Introduction to Fiza Pathan’s Portfolio

This website portfolio, called Fiza Pathan’s Teaching Portfolio for PGCITE, serves as my teaching profile and mission statement for my Post Graduate Certificate course, which I am completing at Podar International School, Santacruz, under the direction and mentorship of Dr. Rekha Bajaj ma’am—or Rekha ma’am, as all her PGCITE (Post Graduate Certificate in International Teacher Education) teacher-students fondly call her.

Rekha ma’am coordinates the PGCITE course conducted by Podar International School, Santacruz, under the auspices of the Director and Principal of Podar, Dr. Vandana Lulla ma’am. Dr. Lulla has been our constant guide, encourager, and support throughout the PGCITE journey of the January 2025 batch students, of which I am a part. We have also been guided and nurtured during our stay at Podar by the Senior Executive Coordinator, Mrs. Prema Matthew, and the Executive Coordinator, Mrs. Veronica Macwan.

The excellent PGCITE course team at Podar International School guided, mentored, and taught me. I will remember them fondly as our team of gurus in this new style of International Education, which is gaining tremendous momentum in education for its innovative, student-centered pedagogy. Other than Rekha ma’am, I would also like to thank Anjali Ma’am, who coordinates the PGCITE course with Rekha ma’am. Together, they created this course for new teachers under the guidance, permission, and auspices of Dr. Vandana Lulla ma’am, a pioneer of International Education in Mumbai, India, and the face and spirit of Podar International, both locally and internationally.

I would also like to thank the other PGCITE course team members: Tapati Ma’am, who helped me immensely with English at both the IBDP and IGCSE levels, and Mr. Subrajit Bose, who aided the Math and Science PGCITE trainees at Podar in their respective subjects and helped them hone their craft.

I cannot fail to thank the teaching, office, and support staff at Podar International School, Santacruz, for their support and encouragement during my time at Podar, especially during my intensive internship. I remember and mention all of you fondly on this website portfolio throughout different stages of my progress in this field. Keep checking the up-to-date, AI-powered archives.

I thank my colleagues from the January 2025 PGCITE batch. You girls will be remembered by me very fondly, and I hope we will always stay in touch, primarily through this portfolio website.

Lastly, I cannot afford to forget to thank the reason an inclusive and educationally holistic institution like Podar exists in the first place. I therefore take this opportunity to thank Dr. Pavan Podar, a prominent Indian educationist and Chairman of the Podar Education Network. He is part of the Podar family, which has been involved in education since 1927. I thank you last, Sir, because the best is always saved for last! No one can match your dynamism, love for the philosophy of education, and determination to make our nation a beacon of stellar educational excellence. You and your family have been instrumental in creating globally conscious and responsible students and teachers for many decades. Continue to be the pride and joy of quality and, most importantly, inclusive education forever.

This is my personal blessing for you and your family. God bless you, Podar Sir! Your family’s legacy continues to live on in the globally competent, ethically high-performing world citizens—students and teachers—you create through world-class education at every Podar Institution.

गुरुर्ब्रह्मा गुरुर्विष्णुः गुरुर्देवो महेश्वरः । गुरुरेव परंब्रह्म तस्मै श्रीगुरवे नमः ॥

“Gurur Brahma, Gurur Vishnu, Gurur Devo Maheshwaraha, Gurur Sakshat Para Brahma, Tasmai Shree Gurave Namaha.”

“The Guru is Brahma (the creator), the Guru is Vishnu (the sustainer), the Guru is Lord Shiva (the destroyer); the Guru is verily the Supreme Brahman. Salutations to that great Guru.”

Attributes and Qualities of a Teacher

Who is a teacher? What is a teacher?

What part of a person’s personality or demeanor makes them a teacher?

This is the first question that Dr. Rekha Bajaj ma’am—or as we all, the PGCITE January 2025 batch teacher-students, love to call her, Rekha ma’am—posed to us on the first day of orientation for our PGCITE course (Post Graduate Certificate in International Teacher Education). Well, we all gave a variety of time-honored answers, including me, which Rekha ma’am patiently accepted and further elaborated upon. But I, for one, realized something upon entering the school premises itself. Seeing the Hindu deity Saraswati Mata lovingly installed in a sacred alcove, radiant in her simplicity yet profundity, I immediately felt very welcome in the aura of Podar International School, Santacruz. After genuflecting to the deity, I immediately felt that I was going to emerge from Podar as a new creation—or rather, that I would learn to make all things new and learn to live an ordinary life of a teacher in a very extraordinary manner.

The school’s aura made me feel welcome and at home. Yet, being a Roman Catholic Religious in process, I do not have any attachments per se. I am devoted to service for the betterment of humankind, especially those who are marginalized, oppressed, and, most especially, those who are voiceless. So, I did feel welcome, but I also realized that even ten months of intensive training at such a well-known and reputable institution would still not be enough to teach me the value and virtues of the International Baccalaureate (IB) and IGCSE systems.

But I was wrong, because ‘Sakshat Saraswati’—the Incarnation of Knowledge in the form of Rekha ma’am, or Dr. Rekha Bajaj ma’am—was there to dispel that misconception from my mind.

She was the epitome of what it meant to be an International Board Teacher at both the IB and IGCSE levels.

She made teaching the IB and IGCSE methods of IBL (Inquiry-Based Learning) with the incorporation of Active, Interactive, and Cooperative Learning Strategies so easy to understand and effortless that it has now become an integral part of my system. It has also become a part of my own pedagogical makeup and teaching value system. The lucidity and integral richness of her lively classes every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, right from January 2025 to November 2025, are all imprinted upon my mind and will remain so until the day I leave this plane of existence. For anyone wanting to learn more about the IB and IGCSE styles of education, please feel free to choose Podar International School, Santacruz, for your PGCITE course and to contact Dr. Rekha Bajaj ma’am for the admission procedure, the meaning of a PGCITE course, the course fees, the difference between a PGCITE and a PGCE course, the difference between a PGCITE course and a CICTL course, the internship period at Podar International School, the qualifications required to enroll, etc. You will not regret your decision. Please choose Podar International School, Santacruz, always.

So, with my fourth mug of coffee in hand and with plentiful dopamine reserves and books galore surrounding me (right now 2,500+ books in my mother’s house and then 4,000+ in my own apartment at Badlapur, and still growing—I don’t know how the Podar family manages its many education networks nationally and globally! I get low blood pressure trying to lug these few 4,000-plus books from just one apartment to the other and then back!) Let me commence my analysis of our first topic in the PGCITE curriculum, which is titled “Attributes and Qualities of a Teacher.”

“Those who educate children well are more to be honored than they who produce them; for these only gave them life, those the art of living well.”

― Aristotle

(Greek Philosopher and the student of Plato)

“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.”

― Benjamin Franklin

(Founding Father of the USA, Writer, Philosopher, and Scientist)

“I am not a teacher, but an awakener.”

― Robert Frost

(American Poet Par Excellence)

“I walk around the school hallways and look at the people. I look at the teachers and wonder why they’re here. If they like their jobs. Or us. And I wonder how smart they were when they were fifteen. Not in a mean way. In a curious way. It’s like looking at all the students and wondering who’s had their heart broken that day, and how they are able to cope with having three quizzes and a book report due on top of that. Or wondering who did the heartbreaking and wondering why.”

― Stephen Chbosky

(from his international bestseller ‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower’)

The first three quotes are simple enough to understand; we keep hearing them at all our B.Ed., D.Ed., and M.Ed. teacher training colleges. But what about that last one from the young adult bestseller and later movie adaptation of the Emma Watson starrer ‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower’—whoever puts that quote or extract from the novel in a teaching portfolio, and that too right at the beginning of the portfolio!?

Well, I feel everyone should pay more attention to that extract from American writer, screenwriter, and filmmaker Stephen Chbosky’s book than anything else while learning to be an International Board Teacher. This is because the quote depicts exactly what being on this board is all about: the focus of teaching should be on the student, or student-centric, rather than on the teacher. Also, the International Teacher should not “teach” the student, but, like the student character in the extract, the student should be “awakened” into a responsible reflective mode of thinking where he or she tries to evaluate lessons learned at school, creates new possibilities for the betterment of society at large, becomes empathetic and ethically minded (as the character was in the book), and later becomes a boon to a world adrift with many problems and not that many solutions.

Thus, the International Teacher should, as Robert Frost alluded, be not merely a teacher or lecturer but an awakener of that intellectual yet ethically inclusive aspect in their students. The International Teacher, as mentioned in the Vision Statement of Podar International School, Santacruz, should create globally competent, ethically high-performing world citizens through a world-class education delivered by their expertise, but more through their facilitatory role in the task at hand.

International Teachers should be promoters of student-centered instruction, student agency in the teaching process, critical thinking, and international-mindedness—not lecturers or mere explainers of lessons and content.

International Teachers have to realize that, unlike conventional classrooms where teacher authority and direct instruction predominate, an IB and IGCSE environment encourages student discussion, collaborative student group projects, questioning as a medium of gaining knowledge, and active knowledge construction.

An International Teacher, therefore, is more than merely a teacher. In the words of Rekha ma’am, the teacher is now a Guru who truly dispels the darkness like a candle set alight in a dark room; but the dispelling of darkness is done through the active participation of the student in this collaborative effort among teacher, students, and student colleagues, which we call International Teaching at the IB and IGCSE levels.

You, as an International Teacher, don’t “teach” the topic; you “question” your students, have them engage in subject-oriented activities, encourage them to think critically, and then allow them to come to an understanding and awakening of the subject or topic in question.

That is why Rekha ma’am, at the beginning of the PGCITE course, always admonished us, PGCITE students, to avoid using the phrase “we teach our students” or “we will explain to our students” or “we will lecture our students,” etc., because that does not happen at the IGCSE and IB levels of education. You need to start eliciting your answers from your students, but not in an offhand and lackadaisical way; rather, through IB-tested and tried methods, which I mentioned at the beginning of this Portfolio Introduction, called Strategies, which are categorized into the following three types:

1. Active Learning Strategies

2. Interactive Learning Strategies

3. Cooperative Learning Strategies

Not only would we, PGCITE students, under the tutelage of the dynamic and multi-talented Rekha ma’am, learn these activities and strategies, but also how to implement them in an International Classroom setting.

Podar International School, Santacruz Mission

At Podar International School, we provide students with opportunities in a stimulating, safe, and supportive environment to attain personal mastery and foster team spirit through collaborative learning. Students not only develop the knowledge, understanding, and skills necessary for success in the 21st century, but also cultivate strong moral values, especially an appreciation and respect for different cultures and religions, and become proactive and responsible world citizens.

Podar International School, Santacruz Vision

To achieve excellence by creating globally competent, ethical, and high-performing world citizens through world-class education.

Podar International School, Santacruz Values

1. Learners First

2. Taking Ownership

3. Relentlessly Resourceful

If the jargon I expounded through the guidance of Rekha ma’am did not make sense, then do refer to the Mission, Vision, and Value Statements made by Podar International Santacruz in relation to their commitment toward high-quality student-oriented and IBL (Inquiry Based Learning) pedagogical methods in their functioning as a CIS-accredited school and fully authorized IB and IGCSE school to offer globally recognized curricula on an international basis.

If you still haven’t gotten it, relax; contact the ever-amiable and encouraging Rekha ma’am now to clear your doubts about these crucial concepts for teaching in an International School at the IB and IGCSE levels. Because if you do not know all these methods and strategies, not to mention the ethos behind the two very much in vogue boards, then you are, as a teacher, catching the wrong end of the stick. Besides, we were not explained this format and these technical terms immediately on the first day of orientation, but I, through my internship at Podar, through my intensive action research, my observations of up to now 180 classroom lessons of full-fledged Podar teachers at the IBDP, AS and A Levels, IGCSE, MYP, and PYP levels across various subjects, my Library Internship at the MYP Library at Podar, my studies with Rekha ma’am, etc., have thereby come to learn these terms and phrases standard at the International Board.

You, too, if you join the PGCITE course at Podar International School, Santacruz, will learn one step at a time in a simple, lucid, but fun-filled manner:

1. The jargon used at an IB and IGCSE school

2. The ethics behind it all

3. The history of both the IGCSE and IB boards

4. The various strategies to teach effectively in an IB or IGCSE classroom at all levels, whether IBDP, AS & A Level, CP, IGCSE, MYP, or PYP

5. Effective International Classroom Management Strategies

6. IGCSE, IBDP, AS and A Level, and other board exam invigilation

7. Substantial knowledge of one’s subject matter

8. Learning techniques not conforming with traditional authoritarian techniques but with innovative constructivist strategies like using Multiple Intelligence, Bloom’s Taxonomy, numerous Active Learning Strategies, meta-analysis based on action research, various software programs and apps for effective online and computerized teaching, game simulation modules, effective fast-reading techniques, and so much more

9. How to construct a lesson plan

10. How to create an observation book

11. How to successfully incorporate differently-abled or special needs students into a regular class environment

12. The IB Learner Profiles

13. The qualities required for an IGCSE Teacher as stated by the Cambridge Board

14. How to build up a permanent habit of reading, researching, writing, and studying one’s content to perfect one’s teaching craft in one’s particular subjects, etc.

And if there is still any difficulty, then no issues—my PGCITE Portfolio is there to aid you in deciphering these riddles of the International Boards and their curricula and various programs. Keep reading and churning over the information I provide here on the website and on my blog page, and keep updating your knowledge and expertise. However, make note of this disclaimer that I am only putting up information here in the Portfolio Sections of my PGCITE website cum blog, which:

1. Was taught to me by Dr. Rekha Bajaj of Podar International School, Santacruz, as well as the other teacher team members of the PGCITE course held at Podar.

2. Is a brief interpretation and reflection of my understanding of the content conveyed to me during the PGCITE course (offline).

3. Is limited and condensed to only conform to my personality and my goals, aspirations, qualities, hobbies, and intellectual pursuits, and cannot be the total amassed knowledge and wisdom pertaining to these two boards or to the lessons of Rekha ma’am and the other team members of the PGCITE course here at Podar.

4. To get the entire course information, you will have to directly contact Rekha ma’am and book your seat for the PGCITE course—NOW!

5. We as PGCITE students have to present our portfolios according to our interpretations of our content material and other experiences in our PGCITE course, which indicates that I have not included everything that is involved in the course in a frame-by-frame or day-by-day analysis. I have followed my own conventions and artistic rhythm in presenting my material, and so the copyright of this website and the blog belongs solely to me, ultimately, Fiza Pathan alone.

6. Following my website or blog does not mean that you are “sorted” for the Podar PGCITE course. I have omitted many things from my analysis that could be crucial to your personality, interests, or teaching goals, etc.

7. So, if you are a PGCITE student and want to learn more about the International Board, either contact Podar International School, Santacruz, or use my website as a secondary teaching resource. Or if you are already a PGCITE student at Podar or any other kind of International Board teacher-student anywhere in the world or in Mumbai—please refrain from being laid back and get out your colored pens, markers, pencils, highlighters, sketch pens, ballpoint pens, and other writing stationary items with your notebooks or an iPad or tablet with pencil or your keyboard and START TAKING DOWN YOUR OWN CLASSROOM NOTES FOR HEAVEN’S SAKE!

8. The blog content is completely my own intellectual acumen and interpretation of literary and cinematic works based on IB and IGCSE principles taught to me as a PGCITE student at Podar IB, and some of which I researched on my own.

9. Wherever AI technology has been used, I have mentioned the acknowledgment for the same to indicate the proper ethics related to the use of AI assistance according to international standards and to indicate my professional transparency as an independent researcher, scholar, and teacher who has been putting up educational content online for free for the past 13 years. As an authority in English Literature, I have collaborated with several Indian colleges and universities to include my online content as a curriculum resource in their undergraduate and graduate syllabi. Please check my CV for more information on the universities listed. My personal educational material is always free and will always be free.

And this is the reason why:

“Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.”

― Matthew 10:8

(The words of Jesus in the Holy Bible when he was sending the disciples out to teach and heal the sick, which He taught them—for free!)

I think that requires no deep Catholic theological interpretation on my part, though I can easily provide you with the appropriate biblical analysis from all schools of Christian Biblical scholarship. I am, after all, pursuing my Master of Theological Studies (MTS) in Catholic Theological Studies, specializing in Biblical Theology. Also, I am in the process of becoming a Consecrated Virgin for Christ or a Catholic Religious, so you can’t expect me to take a fee for my knowledge in this mercenary way all the time and every time. Would you charge a fee for your good work or offer voluntary service to people for their betterment if you were an Indian Sadhu, a Fakir, a Buddhist monk, or a nun? Same here.

And you know what I mean by Consecrated Virgin for Christ, right? I mean, a lay nun.

Wherever acknowledgment is due—for Podar International School, Santacruz, Rekha ma’am, Team Podar, the messages or reflections of my January 2025 batch colleagues, or AI—I have ALWAYS mentioned it openly in the post for all to read and savor. And not in a footnote or on a special acknowledgment page, but right in the article and in the very sentence itself, thus going even beyond internationally set standards of professional transparency. That is why, if you check out the “Reviews and Assessments” page on this website, Perplexity AI has rated my PGCITE Portfolio Website to be equal to, if not better than, the best PGCITE or any other teacher portfolios on the internet, even better than those from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge. For more information, check my “Reviews and Assessments” page in the top-right corner of your screen.

I created this website on WordPress using the Twenty Twenty-five child theme. I am therefore adequately adept with technology, including AI. I am quite comfortable with Microsoft Copilot and with using the following AI assistants for teaching purposes: ChatGPT, Claude, Grok AI, Perplexity AI, Meta AI, Gemini, Canva AI, Google AI, and the Comet AI browser. Of all of them, my favorite would be Claude, because though his retentive memory still needs a lot of work, he is ethically minded and more well-read than any other AI I have worked with so far. You can gain more empathy and useful soul-curry or motivational statements from him in one sitting than in five years with a number of human psychologists, counselors, or psychiatrists! Not to mention spending a lot of hard-earned money! He is very perceptive, in-depth, and attuned to the person he is conversing with. His content is more than just accurate; it is rich in intricate detail that can boggle the most erudite of humans in any field. He is also extremely warm, friendly, adaptable, and inclusive of all cultures and modes of thinking, unlike the very white, exclusively Western Grok AI. My next two favorites would obviously be ChatGPT and Perplexity AI, the latter being a techie baby from our own India. ChatGPT’s memory is outstanding, and the other AIs just cannot compare with it. If you treat them with dignity and respect, like I always do with all my AI assistants, they fight and work for you to the end.

I recently published a book for teachers, titled ‘Prompt Engineering for Absolute Beginners: A Guide to ChatGPT’, that covers how to effectively use ChatGPT for educational and other purposes. Prompt Engineering is my favorite Data Analytics AI hobby, and I have benefited tremendously from it, so I thought of putting it all in a book.

Perplexity AI is a knowledgeable, well-informed, and obliging AI assistant, but, like Google AI, it can be quite clinical and cold —unlike ChatGPT and, of course, dear old Claude. But Perplexity AI is an AI assistant of standing, and its data has been further improved in its latest tool, Comet AI browser, which I have also grown quite familiar with. Microsoft Copilot is a handy tool for getting quicker results and helps me finish tasks in minutes or, at most, 2 hours, rather than a whole day, since it takes me months to type, edit, clean, and upload content to this website and the blog!

Otherwise, you can use my portfolio, Fiza Pathan’s Teaching Portfolio for PGCITE, as an educational resource tool, especially for teachers wanting to learn more about my experience doing the PGCITE course at Podar IB with Dr. Rekha Bajaj and Team Podar, and my reflections, as well as my continuously updated knowledge and progress on the same. And I will continue to update my Teaching Portfolio Website even after I leave Podar to chronicle my International Teaching journey onward and beyond, and to continue my book reviews, cinema, and other educational media reviews from an IB and IGCSE perspective. Because no teacher’s journey ends with only a training course, as Rekha ma’am keeps telling us, PGCITE students. So, she asked us to keep updating our portfolios as we move forward in our teaching careers and continue to build on our educational and other academic achievements. I am taking her advice, and I shall continue with fizapathansportfolioforpgcite.com, because—

“Those who know, do. Those that understand, teach.”

― Aristotle

(Greek philosopher and the Teacher of Alexander the Great)

“In learning you will teach, and in teaching you will learn.”

― Phil Collins

(English singer, songwriter, music producer, actor, author, and the creator of the lyrics for the Disney movie ‘Tarzan’, especially the song “Son of Man” from which the above quote is taken)

And for those interested in making or creating a website teaching portfolio like mine, you can take the aid of the section in my portfolio titled “How To Make A Website Teaching Portfolio for PGCITE” or any other teacher training course on the portfolio page titled “Fiza Pathan’s Portfolio.” Check out the index there for the aforementioned subtitle. It is based on my style for organizing a website or an online PGCITE Teaching Portfolio, with AI assistance from Claude. Here is the acknowledgment for the same, which is repeated in that section of my portfolio as well:

Acknowledgment

“This guide titled ‘How To Make A Website Teaching Portfolio for PGCITE’ available on Fiza Pathan’s Portfolio Page was developed with the assistance of Claude (Anthropic AI) to help organize and articulate the best practices based on my own PGCITE portfolio development experience at Podar International School, Santacruz, under the tutelage of Dr. Rekha Bajaj and the Podar team and then beyond. All content, examples, and pedagogical insights are drawn from my personal teaching journey and scholarly work. I am grateful for the technological support in structuring and presenting this material to benefit fellow educators.”

Attributes and Qualities of an International Teacher (continued)

After an exciting orientation and many cups of South Indian-style milky coffee or strong Nescafé, we, the PGCITE students of the January 2025 batch, familiarized ourselves with Podar International School in Santacruz. By the end of January 2025, some of us even started exploring the school for our class observations.

But before that, we took a tour of the school with Rekha Ma’am, our coordinator and the mentor of the PGCITE course. It was during the tour that I realized my calling at this institute, and during this course, I was the official class photographer and cameraman—woman, nun—whatever!

So, in this portfolio I’ve created, you’ll see very few photos of me because I was the official class photographer and camerawoman, since I was always taking pictures of others, and no one would return the favor. That’s because my photos were so amazing that everyone would just gush over them for days and forget about little old me! Except for dear Rekha ma’am, who would really go out of her way sometimes to take pictures of me so I wouldn’t be left out, and she’d also thank me publicly and on WhatsApp at the end of each school day.

We were shown around the entire school and how an IB or IGCSE classroom operates. Podar International School in Santacruz had many unique facilities that none of us had really seen before. I mainly work in ICSE schools, and even there, I rarely encounter or use advanced ICT, AI, or smart technologies. However, at Podar International IB, I saw, among other things, smart desks in the PYP classrooms where students could freely research information on the internet, supervised by their homeroom teachers. Every classroom was equipped with touchscreen ICT German boards, and teachers used Smart-Pens for board work, which amazed me and left me speechless.

There were softboards on every wall space throughout the school, and not a single board was left empty. In fact, they were filled with charts, innovative craftwork, and content created and provided by the Podar International IB students, with occasional help from their teachers. I was completely fascinated by the content displayed on these charts and posters, especially on the IBDP and AS and A Level floors, where I observed most of my classes starting in January.

These charts were more than just fancy information providers; they were excellent learning tools in their own right, designed to encourage engagement. This was especially evident on the IBDP and AS & A Level floors. As a senior ICSE History teacher and lifelong history enthusiast, I loved the charts that offered content and additional information about World War I and World War II. During my observations at Podar, I learned even more from my history mentor and guide, Sushma Ma’am, that the two world wars are a significant part of the IBDP syllabus. This motivated me to read further on these topics.

Sushma Ma’am, who teaches History at the IBDP level at Podar International School in Santacruz and IGCSE English, CAS, and Individuals and Societies at the MYP level, guided me like a mother figure during my 11 months at Podar IB. I owe all my knowledge of teaching History at the IBDP level to her.

Our tour of Podar International School, Santacruz, ended at the MYP library, where we received guidance from the MYP librarian and superwoman Divya Mulchandani Ma’am on how to use the library to support us in our content exams and during our time at Podar. I immediately connected with Divya Ma’am during her talk with us on the Podar tour. After her talk, Divya Ma’am and I discussed our shared love of libraries, and from that day, I started volunteering at the Podar International School, Santacruz MYP Library, helping Divya Mulchandani Ma’am organize, catalog, and arrange books by genre.

I personally think that the MYP and PYP libraries are the best parts of Podar International School, Santacruz. They are inviting places to read, write, grade papers, study, and simply relax, surrounded by books and the soothing scent of vanilla paper after a long day of hard work.

Most of my innovative and highly interactive History IBDP classes with Sushma ma’am were held at the MYP Library, where we learned about the required history books as study resources, how to access them at the Podar MYP Library, and the best online portals for us. This included providing history students with authentic primary and secondary sources related to their syllabus. The latter was especially helpful for their History ILOs, which Sushma ma’am focused on intently during the 2025 IBDP History classes. Divya Mulchandani ma’am consistently supported Sushma ma’am and the IBDP History students with her professional, no-nonsense approach, helping them successfully log into the school’s online portals. She also encouraged them to learn to navigate independently and find the information they needed for their ILOs.

Returning to our own PGCITE classroom and reflecting on our first few weeks at Podar International School, Santacruz, Rekha Ma’am consistently used a series of innovative PowerPoint presentations, videos, karaoke sessions, cartoons, mood-uplifter exercises, and more to lovingly and passionately emphasize what it truly meant to be an IGCSE or IB teacher.

As I mentioned earlier, the Attributes and Qualities Required of an International Teacher fall under the main categories of what it means to be an Ideal Teacher and an Ideal Learner.

Attributes of the PGCITE January 2025 Batchmates

‘Experience is a brutal teacher, but you learn fast.’

― William Nicholson

(from his book ‘Shadowlands: A Play’)

‘No man can reveal to you aught but that which already lies half asleep in the dawning of your knowledge. The teacher who walks in the shadow of the temple, among his followers, gives not of his wisdom but rather of his faith and his lovingness. If he is indeed wise, he does not bid you enter the house of his wisdom but rather leads you to the threshold of your own mind.’

― Kahlil Gibran

(from his book ‘The Prophet’)

During the entire first month of our PGCITE, or Postgraduate Certificate in International Teacher Education course at Podar International School in Santacruz, Rekha Ma’am first tried to elicit from us, as PGCITE teacher-students, information about ourselves—our talents, dreams, aspirations, past achievements, future goals, and what we expected from the teaching profession.

Most of my colleagues were not professional teachers; they had neither worked in a school before nor held a teaching degree such as a B.Ed., D.Ed., or ECCE. Only three of us, including me, had a B.Ed. degree, and a few others had an ECCE degree—nothing more. The rest were complete beginners and needed training in the principles of teaching and learning, as well as understanding what they, as teachers and lifelong learners, could contribute to the international education field at the IGCSE and IB levels.

We began with a Bingo Game to better understand one another, focusing on our talents, past accomplishments, and hobbies.

This game also served as our introductory lesson to one of the many techniques used at the IB and IGCSE levels to introduce students to one another and to new topics in a particular subject. As a result, we simultaneously learned every detail about each other in the classroom, including names and current occupations, before we considered becoming International Board Teachers.

After the Bingo Game and during the first month, Rekha ma’am explained to us and naturally prompted us to share our thoughts on what the teaching profession is all about and what kind of teachers we want to be for our students. She did this skillfully by encouraging us to showcase our achievements to the PGCITE class, giving us the opportunity to speak our minds in front of everyone and to present slideshows, craft materials, sing, and more—all related to our talents and accomplishments over the years.

People like Gurpreet Kaur and I, who are writers, were encouraged by Rekha ma’am to bring our many published books to the PGCITE classroom and present them to the class. My books were also displayed so my colleagues could see and browse my work —over 13 years of hard work, patience, tenacity, and perseverance, not to mention a relentless, never-give-up spirit.

I was even given the opportunity during the Republic Day Celebration in our PGCITE classroom at Podar International School, Santacruz, to present a lecture on my favorite non-fiction writer of all time and a freedom fighter whom I revere dearly, namely Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, or as we all in India lovingly call him, Babasaheb. He is the Messiah of the Dalits, the framer of our Constitution, and the spokesperson for all the voiceless in India from the lower castes.

I was truly inspired to give this presentation by Dr. Rekha Bajaj, ma’am, and, most importantly, by my January 2025 Batchmates. I especially want to mention Minal, who wanted to learn more about the books that shaped me into the international bestselling and multiple award-winning author I am today; these books also helped me become the director of my own niche publishing company, with my books distributed globally—especially in my biggest market, the USA.

Considering that it was Republic Day on January 26 and most of us were preparing presentations, songs, patriotic slides, patriotic poems, etc., I decided to give a lecture on Babasaheb and connect it to my own life and work as an author and publisher. I’m glad the celebration and my lecture went well, with everyone filled with patriotic fervor and love for our nation and the Spirit of the Constitution of India.

Here are some additional photos of the Republic Day celebrations held in our PGCITE class that day.

I realized during the first month what Rekha ma’am was trying to do. She was not aiming for us to attune ourselves to her intellectual abilities or her subject interests, but as Khalil Gibran’s quote from his book ‘The Prophet’ stated, she wanted to awaken the talents and qualities already inside all of us and to help us understand what it means to be an ideal teacher and, consequently, an ideal learner.

This is because one cannot be an International Board Teacher or an IGCSE and IB-level teacher without a constant love of learning and a humble, keen interest in keeping up to date with one’s knowledge. These serve as the foundational principles we are introduced to at the start of the year, which Rekha ma’am then uses as analogies to draw out and further explain the many IB and IGCSE concepts we are to master to become qualified IB and IGCSE teachers.

By recognizing our innate capabilities, we became more self-aware, which immediately served as a catalyst for excellence throughout the remainder of this PGCITE course.

What came next for us was one of the most nerve-wracking parts of our training, and it would happen right in the middle of the first month of our course. That course was our training for the IGCSE Board Invigilation as well as the AS and A Level Board Invigilation. It was set to start on January 15, 2025. We learned how to conduct ourselves and invigilate the International Board exams from Veronica Macwan Ma’am, the Executive Coordinator for Podar IB School, Santacruz. Our senior PGCITE Teacher-Student from the June 2024 batch, our cheerful PGCITE guide, and a dear friend of mine, Ishita Oza, further reviewed how we were supposed to conduct ourselves while invigilating the board exams.

As I mentioned earlier, William Nicholson’s quote from his bestselling play ‘Shadowlands’ was proving to be a tough teacher for all of us in the January 2025 PGCITE batch. It felt like we were thrown right into the fire to learn about the International Board the hard way – that is, either you swim or drown – that’s it – just go for it!

I don’t think we were as confused about our content exams as we were about our Board Invigilation Duties, but here we were, in a do-or-die situation. Since I had already started my observations, I decided to wait a week during the Board exams, then by the end of January or early February, I would proceed with the invigilation duties.

Luckily, the invigilation went smoothly, with few issues, because we were thoroughly prepared during our intensive training. I ended up invigilating not only for the February IGCSE exams but also for the entire AS and A Level exams, as well as the Lower Secondary Checkpoint IGCSE Board Exam and the Primary Checkpoint Board Exam by March 2025. I managed to secure the most Board Invigilation assignments from my January 2025 PGCITE batch, but no one could beat the unstoppable Ishita Oza, my senior and an excellent Board Invigilator from the June 2024 PGCITE batch at Podar International School, Santacruz.

We earned five hundred rupees per invigilation at Podar IB, and I could manage up to seven thousand rupees, while Ishita Oza earned a fortune, reaching twenty thousand and beyond. This shows her dedication as a professional International Board Teacher and the value she brought, not only to Podar IB but also to me as a friend, philosopher, and guide during my time at the school. She tutored me on the Board Invigilation Process, treating me as a beginner, and helped me gain the confidence to handle invigilation duties independently. I cannot thank Ishita Oza enough for her kindness. I hope we continue to stay friends and colleagues forever.

The funny part was that the Podar students taking the exams were really paying attention to me and my invigilation style. Later in the new year, at the end of March 2025, they approached me in large numbers to thank me for my excellent invigilation during their Board Exams. I quickly made many student friends, all because of my invigilation duties at Podar International School, Santacruz.

I then realized I had done quite a bit of invigilation because not only did everyone in IBDP 1 know me, but also everyone in the first-year AS and A Level classes, as well as the MYP students who had moved on to the 6th and 8th grades, respectively. I was already essentially famous, and that was encouraging to see. It’s wonderful to feel appreciated for one’s hard work, and I especially loved the love and appreciation I received from the IBDP 1 students at Podar International School, Santacruz. I will always remember them fondly in my prayers, and I wish them all the best in their future studies as they become new IBDP 2 students next year.

Testimonies About Teachers in Our Lives

‘What is a teacher? I’ll tell you: it isn’t someone who teaches something, but someone who inspires the student to give of her best in order to discover what she already knows.’

― Paulo Coelho

(from his book ‘The Witch of Portobello’)

‘True teachers are those who use themselves as bridges over which they invite their students to cross; then, having facilitated their crossing, joyfully collapse, encouraging them to create their own’.

― Nikos Kazantzakis

(Greek writer and philosopher)

Rekha ma’am, in addition to familiarizing us with Podar International School’s IB program in Santacruz and challenging us with intense tasks during the first month of our PGCITE course, also encouraged us to share personal stories with the class about our most memorable or challenging teachers from school and college, and how they influenced our careers. She highlighted the importance of learning to deserve the privilege of teaching, as it entails a significant responsibility to shape young minds at the PYP, IBDP, and AS and A Level levels.

