Sunday 10 November 2013

after a long break blogging again.
i distinctly remember my first meeting with Mrs.Lalitha Ramanujan, founder of Alpha to Omega learning center. This was in the year 1989. I had accompanied my classmate who was doing her M.Sc thesis on dyslexia. Back then it was a relatively less known condition. I became very interested and went back and met her the following year after completing my post graduation in Child Development. I started by observing her when she was teaching. All the nuances of one to one remedial tutoring, the body language, voice modulation, connecting with the learner, being relaxed and ensuring that the child is also relaxed were some of the things I learned from her.
 I realised that there is an art and a science to teaching. The science part includes the strategies, techniques, domain knowledge about learning disabilities, creating the individalised educational plan based on the assessment report etc,
 The art part includes subtler aspects such as establishing a rapport with the learner, ability to modify the lesson according to the child's learning style, ensuring that the child feels good about himself at the end of the session, and feels motivated to learn more.
 My biggest moments have been those when the child has revealed something about himself, his feelings, and figures out what will and what will not help him.This self awareness initiates and sustains learning.  

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