**Workshop on* *Mind Brain and Education**

I conducted a workshop on ’Mind Brain and Education’. The workshop was arranged for the teachers of Visapur Cluster. I felt delighted to be a part of it. It was a fabulous one.

*The following topics were discussed in the workshop.*

✏ Process of learning.
✏ Assimilation
✏ Accommodation
✏ Scaffolding the children's
✏ Examples of Assimilation and Accommodation
✏ Neurons and its structure
✏ Functions of Neurons.
✏ Synapse and their role in learning.
✏ Brain lobes (Frontal, Parietal, Temporal, Occipital lobe ) their functions and their role in education.
✏ Parts of Brain and their functions
✏ Evolutionary history of Brain.
✏ Neo cortex, Limbic and Reptile Brain.
✏ Effects of limbic system (emotional brain) in mind and education.
✏ Principles of Brain.
✏Teachers role according to the Neuroscience.

*My Conclusion*
🕋 I found that this workshop is going to bring changes in their teaching strategies.
🕋 Teachers involved themselves in each and every activity with zeal.
🕋 Teachers were eager to learn new things through which they could update themselves.
🕋 Teachers gave an incredible response during the workshop.
🕋Teachers enjoyed the workshop.

*Upshot the workshop*
👉🏾 It's a two-way process of learning.
👉🏾 I have learned a lot of things from the teachers.
👉🏾I made them think over their teaching myths.
👉🏾They realised where they have to make changes in their teaching pedagogy.
👉🏾 They demanded that they want to learn more about MBE.
👉🏾 I wonder if it's a sign of changing things.

l must say the workshop was up to the mark.

*Kalpana Bansod*
*ESA*
*Chandrapur*

A Webinar on Constructing the Multilingual Mindset

Hi Friends,

I am delightful to share the webinars summary. It’s a learning experience for me. I enjoyed a lot while putting it. Now I am going to share key points of the last webinar in a nutshell. Hopefully, you will take out some precious time of yours to read it.

The Last webinar was on “**Constructing the Multilingual Mindset”*.* This webinar presented by Maria Norton. Deeper learning is the tool of comprehension. Learning and teaching process need a language through which we can have the core of our relationships with the world and each other. But we face a lots of hindrances during the learning. One of the hindrance is language.Recent research in cognitive science demonstrates how speaking more than one language promotes creativity and tolerance; it also enhances our problem-solving skills. This can be achieved by constructing the ‘Multilingual Mindset’: a more inclusive approach towards languages and culture.Being multilingual is an asset in today´s world.Maria mam tackled the webinar by putting the words how to adopt the Multilingual Mindset: the new global literacy.

✍️Points to be noted in the webinar….

👉🏿Mindset means personal opinion for allowing ourselves to use the power of brain based on perceived strengths and weaknesses.

👉🏿The strongest word here is "weaknesses". Beacause it's easy to perceive your own strengths, but it really needs some introspection to perceive your own weaknesses.

👉🏿Multilingualism is that which paves way to switch between languages in different levels ( code mixing, code switching, code meshing and trans language) Which traditional language teachers don't approve of .

👉🏿Recent research suggests that multilingualism and language learning can have significant effects on cognitive functions throughout the lifetime. It has added a new and potentially highly relevant argument to the list of potential benefits.

👉🏿Reality shows that one needs to move away from our comfort zone. That’s where resilience comes in. we need to be open minded and respect, accept other people's perspectives. We need to be able to LISTEN rather than hear. Analyze- focus -learn-commit-teach.

👉🏿There is a lot of wonderful research done in Canada for example by Ellen Bialystok on cognitive advantages of bilingualism, especially the elderly and the onset of dementia. There's also a lot of stuff done on the improvement of your reaction times - you respond to stimuli much better and are selective - just like on your poster, Maria. cancelling the "noise" and focusing on the target.

👉🏿While learning the new language , the brain recognizes familiar things.It creates connections. It is useful for the multilinguism.

