Inspiring Teachers

Human Excellence

July-Sept 2014 Page 1 of 4 VOL. # 8 ISSUE #3
Looking back and looking forward
This July marks 7 years of Teachers Academy. I started with
teachers but have also done some corporate workshops.
Thanks to my audiences, I have developed more than 4
modules and now have material for almost one month non!stop
pro"ram. I discovered this fact last month in IAT# where I had
delivered a second ten day pro"ram in a "ap of 4 months, with
some mi$ed participants %who had not attended the previous
pro"ram&. I do most pro"rams alone, but teamwork has also
been 'uite rewardin" when I have other e$perts with me as in
()(* workshops. I am "rateful for the encoura"ement of my
friends and collea"ues who kept me "oin" when I felt like
"ivin" up.
+ell, its a new academic year. ,ome of you have -oined new
schools.colle"es while others are teachin" new courses and
some others are in the same colle"e.school teachin" the same
sub-ects. /ut wait0 1ou can still decide to teach the same
sub-ect in a different manner this year0
This month I am sharin" with you 23 templates I made for
lectures with some interaction, especially suitable for our
colle"es. These can be found at
http4..www.theprofessor.in.blo".cate"ory.teacher!
tools.teachin"!strate"ies.
+e have "iven these in 56)7# and it seems to have helped
the faculty to start makin" their own lecture plans. Anyone
interested in similar initiatives can send e!mail to
inspirin"teachers8"mail.com
9ood news is that we have published two papers in :rontiers in
7ducation, an International I777 #onference with a special
theme on innovations in 7n"ineerin" 7ducation.
,o have a "reat academic year and read on this issue
!!;ma 9arimella

In this issue:
Editorial
Feature: 16 teaching strategies for Indian colleges 2
Can you find out your teaching style from your shopping 3
Interesting Links .. .. 4


Updates at the Academy
Completed programs
2!day faculty development pro"ram at Indo!American
Technical #ampus, Anakapalle, 6ay 2<
th
to =<
th
=24
Intensive >!day pro"ram on 5/A and teachin" for */7
at 56)7#, 2?
th
!=2
st
June =24, @yderabad
##7 Trainin" %with ,ikshasri 7ducational #onsultants& at
Aarnataka Bublic ,chool, /idar and ,ri Cidyan-ali ,chool,
Aukatpally, @yderabad.
Bre!retirement plannin" at ()(D, 2
th
!22
th
June =24
9uest faculty at *rientation #ourse at J5T;!Academic
,taff #olle"e
9uest faculty for research based teachin" methodolo"ies
at J5T;!Academic ,taff #olle"e
Forthcoming programs
:ourth annual workshop at ,evalaya for teachers ! on
formative assessment this year E July =24
Contact us: inspiringteachers@gmail.com

Teaching Strategies for the Indian College
Uma Garimella
The colle"es of today have the followin" features

A lar"e number of students who cannot speak . read .
understand 7n"lish fluently and who are shy
A teacher population with some retired university professors and
a lar"e number of very youn" faculty
A ti"ht schedule and non!residential campuses because of which
there is hardly any transaction outside classes
;niversity assessment which is predominantly memory based
Traditional lecture based classes with students relyin" on
readymade material and rote learnin"

(ue to this there is a hu"e "ap between skills learnt in the colle"e
and skills re'uired in the workplace leadin" to unemployment %,ee
table&. :ortunately, the new 5/A %5ational /oard of Accreditation&
re'uirements as well as the ##7 %#ontinuous #omprehensive
7valuation& initiated by #/,7 and now adopted by many ,tate
/oards, are tryin" to brin" @i"her *rder Thinkin" ,kills into the
curriculum. These @*T, cannot be developed in teacher centered
classes. It is mandatory to do student centered teachin" with lots of
interaction for developin" @*T, in students.

+hile the idea of creatin" active classrooms is 'uite interestin",
teachers find it difficult to make the transition. Trainin" on peda"o"ic
principles is makin" them motivated to do somethin", but they are
unable to move from Fsomehow to Fhow. They need "uidance and
mentorin" from their sub-ect e$perts who also have modern
peda"o"ic knowled"e.

;nfortunately, there are very few such e$perts available to the
faculty of colle"es. The 5/A defined 2= "raduate attributes are
almost like 6t 7verest for our students and teachers, whose e$istin"
skills may be likened to Fbarely able to walk as compared to scalin"
the 7verest.

