Tell me, I’ll forget; Teach me, I may remember; Involve me, I will learn

Q. Please share a personal experience that has shaped your educational philosophy and leadership style?

We live in a rapidly evolving world where lifelong learning is the order of the day. It is important to keep incorporating own learnings and experiences to add value to enrich the process of teaching-learning to be able to realize the mission of empowering the next generation.

From the numerous experiences that have shaped my perspectives, of course, few stand out more than others. One experience that influenced my educational philosophy was when I observed a collaborative project undertaken by a group of students from diverse backgrounds. Witnessing how they leveraged their unique perspectives and skills to achieve a common goal taught me the importance of fostering a collaborative and inclusive learning environment.

It reinforced my belief in the value of diversity and teamwork in promoting creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, and mutual respect among students. Since then, I have been re-invigorated to prioritize creating opportunities for collaboration and celebrating the contributions of every individual in the school fraternity.

Q. How do you plan to implement the key principles and objectives outlined in the National Education Policy 2020 to foster holistic development and skill enhancement among students in your institution?

The National Education Policy 2020 is a very progressive policy that can transform the education system and empower the next generation to be future-ready. The policy focuses on holistic development and advocates game-changing pedagogies that can empower the students with the most critical life skills needed in professional careers as well as personal lives. The key principles in this policy that are key to holistic development and skill enhancement include the following:

Integrated Curriculum: This single principle is truly transformative. For decades, educators and students have been operating in vertical silos and it takes years of professional experience for an individual to understand the cross-linkages in the teachings of various subjects. Having an integrated curriculum that integrates academic subjects with co-curricular activities like arts, sports, and vocational training can be truly empowering. Including project-based learning, across various subjects, where students apply concepts from various subjects to real-world problems can take teaching-learning to the realms of reality.

Experiential Learning: Throughout my teaching career, I have sworn by the famous quote by Benjamin Franklin “Tell me and I’ll forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I will learn.” Experiential learning is the most effective form of learning with life-long takeaways, and I try to include multiple internships, field trips, projects, and workshops to help students gain practical skills as well as to expose students to different career paths.

Critical Thinking and Problem Solving: Developing critical thinking and problem-solving skills is the most effective way of nurturing entrepreneurial skills in students. I always encourage my team to incorporate creative activities that require students to analyze, evaluate, and solve problems independently. For example, create scenarios where students must brainstorm solutions to environmental issues or societal challenges, when we use current situations, it truly enthuses the students.

Q. In today's digital era, technology plays a vital role in education. How has your school embraced technological advancements to enhance teaching methodologies and improve student learning outcomes?

Embracing technology can be truly empowering and catalyze the teaching-learning process. With the rapid pace of development of new tools by a multitude of ed-tech companies; it is imperative to have a nuanced approach and adopt technological facilitators most effectively to improve learning outcomes as well as solve real-life challenges.

One of the best uses of technology is that it has provided a platform to continue teaching-learning even when schools are constrained to shut down physical classes due to weather, socio-political disturbances, or government instructions. We use tech facilitators to conduct virtual classes and ensure continuity of teaching-learning. In addition, we also use it as a platform for remedial classes as and when needed.

The second advantage has been the ease of sharing content with students, to help them with ‘anytime, anywhere learning,’ as well as ‘learning and revising at own pace.’

As part of our endeavours to empower educators, we also conduct teachers’ training as well as encourage sharing of best practices as well as content. This goes a long way in ensuring that we can have maximum takeaways when we use technological tools.

Q. Considering the social fabric of Haryana, what are some prevalent social issues or challenges that students in your school community face, and how does the school support them in overcoming these challenges?

Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an increase in the number of students who have started spending increased time in the virtual world, like to remain immersed in gadgets, and have started shying away from physical interactions as well as physical activities. This is certainly not an encouraging trend, and we need to help our students tide over these challenges. These are challenges that need to be managed with lots of sensitivity and personalized support. So, while we have lots of workshops around these issues, we also have personalized counselling sessions to help our students overcome these challenges. We also believe in synergizing our efforts with parents to be able to achieve our shared goals efficiently.

Q. Beyond academics and technology integration, what initiatives or programs does your school offer to promote a culture of innovation and creativity among students?

Promoting enterprising spirit amongst the students as well as developing critical thinking skills are key focus areas for us. As an institute, we are looking at several measures to do so. While Robotics is part of the curriculum, we are also planning to introduce STEM Club for a hands-on experience. In addition, we are also planning to organise lots of guest lectures in the school which will include young entrepreneurs as well as seasoned professionals, to inspire the kids as well as provide an opportunity to interact with subject matter experts. We will also facilitate lots of internships and apprenticeship programs in diverse fields to provide experiential learning experiences to our students.