ReTHINK INDIA INSTITUTE

HEEMAL H BHAT

WHAT MAKES ME A PROGRESSIVE PRINCIPAL

‘Some see things and say ‘Why?’ but I dream of things that never were and say- why not?’  In the fast paced world of today, coping up is synonymous with ‘progressive thinking’ and ‘progressive action’. From ‘Principal’ to being a ‘Progressive Principal’ has been a consequential step to recreate and reinvent myself. The privileged title ‘Progressive Principal’ reflects my passion, purpose, progress and performance. It holds my present along with future explorations. I undertake to make a difference in the domain of school education and chart new paths…. I dare to be different!  

As head of one of the largest schools in West Delhi, I equip my 6500+ students with 21st century skills to translate their dreams into reality. Shaping them into ‘citizens of tomorrow’ is a monumental task, I undertake. I invest my time, energy, efforts along, with my vision and values in young minds to become agents of change in future, making the world a better place to live in.  To create a ‘student-centric’ learning environment, I co-relate subjects, align curriculum, ensure quality teaching, infuse creativity, tap talents, inspire innovations, encourage excellence in academics, sports and co-curricular activities, integrate learning with technology, stimulate imagination, inculcate values, above all-develop ‘wholesome’ personalities. 

I foster peace and harmony, infuse internationalism and add global dimension to shape young leaders with a vision and a mission.  The fourteen year life- changing journey from pre-school to class XII is a leap from progress to success. I believe, ‘It is all about laying the groundwork for students’ successes and standing back to let them rise and shine’. As a progressive principal, I plant visions and harvest dreams!   

MY MISSION AS A PROGRESSIVE PRINCIPAL

This title would enable me to realize and further my mission and vision of education in totality i.e.  Shaping up progressive leaders of tomorrow to better the world with innovative ideas and life skills. With my progressive ideas, I would inculcate global perspectives along with a deep sense of responsibility. With my team, I would strive to build up the empowered ‘torch bearers of tomorrow’.  Strengthening the belief of our stakeholders in my leadership and my institution, this title would create a progressive environment for teaching –learning with an eye on the future.   

I would also get an opportunity to connect with other progressive principals and exchange and execute ground breaking ideas. Associating with schools across the globe, encouraging  innovations along with experimentation, partnering for eco projects, involving students into MUN sessions, bringing about  social awareness through community outreach programmes, equipping students with the right values and above all, igniting  them  by  integrating education with real life learning, would  put my coveted title to the best possible use.  

LEARNING BY DOING

At Hansraj we believe that “words are meaningless until put into practice”. Learning for everyday application forms the foundation of our curriculum planning and teaching methodologies.  Right from Kindergarten to grade XII the school caters to different learning abilities of children. Practices that lead to hands on learning range widely from writing in the sand,  performing varied experiments in science,  role play,  dramatization, sharing real life experiences, creative writing to undertaking research based projects, making Science models, Robotics, Socially Useful Productive Work (SUPW), celebrating Sanskrit Saptah and cooking in Home science lab.   

By making learning process interesting & more effective, the experiential technique has enabled students to become enthusiastic learners and enjoy learning by doing.  Teachers’ and students’ educational trips at Hansraj Model School go a long way in refreshing and rejuvenating them at various intervals. Visit to Pratapgarh Farms, brought them closer to nature, while being in Dilli Haat was an exposure to traditional vocations of our country. The Heritage Walks, Visit to Parliament House, Nehru Planetarium, Craft Museum, NCC Camp for Girls, Sports Coaching Camp etc.  

We provide life skills and values. All of these have been extremely popular and well appreciated, providing the much needed break from routines to freshen up the minds of both teachers and students enabling them to explore and understand the nuances of practical purpose of education. The emphasis is laid on hands on experience to provide real value learning.

