A thought provoking seminar on Professional Development was organised for the teachers of Indian Public School by the school management on 24th April 2024.

The Resource person was the School’s Academic Vice- Chairperson Dr Betty Chandy who is also the Director for Online Learning at Catalyst @ Penn GSE. She runs the virtual Online Teaching (VOLT) certificate program and the Experiences in Applied Computational Thinking(EXACT) program for educators. She has done her research on the impact of professional development on teachers’ pedagogical practices. Her research interests include design of learning environments, online teaching and learning, the use of innovative technology within classrooms, and teacher development. She has worked extensively with professional development programs for teachers in the U.S and India. She earned her doctorate from Penn GSE. She also serves as the Academic Vice-Chairperson for UIS, UIIS, IPS and Al Alia International School Riyadh.

With her years of experience in Education and wealth of knowledge in the innovative aspects of teaching –learning process, she was able to guide the teachers better in this phase where CBSE is stressing on competency based education. With the amount of changes envisaged in the coming years, teachers definitely need to learn, unlearn and relearn. She stressed on the need for teachers to be on top of their profession by keeping themselves updated with the latest technology and teaching-learning practices. All this is done with the sole purpose of positively impacting student learning and preparing them for a good future.

In the interactive session she asked the teachers to rethink whether their teaching style has changed with the changing times. She emphasized on the skills that students need in the modern world- Communication, collaboration, critical thinking and creativity. However, skills that teachers require the most is adaptability and flexibility. She asked the teachers to think of innovative ways to make their classes more engaging for the students.

The impact of social media on students was also brought to light and she advised that the need of the hour is to educate the children on its positives and negatives, rather than keeping them away from everything. She exhorted the teachers to communicate with parents to involve them in the teaching- learning process. She also highlighted the need for teachers to look professional at all times. The programme was an eye opener and was thoroughly appreciated by all the teachers.