DPS RK Puram organised an academic workshop on September 23, 2017 to bridge the gap between junior and middle schools. The workshop was attended by teachers of the junior schools of DPS RK Puram – DPS East of Kailash and DPS Vasant Vihar, as well as the subject in charges at DPS RK Puram. The focus of the workshop was the model teaching sessions conducted by the teachers of all three schools with the Principal taking the lead.
The workshop started with the Principal conducting a model teaching session on two different topics – one on how to teach a poem, and the second on creative writing. The session, an eye-opener for teachers, highlighted the importance of asking the right questions to elicit responses from students that deepened their understanding of the lesson. This session was followed by a series of simultaneously conducted sessions at different venues for subjects like English, Mathematics, EVS, Hindi, Physical Education, Art and Performing Arts.
The workshop on teaching of English literature and language for classes three, four and five took place in the seminar room. It was attended by twenty two teachers from DPS Vasant Vihar, East of Kailash and R.K.Puram. The Opening Session, conducted by the teachers of DPS EOK – Mrs. Niharika Khare and Mrs. Kiran Tandon, was a hands-on session involving all the teachers present. The session was filled with activities like testing of reading and listening skills; vocabulary enrichment games and quizzing. The second session was presented by Ms. Dolly Wadera, Ms. Suniti Banga and Ms. Monica Aggarwal of DPS VV on teaching of ‘Singular and Plural’. They used variety of props and storytelling method as a game charger. The third session was based on teaching of ‘Poetry’, conducted by Ms. Renu Krishna and Ms. Madhuri Sahgal of DPS VV. Their presentation included differences between Prose and Poetry; Types of Poetry; Tools Used; Poetic Devices and Different Forms of Poetry. The sessions were interesting and informative. It was an enriching experience as the teachers shared the various strategies and their expertise making teaching methodology interactive and motivating.
The Mathematics workshop was conducted into two phases. The first phase was conducted by the teachers of DPS Vasant Vihar – Ms. Monica Chandra, Ms. Nupur Handa and Ms. Neha Shahidon the ‘Number Family’. They introduced the number family concepts using family bonds, siblings. Addition and Subtraction was reinforced using sibling activity. Various interesting games were shared like Tambola, Dumb Charades which were played using basic operations of Mathematics at a starting level and further extrapolated to concepts of factors, multiplication etc.
Outdoor activity games using basic operations of Mathematics and Number Facts was played. The second phase was covered by DPS EOK teachers – Ms. Mitali Malhotra, Ms. Mini Baijal and Ms. Sonia Shiv on ‘Fractions’ They introduced the topic using Pizza Slices by paper plate cutting and folding. Various worksheets were given for hands on practice.
‘Fraction Art’ Activity was introduced using Akbar Birbal using number line concept was introduced in fractions. The workshop was a learning experience for the teachers of both the schools.
The Hindi workshop was conducted in three sessions and was attended by 15 teachers from both the junior schools. The first session was based on ‘Language Development through Storytelling’ conducted by Ms. Reeta Prasad of DPS Vasant Vihar. It was an interactive session with storytelling combined with elements like poem/songs, etc. The session also include a group activity where group members wrote stories using words given. The second session was conducted by Ms. Meenu Malhotra of DPS East of Kailash on teaching of various aspects of the Hindi alphabet.The session was interactive and the teacher used various teaching aids, activities, examples and a workbook. The third session was conducted by Ms. Vidyotama Pandey and Ms. Sangeeta Panigarhi of DPS Vasant Vihar. They used a variety of teaching aids to teach the concept of ‘Vishashan’. An interactive strategy was made use of whereby group activities enhanced the flavour of the contents being taught.
The EVS workshop was conducted in two sessions. The first session was conducted by the teachers of DPS East of Kailash – Ms. Ruchira Bajpai and Ms. Manjeet Gandhi (SST) and Ms. HK Lamba (Science). The teachers made an effective use of teaching aids, worksheets and games to explain various concepts. The second session was conducted by Ms. Amita Chauhan, Ms. Sangeeta Malik and Ms. Archana Pental using a variety of activities, worksheets, PowerPoint Presentations and stories to make the concepts relatable and easy to understand.
The workshop for teachers teaching classes Nursery, Prep and one was organised in the AVH. Ms Dolly Chanana, Headmistress, DPS East of Kailash, addressed the teachers in the AVH and highlighted the need to keep the children happy and excited. Teachers from DPS East of Kailash and DPS Vasant Vihar, teaching Nursery, Prep and class I, made their presentations on various topics taught in English. Various presentations were made on the methodology of teaching pre-number concepts, storytelling and introduction of letters like L, T and I for Nursery students. All these were extremely lively and involved a lot of movement and participation of the audience. The teachers also demonstrated how they used props like hand puppets, flash cards and board games in their teaching. A session on Reading activities and Storytelling for Prep students was conducted which showed how music, dance and voice modulation can all be combined to make a storytelling class a fun-filled one and can help students to learn new things with ease. Words beginning with the new letters that were to be taught were emphasized repeatedly so that children could connect the consonant and its sound to the word. Games like Passing the Parcel and Word Tambola were also played to show how they can be very useful tools in the teaching process. The presentation on Articles and Blends showed how games could help children learn the correct use of the articles and to identify the blend sounds. Teachers showed how students could be asked to Ring the Month or any other concept they were doing in the classrooms using materials that are easily available.
A presentation on Physical Fitness demonstrated the ‘Asanas’ which can help in improving the students’ vocal chords, agility of their limbs and concentration. The audience also participated in a very relaxing laughter session. The enthusiasm of the teachers conducting the sessions was infectious and the workshop was a truly learning experience for all those who attended it.
The workshops for teachers teaching Physical Education, Art and Performing Arts were also conducted with teachers from both schools sharing their best practices with each other.
