Category: Workshop

Date and Time  : 21-08-2020, 10:00 – 11:20 am

Facilitator: Ms. Mayuri Pawar.

MP discussed the following topics in this webinar based on her teaching experiences in the last year summer camp (2019) and regular classroom sessions.

• Need of measurement in day-to-day life
• Meaning of ‘Physical Quantity’ & way to express it
• Mass, Weight & Difference between them
• Scalar & Vector Quantity
• Standardized Measurement
• Prevailing system of measurement
• Fundamental Quantities
• International System of units
• Major causes of errors in measurement

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• She mentioned a few activities that can help students to understand different concepts in this topic easily. Also, To make the topic interesting she made use of the story.
• NDD mentioned that in this webinar MP has covered the history of measurement, current research in measurement, the difficulties that teachers had faced while teaching this topic, students difficulties and mistakes done by them, etc. So, overall the session was nice.
• SC mentioned that information given in the webinar was good.
• PK mentioned that the session was informative and useful.
• Harshada madam also mentioned that the session was fascinating and interesting.
• VCS mentioned that we can make use of a worksheet to explain the topics ‘distance’ and ‘displacement’.
• ST mentioned that MP has keenly observed and noted students’ learning experiences. In this webinar, she found that MP has not only explained the concepts but also she related it with students’ experiences. And the way she explained it, even laymen can understand it easily.
• SP said that the session was very nice. And information given in the session was also useful. Especially the information of units. We use the units kilogram, metre, etc for measurement. But people generally aren’t aware about how the standard of the fundamental quantities are decided. In this session, the information about what we call the standard metre and kilogram were given which were really nice.

Report prepared by: Ms. Mayuri Pawar.

Date and Time  : 13-08-2020, 11:00 – 12:20 am

Facilitator: Narendra Deshmukh(NDD) and Sandhya Thakur(ST).

• ST started this session in an interesting way.
• She narrated in the form of a story the classroom experiences that the teacher can experience while teaching the topic ‘Digestive system’.
• ‘Why do we need food?’, the journey of food starting from the mouth, etc were discussed in an interesting way through this story.
• While narrating this story she described the students’ curiosity when teachers carry some activity material in the classroom. Also, she discussed the possible questions that can come in students mind while studying this topic.

The few topics on which NDD talked are as follows:

• Why do we have a digestive system?
• Main components of a digestive system
• Digestive Enzymes
• Chemical & Mechanical Digestion
• Digestive & Accessory organs
• Digestion Activities & Interactive activities related with this topic

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• Shashikala madam said that ST took the session very nicely. In this narrated story, she performed the role of a teacher as well as students well.

• VCS mentioned that the experience of Amravati’s workshop related to this topic was also nice where along with female teachers male teachers were also participated. And they performed activities enthusiastically.

• ST requested all the teachers to share students’ questions with us. She mentioned that we can think of these questions while preparing for the webinar session. She said, “Teachers can do this as they interact with students’ everyday”.

Date and Time  : 07-08-2020, 10:00 – 11:20 am

Facilitator: Vinod Sonawane.

VCS had talked about the following topics in this webinar.

• How can objects be seen?
• How rainbow forms?
• Meaning of mirage
• Reflection & refraction
• Regular & irregular reflection
• Snell’s law
• Formation of images
• Diversion in concave lens
• Electromagnetic radiations
• Telescope
• Dispersion of light

VCS had also shown few videos related to this topic.

Report prepared by: Ms. Mayuri Pawar.

Date and Time  : 02-08-2020, 11:00 – 12:00 am

Facilitator: Narendra Deshmukh & Satyavati Rawool.

