Inspirational journey of an Academic Evangelist and International Education Pride-2021 Awardee : Kalpna Chauhan.

“Life journey of an Academic Evangelist by gaining momentum through various pedagogies and implementing them in real classrooms”- Kalpna Chauhan

MYPENCILDOTCOM :     What is the mantra you stick to for teaching your students?

KC : My mantra for teaching students is very simple. Do not go the way you want to go, rather assess varied needs of your students and accordingly tailor your teaching style as per them.

In short the teaching-learning process has to be student centric. There could be a question here about how to cater different kinds of learners in the same class.

The answer to that would be to classify various kinds of learners. As per the research till date there are generally VAK (Visual, Auditory or Kinesthetic)  learners in any class. Therefore, the teacher needs to ensure using visual aids, audio aids and activities (experiential learning) to explain any topic/concept. 

MYPENCILDOTCOM :      What are your horizons for teaching?

KC : I am more of a trainer than a teacher. As far as my horizon is concerned it is gradually increasing with exposure. Few of my current training highlights are mentioned below:

o   Classroom Management

o   Creative classrooms

o   Integrated pedagogy for learning

o   Blended Learning/Hybrid Learning

o   Using Positive language in Classrooms

o   Bloom’s taxonomy

o   Brain-based learning

o   Fun ways of revision

o   Dealing with laggards

o   Being an inspirational teacher

o   Early Childhood Care & Education (ECCE)

o   Child Psychology

o   Multiple Intelligence

o   Emotional Intelligence

o   Developing Life Skills in Students

MYPENCILDOTCOM : You are currently training teachers and principals, it’s a new field. Tell us more about it

KC :I agree training of teachers and principals has come up more in discussion in the very recent past. Previously, we used to have limited trainings for teaching aspirants such as NTT (Nursery Teachers Training), B.Ed or M.Ed. Generally, what used to happen is that aspirants go for such courses and after completing them when they are hired somewhere; they tend to either forget their learning or unable to link it with their regular class routine.

In the last decade, training needs for teachers have risen. Schools are being more proactive in training their resources and that’s how private institutions have started assisting schools and their varied stakeholders. Nowadays, many trainers are available for training teachers, principals, students and even for parent orientation sessions. Last year when NEP 2020 (National Education Policy) came in public, it created a buzz for the burning need of teachers’ training.

MYPENCILDOTCOM :  What are the most common issues/needs these people come to you with?

KC :Generally, teachers face issues in managing classrooms effectively and dealing with different levels of students. For the same they get training on Classroom management, Ways of engaging them in studies, Fun-based learning, Following VAK (Visual, Auditory and Kinesthetic) approach etc. Such topics are covered through some workshops where teachers also put up their individual queries/concerns and that gets addressed. These sessions are based on real-time scenarios of class.

MYPENCILDOTCOM   :  Tell us more about your training program.

KC :My training programs are generally tailored as per the needs of schools. For example, in a country like ours there are classifications in cities/towns such as Tier1, Tier2 or Tier3 cities. Schools in  Tier1 city might need some assistance in experiential learning or Schools in Ter3 city might need some assistance in utilising visual aids effectively in classrooms. There could be cases where the number of students in a class is above 50 or at the same time it is 20 in another one. Hence, planning a training session as per their resources and needs are very much significant and challenging too.

Since last year Online classes have become an integral part and teachers were not familiar with this before. Therefore,  there were many requests coming up for ‘ways of making online sessions more effective’ and accordingly they were trained on using multiple resources for the same.

In short, with over a decade of experience in the education domain now, I am very flexible and comfortable in dealing with new topics in trend. Infact, I prefer exploring new ones and expanding my horizon on a daily basis.

MYPENCILDOTCOM   : Tell us more about your journey as a coach.

KC :My journey as a Coach has really been experiential rather than being bookish. So far I have groomed more than 10K educational stakeholders including Teachers, Students and Parents.  Since last year I started going LIVE on various social media platforms also with some of my training capsules. I really got a tremendous response from my audience; and their engagement and appreciation gives me more fuel and energy. I currently have a Facebook page and Youtube Channel where I keep on posting a lot of content that I feel could help others.

It can be accessed at Facebook Link & Youtube Link .

MYPENCILDOTCOM   :   What are your qualifications to practice in this particular field?

KC :Well, as far as my qualifications are concerned I did MBA in Human Resource and MSc in International Business. Both these courses helped me in identifying my innate skills and passion. I have always been a good observer, presenter, communicator and negotiator. Therefore, these courses helped me in building up my career profile as a Trainer and with experience in the education sector I could learn varied educational researches and their implications in the school segment. Apart from this I am a Certified Parenting Coach, Blended Learning Expert and Student Counsellor from various private institutions like Coursera  and Udemy

MYPENCILDOTCOM :   Do you think that these methods are more effective than the mainstream education system?

KC :Education today is about to take a 360 degree turn with NEP implementation. So far we have been following Lord Mccalley’s education policy as our mainstream education system but it is clearly evident that it’s not helpful in current times where students are exposed to various platforms of learning. Gone are the times when teachers used to teach the way they were taught. Now teachers are being more sensitive to varied student needs and accordingly they tailor their lesson plans keeping all kinds of learners in mind.

In my opinion these methods are really helpful in engaging students than the mainstream education system where students’ needs were hardly paid any attention and the teaching-learning process used to be teacher centric.

MYPENCILDOTCOM :  What is your approach to reach more students in future.

KC :I want to expand my circle of influence by regularly making new content for them as per trend. For example, self-learning is a new normal and how to make it more relevant and effective has to be taught to them. This is how I assist them about various Webpages where they may land and deep dive into their studies. There are ways to prepare for board exams or any competitive exams effectively. I keep sharing such mantras via ZOOM sessions, FB LIVE and also via Youtube Channel. These practices not only guide them but also boost up their confidence which in turn results in their betterment.

MYPENCILDOTCOM :  Message for Mypencildotcom.

KC :Mypencildotcom is a great platform where think-tanks share their journey and extraordinary achievements. I am sure these are very inspirational to many. I wish good luck to the entire team who are working day and night to bring out the best pearls from the market and share their experiences on this wonderful platform. My sincere gratitude to each member of Mypencildot.com for the same.