The Progressive Teacher Vol 06 Issue 03

Read inside
AI in Education: a growing need P06
can AI really transform
education in India? P12
Moodle Learning Management System
for better learning P20
Self-Assessment builds commitment
to learn, grow and change P45

from the PUBLISHER’s desk
Artificial
Intelligence in
education:
the need of
the hour
july-August, 2019 Vol. 06 Issue 03
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There have been a lot of changes
in the last few years. The
necessary skills for the future
have changed. So, we need
to skill our students accordingly as the
jobs of the future would be into Artificial
Intelligence, block chain, machine
learning, etc. So, it is important to
incorporate Artificial Intelligence in
Education for K-12 education.
This will not only make the work
of a teacher easier but will also suit
varied requirements of students with
different learning capabilities. On the
other hand, students will get early
exposure to AI and they will learn how
to work alongwith AI machines. But,
the integration of AI into school system needs proper planning, infrastructure and
training of teachers. Since teachers would be using this technology, they need to
be hands on with it. The implementation has to be smart, safe and interesting.
AI will complement existing teaching methodologies and AI can never
replace teachers as it is the teachers who shape our children. They nurture
students with love and care and teach them compassion, foster passion, sense
of community and good moral values. The teacher-student relationship is sacred
and nothing can replace it.
I would like to close with the popular quote, ““A teacher has two jobs; fill
young minds with knowledge, yes, but more important, give those minds a
compass so that that knowledge doesn’t go to waste.”
Happy teaching!
Sonal Khurana
Publisher
Subscription / Missed copies
helpline: 08920636286
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Owned by
The next issue of
The Progressive Teacher
will focus on
3 Teacher Education –
THE PROGRESSIVE TEACHER New PerSPective
www.progressiveteacher.in

t a b l e o f
Vol. 06
issue 03 DELBIL/2014/55800
06
AI in
Education:
a growing
need
08
Learning 321:
Education
for the 3 rd
decade
of the 21 st
Century
14
Can AI
OPINION
12 Can AI really transform
education in India?
OPINION
14 Can AI really replace teachers?
really
replace
teachers?
03 From the PUBLISHER’s desk
Artificial Intelligence
06 AI in Education: a
growing need
Future of education
08 Learning 321: Education for the
3 rd decade of the 21 st Century
LEARNING TECHNIQUE
16 Gamification: A Gen-X
approach towards learning
LMS
20 Moodle Learning Management
System for better learning
emPOWERING LEARNING
26 Technological leadership
in education
VIEWPOINT
30 Nurturing the dreams
of children
10 Smart time-management
32 tips for teachers
PERSPECTIVE
34 Modern screens : friends or foes?
4 THE PROGRESSIVE TEACHER www.progressiveteacher.in

c o n t e n t s
34
modern
screens:
Friends or
foes?
LESSON PLAN
38 Effective lesson planning
mindset
42 Fostering growth
mindsets in schools
www.progressiveteacher.in
49
Teaching
Biology
in the digital
age!
Learning and Assessment
45 Self-Assessment builds
commitment to learn,
grow and change
ROLE OF TEACHERS
49 Teaching Biology in
the digital age!
54
Teaching
English to
second
language
learners
STRATEGY
54 Teaching English to
second language learners
CASE STUDY
60 Upgrading efficiently
& effectively
THE PROGRESSIVE TEACHER
5

Artificial Intelligence
AI in Education:
a growing need
The current climate of AI in schools is one of “hopeful hesitation.” While technology is
rapidly advancing, educators are taking a careful, step-by-step approach to ensure the
solutions they adopt to deliver specific outcomes and to address existing needs.
Sanjhee Gianchandani
Sanjhee Gianchandani holds a Masters’ degree
in English Literature from Lady Shri Ram
College for Women. She is a CELTA certified
ESL trainer and works as a content developer
and editor for Academic English textbooks.
Since its conception at the 1956 Dartmouth Conference, the field of
artificial intelligence (AI) has continued garnering the attention of
several people and industries, with the education industry being
hailed as one of the major game changers.
What is Artificial Intelligence?
Now how do we define Artificial Intelligence (AI)? Explained in simplistic
terms, it’s a branch of computer science that creates “intelligent” machines to
work and react in different situations. Some basic examples of AI are computer
programs (e.g., online platforms) and computerized machines (e.g., robots).
Owing to knowledge engineering and machine learning, these machines
have the capacity to process data, patterns, and models in order to perceive,
reason, plan, solve problems, make predictions, and manipulate objects akin
to a human neurological framework.
AI is based on algorithms or a set of computerised instructions that instruct
a software on what is to be done with the given data. Data is the fodder for
any AI-powered system. The umbrella organisation that caters to both data
handling and algorithms and ensures their smooth coexistence is called
Machine Learning. In machine learning, algorithms are tested and tuned so
that they can treat data automatically to generate certain desired results, such
as predictions and decisions.
Artificial Intelligence in education…
We already live in a world full of AI systems including Siri, Alexa, GPS
navigators, self-driving cars and so on. In the field of education, many
companies are currently working on or already marketing AI systems that
help automate admin tasks, create adaptive testing methods or develop digital
platforms that use AI for teaching-learning,testing, and feedback. Our focus
should now be on how AI will impact pedagogy, curriculum, and assessment
in schools, that is, how it will impact end users, i.e. teachers and students.
Benefits of Artificial Intelligence in education…
There is conclusive international evidence that we are at a critical moment
for setting clearer directions for AIEd (Artificial Intelligence in Education).
Some of the clear benefits of this integration include personalized learning,
automatic correction of certain kinds of schoolwork, ongoing student
assessment so as to track their learning acquisition over time, intelligent
platforms for distance learning, greater interaction between learners and the
learning content, extended opportunities for learners to collaborate, immersive
learning environments and better teaching methods through facilitation rather
than content transmission.
AI in everyday classroom teaching
The educators of today have not only started using AI in their everyday
classroom teaching but are also heavily relying on it without realising it. AI
6 THE PROGRESSIVE TEACHER www.progressiveteacher.in

has permeated into the sphere of education in
the form of adaptive learning systems, smart web
browsers, personalised apps, and virtual reality
based educative games, to name a few.There
are new ways to search for and to disseminate
information for example, Google adjusts our
search results according to our geographic
location or previous searches, generally without
our knowledge. Amazon does the same when it
suggests purchases in light of what we bought
in the past and Netflix recommends what you
should watch next. Siri, Apple’s voice recognition
assistant, adapts to individual voices, needs, and
requests.
Teachers: Are they ready for AI?
The rise of AI need not be equated with the
role of the teacher becoming redundant.
“Don’t expect an army of AI-powered robots
to be filling teacher job applications at a district
office near you,” Andreas Oranje, a general
manager in the ETS Research Division, said
during a session at the International Society for
Technology in Education’s annual conference
this year. He expects AI will ultimately help
educators perform rote tasks, not replace
them.“My hope for AI is we actually will expand
teaching,” Oranje said.
Now the question that we need to ask is that
if there a need to prepare teachers to work with
AI. And the answer is a clear yes. If teachers
are trained in AI use, it will help in dropout
prevention, make distance learning easier, and
allow for flexibility in course design among
many other reasons. In fact, for AI to make a real
contribution to students’ academic success, the
teacher’s role remains as central as ever, perhaps
now more than ever.
Initiatives have already been taken in this
regard as CBSE has announced its plan for
integrating an AI Curriculum in Schools along
with digital reskilling for teachers with an aim
to integrate cloud-powered technology in K12
www.progressiveteacher.in
teaching, in collaboration with technology giants
such as IBM and Microsoft.
Manish Prakash, general manager, Microsoft
India said, “Through this initiative, we are
empowering institutions, educators and students
of India to acquire early education/skills in new
technologies like AI and cloud to lead that
growth in that rapidly changing world.” In the
next phase, the program will be extended to
cover skilling workshops for 400 CBSE School
on the Microsoft K-12 Education Transformation
Framework.
Biswajit Saha, CBSE’s training and skill
education director told schools how this
amalgamation would take place in a staged
manner to demystify AI and teachers would
also get to learn about digital storytelling,
“Participants will develop artificial intelligence
(AI) knowledge skills and values through
engaging with multimedia online resources as
well as hands-on activities and sequencing of
learning experiences.”
“What we really need are teachers with
a level of humility who are willing to learn
alongside the students at this point,” said Nick
Polyak from Leyden High School District 212
outside Chicago, “The traditional method of
learning a topic deeply in college and then going
on to teach isn’t relevant anymore because the
knowledge is changing too quickly.”But he sees
figuring out the challenge as an imperative.“I
don’t want our students to be the people who
just buy autonomous cars,” he said. “I want
them to be the people who are designing and
improving them. It’s imperative on us to provide
an education that makes them ready to step into
the evolving job market.”
To conclude simply, the current climate of
AI in schools one of “hopeful hesitation.” While
technology is rapidly advancing, educators are
taking a careful and a step-by-step approach to
ensure the solutions they adopt deliver specific
outcomes to address existing needs.
If teachers are
trained in AI use,
it will prevent
dropouts, make
distance learning
easier, and allow
for flexibility in
course design
among many
other reasons.
In fact, for AI
to make a real
contribution
to students’
academic
success, the
teacher’s role
remains as
central as ever,
perhaps now
more than ever
before.
THE PROGRESSIVE TEACHER
7

Future of education
Learning 321:
Education for the 3 rd
decade of the 21 st Century
Children who are studying in schools today will be adults ready for further education
or to face the world in the years from 2020 to 2030 and beyond. Their future is being
shaped by two major forces: the 4 th Industrial Age driven by Artificial Intelligence,
Machine Learning and allied technologies like the Internet of Things, Blockchain, 3D
Printing, AR and VR, and the 4 th education revolution which is disrupting the traditional
education model, propelled by the same technologies.
Prof MM Pant I
Former Pro-Vice Chancellor, Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi
Prof. M.M. Pant is a Ph.D. in Computational
Physics and an academic with more than 50
years of post-doctoral teaching and research
experience both in India and abroad. He has
taught in leading Institutions in face to face, and
distance and online modes including MOOCs.
He is now exploring WhatsApp delivered
mobile lifelong learning for future readiness
as a framework that is named “Learning 321”:
real learning and relevant education for the 3rd
decade of the 21st century.
His past roles include being the Former Pro-
Vice Chancellor, Indira Gandhi National Open
University (IGNOU) and being on the faculty
of IIT, Kanpur, MLNR Engineering College and
Faculty as well as Visiting Professor, University
of Western Ontario, Canada.
He has been a visiting scientist at European
research centers in Italy,England, Germany and
Sweden. Prof. Pant is the founder of the LMP
EducationTrust, an organization that supports
new age learning and under privileged learners.
Children who are studying in schools today will be adults ready
for further education or to face the world in the years from 2020
to 2030 and beyond. This is the third decade of the 21st Century
and is a very different world from the one experienced by their
grandparents,parents and teachers.
Their future is being shaped by two major forces: the 4th Industrial Age
driven by Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and allied technologies
like the Internet of Things, Blockchain, 3D Printing, AR and VR, and the 4th
education revolution which is disrupting the traditional education model,
propelled by the same technologies.
This leads to two very important questions. The first is what should a child
learn in school to prepare for an age of intelligent assistants that can fetch any
information and do low level cognitive tasks, and the consequential question
as to how do we teach what should be taught.
It is often said that change is the only thing that remains constant. But
what we are experiencing is the rapid rate of the change itself. And it’s wider
impact, across almost all fields of human endeavour.
Trying to accurately predict the future is futile. Perhaps becoming
intelligent enough to build a perfect future is too. We must develop foresight
and ready ourselves by being a pro-active self-directed lifelong learner and
defensively by building skills of critical thinking and discernment to prevent
us from being swayed by misinformation.
This is the true objective of a good School education: to prepare children
to prosper, flourish and thrive in an unknown and rapidly changing future.
Here are 10 salient features of this new educational paradigm:
1. Educators will be the most important members of society. As we
enter the rapidly developing knowledge society, very large numbers of people
have to be trained in new knowledge and skills domains.
To put it into context, the OECD estimates that, owing to the fourth
industrial revolution and automation, 38 to 42 per cent of the UK population
will need to completely retrain in the next 10 years to be able to stay employed.
That is a staggering amount of training required to keep the UK workforce
and our industries productive and competitive.
[Quote from:https://www.cityam.com/ retraining-course-the-case-forlifelong-learning/]
While more and more learners will move towards autonomous learners,
it is educators who will enable this transition and provide the resources
and guidance for self-directed learners. Microsoft in 2017 proposed “ Deep
Teaching” as the sexiest job of the future.
2. Journey from ignorance to knowledge: An educator takes a learner
8 THE PROGRESSIVE TEACHER www.progressiveteacher.in

through 4 stages, in the journey from ignorance
to knowledge, even if not clear to the learner:
- Unconscious Incompetence: In the
unconscious incompetence stage, the learner
isn’t aware that a skill or knowledge gap
exists.
- Conscious Incompetence: In conscious
incompetence, the learner is aware of a
skill or knowledge gap and understands the
importance of acquiring the new skill. It’s in
this stage that learning can begin.
- Conscious Competence: In conscious
competence, the learner knows how to use
the skill or perform the task, but doing so
requires practice, conscious thought and hard
work.
- Unconscious Competence: In unconscious
competence, the individual has enough
experience with the skill that he or she can
perform it so easily they do it unconsciously.
The four stages of competence are core
to the algorithms used in adaptive learning
technologies. By knowing in which stage a
learner is for a particular topic, an adaptive
learning platform can select content on that topic
that will help the learner reach the next stage.
It can even use assessments to demonstrate to
learners that they have skills gaps, thus moving
them from stage one to stage two.
This journey will be personalised for each
learner and each learning goal by AI-fluent Smart
Educators.
3. We are at the intersection of two
fundamental revolutions: the 4th Industrial
www.progressiveteacher.in
Revolution, announced by Klaus Schwab at
the World Economic Forum in January 2016
and the 4th Education Revolution proposed in
a recent book (2018) by Anthony Seldon. This
is unprecedented for the whole world. Anthony
Seldon says, “There is no more important issue
facing education, or humanity at large, than
the fast approaching revolution in Artificial
Intelligence or AI. This book is a call to educators
everywhere to open their eyes to what is coming.
If we do so, then the future will be shaped by us
in the interests of humanity as a whole.”
4. The recent advances in Artificial
Intelligence and Machine Learning have an
important bearing on how we teach humans.
We are now in a position to move from the
art of teaching to the science of learning.
And achieve the goal of education for all, and
the democratisation of education. The entire
entrance test and coaching for the entrance test
industry will be a thing of the past, so will the
school leaving Board or University graduation
final examinations. Assessments and feedback
will become a continuous on-going process.
5. The mobile is the device for access to
learning. First you learn to use the mobile. Then
you use the mobile to learn. Most mobile devices
are now equipped with AI powered chips. The
future of learning is therefore in your hands.
UNESCO has been organising a Mobile
learning week every year from the year 2012.
Mobile Learning Week is the United Nations’s
flagship ICT in education conference. Held
annually at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, the
The recent
advances
in Artificial
Intelligence
and Machine
Learning have
an important
bearing on
how we teach
humans. We are
now in a position
to move from the
art of teaching
to the science
of learning. And
achieve the goal
of education
for all, and the
democratisation
of education.
THE PROGRESSIVE TEACHER
9

