Mentor Volume 11 Issue 02

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RINVITATION to WRITE Share your thoughts! Cultural Literacy in Schools Crafting the Maker Mind-setTechnology Integration in Education Share your thoughts & opinions on any of the topics above, and we’ll publish it in Mentor!* You can also send your article on one of the following: School Pedagogy, School Governance, School Innovation, or School Leadership.Word limit: 1,500 words | email: [email protected] | Submission deadline: 18 July | Email subject:“Mentor Magazine”* Subject to editorial discretion www.lxl.in

CONTENTSJuly 2017 | Volume 11 | Issue 02 | ₹ 40MENTOR THOUGHTS 165 Inside the mindSultan Speaks of a leaderThe Business of Education Breaking down the journey of leadership31Beyond Schools and TextbooksImportance of extra-curricular activities34A much needed breakThe need for staff retreats in schoolsSCHOOL PEDAGOGY SCHOOL LEADERSHIP6 22Model United Nations Emotional Intelligence in Educational Leadership: Is it Really Necessary?Bringing United Nations conferences to classrooms Understanding the power of emotional intelligence9Bulletin boards – An underrated tool 26for teaching School Leaders – Changing with the tidesHow bulletin boards can make teachers' lives easy Transforming education in India – One schoolSCHOOL GOVERNANCE principal at a time12 SCHOOL INNOVATIONSustainability – A revolution in themaking 28 Virtual Reality and Augmented RealityA step towards a better and more resourceful in classroomstomorrow Bringing the future to schools A Venture ofPublisher & Owner: Syed Sultan Ahmed Editor-in-Chief: Kalpa Kartik All Rights Reserved 2016Content Developer: Ashitha Jayaprakash Designed by: Uday S EduMedia Publications Pvt. Ltd.Production: Praveen U.M., Sathish C., Guna V. Printed by: Manoj Printed at: ElegantPrinting Works, #74, South End Road, Basavangudi, Bengaluru - 560 004.NOTICE:Authors/contributors are responsible for the authenticity of information they provide in the article. The publishers do not accept liability for error or omissions contained inthis publication. By submitting letters/emails or other publication materials to Mentor Magazine the author/contributor agree that it is the property of Mentor Magazine.All communication to Mentor Magazine must be made in writing. No other sort of communication will be accepted. All decisions regarding publishing of an article is theprerogative of the publisher and editorial team of Mentor Magazine. Mentor Magazine is owned and published by EduMedia Publications Pvt. Ltd. for and on behalf of Mr.Syed Sultan Ahmed. All disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the competent courts and forums in Bengaluru City.

Today a reader, tomorrow a leader Mukta Misra, Principal, Kaushalya World School, NoidaWatch this My fascination for books started when I was only a child, my parents always crowded my study with story books. I would often re-read these books but there were also some Ispace to stayed away from. Little did I know that in this on-going naïve process of picking and rejecting, I was actually learning to appreciate, analyse and criticize; thanks to theread articles habit my parents forced upon me. After all these years, my study section is still overcrowded with books, the only change was that the characters and the tales had taken a shift. Good books compel us to surge out of the monotony of thoughts. A leaderthat came in should continuously be on a look out for great books that have influenced and impactedto us for the the organizations and their work environment remarkably. Some books that has had ananniversary impact on me are:issue. There 'The 8th Habit' by Steven Covey, is a book that glides the leaders mildly from the phase of effectiveness to achieving greatness. 'The 7 Habits' has been one of the greatest books of contemporary times and the 8th habit is a marvel for book admirers. It is actually a calling for everyone who reads to re-think about the course of actions they are taking. As a leader, this book is relevant because it encourages them to help the teamwill be find their inner voice. If a leader is able to succeed in this mission, he shall be able to build a team whose heart, body, mind and soul are in complete sync with that of thelessons of organization. 'Outlier' by Malcolm Gladwell is another book that challenges age old mundanelife, lms thoughts and beliefs. Outlier's presentation of successful people is not personal mythos but a blend of judicious use of both opportunity and time. This book is reallyand book interesting as it investigates popular myths and notions about successful people and logically unfolds the facts that went unseen and unattended for years. It showssuggestions successful people as the beneficiaries of hidden advantages, extraordinaryand other opportunities and cultural legacies that allow them to learn and work hard and makeinformative sense of the world in ways others cannot.articles that 'A Leader Without A Title' by Robin Sharma is a must read not only for leaders but for students and teachers as well. It's a perfect read for transformational leaders who do not believe in existing as the absolute power, but believe in creating a powerful existence. I would suggest this read because of its concept of leadership. Leadership today has many faces, one of which is characterized by empowering individuals with the power of autocracy and delegation. And the others being those with a vision to givewill take you opportunities, design programmes, and involve people in a way that leads to their individual and professional enrichment. Reading this book, we can expect everyon a journey stakeholder in the organization to be more responsible and accountable. Every book that I have set my eyes on and heart into has transformed me in some way orof learning! the other. I feel every organization must generate a 'Recommended List of Reading' for its stakeholders considering the work culture that a leader envisions for the organization. As leaders, it is imperative that we construct a learning environment within our school systems that includes bounteous space for cherishing reading habits among the faculty and students. For in the mind of every reader we create, a leader has already begun to surface! 4

SULTAN SPEAKS [email protected] The Business of EducationThe recent past has seen a slew of economic measures more intriguing is the mark up on third party services taken by the government that have had a major provided by schools. Most publishers, uniform suppliers, impact on the overall business situation in India. content providers, transporters etc. give major kickbacks toDemonetization that happened in the late 2016 and the roll schools. I have always wondered why parents andout of GST are hailed as game changers in the manner in government took so long to wake up to this reality and howwhich the Indian economy will progress. These changes will centers of education could be so corrupt. An average personhave tremendous impact in the manner in which the in India is not aware that schools cannot be a for-profit'business of education' will be conducted in the days ahead. organization or a business. The government does not taxDemonetization has changed the perspective of our society schools and it also provides in many cases land at subsidizedtowards cash transactions, there has been a conscious effort rates and several other benefits that normally businessesby the government to discourage a cash economy. The don't get. These benefits are extended to schools with thegovernment wants us to believe that dealing in cash is not assumption that they will provide a service. This trust hasthe right way of doing business and there are several been misused by many schools over the years.penalties levied for cash transactions. The recent past has seen streams of measures by theThere has always been an uneasy silence in the manner in government and a spurt in parental activism across Indiawhich schools have run their finances, and the grey areas of against the lack of transparency and corruption in schools.cash transactions and fee collections. Parents across the Looking ahead I see a future in which schools have no choicecountry have garnered a lot of spirit to voice their opinion but to clean up their act and bring about transparency inabout the manner in which schools run their finances. In their financial systems and processes. Come July when GSTsome states, the parents' discontent has led to the formation rolls out in India, it will ring in new processes and systemsof several forums and associations that have sprung up to that will further clean-up the grey area in schools!fight the 'so-called' menace of increments in school fees.Parental activism against school policies is on the rise. The Syed Sultan Ahmed,CBSE board has come down strongly on the 'businesses' runon campus. Several state governments have taken up the Managing Director, LXL Ideasissue of fee hikes in schools and have passed resolutions tocheck the phenomenon.Having dealt with schools across India for almost 2 decades,I am convinced that most private schools follow veryunethical practices. Their fascination for cash transactionsand capitation fee is common knowledge but what is even 5

PEDAGOGY www.lxl.in Model United Nations - A gateway to the world of politics and international relations Sudha SubaramanAlamelu Subaraman also known as Sudha Subaraman is a versatile Educational Consultant practicing in Bangalore. She has spent more than two decades teaching nationally and internationally. She has taught all levels from PlayGroup to Grade 10. Since 2009 she has been associated with upcoming schools todesign, develop and implement the school curriculum, empower the faculty andsupport the management wherever applicable.She sheds light on how MUN is a relevant extra-curricular activity for students to growboth personally and professionally.Model United Nations – What is it? simulation of the actual United Nations Organization'sThe Model United Nations is an academic simulation of various Committee Conferences/Meetings. The MUNthe working Committees of the United Nation follows the exact rules and procedures as observed at aOrganization. Each year more than 150,000 students UN Committee Conference. Here students comeacross the globe participate in the events conducted by together as 'diplomats' of member countries fromdifferent academic institutions. MUN is becoming a across the globe to discuss, debate and pass resolutionspopular event among many school students in India. on real time issues of the world. Each student diplomatStudents along with their facilitator/mentor travel to represents a country and prepares for the debate as avarious destinations to participate in these events. It diplomat of that particular country. If a student gets toinvolves lot of planning, preparation, time and participate in an international MUN conference, s/heexpenditure. would interact with international students from varied cultural backgrounds. This in itself is a great learningEven though organizing and participating in a MUN opportunity. The success of a MUN ConferenceConference is expensive, year after year this event depends on the planning and passion shown by theattracts new organizers and draws more and more students and the organizers of the event.students to enrol in MUN Conferences held not only intheir own city or country but also across the globe. Who are these student 'diplomats'?Why? If it is so popular and beneficial should more Secondary, Senior Secondary and College students areschools include MUN event as a compulsory extra- encouraged by their respective institutions tocurricular activity? How would it benefit or transform a participate in a MUN Conference during the course ofstudent? Would it help them tackle the various an Academic year. However, only few students fromchallenges in the real world? each institution gets to participate in the event as“Delegates kindly raise a motion to set the Agenda for attending a MUN Conference requires time,the day,”, “Delegate of ……… you may reply now….”, infrastructure and continuous effort on the part of the“Delegate is it a Point of Order or Point of participant as well as the Student Facilitator/ Guide.Information?”, all statements frequently heard at a Most often just 15% of students from an institution getMUN Conference. to attend a conference, and that leaves out almost 85% of students! Thus the benefit of participation in a MUNA Model United Nations Conference is an academic Conference reaches only few students each year. 6

