TI-WB Teacher Education through School-based Support in India

TESS-India Video Resources

Copyright © 2015 The Open University

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted or utilised in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher.

Contents

- Introduction

- Planning lessons

- Involving all

- Talk for learning

- Using pair work

- Using questioning to promote thinking

- Monitoring and giving feedback

- Using groupwork

- Assessing progress and performance

- Using local resources

- Storytelling, songs, role play and drama

- School Leadership

- Introduction

- Establishing school-community partnerships

- Knowing your school

- Understanding students’ backgrounds

- Reading and writing

- Involving parents

- Inclusion

- The learning environment

- Leading teachers

- Leading teaching and learning

Introduction

Welcome to the TESS-India Video Resources. These videos are freely available as Open Educational Resources (OER) and published under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license. They are intended to complement the TESS-India text-based OER for teachers and school leaders. However, they may also be viewed independently of these materials.

The TESS-India videos have been filmed in primary and secondary schools in India. They show teachers trying out more learner-centred, participatory approaches with their students. The videos are not intended to demonstrate model practice. Their aim is to inspire you to experiment with similar approaches and techniques in your own classroom.

The videos are organised according to the themes of ten Key Resources that underpin the pedagogic practices of TESS-India:

- Planning lessons

- Involving all

- Talk for learning

- Using pair work

- Using questioning to promote thinking

- Monitoring and giving feedback

- Using groupwork

- Assessing progress and performance

- Using local resources

- Storytelling, songs, role play and drama

A complete list of the videos can be found in a PDF summary.

A further section of videos supplement the TESS-India School Leadership OER.

Video Resources acknowledgements

Planning lessons

For students to learn effectively, teachers need to plan activities that build on what their students already know. Click on the images below to watch these videos, where teachers explain how they decided what actions to take in their lesson planning in order to advance their students' learning.

You may also want to read the Key Resource ‘Planning lessons’.

A teacher prepares questions and pictures before a storytelling session to help all his young students understand the story.

Watch the video at YouTube.com.

- Download: transcript/video.

- We welcome your thoughts on this video. Please share them on YouTube.

- You may also want to read TESS-India’s Teacher Development OER Elementary Language and Literacy.

A teacher’s planning includes creating resources to help her students practise using English letters and words.

Watch the video at YouTube.com.

- Download: transcript/video.

- We welcome your thoughts on this video. Please share them on YouTube.

- You may also want to read TESS-India’s Teacher Development OER Elementary English.

A teacher explains how she planned a demonstration to show her students different states of matter.

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- Download: transcript/video.

- We welcome your thoughts on this video. Please share them on YouTube.

- You may also want to read TESS-India’s Teacher Development OER Secondary Science.

Involving all

To ensure that all students have opportunities to participate in classroom activities, teachers need to know their students well. Teachers need to be learners too, so they can find out what their students know and how they know it. In these videos the teachers organise their lessons so that learning opportunities are available to all their students. Group and pair work allows teachers to observe and monitor student participation.

You may also want to read the Key Resource ‘Involving all’.

A teacher welcomes her young students in their home languages.

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- Download: transcript/video.

- We welcome your thoughts on this video. Please share them on YouTube.

- You may also want to read TESS-India’s Teacher Development OER Elementary Language and Literacy.

A teacher skilfully involves all his students in purposeful activity in a multigrade, multilingual context.

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- Download: transcript/video.

- We welcome your thoughts on this video. Please share them on YouTube.

- You may also want to read TESS-India’s Teacher Development OER Elementary Maths.

Students are helped to translate folk songs from their home language into the school language.

Watch the video at YouTube.com.

- Download: transcript/video.

- We welcome your thoughts on this video. Please share them on YouTube.

- You may also want to read TESS-India’s Teacher Development OER Elementary Language and Literacy.

A teacher uses pair work to give all her students an opportunity to participate in the lesson.

Watch the video at YouTube.com.

- Download: transcript/video.

- We welcome your thoughts on this video. Please share them on YouTube.

- You may also want to read TESS-India’s Teacher Development OER Secondary English.

A teacher organises her large class to ensure that all her students are involved in the lesson.

Watch the video at YouTube.com.

