Teachers at Apeejay School International brainstorm innovative pedagogies for the new academic session 

Apeejay School International (ASI) – South Delhi commenced the new academic session 2022 with a series of teachers’ workshops to enhance the teaching- learning experience in classrooms.

This biannual two-day Continuous Professional Development (CPD) programme was power-packed with informative and strategy-driven sessions. The first day began with presentations on Flipped, Socrative and Harkness methods followed by workshops on Inquiry-based learning, Kagan’s Cooperative Learning and Visual Thinking Routines. Sanya Malhotra, a Business Management Facilitator in the school says, “The session on Flipped, Socrative and Harkness methods was most striking. In Flipped technique, we enable a student to explain what topics they have learnt in class to the educator. This role-reversal is essential to boost a student’s confidence.”

Further adding, she says, “International Baccalaureate curriculum encourages students to take ownership. Therefore, Socrative, a group-based method where a student is allowed to speak their mind without hesitation is also crucial. In this, a teacher becomes a facilitator and motivates students to become independent. Due to these approaches, students are bound to remember a certain topic for a long period of time. In Harkness as well, we provide different pieces of information on a certain theme to students so they can club together their ideas. Refreshing these methods was a great experience for me!”

According to Monika Vasudev, a Primary-Years-Programme Facilitator at the school, “All the sessions were special. Each segment from the workshop brought out a new aspect to our teaching methods. Most importantly, I learnt about resilience and how to practice it in the classroom. As an educator, we come across several daily challenges and to overcome them is of prime importance. While dealing with students, it’s necessary for a teacher to have a calm mindset, so s/he is able to exude positivity.”

The day 2 of the session focused on assessment strategies and tools such as Process Journals, e-Portfolios, Exit tickets, One-minute paper, Oral Commentaries, Podcast, Reflections and Feedback. The school’s Principal, Mr. Purshottam Dutt Vashist also delivered a session on ‘Emotional Intelligence’ that allowed the educators to ponder on their teaching methods.

Bhavya Arora, Psychology Facilitator and School Counsellor emphasises how developing emotional intelligence is the need of the hour. “On the second day of the workshop, Principal Sir shared materials and quizzes centered on the theme of emotional intelligence at the workplace and in classrooms. It was an insightful session! I feel that Covid-19 has impacted students and their daily interactions while forcing them into a shell or onto laptop screens. In order to have healthy relationships between students and teachers, we should practice emotional intelligence and attempt to understand each other better.”  

In the course of the workshops, the school and staff ensured that each session provides a comprehensive understanding of teaching methods and nurtures a growth-based mindset. To boost and brush up their academic plan and strategies, the faculty also took into account Exit Tickets, Reflections and Feedbacks from students.

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“Continuous Professional Development plays a crucial role in ensuring world-class delivery of the school’s curriculum. The programme equips teachers with up-to-date and modern teaching methods, so they are ready to create stimulating learning spaces to make our students empowered learners.”

-Mr. Purshottam Dutt Vashist, Principal, Apeejay School International – South Delhi