The School Education Department has asked teachers to make planning an integral part of their teaching.
Observing that some of the headmasters and teachers had not been doing enough to bring the best out of their students, Commissioner, School Education, S. Suresh Kumar, has asked them to focus on preparation of a fresh lesson plan every academic year and has also defined roles for teachers, headmasters, Academic Monitoring Officers, district and mandal education officers and others.
The teachers should make subject-wise lesson plans following the model prescribed in the academic calendar and incorporation latest developments in the subjects concerned and employ innovative methods to make the classroom teaching interesting.
A lesson plan book, approved by the headmaster, should be maintained and the objective should be to improve the plan by incorporating open ended questions, critical thinking and allowing students to interact and get their doubts cleared.
The headmasters have been urged to scrupulously follow the guidelines related to academic, supervision and administration, ensuring adequate resource-mobilisation, effective monitoring and engaging the students in extra-curricular activities.
They should set high standards and ensure that the goals are achieved by the end of the academic year besides updating themselves constantly on latest advances and technologies. They should be on the school premises at least 15 minutes before the scheduled time and leave only after all children have left.
Conduct of parent-teacher meeting, preparation of school-specific action plans, maintaining rapport with the village secretariats and taking responsibility for school property and infrastructure include their role.
Teachers, he said, should be good communicators, patient listeners, focus on collaborations, should be adaptable, engaged, show empathy, instil confidence in students and manage the classroom effectively. They should be unbiased and develop analytical skills among students. They should be disciplined and command respect among students.
To identify and fill the gaps wherever needed, the Academic Monitoring Officers (AMOs) play a significant role. They have been instructed to follow the guidelines issued by the Samagra Shiksha and to help improve the learning outcomes. They should visit schools regularly and provide academic support to teachers and students, participate in review meetings held by the DEOs and disseminate the district report cards to the field functionaries.
The Director of the State Council for Educational Research and Training (SCERT) has been asked to develop an academic monitoring mechanism and extend guidance and support to the field functionaries. He will also be held responsible for the academic standards of the students and for ensuring that students attained age appropriate learning outcomes.