- Download: transcript/video.

- We welcome your thoughts on this video. Please share them on YouTube.

- You may also want to read TESS-India’s Teacher Development OER Secondary Science.

Talk for learning

Creating opportunities for students to talk to one another and to their teacher is essential to support learning. Through talk, students share their understanding and relate this to new learning. Talk is important for students of all ages. These videos illustrate how teachers can organise opportunities for students to engage in productive talk in the classroom.

You may also want to read the Key Resource ‘Talk for learning’.

A teacher uses games to encourage student talk in the classroom.

Watch the video at YouTube.com.

- Download: transcript/video.

- We welcome your thoughts on this video. Please share them on YouTube.

- You may also want to read TESS-India’s Teacher Development OER Elementary English.

A teacher chooses the topic of the lesson carefully to ensure that all her students can participate in the activity.

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- Download: transcript/video.

- We welcome your thoughts on this video. Please share them on YouTube.

- You may also want to read TESS-India’s Teacher Development OER Elementary Language and Literacy.

A teacher organises her students into pairs to encourage them to create and solve problems together.

Watch the video at YouTube.com.

- Download: transcript/video.

- We welcome your thoughts on this video. Please share them on YouTube.

- You may also want to read TESS-India’s Teacher Development OER Elementary Maths.

A teacher uses discussion-based activities to prepare her students for a writing task.

Watch the video at YouTube.com.

- Download: transcript/video.

- We welcome your thoughts on this video. Please share them on YouTube.

- You may also want to read TESS-India’s Teacher Development OER Secondary English.

A teacher gives his students opportunities to explore their ideas, develop their reasoning and learn from one another.

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- Download: transcript/video.

- We welcome your thoughts on this video. Please share them on YouTube.

- You may also want to read TESS-India’s Teacher Development OER Secondary Maths.

A teacher has organised her students into groups of similar attainment levels to encourage productive classroom talk.

Watch the video at YouTube.com.

- Download: transcript/video.

- We welcome your thoughts on this video. Please share them on YouTube.

- You may also want to read TESS-India’s Teacher Development OER Secondary Science.

Using pair work

Pair work enables students to learn from each other by negotiating what they understand and communicating it to each other. These videos show how pair work can be used effectively to support learning with students of all ages and in all subjects.

You may also want to read the Key Resource ‘Using pair work’.

A teacher asks her students to work in pairs to familiarise themselves with new language.

Watch the video at YouTube.com.

- Download: transcript/video.

- We welcome your thoughts on this video. Please share them on YouTube.

- You may also want to read TESS-India’s Teacher Development OER Elementary English.

A teacher organises her students to work in pairs to create number problems.

Watch the video at YouTube.com.

- Download: transcript/video.

- We welcome your thoughts on this video. Please share them on YouTube.

- You may also want to read TESS-India’s Teacher Development OER Elementary Maths.

A teacher uses pair talk to prepare her students for an individual writing task.

Watch the video at YouTube.com.

- Download: transcript/video.

- We welcome your thoughts on this video. Please share them on YouTube.

- You may also want to read TESS-India’s Teacher Development OER Elementary Language and Literacy.

Students take on different roles in a pair work activity.

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- Download: transcript/video.

- We welcome your thoughts on this video. Please share them on YouTube.

- You may also want to read TESS-India’s Teacher Development OER Secondary English.

A teacher uses pair talk to help his students develop their ideas on a scientific concept.

Watch the video at YouTube.com.

- Download: transcript/video.

- We welcome your thoughts on this video. Please share them on YouTube.

- You may also want to read TESS-India’s Teacher Development OER Secondary Science.

Using questioning to promote thinking

Asking good questions is a key skill for teachers. Good questions can prompt students’ thinking. Questions also help teachers to know what students know. These videos show teachers using different sorts of questions to extend their students’ thinking, while also listening carefully to their answers.

You may also want to read the Key Resource ‘Using questioning to promote thinking’.

A teacher talks about how he develops his and his students’ skills in asking and answering questions in class.

Watch the video at YouTube.com.

- Download: transcript/video.

- We welcome your thoughts on this video. Please share them on YouTube.

