Articles, tips, links and resources for teachers

1. January 2012
Volume 6, Issue 1 Inspiring Teachers
Driving educational change through excellence in teaching
Editor’s Comments
We have entered a new calendar year and Send in your ideas for our
my greetings to you all! But years are just
projects
numbers, aren’t they? And every year, it’s
the same story. Resolutions, hope, routine, What would you like us to do this year?
reviews and count down to another year, Training? Seminars? Conferences on
Articles this month:
and zero hour!!! We need to see what teaching? Student awareness? Parent
Faculty of the Month
……………..….2
impact we are having, how we like to be Awareness? Teachers’ placements?
remembered, how we live our life. In fact, Showcasing great teachers? Publish books?
Paradigm Shift …..3
I have been reflecting a lot for the past few Anything else? Do write to us and find your
Caption Contest weeks on what is the direction of the name in the project.
……………….3
Academy! See article on these pictures on page 3
Must Watch Websites I will uncover these as the year goes, but
……………….4
will be happy if my readers can send some
Classroom Humour
possible activities for the Academy this
……………….4
year.
Open Source Teacher’s
This month’s faculty is Dr Arundhati
Handbook
……………… 5 Sardesai, called Maya Tai by everyone. I
met her at Sholapur and saw her energy
and enthusiasm. Was surprised to see her
age in the profile! Apart from formal
degrees, she has learnt a lot from her
hobbies and she shares with all her
students.
In this issue, we have our fare of useful
links, picture caption contest and
invitation to contribute to an open source
teacher’s handbook. And do get a new
view of the world and life in 2012!
Read page 3.
Happy reading ☺
Uma Garimella

2. Inspiring Teachers Page 2 of 6
Faculty of the month Dr Arundhati Sardesai, Manavya, Pune
(Read full interview at carving a good teacher’s
Chinese-Inca-Mayan and
www.theprofessor.in) impression on them. It was
many local civilizations. I
How did you get carved on the tender minds
have the capsule issues of
initiated into teaching?
of my students, that their
It was the third quarter of Times of India (1838
achievements will be valued
an academic year in one of onwards) and the issues of
along with the higher
the very reputed Delhi journals of American
achievers of the whole class. Freedom. Though I am a
schools when I joined it as a
I never encouraged an total atheist I have
teacher of Mathematics, in
excellence of a single person
Dr Mrs Arundhati Sardesai place of a young person who wonderful miniature idols
is a well known educationist better than the rest when
was getting married. I had of gods and goddesses. I am
and writer. She is on board the class was showing
of several educational and typical regional accents in a regular trekker and do
research institutions and is average performance.
those days. My students cycling and walking to keep
currently actively engaged According to me, it is a duty
in Manavya - a residential were not very happy as the me fit.
care and rehabilitation of the highest achiever to
image of their previous What kind of
center of HIV/AIDS affected make others come on par
teacher was not matching innovations do you do
destitute/orphaned children
and women. with him to fight a tough
me. I was trying my best to in teaching?
The reason she is profiled competition with the rest.
please them. At the end of All my treasure is used
here is that she has been a
teacher all her life, in My own sons were also
that academic year I could while teaching or giving
schools and colleges. And taught the same thing. That
not promote two of my class lectures on any academic
she led some teacher
gave wonderful results. All
education institutes like students which made me subject or on social issues. I
Raja Shree Shivaraya my students realised the
extremely sad. Even in like to use maps while
Pratishthan and Meenatai
value of sharing and
Thakre D. Ed.College, those days, I was a believer teaching so that people get
Pune and worked for adult genuine competition in all
of a Spearman’s theory, that exact idea about the places
literacy too.
fields.
She delivers many talks on 95% students must they are taken to! The maps
AIR Pune, varied public What are your other
understand 95% of your can be used in languages,
functions and has written interests?
articles in Hindi, English teaching, to be a teacher. I am having a good History, Geography,
and Marathi in journals & My truthful tears with those collection of fossils Sociology etc. My trekking
magazines.
She has varied educational students and their parents (Himalayan and other), expeditions, photos and
degrees in Maths to changed the picture about coins (right from Mughal- videos provide them new
Philosophy and Law, of
course always at the top of me amongst students and Shivaji period to the latest inspiration. When I take my
her class. She has received fellow teachers. When commemorative coins made students/enthusiast, to
several awards for her work
in education and social Indian Air Force posted us by RBI), I am having First different forts in Sahyadri
work. out of Delhi after three Day covers and Stamps and we clean water tanks,
years, I could not erase the printed by Indian Post roads and environment,
picture of the previous Office, crystals and stones I they feel proud to be
teacher from students’ mind like to gather, I have associated with the hard
but I was successful in collected remains of Indus- work.

