ARCHANA NARAIN
WHAT MAKES ME A PROGRESSIVE PRINCIPAL
My journey so far rightly and aptly conveys the progressive phase in the field of education and valuable contributions made therein. I have always aimed high and worked tirelessly through the years to lead everyone and I firmly believe in collaboration to create. Whether it is the parents, facilitators or students, through cordial and healthy rapport, I have always lent my valuable contribution to lead everyone and aspire for higher dimensions.
MY MISSION AS A PROGRESSIVE PRINCIPAL OF INDIA
Being a Progressive Principal proves a milestone for everyone as it would encourage and inspire the teachers as well as the parents to work together as a team for the betterment of the school and the students. It will also further strengthen the confidence and faith of the stakeholders in the institution. I will be a torchbearer enlightening the path of progressive education as a progressive principal.
LEARNING BY DOING
I fully understanding the importance and much valued role, the above parameters have come to play in the modern day education system as ‘The Need of the Day’. I have ensured that the Facilitators involve the Student Community in self critical analysis, reflection and experience in their learning process. Time and again through various activities students are supplemented with ‘hands on experience’.
During field trips to monuments they obtain tracings of engravings on the wall and identify the patterns and at times the script. They even draw various architectural features of the monuments and try to study the engineering marvels of that age or era. Similarly, in Astronomy citing of possible asteroids, observing evening sky and night sky through telescope and identifying the celestial bodies is constantly encouraged. Students constantly visit and monitor on weekly basis the Hydroponic farm and kitchen garden in school. Similarly the Pre-Primary Wing uses tablets to further strengthen their basic concepts. In Mathematics students attend regular sessions of Vedic Maths as they visit the Maths Lab on weekly basis.
INTEGRATED CURRICULUM
All the Faculty members have been educated on the importance and the benefits of undertaking such Teaching-Learning methodologies. The meaning and the implementation required is discussed threadbare so that they can prepare and schedule their lesson plans accordingly. The school curriculum is framed in such a way that once in every term, a project for evaluation is based on Interdisciplinary Approach where facilitators design and frame activities revolving and focusing on the theme from different perspectives. Themes like Senior Citizens, Democracy, Conserving Environment, Globalization, Disaster Management are given where teachers work together and devise activities involving Language, Social Science, Information Technology, Moral Values, Mathematics and Science in an age & gender appropriate manner. In regular classroom teaching, teachers invite other subject teachers to the classroom to throw light on the topic concerned.
INTEGRATION OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP INTO EDUCATION THROUGH FACULTY
Exposure through an Integrated Curriculum makes the core focused subject easier to understand by the student community. Keeping this as the prime objective in specific fields, the curriculums have been so designed by drawing Interdisciplinary Subject Experts and Facilitators. The facilitators are encouraged to participate in various events and display their creativity. Such innovations in the field of teaching learning process, benefitting the students are always lauded and recognized.
PROBLEM SOLVING & CRITICAL THINKING AMIDST THE FACULTY
I have ensured that the Facilitators are adequately equipped with Teaching Strategies and Understanding in adopting Classroom Assessment Techniques; Undertaking ‘Case Studies’; Usage of Questions; Reciprocal Peer Questioning; Readers’ Questions; Conference Style Learning; Writing of Assignments; Venturing to ‘Dialogues’; Testing Students to ‘Conflicting Information’ to prod their ‘Thinking Ability’. Regular sessions with teachers, parents and the student council body of the school ensures the ‘Problem Solving’ and ‘Critical Thinking’ thereby collectively addressing the key issues and arriving at consensus unanimously.
GROUP WORK AND DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIAL SKILLS AMIDST THE FACULTY
I have enabled the various Faculty Group Functions in such a way that it has contributed to the growth of each individual, meeting their needs and achievement of the desirable social growth. I was successful in imparting Social Skills Training helping out the groups for a demonstrative positive social skills and social interactions. The teachers from our school regularly attend workshops and seminars where they interact with facilitators of other institutions and share knowledge and skills. Even in school, joint interactive sessions of teachers from all the wings and streams are held which lay emphasis to promote Social Skills as all the facilitators work together as a team.
UNDERSTANDING & ACTION BASED LEARNING
For ensuring a clear understanding and action based learning I have ensured doing away with ‘Rote Knowledge’ and have translated the learning process to one by which the students are made to comprehend; have ability to ‘Recall’ and ‘Usage of their Own Words’; Intelligently ‘Relate issues’ and come forward in ‘ Cleaning Doubts’ as they arise. The School Almanac acts as a rich storehouse of carefully designed activities that inculcate in-depth and practical knowledge of concepts being taught in an academic curriculum as well as honing their core skills.
COLLABORATIVE & COOPERATIVE LEARNING PROJECTS FOR FACULTY DEVELOPMENT
For a rich collaborative & cooperative learning I have ensured participation of the entire Faculty Facilitators to undergo a number of Workshops, attend Seminars and special sessions at regular intervals of the school session. This makes them advantaged to face their classroom sessions with utmost confidence and enhanced teaching capabilities. The school hosts various International Exchange Programs where the teachers and facilitators visit the school campus for days and a healthy interaction takes place through joint assemblies, field trips, classroom interactions, cultural programmes and even home visits. The facilitators also interact and discuss teaching learning methodologies and are thereby enlightened and benefitted.
