Written by: Siddhartha Kurapati
For over 5 decades, SSMI has focussed on providing quality education to underprivileged children. Over the years, it has adapted its curriculum with the latest developments and methods, and more importantly imbibe the concept of inclusivity among the children.
This approach isn’t just limited to the students, but also applies to the school faculty, who have time and again shown their interest to further upgrade their skills and capabilities, thereby enhancing the classroom experience and the takeaways for the students.
One such initiative germinated in 2021. This article explains the journey of Ms Devshri Rout and Ms Nirmalpreet Kaur as to how they enrolled into an online programme on inclusive education. In August 2021, SSMI Director Sunita Bhasin introduced Ms Devshri Rout and Ms Nirmalpreet Kaur (faculty members of SSMI’s primary division) to the Atman Academy for a 6-month course. The Academy runs a programme certified by University of Minnesota, called CHILD (Certificate Course in Holistic Inclusion of Learners with Diversity), which focusses on inclusive education. Through this programme, the academy wants to create an army of faculty who focus on inclusive education where all learners are considered to be equal, while taking care of their diverse needs. This programme, which Ms Nirmalpreet and Ms Devshri, enrolled in Oct 2021, featured a variety of assessments such as written exams, case studies and even creating a podcast that would focus on the subject at hand. Both Nirmal and Devshri excelled in their assessments thereby achieving this much coveted certificate.
Another thing this programme achieves is that it doesn’t require schools to hire external inclusive educators and focusses on upskilling existing faculty members thereby ensuring a stability in the child’s mind and a comfort factor that a faculty member provides in comparison to an external member who may not know the needs of the child.
As Atman Academy is funded by the Tata Trust and, TISS being a part of these trusts, the institute suggested to Nirmal and Devshri that they further their training in inclusive education by enrolling for the An Inquiry-based Approach to Inclusive Mathematics teaching by TISS Pune. While the programme is offered by TISS, it also includes educators trainers from IIT Madras. As has been the norm, due to the pandemic, this programme was conducted online by TISS. Ms Devshri Rout chose to pursue this programme, being relevant to her teaching specialisation in Mathematics in November 2022.
This programme by TISS enhances the capability of the faculty members to create a classroom environment that is rooted in the spirit of enquiry and encourages students to further their interest in Mathematics, that is often misplaced due to the fear that some of the students have for it. It helps the faculty to concretize a foundation in the subject and also provides necessary focus on Geometry which many studies have shown that it increases the ability to visualise when learnt in their formative years. One key aspect of this approach is to create a diverse and inclusive classroom, where all students feel valued and respected. This includes providing multiple ways for students to access mathematical content, such as using manipulatives, visual aids, and technology. It also involves being aware of and addressing any potential biases in the curriculum and teaching materials.
Ms Devshri is currently pursuing this online programme and intends to graduate from it in March later this year. We wish her all the very best!