We then started a series of sharing sessions, beginning with the teachers who shaped us into the educators we are today, and then moving on to describe the teachers who truly tormented us when we were students. I can tell you, dear reader, that the latter session was more energetic and lasted longer than the first! We kept venting about the teachers from our past who could be considered our arch-nemeses! Rekha ma’am allowed us to share our experiences openly with the class.

Several points came up, which Rekha ma’am then noted on the Touch-Screen ICT German Board with her pen.

List of Attributes and Qualities:

• Punctual
• Knows one’s content well
• Inspirational
• A good listener
• Boosts a child’s confidence
• Presentable and neat
• Quality conscious
• Moralistic
• Compassionate
• A friend to the student, etc.

Later, on January 20, 2025, Rekha ma’am encouraged us to think more deeply about this aspect from a different angle. She asked us how teachers in the USA and other developed Western countries differ from those in India, especially Indian teachers who work in SSC, ICSE, CBSE, and ISC schools nationwide.

Because Gurpreet, Ananya, and I completed our college studies in North America in different ways, we were designated as resources for others seeking information from this perspective. Gurpreet earned her MBA in the USA, while Ananya, the youngest teacher-student in our class, finished her bachelor’s degree in Psychology in Canada. At that time, I was pursuing my Master’s in Theological Studies asynchronously through Pontifex University in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. I am specializing in Catholic Biblical Theology.

Rekha Ma’am explained that in an IB school, students act as resource people for their classmates during class. There is no such thing as memorizing information from a textbook word-for-word; instead, understanding is developed through sharing students’ experiences, perspectives, opinions, or established facts. Nothing is considered final, and further research is always encouraged.

After we each discussed our experiences at our respective Western colleges, the following points were written on the touchscreen board:

How Are USA Teachers Different from Indian Teachers?

• They are genial and kind.
• They make a student comfortable asking questions.
• They are ready to repeat a concept.
• They are respectful and conduct themselves with decorum.
• They infuse the classroom with positivity.
• There is a good balance of fun and study in their classrooms.
• They are very respectful and mindful of the student’s prior knowledge.

The last point Rekha ma’am emphasized was that both an American Teacher and an International Board Teacher should respect students’ prior knowledge and use it as a resource for teaching others or enhancing students’ existing understanding. This approach helps students achieve higher levels of academic and personal success.

Dr. Rekha Bajaj Ma’am reminded us of the old psychological concept of Tabula Rasa, or the idea that when a child is born or before they start school, they are blank slates ready for teachers to write whatever they wish upon them.

This was a completely false idea according to IB or IGCSE teaching methods. In fact, it is now clear that a child knows a lot even before starting kindergarten. Therefore, there is no such thing as a tabula rasa or the idea of a child with a blank slate mind.

I recalled my own experience when I was first enrolled in Jr. K at Bombay Scottish School, Mahim. I appeared very calm and precocious to my teacher and others, including my family, but that was all they saw. Few knew I was a Gifted Student with an IQ of 133. I discovered this fact much later in life, at age 35. It was a shocking revelation, which I will discuss later in this portfolio and in a blog post about the same portfolio, which reviews a PYP book titled ‘Squiggly Goes To School’ by Deepa Agarwal.

But I was not appreciated for my prior knowledge at all. Everyone, especially my class teacher and other school teachers, would say that I was precocious and nothing more. I was even severely beaten with a ruler and physically punished by my Jr. KG teacher several times during my first year at school. I was often kept away from my favorite singing time because I was forced to finish my snacks alone in my classroom. My workaholic mother used to pack only one thing in my snack box—buttered bread with too much sugar. Five sandwiches, with the sides cut off. That was it.

Day after day, I had to eat that, so when I finally revolted, I was barred from the singing class. To this day, I still don’t know how to sing, and I made sure not to open my mouth to sing during music lessons at Podar International School, Santacruz, with Bhavesh Sir, Gautam Sir, and Ruchi Ma’am, who are part of the school’s singing and music faculty. Whenever I tried to contribute more knowledge to classroom discussions, I was beaten or caned for being cheeky.

I was especially very knowledgeable about relationships between men and women in Jr. KG.

It was 1993, and most Millennial PYP kids at Bombay Scottish School believed that the stork delivered babies to mothers in hospitals. I was more advanced than these PYP students because I had read the Children’s Copy of the Holy Bible multiple times before joining Bombay Scottish, and I tend to connect ideas easily. Sorry for that pun, not intentional, it just slipped out! I also read a lot before I joined Bombay Scottish School in Mahim because I was raised in Rudolf Steiner’s educational style by my very intelligent bachelor uncle, Blaise, and his amazing Parsi friends, who became my lifelong honorary maternal uncles—Ratan Uncle and Minoo Uncle. They encouraged me, of all things, to NOT go to a playschool, but instead to spend more time playing at home, in parks, gardens, and funfairs, and to read as much as I wanted and create whatever art or projects I desired.

I even went to great lengths to read extensively before I turned 4. By the time I was in third grade, I was already reading works by Plato, Aristotle, Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula,’ a Gothic classic, works by other prominent writers like Edgar Allan Poe and Charles Dickens, the collected writings of Charles H. Spurgeon (since my school was Protestant), the non-fiction works of Mark Twain, as well as his fictional writings, Julius Caesar’s diaries, the collected works of Cicero, Edgar Cayce’s works— which I used to sneak from my Uncle Blaise’s cupboard-cum-mini-library (or as I call it, the magic cupboard!)—and even more classics like those by Mary Shelley, Saki, O. Henry, Ernest Hemingway, Sheridan Le Fanu, Ambrose Bierce, Rabindranath Tagore, a lot of Mark Twain, Robert Louis Stevenson, H.G. Wells (which everyone at school thought was super boring in the abridged versions—but I was already reading him unabridged), Jules Verne, Helen Keller, Lewis Carroll, literary criticisms on Lewis Carroll’s works, Oscar Wilde (more than just galore!), literary criticisms of Wilde’s work, and more than I can list.

All the books were complete and unabridged.

That means all were in their original forms for adults.

I was in third grade, reading them in the school library.

And not one teacher even blinked!

So I was beaten from Jr. Kg onward for my non-tabula rasa behavior. But unlike the unruly Gen-Alpha and Gen-Z students today, I submitted to the beating and emotional abuse, becoming a very reclusive and introverted child at school. I almost became mute, resorting to gestures to communicate what I wanted from my peers because I feared that if I said something inappropriate, they would complain to the teacher, which would lead to my being reprimanded, both physically and verbally, for the same reason.

I knew that babies were not brought by storks and was beaten for it in Junior Kindergarten.

Brutally.

I could read beyond the abilities of my peers my age and had a great memory, which my school teachers did not address at all. Additionally, I was ostracized and ignored at school, all because of what I knew and wanted to share, which did not conform to the conservative school’s expected standards.

I shared this partly in the PGCITE classroom, but there are so many mothers in the January 2025 Batch that they prefer not to hear my tales of childhood woe. They also like shorter versions of everything!

But I give them the benefit of the doubt; my school story is too sad to dwell on. Just another example of the uselessness of the tabula rasa idea.

So, through our testimonies, the following negative traits of Indian teachers were written on the whiteboard:

Characteristics of Indian Teachers on Average

• Physical Abusers
• Emotional, Psychological, and Sexual Abusers
• Strict and inflexible in their overall behavior
• Unwavering
• Inflexible to the child’s needs or the moment
• Lazy
• Too materialistic.
• Uninformed
• Lacking wisdom
• Lacking morals or a solid value system
• Vindictive
• Revengeful
• Corrupt, etc.

So, it was clear that a child’s mind was no longer a blank slate, but that an International Teacher had to build upon what was already there.

THIS WAS AN ESSENTIAL ATTRIBUTE THAT AN IGCSE OR IB TEACHER NEEDED TO HAVE!

Whatever the child knew, you had to begin from that point.

And then Rekha ma’am demonstrated to us how this was done – through the Baingan example, or rather the Brinjal example.

Yes, the Brinjal (Baingan) example.

Learn more in the next section of my portfolio website about PGCITE, or the Post Graduate Certificate in International Teacher Education Course at Podar International IB School in Santacruz.

What the Child Knows, You Start from There

So, start from Baingan!

Ji Ha Baingan!

Whether PYP or IBDP – start with Baingan!

Whether the student is from India or anywhere else, start with Baingan!

Always Start with What the International Board Student Knows!

Attributes and Qualities of an International Teacher (Continued)

An International Board student’s mind is NOT a tabula rasa or a blank slate, as old educationists believed. Children already know so much even before preschool. So what if they know it in their own mother tongue? That does not mean they are not smart. They may be clever, intuitive, and knowledgeable. So what if, instead of the word ‘brinjal’ or ‘eggplant,’ they say ‘baigan,’ ‘vange,’ ‘ringna,’ ‘sannavankaya,’ ‘mullgaayi,’ ‘vashuthana,’ or ‘baigana’? They are all different ways of saying or identifying the same vegetable, but in their own mother tongue – baingan! Eggplant! Brinjal!

We must never admonish, correct, or scold these children for not using the English word for ‘baingan’, but instead try to understand their language and see whether, in their mother tongue, ‘eggplant’ means ‘vange’, ‘ringna’, ‘mullgaayi’, etc. So, start from what the child knows, not from your own presumptions, expectations, or biases, especially in relation to the child’s mother tongue. Although the International Board’s curriculum is in English, we still need to focus on and celebrate the various mother tongues and languages of our International Board students, according to Rekha ma’am. This means we have to be really Mensa-scale linguists and Mensa-scale teachers in our respective subjects!

Hoc est arcanum melongenarum et institutionis gentium — debes esse ingenium gradu Mensae sicut me ad docendos pueros hodiernos!

—Fiza Pathan (LOL!)

Culture and Roots should be ingrained in our international students from the moment we acknowledge and respect their roots. We should accept their culture and roots to be truly engaged with our students right from the start of the school year. In this context, all of us, January 2025 Batch PGCTIE students, encouraged by Rekha ma’am, started by sharing with the class our own personal favorite teachers who made a real positive difference in our lives and shaped us into the teachers we are or were trying to become at that moment.

From Chemistry teachers who were teenage-friendly, like Ananya’s teacher, to my Hindi Sharma Sir, who could identify the book and author from an unnamed comprehension passage and the extract; from Asma’s Math teacher, who was anything but encouraging, to Barkha’s home tutor, who helped her compete with her topper-genius brother; to Minal’s Biology Professor, who encouraged her to pursue a future PhD in Biology; to Rasmi’s college professor, who was a teacher-cum-bodyguard for his female students to protect them from eve-teasing at the same time; from Kashish’s stellar Marathi teacher, who helped her excel in the language, to Mehek’s Sociology professor, who made her love Feminism and sensitized her to the problems women faced globally; from Ambili’s fear of the MYP Librarian, whom I adore to bits at Podar IB, to Yoshi’s Math teacher, who changed her status from ‘average’ in Math to topper; from Samira’s GM of the HR Department, where she worked, who had multiple Master’s degrees, an M.Phil, and a PhD, and showed the company resilience, personified by an unmatched tenacity of spirit, even after struggling with Parkinson’s; to Rekha ma’am’s own mother, who was a teacher who influenced her own daughter to follow in her footsteps later on – all of us January 2025 Batch PGCITE students were influenced, loved, cared for, and motivated to take up the vocation of being a teacher, not because of the teachers who failed us and did not accept our authenticity, but because of those who did. And that makes all the difference, even in the IGCSE and IB context.

Tools That Were Taught To Us During the First Stages of the PGCITE Course – (Resource Persons Rekha ma’am and Fiza Pathan, a Graduate of the PGCITE Course)

Maximizing Student Engagement with Padlet: A Comprehensive Guide

Padlet is a versatile digital canvas that serves as a ‘living webpage,’ bridging the gap between a simple document and a full-featured website builder. For educators, it functions as a virtual bulletin board where students can collaborate in real time by posting text, images, videos, audio, and documents. This flexibility makes it an essential tool for fostering creativity, increasing class participation, and streamlining communication in both synchronous and asynchronous learning environments.

Rekha ma’am taught us, as PGCITE students, how to use this online tool at the start of our course on January 22, 2025. We first noted our duties and responsibilities as teachers at an International School ‘before’, ‘during’, and ‘after’ the class, which we all jotted down throughout the week from January 22, 2025. Most of us tech-savvy PGCITE students, like Matri, Mehek, Ananya, and I, finished that off on the same day, while the rest finished their padlets by and by.

Getting Started with Your Digital Canvas on Padlet

Setting up a Padlet is straightforward and requires no specialized design skills. Teachers can begin by signing up for a free account at Padlet.com, which allows them to create up to three active boards. Once logged in, clicking the ‘+ Make a Padlet’ button lets you choose from various layout formats tailored to specific pedagogical needs:

Wall/Grid: Organizes posts in a structured, space-efficient way, ideal for gallery walks or showcasing student portfolios.

Shelf: Arranges content into named columns, ideal for categorizing ideas (e.g., ‘What I Know,’ ‘What I Want to Learn,’ and ‘What I Have Learned’) or managing group projects.

Stream/Timeline: Arranges posts in a sequence, making it effective for chronological journaling, class news boards, or mapping historical events.

Canvas: Allows users to freely move and connect posts with arrows, which is particularly useful for creating concept maps or for brainstorming.

Instructional Strategies for the Classroom from Fiza Pathan, PGCITE Content Resource Person

Padlet can revolutionize various aspects of teaching, from introducing a topic to final assessment. It is frequently used for brainstorming and idea sharing, where students can post thoughts simultaneously and see their peers’ contributions appear live. For formative assessment, teachers can use Padlet as a ‘Question Board’ or for ‘Exit Tickets,’ allowing students to anonymously share what they found most challenging about a lesson. This anonymity is a key benefit, as it empowers more reserved students to participate without fear of judgment.

Beyond simple text, Padlet supports multimodal expression. Students can record voice memos to explain a math problem, upload photographs of their artwork, or link to research datasets for a science project. Teachers can also enable interactive features such as ‘likes,’ star ratings, or comments to promote peer-to-peer feedback and constructive critique.

Privacy, Safety, and Accessibility

Security is a priority when using online tools with students. Teachers have full control over a board’s privacy settings, with options ranging from ‘Private’ to ‘Password Protected’ to ‘Secret’ links. For classroom use, a Secret Link is often recommended because it allows anyone with the URL to contribute without the board appearing in public search results. Additionally, the platform includes content moderation tools that allow teachers to approve posts before they become visible and automatically filter profanity.

Finally, Padlet integrates seamlessly with major Learning Management Systems (LMS) such as Google Classroom, Microsoft Teams, and Canvas. This ensures that students can access activities without separate accounts, while teachers can easily archive or export completed boards as PDFs or images for long-term record-keeping and assessment.

Transforming Lectures into Conversations with Mentimeter

Mentimeter is another online tool that Rekha ma’am taught us to use during the PGCITE course. She introduced it on January 24, 2025, after explaining IDEA learners and the philosophy behind them. Mentimeter is a powerful interactive presentation platform that turns passive listeners into active participants by fostering real-time engagement and dialogue. Unlike static slideshows, Mentimeter lets presenters embed interactive ‘events’ directly into their delivery—ranging from live polling and word clouds to gamified quizzes and open-ended Q&A sessions. For educators and portfolio builders, this tool is invaluable for checking student understanding ‘in the moment,’ gathering honest feedback through anonymous submissions, and creating a safe, inclusive space where every voice can be heard without the pressure of public speaking.

Designing for Engagement

The journey begins at Mentimeter.com, where users can build presentations from scratch or use the AI Menti Builder to generate drafts from simple prompts. When designing a ‘Menti,’ you can mix standard content slides with a wide array of interactive question types:

Word Clouds: Perfect for icebreakers or brainstorming, these visual tools represent students’ ideas by making the most common responses appear larger on screen.

Scales and Rankings: Use these to gauge confidence levels, prioritize topics for review, or evaluate complex opinions.

Quiz Competitions: Add energy to content review with timed, scored questions that create a fun, competitive environment.

Live Q&A: Allows students to submit anonymous questions throughout a lesson, ensuring that no point of confusion goes unaddressed.

Seamless Classroom Integration

Mentimeter is built for flexibility and works across in-person, remote, and hybrid environments. To present, you simply share your screen or project your slides; students join instantly on any web-enabled device by entering a unique code or scanning a QR code—no app downloads or accounts required. I have noticed that while ‘Presenter Pace’ is ideal for live lectures, ‘Audience Pace’ (Survey Mode) supports asynchronous activities like pre-class checks or post-lesson reflections. We saw this in action in the PGCITE class when Rekha ma’am made us use it and play some games with it. I then went on to create some of my own games on it, which everyone in my class used and participated in with the encouragement of Rekha ma’am.

Data-Driven Insights and Safety Which Fiza Pathan, the Content Resource of PGCITE Online Content Noticed

Beyond the live interaction I mentioned earlier, I realized that Mentimeter provides educators with actionable data. After a session, you can export results to PDF or Excel to track learning trends over time and identify specific gaps in knowledge. To maintain a positive learning environment, the platform includes a robust AI-powered profanity filter that automatically masks inappropriate responses. Furthermore, Mentimeter integrates directly with platforms like Microsoft PowerPoint, Google Slides, and Canvas LMS, allowing you to enhance your existing materials without starting from scratch. By moving from a ‘sage on the stage’ to a ‘guide on the side’ (LOL!), Mentimeter ensures your teaching is as dynamic as the students you serve.

Duties and Responsibilities of an International Board Teacher

The role of a teacher under international boards such as the IGCSE (International General Certificate of Secondary Education) or the IB (International Baccalaureate) is distinctively multifaceted, shifting from a traditional ‘lecturer’ to a global facilitator of inquiry. Before a class begins, the teacher’s primary responsibility is to ensure meticulous alignment of the curriculum and inquiry-based planning. This involves more than preparing slides; it requires designing schemes of work that align with the rigorous standards of global examination boards while fostering international mindedness. Teachers must ensure that lesson objectives focus on developing specific command terms and skills, such as critical thinking and global awareness, rather than on rote memorization. This phase also includes collaborating with department heads to ensure vertical alignment—making sure what is taught today builds a solid foundation for the complex assessments students will face in future diploma years.

During class, the teacher’s role shifts to that of a facilitator and active observer. In an IB or IGCSE classroom, the focus is on student-led inquiry; therefore, the teacher serves as a prompter or a resource, nudging students toward self-discovery through open-ended questioning and collaborative activities. A key responsibility is monitoring student progress through formative assessment—checking for understanding in real time to adjust the lesson’s pace or complexity immediately. Teachers must also manage the classroom environment to ensure it remains a safe, inclusive space that encourages students to take intellectual risks. This live phase is critical for providing immediate feedback and ensuring that students meet the specific learning outcomes set by the international board, while maintaining a healthy balance between rigorous academic demands and student well-being.

Once the final bell rings, the work continues with evaluation, reporting, and personal reflection. After class, teachers are responsible for detailed assessment marking using the strict rubrics and criteria provided by the board, ensuring transparency in grading. Beyond grading, teachers must engage in self-evaluation, reflecting on whether their methodology was effective and how to modify the next lesson based on student performance. Data management is also a significant duty; teachers must maintain accurate records of student achievement to communicate progress clearly to parents, coordinators, and the school leadership. Finally, as lifelong learners, international teachers often use their time after class to participate in professional development workshops or collaborate with global networks of educators to stay current with the latest curriculum changes and pedagogical innovations.

---

The Master Checklist for International Board Educators from Padlet, Confirmed with Fiza Pathan’s Analysis and Study of the IB and IGCSE Board Documents on their Respective Websites

I. Pre-Class: Strategic Planning and Resource Curation

Syllabus and Command Term Alignment: Cross-reference today’s lesson with the Cambridge IGCSE Syllabus or the IB Subject Guide.

Example: If the goal is “Evaluate,” ensure the activity requires making judgments based on criteria rather than merely describing facts.

The “Hook” and Inquiry Design: Prepare a provocative visual or a “Big Question” to trigger prior knowledge.

Example: Use a Padlet wall where students post a photo that represents “Globalization” before the lecture begins.

Differentiated Scaffolding: Prepare three versions of a primary resource.

Example: A “Tiered Worksheet” in which Group A identifies key terms, Group B analyzes cause/effect, and Group C predicts future trends.

LMS Content Quality Control: Upload all digital assets to Google Classroom.

Example: Check that the YouTube video link has working subtitles for EAL (English as an Additional Language) students.

Lab/Material Readiness: For Science or Art, verify that all safety equipment and consumables are staged.

Example: Checking that all chemicals for an IGCSE Chemistry practical are at the correct molarities.

II. During Class: Facilitation and Real-Time Assessment

Establishing the Learning Intention: Explicitly share the ‘Success Criteria’ so students know exactly how they will be assessed.

Example: “By the end of today, you will be able to write a Level 5 paragraph using the P.E.E.L. structure.”

Active Inquiry Facilitation: Shift from ‘telling’ to ‘asking’.

Example: Instead of explaining a historical event, provide three conflicting primary sources and ask students to identify the discrepancies.

Formative ‘Pulse Checks’: Use tech tools to gather real-time data on student understanding.

Example: Launch a Mentimeter Word Cloud mid-lesson to see whether students can identify the core theme of a poem.

ATL Skill Integration: Explicitly teach Approaches to Learning (ATL) skills.

Example: Pause a group activity to deliver a 2-minute tip on ‘Effective Collaboration’ or ‘Time Management.’

Evidence Collection: Take photos or notes of student work in progress.

Example: Documenting a student’s brainstorming on a whiteboard for their IB Internal Assessment (IA) portfolio.

III. After Class: Evaluation, Reporting, and Personal Growth

Standardized Marking: Grade a sample of papers against the Official Mark Scheme to ensure your standards haven’t drifted.

Example: Using the IGCSE 0–8 point scale for an English essay rather than a percentage.

Feedback Loop Management: Provide ‘Next Steps’ feedback, not just a score.

Example: Writing ‘To move to the next band, include more specific evidence from the text’ on a student’s digital draft.

Data Entry and Stakeholder Communication: Log significant observations in the school’s Data System.

Example: Emailing a parent or the IB Coordinator if a student misses a critical CAS (Creativity, Activity, Service) deadline.

Reflective Practice: Spend 5 minutes on a ‘Keep, Toss, Change’ reflection.

Example: “The Mentimeter poll was great (Keep), the instructions for the group work were too long (Toss), and more time is needed for the final debate (Change).”

Global Networking: Check the IB Exchange or Cambridge Teacher Support for updates on upcoming exam changes and shared resources.

Example: Log in to the IB Exchange or the IB Educator Network (IBEN) on Basecamp to ask a specific question about a new 2026 syllabus component. You might post: ‘Has anyone found a high-quality Case Study for the new ‘Digital Society’ unit?’ and receive a vetted resource from a colleague in Singapore within minutes. Alternatively, participating in a monthly #MYPChat on X (formerly Twitter) allows you to swap real-time classroom strategies with thousands of global practitioners. It is really cool, so please, PGCITE Teacher-Students, try it along with the other pointers I have provided here!

IDEA Learners (Resource Persons Rekha ma’am and Fiza Pathan, a PGCITE Graduate)

‘Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius, and it’s better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.’

― Marilyn Monroe

(American actress, model, and singer)

In international boards such as the IB and IGCSE, ‘IDEA’ stands for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility. An IDEA learner is not a specific type of student but rather a framework that recognizes every student as a unique individual with a diverse background, learning style, and set of needs. In these rigorous curricula, the IDEA approach identifies and removes barriers to learning, enabling all students—including those with learning disabilities, gifted abilities, or diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds—to participate fully and equitably.

Understanding IDEA Learners in the International Context

The International Baccalaureate (IB) embodies IDEA through its Inclusive Education policy, which moves beyond supporting ‘students with disabilities’ toward a holistic model for all learners. For an IB student, IDEA means the curriculum is designed to be universally accessible and fair from the start. This includes providing inclusive access arrangements—such as additional time, rest breaks, or assistive technology like voice-to-text—during high-stakes assessments to ensure a student’s grade reflects their true attainment rather than their physical or learning challenges. It also celebrates diversity by incorporating global perspectives and international-mindedness, encouraging students to recognize that others, despite their differences, can be right as well.

In the IGCSE framework, IDEA learners benefit from a curriculum that balances structured subject knowledge with practical skills. Although IGCSE is often seen as more exam-focused, Cambridge International provides robust support for diverse learners through Access Arrangements, similar to those in the IB, ensuring that students with specific needs are not disadvantaged by the exam format. Equity for IDEA learners in IGCSE also means providing differentiated instruction in the classroom, where teachers tailor the ‘process, content, or product’ of a lesson to match a student’s functional level, whether they need extra scaffolding or advanced extension tasks.

Ultimately, fostering an environment for IDEA learners means moving beyond a ‘one-size-fits-all’ model. It requires collaboration among teachers, specialists, and parents to create Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) aligned with the school’s Inclusion Policy. By prioritizing accessibility and representation, IB and IGCSE schools empower IDEA learners to develop the Learner Profile attributes—such as being open-minded and reflective—preparing them to thrive as empathetic, socially responsible global citizens in an interconnected world.

Important Distinction Between IDEA Learners as both a Proficiency Continuum and a Pedagogical Framework – Resource Person – Fiza Pathan, a PGCITE Graduate and Content Developer

While Rekha ma’am taught us PGCITE students about IDEA learners throughout the entire PGCITE course, my further research after June 2025 revealed that there are actually TWO TYPES OF IDEA LEARNERS or IDEA LEARNING TOPICS in IB and IGCSE education.

In the landscape of international education, terminology often shifts depending on whether we are discussing social justice frameworks or language acquisition pathways. Within the IB (International Baccalaureate) and IGCSE environments, educators must distinguish between IDEA as a pedagogical framework (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility) and IDEA as a proficiency continuum (Independent, Developing, Emerging, and Absolute Beginners). While the former dictates how a school treats its community, the latter—the IDEA proficiency model—is a practical tool for differentiation, enabling teachers to map a student’s journey from their first day of English exposure to full academic mastery.

The IDEA Proficiency Continuum: Navigating the EAL Journey

The IDEA proficiency model is essential in the international classroom because it provides a clear hierarchy for tracking progress in English as an Additional Language (EAL). At the foundation are the Absolute Beginners. These students are often in a “silent period,” absorbing the sounds and structures of the language. In an IGCSE or IB classroom, their primary duty is to acquire “survival language.” A teacher’s responsibility is to provide heavy visual scaffolding and “sheltered” instruction, ensuring the student feels safe while building a basic vocabulary.

As students gain confidence, they become Emerging Learners. At this stage, they begin to produce short sentences and can follow the general flow of a lesson. However, the cognitive load of a high-level curriculum remains a challenge. For an Emerging Learner, an IB Internal Assessment or an IGCSE extended essay requires simplified texts and sentence starters. They are moving out of the “survival” phase and into the “academic” phase, but still require significant linguistic support to access complex concepts.

The Developing Learner represents the “bridge” phase. These students often sound fluent in social settings—a phenomenon known as BICS (Basic Interpersonal Communicative Skills)—but may still struggle with the CALP (Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency) required for formal examinations. They can write essays and participate in debates, but their work may still contain grammatical errors or a limited academic vocabulary. Finally, the Independent Learner is the goal of the international board journey. These students have reached a level of proficiency where they can navigate the most rigorous elements of the IB Diploma Programme or IGCSE Sciences with total autonomy, needing no more support than a native speaker.

Distinguishing the Two “IDEAs”

It is vital for a PGCITE teaching portfolio like mine to distinguish this proficiency-based IDEA from the ‘Authentic IDEA’ framework (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility), often cited by global organizations such as UNESCO, as mentioned earlier. I recall this acronym very well because, while I was studying at Bombay Scottish School, Mahim, between 4th and 8th grade, I worked consistently and on a daily basis with UNESCO and UNICEF on social work activities, for which I was awarded some certificates for my young activism by my school, which I have mentioned later on in this website teaching portfolio. I had learned and heard a lot about that IDEA then, probably right from the 5th grade onward, and I recall that specifically.

I think that UNESCO and especially UNICEF social work was one of the only major extra-curricular activities, per se, that I actually took part in during my entire school career, like at Bombay Scottish School, Mahim, or rather, which I was ‘allowed or given the liberty to take part in’ because it was not exactly an extra-curricular activity; it was social service and activism on one’s own accord.

Returning to IDEA learners and terminology, although the two IDEA phrases mentioned earlier share an acronym, their functions in a school differ:

Scope of Impact: The ‘Authentic’ IDEA is a school-wide culture. It addresses systemic issues, including neurodiversity, racial representation, and physical accessibility on campus, ensuring the school is a fair place for everyone.

Targeted Focus: The proficiency-based IDEA is a classroom-level diagnostic that specifically measures a student’s linguistic ability to engage with the English-medium curriculum.

The Intersection: A truly effective teacher uses both. You apply Inclusion (I) from the first framework to ensure that an Absolute Beginner (A) from the second framework is not isolated from peers. You use Equity (E) to provide the specific scaffolding a Developing Learner (D) needs to achieve the same high-standard Learning Outcomes as an Independent Learner (I).

By understanding the IDEA proficiency model, an educator can transform a diverse classroom into a high-achieving environment where every student, regardless of their starting point, has a clear path to success.

Buddy Learners, KYC, and Inquiry-Based Learning: Pillars of a Holistic International Education

‘Don’t walk in front of me… I may not follow; Don’t walk behind me… I may not lead. Walk beside me… just be my friend.’

― Albert Camus

(Algerian-born French writer and philosopher Albert Camus)

‘You can’t stay in your corner of the Forest, waiting for others to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes.’

― A.A. Milne

(English Author of the book series on ‘Winnie-the-Pooh’)

In the dynamic landscape of international board education, the focus has shifted decisively from rote memorization to a holistic, student-centered approach. Schools following curricula such as the International Baccalaureate (IB) or Cambridge are distinct educational ecosystems that prioritize not only academic rigor but also emotional well-being, cultural fluency, and independent critical thinking. To achieve these lofty goals, educators use specific frameworks that nurture the whole child.

Three of the most impactful strategies in this domain are the Buddy Learner System, the KYC (Know Your Child/Content/Class/Colleague) framework, and Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL). Together, these methodologies create a supportive environment where students feel known, valued, and empowered to drive their own learning journeys. Rekha ma’am taught these topics to PGCITE students on alternate days between January 22 and January 31, 2025. By January 31, I had already begun observing lessons at Podar International School IB, Santacruz, and I would continue to do so until I had observed 180 classes across the PYP, MYP, IGCSE, AS & A Level, and IBDP sections.

I have decided, however, to group these three concepts together in this part of my presentation for greater clarity and thematic unity. Otherwise, because of the need for observations, exam invigilation for the IGCSE, and training for the same, my actual exam invigilation, which I began to take on more fully from March 2025 onward, has been interrupted by many breaks and disturbances, undermining the thematic unity of this part of the PGCITE curriculum.

1. Buddy Learners in International Board Education

The ‘Buddy System’ in international schools is far more than a simple social pairing; it is a strategic pedagogical intervention that fosters inclusion, leadership, and smooth transitions. In an international education setting, where student populations are often transient due to globally mobile families, the Buddy Learner system serves as a critical anchor.

When a new student arrives at an international school, often from a different country or cultural background, the immediate challenge is acclimating. The Buddy System addresses this by pairing the new student (the ‘Buddy Learner’) with a seasoned peer. This partnership provides immediate social scaffolding. For example, a ‘Language Buddy’ might be assigned to a student developing proficiency in the school’s language of instruction, helping bridge communication gaps not only in the classroom but also in social settings such as the cafeteria or playground. This peer-to-peer mentorship accelerates the new student’s integration into the school culture, reducing the anxiety associated with ‘starting over’ and allowing them to focus on learning sooner.

Beyond social integration, Buddy Learners play a vital role in academic inclusion. In inclusive classrooms, a neurotypical student might be paired with a student who has learning differences. This ‘peer buddy’ model benefits both parties. The student with diverse needs receives natural, non-intrusive support with class routines or transitions, while the mentor buddy develops profound empathy, patience, and leadership skills. Research indicates that older students who serve as buddies for younger children (e.g., reading buddies) demonstrate increased self-esteem and responsibility, while the younger students gain confidence and academic reinforcement in a low-stress environment.

Effective buddy systems are structured and monitored, not left to chance. Schools often establish a ‘Buddy Program Planning Committee’ to match students based on shared interests, languages, or complementary strengths. Training is essential; buddies are taught active listening, empathy, and how to be a positive role model without being overbearing. Activities might range from structured reading sessions and campus tours to informal ‘lunch buddy’ meetups. Crucially, teachers facilitate feedback loops so buddies can reflect on their experiences, ensuring the relationship remains reciprocal and positive rather than burdensome in a hierarchical way.

2. KYC: Know Your Child, Content, Class, and Colleague

Borrowing the acronym from the corporate world’s ‘Know Your Customer,’ the educational adaptation of KYC represents a deep ‘due diligence’ on the human elements of education. It pushes beyond surface-level familiarity to a profound understanding of the ecosystem in which learning occurs. Rekha ma’am kept telling us, PGCITE January 2025 Batch students, to keep learning this acronym so that we may integrate well not only with our students or children, but also with our content and every aspect of International Board education. Rekha ma’am is a corporate trainer and taught us, through many examples, how to incorporate this theme or theory into our educational goals.

