Thanking note

Thanking note

 Date-3rd Jan.2018

 Dreams always come true, if you learn to dream and work passionately until it is fulfilled.  It was my dream to be part of the IATEFL conference when I attended some plenary speeches online last year. I decided and wrote on paper  that one day I will take part in this conference.

 I have been working as a state Academic Resource Person ( SARP ) for the TEJAS project. Tejas means Technology enabled Education through Joint Action and Strategic initiatives. It’s an innovative project having a partnership among the State government of Maharashtra , Tata Trust and British Council.

According to this project Teacher Activity Groups (TAGs) are created in 9 districts including Aurangabad,Amravati,Beed, Gadchiroli, Hingoli, Nagpur, Nandurbar, Nashik and Yawatmaal. This project is  for 3 years. It started in 2016 and it will end in 2019.Now we are completing 2nd year. During these  3 years It will strengthen and support continuously to RAA, Aurangabad , SARPs ,TAG Coordinators and TAG teachers  through face to face training, online courses like CIPELT/CISELT ( Certificate in Primary English Language Teaching/ Certificate in Secondary English Language Teaching), LEP (Learn English Pathway), through social media in form of Facebook Tejas4ed and Twitter #Tejas4ed groups.  It was planned to start 750 TAGs across 9 districts. Now more than 600 tags are still running successfully at cluster level.

 Tag coordinators conduct Tag meetings once in month on one Saturday for one cluster. He or she has to facilitate 3 tags for 3 different clusters. In each tag 25 teachers from a cluster are expected to attend the tag meeting. British council has designed a very creative and activity oriented resource book for TAG teachers. It has 4 sections. 1. Language development 2. Learning by reading  3 Learning by watching and 4. Reflection and Action planning. These 4 sections are to be facilitated for 3 hours where teachers themselves discuss in English, practise the activities given in TAG book,learn new things from each other  and share their own ideas in meetings or on whats app ,facebook or on twitter.

 Every child deserves the best. If teachers are motivated and encouraged to use  English confidently and effectively , they can create a positive atmosphere in classrooms . They can also build the confidence of children to practise English. It will certainly help to remove fear of English language.And increase best practices in ELT. All these things are very useful for learners which our Government is planning and implementing.

   In Nashik  129 Tags are established and more than 100 TAGs are running. 44 Tag coordinators are being selected and most of them are conducting tags regularly. I have been supporting and mentoring tag cs from Nashik ,Nandurbar and Nagpur  on phone calls, through emails , on whatsapp , facebook , on twitter, blog and sometimes face to face meetings.

 We all SARPs are working according to the following 5 SMART goals..

1.            Planning and delivering training

2.             Supporting and mentoring Tag coordinators and Tag teachers

3.             Monitoring and evaluation and report writing

4.             Social media management

5.              Materials development

 Everybody is taking responsibility for Tejas.  We all have been  attending  SARP training, shadowing with BC training consultants, observing TAG meetings and Classroom  teaching, managing whatsapp groups,facebook Tejas4ed and twitter group.  British Council and RAA ,Aurangabad will organize a symposium soon in the month of Jan.2018.  So Tejas is really spreading brightness in ELT practices.

  IATEFL ( International Association Of teachers of English as a Foreign Language ) .This is a worldwide community of  ELT teachers in the world.The mission of this community is  to “Link, develop and support English Language Teaching professionals” worldwide. IATEFL  organizes an annual conference in the spring with key  speakers and individual papers, workshops and symposia. Membership is approximately 3500, spread through more than 100 countries. The primary activities for IATEFL members throughout the year are centred on Special Interest Groups (SIGs), which hold various types of meetings and conferences.

 This year IATEFL is going to be held in Brighton (UK) during 9 April to 13 April 2018.

British Council team selects and sponsors one SARP from the TEJAS project. It is a  rigorous process for selection. Applicants have to fulfill some conditions that have been decided by the BC team and have to fill an application ,too. After this process, one person gets a chance to be sponsored to attend the conference.Here I am giving my filled application that I had written previously. It will make me aware of my responsibilities. 

                                          Why would you like to go IATEFL

 I would like to be part of 52nd international  IATEFL conference for following reasons

 …It will be a great learning opportunity for anybody to attend this conference .Many Teachers of English from around the world will come together . Well known speakers will conduct  plenary sessions. So this will be a really insightful experience for anyone . I will come to know the best practices of ELT by attending conferences and also talking with other teachers.  Sharing and learning culture is developed ,when we talk to each other,when we exchange  our opinions with others. What’s going on in different countries about ELT? I will get to know this by face to face meeting with teachers  and listening to respected dignitaries.

 So getting to familiar with  new ideas, new concepts, new culture, new people , new atmosphere , advanced technology and many extraordinary things will certainly  broaden my perspective and enrich my knowledge ,skills and attitude towards English Language Teaching .  It will boost my confidence to be a part of this iatefl .

 I always think that learning has no full stop. We all are lifelong learners.  Hence ,the 52nd   conference of  International Association Of Teachers Of English as Foreign Language which is going to be held  in Brighton in April 2018  is an excellent opportunity for Continuous Professional Development. That will  strengthen me as a SARP to support , mentor ,encourage and motivate effectively to TAG Coordinators ,TAG  teachers and the teachers of English in my vicinity and across Maharashtra.

