Learning Forward

Episode #49: Sandeep Dutt in conversation with Rajeshree Shihag, a lady with grit and good with building relationships with the community - for good teaching we need to develop positive relationships with students and people, she has done just this for the changemaker school in rural India, the school that has today brought to life a piece of land and helped the local community build an institution of their dreams. As Principal of The Fabindia School, she believes creativity is much more than just a skill. She is committed to introducing abilities at a young age to promote entrepreneurship. She loves to inspire, engage, and encourage students by divulging creative thinking and problem-solving skills to bring out the best learning in and out of the classrooms.  She began her career at The American Embassy School, New Delhi. She has worked as an educator at schools like Mayo College Girls School, Ajmer, Pathways World School, Gurgaon and The Indian High School, Dubai. In this episode, she shares how an air of positivity in the school makes all the difference and acts as a catalyst to build the relationship between teachers and students to help transform school culture. The Fabindia School has taken 25 years in the making, it is a piece of land brought to life, the community and the people of the local area will do whatever they can for their My Good School, and yes this has been made possible by Happy Teachers alone.

---

Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/learningforward/support

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.gsi.in/subscribe

Episode #48: Sandeep Dutt in conversation with Maya Norula, a Principal of principles, she has rich experience in leadership positions at schools in India, with a deep understanding of child psychology and has been a great mentor for teachers. Maya Norula did her schooling from Sophia Girls' School, Meerut and BA from Lady Shri Ram College. After that she started working at British School, New Delhi as Head, A levels / IBDP Coordinator and worked there for 15 years. In 2008, she joined Pathways World School Secondary as the Principal. In 2010, she started working at Hopetown Girls' School and since then she is working there as the Principal. A trainer, leadership guru and her success in working with teams make her a very highly regarded individual in the education sector in India today. Maya leads with a belief at Hopetown that 'our aim is to nurture good human beings who are successful citizens and can make a difference to the world'. In the podcast, she shares how Shakespeare brings real-life learning to life and Google search is perhaps the biggest game-changer in terms of making knowledge available on tap. 

---

Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/learningforward/support

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.gsi.in/subscribe

Episode #47: Sandeep Dutt in conversation with Amy Tepper, Coach, Author, and Educational Consultant. Amy has served as a teacher, administrator, and program director in various K-12 settings and startups to include virtual, homeschool, blended, and public schools. She has had the opportunity to collaborate with a team of parents to develop an innovative blended school, focused on global citizenship and discovery learning. As a consultant, she provides instructional and administrative coaching. A travel buff and one who is a global citizen, she found her co-author and partner Patrick literally in her backyard! Amy and Patrick are both cofounders of their values-driven consulting practice.  Together, they cultivate new levels of learning for those who influence student outcomes. Amy is the co-author of Feedback to Feed Forward: 31 Strategies to Lead Learning and Learner-Focused Feedback: 19 Strategies to Observe for Impact. She provides an opportunity to ‘push our thinking’ as we develop our understanding of the rubric whether through facilitator questioning or creating the environments for collaborative peer-peer inquiry. In this podcast, she shares how the teachers need to travel the virtual world, with the opportunities that exist today, broaden their perspective to live up to the expectations of a globally connected community. Most teachers work hard, and are passion-driven, in her case her Mom was her real source of learning and then her life partner joined her. The world today is full of infinite opportunity and we have the responsibility to reflect and overcome the inequity in learning to build a better world.

---

Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/learningforward/support

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.gsi.in/subscribe

Episode #46: Sandeep Dutt in conversation with Kiranbir Sethi, Growing up, design and innovation were pervasive in Kiran’s environment. It was while visiting her older sister at the National Institute of Design (NID) on winter vacation that she became smitten and applied to NID—abandoning her plans to study medicine. Though NID accepts students only after having completed class 10+2 studies, they made an exception for Kiran, and after a difficult administration process, took her during her eleventh year of school. From when Kiran was a graphic designer until she began Riverside School, she has demonstrated the ability to understand complex issues; from founding a world-class school or convincing the administration of Ahmedabad to partner with her to achieve her vision. A Global Teacher Prize Winner and a design thinker, who has put in her heart and soul to see the joy of learning come alive in children and perhaps deep empathy with teachers. A rare amalgamation of Design and Education and she uses experiential learning at it's best and is a protagonist of safe urban spaces for children. In the podcast, she shares how she built Riverside, and will perhaps not do this again. Looking at the current environment, she is optimistic and the recent times seem to have acted as a catalyst to bring a much-needed focus on education and how the lives of teachers are deeply intervened with not just learning but even more with building relationships with the students of the new world.