- You may also want to read TESS-India’s Teacher Development OER Elementary Science.

A teacher uses a range of questioning techniques in his geometry class.

Watch the video at YouTube.com.

- Download: transcript/video.

- We welcome your thoughts on this video. Please share them on YouTube.

- You may also want to read TESS-India’s Teacher Development OER Secondary Maths.

Monitoring and giving feedback

These videos illustrate how teachers observe and guide student learning. The teachers listen carefully to student talk and the understanding they are developing from it before they intervene with questions to prompt thinking.

You may also want to read the Key Resource ‘Monitoring and giving feedback’.

A teacher demonstrates the use of effective feedback techniques in a multigrade, multilingual context.

Watch the video at YouTube.com.

- Download: transcript/video.

- We welcome your thoughts on this video. Please share them on YouTube.

- You may also want to read TESS-India’s Teacher Development OER Elementary Language and Literacy.

Parents are invited into a primary school to review their children’s learning. The teachers use this opportunity to talk to parents about how they can monitor their children’s learning at home.

Watch the video at YouTube.com.

- Download: transcript/video.

- We welcome your thoughts on this video. Please share them on YouTube.

- You may also want to read TESS-India’s Teacher Development OER Elementary English.

A teacher uses monitoring and feedback techniques throughout the lesson to guide her students’ learning.

Watch the video at YouTube.com.

- Download: transcript/video.

- We welcome your thoughts on this video. Please share them on YouTube.

- You may also want to read TESS-India’s Teacher Development OER Elementary Language and Literacy.

A teacher listens carefully to his students as they work in small groups and then gives them feedback to guide their learning.

Watch the video at YouTube.com.

- Download: transcript/video.

- We welcome your thoughts on this video. Please share them on YouTube.

- You may also want to read TESS-India’s Teacher Development OER Secondary Maths.

Using groupwork

Organising students to work in groups offers them opportunities to build on one another’s ideas and develop their understanding. Groupwork allows teachers to observe and monitor students. These videos show some of the ways that teachers can organise students in groups for different activities.

You may also want to read the Key Resource ‘Using groupwork’.

A teacher manages group-based activities in a multigrade, multilingual context.

Watch the video at YouTube.com.

- Download: transcript/video.

- We welcome your thoughts on this video. Please share them on YouTube.

- You may also want to read TESS-India’s Teacher Development OER Elementary Science.

A teacher uses groupwork in a discussion-based activity.

Watch the video at YouTube.com.

- Download: transcript/video.

- We welcome your thoughts on this video. Please share them on YouTube.

- You may also want to read TESS-India’s Teacher Development OER Elementary Language and Literacy.

A teacher has arranged her students into four groups in which members decide who will take responsibility for different aspects of the activity.

Watch the video at YouTube.com.

- Download: transcript/video.

- We welcome your thoughts on this video. Please share them on YouTube.

- You may also want to read TESS-India’s Teacher Development OER Elementary Science.

A teacher prepares his students for a group-based discussion.

Watch the video at YouTube.com.

- Download: transcript/video.

- We welcome your thoughts on this video. Please share them on YouTube.

- You may also want to read TESS-India’s Teacher Development OER Secondary Maths.

Assessing progress and performance

Assessment of student progress provides teachers with the evidence they need to plan the next learning opportunity for each of their students. The teachers in these videos show different ways to undertake assessment in the classroom, even with large classes.

You may also want to read the Key Resource ‘Assessing progress and performance’.

A teacher employs several forms of assessment in a multigrade, multilingual context.

Watch the video at YouTube.com.

- Download: transcript/video.

- We welcome your thoughts on this video. Please share them on YouTube.

- You may also want to read TESS-India’s Teacher Development OER Elementary English.

A teacher shows how he plans a lesson during which he assesses his students’ progress to inform future lesson planning.

Watch the video at YouTube.com.

- Download: transcript/video.

- We welcome your thoughts on this video. Please share them on YouTube.

- You may also want to read TESS-India’s Teacher Development OER Elementary Maths.

A teacher tries out different types of informal assessment with his large class.

Watch the video at YouTube.com.

- Download: transcript/video.

- We welcome your thoughts on this video. Please share them on YouTube.

