The Inclusive Teacher Project

The Inclusive Teacher Project

Greetings from The Teacher Foundation !

The Inclusive Teacher Project aimed at enabling selected government school teachers in the area of Inclusive Education. This was conducted for 96 teachers represented from Shahapur block of Yadgir district, Karnataka.

The Inclusive Teacher project started with an orientation to all the participating teachers. To understand the current teaching-learning practices in schools, a baseline study was conducted. This was followed by 5 days of trainings in two phases ( First phase - 3 days & second phase -2 days); interspersed with 2 rounds of School Based Support(Observation of individual teachers' classroom followed with a Feedback session).

Following activities were completed as part of this project:

• Orientation

• Baseline Observation

• 5 days of training

• 2 rounds of School Based Support

Detailed report on the baseline observation and first round of School Based Support was shared in the last quarter. Data during Baseline observations, first & second round of observationswere gathered by using a tool developed by The Teacher Foundation - 'Classroom Observation Checklist'. The data gathered from these observations help us to assess the impact of the programme.

Comparison of the data from the three rounds of observation: (refer the attached file for details)

Highlights:

• Teachers took the feedback provided to them positively as some part of the discussion was focussing on the areas for improvement. A change in teachers' attitude was noticed when TTF facilitators visited the schools.

• There is an improvement in the teacher-student interaction. Teachers were more empathic with their students and we could observe an overall change in their body language (teacher demeanour in terms of tone, use of words, eye contact).

• High score in the teaching learning methodology can be attributed to the attempt made by teachers in using different teaching techniques in the classroom. One widely observed strategy used across schools was the collaborative learning techniques (Pair work, Group Work). This helped all children participate and learn from each other.

• We observed that most of the teachers were giving time and opportunity for children to express their views and ideas. Some teachers asked higher order questions and challenged students to think, analyse and respond. This has also encouraged children to ask questions.

• Teachers have shifted from 'one size fits all' to simple modifications to suit the learning needs of CWSN and to accommodate them in the learning process.

• During endline observation, teachers were involved in revision. Use of blackboard was minimum while the teachers engaged the students in small groups.

Testimonials:

• “After the classroom observation and feedback session, I reflect on my classroom practice and have changed some methodologies to accommodate CWSN students. Now I am happy and proud about my teaching practice. ” - A teacher from GHPS, Kodamanahalli.

• “TTF training and School based support helped me to reflect on my classroom practices and transform the learnings into my classroom” - A teacher from GHPS Dornalli Ambedkar Nagar.

• “ I like TTFs way of asking reflective questions and the method followed is non-threatening. It helped me to reflect on my practice and to build confidence for effective teaching.” A teacher from GHPS Gundalli Tanda

• “Through TTFs school based support and training I got to know ‘how to include CWSN students in regular classroom sessions’ - A teacher from GHPS Beernur.

• From TTFs training and School Based Support, I got to know “how to adapt curriculum and use TLMs effectively based on CWSN needs” - A teacher from GHPS Itaga S.

• “Initially, I was not consideringCWSN in my daily classroom processes, but now I provideequal opportunities to all students including CWSN.” - A teacher from GHPS, Kurkunda.

We look forward for the continued support.

Thank You !

• Final_Report__The_Inclusive_Teacher_Project.pdf (PDF)