INTEGRATED CURRICULUM 

Championing integrated curriculum focused on thematic units is the holistic approach towards the learning process. It is imperative that students learn a concept in totality. Keeping this in mind curriculum planning and lesson planning viz a viz teaching methodologies is implemented accordingly. The motive is to enhance global and local comprehension, understand the concept in totality and put knowledge gathered to practical use.  For example, the a story about a freedom fighter is taken up with the historical and geographical facts of that era. The teachers of the faculty feel motivated and encouraged as they exchange ideas, share views and suggest techniques to improve the learning outcome. This meeting of minds also involves appraisal, assessment and review of the teaching techniques utilized during the session. The teachers of a particular subject apprise the other teachers about the past record of their students and guide them to take up effective steps to improve their performance.  The synergy of experience and innovative planning is channelized to ensure that concepts are understood, learnt and applied. The interdisciplinary approach has provided holistic learning effectively and broadened student’s horizons. 

INTEGRATION OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP INTO EDUCATION THROUGH FACULTY

Enabling young learners to develop skills and attitudes they need for their goals in life is the essence of entrepreneurs in education. Inspiring my faculty to interweave teaching of life skills along with knowledge has been a step in this direction. We prepare students to be responsible, enterprising, cutting edge thinkers, ready to innovate and create. Providing basic understanding of business education to transform impressionable minds from being job-seekers to job-creators is a motivating factor for the faculty so that these learners contribute to development and growth both at national and international level.   

Talk by teachers, class discussions and presentations regarding contemporary entrepreneurs and their contribution have inspired our students and expanded their horizon. Career counselling to apprise the students about the upcoming start-ups and business ideas go a long way in accomplishing this goal. Faculty encourages the students to participate in conferences/summits of entrepreneurs to be inspired and motivated.    

We focus on tapping the talent pool at its nascent stage be it sports, music, art, drama etc. The next step is to ensure personal development of these learners by harnessing on their skill sets to multiply growth progress. The school prides in sharing that the school has national and international level players, designers, research scientists not to forget professionals and entrepreneurs across the globe. Needless to say the mentoring and guidance of the faculty forms a foundation on which these tall structures are built. Inviting entrepreneurs who share their life is a regular practice with students and faculty.  

PROBLEM SOLVING & CRITICAL THINKING AMIDST THE FACULTY 

Teachers are the Role Models whom learners emulate and look upto as their ideals. So Life skills like Problem Solving and Critical Thinking form the core competencies required to execute the challenging role of mentors and teachers.  

At Hansraj the skill enhancement by way of workshops have further refined the skills of our faculty. Counselling sessions, life skills, and IT related training have equipped them to develop and acquire skills of the 21st century. Teachers are constantly upgraded with Capacity Building Workshops and online courses-Microsoft, Google etc. to enhance their skills.   

Frequent workshops for teachers equip them with the latest information and new trends in teaching techniques. They have imparted greater awareness and empowered the staff. Workshops by CBSE Experts have upgraded them with the latest evaluation methodologies while DAV in-house workshops have charged the teachers to better their best.               

Enabling, empowering and enlightening are the three words which sum up the philosophy behind such programmes. Emphases in laid on a thinking curriculum. We devise to elevate students workflow and output beyond memorizing. We equip students with strategies/skills to think critically. Brainstorming session open their mind. We encourage to make connection with real life situations. We also encourage to link errors to misconception. Collaborative work is made effective using core competencies.  

GROUP WORK AND DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIAL SKILLS AMIDST THE FACULTY

We follow the philosophy of Together Everyone Achieves More. Team work or group work brings the best results in any endeavor of the school. When everyone contributes their best and takes collective responsibility then results are bound to be outstanding.  

Our teachers have developed empathy and concern for the less privileged in the society. “Joy of giving-project”, visit to orphanages, old age homes, blind schools and pleasure of gifting etc. have moulded them into socially sensitive beings, who generously contribute towards the needs of the society during the hours of need like natural disasters usually their one day salary as the minimum etc. The school has also been hosting  inter-orphanage fest on a regular basis for the past seven years, extending all its facilities. Teachers take on the responsibility of organizing such events while mentoring and guiding the students to take on important roles in conceptualizing, planning and executing such events. They work as coordinators, Judges and are part of the core team.   

Visits to NGOs like Sahyog run by a school alumni gives our teachers an opportunity to be philanthropic and give back to the society in a humble way.  Workshops are held to inculcate the Social Skill.  Working with orphanages, old age homes, in small groups gives hands on experience to our students.  We teach them to identify students who are facing social problems and depending on teachers. Strategies are evolved to deal and handle them with care.   

