Head of English Department at Mohan Parsad Sharma Jugdambi State Secondary School

Current Membership

Member of the Environmental Protection and Conservation Organisation (EPCO), Established in 1998

Member of Toastmasters International Club-Current Member of Port Louis Toastmasters Club

Member of The English Speaking Union (ESU)

Professional merits and achievements

• Grade A: Submission of Dissertation as part requirement of the Masters in Education Administration and Technology Degree.

8836287. of Dissertation: ‘Rectors as agents of change in a School Based Management Perspective. A comparative study in two schools of Zone 1.

• English Speaking Union Award

5916965254. Scholarship Program on Critical Thinking in Language Learning and Teaching-University of Oregon

• Appointment of Panel Member for the English Textbook- Grade 7

Demonstrated skills

Interpersonal and motivational skills:

• Head of English Department
• Manage effectively a team of 8 educators in the department
• Motivate the team to excel
• Mentor newly recruits/university students and MIE students
• Share best practices.
• Member of Senior Management Team
• Member of Pedagogical Committee
• Coordinator Model United Nations Conference

Drama Club: Organise drama at school and national level

Elocution/Debate/Public Speaking Contests: Inspire and motivate students to participate in competitions

Jury: English Speaking Union

The fast changing and interconnected world calls for a change in education in order to prepare students to be global citizens. Educators must equip learners with competencies such as Critical Thinking/Reasoning, Creativity, Problem solving, Metacognition, Collaboration, Communication and ICT skills. The 21st Century skills are tools that can be applied to enhance ways of thinking, learning, working and living in a peaceful and sustainable world. Educators need to address the needs of individual students whilst considering the concept of Multiple Intelligences. Lessons must be designed to challenge and engage students and help them be self- directed learners. By giving students real-world problems to tackle, they are empowered with the ability to connect, grow and innovate, with the class content, with each other and with the world around them. Education needs to aim to do more than prepare young people for the world of work; it needs to equip students with the skills to become active, responsible and engaged citizens. Together, all educators will make a better tomorrow and ensure a better future for our children.

The design of my English Language and Literature lesson plan is indivisibly steered towards opportunities for the development and application of critical thinking for my students. To that end, I prioritize both cognitive and affective objectives in a bid to ensure optimal assimilation of information by my students. The cognitive aspect focuses on the extent to which my students will be able to compare and contrast their views on a given topic, through interspersed discussions and debates, as part of a logical and collaborative sequence that promotes interaction and problem solving. I usually model what I want my students to do by ‘thinking aloud’ my reasoning on a given assumption so that the former can gauge and follow the logic I have used to support my arguments and structure. I train my students to think outside and beyond the box and always take into account that every student is unique and has his/her own style of learning.  On the other hand, the affective facet enables students to demonstrate interpersonal skills while working in groups and ensures that students treat each viewpoint relevant to a situation in an unbiased, holistic and respectful way. Stressing on kindness, compassion, empathy and values must imperatively be embedded in our education system to give young people the resilience they need to reject hate and violence and live in a peaceful world, an aptitude that becomes especially congruent and vital against the backdrop of our island’s multicultural identity.  This can be further translated into the shaping of a citizenship that thrives on its understanding of the global dissimilarities which both separate and unite us.  Amongst the array of social media available to the classroom environment, I favour You Tube as a learning tool. In the recent past, my students listened to Greta Thunberg on the social channel and were inspired by the 16-year-old Swedish activist who strongly sensitized them about climate change. I have created a WhatsApp group for my students and this allows us to work in close collaboration. We use Skype when required, especially when students need to link up to sources for class presentations and I use the overhead projector on a regular basis in my classes.  I use the same premise to consolidate student skills during my teaching of General Paper and thus ensure that innovative approaches and pedagogical methodologies become an inalienable part of the curriculum I roll out.

Keywords:

21st Centuryskills/CriticalThinking/Creativity/Collaboration/Communication/ Metacognition/Self-Directed Learners/No child Left Behind

• The platform for professionals will foster innovative ideas, enable collaboration, communication, mentoring and sharing of best practice.
• “Together we are better.’ The forum will bring about Professional Learning Networks for Educators.
• It will provide the best training techniques for solving pedagogical problems and help develop new educational programs and standards for facing modern challenges.