Colloquium Summary Report
Sixth International Colloquium
on the Teacher-Student Relationship in Education
August 3-5, 2018
Day One
The Colloquium series started in 2013 as a platform to share the educational approach practiced since 1987 at Sri Adwayananda Public School, and to invite the insights of innovative thought leaders. Over the years, our school community has welcomed guests from the USA, Europe, India, and elsewhere in Asia and this year we had an equally vibrant panel come from around the world. The 2018 guests included:
- Mr. Emmanuel Delannoy: Expert in Circular Economy and Perma- Economics
- Dr. Anne M. Stillman: Faculty of English, University of Cambridge
- Dr. Pat Montgomery: Founder of Clonlara School, Ann Arbor, MI
- Mrs. Chandra M. Nicol: Executive Director, Clonlara School, Ann Arbor MI
- Ms. Luisa Munaretto: Co- founder, Brands&Beyond India LLP
- Ms. Lina Ghotmeh: Founder of the international firm Lina Ghotmeh— Architecture.
- Ms. Prachi Jha: Director Partnerships, Life Lab Foundation run by Dr. Archana Sharma, CERN Principal Scientist
- Mrs. Susan Beaird: Board member of the Charles T. and Carolyn W. I. Beaird Family Foundation
The Inaugural Session opened with a welcome speech underlining the theme of the Colloquium in recognizing the key role of the teacher in fostering a student’s attitude towards the learning experience. Inspired by the great Sage Sri Adwayananda, the educational approach practiced at this school was presented as being unlike a traditional school where the child has to adapt to a uniform structured learning environment applied to all students.
Instead, the teacher is trained to carefully observe the natural inclinations of the child and see how he is prepared to learn and introduce the curriculum without imposing a predetermined set of coursework. The child will naturally feel the love and regard for his feelings from his teachers, allowing him to relax and be open to experience learning.
The inaugural address, delivered by Dr. Pat Montgomery, an internationally recognized leader in innovative education and founder of Clonlara School in Ann Arbor, MI, USA, observed that the aim of teachers should be to understand and facilitate the natural development of children, not to control them. She started Clonlara for her own children, to protect them from the tyranny she had experienced both as a student and as a teacher in government, private and public schools. The partnership between Clonlara and Sri Adwayananda Public School is among many global affiliations that Clonlara supports.
In the keynote address that followed, Mr. Emmanuel Delannoy, an exponent of Perma-Economics, pointed out that “education is the most relevant and efficient investment we can make in the world of our future”. Because every single organism is interdependent, successful development arises from cooperation, not competition, at every level of life.
Dr. Pat Montgomery offering the Inaugural Address
Educators must prepare students for a world in which cooperation and sustainability are core values. Education should provide the next genera-tion with an understanding of the complexities involved in changing, cre-ating and maintaining systems to support and enhance the life of the plan-et, ending the era of exploitation. Economy is a tool, not a rule, he concluded.
Ms Munaretto, Co- founder, Brands&Beyond India LLP, offered a Special Address at the Inaugural Session, where she emphasized that education which promotes the authentic humanity of each person is the core of sustainable economic growth. Ms. Munaretto related how she chose to work in India because she was fascinated by Sri Rabindranath Tagore’s and Gandhiji’s philosophies and how her interest in India was inspired by one of her teachers.
Presentation of the Colloquium Theme: Discussion
The theme presented for discussion in the first working session of the day was how teachers can foster an attitude of collective learning in stu-dents. It was noted that students who feel appreciated are often more open to sharing and cooperation in an activity or discussion. It was also remarked that the adults’ lives should be models of collaboration and cooperation if they expect the students to develop these capabilities. Ms. Lina Ghotmeh, an award-winning architect with an international reputation for innovative design and sustainable architectural solutions, pointed out that the arrangement of learning spaces affects interaction. For example, a circular seating arrangement avoids creating hierarchy in space which enhances collective behaviour.
Alumni-Teacher Interaction Session
In the next session current teachers and returning alumni responded to questions about the student-teacher relationship posed by the guests. The teachers pointed out that they met their students at a very young age, so a close relationship was easy to establish and develop over the years. The students’ trust in their teachers helps them gain confidence in life and in learning. The teachers’ understanding of the interests and capabilities of the students guides the way academic topics are intro-duced into the child’s activities in the school.
Left: An alumna and her teacher speaking with colloquium guests, Right: Mr. Delannoy gives a workshop on Perma-Economics
The alumni reminisced about how enjoyable their school days had been. They described the freedom they felt in moving about the campus as they wished and being able to choose among many games and activities at each point in their day. An alumna described how the teachers brought activities to the playground and the pond to share ideas and experiments wherever the children chose to gather.
Several alumni mentioned how those moments helped them later in their school days because the concrete demonstrations of scientific principles in the play setting they enjoyed gave them a basis to understand theories like the use of levers and the effects of friction when these topics, and others like them, came up in physics classes years later.
