FRESHER AT BHARATI COLLEGE? NOT AN ISSUE.
Bharati College, one of the top women’s college in West
Delhi, is a constituent college of the University of Delhi is located in a
serene and scenic campus and caters to about 2000 students, offering
instruction in eleven disciplines in the Arts and Social Sciences and students
can opt for honours courses in 8 of them. The College also offers a Master’s
course in Hindi. It also offers part-time, self-financing courses in
foreign languages (French, German and Russian) as well as computer courses to
prepare students for the world of work.
Since 2009, Bharati College has been running an innovative
programme to help integrate new entrants to college life. It is called a Extended Orientation Program: Bridging the
Gap Between School and College. They run this programme at the very
beginning of every new academic year for new entrants over their first three
days in college. It is a full day programme where teams of teachers collaborate
to prepare the materials and run the programme.
Over the years, it has been noticed that young women
typically come from patriarchal setups where they are denied a voice of their
own. At school, the dominant culture is of being spoon-fed, dependent on made
easy study notes, rote learning and so on. This leaves them with little or no
ability to articulate their thoughts, think independently and write coherently.
They at Bharati College believe that these are issues that
need to be addressed urgently and in a focused manner right at the start of
college life. These issues can be addressed through an intensive
activity-driven orientation program that imparts skills and strategies needed
for college and later life. The goal has been to help them cope with the
demands of Academic Reading and Writing, even as they equip them with skills
and strategies for dealing with their own problems and help them recognize
their roles in the larger life of the country and the world. They have been
using the integrated learning approach as it allows flexibility of interaction
along with direct teaching supported by digital media. The students are encouraged
to summarize, paraphrase, evaluate, and analyze a given issue or situation.
Interactive tasks are set around issues that impinge on their
personal lives. From themes like fashion, lifestyle, peer pressure they move to
academic reading and writing. Students are encouraged to apply the gathered
information/ insights in different situations through group activities like
role play, dramatization, debate, etc.
The
impact of this programme has been very positive on students. They bond with the
institution and teachers faster. Moreover, they do not feel like strangers
groping to get familiar with a new place. Students make friends across subjects
and sections and also teachers spot talent and potential leaders early. All in
all, it is a win- win situation all round.
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