UNDERSTANDING & ACTION BASED LEARNING

“Learning is an experience. Everything else is just information”,  This tenet of thwarting rote learning and introducing Understanding and Action Based Learning is followed in every endeavor of the school.    

Right from Kindergarten to grade XII the school caters to different learning abilities of children. Practices that lead to hands on learning range widely from  writing in the sand,  performing varied experiments in science,  role play,  dramatization, sharing real life experiences, creative writing to undertaking research based projects, making Science models, Robotics, (Socially Useful Productive Work) SUPW, celebrating Sanskrit Saptah and cooking in Home science lab. By making learning process interesting & more effective, the experiential technique has enabled students to become enthusiastic learners and enjoy learning by doing. Polishing up their competitive spirit enables them to overcome challenges and emerge as winners. 

The students are encouraged to participate in maximum number of competitions at zonal, state, national and international levels. The teachers are given the responsibility of guiding students for Quizzes, various Olympiads, KVPY (Kishore Vigyan Protsahan Yojana) inter-school events, directorate of education- inter zonal, language championships, NTSE etc on a rotational basis each session.  Kinesthetic classrooms and kinesthetic learning strategies go a long way in enriching learning. We change the seating of classroom to facilitate different learning options. The only way to encourage kinesthetic is by encouraging the ‘understanding approach’. Teachers needs to change their attitude for students by making sincere efforts to enable students to comprehend the concepts at hand followed by reflections on them so that derive joy out of learning. 

That is dawn of Action Based Learning and the end of dark night of ignorance and rote learning.  Creativity is encouraged at all levels so that our students think out of the box and present innovative ideas by way of  designing posters, decorating display boards, making rangoli, undertaking recitation, debating, slogan writing etc. These have highlighted both the creativity and imagination in our students.  

COLLABORATIVE & COOPERATIVE LEARNING PROJECTS FOR FACULTY DEVELOPMENT

“A faculty that learns together, progresses together”. 

Collaborative and cooperative projects aim at bringing the faculty together  and heighten their social skills and team spirit. The teachers endeavor towards developing a set of tools that can be integrated into classroom teaching and catering to diverse mixed ability students to make teaching-learning process more effective.   

To bring about uniformity in teaching-learning process, “Team Teaching” is undertaken by the teachers. Certain portions of the curriculum are divided amongst the faculty members for example – grammar, poetry, drama and taught in all the sections with consistency. The lesson plans, special assignments, extra questions are all prepared by the respective teachers and circulated in the faculty to benefit the learners in all classes.  

Group Evaluation by senior teachers standardizes the quality of assessment at the secondary, middle and primary level. This ensures consistency   throughout along with high standards and paves way for Action Research.  

Equal opportunities to perform in varied roles of the school functioning empower the staff and they progress with the multiple role playing. Understanding the challenges of functioning of such a big organization enhances capabilities and chisels the latent  administrative capabilities of the group.  Teachers carefully design lessons and activities suitable to work in teams which are heterogeneous. There is a need to create a clean climate and provide non-threatening hands on experiences. 

We have well-structured cooperative activities for collaborative learning. Team should be socially cohesive. There should be interdependence. Individual accountability and equals participation along with simultaneous interaction form the basis of collaborative and cooperative learning.   

EDUCATION ACCENTUATING SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND SAFEGUARDING DEMOCRACY 

Education at Hansraj crystallizes the sense of social responsibility and also safeguards democracy.   Our teachers have developed empathy and concern for the less privileged in the society. “Joy of giving-project”, visit to orphanages, old age homes, blind schools and joy of gifting etc have enabled to mould the students into socially sensitive beings who generously contribute towards the needs of the society during the hours of need like natural disasters. 

The school has also been hosting inter orphanage fest on a regular basis for the past seven years, extending all its facilities  Participation in Swachh School Abhiyan, tree plantation drive, eco-rallies go a long way in sensitizing and motivating our staff and students to shoulder their social responsibilities  The teachers ensure “Peer grouping” to help the not so privileged peers in the class to instil a sense of belongingness, oneness, social consciousness and social responsibility.  

