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Introduction
The Learning Network is a network of individuals and groups pursuing different approaches towards holistic learning. It is coordinated by a volunteer team of network members and had its beginnings in January 2003. Through various activities the network creates a forum for sharing and discussing experiences and challenges in the area of education. These activities include - annual conferences, mini-conferences and workshops. The network also publishes an annual magazine Revive and bi-annual newsletters carrying thought provoking articles on education, individual and organizational experiences and opinions. Information about the Learning Network members, past events and publications, can be found on http://www.learningnet-india.org. This is a free online resource for educators and parents.
This report provides summary of the activities, network responsibilities and financial summary for the period from March 2004 – March 2006.
Administrative Teams & Acknowledgements
We would like to acknowledge the following individuals and organizations who have worked on various Learning Network tasks –
- MORE and Ravi Aluganti for managing accounts related to conferences and workshops.
- Anita Balasubramanian, Jayashree Janardhan and Reshma Madhusudan for finding new areas of work and identifying new members to expand the network.
- Jayashree Janardhan, Ravi Aluganti, Rudra, Meenakshi Balasubramanian,Anita Balasubramanian and Digantar Staff for coordinating the 3rd annual Learning Network conference at Jaipur in Feb 2005.
- Anita Balasubramanian, Jayashree Janardhan, Meenakshi Balasubramanian, Ravi Aluganti, Chandresh, and Anand Niketan Staff for coordinating the 4th Annual Learning Network Conference at Ahmedabad in Jan 2006; Anand Niketan for providing venue for Ahmedabad Workshops and 4th annual conference.
- Sandhya Rao for writing an article about the 3rd Annual Learning Network Conference.
- Sriranjani Sridhar, Anita Balasubramanian, Jayashree Janardhan for compiling and editing Revive 2005 and 2006; Goodbooks Teachers Center and Tulika Publishers - layout, editing and publishing Revive 2005 and 2006.
- Ravi Aluganti and Rudra for making beautiful hand-made file folders for the annual conferences.
- Swati Sircar, Jayashree Janardhan, Sriranjani Ranganathan and Anita Balasubramanian for updating and maintaining website.
- Reshma Madhusudan, Anita Balasubramanian, Vignesh Nandakumar, Meenakshi Balasubramanian, Jayashree Janardhan for compiling, editing, printing and mailing “Chiguru” - the learning network’s newsletters.
- Reshma Madhusudan, Jayashree Janardhan, Ravi Aluganti, Ramachandar K, Pushpa Achanta, Goodbooks Teachers Trust and Anita Balasubramanian for organizing workshops by Jodo Gyan
- Reshma Madhusudan, Jayashree Janardhan and Anita Balasubramanian for organizing training workshops by Kathalaya; Muskaan for managing and providing venue for Bhopal Kathalaya workshop; and Bharathi Trust for managing Kathalaya workshop accounts
- Anita Balasubramanian for organizing and Gandhi Study Center for providing venue for the workshop in Chennai by L.S. Saraswati
- Avehi-Abacus and Jayashree Janardhan for organizing and handling accounts for Rethinking Conflict Seminar
- The Seattle chapter of Asha for Education for Education for providing financial support for travel, annual conferences, administrative and publication expenses. Chicago chapter of Asha for Education for supporting workshop expenses. Stanford chapter of Asha for Education for supporting the Rethinking Conflict Seminar
4th Annual Conference (Jan 27-29, 2006, Ahmedabad)
The fourth annual conference for the Learning Network was organized at Ahmedabad from January 27-29, 2006. Over 100 participants from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharastra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Pondicherry, New Delhi, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh,and Rajasthan participated in the conference. The highlight of the conference was the keynote address by Shri Jyotibhai Desai, who was instrumental in developing a B.Ed course on the lines of Nai Talim during the 1960s. He inspired everyone present at the conference with the depth and yet simplicity of his thoughts. Through a question and answer session, he shared his experiences of working in rural areas, developing Nai Talim B.Ed program and his view on Gandhi’s relevance in today’s world and education system. He conveyed that Nai Talim is not just about education, but a dream and effort to build a new society, and help people change/reconstruct their lives. He reiterated that Gandhiji’s philosophy of going to the people, working with them and serving them is more relevant today than ever.
The conference had three full days of intense discussions and sharing between the participants around several topics like – mathematics education using simple materials, role of videotaping for teacher development, cognitive development of children from 0-5 years, environmental education in schools, developing low cost science experiment kits, project based learning, encouraging creative expression through craft and theater, pedagogy of science teaching and home schooling.
Participants learnt how the brain of children develops between the ages of 0-5 and how it is related to their perception of the world and their learning. There were intense discussions on how children perceive various mathematical concepts and how to teach/learn new mathematical concepts. In another corner of the conference hall, there was a discussion on the meaning of environmental education. There were several hands on sessions where people participated in science experiments and creating bowls, hats etc out of newspapers! The hands-on-sessions proved to be an exciting learning experience for everyone.
