Teachers’ and Cultural Exchange Program A Swami Vivekananda Youth Movement initiative

Teachers’ and Cultural Exchange Program

A Swami Vivekananda Youth Movement initiative

                                                                                                       -         Pavan Kumar N R

1.      What is Teachers’ and Cultural Exchange Program?

It is an innovative initiative from the two US nationals also the volunteers in Swami Vivekananda Youth Movement (SVYM), Saragur. The couple Mr. Jonathan Green and Mrs. Judith Barnes Sponsored this program for 3 years. Each year a set of 3 teachers from SVYM and the Discovery Charter School, Cupertino, California visits one another during their term holidays. During their stay they learn about effective child centred approaches and exchange them to improve the teaching learning more effective. During their stay they also learn about the culture of the visiting nation.

2.      Why the teachers’ and cultural exchange program?

To enable teachers to appreciate child centred methodologies and work in order to effectively implement child centred education in the School.  Its main purpose was to allow teachers to encounter child centred methodologies at work and how it looks like in a class room setting. It also aimed at giving teachers an opportunity to appreciate the culture of another country.

3.      Why USA?

Because we found the enthusiastic sponsors for the program from the United States.

4.      The Objectives of the Program:

a.       To learn child centred methodologies

b.       Setting up a model child centred school in Viveka School of Excellence

c.       Understanding, appreciating and respecting an overseas nation’s culture

d.       Implementing more child centred initiatives in the school keeping in mind the sensitivity of the culture and the limitations on the use technology.

5.      The brains behind the project

Mr. Jonathan Green and Mrs. Judith Barnes in association with SVYM, Saragur and Discovery Charter School, Cupertino, California

6.      What did we do?

We visited different schools – Capital City Public Charter School, Washington DC, Discovery Charter School, Cupertino, Homestead High School, San Jose, and McAuliffe School, Cupertino. We observed classes, spoke with teachers, students and the members of administration and collected some materials also participated and taught some classes as well.

On the weekends we visited several places on both East and West Coast. The Heathrow Airport in London, The Capital City Public Charter School, Smithsonian Museums – Air and Space Museum and Holocaust Museum, White House, Washington Monument, and watched an ice hockey game in Washington DC, watched a base ball game in Baltimore, Watched Exploratorium and Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, San Jose, Cupertino, Desolation Wilderness in Placerville in the state of Nevada, Monterey Bay Aquarium and Tahoe Lake

7.      Learning Outcomes of the Trip to the US

·         The role of a teacher-
To facilitate learning
To kindle the curiosity of the child and
Give honest written feedback to students than mere correcting works

·         Teachers’ Meeting :
Making it more constructive and child centred
Discussing and debating students’ issues

·         Child centered  Class room :
Displaying students’ works in classroom

Keeping the classroom more appealing to the students

Displaying thought provoking questions in class room

·         Respecting the child’s dignity and empowering them :
Welcoming suggestions from students
Involving the students’ council in decision making and

Encouraging students’ initiatives

Developing and nurturing the adventurous attitude among students

·         Give written guided instructions to the students:
 Prepare rubrics and let the children know about criterions of assessment

Preparing rubrics for every tool of assessment like assignments, quiz, debate, projects, Survey

·          Professionalism in Teachers:

Sharing students’ issues, challenges facing and methods tried in class with other teachers

Comment the method not the person

Time management

Rigorous planning

·         Other Important Learning:

Adding variety to the class by having warm up activities regularly. (3 to 5 minutes)

Promoting club activities to nurture the students’ interest in various fields such as Drama, Music, Games, Stitchery, Crafts, Painting, Architecture, Dance and  Science experiments (weekly).

Maintaining a reflection sheet and answering them regularly.

Maintaining student wise analysis. This includes both curricular and extra-curricular activities.

Appointing a professional students’ counselor.

8.      How could we do it even better?

We could have visited some of the local schools prior going to US. I think we should have appreciated the systems even better.

9.      Classroom Management

·         Class room agreements: They are used as effective tool of class room management. They help students to know what is expected of them in particular.

·         Less strength in class: It is greatly helpful in making classes very effective (25 to 30 students per class). Less the strength better the teacher reach out to students.

·         Subject specific classrooms: Class rooms are arranged on the lines of subjects that the teacher teaches. They are designed such that it motivates children and creates the necessary environment to the subject. Then the students switch from one class to the other. 5 minutes of time is given between each class to facilitate the movement of students. All resources required for the subject can be maintained in the respective subject class rooms. Class library will be of greater help for both students and teachers. Other resources include charts, models, specimens, tape recorder, speakers etc.

Advantages of subject specific classrooms

1.       Students and parents can have easy avail and access to teachers.

2.       Less or no wastage of time between periods.

3.       Effective use of Class library and the books available.

4.       Effective preparation for classes – warm up activities – effective revision

5.       Setting up seating arrangements has become easy and effective

6.       More efficiency in teachers’ work as they keep themselves engaged with students and other classroom activities for most part of their working hours.

7.       Helpful to set up the right environment as required for the subject.

8.       Helpful in planning, preparing and conducting activities.

9.       Helpful in tracking students’ behaviour and understanding students better.

10.   To bring down the noise and disruptive behaviour to an extent inside the classroom during snacks and free periods because they will be under the watchful eyes of teachers.