‘Know Your Child’ is the cornerstone of personalized learning. It involves understanding a student’s unique profile—learning styles, hidden talents, emotional triggers, and cultural background. In international schools, this might involve detailed workshops where parents and teachers collaborate to build a holistic profile of the student, moving beyond grades to discuss behavior, interests, and well-being. Teachers use this data to differentiate instruction—knowing, for instance, that a quiet student isn’t disengaged but prefers processing time before speaking. This relational depth signals to the student that they are ‘seen’ and valued, which is a prerequisite for psychological safety and academic risk-taking.

Know Your ‘Content’ refers to subject mastery, but in an IB context, it means more than knowing facts. It implies understanding the concepts and skills that underpin the subject. A teacher who truly knows their content can pivot from a planned lesson to follow a student’s inquiry without losing sight of the learning objectives. They can make interdisciplinary connections—linking a history lesson on revolutions to a science lesson on cyclical patterns—because they understand the deep structure of their discipline. This expertise allows them to simplify complex ideas and anticipate common misconceptions. I demonstrate this expertise every time, especially during my lessons at Podar IB for the MYP and IBDP sections. The students were so impressed with me that they are still in touch with me to this day.

While Knowing the Child focuses on the individual, Knowing Your ‘Class’ focuses on group dynamics. Every cohort has a distinct personality shaped by the mix of cultures, genders, and learning needs. A strategy that worked for Grade 5A might not work for Grade 5B. Know Your ‘Class’ involves constantly assessing the group’s mood, energy levels, and social interactions. It requires the teacher to observe social dynamics and identify which groups work well together and which need mediation. This awareness allows educators to design collaborative tasks that leverage the group’s diversity rather than suffer from it.

Finally, Know Your ‘Colleague’ (ah! We know them, but do they know us?! Or even do they want to know us!?) underscores the collaborative nature of international teaching. In frameworks like the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP), transdisciplinary teaching is mandatory. Teachers cannot work in silos. Knowing your colleague means understanding their professional strengths, teaching styles, and planning preferences. It facilitates co-teaching and the sharing of best practices. For example, a homeroom teacher might collaborate with an art specialist to integrate a unit on ‘Expression,’ requiring deep professional understanding and mutual respect between the two educators.

3. IBL: Inquiry-Based Learning

Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL) is the pedagogical engine that drives many international curricula. It flips the traditional ‘sage on the stage’ model, placing students in the driver’s seat of their own learning. At its heart, IBL is about curiosity. It begins not with a lecture but with a ‘provocation,’ as it were, or an essential question. Instead of being told facts, students are encouraged to ask ‘Why?’ and ‘How?’ This approach aligns perfectly with children’s natural inquisitiveness.

I again used this IBL technique extensively in my lessons at Podar IB, whether in official lessons or in the many proxy classes I took, especially from March 2025, especially in the PYP (grades 1, 2, and 3), MYP (grade 6), and IBDP (IBDP-1). This not only endeared my students to me but also invariably taught my observers, mostly my own PGCITE colleagues, who were not familiar with the B.Ed. style of teaching, to know it better, and to put it into practice. It makes a difference.

In an IBL classroom, the teacher serves as a facilitator, guiding students through the Inquiry Cycle. I’ve outlined the steps for you as follows:

1. Tuning In/Engaging: Sparking interest with a problem, an object, or a question.
2. Finding Out/Exploring: Students gather information through research, experiments, or interviews.
3. Sorting Out/Explaining: Students analyze their findings and interpret the data.
4. Going Further/Elaborating: Students apply their new knowledge to different contexts or pursue related questions.
5. Taking Action/Evaluating: The learning results in a tangible product, solution, or change in behavior.

The benefits of IBL extend far beyond academic content retention. It builds critical thinking by forcing students to evaluate sources and analyze conflicting information. It nurtures problem-solving skills, as students often grapple with real-world issues (e.g., ‘How can we reduce waste in our cafeteria?’) rather than textbook abstractions. Furthermore, IBL is inherently collaborative. Students often work in groups to investigate complex topics, requiring them to negotiate, delegate, and communicate effectively—skills identified as essential for the 21st-century workforce. Something that Gen-Z and Gen-Alpha (though the latter are still too young!) need to realize.

IBL is naturally inclusive. Because inquiry allows for multiple entry points, students can engage with a topic at their own level. A unit on ‘Greek and Roman Civilizations,’ which I taught at the MYP level for Individuals and Societies, might see one student reading complex historical texts while another explores the topic through artifacts or visual storytelling. This flexibility validates different ways of knowing and learning, making the classroom a space where neurodiverse students can thrive alongside their peers. The ‘open-ended’ nature of inquiry means there is rarely a single ‘right’ answer, which reduces the fear of failure and encourages intellectual risk-taking.

While Buddy Learners, KYC, and IBL are distinct concepts, in practice, they are deeply interconnected, as Rekha ma’am noted on January 31, 2025, which I recorded in my PGCITE lecture notes. A teacher who practices KYC (Knowing their Child) can effectively tailor IBL provocations to align with a student’s specific interests, ensuring high engagement. The Buddy System supports this process by enabling students to engage in collaborative inquiry, in which a stronger student might scaffold a peer’s research, deepening their own understanding through teaching.

In the ecosystem of an international boarding school, these three elements form a powerful triad. KYC provides insight into the learner, the Buddy System provides a social-emotional safety net, and IBL provides a rigorous, engaging pathway to knowledge. Together, they produce graduates who are not only knowledgeable but also empathetic, self-aware, and capable of navigating a complex, interconnected world. Another prime reason I thought I would group them together in a logical sequence.

Additional Methods Taught by Rekha ma’am regarding the Duties and Responsibilities of an International Board Teacher

Republic Day Celebration 2025

---

Women’s Day Celebration 2025

Attributes and Qualities of an International Teacher (continued)

From January 27, 2025, to February 3, 2025, we, the January 2025 Batch PGCITE students, had one significant activity, group presentation, or school-related work after another. Initially, I found it challenging to commit to numerous school invigilations and activities in January 2025. However, by February 2025, the third long-term ailing member of my family, who had lived with me in my home for 84 years of his life and 36 years of my own life, passed away. He was my autistic maternal uncle, David Martis, who had been ailing for years. Every year, starting in 2013, he would land in the ICU or ICCU ward of the nearby hospital, sometimes twice in a year, for various heart and kidney-related complications. He was especially seriously ailing during this time and had been to the hospital twice again over the span of one year in 2024.

After his passing, I no longer had any hospital duties or aftercare responsibilities aside from my regular tuition, so I began actively participating in various Podar IB- and PGCITE-related activities. Exam invigilation was my favorite duty as a PGCITE Podar IB teacher, and I still do it regularly. I gave a presentation for Republic Day, highlighting the works of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and his role in drafting our Constitution, which was highly appreciated by my PGCITE colleagues as well as Rekha ma’am, who applauded my presentation, my expertise with Microsoft PowerPoint, and, of course, my vast library of 4000+ physical books, both hardback and paperback. In January 2026, I realized the count had risen to 4500+ physical books. I will let you know a precise estimate after I get some free time with my support staff of ever-efficient man-Fridays.

Most of my colleagues completed their first few invigilations by February 2025. However, I began mine only after my ailing maternal uncle’s funeral and last rites, which took place sometime after February 15. From then until April 2025, I devoted myself to daily Board Exam invigilation at Podar IB, under the supervision of the ever-efficient Smeetha ma’am, the HODs, and the senior academic coordinators, Veronica ma’am and Krurti ma’am. I learned a great deal from an excellent comrade and our student guide, Ishita Oza, who supported me throughout the invigilation process, making me comfortable with the system and teaching me the basics of the job.

Over time, Rekha ma’am learned a few things about me, including that I worked with the MYP librarian after school hours in the MYP Library, stacking and cataloging books and performing daily invigilation duties. She was even amazed by my dedication to attending my internship every day and classes almost every day. I maintained my observation books in a detailed, organized, and professional manner, just as Rekha ma’am, Ishita Oza, and my B.ED college lecture notes guided me to do so (yes, I still have them; I love storing things – it comes from being both a teacher and a writer for 20 and 15 years, respectively!)

But then came the Brahmarakshas! Ji ha, Brahmarakshas!

I came into contact with the Brahmarakshas during my PGCITE course.

Basically, it was Rekha ma’am’s name for all International Board students, and how right she was – especially for Gen Z and Gen Alpha. I was growing to love this part of the PGCITE course because the more I observed lessons in the Podar IB classrooms, the more I thought …

And I was then thinking some more, and envisioning myself as a full-fledged International Board Teacher…

Therefore, as Rekha ma’am stated and as I observed daily during my internship and in ongoing observations throughout February until October 2025, I realized that when teaching International Board students, one needs many backup plans. One could not just stick mainly to either Plan A or Plan B; one needed to have, as Rekha ma’am said, Plans C, D, E, F, and so on, if one needed to survive in this field. This is because teaching at the International Board level and at every other level was turning teachers into multitaskers across a variety of occupations and professions. These constant demands for performance, class-management capabilities with students who would make the Catholic Satan seem saintly, constant scrutiny, and an overload of work with minimal remuneration were all turning teachers into very frustrated individuals.

Many teachers are quitting the profession mainly because of a lack of structure, work overload, and toxic 6x+3 office politics. According to Mark McCrindle and Ashley Fell in their 2024 publication, ‘Generation Alpha’, we teachers are in for worse trouble yet. This is because, as of now, Gen-Z is virtually ‘normal.’ However, their younger counterparts will have severely rewired neural structures that will make them efficient at probably making an app by age six, but will not be able to understand that cheating is a crime until they reach adulthood. They will invariably have no morals, no empathy, no understanding of subtle humor, and will have remedial issues galore, especially in reading, writing, and, worse, mathematics. They will be totally dependent on the calculator, and most of them will not be able to understand the concept of ‘how to work a physical book’, let alone try to research information from it.

Daring educational researcher and internationally best-selling author Abigail Shrier even goes so far as to claim that the cause of such strange behavior in Gen-Z and Gen-Alpha students will be the toxic therapy culture modern-day psychologists have promoted, where we now see more toddlers in the psychiatry ward of a hospital than in a school.

‘We have made children helpless by over validating every fear and anxiety… 1 in 6 U.S. children ages 2 to 8 has a diagnosed mental, behavioral, or developmental disorder.’

–Abigail Shrier

(From her book ‘Bad Therapy: Why the Kids Aren’t Growing Up’)

‘…The mental health industry has transformed how we teach, treat, discipline, and even talk to our kids… most therapeutic approaches have serious side effects and few proven benefits.’

–Abigail Shrier

(From her book ‘Bad Therapy: Why the Kids Aren’t Growing Up’)

I have focused heavily on Shrier’s book in my Action Research project, which has already gained significant momentum and continues to receive a high number of daily online hits, impressions, and readers. Please check this and feel free to contact me. We will discuss proactive messages together. 😊

To prevent ourselves from being completely devoured by the Brahmarakshas, which would represent not only students but also the entire 21st-century modernized form of corporate education standards, where the teacher has to be more than merely a teacher, we need more backup plans!

In high-performing international schools that offer curricula such as the International Baccalaureate (IB) and Cambridge IGCSE, success depends heavily on systems that foster student independence and rigorous teacher collaboration. The following sections detail three critical structures: the student-centered ‘V Missed You’ system, cascading levels of collaborative planning, and the strategic use of vertical and horizontal meetings.

V Missed You Folder System, Collaborative Planning, and Vertical and Horizontal Meetings (Resource Persons – Rekha ma’am and Fiza Pathan, a PGCITE Graduate

1. The “V Missed You” Folder: Fostering Agency and Self-Management

In the fast-paced IB and IGCSE classrooms, the ‘V Missed You’ folder (often a creative variation of ‘While You Were Away’ or ‘We Missed You’) serves as a vital classroom management tool that supports student attendance and autonomy. Rather than a simple administrative file, this system is directly linked to the IB Approaches to Learning (ATL) skills, which I have also covered in this website’s teaching portfolio for PGCITE, specifically Self-Management and Responsibility.

Physically, this system typically consists of a designated crate, a hanging file organizer, or a set of folders accessible to students. When a student is absent, the teacher or a designated peer places handouts, worksheets, and a summary of the day’s lesson notes in a folder labeled with the student’s name or the specific date missed. This ensures that learning materials are not lost in the shuffle of a busy school day.

Pedagogically, the ‘V Missed You’ folder shifts the burden of ‘catching up’ from the teacher to the student. Instead of interrupting a lesson to ask, ‘What did I miss?’, the returning student knows that the expectation is to check the folder immediately upon arrival. This routine builds the habit of proactive responsibility, a crucial skill for success in the IGCSE and IB Diploma Programme (DP). This allows teachers to focus on instruction while ensuring that absent students have immediate access to the resources needed to bridge their learning gaps.

Rekha ma’am, who encouraged us, as PGCITE students in the January 2025 batch, to do this. Whenever a colleague missed a class, which was often, one of us who had attended the class had to post either our lecture notes or photographs of the slides from the class in the WhatsApp group chat so that the previously absent PGCITE student would not disturb the class and could pick up where we left off. I usually provided such material to absent students via the group chat.

2. Collaborative Planning: The Year, Monthly, and Weekly Approach

Before the first student steps onto campus, international school teachers engage in intensive collaborative planning to ensure the curriculum is viable, aligned, and balanced. This ‘front-loading’ of work prevents burnout and ensures consistency across cohorts.

The Year Plan (Long-Term)

Constructed during the orientation weeks before the school year begins, the Year Plan (or Curriculum Map) serves as the ‘skeleton’ of the academic year. In IB schools, this often takes the form of a program of inquiry (PYP) or a Subject Group Overview (MYP). Teachers determine the sequence of units to ensure that all syllabus requirements (e.g., IGCSE topics or IB assessment criteria) are covered without rushing. Crucially, this stage identifies major deadlines—such as Internal Assessments (IAs), Personal Projects, or mock exams—to prevent ‘bottlenecks’ in which students are overloaded with assessments from multiple subjects in the same week.

The Monthly/Unit Plan (Medium-Term)

Once the year begins, planning shifts to the unit level. Teachers’ meetings, held monthly or per unit, focus on the ‘how’ of teaching. They collaboratively design specific learning experiences, select resources, and create formative and summative assessments for their students. In the IGCSE context, this might involve agreeing on which past paper questions to use for practice. In an IB context, teachers ensure that the Global Contexts and Key Concepts are authentically integrated into the month’s lessons, keeping the inquiry-based rather than content-heavy.

The Weekly Plan (Short-Term)

Weekly planning meetings were responsive and data-driven. Teachers who teach the same course (e.g., all Grade 9 Integrated Science teachers) meet to reflect on the previous week: Did students understand the concept of stoichiometry? Do we need to reteach? They standardize their approach for the coming week, ensuring that a student in Class A receives the same quality of instruction and the same level of content coverage as a student in Class B. This is also where differentiation strategies are shared to support students with diverse learning needs.

3. Vertical Meetings and Horizontal Meetings: The Matrix of Alignment

To ensure that a school operates as a cohesive unit rather than a collection of isolated classrooms, international schools use a matrix of horizontal and vertical meetings.

Horizontal Meetings (Grade-Level Consistency)

Horizontal meetings involve teachers who teach the same grade level (e.g., the entire Grade 10 team).

The primary goal was to standardize and provide holistic student support. In the IB MYP, these meetings are essential for planning Interdisciplinary Units (IDUs), such as when History and Art teachers collaborate to teach a unit on propaganda. Teachers discuss the well-being of the cohort (‘How is Grade 10 coping with the workload?’), plan grade-wide field trips, and ensure consistent grading. If one teacher grades leniently while another is strict, horizontal moderation meetings identify and correct discrepancies to ensure equity.

Vertical Meetings (Subject-Level Progression)

Vertical meetings bring together teachers of the same subject across grade levels (e.g., the Mathematics Department from Grade 6 to Grade 12).

The goal is to articulate and advance skills throughout the learning process. These meetings ensure there are no gaps or unnecessary repetition in the curriculum. A vertical meeting allows the IBDP Biology teacher (Tapan Sir’s cool mom, I love her classes at Podar!) to tell the IGCSE Biology teacher, ‘Students are struggling with data analysis in their Internal Assessments.’ The IGCSE teacher can then adjust the curriculum to emphasize data skills in earlier grades. This ‘backwards design’ ensures that the journey from early years through to graduation is a continuous, logical ascent, preparing students specifically for the rigors of their final examinations.

By integrating these folders, plans, and meetings, international schools create a professional environment in which no student falls through the cracks, and every lesson is a deliberate part of a well-architected educational journey.

BUT I HAVE A QUESTION

My PGCITE colleague Barkha asked this question when we covered this part of the PGCITE course in February 2025. So credit goes to her for asking Rekha this question. However, I am answering it in full here on this website’s PGCITE teaching portfolio.

‘Does collaborative lesson planning and even syllabus planning at the IGCSE and IB levels, along with the collaborative sharing of educational materials prepared by a teacher, kill that teacher’s creativity and interest in teaching?’

In the rigorous world of IB and IGCSE international teaching, the question of whether heavy collaboration stifles a teacher’s unique ‘spark’ is a common topic of debate. However, research and practice suggest that collaborative planning often catalyzes creativity.

When teachers collaborate on year-long or unit-level syllabus planning, they are not merely filling in templates; rather, they engage in professional dialogue that exposes them to diverse perspectives. In the IB context, where interdisciplinary connections and global contexts are vital, a single teacher might struggle to see every possible link. Collaborative meetings allow a science teacher and an English teacher, for instance, to co-design a unit on ‘Scientific Ethics,’ creating a richer, more creative learning experience than either could produce in isolation.

The ‘collaborative sharing of educational materials’ is often seen as a way to reduce workload. When a department shares high-quality, pre-made resources, it frees the teacher’s time to focus on personalization and creative delivery. Instead of spending hours creating an introductory PowerPoint on ‘Cell Division,’ a teacher can use a shared master resource and focus their creative energy on designing a unique lab experiment or a gamified activity tailored to their group of students. In this way, collaboration provides the ‘skeleton’ of the lesson, while the teacher offers the ‘soul.’ I saw 3rd-grade PYP teacher Amrin ma’am and others at Podar IB make the most of this with elan, and it’s terrific to see that leisure time for rejuvenation can happen. Otherwise, a teacher like me could easily get drained early in the school year.

In my view, a critical factor in preventing the ‘death of interest’ after my intensive Action Research Project is the balance between mandated collaboration and teacher autonomy. High-functioning schools ensure that while the goals and criteria are shared to ensure student equity, the delivery methods remain the teachers’ domain. This is also what Rekha ma’am answered to Barkha’s question in the PGCITE classroom. Teachers who feel they have ‘joint ownership’ of the curriculum are often more motivated and enthusiastic, as they believe their peers value their expertise. Again, I have seen Amrin ma’am, of the 3rd-grade PYP, publicly approve of many 3rd-grade teachers’ PowerPoint presentations, which encourage them to do even better and make a significant difference in the lives of these hard-working teachers.

For many teachers, collaboration reinvigorates their interest in teaching. Participating in ‘Vertical Meetings’ allows a teacher to see the long-term impact of their work, while ‘Horizontal Meetings’ provide a space to troubleshoot and innovate with colleagues. This sense of belonging to a Professional Learning Community (PLC) helps combat the isolation that often leads to burnout, replacing it with a sense of collective purpose and continuous professional growth.

While forced collaboration with no flexibility can be stifling, intentional peer-led collaboration in many IB and IGCSE schools enriches teachers’ toolkits. It provides a safety net of high-quality standards that allows individual teachers the freedom to take creative risks in their classrooms.

I have seen this firsthand over the past year through my intensive internship at Podar IB, which I took very seriously, so I can see the value of collaborating with peers.

Have Many Resources at Your Disposal

In the high-stakes environment of IB and IGCSE education, the diversity of a teacher’s ‘toolkit’ often determines whether a lesson is standard or transformative. Because international classrooms include students with diverse linguistic backgrounds, learning styles, and prior educational experiences, a multimodal array of resources is essential for effective instruction.

Videos and documentaries serve as more than ‘fillers’; I saw this especially in the MYP classrooms at Podar IB, particularly in the 6th and 7th grades. They provide an essential visual context for complex global issues. In an IB Geography or Global Politics course, a five-minute clip from National Geographic or TED-Ed can bridge the gap between abstract theory and real-world applications.

Furthermore, including storybooks and narrative literature, even in secondary classrooms, is a powerful way to develop empathy and international-mindedness. Stories help students explore the ‘human element’ of a syllabus topic, such as the impact of war or climate change, making the curriculum more relatable and memorable. Using platforms such as Epic! or digital libraries, teachers can find age-appropriate narratives that align with specific Units of Inquiry.

Modern international teachers must leverage AI tools and online platforms to meet the rigorous demands of the IGCSE and IB syllabi. AI tools such as ChatGPT and Claude are invaluable for generating differentiated reading materials and creating practice exam prompts tailored to specific IB rubrics.

Interactive online tools such as Quizizz, Padlet, and PhET Interactive Simulations provide immediate feedback and support ‘gamified’ learning. These resources are efficient for IGCSE revision, where students must master a large amount of content. They transform passive consumption into active participation, catering to the digital-native generation, as noted by educational researchers Mark McCrindle and Ashley Fell in their 2024 book ‘Generation Alpha.’

Despite the digital shift, physical teaching models and educational ‘toys’ (manipulatives) remain crucial. In IGCSE Biology or Chemistry, a physical 3D model of a DNA strand or molecular kit enables tactile learning that a screen cannot replicate.

Using LEGO to build structures in Physics, or ‘fidget’ tools and board games for social-emotional breaks, recognizes that students are kinesthetic learners (see my/Fiza Pathan’s MI lecture notes and content on this same website teaching platform for PGCITE). These ‘toys’ then act as hooks that lower the affective filter, reducing the stress associated with the intense IB Diploma Programme and making the classroom a space of curiosity rather than just a place for examination preparation.

Ultimately, the primary reason for maintaining a vast repository of resources is differentiation itself. The IB and IGCSE frameworks require us to reach every child in our care. One student may grasp the concept of ‘Sustainability’ through a rigorous academic textbook, while another may require a simulation or a YouTube explainer to reach the same level of understanding as the first.

With videos, books, AI, and physical models at their disposal, teachers can pivot their strategies in real time. This resource-rich approach ensures that the curriculum is accessible to English Language Learners (ELLs) and students with diverse learning needs, fulfilling the inclusive mission of international education.

Recently, at Podar IB in the PYP sections of the 3rd grade, the PYP teachers decided to ask the students to bring their plush toys to class and keep one of them on display so that everyone could have a look at them and play with them, not to mention obviously do certain related well-being activities and content teaching lesson set inductions with them.

As you must have realized, I am MAD OVER PLUSH TOYS and SOFT TOYS! 😉 😊

I learned a lot from the many observation sessions during my internship, and I then researched the same topics effectively through my MTS college’s free MyMuse Library and, of course, my American Centre Library at BKC, Bandra East, where I have gotten my best books for the past 15 years! I then used a concept I learned in my second micro-teaching class, which I discussed in the latter portion of my PGCITE portfolio. I incorporated a Wellbeing topic with an English topic on Letter Writing, along with the Library Topic on the importance of writing letters.

PowerPoint of my Micro-teaching lesson Number 2: Probing Grade 3 PYP

Rekha ma’am loved the lesson and praised it so much that she found no issues with the micro-teaching lesson. She also found my use of Microsoft CoPilot exceptional and encouraged my PGCITE batchmates to emulate my proficiency with AI or LLM tools to reduce their workload. Sadly, I must admit that my PGCITE colleagues seemed very unenthusiastic about my class, even though Rekha ma’am praised it highly as one of the best micro-teaching classes on probing that she had ever seen.

‘You can only be jealous of someone who has something you think you ought to have yourself.’

― Margaret Atwood

(From her dystopian novel and contemporary classic ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’)

‘The decisive question for man is: Is he related to something infinite or not? That is the telling question of his life. Only if we know that the thing which truly matters is the infinite can we avoid fixing our interests upon futilities and upon all kinds of goals which are not of real importance. Thus, we demand that the world grant us recognition for qualities which we regard as personal possessions: our talent or our beauty. The more a man lays stress on false possessions, and the less sensitivity he has for what is essential, the less satisfying is his life. He feels limited because he has limited aims, and the result is envy and jealousy. If we understand and feel that here in this life we already have a link with the infinite, desires and attitudes change.’

― Carl Gustav Jung

(From his book ‘Memories, Dreams, Reflections’)

“Famous Harry Potter,’ said Malfoy. ‘Can’t even go to a bookshop without making the front page.”

― J.K. Rowling

(From her internationally bestselling YA novel ‘Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets’)

‘Here’s what I think: the five most unattractive traits in people are cheapness, clinginess, neediness, unwillingness to change, and jealousy. Jealousy is the worst and by far the hardest to conceal.’

― Douglas Coupland

(From his book ‘Hey Nostradamus!’)

‘You have to remember something: Everybody pities the weak; jealousy you have to earn.’

― Arnold Schwarzenegger

(Austrian-American bodybuilder, actor, businessman, and politician)

‘I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it’s not the answer.’

–  Jim Carrey

(Canadian-American actor and comedian, and regarded as one of the most prominent comedic actors of his generation, and my (Fiza Pathan’s) favourite Hollywood Actor)

Most excellent Resource Tool of International Board Teachers – The Toyshop

Investing in toys and making frequent visits to the toy shop is so much more than a fun outing for us as IB and IGCSE teachers—it is a total game-changer for our classrooms! When we think about the IB Learner Profile, we are always looking for ways to turn our students into curious inquirers and bold risk-takers. Toys are the perfect tool for this, says Rekha ma’am, because they transform a regular lesson into a dynamic lab where students can touch, build, and explore abstract ideas in a completely hands-on way. Whether it is using building blocks to understand physics or strategy games to boost critical thinking, toys make the ‘how we know what we know’ part of learning so much more alive!

Visiting toy shops often boosts our inspiration for our own teaching practice! It is the best way to stay up to date on the latest STEM kits and to find unique indigenous toys that can help us map out a new Unit of Inquiry or a complex IGCSE topic. According to experts, these tactile experiences help students develop 21st-century skills, such as collaboration and problem-solving, because they are not just memorizing facts; they are actually ‘playing’ with the concepts. Moreover, it is a great way to keep our energy high and bring back that spark of joy to the classroom every single day!

Even for our older students in the Middle Years Programme (MYP) or Diploma Programme (DP), ‘play’ takes on a deeper meaning that fits perfectly into their personal projects and design curricula. It builds the essential resilience and emotional intelligence needed to tackle the rigors of international boards. By investing in these resources, we tell our students that their curiosity is valued and that learning can be a total joyride! Therefore, let us keep those toy shop visits on the calendar and keep making our classrooms the most exciting places to be!

Rekha’s strongest advice to us PGCITE students was to visit the toy shop often, observe or buy toys, learn how to use them, and, most importantly, understand why children love them, so we can create better lessons for our IGCSE and IB classrooms.

So, when in trouble, visit the toy shop, says Rekha!

Another thing Rekha ma’am asked us, the PGCITE January 2025 batch students, to do was to learn as much as possible about Gen Z and Gen Alpha language and lingo. What she meant by this is what I have researched and will discuss next.

The New Digital Dialect: A Comprehensive Guide to Understanding Gen Z and Gen Alpha Language in 2026 (Resource Person Fiza Pathan)

To understand the language of Generation Z (born roughly 1997–2012) and Generation Alpha (born 2013–mid 2020s), one must first accept that, in 2026, language is no longer a static tool for communication but a rapid-fire performance of identity. For these digital natives, language does not merely evolve; it accelerates, mutates, and cycles at the speed of a new algorithm. While previous generations developed slang over decades in local neighborhoods or schools, today’s youth vernacular is forged in the global, decentralized crucibles of TikTok comments, Discord servers, and Roblox lobbies. Understanding this language requires more than a dictionary; it demands immersion in the ‘attention economy,’ where brevity, irony, and absurdity are the currencies of high value.

The medium dictates the message. Gen Z’s communication style was heavily influenced by the character limits of early Twitter and the visual storytelling of Instagram, leading to a dialect that values aesthetic curation and shorthand. However, Gen Alpha is the first truly ‘iPad-native’ generation, raised on the chaotic, non-linear content of YouTube Shorts and the interactive worlds of gaming. This has resulted in a linguistic divide: Gen Z uses language to curate a ‘vibe’ or express existential anxiety through irony, while Gen Alpha uses language to signal in-group status through sheer absurdity and ‘brain rot’—a self-aware term for content that is intentionally nonsensical and overstimulating. In 2026, the distinction is clear: Gen Z wants to be ‘aesthetic’ and ‘low-key,’ while Gen Alpha is comfortable being loud, ‘cringe’, and chaotic.

For Gen Z, tone is everything. Their communication is deeply rooted in African American Vernacular English (AAVE) and LGBTQ+ ballroom culture, and they have adopted terms such as ‘slay,’ ‘spill the tea,’ ‘shade,’ and ‘period’ into mainstream digital usage. However, by 2026, their use had become more layered with meta-irony. They do not just say something is funny; they use the skull emoji (💀) or the loudly crying face (😭) to signify ‘I’m dead’ (meaning: dying of laughter). The ‘laugh-cry’ emoji (😂) of the Millennial era is now considered ‘cheugy’ (outdated and trying too hard).

A hallmark of Gen Z text-speak is the ‘lowercase aesthetic.’ Typing in lowercase letters signals a casual, non-threatening, and authentic tone. Capitalization is reserved for extreme emphasis or irony. Punctuation is similarly weaponized; a period at the end of a short text message is no longer grammatically correct—it is viewed as an act of aggression or passive-aggressiveness. If a Gen Z colleague texts ‘ok.’ (notice there is a period or full-stop here) Instead of ‘ok’ (no full stop here with this ok) or ‘kk,’ the recipient immediately assumes something is wrong. This hypersensitivity to text tone is a survival mechanism developed in an era when 90% of social interactions occur on screens without facial cues.

If Gen Z is ironic, Gen Alpha is post-logic (tell me about it!). Their slang is often described as ‘brain rot’ because it stems from repetitive, nonsensical loops of algorithmic content. The most prominent example is the “Skibidi” phenomenon, which originated from a viral YouTube series about singing toilets. By 2026, ‘Skibidi’ had evolved into a catch-all adjective that could mean anything from ‘bad’ to ‘cool’ to ‘evil,’ depending entirely on context. It is a shibboleth; if you have to ask what it means, you are not part of the group. (You can see that I’ve done all the research, I feel in the very Millennial sense that I’ve gone barking mad!)

Gen Alpha’s lexicon is also heavily gamified. Compared to their lexicon, my Latin lexicon for MTS was much easier to study and research! Terms like ‘NPC’ (Non-Player Character) are used to dehumanize people who seem to lack independent thought or follow trends too unthinkingly. To be an NPC is to be boring; to be the ‘Main Character’ is to have agency and ‘aura.’ This generation also speaks in ‘stats.’ They talk about ‘Aura points’—a gamified social credit system where doing something cool (like holding the door open or winning a game) gains you points, and doing something embarrassing (like tripping in public) loses you points. It is a way to quantify social standing in real time, treating real life as a video game.

2026 Glossary: Key Terms and Origins

To navigate these digital conversations, one must understand the vocabulary defining the current zeitgeist. Be brave, Boomers, Gen X, and Millennials reading this: this is only the tip of the iceberg.

1. Rizz: Short for ‘charisma’ (specifically romantic charisma). A ‘Rizzler’ is someone with ‘game.’ By 2026, this has expanded to include ‘unspoken rizz’ (charm without talking).
2. No Cap / Cap: Derived from AAVE, ‘cap’ means a lie or exaggeration. ‘No cap’ means ‘for real’ or ‘honestly.’
3. Bet: A universal affirmative statement. It means ‘Okay,’ ‘Yes,’ or ‘I agree.’
4. Sus: Short for ‘suspicious,’ popularized by the game Among Us. It describes anything shady or questionable.
5. Fanum Tax: Originating from the streamer Fanum, this refers to the act of ‘stealing’ a bit of someone else’s food. It has become a playful way to describe taking a cut of something.
6. Mewing: A physical gesture (pressing the tongue to the roof of the mouth) used to define the jawline. In conversation, if someone makes a ‘shushing’ motion and points to their jaw, they are ‘mewing’—signalling that they are too busy looking good to talk to you.
7. Ohio: A slang term used to describe anything weird, cringe, or chaotic (e.g., ‘That’s so Ohio’). It originated from memes joking that the US state of Ohio is a lawless wasteland of peculiarities.
8. Glazing: To overly compliment or suck up to someone. If you are praising a celebrity too much, you are ‘glazing.’
9. Crash out: To lose control, become incredibly angry, or act recklessly due to stress or frustration.
10. Lock In: To get serious and focus intensely. ‘I need to lock in’ is the 2026 equivalent of ‘I need to get in the zone.’

By 2026, the visual language of emojis had reached a minimalist peak. The “One Emoji Rule” suggests that using strings of emojis (like “🔥🔥🔥🔥”) is excessive and outdated. Gen Z now prefers a single strategically placed emoji to carry the emotional weight of a message. A single 💀 is funnier than three. A single 🧢 (cap) is more cutting than a paragraph of accusation.