3. Page 3 of 6 Inspiring Teachers
Paradigm Shift - a new way of looking at the world Uma Garimella
terms of paradigms or maps
Are you wondering what Earth. With the traditional
emerging out of their
the pictures on page 1 are? (Mercator) map Greenland
experience and conditioning,
Well, one is a ‘down under’ and China look to be the same
these maps are not the
map made in Australia. And size but in reality China is
territory. They are a ‘subjective
the other a “Pacific centred” almost 4 times larger! So
reality’ only an attempt to
map. much for geography!
describe the reality – he goes
Ever wondered why we I saw this map when I was in
on to write. What an apt
should always have north France in 1995.
metaphor! We mistake the map
on top? Aren’t North, Perhaps most of you have
for the reality, whereas it is Caption describing
South, East and West grown up with digital clocks picture or graphic.
only a representation of reality.
purely arbitrary choices we and actually wonder about the
And does anyone know the
humans have made to have origin of the word ‘clockwise’,
reality? Even science has
a frame of reference? Yes, for us – well the clock has
accepted that quantum physics
and any other choice would always been ‘that way’. So it
is not objective but changes
have been equally ‘right’. was a pleasant surprise to see
with the observer! Sharath Chandra: An
But the downside (pun an ‘anti-clockwise’ clock
engineering student proving
Dr Wayne Dyer also writes
intended) of any frame of which my friend made. It it to the professor.
about giving up black and
reference is that it puts us takes a while to read the time
white thinking in his Ratna Manjari: Simple
in only one frame. After a from this clock since we are
“Erroneous Zones”. Thinking question, mind boggling
while (like a few decades) so used to ‘clockwise’ clock.
that there is only your way of solution.
we start to believe that the (see more left handed stuff at
http://www.anythingleft-
thinking or doing something is
frame is the reality. Nalini Marthi: We are an
handed.co.uk/) a sure way to unhappiness. We awesome twosome!
The reason the second map
Stephen Covey in his Seven need to cultivate this open
looks a little ‘distorted’ by
mind. For example, Original: In an increasingly
our standards is yet another Habits of Highly Effective
try to do things with your non- complex world, sometimes
new perspective. All map People talks about Paradigm
old questions require new
Shift that happens when dominant hand, follow
projections distort the answers
suddenly you get to know the different routes wherever
surface of earth in some
situation from another angle. possible, read a different Shantaram: Stuck up with
fashion because we are
newspaper etc 2? Let me help you?
moving from a 3-d sphere He gives an example of a
noisy family entering the Another safe and sound way is
(oblate spheroid for those
train much to everyone’s to become good listeners. Its
who want to be accurate) to
annoyance until the father amazing how listening to
a 2-d map. The pacific
reveals that the children had another person with your
centred map given here is
just lost their mother. What 100% attention opens up new
an ‘equal area map’ which
an astounding paradigm- vistas for you, to look at the
Dr. Arno Peters created as a
shift! To quote Covey: While world from the speaker’s point
new projection method that
individuals may look at their of view. Contd on p 6
dramatically improves the
accuracy of how we see the own lives and interactions in

4. Inspiring Teachers Page 4 of 6
Son to father: My teacher pointed at me
with a ruler & said: TEACHER: In this box, I have a 10-
“At the End of this Ruler is an Idiot” I still foot snake.
don’t get why I got rusticated. SAMMY: You can't fool me, Teacher...
I only asked him, “Which End Sir?” snakes don't have feet.
Announcement in University:
"The students who have parked their cars Physics Teacher: "Isaac Newton was
on the driveway, please move them" sitting under a tree when an apple fell
Another announcement after 20 minutes on his head and he discovered gravity.
Classroom Humour Isn't that wonderful?"
"The 200 students who went to move 9
cars please return to their respective Student: "Yes sir, if he had been sitting
classes" in class looking at books like us, he
Master: How Old is ur father? wouldn't have discovered anything."
Pappu: As old as I am.
Master: How is it possible?
Pappu: He became father only after I was
born.
Must watch websites available at http://www.theprofessor.in/blog/must-read-links/jan-2012/
1. Academically adrift! A study finds that college grads don’t learn much because of low expectations of faculty!
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2011/01/18/study_finds_large_numbers_of_college_students_don_t_learn_much
2. Assessment of graduating students
http://www.collegiatelearningassessment.org/
3. Earn a master’s degree in teaching
http://mat.usc.edu/
4. IBM predicts future technologies
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/innovations/post/ibm-five-in-five-company-makes-tech-future-
predictions/2011/12/19/gIQAvGKl4O_blog.html
5. Save the earth
http://www.youtube.com/embed/nGeXdv-uPaw
6. Hand Shadowgraphy by Amar Sen On Calcutta
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=H9LBHwlAeOU
7. MIT adds assessment to its OCW to offer certificates/degrees online
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/19/education/mit-expands-free-online-courses-offering-certificates.html?_r=2
8. Computer science is beyond just using IT – curriculum needs a reboot
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/computing-in-class-needs-reboot-6268889.html
9. Google and Pearson team up for free LMS
http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/pearson-and-google-jump-into-learning-management-
systems/33636?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+chronicle%2Fwiredcampus+
%28The+Chronicle%3A+Wired+Campus%29

