At The Kalyani School, Manjri, Pune, the teachers are thoroughly trained, and given recurrent opportunities to upgrade their tools and methodologies, so that teaching and learning experiences in their classrooms become meaningful. Workshops conducted by CBSE; by our academic consultants, Shri Educare Limited, as well as the in-house training, are organized and conducted at regular intervals. We have attended numerous training sessions on using AI tools over the past few years, especially after the Covid-19 pandemic; and at TKS we can confidently say that we are fairly conversant about their usages. Thus, when we were told that there would be another session on the ‘Use of Artificial Intelligence in Classrooms’, honestly, we were all a little sceptical. However, as soon as the mentors, Ms. Alisha Bannerjee and Mr. Siddharth Bannerjee, gave us a preview of their session, our curiosities perked up, since we realized that it wouldn’t be a run-of- the-mill one.
Having been brought up in a world where technology had very little role to play, naturally I have always felt comfortable doing things manually, using pen and paper, and preferring a hearty discussion over digitized methods. I thought that I was not ‘techno savvy’ enough to master AI strategies in the classroom. As a routine, I spent a considerable length of time trying to prepare tools that could successfully engage the very smart children of this generation, who are not easy to satisfy. But often, there would be a gap between my planning and the execution of the lessons, leaving me rather unsatisfied. However, the facilitators at that particular workshop, made me realize that I too can adopt various digital methods to make my work easier, and get better results in making my lessons more impressive and relevant.
I was pleasantly surprised to know that I am using some of them already. I understood that my knowledge and creativity, rather than being undermined, will be enhanced, if I used AI in my classrooms. The numerous websites that were shared with us, revealed a world of possibilities, which could help me create personalized learning experiences in much less time, and with more precision. With their help, my lessons became more visually impactful, engaging and appreciable. Since the workshop, with AI as my partner, I have made not only several attractive presentations, but also topic specific videos, graphic organizers and even planners. These would earlier take me hours to create, and now I do it confidently, in a jiffy.
Accepting technology has enabled me to adapt, upskill, and innovate; and I have my school management to thank for that. Also, the vigilant efforts of CBSE to constantly upgrade teachers’ skills, has a big role to play in making the entire teaching-learning process more enjoyable, and therefore, sustainable. It is little wonder therefore, that not only in Pune, but also in the entire state of Maharashtra, The Kalyani School tops the chart in the world of education, today.