I have had opportunity to work with a couple of pro"ressive colle"es
E 96)IT and 56)7# where a sincere effort is "oin" on for
improvin" the teachin"!learnin" process. I have inte"rated the
various kinds of inputs I "ave in these colle"es and elsewhere to
create some e$ample teachin" strate"ies or templates for lecture
plans, which can be used as the startin" point by faculty.

These si$teen strate"ies are cate"oriGed as4
2. 7nhanced #halk and Talk %= types&
=. ,mall 9roup Interactions
>. Cideo.(emo (iscussion %> types&
4. Ji"saw )eadin"
H. Inductive Teachin"
3. Broblem ,olvin" class %> types&
7. )eview classes %> types&
<. Dearnin" from labs
?. @i"her *rder Thinkin"
)ead more at http4..www.theprofessor.in.blo".cate"ory.teacher!
tools.teachin"!strate"ies.

July-Sept 2014 Page 2 of 4 VOL. #8 ISSUE #3
#
Skills needed in
Workplace
Skills acquired in
College
1
Apply knowledge of any
domain to solve
complex contemporary
problems
Recall and
comprehension of
principles in these
areas. University exam
also measure this.
2
Analysis of problems
and design of solutions
across different
disciplines and including
ethical, environment
and legal issues
olving text book and
topic based problems,
hardly any
interdisciplinary or
bigger problems
!
Analy"e the resources
and information
available on the sub#ect
and take decisions or
form #udgments
$opy%paste of
information, rote
learning with hardly
any decision making.
Use of readymade &'A
and not reading any
standard books due to
lack of (nglish skills
)
Use modern tools and
e*uipment in the
domain of work
+ocus on fundamentals
and basic tools and
techni*ues
,
$ommunicate
effectively with different
types of audience on the
sub#ect. -rite analytic
reports, manuals, design
documents. Read
manuals, give and
follow instructions.
.ake social
conversations.
(nglish and /echnical
sub#ects are
compartmentali"ed.
0ot much focus on
technical
communication in
classrooms. tudents
continue to speak in
native language and
write incorrect (nglish
in exams.
1
Ability to learn *uickly
any new sub#ect or skills
2ealing with the exam
instead of learning
3 -ork with diverse,
multidisciplinary teams
sometimes across
cultures
/eam work limited to
one or two pro#ects in
their own discipline
and with no individual
accountability. 0o
exposure to diverse
cultures.

Table showin" the difference between school.colle"e
and workplace skills

Can you find your teaching style from the
way you do your shopping

Just as there are different learnin" styles ! CA)A, Aolbs %and
,ocial interaction based
%http4..www.theprofessor.in.blo".teachers.understandin"!
the!mind. &, there are various types of teachin" styles. *ne
of the classification is how the teacher mana"es the class !
Authoritarian %too ri"id&, Authoritative %e$pert but fle$ible&,
DaisseG!:aire %too lenient& and Indifferent. 1ou can take a
survey here
http4..www.peda"onet.com.'uickies.yourstyle2.html
Another classification is the role a teacher plays ! Authority,
6otivator, (ele"ator and :acilitator. 1ou can take a survey
here http4..lon"leaf.net.teachin"style.html
These styles match in varyin" de"rees to self!directed
learners, dependent learners, involved learners and
interested learners.
@ere is a small 4! 'uestion analysis of what kind of teacher
you may be. Take it -ust as fun or to "ive you insi"ht into
your personality.
#omplete each sentence by choosin" the phrase, which most
accurately describes you. Then look at the answers on the
ne$t pa"e.
2. +hen shoppin" at the supermarket I
a. shop strictly from a list
b. walk the aisles in order
c. walk the aisles in a non!or"aniGed fashion
d. end up on some aisles more than once
=. +hen workin" with a "roup to complete a task, I
typically
a. vanish into the back"round
b. take a leadership role
c. am forceful with my opinions
d. let others do the thinkin"
>. +hen under pressure to make a deadline, I would
describe myself as
a. cool and collected
b. under stress
c. indifferent
d. annoyed
4. 6y ma$imum attention span is4
a. > seconds
b. 2 minutes
c. 2 hour
d. > hours


