Mona Seervai
WHAT MAKES ME A PROGRESSIVE PRINCIPAL
I have worked in the most privileged and elite schools in a leadership role, and have a vast experience in the international sector. I left my very prestigious position in order to share the best international practices with low income schools. I believe that education can be changed if the mindset of school leaders and teachers is influenced. As we move into the 21st century, we need to stay away from a niche model of education and work with the vast majority of students who deserve the same opportunities for a better life. Hence I think I am progressive in my thinking, and my actions speak for themselves.
MY MISSION AS A PROGRESSIVE PRINCIPAL
I believe that all students can have access to a better life provided they are given the opportunity to do so. Education for the 21st century requires a paradigm shift and a mindset that the teacher in the classroom is the single greatest influence. My mission is to share best international practices with low income schools. By applying these practices in the classroom, they can be contextualised and become relevant.
LEARNING BY DOING
The schools in which I have been Principal have created a liberal child-centered environment, where students are encouraged to question the teacher and work together in order to create projects. Every classroom was buzzing with activity and student engagement. I believe this is the only way that children can learn. I am trying to bring about the same change in the five present schools that I am Director. We are planning a science fair, and projects for the primary section so that these can be tangible outcomes for parents and teachers to understand that Learning by Doing is the most powerful way forward. Every school conducts educational trips, where the venue and the time frame is relevant to the class level. I believe that travelling together creates bonds for students.
INTEGRATED CURRICULUM
I believe that curriculum needs to be integrated, just as real life is integrated. In the previous schools, this was conducted based on the IB framework. In this school, I am doing integrated projects. For example, in August, the value was Peace. The children learned a story about a Peaceful star, they learned a song as well. Every class then created an illustration on the story, and this was displayed. Being August, we commemorated Hiroshima Day on the 6th, by honouring the story of Sadako. Every class folded paper cranes and displayed them. This, I believe is an example of true integration of literature, language, art and craft and history in practice. The value for September is Honesty.
INTEGRATION OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP INTO EDUCATION THROUGH FACULTY
I have always encouraged all Faculty Members to be empowered and share their learning with the community. The most recent examples are of six faculty members who attended workshops in Mumbai on Action Songs and Story Telling. They then conducted similar workshops for all the staff members from the 3 Primary Schools. I helped them plan the workshop, and worked on the facilitation skills. The teachers said it was a very good learning experience for them and they were pushed out of the comfort zone. I believe that faculty members need recognition of potential, and I always work on processes where they mentor with each other. The classrooms are open classrooms, and we observe each others lessons. When a unit is successful in one section, the teacher then shares her learning with the other section. I believe in putting myself in the backseat and encouraging teachers to take the learning and sharing forward.
PROBLEM SOLVING & CRITICAL THINKING AMIDST THE FACULTY
I believe the Faculty needs to role model the approach for the children. Hence I constantly try and make them think laterally and plan lessons in a way that they themselves are doing problem-solving. This happens through weekly coordination meetings with me or the Department Heads, and working together. As a culture, this is far more prevalent in international schools. In the traditional schools, faculty are not exposed to this technique. I role model this for them in the workshops that I conduct, and give them examples of some strategies to use in the classroom. I am rewriting lesson plans based on the textbook, which encourage these pedagogical methods.
GROUP WORK AND DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIAL SKILLS AMIDST THE FACULTY
I believe that collaboration and group work is of utmost importance in order to develop social skills. I personally encourage interdisciplinary cooperation, for example: Math and Art, Social Studies and Literature, Science and History. This is a common practice in IB schools, where the framework encourages faculty to work together. In these traditional schools, it is a new concept. During the Peace Month, many of the faculty members were encouraged to socially work with one another. I have been fortunate to have always selected schools where faculty bond with each other and work together with respect. I believe that schools are about relationship building and therefore encourage group work always.
UNDERSTANDING & ACTION BASED LEARNING
I am a certified Concept Based Curriculum and Instruction trainer. I work with Dr. Lynn Erickson, and have been a science facilitator at her Institutes in Europe in 2016/2017 and will continue in 2018. I believe that deep learning can only take place if students understand concepts and are able to transfer them across time, place and situations. I have written several Unit Plans in Math, EVS and Literature, based on this framework, and we are trying to implement this in the classrooms of traditional schools. This also requires teacher training and a paradigm shift. I believe that all the teachers I have encountered want to teach for understanding, based on a genuine love for children. However these are recent methodologies, and none of them have experienced a thinking classroom in their own schools. This practice of pilot lesson plans and ensuring that children participate actively will thwart the rote learning prevalent.
