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Elementary School Teachers’ Selection, Induction and Empowerment

Recommendations: Outcome of a Group Discussion

Lalit Kishore

Jaipur / Kurukshetra

INDIA

Keeping in view the centrality of teachers in the success of any school education reform, a group

discussion and group work was organized to identify the actions to be taken and activities to be

performed for selecting teachers, inducting teachers and empowering them.

The exercise was undertaken for making recommendations to the universalization of elementary

education project organizers. The recommendations have been tabulated as the essential or

necessary list of actions and the wish list.

The recommendations go as follows.

TEACHER AND TEACHER SUPPORT SYSTEM

Teachers’ profile

Nec

essa

ry c

hara

cter

isti

cs

Requisite minimum qualifications

Trained in teaching methodology and demonstrative mastery on it

Willingness to reside locally

Strong leadership qualities

High level of self-motivation

Ability to mentor colleagues, juniors and other stakeholders

Ability to converse in local language, e. G. , tribal dialect in tribal area

Proficiency in communicating in the school language

Co-curricular skills evidence

Wish list

Readiness to innovate, experiment and do action research

Skilled at activities such as sports, games, drama, music and dance

Previous experience in similar teaching situation and reference

Teachers’ selection process

Th

e se

lect

ion

pro

cess

sh

ou

ld

Be advertised

Constitute an interview board with representation from the education dept., community members &

experts

Include a written test

Include group and individual discussion/interview which would

Explore the candidate’s attitudes, opinions, commitment to secular

democratic principles, inclusive ideology

Review the candidate’s teaching and co-curricular skills through a

demonstration lesson

Review the candidate’s mastery of learning content

Review the candidate’s understanding of child psychology and pedagogy

Prepare a waiting list for future requirement

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Teachers’ in-service training methodology

Essential

Minimum 60 days induction training (40 days initial training and 20 days for preparing teaching-

learning materials

5 days residential refresher training after 4 months

Maximum 30-35 trainees with at least 3 resource persons.

Authoritative names changed, e. G., inspector to facilitator

Training to be participatory & experiential with demonstration classes & observation of actual

classroom teaching or school attachment. The characteristics of the training may be

Flexibility of timings, design

Simple easy to understand and transfer to classroom situation

Onsite visits and demonstration lessons

Training in classroom situation

Participative, inclusive

Not lecture method, learn by doing

Incorporate group work, self learning, reference and research work, role play

Simulate problem solving situations

Wish list

Second year and thereafter: one time 10 days need-based residential training

Evaluation of training design and methodology may be discussed with faculty and trainees

Periodicity of training and refresher linked to assessment of requirement

Distance learning through radio, tv or e-media in case of dispersed population

Trainers from training institutes, resource teachers and academic facilitators

Teachers’ training content

Essential

Standardisation of essential training input

Inclusion of contextual requirements based on need assessment

Subject based training with emphasis on mastery of content

Continuous and comprehensive assessment methods

Liberal and appropriate use of exercises/worksheet etc.

Training in state language and local dialect

Motivational inputs, discussion on attitude and qualities of an ideal teacher

Discussion on value education

Preparing teachers for life skill education

Pedagogical requirements for multi grade, multi level teaching approach eg initial assessment of

child learning levels, forming homogenous teaching groups by age, learning level, learning

language, or other

Classroom management including preparation and use of learning material ensuring all students’

participation, discipline

Lesson planning, maintaining child profiles, assessments records

Community participation specially how to enlist & sustain community support

Mainstreaming strategies

Retention strategies

Maintenance of required records at the centre : attendance, child profile, monthly teaching

schedule, time table, syllabus, competency list, stock register,

Evaluation of the teacher at the beginning & end of the training on his/her attitude, skill &

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knowledge

Planning for children who may be overage or otherwise cannot be mainstreamed eg completion

through open education system

Planning adolescents’ clubs or meeting forums for students who are not mainstreamed in regular

schools to maintain contact with literacy and with each other.

Wish list

Training in yoga, meditation & life skills

Preparation of a reflective teacher

Teacher support system

Essential

Imp

ort

an

t su

gges

tion

s :

the

faci

lita

tor

wil

l

Support availability within a radius of 5 km.

Hold periodical (at least monthly) meetings with teachers to review, plan, share and cross

learn

Recapitulate and practically demonstrate the principles and methods of teaching introduced

during training sessions.

Discuss and demonstrate lessons covering difficulties

Assist the teacher to organize community meetings, parents meetings, meeting with school

management

Share successful case studies to boost the morale of the teachers

Be available twice a month for at least for two hours during each school visit

Address any problems faced in transactions of specific learning areas

Hold full day resource-centre based training workshops every month on learning content,

classroom management, classroom transaction, methodology/ process, evaluation,

assessment

Reporting schedule and cycle drawn up; eg head teacher submit monthly report to the

cluster resource centre coordinator

Organise regular exposure and learning visits for teachers

Prepare a core team of master resource persons from among experienced teachers and

education dept officials

Wish list

Organise regular in-service support, including ICT (information, communication &

technology) by master RP from concerned departments.

Prepare an annual calendar with all essential activities to be drawn out at the beginning of

the session (skill for life training, personality development, environmental awareness

programmes, summer camp etc.)

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Teachers’ training content

Tra

inin

g w

ill

incl

ud

e Pedagogical principles and application, child development theories, teaching

methodologies, teaching content

Techniques to transact all subjects till primary level. – Languages, mathematics, science.

This will include

Systematic and formal training in language teaching with communicative

approach

Conceptual clarity and understanding of mathematical applications

Teaching science through the discovery approach

Develop an attitude of scientific enquiry and experimentation

Multi grade, multi level classroom management

Community rapport building, management with emphasis on inclusive principles;

Motivating parents from disadvantaged communities to participate in school PTA and

school management

Building rapport with community to bring them closer to schools;

Supporting teachers to initiate experimentation (including making mistakes) and try new

methods for teaching children

Introducing child friendly evaluation and ongoing assessment

Organising academic planning to be based on classroom evaluation and assessment

Regularly maintaining child profiles and maintain individual records and registers

Helping the child to appreciate local skills, eg agriculture, horticulture, crafts, fishing

Encouraging individual and independent pedagogical thinking among teachers

Forming student governments to enhance the democratic functioning and children’s self

esteem

Active participation of children in school management

Preparing and using TLM to enhance teaching

Identifying and mobilising key pedagogical support (trg/monitoring) required

Planning wall activity

Using bb appropriately and innovatively by teacher and students

Preparing lesson note and teaching plan by individual teacher

Understanding children of disadvantaged background, focus on sensitivity to their issues

and need for emotional support

Understanding a rights based approach recognising that all children have an equal right to

good quality education

Emphasising language development with sensitivity towards children’s home language in

case different from school language

Acquiring skills to support first generation learners for education

Mastery of teaching content at elementary level

Understanding that materials should be linked to lesson/topics and used to illustrate or

clarify learning issues

Building rapport with parents to ensure that children attend school regularly and do not

drop out

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Providing opportunities for children to gain sufficient practice of written mathematics

and language

Understanding and selecting techniques for ensuring active participation in learning

Understanding and introducing activity oriented learning environment

Understanding and introducing multilevel accelerated learning

Emphasising flexibility in teaching approach by including games, music, dance, drama

Enhancing teachers confidence to experiment and try new teaching methods