Each pillar highlighted the potential for digital transformation in different aspects of today’s education ecosystem. Sheninger shared important actionable strategies that educators can implement right away to support and enhance current areas of professional practice through a digital lens.
Emphasizing the importance of digital leadership and learning in 21st-century education, Sheninger said, “As the internet has evolved, we are in the midst of a period of time where technology is going to become more and more prevalent in our lives of students. And now we have the pandemic as well. What we are experiencing are two of the most disruptive forces that are providing us an opportunity to take a critical look at our practice and think about what we can do in our classrooms, in our schools, and in our countries to future-proof learning for our kids…When we think about digital leadership and learning, the idea is to improve learning outcomes first. We have to empower our kids to think, know, act and go. We have to digitally transform the learning environment.”
Sheninger propagated the mantra of ‘Working smarter and not harder. He also highlighted how modern learners are using different digital tools to solve problems, develop a better understanding and improve performance.
Among the key takeaways of the session was a detailed explication of the Rigour/Relevance Framework that Sheninger guided the educators to utilize for analyzing instruction, pedagogy, and student performance both with and without technology. Sheninger stressed the three Rs: Rigour, Relevance, and Relationship to foster better engagement and communication between all stakeholders in the education landscape.
“It all comes down to relationships. Without trust, there is no relationship. Without relationships, no real learning occurs,” he said.
The digital pioneer also helped the attendees in developing an understanding of digital pedagogy and the keys to building teacher capacity. The educators also learned to identify the elements of personalized learning to improve school culture, measure the effectiveness of their work with technology, develop an effective communication plan, use the power of storytelling, and actively engage in personalized professional growth.
To add to these valuable insights, STTAR also shared with each attendee exclusive access to six pre-recorded lectures on school leadership and the ecosystem. Each attendee got useful resource material and a STTAR participation certificate.
Saamarthya Teachers Training Academy of Research is a premier institute that enables educators to meet the global requirements of their profession by developing competencies based on extensive research on all aspects of education. Till now, the academy has conducted over 22,000 man-hours of training and benefited more than 250 schools. Among its biggest achievements is the ICT training of 10,000 teachers of government schools in Uttar Pradesh and the launch of the Health Education Curriculum for schools. The academy is supported by Jaipuria School of Business, Ghaziabad, under the aegis of Seth Anandram Jaipuria Group of Educational Institutions.