👉🏿One doesn't require proficiency as in native language to use a new language

👉🏿Meditation is useful for multilingual- mindset.

👉🏿Multilingual mindset is not only about becoming global but also about being global which would make us tolerant and peace loving thus making this world a serene place all together.

👉🏿Maria mam strongly recommended constructivist approach and intentional practice for developing the multilingual mindset. Afterall language is nothing but lifelong learning process.

*Value of Multilingualism in day today life.*

1. It gives a sense of pride, self identity, and belonging.

2. It affects our performance, concentration and memory.

3. It is helpful for problem solving and mental well-being as well.

4. It gives tolerance for ambiguity.

5. It enhances our knowledge, skill and attitude which affects our carrer.

6. It is interculturally effective for appropriate behavior.

7. It gives us sense of respect, openness withholding judgement.

8. Multilingualism helps in becoming multicultural

9. Language helps us to integrate better and make us bond with others faster and better.Language is freedom.

10. Multilinguism is essential for worldwide communication.

*10 advantages to being bilingual-*

1. Master in multitasking.

2. Improves our mental well-being

3. Has superior listening skills

4. Makes sharp judgement calls

5.To Be better problem solvers.

6. Tune out noise easily

7. Focus better on Big crowds

8. Earn more money.

9. Have a better memory.

10. See things with a different perspectives.

Eventually, I would like to share a food of thought said by Noam Chomsky-

“A language is not just words. It’s a culture, a tradition, a unification of a community, a whole history that creates what a community is. It’s all embodied in a language.”

Friends , because of you once again I came across the webinars and enriched myself. Especially I am armed with the writing skill.Thanks for reading the webinars in short. Probably it will help you. Best of luck for your path to enhance your CPD.

*Kalpana Bansod *
*SARP*
*DIECPD, Chandrapur*.

A Webinar on Ideas and strategies for the low-resource classroom

I am in full zest for sharing the take away points of the most resourceful webinar Ideas and strategies for the low-resource classroom was undertaken by Richard Smith, Amol Padwad and Deborah Bullock .

*About the webinar*
✍️In this webinar the presenters introduced some worldwide success stories of the teachers.

✍️In those stories they discussed an 'enhancement approach' to teaching in low-resource classrooms .

✍️The stories had been chosen from the Book “Teaching in low resource classrooms: voices of experiences” Here is the link of that book- https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/sites/teacheng/files/PUB_30325_BC%20Teach%20in%20Low%20Resource%20Report_A4_v4_ONLINE.pdf

✍️They had given concreate and practically successfull examples of the teachers who are facing the problems of low resources.

✍️We found through these thorough presentations how teachers from a range of contexts have successfully collaborated to come up with appropriate strategies to deal with local difficulties.

✍️You could find it more lively in the above book.

✍️By sharing innovative ideas and exploratory action research, Teachers got the gist of the low-resource classes which can help them to overcome the challenges.

✍️Throughout the presentation and discussion among participants my take away points are-

1. Low resource classroom means classroom with only basic facilities. It means no handouts, paper, books and manuals, internet nothing.

2. In these classrooms, students can be a great resource themselves. we need to make use of them.

3. To engage students without resources, we should focus on the style of learning of the learners.

4. The monotony of the teachers should stop and let the learners ask what they want to discuss , this gets them talking . It makes the learners to open up and come out with their ideas.

5. Teachers should touch learners hearts and relate to their own lives. That made them think and talk.

6. In low- resources classrooms peer teaching and assessment is the significant idea. Sometimes learners can explain the topics better than the teacher.

7. Non conventional learning tools which can provide a common platform(music, sports and movies) can be used to create an interactive environment in a low resource classroom.

8. Sometimes we should get the pupils to be "little" teachers.

9. Peer checking is a useful exercise whatever the size of the group. However, it often requires the teacher to wander around and monitor as sometimes students will mark as wrong something that is right.