5. Page 5 of 6 Inspiring Teachers
Open Source Teachers’ Handbook
Many people understand what is Open Source in software – a philosophy which gives access to the product’s source
material. It is also a philosophy where people contribute and cooperate to build a product. Bhagirathi Behera, a
teacher with more than 10 yrs experience and now working as a principal has initiated a book compilation project
with the help of the community of teachers. He has partnered with Teacher’s Academy to bring out this compilation
of experiences, opinions, ideas and expertise and make it available to all teachers. Your contributions will appear
with your name in the book.
Involving Parents Deadlines
What do you need to do? 1. What role have parents played
(and are playing) in shaping 30 March 2012- Last date to
Please respond to the following today’s education system? receive responses for
questions and send to us along questionnaire.
2. What are some ways you
with your picture and brief profile
involve parents in your 30 April 2012- Announcing
(include information about high
school, college, activities, honors, student development editorial team and title of the book
work experience, why you have strategy?
chosen teaching as a career, what 3. How do you approach a 5 September 2012 -
are your strengths as a teacher, parent who is upset and Inauguration of the book at
your career goals in next 1, 3, 5 and/or angry? Hyderabad
and 10 yrs ) Teaching
If you want to be on the
4. Explain how you structure the
QUESTIONS editorial team
40/45 minutes of a class
Your philosophy of teaching period? Any educator interested to be a
1. Think of your best teachers. 5. How much effort do you put part of the team can contact
What positive characteristics in planning this lesson? (in personally on 8084125247, or
do you believe these teachers terms of subject, method, 9440607287
had? Which of these aids)
Mail us at
characteristics do you believe 6. How do you cater to the bhagijune19@gmail.com/rediffma
you have? different needs of students in il.com
2. Think of your worst teachers. your class? info@inspiring-teachers.com
What mistakes did they make 7. How do you incorporate
or qualities did they have? technology into your Project Coordinator:
instructions? BHAGIRATHI BEHERA
How are you avoiding those
PRINCIPAL
mistakes/qualities? Classroom management
1. How do you handle disruptive GREEN VALLEY
3. What three words would your INTERNATIONAL
students use to describe you? students in the classroom? SCHOOL,MALINAGAR
4. Define student and school Any special strategies for the SAMASTIPUR ,BIHAR-848125
according to you. occasional and for the
5. How do you see the teacher’s repetitive behavior?
status and role in society 2. How do you create an
change in the recent past? atmosphere of tolerance and
Beyond class friendship among students in
6. What is the purpose of your class?
homework / projects? What is
your typical homework /
project?

6. Inspiring Teachers Page 6 of 6
Teacher’s Academy
Paradigm Shift – cont’d from page 3
Hyderabad On a more serious note, I work with an NGO and have come across many differently
abled people. It is truly a humbling experience to see them perform routine tasks in a
PHONE:
97011 41118 completely different way from my thinking. Paraplegics getting into a chair
effortlessly, blind persons adept at computers and mobiles, deaf and dumb persons
E-MAIL: having a lively chat using sign language, polio affected persons driving vehicles –
info@inspiring-teachers.com
there is really no end to this list. I have realised that ‘differently abled’ is not just a
politically correct version for physically challenged but it is actually true. For
example, if I don’t know how to ride a bicycle or drive a car or stitch clothes – is
someone who can do that ‘more able’ than me? Am I not challenged as far as these
tasks are concerned? Come to think of it, there are millions of tasks and skills one can
have. But we probably have a hundred or thousand of them. So by all means, we are
challenged for the remaining skills.
While every living being has a tremendous potential for adaptation (to circumstances
and to disability), all of us need to always keep the ‘other view’ in mind and not have a
fixed map! Sometimes just looking at the world with a ‘shirshaasan’ may help.
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