Wednesday 29 January 2014

PROGRESS ASSESSMENT BOARD OF STUDIES MEET ON 06TH FEB. 2014

UNIVERSITY OF KERALA BOARD OF STUDIES IN EDUCATION MEETS ON 06TH FEBRUARY 2014 AT THE DEANS ROOM OF THE SENATE HALL CAMPUS OF THE UNIVERSITY, TO HAVE AN INTERIM ASSESSMENT OF THE PROGRES AND TRAJECTORY OF PROGRESSION OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE REVISED B.Ed. CURRICULUM OF UNIVERSITY OF KERALA. THE MEETING IS EXPECTED TO FORMULATE STRINGENT SUPERVISION GUIDELINES TO ENSURE FOR A SAFE AND MEANINGFUL CURRICULUM TRANSACTION AT THE VARIOUS COLLEGES OF EDUCATION UNDER THE UNIVERSITY. 
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Monday 27 January 2014

The New B.Ed. Curriculum in Action! - Practioners Comments on School Initiaion Pogramme (SIP)

MY REFLECTIONS ON INITIATORY SCHOOL EXPERIENCE
The purpose of Initiatory School Experience is to provide student teachers an opportunity to have primary experiences with the functioning of the school. This programme is for four continuous working days, giving them an opportunity to acquaint with the school environment and the day-to- day functions. The following activities must be undertaken by student teachers.
1.      Observation of lessons engaged by school teachers(student teachers observe lessons individually or in small groups).
To observe means to watch keenly and note down what happens. You need prior planning and must get ready to observe the class. Please get prior permission from the head of the school and the concerned teachers before planning to observe their classes.
2.      Meeting students in an informal setting to learn their background and their interest in learning.
You may get prior permission from the teacher-in-charge of a class to collect necessary data from students.
3.      To see the learning facilities in the school.
To take a stock of the learning facilities, prepare a check list of essential learning facilities needed and take the list of available facilities. Try to note down the working conditions and the frequency of use of these facilities. You may also collect data regarding students’ satisfaction with these facilities.
4.      Observing the social climate in the school etc.
To observe the social climate, prepare a check list incorporating a few components like teacher pupil relationship,punctuality of teachers and students, morale and motivation of students’, participation and success in co-curricular activities at various levels, school community relationship, involvement of various stake holders like parents, local self- government etc. You may collect data by informal interviews, document study, observation etc.
5.      Engaging lessons individually or as Shared Practice.
Each student-teacher has to engage 3 lessons individually or as Shared Practice.Lesson plans need not be written with the rigidity employed for Practice Teaching lesson.In Shared Practice, student-teachers will be in small groups of three members. The lessons will be divided into three parts and each student teacher will practice one of the parts by rotation in the natural classroom situation.
6.      Maintain a detailed diary as record of the visit.
The diary must contain a brief history of the school, learning facilities available, social and academic climate of the school, notes of all lessons engaged, your analysis of the above components etc.The diary must also contain reflective text by the student teacher.
7.      After the four day initiatory school experiences, a one day reflection session will be organized in the college on Friday 24th February. Student teachers are expected to share their reflectionsin plenary as well as in small groups sessions.