- You may also want to read TESS-India’s Teacher Development OER Secondary English.

A teacher employs a simple form of assessment with his students and uses his findings to amend his teaching plans.

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- Download: transcript/video.

- We welcome your thoughts on this video. Please share them on YouTube.

- You may also want to read TESS-India’s Teacher Development OER Secondary Maths.

A teacher has used his knowledge of his students’ prior learning to organise them into groups.

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- Download: transcript/video.

- We welcome your thoughts on this video. Please share them on YouTube.

- You may also want to read TESS-India’s Teacher Development OER Secondary Science.

Using local resources

These videos show examples of teachers using resources creatively in different subject lessons. Local resources can create authenticity in activities by making learning familiar and meaningful to students. Resources help students to move from objects (such as segments of fruit and bottle top counters) to symbols (such as fractions and addition) in ways that make sense to them. Using resources creatively can make learning activities more motivating to students.

You may also want to read the Key Resource ‘Using local resources’.

A teacher has taken her students outside to make the activity more engaging and meaningful for them.

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- Download: transcript/video.

- We welcome your thoughts on this video. Please share them on YouTube.

- You may also want to read TESS-India’s Teacher Development OER Elementary Language and Literacy.

A teacher integrates hands-on experience for her students in her lesson.

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- Download: transcript/video.

- We welcome your thoughts on this video. Please share them on YouTube.

- You may also want to read TESS-India’s Teacher Development OER Elementary Science.

A teacher uses natural resources creatively to enhance her English lesson.

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- Download: transcript/video.

- We welcome your thoughts on this video. Please share them on YouTube.

- You may also want to read TESS-India’s Teacher Development OER Elementary English.

A teacher uses resources imaginatively to supplement the textbook.

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- Download: transcript/video.

- We welcome your thoughts on this video. Please share them on YouTube.

- You may also want to read TESS-India’s Teacher Development OER Elementary Maths.

A teacher uses the school environment to enhance her students’ learning.

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- Download: transcript/video.

- We welcome your thoughts on this video. Please share them on YouTube.

- You may also want to read TESS-India’s Teacher Development OER Elementary Science.

A teacher employs local and handmade resources to encourage student participation in his lesson.

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- Download: transcript/video.

- We welcome your thoughts on this video. Please share them on YouTube.

- You may also want to read TESS-India’s Teacher Development OER Secondary English.

Storytelling, songs, role play and drama

This set of videos shows how teachers use storytelling, songs, role play and drama across a range of curriculum areas to actively engage students in developing their ideas and knowledge with one another.

You may also want to read the Key Resource ‘Storytelling, songs, role play and drama’.

A teacher uses a familiar story in an interactive session to help his young students learn new English words.

Watch the video at YouTube.com.

- Download: transcript/video.

- We welcome your thoughts on this video. Please share them on YouTube.

- You may also want to read TESS-India’s Teacher Development OER Elementary English.

A teacher retells her students a familiar story using props.

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- Download: transcript/video.

- We welcome your thoughts on this video. Please share them on YouTube.

- You may also want to read TESS-India’s Teacher Development OER Elementary Language and Literacy.

A teacher explores how to use a story to engage her students in number work.

Watch the video at YouTube.com.

- Download: transcript/video.

- We welcome your thoughts on this video. Please share them on YouTube.

- You may also want to read TESS-India’s Teacher Development OER Elementary Mathematics.

A teacher uses storytelling imaginatively to engage her students with scientific ideas.

Watch the video at YouTube.com.

- Download: transcript/video.

- We welcome your thoughts on this video. Please share them on YouTube.

- You may also want to read TESS-India’s Teacher Development OER Elementary Science.

A teacher shows the benefits of preparing and practising storytelling in advance of the lesson.

Watch the video at YouTube.com.

- Download: transcript/video.

- We welcome your thoughts on this video. Please share them on YouTube.

- You may also want to read TESS-India’s Teacher Development OER Elementary English.

A teacher asks his students to perform role plays that show how the maths they have learnt relates to their everyday lives.

Watch the video at YouTube.com.

- Download transcript/video.

- We welcome your thoughts on this video. Please share them on YouTube.