JULY 2017How can all the students be benefitted? To resolve this, leadership etc. in a fun way. Hence, MUN is the rightschools and colleges should include MUN as a platform for students to develop all of these skills,compulsory extra-curricular activity for students, so besides gain confidence, build values, character andthat everyone can get an opportunity to develop various social skills, understand global issues and gain anskills needed in the real world. excellent opportunity to get into good colleges for Higher Education. In short, MUN supports knowledgeWhy do we need MUN in schools? and skill acquisition and enhances emotionalSchools often are concerned with teaching and learning intelligence such as self-awareness, self-concept,of Maths, Languages, Arts and Sciences, and in the empathy, cooperation etc. To state in brief, MUN ispreparation of students to take up the annual school education outside the normal school syllabus whichexamination as per the affiliated board curriculum. enables the students to practice what is learned in classThey are weighed down by the requirement of the and in the real world.school board and cannot deviate from the set pattern.Certainly parents, guardians and schools expect Can a student be transformed by merelyexcellent scores or grades from their students and they participating in MUN Conferences?work towards providing them with opportunities to To prepare and participate successfully in a MUNachieve the same. Most often a high school student Conference a student needs to develop positive attitude,begins his/her day at a tuition centre, then school and discipline, perseverance and determination. S/he mustgets back home to complete homework etc. Gone are the be motivated to put in several hours of hard work beforedays where children used to step out and play for hours the MUN Conference.together. Most often, these days children are plunginginto the pool of technology. Gadgets and gizmos have Here, it is vital for the first timers to be continuouslybecome more like the order of the day. Though these encouraged and guided by the mentor/facilitator so thattechnological gadgets are good to some extent, there is s/he is not disheartened by the sheer volume of researchalso a flip-side – if over used. Hence they should be and study involved. Again, the mentor/facilitatordirected to some activities that are more beneficial. should guide the MUN-er in writing formal documents, which, over several such events should impact his/herOne such meaningful activity is the MUN event. Any writing skills. S/he will realise the need to be betterMUN Conference would require the participants to be prepared to achieve one's goals, make a statement,actively involved in the whole process which means they create the right impact on peers and communicatewould be occupied fruitfully. The students will develop effectively.an eye for news and a nose for detail. They will also be During the conference s/he learns to maintain properabreast of the news and activities happening across the decorum in a given platform, dress appropriately, useglobe thus widening their horizon. MUN is an excellent right and courteous language, gain knowledge, skills andeducational tool to teach few of the much needed life make new friends. Thus, if s/he participates in the MUNand soft skills such as decision-making, planning, Conferences wholeheartedly, a transformation is boundresearch, note-taking, gathering information, public to occur over a period of time.speaking, negotiation, cooperation, team work, 7

PEDAGOGY www.lxl.inMUN events often support schools and the students to debate or discussion on the floor of the house. So thisachieve their goals. The trend in schools today is to improves the listening and speaking skills as well, whichprovide holistic education and the management in turn supports the classroom performance immensely.encourages their students/wards to participate in a Again s/he realises that preparation is the key word tonumber of extra-curricular activities. Throughout the success.academic year schools organize and execute events in Since the MUN Agenda topics usually cover political,line with their goals and objectives. Students are given military, economic, social, cultural and humanitarianan opportunity to participate in these events like music issues of the world, any student who has participated inand dance competitions, poetry recitation, essay a few MUN Conferences will be able to strike awriting, just-a-minute and sports events conversation or discuss on most global issuesenthusiastically. Such participation, besides giving the unhesitatingly. S/he would have gained confidence andstudents a chance to win awards and prizes, also exposes the skill to put forth his/her views easily. This ability willtheir innate abilities and talents which can be further smooth sailing through college interviews that will helpfine-tuned with practice. them secure admissions in prestigious institutions acrossSimilarly, MUN conferences too will give a chance to the the globe. Thus, students get ample opportunities tostudents to speak, be heard on global issues and to put achieve their goals in the real world.forth their views in public. These events help the child Academic facilitators and teachers too will be certain tobecome more confident in a public forum and will aide in note the changes in the students who participate indeveloping their oratory skills by boosting their morale MUN events. Teachers are life-long learners, and whenand self-esteem. Thus, with proper guidelines, an given an opportunity to seek more knowledge they willaccomplished trainer/facilitator will be able to plan be very eager to do so and will show greater enthusiasmMUN events in line with the aims and goals of the school in keeping themselves updated with real world issuesas well as that of the students. that affect their particular stream. This brings about aThe outcome will create a phenomenal change in the change in their approach to teaching and benefits theapproach to education, as students consciously or students and the institution.unconsciously absorb the skills that they experience “The art of leadership is saying 'no', not saying 'yes'. It iswhile participating in a MUN event. It would be easy to say yes.”-Tony Blair.appropriate here to quote George Bernard Shaw, “What An exposure to MUN from high school will create betterwe want to see is the child in pursuit of knowledge and leaders for tomorrow. Students learn the art ofnot knowledge in pursuit of the child.” leadership when theyA regular Mun-er will learn to sift through hundreds of Ÿ acquire practical skills (public speaking, researchpages easily, pick out the important information needed,and use them appropriately. S/he will begin to etc) which enables them to become efficient andappreciate the impact of his/her own actions, for effective leaders,example, during a moderated caucus the participant has Ÿ look at a situation with a holistic point of view,to be attentive for him/her to contribute towards the Ÿ understand diverse perspectives on world problems, and how Intergovernmental Organizations function, Ÿ recognise why decisions are not as easy to take as we think, Ÿ learn about various cultures and different personalities, Ÿ Learn to compromise in order to reach team's goals along with their own personal or professional growth, Ÿ think out of the box, take chances, question the policies of nations and pass resolutions on innovative solutions to world's complex issues. In conclusion, it can be stated that MUN is an educational roller coaster which should be incorporated as an extra-curricular activity in schools. This will benefit the school, staff and the students alike. 8 [email protected]

JULY 2017Bulletin boards – An underrated toolfor teachingPayal BediMs. Payal Bedi started her career as a Montessori Teacher in Ryan International School, Chandigarh. She is a science graduate and holds a Master's degree in Sociology from the Panjab University, Chandigarh. A self-motivatedteacher with a positive outlook she joined The Millennium School, Mohali in the year2008. She has received Shantanu Prakash Excellence Award by Educomp for beingthe best facilitator for the year 2014-15. She has taught varying age groups in last 10years of her teaching career and is currently teaching Science at the primary level inthe same institute which is now the Learning Paths School, Mohali. In this article forMentor she writes about how bulletin boards can be utilized in classrooms.The class room in which students spend majority of students. It also allows one to sneak a peek into thetheir time in school ought to be inviting and appealing. topics covered in class. Concisely, the display boardsIt's important to make the classroom a welcoming place make the classroom come alive. The displays in the classfor students so that they look forward to visit it. The act as visual teaching aids and are of great help to thewalls of each class room must have bright, colourful and visual learners while interactive boards help kinestheticcaptivating bulletin boards that facilitate the learning learners. Apart from making the classroom moreprocess of students all through the day whenever he or alluring, these can be used in a number of ways. It'sshe looks at it. necessary to create the display boards that will inspireBulletin boards, display boards or pin boards are and educate children to be better and strive for moreimperative components of any classroom as these are success. Remember bulletin boards should havecreative ways to share information, display students information displayed in bold letters which is legiblework and are powerful tools in teaching – learning from a distance. Instructions should be clear,process. These not only display the essential unambiguous and precise. Language should be easy toinformation about the time table, daily schedule ,rules understand.and regulations of the classroom, class roommanagement team, stars of the week/month, disciplinechart, directions or instructions given by the teacher,messages for the students, inspirational quotes etc. ,these also create an informative and learningatmosphere in class. Bulletin boards speak volumesabout the atmosphere of the class. Positive quotesinspire students to give their best. Creative and artisticdisplays in the classroom add to the aesthetics of aclassroom.Bulletin boards not only add to the beautification of theclass room, these are versatile in their usage and can beused flexibly. These also reflect the personality of theteacher, the kind of environment she wants to create,her expectations and the values she wants to instil in her 9

PEDAGOGY www.lxl.inBulletin boards should be put at the eye-level especially a number of ways in which a teacher can use thebecause it is interactive; students need to be able to boards as effective tool in teaching.reach it. Don't forget to add colour and make them Ÿ Use the boards as a medium to introduce a topicvibrant and bright. which helps to build interest in students. You canIdeas to choose content for your board also recapitulate the concepts done already. TopicsAlways keep in mind your aim while making the board. of history (such as a time line) which are otherwiseWhat do you want to convey? What will the students hard to memorize can be put on the board whichgain out of it? Remember the board is meant to be makes them easier to remember. Interestingeducational and have to be used. It is not meant to be homework can be given through these. For instance,just a part of the decor. the pictures of monuments can be displayed andHere are a few ideas which will help you choose your students can be asked to research and find theirtopic. names. This kind of activity is challenging and funŸ Simple directions such as Pick up the trash, Wash at the same time making learning enjoyable. Ÿ There are numerous ways in which vocabulary of hands before eating, Be punctual etc. can be put up students can be enhanced through display boards. on the board as these need to be reinforced many a For example, students can be asked to write as many times. Further, the reinforcement of the desired adjectives or verbs they can think of on flash cards behaviour can be done using the bulletin board. A given to them which later can be displayed on the few examples are- Say hello, be helpful, share, be board. When narrating a story, sequence of events honest etc. The teacher can also put across her can be displayed on the board either in the form of expectations from her students on display. Now it is pictures or simple sentences. Similarly, students can the teacher's responsibility to emphasize on these be asked to come up with a different end to a story instructions each day, thereby using the display narrated in class and display it on the board, the board. next day. To make it more challenging the teacherŸ There can be headings such as I'm a good reader, I'm can display grammatically wrong sentences on helpful, and I'm a team player etc. The teacher can display with a note to correct and submit the same in keep adding student's names under these headings. the chart pockets given below the sentence. This is This develops a sense of pride in the students and an example of an interactive board. Responses can keeps them motivated. be collected and the one who gets the correct answerŸ Motivational quotes too can be a part of the board as can be rewarded. students can derive inspiration from them.Ÿ News outlet: Latest news and developments can be “Information when collected and put to display by the students. This helps the students become aware about the latest displayed in the news utilizing the bulletin board in its true sense.Ÿ Using the board as a tool to teach also reduces the form of graphic burden of creating extra flash cards which further helps to save on resources, time and effort. There are organizers and mind maps leave a deep impact on the minds of students and make it easier to remember Ÿ Math formulas, rules of algebra, important points to remember can be displayed and reinforced each day as the topic is being taught in class. At the same time, challenging problems can be displayed on the 10

