SAIIER 2021:Teachers' Center

Ilaignarkal Education Centre		Supportive Learning Satellite
Entity::Teachers' Center by Ana, Author::Marion and Author::Francoise

The aim of the Teachers’ Center is to support, at the maximum of our capacities, teachers in Auroville who are already working in schools or those who wish to be prepared to become a teacher. We work at developing Integral Education in Auroville and outside of Auroville.

We have three programs going on at the Teachers’ Center at this moment:

1. Supportive Learning Satellite (see following report).
2. Professional Development Program happening at Aikiyam School Kindergarten.
3. The ongoing Professional Development in other Auroville schools.

This year 2020-21 has been very special due to the Covid-19 Pandemic world reality. Our secretary took the initiative to support schools explaining how to create a platform online and suggesting resources for teaching online. She supported kindergarten teachers in Auroville and Outreach schools, Primary school teachers, and the Professional Development program happening at Teachers Center.

Activities of the year:

Professional Development at Aikiyam School:

This project started in the year 2019 trying to fulfill the needs of teachers in Aikiyam School. The Foundation for World Education funded the project and we started to transform the Kindergarten, providing an approach closest to Holistic Education and Integral Education.

As the schools were closed this program could not reach the 75 kids that were supposed to be the beneficiaries. But it gave an enormous possibility to work deeply with the teachers who had enough time to dedicate for training.

From April 2020 to March 2021 a group of 7 teachers have been learning about Montessori Educational Method, preparation of classrooms set-up and materials.

Online workshop “From Sensorial to Geometry and Maths”

In February 2021 we started this online workshop, which is based in a holistic approach. For this course we opened new platforms in Edmodo to post information and materials that support the learning process. 30 teachers from different schools are taking part.

The teachers have weekly practice and assessment in how to use materials for Maths and Geometry. They are working on material preparation for their own benefit and needs, and have to prepare a file with their notes and the material that they are going to use with the children. They will be given a certificate at the end of the course (May 7, 2021).

Planning 2-year Professional Development program

We are planning to facilitate a 2-year long Professional Development program for teachers. Already, approximately 10 teachers are interested to join. Facilitators with different skills in Auroville and abroad will be involved. The planning is ongoing, and we are hoping to start in August 2021.

Online classes

We are giving individual online classes to teachers who need work on specific topics like “Child Development”.

One more platform was opened in Edmodo for the professional development of the Kindergarten teachers.

The Supportive Learning Satellite

This was the first phase of a project to extend and equip the Supportive Learning Service, an internal project of the Teachers’ Centre in collaboration with Lilaloka, for children in need of emotional, behavioral and learning support, together with their families. (See following report)

Outcomes:

We created the bases for teachers at Aikiyam Kindergarten to work with different approaches. We made a PowerPoint presentation on this project, hoping that in the future it can be a model for other educators in Auroville and outside of Auroville.

Around 30 teachers working in Auroville schools and educational projects, and few volunteers, participated in the online workshop for making Math and Geometry more understandable to their students. Material was created.

The Supportive Learning Satellite (SLS) now has clear referral pathways which makes it easier for teachers /schools to refer a child for help and assessment.

The SLS teachers operating under the Teachers’ Center and Lilaloka have been able to take on a wider role of Professional Development, leading to a ‘trickle down’ effect from islands of expertise, from which all Auroville institutions are beginning to benefit.

Research highlights:

We are developing a workbook for teachers based on Montessori principles and how they are linked to Integral Education principles. This workbook is in process, five chapters are finished out of ten.

We created three platforms online for professional development to fulfill the needs of the ongoing programs, including teacher resources (didactic material, videos, homework). Interactive Zoom sessions happened. Teachers had to learn how to use these new tools.

It was found that the training is more efficient when both online classes and traditional meetings with participants physically present are used. In an Integral Education approach the teachers have to experience physically, emotionally and mentally the educational material they are going to propose to the children. And this cannot be done online.

Reflections:

The most meaningful process this year was the transformation of the teachers in the Kindergarten section at Aikiyam. Teachers deepened their understanding of child development; they could experience at home with their children and grandchildren the value of what they have learned. They became eager to create a classroom set-up and materials to follow and enhance the learning process of the children. They gained confidence and energy in the process.

Challenging this year was the pandemic and finding ways to keep working with the teachers under the present circumstances.