- You may also want to read TESS-India’s Teacher Development OER Secondary Maths.

School Leadership

Introduction

The following nine videos focus on aspects of leadership in Indian schools. The videos show Indian school leaders talking about how they have implemented change to improve teaching and learning in their primary or secondary school. The aim of the videos is to encourage you to explore the use of similar practices in your own school.

The videos are organised according to nine themes:

- Establishing school-community partnerships

- Knowing your school

- Understanding students’ backgrounds

- Reading and writing

- Involving parents

- Inclusion

- The learning environment

- Leading teachers

- Leading teaching and learning

The videos are linked to the themes of the TESS-India School Leadership OER.

Further details and ideas for linked discussions and activities to undertake with school leaders may be found in the School Leadership Video Resources notes.

Establishing school-community partnerships

A school leader talks about the changes he has implemented to improve student attendance. He outlines how he identified the issues involved and how he took steps to address them, including establishing good relations with parents.

Watch the video at YouTube.com.

This school leader enlisted the support of key people to make changes that had a direct impact on school enrolment and attendance. Who are the people that you need to have on your side to make improvements in your school? Can you think of ways to include them more in decisions and solutions for your school?

- Download: transcript/video.

- We welcome your thoughts on this video. Please share them on YouTube.

- You may also want to read TESS-India’s School Leadership OER.

Related TESS-India School Leadership OER:

- Leading partnerships: engaging with parents and the wider school community

Knowing your school

A school leader walks around her school. She observes and makes notes on classroom teaching and learning in order to praise effective practice and attend to any shortfalls. The teachers and students do not react to her visits as they are used to them.

Watch the video at YouTube.com.

It is easy to get caught up in the day-to-day management of your school, but if you make time to walk around it regularly, you will learn a great deal about its actual workings. How often do you sit in on lessons and talk to your students about their experiences in school? How else might you collect evidence so that you have a rounded knowledge of how well your school is performing?

- Download: transcript/video.

- We welcome your thoughts on this video. Please share them on YouTube.

- You may also want to read TESS-India’s School Leadership OER.

Related TESS-India School Leadership OER:

- Perspective on leadership: leading the school’s self-review

- Perspective on leadership: planning and leading change in your school

- Transforming teaching-learning process: leading teachers’ professional development

- Transforming teaching-learning process: developing an effective learning culture in your school

Understanding students’ backgrounds

A school leader in a rural school talks about the importance of establishing an understanding of each student’s background and recognising the impact this may have on their learning and attendance. Although she cannot change the demands on her students to help with harvesting, she can work with them and their parents to minimise the impact of these responsibilities on their learning. In this way, she has managed to improve school attendance.

Watch the video at YouTube.com.

How much do you know about the factors that impact on your students’ learning? What student issues might you tackle if you had more information about them?

- Download: transcript/video.

- We welcome your thoughts on this video. Please share them on YouTube.

- You may also want to read TESS-India’s School Leadership OER.

Related TESS-India School Leadership OER:

- Perspective on leadership: using data on diversity to improve your school

- Transforming teaching-learning process: promoting inclusion in your school

- Leading partnerships: engaging with parents and the wider school community

Related TESS-India Key Resource:

- Involving all

Reading and writing

A school leader describes a specific problem in her school, namely inconsistency in the teaching of reading and writing, and how she led a whole school initiative to address this problem. Having involved teachers in identifying the relevant issues, she then took action in a coordinated manner.

Watch the video at YouTube.com.

Are there areas of learning that you suspect are weak in your school? How might you investigate them further and who might you enlist to help you take action?

- Download: transcript/video.

- We welcome your thoughts on this video. Please share them on YouTube.

- You may also want to read TESS-India’s School Leadership OER.

Related TESS-India School Leadership OER:

- Orientation: the elementary school leader as enabler

- Orientation: the secondary school leader as enabler

- Transforming teaching-learning process: leading improvements in teaching and learning in the elementary school

- Transforming teaching-learning process: leading improvements in teaching and learning in the secondary school

Related TESS-India Key Resource:

- Involving all

Related TESS-India Teacher Development OER:

- Language and Literacy

Involving parents

A school leader talks about the challenge of involving parents in their children’s education. She explains that, once a dialogue is established, it becomes easier to resolve factors which adversely affect a student’s learning.

