CHAPTER 17: PREPARING FOR AND FACILITATING CHANGE IN EDUCATION
17.1 INTRODUCTION: WHY CHANGE IN EDUCATION IS NECESSARY
Imagine using a 20-year-old mobile phone today. It wouldn't
work! Similarly, our education system needs regular updates to
prepare children for the world they will live in, not the
world of the past.
- Education
is the strongest pillar for a nation's progress. But a
pillar that is cracked and weak cannot hold up a building. Our education
system needs strengthening and updating.
- The
world is changing fast—new jobs, new technologies, and new ways of
communicating. Schools must change too, or students will be left behind.
- The
old focus was on memorizing facts for exams. The new focus
must be on developing skills for life: critical thinking,
creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving.
The Three Big Challenges for Today's Schools:
- Preparing
for a Competitive World: Students need skills for future jobs
that may not even exist today.
- Fostering
Harmony: Schools must teach children to live respectfully in a
diverse, global community.
- Building
Good Citizens: Education must develop responsible, ethical, and
active citizens.
For You, a Future Primary Teacher in Punjab: You
are not just a teacher of a syllabus. You are a "change
agent"—the most important person who can bring this positive change
into your classroom. This chapter will show you how.
PREPARING FOR CHANGE: KEY STRATEGIES AND REQUIRED
FACILITIES
Change doesn't happen by itself. It needs careful
preparation, the right tools, and everyone's effort.
1. MOTIVATION: THE FIRST STEP
Change begins with people wanting to change.
- Motivate
Teachers: When teachers feel valued, supported, and inspired,
they become innovators. A motivated teacher finds ways to teach creatively
even with limited resources.
- Example: A
teacher in a Malwa village uses local clay to make models for a Math
lesson on shapes, because she is motivated to help children understand.
- Motivate
Parents & Community: When parents understand why change
is needed (e.g., "My child will learn to think, not just parrot
answers"), they become allies.
- Example: An
SMC meeting where teachers demonstrate a new "learning through
play" activity helps parents see its value and support it.
2. OVERCOMING THE SHORTAGE OF FUNDS
Money is needed, but smart use of money is more
important.
- Priority
Spending: Funds must reach schools on time and be spent on what
matters most: teacher support and learning materials, not just
buildings.
- Community
Resource Mobilization: Schools can seek help locally.
- Example: A
school needs a garden for EVS lessons. The village Panchayat allocates a
small plot, and parents donate seeds. This is change through community
partnership.
3. PROVIDING ADEQUATE SCHOOL FACILITIES (The
"Hardware" of Change)
A child cannot learn in a broken, empty, or unsafe
environment. Basic facilities are non-negotiable for change.
|
Essential Facility |
Why It's Needed for Change |
|
Safe & Attractive Building |
Creates a sense of pride and belonging. Colourful walls,
charts, and children's work displays make it a learning space, not just a
room. |
|
Functional Toilets & Drinking Water |
Especially for girls. This is a basic right
and directly impacts attendance and dignity. |
|
Playground & Activity Space |
Physical play and group activities are crucial for
holistic development and social learning. |
|
Library Corner / Reading Nook |
Fosters a habit of reading for pleasure, which is the
foundation for all learning. |
|
Basic Teaching-Learning Kits |
Science kits, math manipulatives (blocks, beads), art
supplies, and a radio/audio player enable activity-based learning. |
4. CURRICULUM REFORMS (The "Software" of
Change)
The syllabus must move from being a textbook to be
covered to a learning experience to be lived.
- Make
it Local & Relevant: Connect lessons to the child's world.
- Example: While
teaching about plants, use examples of kinnow orchards
in Punjab or wheat cultivation. Teach measurement by having children
design a phulkari pattern on grid paper.
- Integrate
Skills: Weave in life skills (like communication, cooperation)
and vocational awareness (local crafts, digital literacy) from the primary
level itself.
5. & 6. TEACHER TRAINING: PRE-SERVICE &
IN-SERVICE (The "Engine" of Change)
Teachers are the heart of educational change. If
they are not prepared, change will fail.
- Pre-Service
(Your D.El.Ed. Training): This is where you are learning how to
be a different kind of teacher—one who facilitates, not just lectures. It
must give you practical classroom skills.
- In-Service
(Continuous Learning): Teaching is a lifelong learning
profession.
- Need: Regular,
practical workshops (not just lectures) on new methods like activity-based
learning (ABL) or teaching at the right level (TaRL).
- Facility
Required: Access to a Resource Centre/CRC where
teachers can meet, share ideas, get guidance from a Mentor Teacher, and
access new teaching materials.
7. CREATING A DEMOCRATIC ENVIRONMENT
Change flourishes in atmosphere of trust and freedom,
not fear and control.