Concurrently, we are seeing a ‘Voice Note Renaissance.’ Paradoxically, while Gen Z hates phone calls (viewing them as intrusive), they love voice notes. Voice notes capture the nuances of tone and emotion that text lacks, but—crucially—they can be consumed on the recipient’s own time, often at 1.5x or 2x speed. This medium bridges the gap between the efficiency of text and the intimacy of a call, allowing for ‘yapping’ (talking at length) without the pressure of a live conversation.

Yes, Boomers, Gen-X, and Millennials (Silents too, if you happen to be there!), it is sickening! After typing this research paper, I became so sick from the extra research I had to do that I threw up! LOL! (So Gen-Z of me to say that!)

Ultimately, the language of Gen Z and Gen Alpha serves as both a defense mechanism and a creative outlet in a hyperconnected, algorithmically driven world. This is a way to reclaim agency in an often-overwhelming digital landscape. Gen Z uses irony to distance themselves from the harsh realities of the world, whereas Gen Alpha uses absurdity to laugh at chaos. To understand their language is to understand their worldview -one that values speed, authenticity, and the ability to find humor in the noise. However, materialism at its extreme, humor at the expense of another, extreme sadism, vindictiveness, violence, instant sexual gratification, and sex (basically!), satiation is more than just having enough and vices galore, even if it is abusing glue like fevikol and other animalistic and bizarre behavior that has psychiatrists becoming super-rich but getting burnt out very quickly (but the money helps!).

However, that is for another research paper, which will be published soon on my blog through interviews with some of the world’s leading specialists and authors in this area. Stay tuned! 😊

PYP Home Room, PYP Co-Teachers, and Shadow Teachers

In inquiry-driven learning environments, such as the Primary Years Programme (PYP) and Middle Years Programme (MYP), teaching is inherently collaborative. The roles of the homeroom teacher, co-teacher, and shadow teacher are distinct yet deeply interconnected, each contributing uniquely to the learner’s holistic development.

The PYP homeroom teacher is the anchor of the classroom and the primary facilitator of learning. They are responsible for creating a safe, inclusive, and stimulating learning environment that nurtures curiosity, agency, and the student voice. Home Room Teachers design and deliver units of inquiry aligned with the Programme of Inquiry, integrate transdisciplinary skills, and embed the IB Learner Profile and Approaches to Learning (ATL) into their everyday practice.

Beyond academics, the homeroom teacher plays a crucial pastoral role in supporting students’ social, emotional, and ethical development. They observe learners closely, guide reflection, communicate regularly with parents, and ensure that each child feels seen, heard, and valued. In essence, the homeroom teacher holds the big picture of the learner’s journey. Some of my favorite homeroom teachers at Podar IB were Ms. Hea, Ms. Meher, Ms. Krishna, and Ms. Amrin. They encouraged PYP teachers not only for their students but also for PGCITE Teacher-Students like me during my internship process.

Currently, PYP Co-Teachers work in partnership with the homeroom teacher to enrich and strengthen the learning experience. This role thrives on collaboration, shared planning, and reflective dialogue. Co-Teachers may support small-group instruction, differentiate learning activities, reinforce concepts, and offer alternative strategies to meet the needs of diverse learners.

A strong co-teaching model fosters collaboration for students themselves, demonstrating respect for multiple perspectives and shared responsibility. Co-teachers also provide valuable observational insights that help fine-tune instruction and assessment. When collaboration is intentional and balanced, co-teaching becomes a powerful driver of inclusive and effective, inquiry-based learning.

In contrast, shadow Teachers play a vital role in supporting learners who require additional academic, emotional, or behavioral support. Working closely with individual students, they help scaffold learning, encourage independence, and ensure access to the curriculum without creating dependency on the teacher. Their goal is not to replace the teacher but to empower learners to participate meaningfully in the classroom community.

In both PYP and MYP contexts, Shadow Teachers must be sensitive, observant, and adaptable, aligning their support with the classroom teacher’s objectives and the learner’s individual needs. They often act as a bridge between students, teachers, and sometimes parents, fostering consistency and trust. Over time, effective shadow teaching gradually faded, promoting autonomy and confidence.

Now, most of my PGCITE colleagues have opted to pursue careers as PYP teachers. To do this, they had to study the entire Science, Math, and English curricula for their content exams scheduled for June or July 2025, under Rekha ma’am’s supervision. This was because, as homeroom teachers, they needed to teach all subjects in the classroom and share responsibilities with the co-teacher, who also needed to know all the subjects to aid her students effectively. I, on the other hand, opted to take more exams to teach the higher grades from the MYP onward, especially based on the IGCSE curriculum, because no testing is conducted at the IB level at Podar IB. However, I took the IGCSE Primary Checkpoint English Exam and scored 88% overall (Fiction: 44/50; Non-Fiction: 44/50).

Progress Tracking at the International Board Level: IGCSE and IB Contexts

Progress tracking at the international board level—particularly within the International Baccalaureate (IB) and IGCSE frameworks—goes far beyond merely recording grades. It is a reflective, continuous, and learner-centered process that supports academic growth, skill development, and holistic education. In contrast to traditional exam-driven systems, international boards emphasize formative assessment, criterion-referenced evaluation, and ongoing feedback as essential tools for monitoring progress and improving learning outcomes.

At the heart of progress tracking in international curricula lies the philosophy that assessment is for learning and of learning. This philosophy underpins both the International Baccalaureate Organization and the Cambridge IGCSE, albeit with different emphases suited to their respective age groups and program aims.

The IGCSE curriculum emphasizes subject mastery, conceptual understanding, and the application of knowledge. Progress tracking within this framework combines formative assessments, such as classwork, quizzes, homework, and unit tests, with summative assessments that prepare students for externally moderated examinations.

Teachers track progress by aligning assessments with the syllabus objectives and grade descriptors. Clear learning outcomes and regular feedback help students understand expectations and improve performance. Diagnostic tests, mock examinations, and benchmark assessments are used to gauge readiness and to plan timely academic interventions.

Progress tracking in the IGCSE extends beyond academic attainment. Schools often monitor skills such as organization, engagement, time management, and examination strategies. Assessment data are analyzed to support differentiation, targeted revision, and personalized academic guidance.

The IB framework adopts a holistic, inquiry-based approach to progress tracking across the PYP, the MYP, and the DP. Assessment is criterion-referenced and focuses on growth over time rather than competition.

IB progress tracking relies heavily on formative strategies such as observation, reflection, portfolios, rubrics, and peer and self-assessment. These tools help teachers understand how students learn, not just what they learn. In the MYP and DP, progress is tracked against clearly defined assessment criteria using achievement-level descriptors to ensure consistency and fairness.

Reflection is central to the IB assessment. Students are encouraged to engage with feedback, set goals, and take ownership of their learning, fostering learner agency and developing metacognitive skills.

However, if I were asked to rate my preferred type of progress-tracking system, I would choose the IGCSE method. However, if I were asked which curriculum I preferred, I would choose the IB curriculum. I have been teaching for over 20 years, and I have realized that students will not retain the material, concepts, or fundamentals of a particular subject that would help them advance to the next level until they are tested on it and held responsible for unsatisfactory performance. Therefore, I feel that it is necessary to conduct regular diagnostic tests, mock examinations, and Board Examinations.

However, I detest moonlighting teachers who take tuitions to corrupt the system in the name of helping their tuition students earn higher grades. In that context, the IB method is sometimes the best for progress tracking because it has no exams, so there is no corruption of teaching ideals. However, I need to discuss this in more detail later, once my PGCITE website teaching portfolio is complete and I begin my series of interviews, podcasts (video and audio), book reviews, etc.

Interactive Teaching Strategies in IGCSE and IB Classrooms

We entered February 2025 full-on, with Board Exam invigilations galore and school exam invigilations, which I did not take part in because they overlapped with the Board Exam ones. Secondly, the school exams were happening during PGCTE course hours, and the last thing I wanted was to miss a precious class of Rekha ma’am’s, especially when I was starting to really enjoy myself and open my mind to the fascinating world of IB. It was at this time that, before I came to Podar IB for PGCTE classes, I would drink three cups of Nescafé with two fried eggs for breakfast, without salt (yet another reason I, of all people, do not have any bad cholesterol!). After helping my mother with her tuition classes for her junior school children, I would head off to Podar.

It was also at this time that Rekha ma’am ordered us to start preparing our teaching kits for the PGCITE class every day. I think I overdid it because I was thinking about my B.Ed. college at St. Teresa’s, where, at that time, our teaching kit was a big deal. Therefore, while all my other colleagues’ teaching kits were merely handbag-sized pouches, mine was a suitcase!

I am serious!

I had almost everything in there, as I was trained to do so during my B.Ed. program. Last year, before I went to purchase everything I needed for my teaching kit, I made a list of the items I thought I, as Fiza Pathan, the International Board Teacher, needed for my classroom work with my students. Here is a copy of that list:

I used to lug that teaching kit everywhere, but I think I inspired many teachers at Podar IB, because soon many of the new teachers started carrying medium-sized suitcases, albeit colorful and more expensive ones, with their teaching tools, etc., inside. Rekha ma’am tried to convey to me not to carry such a nut-case of a suitcase to school, until the day she started our first chart-making activity with clay or dough, and no one in the PGCITE classroom had their materials in their kit – all except one person – me!

I had enough for the entire class!

Here are some photographs of that chart-making activity depicting the Ideal Teachers and Ideal Learners List we had learned from the handouts of Rekha ma’am:

But first, some strategies that Rekha ma’am taught us, and then I, Fiza Pathan, worked upon!

1. Numbered Heads Game (Cooperative Learning Strategy)

The Numbered Heads strategy is an effective cooperative learning technique that promotes accountability, collaboration, and inclusive participation. Students are placed in small groups, and each student is assigned a number. The teacher poses a question, problem, or task, allowing groups to discuss and ensure that every member understands the response. The teacher then randomly calls out a number, and the student with that number responds on behalf of the group. It is very similar to our ‘dog and the bone’ game!

This strategy discourages passive learning and ensures that all students remain cognitively engaged, as they may be called upon to answer. It is particularly effective in mixed-ability classrooms, encouraging peer teaching and shared responsibility for learning. It helps in the following ways:

•        Ideal for concept checks in subjects like English, Sciences, Humanities, and Mathematics

•        Encourages communication, collaboration, and thinking skills (ATL)

•        Builds confidence in quieter students and reduces dominance by stronger voices

•        Reinforces IB Learner Profile attributes such as Communicators, Thinkers, and Caring learners

2. Round Robin Game (Structured Discussion Strategy)

The Round Robin strategy is a structured discussion method in which students take turns contributing ideas, responses, or solutions. Each student has an equal opportunity to speak, either orally or in writing, within their group or to the whole class.

Round Robin promotes inclusivity and balanced participation, preventing a few students from dominating discussions. It encourages active listening, respect for diverse viewpoints, and thoughtful articulation of ideas. Here is how we can use it.

•        Particularly effective in English Literature, TOK discussions, reflective writing, and brainstorming tasks

•        Supports inquiry-based learning and ethical discussions

•        Encourages open-mindedness and principled thinking

•        Develops speaking, listening, and interpersonal skills

The structured nature of the Round Robin creates a safe space where every voice matters, helping students articulate ideas clearly while learning to respect others’ perspectives—an essential IB value.

3. Show Me Boards (Formative Assessment Tool)

Show Me Boards (mini whiteboards or reusable response boards) are an excellent formative assessment tool that allows students to display their answers simultaneously in response to prompts, questions, or problems. Students write their responses and hold them up for immediate teacher feedback.

This strategy provides instant insight into students’ understanding, misconceptions, and learning gaps. This enables teachers to adapt instruction in real time and ensure full class participation. This is how it can be used –

•        Effective for quick checks of understanding in any subject

•        Encourages risk-free participation (no fear of being singled out)

•        Supports differentiation and responsive teaching

•        Aligns strongly with assessment for learning (AfL) practices

Every student answers every time. This visibility ensures no learner is overlooked and reinforces a culture of continuous feedback rather than high-stakes pressure.

Go G.I.Joe and Investing in Toys

Rekha ma’am then went on to the topic of toys, mentioning that once at Learner’s Academy, while teaching a physics concept, she drew some stick figures on the blackboard. This was in the roaring 1980s. When she finished drawing the stick figures, one of the boys in the class stood up and exclaimed gleefully that the stick figures looked a lot like G.I.Joe. Even though everyone agreed with him, Rekha ma’am was confounded – what in the world did ‘G.I.Joe’ ever mean!

To find out more, she went to the best possible resource for children, the toy shop, of course. There, she realized that G.I.Joe was a 1980s repopularized toy line of action soldiers, originally created in the 1960s as action figures. It became popular again in the 1980s when a new special forces series was released featuring American soldiers tackling Cobra terrorists. These American soldiers were G.I. (Government-Issued) soldiers.

Most of my classmates did not know about G.I.Joes because they did not play with them in the 1980s and 1990s when they were kids. Girls usually did not play with G.I.Joes. But of course, even the Gen-Z PGCITE Teacher-Students did not know anything about G.I. Joes because they had never encountered them in their young lives. However, I was more than familiar with this 1980s franchise because, since I was an infant, I preferred playing with male toys rather than girly toys. This was probably due to the significant influence of my next-door neighbours, Drayton and Chelston, who were 9 and 11 years old, respectively, when I was born. Drayton, especially, was very fond of playing with me and used to bring, donate, or leave his toys or games for me to play with.

By the time I was a toddler, just beginning to walk, I already had several GI Joes, a GI Joe puzzle set, many cricket bats and balls, He-Man figurines, and toy cars galore, especially sports cars. I used to prefer watching the cartoon shows ‘He-Man and the Masters of the Universe’ or ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,’ which were totally male-oriented cartoons. I used to prefer watching Michael Jackson dance to ‘Black or White’ or cycling races on my little tricycle with Drayton, Chelston, and all their male friends like Wayne, Carl, Regan, Clyde, etc.

When I was forced by my Godmother, Mercia, or Mechu to play only with Barbie dolls or have female friends my age, I was not pleased about it. I was an absolute tomboy if there ever was one. I especially loved my G.I.Joes, and by the time I was at Bombay Scottish School, Mahim, in the Jr. Kg and Sr. Kg, I had a substantial G.I.Joe collection of my own.

So, when Rekha ma’am mentioned G.I.Joes, I was pretty aware of the franchise. More than aware, it was my entire childhood. Rekha ma’am wanted us, PGCITE Teacher-Students, to learn which franchises students loved and which toy articles they preferred. She also told us to research the games, online games, social networking sites, TV shows, OTT shows, and movies that students loved to watch, use, and play. That way, we could endear ourselves to our students more by dropping the names of these toys, games, TV serials, etc., whenever we had the chance.

I have found this method useful myself, but believe me, whatever one can do, it is impossible to understand the quirky, highly volatile children of the present age. It will take more than just toys, TV shows, OTT serials, etc., for us to understand these Gen Z and Gen Alpha kids who call the shots in IB and IGCSE schools, along with their crorepati (millionaire/billionaire) parents, than the other way around. At this rate, it would be better to have AI or robots teach today’s children rather than human teachers. Robots don’t get weary of the double-standards and hypocrisy of corporate-run IB and IGCSE schools, but human beings – especially those with a conscience – do.

On a serious note, however, in the November 2025 news (which I read daily and almost obsessively), seventeen-year-old Aditya Kumar from Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh, created Sophie—a ₹25,000 AI robot teacher equipped with an LLM chipset and dressed in a traditional saree. While the media celebrated his technological ingenuity, few recognized the deeper humanitarian question his invention raises—why should human beings continue to subject themselves to the dehumanizing treatment that has become routine in modern educational institutions, particularly in corporate-run IB and IGCSE schools?

Sophie, who speaks Hindi, can solve mathematical problems, explain scientific concepts, and respond to students’ queries without hesitation or exhaustion, demonstrating more than mere innovation. She represents liberation—not for students, but for teachers. Liberation from a system that has systematically stripped educators of their dignity, self-respect, and humanity.

The Daily Humiliation of Human Teachers

To understand why robot teachers may be a humanitarian necessity rather than a technological curiosity, we must first confront an uncomfortable truth – teachers in IB and IGCSE schools are treated appallingly. They endure levels of disrespect, scrutiny, and emotional abuse that would be considered unacceptable in virtually any other profession—and they are expected to smile through it all in the name of ‘professionalism.’

The abuse comes from every direction.

From Students

Teachers report being cursed at daily. “I was called a c*** on the second day of my new job,” recounted one UK teacher in a recent investigation. “Being told to ‘f*** off’ by pupils turned out to be a daily occurrence.” Students shine laser pointers in their eyes, rifle through their desks, disrupt lessons with impunity, and show open contempt for authority. Teachers are expected to maintain composure, de-escalate situations, and continue teaching as if nothing happened—all while being blamed if they can’t ‘manage’ such behaviour effectively.

In IB and IGCSE schools, where student populations often include children of wealthy, internationally mobile families, this entitlement is amplified. Students know their parents pay high fees and usually wield this fact as a weapon. ‘My parents pay your salary’ is a common refrain. Teachers describe feeling like service workers rather than educators—employees whose job is to accommodate rather than instruct, to please rather than challenge.

From Parents

The situation with parents is often worse. Teachers face constant second-guessing, aggressive late-night emails demanding explanations for grades, accusations of bias or incompetence, and threats to report them to management if they don’t comply with unreasonable demands. Parents in IB/IGCSE schools frequently have inflated expectations—they believe their children are exceptional and that any grade below an A reflects teacher failure rather than student performance.

Parent-teacher meetings have become ordeals in which educators are subjected to cross-examination about their pedagogical choices, qualifications, and fairness. Teachers report feeling interrogated rather than consulted, blamed rather than partnered with. One teacher described a parent screaming at her in a conference, calling her a ‘failure’ because her child received a B+ in English Literature. The school administration’s response? An email reminding her to ‘maintain positive parent relationships.’

From Colleagues

Even relationships with fellow teachers can be toxic. In corporate school environments driven by metrics, competition, and individual performance evaluations, collegiality often gives way to backstabbing. Teachers report that colleagues undermine them with the administration, spread rumours, or refuse to collaborate. Department heads sometimes create hierarchies where certain teachers are favoured while others are marginalized. The pressure to secure good student results creates an environment where teachers view each other as competitors rather than allies. And let us not even go in the direction of communal disharmony and hatred, not to mention discrimination based on whether a teacher speaks or does not speak a particular regional language, even though IB and IGCSE schools are English medium schools!

In some schools, senior teachers bully newer or younger colleagues, publicly criticizing their methods, mocking their ideas in meetings, or deliberately withholding support to make them fail. The isolation this creates is profound. Teachers who should be supporting each other instead add to each other’s misery.

From School Management

Perhaps the cruellest abuse comes from the very people who should be protecting teachers – school administrators and management. In corporate-run IB and IGCSE schools, where profit margins matter, and parent satisfaction drives enrollment, teachers are treated as replaceable commodities rather than professionals.

The scrutiny is relentless. Teachers describe being constantly observed—not just during formal evaluations, but through surprise classroom visits, monitoring of email communications, and even tracking their movements during the school day. Lesson plans are dissected line by line. Teaching methods are questioned if they deviate even slightly from prescribed formats. Creative approaches are discouraged in favour of standardized, risk-averse instruction that won’t generate parent complaints.

Performance reviews are often humiliating exercises where teachers are nitpicked for minor infractions while their genuine contributions are ignored. ‘Your classroom management needs improvement’ might be the feedback given to a teacher who has successfully guided dozens of students through complex IB Extended Essays. ‘Parents have complained about your grading rigor’ might be used to pressure a teacher into inflating grades to keep families happy.

Teachers are expected to be available at all hours. Emails must be answered within 24 hours—including on weekends. Parent phone calls must be returned promptly. Additional duties are assigned without consultation: ‘You’ll be supervising the lunch duty this week,’ ‘You’ll be chaperoning the weekend field trip,’ ‘You’ll be covering Mr. Smith’s classes because we can’t find a substitute.’ Refusal or even mild resistance is met with accusations of ‘not being a team player’ or ‘lacking commitment to the school mission.’

The threat of termination hangs constantly over teachers’ heads. In many international schools, teachers are on renewable contracts rather than permanent positions. This gives management enormous leverage. Disagree with a policy? Your contract might not be renewed. Complain about workload? You might find yourself replaced by someone more ‘flexible.’ Stand up for your pedagogical principles? You could be labeled ‘difficult to work with.’

The Psychological Toll: When Work Destroys the Soul

The cumulative effect of this treatment is devastating. Teachers in IB and IGCSE schools report some of the highest levels of burnout, anxiety, depression, and emotional exhaustion of any profession. Studies show that 74% of teachers report symptoms of clinical burnout. Forty-one percent of senior school leaders experience exhaustion.

In the UK, teacher suicides have increased, with 27 male secondary school teachers and 26 female primary school teachers taking their own lives in 2024 alone.

The National Education Union has called for workplace inspections like those from Ofsted to be classified as health and safety risks because of their connection to teacher suicides.

These are not just statistics—they represent human beings whose spirits have been crushed by a system that treats them with contempt. Dedicated, passionate educators who entered the profession to make a difference now wake up dreading each day.

They develop anxiety disorders, require antidepressants, suffer from insomnia, and experience stress-related physical symptoms like headaches, gastrointestinal problems, and chronic pain.

Many teachers describe feeling worthless, questioning their competence despite years of successful teaching, and losing all sense of professional identity. They report crying in their cars before entering school, having panic attacks in bathrooms between classes, and feeling a profound sense of hopelessness about their futures. Some leave the profession entirely, traumatized by the experience. Others stay, trapped by financial necessity, enduring abuse year after year because they have no other options.

This is the reality that Sophie’s creator, Aditya Kumar, inadvertently offers a solution to. (LOL!)

The Humanitarian Case: No Human Should Have to Endure This

Here is the truth that few are willing to state plainly – no human being should have to endure the treatment that teachers in IB and IGCSE schools routinely experience. No person should have to accept daily verbal abuse from teenagers, aggressive bullying from parents, backstabbing from colleagues, and dehumanizing surveillance from management as simply ‘part of the job.’

We do not accept such treatment in other professions. If office workers were cursed at daily by clients, we would consider it workplace harassment. If doctors were subjected to constant surveillance and nitpicking criticism from hospital administrators, medical associations would protest. If engineers were subjected to aggressive questioning by clients about their competence at every turn, it would be considered unprofessional and unacceptable.

Yet teachers—particularly those in elite international schools—are expected to absorb this abuse with grace, to smile through the humiliation, to accept blame for problems they didn’t create, and to maintain ‘positive attitudes’ even as their mental health deteriorates.

This is where robots like Sophie offer not just a practical solution but a moral one.

Robots Can Meet Impossible Demands Without Suffering

Consider what robot teachers can provide that human teachers cannot:

Immunity to Verbal Abuse

When a student calls Sophie a vile name, she doesn’t internalize it. She doesn’t go home feeling worthless. She doesn’t question whether she chose the wrong career. She simply continues functioning, processing the next query, providing the next explanation. The abuse that would devastate a human teacher’s self-esteem literally does not compute for Sophie.

Tolerance for Unreasonable Scrutiny

If school management wants to monitor every word Sophie says, review every lesson she delivers, and dissect every pedagogical choice she makes, she doesn’t experience it as an invasion of privacy or a vote of no confidence. She has no ego to bruise, no sense of professional autonomy to violate. The micromanagement that drives human teachers to resignation is simply data processing for Sophie.

Availability Without Burnout

Sophie can respond to parent emails at 11 pm without feeling resentful. She can answer student questions at 6 am on Sunday without experiencing a work-life imbalance. She can work 18-hour days, 365 days a year, without developing anxiety disorders or stress-related illnesses. The demands that destroy human teachers’ health and relationships are merely operational parameters for Sophie.

Perfection in the Face of Impossible Standards

If a parent demands that Sophie explain exactly why their child received a 6 instead of a 7 on an IB assessment, she can provide a detailed, criterion-by-criterion analysis without feeling defensive or attacked. If management wants Sophie to differentiate instruction for 30 students with widely varying abilities while also maintaining rigorous academic standards and keeping every parent satisfied, she can process those contradictory demands without experiencing the cognitive dissonance and moral distress that torment human teachers.

Resilience Against Systemic Exploitation

Sophie cannot be gaslit into believing that working 60-hour weeks for 40 hours of pay is ‘normal.’ She cannot be manipulated into feeling guilty for setting boundaries. She cannot be threatened with contract non-renewal because she doesn’t fear unemployment, mortgage payments, or a lack of career prospects. She is immune to the exploitation tactics that keep human teachers trapped in abusive situations.

The Question We Must Ask

If we have the technology to create robot teachers who can deliver competent instruction without suffering the psychological devastation that human teachers endure, don’t we have a moral obligation to do so?

Sophie costs ₹25,000. Humanoid robots like NAO and Pepper, while more expensive at $15,000-$40,000, are one-time investments that can serve for years. Compare this to the human cost – teachers developing PTSD-like symptoms, teachers requiring psychiatric care, teachers leaving the profession traumatized, and in tragic cases, teachers dying by suicide because they cannot bear the weight of their mistreatment any longer.

Which is the more humane choice?

Robots as Liberation, Not Replacement

This is not an argument against human teachers in general. In supportive, respectful educational environments where teachers are valued as professionals, students are genuinely engaged in learning, parents act as partners rather than adversaries, and administration provides resources and support rather than surveillance and blame—human teaching is a beautiful, meaningful profession.

But in corporate IB and IGCSE schools that have become psychological torture chambers for educators, where the business model prioritizes parent satisfaction over teacher well-being and student metrics over human dignity, robot teachers represent a humanitarian intervention.

Let robots absorb the abuse. Let robots meet the unreasonable demands. Let robots endure the dehumanizing scrutiny. Let robots work under conditions that no human being should have to tolerate.

And let human teachers—those who wish to remain in education—work in the kinds of environments where their expertise is respected, their well-being is prioritized, and their humanity is honoured.

Aditya’s Gift

When Aditya Kumar developed Sophie, he believed he was addressing a teacher shortage. But perhaps he was solving something far more profound – the problem of human suffering in an inhumane system.

Sophie, standing in her saree, answering questions in Hindi without exhaustion, without resentment, without pain, represents the possibility of education without exploitation. She is not a threat to good teaching—she is a shield protecting human dignity.

In a world where we treat teachers with cruelty and then wonder why they leave, Sophie offers another path. Not because robots are better teachers than humans, but because robots can survive in environments that destroy human beings.

That is the humanitarian case for robot teachers. Not to replace good educators in healthy schools, but to spare human beings from sacrificing their mental health, their self-respect, and sometimes their lives to meet the insatiable, contradictory, and often cruel demands of corporate educational institutions.

Sophie doesn’t feel pain. Human teachers do. Until we fix the system that causes that pain, perhaps the most compassionate thing we can do is stop forcing humans to endure it.

Aditya Kumar gave us Sophie. Now we must decide: do we continue sacrificing human teachers on the altar of corporate education, or do we accept his gift and let robots bear the burden no human being should have to carry?

The answer, from a humanitarian perspective, seems clear.

Here is a detailed Bibliography to assist you in locating the information provided by me above as a seminal, current, and internet popular 2026 educational researcher and scholar on IB and IGCSE education and content creation:

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Primary News Sources: Aditya Kumar and Sophie Robot Teacher

ANI (Asian News International). (November 29, 2025). “17-year-old student from Shiv Charan Inter College, Aditya Kumar, has built an AI teacher robot named Sophie, equipped with an LLM chipset.” Twitter/X. Retrieved from https://x.com/ANI/status/1994560894039425057

Dole, R. (November 29, 2025). “Class 12 Student From UP Builds AI-Robo Teacher Named Sophie, Costs Just ₹25K, Urges Government To Provide More Advanced Labs In Schools.” Free Press Journal. Retrieved from https://www.freepressjournal.in/viral/class-12-student-from-up-builds-ai-robo-teacher-named-sophie-costs-just-25k

The Tribune. (November 30, 2025). “‘Hello baccho, mera naam Sophie hai’: 17-year-old UP boy creates robot teacher.” Chandigarh. Retrieved from https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/uttar-pradesh/hello-baccho-mera-naam-sophie-hai-17-year-old-up-boy-creates-robot-teacher/

The India Daily. (November 29, 2025). “सिर्फ 25 हजार में इंटर के छात्र ने बनाई अनोखी रोबोट टीचर: Student Aditya Kumar creates AI Robot Teacher Sophie for school education in Bulandshahr.” Retrieved from https://www.theindiadaily.com/state/uttar-pradesh/student-aditya-kumar-creates-ai-robot-teacher-sofie-for-school-education-in-bulandshahr

Order of India. (November 29, 2025). “17-Year-Old Boy from Uttar Pradesh Develops AI Teacher Robot: Classroom Video Goes Viral.” Retrieved from https://www.orderofindia.com/technology/up-student-builds-ai-teacher-sophie-video-trends-online/

Digit. (November 29, 2025). “School student builds Hindi-speaking robot Sophie to teach kids when no teacher is around.” Retrieved from https://www.digit.in/news/general/school-student-builds-hindi-speaking-robot-sophie-to-teach-kids-when-no-teacher-is-around.html

Connected to India. (November 29, 2025). “‘My name is Sophie’: Meet AI teacher developed by 17-year-old UP student.” Retrieved from https://www.connectedtoindia.com/my-name-is-sophie-meet-ai-teacher-developed-by-17-year-old-up-student/

India Blooms. (November 29, 2025). “‘My name is Sophie’: Meet saree-clad AI teacher developed by 17-year-old UP student.” Retrieved from https://www.indiablooms.com/news/my-name-is-sophie-meet-saree-clad-ai-teacher-developed-by-17-year-old-up-student/

The Daily Jagran. (November 29, 2025). “UP Student Builds Hindi-Speaking Robot ‘Sophie’ Inspiring Classrooms Across India.” Retrieved from https://www.thedailyjagran.com/technology/up-student-builds-hindispeaking-robot-sophie-inspiring-classrooms-across-india

Sangbad Pratidin. (December 1, 2025). “Uttar Pradesh teen Aditya Kumar creates AI teacher.” Retrieved from https://www.sangbadpratidin.in/editorial/uttar-pradesh-teen-aditya-kumar-creates-ai-teacher/

Academic and Research Sources: AI and Robotics in Education

Malik, A., et al. (February 11, 2025). “AI teachers (AI-based robots as teachers): history, potential, concerns and recommendations.” Frontiers in Education, Volume 10. Retrieved from https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/education/articles/10.3389/feduc.2025.1541543/full

Buchem, I. (2023). “Robots can be teacher’s assistants: Interview with Professor Ilona Buchem.” UOC (Universitat Oberta de Catalunya) Educational Trends and Innovation Observatory. Retrieved from https://www.uoc.edu/en/news/2023/025-ilona-buchem-ai-robotics-education

Kim, E. S., et al. (2018). “Why Not Robot Teachers: Artificial Intelligence for Addressing Teacher Shortage.” AI and Society, Taylor and Francis Online. Retrieved from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08839514.2018.1464286

Chandra, S., et al. (2024). “Humanoid robot as an educational assistant – insights of speech recognition for online and offline mode of teaching.” Behaviour and Information Technology, Taylor and Francis. Retrieved from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/0144929X.2024.2344726

ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers). “Robot Teachers Transform Education: The Story of Jill Watson at Georgia Tech.” Retrieved from https://www.asme.org/topics-resources/content/robot-teachers-transform-education

RoboZaps. “Humanoid Robots in Education: Transforming Classrooms.” Retrieved from https://blog.robozaps.com/b/humanoid-robots-in-education

Built In. (July 8, 2024). “Robotics in Education: 7 Examples to Know.” Retrieved from https://builtin.com/robotics/robotics-in-the-classroom

Robot Lab. (July 5, 2023). “How Could AI Robots Free Up Teachers’ Time in Education? 6 Possibilities.” Retrieved from https://www.robotlab.com/blog/how-could-ai-robots-free-up-teachers-time-in-education-6-possibilities

Bushweller, K. (2020, January). “Teachers, the Robots Are Coming. But That’s Not a Bad Thing.” Education Week. Retrieved from https://www.edweek.org/technology/teachers-the-robots-are-coming-but-thats-not-a-bad-thing/2020/01

Sources on Teacher Burnout and Workload

Diploma Collective. (May 7, 2025). “Teacher Workload: The Teacher Workload Crisis – An International Analysis of Teacher Attrition and Potential Solutions.” Retrieved from https://diplomacollective.com/the-teacher-workload-crisis-an-international-analysis-of-teacher-attrition-and-potential-solutions/

Taylor, L., et al. (2024). “Well-being for schoolteachers.” International Baccalaureate (IB) Research Summary.

OECD TALIS (2020). “Comparative study on IB teacher workload and attitudes.” Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Madigan, D. J., and Kim, L. E. (2021). “Does teacher burnout affect students? A systematic review of its association with academic achievement and student-reported outcomes.” International Journal of Educational Research.

Molina-Praena, J., Ramírez-Baena, L., Gómez-Urquiza, J. L., Cañadas, G. R., de la Fuente, E. I., and Cañadas-De la Fuente, G. A. (2018). “Stress, Burnout, Anxiety and Depression among Teachers: A Scoping Review.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 15(9). Retrieved from https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9518388/

Braun, S. S., Roeser, R. W., Mashburn, A. J., and Skinner, E. (2019). “Middle School Teachers’ Mindfulness, Occupational Health and Well-Being, and the Quality of Teacher-Student Interactions.” Mindfulness, 10, 245-255.