10. Collaborative enquiry with colleagues resulted in much wider range of startegies and ideas than one would have come up with on one's own.

11. students can interview each other in a low resource classroom.

12. All the simple formative assessment techniques we can use in a low resource classroom.

13. Mabelle introduced an idea of preparing different tasks for different levels but relating them to the same text. Presumably, if you then put students into mixed groups so that they can share the answers to the different tasks, this would make it a really interesting collobarative exercise.

14. Personally I liked Jiresh sir’s quote " all roads lead to Rome" . He put we end up covering syllabus for tests and exams thus we are only covering up the syllabus, but it is better to uncover the syllabus for which a change in testing and assessement practices is necessary.

15. Three Indians and one nepolian generated an idea for “Managing multiple classes in one room without partitions.” These ideas generated through consultation with peers. The ideas are –

In these classrooms

a) We should use a mix of teacher-led and self directed activities.

b) We should use multi-class or whole school activities

c) We should use classroom layout.

d) We should use monitors and mentors in the classroom.

e) We should manage the behavior by engaging them in various activities.



Friends , On the whole , it was the most engaging, enriching and enhancing webinar.The essence of a webinar was Two heads are always better than one. So, do sharing and caring of dear ones. Remember “Teaching is indeed a universal phenomenon.”

Kalpana Bansod
SARP, DIECPD
Chandrapur.

A webinar on ‘Native speakerism’, identity and ELT

A webinar was presented and hosted by intellicual, keen,and resourceful smart trainers like Neenaz Ichaporia, Manisha Dak and Chia Suan Chong. There was a 1-hour online discussion forum for teachers, teacher educators and school leaders.

Firstly Neenaz, Manisha and Chia mam shared their journey of learning English language. It was extremely noteworthy.It was not only discussion but also debate as I have never ever faced before. It was an amazing webinar.

*The Value points of the webinar….*
✍️In the discussion forum presenters focused on issues around native speakerism in English Language Teaching.

✍️In the webinar we had a discussion on number of questions, such as ‘who is a native speaker and to what extent does being a native speaker matter?’

✍️The presenters explored different definitions of ‘native speakerism’ and also the concept of ‘inner’, ‘outer’ and ‘expanding’ circle countries, discussing implications for speakers of English from ‘outer’ or ‘expanding’ circles.

✍️We talked about how labels such as native and non-native speaker impact on identity.

✍️We had a healthy discussion on the impact of and non-native speaker on ELT professionals, particularly in the area of employability.

✍️Finally, the discussion looks at concepts such as ‘imposter syndrome where some 'non-native' speaker teachers feel their English level is not sufficient enough to teach the language.

✍️“Native speakerism is a pervasive ideologywithin ELT, Characterized by the belief that ‘native speaker’ represent a ‘western culture’ from which spring the ideals both of the English language and English language teaching methodology” *– Halliday(2005)*

✍️A native speaker of a language is someone who speaks that language as their first language rather than having learned it as a foreign language.- Collins dictionary.

✍️Native speaker is someone who has spoken a particular language since they were a baby, rather than having learned it as a child or adult.

✍️Language is related to community not to the geographic location.

✍️Nativeness is not the same thing as Nationality, because language borders are not consistent with linguistic one.

✍️Neenaz mam introduced Kachru’s ‘three circles’ (1985) where the inner circle represented those countries i.e USA,UK, Australia, New Zealand in which English was traditionally the first language of the majority of the speakers.

✍️The outer circle represented countries i.e. India, Nigeria, Singapore where English played an official or institutional role,and which typically had a history of colonization.

✍️The Expanding circle represents the countries i.e. China, Brazil, Russia where English was used mainly in EFL contexts with no institutional or official role.

✍️Native speaker is not equal to ability to teach or speak.

✍️Culture isn’t a monolithic thing.

