Madhura Rajvanshi, an English trainer from Phaltan, makes use of artwork, storytelling and music to make studying English enjoyable for her college students. She has obtained the Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Instructing Program for Worldwide Lecturers.
Madhura Rajvanshi grew up in Phaltan, a small city in Maharashtra. After finishing her BSc in Botany in Pune, she returned to her hometown to seek out her calling in life. Like many, what she studied didn’t significantly curiosity her. Again residence, she joined the varsity she studied in, Kamala Nimbkar Balbhavan, as she beloved working with youngsters.
In 2008, a chance introduced itself which might endlessly change the trajectory of the 38-year-old’s life. After the English trainer stop, Dr Maxine Berntsen, founding father of the varsity, requested Madhura if she wish to educate. The latter agreed, and the remaining, as they are saying, is historical past.
As she loved the work, she additionally geared up herself with a proper diploma in elementary schooling from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai. For the previous 15 years, she has been engaged on making English schooling accessible and enjoyable for college kids within the Marathi medium college.
Now, Madhura has been chosen for the celebrated Fulbright Scholarship for the 12 months 2023-24, and obtained the Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Instructing Program for Worldwide Lecturers (Fulbright DAI) from the USA authorities. She is the one trainer from rural India to be chosen for the scholarship this 12 months.
“I need to construct a programme for lecturers in rural Marathi-medium colleges in Maharashtra on make English school rooms attention-grabbing. I additionally want to study on organise studying areas for college kids of their school rooms,” she says.
Specializing in self-expression
When Madhura began instructing at Kamala Nimbkar Balbhavan, a Marathi medium non-public college, she realised that the textbooks and supplies obtainable weren’t attention-grabbing to college students. She discovered the textbooks to be advanced and began engaged on methods to make it energetic and attention-grabbing.
One of many largest challenges with regards to English, even for lecturers who aren’t very proficient in it, she says, is worry of the language.
“One of many issues we do at our faculty is to just accept the kid’s mom tongue. We encourage them to write down in no matter language they really feel snug in as expression is necessary. As soon as they’re snug with expressing themselves, studying English too, is now not an issue. I work on making youngsters face their fears,” Madhura tells The Higher India.
Utilizing artwork, storytelling and music within the classroom, she makes studying English enjoyable. She sings and raps with the scholars, thereby eradicating worry from the equation, and she or he encourages them to write down.
Madhura says that college students get loads of area for self-expression in a stress-free ambiance.
“We guarantee that the scholars are having a ball. Schooling shouldn’t be a burden or activity for youngsters. We’ve college students from all walks of life and we work collectively to impart classes in humanity,” provides the educator.
The college is a part of the Pragat Shikshan Sanstha (academic establishment), the place Madhura is a trustee. The enterprise, along with operating the varsity, conducts outreach programmes at anganwadis and Authorities zilla parishad colleges, specializing in early childhood schooling.
Whereas working with different lecturers from rural Maharashtra, Madhura discovered that English lecturers have been discovering it tough to show and weren’t snug with the textbooks given by the federal government. Searching for methods to assist these lecturers, she heard of the Fulbright scholarship.
Yearly, 60 to 70 educators from 17 nations, together with India are chosen for the Fulbright DAI, as per the Fulbright India web site. Madhura will get a chance to review at an American college from August to December 2024, the place she will be able to co-teach, audit some programs there and observe the instructing strategies.
She needs to extend the standard of instructing at colleges like hers in order that they are often on par with English medium colleges.
Programmes just like the Fulbright scholarship, she says, assist widen your horizons and contribute in a significant method to your colleges.
In the event you want to know extra in regards to the scholarship, check here.
Edited by Padmashree Pande
