Weekly Reading Circle - 8

In this week's Weekly Reading Circle at Door Step School Foundation, we read and engage with the article "आता नागरी समाज सुजाण, सजग व सक्रिय होण्यावर भरोसा" by Girish Sawant. 

The discussion post reading the article centered around questions and key ideas like:

1. Why did people in the 1980s rely on government services like rationing, public hospitals, and schools? How has privatization since the 1990s changed this?
2. How are ideas like the Green Revolution and such schemes promoted without revealing their full impact?
3. How do politics shape what is taught in schools, and why does it matter?
4. Why should we question decisions in our daily lives and society?
5. How can we actively participate to ensure fairness and transparency in society?

Source:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1iMKbbz4VfetFOWbK6Ja1AaWa3jNyPp_0/view

Weekly Reading Circle - 7

In this week's Weekly Reading Circle at Door Step School Foundation, we read and engaged with the article "प्रारंभिक साक्षरता के लिए एक अवधारणात्मक रूपरेखा की ओर" (Toward a conceptual framework for early literacy) written by Keerti Jayaram. 

 Keerti is the Director of the Organization For Early Literacy Promotion (OELP), New Delhi. 

Our discussion was focused on early literacy's theoretical and current understandings, structure, and properties. 

The discussion post reading the article centered around questions and key ideas like:

1. Why is it important to know, how kids' experiences and needs are connected to learning to read and write in school, especially for those who don’t practice reading and writing at home or in their communities?
2. What are the important things about the Early Literacy Project that help kids learn to read and write?
3. Why do we call it classroom control when it should be classroom management? What is the true meaning of the word "control"?
4. In early literacy, is it necessary to consider children from families with an educational background compared to those without such a background?
5. Should we teach in a way that sparks kids' imaginations? Should we also consider whether we use too much memorization in learning?
6. Should there be sensitivity about equality towards children in teaching methods and among teachers?
7. What resources can be used to teach children?

Source:

https://anuvadasampada.azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/2637/

Weekly Reading Circle - 6

 In this week's Weekly Reading Circle at Door Step School Foundation, we read and engaged with the article "मातृभाषा और पढ़ने–लिखने की भाषा का द्वन्द्व" (Contradiction of Mother Tounge and Language used for Learning and Teaching) written by Mukesh Malviya. 

This discussion followed the previous reading circle, during which we discussed the NCF 2023 and SCF for Maharashtra 2024 (Foundational Stage and School Education) on the process of learning in the mother tongue and in scheduled languages.

The discussion post reading the article centered around questions and key ideas like:

1. What can be the methods of multilingual learning and teaching? Should pedagogy and methodologies need to be updated/changed while working with different mother tongues. 
2. What are the different experiences children face while being in school where R1/R2 is different than L1? How do these experiences change the path of children's learning?
3. What methods can be used for teaching in the multilingual classroom? 

Source:

https://anuvadasampada.azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/3819/

Weekly Reading Circle - 5

In this week's Weekly Reading Circle at Door Step School Foundation, we read and engage with the article "शिक्षणाच्या जोडीने शहाणपणही यावं" written by Dr. Tara Bhavalkar 

Dr. Bhavalkar is a deep scholar of folklore, folk culture, folk tradition, and folk art. She has written extensively on folk culture, drama research, sacred literature, one-act plays, fine writing, and folk art, focusing on women's consciousness.

The discussion post reading the article centered around questions and key ideas like:

1. How does culture influence the way education is perceived, delivered, and valued in society?
2. What is the distinction between being educated and being literate? How do these concepts interplay in shaping an individual's intellectual growth?
3. How does knowledge function as a tool for empowerment and control in different contexts? What are the dynamics through which knowledge translates into power in specific societal or institutional settings? 
4. How do pseudo-sciences gain acceptance and legitimacy as "scientific knowledge"? What methods and strategies are used to present pseudo-sciences as credible, and what impact does this have on society and education?
5. Is having a standardized curriculum across diverse educational settings beneficial or detrimental for students? Does such homogeneity enhance engagement or widen the gap for children from diverse cultural and socio-economic backgrounds?
6. Why is culturally contextualized education crucial for children's learning and development?

Source:

https://www.loksatta.com/chaturang/loksatta-durga-lifetime-achievement-award-to-scholar-tara-bhawalkar-ssb-93-4686630/

Weekly Reading Circle - 4

In this week's Weekly Reading Circle at Door Step School Foundation, we engaged with the Language sections of the National Curriculum Framework for School Education and the State Curriculum Framework for School Education of Maharashtra. 

The goal was to understand the differences between R1, R2, and R3, their relations to L1, and explore approaches to teaching these languages and their logistics.

The discussion centered around questions like:

1. Can teaching and learning L1 (home language/mother tongue) and R1 (language for reading and writing) be considered the same?
2. How does the mandatory teaching of Hindi at the preparatory stage but its optional status in grades 11-12 impact language learning progression?
3. Do curriculum changes under NEP 2020, NCF-SE, and SCF-SE for language require us to adapt our teaching methods or introduce R2 and R3 in our programs?
4. Do assessments show the need to revise our methods when R1 differs from L1 (e.g., Kannada-speaking children learning Marathi), and how can we improve outcomes? 
 

Source : 

1. https://www.maa.ac.in/documents/Rajya-Abhyakram-Arakhada-2024.pdf
2. https://www.education.gov.in/sites/upload_files/mhrd/files/infocus_slider/NCF-School-Education-Pre-Draft.pdf

Weekly Reading Circle - 3

In this week's Weekly Reading Circle at Door Step School Foundation, we delved into the topic of "Understanding Child Rights and the UNCRC" through an insightful article written by our colleague Mandar Shinde, titled "संयुक्त राष्ट्र बालहक्क करार - UNCRCची ३० वर्ष" (United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child - 30 Years of the UNCRC).

The objective of the session was to gain a deeper understanding of the concept of 'Child' and explore the comprehensive set of rights outlined in the 41 articles of the UNCRC, which define the human rights that every child under 18 is entitled to.

Our discussion revolved around key questions, such as:

1. What is the definition of a 'Child'?

2. How does the UNCRC's definition of 'Child' differ from those found in the Indian Constitution, various educational policies, IPC (Indian Penal Code), child labor laws, and Indian socio-cultural contexts?

3. What is the correlation between India's educational policies and specific UNCRC articles related to the right to education?

4. Why is it crucial for educators and facilitators to engage with policy documents, especially when working with children from marginalized communities?

Source : 

https://aisiakshare.blogspot.com/2019/11/blog-post_19.html

Weekly Reading Circle - 2

In this week's Weekly Reading Circle at Door Step School Foundation, we engaged with the Language sections of the National Curriculum Framework for Foundational Stage and the State Curriculum Framework for Foundational Stage of Maharashtra. 

The goal was to understand the differences between L1/L2/L3 and R1/R2/R3 and explore the approaches to literacy and language education outlined in both frameworks.

The discussion centered around questions like:

1. What are the differences between teaching literacy and teaching language?
2. How does teaching literacy differ for children from marginalized communities compared to those in government schools, and what challenges arise?
3. Can L1 (home language/mother tongue/familiar language) and R1 (the language a child first learns to read and write in) be considered the same, especially in the context of Marathi? The discussion highlighted the gap between colloquial Marathi spoken at home and the standardized Marathi taught in schools, raising questions about language familiarity and accessibility in early education.

Source : 

1. https://ncert.nic.in/pdf/NCF_for_Foundational_Stage_20_October_2022.pdf

2. https://www.maa.ac.in/documents/scf_payabhutstar_2024.pdf