Anthony Seldon
says, “There is no
more important
issue facing
education, or
humanity at
large, than the
fast approaching
revolution
in Artificial
Intelligence or
AI. This book is a
call to educators
everywhere to
open their eyes to
what is coming.
If we do so, then
the future will
be shaped by us
in the interests
of humanity as a
whole.”
event convenes experts
from around the world
to share how affordable
and powerful mobile
technology – from basic
handsets to the newest
tablet computers – can
so accelerate learning for
all, particularly people
living in disadvantaged
communities. Each
year the event has a
specific theme to focus
discussions.
Holistically the
event seeks to advance
understandings of how
technology can be
leveraged by UNESCO
Member States and others to improve education.
Here is the list of events held:
• 2019: Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its
implications for sustainable development
• 2018: Skills for a connected world
• 2017: Education in emergencies and crises
• 2016: Innovating for quality
• 2015: Leveraging Technology to empower
women and girls
• 2014: Teachers
• 2013: Mobile Learning and EFA Goals
• 2011: December: Using mobile Technologies
to transform educational process and
outcomes
UNESCO Mobile Learning Week 2020, the
flagship ICT in education conference, will be held
from March 2-6,2020 at UNESCO Headquarters
in Paris.
6. Learning will be a lifelong pursuit,
with three broad stages, of which the first is prenatal,
neo-natal and pre-school learning. The
New Education Policy 2019 has acknowledged
that 85% of the child’s cognitive development
happens by the age of 6 years.
7. Stages of learning: The stage of School,
College and University is the period during which
a learner must acquire the skills and competence
of learning how to learn and become an
autonomous learner. The importance of learning
how to learn has been acknowledged in the new
education policy 2019 in the 3rd paragraph in the
beginning and also at para 4.5 while dealing with
school education.
8. Learn, unlearn and re-learn: For the
rest of a person’s life, a person would be pursuing
lifelong learning to continually learn, unlearn
and re-learn to achieve his human as well as
academic potential. Blockchains will be used for
academic credentials. Growth and widespread
recognition of micro-credentials such as badges.
There is already a pilot experiment with a
Blockchain University and an MIT supported
Blockchain credentials system in edublocks.
9. Inculcate love for learning: In an
unknown and uncertain future, instead of
trying to find what we should teach during
School, College or University, we should develop
youth who love learning and having decided to
learn something are capable of learning it well
(mastery learning). This is achieved by building
learning power (Kku mQtkZ vtZu).
10. Meet Ups in co-learning spaces:
While much of the learning will be ‘anytime
anywhere,’ occasional in person meetings would
be organised at “co-learning spaces” to support
in person peer and social learning.
The present didactic model of the ‘sage
on the stage’ does not encourage live learning
interactions between the learners in the
classroom. This is OK when only the teacher is
informed and knowledgeable and all the learners
are ignorant, of the topic being dealt with during
the lecture hour.
But in lifelong learning, the learners are
also informed and aware of what they want to
learn. The dynamics in such a situation changes
fundamentally, allowing for huge benefits from
social peer learning.
If there are n students in a cohort, and the
teacher is essentially in a single student teaching
mode, then the quality of learner engagement
reduces with increasing n as 1/n. That is why
in good institutions, there is an attempt to have
a small teacher to student ratio, in the range
of 1/10 to 1/20. If however the teacher is in a
broadcast mode, like a text-book or a video, then
the effectiveness is independent of the value of n.
But if the pedagogy is designed to encourage
interactions between the learners, as happens
in the digital environment, then the number of
student interactions becomes n(n-1)/2 in pairs, or
proportional to n squared. There may be smaller
clusters with more than 2 students. Very soon,
there is an overwhelming contribution to the
discussions and construction of knowledge,
leading to a better and richer experience.
10 THE PROGRESSIVE TEACHER www.progressiveteacher.in

OPINION
can AI really transform
education in India?
Teachers are nation builders. In India, the relationship between a teacher and pupil was
always sacrosanct. Teachers are meant to teach yet increasingly they spend time doing
routine work that can be done by AI.
by Kiran Dham I
CEO – Globus Infocom
In India, a foreign degree is often considered more prestigious than
an Indian one. The children of the country’s elite always pursue
higher education overseas. The reason for this is education abroad is
better. It’s harder to get admission to prestigious Indian colleges than
overseas ones but that’s because competition in India is fierce.
Problems faced by education sector
Education in the top tier colleges and best public schools is outstanding
but the majority of colleges and schools produce mediocre graduates and
students. For education in India to be more impactful, changes have to be
made in student’s formative years. This is a hard proposition. There is a
shortage of teachers in India. The best teachers teach in prestigious public
schools located in the largest cities. Rural students and those in small
towns and cities aren’t taught by the best teacher. Teachers themselves
may be quite good but they cannot give students personal attention. In a
single class, there may be more than 45 to 50 students, making teaching
each student difficult.
A possible solution
Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to give an impetus to
education in India. It can be used to give personalised attention to students.
Kiran Dham is CEO at Globus Infocomm. Globus
Infocom has a key focus on providing
highly advanced, cost-effective & reliable
technological solutions to Education
Technology, Digital Signage & Display and,
Security & Surveillance. It’s one of those Make
in India brands which have their own highly
equipped manufacturing facility. With the
widest range of product offerings designed to
cater to 21stcentury requirements, they have
got the complete range of products registered
on GeM (Government e-Market).
12 THE PROGRESSIVE TEACHER www.progressiveteacher.in

Teachers overburdened by tending to too many
students have a friend in AI. AI cannot entirely
replace teachers. It’s nowhere close to doing
so, but it can lessen teachers’ burden.
Digital devices like tablets and laptops can
run AI-powered modules that teach students.
Such modules are instructive, easy to use,
and fun. Being powered by AI, they can spot
students’ strengths and weaknesses and
share them with educators. Educators needn’t
spend time trying to understand students’
weaknesses; AI-powered software can capture
this accurately. Once students’ weaknesses
are understood, educators can improve them.
The insight generated by AI about students
reveal aptitudes. When educators understand
students’ aptitude early, they can recommend
them for enrolment in courses that leverage
their strengths. AI can evaluate the strengths
and weaknesses of students at an early age. It
can accurately judge what jobs students have
an aptitude for. AIs use will end students herd
mentality by warning them from enrolling in
courses they are likely to detest. When millions
of students are evaluated by AI it will lead to
better utilization of human capital.
AI won’t become a big brother. It will
reveal to students and educators the former’s
strengths but the decision to follow on its
recommendations will lie with students.
www.progressiveteacher.in
Routine tasks could
be eliminated
Teachers are nation builders. In India,
the relationship between a teacher and pupil
was always sacrosanct. Teachers are meant to
teach yet increasingly they spend time doing
routine work that can be done by AI. Grading
papers is tedious and unproductive. An AI can
grade papers as well or better than teachers.
When it is used to grade papers, teachers will be
unburdened. They will have more time on their
hands to teach.
AI is so advanced that it can grade papers
written on paper using ink. This makes the job of
educators easier. Another advantage of using AI
is it displays the results of graded papers in easy
to understand data points that capture students’
strengths and weaknesses. Over months and
years, data points build a cohesive profile of
every student which can be used to work on
their weaknesses. They also serve as an accurate
predictive tool sharing with students how much
they need to study to gain admission in a course.
The education sector in India works for a tiny
minority at the expense of the majority. The elite
learn in the best schools from the best while the
remainder must share a smaller pool of teachers.
AI is not a panacea for the nations’ education
woes but certainly can make education more
productive and fun.
Artificial
intelligence
(AI) has the
potential to give
an impetus to
education in
India. It can be
used to give
personalised
attention
to students.
Teachers
overburdened by
tending to too
many students
have a friend
in AI. AI cannot
entirely replace
teachers. It’s
nowhere close
to doing so, but
it can lessen
teachers’ burden.
THE PROGRESSIVE TEACHER
13

OPINION
No matter how
well a machine
can learn using AI,
insight learning,
something called
‘the aha’ moment,
by Kohler will
never be a part of
a machine.
Can AI
really replace
teachers?
Humans are social beings; sitting alone learning
from a machine that doesn’t share even a fraction of
your emotional quotient can prove fruitful for plenty
of people, but you cannot deny that, there is an
experience you will be missing out on. Only teachers
and students together can add life to this beautiful
process of learning by doing.
by Sonali Batra
Artificial intelligence can be beyond helpful in a classroom setting.
AI can offer customized teaching plans as per the needs of the
students or can tirelessly repeat a concept for a student, but
elements of a teacher-student relationship, like empathy, value
building and building a relationship, do not fall within the expertise of a
machine.
The evolution of such concepts can be upsetting to those who find this
relationship sacred. We cannot deny that in the new age, the Guru-Shishya
Parampara has lost its meaning. The relationship is hardly valued, it has
become strictly professional business.
A strong argument of this proposition is that, fostering the zeal to learn,
motivating students, inspiring them, generating curiosity are essentials
that machines can never accomplish.
In this age of technology, the concept of a school is more than
contextual teaching. This can be defended by the concept of travelling
or exchange programs. Every bit of information about every small town
Sonali Batra is a teacher at Amity International
School,PushpVihar with 10 years of experience.
She has been working closely with students
from classes VI to XII on numerous state and
national level projects.
14 THE PROGRESSIVE TEACHER www.progressiveteacher.in

Image courtesy: Gartner Names Alegion As A Data Annotation Vendor In 2019 Hype Cycle, Presented by Alegion
is available to us online, yet going there and
physically interacting with people around
us is a different experience. Hence, going to
school, sitting in a classroom, participating
in organizing school events, participating in
school activities enforces a different learning
and discipline.
The concepts AI will use to teach students
will be based on the existing research on the
stages of cognitive development. However, as
is the consensus of scientists all over the world
that existing psychological theories on several
concepts, like development itself, cannot be
completely verified and obviously have well
defined niches for exceptions. All psychological
research about teaching, reception of students,
cognitive capacities and how a person learns or
understands anything, has been possible only
following an observation. No matter how well
a machine can learn using AI, insight learning,
something called ‘the aha’ moment, by Kohler
will never be a part of a machine.
In order to understand students or the
problems they face while understanding
a concept, or even learning how to crack
subjective exams in today’s date can best be
explained by someone who has “experienced”
the same or as we say “learnt from their
mistakes.”
The question remains: Will AI take
lessons beyond the classroom or bother to focus
on the little things that are quintessential to life
outside school, but are never listed on Google
or even in textbooks.
www.progressiveteacher.in
Teachers today can incorporate the
following techniques to beat AI at its own
game:
• Focusing individually on students and
identifying their unique learning needs.
• Having open feedback sessions with
students.
• Tracking students’ performance regularly.
• Providing constructive feedback without
hurting motivation to improve.
• Making the classroom fun!
• Taking lessons beyond tips on writing
answers and marking assignments.
• Guiding students on unspoken challenges
of life .
• Building a relationship with the students.
Humans are social beings; sitting alone
learning from a machine that doesn’t share
even a fraction of your emotional quotient
can prove fruitful for plenty of people, but you
cannot deny that, there is an experience you
will be missing out on. Only teachers and
students together can add life to this beautiful
process of learning by doing.
The bottom line is that if a student has
to chose between a highly experienced, nonjudgmental
human teacher and a machine
which isn’t encultured to the concept of
positive reinforcements, sensing discomfort,
manipulation of tone to sound convincing
and several other basics to a good teachinglearning
experience, the student won’t think
twice before choosing comfort over practicality,
as is proven by psychologist Harlow.
The concepts AI
will use to teach
students will be
based on the
existing research
on the stages
of cognitive
development.
However, as is
the consensus
of scientists all
over the world
that existing
psychological
theories on
several concepts,
like development
itself, cannot
be completely
verified and
obviously have
well defined
niches for
exceptions.
THE PROGRESSIVE TEACHER
15

LEARNING TECHNIQUE
Gamification:
A Gen-X approach
towards learning
“The designers of many good games have hit on profoundly good methods
of getting people to learn and to enjoy learning.” -James Paul Gee
by Taruna Mongia
Taruna Mongia (M.Sc.(Computer Sc.), M.Com,
B.Ed., A’Level and O’Level from DOEACC, ITI
Diploma in Computers), has a continuous career
of 22 years as an Educator. Her experience
includes working as PGT (Comp. Sc.) with
Indraprastha International school, Dwarka
(current job) and is backed by experience
of working with schools like St. Mark’s, Rich
Harvest, DTEA, Army Public School.
She is a recipient of National ICT Award for
Teachers by MHRD; National Teacher Award
2018 by Center for Education Development
CED, India; Global Teacher Award 2018 by
AKS Foundation; and Teaching Excellence
Award 2018 by myCbseguide.com. She also
got an Award for Pramerica community service
award 2017 and 2018 for her project Surakshit
Beti, Prashikshit Beti. She also won award for
Innovative idea of learning at Dell Policy Hack
For Teachers 2019 and won Silver Medal for
School as Head Teacher for Teach a Man to
Fish: British Council Project.
She is recognized as Microsoft Innovative
Expert Educator and Microsoft Master Trainer
from last 5 years.
Technology in education has been a hot topic of discussion among
school leaders. The major challenge is to use technology in a way
that makes learning engaging and interactive. There is a need to
design the correct blend of technology that helps students develop
IT skills, moral values, and 21st century skills.
Gamification is an innovative idea to develop game-based aids for teaching
and learning. These aids can be used for classroom teaching to enhance
teacher-student collaboration.
Towards futuristic classrooms
G.A.M.E. is the new acronym for “Go Ahead for Meaningful Education.”
Learning becomes collaborative, fun, and more effective when learners play
an active role in designing and developing the teaching-learning process. The
flip classroom model with gamification may bring in a change to our education
system and help us develop future-ready minds. Gamification has a positive
impact on assessment too. Gamification of assessment increases problemsolving
skills and creates an environment of creativity and enthusiasm.
Technology for 21st century students!
What could satisfy school leaders more than to equip our students
with the skills they need to be successful in the 21st century workplace?
We should build these skills into the curriculum and use technology to
develop these skills.
Our school’s motto is ‘Teach each child, Develop the whole child.’
We design our curriculum and activities to deliver a holistic development
of each student with the right use of technology, development of moral
values and 21st century skills. I have experimented gamification in my
classroom and received incredible learning outcomes. I have used many
gaming and online tools to design teaching aids not only for my subject
but for other subjects as well.
We selected three sample lessons of two different subjects each to
experiment with the ‘Gamification with flip classroom methodology through
Skype’. Class IX students were trained on using different gaming software,
that they taught class VI students. Students made teaching aids, quizzes,
and games that teachers used for classroom teaching and assessment.
Class VII and Class X students were selected for the project
demonstration. I have trained Class X students on gaming software Scratch
and MIT app Inventor, during their club and enrichment classes and Class
VII on Alice. Classes VI-X students were supposed to be taught “Moral
values” by Life skill teachers with the teaching aid prepared by Class X
students in Green foot and Scratch gaming software. Then Class X students
taught classes VII and VIII students, Scratch and MIT app Inventor and another
16 THE PROGRESSIVE TEACHER www.progressiveteacher.in

gaming tools. After learning the new software,
Class VII-VIII students had performed an activity
and made the ‘Story with a Moral value’ using
Scratch and developed many Mobile apps for
social cause. Class IX students made a quiz in
Alice and life skill teacher assessed the work of
Class VI-VIII students. To recreate the magic of
peer learning, Class VIII students became peer
teachers for class VI and taught Scratch and MIT
app Inventor during their club activity and Life
skill periods.
The Gamify teacher persona knows how to
“spice things up” in the classroom to engage
students. The teacher believes that learning can
be fun, and uses simulations, animations, and
more to pique student interest. It also helped
www.progressiveteacher.in
fellow teachers to make classroom teaching
more interactive and build a school culture that
offers a vision of innovation and enables teacher
collaboration.
Challenges faced
Gamification Vs traditional ICT based
tools: The biggest challenge was providing a
better alternative than traditional ICT based tools
like, charts and presentations. Online tutorials
and videos had to be replaced. ‘Gamification’
enabled high quality visuals and assessments
that enabled students to understand the topic
correctly.
Gamification for theoretical subjects:
Another hurdle for gamification was creating
alternatives for explaining theoretical concepts
like Harrapan civilization, cyber security or the
Nationalist movements, inclined machines from
different subject aspects.
Gamification for inculcating life skills
and moral values: As per new curriculum
policy, value education must be an integral
part of our classroom teaching and it should be
embedded with all scholastic subjects. Use of
games in the form of moral stories, score-based
games, where concept of metallic and nonmetallic
objects with ‘Swachh Abhiyan’ were
some of the perfect examples.
Time constraints: The process of creating
the game was very time consuming. Creating
assessment games for all subjects required time
and it was a difficult task to include it in the
regular curriculum. To solve this, students were
taught all the games during the enrichment
period. Flip classroom was the best alternative
to make the learning passes to next generation.
Enrichment of teachers
Teachers will be the best ambassador to
take the technology into their classroom and
enrich the learning process. Despite of their busy
Learning
becomes
collaborative,
fun, and more
effective when
learners play an
active role in
designing and
developing the
teaching-learning
process. The flip
classroom model
with gamification
may bring in a
change to our
education system
and help us
develop futureready
minds.
THE PROGRESSIVE TEACHER
17

