EdExcitement

I find it always exciting when people experiment with teaching methods, medium and form. I just came across a bunch of traditional IIT JEE teachers who have tried experimenting with existing medium and methods but with a fresh new form. The structured day-wise video lectures is supplemented by day-wise reading material assignments and online tests. All of this topped up with email and phone support. Looks promising, need to find out how good is the 'execution'. Coaching for an age-old examination in a new form needs courage, given that there are entrenched players already being successful. The challenge is not limited to creating the form, but also the right-mix for a flawless execution. However, starting with the right intent, with the right effort and the right dosage of luck can actually create a 'Just Dial' of IIT JEE coaching (it is always inspiring to hear about successful entrepreneurs.....ref Just Dial IPO which closed today).

As I spent half a day with the music, dance and painting teachers of our school at Dwarka, it was interesting to hear that the perspective of the trainers in these skills are no different from other skill trainers. It all starts with a natural refrain of trainers: "it is difficult to learn ". And when you discuss, you realise everyone is talking about the same thing, across skill domains. One of the fundamental challenges is the attitude of the the learner and a certain sense of "helplessness" on the part of the trainers that a learner is naturally not willing to put in the hard work required to learn a skill - whether it is repairing computers or learning bharatnatyam. However, the trainer fails to understand that their own attitude to such learners need to change. During my personal experience of training 1000s of learners, one thing that I quickly realised was that most of the students are not keen learners unless you can generate enough interest for them in

I met an interesting profile today which has led me to raise this issue here. This young lady in North India actually aspires to be a teacher at a government school. However, after she completed her B.Ed she has not been able to qualify CTET (entrance qualification for teachers seeking govt jobs). She did qualify for the state TET, still she has not got a job as there has been no vacancy. So, what has she been upto? She qualified some state police and works as a constable.....amazing to me! So what does one do when wants to get a job in this country? Shoot in the dark and keep as many option open as possible.....no wonder, we never had trouble selling the MBA dream......Kees option open! CBSE and MoHRD has undertaken initiatives to reform school system.....one of the first things that need to get fixed is the whole concept of career counselling and goal-setting. If I look back at my own career path, I feel I am blessed that I always had clarity of goals that I wanted to achieve...

Young teachers aspiring to get into a career of teaching needs to factor in future. Teachers starting off in early nineties had never thought that they will have to use computers inside classroom in the next decade. Teachers at the beginning of this century had never heard of "tablets" to be used in classroom ( in fact, the word tablet was used only in the context of the medical world). Extrapolating this, I am pretty sure that we do not know what we will be using in a classroom in 2025. This may be read by an aspiring teacher as "what then is the point in studying to become a teacher". It is critical that one needs to study with the objective of "learning to learn". However, we get so engrossed in the nitty-gritty of learning, we end up missing the big picture. It remains to be seen how teachers of today cope up with the needs of students of Next Gen.........

While teaching online for the past few days, I have been watching my young colleague improving dramatically, adapting to the needs of online teaching. This is not one-off; the young generation is much more comfortable being online. There are still challenges of Internet not being reliable; but why do we complain about this? If you use your mobile phone for more than 3 minutes in this country, there will be a call drop invariably (esp. if you are moving.....mobile phones!!). Coming back to where I started, I also came across a newspaper report stating that more and more Indian youngsters today are opting for free online certification courses nowadays. This provides immense hope on future of online learning. Therefore, teachers today need to prepare themselves for teaching an "online generation". It is imperative that teachers have a new skill to be added to their armoury. The other challenge this will pose to teachers is the ability to deal with more diverse set of studen

I am not sure all of you will understand the way I understand "anticipation skills". Hence, let me first try to bring all of us on the same page. Easiest way to explain this is if you have played soccer. The team is making a move towards the opponent goalpost. There is this one person (usually the striker) who anticipates where will the ball r  sent to him for him to shoot / head at the goal. This is anticipation skills. For those of you who are avid followers of the game will remember Paolo Rossi of Italy in World Cup of 1982  as a master of this " art". However, this is not a skill that is required for soccer alone; it is a critical skill in everyday life. For example, in Delhi at least, I will not park my vehicle in a "parking" area that is not supervised. It is bound to cause some problem after I return, as some "idiot" will park his car right behind you so that you are unable to take out your car. This requires anticipation skills. Simi

It is amazing to do a session with experienced teachers about learning effectiveness through a process of facilitation.....one that involves creating an environment of assimilation by learner. It is comparatively easy to teach....prepare a lesson plan, consolidate content and deliver. While facilitating, charm is about experiencing the unknown. You never know how a new group of learners are going to work on the same assignment. Even the discussion at the end of a group is usually fresh, with a lot of groups generating a new perspective for the older problem. Teaching is fun, if as a teacher you enjoy the journey. It is like playing soccer, one requires generous dosage of  'anticipation' skills. It is important to have a feel of what to expect and then, at times, get pleasantly surprised! I am looking forward to working with young teachers to enhance their outlook towards teaching as a career. This is really important for me to show my respect and love for my teachers - Ta

Being in the domain of education and training, this question haunts you every day. And this is not an isolated phenomenon of one institution, one state, one country........... Having seen some of the teachers/trainers mature during my stay at Career Launcher, I am a firm believer that "Teachers are not born, but are made". And if you have been able to generate interest in the profession, you will be able to create a teacher par excellence. So what are the skills of a good teacher: 1. Knowledge of subject above the level at which the student is expected to complete the course. 2. Ability to explain each concept in at least more than one ways. 3. Getting to know the needs of the students/ learners. 4. Ability to assess students on what they have learnt so far. 5. Willingness to go the extra mile to mentor the student (listen to his problems). The above 5 is the assimilation of my learning over the past one decade and interactions with more than 1000 teachers/trainer

Posting a blogpost after a long time. Have been bouncing off challenges of vocational training in this 'land of graduates'. A recent event at one of our centres has really set me thinking. We were executing a CSR project where students were trained on Data Entry Operator skills; naturally they have not paid for their training. A group of 35 students were offered a job at a domestic BPO in one of their upcoming centres in Gurgaon. However, because of some administrative issues, they have not been able to set up office yet at Gurgaon. In return, the company offered to take this people at their other location in south Delhi. Students refused, saying that is too far, though they did training at a centre in south Delhi. Amazingly sponsor of the program refuses to pay us the training fees given that these students have not joined their job and the skills training company (us) is at fault. This is a reflection of the deep-rooted malaise among the youth, while getting used to pub