Induction Programme 2024-25
At Shikshantar we have a careful selection of trained teachers followed by a strong teacher development and support programme. The Induction Programme based on the principles of progressive education is a step in the ongoing process of professional learning for teachers. It gently inducts them as facilitators into the system that uniformly believes in ‘a place where I can be me ’.
It is a well designed compact program for facilitators to create a joyful, safe and non-judgmental environment where children feel free to express themselves. Our program trains them to encourage children to critically question the world around them and connect the classroom experiences to their own.
Our in-service training programme provides opportunities for teachers to
- Be informed about the work of philosophers and thinkers in education
- Be in touch with their inner self and professional development
- Develop interpersonal skills necessary for meaningful interaction with school-age children
- Learn from the strengths of experienced teachers in school
- Upgrade their skills and knowledge levels as teachers of an integrated educational curriculum
The first step in the induction process was a walk through the school premises to understand the history behind each space and to recognise the role each space plays in children’s growth and learning.
As the programme progressed, facilitators attended art, music and dance sessions, understanding the importance of integration into mainstream curriculum at all levels. The team explored performing arts through hands-on activities and also made presentations around their work in small groups. Feelings, emotions and hidden memories found forms through strokes of brushes and colours as soothing music played creating a sense of unsaid calmness.
The new team members were shown classroom project work, with children immersed in activities around elements of ‘Earth' and ‘Fire’ which helped them draw linkages between their experiences and application in classrooms. They also had a soulful session on “Awakening the Psychic”. It evoked their spontaneous and intuitive self, and they shared - “I felt connected and reminded of my fields in my hometown.” “Being with myself in silence was refreshing and peaceful that I have not experienced in a long time.”
Progressive philosophies of education and work of educators and thinkers were introduced, connecting the dots between their work and what we do! at Shikshantar. It helped understand the changes children go through at different developmental stages of growth and how to address their needs through the curriculum in a sensitive and inclusive learning environment.
Induction also led to introspection in a journey towards deeper understanding of selves which in turn enables facilitators to become skilled educators growing and learning together with the children.
A holistic development of the mental, vital and physical being is a prerequisite for the holistic development of children. The induction was a celebration of coming together in the physical space. An opportunity to deepen and renew connections with vital principles that hold up Shikshantar philosophy and progressive education.