Today’s learner is
a tech-savvy. To
fulfill his need,
teachers should
use technology
intelligently in
their classrooms,
so that learning
outcomes must
lead to overall
development
of the learner.
‘Gamification’ is
one of the best
alternatives for
this.
schedules and commitments, they were trained
through video tutorials. Hence, the labor work
required equaled to ZERO.
All video tutorials were shared on social
media to make learning continuous 24X7 for
students as well as for teachers.
Outcomes
Use of ‘gamification’ has given lifelong
impact and learning will be permanent. Teachers
were able to reach out to each and every student
in one-go. A new way of lesson presentation
was experimented and each and every learner
was given a chance to express his/her creativity.
Students were able to learn new software,
which would help them to apply the same for
every subject. Use of ICT tools for collaboration
like Skype and social networking enhances the
impact of the project.
To take the Peer Teaching beyond the
boundaries, my class IX students taught Kodu
And Minecraft to Students of DLF Public School,
Ghaziabad; The Titan School, Hasur; Tamil
Nadu and Choithram School, Indore, on Skype.
We have made learning Video Tutorials on
various gaming tools and shared the link with all
teachers, students and partner schools in India
and abroad and also uploaded on my YouTube
channel. Teachers are now making their own
teaching aids by using them. On one of the
Microsoft webinars ‘Summer Pathshala’ video
tutorial on Kodu was appreciated and Microsoft
referred it as a learning tool for other educators.
I have made a Video lesson on “Green Jobs”
and shared with all my international partner
schools under Microsoft project. The other social
media tools like QR code, Online Forms, Padlet,
OneNote and WhatsApp were also used for
collaboration.
Successful demonstration of Lesson on
“simple machines” using peer teaching and
gamification was appreciated by my fellow
teachers. Students of class VI enjoyed all
activities and learned the concepts in easy way
whereas Class IX students feel enthusiastic and
collaborate to demonstrate the lesson to other
school students.
Community Outreach
“The illiterate of 21st Century will not be
those Who cannot Read and Write, but those
who cannot Learn, Unlearn and Relearn.” - Alvin
Toffler
The dream project of our Honorable Prime
Minister “Digital India” inspired me, I have
extended my mission and started working for
community outreach and initiated the second
phase as “Surakshit Beti – Prashikshit Beti” with
“e-Shiksha: a Digital Pryaas”, learning through
technology for community outreach. I have
extended my literacy program for underprivileged
students, supporting staff and senior citizens.
with my daughter and students. This project
is to spread awareness about enhancement of
ICT skills. To add the technological aspects to
my mission, we have developed various mobile
apps and games , and shared it on social media.
Previously my literacy mission included the
basic concepts of Mathematics and Language
for underprivileged and helping staff. Now
in addition of that I have included Basics of
Computers, Internet, Uses of emails, Mobile
Apps, Social Networking, Cyber Ethics etc. to
make them technology savvy.
I have extended concept of Gamification
with underprivileged students. Spending time
with them and teaching little kids of class 2 and
3 from nearby MCD school is a joyful journey
18 THE PROGRESSIVE TEACHER www.progressiveteacher.in

for me. I have designed
a Game to promote
“Swachhta Abhiyan” in
scratch and Greenfoot and
used as an assessment
tool. To spread the
message of “Clean India”
incorporated with concept
of science, I have been
using a game to teach the
concept of metallic and
non- metallic garbage to
class 1 and 2 students
during my educational
enrichment programme
in nearby MCD School. It
is a fun learning exercise,
where students clean the
area given and get points
if they select the non-metallic garbage to put in
an appropriate bin. They enjoyed the game. It
gave a new meaning to the learning.
This experiment was a success story. After
this I have tried Flip classroom with peer teaching
in many of the lessons and suggested and helped
other subject teachers for the same. Use of social
media, gives a new dimension to grasp a new
concept.
Impact of Gamification
‘An impact of a visual aid is more than
hundred words, on learning’, in extension to
this quote ‘Visual game gives 200% impact on
learning than a simple visual aid.’
Today’s learner is a tech-savvy. To fulfill
his need, teachers should use technology
intelligently in their classrooms, so that learning
outcomes must lead to overall development
of the learner. ‘Gamification’ is one of the
best alternatives for this. Using game-based
teaching material gives positive results for both
learners and teachers. It enables the teacher to
inculcate and enhance almost all 21st century
skills and help to make future ready, global
citizens.
We cannot avoid the use of technological
gadgets that are used by the GEN-X child, so
it is a wise decision to channelize their aspect
of using gadgets for their own development.
It is a culmination of collaborative, creative
skills and leadership skills among senior
students. Thinking, problem solving, creative
and communication skills among junior
students with the team spirit.
Using gamebased
teaching
material
gives positive
results for
both learners
and teachers.
It enables
the teacher
to inculcate
and enhance
almost all
21st century
skills and
help to
make future
ready, global
citizens.
www.progressiveteacher.in
THE PROGRESSIVE TEACHER
19

lms
Moodle Learning
Management System
for better learning
In present era, technology has become an indispensable thing in every field. In such
circumstances, the field of education cannot be alien to technology and it should not.
With the positive and purposeful use of technology, a revolutionary change can be
brought in education. It not only removes the monotonousness but also satisfies the
curiosity of the young learners. It helps them a lot in being tune with time.
Dr Bharti Swami
Dr. Bharti Swami is Principal at Vidhyashram
Public School, Jodhpur, Rajasthan.
Why opt of Moodle LMS?
Our school has set an aim to equip the students to face the challenges in
future. We believe in introducing the students and the teachers with latest skill.
Our school decided to implement Moodle LMS to make the students ahead
in the race. It really becomes very easy for the students to understand difficult
topics. This helps in addressing the challenges of slow learners and satisfies
the additional queries of extra ordinary students. A responsible educational
institution must take care of imparting education to all the students (of all
levels) and LMS helps a lot in this.
Moodle is a free and open-source software learning management system
written in PHP and distributed under the GNU General Public License.
Developed on pedagogical principles, Moodle is used for blended learning,
distance education, flipped classroom and other e-learning projects in schools,
universities, workplaces and other sectors.
Moodle as a learning platform can enhance existing learning environments.
As an E-learning tool, Moodle has a wide range of standard and innovative
features such as calendar and Grade book. Moodle is a leading virtual
learning environment and can be used in many types of environments such
as education, training and development and in business settings.
Definition and background
Moodle is an active and evolving work in progress. Development was
started by Martin Dougiamas who continues to lead the project.
A number of early prototypes were produced and discarded before he
released version 1.0 upon a largely unsuspecting world on August 20, 2002.
This version was targeted towards smaller, more intimate classes at University
level, and was the subject of research case studies that closely analysed the
nature of collaboration and reflection that occurred among these small groups
of adult participants.
Since then there has been steady series of new releases adding new
features, better scalability and improved performance.
As Moodle has spread and the community has grown, more input is being
drawn from a wider variety of people in different teaching situations. For
example, Moodle is now used not only in Universities, but in high schools,
primary schools, non-profit organisations, private companies, by independent
20 THE PROGRESSIVE TEACHER www.progressiveteacher.in

teachers and even homeschooling parents. A
growing number of people from around the world
are contributing to Moodle in different ways.
An important feature of the Moodle project
is moodle.org, which provides a central point for
information, discussion and collaboration among
Moodle users, who include system administrators,
teachers, researchers, instructional designers
and of course, developers. Like Moodle, this
site is always evolving to suit the needs of the
community, and like Moodle it will always be
free.
In 2003, the company moodle.com was
launched to provide additional commercial
support for those who need it, as well as managed
hosting, consulting and other services. This has
now expanded in the Moodle Partner network of
over 40 companies world-wide.
General features of Moodle LMS
1. Modern, easy to use interface: Designed
to be responsive and accessible, the Moodle
interface is easy to navigate on both desktop
and mobile devices.
2. Personalized dashboard: Organize and
display courses the way you want, and view
at a glance current tasks and messages.
3. Collaborative tools and activities:
Work and learn together in forums, wikis,
glossaries, database activities, and much
more.
4. All-in-one calendar: Moodle’s calendar
tool helps you keep track of your academic or
company calendar, course deadlines, group
meetings, and other personal events.
5. Convenient file management: Drag
www.progressiveteacher.in
and drop files from cloud storage services
including MS One Drive, Drop box and
Google Drive.
6. Simple and intuitive text editor: Format
text and conveniently add media and images
with an editor that works across all web
browsers and devices.
7. Notifications: When enabled, users can
receive automatic alerts on new assignments
and deadlines, forum posts and also send
private messages to one another.
8. Track progress: Educators and learners can
track progress and completion with an array
of options for tracking individual activities or
resources and at course level.
Administrative features of the
system
1. Customizable site design and layout:
Easily customize a Moodle theme with your
logo, colour schemes and much more - or
simply design your own theme.
2. Secure authentication and mass
enrolment: Over 50 authentication and
enrolment options to add and enroll users to
your Moodle site and courses.
3. Multilingual capability: Allows users to
view course content and learn in their own
language, or set it up for multilingual users
and organizations.
4. Bulk course creation and easy backup:
Add courses in bulk, backup and restore large
courses with ease.
5. Manage user roles and permissions:
Address security concerns by defining roles
to specify and manage user access.
Moodle is free
and open-source
software learning
management
system written
in PHP and
distributed under
the GNU General
Public License.
Developed on
pedagogical
principles,
Moodle is used
for blended
learning, distance
education,
flipped classroom
and other
e-learning
projects
in schools,
universities,
workplaces and
other sectors.
THE PROGRESSIVE TEACHER
21

Moodle is now
used not only in
Universities, but
in high schools,
primary schools,
non-profit
organisations,
private
companies, by
independent
teachers
and even
homeschooling
parents. A
growing number
of people from
around the world
are contributing
to Moodle in
different ways.
6. Supports open standards: Readily import
and export IMS-LTI, SCORM courses and
more into Moodle.
7. High interoperability: Freely integrate
external applications and content or create
your own plug-in for custom integrations.
8. Simple plug-in management: Install
and disable plugins within a single admin
interface.
9. Regular security updates: Moodle is
regularly updated with the latest security
patches to help ensure your Moodle site is
secure.
10. Detailed reporting and logs: View and
generate reports on activity and participation
at course and site level.
Kind of content that can be
embedded in Moodle
In Moodle, we can embed certain activities
and resources, explained further below
Moodle activities
An activity is a general name for a group of
features in a Moodle course. Usually an activity
is something that a student will do that interacts
with other students and or the teacher.
In Moodle terminology, an Activity, such as
Forums or Quizzes, properly means something
students can contribute to directly, and is often
contrasted to a Resource such as a File or Page,
which is presented by the teacher to them.
However, the term activity is sometimes for
convenience also used to refer to both Activities
and Resources as a group.
There are 14 different types of activities in
the standard Moodle that can be found when the
editing is turned on and the link ‘Add an activity
or resource’ is clicked.
• Assignments: Enable teachers to grade
and give comments on uploaded files and
assignments created on and off line.
• Chat: Allows participants to have a real-time
synchronous discussion.
• Choice: A teacher asks a question and gives
a choice of multiple responses.
• Database: Enables participants to create,
maintain and search a bank of record entries.
• Feedback: For creating and conducting
surveys to collect feedback.
• Forum: Allows participants to have
asynchronous discussions.
• Glossary: Enables participants to create and
maintain a list of definitions, like a dictionary.
• Lesson: For delivering content in flexible
ways.
• (LTI) External tool: Allows participants
to interact with LTI compliant learning
resources and activities on other web
sites. (These must first be set up by an
administrator on the site before being
available in individual courses.)
• Quiz: Allows the teacher to design and
set quiz tests, which may be automatically
marked and feedback and/or to correct
answers shown.
• SCORM: Enables SCORM packages to be
included as course content.
• Survey: For gathering data from students
to help teachers learn about their class and
reflect on their own teaching.
• Wiki: A collection of web pages that anyone
can add to or edit.
• Workshop: Enables peer assessment.
22 THE PROGRESSIVE TEACHER www.progressiveteacher.in

