Our 4 hour session at the Academy for Creative Teaching in Bengaluru began with the lighting of the lamp of knowledge, a song, a welcome address, and a wonderfully detailed program. We met approximately 30 staff members and advisers who explained that teaching is a noble ‘act’ that spreads the excitement of learning from a spark to a wildfire. This unique organization offers the CCCT – Certificate Course in Creative Teaching, and offers in-service and pre-service for teachers on all levels. The logo shows a swan flying over the sea with the sun shining. The water represents the ocean of endless knowledge. The teacher is like a swan who takes a dip in the sea of infinite knowledge and rises up to the ultimate source of knowledge represented by the sun. The Vision Statement is “To make the teaching-learning process exciting, meaningful and lasting” by infusing teaching and learning with discovery, innovation, excellence, enjoyment, creativity, values, and vision.
Creativity is approached in three modules
Module I – Traits of creativity (quality, perspective, options, support)
Module II – Blocks to creativity
Module III – Techniques to teaching creativity
Their mission belief is “QUALITY OF EDUCATION IS AS GOOD AS THE QUALITY OF TEACHERS.”
• Pre-service training and curriculum
o Induction – provides teachers with essential teaching skills
o Orientation – focuses on creative teaching and modern pedagogical advancements
o Refresher – redefines knowledge enhancement and updates content for conceptual understanding
• Perceived need of ed. institutions
• Knowledge explosion and changed curricula
• Creative teachers and reaching out to learners
• Organized effort at general in-service training (their first workshop they charged rupees 250 – about $7 and now they offer about 265 workshops per year at a much higher fee!)
o Communication Skills
o Presentation Skills
o VARK for Teachers
o Creative Teaching Techniques
o Multiple Intelligence
o Teaching & Learning Styles
o Bloom’s Taxonomy
o Evaluation Skills
o Meaningful Homework
o Strategies for Building Confident Kids
o The Emotionally Intelligent School
o Time Management
o Developing Teaching Aids
o Differentiated Teaching
o Creative Pedagogic Techniques
o Classroom Management
o Human Values
o Stress Management
o Leadership Skills
o Ethics in Teaching
o And more…
• Content specific workshops include
o Teaching Creative Writing
o Creative approaches to teaching English, Math, Science, Social Studies
o Grammar in Communication
o Math and Science in Everyday Life
o Model Making in Science and Math
o Project Work in Pedagogy Classes
o Vedic Maths
o Yoga for Teachers
ACT offers a Master Training Programme with these objectives:
• To bring together a committed and dedicated band of teachers with experience and positive attitudes
• To make the transition from teacher to trainer.
o Intensive training
o Observing training sessions
o Participatory training
• Affiliated institutions: Akshara Foundation, Vidya Poshak, KLE, BLDE, JSS, Poorna Prajna.
Academic Audit – self audit is a path to discovery
• “Health” check-up of an institution
• Assessment of an institution facilitated by the stakeholders
• Not an enquiry but an inquiry
• Audit vs accreditation – more internal
• Accreditation audit-internal standards
E-Lab – Teaching the joy of English
• Designed to inculcate positive attitudes and values through holistic learning of English language
• Indians have high knowledge and many degrees, but poor “communication” skills
Several of the 10 students at the 15
day old International School
The organization has also just started a school this past June which currently has 10 students. In 2008, the Vyasa International School began enrolling innovated and enthusiastic learners. We met 4 of the students in grade 2, 4, 5, and 7. One of the students was a special-needs students mainstreamed with the others (Downs Syndrome). The goal of VIS is “education for life.” Traits of VIS will include the following:
• Training beyond year-end exams to face the challenges of life.
• Instill an awareness of social issues in order to be able to respond in proactive ways working for the welfare of others
• Respect and value for individuals
• Shared learning process of discovery, empowerment, self-confidence, and freedom.
• Learner characteristics: positive, reflective, responsible, joyful, sure of his/her place in the world., secure in knowledge of modern aspirations and needs, innate values of compassion and acceptance
• Confluence of modern technology driven education in a “cradle of ancient wisdom and values” to create the vision of a “glorious and equitable future.”
The principal
Website: www.act.edu.in
Contact: Academy for Creative Teaching
#480, 6th Main, R.T. Nagat
Opp. Bus Depot, Bangalore 560032
coordinator@actedu.in
The director wants us to write to them so “The two worlds can meet in the spirit of humanity.”
My observations: I was absolutely stunned by the intelligence, caring, energy, elocution, and professionalism of the staff at ACT. Every address or reference to a person starts or ends with “maam” or “sir”. I LOVED the creative exercises we worked on at the end of the session – balls in a box, separate the box, paper work with numbers on the page. This showed that the mind is easy to set, but we must learn to accept change unexpectedly. Our session ended with a play about learning and knowledge performed by all the children of the school; it was delightful. I so wished that I could have talked to the middle school students about their learning in the International School, but our time had expired.
“Consciously, we teach what we know; unconsciously, we teach who we are.” (Hemachek)