July-Sept 2014 Page 3 of 4 VOL. # 8 ISSUE #3
!hy is teaching style important
The classroom is a space shared by the teacher and
students. Its like a theatre where actors and
audience share the space. And actors need to connect
with their audience. /ut unlike theatre, teachers have
to also ensure learnin" outcomes are achieved and
they dont -ust receive appreciation and applause.
If students share our personality characteristics, then
they are apt to learn effectively from us. If they do
not, then as teachers we mi"ht unintentionally
prevent their learnin". ,ome of the important
personality characteristics which affect both students
and teachers are4
de"ree of or"aniGation
de"ree of control over others
sub-ective sense of time %ability to focus on past,
present, or future, which affects how well one
plans ahead&
ability to control oneIs focus %vulnerability to
distractions&
I have always been showin" a beautiful video called
FTeachin" Teachin" E ;nderstandin" ;nderstandin" in my
workshops in colle"es. This is an award!winnin" (C( from
the ;niversity of Aarhus, (enmark, written and directed by
#laus /rabrand. %http4..www.daimi.au.dk.Jbrabrand.short!
film.&
John /i""s classified teachers as
Le"el #$ +hat the student is.
This is the horrible Kblame the studentL approach to
teachin". Ill keep doin" what I do. If the students cant
learn then it is because they are bad students. Its not my
fault. 5othin" I can do.
Le"el %$ +hat the teacher does.
This is the horrible Klook at me and all the neat, innovative
teachin" that Im doin"L. Im doin" lots of "ood and difficult
thin"s in my teachin". Are the students learnin"M
Le"el &$ +hat the student does.
*bviously this is the "ood level. The focus is on teachin"
and leads to learnin". /i""s %=2& uses a 'uote from Tyler
%2?4?& to illustrate that this is not a new idea
Nlearnin"O takes place throu"h the active behavior of the
student4 it is what he does that he learns, not what the
teacher does.
@e then talks about constructive ali"nment which is nothin"
but *utcome /ased Teachin".
'ersonality Function Answers to four (uestions
a. you read from your notes or need a written outline from which to lecture, re"ardless of the audience.
b. you prefer followin" your lecture notes in the order in which you wrote them, re"ardless of what is happenin"
amon" the students.
c. tend to di"ress durin" your lectures or "et lost as to where you are in your notes.
d. you can repeat yourself or that you need to return to a previous topic so as to emphasiGe a point.

a. you are not likely to encoura"e class discussion and prefer a formal lecture.
b. 1ou en-oy takin" char"e of a discussion, in-ectin" comments and ideas, but fail to see the responses of the class.
c. your students are relatively 'uiet, with only a few openly challen"in" your ideas, or that you donIt convey interest
in their ideas.
d. you become passive in "uidin" discussion or find yourself easily swayed by your students.

a. 1ou probably return papers and e$ams promptly.
b. 1ou probably dread "radin" papers or e$ams.
c. 1ou take lon"er than students e$pect to correct e$ams or you fail to notice the approachin" deadline.
d. 1ou may show irritation to students about returnin" assi"nments and e$am papers.

a. 1ou are vulnerable to distraction, re"ardless of your interest in somethin". This may affect how effectively you use
your time to prepare lectures, to "rade, to understand a 'uestion.
b. 1ou mi"ht still be vulnerable to distraction, which will affect how effectively you use your time to prepare lectures,
to "rade, and to understand 'uestions.
c. 1ou mi"ht have a tenacious ability to remain focused on whatever you are doin".
d. 1ou mi"ht have a tenacious ability to remain focused on whatever you are doin".



Interesting Links
Self )e"elopment and Inspiration

http4..www.inspirin"thots.net. http4..myhero.com."o.directory. http4..www.paulstips.com.
http4..www.motivateus.com.stories.inde$.htm http4..academictips.or".blo"s. http4..www.simpletruths.com.
http4..www.asamanthinketh.net. http4..www.theamericanmonk.com. http4..www.silvamethod.com.
http4..www.susan-effers.com.home.inde$.cfm http4..innersource.net.em. http4..www.louisehay.com.
,ome videos on rubrics
http4..www.youtube.com.watchMvPJ6n!HIto4(< http4..www.youtube.com.watchMvP1*y3+D1y9k
http4..www.youtube.com.watchMvPB?>77ym7bpI http4..www.youtube.com.watchMvPH+)@3k(HH#Q
Teaching
A beautiful set of ten lectures on teachin" science and en"ineerin" in colle"e
http4..ocw.mit.edu.courses.chemistry.H!?H-!teachin"!colle"e!level!science!and!en"ineerin"!sprin"!=?.video!discussions.
,ome videos on Indian school class rooms are here if you search for T7,, India
http4..www.youtube.com.resultsMsearchR'ueryPtessSindiaS
This is a 4 min video about a teacher who tau"ht his class values and ethics. ;seful to replicate in our schools %for ##7& and also
useful for trainin" the teachers. (o forward to others who may be interested.
http4..www.youtube.com.watchMvP2tD/2l;!@6

June 2013 Page 4 of 4 VOL. #7 ISSUE #6