Certainly,
students will
benefit by this
system. It will
be very easy for
them to use it at
home. It will help
the slow learners
as well as active
learners. With the
use of Moodle
LMS, it will be
very easy to
conduct flipped
classroom. The
students will
be given the
content to read
at home and
prepare for the
next day’s class.
Some topics for
group discussions
can be given to
them so that they
can prepare at
home for class
discussion.
Moodle resources
A resource is an item that a teacher can
use to support learning, such as a file or link.
Moodle supports a range of resource types which
teachers can add to their courses. In edit mode, a
teacher can add resources via the ‘Add an activity
or resource’ link. Resources appear as a single
link with an icon in front of it that represents
the type of resource. Administrators can decide
whether or not to ask teachers to add descriptions
for each resource by enabling or disabling a
site-wide setting in Administration > Plugins >
Activity modules > Common settings.
• Book - Multi-page resources with a book-like
format. Teachers can export their Books as
IMS CP (admin must allow teacher role to
export IMS).
• File - A picture, a pdf document, a
spreadsheet, a sound file, a video file.
• Folder - For helping organize files and one
folder may contain other folders.
• IMS content package - Add static material
from other sources in the standard IMS
content package format.
• Label - Can be a few displayed words or
an image used to separate resources and
activities in a topic section, or can be a
lengthy description or instructions.
• Page - The student sees a single, scrollable
screen that a teacher creates with the robust
HTML editor.
• URL - You can send the student to any place
they can reach on their web browser, for
example Wikipedia.
Moodle for schools:
Moodle for schools is perfect for multiple
classes in K-12 teaching and learning
environments, In addition to the hundreds
of standard features in Moodle, the Moodle
for School package comes complete with
additional plugins and tools for engaging, fun and
interactive learning. Some of the features of are:
1. Attendance: Create a to-do list and watch
as students complete each task.
2. BigBlueButton: Collaborate with others in
live, online sessions.
3. Checklist: Create a to-do list and watch as
students complete each task.
4. Chemistry Editor: Help your students get
ahead of their chemistry classes.
5. Group Choice: Excellent for group
assignments, activities or discussions.
6. Level Up: Engage students with a gamified
learning experience.
7. Quiz venture: Say goodbye to long, tedious
multi-choice quizzes!
8. Word count: Display the word count to help
students stay inside the word limit.
9. Custom certificates:Build your own
certificates to reward students in your
courses.
The journey
From 1st April 2017,our school had started
implementing Moodle learning management
system under following phases:
Phase I (Academic Year 2017-18)
1. MOODLE is installed in a dedicated server
and all computers in school are connected
to Moodle Server through LAN.
2. Course categories has been created for all
classes and sections from KG-Grade 12.
3. Courses of all scholastic and co-scholastic
subjects are created in LMS.
4. CBSE curriculum for classes 9-12 and
NCERT curriculum for classes 1-8 has been
embedded in respective courses.
5. NCERT and CBSE book chapters of all classes
and all subjects are embedded in respective
courses.
6. Teachers and LMS administrators are trained
through Learn Moodle MOOC offered by
Learn Moodle twice a year and following
courses offered by Udemy:
i. Moodle Administration Tutorial: Beginner,
Intermediate Guide
ii. Moodle Administration Tutorial:
ADVANCED COURSE
iii. Moodle 3.x Master class: Complete
Educator’s Guide to Moodle
iv. Moodle Tutorial: EXPERT LEVEL
Educator Course
v. Instructional design for E-Learning
7. Teachers are enrolled as subject teachers
through their official email IDs (using Google
for Education program).
8. Teachers are enrolled in their allotted
scholastic and co-scholastic courses.
9. Created courses are accessible in classrooms
on Smart Boards and School Computers.
10. Content Management System platforms
such as Teach Next and Extra Marks are also
accessed offline using Moodle Server.
11. Open Sources Learning Content such as
Khan Academy Videos are embedded in
respective courses on request of subject
teachers.
Phase II (Academic Year 2018-19)
1. Students will be enrolled in their registered
scholastic and co-scholastic courses through
their official email IDs (using Google for
Education program).
2. Moodle courses will be offered online so that
students and teachers can access these after
school hours.
3. Teachers will embed Assignment and
Activities which students can access and
complete after school at their convenience.
4. School will start using additional features of
Moodle for Schools.
24 THE PROGRESSIVE TEACHER www.progressiveteacher.in

Challenges faced
Whenever we start a new venture, challenges
are always there. Our school also faced many
challenges. The first problem was of internet
connection. Some IT professionals were recruited
and one IT Cell was established for the smooth
conduction of this system. The school has
broadband internet connection for the deft
services.
Infrastructure was again a challenge before
the management for the implementation of
this process. The work for this was done from
the grass root level. All the equipments and
systems were installed to meet almost all the
requirements.
The most crucial challenge was to prepare
the teachers to accept the new system. It
generally happens that people assume the
change as a hindrance in their way. When a
person works in a set pattern for some time,
he/she becomes accustomed to work in that
particular pattern only. He/she does not have any
willingness to come out of that comfort zone. The
same thing was faced here. When the teachers
were told about the benefits of the new system,
they understood the value and usefulness of it
for both (themselves and the students). For this,
a proper training was given to the teachers by
well known experts of this field. The training
was given in many rounds. The trainers came
up to the teachers’ level and trained them. After
the training, teachers readily accepted the new
system and started the implementation.
Impact
Certainly, students will be benefitted by this
system. It will be very easy for them to use it at
home. It will help the slow learners as well as
active learners. With the use of Moodle LMS, it
will be very easy to conduct flipped classroom.
The students will be given the content to read
at home and prepare for the next day’s class.
Sometimes it becomes difficult for the students
to understand the content and give the answer
then and there in the class. They can be given the
content to read at home. In this way it becomes
easy for them to give answers from the given
content. Some topics for group discussions can be
given to them so that they can prepare at home
for class discussion.
By using this, slow learners will start taking
interest in their lessons and to the active learners
it will serve as an effective tool to hone their
innate wisdom. It is sure and certain that the
blend of traditional learning along with the
modern technology will bring good result. It
may prove to be a revolutionary step in the field
of learning. Some areas where the students
have felt themselves inconvenient will be
well addressed by this. The teachers, who are
innovative, will certainly use it in positive way.
Moodle for
schools is perfect
for multiple
classes in
K-12 teaching
and learning
environments,
In addition to
the hundreds of
standard features
in Moodle, the
Moodle for
School package
comes complete
with additional
plugins and tools
for engaging, fun
and interactive
learning.
www.progressiveteacher.in
THE PROGRESSIVE TEACHER
25

EMPOWERING LEARNING
Technological
leadership in education
Technological support is vital in the age of artificial intelligence. A technology-driven
school provides a stimulating and enigmatic learning environment.
by Dr. D.K.Pandey
Technologyenabled
learning
allows learners
to tap resources
and expertise
anywhere in the
world, starting
with their own
communities.
With mobile
data collection
tools and online
collaboration
platforms,
students in a
remote geographic
area studying local
phenomena can
collaborate with
peers doing similar
work anywhere in
the world.
It requires agility, innovation, experimentation, decisiveness, commitment
to bring change. The implementation of change results in an evolving
and successful education system. The blueprint of a powerful reform in
an education system weaves its roots from a systematic and progressive
transformation across seven critical domains in education. The seven
parameters of education,in my opinion, include the school environment and
culture; curriculum and content; learning and assessment; human resources;
finance; operations and law. The need for leading an organization to such
changes include technology as a as a binding force. Technological support is
vital in the age of artificial intelligence. A technology-driven school provides
a stimulating and enigmatic learning environment.
Objectives
The goal of education for all learners is to indulge in engaging and
empowering learning experiences. This makes them active, creative,
knowledgeable and ethical participants in our globally connected society.
To be successful in daily lives and in a global workforce, our students need
pathways to acquire expertise and form meaningful connections with peers
and mentors. Technology is a powerful tool to reimagine learning experiences.
Technology-enabled learning allows learners to tap resources and expertise
anywhere in the world, starting with their own communities. With mobile
data collection tools and online collaboration platforms, students in a remote
geographic area studying local phenomena can collaborate with peers doing
similar work anywhere in the world. A school with connectivity but without
robust science facilities can give students virtual chemistry, biology, anatomy,
and physics labs—offering students better learning experiences with limited
resource. Students engaged in creative writing, music, or media production
can publish their work to a broad global audience regardless of where they
go to school.
Instructional aids
Inactive learning activities, students are engaged in utilizing what they
have learned and can be cooperative or solitary. Some instructional tools for
active learning by use of ICT are a glimpse of the prominent role of technology
in educational leadership. Some ICT based instructional tools leading the
way are:
Massive Open Online
eLearning (MOOC) is a
recent and widely researched
development in distance
education. It was first introduced
in 2006 and emerged as a popular
26 THE PROGRESSIVE TEACHER www.progressiveteacher.in

mode of learning in 2012.MOOC is promoted
by platforms such as EDX, Coursera. It is an
online course aimed at unlimited participation
and open access via the web. In addition to
traditional course materials, such as filmed
lectures, readings, and problem sets, many
MOOCs provide interactive user forums to
support community interactions among students,
professors, and teaching assistants.
Voice Thread and Big
Blue Button (BBB) supports
multiple audio and video sharing
presentations with extended
whiteboard capabilities, such as
a pointer, zooming and drawing.
There are features like public and private chat,
desktop sharing, integrated VoIP, and support for
the presentation of PDF documents and Microsoft
Office documents.
Web Conferencing: A web conference,
also known as a webinar, facilitates each
participant to connect to the other participants
in real-time via the Internet. Most webinars also
include audio communication through audio
conferencing or voice over IP.This can also
include text chat, slide presentations, file sharing,
www.progressiveteacher.in
videos, and surveys; enhancing the learning
experience across classrooms.
Virtual field trips present a variety of content
for student learning in online environments.
Virtual field trips tend to be highly visual and offer
varying levels of interactivity. Many resources for
virtual field trips already exist online.Instructors
with basic audio-visual recordingequipment and
editing software can create virtual field trips,
providing an educational tour across the globe.
Quizlet is a free online study tool that
students may use to choose from a variety of
interactive study activities including flashcards,
matching activities, and other learning games.
Students can create their own study sets or use
existing sets that have been shared and can
even join a course Quizlet page if the instructor
has created one. Quizlet can be used within a
learning management system (LMS) or can be
shared with students via email or web URL,
giving learning a competitive edge over other
social media distractions.
Computer Supported Brainstorming:
Team members can contribute their ideas
through electronic means either synchronously
or asynchronously. Brainstorm, plan projects,
organize, debate and vote on best ideas with
The goal of
education
for learners is
to indulge in
engaging and
empowering
learning
experiences.
This prepares
them to be
active, creative,
knowledgeable
and ethical
participants
in our globally
connected
society. To be
successful in daily
lives and in a
global workforce,
our students
need pathways
to acquire
expertise and
form meaningful
connections
with peers
and mentors.
Technology is
a powerful tool
to reimagine
learning
experiences
THE PROGRESSIVE TEACHER
27

anyone on any desktop with a web browser or any mobile device.
Collaborate with people in the same room or around the world in
real-time. This can empower a global brainstorming session where
issues such as safety, sanitation and so on can be discussed from
perspectives of different states as well as continents.
Concluding threads…
The number of internet users in India reached 500 million in
2018, said a report by the Internet and Mobile Association of India
(IAMAI). This data
strongly indicate
the potential of
technology to lead
the way for new
breakthroughs
in the area of
education and
with a wide
range of benefits.
However, to realize
fully the benefits
of technology in
our education
system and provide
authentic learning experiences, educators need to use technology
effectively in their practice. For digital literacy, teachers and
students must walk shoulder to shoulder in the times to come.
Furthermore, education stakeholders should commit to working
together to use technology to improve education. We must be
aware of the fact that technology helps to the extent of increasing
efficiency yet, not to the extent of covering the common sense. The
best-programmed robots have failed to sense that water is wet or
mothers are older than their daughters. Strings can pull but not
push and time does not run backward. The future jobs will require
these common senses and they will be still relevant in human
society even after machines takeover.
Lastly, Mark Zuckerberg, co-founder of Facebook rightly states
that,“The biggest risk is not taking any risk… in a world that’s
changing really quickly, the only strategy that is guaranteed to
fail is not taking risks.” If we need to be a proud institution that
prepares global citizens for the new age world, we need to innovate
and weave technological advancements in education with the
traditional teaching methods to be a leader in education.
28 THE PROGRESSIVE TEACHER www.progressiveteacher.in

VIEWPOINT
Dreams have the
power to come true.
Essential is to make
children realize their
potential and enable
them to see dreams.
Parents must take
out time to discover,
analyse and support
their children’s
dreams.
Nurturing
the dreams
of children
All people in this world have dreams and attempt to be
constant in achievement of their goals or dreams. We as
social beings are affected by society, family and by each
other but children are mainly affected by their parents,
peer groups, school and teachers. Their personality gets
finally shaped up by their experiences they encounter
in their day to day life.
by Dr. Anupama Mishra
Dr. Anupama Mishra is Principal at Sunbeam
School Varuna, Varanasi.
Parents have a pivotal role in shaping a child’s personality, traits
and values since the child grows up observing their living style,
behavior, response to stress, conflicts, mutual relationships, values
etc. Without any extrinsic pressure, he starts imbibing these things
and automatically starts creating the image of his role model. Though the
parents need to be very alert and cautious in their behaviour, attitude and
values infront of the child, there should not be so much regimentation or
constraints on the child that he/she coils within himself/herself and does
not share anything with his parents.
Choosing a career: An important decision
For many children,the crucial time comes in a child’s life, when taking
decision regarding one’s career. This time the child seems perplexed being
inferred by the parents’ vision, teachers’ suggestions, fellow mates and
their own interests and ambition – a time when they need lot of guidance
and support. Parents must always remember that expecting their child
to become what they feel right is like nurturing their own dreams rather
than the child’s. Instead they should sit together with the child, discuss
all the pros and cons and discuss the future prospects in detail. After the
final decision, they all should be focused and together move ahead for the
journey as the child will not only need financial but emotional support as
well.
Role of parents in the child’s development
Dreams have the power to come true. It is essential to make children
realize their potential and enable them to see dreams. Parents must take
out time to discover, analyse and support their children’s dreams. They
should prepare the children for unforeseen situations and to face and
overcome the challenges of life.
Role of teachers in the child’s life
The role of a teacher in this modern era has also changed with the
evolution of technology. Since the vast reservoir of information and
30 THE PROGRESSIVE TEACHER www.progressiveteacher.in

knowledge is already available in technology
enabled solution, teacher is ‘one’ medium
not ‘the only one’ source of knowledge. It
is very essential for a teacher to be able to
read art of the minds of the students, be a
mentor, facilitator and a guide, understand
their abilities and interests and thus guide them
further. As a counselor, teacher must be aware
of the happenings and trends around and must
be able to guide and direct them to the right
direction. Teacher should analyse the dreams
of the students, discuss with his parents, give
emotional support and academic knowledge
to nourish their areas. He has to facilitate the
students by sharing them ways to explore,
discover and create knowledge.
Role of schools in the shaping of
personality
21st century child lives in a diverse and
globalized community and to face all the odds
of this competitive world, he must have a set
of requisite skills like thinking and rearranging
logically, problem solving collaboration, creativity
and also must be adept at information finding,
assessing evaluating and applying new contents.
Here comes the role of the schools to focus
on all round development of children through
extra-curricular activities like projects, debates,
workshops, sports, cultural activities which
would provide practical experiences to develop
life skills like empathy, effective communication,
critical thinking, creative thinking, decision
www.progressiveteacher.in
making, problem solving, self-awareness,
interpersonal relationship, coping with stress
and anxiety etc. Social community services,
lectures by eminent speakers, achievers from
different walks of life will certainly provide them
an insight. These would not only give an impetus
to the students’ dreams but also help them to set
their goals high. Schools ensure that children
maintain balance in academics and co-curricular
activities with right moral values as an integral
part of their personality.
In a nutshell…
What I mean to say that every segment
of this society does affect the dreams of the
children. Every child has a different dream, varied
capabilities, therefore special efforts must be
made from all the core partners to nurture his
dreams. Pablo Picasso said,“There is an artist
in each child and we have to explore his art to
make his talent most productive to the society
and to himself.”
Overall, we see that in this time of cut-throat
competition, it becomes the prime responsibility
of parents, teachers, schools, friends and
fellow mates and by large, this society that
children who are still growing up to be strong,
struggling to make out their way to the big
world ahead are given their due support.
Proper environment, encouragement and
motivation must be given to them so they are
able to dream BIG, fight for them and at the end
of their struggle are able to achieve it, leading
to a ‘Fuller’ life.
Schools should
focus on all round
development of
children through
extra-curricular
activities like
projects, debates,
workshops,
sports, cultural
activities which
would provide
practical
experiences to
develop life skills
like empathy,
effective
communication,
critical thinking,
creative thinking,
decision making,
problem solving,
self-awareness,
interpersonal
relationship,
coping with
stress and anxiety
etc.
THE PROGRESSIVE TEACHER
31