The school strongly believes in shaping the young adults into responsible citizens of tomorrow who acknowledge and appreciate Democracy. The school prefectorial board is selected through a screening committee and the chosen ones shoulder the responsibility of being a bridge between the students and the staff. They are consulted on all major issues pertaining to their welfare and policy decisions as well.  

A complaint box has been placed at the school reception and all wash rooms for students to express their opinions and complaints in secrecy.  The staff is also represented by staff secretaries from each department who meet the principal regularly and form the core team for policy decisions. 

PTA (parent teacher association) plays a pivotal role in framing and execution of school policies. They meet regularly and express their views and give suggestions for the better functioning of the school.   The School Principal conducts Parent Orientation Programmes from time to time and the school counsellor meets them frequently to update them about the latest developments.  

DESIGN & DELIVERY OF A LEARNING ECOSYSTEM WHEREBY HIGHLY PERSONALIZED LEARNING ACCOUNTING IS DONE FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL’S PERSONAL GOALS

“Education is widening of knowledge absorbing the truth about life and coping up with every challenge”. Life itself is an examination. Preparing for life is what concerns us the most. Empowering students with life-skills, infusing emotional stability, developing right thinking and futuristic vision is the need of the hour. The subject experts’ discussions, motivational lectures and various workshops ignite young minds and groom holistic personalities.     

At Hansraj we believe that personal goals can only be achieved if a SWOT analysis is done at a young stage. So to hand hold students through this journey of self-exploration we try to identify learners with Special needs and help these specially abled learners identify and explore their core strengths. Then training and mentoring sessions are organized to help them progress and achieve their goals-both short and long term.  

Assessments are graded and the learning abilities of the different groups are kept in mind while designing and drafting assignments and assessments to customize learning and goal setting. The school’s alumni is invited for mentor–mentee sessions, career-fairs are organized and career counselling is done time and again to update the learners about upcoming career options. They act as role models and showcase the path the learners need to follow to achieve their personal goals.  Lot of emphasis is given to empowering students with Vocational and Life skills to equip them to charter their professional and personal targets.  

INTEGRATION OF COMMUNITY SERVICE AND SERVICE LEARNING PROJECTS INTO THE DAILY CURRICULUM

“We make a living by what we get but we make a life by what we give”.     

As responsible citizens of the community it is our moral duty to work towards the betterment of our nation and its development at large.  To work in this direction, following projects are undertaken regularly at Hansraj to integrate Community Service and Service Learning Projects into the daily curriculum for students. The staff plays a pivotal role in conceptualizing, planning, organizing and implementing community service programmes.  The students are sensitized towards their civic responsibilities. Some of the community outreach programmes are as follows:  

• Awareness Campaign for vector borne diseases like dengue, chikangunia, malaria etc.  
• Sensitization programmes for NO-tobacco  
• Rally and Nukkad Natak on ‘Stop Child Labour’  
• Awareness programme about Child Abuse
• Propagation of ‘Swachh Bharat Mission’
• Signature Campaign – Anti–Bullying, Child Labour, Cyber Safety, Road Safety, Hygiene
• Mass Sanitation Drive  
• Mother- daughter hygiene programmes
• Awareness programme against drug-abuse
• Blood Donation Camp
• Vigilance Week   
• Self-empowerment workshop for teachers
• Behavioural issues in children and positive nurturance
• Visits to Sahyog orphanage and old age homes
• Peer teaching at orphanages
• Donating old books to orphanages to facilitate learning

We integrate community service to enrich learning experience, teach civic responsibilities to strengthen community to enhance personal and social development along with academic and cognitive development which in turn enhances understanding and leads to effective action.  We have community projects with different organisations like NSS, Sahyog, Bhumi, Goonj etc. Interact club students are encouraged to take up various projects which give them experiential opportunities to learn in the real world contexts and helps them develop skills of community engagement. Having this in our daily curriculum gives students a great sense of personal identity, helps them develop their interpersonal skills and improve their ability to work well with others.   

