August 20, 2010
School of Arts and Sciences, Amritapuri
 

Faculty of the Department of English from Amrita’s campuses at Amritapuri, Bengaluru, Coimbatore, Kochi and Mysore came together at Amritapuri for a two-day workshop titled Updating Teaching Methods in English.
 

Participants discussed question-paper patterns and suggested changes in the methodology of framing questions. “We also decided to include questions on current affairs and general topics,” informed Dr. Sujatha K. K., Chairperson of the Department at Amritapuri.
 

New electives were proposed and new syllabi were finalized for presentation to the Board of Studies.
 

“We will introduce modern English literature into our classes, through poems, short stories and novels,” stated Dr. Sujatha. “These will be discussed in group reviews by students.”
 

Dr. Harini Jayaraman, Chairperson of the Department at Coimbatore made a presentation on the latest trends in teaching methodologies.
 

Emphasizing the need to introduce greater interactivity, she stated, “Our lessons should be more learner-centric, and should provide students the opportunity to participate in the class more actively.”
 

“With greater student-teacher interactions, students will develop more critical and creative thinking skills.”
 

The second day included with a satsang by Swami Amritageethananda. After lunch and bidding goodbye to the participants from other campuses, faculty of the Department of English at Amritapuri met for a post-workshop analysis.
 

“The general consensus among all was that the workshop was a great success,” remarked Dr. Sujatha. “It provided a great opportunity for faculty members from all our campuses to share ideas, knowledge and information.”
 

A second workshop is now being planned. Tentatively scheduled during the break between the first and second semesters, the workshop will facilitate information sharing among faculty members at all five campuses.
 

“This is the second time that the faculty from all English departments in Amrita had the opportunity to meet and discuss major academic points,” recalled Dr. Sujatha K. K.
 

“In 2006, a UGC-sponsored workshop on” English for Effective Communication “ was organized for the faculty from the engineering colleges in Kerala. Faculty from Amrita campuses also participated.”