• At the beginning of the session, Deshmukh sir & Satyavati ma’am asked teacher participants to share their views about effective teaching and asked what effective teaching according to them is?
• While sharing experiences, Harshada madam said that students learn easily when teachers’ connect daily life experiences with teaching. She also added that even new education policy also emphasized on experiential learning.
• Poorna ma’am said that, through the teaching-learning process when good or suitable transformation happens in students then such teaching is said to be effective teaching. To explain this point she shared her experience. She said how students in her Ashram school stopped wasting food when they realized the farmers’ efforts behind growing food. Students realized this when they were learning topic related with the food. Students had been easily connected to this as most of them belong to farmers’ families. Poorna ma’am observed that since students connected this topic to their daily life, the necessary transformation happened in their action. Means they stopped wasting food.
• Deshmukh sir said that behavioural, emotional and cognitive engagement of both students and teachers are essential in TLP. He also mentioned that for effective teaching teachers should try to engage students actively and happily in the learning process. 
• Prakash sir said that when students start thinking after the teacher taught some topic, If some questions are arising in students mind on the basis of their daily life experiences after learning, then such kind of teaching-learning process can be said to be effective.
• Then Rawool ma’am asked whether we can say the teaching process of Prof. Lampert is effective? [In the previous 3 webinars, the paper ‘Mathematical reading of first chapter of “Instances of Teaching Practices” by Magdalene Lampert (Marathi Translated version of that article)’ had been referred.]
• Replying to Rawool madam’s question Mayuri said, The TLP of Lampert seems to be effective as in that TLP all students had given an opportunity to talk and express their views.  Lampert was not only encouraging all students to answer but also thinking about what’s going on in students’ minds while solving problems. The Lampert teacher was giving quick responses to students and her response was helpful for students to decide on their own whether their solution is correct or not.
• Deshmukh sir concluded the session by saying that we should now think about how we can implement/use the different aspects of effective teaching discussed in today’s webinar while teaching any topic now onwards.

Report prepared by: Mayuri Pawar & Pranav Khot.

Date and Time  : 29-07-2020, 10:00 – 11:20 am

Facilitator: Mr. Sushant Pawar.(Dept of Math edu. HBCSE)

As the title suggests the webinar was conducted to read the research reading. Primary focus of the research reading is how a teacher can handle different approaches of students for solving mathematical problems, and how teachers should/can be sensitive about the socio-economic status of students. Also this reading describes the thought process of a teacher while teaching and dealing with different approaches of students. Webinar was conducted by Mr. Sushant Pawar who has been working in Department of Mathematics Education HBCSE since 2 years. PDF copy of research reading was shared with participants on whatsapp group so they can go through it prior to the webinar. The resource person prepared the presentation in such a way that part of the research reading was displayed on the slides. The resource person used to read those slides and then used to give 2 minutes to participants to note down the key points from the slides. After some slides there used to be discussion about what participants have noted down and what they feel about it. Experts from HBCSE and outside and teachers shared their experiences too while the discussion part.

This webinar was the third and the last part of the research reading webinar. Here the participants have read the first and second part of reading in the first and second webinar and here they read the third and last part of the reading and they discussed that. Some notable discussion points are mentioned below:

• Resource person started the webinar by revising the points from the 1st and the 2nd webinar and then he also described how the scenario in the reading took place.
• In this particular part of the reading it is described how Lampert (author of the paper) dealt with the student’s responses.
• Then he shared the notable points which he noted down from the reading and asked teachers and other experts to share their views about it. Which involved points like the teacher encouraging the students to have peer discussion, encouraging to ask questions, and how the teacher connected division of fraction with the context of the classroom.
• To one of the responses of one student described in the reading Satyawati Rawool Ma’am noted how that particular student has issues with decimal fractions.
• With regard to division Aaloka Kanhere ma’am shared her observation from one classroom about students’ understanding about division which underlined how while dividing by 2 students actually adds instead of dividing to get the answer.
• Then the reading focused on different approaches of students while solving the same problem given by the teacher. It involves detailed conversation between teacher and students.
• Then Satyawati Rawool Ma’am added how we should involve this kind of practice which this teacher from the reading is describing.
• Then Purna Patil Ma’am added how she feels that the author of the paper wants to check whether students’ conceptual knowledge about division is clear or not.
• Then Sandhya Ma’am added how it is important for teachers to know students’ understanding about the concept.
• Then Mayuri Pawar added how the teacher from the reading is encouraging students’ different approaches and how sharing those approaches with other students can be helpful to understand the concept more deeply.
• Then Sugra Chunawala ma’am added her point how this paper is opposite from the typical classroom experience. It elaborates the concept of constructivism.
• Then Satyawati Rawool ma’am added how this paper she used to give to her B.Ed. students and how those students used to find it is absurd in the beginning but afterward they used to find this paper useful. Also practicing a similar method in the classroom is viewed as not efficient.
• She also added how she practiced similar things from the reading in her classroom and then how those students understood the concept deeply.