Summary of the conference sessions is available at http://www.learningnet-india.org/lni/data/activities/conferences/jan2006/jan2006-agenda.php
3rd Annual Conference (Feb 11-13, 2005, Jaipur)
The third annual conference for the Learning Network was organized at Jaipur from February 11-13, 2005. More than 70 participants from the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharastra, Gujarat, Pondicherry, New Delhi and Rajasthan participated in the conference. The conference consisted of presentations, hands on workshops, discussions and a keynote address by Prof. Krishna Kumar. Participants represented organizations working in diverse areas such as math teaching and learning, storytelling, education for rural development, natural learning processes, conflict resolution, radio for learning, inclusive education, dual language publishing and working with slum children.
The conference provided a space for free exchange of ideas and experiences, for sharing diverse methodologies and pedagogies, and for encouraging dialogue, discussion and debate. Along with discussions on drop out rates, inflexible curriculum, information overload and so on, participants shared creative ways of solving problems through presentations and hands on workshops. Prof. Kumar encouraged participants to think of how we can create a curriculum, that is inclusive, in which the child matters and not the subject? He suggested that there is a need to make school a place of trust, of affection, where knowledge is sifted, clarified, and leads to understanding.
Presentations and workshops at the conference spanned topics such as use of story telling in classrooms, bilingual books, including children with autism in schools, rural development through education, natural learning process, Montessori philosophy, using radio for teaching English, using play for resolving conflicts, learning from history about conflicts, math and science education, effects of globalization on education and experiences of working with children from urban slums.
More details about the conference can be found at http://www.learningnet-india.org/lni/data/activities/conferences/feb2005/feb2005-agenda.php
Virtual Resource - Learning Network Website
The website http://www.learningnet-india.org is a free online resource that provides information on, events organized by the Learning Network, organizational profiles, articles, newsletters and various resources for learning available from groups and individuals in India. The content of the website is constantly being updated with inputs from members. We hope that the website serves as a virtual resource center for those looking for information on various aspects of education.
Publications
Electronic versions of all publications are available at http://www.learningnet-india.org/lni/data/publications/index.php
Revive, Vol 3, Vol 4 – Annual Magazine
The third and fourth volumes of “Revive” - the annual magazine were released at the conference in Jaipur and Ahmedabad respectively. These were published by Goodbooks Teachers Center with editing and layout support provided by Tulika Publishers. Both editions of Revive contain articles contributed by Learning Network members, and profiles of member groups and individuals. Revive is currently circulated to over 500 members. We have received very encouraging responses regarding the usefulness of the content, quality of articles, layout and ease of readability.
Chiguru - Newsletter
Three editions of “Chiguru” the Learning Network newsletter (Jan 2005, July 2005, and November 2005) were circulated to over 500 groups and individuals. The increased frequency of newsletters has been made possible by contributions of articles, updates and opinions from members. Chiguru contained profiles of new network members, details of various network activities, announcements of events being organized, articles, discussions and opinions on current topics.
Workshops
More details of the following workshops can be found at http://www.learningnet-india.org/lni/data/activities/index.php
Piaget Workshop
(May 2004 - Chennai)
L.S Saraswati, a very well known educationist in Tamil Nadu, lead a workshop on “Understanding Cognitive Development of Children” in Chennai. The workshop introduced the theory of cognitive development put forth by Jean Piaget, a Swiss philosopher and psychologist. L. S. Saraswati, who has worked with teachers and educators for over 25 years, explained Piaget’s theory (of how children learn and create knowledge) in a very simple, concrete and practical way, using simple daily materials (box of beads, toys, collection of different throw-away items etc). 15 participants from different organizations attended the workshop. The activities during the workshop helped teachers place their experiences with children in the framework of development theory put forth by Piaget. The workshop covered topics such as the stages of cognitive development, basic processes we use during thinking, how children create a concept of numeracy, role of arts, play and stories in cognitive development, moral development and teacher-children interaction.
Kathalaya’s Storytelling Workshops
(September 2004 - Chennai, July 2005 – Ahmedabad, September 2005 – Bhopal)
Kathalaya, based in Bangalore conducted 3 workshops (one each in Chennai, Ahmedabad and Bhopal) on using stories as a tool for education. These 2-day workshops focused on the use story telling as powerful and effective tool in classrooms to teach concepts, draw the attention and interest of children into science, history and other topics. The workshop provided an opportunity for learning the art of story telling and using it as effective communication tool in classroom teaching. Each workshop had around 20 participants with a total of over 60 participants from different organizations attending these workshops.