Watch the video at YouTube.com.

Involving parents in the school is a key factor in supporting students’ learning. How do you encourage your students’ parents to visit your school? In what other ways might you encourage parents to support their child’s learning?

- Download: transcript/video.

- We welcome your thoughts on this video. Please share them on YouTube.

- You may also want to read TESS-India’s School Leadership OER.

Related TESS-India School Leadership OER:

- Leading partnerships: engaging with parents and the wider school community

Inclusion

A school leader describes the ways in which a student with a physical disability is successfully supported to participate fully in the school’s activities.

Watch the video at YouTube.com.

The school leader has a key role to play in ensuring that all students are included in the activities and opportunities available at their school. Physical disability, as in this video, is one condition that might exclude students from learning or from the facilities or resources at school.

But there are many other factors – such as social status, gender or visual impairment – that might lead to less favourable treatment. Are all the students in your school able to fully participate in learning? What can you do to reduce inequalities?

- Download: transcript/video.

- We welcome your thoughts on this video. Please share them on YouTube.

- You may also want to read TESS-India’s School Leadership OER.

Related TESS-India School Leadership OER:

- Perspective on leadership: using data on diversity to improve your school

- Transforming teaching-learning process: promoting inclusion in your school

- Leading partnerships: engaging with parents and the wider school community

Related TESS-India Key Resource:

- Involving all

The learning environment

A school leader actively monitors the learning environment in her school to improve standards. She observes lessons and talks to her staff and students, while at the same time noticing issues relating to punctuality and school cleanliness.

Watch the video at YouTube.com.

Part of the school leader’s role is to ensure that the school environment supports learning. Among the factors to be aware of are teaching quality, the provision of textbooks, student behaviour and the availability of washing facilities. What might you do to improve the learning environment for all your students in your school?

- Download: transcript/video.

- We welcome your thoughts on this video. Please share them on YouTube.

- You may also want to read TESS-India’s School Leadership OER.

Related TESS-India School Leadership OER:

- Orientation: the elementary school leader as enabler

- Orientation: the secondary school leader as enabler

- Transforming teaching-learning process: leading improvements in teaching and learning in the elementary school

- Transforming teaching-learning process: leading improvements in teaching and learning in the secondary school

Related TESS-India Key Resource:

- Using local resources

Leading teachers

Listen to what a school leader says about leading teachers and notice where she focuses her efforts. Notice too how the students’ experience is an important driver of her priorities.

Watch the video at YouTube.com.

When this school leader talks about leading her teachers, her prime focus is on how she organises them, but she also talks about how she fosters a collaborative spirit in the school and how she protects the time they spend with their students. How far does her approach relate to your priorities and preoccupations in leading your teachers?

- Download: transcript/video .

- We welcome your thoughts on this video. Please share them on YouTube.

- You may also want to read TESS-India’s School Leadership OER.

Related TESS-India School Leadership OER:

- Orientation: the elementary school leader as enabler

- Orientation: the secondary school leader as enabler

- Transforming teaching-learning process: supporting teachers to raise performance

- Transforming teaching-learning process: leading teachers’ professional development

- Transforming teaching-learning process: mentoring and coaching

Leading teaching and learning

A school leader talks about how she enables the teachers in her school to use participatory approaches with their students. As a leader, she takes care to model these approaches herself.

Watch the video at YouTube.com.

This school leader checks that teachers are on task by talking to them as well as their students. Ensuring that the curriculum is being covered is important, but how will you find out about students’ learning experiences? How can you encourage a participatory approach in all lessons in your school?

- Download: transcript/video.

- We welcome your thoughts on this video. Please share them on YouTube.

- You may also want to read TESS-India’s School Leadership OER.

Related TESS-India School Leadership OER:

- Transforming teaching-learning process: leading improvements in teaching and learning in the elementary school

- Transforming teaching-learning process: leading improvements in teaching and learning in the secondary school

- Transforming teaching-learning process: supporting teachers to raise performance

Related TESS-India Key Resources:

- Using pair work

- Talk for learning

- Using questioning to promote thinking