And then the webinar came to end with a compilation of reading of this research reading.
 Report Prepared by: Sushant Pawar

Date and Time  : 19-07-2020, 11:00 – 12:30 am

Facilitator: Dr. Satyawati Rawool & Dr. Narendra Deshmukh 

As the title suggests the webinar was conducted to read the research reading. Primary focus of the research reading is how a teacher can handle different approaches of students for solving mathematical problems, and how teachers should/can be sensitive about the socio-economic status of students. Also this reading describes the thought process of a teacher while teaching and dealing with different approaches of students. Webinar was conducted by Mr. Sushant Pawar who has been working in Department of Mathematics Education HBCSE since 2 years. PDF copy of research reading was shared with participants on whatsapp group so they can go through it prior to the webinar. The resource person prepared the presentation in such a way that part of the research reading was displayed on the slides. The resource person used to read those slides and then used to give 2 minutes to participants to note down the key points from the slides. After some slides there used to be discussion about what participants have noted down and what they feel about it. Experts from HBCSE and outside and teachers shared their experiences too while the discussion part.

This webinar was the second part of the research reading webinar. Here the participants have read the first part of reading in the first webinar and here they read the second part of the reading and they discussed that. Some notable discussion points are mentioned below:

• Resource person started the webinar by revising the points from the 1st webinar and then he also described how the scenario in the reading took place.
• Then one of the teacher participants Purna Patil ma’am also revised the points from the previous session. Which included points like problems given to students to solve and the social background of the students in the reading.
• Then Purna ma’am also added how the teacher in the reading knows the social background of the students and that’s why she is giving opportunities  to the students accordingly.
• Then Shweta Naik ma’am extended Purna ma’am’s point that the teacher knows the social background of the students and how she uses it explicitly in her teaching.
• Then Aaloka Kanhere ma’am also added how the teacher in the reading addresses the social background of students and uses it explicitly in her teaching also how she is sensitive about these issues but also at the same time her focus from mathematics is not diverted. She is thinking about how to proceed further and what mathematical concepts of students are clear.
• Then Mayuri Pawar added her point about how peer to peer discussion described in this reading is important for the classroom environment. And how some answers from particular students are accepted quickly and from some other students is not accepted quickly. Satyawati ma’am also agreed to this point.
• Then the point of classroom culture was discussed.
• Shweta Naik ma’am added the meaning of justiceful access to mathematics to every student. How every student should get equal opportunity to understand mathematics.
• Then there was a diagram which explained the reply of one student. That involved how the students have splitted the number while dividing by 2. And how he reached the answer.
• Then Purna Ma’am brought the topic of some students who are talented and this classroom from reading also has some that type of students.
• This point gave rise to the interesting topic of “whom to call a talented student”. Then Satyawati ma’am addressed the gender issues in the classroom. How in her classroom male students used to dominate the female students. And also the reasons for that. How girls used to work at home and how they used to be tired in the classroom.
• Then Aaloka Kanhere ma’am added how the background of students affects the performance of students.
• Then Shweta Naik ma’am added how this kind of “labeling” of students can impact students’ life in the long term.  And one needs to think and understand how this kind of labelling is not good
• Then Satyawati ma’am added her experience when she was a student and how she used to be quiet in the classroom even being the first ranker of the classroom.
• Then Narendra Deshmukh sir added how usually the students which are vocal in classrooms are encouraged to speak and how this is not a good practice in long terms.
• Then Harshada Ma’am added how this kind of “talented” and “Not talented” labels can affect students deeply.
• Narendra Deshmukh sir also added how this issue is deeply rooted and how one needs to tackle that issue.
• Then the issue about gender and mathematics was discussed in the session.

