azim premji foundation - oecd
TRANSCRIPT
Azim Premji Foundation
Towards a just equitable humane and sustainable society
Voluntary Spaces for Teacher
Professional Development
Contents
Azim Premji Foundation: Vision, Focus and Institutions
Voluntary Teacher Forum – A short Film
Voluntary Teacher Forum – History, Concept and Learnings
Teacher Learning Center – History, Concept and Learnings
Scalability
3
Azim Premji Foundation
• Vision: Towards a just, equitable, humane and sustainable society
• Good education for such a society
• Work for improving public schooling system (Kindergarten to 12th standard)
– Operating Organization
– Equity & Quality in public schools
– Focus is on systemic improvement
– Where possible, contribute to other fields of Human Development
• Two integrated strands of work (Ex: The two cases)
– Field Work – in collaboration with states
– University – Develop talent and knowledge for Education &
Development sector
Driving Systemic Change
• Long term, sustained By establishing “Institutions”
• Work at all levels Block, District, State, Centre
• Work on all strands e.g. Teacher Preparation, Professional Development,
Education Management, Curriculum, Assessment, Policy, Teacher & Learning
Material
• Advocacy & Communication Be ready to do it/have done it – what you are
advocating
• Strength is integration
– Field Work – action-driven yet thoughtful & knowledge generating
– University connected to ground, real issues
• Focused engagement with communities for Education
• At scale work models that can work at scale
High intensity work in relatively backward areas
Azim Premji University – clear social purpose
• University focused on Education and Development
– Teaching programs to prepare committed, capable people for Education &
Development sectors
– Research – relevant to India
– Deeply integrated with field work
• Faculty multidisciplinary : Humanity, Social Science, Science, Education,
Livelihoods, Law, etc.
• Over the long term offer programs through all our field institutes
• 2.6 million sq. ft. , 90 acre campus planned
Voluntary Spaces For Teacher
Professional Development
Voluntary Teacher Forum
Both are not separate
Teacher Learning Centers/BAC
Availability of space and
resources for discussion
Residential VTF/Worksho
p
Voluntary Teacher Forum
Voluntary Teacher Forum – A short Film
History
• The genesis of teacher forums is rooted in concerns of teachers, organizational
priorities and joint initiative
• Foundation believes that teacher professional development is an experiential,
organic and long term process
• A group of teachers were concerned about the way trainings take place and the
value that they add
• Mutual discussions evolved a platform for sharing and learning.
• The first collective dialogue between teachers started on 30th July 2009 in
Malpura Block, District Tonk-Rajasthan
• Since then it has spread in 4 states (Rajasthan, Uttrakhand, Karnataka and
Chhatisgarh), 9 Districts and all blocks of these districts
• The range of issues that gets discussed ranges from philosophical, pedagogical
to Knowing. Issues like why do we need schools to how do we know earth is
spherical etc.
Concept
• Teacher Forum is conceptualized as a self-help commune, a group, which
undertakes responsibility for its own professional development. (Developed
Profession as Doctors and Accountants)
• The central assumption behind the forum is that there is no absolute expert who
can provide solutions and address the needs of the group. Instead every
member should work together to seek collective solutions
• Problems encountered are not theoretical or hypothetical in nature, they are
burning problems which every practitioner wants to address to make their
classroom processes more effective and inclusive in nature
Concept
• The Teachers' Forum is a flat, democratic and informal platform where there is no
hierarchy between different participants. Everyone has the same stake over the
issues and their strength to influence a discussion or dialogue is based on their
logic and reasoning strength rather than their power or position
• This is a voluntary platform based on the whims of the members of the group.
The group decides when to meet, where to meet, what to discuss, and how to
take the forum ahead. The forum functions based on the norms decided by the
group
• Foundation plays a facilitator’s role, an important one
• Discussion time 2-3 hours
Some data to reflect
S. N State Number
of VTFs
Blocks Initiated in Teachers
enrolled
Number of
Teachers
who have
been regular
in 50% and
more VTFs
Total
Number of
VTFs since
inception
Number of
VTFs
facilitated by
Govt.
Teachers
Oldest Newest
1 Rajasthan 30
Operating in all
twenty-one blocks of
three districts viz.
Tonk, Sirohi and
Barmer
2009 2014 1016 396 420 41
2 Uttarakhand
10
Operating in _ blocks
of three districts viz.
Udham Singh Nagar,
Uttarkashi,
Champawat and
Almora
2009 2014 343 183 240 64
3
Chhattisgarh
*(Intensive
engagement
with
teachers)
9
Operating in all three
blocks of Dhamtari
district
2012 2013 150 125 48 -
4 Karnataka 24 All three block
Total 9 TLC
2009
(3)
2011(3 )
Total 9
TLCs
2012 (3
TLC)
1745 320 45 6
Total 73 Total 3254 1015 742 111
What makes it work? Most critical factors
• Commitment and Belief – We have experienced that forums where we had an
initial core of members who were committed and had a belief in collective action
for common good, are the ones where we can see a marked difference in people
capacities
• Ownership, Initiative and No Compulsion – Forums which were jointly
initiated by Foundation and Teachers initially are now owned by teaching
community as compared to forums where we had significant role in initiating
forums
• Quality of Transactions – What you choose to discuss, subject knowledge of
facilitator, and Facilitation.