  I have read that there are about  500 talks, workshops ,symposiums and  social vibrant programmes in IATEFL . So being a part of many initiatives, I would like to witness this conference because I want to write in my blog what I will see,what I will experience, What I will learn, the reflection of each day in my blog. I would really like to note down the new ideas that I would learn in the conference and it will make me more attentive ,a good  listener  and a better practitioner of English . 

          How will attending iatefl benefit you and other sarps and Tejas project ?

 As a SARP I would like to say that any kind of conference ,symposium ,workshop or training is a capacity building programme. As you learn more ,the more you will be enriched ,you must gain more. We are like empty pots . If somebody wants water to quench his/her thirst, he or she needs water and at that time a pitcher full of water certainly helps the thirsty people to satisfy their thirst.

 We SARPs have to be like that pitcher . I wish to be such a pitcher who will support and motivate  teachers and TAG Cs to run tags without the help of administration.

 By attending an iatefl conference , I will do my all 5 smart goals with extra vigour and vitality.

   It will develop my perspective to plan and deliver training.

It will sharpen my brain to support and mentor tag coordinators and tag teachers

It will give me new dimensions to monitor and evaluation of TAGs

It will strengthen me to achieve goal of report writing by writing reflective blogs on iatefl 

 It will also help me how to use social media more effectively for teachers  by using twitter, facebook, whatsapp for tejas project.

 Attending iatefl conference , listening to plenary speakers and exchanging ideas with other delegates  will enrich my knowledge ,skill and attitude ,which will be helpful for other SARPs as well as teachers.

  I also wish to develop in the area of materials development with more experience and iatefl is a great source for me to receive this strength.

Whatever I will gain , I will share with other SARPs through blog ,twitter and face to face presentation after conference. That might be helpful for the Tejas project. I will encourage and urge policy makers to organize such conferences for teachers  to give them first hand experience of plenary  sessions ,workshops,talks and symposiums  so that there will be a very positive atmosphere of ELT across Maharashtra.

    What would be your action points after you return from the conference ? 3 specific action points

 

•       I will  write  briefly and share with other SARPs and Tag Cs about the innovative ideas that I will have learnt in the conference ,after the iatefl conference

•   I will present  my new learning in face to face SARP meeting/tag Cs training or with tag teachers whenever I will get a chance to talk  before them.

•  I will rejuvenate most of the tags from Nashik and Nandurbar by visiting physically and encouraging TAG Cs

             

 Milestones that you have achieved in your role as a SARP on tejas . 3 specific milestones

 1. I have supported many TAG coordinators from Nashik, Nandurbar and Nagpur through whatsapp, phone calls,emails and face to face visits by providing them administrative support issuing letters to run their Tags effectively.

2.I have started to write blogs on the experience of Tejas year 1, tag observation, classroom observation,shadowing with training consultants  and involvement of the teachers and tag cs and students engaged in tag activities.

3. I have conducted 1 monthly twitter chat and helped 1 twitter chat with tag coordinators along with the collaboration of  SARPs  ensuring the better preplanning and management

Happiest moments…

•   I received a call from Radhika Gholkar mam ( Academic Manager, BC,West India) on 25th Dec 17 on an auspicious day of Christmas.She gave me this fabulous news of selection to attend 52nd  IATEFL international conference.

•   Officially Declared on 2nd Jan.2018 by Hon.Urvi Shah mam (Head, Schools, English and Skills, West India )

 A vote of thanks to show my gratitude towards the following persons

•  Thanks a lot to Hon. Nandkumar sir (principal secretary, ministry of School Education and Sports,Maharashtra), Hon.Dr.Sunil Magar sir (Dir.,MAA,Pune), Hon. Dr Subhash Kamble sir (Dir.RAA ,Aurangabad), Hon.D.D.Suryawanshi sir ( Ex-Principal,DIECPD,Nashik),Hon.Ravindra jawale sir (Deputy Dir and Principal, RAA and DIECPD,Nashik), Hon.Ranjeet sir(project officer,RMSA) and Dr Ujjwal Karawande sir (HoD of RAA,A’bad)

•  Thanks to Urvi mam,Radhika mam,John Sir, Priya Mam,Dena mam,Purnima mam,Havovi mam,Girish,Maria,Neha mam,Azania mam and all BC team

• Thanks to my whole SARP team (Ujjwal sir, Shridhar sir, Nisar sir,Santosh sir,Pramod sir, Zubair sir,Surendra sir, Nagesh sir,Tauseef sir,Raju sir,Pramod sir,Ratnakar sir,Tushar sir,Chandrakant sir,Vijay sir,Sachin sir,Ganesh sir,Prakash sir, Sumit Sir,Pramod Athvale sir,Navnath sir,Nadeem sir,Anil sir,Deepika mam,Kalpana mam,Krutika mam,Suchita mam,Manjusha mam,Yogita mam)

•  Thanks to all Tag Coordinators,Tag teachers and all the learners who are stakeholders of Tejas programme..

• Thanks to the whole Tejas team.

  

Warm Regards

Ashok Chavan

SARP,DIECPD,Nashik