JULY 2017 board and students can be asked to submit their using your imagination. responses which can then be discussed or the correct Ÿ Student's work too can be displayed on the board as solution can be displayed on the board later.Ÿ Science diagrams, pictorial charts and projects can they feel proud of their creations helping them be displayed and reinforced thereby, helping the become more confident and instilling a sense of facilitator and students in teaching-learning ownership and belongingness in them. process. Ÿ Use old newspapers and magazines to createŸ Awareness about the environment helps in creating backdrops of the board (you are reusing hence, responsible citizens. Issues and facts which we contributing in saving trees!). Even cloth can be used seldom notice but affect our lives each day can be for background. Always put a border in your board. displayed leading young minds into thinking zones. This makes it aesthetically very appealing. The kind of damage plastic is doing to our Introduce headlines which make the topic clear and environment, how much sugar are we consuming don't forget to highlight the main points you want to with each bottle of soft drink, how much water is lay stress on. being wasted every day, how can we introduce Ÿ Try to use different materials when making boards. sustainable sources of energy in our lives, how many Don't limit yourself by using merely paper. Get species of plants and animals are getting extinct creative! Use things which we use in daily lives so each year etc. are a few examples of such topics. students can relate to them such as cereal boxes,Ÿ Thought provoking questions can too be displayed CDs, fabric etc. Try making the board three on the boards. Such questions can be regarding our dimensional as it catches student's interest society or the latest developments or any new laws instantaneously. passed etc. These can be then discussed in the classroom and a conclusion can be drawn from it. Once done, it's essential to maintain the boards. No one likes to see a ripped board as it is not welcoming at all.Information when displayed in the form of graphic Therefore, keep your boards updated and change themorganisers and mind maps leave a deep impact on the on a regular basis. Don't go overboard. Try to keep theminds of students and make it easier to remember. A board neat and avoid overcrowding making it easier toparticular theme too can be displayed on the boards may understand what the teacher wants to convey. I wouldbe, at different levels supporting the concept of theme like to conclude that bulletin boards are an integral partbased learning. Assignments done beautifully can be of teaching-learning process. There are limitless waysdisplayed for others to derive inspiration from and keep of creating them. So, put on your thinking hats and getstudents enthused. started.Ways to create appealing and interesting boardsŸ Remember as a teacher your priority should be to create a student-friendly environment for learning to happen. Boards are meant to educate and should be used regularly.Ÿ Be creative and use the resources effectively so as to minimize the wastage of time, energy and effort. Remember the display boards are not just for beautification, these need to be useful too.Ÿ Involve students; create your own interesting activities so as the display boards become interactive too. Interactive boards add to the excitement in learning as students take time to understand, move pieces and reach an answer. These can be in the form of puzzles, crosswords, quizzes etc.Ÿ Reuse the boards once created to save on resources. For this, try to laminate the charts and use durable stuff particularly if you are making interactive boards as the material should be sturdy enough to be handled repeatedly. Breathe life into old stuff by 11 [email protected]

SCHOOL GOVERNANCE www.lxl.in Sustainability – A revolution in the making Vandita SharmaVandita Sharma is an educator whose passion is teaching. Being an alumna of St. Mary's Convent, a Catholic school has been a boon and an added advantage to be a teacher, guide, friend, philosopher and mentor. For the lastone and half decade she has worked in some of the topmost schools in the countrybeginning with DPS Varanasi to Birla Balika Vidyapeeth to , Pilani, where she ispresently working. Her innovative methods, experimentation and understanding theidiosyncrasies of her students have helped them in securing good results.Through Mentor she wants to bring to light why schools should adopt a sustainableapproach in governance.Sustainable development is development that meets the providing a holistic approach where they are able toneeds of the present without compromising the ability inculcate in their students the three pillars ofof future generations to meet their own needs. It sustainability namelycontains within it, two key concepts: Ÿ Environmental sustainability - the ability toŸ The concept of 'needs', in particular the essential maintain rates of renewable resource harvest, needs of the world's poor, to which overriding pollution creation, and non-renewable resource priority should be given; and depletion that can be continuedŸ The idea of limitations imposed by the state of Ÿ Economic sustainability - the ability to support a technology and social organization on the defined level of economic production and environment's ability to meet the present and future needs.To this effect the United Nations has chartered theSustainable Development Goals (SDGs), officiallyknown as ‘Transforming our world’: the 2030 Agenda forSustainable Development - a set of 17 \"Global Goals\"with 169 targets in them. The United NationsSecretary-General, Ban Ki-moon believes that“Sustainable development is the pathway to the futurewe want for all. It offers a framework to generateeconomic growth, achieve social justice, exerciseenvironmental stewardship and strengthengovernance”.Teachers are the pillars of our society and who better toshoulder this responsibility than them. They are theones who can influence and mould a child’s way ofthinking. Thus the onus has again shifted to the schoolsto advocate and impart this concept of transforming theworld. But before they are able to impart to the studentsthey need to practice it first. The burden lies on them of 12

JULY 2017Ÿ Social sustainability - the ability of a social system, level and each member of the society from top to bottom such as a country, to function at a defined level of has to contribute without thinking of their status. It social well- being. can be effective only when we all join hands and give in our best. We need to contemplate on a plan which isThe teachers must make the ‘millennials’- the 21st effective and not restricted to paper only. The seeds ofcentury learners aware of the fact that the resources are transformation need to be sown at a tender age and whodepleting and there is a hue and cry all over the world for better than the schools of today and for this the 5P’s offinding means and ways to replete our resources and one sustainable development namely ‘People, Planet,word that is on ever y leader, educator and Partnership, Peace and Philanthropy’ need to beknowledgeable person’s lip is none other but sustainable propagated among the students.development. Actions speak louder than words. Though People are the best resource of a country, a resource ifwe talk about sustainability and growth, when it comes optimally utilised can prove to carve a niche for not onlyto actual practice we come to a point of nothingness. We them but for the entire world.need to pave a path for our future generations where Ÿ They need to be educated on the value of human life.instead of paucity of resources there should abundanceof it. We need citizens who care for their surroundings Human life is precious and man with his intelligenceand not ruffians who ransacked Tejas Express on its can surmount many a things which were next tomaiden journey. impossible centuries back. Through his knowledgeIn a country of a billion plus when it comes to working he destroyed the world and now is the turn toas a team very few join hands and we talk about reconstruct what he destroyed. The time has againsustainable development. It is always said ‘Practice come to utilise his knowledge and intelligence.what you preach’ and this is the most appropriate time Ÿ It should be emphasised that people irrespective ofto put it into practice. According to Kofi Annan, age or gender are an important source for the other“Education is a human right with immense power to Ps of sustainable development. Thus the essence oftransform. On its foundation rests the cornerstones of teaching should be about life irrespective of genderfreedom, democracy and sustainable human or age because as Dan Shechtman says, “Sustainabledevelopment” and what better way than to use development requires human ingenuity. People areeducation as a tool to transform our surroundings, the most important resource”.society, country and the entire world. Education has the Planet, Earth is the only place that supports life andpower to change our mind sets. It empowers us with the though efforts have been made to find life on otherability to use our thoughts in the right direction planets, it is still a distant dream.bringing about innovation and discoveries to help in Ÿ The students need to be taught that our planet is asustainable growth. mine of natural resources and how, because of ourThe development has to be initiated from the grass root greed we have taken away those resources. 13

SCHOOL GOVERNANCE www.lxl.inŸ We need to give emphasis to lust for our survival and but our time too. sustainability. The incessant desire to live may help Ÿ Thus, the schools will indirectly infuse in the them think about their surroundings as in, its sustainability lies in our sustainability. students ‘value of money’. Money is power and can help in growth. We need to give stress on utilisingŸ They should be allowed to explore and appreciate money and not wasting on possessions which will their environment and encouraged to plant and just remain possessions. We need to restore in them nurture those saplings. The project Go Green has that every rupee counts. We need to have economic been promoted but it is generally restricted to a stability before we can venture into projects month, Van Mahotsav or Environment Day and for involving Universal brotherhood. the rest of the year it is a forgotten case. Ÿ This can begin with not wasting food in weddings or leaving left overs in restaurants, taking the amountŸ We need to instil the insatiable hunger in our in small quantities because food wasted is money students to promote greenery, to create a bright and wasted. With that food we can feed so many. blossoming future and this is plausible when the Food is our lifeline but we need ‘to eat to live and not live entire school ropes in to this idea, to provide life to to eat’. Jacqueline Novogratz has aptly said, “A our environment.. sustainable world means working together to create prosperity for all” and this is possible only when we workJack Dangermond said, “our world is evolving without together irrespective of gender, colour or creed. Let usconsideration, and the result is a loss of biodiversity, encourage group work and team spirit so as they canenergy issues, congestion in cities. But geography, if think of themselves as ‘we’ and not ‘I’.used correctly, can be used to redesign sustainable and Peace, Today we are at the brink of the Third World Warmore liveable cities” and we need to underline this very which may be caused because of Water. Isn’t it ironicalfact to our students to generate Environmental that our planet Earth comprises majorly of water butSustainability leading to prosperity and progress. most of it is not consumable? True that only a little is fit for drinking and for that we are at war. In India there are“ Sustainable disputes over Cauvery water, SYL (Satluj Yamuna Link Canal) and River Brahamaputra. Can’t we resolve these development... matters peacefully instead of fighting over it? Ÿ We need to sort out our differences and realise that offers a framework wasting time on such trivial issues hamper our progress. It should be emphasized on the students to generate that our social responsibilities are on a higher pedestal than these insignificant matters. economic growth, Ÿ Students need to be shown the importance of peace and harmony and how it can assist development. achieve social Making them practise camaraderie and team work can be instrumental in an enormous change, a justice, exercise change that can turn the tides in our favour. environmental stewardship and strengthen governancePartnership is the soul of progress and prosperity. We, inour quest for power think about ourselves and forgetthat each member of the society plays an integral role inthe development of a nation.Ÿ For a common objective we need to join hands, work as a team. Many hands make the work lighter and if practised we can save not only our precious resources 14

