16 TN govt school teachers visit schools in northern states for exposure
These teachers, from Nagapattinam under the supervision of the district collector, were taken on a seven-day trip till September 28 under the initiative Teachers Adventurous Trek for Education (TATE).
Representative Image
CHENNAI: To expose State government school teachers to diverse learning environments, 16 teachers from State-run schools in TN recently visited schools in Delhi, Punjab and Bihar.
These teachers, from Nagapattinam under the supervision of the district collector, were taken on a seven-day trip till September 28 under the initiative Teachers Adventurous Trek for Education (TATE).
Organised as part of the Teacher Ambassador (TAs) programme, it exposed educators to diverse learning environments, regional challenges, and innovative practices across multiple states. They travelled through Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Delhi, Punjab and Agra, visiting schools, organisations, and communities.
Their itinerary included classroom observations, community interactions, organisational visits, and reflection circles, giving them direct insights into how educators and institutions respond to issues such as resource limitations, multilingual classrooms, and cultural diversity. Each visit highlighted practical strategies — from grassroots innovations and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)-based learning models to design thinking and community-driven education.
One of the key takeaways was that though Delhi, Bihar and Punjab have adopted the three-language policy, the working model in classrooms and otherwise, especially in primary school, was mostly executed with just two languages, say teachers.
Central to the trek were the learning and reflection circles, where teachers from TN discussed challenges, shared best practices, and examined how their experiences could translate into context-specific solutions for their district. The process encouraged educators to reflect deeply on their own methods and leadership roles, said a government teacher.
Post-trek, the teachers continued their journey through peer learning, coaching support, and capacity-building workshops facilitated by education experts, ensuring the lessons from the trek are carried into classrooms and their district initiatives. “The TATE programme shows that when teachers step beyond their classrooms, they return as leaders equipped with new perspectives, innovative approaches, and the drive to create transformative learning environments for their students,” said a member of Vidhya Vidhai foundation, an organisation that worked with teachers on TATE.