• Resource Mobilization – This has been a critical factor in ensuring the
continuity of forums. Forums where more local resources (Resource Person,
TLM, Content etc) have been mobilized are the ones which are more regular
• Availability of resources at Teacher Learning Center/Block Activity Center
• Escalation of unresolved issues to Residential Teacher Forum Workshop
of longer duration (3 days)
How voluntary is voluntary?
• We must see its evolution in continuum rather than two distinct ends.
• Anchor is a must (Chakmak Clubs and Football Team)
Voluntary Spaces For Teacher
Professional Development
Teacher Learning Centre
Background - TLCs
• Emerged out of growing concern of the organization and teachers
-Internal capacity building – no adequate space like library,
laboratory, articles, magazines, internet
-Limited need based capacity building efforts
-Very few opportunities for teachers – sharing their experiences and
learn from others best practices
• Our understanding that capacity building is not one time affair but
integrated, consistent and organic
• In some states TLCs have evolved out of VTFs and in some states VTFs
have followed TLCs
• Professional development of teachers - Informal spaces play key
role/Learnings from VTFs and other interventions
• Access to educational resources is critical for teacher professional
development
• Hence Azim Premji Foundation thought of establishing Teacher Learning
Centre across the location
Teacher Learning Centre
• It is an open space for teachers with resources- books, Science and
Maths equipment's, e-resources, computer with internet facilities and
sports materials
• Creates a voluntary and free space for the professional development of
the teachers’ community
• Space for the teachers to engage in improving their conceptual, technical
and human relation skills
• A place where democratic values are visible
• Free space for teachers to share their experiences and learn from each
other.
• Building provided by Govt. in a school premises/BRC campus and
resources by Azim Premji Foundation. At some places buildings are
rented places.
• Established 47 Teacher Learning Centers in four states (Rajasthan,
Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka) with a bottom up approach
Teacher Learning Centre Activities ( TLC)
Formal
• Workshops - bimonthly, Seminars – weekly, Subject forums, Newsletter, demonstrations
Informal
• VTFs, Regular visit in the evening (15-20 every day evening) borrowing books and equipment, chatting, discussing, sharing, reading, browsing, developing TLMs, playing games
Teachers in action in TLC
Number of Teacher Learning Centres
State No. of district No. of blocks No. of TLCs
Rajasthan 3 21 21
Uttarakhand 3 13 13
Chhattisgarh 1 3 3
Karnataka 2 4 10
Total 9 41 47
Challenges
• It was assumed that centre will be run by group of teachers. It did
not happen for a year. We had to appoint coordinator for the
centre. The coordinators also were not able to attract teachers
initially
• It would be difficult to convert Cluster Resource Centre into active
TLC
• Limited involvement of ladies teachers (they are 30%) – after
school hours
• It is difficult to sustain excitement in every activity
• Expanding reach, coverage - non resident, distance factor
• Continuing as a volunteer space for teachers to develop
Insights
• Providing free and non-threatening space and a voluntary involvement is the
key
• Teachers own the process/material when it will be designed, planned and
prepared by them.
• The personal interaction and rapport building play significant role in attracting
teachers
• Subject forums can play a vital role in meaningful engagement of teachers
• Demand based – bottom up approach, organic growth
• Informal interactions, along with formal interventions, play a very important role in
building the capacity of the teachers
• TLC run by teachers group and CRP, expanding to other block
Scalability
Conceptually and Potentially these concepts are very much scalable as the
concept is built as a self help commune. But this will have 6 essential pre-
requisites.
• Long term commitment from an anchor and human interactions
• An initial group of committed teachers at each place
• Some internal mechanism to ensure the quality of discussions
• Availability of space
• Ability of govt./non govt. institutions to find good people
• 3 Lakhs to invest initially and maintenance cost
Thank you!
Language
Education Initiatives
Education in election manifesto
Indus valley civilization
Mathematical operations
Number system
Giju Bhai’s work Origin of the earth
Earth is
spherical?
Photosynthesis
Acid and Base
Pedagogy of reading and writing
Bilingualism
Whole Language Approach
Story telling Vocabulary building
Science pedagogy Identifying Sanskrit word in
Kannada
RTE CCE
NCF Role of teacher
Theatre in Education
School Development Plan
Quality Education
Aims of Education
Contextualizing
Learning
Language Teaching Approaches Algorithms & Concepts
Nature of
Subjects
Concept of light
For more information, please visit:
www.azimpremjifoundation.org
www.azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in