Tips, articles, ideas for and by teachers

1. Feb 2011
Volume 5, Issue 2 Inspiring Teachers
Driving educational change through excellence in teaching
Editor’s Comments
All efforts are on full steam memories of a school The editorial piece on
to launch the year of the that he left more than outcome based teaching is
professional college. You 30 years ago….just goes especially relevant since such
will receive news of the to show how long the simple things can go a long
website launch this month. influence of teachers way to enhance learning.
In the meantime, let me lasts. And more We have some humour in the
apologise for missing the importantly, are such side columns and interesting
This month:
new year resolutions. They breed of teachers really links. And yes, we have
Outcome driven
teaching … …..2 are published in this issue. becoming extinct? Do new column – e-mails to
Shantaram shares his send your thoughts. the editor.
School Read on and share…
Memories……4
Shantaram
e-mails to editor ..5
New year resolutions
Humour and Siddhartha Ghosh, Assoc Prof and Placement Officer, GNITS, Hyderabad
Interesting links 1. To take care of one student's books expenditure.
…side columns 2. To know a subject before teaching it.
3. To respect the teaching profession.
About Teacher’s Academy
Started three years ago, already 1600 teacher members on-line, 25 colleges and 10
schools touched by the training.
Long term training and consultancy projects are being taken up for professional
colleges. Lesson plans, material, teaching skills and student awareness are taken up for
sustainable quality.
Please do leave your feedback on workshops on the site About Us Clients say
Share articles, useful links, teaching resources and tips for effective teaching with a
growing community of our teacher mailing list.
If anyone is passionate about changing the education scenario and to work with
Teacher’s Academy can send resume and talk to me. The future is very exciting here.
--Thanks
Uma Garimella, Founder / Editor

2. Inspiring Teachers Page 2 of 5
Teaching needs to be outcome driven, competency
based ……………………Uma Garimella
Bloom’s Taxonomy (see three areas viz, cognition, (synthesis), or students will
next page) is the frequently skills and attitude. Fink’s be able to explain the
heard keyword in anything taxonomy goes a step ahead working of such and such
dealing with pedagogy. This and says that foundational equipment
is basically a hierarchy of knowledge (could map to (comprehension) and so on.
learning outcomes in the Bloom’s Cognitive BC 1 and Now why is this so
2), application (BC 3+) must important? Because, these
be combined with learning objectives define the
how to learn, caring for the teaching method to be used.
subject and human Let me illustrate this idea. If
dimension (Bloom’s the objective of a session is
affective domain). There is comprehension – that is,
an explicit mention of students will be able to
Integrating people, ideas explain something, then the
and life. So this taxonomy is way the session is
more complete than conducted could be in one
Bloom’s. of the following ways:
Pedagogically, any good teacher introduces topic,
learning experience (I am students read, ask questions
not using the word teaching) and make a mind map. If
should start with a clear the topic is a process, the
picture of the outcomes teacher could take the class
expected from that learning through the steps, then ask
Interesting Links
experience. This is usually them to trace the process
www.etc.edu.cn - Encyclopedia of
Education Technology written in the form of a list with another set of values
www.mechanisms101.com Flash of lesson objectives. These and then summarise. Or
animations for engineering
www.ineer.org - International Network for objectives are written from show an animation or
Engineering Education and Research the learner’s perspective and simulation. However, notice
www.upscale.utoronto.ca - Physics Flash
Animations are always actions that can that these methods are not
www.insidehighered.com - News and be demonstrated and/or going to give any analytical,
Updates from Higher Education
www.edutechdebate.org Educational measured. And they can be application or creative skills
Technology Debate placed in one of the levels of to students.
www.mydrona.com A portable,
educational gadget for learners of any age the hierarchy. For example,
the students will be able to
write and execute a program
using such and such features

3. Inspiring Teachers Page 3 of 5
Teaching needs to be – continued
However, notice that these with details of the type of three year cycle.
methods are not going to knowledge. The goals of a
Are these skills or
give any analytical, college depend on their
competencies sequential?
application or creative skills current position. Some
Can application be learnt
to students. If those are the colleges may want to
without comprehension?
objectives, then the increase pass percentage,
Debatable. Further, the
methods chosen must be some others are happy
curriculum or the Ego trip? Lack of skills?
one of the following: with pass percentage but
examination system may
Students are given wrong want to increase the
be driving the objectives,
sequence of steps in a number of distinctions, A young man hired by a
(this is valid) and not the supermarket reported for his
process and asked to report and some others may want first day of work. The
teacher. The
any problems. Or they are to improve employability manager greeted him with a
recommended practice is warm handshake and a smile,
asked to solve problems (which by the way may not gave him a broom, and said,
for the teachers to set the
related to the concept. Or be achieved through the "Your first job will be to sweep
objectives based on the out the store."
they can research on the above two goals).
current competencies of
internet and find problems Teacher’s Academy works "But I'm a college graduate,"
the students and the the young man replied
that can be solved with with colleges to deploy just indignantly.
curriculum. This is
what they learnt. the right kind of teaching
purely to drive the flow "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know
The table below shows a methods in their classes. that," said the manager.
and method of teaching.
modified Bloom’s taxonomy And SHOW the results in a "Here, give me the broom -- I'll
show you how."
Bloom's Taxonomy
The Cognitive Process Dimension
The Knowledge
Remember Understand Apply Analyze Evaluate Create
Dimension
Factual
List Summarize Classify Order Rank Combine
Knowledge
Conceptual
Describe Interpret Experiment Explain Assess Plan
Knowledge
Procedural
Tabulate Predict Calculate Differentiate Conclude Compose
Knowledge
Meta-
Appropriate
Cognitive Execute Construct Achieve Action Actualize
Use
Knowledge