MY REFLECTIONS
Eleven students and I were assigned St. Thomas HS, Karthikapally, Mavelikkara, Kerala  for the Initiatory School Experience (ISE) from January 20th to 23rd   2014. ISE is a modified version of the School Visit Program of previous curriculum and it aims to provide student teachers an opportunity to have primary experiences with the functioning of the school. Though general instructions are given in the curriculum document, essential planning and customization at the college level is to be done. This aspect was not properly addressed by the college. Teacher educators provided a few practicum activities in addition to the one given in the curriculum document. At the college level, there was no attempt to integrate various activities provided by teacher educators. Therefore much planning was conducted at the school after the team arrived at the school.
        The program went smooth as planned by the group. The group could undertake all the stipulated activities. The school authorities cooperated excellently with the team and extended all the help to complete various activities. Teachers gracefully permitted student teachers observe their classes. The headmistress arranged required number of classes for each student teacher to engage lessons. Student teachers collected data regarding learning facilities and physical facilities available in the school.
      The group couldn't effectively undertake activities related to the study of the social and familial background of school students. I think there are two reasons for this lapse. One is the absence of proper planning and the other is the general negligence of role familial and social background of students in their learning. A focused attention of this aspect during the planning session will help mitigate this lapse.
      A few suggestions for better implementation of ISE are given below  
1.      Fixing the school and finalizing the students’ list much in advance will help student teachers prepare for the ISE in a planned manner.
2.      A thorough planning at the teacher educators’ level and customization and integration of activities must be undertaken.
3.      Distribute an instruction sheet to each student teacher containing various activities proposed by teacher educators. Core subject teachers may provide practicum works and help plan other general activities and optional teachers may help student teachers plan class observation and class engagement.
4.      A half day visit to the assigned school and meeting the Head teacher and the subject teachers a week ahead of the program will help student teachers plan the activity better.
5.      Distribution of attendance sheet to teacher educators help note down absentees and report the same to the college office.( There are stray cases of absenteeism during ISE)
6.      How to prepare observation notes and class engagement notes must be discussed with student teachers. A few models may be introduced.
7.      Out of school hours or Saturdays may also be included for the effective study of familial and social environment of school students.

8.      A workshop mode embedding constructivist approach will enhance the effectiveness of the program.Your comments are earnestly solicited23/01/2014

THOMAS UZHAVATH
ASSO. PROF., 
PEET MEMORIAL TRG. COLLEGE
MAVELIKKARA.
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Tuesday 7 January 2014

WORKSHOP ON KERALA MODEL OF TEACHER EDUCATION

LETTER OF INVITATION

National Colloquium and Preparatory Workshop
 On Designing and Framing of
Kerala Model of Teacher Education (KMTE)
Thursday, 09th of January 2014, 09.30 am to 01.00 pm.
Mar Theophilus Training College, Nalanchira, Thiruvananthapuram-15, Kerala.

Dear Sir/Madam,
The Council for Teacher Education (CTE), Kerala State Centre, is organizing a National Colloquium cum Workshop in collaboration with the Research Wing and Post-Graduate Centre of the Mar Theophilus Training College, Nalanchira, Thiruvananthapuram. The CTE is happy to extend to you an invitation to be part of this important academic venture.
This Preparatory Workshop is expected to initiate a process to give a final shape to the proposed Kerala Model of Teacher Education (KMTE), as a follow up of the resolutions of the 26th National Convention and State Decennial Celebration of CTE held in January 2012 at MTTC. The recent attempts to reconstitute the Teacher Education curriculum among other things, is a promising and radical step towards this goal. The proposed model will shift its focus from the Theory- Based Teacher Education to Competency- Based Teacher Education, with major focus on all the basic skills and competencies essential for developing learners who can learn in their own in a Techno-Pedagogical Era. The concept of Kerala Model of Teacher Education (KMTE) for competency development was mooted in the National Convention of CTE held in Thiruvananthapuram in 2012 by Dr. A. Sukumaran Nair, Former Vice Chancellor, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam and Patron of CTE as an outcome of the collective wisdom of the CTE Parivar. The Concept Mentor, Dr. A. Sukumaran Nair, the present Chairman of Kerala State Advisory Board of Education (SABE) has consented to present the lead paper and the general frame work of the proposed model to be subjected  to a close professional scrutiny by the experts in the CTE and the collaborating institutions and organizations. 
Your presence, experience and contributions are earnestly solicited to this important professional initiative intended to develop a really Indigenous Model of Teacher Education.

 Dr. C.P.Sreekantan Nair                                                 Dr. K.Y.Benedict
(Chairman- CTE Kerala)                                        (Gen. Secretary, CTE Kerala)

  Dr. V. M. Sasikumar                                                         Dr. K. Rajeswary
(National Vice-Chairman-South Zone)                (Treasurer, CTE Kerala)

Thiruvananthapuram
02-01-2014

Phone: 09387829922