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Dear Readers, Please check out our new Opinion Poll on whether writing letters is an outdated mode of communication, and cast your vote by the end of May 2015.
As you know …
your opinion counts
Our April 2015 poll was about teaching ‘both sides’ of historical events:
It is important to teach ‘both sides’ of historical events, even when it shows your country in a negative light, in order to have thoughtful and productive discussions about complex issues.
• I agree. A balanced look at the country’s history may make many uncomfortable. However, discomfort and cognitive conflict is key to developing critical thinking skills in future generations. (96%, 45 Votes)
• I disagree. Discussing complex issues may bring accusations against teachers of promoting a political agenda, which they may not be able or ready to handle. (4%, 2 Votes)
The overwhelming majority of those who responded to this poll (96%) think that it is important to present and teach a balanced view of the country’s history. These respondents feel that this is important, even if one’s country is seen in a negative light and it causes discomfort and cognitive conflict amongst the students. On the other hand, only a very small minority of the respondents (4%) believe that teachers should not be discussing complex historical issues in the classroom, as neither the teacher nor the students may be equipped to handle them.
Perceived parental neglect has a far-ranging impact on the social and emotional aspects of people’s lives. In this month’s Ilm o Amal, Sarah Ladhani examines two personalities –one real and one fictional – to understand the factors that determined their diverse responses to similar circumstances.
The quarter marked the conclusion of Term 1 and beginning of Term 2 with a week’s break in between. Term 1 wrap up came with grading assignments and projects and preparing results.
An interesting highlight of the quarter has been the student project titled “Ancient Contributions to Childcare & Early Education” which was part of the History & Philosophy course (HP 0001). It kept students thoroughly occupied as they had to do research as well as creatively design the project for presentation.
Open Day – March 2015
To showcase its Early Childhood Education Certificate Programme (ECE-CP), TRC-IECE organised an Open Day at its premises on Wednesday, 4 March, 2015. Held in two time slots, from 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m., to facilitate both in-service and non-teaching (pre-service) candidates, the purpose was to introduce the ECE-CP in detail and facilitate interaction of potential candidates with the faculty.
A number of visitors, those mainly associated with schools; pre-primary, primary and secondary teachers, coordinators, headmistresses, principals, and some not related to the teaching profession, attended these sessions. Through a gallery of displays, the visitors were walked through the ECE-CP classroom giving them a sense of what to expect from the programme. Testimonials from some of the alumni proved inspiring to encourage potential candidates for registering themselves.
The Open Day was well received by all those who attended and provided insights into what the 10-month journey would look like in terms of its academic rigor, diversity of approaches and relationship with the faculty.
Alumni Reunion 2015
IECE Alumni were welcomed back to TRC for the third IECE Annual Reunion on 18 March, 2015. It was a fun filled event with lots of laughter, enjoyment, catching up and great food.
This year the turnout was tremendous; we saw the largest number of attendees … 49 to be exact. Maha Laka and Nazia Kashif (2012-13 grads) were the event organisers this year.
Academic Advisor, TRC-IECE, Mahenaz Mahmud, presented the idea of an Alumni Association which was met with great enthusiasm. An eight-member committee was formed and roles and responsibilities and scope of work of the committee were discussed in detail. The purpose was to further strengthen the programme and ensure institutionalisation and sustainability.
The organisers had prepared a game of Taboo based on the courses offered at TRC-IECE. It was an exciting game, which really brought out everyone’s inner child. All participants were on the edge of their seats to guess the word.
The scrumptious snacks which everyone enjoyed included red velvet cupcakes, devilled potatoes, chicken kababs, cheese samosas, and a lovely fruit salad.
PAC meeting
The Programme Advisory Committee (PAC) met on Friday, 20 March, 2015 for the second time since it was set up. The one-point-agenda of this meeting, which was led by Tanya Shah, was to create awareness and disseminate information about TRC-IECE and its programmes amongst stakeholders in order to boost enrolment.
The meeting started off with a concern raised by the members requesting TRC to also look into addressing Special Educational Needs through the programme. Following a useful discussion, it was agreed that TRC would develop a specialised course with the expertise of a PAC member who is a clinical psychologist.
A marketing plan was shared with the respective members highlighting how the key target audience will be reached through a mix of tested and new strategies. Timelines were also set and agreed upon. Members of the PAC offered their views and opinions in light of their experiences and made valuable suggestions for the way forward.
During the quarter, TRC successfully completed the training of 400 teachers from 16 districts of Sindh on ECE. Two TRC staff members presented the Thinking Classroom project at the CIES Conference in Washington DC. This was made possible through support from Open Society Foundations. Our work in Sehwan schools via PSSP marked its 2nd year into implementation. Back to back annual data collection exercises were carried out by the team for gathering feedback from beneficiaries. An interactive session on school safety issues was organised for member and non member schools and was well received. TRC held its 28th Annual General Meeting and elected a new Governing Body for the next three years. An Open Day was organised for interested and prospective students to help them understand the IECE programme better and get enrolled.
TRC Trending…
TRC is on Facebook! We encourage all our readers to like us and subscribe to our page. Link up with us, ask questions, discuss issues, exchange views and help us in cultivating an empowering online community of ECE practitioners and activists … Lets connect to make a difference!
Stanley ka Dabba is a little story with a big heart. Stanley, the little protagonist of Amole Gupte’s latest film, shows how we can rise above all the filth around us and make the world a better, beautiful place to live in.
Stanley ka Dubba which engaged 170 child actors, was shot using a Canon EOS 7D camera.
Synopsis:
Stanley is a fourth grader who is very popular amongst his friends. He is talented and is liked by his teachers. However, he never brings his lunch box or ‘dabba’. ‘Khadoos’, as he is popularly called, is a Hindi
teacher who does not bring his own dabba but likes to eat others’ lunch. Stanley’s friends share their lunch with him by hiding from Khadoos. Khadoos eventually finds them on the terrace and warns Stanley to bring his own lunch or stop coming to school. Stanley misses school for a few days and his absence is felt by his teachers and school mates. One fine day, Stanley brings his dabba packed with mouth-watering items for Khadoos. Khadoos realises his mistake and quits the school. Stanley’s performance in an inter-school festival is appreciated by everybody. Towards the end, the reason for Stanley’s lack of a dabba is revealed.
Facilitators: Mahenaz Mahmud
Date: Wednesday, April 15, 2015
Time: 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Running Time: 95 minutes
Discussion: 75 minutes
Venue: TRC
For: Public school teachers from Jamshed Town