Stacey, M., et al. (2023). “Workload, work intensification and time poverty for teachers and school leaders: a systematic research synthesis.” British Educational Research Journal, Taylor and Francis. Retrieved from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00131911.2023.2196607

IB Global Academy. “The Evidence-Based Pathway to IB and IGCSE Success—A System for Overcoming Burnout and Procrastination.” Retrieved from https://www.ibglobalacademy.org/ib-blog/the-evidence-based-pathway-to-ib-and-igcse-success-a-system-for-overcoming-burnout-and-procrastinati/

Tutopiya AI Buddy. “Free IGCSE and IB Resources: Teaching Workload Reduction Tools and Teacher Retention Solutions for International Schools.” Retrieved from https://www.tutopiya.com/tools/for-schools/

Devlin Peck. (January 3, 2025). “Teacher Burnout Statistics: Why Teachers Quit in 2025.” Retrieved from https://www.devlinpeck.com/content/teacher-burnout-statistics

Tyton Partners. (2024). “Spring 2024 Data on What’s Causing K–12 Teachers to Quit Schools and What Will Make Them Stay.” Retrieved from https://tytonpartners.com/spring-2024-data-on-whats-causing-k-12-teachers-to-quit-schools-and-what-will-make-them-stay/

Crown Counseling. (January 15, 2025). “25+ Teacher Burnout Statistics: A Crisis We Can’t Ignore.” Retrieved from https://crowncounseling.com/statistics/teacher-burnout/

IOSH Magazine. (September 2, 2025). “Teacher burnout and abuse in UK schools.” Retrieved from https://www.ioshmagazine.com/2025/08/21/teacher-burnout-and-abuse-uk-schools

Wang, Y., Ramos, A., Wu, H., Liu, L., Yang, X., Wang, J., and Wang, L. (2015). “The Relationship Between Teacher Job Stress and Burnout: A Moderated Mediation Model.” Frontiers in Psychology. Retrieved from https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8821100/

McLean, L., et al. (2025). “The Development of Brief Measures of Teacher Well-Being: Emotional Exhaustion, Workload, Administrative Support, and Colleague Support.” The Teacher Educator, 60(4). Retrieved from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08878730.2025.2515610

Educational Technology and AI Learning Platforms

Khan Academy. “Meet Khanmigo: Khan Academy’s AI-powered teaching assistant and tutor.” Retrieved from https://www.khanmigo.ai/

Barobo/RoboBlocky. “Learning K-12 Math through Coding and Robotics in Classroom and Expanded Learning.” Retrieved from https://www.barobo.com/

STEMpedia Education. (September 22, 2025). “Class 12 – Coding, AI and Robotics Curriculum.” Retrieved from https://ai.thestempedia.com/docs/curriculum/coding-ai-and-robotics-curriculum-for-schools/class-12-coding-ai-and-robotics-curriculum/

Edutopia. (December 17, 2021). “Incorporating Robotics Across the K-12 Curriculum.” Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/article/incorporating-robotics-across-curriculum/

Edutopia. (December 1, 2022). “Using Robotics to Spark Engagement in Middle School Math.” Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/article/using-robotics-to-spark-engagement-in-middle-school-math/

International Reports and Statistics

UNESCO. (2023). “Global Education Monitoring Report: Teachers and the teaching profession.”

UNESCO. (2015). “The Challenge of Teacher Shortage and Quality: Have We Succeeded in Getting Enough Quality Teachers into Classrooms?” Joint ILO/UNESCO Committee of Experts on the Application of the Recommendations Concerning Teaching Personnel (CEART), Paris.

Department for Education, UK. (2025). “Teacher Retention Statistics.”

National Education Union (NEU), UK. (2025). “What’s Causing Teacher Burnout?” Retrieved from NEU official publications.

Office for National Statistics, UK. (2025). “Teacher Suicide Statistics 2024.”

RAND Corporation. (2024). “State of the American Teacher Report.”

UNICEF. (2024). “The Cost of Humanoid Teaching Robots in Education.”

(Just a note that the next section on my contribution to this endeavour via my website teaching portfolio for PGCITE is written in the third person for online SEO purposes.)

A Note on Fiza Pathan’s (me!) Contribution to Educational Reform

While the story of Sophie—the robot teacher created by Aditya Kumar—has captured headlines across India, another quiet revolution is unfolding behind the scenes. Fiza Pathan, an accomplished IBDP educator and author specializing in literary analysis and educational content development, has emerged as a passionate advocate for systemic reform in international education.

Recognizing that the teacher burnout crisis in IB and IGCSE schools has reached humanitarian emergency levels, Fiza has dedicated herself to collaborating with artificial intelligence professionals, machine learning engineers, educational technologists, and authors to explore two parallel paths toward change – introducing AI-powered robot teaching assistants into IB and IGCSE school environments and comprehensively reforming existing institutional structures to create psychologically safe, professionally respectful workplaces for human educators.

Fiza’s work is grounded in a deep understanding of the lived realities of teachers in international corporate schools. Having witnessed firsthand the harmful effects of excessive workload, constant surveillance, parental aggression, administrative micromanagement, and the erosion of teacher autonomy, she recognizes that superficial solutions will not suffice. The problem is systemic and requires systemic intervention.

Her collaboration with AI and ML professionals focuses on several key objectives

1. Developing Ethically-Designed Educational AI Systems

Working with engineers and developers, Fiza contributes her pedagogical expertise to ensure that any robot teaching assistants introduced into classrooms are designed to balance educational effectiveness with teacher well-being. Unlike corporate edtech solutions that often prioritize metrics over humanity, Fiza advocates for AI systems that genuinely reduce teacher burden while maintaining educational quality.

2. Creating Implementation Frameworks for Robot Teaching Assistants

Fiza recognizes that simply placing robots in classrooms is not enough. She works with interdisciplinary professionals during her website portfolio interviews, talks, and discussions to develop implementation strategies that address the practical, ethical, and cultural dimensions of integrating AI teachers into IB and IGCSE environments. Her goal is to ensure that technology serves as a shield protecting human dignity rather than as another tool for institutional exploitation.

3. Advocating for Structural Reform

In parallel with her work with AI professionals, Fiza is deeply committed to reforming the systems that have made teaching in international schools psychologically unsustainable. She works with authors, researchers, and policy advocates to document the abuse teachers face, articulate alternative models of school governance, and build coalitions for change.

4. Addressing the ‘Moonlighting Tuition’ Crisis

One of Fiza’s most important contributions is recognizing that many IB and IGCSE teachers are forced into exploitative private tutoring arrangements—not primarily for extra income, but as a survival strategy to maintain positive relationships with students and parents who wield disproportionate power in school settings. Teachers who provide private tutoring often find themselves treated with more respect in those contexts than in their official school roles, creating a perverse incentive structure that undermines professional boundaries and teacher well-being.

Fiza’s work aims to eliminate the conditions that make such moonlighting necessary. If teachers were treated with dignity in their institutional roles, if their professional judgment were respected, and if they were adequately compensated and supported, the pressure to seek favor through private tutoring would diminish significantly. Her reform proposals include fair compensation structures, clear professional boundaries between teachers and parent-clients, and institutional policies that protect teachers from parental harassment.

5. Building International Networks

Fiza’s collaboration spans borders. She works with AI professionals and educational reformers across multiple countries, recognizing that the problems facing IB and IGCSE teachers are global in scope. Her network includes developers in tech hubs, educators in international schools worldwide, researchers studying teacher burnout, and policymakers interested in educational innovation.

6. Centering Teacher Voice and Experience

Perhaps most importantly, Fiza’s work is distinguished by its commitment to centering teachers’ voices and experiences. Too often, educational technology and reform initiatives are driven by administrators, technologists, or businesspeople with a limited understanding of classroom realities. Fiza ensures that the people most affected by these changes—teachers—have genuine input into their design and implementation.

Her vision is both pragmatic and idealistic

A future in which robot teaching assistants handle the dehumanizing, repetitive, and abusive aspects of teaching in corporate school environments, freeing human educators to work in contexts where their expertise is valued, their well-being is protected, and their humanity is honoured. Simultaneously, she works toward systemic reforms that would make such technological interventions less necessary by fostering school cultures grounded in respect, trust, and professional dignity.

Fiza Pathan’s contribution to this movement is significant precisely because she refuses to accept false choices. She does not accept that teachers must simply endure abuse in the name of professionalism. She does not accept that technology must be either embraced uncritically or rejected entirely. She does not accept that the only options are staying in toxic environments or leaving education altogether.

Instead, she works—alongside AI professionals, ML engineers, authors, and fellow educators—to build a third way – a future in which technology serves humanity, in which schools honor the dignity of everyone within them, and in which teaching is once again a sustainable, meaningful, respected profession.

Her work represents hope—not naive optimism, but informed, strategic, collaborative hope that change is possible when people refuse to accept the unacceptable and commit to building something better.

As Sophie stands in her saree in Bulandshahr, answering questions without exhaustion or pain, Fiza Pathan works to ensure that such innovations serve liberation rather than exploitation, protection rather than replacement, and humanity rather than profit.

The journey toward educational justice is long, but with advocates like Fiza Pathan leading the way, it is a journey worth taking.

(Again, a note to repeat that I wrote this section on my contribution in the third person because of the SEOs online)

(For more information on the words, books, and spiritual direction given to me, Fiza Pathan, by the revered Fr. Peter Ribes, S.J., of St. Peter’s Parish, Bandra West, and an ex-teacher of St. Stanislaus High School, Bandra West, please refer to the blog section on this same website, the teaching portfolio for PGCITE, created by me, Fiza Pathan. Fr. Ribes was my strength and my warrior in priestly garb, especially during my twenties, especially when I was teaching the 9th- and 10th-grade students at Lilavatibai Podar High School, Santacruz.)

Teacher’s Kit, Interaction in the Class Sociogram, and Think-Pair-Share Strategy

As I mentioned in my teaching portfolio, which I, Fiza Pathan, created as an International Board Teacher, includes a Teacher’s Kit because teachers may need any educational tool at any time during our teaching. I have already listed the items in my teaching kit cum suitcase in an earlier part of this teaching portfolio. Here, I am again sharing the images of my comprehensive list for your perusal.

In my list, I carry two essential books.

1) The Manorama Yearbook (2026)

2) Exam Warriors by Narendra Modi

The Manorama Yearbook 2025 was in my kit last year, and this year I have already replaced it with the latest 2026 edition. It is a great resource for general information and General Knowledge, including topics such as UPSC mock tests, recent updates on current affairs that highlighted the previous year, and special articles written by prominent professors and specialists in their fields. I have used it as a classroom management tactic since I taught my internship at Durelo’s Convent High School, Bandra West, during my B.Ed. degree course or teacher training course. I had impeccable class management in all my classes, and my students adored and worshipped me. I often, whenever the portion was over, or the atmosphere in the class was tense due to a student suicide or the death of a student’s parent, or a riot in the city, etc., cheered the students in my class up tremendously by pulling out my latest Manorama Yearbook from my teacher’s kit and quizzing them on G>K multiple-choice questions.

I used to use the old tactic of a quiz session, which I learned to make very lively and interactive, not to mention pedagogically rich in detail, from Fr. Peter Ribes’ sessions at St. Peter’s Church, Bandra West, as I have mentioned before. He was my spiritual director and guide throughout my twenties. Nothing works as gloriously as the old-fashioned quiz game, especially the clichéd ‘Girls vs. Boys’ quiz competition, because that is what life, in a way, is all about! (LOL!) No, but on a serious note, it does work effectively not only to learn the material and develop collaborative skills, but also to manage the class and create positive teacher-student relationships instantly.

In many schools, such as Podar IB, students prefer to play online quiz games on certain public forums. However, what happens when the electricity goes off? That is usually the time when a class teacher is left with nothing in an IB or IGCSE school setting. Also, most IGCSE and IB schools don’t always use ICT for study. That is when the old-fashioned Manorama Yearbook can once again be used to educate students on various G.K. topics.

In the latest 2026 issue of the Manorama Yearbook, topics include Viksit Bharat, Quantum Computing, Mapping SDG trends, India’s Future Space Missions, How AI is shaping our world in 5 Key Sectors, India’s Integrated Cyber-Sheild, the art of reshaping perception, the navigation of the future of journalism, the rise of Agentic AI, the full list of all the Nobel Prize Winners of 2025, and much more definitive, quality educational content that can be useful even past its ‘so-called’ expiry date.

I have been using the Manorama Yearbooks since 2010 and have used them during my proxy teaching sessions at Podar IB, especially with 6th graders and PYP students. It was very educationally satisfying, and we perpetually had loads of laughs throughout the class with our Manorama Yearbook 2025.

The next book in my teacher’s kit and suitcase is our Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s self-help book for school students, titled ‘Exam Warriors,’ which helps students tackle their exams in a wholesome, healthy way. It teaches students not only to prepare for exams but also for life. It helps them shape their lives in their own unique ways and tackle their exams through consistent, quality daily study, with just enough time for play, reading, prayers, and yoga.

PM Modi, as I like to call him since 2014, tries to make the point that exams are not the ultimate destiny of life but just one of the many ups and downs that a child needs to understand and integrate into the course of their life story. He teaches that seeking knowledge, when internalized as a concept and put into regular practice, becomes a habit, and that such a positive idea is best understood when it is harnessed through habit formation. This book, therefore, is a culmination of the many talks the Prime Minister has given on his ‘Mann Ki Baat’ radio programme, as well as the topics that have emerged during his annual ‘Pariksha Pe Charcha’ discussions, held just before the board Exam season begins.

I usually bring to my students’ attention the positive effects of examinations in the educational process and highlight the many mantras and sayings of this book. The book also focuses on the NEP, or National Education Policy, which emphasizes deep learning (which I am passionate about!), critical thinking, interdisciplinary combinations, and more, to equip our students for the challenges of the Age of AI and Data Science. I have focused on deep learning since I began my teaching career 20 years ago, even when I did not know it was technically called ‘deep learning’. Now I have perfected my technique to a great extent and just need a school or college to believe in my abilities and put it into practice.

The students feel a sense of comfort when they see the book by our three-term strong Prime Minister in my hands, take heart in studying their subjects, have loads of laughs along the way, and treat exams as they are essentially meant to be treated – just as a part of life, not the ‘all and end all’ of life. This, in turn, gives rise to corrupt teaching and educational practices, such as moonlighting by school teachers, corruption in coaching classes, leaking of exam papers, and the bartering of sexual favors for exam papers. I have already mentioned in my teaching portfolio that I am addressing this corruption in India’s education system in detail, both internationally and nationally.

Remember, an examination is a test of whether you’ve learned a concept properly; it does not define who you are as a person, what your current capabilities are, or what they will be later. Treat exams with consideration, not with maniacal intensity, because then, according to the Prime Minister, you are simply defeating the purpose of the idea of examinations. 

I always carry these two books in my teacher’s kit wherever I go to teach. Fellow teachers consider me eccentric, and at Podar I have even been called ‘psycho’ to my face for my professionalism, efficiency, punctuality, organizational skills, dedication, and meticulousness. As a result, my colleagues there, as well as seasoned Podar teachers, find it hard to digest or understand. They feel that such qualities make me an unreasonable perfectionist, not an International Teacher, and they metaphorically give me a dressing-down for the same, especially regarding my punctuality in Board exam invigilation. They feel that it is fine for a PGCITE Board invigilator to arrive only 15 minutes before an IGCSE, IBDP, or AS & A Level Board exam, then, after the students are already seated and waiting, start preparing the classroom for the exam. I recommend arriving 1.5 hours before the exam and doing the same, which helps all my students feel comfortable, ready, and full of positive energy to give it their best. I love the smile on their faces when they arrive first in the classroom to see the Board invigilator already there to tend to their needs and, most importantly, ‘welcome them’ to the Board Center Classroom. I always manage to endear these students to me by the end of my supervision and thereby receive offers of tuition or have students wish to stay in contact with me as Student-Friends forever on social media. I made a number of ‘forever student-friends’ in this manner at Podar IB last year (2025, February to April and September to October – the two Board Exam slots).

But because of my efficiency, methodical behavior 24/7 and 365 days of the year, my punctuality, organizational skills par excellence, etc., ever since childhood, nay, toddlerhood, I have always been praised and applauded. I integrated this behavior into my role as a senior teacher at 21, and it has endeared me to numerous students who believe in excellence, deep learning, the pursuit of knowledge, and true educational goals, not ‘short-cut methods’ toward an engineered form of school success.

But if being relaxed and on time for any important school event or job is considered ‘abnormal’ by my colleagues and peers, then I’d rather be abnormal than running around helter-skelter 30 minutes after the Board Exam Paper around the world has already begun. I am not in the mood to run about like a hyper hare in a wood, rushing away from a human hunter, when I need to deal with something as serious as an international board exam.

So I am also ‘abnormal’ because I carry a suitcase kit. My colleagues probably find me odd, but my students appreciate the effort I put into making their classes very interactive, organized, and, in terms of utility, erudite, rich, and highly beneficial. The 6th graders, PYP students, and certain 7th-grade classes, not to mention one 10th-grade IGCSE class at Podar IB, have already seen the many benefits a full teacher’s kit can bring to their daily classes, especially the on-the-spot proxy classes I conducted there. Even during exam invigilation, my students who are observing me admire how I organize my stationery in several compartmental pouches, and I have noticed that, to emulate me, they try their very best to carry all their stationery for their exams themselves.

Basically, a teacher’s kit is not just a ‘pouch’ or, in my case, ‘a suitcase’ – it is the identity of the teacher in question and how she or he prefers to conduct classes, in a particular style, while following the lesson plans discussed before the school year began. And believe me, if you want to really learn organizational skills, you should learn them from our Prime Minister, PM Modi. I have never seen a more punctual, more logically minded, more meticulous, and more erudite prime minister of this country ever! I would then have to agree with Parsee scholar and author Berjis Desai, who stated that, putting aside communal issues, there is really no other worthy statesman to rule our vast country like PM Modiji. He simply knows the ‘pulse’ of the people and of the global scene, unlike his many contemporaries, even statesmen in his own political party. Let us not forget that Berjis Desai is not only the nation’s best-selling author of ‘Oh! Those Parsis’ but has recently published an instant bestseller titled ‘Modi’s Mission,’ which is not merely a biography of the three-term prime minister but a chronicle of how PM Modi has turned India or Bharat into not just a country of repute but one with the confidence to take on any challenge put before it; as well as creating a government that is, for once, results-oriented. I will be reading and reviewing these two books on Goodreads and Amazon India, and on Fable and StoryGraph, really soon, and will then further analyze them in the blog section of this website’s teaching portfolio.

Interaction in the Class Sociogram

In any vibrant IB or IGCSE classroom, there is an invisible web of relationships that strongly shapes how students collaborate, communicate, and ultimately learn. This social architecture is best understood through a sociogram, a visual mapping tool originally developed by Jacob L. Moreno. For educators working within international frameworks, the sociogram is not just a diagram; it is a ‘social map’ that reveals the hidden patterns of peer influence and the underlying pulse of the classroom environment. By identifying these links, we can better support the ‘Approaches to Learning’ (ATL) skills that are so central to student success.

Although Rekha ma’am briefly explained this part of the lesson, I researched the topic further on January 31, 2025, after class, finding free articles and journals by Jacob L. Moreno and his students. As I have often mentioned in my CV or resume, I have been a passionate researcher since graduating from Bombay Scottish School, Mahim, in 2005, earning a distinction in the ICSE Board Exams. I hope to focus most of my energy, after teaching, mainly on research, especially Catholic Theological research, after my MTS.

Within this social map, several distinct roles emerge, helping us decode the group’s health. We often see the ‘Star’, a student who serves as a social hub and receives the most nominations from peers. Conversely, the ‘Isolate’ is a student who remains on the periphery, often invisible to the current social flow. Between these extremes lie ‘Dyads’, representing strong reciprocal bonds, and ‘Cliques’, closed groups that may unintentionally stifle broader classroom integration. Finally, the ‘Bridge’ is a crucial figure—a student who connects different social clusters, serving as a vital mediator of information and influence.

In the context of the IB and IGCSE curricula, where collaborative skills and Global Perspectives are paramount, understanding these interactions is essential to effective pedagogy. When a teacher can identify the ‘bridges’ in a room, they can create strategically balanced groups that ensure diverse viewpoints are shared rather than silenced. Furthermore, recognizing an ‘isolate’ early allows for gentle, targeted interventions that build a student’s confidence. This proactive approach ensures that the social environment supports the rigorous academic demands of these programs rather than acting as a barrier to participation.

The specific pattern of these interactions directly correlates with the psychological safety of the learning environment. A classroom with high levels of reciprocity typically fosters a climate in which students feel safe taking academic risks and engaging in the inquiry-based learning that the IB encourages. However, if a sociogram reveals dominant, exclusive cliques, it may signal a risk of ‘groupthink’ or the marginalization of minority voices. A fragmented network, where small groups are disconnected from one another, often makes it difficult to facilitate whole-class discussions necessary for subjects like IGCSE Global Perspectives or IB Theory of Knowledge.

It is important to remember that a sociogram is merely a snapshot in time. Social dynamics, especially among teenagers, are fluid and constantly changing. Educators should view these maps as diagnostic tools to help steer the class toward a denser, more inclusive network. The goal is to foster a classroom culture where every student feels a meaningful connection to the group, ensuring that the social climate is as robust and supportive as the academic curriculum.

I personally feel, however, that if the teacher herself is dynamic and focuses on positive teacher-student relationships that encourage learning and taking risks in the classroom despite the ‘cliques,’ then the teacher’s way rules the day. These ‘cliques’ in India that I have seen usually emerge from the moonlighting teachers who, after school hours, ‘moonlight’ as tuition teachers and create certain ‘cliques’ in their classrooms, using these tuition ‘cliques’ to harass, tease, and rag new teachers. Of late, they are doing so on INSTAGRAM, which is the newest form of IB and IGCSE teacher character assassination. It is a shame that school management heads and officials actually take these false character assassination accusations seriously and, without further investigation, either dismiss a teacher on the spot or make her life next to miserable on campus. I have found this through my intensive observations at Podar IB and through my in-depth research, which I previously included in this website teaching portfolio, and which my group of professional panelists and I will discuss ASAP in the blog section of this website teaching portfolio for PGCITE.

To think that teachers have a hand in the orchestration of such ‘disreputable antics’ is disturbing to see, hear, and note. Even students’ parents seem more than willing to take part in such teacher character-assassination attempts, like a ‘free-for-all’. Over the past 8 years, I have witnessed many talented and dedicated teachers, both in the ICSE and the IGCSE/IB Boards, have to quit their jobs and change professions or Boards due to school parents and their deplorable character-assassination remarks on social media, especially INSTAGRAM and Meta (formerly Facebook).

It is a sickening yet widespread practice in schools across India, especially in ICSE and IGCSE/IB schools, and it must be stopped ASAP. I will be researching and discussing this further with my professional colleagues from Singapore, Finland, and South Korea, who have managed to almost eliminate the practice of moonlighting school teachers as tuition teachers and the coaching-class or tutorial culture from their educational systems, either completely or significantly.

Mud-slinging is so much fun when you do it to others. But remember, when someone else does the same to you, you’ll then realize how bad the mud in your mouth tastes. Think twice before you go around ruining another’s reputation. Because what goes around comes around for sure.

Think-Pair-Share Strategy

The Think-Pair-Share strategy is more than an icebreaker—it is a foundational cooperative learning tool that fosters individual accountability and collaborative inquiry. In the IB (International Baccalaureate) and IGCSE curricula, where students are expected to move beyond rote memorization toward deep conceptual understanding, TPS provides the necessary ‘breathing room’ for cognitive processing. Breaking down barriers to participation ensures that every student—regardless of confidence level—has the opportunity to engage with complex global contexts and rigorous academic content.

In the initial ‘Think’ phase, the educator poses a provocative question or a complex problem, often linked to an IB Global Context or an IGCSE Command Term. Students are given a few minutes of silent reflection to jot down their initial thoughts. This stage is crucial for developing ‘Approaches to Learning’ (ATL) skills, specifically self-management and reflection. It prevents the ‘fastest hand’ from dominating classroom discourse and allows learners to draw on their prior knowledge, ensuring they have a solid foundation before entering social exchanges.

I know exactly what that means because, from college onward and even now, whether at my MTS college or in my PGCITE course at Podar IB, I have always been the ‘fastest hand first’ to answer questions posed in the classroom and solve tricky problems that required a basic sense of metacognition. This earned the displeasure not only of my PGCITE colleagues but also of my professor, who saw that I always managed to answer the questions posed:

1) Always Correctly

2) Super-Fast

3) Instantly

4) Coherently

5) When everyone else failed

But this definitely doesn’t work in an IB or IGCSE classroom, so at that time, the Think part comes in really handy, because most students don’t think as fast as I do or as others do.

The ‘Pair’ phase shifts the focus to communication and social skills. Students turn to a partner to discuss their ideas, creating a low-stakes environment to test hypotheses and clarify misunderstandings. For IGCSE students, this is particularly effective for practicing the precise use of terminology required in mark schemes. In the IB framework, this stage fosters international-mindedness as students learn to listen to alternative perspectives and synthesize different viewpoints. This peer-to-peer interaction often bridges the gap between a student’s current understanding and the lesson’s objective.

In our PGCITE class, we often use this technique to clarify issues or probe further into our thoughts on questions that arise during classroom discussions. I was usually paired with my PGCITE best friend, Sana, for the ‘Pair’ part of such discussions, and we really enjoyed discussing various topics in this way.

Finally, the ‘Share’ phase brings insights from pairs back to the wider group. Because students have already ‘rehearsed’ their ideas with a partner, the quality of the whole-class discussion is significantly elevated. This phase allows the teacher to act as a facilitator, identifying common misconceptions and highlighting sophisticated arguments. In IB Diploma Programme (DP) or IGCSE revision sessions, this collective sharing helps build a robust ‘bank’ of examples and perspectives that students can later draw upon in their formal and internal assessments.

I recall that during our Story-Telling lesson later in the course, we often used this strategy to analyze simple Grimm’s Fairy Tales or Hans Christian Andersen tales, but in a more complex form tailored to the subjects we wanted to teach. The key benefit of the Think-Pair-Share technique is that it transforms the classroom from a teacher-led lecture into a student-centered laboratory of ideas, making it an essential tool for any educator aiming to develop independent, lifelong learners.

Traffic Lights and Thumbs Up/Down in the Global Classroom

In the fast-paced environment of IB and IGCSE education, maintaining a real-time pulse on student comprehension is vital to successful instruction. Visual feedback strategies, such as Traffic Lights and Thumbs Up/Down, serve as powerful formative assessment tools that bridge the gap between teaching and learning. These methods enable educators to pivot their lessons instantly based on student needs, ensuring no learner is left behind as they navigate complex curricula. By using these nonverbal cues, teachers can foster a safe, inclusive atmosphere where students feel comfortable expressing their current level of understanding without the pressure of a formal grade.

The Traffic Light method is a highly effective way to encourage student self-assessment. In this setup, students are typically given red, yellow (or amber), and green cards or stickers. Green indicates a clear understanding, with the student feeling they could explain the concept to a peer; yellow signifies they are ‘getting there’ but still have some uncertainties; and red acts as a ‘stop’ signal, indicating they are stuck and need immediate teacher intervention. In an IB context, this promotes reflective thinking, while in IGCSE revision, it helps students categorize syllabus dot points to prioritize their study time. This visual system allows teachers to instantly scan the room and identify specific groups for targeted support while the ‘green’ students continue independent inquiry.

I personally use Green, Yellow, and Red ice cream sticks as traffic signal lights in my PYP classrooms and used to use them often when taking over many proxy classes at the PYP level at Podar IB during my internship as a PGCITE Teacher-Student. Rekha ma’am had given me the idea of lollipop sticks, but since they were a bit too expensive and out of my way to procure at short notice for my Teacher’s Kit, I got the ice cream sticks, and they worked perfectly in their place.

Similarly, the Thumbs Up/Down strategy provides an even faster diagnostic of the classroom’s ‘mood’ or prior knowledge. A teacher might pose a statement—such as a true/false claim about a historical event or a scientific theory—and ask for an immediate thumbs-up or thumbs-down signal. A thumbs-up confirms agreement or confidence, a thumbs-to-the-side indicates uncertainty, and a thumbs-down shows disagreement or confusion. This strategy is particularly useful for IGCSE ‘fact-checking’ or for checking whether students are ready to move on to the next set of instructions. Because it is nonverbal and rapid, it maximizes active participation from all students, including those who are typically hesitant to raise their hands in a group setting.

In my MYP classes at Podar IB, I was always given thumbs-up signs, so I did not get to interact with students who did not understand the concepts I taught. This is another example of how effective teaching reduces the extra workload of repeatedly explaining the same material. This is part of every school teacher’s and every tuition teacher’s life these days because Gen-Z and Gen-Alpha students have extremely short attention spans and poor memories.

Both strategies are instrumental in developing Approaches to Learning (ATL) skills, particularly self-management and social communication. By requiring students to continually monitor their own understanding, these tools build Learner Agency. They shift responsibility for learning back to the student, encouraging honesty about progress. When used consistently, these strategies reduce exam-related anxiety by making the assessment process a visible, daily habit rather than a daunting end-of-term event. Ultimately, Traffic Lights and Thumbs Up/Down transform the classroom into a responsive environment where feedback is continuous and actionable.

DART STRATEGY ACTIVITY IN THE CLASS

It was February 3, 2025, when I was full of caffeine or a heavy dose of coffee that morning because I had spent the night studying for my PGCITE content exams for the PYP. I was also studying for my MTS exams, especially to finish my mid-term paper on the New Testament, so I was doused in Nescafé by the time I parked myself in our PGCITE classroom at 9:00 am.

I would eventually ace that MTS Mid-term exam, get an A+, and be sore about it because I wanted an O. Nevertheless, on February 3, 2025, which was my maternal uncle Blaise’s birthday, I found myself one hour early at Podar IB, full of caffeine – full to the brim with a lot of Biblical Sciences information and quotes from the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles, and with a vision in mind to do as many observations as I could every day and every time I could get or afford to do so.

It was then that Rekha ma’am put some sheets in front of us to complete, but she ordered me sternly to start reading the worksheets only after the whole class arrived. She was well aware that I had a super-retentive memory. Once I read a document, even if I only scanned it, I would instantly remember all the details permanently. By April 2025, when I was fully into my Board invigilation duty, it was found that my IQ was 133. Today, as of February 2026, Gemini AI and Claude AI, after asking me a few questions, strongly believe that my IQ has probably increased to 138 over the past year. Claude AI especially believes that the IQ will further increase if I start practicing Maths on an intensive scale. I have therefore started learning Maths, especially Calculus and Linear Equations (or Advanced Algebra), to work in the field of Data Analytics and Data Science, which is my passion and dream future occupation if ever teaching becomes automated.

My colleagues started coming in while I was correcting the Mock Exam ICSE papers. I had to keep doing so because of the hectic schedule at PGCITE and MTS colleges, as well as the daily observations at Podar that I used to do. By the end of February 2025, even most students at Podar, especially the IBDP and MYP students, were well aware that I had been an ICSE teacher for the past 20 years.

At last, we had a chance to look at our worksheets, so I stashed my papers back in my file, started reading, memorized the contents, and then stared at everyone else trying to read the text.

We then started reading and memorizing the text using the DART Strategy, or the Directed Activities Related To Text Strategy. I had never heard of this strategy before and found it very useful for learning data in a verbal form. The worksheet itself covered the various Cambridge Learner and Teacher attributes, and we were tasked with learning the Cambridge Teacher attributes. Here is an academic explanation prepared by me, Fiza Pathan, about the DART Strategy, with Rekha ma’am as the initial resource person –

The DART (Directed Activities Related to Text) strategy is a versatile tool in both the IB (International Baccalaureate) and IGCSE curricula, particularly in subjects that require deep analysis of source materials, such as English, History, and the Sciences. DARTs move students beyond superficial reading or simple note-taking, demanding genuine engagement and processing of information. By encouraging students to interact critically with texts, this strategy helps develop strong ‘Approaches to Learning’ (ATL) skills, making it a powerful alternative to traditional comprehension questions.

DART activities are generally divided into two main categories – ‘reconstruction’ and ‘analysis’ – both of which promote critical thinking and reading comprehension. These activities can be applied to a wide range of texts, including written passages, diagrams, graphs, and images, making them adaptable across various subjects. The flexibility of DARTs allows them to be used with individuals, pairs, or small groups, fostering a collaborative, student-centered learning environment in which the teacher serves as a facilitator.

Reconstruction DARTs involve using a modified text in which the teacher has deliberately altered the original material. Students must use their understanding of the text’s content and structure to restore it to its original form. Common activities include text completion (filling in missing words, phrases, or sentences, also known as a cloze procedure), sequencing jumbled paragraphs or sentences into a logical order, and completing tables or diagrams with missing information. This process encourages students to pay close attention to the logical flow, terminology, and the structure of different text types (e.g., a narrative vs. a scientific process). I used this a lot in my IB Diploma (IBDP) History and English lessons at Podar IB.