- Teachers
should have the freedom to choose how to teach a topic,
using methods that suit their children.
- Students
should have a voice—classroom rules can be decided together, and their
opinions should be valued.
8. REFORM IN EVALUATION (ASSESSMENT)
You cannot change teaching while testing in the old way. The
"exam" must change first.
- Shift
from Year-End Exams to Continuous Assessment: Use oral quizzes,
projects, portfolios of a child's work, and observation to assess
understanding throughout the year.
- Assess
Skills, Not Just Memory: Can the child explain a
concept? Can she apply it to a new problem? Can he work well
in a group? These are the new assessment questions.
9. FOCUS ON SKILL-BASED & CREATIVE EDUCATION
The old saying: "Give a man a fish, he eats for a day.
Teach a man to fish, he eats for a lifetime."
- Our
Job: Don't just give children information (the fish). Teach
them how to learn, think, and create (how to fish).
- Encourage
Questions & Curiosity: A classroom where children feel safe
to ask "Why?" and "What if?" is a classroom ready for
change.
10. JUDICIOUS USE OF TECHNOLOGY
Technology is a powerful tool for change, not
the change itself.
- Smart
Use: A single smartphone or tablet in class can be used to show a
educational video, listen to a story, or see pictures of a historical
monument.
- Teacher
Training is Key: Teachers need to know how to
use technology to support learning, not just as a distraction.
CONCLUSION
Facilitating change in education is like preparing a field for a new type of
crop. You need good soil (motivated teachers & community),
quality seeds (updated curriculum & skills focus), the right
tools (facilities & training), and a supportive climate (democratic
environment). As a future primary teacher, you will be both the gardener
and the seed. Your mindset, your skills, and your daily actions in the
classroom will be the most powerful force for positive change, shaping the
future of Punjab, one child at a time.
EXERCISE
1. What do you mean by being prepared for change in
education? What facilities are required in schools?
Answer:
Introduction:
In a rapidly evolving world, static education systems become obsolete. Being
"prepared for change" in education means proactively creating the
mindset, conditions, and capacity within the school ecosystem to adapt,
innovate, and continuously improve in order to meet the evolving needs of
learners and society. It is about moving from a rigid, textbook-centric model
to a flexible, child-centered, and future-ready learning environment.
Meaning of Being Prepared for Change in Education:
Preparedness for change is not a single event but an ongoing state of
readiness. It means:
- Acknowledging
that Current Methods May Need Updating: Understanding that rote
learning is insufficient for the 21st century.
- Having
a Shared Vision: The school management, teachers, and community
agree on the need to focus on understanding and skills over
mere syllabus completion.
- Building
Capacity: Equipping teachers with the knowledge and skills to
implement new pedagogies (like activity-based or experiential learning).
- Creating
a Supportive Culture: Fostering a school climate where
experimentation is encouraged, mistakes are seen as learning
opportunities, and collaboration is the norm.
- Being
Resourceful: Having the ability to identify and leverage
available resources—human, material, and community-based—to facilitate new
ways of teaching and learning.
In essence, a school prepared for change is a learning
organization itself, constantly reflecting and adapting.
Facilities Required in Schools to Enable Change:
For change to move from theory to classroom practice, specific physical and
academic facilities are essential. These facilities act as the enabling
infrastructure for change.
- Child-Friendly
and Safe Physical Infrastructure:
- Functional
& Separate Toilets with Water: A non-negotiable facility,
especially for girl's attendance and dignity. It is foundational to
creating an equitable environment.
- Adequate,
Well-Lit, and Ventilated Classrooms: Space for children to move,
work in groups, and display their work. Overcrowded, dark rooms stifle
interactive methods.
- A
Playground/Activity Area: Essential for physical development,
unstructured play, and conducting large-group activities and assemblies.
- Safe
Drinking Water & Mid-Day Meal Facilities: Basic health and
nutrition directly impact a child's ability to concentrate and learn.
- Academic
Resource Infrastructure:
- A
Vibrant Library or "Reading Corner": Stocked with a
variety of storybooks, picture books, and reference materials in the
child's mother tongue (Punjabi) and other languages. This facility is
critical to move beyond the single textbook and foster a reading culture.
- Teaching-Learning
Material (TLM) Kits: Centralized or classroom sets containing
manipulatives for math (abacus, blocks, fraction kits), science models,
maps, charts, art supplies, and locally developed low-cost TLMs. These
are the "tools" for activity-based learning.
- A
Resource Room for Teachers: A dedicated space where teachers can
plan together, create TLMs, access guidance from senior teachers or CRCs,
and store shared resources. This fosters collaboration and professional
growth.
- Basic
Digital Access: Even a single computer with internet
connectivity or a TV with a DVD player in a common area can be used to
show educational content, bringing the world into the classroom.