JULY 2017Ÿ Let us empower them with Vasudeva Kutumbakam the children towards others’ adversities and is a step - the world is one family by keeping our differences towards philanthropic vision. aside. Deepak Chopra’s words are a message to us on how to inculcate and imbibe the attitude and attribute towardsPhilanthropy is an attribute which very few practice but transforming our world. “New Age values are consciousall want to reap its benefit. Our education system can evolution, a non-sectarian society, a non-militarydeal with this by encouraging the children to empathise culture, global sharing, healing the environment,with the problems of the people. sustainable economies, self-determination, socialŸ Making them aware of the people’s hunger, justice, economic empowerment of the poor, love, compassion in action, going beyond religious deprivation and lack of basic needs may help them fundamentalism, going beyond nationalism-extreme acquire a philanthropic vision. Small steps like nationalism, culture.” donating food along with their old clothes, books can Adopting these Ps will help in catering to sustainable help in resurrecting our value system. Many schools development and to build a brand image of ‘we care’ go in for such drives to bring out these feelings in the schools. This will inculcate the ‘we care’ attitude among students under their care. the children, the authorities and the country planners.Ÿ We should emulate Japanese school practices where This attitude when transmitted among the parents, the authorities, teachers and students alike help in teachers, society and all alike will be an investment in the cleaning of classrooms and campus. children and nature which in the long run would result inŸ Some examples can be cited from school projects a resurgence of hope, vitality. These Ps will also help in which have ‘lend a hand’ towards ‘sustainable revitalising the Education system where instead of development’ creating products in the assembly line we will be craftingŸ An eager group of 10-year-olds, all members of the human beings who have a desire to do something for Eco Club, boast proudly about their clean-up drive themselves as well as for the Universe, a desire which is at a local market and the school’s paper recycling so deep rooted that they would be conserving their machine and composting pits. heritage instead of uprooting the entire value system.Ÿ A few miles and a world away, on the manicured With this holistic approach towards education the day is green campus, enthusiastic pupils in crisp white not far when we will accomplish the 17 goals proposed uniforms tend to a medicinal herb garden, make for sustainable development. bags from discarded newspaper to supplant plastic For this we don’t need to take gigantic steps but we need ones and soak up the knowledge they'll use to pester to think big. As Confucius once said, “a journey of a their parents about conserving electricity and water. thousand miles begins with a single step” so let us takeŸ Students while returning from school throw the left that step. Let us pledge and create a world where Babe over water from their water bottles in a tank which is Dioum’s words can come true, “In the end we will later used to irrigate the plants. conserve only what we love; we will love only what weŸ Cracker free Diwali, playing Holi with natural understand and we will understand only what we are colours are some other ways of a sustainable taught”. approach.Ÿ These steps are imparting core values and sensitising 15 [email protected]

COVER STORY www.lxl.inINSIDE THE MIND OFA LEADERThe world's simplest idea. The Golden Circle, coined byMr. Simon Sinek. A man who deciphered the minds ofleaders like the Wright brothers, Steve Jobs and MartinLuther King. It is said that exceptional leaders have away of life, a manner of doing things and realizing thisgave birth to the idea of the Golden Circle.It consists of 3 concentric circles. It begins with the why?How? And finally what? The purpose of this is tounderstand what a leader is made of in their core andwhat drives them in this dynamic world.In this Issue of Mentor, Ms. Sunitha Satheesh,Principal of The Choice School shares insights andknowledge of running one of India’s top ten schools.WHY?What made you embark on this remarkable Tell us about you, about your story.journey and what keeps you going every day? Born and brought up by my well educated parents, myEntering the field of education was totally by default father's key goal was to provide the best education tobut soon after I realized that I was a born teacher. Even both me and my sibling. A commerce graduate with Postafter 21 years as an educationalist, what keeps me Graduate Degree and M Phil in Sociology, I joined Themotivated are my enjoyment, passion and commitment Choice School in 1996 as a KG teacher and there hasto the profession I am in today. The force that kept been no turning back from there. My supportive familydriving me to teaching was the children. The first time I and close friends stood by me throughout the journey,taught KG students, where I began my career, I still which helped me tremendously in my professionalremember that's the day I realized that this was it. growth. Dreaming big, attempting to shoot for the stars,Credit goes to my father who molded me and my brother trying the impossible and latching on to challenges wasinto determined and confident individuals. He strived to my forte from my teenage years. Two decades in thismake us both hardworking and passionate individuals profession has not been smooth sailing throughout.inspire me every day. In a time when education was a There have been checks and balances all of whichprivilege my father made sure both of us were blessed contributed to making me who I am today. It was a long,with it in abundance. For which, I am forever indebted. arduous ride. Some days, when it's too taxing I see theThe amount of dedication and thirst for knowledge my little faces running around the school premises withfather instilled in me, still inspires me to run one of the hope and innocence and at that miniscule moment I seetop 10 schools in India. It showed me the potential clarity, I feel it's all worth it. The rich experiences lifepower of education and how I could use it to encourage keeps offering has taught me to be a better individualthousands of students. and a confident professional. Being part of the 16

JULY 2017governing body of a school that has so much going on Share an instance that tested your strength and how didwith respect to scholastic and co-scholastic activities you overcome it?and the sheer volume of the school has taught me many A couple of years ago, the chairman of the Choice grouplessons of life. had sent me to China to purchase furniture for the new school building (with a dead line, of course). There wereTell us your core belief. multiple challenges and requirements I faced from theMy core belief is to “Be Human”. We are all adaptable, top management to meet the deadline. But I waswe make mistakes but we can with hard work and focused on the target given to me and overruled all theinspiration bounce back from anything. Trust, believe, thoughts that came from the top management and tookguide, motivate people, and respect one another for best my own decisions in order to meet the deadline.results. Strive to achieve only the best and don't settle Swimming in the sea of bureaucracy was not easyfor anything less. This is my core belief and has worked especially since I was a relatively young employee. Thiswell for me always. There is not a day that has passed by was a very controversial moment but I was sure that Iwhere I have given up on something; the perseverance to was right and stood by my decisions. For the next twoachieve the best has helped me both personally and months I was alone in the game but I ensured that theprofessionally. On my journey of this exciting career, order was delivered in time and in the most cost effectivevery experienced individuals have told me that to be manner. Lo and behold, the chairman appreciated mysomeone or go someone in life you should project courage and determination in completing the task asyourself, get noticed and impress the right people and I scheduled. I realized the small things didn't matterhave done nothing of this sort. while thinking big. Small things like playing to the piper's tunes. Think big, focus on your targets and don't“The simple give up. Just like in any organization there is work pressure, dexterity in handling manpower and difficulty mantra I follow in in implementing and getting your ideas across the team, life is to put your these are only some of the challenges I face as part of my best foot out in routine. anything you do, do not wait to HOW? impress or catch anyone's attention How have you translated your aspiration into reality?Tell us about some of the instances that changed your The simple mantra I follow in life is to put your best footlife? The instance that you felt was your calling. out in anything you do, do not wait to impress or catchI remember my first day in The Choice School, the anyone's attention. Believe in yourself, stay focused andminute I stepped into Kinderland with a bunch of success will automatically follow. I have tried tosmiling and welcoming faces greeting me, I knew this implement as many programs and engaging activities aswas my calling. This is exactly where I needed to be, I can in the school in order to inculcate in students acreating future leaders and innovators. Each day has sense of responsibility, dedication and adventure. I feelbeen a learning experience for me. I confidently faced children should be exposed to environments that areand accepted the challenges of life, the tough turns and thriving with life and energy in order for them to grow asbends that are tests along the journey of life. These individuals which is why we have many events likechallenges teach you to mold and alter the life style annual drama shows, charity drives, engaging assemblyaccording to our needs. activities and many such co-scholastic experiences. How have you channeled your passion into your present role as a leader? Our vision, at The Choice School is to provide a happy, caring and stimulating environment where children will recognize and achieve their fullest potential, so that 17

COVER STORYthey make their best contribution to society. Giving life learnt the value of the bigger picture.to this vision was relatively easy for me as I loved tobring in progressive changes that would push the Take us through the process of ideation, plan ofchildren in the right direction. As I had mentioned action and execution of one of the best practices /earlier my passion among many other things is doing the idea that you implemented in your school.impossible which made it easier for me to transcend We collaborate and ideate on how we can always remainpedagogy in the school to a different level. We have been ahead of the curve and come up with new experiencesbringing avant-garde teaching styles since 1991 to for students. We have learnt that there is no substituteensure that the school is always ahead of its times. As for real life experiential learning, no textbook canimpossible as it sounds, we have high-tech Science Labs, replace that. One example of an activity that weComposite Labs, Innovation and Design Labs implemented was a Life Skills program where in(Robotics) all of which are available for students to students from grades 5 to 12 were given hands on real lifeexplore and innovate in. lessons on manners, values, etiquettes and lessons of life like changing the tire of a bus, replacing a bulb, setting aHow have you impacted your school's growth since dinner table etc. These classes were slotted thrice a weekyour joining? to equip students with basic life skills.The Choice school has grown and matured since itsinception in 1991. The Choice School was ranked No.1 WHAT?by the Education World Award 2015. I am proud to havecontributed and played a key role in making this school a What all changes have you brought about in yoursuccess story. My team has, together, strived to achieve school that was parallel to your belief for a betterwhere we are today. Being a risk taker has helped me future for children?drive innovation and induce best practices in the school. Everything implemented in the school is in lines with my convictions in life.We want to know what your leadership strategy is Ÿ I have put into practice the concept of sharingin the field of education and how you implement it.My leadership strategy is pretty straight forward. I through charity and donation drives and programs.believe collaboration is the key. Listen, listen and listen. We engage students in such activities to imbibe inListening to people and understanding their them values of empathy and accountability.perspectives is the key to good leadership. But there is Ÿ I tried to do things outside the text books which aresomething else that is truly remarkable that is saying, charted for the students to be better individuals and“No.” It is something I learnt over the years, to face the realities of life.fearlessly say no irrespective of hierarchy, age or gender. Ÿ To add global dimension to the teaching andIt has set me back a couple of times but as the saying learning process and to break monotony ofgoes, 'Let your work speak for itself'. Implementing thisin the field has become instinctive now because I have 18

