Innovative Work Report

    A work of innovation was done by me as part of the B.Ed curriculum. I attempted to picturize the poem ' The Village Blacksmith' which is included in the coursebook of standard VIII. I began the work by providing a brief introduction about the poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow along with his picture. Then I wrote the poetic lines on the left side of the page the detailed explanation of the lines was given on the right side. Sufficient pictures were pasted for enhancing visual beauty. It is said that "a picture is worth a thousand words".Visual aids encourage students' learning  process and make it easier and interesting. Therefore I believe that this work will help the students to understand the poem 'The Village Blacksmith' with much ease. I have also introduced a few terms that are related to the blacksmith and his work. Pictures were also added. A crossword puzzle was included at the end of the work for making the work interesting.

School Internship Phase-I

                   The first phase of our school internship programme was for forty days. 15 of us from our college were sent to G.H.S.S., Koickal. We had a wonderful experience at school and these days really helped us to mould ourselves into good teachers. The following are the pictures of various special programmes conducted in the school from June 20-August 17,2018 :

International Day of Yoga- June 21

International Day Against Drug Abuse- June 26

Moon Day- July 21

Special Assembly

Awareness Programme

   School based Activity

Hiroshima Day- August 6

Independence Day- August 15

Awareness Programme on Air, Water and Land Pollution

  I dealt with the causes and ways to reduce Air Pollution.

Following are the photographs of the class that we have taken:

RMSA - Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan

Education acts as the surest instrument for attaining sustainable development of a high order in a country. In this regard, primary education is considered as the basic enabling factor for participation, freedom and overcoming of basic deprivation; whereas secondary education facilitates economic development and establishment of social justice.

Following the recommendations of New Education Policy of 1986 and Programme of Action, 1992 the Government of India initiated different schemes to support children of secondary and higher secondary schools at different points in time. The IEDSS (formerly IEDC), Girls’ Hostel, Vocational Education and ICT @ schools schemes were started with the overall objective of providing accessible, and relevant secondary education of good quality in India. Started in 2009 in partnership with State Government and Local Self Government, RMSA was the most recent addition to these four existing schemes.

About RMSA:

          The Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) is a flagship scheme of Government of India, launched in March, 2009, to enhance access to secondary education and improve its quality. It is envisaged to achieve an enrolment rate of 75% from 52.5% in 2005-06 at secondary stage of implementation of the scheme by providing a secondary school within a reasonable distance of any habitation. RMSA aims to increase the enrolment rate to 90% at secondary and 75%  at higher secondary stage,  by providing a secondary school within reasonable distance of every home. The other objectives include improving quality education imparted at secondary level through making all secondary schools conform to prescribed norms, removing gender, socio-economic and disability barriers, providing universal access to secondary level education by 2017,i.e., by the  end of the twelfth Five Year Plan and achieving universal retention by 2020.

Important Physical Facilities Provided under the Scheme are:

1. Additional Class rooms
2. Laboratories
3. Libraries
4. Art and Crafts room
5. Toilet blocks
6. Drinking water provisions and
7. Residential Hostel for Teachers in remote areas.

Important Quality Interventions Provided under the Scheme are:

1. Appointment of additional teachers to reduce PTR to 30:1
2. Focus on Science, Maths and English education,
3. In-service training for teachers,
4. Science laboratories
5. ICT enabled education,
6. Curriculum reforms; and
7. Teaching learning reforms
   
   

Important Equity Interventions Provided in the Scheme:

1. Special focus in micro planning
2. Preference to Ashram school for upgradation
3. Preference to areas with concentration of SC/ST/Minority for  opening schools
4. Special enrolment drive for the weaker section
5. More female teachers in schools; and
6. Separate toilet blocks for girls

Implementation Mechanism of the Scheme:

            MHRD is the nodal central government ministry to coordinate RMSA with the help of RMSA State Implementation Societies (SIS) in each state. However, there are a lot of support arrangements and institutions available for better implementation of RMSA. A National Resource Group (NRG) provides guidance for bringing about reforms in teaching learning processes, curriculum, teaching learning material, ICT education and mechanisms of monitoring and evaluation. The Technical Support Group (TSG) supported by MHRD, is a constituent of the NRG and has a direct reporting relationship with the ministry. TSG provides technical and operational support and expertise to national and state level teams.

            Besides this, various sub-committees like Curriculum Reform Subcommittee, Teacher and Teacher Development Subcommittee, ICT Subcommittee and Planning and Management Subcommittee have been constituted under NRG. These subcommittees comprise members from the TSG and meet thrice a year to apprise themselves of the progress made on mutually set goals and commitments. In addition, NCERT and NUEPA support through dedicated RMSA units.

