Report of Dr. D.K. Modi, Principal, JNV Bokaro

on ICT Workshop at Cheshire (UK) and visiting partner schools

under UKIERI Project

 

 

 

Subject : My visit to U.K. under UK-India Education Research Initiative - Reg.

 

Sir,

 

            I cannot express the thrill of joy that passed through my heart when I got the opportunity to attend contact seminar at Cheshire, UK held from 21st September to 26th September, 2007. Really, it was an amazing experience, highly informative, joyful learning and memorable event of my life.  British Council, UK an India nicely planned and well organized and promptly executed this programme.  we reached London in the evening of 20th September, 2007 at Heathrow Airport.  After formal welcome we were taken to the IBIS Hotel in London and stayed there in the night.  In the morning of 21st we went to Cheshire which is 120 kms away from London.  On the way to Cheshire we visited the birth place of William Shakespeare, Stratford-on-Avon and took a buffet Lunch at the Falcon Hotel.  Moreover, around the town there are number of historical buildings that date back to his life period.  Startford is a beautiful town to visit the old fashioned streets.  We reached Cheshire at 4 pm.  At around 4.15 pm we were at our destination Wychwood Park, a hotel, and settled in our rooms.  The seminar started at 4.30 in the Wychwood suite.  Two consultants of British Council Mts. Christine and Mrs. E Milia Arthur interacted with us and they initiated to set up partner there.  Two days of the Seminar were fully utilized to make us well acquainted with the British culture, their food habit and school educations System of UK.  They arranged lunch and dinner at different hotels in British heritage.  We also visited international heritage city Chester on 23.09.2007.

  

            We were fortunate enough to link our cluster with four schools of UK; these schools are of North Devon, namely, Brauton School and community college, Bideford college, The Park community school and Pilton community College.  These schools are within the radius of 10 km from North Devon and 60 miles away from London.  North Devon is a tourist place.  The major areas of interest for both the clusters Patna and Devon are environmental issues, geography and ICT; and we would like the partnership to provide the opportunity for development of universal values among students through sharing cultural heritage.  I would also like to use ICT in education to develop the partnership and create interest in Science and Technology in the class room.  The linking of our cluster with the UK schools will definitely enhance the academic performance of the students and outlook of the Vidyalaya.

 

            I got the opportunity to visit one of the specialist schools in UK that is Bridgewater High School, Willington, Chester.  I spent the whole day in this school and visited all the departments, Science, Art, Fashion Design, Textile Technology, Physical Education, History, Geography, Recording Studio, Dance Studio, Video conferencing Suite etc.  I talked to the students, teachers, Deputy Head teacher and Head teacher.  The major priority of the school is standards of learning and achievement across the curriculum as a whole for their students.  They achieve this goal by working in partnerships with other local schools and the wider community to share the resources.  Their aim is also to promote educational climate which is creative and expressive, technological, vocational and relevant to all the students across their ability range.

 

            On 25th we came back to London and visited some of the important places of London like London Bridge, London tower, museums, Buckingham Palace, etc.  The British Council served us lunch in the council premises and we were introduced with the council members.  We were dropped at the Heathrow Airport in the evening of 26th and came back to Delhi by Air Jetway on 27th in the morning.

 

            I extend my heartiest thanks to the staff of British Council, UK and India for the hospitality they extended to us for making this journey memorable and informative.  I do hope that my experiences and the linking of our vidyalaya with that of UK will not only enhance the academic standard of all the vidyalayas of our cluster but also change the outlook of all the vidyalayas of Patna region.

 

            I express my deep sense of gratitude to you for your constant guidance and providing me the opportunity to attend the contact seminar.

 

            I am beholden to Dr. N.N. Singh and Sri Grish Chandra, Asstt. Comm., NVS, RO, Patna for their kind cooperation.  I extend my heartiest thanks to all the officials of NVS and my colleagues.