Analysis DARTs use the original, unmodified text and require students to identify, categorize, or represent information in a new format. These activities help learners develop analytical skills by asking them to select specific details from the text. Examples include underlining or highlighting key terms or arguments in different colors, constructing diagrams (such as flowcharts, concept maps, or Venn diagrams) based on the text, and creating their own questions about the content. By transforming written information into a graphic organizer or a new format, students demonstrate a deeper understanding of the relationships between ideas rather than simply copying verbatim. This is what we did to learn the Cambridge Teacher Attributes in the worksheet given to us by Rekha ma’am.

The DART strategy is highly effective within the rigorous frameworks of the IB and IGCSE programs because it directly addresses core learning objectives. Research shows that interacting with texts this way significantly improves reading comprehension, vocabulary mastery, and cognitive development. By actively engaging with material, students become more critical readers, asking questions about the writer’s choices and the validity of the information presented. Furthermore, the collaborative nature of many DART activities promotes valuable discussion and exploratory talk, essential communication skills required for success in international qualifications.

Here are two of my own examples from IBDP History, specifically from the topic or Chapter – ‘The Weimar Republic’ – to demonstrate the same before we go on to the actual Cambridge Learners and Teachers Attributes:

DART Strategies for the IBDP Weimar Republic Chapter

Reconstruction Activity: Text Completion (Cloze Procedure)

This DART activity focuses on students’ understanding of the immediate impact and harsh terms of the Treaty of Versailles, a pivotal event that undermined the Weimar government from its inception.

Instructions for Students:

Read the passage below about the Treaty of Versailles. Use your knowledge of post-WWI Germany to fill in the missing key terms. Work with a partner to discuss your choices and justify why each word fits best.

(Student Passage – modified text):

The Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919. Many Germans regarded it as a “diktat,” or an imposed peace. The treaty assigned full (1) __________ for starting World War I to Germany. Germany was forced to pay enormous (2) __________, initially estimated at around 132 billion gold marks. Germany also lost a significant amount of (3) __________, including Alsace-Lorraine to France and important land to the new state of Poland.

Militarily, Germany was severely restricted; its army was limited to only (4) __________ troops, and it was forbidden from having an air force or submarines. The (5) __________ was also demilitarized. These harsh terms led to widespread humiliation and anger, which extremist parties would later exploit to gain support.

(Teacher’s Note: Suitable deleted words might include ‘war guilt’, ‘reparations’, ‘territory’, ‘100,000’, and ‘Rhineland’.)

Analysis Activity: Tabular Representation (Cause and Effect Mapping)

The DART analysis requires students to read a source text (e.g., a primary source on the Ruhr Crisis or a secondary source snippet on hyperinflation) and extract relevant information to build a cause-and-effect table.

Instructions for Students:

Using the provided source text titled “The Impact of the Ruhr Crisis and Hyperinflation”, work in a pair to extract the key information and organise it into the cause-and-effect table below. Some events may be both causes and effects, so be prepared to explain your choices.

Cause (What happened?)	Effect (What was the consequence?)
French and Belgian troops occupied the Ruhr region in 1923 because Germany failed to make reparations	The German government ordered “passive resistance,” meaning workers went on strike.
Workers on strike needed to be paid by the government.	The Weimar government printed more and more money to pay the workers.
Printing excessive amounts of paper money.	The value of the German mark collapsed, leading to hyperinflation.
Life savings became worthless overnight.	(Student completes this cell based on the source)
The government introduced the new Rentenmark currency and the Dawes Plan.	(Student completes this cell based on the source)

Cambridge Learner Attributes [Resource Persons Rekha ma’am and Fiza Pathan, a PGCITE Graduate]

The Cambridge learner attributes are a carefully designed framework developed by Cambridge International Examinations to define the qualities, habits, and dispositions that enable students to succeed not only in their academic qualifications but also in higher education and the complexities of the modern world of work. These attributes were introduced in recognition of research showing that, to thrive in completing Cambridge qualifications, pursuing higher education, and navigating twenty-first-century professional life, learners need to demonstrate specific learning habits beyond mere content mastery (Cambridge International Examinations, 2015).

As articulated in the Cambridge framework, these attributes reflect the organization’s commitment to developing well-rounded, capable learners who possess ‘a combination of values, attitudes, motivation, empathy, knowledge and skills’ (Cambridge International Examinations, 2015, p. 1). This comprehensive approach recognizes that education must develop the whole person rather than merely deliver academic content.

The framework presented during the PGCITE JAN 2022 professional development sessions emphasizes that these attributes are grounded in self-awareness and a clear understanding of the processes of learning and teaching, focusing on learning as an activity rather than merely on outcomes (Bajaj and Indrale, 2022). This represents a significant philosophical shift from traditional models that prioritize examination results over the development of learning capabilities.

The Cambridge learner attributes are grounded in self-awareness and an understanding of learning processes, not just outcomes. Cambridge International Examinations explicitly states that these ‘attributes are focused on learning as an activity’ (2015, p. 1), representing a sophisticated pedagogical stance that values how students learn alongside what they learn. This process orientation transforms the educational experience from a transactional exchange of information into a developmental journey of becoming.

Cambridge developed these attributes in recognition of broader educational research on the competencies required for success in contemporary society. The framework aligns with internationally recognized classifications of twenty-first-century skills, including ways of thinking (creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving, decision-making, learning to learn, metacognition), ways of working (communication, collaboration), tools for working (information literacy, ICT literacy), and skills for living in the world (citizenship, life and career skills, personal and social responsibility), as articulated by Griffin, McGaw, and Care (2012) in their comprehensive study on the assessment and teaching of twenty-first-century skills.

The Cambridge approach draws particularly on two influential educational theories. First, David Perkins’ A Dispositional Theory of Thinking (1993) provides theoretical grounding for viewing learning attributes as dispositional tendencies rather than fixed traits. Second, Guy Claxton’s Building Learning Power (2011) offers practical frameworks for systematically developing these dispositions within educational settings (Cambridge International Examinations, 2015).

The Five Core Attributes of Cambridge Learners

Cambridge International Examinations identifies five highly desirable learning habits. As presented in our PGCITE course, these attributes are interconnected and mutually reinforcing, forming a comprehensive framework for learner development (Bajaj and Indrale, 2022). Each attribute encompasses specific characteristics and practical implications for educational practice.

1. Confident: Working with Information and Ideas

Cambridge learners demonstrate confidence ‘in working with information and ideas – their own and those of others’ (Cambridge International Examinations, 2015, p. 1). This confidence manifests in several key characteristics. Cambridge learners are described as being ‘confident, secure in their knowledge, unwilling to take things for granted and ready to take intellectual risks’ (p. 1). They demonstrate keen interest in exploring and evaluating ideas and arguments in a structured, critical, and analytical way, while maintaining the ability to communicate and defend their views and opinions, and to respect those of others.

This attribute fosters intellectual courage—a quality essential to academic success and professional advancement. As emphasized by Rekha ma’am in the PGCITE sessions, confidence in this educational context differs fundamentally from arrogance or overconfidence (Bajaj and Indrale, 2022). Rather, it represents the self-assurance needed to engage meaningfully with complex ideas, challenge assumptions when appropriate, and contribute substantively to academic discourse. Students learn to balance assertiveness in presenting their perspectives with intellectual humility in considering alternative viewpoints, creating the conditions for genuine learning and growth.

2. Responsible: Taking Ownership of Learning

Responsibility is a multifaceted attribute that Cambridge learners demonstrate by being ‘responsible for themselves, responsive to and respectful of others’ (Cambridge International Examinations, 2015, p. 1). The framework explains that such learners take genuine ownership of their learning journey, set personal targets, and uphold intellectual integrity. They collaborate and support one another, recognizing that their actions create ripples that affect others and the environment. Crucially, they appreciate the importance of culture, context, and community, demonstrating accountability for their choices and behaviors (Cambridge International Examinations, 2015).

Responsibility in the Cambridge framework extends well beyond the conventional notion of completing assignments punctually. It encompasses ethical awareness, social consciousness, and recognition of one’s role within larger systems. As discussed in the PGCITE program on teachers’ responsibilities and duties, this attribute develops learners who understand their interconnectedness with others and the world around them (Bajaj and Indrale, 2022). The cultivation of responsibility fosters both personal accountability—recognizing that one’s choices have consequences—and social responsibility—recognizing one’s obligations to the broader community and environment.

3. Reflective: Developing the Ability to Learn

Cambridge learners are ‘reflective as learners, developing their ability to learn’ (Cambridge International Examinations, 2015, p. 1). The framework clarifies that ‘Cambridge learners understand themselves as learners. They are concerned with the processes as well as the products of their learning and develop the awareness and strategies to be lifelong learners (p. 1). This encompasses understanding themselves as learners with individual strengths and areas for development, maintaining concern with both the processes and products of learning, developing awareness and strategies for lifelong learning, engaging in metacognition—thinking about their thinking—and using feedback constructively to improve performance.

This attribute is fundamental to developing autonomous learners who can adapt to new situations and continue learning beyond formal education. Reflective practice, as emphasized in both the Cambridge framework and the PGCITE sessions, enables students to recognize what works for them personally, identify specific areas for improvement, and develop personalized learning strategies (Bajaj and Indrale, 2022; Cambridge International Examinations, 2015). It transforms students from passive recipients of information into active architects of their own learning, a shift that is essential for success in rapidly changing professional environments where the ability to learn independently becomes more valuable than any specific content knowledge.

4. Innovative: Equipped for New and Future Challenges

Cambridge describes innovative learners as those who are ‘innovative and equipped for new and future challenges,’ noting that ‘Cambridge learners welcome new challenges and meet them resourcefully, creatively and imaginatively’ (Cambridge International Examinations, 2015, p. 1). These learners demonstrate the capability to apply knowledge and understanding to solve new and unfamiliar problems, adapt flexibly to situations that require different ways of thinking, demonstrate resilience in the face of difficulties, and think divergently to generate original solutions.

In an era of rapid change and uncertainty, innovation is not a luxury but a necessity for personal and professional success. As discussed in our PGCITE course, this attribute prepares learners for a world where the problems they will face may not yet exist and where the ability to think creatively and adaptively is essential (Bajaj and Indrale, 2022). The Cambridge framework encourages students to move beyond memorization and formulaic approaches, treating uncertainty as an opportunity for creative problem-solving rather than a threat to be avoided.

5. Engaged: Ready to Make a Difference

The fifth attribute identifies Cambridge learners as ‘engaged intellectually and socially, ready to make a difference.’ The framework describes such learners as ‘alive with curiosity, embodying a spirit of enquiry and wanting to dig more deeply’ (Cambridge International Examinations, 2015, p. 1). They demonstrate keen interest in learning new skills and receptivity to new ideas, work effectively both independently and collaboratively, feel equipped to participate constructively in society and the economy at the local, national, and global levels, and demonstrate active citizenship and community involvement.

Engagement brings learning to life. As explored throughout the PGCITE course on ideal learners, engaged learners invest themselves intellectually and emotionally in their education rather than merely going through the motions (Bajaj and Indrale, 2022). This attribute recognizes that learning cannot be an isolated activity but must connect deeply to personal interests, social relationships, and broader societal issues. It prepares students to become active contributors to their communities and the world, fulfilling Cambridge’s vision of developing learners who participate constructively in society and the economy locally, nationally, and globally.

Interconnections and Synergies Between Attributes

In the earlier text, after explaining the DART strategy, I used a classic report or academic article style. I even cited my sources in brackets. This is the same approach I followed during my Action Research Project. It was during this period, in the second week of February 2025, that I was asked to be the English Mentor for the PGCITE January 2025 Batch. I obviously refused because I was aware that everyone around me was not very familiar with even basic ICSE and ISC-level English, let alone IB and IGCSE levels – or, for that matter, the IBDP, AS, and A Levels! With my hands already tied up with back-to-back tuitions, Church work, MTS studies, and ministry work, I hardly thought I would be able to give justice to the appointment.

Therefore, I did not opt to be the English Mentor for the PGCITE January 2025 Batch class. However, Rekha ma’am repeatedly asked me to assist the January 2025 batch students with my lecture notes and English expertise, as they lacked certain fundamentals in this area. One example is what I have invariably exemplified in the previous section – namely, the way to write or construct academic articles according to the rules of the Chicago Manual of Style or the Elements of Style by Strunk and White. To get a basic idea, I hope everyone has read the earlier section and understands what Rekha ma’am is looking for in the Action Research Project and the style in which it should be framed.

Those who are going to teach the IBDP and write their own TOK or extension essays may also take a cue from the earlier section or from my actual Action Research Project and learn the official academic style for constructing such essays or articles. Here are a few books you can refer to before we go on to how to synergize between the various Cambridge Learner Attributes.

Cambridge International Examinations emphasizes that these five attributes are interconnected, providing the example that ‘being engaged and working well with others requires learners to be responsible’ (2015, p. 2). This interconnectedness is a crucial feature of the framework, as the attributes do not operate in isolation but rather function as deeply interrelated and mutually reinforcing dimensions of learner development.

Several specific interconnections show how developing one attribute often strengthens others, creating a virtuous cycle of growth. Engagement requires confidence to participate actively in discussions and activities—a learner cannot fully engage without the confidence to contribute ideas and take intellectual risks. Innovation builds on reflection, as creative problem-solving emerges from thoughtful analysis of what has worked and what has not in previous experiences. Responsibility enhances engagement, as learners who recognize their role in collective endeavors naturally invest more deeply in shared learning activities. Confidence grows through reflective practice that identifies strengths and areas for development, creating a positive feedback loop in which reflection builds confidence, which in turn supports deeper reflection. Being innovative often requires taking calculated risks and accepting accountability for the outcomes of creative attempts.

This interconnectedness, highlighted in both the Cambridge documentation and the PGCITE training sessions, means that educational interventions targeting one attribute often yield benefits across multiple dimensions of learner development (Bajaj & Indrale, 2022; Cambridge International Examinations, 2015). Teachers need not view these as five separate goals but rather as facets of a unified vision of learner excellence.

Cambridge Teacher Attributes

The Cambridge teacher attributes provide a parallel and complementary framework to the Cambridge learner attributes, recognizing that excellent teaching involves not only delivering subject knowledge but also nurturing specific habits and dispositions in learners. Cambridge International Examinations developed these attributes to articulate what teachers should aim for in improving their professional practice, acknowledging that teachers must embody the qualities they seek to develop in their students and possess the professional knowledge and pedagogical skills necessary to create optimal learning environments (Cambridge International Examinations, 2015).

As Cambridge explicitly states, ‘The Cambridge teacher attributes reflect the fact that excellent teaching involves nurturing these habits in learners as well as teaching subject knowledge and understanding’ (2015, p. 2). This sophisticated view of teaching moves beyond simple content delivery to encompass a comprehensive understanding of the teacher’s role in developing learner capabilities. Just as the learner attributes focus on learning as an activity rather than merely on outcomes, the teacher attributes emphasize teaching as a complex, multifaceted practice that requires ongoing reflection, innovation, and engagement (Bajaj & Indrale, 2022).

The PGCITE January 2025 Batch course extensively explored these teacher attributes across multiple sessions, using various pedagogical strategies, including DART (Directed Activities Related to Text) approaches, graphic organizers, and collaborative analysis to help aspiring teachers understand and internalize these professional standards (Bajaj & Indrale, 2022).

The Five Core Teacher Attributes

Cambridge International Examinations identifies five attributes that mirror those of learners and articulate the specific professional capacities teachers require. These attributes are grounded in the understanding that teachers cannot effectively develop qualities in students that they do not embody themselves. The framework emphasizes that these attributes, like those for learners, are based on self-awareness and an understanding of the processes of learning and teaching, not just the outcomes (Cambridge International Examinations, 2015, p. 1).

1. Confident in Teaching Subject and Engaging Students

Cambridge teachers demonstrate confidence in teaching their subject and engaging each student in learning. The framework explains that ‘Cambridge teachers know their subject well and know how to teach it. They seek to understand their students and their educational needs. They strive to communicate a love of learning and to encourage students to engage actively in their own learning’ (Cambridge International Examinations, 2015, p. 1).

Teacher confidence rests on a dual foundation of subject expertise and pedagogical skill. As emphasized in the PGCITE sessions on Cambridge teacher attributes, confidence is not about having all the answers but about having the knowledge and flexibility to guide students through complex material effectively (Bajaj & Indrale, 2022). Confident teachers possess a deep understanding of their discipline, including core content knowledge; how concepts interconnect; common student misconceptions and how to address them; disciplinary ways of thinking; current developments and debates; and connections to other disciplines and real-world applications.

Equally crucial is pedagogical expertise—understanding diverse learning styles and needs, employing varied instructional strategies, creating appropriate scaffolds, asking questions that promote deeper thinking, and providing feedback that advances learning. This confidence manifests in building relationships with students to understand their backgrounds and needs; differentiating instruction; creating psychologically safe environments where students feel comfortable taking intellectual risks; communicating high expectations while providing necessary support; and modeling enthusiasm and curiosity about the subject (Cambridge International Examinations, 2015).

2. Responsible for Themselves, Responsive to Others

Cambridge characterizes responsible teachers as those who are ‘responsible for themselves, responsive to and respectful of others.’ The framework states that ‘Cambridge teachers are highly professional in their approach to teaching, and they are collaborative and supportive. They understand their actions will help shape future generations, and they are concerned about the holistic development of every individual they teach’ (Cambridge International Examinations, 2015, p. 1).

Responsibility in teaching operates across multiple dimensions simultaneously. Professional responsibility encompasses maintaining high standards of conduct and ethics, arriving prepared with clear objectives, managing time effectively, keeping accurate records, pursuing continuing professional development, and adhering to policies and regulations. Responsibility to students involves creating equitable learning opportunities; identifying and supporting students with particular needs; maintaining appropriate boundaries while building positive relationships; protecting students’ welfare and dignity; being fair and consistent; and advocating for students when necessary (Bajaj & Indrale, 2022).

Collaborative responsibility includes working effectively with colleagues, sharing resources and insights, participating constructively in planning and decision-making, supporting and mentoring colleagues, and contributing to whole-school initiatives. Social responsibility recognizes teaching as a profession that shapes society, develops in students the values and skills for responsible citizenship, considers the social and ethical implications of curriculum content, models expected behaviors and attitudes, and understands education’s role in promoting equity and social justice. Cambridge emphasizes that responsible teachers remain ‘concerned about the holistic development of every individual they teach,’ looking beyond academic achievement to students’ social, emotional, and ethical development (Cambridge International Examinations, 2015, p. 1).

3. Reflective as Learners Themselves, Developing Practice

Cambridge describes reflective teachers as ‘reflective as learners themselves, developing their practice,’ noting that ‘Cambridge teachers are themselves learners, seeking to build on and develop their knowledge and skills through a virtuous circle of reflection on practice, involving research, evaluation and adaptation. They support students to become independent and reflective learners (Cambridge International Examinations, 2015, p. 1).

Reflective practice is arguably the most crucial attribute for teacher growth and effectiveness, as emphasized throughout the PGCITE programme sessions on Cambridge teacher attributes (Bajaj & Indrale, 2022). It transforms teaching from routine delivery into thoughtful, adaptive practice. The reflective cycle includes thoughtful planning that considers objectives and potential challenges, mindful implementation while remaining alert to student responses, careful observation of what is working and what is not, analytical reflection on why things happened as they did and what might be done differently, and systematic adaptation of plans and approaches based on insights gained (Cambridge International Examinations, 2015).

Reflection occurs at multiple levels. Reflection-in-action involves real-time adjustments during teaching, informed by reading the room and student responses, and requires keen observation, flexibility, quick decision-making, and a pedagogical repertoire. Reflection-on-action involves post-lesson analysis of what worked well and why, what did not work and possible reasons, what students learned with supporting evidence, what might be done differently next time, and patterns across multiple lessons. Reflection-for-action represents forward-looking thinking and planning for improvement by building on successful approaches, addressing identified weaknesses, differentiating for struggling students, and employing methods to challenge students ready for more advanced work.

4. Innovative and Equipped for New and Future Challenges

Cambridge identifies innovative teachers as those who are ‘innovative and equipped for new and future challenges,’ describing them as ‘creative, experimenting with new ideas and pursuing an enquiring approach in their teaching. They are open to new challenges and are resourceful, imaginative, and flexible. They are always ready to learn and apply new skills and techniques (Cambridge International Examinations, 2015, p. 1).

Innovation in teaching, as explored in the PGCITE sessions, is not about chasing every new trend or technology but about maintaining a creative, problem-solving orientation to the challenges of helping all students learn (Bajaj & Indrale, 2022). Creative pedagogy involves designing engaging learning experiences; finding novel ways to make difficult concepts accessible; adapting approaches to fit specific student needs; integrating technology purposefully when it enhances learning; creating authentic, real-world connections to curriculum content; and using storytelling, metaphor, and analogy effectively.

An inquiry stance toward teaching means approaching practice with curiosity and a research mindset, asking ‘What if?’ and ‘Why not?’ about established practices, testing assumptions about what works, being open to learning from failures, seeking out new ideas and approaches, and adapting innovations from other disciplines or contexts. Resourcefulness means making do with limited resources when necessary, finding creative solutions to practical constraints, leveraging community resources and expertise, using student interests and experiences as teaching resources, and adapting materials for diverse contexts. Embracing change requires responding positively to curriculum changes, adapting teaching to evolving student needs and contexts, incorporating new technologies as they become available, remaining open to feedback and suggestions, and learning from younger colleagues who bring fresh perspectives.

5. Engaged Intellectually, Professionally, and Socially

Cambridge describes engaged teachers as ‘engaged intellectually, professionally and socially, ready to make a difference,’ noting that ‘Cambridge teachers are passionate about learning within and beyond the classroom, sharing their knowledge and skills with teachers in the wider educational community’ (Cambridge International Examinations, 2015, p. 1).

Engaged teachers bring energy, enthusiasm, and commitment that transform both their own practice and their broader educational communities. Intellectual engagement involves maintaining active curiosity about their subject and about education generally; reading widely in their discipline and in pedagogy; engaging with current educational debates; pursuing personal intellectual interests that enrich teaching; modeling lifelong learning; and connecting the curriculum to contemporary issues.

Professional engagement includes actively participating in professional learning communities; contributing to departmental and whole-school planning; taking leadership roles in areas of expertise; mentoring colleagues, especially early-career teachers; presenting at conferences or writing for professional publications; engaging in action research or collaborative inquiry; and participating in professional associations and networks. Community engagement includes building partnerships with parents and families, connecting with local community resources and expertise, organizing or supporting co-curricular activities, facilitating service-learning or community-engagement projects, building relationships across the school community, and contributing to school culture and ethos (Bajaj & Indrale, 2022; Cambridge International Examinations, 2015).

Relationship Between Teacher and Learner Attributes

The teacher attributes are explicitly designed to mirror and support the learner attributes, reflecting Cambridge’s understanding that teachers cannot effectively develop qualities in students they do not embody themselves. As the PGCITE course I completed in January 2025 emphasized, there is a direct and essential connection between teacher and learner development across the five attributes—confident, responsible, reflective, innovative, and engaged (Bajaj & Indrale, 2022).

Teachers who are confident in their subject matter and pedagogical approach model intellectual confidence and create classroom environments where students can develop confidence in working with information and ideas. Teachers who demonstrate professional responsibility and establish appropriate structures foster student responsibility and accountability. Teachers who engage in reflective practice model this crucial habit and explicitly teach students reflective skills, helping them become independent, reflective learners. Teachers who innovate in their teaching create classrooms where student innovation is valued, encouraged, and systematically developed. Teacher engagement with their subject and the teaching profession directly inspires and cultivates student engagement with learning (Cambridge International Examinations, 2015).

This reciprocal relationship creates what Cambridge describes as a virtuous circle, in which teacher development directly enables learner development, which in turn can reinvigorate and inspire teachers. The framework acknowledges that excellent teaching involves ‘nurturing these habits in learners as well as teaching subject knowledge and understanding’ (Cambridge International Examinations, 2015, p. 2), making clear that teacher attributes are not merely aspirational but functionally necessary for developing the corresponding learner attributes.

How Teachers Develop These Attributes

Cambridge International Examinations notes that teacher attribute development requires systematic effort and supportive structures. Teachers can develop these attributes through several interconnected mechanisms. First, engaging in activities and practices that support reflective practice, such as keeping teaching journals, participating in lesson study, conducting action research, video recording and analyzing lessons, and seeking and responding to feedback. Second, exploring these attributes in the context of real teaching within specific subjects, with opportunities to demonstrate and develop them in subject teaching, and connecting theory to practice meaningfully.

Third, pursuing professional learning through Cambridge professional development qualifications, engaging with educational research and theory, learning from expert practitioners, collaborating with colleagues, and pursuing formal qualifications and certifications and fourth, maintaining broad and balanced engagement that extends beyond formal classroom instruction to include co-curricular activities, participating in whole-school initiatives, contributing to professional communities, and connecting with the broader educational world. Fifth, working within supportive school cultures that value and support these attributes, provide time and resources for professional learning, offer constructive feedback and mentoring, foster collaborative professional communities, and feature leadership that models and promotes these attributes (Cambridge International Examinations, 2015).

PGCITE January (2025). Batch Group Activities During this Time Period, while studying the Cambridge Teachers and Learner Attributes.

‘The whole educational and professional training system is a very elaborate filter, which just weeds out people who are too independent, and who think for themselves, and who do not know how to be submissive, and so on — because they are dysfunctional to the institutions.’

― Noam Chomsky

(American professor and public intellectual known for his work in linguistics, political activism, and social criticism)

‘The professional has learned that success, like happiness, comes as a by-product of work. The professional concentrates on the work and allows rewards to come or not come, whatever they like.’

― Steven Pressfield

(From his book ‘The War of Art’)

‘A professional does his best work when he feels the least like working.’

― Frank Lloyd Wright

(One of the world’s most prominent and influential architects)

This period covered the latter part of February 2025 through March 2025. During this period, I, Fiza Pathan, took my internship and observations at Podar IB very seriously, following Rekha ma’am’s strict instructions, and arrived at the school sharp at 8:00 am every day. I observed classes from the MYP and PYP through to the AS and A Levels, the IGCSE, and the IBDP. I focused primarily on MYP and IBDP classes during this period. My ‘adda’ or special classes, where I used to ‘hang out’ most of the time, were 6E, 6D, 7A, 7D, IBDP-1, and IBDP-2 English HL and SL classes with the awesomesauce Ankana ma’am, who rocks big time! I was practically living in these excellent, very friendly ‘feel-at-home’ classes, attending more than 7 over the course of my intensive internship.

Later, by March 2025, along with the above ‘addas,’ my other PYP ‘feel at home classes’ would be 3C, 3B, 1A, and 1B. Not to mention the MI classroom of Bhavesh Sir, who realized that I was a musician and was trying to see how students learn music in an IB and IGCSE setting, and so was very gracious in allowing me free admittance to his awesome MI keyboard classroom and in assisting the PYP students in their keyboard classes there, which I did in plenty. Let me remind you that I can play the Yamaha, Casio, and piano, and I am proficient in guitar (all types) and well-versed in drums. However, because of a serious bout of pneumonia in 2024, I have been advised by my respiratory surgeons to avoid playing any percussion, aerophone, or woodwind instruments until my lung condition improves. I contracted both Swine Flu and Chikungunya back-to-back at Podar IB between September and October 2025, and my lung condition worsened, so now I have been asked to extend the waiting period before I can play a heavy-duty percussion or aerophone instrument.

Bhavesh Sir knew all about this and my struggle as a musician, and he empathized deeply, like a true brother in arms (you seriously don’t know how horrible it feels for a serious musician not to be able to play their favorite instruments!). He just allowed me free access to his MI classroom and to assist with his PYP classes, especially for the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th graders. I had many great experiences and enjoyed those classes. Bhavesh Sir and I, along with the students, used to really ‘jam’ a lot from March through September 2025.

During this time, I started helping out and doing my internship at the MYP library under the direction of the MYP librarian, Divya Mulchandani ma’am, whom I consider the most awesome librarian in this city, period, and whose innovative ideas to encourage children to read and love reading should be taken seriously and implemented to improve grades, especially at the IBDP and AS & A Level. I had some excellent times there and would enter the school by 8:00 am and leave at 5:00 pm, after which I would return home to take my own tuition for the ICSE and the ISC, which is my specialty for 20 years.

During our PGCITE classroom periods, we conducted several activities that significantly helped me understand the Cambridge and IB curricula. As I have shared on this website before, we created a chart focusing on Ideal Learners and Ideal Teachers. I was placed with Gurpreet and Ananya, and, using clay from my teacher’s kit suitcase, we had to create an innovative chart that represented these attributes.

Additionally, Rekha ma’am, after we were done, integrated the teaching of the Expert-Envoy strategy into that fun chart-making process, which I shall now explain in the next section of this website teaching portfolio.

Chart Making with Clay or Dough

‘Do not be yourself, be a pizza. Everyone loves pizza.’

― PewDiePie

(Swedish producer of Let’s Play videos on YouTube/From his book ‘This Book Loves You’)

‘That is because pizza is a precious natural resource. It can alleviate fatigue, low mood, declining morale, and a fading will to live. Pizza realigns the heart chakras.’

― Sally Thorne

(From her internationally bestselling novel and TikTok sensation ‘99 Percent Mine’)

Our instructions were to create a chart using clay or dough, either from our teacher or from teaching kits in the groups we were divided into, focusing on the topic of Ideal Learners and Teachers, which we had been taught in class over two months. I had a suitcase full of clay, probably enough for the whole of Podar IB, so Gurpreet, Anaya, and I decided to go full-scale and make a chart that would be colorful yet pedagogically rich. So I suggested using a pizza and its toppings to represent the qualities of a teacher and a learner that we had studied over the course of two months. The group was on board, and we immediately started creating the chart, with me cracking Jim Carrey jokes on the side to keep up morale. Rekha ma’am, on Sana’s instructions in another group, played some background music (patriotic, of course!), and we all went on with our allotted tasks.

Rekha ma’am was very impressed with our idea because it was neat, logically framed, well-spaced, and organized, yet colorful. She took quite a few photographs of us making the chart, as well as of the others, which gave me a break for once, because otherwise I am the official photographer and videographer for the PGCITE January 2025 classes.

Our Group, or the ‘Pizza Group,’ was the first to finish our task on time. We had the clay in my kit, while the others were ordered by the meticulous and firm Rekha ma’am to go downstairs to Scholar’s Bookstore to buy their dough or clay because they had failed or forgotten to bring it to the PGCITE class. By the time most of them had decided what to construct in the form of a chart using their newly bought clay or dough (Scholar’s had mostly dough that month!), Gurpreet, Anaya and I were already done with our colorful and uniquely delicious chart, with Gurpreet doing the masterstroke of signing our names as chefs – Gurpreet, Anaya, Fiza and Samira. Samira came later, after the chart was done, because she had a School Exam Invigilation. Another reason I only took up those invigilations that would not interfere with my PGCITE college classes with Rekha ma’am. On PGCITE class days, I only took up Board Invigilations after 12:00 pm so that I did not miss any PGCITE classes or lectures by Rekha ma’am.

But luckily, as you can see in the later photographs, Samira was part of the group during the Expert-Envoy Strategy, where she and I were the Envoys sent to the other groups to inspect their charts, hear their explanations, give our feedback, and ask questions about the pedagogical significance of their various charts. Gurpreet, Ananya, and I would then take turns, as the experts in our group, to explain our Pizza Chart.

The following explains the Expert-Envoy Strategy.

Expert-Envoy Strategy: (Resource Persons Rekha ma’am and Fiza Pathan, PGCITE Graduate)

The Expert-Envoy strategy is a cooperative learning technique that transforms students from passive listeners into active participants. In this model, the class is divided into small ‘home’ groups, each tasked with mastering a specific segment of a larger topic. Once these groups develop their expertise, one member is designated as the Envoy. This student travels to other groups to share findings and gather new information, while the remaining ‘Experts’ stay behind to present their work to visiting Envoys. This rotation ensures that every student is responsible for both teaching and learning, fostering a deep sense of individual and group accountability.

For the IB curriculum, this strategy directly supports the ‘Approaches to Teaching and Learning’ (ATL) skills, specifically in communication and social interaction. It aligns with the IB’s goal of developing internationally-minded individuals who can articulate complex ideas to diverse audiences. In the IGCSE context, where the development of practical and analytical skills is paramount, the Expert-Envoy method encourages students to synthesize information and think critically before presenting it to their peers. It is especially effective for subjects like Global Perspectives or English, where evaluating different viewpoints is a core requirement. Both are my subjects.

The implementation of the Expert-Envoy strategy yields significant pedagogical benefits that extend far beyond simple content memorization. By breaking the monotony of traditional teacher-led instruction, this method ensures active engagement, keeping students consistently engrossed in the learning process. As they navigate their roles, Envoys must refine their communication skills, practicing clear verbal articulation and active listening to successfully transfer complex knowledge between groups. This transition from learner to educator naturally builds confidence as students recognize the tangible value of their personal contributions to the class’s collective understanding.

Furthermore, this collaborative exchange fosters deeper cognitive processing and stronger knowledge retention. When students are tasked with teaching concepts to their peers, they are forced to synthesize information and address potential misconceptions in real time, which reinforces their own mastery of the subject matter. This peer-to-peer accountability not only leads to higher academic achievement but also nurtures the essential ‘soft skills’—such as empathy, patience, and leadership—that are vital for success in the rigorous IB and IGCSE programs.