A workshop on Perma-Economics was given to the 11th and 12th standard students by Mr. Delannoy. The topic was sustainable development in harmony with nature. He pointed out that in the past there was an abundance of natural resources and a scarcity of knowledge, information and skill. Now it is just the opposite. Students were introduced to twelve principles of sustainable development and asked to choose any two to describe how they could apply them in their life or at the school, giving them a hands-on understanding of the framework of Perma-Economics.
Students in 9th &10th standards enjoyed a virtual tour of CERN led remotely by Dr. Mick Storr and facilitated by Ms. Prachi Jha. His talk included a history and brief description of the activities taking place at CERN, education through teacher training, and how they promoted research for young students, including theoretical and experimental research in physics and engineering.
Ms. Prachi Jha concluded by showing a video tour of the large Hadron Collider, and telling them more about the Life Lab Foundation founded by the Indian CERN scientist, Dr. Archana Sharma, and programs they offer including their summer internship opportunity.
Day Two
Day Two began with sessions in which alumni, parents and teachers described their experiences at the school to the guests and answered their questions.
Parent Perspective Session
Ms. Prachi Jha asked alumni parents about their children. The parents told her about their older son pursuing his PhD in nuclear physics in the USA and their younger son doing his MS in Germany. The parents remarked that their children grew up in a stress-free environment. They were relaxed at home because there was no pressure to do homework. They were relaxed even before the exams. The parents expressed satisfaction with the school, both with their children’s academic achievements and with the values and life skills that their children have absorbed.
Asked about how students were selected for admission, Mrs. Tarla Nanavati, the school’s principal, explained that the school has a reputation in the area for innovative education and that when a family applies for admission, the principles of the school are carefully explained in an interview. After admission, teachers and parents meet on a regular basis where they can express their concerns and learn more about the school’s philosophy. Teachers and parents meet on a regular basis to discuss the child’s progress and any parent can request a meeting with teachers or management at any time.
A guest asked parents how they dealt with the competitiveness and demands of the society and yet sent their children to this school. Another guest asked an alumna parent if he had any doubts when his children joined this school.
Colloquium guests meet parents of alumni
He replied that after researching many schools he came to know of the school’s approach towards students, which made him choose this school. He noted that his children always hated holidays because they couldn’t come to school. He also added that many of his friends and relatives were against his choice.
Dr. Pat Montgomery asked, “What made you trust this school?”
The parent replied that initially they were concerned, but as years went by they saw their child’s development and so learned to trust the school. The parent discussed the values their children have developed through the school’s guidance. They said that the school gave importance to the holistic development of the child, not marks.
The parents noted that the faculty kept in touch with the alumni. Ms Prachi Jha was surprised to hear that the alumni- teacher relationship continues past graduation.
A guest asked how the teachers developed the patience to implement such an intensive approach to the children. Teachers replied that they are given three years of training under the guidance of senior teachers during which they work to achieve patience.
When asked how they manage when two children are involved in a fight or conflict, they answered that it becomes a team effort with other faculty. They listen to each of the children separately, letting each know that the teacher recognizes his or her feelings. Depending on the age of the child, the teachers may appeal to reason or simply distract the child in a positive direction.
Alumni with their teachers
Alumni joined in the discussion describing the freedom they felt in the school and the lack of pressure to achieve high marks, which contrasted with the experiences of friends in other schools. One, who has become a teacher at the school, remarked that he never realized how hard the teachers were working to make learning easy and fun for the students. Now he appreciates this.
Dr. Montgomery observed that in most schools the respect students show to their teachers is created and enforced through fear. Here, she observed that students and alumni show a natural and spontaneous respect for their teachers.
Dr. Montgomery asked the alumni how the school helped them in their life. Their reply was that they could apply practical knowledge, that they had learned to focus mentally, developed patience, and learned values. The alumnus also shared his experience of how teachers helped him in developing and about the care teachers gave him.
Teachers also shared the experience of certain parents who had different opinions about education than those practiced in the school but later came to appreciate the results in their children. Alumni said they advise their peers and relatives to send their children to our school.
Interactive Sessions for Alumni and Students
An interactive session for 11th and 12th standard students was conducted by Ms. Lina Ghotmeh, and attended by many interested parents and alumni. One alumna, herself an architecture student, not only attended but brought one of her professors, who was delighted to have the opportunity to hear this renowned architect speak. Ms. Ghotmeh gave a PowerPoint presentation showing several of the innovative buildings she had designed. One of her most recent projects in Paris is an experiment to build an ecologically sustainable building. She described different methods of constructing sustainable buildings to reduce carbon footprint and manage waste. She suggested that the children sketch a drawing of the relation between the school spaces and nature and took time to critique their suggestions and innovative ideas.
