The research work of Monica Gupta and Komal Yadav poses the question ‘Do open self-developmental spaces help in integrating the personal social and professional selves of student teachers?’
Their investigation centers around a teacher training programme at Delhi University which is doing things differently. The programme conducted by faculty trained for supporting personal growth and development uses a range of training locations and modalities to take student teachers far beyond the boundaries of the ordinary lecture hall. This helps them shed the dead weight of conditioning and venture forth into a more creative, engaging and authentic form of teaching and learning.
As Monica and Komal explain, their work ‘captures the nature of self development space as experienced by students from teacher education departments in 8 colleges of University of Delhi. It foregrounds the importance of connecting with inner self and developing critical social consciousness through open formats of learning.’
Their findings make it clear that without this inner work, teachers risk perpetuating regressive attitudes and unjust social norms. When done correctly however, offering teachers the space for personal growth and development empowers them to show up in the most authentic and creative versions of themselves, better equipped to navigate the sometimes challenging power-structures that still define the Indian education system.
The duo worked to concretise their ideas further and give them a visual form beyond the textual representation in this short film.
Their film offers valuable insights to those involved in teacher education at all levels and offers an inspiring window into the changing face of education in India.
This post was written by Luke Meterlerkamp, Digital Weavers https://www.thedigitalweavers.com/.
