SIF organises training programmes for teachers of Shishukunj International School, Bhuj and other supported schools and organisations. Under expert guidance, teachers are encouraged to think on purpose of teaching and to be more creative and focused in their classrooms. An intensive training is conducted at the beginning of the academic year and throughout the year, specific trainings are conducted by various experts. Emphasis is given on understanding of “Why-How-What” of teaching in classrooms, and teachers should be conscious of the broad objectives of teaching any subject and every concept progresses from the concrete to abstract ideology. Teachers are trained to develop lesson plans based on this theory.
Apart from planning subject lessons for the term and developing activities for the children, importance is also laid on having a democratic set up in our schools, where teachers and students feel free to discuss issues concerning them without having a fear of the authority.
Some training sessions are conducted on :
- “What it means to be a teacher” through documentaries, stories and discussions
- “The Power of Purpose”- listing of the personal objectives of teachers, and a discussion on how teachers can bring in those objectives into the subject and their method of teaching.
- “Why-How-What”-
- “Why” – objective of the teacher for teaching
- “How” involves the pedagogy for teaching
- “What” indicates to the content and its planning
- Assessment methods-
- Oral participations, presentations done by the child
- Classroom observations by the teacher
- Homework, that can be done independently by the child
- Classroom Management
- How does a teacher want the class to be (expectations) – like maintaining order in classroom, asking for permission before speaking, encouraging healthy discussions and allowing others to speak, etc.
- What can be the methods through which these expectations can be fulfilled – they should be such that can capture the children’s attention and maintain their keenness.
- Remaining firm and consistent with the method selected throughout the year – taking follow-ups at regular intervals
- Communicating the expectations to the students.
- Montessori Methods
- Activity based Learning
- School in a Box
- Story-telling
- Yoga