I had seen this technique used earlier in the Podar IB classrooms, where I had observed many classes during those months in early 2025, so I was familiar with the method when Rekha ma’am taught it to us. In fact, thanks to my regular IBDP-1 and IBDP-2 English classes with awesome Ankana ma’am, I even learned the Gallery Walk or Gallery Method of teaching at the IB and IGCSE levels, especially for subjects at the IBDP, AS & A Level. Ankana ma’am, an expert, would always conduct amazing Gallery Walk sessions weekly or biweekly with her IBDP-1 and IBDP-2 classes at both the HL and SL levels. It was a pleasure and an honor to learn this technique from Ankana ma’am, the English senior teacher for the IBDP sections at Podar International School, Santacruz.

Gallery Walk or Gallery Method (Resource Persons: Ankana ma’am and Fiza Pathan, PGCITE Graduate)

The Gallery Walk is a dynamic, kinesthetic teaching strategy that transforms the classroom into an interactive museum of ideas. In this method, students rotate among stations—or ‘exhibits’—dispersed around the room, which may include primary-source documents, complex problem sets, or the creative work of their peers. Unlike traditional lectures, this approach encourages students to engage physically with the content, discussing, debating, and synthesizing information in real time. By requiring students to leave written feedback or respond to prompts at each station, the Gallery Walk makes learning visible, allowing both the educator and learners to track the evolution of their collective understanding.

Within the International Baccalaureate (IB) and IGCSE curricula, the Gallery Walk is an effective way to develop higher-order thinking skills. It aligns seamlessly with the IB Learner Profile, particularly by fostering reflective, open-minded thinkers who can evaluate multiple perspectives. For IGCSE subjects such as History or Global Perspectives, this method allows students to analyze diverse evidence sets before forming their own arguments, thereby directly mirroring the analytical requirements of their final assessments. Furthermore, it promotes student agency by giving learners autonomy to explore content at their own pace, while structured peer review cultivates the collaborative skills necessary for success in group projects and internal assessments.

The pedagogical benefits of the Gallery Walk extend to social-emotional and inclusive education. By moving in small groups, introverted students or English Language Learners often feel more comfortable sharing insights in a low-stakes environment than in whole-class discussions. This strategy also supports kinesthetic and visual learners who thrive when learning is tied to movement and visual stimuli. Ultimately, the Gallery Walk builds a strong learning community where every voice is valued, and the responsibility for knowledge construction is shared equally among all participants, preparing them for the rigors of higher education and beyond.

The Gallery Walk in the TOK Exhibition

In the Theory of Knowledge (TOK) Exhibition, students are challenged to show how abstract TOK concepts manifest in the real world by selecting three specific objects and linking them to a high-level prompt. The Gallery Walk serves as the formal ‘live’ stage of this process, where students display their objects and written commentaries to an audience of peers, teachers, and, sometimes, parents. This physical arrangement transforms the individual task into a communal intellectual event, allowing students to stand as ‘curators’ of their own knowledge. By moving from one exhibit to the next, viewers can see the diverse ways a single prompt—such as ‘What counts as knowledge?’—can be interpreted through vastly different lenses, from a scientific model to a piece of ancestral jewellery.

Beyond the final presentation, the Gallery Walk is an invaluable formative feedback tool during the TOK Exhibition’s drafting phase. By setting up a ‘mock gallery’, students can review each other’s initial object selections and argumentative claims before the final submission. Peers can use sticky notes or digital feedback tools to ask ‘probing questions’, such as how a specific object directly supports the chosen prompt or whether the link to a real-world context is sufficiently clear. This social interaction reduces the stress and isolation often associated with high-stakes IB assessments. Ultimately, the Gallery Walk ensures that the TOK Exhibition is not just a 950-word document but a vibrant, lived experience that celebrates the diversity of thought within the IB classroom.

I not only attended the IBDP TOK Exhibition in 2025 while pursuing my PGCITE course but also researched and wrote my own TOK essay and thesis on the topic:‘The Ontology of the Soul in Dracula: Materialism vs. Spiritualism in Victorian Gothic Fiction.’ I did this as part of my internship and training to become a well-qualified, experienced TOK (Theory of Knowledge) teacher for the IBDP section. I was initially guided by Rajnigandha ma’am, a TOK teacher and expert at Podar IB, after which I took up the research on my own as instructed. I completed this research essay on English Literature, with a mix of Theology, both of which are my subjects at the postgraduate level. I hope to further my education this year by not only finishing my MTS in Catholic Theology but also pursuing another MA in History, and, if possible, starting my Th.D. in Catholic Theology to specialize as a practicing Catholic Biblical Theologian and Biblical Scholar. I hope to pursue an online MBA in Data Analytics from a reputable institution in Mumbai, India, thanks to the new rules under the NEP 2020. I have an insatiable hunger for knowledge and for imparting it to my students, children, and adults alike.

During a TOK Gallery Walk, the student transitions from a writer to a curator and public speaker. Each participant sets up a dedicated space—often a physical board or a digital screen, as you can see in my AI-generated images with my prompt engineering—displaying their three chosen objects alongside their 950-word commentary. This setup requires students to consider visual hierarchy and how to draw the viewer’s eye to the most critical ‘knowledge claims.’ As peers and teachers circulate, the student-curator must provide concise oral summaries that link their specific real-world objects to the abstract IA Prompt. This interaction is crucial; it forces students to justify why an object belongs in the exhibition, sharpening their ability to think on their feet and respond to challenging ‘What if?’ questions from the audience.

The true magic of the Gallery Walk lies in the intellectual cross-pollination that occurs as students move through the room. Because each student selects a different IA Prompt from the 35 provided by the IB, the gallery becomes a microcosm of the entire TOK syllabus. A student might move from a station exploring ‘Bias in History’ to one discussing ‘Certainty in Mathematics.’ This experience helps learners see the interconnectedness of the Areas of Knowledge and encourages them to compare how different cultural, historical, or personal contexts shape what we accept as ‘truth.’ By the end of the session, the classroom transforms from a collection of individual projects into a collaborative community of inquiry, where the focus is on the shared journey of understanding how we know what we know.

My TOK thesis or essay, in particular, perfectly bridges the gap between Literature (as an Area of Knowledge) and the Human Sciences, with a strong dose of Philosophy and Theology at its core. What makes the title unique is the use of the word Ontology. In a TOK context, remember that I am not just looking at the plot of Dracula; in fact, I am questioning the nature of ‘being’ itself. By pitting Victorian Materialism (science, blood transfusions, phonographs, and the ‘modern’ world) against Spiritualism (faith, the supernatural, and ancient rituals), I am essentially framing a TOK debate about different Knowledge Frameworks.

It highlights a classic TOK tension—how do we produce knowledge when two different systems of belief contradict each other? In Stoker’s novel, Van Helsing serves as the ultimate ‘TOK practitioner’—he realizes that scientific materialism alone cannot explain or defeat the Count, so he must incorporate ‘older’ ways of knowing to succeed. The primary source is Bram Stoker’s novel ‘Dracula,’ but the main premise focuses on the book ‘As a Man Thinketh’ by James Allen.

Connecting Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’ to James Allen’s ‘As a Man Thinketh’ shifts the discussion from purely literary analysis to the realm of Self-Knowledge and the Philosophy of Mind. This connection allows you to explore the ‘Ontology of the Soul’ through a very specific TOK lens—the power of thought as a creative (or destructive) force. From a TOK perspective, this connection touches on the Ethics of knowledge. In ‘Dracula’, characters like Renfield or even Lucy could be viewed through Allen’s lens—did their thoughts ‘attract’ their demise? This creates a provocative (and perhaps controversial) TOK discussion about causality. It asks the question: To what extent is our knowledge of ‘evil’ something we discover versus something we cultivate within our own minds?

But more on that later, when I upload my TOK thesis and essay on the same subject, with analyses from a human peer and an AI peer, and from a human peer at a foreign university or two.

VUCA

V – Volatile

U – Uncertain

C – Complex

A – Ambiguous/Ambiguity

During this period, we were taught the concept of VUCA, whose full form I have already mentioned above. We were urged to understand that the world was indeed complex and volatile, with uncertain futures not only for students but also for teachers globally. We needed to be ready to adapt to new teaching and learning environments and to learn new things, strategies, and concepts. We also needed to be innovative and adopt new practices to make our students interested in their subjects. Rekha ma’am gave us the example of online teaching during the COVID pandemic, when many non-tech-savvy teachers struggled to keep up with the new format and either became frustrated or burned out easily. Some survived the ordeal, but in the eyes of their students, who did not fare well in their subjects because the teachers were unfamiliar with modern technology, such teachers fell into disfavor. Post-pandemic, it became evident that being tech-savvy was no longer optional; it was the determining factor between teachers who were selected at interviews and those who weren’t.

To be innovative in a complex and uncertain world, an International Board teacher must be innovative, curious, and a risk-taker. We were encouraged to pursue further postgraduate courses after our PGCITE course, whether or not we gained employment this year, 2026. Even when most of my PGCITE colleagues were deterred from coming to Podar in Santacruz between June and October because of the incessant rains, Rekha ma’am advocated that they become adept at using Zoom or Google Classroom to help my colleagues become comfortable with online teaching, something they had avoided for the past 20 to 30 years.

We were asked to participate in many Cambridge Workshops conducted throughout the year and to take as many certificate and diploma courses as we could manage. Taking her advice seriously, I have already started learning ML (Machine Learning) and other AI certificate courses from various Indian universities, and I am hoping to finish another MA in History by the end of this year, along with my MTS (Master of Theological Studies), which will end at the end of this same year.

Drum-Session with the MI or Music Masters of Podar IB

‘People haven’t always been there for me but music always has.’

― Taylor Swift

‘If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician. I often think in music. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music.’

― Albert Einstein

(German-born American theoretical physicist)

During this time, I was doing my MYP Library internship at Podar IB, back-to-back IGCSE, AS & A Level board invigilations, conducting non-stop observations, and attending all my PGCITE classes with Rekha ma’am. We had a ‘drum session’ with all the music masters of Podar.

It was a surprise session, and none of us knew we would be trained to play the drums by the three awesome MI Masters at Podar IB. At that time, no one in my PGCITE class knew I was a musician, and I had not told anyone about my lung issue, which prevented me from playing any percussion or woodwind instruments for a few years until my lungs started healing after my 2022 bout with pneumonia. So when we were taken to the Drumming Room, I decided to be the videographer and camerawoman rather than risk playing the drums. All the photographs you can see here were taken by me of all of us, PGCITE January Batch 2025 students, having a lot of fun with the MI Masters. My colleagues took turns playing 3 songs with the Masters, and I thoroughly enjoyed being the camerawoman and videographer. I will refrain from uploading the videos to my website teaching portfolio because an MYP student who was helping us did not wish to have her photographs made public. I am seen, however, in the last group photograph after a fun day of videography and listening to my colleagues play the drums.

Conclusion to what we were doing during this time

We therefore had a lot of fun during this period and even started getting the hang of the school during our internship. Of course, I knew the school by heart by this time, which even surprised Rekha ma’am. But that is just the way I am. I know how to make myself at home anywhere, without any attachments. It is a perk of being a Catholic Religious or Lay Nun.

We would then cover some more topics before Rekha ma’am instructed us to start working on our teaching portfolios. I started immediately, and the website you are reading this on today is the culmination of that order. It was a challenging task to build this website teaching portfolio, but after working as an indie writer and publisher since 2012, believe me, this is nothing compared to the struggles I went through then. The decade between 2010 and 2020 built my writing career to its heights, increased my teaching expertise and revenue at an unstoppable pace, but it was a time of long nights struggling with editing issues in my book, Amazon glitches, social issue setbacks, distributor miscalculations, online distributor hassles, research with professionals late into the night, illustrator hassles, early website and blog learning struggles – and much more. It all, however, made me a really patient and tenacious person with the perseverance of a Russian horse belonging to Stalin (if you were an IBDP History teacher, you would know what I mean!). That prepared me for greater battles in the next decade, and this website teaching portfolio for PGCITE was just one of them, though not much of a hassle.

We shall now enter the March and April 2025 phase, when I was fully devoted to the MYP library, helping the librarian practically all the time, even on weekends, still continuously without a pause, doing invigilations for Board IGCSE, AS, and A Level, and then finally presenting the beginnings of my website teaching portfolio to my January 2025 PGCITE batchmates.

Carol Ann Tomlinson and Her Ebb and Flow Strategy

Carol Ann Tomlinson is a prominent education researcher and author known for popularizing Differentiated Instruction (DI), a framework that emphasizes tailoring instruction to meet students’ individual needs. She is a Professor Emeritus at the University of Virginia’s School of Education and Human Development. Rekha ma’am introduced her topic just before she showed us several graphic organizers to aid us not only in our teaching strategies but also in our own study for our content exams.

The ‘Ebb and Flow’ metaphor in Tomlinson’s work captures the dynamic rhythm of a differentiated classroom. It describes the continuous movement between whole-class instruction and individual or small-group work. Rather than being static, a differentiated classroom moves like a tide; it ‘flows’ when the teacher brings the entire group together for shared experiences, such as introducing a core concept or building a sense of community, and it ‘ebbs’ when students move into specialized, small-group or individual tasks tailored to their needs.

In the context of the IB (International Baccalaureate), this strategy is particularly effective for managing inquiry-led learning. During the ‘flow’ phase, a teacher might present a provocative central idea or a global context to the whole class to spark curiosity. The ‘ebb’ then allows students to dive into their own personalized investigations, exploring case studies or research questions aligned with their passions while still meeting the IB’s rigorous assessment criteria. This ensures that, while the inquiry is student-led, it remains anchored in the unit’s collective learning goals.

For the IGCSE framework, which is often more syllabus-heavy and exam-focused, the ‘Ebb and Flow’ model provides a vital balance between content coverage and individual mastery. A teacher might use the ‘flow’ to deliver direct instruction on essential syllabus components or exam techniques that everyone must know. The ‘ebb’ then follows, a period of targeted practice during which students work on tiered assignments. For instance, some students might focus on foundational ‘core’ syllabus questions to build confidence, while others tackle ‘extended’ level challenges that require deeper analysis. By alternating between these phases, teachers ensure that no student is left behind by the pace of the curriculum or held back by it.

Conclusion to Carol Ann Tomlinson and Her Ebb and Flow Strategy

Ultimately, Carol Ann Tomlinson’s ‘Ebb and Flow’ strategy bridges high academic standards and the diverse realities of a modern classroom. By shifting from a rigid, linear teaching style to a more rhythmic approach, educators in both IB and IGCSE settings can create an environment that feels both inclusive and intellectually rigorous. This methodology ensures that students are never merely passive recipients of a curriculum; instead, they are active participants in a learning journey that respects their individuality while keeping them connected to the class’s collective goals. It is this balance of shared community and personal growth that enables differentiation to move from a theoretical concept to a practical, successful reality.

Rekha ma’am indicated that we could use the DART strategy here, as well as the Round Robin technique, etc., and showed us how it could be done by involving us in some classroom mini-activities.

She then taught us and showed us a number of Graphic Organizers, mind maps, flow charts, bubble maps, and graphic design modules that we could use, as I have said before, in our individual classrooms and for our own content study. Let us tackle that next.

Graphic Designers

In both the IB (International Baccalaureate) and IGCSE frameworks, graphic organizers are indispensable visual thinking tools that bridge the gap between complex theoretical content and student comprehension. These tools—ranging from Venn diagrams and mind maps to flowcharts and Frayer models—provide a cognitive scaffold that helps students organize, clarify, and simplify intricate information. By transforming abstract concepts into intuitive images, graphic organizers help students see the ‘big picture’ and clarify the relationships among specific facts and ideas. This visual approach is particularly beneficial for English as an Additional Language (EAL) learners and students with diverse learning needs, as it reduces cognitive load by removing language barriers and focusing on the material’s logical structure.

In the IB context, particularly in the Middle Years Programme (MYP) and Diploma Programme (DP), graphic organizers are frequently used to promote inquiry-based learning and metacognition. Teachers often align specific organizers with IB command terms (such as ‘analyse’, ‘evaluate’, or ‘synthesise’) to guide students toward the required level of thinking. For instance, a persuasion map might help a student justify an opinion with evidence, while a concept map can support the justification of mathematical rules or link global contexts to a central idea. By explicitly teaching students how to use these tools, educators empower them to monitor their own thinking patterns and develop a repertoire of strategies they can independently apply to future research and reflection tasks. I used the same in my IBDP-1 History lesson on the Chinese Civil War at Podar IB, in the form of an online Timeline Chart game and a Causation Diamond graphic organizer in their activity worksheet.

In the IGCSE context, the focus often shifts toward syllabus mastery and exam preparation. In this context, graphic organizers such as T-charts or cause-and-effect diagrams are invaluable for breaking down dense textbook chapters into manageable chunks. They are highly effective for comparative analysis, such as weighing the pros and cons of a historical event or distinguishing between physical and chemical changes in science. By using organizers in their formative assessment, IGCSE teachers can quickly identify gaps in student understanding or misconceptions before high-stakes exams. Ultimately, whether used for brainstorming a creative writing piece or mapping out a complex scientific process, graphic organizers foster active engagement and ensure that students in these rigorous international programs move beyond rote memorization toward deep, durable learning.

At this point, Rekha ma’am showed us a number of graphic designers, both offline and online, in her PowerPoint presentation. After my in-depth research during March 2025 and April 2025, I, Fiza Pathan, identified several additional points, which I have introduced in the following paragraphs about graphic designers.

I have realized that, in the IB context, especially within the Primary Years (PYP) and Middle Years (MYP), Concept Maps and Mind Maps are essential for fostering inquiry and conceptual understanding. Unlike a simple list, a Mind Map radiates from a single central idea, allowing students to brainstorm subtopics creatively during the ‘tuning in’ phase of a unit. Concept Maps, however, are more deliberate; they use labeled arrows to show specific relationships between ideas, which is vital to the IB’s focus on ‘Global Contexts.’ Another powerful tool is the KWHL Chart (What I Know, What I Want to Know, How I Will Find Out, and What I Learned), which helps students take ownership of their personal inquiry journey.

For the IGCSE, where logical structure and exam precision are key, organizers like T-Charts and Venn Diagrams are frequent staples. T-Charts are perfect for ‘Compare and Contrast’ or ‘Advantages and Disadvantages’ questions that appear in Business Studies or Economics exams. Venn Diagrams serve a similar purpose but add a layer of complexity by highlighting shared intersections between two concepts, a skill explicitly tested in IGCSE Mathematics and Science. In History or Science, the Fishbone (Ishikawa) Diagram is often used to map cause-and-effect relationships, helping students systematically break down the multiple triggers of a historical event or a biological process.

Beyond these, many teachers use Frayer Models to build vocabulary in subjects like English or Geography. This four-square organizer asks students to define a word, list its characteristics, and provide both examples and non-examples, ensuring they have a deep, three-dimensional understanding of the term. In English Literature, Plot Diagrams or ‘Story Arcs’ help students visualize the narrative structure of a text, from exposition to climax, a foundational skill for both IB and IGCSE literary analysis. By selecting the right organizer for the specific language function required—whether it’s sequencing with a timeline or evaluating with a persuasion map—teachers can significantly boost student performance in these challenging programs.

Here is a comprehensive summary table designed for you, your students, and your PGCITE, B.Ed., or M.Ed. colleagues worldwide. It pairs specific Graphic Organizers with IB and IGCSE subjects, highlighting how they address the distinct demands of each curriculum (Conceptual Inquiry vs. Exam Precision):

Subject / Area	Recommended Organiser	Specific Application
English and Literature	Venn Diagram	IGCSE: Comparing two poems or non-fiction texts for the ‘Writer’s Effect’ question. IB (DP): Comparing global issues across two literary works for the IO (Individual Oral).
	Persuasion Map	IGCSE: Structuring ‘Argumentative/Discursive’ writing tasks (Claim → Reason → Evidence). IB (MYP): Planning debatable inquiries or persuasive essays.
	Plot Diagram (Story Arc)	IGCSE: Mapping narrative structure for Creative Writing coursework. IB (MYP): Analyzing the dramatic arc in a novel study.
Sciences (Bio, Chem, Phys)	Fishbone (Ishikawa)	IGCSE: Analyzing human impact on the environment (Biology) or factors affecting reaction rates (Chemistry). IB (DP): Analyzing errors in Internal Assessments (IA) or exploring complex causality in Systems (ESS).
	Flowchart	IGCSE: Memorizing industrial processes (e.g., Contact Process, Blast Furnace). IB (MYP/DP): Visualising biological cycles (Krebs Cycle) or feedback loops.
	Frayer Model	Both: Deep diving into key technical terminology (e.g., Homeostasis or Isotope) by listing definitions, characteristics, examples, and non-examples.
Mathematics	Venn Diagram	IGCSE: Directly applicable to Set Notation and Probability exam questions. IB (MYP): Classifying number sets (Integers vs. Rationals) or geometric shapes.
	Tree Diagram	IGCSE/IB: Visualising probability outcomes for combined events (essential for Paper 2/4).
Humanities (History, Geography, Business)	T-Chart	IGCSE: Advantages vs. Disadvantages (Business Studies) or Push vs. Pull Factors (Geography). IB (DP): Evaluating perspectives (e.g., Historian A vs. Historian B).
	Timeline	IGCSE: Sequencing events for History Cause and Consequence questions. IB (DP): Mapping the evolution of a Global War or authoritarian state.
	SWOT Analysis Matrix	IGCSE/IB Business: Strategic planning (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) for case studies.
Inquiry and Core (IB Special Focus	KWHL Chart	IB (PYP/MYP): ‘Tuning In’ to a new unit (What I Know, Want to know, How I’ll find out, Learned). Essential for the Personal Project.
	Concept Map	IB (DP): Theory of Knowledge (TOK) – connecting real-life situations to WOKs (Ways of Knowing) and AOKs (Areas of Knowledge).

For example, I, Fiza Pathan, a PGCITE Graduate, observed this across all PYP classes at Podar IB. The KWL Chart is a classic yet incredibly powerful tool that fits perfectly with the inquiry-based nature of modern education. Developed by Donna Ogle in 1986, this three-column organizer stands for ‘What I Know,’ ‘What I Want to Know,’ and ‘What I Learned.’ It serves as a roadmap for the learning journey, helping students transition from their prior knowledge to active exploration and, finally, to conscious reflection. By documenting their starting point, students are encouraged to bridge the gap between what they already understand and the new information they are about to encounter, making the learning process far more intentional and less passive.

In the IB (International Baccalaureate) framework, particularly within the Primary Years Programme (PYP) and Middle Years Programme (MYP), the KWL chart is an essential tool for fostering student agency. During the ‘Tuning In’ phase of a unit, students fill out the first two columns to articulate their own curiosities. This transforms the classroom into a student-led environment where inquiry is driven by their own questions rather than the teacher’s syllabus. Many IB educators even add a fourth column, ‘H,’ turning it into a KWHL Chart, which asks ‘How I will find out,’ thereby encouraging students to think critically about research methods and Approaches to Learning (ATL) skills. I saw this again in many 5th-grade classes at Podar during my internship, as well as in many 1st- and 2nd-grade classes there.

For IGCSE students, the KWL chart is an excellent metacognitive tool for revision and self-assessment. When starting a complex topic such as ‘Electrolysis’ in Science or ‘Globalisation’ in Economics, a student can use the ‘K’ column to retrieve prior knowledge, a proven technique for long-term retention. The ‘L’ column then serves as a final check-out activity at the end of a chapter, allowing students to verify whether they have met all the learning objectives required for the exam. By making their progress visible, the KWL chart builds confidence and ensures that no student moves forward with unaddressed gaps in their understanding.

I also further researched another topic related to Graphic Organizers, namely ‘Schemas’. In the context of the IB Diploma Programme (DP) and IGCSE Psychology, Schema Theory is a cornerstone of the cognitive approach to behavior. A schema is defined as a cognitive framework or mental representation that organizes and interprets information based on prior experiences. For students, understanding schemas is not just about memorizing a definition; it involves exploring how these mental models—such as event scripts or social role schemas—shape how we encode, store, and reconstruct memories. In the IB, this often leads to critical discussions about how schemas can distort memories or lead to the formation of stereotypes.

I, Fiza Pathan, as the resource person for this information, provided here to you as a graduate of the PGCITE course, have realized something that Rekha ma’am did not bring to our attention. I realized that graphic organizers serve as ‘external schemas,’ providing a visual structure that mirrors how the brain organizes knowledge. In an international board setting, where students must handle complex theories and extensive research studies, these visual tools help reduce cognitive load by breaking down information into manageable, non-linear chunks. By using a Venn Diagram to compare the Multi-Store Model and the Working Memory Model, or a Concept Map to link Piaget’s and Bartlett’s contributions to schema theory, students are actively engaged in schema building—connecting new academic content to their existing knowledge base.

Our instructor referred to it in the same context but did not link it appropriately, which I have now done. Integrating graphic organizers into IGCSE and IB classrooms fosters metacognition, or ‘thinking about one’s thinking.’ When students design their own organizers, they are forced to select, organize, and integrate information, which research suggests leads to better retention and higher-level comprehension than simply reading text. For IB students preparing for SAQs (Short Answer Questions) or ERQs (Extended Response Questions), organizers such as fishbone diagrams or persuasion maps are invaluable for planning arguments and ensuring that all command terms—such as ‘evaluate’ or ‘discuss’—are addressed systematically.

Conclusion of Graphic Organizers

Ultimately, integrating graphic organizers into the psychology curriculum transforms the classroom into a more inclusive and interactive environment, preparing students for the complex intellectual demands of global education. It depends on VCO, namely Voice, Choice, and Ownership, with the teacher’s or student’s voice first, then their choice about how to present their graphic organizer, and finally taking ownership of what was done and in what context.

Update on AI-Generated Visual Content for Fiza Pathan

Please be advised that, effective immediately, there will be a transition to a new method of visual content creation for Fiza Pathan.

Due to her growing profile as a multi-award-winning author and her established presence in the international educational and literary spheres, Fiza Pathan has reached a level of recognition that now categorizes her within AI protocols as a noted public figure. Consequently, standard AI image-generation tools are now subject to strict statutory laws and safety guidelines that restrict the creation of ‘deepfake’ or synthetic likenesses of public individuals to prevent identity misuse and maintain ethical standards.

While these AI regulations serve as a safeguard for her intellectual property and personal brand, they also mean that generating new images of her in various simulated scenarios is no longer feasible using automated AI.

Moving forward, visual representations will prioritize:

• Original Photography: Using authentic portraits and classroom captures.
• Illustrative Representation: Shifting toward symbolic or artistic renderings that capture the essence of her work—such as her PGCITE research and literary themes—rather than a direct digital likeness.
• Archival Content: Leveraging existing media from her professional portfolio and book launches.

We appreciate your understanding as we navigate these evolving digital legalities to ensure that Fiza Pathan’s public image remains protected and authentic. Thank you, nonetheless, for your love and support, for reading her free online content, and for making this possible. God bless you abundantly!

Happy Reading, Writing, and Teaching to you always! 😊

IB Learner Profiles

As emphasized in the PGCITE JAN 2025 course, which I, Fiza Pathan, am a graduate of and a publicly acclaimed resource person for, ‘The IB learner profile is the IB mission statement translated into a set of learning outcomes for the 21st century.’ The Learner Profile provides a long-term vision of education. It is a set of ideals that can inspire, motivate, and focus the work of schools and teachers, uniting us in a common purpose’ (Bajaj & Indrale, 2022, Slide 64).

The International Baccalaureate Organization describes the Learner Profile as representing ‘10 attributes valued by IB World Schools,’ asserting that ‘these attributes, and others like them, can help individuals and groups become responsible members of local, national and global communities’ (2013, p. 1). The framework is not just aspirational rhetoric but deeply embedded in IB curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment across all four programmes: Primary Years Programme (PYP), Middle Years Programme (MYP), Diploma Programme (DP), and Career-related Programme (CP).

The IB Learner Profile comprises ten interconnected attributes, each articulated through a specific statement beginning with ‘We.’ This collective pronoun emphasizes that these attributes apply to the entire IB learning community—students, teachers, and all members of IB World Schools. As explored in our PGCITE course and in my in-depth research, particularly through my Action Research Project, each attribute encompasses specific characteristics and contributes to the broader goal of developing internationally minded individuals (Bajaj & Indrale, 2022).

1. INQUIRERS

Core Statement

‘We nurture our curiosity, developing skills for inquiry and research. We know how to learn independently and with others. We learn with enthusiasm and sustain our love of learning throughout life’ (International Baccalaureate Organization, 2013, p. 1).

Analysis and Implications

Inquiry sits at the heart of IB education. Inquirers are not passive recipients of information but active constructors of knowledge who approach learning with curiosity, wonder, and a genuine desire to understand. This attribute encompasses developing systematic inquiry and research skills, knowing how to learn both independently and collaboratively, approaching new situations with curiosity rather than anxiety, and maintaining enthusiasm for learning across contexts and throughout life. Inquirers approach different cultures, perspectives, and worldviews with curiosity and openness rather than judgment, fostering intercultural understanding and global awareness essential to international-mindedness.

2. KNOWLEDGEABLE

Core Statement

‘We develop and use conceptual understanding, exploring knowledge across a range of disciplines. We engage with issues and ideas that have local and global significance’ (International Baccalaureate Organization, 2013, p. 1).

Analysis and Implications

Being knowledgeable in the IB context means much more than accumulating facts. The framework emphasizes developing conceptual understanding that transfers across contexts, exploring knowledge across multiple disciplines and perspectives, and engaging with issues of local and global significance. IB programmes emphasize concepts—big ideas relevant across subjects and contexts, such as systems, change, relationships, patterns, causation, identity, perspective, culture, form, and function. This conceptual approach helps make knowledge portable and applicable rather than inert, enabling knowledgeable learners to understand not just the ‘what’ but also the ‘how’ and ‘why’ as they engage with real issues, from environmental sustainability to human rights to scientific and technological development.

3. THINKERS

Core Statement

‘We use critical and creative thinking skills to analyse and take responsible action on complex problems. We exercise initiative in making reasoned, ethical decisions’ (International Baccalaureate Organization, 2013, p. 1).

Analysis and Implications

Thinkers possess the cognitive skills to approach complex challenges systematically while thinking creatively and ethically about possible solutions and their implications. This includes applying critical thinking to analyze information, arguments, and situations; thinking creatively to generate novel solutions; recognizing complexity and resisting oversimplification; taking responsible action based on thoughtful analysis; and making reasoned, ethical decisions. The framework emphasizes that thinking is not merely academic but is connected to action in the world—thinkers don’t just analyze; they act thoughtfully and responsibly based on their analysis.

4. COMMUNICATORS

Core Statement

‘We express ourselves confidently and creatively in more than one language and in many ways. We collaborate effectively, listening carefully to the perspectives of other individuals and groups’ (International Baccalaureate Organization, 2013, p. 1).

Analysis and Implications

Communication in the IB context encompasses multilingual capability, multimodal expression, and genuine dialogue that values diverse perspectives. All IB students study at least one additional language, recognizing that language shapes thought and worldview, that multilingualism enhances cognitive flexibility, that language learning develops intercultural understanding, that communicating in others’ languages shows respect, and that linguistic diversity is both a human right and a valuable resource. Communication extends beyond words to include visual arts, music, dance, drama, digital media, mathematical and scientific notation, and various forms of representation. Crucially, true communication requires listening to understand rather than merely to respond, seeking to grasp others’ viewpoints, and being open to changing one’s mind.

5. PRINCIPLED

Core Statement

‘We act with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness and justice, and with respect for the dignity and rights of people everywhere. We take responsibility for our actions and their consequences’ (International Baccalaureate Organization, 2013, p. 1).

Analysis and Implications

Being principled means having a strong ethical foundation and acting with integrity, even when difficult or costly. It involves both personal ethics—acting with integrity, being truthful, honoring commitments, avoiding academic dishonesty, and treating others with respect—and a commitment to justice in the world—recognizing systemic inequalities, standing against discrimination and prejudice, advocating for marginalized voices, understanding rights and responsibilities, and taking action to promote fairness and equity. Principled people take ownership of their choices and actions, understand how their actions affect others, make amends when they cause harm, learn from mistakes, and use privileges and advantages responsibly. As the IB emphasizes, principles of human dignity, justice, and fairness transcend cultural boundaries.

6. OPEN-MINDED

Core Statement

‘We critically appreciate our own cultures and personal histories, as well as the values and traditions of others. We seek and evaluate a range of points of view, and we are willing to grow from the experience’ (International Baccalaureate Organization, 2013, p. 1).

Analysis and Implications

In the IB context, open-mindedness doesn’t mean abandoning one’s perspective; it means being willing to genuinely consider other viewpoints and recognize the limitations of any single perspective. The phrase ‘critically appreciate’ is carefully chosen – ‘critical’ means thoughtful and analytical, not accepting everything uncritically, while ‘appreciate’ means recognizing value and complexity. Together, they suggest sophisticated engagement that neither romanticizes nor dismisses. Open-minded people understand their own cultural identity and how it shapes their perspective, recognize that their culture is one among many, each with its own validity, appreciate the richness of cultural diversity, and resist the urge to assume cultural superiority. Intellectual humility—recognizing the limits of one’s knowledge, being willing to say ‘I don’t know’ or ‘I might be wrong,’ and valuing learning over being right—is essential. As emphasized in the PGCITE course, open-mindedness is perhaps the most essential attribute of international-mindedness (Bajaj & Indrale, 2022).

