Video dealing with the issue of racial discrimination

hey guys

check this out

Its an interesting video about a teacher who is trying to deal with racial discrimination, which is rampant in US, with her students in class through activities.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/video/share.html?s=frol02n42cq66

School Libraries

In a world of global information, the ability to handle information effectively has never been more vital. The school library provides information and ideas that are fundamental to functioning successfully in today’s information and knowledge-based society. The school library equips students with lifelong learning skills and develops the imagination, enabling them to live as responsible citizens. The school library is integral to the educational process. A good school library is the heart of a school learning community. School libraries can provide a flexible place for learning where students have not just access to resources but are equipped with the necessary skills to use them.

School libraries in India are a room or a hall where a certain number of books are stored and a librarian is appointed to catalogue the books and to keep the record of books issued. The librarian does not get involved with the students in order to develop reading habits in students. In a large number of Indian schools, the students are neither oriented to the school library nor taught the necessary skills to use the information and resources. Students are sent to the library without teaching them how to use the library effectively.

The role of the school library is to support and enhance educational goals as outlined in the school’s curriculum. The school libraries have eclectic collection and the teachers as well as the librarian should provide support to the students in using such a wide range of books, magazines and journals. The teachers should teach skills to the students regarding the use of books, magazines and journals for knowledge, understanding, imagination and enjoyment. The school library must providing access to local, regional, national, and global resources and opportunities that expose learners to diverse ideas, experiences and opinions.
In order to develop literary skills and self expression students must be given ample opportunity to read and discuss various issues. The development of critical and rational thinking is one of the most imperative roles of school education and this goal can be accomplished through reading, discussions and writing. We strongly need a library movement in India in order to improve the current education scene.

EPTAF Meeting

Dear Friends

In this monthly meeting we managed to discuss on a wide range of issues, some of these are:

1) Right to Education Bill

This bill is now passed by the Parliament. We discussed about the various provisions promised in this bill in the light of the present scenario of government schools. Our member also presented Prof. Anil Sadgopal's views about the bill. This was followed by a short discsussion in which we shared our opinions on the same.
This was certainly enriching.

2) Member's sharing

One of our members is teaching in a government school and in class 1 which has a strength of 118 students. the number is too large to manage. He needed suggestions on classroom management. Through discussions we arrived at the conclusion to introduce 'rules' in his classrooms. But this should happen in a very gradual and systematic process. He should start with just one rule arrived through some activities in the class. The rule should be suggested by the students. this is essential. Then he should re-enforce it through regular reminders, by displaying a drawing and by putting up a chart on the wall where students will tick against their names everyday w.r.t following of the rule.

3) Plan for the month

Since the Dussehra break will start soon, so it was decided that he will start this in October and record everything systematically. This recording will help us in moving on further.

You are requested to send in your suggestions, problems and other share relevant information on the same.

Our next meeting will be on 10th Oct.

The Safdar-Janam Talks on Culture and Politics

Friends,

I want to inform all of you about this talk. See if you can attend.

The Safdar-Janam Talks on Culture and Politics

This year, to observe 20 years of Safdar’s death, as well as 35 years of our work, Janam is organising a series of talks, one every month, each focusing on the complex and critical interconnections between culture and politics. The talks are followed by a discussion.
The sixth of these is: “The Cultural Context of Learning” A talk by Anita Rampal 29 June 2009 6.00 p.m. Muktadhara Art Gallery (basement) Banga Sanskriti Bhavan 18-19 Bhai Veer Singh Marg Near Gol Market
ANITA RAMPAL is Professor at the Department of Education, University of Delhi. She has been associated with Eklavya’s Hoshangabad Science Teaching Project. She was Chairperson of NCERT’s elementary level textbook committee. She is one of the founder members of Bhoomika, Pt. Narendra Sharma’s well-known dance group, and has a deep interest in music, theatre and dance. Please note that this talk is NOT being held at the Janam rehearsal space, where most of the previous talks in this series have been held.
DIRECTIONS: This is the road between Gol Market and St. Columba’s School. From south and east, take Ashok Road up to Gol Dak Khana, then Kali Bari Marg, and turn immediately right. From west and north, take Mandir Marg, Gol Market, turn right on Bhai Veer Singh Marg. Most bus routes for Shivaji Stadium take this road and will drop you in front of Muktdhara. From west and south-west, from RML Hospital, take Baba Kharag Singh Marg where there is the construction of the express metro, Gol Dak Khana, then left at Kali Bari Marg, and turn immediately right.

EPTAF Meeting

Friends

I propose 5th July as the date for the next EPTAF meeting. Please send your responses about the suitability of this date for the meeting. You are also requested to suggest the time and the agenda for the meeting.
Eagerly waiting for your response.

Lets do some Research

Dear Friends
I would like you all to be part of some school based research on language, sociology or gender starting from July. I will specify the details of all three areas of research in my next blog entry. If you have some of your own ideas then please send in a comment. Also if you want to do something in one of the suggested areas, please send your response.
Eagerly waiting for your response.

Where are we heading?

I call out to Waris Shah today

to rise from his grave and

open a new page of the book of love.

Once a single daughter of the Punjab cried out,

and you wrote many dirges.

Today a million daughters weep

and look to you for solace...