10 Smart time-management
tips for teachers
Teachers require excellent time management skills to balance their classroom goals,
educational needs of the students and huge paperwork that follows every assignment.
Here are 10 time-management tips for teachers:
by Varsha Verma
Smart organisation
Keep your desk free of clutter. Organise it to keep
items you are currently working on. Remove old
and outdated reference material and keep only that
material which you actually need.
set clear goals and
smartly prioritise your tasks
A teacher has to perform a number of tasks on day-to-day basis.
Clearly state all the tasks in hand and prioritise them. If you think,
there are a few tasks which are simply time-wasters, cut down on
those tasks. Arrange your workload on the basis of importance of
the tasks as well the resulting impact of the completed tasks.
plan your time smartly
Once your goals are set, plan your time wisely. Keep a diary
or a planner or use an app to jot down your plans. Once
your task is complete, tick it off the list; you will actually
get a sense of accomplishment when you spend your time
judiciously and feel more productive.
Smart lesson planning tips
Teachers spend a lot of time in lesson planning. It is a
good idea. However, you can take cues and help from free
lesson plans on the internet. Besides, you can also keep
printouts of the lesson plans already developed by you and
reuse them.
32 THE PROGRESSIVE TEACHER july/august 2019
www.progressiveteacher.in

Smart marking tips
Teachers spend a lot of time checking notebooks and assignments. If
the questions are objective, you can discuss the assignment in class
and let students do the marking for each other. This way, students
will also learn the right answers. Spread out homework in smaller
chunks with deadlines and check them on a regular basis. Do
not procrastinate. Be regular with your marking work.
get smart with technology
Technology has made our lives simpler…for teachers
too. Use Google Forms, check YouTube tutorials,
flashcards from Quizlet, mind maps from Coggle, et
al. Such technology tools will definitely help you and
save your precious time.
smartly find ‘me’ time
We all need some ‘me’ time to unwind ourselves. Set some
me time for yourself, however busy you are. Relax in that time,
exercise for some time or just sleep. Try to keep a work-life
balance as it will make you a happy person.
Smart plan for potential crises
Plan for potential crises. All those residing in Delhi/NCR now
know that there will be unplanned holidays due to pollution
around Diwali. So, plan your classes accordingly to avoid any
last-minute rush. Besides, be prepared for other crises like bad
student behaviours, natural disasters and class distractions. If
you have a plan in hand, you know how to tackle those problems.
Smart parent communication
These days, teacher-parent communication is not limited to monthly Teacher-
Parent meetings; it is much more. These are dedicated WhatsApp Groups, emails
and calls for the same. Though, it is good to respond to each query at the earliest,
but teachers can limit their time for such activities and respond and address
critical issues first. Other queries can be addressed at a later stage. Put important
information on Google Docs so that it is accessible to all.
say ‘No’ smartly!
For few of us, it is difficult to say No. But, if you find
yourself constantly involved in school events or extracurriculur
activities, which is taking a toll on your time,
then learn to say ‘No.’ Participate in the things you like
and respectfully say ‘No’ to others.
Happy teaching!
www.progressiveteacher.in
july/August 2019
THE PROGRESSIVE TEACHER
33

PERSPECTIVE
modern
screens:
friends
or foes?
Kids spending too much time on screen is a
concern for parents as well as teachers across the
globe. The mental health professionals too are
shocked with the alarming behavior deviations
in children due to unhealthy engagements with
screens, the mishappenings with selfies etc.
by Meenu Bhargava
A
study has been conducted in USA on kids and results show that
1 out of 3 children can use a tablet or phone before they even
talk. Surveys report that 29% of the toddlers can easily use the
gadgets and remaining 70% are master by primary school age. Is
it shocking?
We all are on screen these days, be it adults or children. The screens could
be TV, video games, mobile phones, tablets, computers etc. We are the firstgeneration
using these variety of gadgets to play games, to watch videos,
listening to songs, chatting with our friends, browsing different websites and
doing online shopping etc. Our lives have become so convenient but do we
need to regulate our screen time? It’s estimated that kids and teens between
the ages of 8 to 28 spend huge time on screens. About 23% of kids and teens
have reported that they feel themselves hooked to video games/mobile phones
and they feel their grades are falling due to this obsession or they find hard
to engage in sports or socialize with their friends offline.
Kids spending too much time on screen is a concern for parents as
Meenu Bhargava is a Post Graduate in
Psychology & is presently working as freelance
trainer. She did her PG Diploma in Educational
and Vocational Guidance & Counseling from
NCERT Delhi in 1985 with distinction. She
has total 35 years of work experience. She is
a Life-skills trainer and Coach to teachers,
parents andstudents. Meenu has trained
20,000+teachers andstudents in last 8 years
in more than 400 schools and colleges all over
India. The best quality for which she has
always been appreciated is her desire to keep
upgrading herself and her passion, dedication
and creativity.
34 THE PROGRESSIVE TEACHER www.progressiveteacher.in

well as teachers across the globe. The mental
health professionals too are shocked with the
alarming behavior deviations in children due to
unhealthy engagements with screens, the mis
happenings with selfies etc. The problem is
on rise not only amongst teens but young
children also. Parents feel upset and
uncomfortable when their children resist
to limiting their screen time or asking
them to put away these devices and
get engaged in other activities, explore
their personal interests, go outside or do
their home-work. Children keep checking
their social media status and chatting and
texting on phone even during dinner time.
Withdrawing them from these gadgets is an
uphill battle.
The dangers of too
much screen time
In the 21st century, we cannot keep our
children totally away from these gadgets and
technology but can we prevent them from the
abuse of these gadgets? All parents should
be educated on the negative impact of
technology or caution they can take to
engage them in healthy ways with screens.
Some of the negative
impacts are:
• Increased chances of becoming obese:
There’s no physical movement involved
in screen time and often it is combined
with munching on high calorie snack
food. Kids don’t like to take time away from
their digital screens to eat healthy meals.
Parents are busy with their jobs and easy
availability of junk foods through various
apps, discounts and schemes attached to
the purchase tempt these youngsters and
become the cause of the lifestyle diseases
and obesity.
• Harder time getting to bed: Continuous
obsession with Internet, video games, and
TV programs also leads to disturbed sleeping
patterns.
• Increased possibility of developing
depression, anxiety, aggression and
attention problems, including ADD, ADHD
and learning disability. Enough researches
are there to prove the correlation.
• Posture and vision issues: Children staring
at screen don’t pay attention to their posture,
screen brightness, and maintaining distance.
Screens cause irritation in eyes which
ultimately affect their vision and good health.
Too much gadget time (6-8 hours a day) can
cause long-term vision problem,chance of
myopia. etc. When people use electronic
screens, they blink less. On an average, a
person blinks about 15 times in a minute. Due
to the high attention required while using an
www.progressiveteacher.in
electronic screen, this rate can drop to less
than 5 times in a minute.
• Living in a virtual world: Just like any
other addiction, internet addiction can be a
way for your kids to escape the real world.
Troubling situations and painful feelings may
be suppressed, which will only cause bigger
problems later in life.
• Cyber crimes: Cyber crimes are on increase
due to unhealthy screen engagements.
Signs your child is becoming an
internet addict
Internet addiction is an umbrella term that
refers to the compulsive need to spend a great
deal of time on the internet, to the point where
relationships, work and health are allowed to
Children staring
at screen don’t
pay attention
to their posture,
screen brightness,
and maintaining
distance. Screens
cause irritation
in eyes which
ultimately affect
their vision and
good health.
THE PROGRESSIVE TEACHER
35

Parents need
to regulate the
amount of time
their kids spend
online each
day. They need
to make sure
that children
have time for
other valuable
activities,
such as eating
healthy, reading,
homework,
writing, physical
activities,
extracurricular
activities, going
out to play etc.
suffer.Here are some signs that your child may
be developing with an addiction to being online:
Too much time:
• Stays online much longer than intended to
originally.
• Sneaks online when you or other adults aren’t
watching.
• Lies about the amount of time spent on the
Internet.
• Stays up all night to be on the Web.
• Disobeys rules set in relation to Internet time
limits.
Emotional fallout
• Becomes angry and/or agitated when
interrupted while online.
• Gets irritable when access to the Web is
denied.
• Becomes moody, irritable, and/or depressed
when offline for a couple of days.
Pre-occupied with online life
• Prefers being online than being around real,
live friends and family.
• When offline, remains preoccupied with
getting back online.
• Checks social media and
emails frequently throughout
each day.
• Sacrifices doing homework or
household chores for being on
the Internet.
• Forms new bonds with people
met on the Web.
• Loses all interest in activities
previously enjoyed before
obsession withonline.
4 ways to manage your
child’s screen time
• Choose a location wisely:
Set the home computer in a
central location, making sure it’s situated
in such way that you can easily view the
screen when you step into the room.
• Install apps for age-appropriate
content: These apps should be installed
on the tablets and smartphones. They’ll
ensure that the sites your child visits are
age-appropriate.
• Limit the hours your child spends
online: How much time is too much time
on the Internet for kids and teens? Well,
children under 2 years old – These kids
should get absolutely no screen time at all.
Children between the ages of 2 to 10 – One
hour per day of supervised time online.
Teens – No more than two hours each day
after homework is complete
• Kid-proof your browsers: Install parental
control software on your computers. They
will screen web searches and sites for
inappropriate content. Sites can also be
blocked based on your chosen protection
levels.
• Role modeling: Role-modeling by parents
on limited and healthy screen engagements
is essential.
• Create interest in other things: Developing
child’s other interests to keep him happy and
not getting bored sitting alone in the absence
of parents can also prevent abuse.
• Use technology wisely: Technology should
not be used as baby sitters.
• Get help: If screen time seems to be a
problem, spend more time talking to your
kids to find out why. And, if the problem
is too severe for you to handle alone, get
help for your child from professionals. Early
intervention is better.
Parents need to regulate the amount of
time their kids spend online each day. They
need to make sure that children have time
for other valuable activities, such as eating
healthy, reading, homework, writing, physical
activities, extracurricular activities, going out
to play etc.
36 THE PROGRESSIVE TEACHER www.progressiveteacher.in

LESSON PLAN
Always try to
remember that less is
more. By having less
in the lesson, one can
spend time digging
into it. It is important
to remember that a
lesson can be spread
out into several days
if necessary and
instructors shouldn’t
put excessive amounts
of information into
one lesson.
Effective
lesson
planning
Here are some important factors, practices,
techniques & strategies that teachers can follow
while preparing their lesson plans.
by Neeru Gill
Neeru Gill is currently working at Delhi Public
School, Sushant Lok, Gurgaon. She has 18+
years of academic experience as the teacher
of English; presently teaching in the middle
school. She has served in various positions like
Class Representative, Subject Coordinator,
Examination In charge, Coordinator –
International School Award by British Council
(2018-19), etc. She has been conducting various
sessions for school teachers & parents (in-house).
She is a post-graduate in English and also has
a B.Ed. degree. She has successfully completed
Beginner’s Course in Japanese Language. She
was adjudged among the ‘Nation’s top 5’ in the
‘The Education Prize 2017’ and was awarded
‘Special Mention’ in ‘The Education Prize 2018
Creative Classrooms’ instituted by The Global
Education & Leadership Foundation (tGELF).
Effective lesson planning is essential to the process of teaching and
learning as it helps instructors to organize content, materials, time,
instructional strategies, and assistance in the class. Well, there is
no magic formula for crafting lessons that shine. The development
of effective and interesting lessons takes a great deal of time and effort. Even
after having teaching experience of more than 18 years, I change my teaching
stance every passing year. By this, I mean that not only do I plan the content of
my teaching; I also plan with the students I’m teaching that session in mind.
Before delivery of a lesson in class,teachers should engage in a
planning process. Here are some important factors, best practices,
techniques & strategies that they can followwhile preparing their
lesson plan.
• Purpose before particular (put the ‘why’ before the ‘what’)
A necessary part of any learning process is thinking about why this thing
we are spending time on is important to know. I feel without a sense of
why something is important to know, it is hard to care about learning it.
So,educators must share clear, concise and achievable objectives of doing
a topic at the beginning of each new topic. The objectives will keep them
from losing focus. They can limit the number of objectives they set, and
work seriously and purposefully on each one.
• Don’t cover the curriculum, uncover it!
Always try to remember that less is more. By having less in the lesson, one
can spend time digging into it. It is important to remember that a lesson
can be spread out into several days if necessary and instructors shouldn’t
put excessive amounts of information into one lesson.
• Have heterogeneous group of students
In each classroom children have different needs, abilities, interests,
backgrounds and, most of all, have different ways of learning. Make it a
point to reflect on the lesson and plan each lesson using many strategies
to help all students learn at their own pace and levels. Lesson plans to
be based on ‘Multiple Intelligences’ and ‘collaborative learning’ in order
to teach a heterogeneous group of students. Also, whether grammar or
literature, they have integration of the language arts (listening, speaking,
reading, writing) too. As teachers want to meet the auditory, visual,
kinaesthetic learning styles, etc. of students;a combination of music, print
and movement turns out to be effective.
• Students must be an explicit part of our lesson plans.
Reflect on struggling students. Take actions such as pausing in places
38 THE PROGRESSIVE TEACHER www.progressiveteacher.in

where educators know students might
struggle.Spend more time building concepts
they don’t know – even if this means not
getting through all of the planned content for
that day and move quickly through content
students already know (previous knowledge).
• A lesson that is rich with student
thinking and interaction is a successful
lesson.
Lessons that engage students by giving them
opportunities to do most of the talking, to
work independently and develop social skills
for successful peer interaction are successful.
For this, take time during planning to jot
down a few open-ended questions. This will
prevent from getting stuck in the middle of
lesson without solid questions to ask.
• Warm-up activity/Assessing learners’
prior knowledge of the new material
I strongly feel a strong beginning to lesson
(like story telling) helps ensure that students
stay with the teacher as he/she move into the
body of the lesson. This focuses the learners’
attention on the new lesson. Meaningful
learning doesn’t happen in a vacuum.
Therefore, ensure that today’s lesson is
clearly related to yesterday’s and will connect
to what will follow tomorrow. Ask them a
variety of questions.
• Providing ample opportunities for
students to experiment with the topic
Encourage students and allow opportunities
for them to experiment with the topic
without worrying whether or not it is correct.
Provide them with opportunities to work
and talk together. For instance, before
explicitly teaching speech marks I allow
opportunities for students first to observe the
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way writers use the marks. Once students
have constructed their own theories and
had the chance to mess around without
the pressure of producing a finished piece,
I switch to speech marks. At this stage
students learn the rules of speech marks.
Indeed, they want to learn them, if only to see
whether their theories were correct. Make it
a point that along with this instruction they
participate in meaningful writing activities
where they can practice what they have
learned.
• Use of cross-disciplinary teaching
Curiosity matters. Try to make lessons as
interesting as possible and incorporate
integrated and holistic approach in at least
one lesson each year. This approach enables
students to see all subjects as a whole. It
also nurtures their creativity and problemsolving.
It allows opportunities for students
to experiment. The topic becomes more
relevant and meaningful to students and they
are motivated for learning and engaged at
every level of learning. They remember the
concept taught for a longer time as music, art,
technology, etc. are included. For instance,
I have observed that students cannot sit at
one place for hours. Studies have also shown
that the brain just falls asleep when we sit
for too long. Keeping this in mind, try to add
movement time/sport in lesson plans in the
form of activities.
• Activity-based learning
Cross disciplinary teaching stresses the
active role of students leading to activitybased
learning. Sometimes this activitybased
learning takes a lot of class time. These
activities develop essential critical-thinking
Lessons that
engage students
by giving them
opportunities to
do most of the
talking, to work
independently
and develop
social skills for
successful peer
interaction are
successful. For
this, take time
during planning
to jot down a
few open-ended
questions. This
will prevent from
getting stuck in
the middle of
lesson without
solid questions to
ask.
THE PROGRESSIVE TEACHER
39