A Report on Field Trip

As part of the B.Ed curriculum, we, the first year students went for a field trip on 16 November, 2017. This optional based field trip was included in the community based practical programme of the first semester syllabus.  The purpose of the trip is usually for observation for education, non-experimental research or to provide students with experiences outside their everyday activities.

The theme of the field trip for English optional students was art. In other words, this one day programme aimed to develop aesthetic sense, imagination and creativity in students and thereby mould them to be an effective teacher in English. It was for this purpose that the students along with the optional teachers attended the field trip to Thiruvananthapuram. The places visited were Kuthira Malika, Chithralayam, Napier Museum and Kovalam Beach.

There were around 100 students from English, Malayalam, Natural Science, Physical Science, Social Science and Mathematics optionals. The number of teachers who accompanied the students was about 10. Everyone assembled in the college by 7 am and after breakfast, the teachers took the correct number of the students present and after that all of us got into the two Volvo buses that were parked near the entrance. The journey began by 8:30 am. There was a silent prayer before the journey and then the students as well as the teachers had a wonderful time in the bus. The first visited place was Kuthira Malika palace, near the Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple. By then, it was 10:30 am and the students were asked to stand in queue to enter into the palace.

             

                 

Kuthira Malika

 Kuthira Malika or Puthenmalika Palace is a two-storied palace built by Swathi Thirunal Balarama Varma on the South-Eastern side of Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Thiruvanathapuram. The palace is named as Kuthira Malika or Mansion of Horses as it has 122 smiling wooden horses on its exterior walls. It is a fine instance of traditional Kerala architecture and is one of the most significant tourist attractions in Thiruvananthapuram. There were guides to lead the students into the palace and they explained everything about the palace in detail. The students ardently listened to them and noted the important details about the palace.   

                                  

Traditional wooden works on the exterior walls of Kuthira Malika

The interior of Kuthira Malika features European mirrors and chandeliers, weapons, crystal items, Kathakali idols, elephant howdahs and other memorabilia. The palace was constructed with teak, rosewood, granite and marble. Elaborate carvings within the palace include two thrones- one is made entirely from elephant tusks and the other from Bohemian crystal. The palace houses the Maharaja’s music room where visitors have a good view of the temple, which was a source inspiration for the ruler. Other rooms include the other music halls, reading rooms, and a library. Noted for the Kerala architecture, the palace took 5,000 workers over 4 years to complete. Although 80 rooms are there in the palace, only 20 are open for the visitors.

       On the first floor are rooms that once served as the audience chamber, the library and an alcove that Maharaja Swathi Thirunal used for meditating and for conceiving many of his musical compositions. This place offers a direct view of the Padmanabhaswamy Temple gopuram. The small wooden stair there contains carvings of peacock, elephant and parrot. One of the rooms displays an illusion portrait of Sree Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma, painted by Svetoslav Roerich. The palace has been visualized in many Malayalam films and is one among the attractive places to visit in Thiruvanathapuram.

       Chithralayam, the art gallery was the next visited place. Sree Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma Chithralayam has been set up at Ranga Vilasam Palace to provide the public with an authentic perspective on the glorious past of Travancore. Conceived by His Highness Sree Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma Maharaja, the museum’s collection includes (besides valuable articles possessed by the Royalty) rare photographs taken by His Highness, himself a connoisseur of photography, and other ace photographers like William D’cruz etc. are set in the royal ambience. This art gallery has precious collections of paintings of the royal family.

                                                   Front view of the Chithralayam

             Lunch was provided for everyone near the museum. After the delicious meal, the students explored the Napier Museum, which is the natural history museum that showcases glimpse of the rich Kerala’s cultural heritage. It was established in 1857 by Maharaja Uthradom Thirunal. The museum has a fairly good collection of exhibition that counts to around 550 numbers. It offers an array of display of artistic, cultural and antique objects comprising of sculptures in bronze and stone, carving of wood and ivory, lamps, textiles, Kathakali models, handicraft items, Koftgari works, traditional musical instruments, a treasure of numismatic collections representing Chera,Chola and Pandya dynasties of Southern India etc. Located right in the heart of the city, this famous Museum, named after Lord Napier, the Governor of Madras from 1886-1872 is also one among the interesting places to visit in Thiruvanathapuram.

