What is a Smart School? An Interview with Dr. Sakshi Sharma Principal, Arwachin Public School, India
Interview By Bhavna Singh
Arwachin Public School has become a premier institution, that imparts true education across the entire Indian subcontinent.
The students of Arwachin Group of Schools are sufficiently equipped to meet future challenges.
The school campus also hosts a wide range of facilities that help children develop important life skills and character attributes, such as sportsmanship, problem solving, thinking ahead, responsible decision making, resilience, confidence, self-discipline and self-control.
We spoke to Dr. Sakshi Sharma Principal, Arwachin Public School about what is a smart school and how aid differs from a normal school. Being a visionary, Dr. Sakshi Sharma’s leadership has always been dynamic and passionate.
She has prevailed in the field of education for more than a decade; Currently, she is the Principal of Arwachin Public School.
The Buzz Magazine, Morocco shares the details of what we have learned about Smart Schools and classrooms during this interaction:
Dr. Sakshi Sharma mam could you please first introduce yourself to the Middle Eastern audience of Buzz Magazine?
Ans.1) I am Dr. Sakshi Sharma an educationist and social activist. I am principal at arwachin Public school and I am extremely proud and excited to be a part of such a community whose key motive is to impart education in its finest form.
What are the indicators of a “Smart School”? How does a smart school differ from other types of schools?
Ans 2) A school that has interactive boards, and multimedia tools are used for teaching are ideally considered smart school. But only access to knowledge would not make it a smart school student engagement with such various tools is important. Some key elements that help schools be smart are :
Environment: a safe and happy place to learn and grow in full potential.
Collaboration: equal and positive involvement of parents, teachers, other staff members to educate a child. Pandemic has proved that not only teachers but whole community is equally responsible to bring out the best in students .
Technology : as it played a vital role in connecting everyone. It was for technology only that no one missed a class even during such dire days.
Now how does smart school is different from another schools is very simple to understand that smart schools are not restricted to books or just within the classroom only.
Smart schools allow students to gain knowledge beyond the four walls of classroom.
Learning is more student centric than teacher centric. Multimedia allows practical works and imagination go in hand. Approach is open minded and acceptable.
Students learn in a playful manner. More realistic learning.
What merits do a ‘smart school’ command in delivering an effective learning model? Do such models have a better impact on learners compared to routine models?
Ans. 3) A smart school is – as its name suggests – different from a traditional school. This is a kind of school where advanced equipment and technology are used to take the educational process forward.
The main idea is to provide the students with a learning experience that is a lot better than what may otherwise have been possible.
These days, teaching has moved to such a level that it has become advanced in the truest sense of the word. No longer are age-old methods of lectures as effective or appreciated as they once were.
These days, students want a learning experience that is a lot more interactive in nature and this is what a smart school provides them.
Merits a ‘smart school’ command in delivering an effective learning model are:
1. Easy access to information
Now, students have all the information that they need about any kind of topic they want to know about.
It is basically at their fingertips. In fact, this is beneficial for the teachers as well. This way, they are able to learn outside the syllabus as well and this only enriches them further.
2. Taking notes on a digital medium
One of the biggest features of a smart school is that students can take their notes by using digital devices and majorly everything is available on cloud that is easily accessible via ERP system .
This way they are able to save a significant amount of their learning time as well.
also come up with documents and presentations prepared in advance. This can add major value to their students’ education.
3. A better understanding of topics through digital tools
If students learn to topics in a better way, chances are that a smart class would be a much better bet for the same. The learning sessions at these classes normally use many visual aids.
This includes powerpoint presentations, word documents, audio sessions, and video screenings, to name a few.
They play a major role in conveying the lessons in a way that is a lot more understandable.
At times, a simple picture is a good enough substitute for thousands of words.
4. A great option for students who are absent
One thing with smart classes is that they are always being recorded. This means that even if you were to miss a couple of sessions you need not to feel bad.
This is because there would always be the data recordings to fall back on in case you need them.
You can go through the content and also connect the teachers via ERP in case you happen to have any doubt about the same.
In a traditional classroom, the students always find it hard to copy down all the information that the teacher is providing them.
5. Learning in a dynamic manner
It is common knowledge that not all students in a class have the same power to grasp things.
As far as the slow learners are concerned they always find it hard in traditional classrooms.
But, the smart classrooms – by being as dynamic as they are – have made it easier for these students to learn at a pace that they are comfortable with. Mention needs to be made of the visual effects concepts that are being used in these classes.
These effects make the entire lesson a lot clearer and this benefits these students in particular.
6. A teaching environment that is interactive
The digital tools are now an integral part of these smart classes. This is why the teaching environment over here can be called interactive in the truest sense of the term.
is one where both students and teachers have definite roles to play. This kind of learning makes the entire process a lot more transparent. It is a lot better than what it would otherwise have been.
This improves the interaction between the students and the teachers in a significant way as well. It also improves the bond between these individuals as well.
This is because they are able to communicate outside the school with the help of ERP system .
7. They are easy to maintain – Since everything is availab&le via erp system so it’s easy to maintain and less time consuming.
4) How do smart schools empower learners for learning beyond a routine curriculum?
Ans 4) Smart schools make smart learner who are not only confined to four walls of classroom.
They get to interact with other students and teachers on national international level.
They get to explore more and learn in a proactive interactive learning system.
These smart tools help students to understand better and doesn’t make them dependent on technology rather teach them the wise methods to use it more productively.
5) Dr. Sakshi Sharma mam at last what ar&&e your plans regarding the Arwachin Public School expansion?
Ans 5) Arwachin Public School is already a art school where we have resource lab, smart boards and planned interactive learning sessions for students.
Our students have had the opportunity to interview entrepreneurs and movies actors like 𝑺𝒉𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒎 𝑲𝒂𝒌𝒂𝒓 to understand better about different carrier options available.
Our teachers are available for their students via ERP system and lessons with exercises are available on system in case you want to understand that again or you just missed a class.
With that our students regularly participate in technology based activities and we plan to expand that on larger level where we can reduce their bag weight by introducing tabs or laptops but such things comes with great responsibility aswell and we hope that in coming 5 years we would be able do so.
About Arwachin Public School :
Arwachin Public School, Sector 14 Vasundhara Ghaziabad, India is currently serving the needs of the local and international expatriate community, it follows the CBSE curriculum, and its students are encouraged to embark on a voyage of discovery that uncovers hidden talents in their niche areas of interest.
The teachers under the able guidance of Dr. Sakshi Sharma (Principal) are committed to helping students to reach their full potential across all key areas. The curricular units are carefully designed to engage students with a variety of learning styles.
A broad range of materials, activities, approaches approach, and interconnected learning opportunities encourage each student to discover and develop his or her strengths, thereby creating active learners with an inquisitive spark and continuous learning mindset.
The Mission of Arwachin Public School is to form an integrated student capable of taking decisions and making choices enriched by the right values.