COLLABORATIVE & COOPERATIVE LEARNING PROJECTS FOR FACULTY DEVELOPMENT
I believe in collaboration and cooperative learning. I encourage faculty to work together and create trans disciplinary units of study, which they then reflect upon and understand what works well, and what can be better. A teacher (and a Principal) is a life long learner, and it is only by sharing and working together that we can enhance our teaching for the benefit of all children. The making of cranes for Hiroshima, which I did as part of the Peace value is an example in which all faculty collaborated on the project and created a visual display together. This was a learning for the faculty as well as the children.
EDUCATION ACCENTUATING SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND SAFEGUARDING DEMOCRACY
Education is a preparation for life. A democracy is a viable form of government, provided the citizens are able to think critically and analyse a situation based on evidence from factual knowledge. Citizens need to learn to question and not accept whatever is handed to them. Hence I believe that inculcating social responsibility in a school is vital. I have done this by having free and fair elections for the student government. I ensured that the past leaders worked with in-coming candidates so that they understood the roles and responsibilities. One year there was tremendous dissent about the manner in which the teachers conducted the elections. I worked with the Student Government and empowered them to create systems which they were comfortable with. In this manner the students took ownership of the process. In addition, the students of BIS worked with a Municipal School in Abhyudaya Nagar and helped them create a similar student government.
DESIGN & DELIVERY OF A LEARNING ECOSYSTEM WHEREBY HIGHLY PERSONALIZED LEARNING ACCOUNTING IS DONE FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL’S PERSONAL GOALS
I believe that every individual is different, and I think that all classrooms need to have differentiated practice. In large classrooms with 50 students it is often a challenge to meet all personal goals. However being sensitive to students needs is part of good practice. While in International Schools, this is a mandatory requirement, in government schools there is a policy of inclusive education. Hence I have an atmosphere of teacher training, parent sensitivity and student participation in order to create a supportive learning ecosystem.
INTEGRATION OF COMMUNITY SERVICE AND SERVICE LEARNING PROJECTS INTO THE DAILY CURRICULUM
I believe entirely in Community Service and Service Learning Projects completely and entirely. I will enumerate various examples as far back as fund-raising for earthquakes and Tsunamis, having bake sales and drives, partnering with schools for differently abled students, creating a Funshala in BIS, where Std 11/12 students work with students from Down to Earth, partnering with Muktangan, Welfare of Stray Dogs, volunteering at Akanksha, to name a few. In my present school, I am working towards a sustainable exchange with my previous two schools so that both the groups can learn from each other and contribute to making a world a better place for all and not just a privileged few.
FUTURISTIC SELECTION OF SUBJECT CONTENT
Subject content in traditional schools is determined by the State Board. However there is flexibility in some support subjects such as music, art, drama and work experience. I have been able to influence the content in these by integrating the skills needed – such as research, thinking, communication, self management and social skills. In addition I believe that resilience in students can be developed through practice of mindfulness and meditation. In the future, we will not be limited and bound by content, since the world is changing so rapidly. However, conceptual understanding and skills will create the 21st century learner more effectively.
LIFELONG LEARNING AND SOCIAL SKILLS OF FACULTY MEMBERS
I believe that teachers are “nation-builders” hence they need to be both lifelong learners as well as relationship creators. For this I create several professional development opportunities and sharing for all faculty members. They choose what they want to do based on their research and understanding and I also suggest ideas. I develop and model workshops based on all my learnings from being an IB workshop leader. In addition I encourage faculty to share by conducting similar workshops. I support every such endeavour.
FACULTY ASSESSMENT & EVALUATION OF THEIR INNOVATIVE PROJECTS & PRODUCTIONS
I believe that any assessment regime must be participative and have the buy-in of everybody. I do not have a top-down approach, and whatever performance evaluation is created, i make sure that I am evaluated by the same parameters. No concessions for anyone, especially for the leaders on the “top”! In order to do this, we set common goals at the start of the year and the follow up is to support staff to ensure that they meet the goals. This creates a congenial and healthy working environment, where each person is valued for who they are and not only for what they can do.
PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY TO FACULTY EMPOWERMENT
My personal philosophy is embodied in the phrase, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” I am open to feedback from Faculty and take this very seriously. I set the same benchmarks for myself. The faculty can criticise and make suggestions to me, and therefore to each other. There is an atmosphere of respect and open communication in every school that I have lead, and this creates an empowered faculty who work towards making empowered children, who are our future.