Then since the reading was not completed all agreed for one more session. And then this session ended.

Report Prepared by: Sushant Pawar

Date and Time  : 19-07-2020, 11:00 – 12:30 am

Facilitator: Satyawati Rawool & Narendra Deshmukh 

In this webinar, teachers and HBCSE staff were sharing their point of views and experiences, and Dr. Rawool was playing an essential role in shaping the discussion.

Dr Rawool tried to bring following points in the discussion:

• Effective teaching is defined as to help each student to successfully master the skill of constructing knowledge through various study processes on their own initiative.
• A good teacher always tries to build a positive learning environment that is helpful for development of all students.
• Prioritizing classwork and tasks related to it is very crucial. It helps in using your time effectively.
• Teacher should not impose her ideas or opinions on the class. Teachers should always try to think from students’ prospective.
• Encourage students to learn from each other, work in small groups without creating competitive environment.

Experiences and points shared by teachers and HBCSE staff:

• Sushant said that it is very important to know and consider students background while teaching. Socio-economical background has very high influence on students’ responses and their behavior. He told that if a wrong answer comes from girls group then boys group laugh at them. But if anyone from boys group gives a wrong answer, then it is okay. Thus, studying background of all the students in class plays a crucial role in effective teaching.
• Harshada ma’am noted that teaching can be called effective if it motivates students to learn and develops interest in it. The learning process should never stop.
•  Prakash sir said that important part of effective teaching is to make students think. We should promote curiosity in learning.

Report prepared by: Ms. Megha Chougule

Date and Time  : 15-07-2020, 10:00 – 11:20 am

Facilitator: Mr. Sushant Pawar.(Dept of Math edu. HBCSE)

As the title suggests the webinar was conducted to read the research reading. Primary focus of the research reading is how a teacher can handle different approaches of students for solving mathematical problems, and how teachers should/can be sensitive about the socio-economic status of students. Also this reading describes the thought process of a teacher while teaching and dealing with different approaches of students. Webinar was conducted by Mr. Sushant Pawar who has been working in Department of Mathematics Education HBCSE since 2 years. PDF copy of research reading was shared with participants on whatsapp group so they can go through it prior to the webinar. The resource person prepared the presentation in such a way that part of the research reading was displayed on the slides. The resource person used to read those slides and then used to give 2 minutes to participants to note down the key points from the slides. After some slides there used to be discussion about what participants have noted down and what they feel about it. Experts from HBCSE and outside and teachers shared their experiences too while the discussion part.

This webinar was the first part of the research reading webinar. Here the participants read the initial part of the reading and they discussed that. Some notable discussion points are mentioned below:

• Resource person shared the reason for selecting this particular reading. Then Aaloka Kanhere ma’am also shared her experience about this particular reading and how it helped her in her teaching.
• Satyawati Rawool ma’am described how important the seating arrangement of the classroom is. Which is important for the peer discussion.
• Sandhya Thakur Ma’am noted the point about the diversity of students described in the reading and importance of the classroom environment.
• She also noted the importance of observation and discussion of teachers in each other’s classroom.
• After that Shweta Naik ma’am told participants that she had visited the school described in the reading. And the students of that school could not write English since their language at home was not English.
• Narendra Deshmukh Sir added the point how the teacher from the reading had asked the students to draw and justify their solutions. And how it is important for understanding of students and how participant teachers can also ask their students to draw the solution of the problem.
• He also shared his personal experience about how students from unprivileged backgrounds could not relate to mathematical problems. And How teachers can include local context while teaching mathematics.
• After reading the students’ response part of the reading Sandhya Thakur ma’am shared how sometimes being wrong and right might not be important and students’ participation is more important.
• Shweta Naik ma’am added that one needs to take efforts to create an environment for students to express themselves.
• Then resource person spoke about how social discrimination is also observed inside the classroom.
• Shweta Naik ma’am also added to that point that how a teacher/educator needs to provide more opportunities to students from socially discriminated backgrounds. And we need to think about availing equal opportunities to discriminated students.
• Then Aaloka ma’am also added how we need to underline the issue of discrimination inside the classroom.
• Satyawati Rawool ma’am also described how some students dominate others inside the classroom. And how this reading has underlined that issue very nicely.
• Sandya ma’am added her point about how teachers in this reading have underlined the social issue in her reading.

