Summer Camp
- Nishith Acharya, RPS Ropada Primary School, Ahmedabad, 7984881509/9662359321
- Kalpnaben BhaY SarkhejKanya School, Ahmedabad , 9427333179
- DimpalBhut - CRC Co Gondal, Rajkot, 9913201202
- SatishkumarPrajapat, Bakrol Primary School, Panchmahal, 9978779260
- PravinkumarPateliya, Achhala Primary School, Chhotaudepur, 9913457625
- HiteshbhaiVadariya , CRC Co Moviya, Rajkot, 9913214888
Discussion happened on “In generating curiosity and creativity among students what role teacher can play and what support teacher can give to their students?” A teacher Nishith Acharya shared his journey of online summer camp. He said that in his school in summer vacation they always organized a camp for di?erent activities. But this year in lockdown period when schools were also closed we were in dilemma that whether this time we will be able to do it or not. Student have started asking that whether we are doing summer camp or not? SoNishith Acharya and his friend Hiren Thakkar thought that if students can connect on WhatsApp then we can do something. Nishith Acharya talked to one of his students Pratik Prajapati and he mentioned that he has one group of his friends and he can get other numbers also and can add them in group. And within one day Pratik created a group. From 4 April 2020, they have started online summer camp with 25 students in the group. They have started giving daily one task in the group in the morning part which can be completed by students in the day and they will put photos of the activity in the evening in group. Then Avinash Bhandari from FAIR-E in my discussion with him mentioned that, if we can include teachers from other schools and their children also, it would be very bene?ting to them too. Then Nishith Acharya contacted some of his friends and they have showed interest and joined the camp through WhatsApp groups. Dimple Bhut, Cluster Recourse coordinator (CRC), also mentioned that some Educational administrators also appreciated the activity. She also described the whole process of activity posting and student/parent participation in detail. Then they have decided to appreciate best activity through Group Icon and posting the activity on Facebook page of school. She said that this is also a result of team work, as one teacher is handling communication, some handling ICT, some handling documentation etc. she mentioned that at one point of time we are out of ideas that what kind of activity can be given now, and decided to close the group and end the summer camp. When announcement posted in the group teachers/ parents/students started sending messages to continue the camp. We discussed that now what kind of activities can be given? then we thought of some activities which can be done without any material as going out for material was not possible. Now we focused on activities which are related to value education like Poem writing, Storytelling, Yoga etc.
Dipali Mahida online viewer asked a question that active students easily get involved but some students who are not active and who do not have proper resources at home do not take part, how to involve them? NishithAacharya answered the question he said that Peer learning and sharing helps a lot in this as in one case when some of my
students don’t have phone and internet used to get information from others residing nearby and doing activities. So student can learn and guide each other. Here teacher has to play a main role.
What are the di?culties faced?
Some technical queries came from students that how to open PDF ?les. How to download videos? How to post activities, share etc.? We were in regular contact with students and solved queries through calls and messages.
Satishbhai Prajapat shared his experience that in his school they are doing summer camp activities from 2015-16. Students of his school can do art and crah activities very well like paintings on stones, using waste bottles as ?ower pots in school garden. Students of his school asked him that what will bene?t or use of this activities, why do we do this? He explained that this type of activity has economic value too. If you have this type of skills it can be bene?cial in future.
One bene?t of summer camp shared by one parent is that now student at home don’t waste their time in playing games, but they do activities given in the task and learn through it. They touch mobile only to access the group of summer camp.
Pravinkumar Pateliya mentioned that Chhota Udaipur has major network issue. He said that when we came to know this activity I informed my 7-8 students who has mobile and internet facility and explained them the process that I will give you one activity on the morning and in the evening you have to submit the photos of the activity. Those 6-8
students took the lead and started participating and also involved other students from their area. Students who didn’t have internet or phone were coming to ask the task and went back and do activities. The students who were taking leads were also making list of students who has done the task from their areas.
Sailesh Prajapati asked a question that which is the activity in which all students will be able to participate?
Kalpana Bhatt answered that activities which are not skill based but based on value education in that all students can participate. She stated that there is one activity in which all students were participating is speaking shloka of Sanskrit daily and recording it and send in the group. In this type of activity all students can participate.
Students have developed curiosity for doing activities like in some task like writing 50 synonyms and antonyms words students were literally reading old books searching in google asking elder brothers and sisters Kalpana Bhatt mentioned.
Saileshbhai Prajapati asked that these TLMs are for evaluation of students or for making activity. Satish bhai replied that some TLMs can be made by students and by making TLMs they can learn and some are for evaluation also. In camp we have given some TLM making activity also and students have performed well in it. He shared one or two example also.
Sanked summed it up with comment that this is a best example of creativity as teacher is demonstrating the TLM making process students follow that process. Through that they get experience of the whole process how to do it? What kind of material is required? How much time it will take? Etc.
Praveen Bhai Khattchar asked that if students are from very interior area then how to connect with them and involve them in this activity?Nishith Acharya replied that we can connect through calls to parent, in one case we were giving activity decryption on phone to a mother in farm and they pass on the massage to child. Other thing can be done is involve students who have passed form your school and have internet and phone facilities and ask them to lead the activity and pas on the message to child and co-ordinate with them.
Hiteshbhai Vadariya mentioned that some teachers have invested their own money and get photocopies of some material and gave it to students. So teachers have also played a key role and tried well to continue the activity.
Nishith Acharya mentioned that all TLMs we are seeing here (Can be seen in video) are made by students and when schools will be open this will be a great material for classroom use. So students learned TLM making and material for classroom also ready.
Dimple Bhut mentioned that we have also focused on priority of the activities. Like ?rst 15 days we have focused on Corona Awareness so activities of paintings and small write-ups on corona were given. Then if any festival is coming so activities related to that were given. Then TLM making and value education were in centre.
Praveen Kumar Pateliya mentioned that we have also involved online meetings with students on some days as students can get in touch with each other and also students from di?erent district do present some songs and stories in the meeting and exchange of ideas and discussion on content happened there in the meeting.
Team of teachers mentioned that camp generally is of 20 days every year but this year more than 90 days we completed and planning of 108 days of completion is there.