Please welcome Ms. Thanujakshi in this episode of ‘Pratibimba’.

Ms. Thanujakshi works as a teacher at Shidlaghatta, Chikballapur. She has been a teacher of ‘Nali kali’ classes, which is for children in grades 1-3. Her school has won the State award for ‘Nali kali’. She has been the winner of ‘Anupama Seva Award’ for the year 2020.

She follows the guidelines of the NEP to the tee. They have specific corners for maths, toys, science, reading etc. Children get ‘me time’ where they can go to their favourite corner and learn on their own. She has seen many children participating happily in these activities. As part of ‘Vidyapravesh’ she is able to engage the students in a positive way.

Thanujakshi uses flashcards for narrating and re-creating stories. She notices that children enjoy introducing one another in the morning. It builds a bond among them. Children talk about their families and about their surroundings. She encourages them to converse in English in real-life situations such as ‘In the shop’ etc.

She feels it is possible to use the materials and objects around us and develop number skills among the children. She has used the leaves of plants to show ‘big’ and ‘small’ and also to show increasing and decreasing order. Language sessions are helpful in developing writing skills. She uses this session to build word power.

Handicraft sessions enhance learning in the students, as they are physically involved in creating things. She particularly mentions some of the artwork by some of her students. Thanujakshi has noticed a remarkable improvement in the confidence of her students with ‘Nali Kali’ activities.

Hope you enjoyed listening to this recording by Akshara Foundation. If you have an interesting story, please share your story with 98450 79590.