Since the paper was long, Narendra Deshmukh sir decided to conduct the second part of the webinar to complete the remaining part of the webinar.

Report prepared by: Sushant Pawar

Date and Time  : 12-07-2020, 10:00 – 11:20 am

Facilitator:  Sandhya Thakur, Narendra Deshmukh & Satyawati Rawool 

The objectives of the webinar were:

1. To discuss what effective teaching is, how do we define it and the criteria of effective teaching.
2. To discuss traditional and modern learning resources and interactive teaching methods

Dr. Deshmukh discussed following points in the webinar:

• His definition of effective teaching.
• What are learning resources (LR) and how are they utilized in classrooms?
• Types of learning resources and their role in effective teaching.
• Tips to use traditional LR (such as blackboard, overhead projectors) and Modern LR (e.g. smart board, video film, 2D non-projected LR, animation, etc)
• Interactive techniques like buzz session, think/ pair/ share, demonstration, role play, field trips, etc.

Points shared by other teachers:

• Poorna ma’am discussed how internet is helping in teaching poems. She said that many video and audio files of poetry reading can be found on internet.
• Prakash sir talked about use of worksheets and demonstrations for effective teaching. He said that if we are using demonstrations or worksheets in class, then our focus should be very clear. Teachers should think about what they actually want to achieve through demonstrations or worksheets. For example, they want students to think on particular aspects or want to develop understanding of a certain topic or want to grab students’ attention. He also gave example of a worksheet he used for teaching an environmental balance chapter.
• Mayuri elaborated on how challenging activities can be used to teach certain topics in science. She gave an example of balancing nails challenge for teaching gravity. She said that these challenges not only help in engaging students but also help understanding certain concepts.
• Shaila ma’am explained how she uses board and charts in her classroom. She said that every weak she explains some charts to students and takes tests on the basis of those charts.
• Sandhya ma’am discussed a research paper that was presented in one of the conference she attended. In that research it was found that students who worked on designing MCQ questions for 2 years, performed better in the exam.
• Harshada ma’am shared the strategy she used for teaching periodic table to 9^th and10^th standard students. She assigned one element to each student and asked them to study the uses of that element. Also she asked students to address each other by elements name. Every day one student was supposed to tell the uses of the element assigned to him. This helped students a lot in remembering and understanding periodic table.

Report prepared by: Ms. Megha S. Chougule

Date and Time  : 10-07-2020, 10:00 – 11:20 am

Facilitator: Dr. Shweta Naik.

In this webinar, Dr. Thakur ma’am discussed

• Qualities of effective teacher
• Essentials of good teaching
• How do we create an environment that keeps students stimulated
• The pyramid of learning
• Retention techniques that she used for effective biology instruction.
  Flow of her lecture used be like: Introduction – Preview – Chart/diagrams – explanation –ask students to duplicate drawing on the board – interact with student s when they are drawing in their notebooks – repetition of explanation – 5 min written quiz – self assessment (asking students to check their answer)

Experiences and points shared by others

• Poorna ma’am shared simple strategies which she uses in her class to attract students’ attention and keep them stimulated. For example, discussing points which are not given in textbook but are related to the topic being discussed, using worksheets, showing simple experiments, etc.
• Ujwala ma’am said that it is very important to give time to each student. Teachers should try to communicate with as many students as possible. 
• Rutuja ma’am from Somaiya College said that students especially from vernacular medium find the biology words hard to learn. So, she conducts an extra lecture for these students. She asks them to explain how a particular word is related to a given diagram, how it can be used in a sentence, etc.
• Kavita ma’am who is a science teacher told that she tries to be friendlier with students. She talks to them like a family and focuses on doing experiments. 
• Dr. Rawool ma’am discussed how metacognitive skills i.e. the ability to think about one’s thinking helps students in learning.

Report prepared by: Ms. Megha S. Chougule