JULY 2017 conventional teaching methods, we bring visiting “My core belief is faculty who are sometimes expatriate teachers, to teach earmarked portions of the curriculum. to “Be Human”.Ÿ In order to groom the future generation we must think like them. I have taken forward steps to We are all engage students more with nature through our various vigorous sports programs like Swimming, adaptable, we Kabbadi, Basketball, Shooting, Table Tennis, Badminton, Athletics for which our school teams make mistakes have qualified to the National level.Ÿ Included the implementation of Campus Wallet in but we can with order to facilitate Cashless transactions within the school campus, hard work andŸ Beyond The Bell, an extended hour program, conceived with the idea to provide all students with inspiration an opportunity to acquire new skills in areas ranging from the arts, sports, music, theatre to culinary arts, bounce backŸ Assemblies which are theme based, conducted class wise once every week are a new and fun way of from anything inculcating values and social awareness in the students, What have you done in your school that representsŸ Mega-Shows, a dramatic display of a story involving the belief system that you would like to instill in students who want to showcase their talent to a wide children? audience Hands on education, student-centric learningŸ TEDx – We take pride in mentioning that we are the methodology and skill-based learning, are some of the first school in Kerala to have hosted this event. concepts that we have adopted to enrich academics. It is TEDx Choice School was an opportunity for a proven fact that children born in this digital world are students to interact, discover and celebrate locally far ahead in their thinking process and there needs to be driven ideas by elevating them to a global stage. All a consequent paradigm shift in education. Keeping in these engagements have a lesson for all. We are mind these shifting trends in education, The Choice striving to drive our students far away from rote School offers a curriculum, which emphasizes activity learning to an experiential learning approach and to oriented teaching and creates opportunities for the craft a maker mindset in them in order to be ahead of children to observe, explore, analyze and conclude, thus times. making them independent learners. Some of the activities that resonate with my belief system loudly are: Ÿ Charity Drives and the STEM platform. Everyone's accountable for the society and its apparent deterioration, and as educators it is our responsibility to be teaching children the importance of giving back. Some of the activities that has been conducted as part of the Charity Drive are 'Ceiling on desire' where students give up a part of their birthday treats as donation which is later used to buy medicines for patients of the cancer ward in government hospitals, 'Fistful of rice', a fistful of rice is kept aside each day to consider the less fortunate, the activity is carried out in order to 19

COVER STORY inculcate a caring and selfless attitude and is Building. This unique structure will be capable of distributed to the needy in the near vicinity, rotating as a wind mill which will provide another 'Candlelight project' - An initiative of Mr. Vijay alternative energy resource i.e., the wind. We came from Menon – a well-known philanthropist, is a student small beginnings, with only 10 staff members and 90 managed program where they volunteer to aid and students in 1991, today The Choice School has 2775 serve the needy by providing necessary items like students and 520 staff members. blankets or medicines or food to the members of the indigenous community. “Being a riskŸ Another initiative that I feel will create a thirst for knowledge and innovation is the STEM platform we taker has helped give students. The STEM department includes me drive exciting labs: High-tech Science Labs, Three innovation in the computer Labs, Composite Labs, Innovation and school… just Design Labs(Robotics), Math Lab which is open to believe in young enthusiasts of science and technology to yourself, stay explore and innovate. We want children to think focused and technology and sustainability. They should success will understand the importance of sustainable living, automatically sharing economy and co-existing. With this follow platform they will get an opportunity to unleash their creativity and be abreast of all technological updates.What is the future you want for your school? What willyou do to bridge the gap, if any?I want us to be the best in the country. I definitely feel'The Choice School' has the mark of quality andpotential to become the best. We plan to achieve this bybecoming innovative in all aspects related to the school.We want to transform our school using advancedtechnology in teaching, learning, and research. This ispossible for us due to the existence of our STEM branch.In the near future we intend to generate alternativeenergy resources through a Solar Dome which wouldserve as the ceiling for our soon-to-come Panorama 20

JULY 2017Chai timechit-chatTell us your life journey all the way from your first Tell us about someone who has had a significantstep into a school to right this moment. impact in the making of the leader that you areI got to know about a vacancy at The Choice today.School through a friend of mine. Incidentally we I owe it to many people who have helped me attainboth applied and joined the school together in this pivotal point in my life including people like1996 as a Kindergarten Teacher soon after my the former Vice Principal, Principals whograduation (However, fate was cruel and took her identified my leadership skills and paved my way. Iaway at a young age and I proudly remember her would give a lot of the credits to my father fortoday). It was a gradual but steady growth from grooming me to become the person that I amthen as a Primary teacher, Coordinator, Vice today. Also the Chairman of the school who trustsPrincipal and then to become the Principal of the and believes in me, who supported me withoutChoice School. I owe it to God, my family, well- which this growth would have been impossible.wishers and critics who helped me climb the ladderof success smoothly. As a leader what kinds of changes do you aspire to make in the future of education?If you could pen down your mantra for managing a My dream is to have an education system whereschool into words, what would it be? children learn by experiencing and not by roteI would suggest staying on top of things. Delegate learning, they should be able to choose theresponsibility and make people accountable. Be subjects of their interest after their early schoolunbiased and frank in expressing opinions. Don't years.hold back. What is the most unexpected thing you haveDo you think you chose this profession or did it learned along the way as a leader?choose you? The most unexpected thing I learnt along the wayI could say that the profession chose me. I got into is that, to be an effective leader you need to learnthis profession by default and being motivated to stay calm and composed at all times. Displayingright from the start, I developed a passion for it your emotions or inner feelings in the professionand from there it was a smooth sail. will not help you in the long run. You will meet different kinds of people from different parts ofIf you could witness any event of the past, present an organization; take them along with you in spiteor future, what would it be? of these differences. This provides a platform forAn event of the past which I would like to witness diverse perspectives.is the grand Musical 'The Lion King', a megaproduction presented by the Choice School in Tell us 3 government initiatives that you haveJanuary 2013 with over 400 students. I had the included in your school.privilege of organizing this in my capacity as Vice We had introduced cashless campus, yoga sessionsPrincipal. It was a truly unforgettable event. for the past two years and have been practicing inclusive education for last few years which is inTell us a time when you learned something tune with the educational policies of theimportant outside of school. Government. Our Parent and student communityThe school exchange programs to USA and UK has appreciated the new changes and havehave been exciting experiences. The different benefitted from this.teaching style, the freedom to execute a job andthe professionalism maintained by individuals isworth emulating. 21 [email protected]

SCHOOL LEADERSSHIP www.lxl.in Emotional Intelligence in Educational Leadership: Is it Really Necessary? Maike SundmacherMs. Maike Sundmacher is an education and development professional with over fteen years expertise in higher education as a university lecturer, researcher, trainer & mentor. She holds a Master of Applied Finance degree,a Master of Business Management degree as well as various certications in Training& Assessment, Coaching and Neuro-Linguistic Programming. She has worked withpeople of various ages and backgrounds: cultural, ethnic and socio-economic,including marginalised groups such as refugees and people living with a mental orphysical illness. In her Mentor article, she discusses the relevance of emotionalintelligence competencies in educational leadership.Emotional Intelligence (EI) has been at the forefront of In this context, it is important that educational leadersdiscussions since its popularisation by Daniel Goleman's and their staff demonstrate emotional intelligence skillslandmark publication of the book with the same title in so students have the opportunity to observe and model1995. It is a skill that –just like any other – can be behavioural excellence in effectively managing intra-learned. The question is, however: is it a necessary skill and interpersonal relationships. This is particularlyin schools and educational leadership or just another fad vital for more impressionable and hence vulnerablethat detracts from academic achievement? younger students given the potentially wide-rangingWorking on the premise that educational institutions implications of their behavioural development at such aseek to create well-rounded individuals who – upon crucial junction.graduation – are able to effectively contribute to thedevelopment and transformation of society, we propose Emotional Intelligence: a Recapthat, indeed, emotional intelligence assists with Emotional Intelligence (EI) has been at the forefront ofestablishing a school climate that allows students to discussions since its popularisation by Daniel Goleman'sdevelop freely and to excel academically. landmark publication of the book with the same title in 1995. Originally based on Harold Garner's work on multiple intelligences, including interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligence, the term EI was coined by Peter Salovey and John D Mayer in 1990. Although still an emerging science, EI has slowly but surely penetrated different life arenas and it seems as if it is here to stay. Indeed, several studies have highlighted the benefits that arise from heightened levels of emotional intelligence in people: be this in the context of stress management and the resulting overall wellness level of a person; their ability to effectively navigate personal and professional relationships; or their capacity to learn and perform in a constantly changing and often exceedingly demanding environment. Whilst high levels of emotional intelligence alone may not be 22

JULY 2017sufficient for achieving optimal outcomes, in Emotional intelligence is a skill that – like any other –combination with other variables, such as intelligence can be trained and developed. The level of finesse(as measured by the intelligence quotient, or IQ), its involved in a person with a highly-developed emotionalapplication can have powerful positive effects on quotient is beautifully summarised by Aristotle whopeople's lives. But what is it and what does it do? In its said, “Anybody can become angry – that is easy, but tosimplest version, EI is about knowing yourself and be angry with the right person and to the right degreeothers as well as handling your relationships with and at the right time and for the right purpose, and inyourself and others. This means that we're looking at the right way – that is not within everybody's power andtwo distinct arenas: the arena of intrapersonal is not easy.”intelligence and the arena of interpersonal intelligence. But just because a skill can be trained and developed,As indicated by the term, intrapersonal intelligence doesn't mean it has to. So the question is: what is its rolerefers to the ability to understand the self. This includes in education and – more specifically – in educationalthe notion of self-awareness, i.e. the ability to identify leadership? Should emotions and emotional intelligenceand name felt emotions at any point in time as well as be acknowledged in an educational context? And doarising changes and triggers; and the notion of self- both, educational leaders and educators, need to be atmanagement, i.e. the ability to manage emotions as the forefront of EI or is this simply a skill to bethey arise and change. transferred to students through social-emotional learning activities?“It is up to In order to answer these questions, we need to take a step back and briefly remember the objectives and educational leaders, historical context of educational institutions and the overall field of education. such as principals Education: Objectives and Historical Context in Brief In the modern world, educational institutions seek to and vice-principals, equip their students with knowledge and skills that prepare them physically, mentally, emotionally and to lead from the top socially for their entry into society and the workforce. This means that, ideally, the role of education is to ..to contribute to a ensure that – upon graduation – students are prepared for life and that they are able to form a functioning part school climate that of society. It is hoped that at this point the graduates have had an opportunity to explore who they are, how is conducive to they best fit into the workforce and what unique talents and skills they possess to effectively contribute to the developing well- development and transformation of society. This, of course, requires educational institutions and rounded their staff to not only provide students with content knowledge but also with the development of a variety of individuals.. skills, values, attitudes and behaviours that allow them to conform to societal expectations. Indeed, during theirInterpersonal intelligence, then, refers to the ability to maturing phases from toddler to pre-pubescent tounderstand others. This includes the ability to identify young adult, students have diverse needs: ranging fromand respond to other people's emotions, to be academic and social needs to psychological and physicalempathetic towards other people and to use this health needs; all of which – in one way or another and toknowledge to effectively manage relationships. It also varying degrees – need to be addressed by thegives rise to social awareness. In a sense, EI is the educational system if the idea is to develop well-blending of thinking and feeling that allows an rounded individuals of impeccable knowledge, skill andindividual to decide how to best respond to situations as character.they arise. This means that a person equipped with high Historically, however, the objective of schooling was notlevels of emotional intelligence is likely to be able to always as comprehensive – nor was a systemisedmore objectively respond to those kinds of situations approach to schooling an integral part of society. Inthat, otherwise, have the tendency to escalate quickly fact, systemised education is a rather new occurrence.due to emotional triggers. Whilst in today's world compulsory schooling or the 23

