More than just a Convention!

The following write up is a delightful piece written by our beloved Margaret Waterworth on a recently concluded Teacher Convention at Tripura. Margaret has been associated with Vikramshila for a long time. . An expert consultant in Communicative English for the Education to Employability Project, Margaret's role however is much more in its scope-she's there to help us, advise us, counsel us and encourage us at all times and more often than not takes up a lot of additional work and responsibility for both her passion for the cause of education and her love for Vikramshila. Margaret had agreed to to accompany us at the teacher convention in Tripura which was all in all in Bengali from the beginning to the end. Sporting that she is, she sat through it all...and amazed as we are...her write up shows how much of it she has been able to grasp beautifully! it really shows that where there's a will- language barrier or no...there is a way!

Her piece reflects her nuanced observations of the details of not just what the speakers were saying, but the feel of the event, the environment, the nitty gritty details of just about everything...

Shikshak Sammelan- Teacher’s Convention in Tripura.

Saturday 7^th November 2009

This convention was arranged for 250 secondary school teachers. They came from all corners of the state. Some needed to stay overnight because distances were so far whilst others arrived sharp at 10 am ready for the sessions.

However other teachers also came the night before to engage in interactive sessions with Vikramshila lead staff in the conference hall of local youth hostel accommodation.

One of the most engaging performers was the hostel cook straight from a Shakespearian play. He produced tea with a flourish and a flare rarely seen anywhere except on a stage. Then he proceeded to grind spices for the evening meal with an electrically operated machine – obviously his pride and joy! It’s furious noise accompanied the teachers’ discourse throughout the session. Nobody minded! He was once asked why his hard boiled eggs appeared on the plate coloured red. ‘Well” he replied my name is Lal, The Chief minister’s name is Lal, and we live in a Lal state so my eggs are also Lal!!! A real character who kept an eye on proceedings outside his kitchen too.

These sessions were informal and very fruitful. Teachers were able to discuss with their colleagues issues related to classroom management and good classroom teaching practices – what worked and what didn’t work! Excellent conversations about the actual practicalities of teaching in classrooms full, to bursting, with students, as well as tackling the WBB syllabi in a creative way.

Some of these tasks seemed near impossible but teachers had good case stories of innovative programmes they had introduced because of Vikramshila’s training. These they shared with enthusiasm.

The next morning there was an orderly queue for tea and samosa and exchanges between Vikramshila staff and teachers carried on.

The formal session started with the lamp lighting ceremony and the presentation of floral displays of carnations to the eminent persons on the platform. These had been carefully carried from Kolkata and once on the table looked splendid. Tripura doesn’t have carnations.

The conference hall is modern, comfortable and tastefully decorated. The surroundings were conducive to engagement and participation. For example no hiking of mikes, which are usually not working, round the auditorium for participants to use, as individual microphones positioned and working on the desks in front of the conference seats- so instant feedback to comments from the eminent persons on the platform was possible.

The morning sessions given by Prof. Ranju Gopal Mukhophayay and Prof. Pabitra Sarkar, eminent educationalists, supported the teachers and emphasized that there were difficulties in delivering the state curriculum in the classroom because of its constricting curriculum. It leaves little scope or time for a teacher to be innovative or introduce methods to strengthen the social and emotional development of the child. They applauded Vikramshila’s methods as these methods are transferable to the classroom, and that ongoing training is necessary to keep up with the changing times we live in.

The concept of inclusive education was mentioned by Prof. Mukhopadhayay and the need for teachers to be aware of inclusiveness issues in their classrooms.

There were many other classroom management issues mentioned including discipline versus punishment. Again these could form part of future training units as well as whole school policies on teaching English as an additional language not a primary language as so well discussed by Prof. Pabitra Sarkar.

The conference welcomed the Honourable Chief Minister who spoke about teachers regaining their dignity and commitment to the development of the whole child whilst they are in their care. He spoke about his own experiences when he was in school and reminded teachers that the holistic approach to the child building up trusting relationships is essential to good educational practices.

Of course, he was absolutely right, that there is a dual approach to the education of the child, whilst they are in school, learning through inspirational methods, and learning through taught components within the syllabus i.e. the functional aspects of learning.

In my discussions with the teachers they were aware of their dual role and felt very often that the ‘functional components often acted as a barrier to the inspirational! They felt constrained by the legislation and state policies imposed on them for time to time however hard they tried to be inspirational. More strategies on managing the functional alongside the inspirational could be developed. The master trainers are happy with their training but when in turn the teachers receive their training they are not able to deliver it well in the classroom, Prof. Pabitra suggested some counseling of teachers may be a way forward.

For me it was an extremely interesting event full of “hidden agendas” from the gentleness and concern of the local people to the determination of the master teachers and teachers to make the necessary changes to the teaching and learning that goes on in their classrooms. They are empowered!

Margaret Waterworth.

November 10^th 2009