Left: Hands-on workshop with Lina Ghotmeh and senior students, Right: Eighth standard students present sonnets they composed to Dr. Anne Stillman
Dr. Anne Stillman, from Cambridge University, England, gave a workshop on poetry to the 8th standard children. She began by asking what difficulties the students had in writing poems. The children answered that it was hard to find rhyming words and the precise word to express their thoughts. “We don’t have words for some situations so we make up words.”
Dr. Stillman introduced nonsense verse through the example of Edward Lear. She discussed some poems that they read and asked the students to interpret the accompanying illustrations. Then the students were asked to write a poem of their own and illustrate it.
Children enjoyed the session and each of them gave a word of thanks. They presented her with sonnets they had written previously.
Day Three
Expo of Alumni Projects
Day Three started with an exposition of spontaneous projects made by alumni with their teachers, which were observed in progress by guests on the previous day. One alumna presented a simple story she had written for her own child about the first day of school. A guest observed that this story describes the methodology of teaching and the learning process in this school: the school supports and reassures the child, which gives him the freedom to pursue his inquiries.
Another alumna demonstrated how to present a poem with an illustration and puppet show. She showed that in the poem by Billy Collins ‘Afternoon with Irish Cows’ the poet is explaining facts in a humorous way. She explained that the economy of the poet’s country is based on dairy production and through the poem one can understand the nature of the people. Guests enjoyed the way she explained the poem by illustrating it. Teaching became a collaboration of art and literature.
Teacher Perspective Session
Asked about training and qualification of the teachers, the Principal answered that teachers meet the CISCE affiliation requirements. After being employed, the trainees are assigned to a senior teacher to learn the approach followed at the school through observation and also attend a weekly trainee workshop. An ongoing evaluation for teachers continues throughout their employment. Teachers are given one-year training on each of the three campuses, including the Lower Primary, Upper Primary and High School – before they are considered fully trained.
A guest asked how the teachers handled interruptions such as a student who wanted to include another topic in an ongoing activity. A teacher responded by explaining that any topic can be incorporated into an activity because the school follows an interdisciplinary methodology: various subjects are normally included into a topic if a student shows an interest.
Summary Session: Hackathon
The final session of the colloquium brought all the guests together in a Hackathon moderated by Mr. Delannoy using the principles of Perma- Economics. This is the first time a guest has chosen to moderate the summary session for a colloquium and it was well received by all guests and the organisers.
He divided the guests into three groups (A, B, C) and each was given a task to make the school sustainable in a specific way. They were advised to divide the issue they were to address into components and deal with each element in question to derive a plan to meet the needs of the school.
The theme for Group A was to develop agriculture and biodiversity. They suggested developing a farm on campus to supply the canteen, to serve as a lab for biodiversity and as a model of sustainable agriculture for the students.
The theme for Group B was to plan the construction of a High School classroom building and a playground with natural surroundings. They considered developing a practical budget and securing grants from local and central governments and international sources. A feasible design that incorporates the opinions of teachers and students is needed. Renewable and reused material resources for construction can be researched and incorporated into the project.
The theme for Group C was to develop ways to reach a broader segment of the public with information about this approach to education and to generate financial support for the school. More intensive teacher recruitment and training was suggested to maintain quality. Teacher training could be opened to teachers from other institutions as a possible source of funds for the school. Both Dr. Montgomery and Dr. Stillman asserted that they know educators who would appreciate the opportunity to participate in such a training programme.
Round table session during the Sixth Colloquium
At the end of the third day, it was suggested that this discussion shouldn’t stop and LinkedIn was chosen as the most appropriate medium to continue this conversation. Ms. Munaretto generously offered to create and be the administrator of a new LinkedIn group, which was later created as ALLIANCE_EduFoundation_LAB.
Coming from diverse fields including education, science, architecture, foundations, and business, this LinkedIn group could be a platform where ideas, resources, and actions could be fostered toward the expansion of the Sri Adwayananda Public School. Further discussions are already underway to implement and realize Projects A, B, and C including a full blueprint created by Ms. Lina Ghotmeh to pursue a circular economy project on the High School campus for Project B.
Findings of the Colloquium
The Sixth International Colloquium on the Teacher-Student Relationship in Education can be summarized with the following findings:
- A relationship of trust between teacher and student remains the most vital component of education, providing a secure framework for a child to express and develop his or her individual interests and ways of learning.
- Cooperation and sustainability are core values to be instilled through education and modeled by teachers.
- Key aspects of effective education include acknowledgement of a child’s individuality, creation of a rich and interdisciplinary learning environment that fosters a sense of freedom and exploration, and an emphasis on creativity and thinking skills.
- Education is the most important investment we can make for the future of mankind.
August 2-4, 2019, the dates for next year’s colloquium, will see an exciting group of world-class innovators convene for another challenging and stimulating look at education through the lens of the teacher-child relationship practiced at Sri Adwayananada Public School.