Empowering Educators via Social-consciousness

Researching our Social Context: For the past three years, we have been designing and testing a workshop series aimed at measuring and enhancing the learning environment within classroom settings. This journey has involved exploring and experimenting with various elements across a diverse range of clients, from commercial enterprises to non-profit organisations. This work has been driven by a purpose to uncover a comprehensive educational approach, helping balance the spiritual, personal, and social dimensions of learning in our local context.

The Tarbiyah Curriculum: These three dimensions of learning can help educators develop a deeper understanding of the three key consciousnesses essential for learning—God, Self, and Social (Image 1) —allowing them to recognise the interconnectedness of these aspects in both teaching and learning.? These three consciousnesses come together to form The Tarbiyah Curriculum which is aimed at fostering a holistic approach to Learning and Development.

High Performance Teaching ?(HPT): During my engagement with Punjab HEC, I was asked to facilitate a workshop for educators in order to benchmark HPT as behavioural KPIs, to design annual recognition and rewards for high-performing teachers, with the following targeted learning outcomes:

• Understanding the Learning Environment: Participants will recognise how behaviours influence the learning effectiveness of students during classroom lecture sessions.
• Enhancing Behavioural Conduct: Participants will understand that beyond subject-matter expertise, the effectiveness of teaching methods—including content structuring and lecture delivery—is pivotal in enhancing student learning outcomes.
• Applying a Behavioural Framework: Participants will learn to define and assess drivers of learning effectiveness within specific behavioural domains, leading to the standardisation of High-Performance Teaching practices for all stakeholders.

Workshop Design: We pitched the following elements as part of our comprehensive workshop design to assigned learning outcomes:

• Comprehensive Behavioural Framework: Develop a detailed framework encompassing 9 major domains, 36 sub-domains, and 25 core behaviours to guide the roll-out of the pilot program and ensure consistent application of behavioural standards.
• LEGO?-Based Pedagogy: Integrate LEGO? activities within a structured workshop format to maintain audience engagement, encourage hands-on problem-solving, and foster a sense of ownership among participants.
• Gamified Learning: Employ gamification techniques to make workshop content more interactive and engaging, promoting active, user-driven participation in a fun learning environment.
• Teacher Profiling Modules: Implement online self and peer profiling modules as a follow-up to the workshops, enabling comprehensive scoring and feedback for educators to enhance their teaching practices.

Social-consciousness and Learning: Social-consciousness?is knowing how to interact with and influence?others. It is the behavioural lens which helps us develop and sustain longer-term connections or bonds with individuals and/or communities we manage.

4-day Intensive Workshop: We received a diverse cohort from across public and private Universities of Punjab for an intensive 4-day workshop; ‘Measuring & Creating Learning Effectiveness in Classrooms’. The workshop was aimed at cultivating social-consciousness via a behavioural framework, thinking beyond traditional pedagogical approaches using LEGO? and integrating the Tarbiyah principles and strands for educational development.

Workshop Highlights: The following offer a broad outline of the 4-day workshop:

LEGO Serious Fun - Team Challenges: Building a sense of community towards ownership of collective problem-solving was key. We used LEGO Serious Fun to foster team building and problem-solving while laying a strong foundation for collaborative learning throughout the workshop.

Social Consciousness - Exploration & Development: Recognising barriers and sharing personal experiences were crucial to fostering social awareness and empathy in teaching practices. We discussed drivers of social consciousness and practical strategies for creating a more inclusive and supportive classroom environment.

Tarbiyah Framework Principles & Educational Development: We delved into the theoretical foundation and application of the Tarbiyah Framework. Examining experience domains, curriculum strands, and the universal conceptual framework for education expanded participants' understanding beyond traditional pedagogical approaches.

Team Challenges and Ideal Classroom Modelling: Participants engaged in creative collaboration through LEGO Serious Play activities, which helped them model and articulate their vision of ideal classrooms. Each participant presented their Ideal Classroom, highlighting aspects which they wished to leverage, change or build upon.

Ideal Teacher - Game Storming: Through a game-storming activity, participants actively identified the characteristics of an ideal teacher, creating a connect with their self and peer assessed profiles (dominant teaching styles). This activity later integrated into student psychographic segmentation and teaching interventions.

Student Psychographic Segmentation: Participants were divided into diverse and inclusive teams to develop hypotheses on students' learning tendencies and preferences, aiding in the development of appropriate classroom management strategies.

MILLS Online Assessments: We introduced the MILLS Portal, a valuable educational technology tool. Facilitating sign-ups and profile creation ensured participants were equipped to utilize this resource for their self and peer profiling. The cohort also underwent self and peer assessments on our 25 Core Behavioural Inventory to provide valuable insights into personal behavioural tendencies and areas for growth.

Social Consciousness - 3Cs: Discussing the three clusters of dominant teaching styles and their connection to effective teachers fostered awareness of diverse approaches and their impact on learning.

Online Dashboard and Dominant Teaching Style: Participants underwent self and peer behavioural profiling assessments designed at providing valuable information about educators' tendencies and teaching styles, aiding in the development of appropriate development plans and classroom management strategies.

PHEC Dashboard: Offering participant individual as well as cohort reports and feedback through the customised workshop dashboard provided insights into individual behavioural profiles and cohort medians.

Participant Feedback: The workshop content and facilitation received an overwhelming 92% overall satisfaction level. Here is a summary of the cumulative participant feedback across 14 variables:

Please email us at [email protected] for workshop details.