In collaboration with the Madhya Pradesh Government, IIM Indore is developing six video-based modules for school teachers to train them in online teaching. The aim of these training modules is to enable 3.07 lakh teachers of Classes 1 to 12 to manage their time skilfully and handle stress during online teaching.
The virtual launch by Minister of School Education Inder Singh Parmar and ProfHimanshu Rai, Director, IIM Indore, took place on February 1. Rashmi Arun Shami, Principal Secretary, School Education Department; Dhanraju S, Director, State Office of Education; Jaishree Kumawat, Commissioner, Public Education; and O L Mandloi, Additional Director, State Education Center; were also present on this occasion.
Role of a teacher
The training module comprises of 12 videos of seven minutes each. It will focus on enhancing teachers’ skills in three prime areas: time management, stress management, and self-management. The videos are accompanied by reading material to be read before and after the videos. Each video is followed by Multiple-Choice-Based Questions (MCQs). Teachers can only proceed to the next module, when they clear the MCQ round. Teachers who clear all these online training modules will be labelled as IIM Indore certified teachers.
Parmar noted that the pandemic has affected the education sector. He said, “We are thankful to IIM Indore team for developing these videos for the school teachers as an effort to ensure that the pandemic doesn’t affect education. A teacher plays an important role in nurturing a student as a good citizen. A teacher needs to be efficient in time management and remain stress free, so that they are able to contribute effectively in a student’s learning.” He noted that these video modules aren’t just beneficial to the teachers, but also to the society as a whole.
Prof Rai said that these teaching modules aim to enable teachers in developing teaching skills by using internet-based tools. “It's the culmination of six months of exhaustive work by our team here, which began with the detailed survey of 39,000 teachers to ascertain the multiple problems being faced by them , he said.
Women at work
The IIM Indore faculty team led by Professor Rai includes six members — Prashant Salwan, Shruti Tiwari, Raina Chhajer, Vaijayanthee Anand, and Ajit Phadnis.
The team conducted a detailed survey of 39,000 school teachers across Madhya Pradesh to ascertain various key areas of their behaviour. Findings mentioned that just around 12 percent of male teachers and eight per cent of female teachers were satisfied with their general health status. Moreover, 32 per cent of surveyed male teachers and 30 percent of female teachers had a favourable psychological well-being. Over 35 percent of male teachers and 30 percent of female teachers were highly satisfied with their work, while 51 percent of male teachers and 56 percent female teachers were able to plausibly manage their time.