11.   To influence them by setting up a model as they watch us for long time.

·         Parents’ participation in classroom activities: Parents are involved in class room to assist students and monitor students’ activities in the class. Teacher instructs parents as what to do. Some parents even teach if they have necessary qualification and interest. They found to be very useful when class is divided into groups. Teacher can pay more attention to the specially able children.

10. How did it help you?

It has helped me to think out of box ideas and become a better teacher. I am able to appreciate another culture and able to make out the differences and similarities between India and US. It was good for me to see how it looks like in a child centred classroom. I am now convinced enough that we can do much better job in the settings we have here in our school. The talks I had with students, teachers and the other people of US have enriched me both as a person in general and a teacher in particular. It has given further impetus for my desire of being a teacher. I have now started to take an year at a time and try with things that help my students at large. I got to meet some extraordinary individuals during my stay in the US.  I still maintain a healthy relation with them. Many of them have given us materials that will help me in improving various aspects of my teaching.

11. How did it benefit students?

Students have taken initiatives of several issues including making our school a plastic free zone. They are conducting school programs largely on themselves. They have started a weekly school journal; have set up of a reading corner in the school.

Weekly cabinet meeting is held. Students’ suggestion box has been set up.

12. How has it helped our school?

We had a two week workshop prior to the beginning of the academic year. We, the teachers, discussed among other issues about implementing some of what we saw in the United States. Ultimately we arrived at consensus to implement some of them. They include subject specific classrooms, class library, introduction of novels for study from class 7, Class room agreements, Warm up activities, Active role of student Ministers, Cabinet meeting at regular intervals, sharing responsibilities among students, higher priority for students’ initiatives, effective utilisation of time in classes, MAJOR LEARNING WAS WE NEED TO THINK OUT OF BOX AND VALUE CHILD THE MOST. DECIDE ONLY AFTER ENSURING THE BENEFIT WILL BE FOR CHILD.

13. Differences and similarities between India and the US

Differences

India	USA
1.       Vehicles move left	Vehicles move right
2.       Date/Month/Year	Month/Date/Year
3.       More people on Streets	More Cars on streets
4.       People need traffic police	Signals are enough
5.       Thanks and Please are formal	Thanks and please are necessity
6.       People call by first name	They call by last name
7.       Free to walk across streets	It is weird
8.       Eat more spicy food	Less or no spice
9.       Hardly respects others’ time	Time is the most respected
10.   Doesn’t value individuality more	They value it a lot
11.   Life is flexible	Life revolves around machines, computer, petroleum products  and electricity
12.   Listens less – Speaks more	Listens more – speak less
13.   Costs more for petroleum products	Costs less in terms of dollars
14.   Waits till someone else to tell	Does on one’s own
15.   Students stay largely as passive learners	They write down things while teaching
16.   Personalise others’ point of view	Takes it sportively and respects it
17.   Electricity is a big problem	It is not at all an issue
18.   Parents and teachers largely decides child’s fate	Children have their say at large
19.   Less scope for what children wants and wishes	More scope for the child’s thoughts
20.   Students are largely spoon fed	Largely learn on their own
21.   Less regards for laws and rules	Follows with utmost sincerity
22.   Teacher, the boss and less democratic	Teacher, the facilitator and more democratic
23.   Stressed life style	Fun loving people
24.   Students speak when others are still talking	Waits for someone to complete his talk
25.   Uses black board in the class	White boards, computers and overhead projectors are used
26.   Speaking with leg is high disregard	It is common or no issue
27.   Can live without a pie	Extremely difficult or impossible
28.   Hand goes first to eat	Fork and spoon goes with hands
29.   Married relation is strong	It is flexible
30.   People writes largely in the right hand	Many write with both hands
31.   Students necessarily stand up to answer	Students sit and answer
32.   Largely gives biased feedback and appreciates less	Gives honest feedback and appreciates  any good deed
33.   Hugging publicly is not acceptable	They hug to show regards and compliments
34.   Students submit their work written	Submit work typed through online
35.   Much weight age is given for hand writing	Not much importance given
36.   Can see students from different states in  a class	Students from different countries will be in a class
37.   Sunlight lits up the classes during day	It is all lights day long
38.   Students’ thoughts go largely with the group or what elders say	Students largely express independent thoughts
39.   Fear rules the child, parents, teachers and society	Largely remain fearless
40.   Students address only to teachers	They address to the entire class
41.   Teachers give notes to the students	They train them to write on their own
42.   People choose things by its colour, fancy and cost	They choose things by its content and quality

Similarities

Both USA and India are largely diversified.

Social discrimination on different grounds

Students with challenges

Last period fatigues

Students sleeping in classes

Students like to express themselves particularly mischievous

It is rude to speak an unknown language

People are peace loving

People love ice creams

Children like to play, likes to do better always

Children with different cultural backgrounds sitting in the same class

Religious intolerance

Politicians play ugly tricks to win elections and attempt to fool people. They use religion and other differences to gain politically. They make unrealistic promises to people. Poor are neglected and burdened

Sleepy lectures

Freedom of expression always debated

Teenage students like to be treated as adults

(Pavan Kumar N R is a teacher at Viveka School of Excellence, Saragur which is an initiative of Swami Vivekananda Youth Movement. He himself was one of the members of the group who visited the United States)