The Teacher Training Workshop on Mathematics at CVV began today with the Chief Guest Dr. Soumya S, Registrar I/C, Dr. Leela Ramamurthy, Chief Coordinator of the workshop and Dr. Vanishree Ramanathan, Head, School of EGCS, lighting the lamp and garlanding the idol of Goddess Saraswathi.
Dr. Leela Ramamurthy gave the welcome address and Dr. Soumya delivered the inaugural address, declaring the workshop open. Dr. Ajaykumar, Assistant Professor at CVV, proposed the vote of thanks. This short inaugural session was followed by the main sessions of the first day of the workshop.
Session 1: Strategies to motivate learners
Dr. Sreevalsa Kumar, Head of the School of Philosophy, Psychology and Scientific Heritage (PPSH) at CVV, spoke on ‘Strategies to Motivate Learners’. Dr. Kumar helped the participants understand the role of motivation in learning through a variety of examples from daily life. He introduced the participants to a few techniques of learner motivation and made them appreciate the importance of incorporating such techniques in the day-to-day teaching-learning process.
Session 2: Introduction to Geogebra
Dr. Ajaykumar K, Assistant Professor of Mathematics, School of PPSH at CVV, was the resource person for the session. Dr. Ajay began the session by highlighting the need to empower learners with technological tools that make learning not only interesting but also easier. Geogebra is one such effective tool in Mathematics that can be used to both, teach and learn mathematical concepts. The participants were given ample scope and opportunity to explore the basic tools of Geogebra, along with its installation process.
Session 3: Classroom Management
Dr. Leela Ramamurthy, a vastly experienced educator as well as a teacher trainer, addressed the participants in the post-lunch session on ‘Classroom Management’. She pointed out the importance of organising and planning a classroom to cater to the needs of every learner. Borrowing from various theories of child development, as well as her own experience in the field, she gave the participants various insights into the teaching-learning process and provided key pointers for bonding with students, to be inspirational in the classroom, to bring humour into the classroom and above all, to learn from one’s mistakes and strive to improve continually as a teacher. Through an engaging video on classroom management topics like classroom time-management, ensuring student commitment, dedication, class participation and discipline were also discussed.
Session 4: Webinar – Use of Technology to Teach Mathematics
Sri Mandar Bhanushe, Assistant Professor in Mathematics at the Institute of Distance Open Learning, University of Mumbai, addressed the participant teachers through a webinar. The theme of the workshop was made more relevant by providing the participant teachers with an on-hand experience of a webinar. Sri Bhanushe, an expert in e-learning, not only discussed the need for integrating technology in teaching Mathematics but also on how it helps both teachers and learners. The speaker then threw light on content-specific technologies such as CAS, Dynamic Geometry Environments and handheld computation among many others. Later, the participants engaged in a discussion on the Learning Pyramid and its implications. Sri Bhanushe encouraged the participants to reflect and share their experiments in teaching and concluded the session remarking that learning is best when one adopts student-centred project-based teaching strategies.
The second and last day of the Teacher Training Workshop on Mathematics at CVV was just as engaging with sessions on various aspects of teaching mathematics.
Session 1: Using R in teaching statistics
The first session was handled by Dr. Bindusree A. R., Assistant Professor, School of Contemporary Knowledge Systems, CVV, a person with a rich experience of training students and teachers on statistical packages like SPSS and R. The participants, through hands-on activities, explored various features of the ‘R’ Commander’ package that would make their teaching of statistics more effective. The speaker demonstrated how to create data from the learners within the classroom, analyze it using R Commander on the spot and make learning not only realistic but also joyful. The session was well received by the participants.
Sessions 2 and 3:
Dr. Ajaykumar K. started from where he had left off on the forenoon of the first day of the workshop. Through well-sequenced activities he made the teachers explore almost all the major tools of Geogebra. He also discussed several strategies for effective use of Geogebra at various phases of the teaching-learning process. In the end, the speaker demonstrated a couple of applets that teachers could create to organise interactive quizzes inside or outside the classroom.
Valedictory session:
Dr. Soumya S, Registrar I/C of CVV, was the Chief Guest for the session. She was joined on the stage by Dr. Leela Ramamurthy, Chief Coordinator for the workshop. Dr. Ramamurthy addressed the participants, giving them a bird’s eye view of the future activities planned by the Department of Education, CVV. Dr. Ajaykumar then presented the report of the workshop, which was followed by Dr. Soumya’s Valedictory address and the distribution of certificates. The highlight of the session was the positive feedback shared by the participants concerning their experience of the workshop, appreciating its theme and organisation. Dr. Bindusree proposed the vote of thanks. The workshop ended with both organisers and participants going home with a sense of fulfilment.