Learning
environment is
as important as
the curriculum
content. When
teachers walk
into my class,
they can spend
some time
talking to them
informally
encouraging
them to relax,
interact, smile
and laugh. This
way they’ll get
to know their
students better.
Then they
can start with
whole group
instructions to
introduce the
topic. Sometimes
make them do
‘Brain Gym’ or
‘Meditation’ so
that they relax
and focus better.
In addition,
create a printrich
environment
for developing
students’
language skills.
and problem-solving skills that will serve
them not only in test taking but also in their
careers and in life.
• Whole-class teaching time
All lessons need some ‘whole-class together
time’ before students break off to apply new
skills or strategies on their own. My wholeclass
teaching time is structured and is
divided into three parts: direct-teaching time,
student try-outs and independent/smallgroup
work. Direct-teaching time includes
modelling and explaining a procedure, topic,
skill or technique. Even in direct teaching,
ask students to do most of the thinking.
Also, explain only ideas and concepts that
students won’t be able to get on their own.
Before sending students off to try something
on their own, make them try on a concept as
a group as it is helpful. This typically happens
as a part of or just after direct teaching. As
students work on this together, circulate to
support those who struggle. Conclude wholeclass
teaching time by making sure that
students know what they are supposed to
do when they work independently. The most
important thing is to smoothly close this part
of the lesson and transition to independent
work time.
• Independent work time
Independent work time is the one time during
the class when teachers get the opportunity
to pay attention to students as individual
learners. They don’t usually get many
chances to sit with one child and work on
things that are important only to him. When
the class is working independently, however,
have an opportunity for one on one time with
students. Additionally, this time provides a
natural way to differentiate instruction for
the variety of learners in the classroom.
• Plan transitions
There are places where students can easily
get stuck. For example, if I start my lesson
with group task, I need regular routines and
procedures to assemble them in an orderly
fashion. If, after group task, I’m going to
transition to independent task, I need smooth
procedures to get them where we need to go.
• Debrief/Recap in the end
At the end of every lesson set aside a few
moments for students to reflect on what
happened during the lesson. Review, quickly
yet meaningfully, what is done during the
lesson and have students share what they
learned, referring once again to lesson’s
purpose. The goal is to invite students to
share samples of the thinking they did during
the lesson, to discuss and mark places where
they struggled, to voice what is not working
so teachers can address them in the next
day’s lesson and they can work together to
figure out how to solve the problem.
• Reviewing and revising
the teaching plan
Make it a habit to review and revise teaching
plan. When reviewing plans, be judicious
40 THE PROGRESSIVE TEACHER www.progressiveteacher.in

about where valuable time should be spent.
Earlier, I spent too much time in places that
were not the main focus of the lesson. I was
trying to teach everything I could. I learned
the hard way that I had to keep certain
parts of my lesson short, or cut other things
altogether, so I could spend more time in the
places that counted most.
• Reflect
Finally, reflect on students’ thinking (instead
of looking for the ‘right’ answer) and
behaviour they observe and revise the lesson
accordingly by going back and systematically
analyzing plans (What went well today?What
they need to bring to tomorrow’s lesson?),
identify gaps, conflicts, or pacing and timing
issues that one didn’t catch when planned
initially.
It is also important to realize that even the
best planned lesson is worthless if routines
and procedures, along with classroom
management techniques, are not in evidence.
• Teaching routine and rules
According to me ‘teaching routine and rules’
is instruction. The classroom transition phase
is crucial, so introduce the routine and share
expectations with them at the beginning of
the year. Make routines rock solid. It takes
weeks to practice these, but save time
and help spend more time in meaningful
instructions later.
• Learning environment
In addition, the learning environment is
as important as the curriculum content.
When teachers walk into my class, they can
spend some time talking to them informally
encouraging them to relax, interact, smile
and laugh. This way they’ll get to know
their students better. Then they can start
with whole group instructions to introduce
the topic. Sometimes make them do ‘Brain
Gym’ or ‘Meditation’ so that they relax and
focus better. In addition, create a printrich
environment for developing students’
language skills.
To achieve demonstrable student learning
outcomes in the classroom, deploy the
following methodology:
1. Brain Break
As we all know that the average attention
span of a student is about 10-15 minutes
long, so incorporate free time into students’
learning time. Give students 5-minute
movement break after every 15 minutes of
instruction. This is the time given to them to
relax and chat and even teacher can use it
to connect with students on a personal level.
The break keeps them focused for the second
half of the period.
2. Weekly Homework to practice new
knowledge
Give little homework too. It’s a way to
foster home-school communication. After
classroom practice, a parallel homework
assignment is given that is easy and fun to
complete. Homework can be selected only
for skills that the students have already
mastered. Remember, it is a review, not
an opportunity for the parents to act as the
teacher.
3. Carry it to classroom
Last but not the least; instructors must carry
the lesson plan to the class each day as it
provides instructors with a clear sense of
direction in the classroom.
At the end of
every lesson
set aside a few
moments for
students to
reflect on what
happened during
the lesson.
Review, quickly
yet meaningfully,
what is done
during the
lesson and
have students
share what they
learned, referring
once again to
lesson’s purpose.
www.progressiveteacher.in
THE PROGRESSIVE TEACHER
41

MINDSET
Fostering growth
mindset in schools
Rather than having fixed mindsets, “thinking teaching” is a natural ability that lets
educators have a growth mindset with a belief that teaching skill is something that can
be developed. Educators with growth mindset attend workshops and training sessions,
taking them as platforms to learn and observe from experienced instructors.
by Dr. Jayalekshmi Rajasekaran
Dr. Jayalekshmi Rajasekaran is a highly skilled,
talented professional training consultant with
diverse experience in conducting enrichment
programmes for teachers. As a proactive
and self directed trainer she offers an array
of skills in teacher development, mentoring,
coaching and counselling. She holds a Ph.D
in Educational Psychology and is a certified
student counsellor with nearly a decade of
experience in guiding adolescent students
aged 13-18 in career development, academic
achievement and personal, social and
behavioural issues.
Talking about intelligence in relation to any factor is always
interesting. We strongly believe that intelligence is highly
correlated to academic achievements and success. Is intelligence
fixed or changeable? It was about 30 years back when Psychology
Professor, Carol Dweck coined the terms fixed mindset and growth
mindset. Recent advances in neuro science made growth mindset gain
popularity and attention, proving that the brain is malleable than we ever
knew. Individuals with fixed mindset believe that their intelligence and
talents are innate traits and cannot be modified. Individuals with growth
mindset deem that their talents can be developed through hard work, good
strategies and input from others (Carol Dweck).
Mindsets can be fairly stable, but they are mostly beliefs, and beliefs can
be changed. Although talents are always a product of nature and nurture,
results of research strongly support the growth mindset. Psychologists
believe that students with fixed mindset have static intelligence and will
have the tendency to avoid challenges and may also give up quickly. For
them, efforts seem to be fruitless and even ignore useful negative feedback.
As they often get threatened by the success of others, they may achieve
less than their potential. With growth mindset one’s intelligence gets
developed and sees effort as the path of mastery. They are positive to
criticism, embrace challenges and learn from the success of others, and
so scale greater levels. Students with all levels of ability can possess either
mindset, but over time those with the growth mindset appear to gain the
advantage and begin to outperform their peers who have a fixed mindset.
42 THE PROGRESSIVE TEACHER www.progressiveteacher.in

Teachers with a
growth mindset
collaborate
well with
colleagues, share
constructive
feedback,
listen honestly
to criticism,
and focus on
motivation over
achievement
when it comes to
their students.
Growth mindset in teachers
Rather than having fixed mindsets,
thinking teaching is a natural ability that lets
educators have a growth mindset with a belief
that teaching skill is something that can be
developed. Educators with growth mindsets
attend workshops and training sessions, taking
them as platforms to learn and observe from
experienced instructors. Those with growth
mindset get feedback to improve their teaching
and also reflect on their teaching modalities.
The growth mindset in teachers persuades
them to try new techniques and strategies
in teaching and assessing with perseverance
till they turn to be successful. Encouraging
and directing learners to take up challenging
work, and promoting an optimistic ‘can do’
climate are the attitudes of teachers with
growth mindset. Teachers with a growth
mindset collaborate well with colleagues,
share constructive feedback, listen honestly
to criticism, and focus on motivation over
achievement when it comes to their students.
Nurturing “growth
mindset” in students
Teachers play a pivotal role in promoting
the growth mindset in learners. When students
feel that the teachers reflect growth mindset
attitude –in the form of statements of praise,
constructive feedback and encouragement;
even students with fixed mindset attitude
receive a boost of optimism and motivation.
Studies have proved that sustained right
teacher communication can motivate students
with negative fixed mindset. It is advisable to
praise when it is due, and not to overpraise. The
wrong kind of behaviour creates self- defeating
behaviour and the right kind motivates
students to learn (Carol Dweck). Teachers
should continuously remind the students
that human brain is malleable and can be
strengthened like muscles by continuous
practice. Nurturing the belief that intelligence
is not fixed and can be flourished with time
and effort, will help students lift themselves
to achieve the big picture in their mind.
The focus on process over product approach
can nurture a culture for taking risks and
persevering. To promote growth mindset,
teachers should use a targeted language that
focuses attention on students’ strategies and
efforts, rather than results. Students should be
encouraged to have a healthy attitude to failure
and challenge,taking them as opportunities
in disguise to learn and grow. No doubt
students with a growth mindset demonstrate
an openness to new ways of learning.
Challenges in fostering a
“growth mindset”
One of the most significant challenge
teachers face is the difficulty in connecting with
struggling and resistant students. Indulgent
parents, limited class time, lack of training
and resources at school, resistance from school
administrators become stumbling blocks for
growth-mindset teachers. Convincing fellow
teachers to implement a growth mindset in
their classrooms is also an obstacle in fostering
growth mindset. Some schools though
trying to bring growth mindset in students
have not tasted the desired result. This is
because teachers are forced to develop and
adjust strategies in the classroom, instead
of training students to set goals, track their
own performance and reflect on their learning
strategies. If done in the right way, over time
students will truly exercise a growth mindset
to achieve their dreams.
44 THE PROGRESSIVE TEACHER www.progressiveteacher.in

Learning and Assessment
Self-Assessment
builds commitment to
learn, grow and change
Self-assessment can help students to identify discrepancies between their current and
desired performance levels and work towards bridging that gap.
by Vandita Sharma
It is always the teachers, peers, relatives, and friends who are continuously
assessing and evaluating students on various parameters. Their opinions
may have a positive or a negative impact on students. Words in Indian
philosophy are called ‘Brahma,’ the all-powerful. They have immense
power and can deeply affect a person, especially children. Opinions can make
or mar the personality of an individual and should be used judiciously, carefully
and aptly. Positive words can bring out the best in a student while negative
or sarcastic remarks could take him into a shell and hamper his growth in the
coming years.
Student self-assessment
Students can use self-assessment to
• monitor and evaluate the quality of their thinking and behaviour when
learning, and
• identify strategies that improve their understanding and skills.
Self-assessment can help students identify discrepancies between their
current and desired performance levels and work towards bridging that
gap. Students need to be taught to be critical and introspect their flaws
and convert these into their strengths. They should be able to analyse their
behaviour and weigh the pros and cons of their actions.
Assessing themselves helps them to contemplate on their action, thus,
helps them to realise their potential, and improve their performance and
motivate them to grow. At the same time, it dilutes their ego. They realise
they are not perfect and they too are vulnerable to mistakes. The students
learn to stay in touch with the ground reality, to be humble, appreciate
others and draw the line between right and wrong.
Through self-assessment they can evolve as better human beings.
They can eliminate their shortcomings and weaknesses. They can excel
with adaptability and positive attitude and emancipate themselves from
bondage.
How can self-assessment be implemented?
Students have to be taught to assess themselves. The younger they are,
easier it is to mould them as they are more receptive to adapt themselves.
They will learn, accept, assimilate and apply it in their day to day life.
Setting Learning targets: We can start by setting targets. Were they
able to complete the work given within the stipulated time? How well were
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Vandita Sharma is an educator whose passion
is teaching. Being a product of a Catholic
school, St. Mary’s Convent, has been a boon
and an added advantage to be a teacher,
guide, friend, philosopher and mentor. She
is presently working as PGT English at Birla
Balika Vidyapeeth, Pilani. Her innovative
methods, experimentation and understanding
the idiosyncrasies of her students have helped
them in securing good results and has further
helped them in taking the hobby of Creative
writing as well.
THE PROGRESSIVE TEACHER
45

We are moving
in an age where
constant and
continuous
upgrading,
updating
and reskilling
is required.
Therefore, from
childhood we
have to skill
them to reskill
themselves so
that they do
not become
redundant in
this competitive
world.
they able to do it? They can assess themselves
by comparing their work with their peers. The
Smileys and favourable remarks given by the
teachers not only improves their self-esteem
but motivates them as well to do better next
time. As the child grows, he is able to assess
himself. Teachers need to ensure that they
are not biased, prejudiced as their opinions
are initially the criteria of the student judging
himself.
SMART Analysis: This analysis is done
world over by teachers without even their
realising it. Helping the students to assess
themselves can be done in a similar pattern.
S: Specific
M: Measurable
A: Achievable or Attainable
R: Relevant
T: Time-bound
Pen and Paper Test, Assignments, Projects,
Activities are some of the tools that not only
help the teacher but the student as well to
assess himself.
SWOT Analysis (Strengths,
Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats):
While assessing, students can get to know
their strengths and weaknesses. Moreover
they will be able to analyse the opportunities
they get where they can showcase their
strengths and overcome their weaknesses and
convert them into strengths. They can also
realise the threats which can be in the form
of competition, peer and parental pressure
and teachers’ expectations which otherwise
might undermine their ability and make them
succumb to the pressures.
Writing down their strengths and
weaknesses can help them to work on them,
transforming their weakness into positives
and strengths into challenges to overcome the
obstacles that come in their way.
CODER: CODER is a personal audit of
one’s personality. This analysis is a selfappraisal
for students where they learn to
appreciate and accept their own and other
people’s qualities.
C: Collect
O: Organise
D: Draft
E: Edit
R: Revise
Students collect the criticism and
appreciation they receive, organise their skills
to assess themselves, draft an action plan to
work on their strengths and weaknesses, edit
the plan according to the changes in their
personality and the opportunities and threats
they encounter, revise and re-revise their
plans till the time they are able to overcome
their weaknesses and transform them into
strengths.
It is a journey of learning how to be our
best self through self-assessment.
We are moving in an age where constant
and continuous upgrading, updating and
reskilling is required. Therefore, from childhood
we have to skill them to reskill themselves so
that they do not become redundant in this
competitive world.
46 THE PROGRESSIVE TEACHER www.progressiveteacher.in