4. Inspiring Teachers Page 4 of 5
School Memories ……………………………… Shantaram
Picture Contest
Today Sanskar Vidyalaya, Beed, Maharashtra stands tall There were prabhat pheris
with meritorious students consistently year after year, every independence/
good building, infrastructure etc.. The internet had been republic day/ Gandhi
helpful in getting some details and I talked to Deshmukh Jayanti early in the
sir recently. He’s now an ACAO with central excise. Mrs morning with teachers
Limbekar is married and not in that school. I also spoke controlling the line of the
to some classmates. I learnt Shri Kshirsagar is still there inspired ones passing
and had received ‘best teacher’ from the government in through narrow lanes of
recent past. They were not just teachers. They gave us nearby localities. We
Write 50 words of what
memories of a lifetime. suspected that the elders
the above picture
conveys to you. Send I left Beed for Nagpur in 1977 but memories of the two who got up and came out
your entry before 55th years spent at this school never really left me. Those days to see the early
Feb 2011 to the school was just started by enthusiastic patrons and morning commotion were
info@inspiring-
equally enthusiastic teachers who did not bother about not actually curious.
teachers.com . The
most interesting answer the salary quantum. Physically the school was a collection Inter class KabaDDi was
will get a surPRIZE. of temporary rooms all around the circumference of a played on the assembly
ground attached to Dattatreya temple with Mud floor, tin ground. We always
Honesty is the best ….
roofs and remaining oval area inside as assembly area suspected that teachers are
which also served as a playground and usually for siding with the class which
A college professor could
sahabhojan with teachers in lunch break. was junior to
not help but notice that
one of his students was There, we really understood “sahanavavatu us because it had a
late to class for the third
sahanoubhunaktu..” there were no chairs or benches. trustee’s son. Now I know
time that week. Before
class ended he went First thing after the first bell was for all students about it was great, the
around the room asking
15-20 a class (it was only upto 7th class then) was trustees had the spirit to
students some questions
about the day's lecture. Of to pick up the jute strips used for sitting and dust them put their own children in
course, he made sure to well holding at either end then lay them straight on the the school just
pick on his tardy pupil.
floor before occupying places for rest of the day. Of course started by them. We were
"And who developed the teacher had a chair. The seventh class seniors had those admitted there by default
theories behind
communism?" the low height small benches ( we see in old movies as we (our family)
professor asked. used by clerks in the verandah outside saukaar’s house). moved there on father’s
"I don't know," the student Assembly started with “yaa kundendu tushaar..” and transfer. The fees was Rs.
said. ended in mhaNee & suvichaar quote & explain passing 10/- p.m. per child. Since
"Perhaps if you came to
class on time, Raju, you through “maa tere beeson sapane ..”(days of bees sutri my sister too was studying
would know," said the karyakrams..), manache shloks , geethai verses etc. and of there we got a concessional
professor.
"That's not true," the course “Bharat mera desh hai, sare bharatiya mere..The combined fees of Rs.15/- a
student replied. "I never Pratigdnya” invariably everyday which was later dropped month.
pay attention anyway!"
by all schools I don’t remember when.

5. Inspiring Teachers Page 5 of 5
School memories …continued
Teacher’s Academy
Hyderabad
The Ajantha, Ellora & guns etc etc.
e-mails to the
Aurangabad excursion was There were complaints
PHONE:
97011 41118 really memorable one. We against each other with
editor
Thanks Uma you are
were with the teachers for teachers. There were doing wonderful job.
E-MAIL: Please keep it up. Hope
info@inspiring-teachers.com
two days through the bus competitions for being the
new year will bring
journey, cooking, sight- class monitors. There were many more good news
from you!
seeing & the teachers were children
Best wishes and happy
with us in getting us adjusted developing all kind of new year!
Prof Gopu V,
to living away from home sicknesses suddenly in the
Business Management
and enjoying it. There were middle of the day.
Thanks Uma for the
food choices, sleeping Oh god, how they managed
newsletter sent across, its
arrangement problems, it all without ever hurting absorbing and interesting.
with regards,
toilets etc.. but with us. The drawing
Rao Bhogadi, CEO
teachers around it didn’t teacher Mr.Kshirsagar, our Saiber Consulting
matter so much. The beloved class teacher
Thank for sharing the
excitement in Devgarh Limbekar tai, information.
See us at: Prof and HOD, Civil
fort was too much. The traps Deshmikh sir they all taught
www.teachersacademy.co Engg, Bearys
for enemies, the large iron there not for salary but for Institute of
Technology, Innoli,
pans meant to fry the enemy some great purpose which I
MANGALORE
jasoos, the khandak around cannot define.
I like your Newsletter it
the fort with crocodiles
give more information. Its
Shantaram Bhaskarabhatta is
waiting in water for an very good and getting
currently DGM, Airports Authority
enemy to fall out of a window more knowledge to
of India Ltd, at Nagpur. He holds teacher. Thank you very
thinking it to be a engineering and management much and just give us like
passage to escape, the big degrees. this kind of information.
Sanjay Upadhyay
Panchgani.