E01: Introduction and Defining Equal Opportunity in Classroom (Nepal)

Transcription/translation by Chatgpt Pragyee: Please give a brief introduction first, and then let us know what kind of work you used to do, what your job was in the past, and what kind of school you taught at, as well as the level of students you taught there. Rajendra: I am Rajendra Kumar Shrestha. I work as a teacher in Nepal. I worked in a government school in the Mathematics teacher group. After that, I worked in a private institution as well. Later, I worked in a school run by a social welfare organization called SOS Hermann Gmeiner School, Gandaki. In that school, I mainly taught Mathematics up to class ten — specifically classes 8, 9, and 10. I taught for a long time, around twenty years. After that, I started working in school administration. I became a vice principal for around two years, and then again, I took on the position of principal. I worked in the school principal position for about four years. After that, I moved to the national office of the organization, where I have been working as a director in the program related to schools and youth — particularly youth development programs. Pragyee: While teaching mathematics, what is the class size and what strategies do you use to give equal attention to all the students? Rajendra: Specifically, when I taught mathematics, the class size ranged from about 35 to 46 students. In that scenario, my teaching method involved first building a solid foundation for everyone. Once that foundation was clear, I would carry out activities and demonstrations to establish mathematical relationships, using methods like induction and deduction. When we moved on to problem solving, I encouraged more student participation. My approach was to form groups so that I could reach every student, and I would visit each group to see if they had any difficulties. Instead of giving direct answers, I would give them clues or guide them in the right direction, so that they could solve the problems themselves. That was basically how I worked. Since there are about 35 to 40 students, it can be difficult to give individual attention, so I do a bit of group work. That way, I can reach every group, and within each group, I focus on the student who needs a bit more attention. This ensures that everyone’s output is at a similar level. Plus, working in groups helps them learn teamwork and the idea that they can also learn from their peers, not just from me. In our context, we don’t usually go into family matters, so I don’t believe it’s my duty to interfere at that level. My main responsibility is to teach everyone in the classroom and make them capable. If any student still needs clarity, I offer extra time, like library time, for discussions. That’s how I facilitate their learning in math.