Amrita Pritam wrote this poem sixty years ago during the Partition of India. But it is so apt for today’s times when Delhi has become so insecure place for women. Either a 5 year old or 50 year old women, everyone gets molested in one way or the other in Delhi. The moment a woman gets out of her secure home, she is in constant peril. Every other day, you will find a rape case or a molestation case in newspapers. Why is this happening? Has anybody ever considered this? The recent Noida rape case filled me with outrage. The sarpanch of Garhi Choukhandi village of Noida made those infuriating and exasperating remarks that ‘Rape is not a big deal’. Can somebody ask that damnable man, then what a ‘big deal’ is? Someone said that the punishment for a rape should neither be life imprisonment nor death sentence but castration that will be a ‘big deal’. It was as much a shame for a nation where we call a woman a devi, a goddess. What a paradox, isn’t it? These rape cases and such awful remarks by the men of our society reveal the decaying of the values and morals of our society. Neither boys nor girls are taught by their elders to respect a female body. A girl feels ashamed of her physical self while boys consider it as an object. Such a mindset has deepened the evil roots of crims against women. The need of the hour is to socialise our children in a gender neutral environment where girls and boys are not contrary of each other rather comrades. Then only we will be able to make this society a better place for both men and women.

EPTAF Meeting in January

Hi friends

You all are invited for the upcoming EPTAF meeting scheduled on 10th January,2009 from 4:00 P.M. onwards at Coffee Home, CP, opp Hanuman Mandir.

The agenda of this meeting is as follows:
1) Discussion on the topics chosen for our individual action researches. Preparing a broad outline of our research.Drafting next month's plan, objectives and activities.
2) Sharing of our school experiences. Some issues that came up and what did we do and any other experience that we would like to share.
3) Presentation by MCD school teacher on a research on reading that she did in her own school followed by a discussion based on her research work.
4) Sharing on a book called The Indians: Portrait of a people by Sudhir and Katharina Kakar, Penguin Viking, India 2007.

Post your comments and suggestions whatsoever about the meetings agenda, we will try to incorporate your ideas in the plan.
Please be there and enrich the discussions through your participation.
You can bring other interested teachers as well.
And please come on time.
Hoping to meet you on 10th January.

history and peace

Suddenly post 26/11 India has become an insecure nation. Every newspaper and news channel is talking about the carnage in Mumbai. Everyone has condemned this massacre. Whether you are travelling in the Metro or sitting in your college canteen or walking down the road, you’ll find people talking about the Mumbai attacks and cursing Pakistan to stage the onslaught. They wanted Indian Military to attack Pakistan and give them the taste of their own medicine. Indians have anguish for the people of Pakistan. But has anybody wondered how Pakistanis think about us Indians, do they have hatred in their hearts, do they consider us their enemies. We don’t know because we never cared about our neighbour. We never tried to know the perspective of Pakistani people. We only know the perspective of the people in power. What we know about Pakistan is that hey sponsor these terror attacks or what they call it Jihad. We never tried to know why so many young Pakistanis get ready to sacrifice their precious lives. Before independence we were the same people and fought for our beloved nation’s independence together against the British. But ever since we gained our independence and became two independent nations we have fought amongst ourselves. It’s been more than sixty years still we are fighting.
Does anybody ever wonder why we hate each other so much? Why we have such an outrage for each other? During our years in school we were taught Mahatma Gandhi as our national hero, Congress Party as the leading Party to uphold the flag of freedom struggle and abusing Muslim League or more specifically Jinnah for being the anti-national element and evoking the two-nation theory. Krishna Kumar’s Prejudice and Pride brings forth the history narratives presented in Indian as well as Pakistani history textbooks. Despite the fact that the two nations have common history, the two perspectives are in contrast with each other. Krishna Kumar in his book provided several instances where a particular incident of history has been presented in contrastive light. The historians writing history textbooks portrayed people as either black or white. Gandhi and Nehru have been glorified in the entire narrative while Jinnah and Muslim League’s contribution to the freedom struggle is completely neglected. The Pakistani narrative repeatedly referred to Congress party as a Hindu Party overlooking the fact that there were a lot of Muslims who were part of Congress Party. There have been instances in the history textbooks where a specific event is totally omitted in one perspective while the same event is elaborated in the other perspective.
The narratives are heavily influenced by the historians own perspectives which resulted in highly biased historical narratives. Such historical narratives are responsible, to a great length, for the jingoistic attitude of the people of the two nations towards each other. Krishna Kumar did not claim that the history narratives are solely responsible of inculcating such attitudes but if we try to recall our school days when we were adolescents struggling for an identity and when provided with such perspectives, the hostility for Pakistan did emerge. Neither our schools nor our textbooks encourage self expression which results in the political socialization of the children and they imbibe the political ideology without any rational thought. In the wake of terrorism attacks in both nations, it has become extremely important to understand the political nature of these terror attacks. Instead of spitting venom for each other we need to reckon that the terrorists are neither Hindus nor Muslims, they are just an instrument to spread hatred and if we continue to fight amongst each other then they will succeed in obliterating humanity from the face of the earth.

change in meeting timing

Dear all,
There's a change in the meeting time. We'll be meeting on 13th dec'08 at 4:00 pm at Coffee Home, CP.