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Technology and the teacher
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For her, teaching is not just another profession, but an art. Her dream classroom starts and ends with a computer, writes Sahana Charan.
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"TECHNOLOGY IN the classroom" is her idea of effective learning. But a teacher's role is pivotal to good education, and it cannot be done away with, she feels.
Saroja Sunderrajan loathes the blackboard. "Revolutionise" is the most important word in her vocabulary. And the computer is her soul mate.
Ms. Sunderrajan, Academic Director of Future Schools, is in charge of the development of computer curriculum for schools and its implementation. She was in the City recently to visit the Future Schools branch. As she explains her concepts animatedly, you are amazed at her drive for creativity. What else can you say to an instructor who teaches calculus with the help of bubbles!
Ms. Sunderrajan has been in the teaching profession for 40 years. Her innovative ideas in teaching, with great emphasis on technology, have created many a bright student. Her constant urge to try something novel for the benefit of her students might put many a techie to shame. "I have always wanted to be an achiever all my life, trying to do something different and beyond the times so that children can get the benefit of technology and enjoy learning," she says.
For her, teaching is not just another profession, but an art. Her dream classroom starts and ends with a computer. And the experimentation started early. At a time when technology and innovative methods were not associated with teaching in schools, she invented new ways of teaching. During her stint as a Mathematics teacher in Springdale School in New Delhi, where she spent 25 years of her life, in the Seventies, she used charts and paper figures to demonstrate the way of numbers. "Mathematics has been a passion for me and my first love. And I tried to evolve methods through which children could easily solve problems in Maths without feeling that they were tough. In this way, they began to get an interest in the subject," she says.
Later, she graduated to using the overhead projector to teach, not just in the usual method, but also through various techniques such as "masking" and overlapping transparencies. Currently, she is involved in upgrading teaching methods used in various schools and advising teachers on how to teach better. "I feel hands-on activity to explain something is very important. We at Future Schools are developing curricula for students of all kinds — those who learn through audio, through visuals, and through activity. I devise experiments and activities which are fun, and in the process, teach the basic concepts of every subject," she says.
Future Schools is collaborating with Cambridge University to develop a unique curriculum for school students.
The university gives them a certificate at the end of the course, she says.
Ms. Sunderrajan has travelled all over the world, and her innovations keep growing with her experiences. She even taught in Papua New Guinea, and is a member of the National Council for Teachers of Mathematics of the U.S. She has also conducted several workshops in teaching methods and integrated learning, and activity-oriented workshops for children. Recently, she conducted a workshop in Bangalore in which 150 teachers from various schools participated.
Her trailblazing concepts have won her accolades. She was awarded the President's Award for Best Teacher in 1986 by the then President, Zail Singh.
And what is her idea of the perfect classroom? "Every floor of a school should have a computer on a trolley, and the teacher should wheel it to the classroom. The perfect model includes an audiovisual room, a computer, and an overhead projector. The teacher should make animated presentations on the computer screen. This will help the student grasp the topics easily," she says.
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Life
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Thiruvananthapuram
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