FUTURISTIC SELECTION OF SUBJECT CONTENT 

The purpose of any subject or school activity is to empower students with skills which would make them future ready. It is imperative that the content and the curriculum are chosen with lot of deliberation keeping in mind the learning –teaching process. Working under the aegis of D.A.V CMC, the school provides an opportunity to harness the talent-pool available in the form of teachers with inestimable experience with learners. There is self-sufficiency and so the system allows them to learn independently. Life skills and Vocational skills contribute towards gratifying the needs of the future society. To ensure that the curriculum fulfills these requirements,  All India level review meetings are held to update and upgrade the curriculum (DAV has its own publication for classes Pre-Nursery-VIII for all DAV schools).  

E-lesson plans and projects are made and shared pan India. Cluster workshops are conducted annually to review the content as well as the teaching methodologies.  The content developers keep three domains of learning in mind- Cognitive, Affective and Psychometric skills considering the varied backgrounds the learners belong to. It should be a learner-centred curriculum and should be meaningful. The subject matter selected must have utility or usefulness. Whatever content is to be selected must be done keeping in mind the standard of learner to maximize learning. The content should be such that it is easy to implement and consider it appropriate to nature of learners.  

LIFELONG LEARNING AND SOCIAL SKILLS OF FACULTY MEMBERS

“The most valuable asset we have is our mind and what we put into it.” As a progressive principal, I realize the significance of LifeLong Learning.  The teachers touch eternity and have unlimited influence on young impressionable minds. Thus, fair and productive faculty is the foundation pillar of every institution. It is imperative to develop a social and meaningful relationship among the faculty members to yield effective results. 

Tuning to times, I emphasize upon my faculty members to upgrade their existing knowledge and accommodate new versions. I believe-in teaching we learn, by learning we teach. To attain the goal of continuous and comprehensive learning, the school provides ample opportunities for professional development to teaching and non-teaching staff in different areas that include capacity building programs. Performance enrichment workshops and sessions on stress management, personality enhancement, innovative in teaching methodology, etc are areas for professional development.  To augment the teaching learning process, it is crucial to update the knowledge and skill of the facilitators, who are an inimitable part of this mechanism. We use expertise to help them upgrade technology skills. They also learn to become flexible and adaptable. It also helps to learn skills on your own augmented intelligence.  

Following practices are advised to ensure self-enrichment:

• Read about people, topics you are interested in and share with others. This helps them in ensuring that their knowledge is not stagnating.  
• Find time to research topics that interest them.  
• Plan their own projects with students.  
• Personalize their learning environment.  
• Find alternate ways to learn new things.  
• Join different study groups which will further motivate them to learn from different people and their experience.  
• Last but not the least- Make learning a priority in life.  

FACULTY ASSESSMENT & EVALUATION OF THEIR INNOVATIVE PROJECTS & PRODUCTIONS

“Assessments are critical to the educational process. It is an ongoing process of gathering, analyzing and reflecting on evidence to make informed and consistent judgments to improve learning.”      

REVIEWS AND REFLECTIONS
With a mindset to review the effectiveness, research is undertaken by the teachers. The self-assessment and reviews are regularly done from time to time that open doors to innovations. It is done to think of pioneering ways to bring about improvement and positive changes in self and students.  

ACR i.e. the Annual Confidential Report of the school is an effective tool in assessment regime of the faculty members. Self- introspection and self-analysis form the most important part of this document which covers academic, co-curricular, sports, administrative, self- enhancement and innovations as parameters of professional development. The co-ordinator/incharge then gives an analytical review about the same which includes assessment on social and life-skills also. The principal then gives her remarks on her observations about the same.  

Faculty Supervision is done on a regular basis. The senior faculty members from the school itself, come and observe the classes of other teachers to give them constructive feedback and in turn, the junior teachers are also given an opportunity to learn by observation. Class observation by Principal and External Subject Experts from time to time have ensured quality teaching and effective strategies.  Classroom observations, pupil feedback, self –reposts, reflective logs, faculty judgements/feedbacks all form the core strategies for assessment regime followed for the faculty.    

PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY TO FACULTY EMPOWERMENT

I strongly believe in the analogy between teachers and roots of a tree. They supply all the nutrients required for growth of the tree. So the stronger the roots, the stronger the branches laden with beautiful aromatic flowers and sweet fruits.  My philosophy for my faculty is very simple-“Enable, Equip, Enhance and Empower” so that they “Evolve, Emerge and Echo as Efficient, Enlightened, Experienced and Exemplary teachers”.