Redefining the teaching-learning processes
Ms Vijaya Tapkir
A teacher supported at our Shikshaantaar program in Pune
It is the passion that drives Vidya to bring the change and keeps her students motivated to do more. Here is the story of Vidya Tapkir, a teacher at Adarsh Balvidhya Mandir in Pune. She has been into this profession for the last ten years and she is the major driving force behind the transformation of the Balwadi’s (pre-school) environment.
Every day, as the students cramped inside that single room with the zeal to learn from her, she constantly looks to upgrade her skills to improve her pedagogy.
Vijaya did collect various educational materials but she was unaware of how to make the best utilization of them. It was only after she joined the Foundation’s Shikshaantar program in association with Grammangal, she becamewell acquainted with the use of these materials and also their objectives of covering seven different types of focus areas (e.g. language, mathematics, life skills, environmental studies, fine motor skills, art, free play, etc.).The Shikshaantar program was designed with an aim to enhance early-childhood knowledge and skills of pre-primary teachers teaching children in the age-group 3-6 years of age, by far the most important developmental stage in children.
Moreover, to boost the learning environment and develop the children’s interest in education, she further created “Bolkya Bhinti” (talking walls) in her classroom from her pocket. Also, after constantly following up with the local corporators, Vidya finally succeeded in getting a separate pre primary classroom for her students.
Vijaya Tai molds all the children with a firm but loving hand. In her classroom, she uses all methods like “Self learning, Group learning, and playing the role of a facilitator. The child can learn according to his competency level. Today, the environment of the Balwadi has transformed the way Vidya wanted. When the children enter the class, they first arrange all their belongings like slippers, water bottles, tiffin, school bag etc. in their allocated spaces and then, the learning starts.