Monthly Meeting - 25th January 2025

Meeting Purpose

Monthly review and planning meeting for the GSA Impact Team to discuss the calendar, new initiatives, and an upcoming quarter.

The minutes will help the Interns and Fellows stay informed and contribute meaningfully.

Key Takeaways

February calendar finalised with structured weekly events (Meet & Greet, documentary, workshop, book reading)

New customised learning programs launched for schools (e.g. Arthur Foot Academy, JDS)

Focus on teacher development and engagement through reading, reflection, and technology integration

Retreat sign-ups close January 31; limited to 50 participants (20 supported schools, 30 GSA members)

Topics

February Calendar Overview

1st Sunday: Meet & Greet with K.C. Jain on health, yoga, meditation

2nd Sunday: Documentary series + book reading

3rd Sunday: YES workshop (45 min) by Lena Arsha on passion, purpose, play

4th Sunday: Extended book reading session

Weekly: JDS reading sessions (Fridays 2pm, 45 min) for 40 weeks

Monthly: Arthur Foot Academy offline session

New Initiatives

Customised learning programs for schools (e.g. Arthur Foot Academy, JDS)

Transition to Google Meet for My Good School sessions

Interns focusing on the joy of learning rather than social media posts

Happiness survey implementation at Arthur Foot Academy (every 6 months)

Digital Platforms & Resources

WhatsApp communities/groups for different programs

Blogs: happyteacher.in Joy of Learning Diaries

Website: www.MyGoodSchool.in with program info, book lists

YouTube channel & podcast (Learning Forward) with 6000+ subscribers

Teacher Development Focus

Reading and reflection emphasised over direct "values" lessons

Arthur Foot Academy: Teachers creating visual representations of reflections

Technology integration: Basic computer skills, plans for AI introduction

Student Engagement

Positive feedback on English-speaking initiatives

Increased lab access for students (e.g. Sunbeam School: 15 workstations/school)

Young students (8-10 years old) participating in sessions, sharing experiences

Next Steps

Close retreat sign-ups by January 31

Implement a happiness survey at Arthur Foot Academy

Create a list of teacher volunteers for the Sunday School reading

Establish minimum post requirements for intern certification (1 post/month)

Share the happiness survey format with Minakshi for implementation

Continue encouraging teacher reflections and original content creation

GSA Impact Team Monthly Meeting
January 25, 2025

AI supported the draft; please forgive any errors and oversight.

Fun is learning, learning is fun - Rishona Chopra

Fun is the beginning of anything fundamental. Even the word fundamental has the word fun! 

The book states that when we are pushed and taught, we don't really learn anything, but learning becomes more effective and enjoyable when we have fun. As children, we are taught that we should go to school and learn to become something one day. But in my opinion, it is much more than that. We become better humans, we get to know how each thing has its own way of forming,  and the world becomes so much more fascinating!

Not just reading our textbooks and memorizing is learning; it is boring. Suppose you are reading one of the concepts States of Matter, and you are reading about the matter. Then you can think of five-ten things and write them down in which form they are and more factors such as size, shape, mass and colour. This will show the concept in the real world and make learning so much more fun. 

My science teacher always tells us to visualize things and draw them. It makes it so much fun, in your science class you can draw several diagrams and learning is fun!

When I revise for my exam, I put all my notes of different subjects in envelopes and send them back to me through the bottom of my room's door. It's like receiving a letter with notes. While revising for my English exam, one of the topics is a formal letter. I wrote a formal letter to the principal, put it in an envelope and acted as if I was the principal! 

So there are so many ways in which learning can be super fun!

Rishona Chopra
Grade V
Gyanshree School