Implementing
self-assessment
from primary
classes helps.
Younger the
children, more
receptive they
are. They also
easily adapt to
the criticism
because of their
inquisitiveness to
know the answer
for the ‘whys’.
They realize their
follies and try
not to repeat the
same
Challenges in implementing selfassessment
The biggest challenge that a teacher faces
is acceptance to reality. Students become
defensive when their mistakes are pointed
out. They are simply not ready to accept their
mistakes or weaknesses. To top it, this present
generation who is born in a nuclear family
with working parents following the single
child norm are pampered and spoilt brats.
Their parents overlook their weaknesses and
feel that they are the best. Thus, the present
generation is unable to assess themselves in
terms of weakness.
On the other hand, they think of themselves
perfect and have an overbearing attitude.
Their riches (money wise) or talent make
them arrogant and bossy. They are the best
judge and no one can stop them from this rigid
attitude. They are simply unable to find fault
with themselves.
Overcoming challenges
Implementing self-assessment from
primary classes helps. Younger the child, more
receptive they are. They also easily adapt to
the criticism because of their inquisitiveness
to know the answer for the ‘whys’. They realize
their follies and try not to repeat the same. If
they are tuned to this assessment it will help
them in the long run. Subsequently, they will
be able to help their peers in this process.
Secondly, in senior classes, teachers
need to be patient. They need to practice the
same with the students and take their help
in the fields they excel. This will boost their
morale and thus make them realize, they too
have weaknesses they need to work upon.
‘Appreciating the classmates’ also goes a long
way in helping to assess themselves.
We are very critical and quick at pointing
fingers, but when it comes to appreciating
others, we are stingy. We should understand
that criticism and appreciation go hand in
hand. No child is pure black or pure white.
We all belong to the ‘grey’ category with our
strengths and faults. Appreciating helps in
giving them a ‘Green’ signal. They learn to
appreciate themselves and others too.
The SMART analysis and SWOT analysis
also help in overcoming these challenges by
keeping them on track. They are able to be
specific and measure their progress. Further,
they can achieve their target making it relevant
and time bound. They learn Time management
and the most valuable - self-assessment.
Assessing oneself is a journey of selfdevelopment,
a journey of learning, a journey
towards self-motivation, a journey where
‘impossible’ becomes ‘possible’. In short a
journey towards perfection.
To conclude
Assessing is all about a little care,
A little concern for ourselves,
To improve consciously,
To introspect critically and objectively.
It is a self- reflection,
For our self- improvement,
To bring about a resonance,
Of life and vitality.
To be better human beings,
And lighten the world of its sufferings,
To create a better you and me,
To create a better world with a better ‘WE.’
Assessing helps us to improve consciously,
critically to create a new ‘WE’ so as we can
show our care, concern and compassion and
evolve creatively and conscientiously, to
remove confusion, to produce a rhythm and
consonance/ resonance in our life and be
committed to learn, to grow and to change.
But before that as August Wilson
says,“Confront the dark parts of yourself, and
work to banish them with illumination and
forgiveness. Your willingness to wrestle with
your demons will cause your angels to sing.”
48 THE PROGRESSIVE TEACHER www.progressiveteacher.in

ROLE OF TEACHERS
Teaching Biology
in the digital age!
The knowledge of biological science has really benefitted mankind. Hence the role of
Biology Teachers is vital in developing interest and gives utmost clarity with various
teaching methodologies like the discussion method, practical method, use of ICT,
graphic organizers, project method etc.
by Surekha Nayani
A
scientific attitude in students may lead to new discoveries or
inventions in biology. Some of the areas which have shown
development of human race in the study of biology are – food,
health, population, improvement in domestic and wild animals,
conservation of natural resources etc.
Importance of Biology Lab: Biology is fundamental to our world
and is an incredibly fascinating field of study. It plays a vital role in every
ones lives and touches almost every aspect of our existence in some way.
It provides new solutions to problems in health and materials. Hence the
inputs in to teaching-learning of biology to enhance greater performance
by the students should be of great concern and usage of laboratory to have
clarity, develop interest and experimental skills in biology is essential in
schools and colleges. Observation of slides, preparation of slides, sampling
techniques, specimens study, food test, etc. is like exploring the biology
concepts.The proper use of laboratory and demonstration of experiments
are the indicators of student performance. The absence of biology lab or the
poor utilization can lead to mass failure by students in biology examinations
in most cases. The teachers efforts at improvisation and utilization of
biology lab apparatus will endear the subject of biology to students.
Biology in everyday life: Biology is connected to life and its
surroundings. The study of plants, microbes, animals and other life forms
constituting biosphere is a part of the study of biology. To understand the
complex organization and functioning of human body, students need to
learn the biological concepts. For example, skeletal system, respiratory
Surekha Nayani (M.Sc., B.Ed.) is working
as Academic Co-ordinator and Head of the
department for science in Delhi Public School,
Secunderabad from past 13 years. She has a
total teaching experience of 19 years in CBSE
curriculum and has been teaching science
to secondary school students. Sheconducts
workshops forteachers in the areas of Teachinglearning
processes and CBSE compliances.
She is a recipient of Teacher Excellence
Awards twice in Effective Lesson Planning and
Innovative strategies in Teaching Resources
organised by S. Chand & Progressive Teacher in
the year 2016 and 2017 and also Global Teacher
Award in the year 2019 by AKS educational
society.
www.progressiveteacher.in
THE PROGRESSIVE TEACHER
49

Biology is
connected
to life and its
surroundings.
The study of
plants, microbes,
animals and
other life forms
constituting
biosphere is
a part of the
study of biology.
To understand
the complex
organization
and functioning
of human
body, students
need to learn
the biological
concepts.
system, circulatory system, digestive system
etc. The importance of other life forms is
studied in biology. The study of environment
which is inseparable from living organisms is
an important study. Development of biology
helped us to understand the importance of
cleanliness in life, take preventive measures,
study of disease-causing germs helped to
find the treatment methods and research
in pharmacology have given scope to many
medicines ,which is a part of biology. Different
stages in life, environment, health & hygiene,
natural resources, agriculture, medicine are
few branches of biology which helped the
welfare of mankind and it is vital for the Biology
Teachers to explain this to their students.
Role of ICT in Biology: Biology as a subject
has both theoretical and
practical components. ICT
has opened new avenues
like visual learning, online
learning, e-learning,
e-coaching, e-journal etc. It
has provided opportunities
for the learner to use
maximum senses to get
the information. Learning
Biology is made easier by
integrating ICT tools in
instructional strategies
for teaching biology.
For example, structure
and functioning of organ
systems, pictures of cells
and tissues, osmosis and diffusion processes in
cells, etc can be easily explained. Drawing on
the board and explaining the concepts along
with the usage of ICT will make the concepts
clear and have long term memory. Generally,
cells and tissues are shown as slides in labs
but, all cannot be shown and few like cold
virus, E.coli, cells of the body, functioning of
complex tissues in plants etc. can be shown
using a projector, which gives great aspect of
learning and satisfaction. Modern branches of
biology like genetics, biotechnology, topics like
endocrine system, reproduction can be well
explained using ICT.
The vast syllabus of biology makes children
feel exhaustive and difficult to learn, this
can be made easy by giving a few concepts
50 THE PROGRESSIVE TEACHER www.progressiveteacher.in

The projects
given in biology
and model
making must be
encouraging for
the children to be
independent and
easy to complete
the task. Model
of paramecium
using slipper,
plant cell model
made by baking
a cake, model
of complex
tissues using
vegetable are few
independent and
creative ideas of
students.
in the form of flow charts (e.g.-Taxonomy,
bio-geo chemical cycles), tabular form (e.g.-
cell organelles & their functioning), concept
mapping, etc.
By framing ‘mnemonics’, many concepts
in biology can be learnt easily like the four
stages of Mitosis can be remembered in the
order like “p-mat”( prophase, metaphase,
telophase & anaphase),human skull bones can
be recollected as “stepof”(sphenoid, temporal,
ethnoid, parietal, occipital & frontal), hierarchy
of classification is “kpcofgs”( kingdom, phylum,
classification, order, family, genus, species)
etc. and students can be encouraged to frame
their own mnemonics to have long term
memory.
Biology in environmental education:
Biology teachers play a vital role to increase
awareness about environment issues, explore
possible solutions and motivate in the active
participation of students in the protection
of environment. The subject includes topics
like “Natural Resources”, “Our environment”,
“Techniques of crop production and
improvement” etc. Most of the schools involve
students in activities like planting trees,
conservation of power, setting up compost pit
etc and they are guided by Biology Teachers
.These result in inculcating concern or values
towards environment.
Biology as a career: Biology study
offers many careers both scientific and nonscientific.
They apply scientific method, setup
experiments and use scientific equipment.
Biology majors know how to organize and
analyse data, understand scientific concepts
and master scientific terminology. As a
result, Biology majors sharpen their critical
thinking and problem-solving skills. Various
careers which biology students can choose are
pharmacist, lab technicians, doctors, teachers,
scientist, Attorney (areas of law that draw
on scientific knowledge and reasoning like
drugs, environmental policies etc.), nutritionist,
environmentalist, physiotherapist etc.
The projects given in biology and model
making must encourage children to be
independent, and should be easy to complete.
Model of paramecium using slipper, plant
cell model made by baking a cake, model
of complex tissues using vegetable are few
independent and creative ideas of students.
Inculcation of scientific attitude, research,
observation etc. in students is done in schools
and colleges & it mainly depends on the role
played by the teachers. It helps the individual
to apply the important concepts like nutrition,
health, natural resources and pollutions for
betterment of his existence.
52 THE PROGRESSIVE TEACHER www.progressiveteacher.in

STRATEGY
Teaching English to
second language learners
Every teacher and educationist needs to understand the relevance of designing and
developing a curriculum in English as a Second Language that is school-specific get
capable of remaining an inclusive and a meaningful experience for children, while at the
same time inspiring the teacher to move away from a textbook culture.
Dr Seethalakshmi Viswanath
Dr Seethalakshmi Viswanath, with a doctorate
in English literature, has over 30 years of
experience in handling classes ranging from
primary to senior secondary; she has on date 18
years of experience as principal. She has been
trained in Educational leadership at NUEPA,
by Kuruvilla Jacob Initiatives for Excellence
in Education, by EZ Vidya. She has been
associated with CBSE as a Resource Person.
Presently, she is engaged full-time as a teacher
trainer for many modules including Language
Development, Class room management,
Brain based learning, Developing motivation,
Differentiated learning and the like.
She has won many awards as a translator from
Bengali to Tamil, as an essay writer, as a short
story writer and reviewer and for being an
efficient principal. She has also written books for
primary children and composition and writing
skills books for secondary students.
Today teachers have become ‘dispensers of knowledge’ and children
remain ‘passive recipients’ overburdened with what they receive
in the classroom as information. True education, it has been
repeatedly said, is man-making education where a learner gets
his/her knowledge through ‘a dynamic engagement with the world through
observing, feeling, reflecting, acting, and sharing.’
NCF guidelines on Teaching of English as a Second
Language
Notably, English has become ‘a passport to social mobility, higher
education, and better job opportunities.’ Today English is associated with
the elite upper middle class, and children belonging to the lower strata of life
suffer discrimination because of this deprivation. It is our duty and the duty of
the government to ensure that all children gain proficiency over English in the
days to come. We should remember that English as a Second Language is not
only a means of communication but is the medium through which knowledge
is shared with the learner. It is said that, ’it is a system that to a great extent
structures the reality around us for representing it in our minds; it is a marker of
our identity in a variety of ways…’ We need to remember that we use English
not only to communicate with others but also to communicate with ourselves.
Research shows us that children have the innate ability to construct
grammatical systems on their own. This is very true when children learn
their mother tongue in a natural way without any formal rules and guidelines.
The same can be applied to learning English as a Second Language. The
focus of English teachers should be to create a socio-linguistic context so
that children can participate actively in communicative activities, listen
to the spoken language with understanding so that in due course they
manage to create appropriate communicative practices. Engagement in
such practices will help grammar emerging from the language the children
use. ‘Input rich methodologies (such as the whole language, the task-based
and the comprehensible input approaches) aim at exposure to the language
in meaning– focused situations so as to trigger the formation of a language
system by the learner.’ Thus environment favours language acquisition
through listening and comprehending and this remains spontaneous learning
which comes naturally to every child.
In the NCERT Syllabus laid down for classes 1 to 8, it is said, ‘The goals
of a language curriculum are twofold: attainment of a basic proficiency,
and the development of language as an instrument for basic interpersonal
communication and later for abstract thought and knowledge acquisition.’
The ‘Basic Interpersonal Communicative Skills (BICS) highlights the basic
proficiency which every learner finishing school is supposed to acquire.
54 THE PROGRESSIVE TEACHER www.progressiveteacher.in

And the ‘Cognitively Advanced Language
Proficiency (CALP)’ stands for the higher level
skills where learners try to move into abstract
thought and knowledge acquisition. When
English is successfully used for interpersonal
communication highlighting abstract thought
and knowledge acquisition, basic proficiency of
the learner in the language would have moved
on to higher levels of language learning. In an
English medium school, the ‘language across
the curriculum’ approach will help students
become autonomous learners when they finish
school. A child from ages 2 upwards till it
reaches the age of 6 or 7 is capable of getting
exposed to many languages and learn them
without any confusion in a natural way in an
‘input rich environment.’ Inputs would include
not only textbooks, but also the books that
children read, the cards that they use, the charts
that they prepare, advertisements which they
see and hear, the language they hear on radio/
television, the newspapers and the brochures
they read, and all these spontaneously trigger
language learning and development when
they are coupled with communicative practice.
‘Language acquisition involves processes of
scientific enquiry such as observation of data,
classification and categorization, hypothesis
formation and its verification.’
The skills to be harnessed for language
development include Listening, Speaking,
Reading and Writing in addition to focused
plan on vocabulary development and a formal
understanding of grammar rules to enhance
language development and skills. It is imperative
that both formal and non-formal communicative
tasks are to be brought in to harness the LSRW
skills effectively when a child moves up the
ladder from primary through secondary and
senior secondary schooling.
www.progressiveteacher.in
Designing a curriculum for English
as a Second Language
Now when a school designs a curriculum
for English as a Second Language for students
speaking different regional languages in the
Indian context, the NCERT guidelines offer a
sense of direction to the designer. For example,
the guidelines given here are very appropriate for
a primary school learner.
• The learner should be able to acquire the
ability to listen and understand, and should
be able to employ non-verbal clues to make
connections and draw inferences.
• The learner should develop the habit of
reading for information and pleasure; draw
inferences and relate texts to previous
knowledge; read critically and develop the
confidence to ask and answer questions.
Whereas the following guidelines are more
appropriate for a middle school/secondary
learner.
• The learner should be able to employ her
communicative skills, with a range of styles,
and engage in a discussion in an analytical
and creative manner.
• The learner should be able to identify a topic,
organise and structure thoughts and write
with a sense of purpose and an awareness
of audience.
• The learner should be able to understand
and use a variety of registers associated
with domains such as music, sports, films,
gardening, construction work, etc.
• The learner should be able to use a dictionary
and other materials available in the library
and elsewhere, access and collect information
through making and taking down notes, etc.
• The learner should be able to use language
creatively and imaginatively in text
Research
shows us that
children have
an innate ability
to construct
grammatical
systems on their
own. This is
very true when
children learn
their mother
tongue in a
natural way
without any
formal rules
and guidelines.
The same can
be applied to
learning English
as a Second
Language.
THE PROGRESSIVE TEACHER
55

