Overview

Teaching Learning Approach

Character Education

At Brihaspati Vidyasadan, we have taken students' character building as oneof the major focus areas for the year 2076, 77 and in the years to come. Generally, various facets of character strengths are to be considered in complementing these factors. Some of the major factors are: Appreciation ofExcellence, Gratitude, Hope, Forgiveness, Humility, Prudence, Fairness, Kindness, Social Intelligence, Persistence, Integrity, Creativity, Curiosity, Love for Learning and Self-Regulation. Because not every student is at the same level of any of these or other facets of Character Strengths, we follow an individual-based, reflective and goal oriented approach for which teachers work as mentors, take support from parents or other relevant school authorities to help achieve each student their individual Character Goals.

How do teachers function as Mentors in this Project?

In every class/ section, the class teacher is paired with a subject teacher. As a result, both the teachers play the role of mentors for approximately 30-36 students in the section. The two teachers divide the students into two halvesso that one teacher takes care of one group while the other teacher takes care of the other half group of students. On an average each teacher (mentor) is to take care of 15-18 students.Mentors (teachers assigned as mentors) start by gathering background information of each student from previous teachers, relevant previous documents and even talking to the students, their peers and parents. Simultaneously, teachers (mentors) are also supposed to develop relationship with students more like friendly guardians so that students build trust in opening up with the teacher.

When these background efforts are made preferably within the first month (latest by second month) of the new session, each student will be ready to set a character goal/s with the mentor. The mentor provides the student with needed support, guidance and at times interventions by calling up the parents, involving in-charge and/ or school counselor in dealing with challenges that come across. Further character goals are to be set over timewhile following up on goals set and continuing to strengthen relationships with each of those students (mentees). Teachers can set a periodic one on one communication as well as group interactions with students on a need basis.

There are higher level actions such as Thinking (Reflection) period, referral to a professional center and suspension/ termination as well depending on the nature of cases of the individual student backed up by our intervention series.

What role does each student need to play?

Students have a certain duty to fulfill. These duties and rules are clearly outlined in the Student Handbook 2075 and subsequent handbooks. The class teacher shares students’ details as to which teacher is which student'smentor. Higher responsibility lies with the mentor in creating the right kind of environment for each student to grow. Students can have a journal and get into the habit of reflective journal writing on character goals while taking support from the mentor.

Do parents have a role?

Parents will be contacted by the respective mentor at the start of the session to sensitize them about the character education project. While not all parents may equally participate or be proactive, the onus lies with the mentor in following up duly over time both initially and later. Parents and mentors will need to meet on a need basis and jointly plan each other's responsibilities. Parents cannot stay aloof from this project.

Procedures to Follow Character Education as a Project

Each child or individual is unique. No one person is the photocopy of another being. People don’t only looking different from the appearance perspectives but also from the grounds of thoughts, behaviors, feelings, andlearning abilities. Besides, age plays a different role. While until the age of 7children could be physically active and move towards beauty consciousness,it is the age 10 onwards when the age of storm begins. At the age of pre-teen and early teen (10-14) there is rapid emotional changes and not just adult-like development in skeleton, digestive, respiratory, reproductive, nervous etc systems in most students that the same child might appear verydifferent. Hence, both parents and teachers need to be very sensitive and mindful about dealing with students, only logic or facts won't work, as most behaviors are feelings driven. Feelings are hard to explain. To deal with feelings it is first important for students to trust that teachers and parents accept them (each student) and understand them.Meanwhile, there are several lessons in subjects that are taught school where some aspects of character building can be effectively dealt with. Our school psycho-social department too has developed some tools for students' self-awareness and document its outcome in individual files which can be used for teacher's/ parent's viewing in need.

In this pretext, developing students' character starts both at home and at school; there is no point teachers and parents blaming at each other over their students' behaviors. A harmonious and peaceful environment both at home and school is important for each student to feel emotional safe and happy. Hence, parents and teachers are required to be on one page in termsrelationship building with each other. When students see that adults in the family, and parents/ guardian with school teachers have a good relationship,it inherently keeps students in some form of right check, which is a great start. Same goes with both parents and teachers (mentors) investing to develop good relationship with respective students.

Secondly, both teachers and parents need to be role models. The way they speak, fulfill commitments, show learning attitude themselves and behave has a huge influence on students. Teachers and parents are required to be cautious about their language which is always respectful, polite and precise.If parents and teachers speak only to pass on the blame or to preach students, young ones will not necessarily change their behavior in a desired manner. Teachers and parents need to learn to talk and do things that young ones would look up to.

Thirdly, in coordination with parents and teachers, students can be asked toform character goals. For example, suppose it is repeatedly noticed that a student has this habit of starting something say Maths practice but quickly leaving in the middle ie not consistent. This student needs to work on Persistence, one of the character strengths. The teacher (mentor) and student can sit to discuss this character aspect of the student and form goalin writing for the student. The student is supposed to work on it and report its progress to the teacher. Because naturally the student won't be able to work on their own, this is where more onus lies with the mentor to follow up, motivate and support the child. Parents must too be involved in it. When, expectedly, the student achieves a certain milestone in being more persistent, the mentor and the student can celebrate this as an achievementand still continue doing it.

However, because the road to character goal is not as easy as mentioned above, the respective in-charge, psycho-social counselor and even the Principal might need to be summoned to deal with extreme cases. We have noted incidents when students need to be intervened with strategies like general counseling, reflection time, suspension and some other form of behavior correction measures specially when it is perceived that students are taking advantage of the school's non-violent approach to dealing with students. The behavior guidelines and rules/ regulations are documented in students' handbook 2075 and onwards.

In fact, BVS aims to build students' character in its various facets by integrating character education into lessons, by fostering an emotionally safe culture, by investing on triangular positive student-parent-teacher relations and by applying goal-based character education as a project. We will continue to learn from our experiences and better institutionalize this project in the years to come.

The Junior School

The Primary School

The Middle School

The Secondary School

Plus Two