EDUCATION ACCENTUATING SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND SAFEGUARDING DEMOCRACY
Education is an inescapable need for forming up minds, hearts and hands of the coming generation required to confront and cope with transformation of social and economic issues of the day as well as the issues that transcend political boundaries, cultural constructs and prevalent economic realities. There is a very intimate relationship between education and democracy. Education is the prerequisite for the survival of Democracy. It fosters a democratic temper in the minds of the educated. Democratic values like liberty, fraternity, justice, dignity of individual, cooperation, sharing of responsibility etc are applied to education to make it more effective, meaningful, relevant and gives strength for expression.
The very motto of my School is ‘Gyanam Brahmam’, which in itself profusely conveys the importance of education in our lives. I have endeared myself to this dictum and abide by it in totality. The concept of Democracy at Grass roots is developed right at Primary Level only and then again at Senior level where the students participate in the Student Council Body Election where they imbibe the concepts of fair and just elections as they participate in various phases right from Campaigning, Secret Ballot and even Counting of Votes which is again done by the students under the supervision of the teachers. The school also encourages the ‘Open Forum’ where students indulge in Talk Shows, Group Discussions and Debate where they voice their views on concerned alarming issues.
DESIGN & DELIVERY OF A LEARNING ECOSYSTEM WHEREBY HIGHLY PERSONALIZED LEARNING ACCOUNTING IS DONE FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL’S PERSONAL GOALS
I have to a great extent succeeded in ‘Learning Accounting’ of each individual’s personal goals having ensured the School catering and coming to meet the hopes, expectations, aspirations and dreams of the students.
INTEGRATION OF COMMUNITY SERVICE AND SERVICE LEARNING PROJECTS INTO THE DAILY CURRICULUM
I have successfully been able to entwine the school activities along with Community Services integrating them as part of educational curriculum. Projects like visits to Old Age Homes, Orphanages, Blind Schools & Hospitals have been undertaken. The school also observes ‘Joy of Giving Week’ where students donate clothes, stationery items, woolens, toys and books for reading. In one of the terms, students are are assessed on mandatory basis for their service towards community. The teachers discuss the parameters and guide the students for the same to submit the evidence for the same. Celebrations of events like ‘International Labour Day’ with wholehearted participation of students further values and respects the concepts like Dignity of Labour and importance of Value Input by each individual in society and community.
The student populace of the school displays zeal and enthusiasm as they participate in awareness campaigns and drives on ‘Clean India’, ‘Education for All’, ‘SOS – Switch Off Something’ and ‘Say No to Plastics.’ The school campus is a prohibited area for polythene and strictly adheres to ‘No Polythene Zone’. To save paper, the school follows paperless work ethics where online and digital communication with students and parents is followed. Important circulars and messages are conveyed through student portal and the vice versa is followed by the parents also for any communication. It is through such noble endeavours and awareness measures that the school won ‘THE GREEN SCHOOL INITIATIVE AWARD’ for the year 2017-18.
FUTURISTIC SELECTION OF SUBJECT CONTENT
I am a member of a number of educational forums, groups and societies holding positions of sort. I do make it a point to put across my views strongly and cogently for consideration at all levels as my contribution for the education of tomorrow. The school follows SEP i.e. Self Enhancement Program where students work on ‘Value of the Month’. Throughout the month the students work step by step in phases, as they associate the importance and relevance of the value at grassroots level that is first in family and school, moving to Local that is community, then Regional, followed by National and finally at Global level.
LIFELONG LEARNING AND SOCIAL SKILLS OF FACULTY MEMBERS
For dissemination and imparting of Knowledge, I am emphatic and lay stress that the Facilitators when addressing Students should focus on the existing knowledge of students; be a part of Situational & Shared Leadership; build relationships; adopt Participatory Facilitation; have ‘Diversity Consciousness’; staying open to Self Development.
The faculty members are encouraged to follow practical and rather approach that further makes the students independent and confident. Life Learning is promoted to empower and ennoble the learners. The facilitators also follow ASK strategy in every subject that is to develop the Aptitude for the subject, enhance the Skill and provide in depth, updated Knowledge.
FACULTY ASSESSMENT & EVALUATION OF THEIR INNOVATIVE PROJECTS & PRODUCTIONS
A continuous and sustained evaluation in performance of every member of the faculty is carried out giving due weightage for their innovative presentations while addressing their Classroom Sessions. Such performances are well received, acknowledged and appreciated.
PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY TO FACULTY EMPOWERMENT
I am a staunch believer in my personal Philosophy and Outlook when it comes to empowering my Faculty Members and Facilitators. I have banked upon the five fundamentals that have stood by me.
I have a very Clear Vision identifying the core values, maintain the Right Perspective regarding effective faculty development, Networking to have an effective Campus Relationships, Being Responsive and Taking Initiative, Exhibiting Integrity critical to faculty development with renewal of commitment to maintain confidentiality that members can see me as a Leader they can trust and rely upon. I do all that serves the faculty and promotes student learning. To sum up, I have succeeded in translating my Preaching to Effective Practice. I have given my best and strived to offer Quality Faculty Development and with the best of efforts have had a winning Team.