 

 

Yours faithfully,

 

 

(Dr. D.K. Modi)

Principal

JNV, Bokaro(Jharkhand)

           

 

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Report of Shri M. Mariappan, Principal, JNV Ashoknagar (MP)

on ICT Workshop at Nottingham (UK) and visiting partner schools

under UKIERI Project

 

 

JAWAHAR NAVODAYA VIDYALAYA

Khiriyadevat, Distt. Ashoknagar (M.P.)

 

 

No. JNV-KD/ASKN/07/724                                                                                                         Dated 14.02.2007

 

To

 

        Shri O. Nabakishore Singh, IAS,

        Hon'ble Commissioner,

        Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti,

        A-28, Kailash Colony,

        New Delhi - 110048

 

Sub :-    Submission of brief report on ICT workshop at Nottingham (U.K.) & visiting partner schools at Leeds under UKIERI Project - reg.

 

Respect Sir,

 

        I extend my hearfelt thanks to N.V.S. and British Council India & U.K. for giving an opportunity to attend UKIERI ICT workshop at Nottingham (N.C.S.L.) on 2nd to 4th February, 2007 and visiting partner schools of Leeds.  It is an exciting experience for us to observe the following uniqueness of sound primary education at U.K. and it is really unique in many ways :

 

A.    Visit to partner schools at Leeds on 30th January 2007 to 1st February 2007:-

 

i.    Learning was joyful, playful, fun making, child centered, creative oriented, original and carried on completely in natural and free atmosphere.

 

ii.    Teachers were most committed, punctual, responsible, reasonable and most concern for their child development and closely related with a child.

 

iii.   Teaching and learning were stress free and all material resources were easily available in each and every classroom.

 

iv.    No homework, no bag and baggages and all creative activities were taken up in the classroom itself in an exciting way in the normal atmosphere.

 

v.    Entire classrooms in the school, surroundings, playfield, resource room, activity rooms, staff common rooms, kitchen & dining, Multi Purpose Hall, Music Room were physically speaking in its own unique language to the children and the visitors to learn new things just by seeing.

 

vi.    ICT were effectively used even at primary level education and used by the children freely and effectively.  Required quantities were available in each classroom for teaching and learning based on latest technologies.  Technology is fully integrated in the process of learning at primary education.

 

vii.    One teacher & One Assistant Teacher were simultaneously involved in the process of teaching of maximum 30 students of each class.

 

viii.    Children were given complete freedom, feel at home and all activities were carried out with more interest without any pressure or fear, but , discipline was excellent.

 

ix.    Teaching & Evaluation were going on simultaneously & continuously without any punishment or discouragement in the learning abilities of the learners.

 

x.    Remedial and personalized teaching to challenged children after the main school hours were unique in nature and required attention of all the teaching communities in the process of dealing with the challenged children.

        

xi.    School Council, Parents Council & Teaching Community play a vital role in the process of development of the school and children.

        Specially, Primary education in U.K. is more healthy, wealthy, very much charming and shining brilliantly.

 

B.    I.C.T. Workshop at National College for School Leadership, Nottingham 2nd to 4th February 2007:-

 

        It is very much Educative and Informative to use latest technologies in joined curriculum UKIERI Project and to take up other International Educational projects in future.  We have been enlightened to use ICT for communication between partner schools in various ways like (a) Preparing Special UKIERI Blogs (b) Skill of transmitting video and audio messages through computers (c) Effective use of internet for sharing of knowledge (d) Preparing websites (e) Use of Digital Cameras in the process of transmission of photos through ICT etc.  This workshop strengthens our confidence and skills to carry on the UKIERI Project most effectively.  Thanks a lot for the resource persons involved in the workshop.

 

        Last, but not the least, we have been shown on site seeing at Leeds and London all the historical places of U.K. which is very much exciting for all of us for which we don't have any words to acknowledge.

 

        It is rich in experience, educative, informative and enlightening in the process of educational endeavors between U.K. and India under UKIERI Projects.

 

 

Yours faithfully,

 

 

(M. Mariappan)

Principal

J.N.V. ASHOKNAGAR (M.P.) &

Project Co-ordinator

Bhopal Cluster Schools

 

Photographs of Shri M. Mariappan during the workshop