Someone has rightly said, "One of the hardest things in life is having words in your heart that you can't utter." Considering that most of the Podar schools cater to first generation English learners, language development is an immediate priority. After receiving enriching inputs from professors and conferring with the heads of different schools, it was decided to introduce the Empowering English programme in PIS Ambegaon, PIS Nasik, PIS Nerul, PIS Kalyan, PIS Aurangabad – ICSE and CBSE schools.

Empowering English is a hands-on, all new curriculum that is skills based and anchored in the study of the important genres of English. Mrs. Usha Pandit, the author, has designed this series to develop the child's competencies in facing challenges of a changing world. While introducing the programme to teachers and principals, Mrs. Pandit brought home the point that since English is the medium of instruction, its impact on comprehension of all subjects of study is profound.

The teachers were also given a thorough understanding of classroom strategies to enhance the English teaching learning process through workshops conducted by eminent authors like Dr. Lazer Selva, Dr. Jesudoss Paul, Fr. Francis Peter and Mr. McFarland of Oxford University Press and Ratna Sagar Publications.

CRDC also provided language development resources to PIS Satara, the school with the Primary Plus programme. This was done with the view to immerse first generation English learners in the language and thereby speed up the language acquisition process.

Redefining the teacher’s role from ‘Sage on the stage’ to ‘Guide by the side’ was the mission of the Continuous Professional Development (CPD) programme. Stage one of the CPD process involved the CRDC team visiting London to participate in school and classroom observation and training workshops.

Till recently, CPD only focused on curriculum development, classroom observation and so on. Today, new ideas and strategies have elevated CPD to a programme that develops a reflective culture among teachers. It also provides teachers with a platform to interact and examine best practices, share experiences and methods with colleagues.

One aspect of CPD involved the iCatalyst programme which was introduced by Dr. Christina Preston of MirandaNet. This is a highly innovative Information Communication Technology (ICT) centre and CPD model which helps achieve the same kind of collaborative learning as is advocated for the students.

Dr. Preston, Mr. John Cuttel, and Mr. Richard Allen conducted a programme in Pimpri, Pune where the principals and teachers were trained in action research. Action research is a reflective process of progressive problem solving led by individuals working with others in teams or as part of a ‘community of practice’ to improve the way to address and solve problems.

Along with Professional Development the teachers were enthused by the life-skills workshop conducted by Dr. Srinivasan Rao with a view to building their personalities in the social and emotional domains.
The focus of the workshops has been building the Podar culture and networking skills. Another area development was skills related to the workplace which included conflict management, change management, motivation and communication.

The beginning of the school year saw the CRDC designing lesson plans and question papers for classes I-VIII for all subjects. The lesson plans are designed to achieve a standardization of teaching methodologies across all Podar schools. Each lesson plan is replete with activities, Power point presentations, audio-visuals etc. that promote a creative and collaborative spirit in the student. Activities like think-pair-share, brainstorming etc. and worksheets with crosswords, word search, etc. have made learning fun and interactive. The focus has been on lighting a fire in the child’s mind and not cramming his head with mere facts.

The month of October sped by on the wings of the Environmental Science week. In keeping with the global theme of Bio-diversity the CRDC provided schools with resources for skits, power point presentations, art activities, eco-system placards etc. On later visits it was noticed that the students had done a fabulous job implementing and going beyond all that was suggested. Hats off!

The management ensures that the CRDC team is continually updated with the latest trends in education and research. Recently, the management has been responsible for organizing a training programme conducted by Mrs. Marion Scott-Baker and Mrs. Beverly Vaughan from Cheam School, Newbury, London.

The teachers and principals of all Podar schools were also given an insight into classroom management, processes of transferable learning for literacy and numeracy, managing performance by taking ownership for learning, quality circles etc. Read-Write Inc. is a new method of phonics that facilitates reading and comprehension skills in young learners. Quality Circle is a crucial tool that can be used by the teacher in personal, social and emotional development of the child.

After marshalling the facts of the past year the CRDC has learnt much, implemented some and grown more. We look forward to the New Year hoping to make new beginnings in spheres related to empowering the students to be harbingers of change. After all, the student is the center of all our endeavours.