- Human
Resource & Support Facilities:
- Adequate
Number of Teachers: Achieving a healthy Pupil-Teacher Ratio
(PTR) is fundamental. A single teacher managing 60 students in a
multi-grade setting cannot implement child-centered change.
- Access
to Continuous Professional Development: The facility for change
here is the system itself—a structured mechanism for regular,
needs-based teacher training, workshops, and peer-learning sessions.
Conclusion:
Being prepared for change is an attitudinal and organizational shift,
while facilities provide the tangible platform for this shift
to occur. One cannot succeed without the other. A school may have a visionary
leader and motivated teachers, but without a library or TLM, their ability to
move away from textbook-centric teaching is severely limited. Conversely, a school
with excellent infrastructure but a resistant, untrained staff will see those
facilities underutilized. Therefore, investing in both—the readiness
for change and the facilities that enable it—is a
synergistic strategy essential for transforming education in Punjab's primary
schools.
2. What facilities are required by a teacher to prepare
for change in education? Explain.
Answer:
Introduction:
The teacher is the central actor in the drama of educational change. For change
to manifest in the classroom—where it truly matters—the teacher must be
empowered, equipped, and supported. "Facilities" for a teacher extend
beyond physical objects to encompass professional, intellectual, and
environmental support systems that enable them to transition from a knowledge
transmitter to a facilitator of learning.
Facilities Required by a Teacher to Prepare for and
Implement Change:
- Professional
Development & Training Facilities:
- Access
to Continuous, Relevant In-Service Training: Teachers need
ongoing opportunities to learn new pedagogies like Activity-Based
Learning (ABL), Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL), or
inclusive education strategies. These should be practical workshops, not
just theoretical lectures.
- Mentorship
and Peer Support Networks: A structured mentoring system where
experienced "Master Teachers" or Cluster Resource Coordinators
(CRCs) provide classroom-level guidance, feedback, and moral
support. Peer-learning groups with other teachers in the
cluster or block to share challenges and solutions.
- Access
to Professional Resources: Subscriptions to educational
journals, online portals (like DIKSHA), and a professional
library with books on child psychology and contemporary teaching methods.
- Academic
& Instructional Resources:
- Adequate
Teaching-Learning Material (TLM) Kits: Teachers cannot be
expected to create every resource from scratch. They need a reliable
supply of basic TLMs—charts, models, science kits, math manipulatives,
art supplies—to implement interactive lessons.
- Curriculum
and Pedagogical Guides: Clear, flexible frameworks from
SCERT/NCERT that suggest how to teach topics creatively,
not just what to teach. Lesson plan banks and idea
booklets can be invaluable.
- Time
for Planning and Collaboration: One of the most critical
"facilities" is time. Teachers need dedicated,
non-teaching time within school hours for lesson planning, creating TLMs,
assessing student work meaningfully, and collaborating with colleagues.
- Supportive
Work Environment & Autonomy:
- Reduced
Administrative & Non-Teaching Burden: Freedom from excessive
data entry, election duty, and other non-academic tasks that divert
energy from core teaching responsibilities. This requires systemic change
and possibly administrative support staff.
- Professional
Autonomy and Trust: The facility to exercise judgment in
choosing appropriate teaching methods, sequencing topics, and adapting
the curriculum to local contexts (e.g., using examples from Punjab's
agriculture). A climate of trust from the head teacher and administration
encourages innovation.
- Functional
School Infrastructure: As outlined in the previous answer,
teachers need the basic school facilities (toilets, water, classrooms) to
be functional to even begin focusing on pedagogical change. A teacher
cannot implement group work in an overcrowded, crumbling room.
- Motivational
& Recognition Facilities:
- Fair
Compensation and Career Growth Paths: Financial security and
clear avenues for professional advancement (like promotions based on
performance and training, not just seniority) are fundamental motivators.
- Recognition
and Appreciation: Simple, regular acknowledgment of their
efforts—by the head teacher, parents, and the community—boosts morale and
reinforces their role as change agents.
- A
Positive and Safe School Climate: A school free from undue
political interference, where the teacher's authority is respected and
they feel physically and professionally safe.
Conclusion:
The facilities a teacher requires are a blend of "hard"
resources (TLM, training) and "soft" supports (autonomy,
time, respect). Providing these facilities is an investment in the teacher's
capacity, which is the most direct investment in improving student learning
outcomes. When a teacher feels equipped, supported, and trusted, they gain the
confidence to step away from the blackboard, facilitate a group discussion, try
a science experiment, or encourage a child's creative question. In this shift
lies the true transformation of education. For the D.El.Ed. student,
understanding these needs is the first step in advocating for your own
professional growth and, ultimately, for the success of your future students.