✍️The terms native speaker and non-native speaker suggest a clear-cut distinction that doesn’t really exist. Instead it can be seen as a continuum ,with someone who has complete control of language in question at one end,to the beginner at the other,with an infinite range of proficiencies to be found in between.

✍️Employees are struggling with Native and NON- Native speakers issues . In most of the institutions they preferred only Native speakers.

✍️One advantage of Non-native speaker/teacher has got his/her own experience of learning L2.

✍️Language is not just words and sentence.. it entails culture, different antonation, and different way of thinking

✍️There is a greater emphasis on communicativeness and intelligibility rather than ‘sounding’ native.

✍️you don't need to teach the learners British or American accents etc, but you do need to help them to understand those different accents, grammar and vocabulary and that is a factor for all teachers, whatever their own accent may be.

✍️one thing I found is that learners struggle to see the difference between pronunciation and accent. clarifying it for them and exposing them to models of native speakers

✍️We have to move away from Native Speakers to Multilingualism.

Personally I got the gist of the webinar that is Native or non-native....competency is the ONLY the decisive factor.

**Kalpana Bansod*
*SARP*
*Chandrapur*.*

A Webinar on Neuroscience

Hi friends,


As I promised you all, about sharing the key points of the webinars. Today I am keen to share what I learnt about the fascinating subject of neuroscience. The subject of the webinar was “Using your brain: what neuroscience can teach us about learning” flawlessly presented by Rachael Roberts. It was a intensive webinar. Actually, its one of my preferred and favorite subject. In this webinar, We looked at what recent researches have to tell us about learning. And when I came across it, I was wondering, how rarely teacher education focuses on neuroscience. Do course books/Syllabus usually reflect on the science of learning ? Anyways…

At this juncture, I would like to share some Food for thought.
✍️ Brain is the organ and the key tool of learning.
✍️The presenter focused specifically on motivation and memory, and how to apply these findings in the classroom to help students learn more easily and effectively.
✍️We found People have some obscure statements on brain like-
a) People mostly use about 10% of their brain.
b) Language is the function of the left hand side of the brain.
c) Right brained people are more creative.
d) Adults can grow new brain cells.
e) Stress should be avoided in the classroom.
f) It is harder to learn a new language as you get older.
g) It is better to focus on one topic or area of study at a time, master it and then move on.
h) if we guess the answer to a question and get it wrong you will remember the wrong answer later.

✍️ She gave the references of the recent researches and proved these statements are not facts . these are myths.
✍️Rachael mam newly introduced ‘Dopamine’ harmone . It is responsible for remembering information or the learning areas.
✍️She explained and referred to dopamine as the “save button” in the brain.
✍️She interpreted that when dopamine is present during an event or experience ,we remember it; when it is absent nothing seems to stick.
✍️Dopamine is responsible for basic functioning in the brain. It helps neurons to connect. People with dopamine related diseases, for ex Parkinsonism, also have motor problems. It affects our entire system.
✍️The brain uses 20% of our calorie intake.
✍️She highlighted that some stress is good for learners but that stress would be for sustaining Curiosity and for happiness of learning.
✍️Intrinsic motivation leads autonomy, mastery and purpose.intrinsic motivation (curiosity) may depend on level of life, feeling safe and abundant (food, home, family etc.) also memory works better if kid feels safe
✍️Extrinsic motivation leads compensation,punishment,and rewards.
✍️She gave the tricks for how to trick our brain into working better. The tricks are-
a) Use spaced learning
b) Encourage intrinsic motivation
C) Encourage curiosity and guessing
d) Repetition (What fires together, wires together)
e) Use salience.
f) Set a ‘goldilocks’ level of arousal.
✍️We will get more information on learning on this site http://www.learningscientists.org/

It was an insightful and extremely helpful webinar. We considered that the teacher as "bible" and the student as "parrot" can be very hard to overcome. While discussion I liked one statement “we have to take a holistic look at learning.” It is very important for healthy relaxed learning environment.



Kalpana Bansod
SARP, DIECPD
Chandrapur.