The workshop included session on developing qualities of a storyteller, storytelling forms, techniques, aids – Chitrakathas or picture Stories, puppet stories, mime-Story samples and demonstration, clay-modeling with stories, practical/creative sessions and exercises in formation and rendition of thematic stories and practice in creating storytelling aids. The workshop also explored connections in story narrations, classroom teaching, curriculum, folklore, culture, and the various art forms that can be used for storytelling such as mime, puppetry, clay modeling, painting etc.
Jodo Gyan’s Mathematics Workshop
(July 2005 – Ahmedabad, Feb 2006 – Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai)
Jodo Gyan based in Delhi, conducted a 2-day workshop on activity based learning of mathematical concepts for pre-primary, primary and middle school levels, with 20 participants, at Ahmedabad in 2005. In Feb 2006, Jodo Gyan conducted a series of 2-day workshops in three cities – Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai, with a total of 110 participants. The workshops used educational materials designed by Jodo Gyan based on latest mathematical research and their experiences of teaching learning processes, to demonstrate new ways of teaching mathematical concepts. Through interactive and hands-on activities using the materials developed by Jodo Gyan, participants learnt ways of explaining concepts related to Measurement, spatial sense and Geometry, Numbers & Number Operations, Place value, Algebra and Fractions. At Ahmedabad, participants also observed children of middle school using these materials during the workshop. The workshops in Bangalore, Chennai, and Hyderabad were bi-lingual and translation between English and the local language was provided.
Rethinking Conflict Seminar
(March 2005 – Mumbai)
Learning Network and Avehi-Abacus jointly organized a seminar on Rethinking Conflict in March 2005 at Mumbai. This seminar was organized as a part of series of events to uncover efforts that encourage creative, non-violent responses to conflict situations. 19 participants from 16 organizations attended the meeting. The seminar had presentations by groups and individuals on various non-violent ways they have used to encourage adults and children of different age groups to think and discuss solutions for situations of conflict they find themselves in. These presentations covered topics such as non-violent communication, using play as a tool to resolve conflict, skill building for youths, social kits being used in municipal schools, and learning from historical conflicts.
Expanding the Learning Network
The Network initially started with a base in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Pondicherry, Karnataka Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. One of the network’s goals continues to be to gradually identify member groups and individuals in other parts of the country. Learning Network volunteers continue to travel, learn about and find individuals and groups to expand the Learning Network. During this period groups and individuals from New Delhi, Rajasthan, Goa, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat joined the network. We now have over 60 member groups
We also are increasingly receiving requests from individuals through email for receiving information and updates on network activities and publications. With such requests increasing, announcements of network activities and publications are disseminated to over 500 groups across different parts of India.
Financial Summary 2003-2004
| Item | Cost (in Rs.) | Item | Cost (in Rs.) |
| Expenditure | Income | ||
| Kathalaya Workshop Chennai | 10,335 | Balance Carry Forward from 2004 | 60,656 |
| Kathalaya Workshop Ahmedabad | 8,000 | Asha Chicago (Workshops) | 17,322 |
| Conference 2005 | 98,488 | Asha Seattle - Conference | 26,350 |
| Postage(Revive) to Reshma | 1,550 | Asha Seattle - Kathalaya Workshops | 28,632 |
| Rethinking Seminar | 5,659 | Asha Seattle - Workshops | 32,391 |
| Jodo Gyan Workshop | 5,000 | Asha Seattle - Revive | 7,836 |
| Website Fees | 13,050 | Asha Seattle - Newsletters | 1,981 |
| Ravi Postage Charges | 260 | Asha Seattle - Network Travel | 17,222 |
| Bhopal Workshop Resource Fee | 8,000 | Asha Chicago (Website) | 13,050 |
| July 05 Newsletter Printing | 9,814 | Conference 05 Reg Fee | 35,700 |
| Postage and misc | 2,022 | Kathalaya Chennai Reg fee | 6,300 |
| December 06 Newsletter | 12,320 | Ahmedabad Workshop Reg fee | 5,000 |
| Postage | 2,740 | Conf 06 Reg Fee | 17,950 |
| CD+Auto | 115 | Jodo Gyan Bangalore Reg fee | 9,200 |
| Reprinting Dec 06 Newsletter | 1,170 | Jodo Gyan Hyderabad Reg fee | 6,450 |
| DD charges Bharathi Trust to Meenakshi | 50 | Donation by Pushpa | 3,000 |
| Conference 2006 | 45,753 | ||
| Jodo Gyan Workshop Hyderabad | 23,335 | ||
| Jodo Gyan Workshop Bangalore | 20,200 | ||
| Ravi DD, Courier, Travel | 275 | ||
| Shanmuga Travel | 376 | ||
| Anita Travel | 3,251 | ||
| Covers | 45 | ||
| Photocopying | 32 | ||
| Postage | 225 | ||
| Revive 2006 postage expenses | 2,805 | ||
| Total Expenditure | 2,74,870 | Total Income | 2,88,939 |
| Total Balance | 14,069 |
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