The Indian Express
Express News Line
Thursday September 4, 2003
* Told it'll help them transfer experience to their students.
In a workshop for teachers of non-formal education (NFE)
centers held last week, stress was laid on improving classroom
interaction between students and teachers by increasing
the moral and confidence of teachers.
Organized by SMILE, an NGO that works towards improving
education, 35 teachers and 12 NGOs from Delhi took part
in the workshop. Majority of children coming NFE centers
are first-generation school-goers, who have little or no
support from their parents. Thus in the absence of motivation
from the family, the onus falls on the teachers to educate,
enlighten and inspire the children and to retain them in
the school.
“it has been observed that a positive nurturing envionment
in school results in regular attendance, discipline and
reduced drop-out rate, “said Jaya Misra, an HRD professional
who along with Priyanka Jain, anchored the workshop.
Third in a series being organized by the SMILE Foundation,
as part of their endeavor to improve the quality of education
imparted through NFE centeres, the workshop had teachers
go through multiple exercises, including one on self-esteem
and self-image. Also, not only does exploring these concepts
at a personal level enable teachers to understand themselves
better but also teaches them how to transfer their knowledge
and experiences through interaction to their students.
“Teachers are not aware of the impact their actions and
words have on the a child's psyche. We explore that, “said
Mishra, adding that during the workshop “many participants
admitted to have used words with negative connotations while
interacting with the students. Most participants also complained
of an inability to control their temper while teaching and
often felt frustrated. Very often individuals shift their
locus of control from internal to external, where they start
holding others responsible for their thoughts, attitude
and actions”.
The earlier workshops had focused on child centered education,
gender issues and story-telling as an effective teaching
medium, innovative teaching methodology / teaching aids
for Maths and English. |