Teachers Workshop

Hands-on Workshops for Teachers

We all learn best when we make, explore, pull things apart, and put them back together. Our current system is competitive and fast-paced, however seldom provides space for such learning. We conduct workshops with teachers and students using this unique pedagogy of making and exploring using the very inexpensive material. The feedback from the teachers was overwhelming. In our recent workshop at IITGN for Gujarat High School teachers, the feedback from teachers was that our Workshop at IITGN was more effective than 120 days of training combined over 17 years of service.

We have conducted over forty, 2-3 day immersive workshops with teachers. One such program in Chhattisgarh was the Million Makers of Chhattisgarh where we conducted a 2 day workshop for 150 High School teachers in each of the 27 districts of the state. Following are the snapshots of participants feedback from our workshop.

Purpose

Dissemination through Workshops. The idea is to reach out to all teachers so that they can experience the joy of learning by doing. This will bring back the gleam in the eyes of the teachers and make teaching a joyous and invigorating process. We want to disseminate the pedagogy of experiential learning which can be done by using inexpensive materials. The workshops will focus on conceptual understanding of science and math and bring back the joy in learning. Follow up after the creation of each workshop is extremely important to make sure that teachers take these inside classes and there if possible there is a way to help them overcome any difficulties. We will create a virtual group where one person will follow up with these teachers for the whole year and keep updating them with new activities. We also propose to provide small boxes with 40-50 models, activities along with the hand-outs to help the teachers transact these things inside classes. This will ensure that some of the activities will be taken inside classes.
Create Master Trainers. Along with dissemination we also want to work with a few interested and passionate teachers all through the year. In these interactions and workshops, we would go deep into the concepts and work on capacity building of these teachers. After the year we feel these teachers would be able to become master trainers who can then work with their regional offices. We would conduct 4 separate workshops for these teachers for 50 teachers. We will also regularly follow up with these master trainers and keep providing them with new activities. These 50 teachers will become master trainers.
Material availability for school children: For these activities to reach inside classes we need to make sure the material is available to children. For 250 (primary or secondary) teachers we will provide 50 packets of materials so that they can do these within their classes. The cost of material is Rs 150 per child. Teachers will be monitored to ensure the activities are done in the classes. Later parents can also be involved in the material cost of the activities as children will take all the activities home after making. Of course, this will be optional for children to participate in.

Philosophy behind the activities

These hands-on activities are easy to handle, explain and replicate, for example, toys that explain the principles of pressure, force and motion are extremely popular. Our teachers will expand their understanding of the power of such toys to communicate and teach science and math in an interesting way. We have also realized that the passion of the facilitator is key. This passion coming from the heart inspires and invigorates. Hopefully, after conducting many such workshops, we can create many teachers who can then take the work forward. I have no doubt that such activities represent a unique and positive impact on the process of awakening the creative spirit among children and teachers across India.