---

Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/learningforward/support

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.gsi.in/subscribe

Episode #45: Sandeep Dutt in conversation with Shruti Sridharan, Co-founder of Sphere Arts Education. As an Educator and Entrepreneur, Shruti's expertise and professional practice are in the area of 'The Arts for and as Learning', with extensive experience working with children, young adults, and adult learners, across educational institutions and corporate organisations. Being an Arts Practitioner with two decades of experience in the fields of theatre, film, performance and writing, as well as an educator, her work is contemporary and aims to bring together the best practices from the dynamic work of arts and education from around the world to classrooms in India. Being mindful of the needs of different classrooms and learners, her work involves individually designing programmes to suit the specific needs of schools and to create a conducive learning environment for learners. She shares her life's journey as a 'transfer-child', and how by meandering through many schools in different parts of the country she learnt different languages, discovered the diversity in culture and become a performing artist. In the conversation, we bring to life how art plays a big part in our learning and unlearning.

---

Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/learningforward/support

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.gsi.in/subscribe

Episode #44: Sandeep Dutt in conversation with Kathy Gross, who continues to serve others after her retirement from near 30 years of service in public schools.  Kathy is a respected educational leader who loves learning, presenting, facilitating and coaching. Her favourite categories of work are Cognitive Coaching, Cooperative Learning, Whole Faculty Study Groups and Collective Efficacy.  She has experience with induction and a wide range of professional learning for teachers and leaders in general. She loves teaching and helping students who are struggling, especially those who need help with behaviour. Kathy knew she wanted to be a teacher from the time she was a kindergartner and still believes that teaching is the most important profession. This belief led to the acceptance of additional duties in roles that support and empower teachers and leaders.  She personally provides support to the teachers, guardians and parents of the students as well. 

---

Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/learningforward/support

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.gsi.in/subscribe

Episode #43: Sandeep Dutt in conversation with Kaushal Sen, who believes in the concept of lifelong learning and sharing it with the teaching community. This has helped him learn new ways to engage and create enriching experiences for students during regular days and especially in online classes by using digital tools for lesson transactions. A Teach SDGs Ambassador who is striving towards creating awareness among students for the Sustainable Development Goals. He feels that teachers are one-winged birds who need the support of other educators for a long flight, he does his bit via twitter handle EdChatIND to apprise educators on various educational topics and trends. Kaushal says teaching is my passion and I enjoy every aspect of it.

---

Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/learningforward/support

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.gsi.in/subscribe

Episode#42: Sandeep Dutt in conversation with Lina Ashar, for her it always children first. Her sole purpose is to help parents build empowered hearts, minds, bodies and souls. In the process she aims to co-create a world that is more loving, joyous, peaceful and abundant. Lina has closely observed and researched differences in mindsets of what leads some people to aspire, grow, persevere and be happy and successful. An educationist, entrepreneur, and writer based in Mumbai. In this freewheeling conversation, she highlights the fact that she is and will always be a learner at heart. Parents and in particular women have to focus on self-care and work for building the emotional quotient, wellbeing and resilience.

---

Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/learningforward/support

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.gsi.in/subscribe

Episode #41: Sandeep Dutt in conversation with Dilip Thakore Editor at EducationWorld, one of the most popular education news and analysis (monthly) magazine with I million readers in India and abroad. Founding Editor of Businessworld and Business India and a champion for liberalization and deregulation of the Indian economy. An alumnus of Bishop Cotton School Bangalore, Duke of Gloucester School, Nairobi and Lincoln's Inn, London Barrister, Law. Despite the patchy audio, you will get the message from not only a passionate Educator but also an Entrepreneur, a staunch supporter of private education, Dilip has loads to share.

---

Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/learningforward/support

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.gsi.in/subscribe

Episode #40: Sandeep Dutt in conversation with Shomie Ranjan Das (born 28 August 1935), an Indian educationist. An alumnus of The Doon School, he has served as the headmaster of the three most top schools of India, namely The Doon School, Mayo College and Lawrence School, Sanawar. He had earlier taught in Gordonstoun School in Scotland. He established the Oakridge International School in Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Mohali, and Bengaluru. Shomie's grandfather  Satish Ranjan Das is the founder of  The Doon School ( also established in 1935). After his earlier education at The Doon School, he graduated from St. Xavier's College, of the University of Calcutta and the University of Cambridge. After he retired from the Doon School, he became an educational consultant and he has been contributing his vision in education in over 80 schools all over the country. He is also instrumental in setting Adamas International School at Kolkata. He is currently the Chairman of Oakridge International School. He talks about learning and unlearning, how the schools he has worked with prepare the students to be learners and excel in whatever they set out to do. From a teacher to a headmaster and then a mentor to generations of learners/educators, you will love to hear this story.

---

Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/learningforward/support

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.gsi.in/subscribe