SCHOOL LEADERSSHIP www.lxl.inright to education is the norm in many countries, this plant growth is not only dependent on the inherenthas not always been the case. Traditionally, a large quality of the seed but also on the quality of the soil, theproportion of a child's education came through home ongoing nurturing and the overall climate. The sameschooling activities as well as self-directed play and holds true for the development of people andexploration; the latter being a concept that, more particularly students, given their younger age and hencerecently and in selected countries, has found its way increased vulnerability and impressionability.back into the modern classroom. As such, school climate is an important determinant inIn any case, dependent on the era and country, the student success. In order to be most effective, learningoverall aim of education has not necessarily been to needs to occur in a safe, inclusive and conduciveproduce well-rounded individuals, but, instead, to environment; one that promotes respect and a sense ofcreate, for example, better workers or soldiers. In other belonging. Despite the fact that school climate can bewords: to produce a particular set of skills, morals and somewhat fuzzy and hard to measure, there seems to bebehaviours in line with a certain type of citizen or a general consensus that at least four majorperson as the educational end product. This, of course, determinants contribute to the quality of a school'shas had a significant impact on the structure and set up climate. These are: safety, relationships, teaching &of learning as well as the values and behaviours instilled learning and the institutional environment.in the students: ranging, in case of our example, from As an example, safety could refer to social andpunctuality and discipline to reliability and the ability emotional security and hence to students feeling freeto conform and to follow instructions. from verbal abuse or exclusion, whilst relationshipsTo a certain degree, this system has prevailed. It is still could demonstrate the virtue of respect for diversitythe case that in many classrooms around the globe and the social support staff and management provide toacademic performance and the adherence to a uniform other staff and students. Similarly, the institutionalcode of conduct is highlighted in preference to the environment may be designed in a way that promotes asocial-emotional needs of students. And one might even sense of engagement and connectedness betweenwonder if an increased emphasis on emotional students, staff and the school.intelligence and thus on nurturing the emotional The crux of the matter is, however, that none of thesecapacity of students would hamper their academic factors can be successfully addressed without the glueperformance. The good news is that research indicates that holds them all together: emotional intelligence. Inthat this is not the case and that, in fact, there is a order for students to feel free from verbal abuse andpositive correlation between emotional intelligence and exclusion and in order for them to witness respect foracademic performance; meaning that the nurturing of diversity, understand the importance of social supportemotional intelligence fosters academic performance as and feel a sense of belonging and connectedness, staffopposed to inhibiting it. If this is an acceptable notion, and educational leaders alike need to demonstrate andthen the question remains what this means for live these values and behaviours. This requires certaineducational institutions and their leaders. levels of intrapersonal and interpersonal intelligenceThe Importance of Environment and Role Models when managing own emotions, stressful situations orAs any gardening enthusiast will know, the success of conflict between students or staff. 24

JULY 2017The success of any venture stands and falls with its respond to life determines their model of the world wellleaders. It is therefore an imperative that educational into adulthood: from how to act when angry, over whatleaders actively put themselves at the forefront of it means to be successful, to when it's safe to cry.emotional intelligence initiatives, leading by example. Whilst, of course, each person continues to develop overOnly a top-down approach, in which educational leaders time, these formative years are of particular importancemodel the attitudes, behaviours and skills that they in determining how children perceive and interact withwish to develop and observe in their staff and students the world in their later years. In fact, observations inwill allow for a favourable school climate, in which early years often become the basis of the child's ongoingstudents can safely unfold and achieve academically. reality well into adulthood since – at that early an age – aDemonstrating behavioural excellence via navigating child is neither able to discriminate nor filterinter- and intrapersonal relationships on a day-to-day information like adults are able to. This means thatbasis with confidence and ease is particularly important given the “sponge-like” nature of younger children andsince students, especially in younger years, are highly the importance of role models in their overallsusceptible to and influenced by the opinions, actions development, it is crucial for educational leaders andand attitudes of people in their immediate environment. their staff to demonstrate behaviours that they wish toBesides their parents, siblings and relatives, this – of develop in their protégées and not those – not even on acourse – mainly refers to their teachers. staff-to-staff level – that they themselves deem undesirable. This will allow them to prepare students“ EI is about knowing physically, mentally, emotionally and socially for their entry into society and the workforce. yourself and others Yes, emotional intelligence may have arisen as just another buzz word. Yet, there is merit in considering its as well as handling potentially powerful impact on student development and performance. It is, however, up to educational your relationships leaders, such as principals and vice-principals, to lead from the top and to encourage staff, parents and with yourself and students alike to contribute to a school climate that is conducive to developing well-rounded individuals: others mentally as well as emotionally.Based on their behavioural observations of their key Bibliography:influencers, these young people learn to distinguishbetween acceptable and unacceptable social behaviours. Cohen J., Pickeral, T. & McCloskey, M. (2008/2009). “The Challenge ofIn other words, how they see their key influencers Assessing School Climate”. Educations Leadership. Vol 66 (4): 1-7; h t t p : / / w w w. a s c d . o r g / p u b l i c a t i o n s / e d u c a t i o n a l - leadership/dec08/vol66/num04/The-Challenge-of-Assessing-School- Climate.aspx. Freedman, J (2007). “A Case for Emotional Intelligence in Our Schools”. Six Seconds: The Emotional Intelligence Network; http://www.6seconds.org/pdf/case_for_EQ_school.pdf. Goleman, D. (2006). Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ, 10th anniversary ed., Bantam Dell, New York. Gray, P (2008). “A Brief History of Education”. Psychology Today; https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/freedom-learn/200808/brief- history-education. Jensen, A., Freedman, J. & Stillman, S. (2016). “A Case for Emotional Intelligence in Our Schools”, revised case. Six Seconds: The Emotional Intelligence Network. Lipton, B. H. (2011). The Biology of Belief: Unleashing the Power of Consciousness, Matter & Miracles. Hay House Publishing, London. Noddings, N. (2006). “What does it mean to Educate the whole Child?” The Best of Educational Leadership 2005-2006. Educational Leadership. Vol 63: 2-6. Stone, H., Parker, J.D.A., & Wood, L.M. (2005). “Report on the Ontario Principals' Council leadership study.” Toronto: Ontario Principals' Council. 25 [email protected]

SCHOOL LEADERSSHIP www.lxl.in School Leaders – changing with the tides Shriram TarawadeShriram Tarawade, the author of this article is a Marketing Manager at the India School Leadership Institute (ISLI), an organization that focuses on supporting school leaders in private and government schools to drive high-performingschools that commit to academic achievement and character development of childrenfrom underserved communities.Mr. Shriram Tarawade shares with Mentor, research backed insights on theimportance of effective and dynamic school leaders.Indian Education Sector – Where are we today? The role of school principalsNo government can drive up school standards alone. It It is no exaggeration to say that how leaders of schools –requires change at the level of all stakeholders – principals, headmasters, and school management,principals, teachers, students and parents. Despite perform will impact the future of the nation. The role ofseveral initiatives taken by Government and Private principals in fostering student learning can, therefore,institutions, the glaring problems that still plague be a key lever to the revolution. ‘The Impact ofIndian education industry are access to good quality Leadership on Student Outcomes’ published last yeareducation, sanitation, lack of strong leadership, teacher by Christopher Dey provides evidence of how successfulto student ratio, and corporal punishment. The 2013 principals, directly and indirectly, achieve and sustainASER report shows that more than half of fifth improvement over time by combining bothstandard students cannot read a second standard text. transformational and instructional leadershipPISA (Programme for International Students strategies. A report released by New Leaders for NewAssessment), an accepted litmus test for gauging Schools suggests that nearly 60% of studentcountries’ future intellectual potential ranked Indian achievement can be attributed to principal and teacherstudents 72nd out of 73 participating countries (PISA, quality in schools with principals accounting for 25% of2009). In response to this, India did not participate in a school's total impact on achievement. These are just aPISA in years 2012 and 2015. The need to improve few of many studies that talk about the influence schoolIndia’s primary and secondary education performance leaders have on student learning.could not be more urgent. Building a sustainable model Currently, there are nearly as many as 31 lakh NGOs working across sectors in India. This number is more than double the number of schools which is 13 lakh as per data compiled by the Planning Commission of India in 2011. The presence of such large numbers often leads to school administration becoming excessively dependent on social groups or NGOs. So how do we create a long-term, sustainable model of leadership that enables school leaders for self-improvement? The answer 26

