroom routines – To create an inclusive learning environment for all students, Ms Ekta adopted the ‘Do Now’ & ‘No Hands’ strategies to establish a classroom routine. She says “ ‘Do Now’ helped  me establish a classroom routine wherein I put up a question on the board related to the topic taught in the last class. This boosted students’ memories. Similarly, ‘No Hands’ gave shy children the confidence to take part in class discussions”. Pre-planning questions, giving thinking time to children and asking child specific questions helped her to create a safe space for the children engaging them actively in the learning process.  
  2. Encouraging peer learning and class discussion – To encourage peer learning, Ms Ekta initiated group discussion in her class. She would give a topic to the children along with some guiding questions and ask them to collaboratively work on it. She would facilitate the group discussion and encourage students to ensure participation of each group member. Ms Ekta says, “Children easily learn from each other. Such group work practice connects them with each other. Even when the teacher is not there children sit together and discuss.” 
  3. Increasing retention and improving expression : After teaching a topic, every 2-3 days, Ms. Ekta would ask the children to write down whatever they remembered from the lesson. She kept the last 10 mins for this activity or sometimes used it at the start of the lesson. Ms Ekta shared, “I ask children to recall whatever they learnt in these 30 mins and pen down their thoughts within 2-3 mins.” This process helps in increasing their retention and expression skill.
  4.  

This breakthrough could be achieved through network meetings which not only instil new ideas but are backed with action planning, feedback and reflection, a 360 degree teaching and learning approach. From a traditional learning setup, Ms. Ekta was able to slowly guide her classroom into becoming fear-free through behavioural, teaching and application methods.. This helped her students become confident and participate in classroom discussions, freely. “Generally, teachers expect for the children to sit silently while they speak. But my class is noisy and breaks beyond the traditional definition of a classroom”, she said with a smile. 

The positive consequences of the changes Ms. Ekta introduced led to:

  1. Improvement in cognitive competencies : With more comprehension, fear of maths decreased in students. Their performance improved with conceptual understanding clubbed with writing skills. Students  started showing more interest in her class as they loved to learn in new ways.
  2. Boost in curiosity and critical thinking:  Ms. Ekta used the elaborative dice to encourage students exchanging questions and answers.  This process helped build curiosity and critical thinking in students. When a child does a sum wrong, neither does she rebuke her nor does she give her the correct answer. Instead she asks the child,
  • “Why did you apply this formula ?” or
  • “Why did you put a decimal point here ?”
  •  “How was this formula derived? Let’s understand the reasons.”

She said, “Asking questions helps me understand how the students think, how much they have understood and then assess learning gaps.”  I probe the children on each step and encourage them to reflect on mistakes and think harder on the “Why” of each step. This is very important to shift their mindset from rote learning to comprehension.”

Ms Ekta shared, every time she used an innovative teaching method, children responded to her positively. This increased her self esteem as a teacher. Ms.Ekta observed that there has been an increase in 20-30% scores of each child in her class. She said, “On average, children are showing improvements and have developed basic understanding in maths. More children are scoring passing marks. When I tell them about their gradual progress, they feel more confident. There is a shift from “I can’t do it”, to “Yes I can do it, yes I can learn!” She expressed “ I am happy to see that in my class, students feel motivated and happy.”

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Addressing Substance Abuse In Delhi Schools Through Positive Classroom Engagement

Substance abuse is a major problem in India, with 1 out of every 5 children in school affected by it. As many as 82.98% street children and 18% school children are under its influence today.

Problem:  

Substance abuse is a major problem in India, with 1 out of every 5 children in school affected by it. As many as 82.98% street children and 18% school children are under its influence today. Apart from the obvious health repercussions, addiction among children also contributes to poor attendance and high dropouts, leading to longer term problems such as unemployment. 

Research shows how truancy precedes substance use, and in South district in Delhi, Mentor Teacher Mr. Rajesh Kumar identified this early sign in his schools. He saw that students were escaping during class hours to indulge in addictive behaviour and gambling. This led to a rapid deterioration in their academic performance and overall school engagement, with only 16%  students passing the exams. Mr. Rajesh decided to bring this issue to one of STiR’s teacher network meetings, part of the Delhi government’s Teacher Development Coordinator (TDC) programme, to receive support from his fellow teachers and create a plan to address it.

Solution: 

The first approach that Mr. Rajesh took was to rebuild the child-school relationship by establishing positive connections between them. In a recent network meeting, he had learned about strategies to strengthen relationships with students, including  one-on-one sessions, community connections and home visits. He also planned additional measures such as encouraging local shopkeepers to keep a check on school children and roaming out of school, which had a positive impact on attendance. Over 2-3 years, Mr. Rajesh saw attendance rise from less than 10% to 75%, and reduced truancy to 0%. 

Once the child-school connection was restored, the next step was to retain the child in school. Some of the other strategies introduced in the TDC programme included peer learning processes, discussions around self-reflection, and how to build a culture of appreciation in the classroom to boost their morale. By implementing these strategies, Mr. Rajesh hoped to help teachers to instil a sense of joy, belonging and pride towards the school in neglected and disinterested students. A positive and nurturing approach from teachers, coupled with interactive classroom teaching, helped in retaining students in school and improving both their self-esteem and learning levels. Over the same time period of 2-3 years, the pass percentage increased from 16% to 74%. 

The Mentor Teacher Program Launched In The Year 2017 By The Delhi Government Has Played A Significant Role In Bringing Revolutionary Changes In Delhi Government Senior Secondary Schools. During The Network Meetings, Teachers Came Together And Discussed The Challenges Faced In Class Due To Low Attendance. They Shared That Irregularity In School Disconnects The Child With What Is Learnt In Class Which Then Reflects In Their Behavioural Issues, Low Self-Esteem And Poor Academic Performance.

Mr. Rajesh Kumar, DIET Motibagh

Parallel Improvements:

Mr. Rajesh’s story is not an isolated case. His counterpart, Mr. Sanjeev Tayal from North East district, shared similar experiences. He shared how connection strategies shared through the TDC programme had  helped teachers to foster connections with students and the community to understand the reasons behind truancy and chronic absenteeism for his mentee schools. 

Senior Secondary school teachers from different districts across Delhi shared how teacher network meetings gave them a forum to come together and explore various ways to create a safe and participative learning environment for students which eventually helped to increase the attendance and mitigate the problem of chronic absenteeism and truancy. 

This case study highlights how participating in network meetings can become a platform for teachers to collaboratively devise ways to increase attendance and solve other classroom related challenges. It has been observed by various stakeholders that classroom routine and teaching learning strategies discussed during such meetings helped teachers to make classrooms more interactive, safe and engaging. Mr. Rajesh adds, “Engaging with STiR has resulted in significant changes in teaching approaches. For example, teachers who would only engage students in rote learning from the blackboard now encourage them to participate in role plays and other activities. Helping students find classroom content interesting has also resulted in improved attendance.”

When we formed groups in class and encouraged peer learning, the interest of students in class increased. With the modifications in teaching and learning processes, classrooms became more interactive and child-centric. Teachers made attempts to understand the problems faced by children in class and at home. This helped to create a safe and thriving environment for children which gradually led to an increase in their attendance.

Mr. Sanjeev Tayal, DIET Dilshad Garden

Schools no longer need walls or gates to keep us in because we want to listen to what our teachers have to say.

Student, the Delhi Government Senior Secondary Schools, South Delhi.

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