Kovalam beach, located about 18 kms south of the city was the last place to visit. It is an internationally renowned beach with three adjacent crescent beaches. It has been a favourite haunt of tourists since the 1930s. The leisure options at this beach are plenty and diverse. Sunbathing, swimming, herbal body toning, massages, special cultural programmes and catamaran cruising are some of them. The beach complex includes a string of budget cottages, Ayurvedic health resorts, convention facilities, shopping zones, swimming pools, Yoga and Ayurvedic massage centres. It was in these three places: Lighthouse beach, Samudra beach and Hawah beach, that students had a wonderful time. They also did some shopping in the nearby shops.

       The return journey began around 6 in the evening. Everyone was filled with much excitement and did not want to go back. Dinner was arranged at Hotel Al Saj, Kazhakootam where everyone relished the tasty food. And finally, around 9:30 the students and the teachers reached the college. From there all of them went back to their homes.

       On the whole, the trip was awesome. All had a fantastic time and it was very much helpful for developing the aesthetic sense, exploration skills, imagination, and co-operation in the students. The teachers were also happy that everyone reached back safely and there were no much troubles during the journey.  To conclude, the trip was very informative, effective and at the same time memorable. So organizing such field trips will be very helpful for the students to learn new through observation, exploration and interaction.

A Report on Kathakali

This report is based on the Kathakali class conducted for the First year B.Ed students as part of the Art and Aesthetic Education. The class was conducted on 24 August, 2017 in the college auditorium. The class was handled by Sri Kalamandalam Rajeev who is a renowned Kathakali artist throughout Kerala. He has practiced Kathakali under various masters and has received several prizes and awards including Guru Gopinath Award, Guru Kunchukurup Award,  A. D. Bolland Medal, Calcutta International Award etc.

Kathakali is an important genre in the Indian classical dance form and is associated with storytelling form of this art. The term ‘Kathakali’ comes from ‘Katha’ which means ‘story’, or a conversation or a traditional tale’ and ‘Kali’ which means ‘performance and art’. It is structured around plays called ‘Attakatha’, written in Sankritized Malayalam. Traditionally, a Kathakali performance is long, starting at dusk and continuing through dawn, with interludes and breaks for the performers and audience. Some plays continued over several nights, starting at dusk every day. Modern performances are shorter. The stage with seating typically in open grounds outside a temple, but in some places, special theatres called ‘Kuttampalam’ built inside the temple compounds have been in use. Of all the Indian classical dance forms, Kathakali has the most elaborate costuming consisting of head dresses, face masks and vividly painted faces. It typically takes several long hours to prepare a Kathakali troupe to get ready for a play. The makeup follows an accepted code that helps the audience easily identify the archetypical characters such as gods, goddesses, evil characters, animals and other characters of a story. Seven basic makeup types are used in Kathakali, namely ‘Pacha’ (green), ‘Pazhupp’ (ripe), ‘Kathi’ (knife), ‘Kari’, ‘Thaadi’, ‘Minukku’ and ‘Teppu’. These vary with the styles and the predominant colours made from rice paste and vegetable colours that are applied on the face. Sri Kalamandalam Rajeev’s expertise is in Pacha characters.

Kathakali is said to be one of the most difficult styles to execute on stage as acting has an important role in it. The actors speak a ‘sign language’, where the word part of the charcter’s dialogue are expressed through “hand signs” (mudras), while emotions and moods are expressed through “facial and eye” movements. Several ancient Sanskrit texts such as “Natya Shastra”and “Hastha Lakshnadeepika” discuss hand gestures or mudras. Kathakali follows the “Hastha Lakshnadeepika” most closely, unlike other classical dances of India. Each actor masters these mudras and expressions for right conveyance of the emotion. The main 24 mudras are :

1. Pathaka                                                       13) Mukuram
2. Mudraakyam                                               14) Bramaram
3. Khadakam                                                   15) Suchikamukham
4. Mushti                                                         16) Pallavam
5. Kartharimukham                                         17) Thripathaka
6. Shukhathundam                                          18) Mrigasheersham
7. Kavithakam                                                 19) Sarpashiras
8. Hamsapaksham                                           20) Vardhamanakam
9. Shikharam                                                    21) Araalam
10. Hamsasyam                                                 22) Oornanabam
11. Anjali                                                          23) Mukulam
12. Ardhachandram                                          24) Khadakamugam

There are nine facial expressions called ‘Navarasas’ and numerous minor mudras in Kathakali. Kalamandalam Rajeev Sir wonderfully explained these mudras in detail.