JULY 2017 leadership, the impact of school leadership program on personal development of school leaders, teachers, and learning experience for students. As per the survey report, 48% of school principals confirmed personal leadership & development as the biggest motivation to join the leadership programme. Regarding benefits of school leadership training, 60% of school principals witnessed an increase in the growth mind-set of teachers after joining the leadership programme. 30% school principals confirmed the impact on students regarding better engagement with teachers, improved classroom participation and reduction in corporal punishment in schools.lies in creating a robust structure which allows gradual When participating school leaders were asked about theand continuous skills-building of school principals value addition of leadership training, almost half ofalong with personal leadership development. them committed to having acquired skills that enabledAn ideal school leadership programme will be a blend of them to conduct lesson observations and give effectivetheory and application and include workshop, seminars, feedback to teachers. 30% said that they could nowacademia coupled with in-school support to school delegate responsibilities more efficiently with teachersprincipals and headmasters by educational experts. It is as well as students. These numbers clearly affirm theimportant to acknowledge and address starting points fact that school leadership is an idea which has largelyand concerns for each of the school principals so that the been ignored but is the key to establish schools with atraining stays relevant to the context of respective quality learning environment for students in India.schools. Once school leaders are well acquainted withbest practices of teaching and classroom learning, they Future of school leadership in Indiacan gradually begin to self-evaluate the progress, Educational experts have learnt over the last couple ofresearch and identify key areas of improvement. This decades that, as much as teaching quality matters, so dobecomes an instrumental step as school principals begin empowered principals, for their schools’ performance.to involve teachers in setting a system of self-improving Ritika Chawla, Curriculum Head at ISLI says, “A schoolschool. Effective and regular feedback from school leader once said to me that ‘Leadership is a very lonelyprincipals motivates teachers to leverage their strengths space. You have so many people looking up to you butand impart quality learning for students. An ideal whom do I turn to?’” As per the recent news, Kerala hasschool development plan will also include a council of decided to set up a State School Leadership Academy tostudents who participate in school improvement provide leadership training and effect capacity buildingactivities. The trickle-down effects of successful school in school administrators, primarily school principals.leadership programmes result in school principals being The academy will help gauge the performance of schoolsable to share the leadership responsibilities with across several indices, including academic performance,teachers as well as students. The delegation of teacher development, learning outcomes and inclusion.leadership role helps school principals focus more on The challenge at hand is to improve the quality ofcore activities & strive towards building quality current leadership and simultaneously develop aeducation environment in the school. sustainable leadership for the future. Hopefully, initiatives like the above will pave the path towardsSchool Leadership – Need and Impact building efficient learning systems for our country’sTo correctly measure the need and impact of school future generation.leadership, ISLI, a non-profit organisation which workstowards leadership development of school principals Referencesfrom underserved government and budget privateschools, conducted a survey in July-Aug 2016 in the four Indian Express article on State of education, Half of Class V can’t read Class II textcities where it is operational. The survey was aimed at Times of India, Indian students rank second last in global test, Jan 15, 2012understanding the need for leadership training in India. Sage Journals, The impact of leadership on student outcomes, By Christopher Dey,The research surveying hundred plus school leaders Qing Gu and Pam Sammons, Feb 9, 2016probed information areas such as the need for school New Leaders for New Schools report, prnewswire.com Indian Express report, Aug 1, 2015 The Hindu, The state to set up school leadership academy, Feb 10, 2017 27 [email protected]

INNOVATION www.lxl.in Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality in classrooms Yuvraj K SharmaYuvraj Krishan Sharma is the Co-founder & Director of Kompanions – an innovative Ed-Tech-Sci organization with a vision to re-visualize education and to make the learning processes fun, easy and impactful. A graduate in B.Tech –Electronics & Communication from C.I.E.T, Chandigarh, Yuvraj was chosen by the CIIto attend their Young Indians (Yi) program on communication in IIM Ahmedabad(2007-08) during his nal year of graduation.Mr. Yuvraj brings to Mentor the application of VR and AR in schools and how it can bean effective tool in pedagogy.How can AR & VR enhance learning & visualisation? technology for fast and fun ways of learning. By usingThis article talks about AR & VR technologies in the VR and AR technologies, students can be activelyeducation sector. What are the challenges in the involved in the classroom instead of just sitting andadoption of these technologies in schools in India? What watching the board or studying from the textbook orwill the scope of this sector for the coming years be in simply listening to the teacher’s lecture.India? The author also outlines how this technology will Schools in India have realised the effectiveness of AR &help the children in learning. VR technology as they feel it can provide a betterAccording to recently released TechSci Research report, understanding of complex content and facilitate a“India Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality Market tactile experience. This is the reason why techBy Product Type, By End-user, Competition Forecast companies are increasingly tying up with publicationand Opportunities, 2011 – 2021”, augmented reality houses to change the way textbooks are written and(AR) and virtual reality (VR) market in India is presented. School curriculum is also being augmentedprojected to register a CAGR (Compounded Annual with this technology. For instance Pearson hasGrowth Rate) of 55.3% during 2016 - 2021. Rising integrated its newly developed pedagogy involvingadoption of AR & VR based products such as head-up Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) withdisplay, head-mounted display, etc., among various end Pearson's MyPedia program. Another publishing houseusers including defense, automotive, consumer that's betting big on AR/VR is 44-year-old RatnaSagar,electronics, etc., is anticipated to drive the growth in the whose books are used by schools across the country.country’s AR & VR market over the next five years. In VR and AR have enormous potential for making dailyaddition, a rising number of consumer electronics lessons more immersive and interactive for children.applications such as gaming, entertainment, etc. are Learning through VR can open a whole world ofwitnessing increasing adoption of AR & VR devices in exploration and discovery for the child.the country. According to Citi analyst Kota Ezawa, the Ÿ The concepts can be presented through interestingVR market is expected to grow to a $15.9 billionindustry by 2019. Citi also anticipates that the market VR journeys - simple exploration-based or game-for hardware, networks, software and content will reach based.$200 billion by 2020. Ÿ VR can also be used to create environments that areToday, the progressive schools, technology conscious difficult to experience in reality like the solar systemparents and children are slowly adapting to this or even the ones that are not real, like a maze of words or a historical timeline journey. 28

JULY 2017Ÿ Similarly AR allows an individual to interact with things/problems/ situations in different perspectives. computer-generated holograms within their own The benefits of AR and VR in learning are huge. environment and brings the classroom into your However there are a few challenges that come on the living room. This technology can enhance learning implementation front although those can be easily by simulating images, videos, three-dimensional addressed. For the large scale adoption of these charts, graphs, etc., that otherwise would have technologies, it is imperative to overcome some simply been drawn on a whiteboard or shown on a fundamental challenges, such as the current high price computer screen. tag of HMDs (Head Mounting Displays), smartphones and tablets and lack of quality AR/VR apps. So, it“One of the requires better & affordable hardware and software/content. important Given the flurry of activity in this space, it is important parameters of a that issues be tackled effectively to ease the path to well written piece is widespread adoption. These are its effectiveness in Ÿ Headsets must be tethered to computers capable of making the reader imagine … what it running high-end VR software, which adds to the is trying to cost. Cheaper HMDs that use smartphone displays describe…like are currently limited by the poor battery life of most being able to hear smartphones and the low quality of displays the thunder or feel (although display manufacturers should close the the rain quality gap over time). Ÿ Both VR and AR headsets will have to deal with theThe interactive aspect of this technology is the key — fact that one size does not fit all.like VR, it can increase engagement, material retention, Ÿ To enable widespread enterprise and consumerand collaboration in the classroom. AR and VR, both uptake, VR and AR will need similar universalhelp in the “visualisation” of concepts or topics. standards that allow developers to makeVisualisation is proven to be a very effective tool for long applications that are open and interoperable acrossterm impact of learning. Visualisation is not just about different headsets. For VR alone, the current HMDimages or visuals. It is more than that. Take the case of market is filled with companies working on softwarebooks/written material. One of the important and content; however, there is a mix of proprietaryparameters of a well written piece is its effectiveness in and open approaches.making the reader imagine or almost feel what it is Some schools might not want to dedicate a large chunktrying to describe. It is like being able to hear the of their budgets to such an emerging technology whilethunder or feel the rain or feel cold in snow as it is being others will not be able to afford it at all. While mobileread. Imagine feeling like an astronaut floating around VR such as Google Cardboard, Samsung Gear VR andplanets as you read about the solar system. It further others offer great (and cheap) alternatives to full VRaids in relating to, or immersing in content and in turn units, the VR apps available are still somewhat limitedderiving enhanced learning experiences leading to more (although this is changing with the advent of a fewimpactful learning. This powerful tool of visualisation companies). On the other hand, augmented reality innot just helps in education related content but alsotrains the mind for approaching and viewing 29

INNOVATION www.lxl.intheory offers the best learning experience, with AR discover through self paced journeys. The scope isoffering - in the long term - a relatively cost-effective vast for this technology to be effectively used inoption for schools to provide classwork that can work transforming the way learners learn especially innicely with AR apps, making the content 'come alive' in subjects ranging from geography and history to artthe classroom. and craft. AR and VR aid experiential learning inAnother limitation is content, specifically the many ways through reinforcing concepts andapplications that will run alongside the VR hardware. promoting total engagement in the learning process.While there are various VR videos on YouTube and a lot Moreover, such technologies facilitate higherof apps available for both iOS and Android, a lot of this learning retention, for longer periods, and takecontent is neither high quality nor made specifically for students on a path of discovery wherein they applyeducational purposes.However, there are a handful of the learning to their real life world.companies out there that offer both the hardware andeducational content for schools, and it's these companies Visual Learningthat could make it more accessible to schools.Once Ÿ Dynamic visual representations of ideas allowmaterials (books, task sheets, textbooks and more) areset up and the apps and content is made, implementing students to process greater amounts of informationAR is a pretty cheap option for children with more efficiently. Half of the human brain issmartphones or schools offering tablets. dedicated to visual processing. Visually, the humanThe technology draws its power from three well- brain can process 1,000,000,000 bits/characters perestablished principles: experiential, self-directed and second. When coupled with a student-controlledvisual learning. environment, students are able to see relationships based on their own actions.Experiential Learning Technology and education have always offered anŸ Students learn underlying principles and master immense opportunity for transformation but the change has always been slow to come due to institutional necessary behaviours through active inertia and lack of purchasing power. According to experimentation. Learning in Virtual Learning can Goldman Sacs, the market for AR/VR in education will also be understood as an everyday field trip where touch $0.7 billion by 2025. India has realised its students are “taken” somewhere to better potential with few Indian start-ups waking up to the understand ideas. This approach is highly engaging immense possibilities that AR & VR hold. Some Indian and helps students better connect academic firms are making a meaningful contribution in the concepts to real life. evolution of AR & VR not only in India but globally as well.Self-directed learningŸ These technologies enhance self-directed learning. Both AR and VR, help the learners explore and 30 [email protected]

