Madhura Rajvanshi, an English instructor from Phaltan, makes use of artwork, storytelling and music to make studying English enjoyable for her college students. She has acquired the Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Instructing Program for Worldwide Academics.

Madhura Rajvanshi grew up in Phaltan, a small city in Maharashtra. After finishing her BSc in Botany in Pune, she returned to her hometown to search out her calling in life. Like many, what she studied didn’t notably curiosity her. Again house, she joined the college she studied in, Kamala Nimbkar Balbhavan, as she beloved working with kids. 

In 2008, a chance offered itself which might endlessly change the trajectory of the 38-year-old’s life. After the English instructor stop, Dr Maxine Berntsen, founding father of the college, requested Madhura if she wish to educate. The latter agreed, and the remaining, as they are saying, is historical past. 

As she loved the work, she additionally geared up herself with a proper diploma in elementary training from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai. For the previous 15 years, she has been engaged on making English training accessible and enjoyable for college kids within the Marathi medium college. 

Now, Madhura has been chosen for the celebrated Fulbright Scholarship for the yr 2023-24, and acquired the Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Instructing Program for Worldwide Academics (Fulbright DAI) from america authorities. She is the one instructor from rural India to be chosen for the scholarship this yr.

“I need to construct a programme for academics in rural Marathi-medium colleges in Maharashtra on how one can make English lecture rooms attention-grabbing. I additionally want to study on how one can organise studying areas for college kids of their lecture rooms,” she says.

Specializing in self-expression

When Madhura began educating at Kamala Nimbkar Balbhavan, a Marathi medium non-public college, she realised that the textbooks and supplies obtainable weren’t attention-grabbing to college students. She discovered the textbooks to be advanced and began engaged on methods to make it energetic and attention-grabbing.

One of many largest challenges relating to English, even for academics who aren’t very proficient in it, she says, is concern of the language. 

“One of many issues we do at our faculty is to just accept the kid’s mom tongue. We encourage them to jot down in no matter language they really feel snug in as expression is necessary. As soon as they’re snug with expressing themselves, studying English too, is not an issue. I work on making kids face their fears,” Madhura tells The Higher India.

Utilizing artwork, storytelling and music within the classroom, she makes studying English enjoyable. She sings and raps with the scholars, thereby eradicating concern from the equation, and she or he encourages them to jot down. 

Madhura says that college students get loads of area for self-expression in a stress-free ambiance.

“We be sure that the scholars are having a ball. Training shouldn’t be a burden or job for kids. We now have college students from all walks of life and we work collectively to impart classes in humanity,” provides the educator.

The college is a part of the Pragat Shikshan Sanstha (academic establishment), the place Madhura is a trustee. The enterprise, along with working the college, conducts outreach programmes at anganwadis and Authorities zilla parishad colleges, specializing in early childhood training.

Whereas working with different academics from rural Maharashtra, Madhura discovered that English academics have been discovering it troublesome to show and weren’t snug with the textbooks given by the federal government. Searching for methods to assist these academics, she heard of the Fulbright scholarship. 

Yearly, 60 to 70 educators from 17 international locations, together with India are chosen for the Fulbright DAI, as per the Fulbright India web site. Madhura will get a chance to review at an American college from August to December 2024, the place she will be able to co-teach, audit some programs there and observe the educating strategies.

She needs to extend the high quality of educating at colleges like hers in order that they are often on par with English medium colleges. 

Programmes just like the Fulbright scholarship, she says, assist widen your horizons and contribute in a significant solution to your colleges.

If you happen to want to know extra in regards to the scholarship, examine right here. 

Edited by Padmashree Pande