After being inspired and motivated at the KER retreat that we had attended a few months back, we were
really looking forward to the city conference which was being held by the TFI (Teach For India) at St.
Josephs’s boys’ school on the 24th of November. The three of us had signed up for the third track which is
how to build a conducive learning environment in a classroom, we chose this tack as we realize that by
giving importance to a conducive learning environment can result in quality learning and better
outcomes by the students which has a sustainable and powerful impact on them.
Our day was divided into two main sessions and our discussions were based on what is a conducive
environment learning loop. A learning loop is a space where practitioners come together to learn about
a topic or an essential question from each other’s experiences, perspectives, and understanding. In our
first session, we were introduced to the iceberg’s model of systems thinking.
In the systems way of thinking, we have to dive deeper into the subject and focus on the structure and
the way of learning, not just concentrate on the outcomes, we had an activity wherein we had to discuss
along with the teachers and fellows about what qualities a student, we think should possess in their
academic trajectory. After which we had numerous discussions wherein the topics were about what
was our most fun and effective learning experience, why was it the most effective and what was the learning experience that surrounded us. During this time we shared a lot of perspectives with our fellow
friends about how classrooms should have structures that deal with the mental health of students as
this is something that is not often spoken about or acted upon. This system should specifically focus on
teaching the students how to deal with emotions so that they are ready to face our current world and
can be masters of their own mind and body which will help them be better leaders in the future.
We ended our day with a little energizer and few performances by the children and fellows who have
come from different schools across Bangalore. We were really happy and motivated after attending this
conference it gave us various perspectives about how we as leaders can make learning fun and yet a
sustainable experience.
– Mohith, Bhavya, Ajwad: -1c