JULY 2017Beyond Schools and textbooksSagneet KaurDr. Sagneet Kaur is working with LXL Ideas in the research and development domain. She holds a Ph.D. in Psychology, and has more than 9 years of experience in the area of cognitive developmental and applied psychology.She was appointed Research Intern/Fellow by Maulana Azad National Fellowhip,under the UGC grant, which included full time teaching assignments forpostgraduate students in the university. Applied psychology and impact measurementhave been her areas of major interest throughout her short career.In this edition of Decoding Kids knowledge share, Dr. Sagneet Kaur shares researchdriven facts on how children can effectively utilize their leisure time.Focusing on the importance of a child's extra-curricular a click, are changing the preferences of the kids in termsactivities of what they want after their school hours.Books, subjects, marks, ranks, competitions and much Ÿ Research shares that, 53% of the kids prefer playingmore is and has always remained the focus of everyparent, teacher and society as whole. More than one video games, watching television and working onthird time of a child's day goes into school related internet. And only 10% prefer to play outdoor sportslearning. What do they do after school? What kind of (LXL Ideas, 2014)outdoor and indoor activities would a kid prefer to do Ÿ Indoor activities are majorly sedentary in nature,after school or during leisure time? Is it important to be least active children spent more intervals (85% ofnurturing the importance of physical activity and their leisure time) in sedentary lifestyle than mosthealth awareness in children from when they are young? active children (55% of their leisure time) Ÿ 23% of children follow light physical activity andTrends Among Children: only 7% children follow vigorous physical activityA study conducted by LXL Ideas (2014), showed that: Ÿ 44.79% of children spent only 2 hours and 25.75%Ÿ Most preferred hobby leisure time activity, which of children spent only 3-4 hours per week in any kind of physical activity (LXL Ideas) children enjoy is playing sports (46.25%). Ÿ Children from 6-10 years spend 5.3 hours/day and 9-Ÿ Physical activities preferred by Indian kids are 11 years spend around 9 hours/day watching TV, surfing internet, gaming, reading and studying sports/games (57%), swimming (10%), dancing (ISCOLE, 2016) (19%), walking (7%), yoga (2%) and gym (5%). Ÿ Significant increase in the duration of tuition andŸ Outdoor activities preferred by 10-13 year olds are school classes lead to significant reduction in the bicycling, walking, jogging, dancing, skipping; duration of physical activities playing badminton, football and volleyball. These changing preferences from outdoor play to moreŸ Preferred indoor physical activities are walking, and more structured & home bound indoor play is riding bicycles, running and sedentary activities are alarming. watching TV, snacking, studying, playing games, India, the fairly young nation, holding the world's surfing the internet and self-care (Ronghe et al., largest youth population i.e. 1.8 billion or 28% of the 2016) country's population belongs to the age range of 10 to 24Changing lifestyles and education patterns, ease in years (UNFPA, 2016). This right here, 'India's majoraccessing the internet, advent of getting social with just 31

MENTOR THOUGHTS www.lxl.inresource' is seemingly more probable to become a activity guidelines (60 minutes or more moderate toliability than an asset, as the research mentioned below vigorous daily physical activity)shows the dropping trends in the health and physical Ÿ In age range of 13-15 years, only 38% of Indianfitness in the Indian children and youth. Kids meet the physical activity levels. Ÿ 13.9% of preschool kids are overweight and 12.3%“This alarming of them are at risk (Ogden et al., 2006) Ÿ A study conducted across 6 Indian metropolitan situation addressed cities found that only 17% of children between 3 and here, calls for the 11 years meet physical activity guidelines (Gulati, opportune 2014) intervention by Ÿ Dearth of implementation of government schools, educators, strategies, policies and investments in regard to parents and physical health and fitness of kids in India was also government to emphasized (PHFI, 2016) promote health Ÿ Non-metros score higher than metros in terms of behaviors and BMI levels and fitness parameters (e.g. better physical activity flexibility, good upper body strength etc., among children (Edusport, 2015)) and the youth of Ÿ Geographically, children in all five regions of the India country were deemed more or less equally unfit with unhealthy BMI scores of 37% (Central), 54 % (East)National and International Health Index Trends: 37% (North), 38% (South) and 36% (West)Research also validates the low levels of physical (Edusport, 2015)activity, fitness and health index across the world as well Ÿ 65% of girls have healthy BMI scores compared toas within India. 59 % of boys. However, girls score lower than boys inŸ The levels of physical fitness in India in comparison other fitness parameters (anaerobic capacity, flexibility, upper body strength and abdominal to other countries is fairly poor. Survey conducted strength). Girls generally engage less in outdoor play, by 'Active Healthy Kids Global Alliance' (Tremblay games and sports (Swaminathan & Vaz, 2013) et.al, 2016) across 38 countries from 6 continents Research indicates that globalization, urbanization and evidence that India scored C, D and INC grades on adaptation to modern lifestyle patterns among children ten parameters measuring physical index. (e.g. high intake of junk food, low physical activity andŸ Indian kids hold a grade C, i.e. more than 50 % of uncontrolled eating) leads to malnutrition and anemia, kids are pursing sedentary lifestyle- television which becomes the major cause for obesity and viewing, playing video games, computer use, driving anorexia. The weight problems among children is highly automobiles, and reading (PHFI, 2016) correlated with low levels of stamina, low enduranceŸ India scored grade 'C-' in the overall physical and low levels of fitness (muscular and cardio activity, which means that approximately half of pulmonary) as well as is highly correlated to problems in the Indian kids and youth are not meeting physical respiration and of high blood pressure. Inactive lifestyle also prompts unhealthy body composition, reduced level of fitness, increased susceptibility to various health risks. Sedentary lifestyle is also associated to psycho-emotional and behavioral outcomes such as low self-esteem, decreased academic achievement (PHFI, 2016), aggression, reduced academic achievement, cognitive functioning, reduced sleep time and earlier initiation of high risk behaviors (Active Healthy Kids Canada, 2010). All in all, sedentary lifestyles, the popular one among children these days is a bane to this generation and should at any cost be changed or taken action against. All stakeholders involved in the upbringing of a child needs to take responsibility to instill in them the value of 32

JULY 2017healthy lifestyle and life itself! Ÿ Appropriate support and encouragement forBenefits of Regular Physical Activity: participation of students and establishment ofPhysical activity is found to be associated with the proper sports infrastructure in schools like courtsfollowing (Active Healthy Kids Canada, 2010). and proper sports equipmentŸ Healthy weight maintenance, lowered risk factors Ÿ Ensure safety for students to fearlessly involves for non-communicable diseases (NCDs), colon, themselves in post-school activities like safe breast cancer, cardiovascular fitness, healthy blood transportation to and from recreational facilities pressure, and increased life expectancyŸ Encourages muscle growth, helps develop strong Ÿ Promoting awareness about government policies bones, achieve and maintain a healthy weight, and support will stimulate sports at the school, improve sleeping habits & relaxation. community/local and national levelŸ Helps improving psychological health e.g. increase levels of self-esteem creativity, improves mood, Ÿ Active sports /physical activity participation by learning and academic performance through parents will generally involve their children as well improvements in cognitive function (e.g., as they tend to mirror their parents' behavior c o n c e n t r a t i o n , m e m o r y, p r o bl e m - s o l v i n g skills/abilities) Bibliography:Ÿ Improves social behavior (such as conflict resolution, prosocial behavior, socializing more and Active Healthy Kids Canada: A report, 2010 making friends) Hallal, P. C., Andersen, L. B., Bull, F., Guthold, R., Haskell, W.,Resolution? Ekelund, U. (2012). Global physical activity levels: surveillancePhysical activeness creates a positive and healthy progress, pitfalls, and prospects. The Lancet, 380, 247-257mental and physical aura around you. Healthy Indian Children need more playtime in School, Edusport, 2016resources mean a prospering nation. As it is rightly said Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), 2016“health is wealth”. So the wealth and prosperity of Ronghe.D.R., Gotmare. D.N., Kawishwar D.S., 2016every nation depends on how healthy and fit the citizens Physical activity level of school children of age 10-13 years.are, especially the young ones. International Journal of Biomedical & Advance Research, 7 (6), 281-So, as educators or change makers we should gaze into 285the issue and think about the health and fitness of the Swaminathan S, Vaz M, 2013 Childhood physical activity, sports andnation as an important resource. This alarming exercise and non communicable disease: A special focus on India. Indiansituation addressed here, calls for the opportune Journal of Pediatrics 80(1)intervention by schools, educators, parents and Tremblay M.S., Carson V., Chaput J.P., Connor G.S., Dinh T., Duggangovernment to promote health behaviors and physical M., et al., 2016. Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Childrenactivity among children and the youth of India. and Youth: An Integration of Physical Activity, Sedentary Behavior,Some of the ways to deal with the issue in hand, based and Sleep. Journal of Applied Physiology Nutrition & Metabolism,on research reports (PHFI, 2016), are: 41(3)Ÿ If children are exposed to a variety of leisure time The International Study of Childhood Obesity, Lifestyle and the physical activities that they can enjoy, active Environment (ISCOLE), Group Research, 2016 participation can be ensured United Nation Population Fund (UNFPA), 2016 33 [email protected]

MENTOR THOUGHTS [email protected] A much needed break Kalpa Kartik, Editor, Mentor Magazine, Director, LXL IdeasTeachers are the most sought after individuals in a Staff retreats are essential to build team strength, navigate school; the student, parent and the principal are through the systems smoothly and ensure that everyone is affected by the teacher’s absence. Yet the least aligned to one vision. Few things to keep in mind when weamount of emphasis is given to a teacher. The amount of begin staff retreats are:work a teacher puts into her daily routine is alwaysunderestimated. Thus the question arises, how does one Ÿ Communicate the vision of the school so everybodyperform to the best of their ability without taking regular understands and views the larger picture/agenda of thebreaks at work, no career path charted out and even worse, schoolwhen the profession is treated as optional to mainstreamlines of work? A survey conducted by LXL Ideas (2017) on Ÿ Focus on building a culture in the school. It is theteacher’s motivation and recruitment, found that 51% of teachers that impact the culture among kidsteachers cited lack of career growth as one of the majorreasons for switching their jobs. Due to the absence of Ÿ Inspire and entrust responsibility. The feeling that Idirection given by their leaders and their management’s need to do my best for the good of the students has toinability to project professional growth, teachers are often come from the teachersleft in the dark about their future. Ÿ Share stories: Teachers are the unheard/unsung heroesGone are the days when the country’s best were the in this rat race. Encourage them to voice their storiesteachers. Sustaining growth can be a challenging task for a and let them know that you are listeningleader now but with competent and well-motivated staffalone, plans can be delivered and goals can be achieved for a Ÿ Focus on team work: Create an environment of trust,school. Acknowledging the teachers’ work and giving them mutual respect and understanding among teamproper direction can be a significant aspect of a leader’s members through different sessionsrole. Everyday you work under pressure and get no time withConstant reinforcements and encouragements are your colleagues. Whether your objective is to get to knowextremely important for the staff in any organization and each other better, to build a team to work together better, tomost importantly for a school! We all need a break, a break be more innovative, or to get down to work on your strategy,from the routine, a break from the monotony of life or you will achieve much, much more if you get away, changework. Nowadays the need for staff retreat for a school is environments and allow time to settle into processes. Thebecoming more and more apparent, irrespective of the size principal and management should take a purposeful pauseof the school. All teachers need to get away from the work at each step of growth to review the past, acknowledge andenvironment to rejuvenate and approach the new year with celebrate successes, identify gaps among people andzeal and enthusiasm. processes, plan for the future, and establish improved guidelines for the teacher and the school. 34

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