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=== Reading for pleasure ... (and for our professional development) ===
=== Reading for pleasure ... (and for our professional development) ===
==== Teaching needs consistent high energy ====
Teaching is physically and mentally a tiring job. Day after day, week after week, month after month, every academic year, teachers need to make their lesson plans considering their learner contexts, identify relevant/useful pedagogies, transact and assess. If a teacher has a class of 25-30 students this can be exhausting and many teachers have 50+ students!
Teaching is physically and mentally a tiring job. Day after day, week after week, month after month, every academic year, teachers need to make their lesson plans considering their learner contexts, identify relevant/useful pedagogies, transact and assess. If a teacher has a class of 25-30 students this can be exhausting and many teachers have 50+ students!
This can make it difficult for a teacher to focus on her continuing professional development. Any professional, needs a regular, even continuous 'recharge', to keep identifying newer content and pedagogical ideas that can help make teaching more effective and meaningful for the learner.
This can make it difficult for a teacher to focus on her continuing professional development. Any professional, needs a regular, even continuous 'recharge', to keep identifying newer content and pedagogical ideas that can help make teaching more effective and meaningful for the learner.
==== On-site teacher development ====
While teacher workshops are useful, on-site development is seen as essential by research. On-site development has several benefits:
While teacher workshops are useful, on-site development is seen as essential by research. On-site development has several benefits:
* Developing a sense of collective.
* Developing a sense of collective.
* Exploring how the development processes can address 'OUR issues' and identify 'OUR needs'.
* Exploring how the development processes can address 'OUR issues' and identify 'OUR needs'.
==== Renewal, rather than repair ====
While staff meetings may allow for common thinking on school challenges, these are usually the 'first quadrant' - urgent + important activities. Conscious school development needs to be in the '[[:File:Time Management - Second Quadrant.odp|second quadrant]]' - important but not urgent. This process can be less hierarchical, as it does not have any short term outcome expectations. This can make this process collaborative, facilitate mutual support and learning on issues of context, content, pedagogy. This can support trust building and a sense of togetherness.
While staff meetings may allow for common thinking on school challenges, these are usually the 'first quadrant' - urgent + important activities. Conscious school development needs to be in the '[[:File:Time Management - Second Quadrant.odp|second quadrant]]' - important but not urgent. This process can be less hierarchical, as it does not have any short term outcome expectations. This can make this process collaborative, facilitate mutual support and learning on issues of context, content, pedagogy. This can support trust building and a sense of togetherness.
==== Reading for pleasure ====
The simplest of such processes can be reading together. There is an inherent Joy in reading, that teachers may have experienced as children, and then dropped in their busy adult lives. Reading for pleasure is identified as a very important tool for student learning and no reason why teachers cannot benefit from it as well.
The simplest of such processes can be reading together. There is an inherent Joy in reading, that teachers may have experienced as children, and then dropped in their busy adult lives. Reading for pleasure is identified as a very important tool for student learning and no reason why teachers cannot benefit from it as well.
If the content identified (book) deals with our professional lives, it can make it interesting.
If the content identified (book) deals with our professional lives, it can make it interesting.
With this thinking, we began reading the Kannada version of the story book Divasvapna, written by Gijubhai Badheka.
With this thinking, we began reading the Kannada version of the story book 'Divasvapna', written by Gijubhai Badheka.
In the first session of an hour, we read the first chapter and four sections of the second.
In the first session of an hour, we read the first chapter and four sections of the second.