The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Teaching teachers how to mould young minds

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Wednesday, Jul 30, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Teaching teachers how to mould young minds

Staff Reporter

Mentors’ meeting held as part of The Hindu ‘Newspaper in Education’ programme

— Photo: V. Ganesan

COLLECTIVE THINKING: Mrs. Y.G. Parthasarathy, dean and director of PSBB Group of Schools, discusses student-friendly teaching concepts with resource persons and other teachers at the mentors’ meeting organised by The Hindu as part of its ‘Newspaper in Education’ programme in Chennai on Monday.

Chennai: It was the turn of school principals and teachers to sit back, listen to lectures and make notes at the mentors’ meeting organised by The Hindu as part of the ‘Newspaper in Education’ programme on Monday.

About 350 participants representing various schools got an opportunity to pick up a few tips on holistic education and the best methods to shape young minds. Teachers also interacted with each other to share best practices.

B.K. Krishnaraj Vanavarayar, chairman of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in Coimbatore, urged teachers to ponder whether the country’s rapid economic and technological progress had produced gains or losses for its citizens. “Have these changes met the aspirations of only a few or all?” he asked.

Mr. Vanavarayar said change was inevitable but people should know how to manage change. Change should be “gradual and affordable” so that everyone grows fit enough to survive. Teachers could play an important role by ensuring that their students develop as holistic human beings with a sense of justice and fair play.

“Senior principals and teachers can form a core group to discuss and debate education methods in the city,” Mr. Vanavarayar suggested.

Collaboration crucial

B. Santhanam, managing director of Saint Gobain Glass India, shared a few of his managerial techniques that could be made into a framework to shape young minds. “The ‘millennial’ kids of today have so many opportunities where they can excel… Schools can afford to be less worried about results,” he said. Schools must help students to be competent and translate the competency into results by showing commitment to the task at hand. The ability to face up to mistakes and make continuous improvements was also a key trait for a successful career.

Mr. Santhanam encouraged teachers to provide classroom opportunities where students were required to collaborate and work as a team rather than only be competitive. “You have to tell your students, ‘Out there you would have to collaborate for success.” He also told teachers to train students to respect deadlines.

Active learning

N. Murali, Managing Director, The Hindu, described newspapers as “live textbooks full of diversity and variety”. The Hindu’s ‘Newspaper in Education’ (NIE) programme reaches out to about 800 schools and 6.5 lakh students.

The programme aimed at helping students to be sensitive to contemporary issues and to make informed choices after critical thinking.

Mr. Murali said the sheer numbers in the country necessitated the use of technology in conjunction with personal teaching. “We have quality teachers but we need to scale up to the bridge the gaps in education… Technology can make education more accessible.”

Mrs. Y.G. Parthasarathy, dean and director of PSBB Group of Schools; Vijayan, correspondent and principal of Zion Matriculation Higher Secondary School and Kishore Kumar, senior principal of St. John’s International Residential School, said the NIE programme had helped their students improve their soft skills and analysis abilities.

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