Priti Ojha
WHAT MAKES ME A PROGRESSIVE PRINCIPAL
I feel as a Principal I can’t lead until I have not worked as a Teacher, but in my case I started my career as a Primary Teacher was then promoted as a middle school teacher and thereafter became the senior school teacher. While doing all this, I also made sure that I am connected with educational societies like British Council and became an established trainer for teachers and principals since 2007. This combination of a teacher and a trainer helped me to lead teachers in different capacities like Head of the Department, Head Mistress, ISA coordinator, British Council School Ambassador local facilitator and now as the Principal and core skill trainer.
To understand a school, I have gathered a lot of experience while travelling PAN India and countries like Jordan (Amman), UK, China for delivering training on various teaching strategies and, methodologies. My journey as an educationist has not only been in the capacity of a teacher trainer, core administrative but also as a director for a girl’s residential school in a village called Lukhi located in Haryana. The pragmatic approach towards education from metropolitan city schools to village school journey has equipped me with empathy, creativity and humanity.
Literacy is important for any child but education is essential, to give a holistic development to the child. I think education in various skill capacities helps to understand the need in education system and policy.
MY MISSION AS A PROGRESSIVE PRINCIPAL
I want to associate myself with various educational institutes as a member who can help them establishing their vision and mission for the education. I would want to start a teacher training society where certified teachers who can’t merge in a school and fail to continue due to any reason can be given high capacity training to comfortably start working again in schools.
LEARNING BY DOING
I have been achieving this through:
- Action Plan
- Reflection
- Following up with Classroom Research
- Training Teachers on Core Skills
- Classroom management
- Stress management
INTEGRATED CURRICULUM
This has been achieved through
- Computers : CAL i.e. Computer Aided Learning
- Helping Students learn Math, Science and English through Computers
- All subject teachers are required to assess common projects
INTEGRATION OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP INTO EDUCATION THROUGH FACULTY
School is involved in Enterprise Challenge where children plan, make policy and calculate profit for awareness to understand business and become entrepreneurs in their own capacity. Through theatre, students connect to social issues and voice about it to bring a change without hurting anyone’s religion, caste or community but to bring people together for humanity.
PROBLEM SOLVING & CRITICAL THINKING AMIDST THE FACULTY
I am the core skill trainer for critical thinking and problem solving on behalf of British Council. We prepare elaborate processes on the basis of situations faced by teachers, students, staff and parents in the school to evoke these twin distinctions.
GROUP WORK AND DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIAL SKILLS AMIDST THE FACULTY
I have been taking training on various skills required by teachers. Teachers go for training and action research in school and outside school. Teachers/Staff is involved in Annual day celebrations that calls for teamwork. I encourage teachers to be a part of designing the Curriculum that involves group work.
UNDERSTANDING & ACTION BASED LEARNING
We have syllabus to cover from NCERT and have focused on concept learning which is a deep learning through computing questions, tests, open book test, projects, research on a hurdle students face in school through action research program.
COLLABORATIVE & COOPERATIVE LEARNING PROJECTS FOR FACULTY DEVELOPMENT
Collaborative work happens in various academic discussions. Results are communicated and analysed through academic audit. We show students projects with different countries where students share through emails, skype and blogs.
EDUCATION ACCENTUATING SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND SAFEGUARDING DEMOCRACY
As a social responsibility, I have been working on Beti Bachao aur Beti Padhao in Haryana in 54 villages. Many villages retaliated but we kept spreading the message. I have been talking about hygiene required during periods.
DESIGN & DELIVERY OF A LEARNING ECOSYSTEM WHEREBY HIGHLY PERSONALIZED LEARNING ACCOUNTING IS DONE FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL’S PERSONAL GOALS
I have been doing the budgeting of the school requirements as in Laboratories, Staff Development, Student Trips, Academic Resources, Recruitment etc..
INTEGRATION OF COMMUNITY SERVICE AND SERVICE LEARNING PROJECTS INTO THE DAILY CURRICULUM
We have various activities where students need to empathise with various cultural differences of India and outside India to make them transcend from local to global. We conduct International and Intra school activities via ISA, Interact Club and through other social activities.
FUTURISTIC SELECTION OF SUBJECT CONTENT
- Communication: Major skill required verbal, technical
- Critical Thinking and Problem Solving: Wherein students if travel and find problems on various aspects can think out of the box to find solution.
- Leadership Skills: Independently work on various aspects , find solutions in a team and proactively think of the process.
LIFELONG LEARNING AND SOCIAL SKILLS OF FACULTY MEMBERS
We try to make sure that teachers remain learners all their life. We try to instill in their minds, that no offence need to be taken if students ask questions which they cannot answer at that very instant. We make sure that they get connected to the community via various events and learn to understand their needs.
FACULTY ASSESSMENT & EVALUATION OF THEIR INNOVATIVE PROJECTS & PRODUCTIONS
We do follow an assessment regime whereby
- Observation of the classroom is important
- Documentation is analysed
- Academic Audit via experts happens after every three months
- Staff is asked to upgrade themselves with online courses and books they read
- Feedback from students and peer members is factored into and is shared with the staff concerned on a positive note
PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY TO FACULTY EMPOWERMENT
Faculty empowerment can be achieved through
- Teacher Training
- Sharing and Exchange Program of Teachers
- Enrolling them into Online Courses
- Giving them leadership training through various sources like British Council
- To equip teachers for process development with the help of NABET, QCI