A Kathakali performance typically starts with artists tuning their instruments and warming up with beats, signaling to the arriving audience that the artists are getting ready and the preparations are on. A series of performances comes in the sequential order. First is the ‘Totayam’ and ‘Purapattu’ performances which are preliminary ‘pure’ dances that emphasize skill and pure motion. The expressive part of the performance, which constitutes the dance-drama, is split into four types: ‘Kalasam’, ‘Iratti’, ‘Tonkaram’ and ‘Nalamiratti’. The play is in the form of verses that are metered and lyrical, sung by vocalists whose voice has been trained to various melodies (raga), music and synchronized with the dance-acting on the stage. Three types of drums used in Kathakali are Maddalam, Chenda and Idakka. Kalamandalam Rajeev Sir concluded his class with a small performance of the Kathakali act which was the highlight of the session.

On the whole, the class was very interesting and it helped the students to understand and enjoy Kathakali as one among the elite Classical art forms of India.

Short Biography of Sri Aurobindo and His Aims of Education

Introduction:

Sri Aurobindo (1872-1950) occupies a very important position among the contemporary Indian philosophers of education. He had a wide knowledge in Eastern and Western, ancient and modern systems of education and principles of educational psychology. He presents an integral philosophy of education. Despite being an educationist and philosopher, he was a yogi, guru, poet and nationalist.

Short Biography:

          Aurobindo (born Aurobindo Ghose) was born in Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, India on 15 August, 1872. At the age of seven he went to England for higher studies. On his return in 1893, he joined Baroda College. At this time, he was fluent with many foreign languages, but less familiar with Indian culture. He spent twelve years in Baroda serving as a teacher, secretary to the Maharaja of Gaekwad and also the Vice Principal of Baroda College. It was only after staying in India for twelve long years that he could understand the harm that the British rule had done to the Indian civilization and he slowly and gradually started showing interest in politics. His initial political activism involved emphasis on the urgency of demanding total freedom from the British government. He finally moved to Bengal in the year 1906 and got in touch with revolutionaries and inspired young revolutionaries. In 1908, the British arrested him in the connection with the Alipore Bomb Case. He was subsequently released after one year of solitary confinement. After the release, he started two new publications: Karmayogi (English) and Dharma (Bengali). In April 1910, he secretly moved to Pondicherry (which was then a French colony) to start a new life. In Pondicherry, Sri Aurobindo set himself on a path of spiritual learning and evolution by practicing secluded yoga continuously for four years which he termed as ‘integral yoga’. He proposed the importance of spiritual practices in human transformation into a divine entity.

Aims of Education:

          The philosophy of education propounded by Sri Aurobindo is based upon certain fundamental principles. These principles are triple, as follows:

          First, the child should himself know and develop; the teacher should only be a guide. This is true for everyone without distinction of age and sex.

          Secondly, education must suit the particular qualities, capacities, ideas, virtues, etc. of the person concerned. The second principle in the words of Sri Aurobindo is, ‘that mind should be consulted in its own growth.’ There should be no imitation. Each individual and each community should have a system of education suitable to its nature. Everywhere the basic principle is to follow one’s own ‘svadharma.’ The aim of education is self-realization in the individual as well as in the community. Education should help the growing soul to dram out what is best in itself and to make it perfect.

          ‘The third principle of education’, according to Sri Aurobindo’, ‘is to work from the near to the far, from that which is to that which shall be.’ This is a corollary of the second. Everything should be natural to the student, not only the aim but also the means of education. The national system of education should be rooted in the national language. This, however, does not imply any antagonism to foreign languages.

          The aim of education, as defined by Sri Aurobindo, agrees with the definitions of the aim of education advanced by most of the important philosophers of education in East and West. Education is a process to realize the inner nature of the educand. In this process, the educand uses the different elements of education to realize his own nature. Thus, education, according to Sri Aurobindo is paido- centric.

Means of Education:

          Means of education, according to Sri Aurobindo, should be developed according to human nature. The means of education are determined not only by the psychology of the human individual but also that of human society.

          The instrument of education, according to Sri Aurobindo, is the mind or Antakharan; Antakharan according to Sri Aurobindo consists of the following four layers:

1. Chitta: This is the reservoir of past memories and mental impressions. It is from the ‘chitta’ the active memory selects the needed thing when needed.
2. Manas: Manas is the second layer. It receives images coming from sense organs and translates them into thought sensations.
3. Buddhi: Buddhi or intellect the real instrument of thought, is the third layer. Its functions are of two types as follows:

1. Functions and faculties of the right hemisphere: These include judgement, imagination, memory and observation. Its abilities are comprehensive, creative and synthetic. This part of the mind is the master of knowledge.
2. Functions and faculties of the left hemisphere: These are critical and analytic and include comparison and reasoning. They perform the functions of distinction, comparison, classification, deduction, inference and conclusion.

Both require proper training and development in a sound system of education.

4   .Intuitive perception of truth: Fourth layer of the mind is the power of intuitive perception of truth. This power of the mind has to be developed.