Learning the
alphabet is to be
complemented
by being able
to read words,
word-clusters,
rhyming words
and the like.
From the preschool
level, a
teacher needs
to be aware of
the role played
by Active
Vocabulary
and Passive
Vocabulary, for
mastering both
in a very orderly
manner helps the
children to build
their vocabulary
levels which is
very essential in
mastering the
Output skills like
Reading and
Writing, which is
the last skill to be
mastered.
transaction and performance of activities.
• The learner should be able to develop
sensitivity towards their culture and heritage,
aspects of contemporary life and languages
in and around the classroom.
• The learner should be able to refine their
literary sensibility and enrich their aesthetic
life through different literary genres.
• The learner should be able to appreciate
similarities and differences across languages
in a multilingual classroom and society.
• It is important for the leaner to notice that
different languages and language varieties
are associated with different domains and
communicative encounters.
• The learner should become sensitive to
the inherent variability that characterises
language and notice that languages keep
changing all the time. It is possible for a
student to notice the differences between
her own speech and the speech of her, say,
grandparents.
One skill which has not been given adequate
attention is our schools today is listening.
Listening is the first skill children need to master
first, as listening effectively will help the child to
speak confidently. Children need to know how
to listen actively from their pre-school years.
As good communication skills require mindful
listening, which is paying attention to what they
are listening, without getting distracted and nonjudgementally,
enough opportunities need to be
given to learners in a classroom situation while
working on communicative tasks or practices.
Children naturally are mindful listeners whose
span of attention is short but focused as they
can listen non-judgementally and wholesomely.
Mindful listening helps in silencing the internal
thoughts and helps in getting the message as
a whole. This is why primary children listen
to stories and to teachers with active mindful
listening without any element of doubt in their
minds.
Listening to English in the classroom will
help the children speak the language with
fluency and accuracy. Learning to speak the
language helps in comprehending it when the
children move on to reading. While teaching
listening and speaking, making the children
familiar with the sound-letter relationship
helps in reading as well in writing. Learning
the alphabets is to be complemented by being
able to read words, word-clusters, rhyming
words and the like. From the pre-school level, a
teacher needs to be aware of the role played by
Active Vocabulary and Passive Vocabulary, for
mastering both in a very orderly manner helps the
children to build their vocabulary levels which
is very essential in mastering the Output skills
like Reading and Writing, which is the last skill
to be mastered.
Vocabulary reading in the pre-school and
primary years will be more concerned with
mastering two/three/four-letter words, wordgroups
and word clusters; with learning and
comprehension of words begins what is termed
the construction of the concept through words,
and slowly mastering this leads the children to
abstract thinking and reflection. Mechanical
reading of words with the teacher’s drilling may
not lead to comprehension and hence reading,
abstract thinking and reflecting also get affected.
Grammatical awareness at the primary
level is more functional than formal. When
language is learnt the natural way, grammar
principles come to the child through listening
and the spoken expressions. Formal grammar
understanding, which needs to come later, helps
in architecturally refining the language, polishing
it and embellishing it wherever needed. However,
making children aware of the right use of articles
and simple prepositions and conjunctions along
with basic tense constructions supplement the
knowledge gained by the child through the
spoken skill.
Content creation
Using the information in the grids given
related to grammar, vocabulary and LSRW skills,
content for the teaching learning process can be
done. Content creation for the various levels will
include the following themes as given by NCERT
in the Syllabus given for classes 1 to 8:
Self, family, home, friends and pets
Neighbourhood and community at large
The nation – diversity (socio-cultural,
religious and ethnic, as well as linguistic),
heritage (myths/legends/folktales)
The world – India’s neighbours and other
countries (their cultures, literature and
customs)
Adventure and imagination
Sports
Issues relating to adolescence
Science and Technology
Peace and harmony
Travel and tourism
Mass media
Art and culture
56 THE PROGRESSIVE TEACHER www.progressiveteacher.in

For learning to be
made interesting
and lively, it
has to be made
challenging
enough so that
the learner feels
involved; at
the same time,
it cannot go
beyond his level
of understanding
and complexity.
Also children
should be
encouraged
to do what is
called ‘intelligent
guessing.’
Health and reproductive health
After the design is made ready, content
creation will involve using controlled vocabulary
in the elementary classes and weaving the right
grammar /structure and skills into the lesson to
help students learn a foreign language effectively
and wholesomely. As the students move to the
higher classes, lessons can be chosen from
stories/narratives. While choosing any kind of
writing, care must be taken to ensure that the
vocabulary level and grammar level and the
LSRW skills are suited to the level required for
each class.
After finalising the text, exercises to check
Reading comprehension followed by test of
Vocabulary, grammar, Listening , Speaking and
Writing. A Glossary highlighting meanings of
difficult words will help the students. Teaching
Dictionary skills and various Vocabulary
development exercises will enhance language
development immensely as vocabulary
enrichment is the basis of language development.
Through my experience as a teacher and a
principal I had realised the following:
• Teaching something when the children are
not cognitively ready for it leads to children
losing interest in any kind of learning at later
years.
• Learning has to happen with conceptual
understanding; learning facts or memorising
it does not lead to any kind of enduring
learning.
• Blending learning with questioning and
discovering for oneself is more likely to
be assimilated as enduring learning than
learning which is theoretically obtained
without adequate conceptual understanding.
• No two children’s learning styles are similar;
no two children can boast of the same kind
of intelligence; but the teacher always goes
by one style of teaching and one kind of
multiple intelligence. This comes as a great
intimidating factor for enduring learning and
assimilation, also leads to boredom and lack
of interest on the part of the student.
• For writing to happen naturally and
effectively, vocabulary plays a great role.
With first graders, I had given a word, ‘mango’
and asked them to give words describing
the mango – its colour, texture, taste, smell
and the like. The children also gave many
action words and naming words related to
the mango – like, ‘eat, cut, peel, pluck, skin,
climb, juice, fruit, raw, sweet, sour, yellow,
green’ and the like. The teacher then gave
the children a few pronouns/nouns to use as
Subject and the children came out with the
following sentences:
Mango is a fruit. It is green or yellow in colour.
I peel off the skin of mango fruit. Raw mango
is sour. Mango fruit is sweet. I can climb a
mango tree. I like to pluck mangoes from
the tree. (Of course, the teacher helped
them continuously with many guided
questions and prepositions. Sometimes
she had to help with articles also. But the
final writing did not come from the teacher.
It came from the children.) With higher
graders, I had asked the class to form
groups of five each; each group came out
with words related to the topic given; each
group had to give about 10 words with the
condition that no group can repeat a word.
When 5 groups came out with 50 words,
the words were then categorised to fit into
different paragraphs. When this organising
activity was happening, there was a lot
of quick thinking happening to rearrange
the words under one main sub-heading or
idea. Once the arrangement was done, the
first draft was written. When the students
started revising the draft, they were
asked to consciously look for appropriate
sequence markers to lend coherence to
writing. Also editing was done with an
eye for correct spelling and grammar. Then
the final draft was written. It was ensured
that the students were able to see cohesion
between sentences in a paragraph and
coherence between paragraphs which lent
the writing fluency. This kind of activity
makes the learners remain alert all the
time; there is a lot of collaboration that
happens when the brighter ones help the
weaker ones not conspicuously but in a
subtler manner.
• For learning to become enriched, there
needs to be a lot of interaction and a multi-
58 THE PROGRESSIVE TEACHER www.progressiveteacher.in

disciplinary approach is also necessitated
for true holistic learning. I had often found
my class 12 students learning English
more effectively when they had to do silent
reading of the chunked lesson, discuss
with group members the pre-reading and
post-reading questions and everyone
in the group contributed their lot based
on their understanding and experience.
This interaction helped
them read the text
intensely, searching for
appropriate answers for
the questions given in
addition to make them
think whenever there was
an inferential question
or an abstract question.
Sometimes when they
prepared different types of
questions on the selected
extract, their thinking
became sharper as they
had to conceptually analyse and explore to
frame MCQs or ‘how’ or ‘why’ questions. In
addition, when they were asked to evaluate
each one’s answer – oral or written – when
they had the Marking Scheme with them,
they were exposed to various kinds of
assessment, too.
• For learning to be made interesting and
lively, it has to be made challenging
enough so that the learner feels involved;
at the same time, it cannot go beyond his
level of understanding and complexity.
Also children should be encouraged to do
what is called ‘intelligent guessing.’ It is
said, ‘Children have an idea arising from
their everyday experiences, or because of
their exposure to the media, but they are
not quite ready to articulate it in ways that
a teacher might appreciate. It is in this
‘zone’ between what you know and what
you almost know that new knowledge is
constructed.’
In conclusion, I would like to reiterate that
unless the curriculum provides
experiences ‘that build the
knowledge base through a
progressive introduction to
the capabilities of thinking
rationally,’ it may become
difficult for the learner ‘to
understand the world through
various disciplines, foster
aesthetic appreciation and
sensitivity towards others,
to work and to participate in
economic processes.’8 The
‘subject-based’ curriculum
which we have traditionally followed in India
has led to presentation of knowledge as a
‘package’ and examination is considered a
ritual to assess what has been acquired through
the package. Unless the curriculum becomes
holistic with emphasis on ‘skill, aesthetics,
creativity, resourcefulness and team work,’
with the vast domains of knowledge at
our disposal, we will present an education
that might be totally unsuited to children’s
engagement in knowledge construction in the
present, and hence in no way will contribute
to learning for the future.
Unless the
curriculum
becomes holistic
with emphasis on
‘skill, aesthetics,
creativity,
resourcefulness
and team work,’
with the vast
domains of
knowledge at
our disposal,
we will present
an education
that might be
totally unsuited
to children’s
engagement
in knowledge
construction in
the present, and
hence in no way
will contribute to
learning for the
future.
www.progressiveteacher.in
THE PROGRESSIVE TEACHER
59

CASE STUDY
Upgrading efficiently
and effectively
Digital technology is becoming more & more important for schools’ academic progress.
In 2014,our school introduced a new initiative to make the school fully digital. Staff
members explored all possible barriers and together fought against all the odds
to create a new atmosphere. “Marching together,” the school song,motivated us to
overcome the challenges through teamwork,change in mindsets, attitudes and practice.
To actualise digital learning, our staff members collaborated for conceptualising the
challenges.
by Bratati Bhattacharyya
Bratati Bhattacharyya is Secretary General
at Shikshayatan Foundation and CEO of
Shikshayatan Foundation and Shri Shikshayatan
School since July 2014. Her qualifications include
Masters in Economics, B. Ed., and P.G. Diploma
in Financial Management. She is also on the
Board of Vidya Mandir Society, is a member
of the Managing Committee of the Birla High
School, Mukundapur, Governing Body of Shri
Shikshayatan College, the Bengal Chamber of
Commerce, Education department, Co Chairman
of the Education department, CII, and is also
part of Self-Regulatory Committee of Fees under
West Bengal Government, member of Legal Aid
Services, West Bengal, Vice President of Vidya
Bharati Ex- Students’ Association - BESA and a
member of Mrityu Mritynjay Society.
Bratati has been recognized and awarded as the
Indian Iconic Educationist (For Best Education
System & Services in West Bengal) from the Indo
Socio Development Association, Inspiring Best
Teacher from the University of Engineering &
Management of Kolkata & Jaipur and Bharat
Vidya Shiromani from the International Institute
of Education & Management”. Shri Shikshshyatan
School received the Telegraph “Best School
Award” in 2018 and the GEIST International
Foundation “Best GPS Award” in 2019.
Our journey so far
For sixty years,the school was following the state board curriculum.
Students, parents, teachers and staff were used to the well-established
culture of the school and its laid back atmosphere. Everyone had to adjust to
a new culture for which mindsets had to change. Through collaboration,we
were able to overcome the challenges at every level.
Strategy adopted
• Calling all stakeholders for the meeting.
• Understanding the issue of non-acceptance.
• Working at the apps that are user-friendly.
• Discussing the benefits of the system.
• Believing in the project and trusting the system.
Planning, collaboration and creation of knowledge
Stakeholders were called to discuss the plan for the digital
transformation. An explanation of how management information system
(MIS) as an integrated application helps, was given to them. It is a social
window which has a reservoir of information related to the system.
Counselling of employees and stakeholders took place regarding their
indifference towards the system change. This system facilitates research
and analysis of activities which guide decision making at different levels
of the system. Integrating digital technology in school is a mechanism for
educational reform where all staff members transform. We made sure that
employees were convinced about
the benefits of the system for ease
in the transformation.
We looked through the data
collected data and classified the
users as follows:
• Employees reluctant to go
digital,
• Users who were facing
problems,
• Users who are averse to
change,
• Stakeholders and employees
who were neither here nor
there, and
60 THE PROGRESSIVE TEACHER www.progressiveteacher.in

• Users who were positive about
the whole system.
After the acceptance from all
the employees and stakeholders
was received,we segregated the
employees as per the data. The
mantra was to follow up with
all the concerned to make them
realise that it is a transparent
system.It helps in accountability,
credibility, reliability, ensuring
confidentiality and security of
information at all levels.
Changes that were
brought in
• Introduction ofcloud server for
employees.
• Wi-Fi connectivity throughout
the campus.
• Organising all classrooms to have smart/
interactive boards.
• Updating Mathematics and Language labs.
• Introduction of Tablet classes from class V
onward.
• Organising for tablets at school and all
related technical aspects to support the
system.
• Digital applications which help in
storing, recording, collecting, connecting,
collaborating, facilitating critical and
creative thinking.
• Enabling computers in all staffrooms and
other non-academic areas.
• Management of security system through
the digital portal in which CCTVs are
connected to the server for future references.
• Unique identification numbers are allotted
to all stakeholders.
• From an application for admission to
finalization and thereafter, every interaction
is done through the digital platform.
• For careers, all teachers have to apply
digitally.
• Teachers and facilitators do teaching/
learning through digital mode.
• Research/assessments/group work and
project work are done through tablet from
class five to class eight.
• Teaching also happens through mind
mapping and concept mapping.
• Laboratory classes are also conducted
virtually.
• Diary information is available on thedigital
platform.
• Assessment marks and report card
generation all digital.
• All calculations in terms of percentage from
the project, group discussion were all done
digitally from the raw data.
• Resources are shared online and social
media is also used for updates.
• All fees collection happen digitally. No cash
transaction within the institution.
• Attendance of both employees and students.
• All other solutions for example uniform,
stationery, books, exercise copies are all
ordered online.
• Students also opt for a competitive
examination which is subject related by
external bodies through our portal.
• Payroll is also generated through the system.
• Students have a feedback system about their
classes and instructors.
• Health and activity reports are available on
an online portal which parents can access.
• Transfer certificates are generated online.
• Tracking mechanism of data for helping
students to improve and teachers to modify
their planning.
These actions helped in overcoming the
conceptualised challenges. We now possess
90 smart classrooms, 250 computers, 180
tablets and70mbps of internet speed from the
original, 37 smart classrooms, 110 computers,
45 tablets and 2mbps speed. We also have 142
CCTV and 7 DVRs.
To conclude
Steps towards digitalisation have been
successful to a great extent. Adoption of
the digital system has helped us to scale
up our operation and periodic review. This
helps in making a necessary intervention
for improvement in the learning process and
staff productivity. This move towards digital
learning helped people in transforming.
Kahneman claims,“Your beliefs and even your
emotional attitude may change when you learn
that risk of an activity you disliked is smaller
than you thought.” We believe in our motto,
“Lead us from darkness to light.” Engagement,
exploration, explanation, and evaluation lead
to empowerment and creating a learning
environment.
Kahneman
claims,“Your
beliefs and even
your emotional
attitude may
change when
you learn that
risk of an activity
you disliked is
smaller than
you thought.”
We believe
in our motto,
“Lead us from
darkness to light.”
Engagement,
exploration,
explanation, and
evaluation lead
to empowerment
and creating
a learning
environment.
62 THE PROGRESSIVE TEACHER www.progressiveteacher.in