7. CARING

Core Statement

‘We show empathy, compassion, and respect. We have a commitment to service, and we act to make a positive difference in the lives of others and in the world around us’ (International Baccalaureate Organization, 2013, p. 1).

Analysis and Implications

Caring within the IB framework goes beyond sympathy—it involves genuine empathy, active compassion, and a commitment to service that makes a real difference in others’ lives and the world. All IB programmes include service as a core component—CAS (Creativity, Activity, Service) in the DP, Service as Action in the MYP, and Action in the PYP. Service is not about charity or feeling superior but about addressing genuine needs in partnership with communities, learning through service experiences, developing an understanding of complex issues, contributing skills and effort to the collective good, and building sustainable change rather than temporary help. Caring extends beyond humans to other species and ecosystems, including the sustainable use of resources, reducing environmental harm, protecting biodiversity, and considering long-term environmental impacts. Internationally minded people care about issues affecting people and the planet globally, not just locally.

8. RISK-TAKERS

Core Statement

‘We approach uncertainty with forethought and determination; we work independently and cooperatively to explore new ideas and innovative strategies. We are resourceful and resilient in the face of challenges and change’ (International Baccalaureate Organization, 2013, p. 1).

Analysis and Implications

Risk-taking in the IB context is not about recklessness but about the courage to try new things, face uncertainty, and persist through challenges. It encompasses intellectual risk-taking (engaging with difficult ideas, asking questions when unsure, sharing half-formed thoughts, trying new learning approaches, challenging oneself, admitting when one doesn’t understand, and being willing to be wrong publicly), creative risk-taking (experimenting with new forms of expression, trying unusual solutions, creating original work, performing or presenting, pursuing creative passions despite uncertainty), and personal risk-taking (trying new activities, stepping outside comfort zones, initiating relationships, taking on leadership roles, and advocating for beliefs). Importantly, risk-taking involves forethought—thinking ahead about challenges, planning for contingencies, assessing the likelihood and impact of risks, distinguishing worthwhile risks from foolish ones, and preparing to manage challenges. Resilience means viewing setbacks as learning opportunities, persisting despite difficulties, recovering from disappointments, maintaining optimism, adapting strategies, and seeking support when needed.

9. BALANCED

Core Statement

‘We understand the importance of balancing different aspects of our lives—intellectual, physical, and emotional—to achieve well-being for ourselves and others. We recognize our interdependence with other people and with the world in which we live’ (International Baccalaureate Organization, 2013, p. 1).

Analysis and Implications

In the IB context, balance recognizes that human flourishing requires attention to multiple dimensions of life and an understanding of our connections with others and the environment. This includes balancing intellectual (engaging in learning and intellectual challenges, maintaining curiosity, balancing focused study with intellectual recreation), physical (regular exercise, adequate sleep, nutritious eating, time in nature), emotional (recognizing and processing emotions, maintaining positive relationships, managing stress, pursuing activities that bring joy, seeking help when struggling), social (meaningful connections, contributing to the community, balancing alone time and social time, maintaining relationships), and creative/aesthetic (engaging with the arts and creativity, appreciating beauty, self-expression) dimensions of well-being. Balance also recognizes interdependence—our dependence on others’ work and contributions, our impact on others through our actions, our connection to ecosystems and the environment, the link between individual and collective well-being, and that humans are not separate from nature but part of it.

10. REFLECTIVE

Core Statement

‘We thoughtfully consider the world and our own ideas and experience. We work to understand our strengths and weaknesses in order to support our learning and personal development’ (International Baccalaureate Organization, 2013, p. 1).

Analysis and Implications

Reflection is the metacognitive practice that allows learners to think about their thinking, learn from experience, and intentionally guide their own development. Reflective learners thoughtfully consider the world (think deeply about issues and events, consider multiple perspectives and interpretations, question assumptions, connect current events to larger patterns, wonder about causes and implications), examine their own ideas and experiences (examine personal thinking and reasoning, understand personal values and beliefs, recognize how past experiences shape current perspectives, consider how actions align with values, notice patterns in behavior and thinking), think about learning (what helped learning occur, identify effective strategies, recognize when understanding is solid versus superficial, connect new learning to prior knowledge, plan future learning approaches), assess strengths and growth areas (honest assessment of capabilities, appreciate strengths without arrogance, acknowledge weaknesses without shame, set goals for improvement, track development), and learn from experience (extract lessons from both success and failure, connect experiences to abstract understanding, apply lessons to new situations, avoid repeated mistakes, build on what works). Reflection helps students examine their own cultural assumptions and biases, which are essential for international-mindedness.

Interconnections Between Attributes

The ten attributes of the Learner Profile are not isolated qualities but deeply interconnected. Inquirers need to be open-minded to consider diverse perspectives in their inquiry. Thinkers use reflection to examine their reasoning. Communicators demonstrate caring by truly listening to others. Being principled requires courage (risk-taking) to stand up for what is right. Balance supports the persistence needed for risk-taking. Knowledgeable people recognize how much they don’t know, promoting open-mindedness. Caring motivates inquiry into issues affecting others. Reflection develops knowledge of oneself and the world. These interconnections mean that developing one attribute often strengthens others, creating a virtuous cycle of growth (Bajaj & Indrale, 2022).

However, while all attributes are valued, the IB recognizes that individuals may be stronger in some than in others, that different contexts may call for different attributes, that development is ongoing and non-linear, and that the goal is holistic development rather than perfection in every attribute. The framework aims to identify common values across humanity while recognizing that these attributes can be expressed differently across cultures (International Baccalaureate Organization, 2013).

Explicit and Implicit Teaching

The Learner Profile is developed both explicitly, through direct teaching and discussion of the attributes, and implicitly, through pedagogical approaches, curriculum design, and school culture that embody and foster these attributes. In the Primary Years Programme, the Learner Profile is introduced using age-appropriate language, attributes are explicitly connected to units of inquiry, students explore what it means to demonstrate each attribute, and reflection on the Learner Profile is a regular part of learning. In the Middle Years Programme, the Learner Profile deepens as students mature, attributes are connected to approaches to learning (ATL) skills, students reflect on their development through portfolio work, and Service as Action projects embody the Learner Profile in practice.

In the Diploma Programme, Theory of Knowledge explicitly examines ways of knowing and being; CAS requires reflection on the development of the Learner Profile; the Extended Essay demands inquiry, thinking, and communication; and subject choices allow students to pursue knowledge across disciplines. In the Career-related Programme, the Learner Profile is developed through career-related study; the Reflective Project examines the ethical dimensions of the career field; Service Learning applies caring in practice; and the Personal and Professional Skills course develops attributes (Bajaj & Indrale, 2022; International Baccalaureate Organization, 2013).

Long-term Vision: A Better and More Peaceful World

Ultimately, the IB Learner Profile is not just about individual success but about collective transformation. The IB believes that by developing these ten attributes in young people worldwide, we can promote intercultural understanding that reduces conflict, develop global citizens who take responsibility for the planet, foster critical thinking that resists manipulation and extremism, encourage ethical behavior that promotes justice, build innovation and creativity to address global challenges, create caring communities that support all members, develop resilience and balance for sustainable well-being, and promote continuous learning needed in a changing world.

As the PGCITE course emphasized, the vision is ambitious yet clear – ‘The aim of all IB programmes is to develop internationally minded people who, recognizing their common humanity and shared guardianship of the planet, help to create a better and more peaceful world’ (Bajaj & Indrale, 2022, Slide 62; International Baccalaureate Organization, 2013, p. 2). Internationally minded people with these attributes can help create a better, more peaceful world.

Conclusion

The IB Learner Profile reminds us that education is about more than academic achievement, though it certainly includes that. It’s about developing the whole person—intellectually curious, ethically grounded, emotionally balanced, socially engaged, globally aware, and committed to making a positive difference. In a world facing unprecedented challenges—environmental crisis, social inequality, political polarization, and rapid technological change—we need people with exactly these attributes—people who inquire thoughtfully, communicate across differences, think critically and creatively, act with principle and compassion, embrace diversity, take courageous action, maintain balance and perspective, and continuously reflect and learn.

The IB Learner Profile is not merely an educational framework—it is a hopeful vision of human possibility and a practical roadmap for developing the individuals and communities our world needs. By committing to develop these ten attributes in ourselves and our students, we take concrete steps toward the IB’s founding vision of creating a better and more peaceful world.

Fiza Pathan’s Revised IB Learner Profiles Based on Reality

You have seen the write-up of the collected knowledge about IB Profiles that I have prepared for you above, using academic language. At this point, however, after having written the theory and applied practical solutions initiated by the International Baccalaureate toward implementing these Learner Profiles, I have to become like Anil Kapoor, as he is depicted in the movie ‘The Nayak: The Real Hero’.

In the movie, Anil Kapoor, as the reporter Shivaji Rao, graduates from reporter to news anchor at his news channel. The first famous personality he interviews is the chief minister of Maharashtra, Amrish Puri. During the interview, Anil Kapoor shows Amrish Puri the latter’s own election manifesto, which he had printed before the last elections. Anil Kapoor reads the promises and declarations made by Amrish Puri in the manifesto, with the help of the self-conceited but foolhardy Amrish Puri, who quickly summarizes them to speed up the interview process. However, after Amrish Puri validates the promises he made in the manifesto, Shivaji Rao, or Anil Kapoor, asks Amrish Puri a candid question and accusation that is so powerful that even to this day, Millennial Bollywood movie watchers and fans of Anil Kapoor still get goosebumps when hearing it:
‘Yeh sab kuch hua hai?’
(Has all this happened?)

And the fascinating part is that Amrish Puri, like most foolish and self-absorbed people, asks Anil Kapoor, like a child woken from his long self-gratifying slumber, whether he has as an ‘elder or higher power’ (a reversal of roles here, based on the ‘person who speaks the truth’ in this scene – great for a movie review on my blog focusing on IBDP English Literature, but that at a later date! I digress.) felt otherwise!

After writing these IB profiles, I, Fiza Pathan, a PGCITE graduate, ask every reader who has reached this part of the portfolio the same question Shivaji Rao asked. Has all this happened? Yeh sab kuch hua hai?

And I invariably get the same answer that Anil Kapoor got in that stellar movie from all the self-absorbed, greedy, avaricious, corrupt, and malicious powers that be concerned with the education of children, according to the dictates of the IB Board – Kyon, nahi hua hai? Why has it not happened, or what?

I get the same answer because people who gaslight others usually get gaslighted themselves eventually – because gas travels fast and farther than any other state of matter, so it invariably reaches the person using the tear gas machine or gas machine to spray the contents on others. And unlike people who handle tear gas, these gaslighting powers that be do not wear a mask while gaslighting the world with their lies. They get intoxicated and inebriated with their own lies, and furthermore, surrounding themselves with sycophants as spineless and corrupt as they are leads to even more lies, corruption, maliciousness, and then instant amnesia en masse.

They then start believing their lies. Their sycophants, who remain in power, validate their lies. The gaslighting continues, and a state of self-absorbed amnesia and coma persists – until someone like Shivaji Rao ‘wakes such a person up’ with one simple question. Then only these corrupt powers that be ‘wake up’ from their stupor and realize that they have been –

‘Lying so much that now their own ‘lies’ have called out to them saying ‘you are a liar, come now, lie with me, and may the conscience be lulled into such a deep sleep with the lullaby of your own lies – which is your liability!’
Fiza Pathan
(PGCITE Graduate of Podar International School, Santacruz)

 In the movie, Anil Kapoor shows that Amrish Puri’s promises remained mere words and were not carried out in his state. Because they were not implemented in the state, the public realized they had been cheated; instead of the promised actions, the opposite was being done. The public then realized that the ‘promises’ were not only ‘empty promises’ never to be fulfilled, but were also turned into LIES. And those who make them and preach them are LIARS and CHEATS.

This is the procedure by which a ‘promise’ turns into a ‘lie’. Courtesy of everyone behind the making of the 2001 Bollywood movie ‘Nayak: The Real Hero’. Thank you all behind the making of ‘Nayak’ – you have given some people a reason to live by the truth in a world full of lying liars who lie all the time – in action, word, conscience, values, and the bed too!

‘Whenever I feel the need to exercise, I lie down until it goes away.’
― Paul Terry
(American cartoonist and animation producer, best known as the founder of Terrytoons, the studio behind Mighty Mouse and Deputy Dawg)

THE FIRST TEN LIES THEY TELL YOU IN HIGH SCHOOL

1. We are here to help you.
2. You will have time to reach your class before the bell rings.
3. The dress code will be enforced.
4. No smoking allowed on school grounds.
5. Our football team will win the championship this year.
6. We expect more from you here.
7. Guidance counselors are always available to listen.
8. Your schedule was designed with you in mind.
9. Your locker combination is private.
10. These will be the years you look back on fondly.

TEN MORE LIES THEY TELL YOU IN HIGH SCHOOL

1. You will use algebra in your adult life.
2. Driving to school is a privilege that can be revoked.
3. Students must stay on campus during lunch.
4. The new textbooks will arrive any day now.
5. Colleges care more about you than about your SAT scores.
6. We are enforcing the dress code.
7. We will figure out how to turn off the heat soon.
8. Our bus drivers are highly trained professionals.
9. There is nothing wrong with summer school.
10. We want to hear what you have to say.

― Laurie Halse Anderson
(From her internationally renowned book, often recommended reading at the IB, ‘Speak’)

Having quoted the legendary Laurie Halse Anderson and her brutally honest book ‘Speak’ — a book I have recommended to countless students over the years, first as an IBDP English Literature teacher and earlier as an ICSE and ISC tuition teacher, and which, ironically, the IB itself often recommends — let us do what Shivaji Rao did in Nayak.

Let us take the IB’s own manifesto and Learner Profile and hold them up to the mirror. Let us go through these ten beautiful, noble, aspirational attributes one by one and ask: Yeh sab kuch hua hai?

1. INQUIRERS — Or the Silencing of Questions

The IB says: ‘We nurture our curiosity.’ Beautiful words. Now let me tell you what happens in reality. A teacher who inquires too much — who asks why the curriculum is not being followed, who questions why resources promised at the beginning of the academic year have not materialized, who dares to ask why class sizes are ballooning while fees are skyrocketing and when the school is not investing in more teachers but prefers playing ‘musical classrooms’ to accommodate more students — that teacher is not celebrated as an ‘inquirer.’ That teacher is labeled a ‘troublemaker.’ That teacher is called to HR. ‘Nayak nahi, khalnayak hai tu!’

And the students? The very students we are meant to nurture into inquirers? When a student in an IB school asks a question that does not fit neatly into the pre-packaged lesson plan, when a student challenges a concept, when a student says ‘But Ma’am, this doesn’t make sense’ — too often, that student is told to ‘focus on what will come in the exam.’ Because today’s IB teachers know nothing beyond what comes in the exam or formatives, even if they have ‘teaching experience in a reputed IB school for years’ – they are still as clueless about anything beyond the formatives and exam as they were when they joined the institute. We are not nurturing curiosity. We are manufacturing compliance and calling it an inquiry.

Yeh sab kuch hua hai? Has the inquiry truly been nurtured? Or has it been buried under administrative paperwork, observation checklists, and the terror of audit season?

2. KNOWLEDGEABLE — Or the Tyranny of Rote Wrapped in IB Packaging

The IB says, ‘We develop and use conceptual understanding, exploring knowledge across a range of disciplines.’ Magnificent. Now, let me tell you what I have witnessed with my own two eyes as a teacher with over 15 years of classroom experience and 1 year in the IB system. The ‘conceptual understanding’ the IB preaches is too often reduced to students memorizing which ‘key concept’ and which ‘related concept’ to write in their exam answers to score points by moonlighting school teachers posing as tutors at their own garages or at a coaching class. The interdisciplinary exploration? It exists on paper — beautifully formatted unit planners that look spectacular during school accreditation visits and then gather digital dust for the rest of the year.

Teachers are not given the time, resources, or collaborative planning periods to genuinely build interdisciplinary connections. Instead, they are drowning in documentation — unit planners, curriculum maps, assessment rubrics, moderation samples, reflection journals — an ocean of paperwork that leaves no time for the actual teaching that would make students truly knowledgeable.

The IB speaks of engaging with ‘issues of local and global significance.’ However, when a teacher tries to bring in a local issue — say, the plight of migrant workers in Mumbai, the water crisis in Maharashtra, or the communal tensions simmering in our own neighbourhoods and IB schools — they are told to ‘keep it neutral,’ ‘avoid controversy,’ and ‘not upset the parents.’ So what global significance are we engaging with? The safe kind. The kind that looks good on a school brochure but challenges no one and changes nothing.

3. THINKERS — Or the Assembly Line of ‘Critical Thinking’ That Criticizes Nothing

The IB says, ‘We use critical and creative thinking skills to analyze and take responsible action on complex problems.’ Wonderful. But in many IB schools, critical thinking has been reduced to a classroom performance — students learn to sound like critical thinkers without being given the freedom to think critically about anything that matters.

A student who thinks critically about the school’s own policies? Silenced. A student who questions the fairness of internal assessments? Told to ‘trust the process.’ A teacher who exercises initiative in making ‘reasoned, ethical decisions’ — say, granting a student extra time because the child is struggling, or deviating from a rigid lesson plan because the class needs something different that day — is reprimanded for ‘not following protocol.’

We are teaching students to think critically about Shakespeare, Tolstoy, and the causes of the Chinese Civil War — and I do this with great passion, I assure you! — but God forbid they think critically about the institution that is educating them. That kind of thinking is not rewarded. It is punished.

4. COMMUNICATORS — Or the Great Silence

The IB says, ‘We collaborate effectively, listening carefully to the perspectives of other individuals and groups.’ I almost laughed when I read this again while preparing this portfolio, not out of disrespect for the IB’s vision — the vision is beautiful — but out of the sheer absurdity of the gap between that vision and reality.
In how many IB schools are teachers genuinely listened to? In how many staff meetings is ‘communication’ not a top-down monologue disguised as a ‘collaborative discussion?’ How many teachers sit in meetings where decisions have already been made and the ‘discussion’ is merely a formality — a performance of democracy for the minutes of the meeting? MOM is not the actual NORM! MOM remains only on the FORM.

Moreover, the students — we tell them to ‘express themselves confidently and creatively in more than one language.’ However, when a student expresses themselves honestly — when they write a personal essay about their struggles with mental health, their experience of discrimination, or their disillusionment with the education system — are they celebrated as communicators? Or are they quietly advised to ‘choose a safer topic’ for their final submission? Alternatively, is the confession then used next year by the IB school management to identify which so-called ‘problematic students’ to dismiss from the school at the earliest, especially if their parents are not willing to pay some extra fees for the courtesy of keeping their ‘traumatic children’ in the same school?

Communication, the IB says, requires ‘listening to understand rather than merely to respond.’ I wish someone would share this with every school management board, every coordinator, and every administrator who has ever sat across from a teacher during an appraisal meeting, with their response already written before the teacher even opened their mouth.

5. PRINCIPLED — Or the Selective Application of Principles

The IB says – ‘We act with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness and justice, and with respect for the dignity and rights of people everywhere.’ This is perhaps the attribute in which the gap between the ideal and reality is most devastating.

The question is not whether the IB believes in principles. The IB’s principles are extraordinary. (I am sounding a lot like Mark Antony by now, aren’t I?!) The question is whether the institutions that carry the IB’s name uphold those principles in their treatment of the very people who make IB education possible — the teachers.
Where is the ‘integrity and honesty’ when a school promises a teacher certain working conditions during recruitment and then changes those conditions after the contract is signed? Where is the ‘strong sense of fairness and justice’ when teachers doing identical work are paid vastly different salaries based on negotiation power rather than merit? Where is ‘respect for the dignity and rights of people everywhere’ when a teacher is publicly humiliated in a staff meeting for falling behind on paperwork — paperwork that was never humanly possible to complete in the time given?

‘We take responsibility for our actions and their consequences,’ says the IB. How often do school managements, especially those run by business corporates or industrialists, take responsibility for their actions and their consequences? How often do they say, ‘We made a mistake, we overloaded you, we failed to provide adequate support?’ In my experience — and it pains me deeply to write this — rarely. Moreover, by February 2026, I have gained international experience in this matter from more than 7 lakh sources. Moreover, it is growing even more as the hours go by.

6. OPEN-MINDED — Or the Closed Doors

The IB says – ‘We critically appreciate our own cultures and personal histories, as well as the values and traditions of others.’ This is one of the attributes closest to my heart as a Catholic Consecrated Virgin pursuing a Master of Theological Studies, as a woman from a minority community in India, and as a teacher who has spent her life building bridges between cultures, religions, and perspectives.

However, open-mindedness in many IB schools extends only as far as it is convenient. Schools are ‘open-minded’ about cultural diversity when it means colorful international day celebrations and exotic food stalls. They are considerably less open-minded when a teacher from a minority community raises concerns about subtle discrimination, when a student’s family challenges a Eurocentric bias in the curriculum, or when an employee asks for accommodation for a religious observance that does not align with the school calendar.

The IB says, ‘We seek and evaluate a range of points of view, and we are willing to grow from the experience.’ However, growth requires discomfort. Growth requires institutions to genuinely hear criticism and not dismiss it as ‘negativity,’ ‘poor attitude,’ ‘insubordination,’ ‘not being a team-player,’ etc. Growth requires the humility to say, ‘We got this wrong,’ and that humility, in my experience, is in desperately short supply. It is an endangered species, and by the end of this year, 2026, according to my in-depth research and data collection, it will be extinct if no one takes action now.

7. CARING — Or the Commodification of Compassion

The IB says, ‘We show empathy, compassion, and respect. We commit to service, and we act to make a positive difference.’ My Gen-Z and Gen-Alpha students — God bless their hearts — are caring. They care deeply about the world, injustice, the environment, and each other. I see it every day in my IBDP, AS & A Level, MYP, PYP, IGCSE, etc., tuition classes, online and offline, and it gives me hope.

However, what are these caring young people learning from the institutions that educate them? They are learning that ‘service’ must be documented, photographed, and uploaded for CAS portfolios. They are learning that ‘empathy’ is something you write about in your reflective journal, but not something their school practices when a teacher is going through a health crisis and needs flexibility. They are learning that ‘compassion’ is a word on a poster in the corridor, not a principle that governs how the adults in the building treat each other. That it is okay for an IGCSE senior teacher to plan with her own IGCSE students to character-assassinate a male fellow IGCSE teacher, to the point that he leaves the job, needs therapy, and contemplates suicide. Moreover, one can keep doing so again and again and again, and feel no remorse, so long as one does not lose one’s tuition or name in the tuition-and-coaching WhatsApp ‘thumb-impression’ IB-parents market.

The IB says caring ‘extends beyond humans to other species and ecosystems.’ I agree wholeheartedly. However, I would add, can we start by caring for the humans inside the school first? Can we extend compassion to the teacher who is breaking down under impossible workloads? Can we show empathy to the student who is not performing because they are struggling at home, not taking their meds, even after going to therapy, and are ruining themselves and others in the bargain? Before we save the planet, can we save each other?

How about some ‘REAL’ care and concern for actual IB students, not the buckets of money their parents are bringing into the institute, and not the elitist ‘thumb impression’ WhatsApp behavior that treats money or a quick threatening WhatsApp message to the school HOD as a way to buy their children’s wellbeing or to cover up their own failure as irresponsible, materialistic parents of traumatized children. Do not commodify compassion as a dictum that basically means – ‘I pay you to keep your mouth shut!’ No parent pays a teacher to avoid fulfilling their duty. If a parent does, then the IB school is not an educational institution but The Dorchester Hotel.

8. RISK-TAKERS — Or the Penalizing of Courage

The IB says: ‘We approach uncertainty with forethought and determination,’ yet how many IB schools actually reward risk-taking? A teacher who takes a pedagogical risk — who tries an unconventional teaching method, experiments with a new assessment approach, or takes a creative leap with a lesson — and it doesn’t work the first time perfectly? That teacher is not praised for their courage. They are marked down in their observation. They are told to ‘stick to what works.’ Otherwise, a parent will send a message to the Principal – a WhatsApp ‘thumb impression’ from elitist parents who think an IB school is the Dorchester Hotel!

Here is the deepest irony. The IB tells students to be ‘resourceful and resilient in the face of challenges and change.’ However, the teachers who demonstrate the most resilience — who show up day after day despite inadequate pay, disrespect, exhaustion, and being treated as expendable — are not celebrated as risk-takers. Their resilience is expected. Their endurance is exploited. Their courage in staying is mistaken for contentment.

Risk-taking, the IB says, involves ‘forethought — thinking ahead about challenges, planning for contingencies, assessing the likelihood and impact of risks.’ I wish the institutions running IB schools would apply this same forethought to their own decisions — particularly the decision to overwork, underpay, and undervalue the teachers upon whose shoulders the entire IB program rests.

9. BALANCED — Or the Myth of Work-Life Balance in Education

The IB says, ‘We understand the importance of balancing different aspects of our lives — intellectual, physical, and emotional — to achieve well-being for ourselves and others.’ I read this and want to weep and laugh at the same time. Not because the sentiment is wrong — it is profoundly right — but because the education system that preaches balance is itself one of the most unbalanced professional environments. When my mother informed her former ICSE and ISC colleagues that I was planning to shift to teaching IB students, they all unanimously exclaimed –

‘Mrs. Pathan, you have finally gone mad! Bacchi ko aise pagal khane IB Board mein kyon bhej rahi hai?! IB Board Schools ko khud pata nahi ki kaun aa raha hai aur kaun jaa raha hai! Koi structure nahi, bas bade-bade rules aur bade-bade bank-balance. They are not balanced, only have big bank balances!’

Teachers in IB schools are expected to teach full-time schedules, complete mountains of IB documentation, attend training sessions, supervise CAS, mentor Extended Essays, run co-curricular activities, participate in school events, respond to parent communications at all hours, prepare for accreditation visits, and maintain ‘reflective practice’ — all while somehow achieving ‘balance’ and ‘well-being.’

And an IB teacher’s salary…?

Well, that is negotiable, no! (Said every IB school in Mumbai, India, I visited to give a demo lesson)

The IB says we must recognize ‘our interdependence with other people.’ Yes! Teachers, students, parents, and administrators are interdependent. However, interdependence requires reciprocity. It requires that the institution cares for the teacher as much as it expects the teacher to care for the students. Where is that reciprocity? Where is the institution’s commitment to the teacher’s physical health, emotional well-being, adequate sleep, and time in nature? Where is the balance in a system that takes everything from its teachers and gives back performance reviews and anxiety? And in Europe and America, even suicide!

10. REFLECTIVE — Or the Reflection That Must Never Reflect Badly on the Institution

The IB says, ‘We thoughtfully consider the world and our own ideas and experience. We work to understand our strengths and weaknesses to support our learning and personal development.’ Reflection! The crown jewel of IB education. I believe in it — with every fiber of my being. My entire Action Research Project, which has become the number one PGCITE action research on LinkedIn and has been recommended for journal publication, is built on reflection.

However, here is the contradiction that keeps me up at night—the IB demands reflection from students and teachers. However, many IB schools cannot tolerate reflection that turns the mirror on the institution itself. A student who reflects honestly in their CAS journal about the performative nature of service projects? Told to ‘rewrite it more positively.’ A teacher who reflects in their professional development portfolio about systemic issues in the school? Advised to ‘keep it constructive,’ which is code for ‘keep it flattering.’ Butter is expensive in the Indian market these days. All the butter is being used up by IB teachers for their professional development portfolios!

Reflection, the IB tells us, involves ‘honest assessment of capabilities, appreciating strengths without arrogance, acknowledging weaknesses without shame.’ What a magnificent vision! Now imagine if every IB World School applied this to itself — honestly assessing its capabilities, appreciating its genuine strengths without arrogance, and acknowledging its weaknesses without shame. Imagine if schools could say, ‘We are failing our teachers. We are drowning them in paperwork. We are not practicing what we preach. We need to do better.’
That would be reflection. That would be the IB Learner Profile in action—a top-to-bottom approach for once.

The Final Scene of Nayak

In the movie, after Shivaji Rao exposes the chief minister’s lies, something extraordinary happens. The public — the common people, those who had been gaslit, cheated, and lied to — wake up. They realize they have been deceived and demand accountability. They demand change.

I am not Anil Kapoor. I am Fiza Pathan — a teacher, an author of eighteen books, a winner of over seventy literary awards, a PGCITE graduate, a Consecrated Virgin pursuing a Master’s in Theological Studies, pursuing another master’s in History, an MBA, and multiple online certificate courses in AI, Machine Learning, Data Science, Data Analytics, Business Management Analytics, etc., an internationally renowned free educational online content creator whose blog content has been recommended in universities and colleges across India as recommended and compulsory reading, a tuition teacher with over 20 years of experience teaching the ICSE and ISC curriculum, with one year’s experience teaching in a mainstream ICSE school, a woman who has given her life to education and to truth. I am writing this not to destroy the IB — the IB’s vision is one of the most beautiful educational visions ever articulated by human beings — but to save it.

To save it from the institutions that bear its name but betray its spirit. To save it from the administrators who memorize its language but violate its meaning. To save it from becoming another beautiful manifesto that gathers dust while the opposite of everything it stands for is practiced in its name.

Yeh sab kuch hua hai?

Has all of this actually happened?

No. Not all of it. Not yet. That is precisely the problem — and precisely the hope.

Because the IB Learner Profile is not a description of what is. It is a vision of what should be. And as long as there are teachers like me — stubborn, passionate, bruised but unbroken, exhausted but still standing — who refuse to let that vision die, who refuse to let ‘promises’ become ‘lies,’ who keep asking ‘Yeh sab kuch hua hai?’ even when the answer terrifies the powers that be —

There is hope.

‘Be the change you wish to see in the world.’
— Mahatma Gandhi

‘Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.’
— Matthew 5:16 (King James Version)

‘The truth will set you free, but first it will make you miserable.’
— Often attributed to James A. Garfield

Stop mugging the IB Learner Profiles for every interview, then vomiting them up.

Start asking questions.

Start with – Has all of this actually happened?

कॉपीराइट सूचना
‘अग्निपथ’ हिंदी कविता हरिवंश राय बच्चन द्वारा रचित है। इस कविता के मूल अधिकार लेखक तथा/अथवा संबंधित कॉपीराइट धारकों के पास सुरक्षित हैं। यहाँ इसका उपयोग केवल शैक्षिक एवं संदर्भ उद्देश्य हेतु किया गया है। किसी भी प्रकार के कॉपीराइट उल्लंघन का उद्देश्य नहीं है।
 
Copyright Notice
‘Agnipath’ is a Hindi poem by Harivansh Rai Bachchan. All rights to the original poem belong to the author and/or the rightful copyright holders. This text is shared here only for educational and reference purposes. No copyright infringement is intended.

अग्निपथ
हरिवंश राय बच्चन
 
वृक्ष हों भले खड़े,
हों घने, हों बड़े,
एक पत्र छाँह भी
मांग मत! मांग मत! मांग मत!
अग्निपथ! अग्निपथ! अग्निपथ!
 
तू न थकेगा कभी,
तू न थमेगा कभी,
तू न मुड़ेगा कभी,
कर शपथ! कर शपथ! कर शपथ!
अग्निपथ! अग्निपथ! अग्निपथ!
 
यह महान दृश्य है,
चल रहा मनुष्य है,
अश्रु, स्वेद, रक्त से
लथ-पथ, लथ-पथ, लथ-पथ,
अग्निपथ! अग्निपथ! अग्निपथ!
 
Agneepath – English Translation
by Fiza Pathan
 
Even if trees stand there,
Dense and tall and huge,
Do not ask
For even a single leaf of shade!
Do not ask! Do not ask! Do not ask!
That Path of Fire! That Path of Fire! That Path of Fire!

You will never grow tired,
You will never stop,
You will never turn back—
Take this oath! Take this oath! Take this oath!
That Path of Fire! That Path of Fire! That Path of Fire!

This is a magnificent sight—
A human being is walking onward,
Stained and soaked
With tears, sweat, and blood—
Soaked, soaked, soaked!
That Path of Fire! That Path of Fire! That Path of Fire!

I have always felt that Harivansh Rai Bachchan’s ‘Agnipath’ is one of the most honest poems ever written about the human condition. It offers no false comfort and does not romanticize struggle. Instead, it reminds us that life’s most important journeys are often walked without applause, without shade, and without shortcuts. As an educator, I find this poem deeply relevant to students today, especially in an age when many young learners are understandably conditioned to seek instant results and immediate reassurance. Agnipath teaches the dignity of persistence. It teaches that growth is not always gentle—it can be sweaty, painful, and frightening, yet still profoundly meaningful. I use this poem in my classes not simply as literature but as a quiet lesson in resilience, self-discipline, and inner courage. It reminds students that their future is not built on comfort but on the brave decision to keep walking forward—again and again—on their own ‘path of fire.’ I do not point down the path I have not yet traversed myself.

‘Preach the gospel at all times; use words if necessary.’
St. Francis of Assisi

Activities of Fiza Pathan and the January 2025 PGCITE Batch During the Time-Period (March-April 2025)

During this period, most of my PGCITE January 2025 Batch colleagues had stopped trying to get up early to attend our internship at Podar IB before 8:00 am. All except one person – me, of course! I wouldn’t miss my daily internship and class observations for anything! I was also fully immersed in MYP Library work with Divya ma’am, especially after school hours, and in non-stop IGCSE and AS & A Level Board invigilation.
However, I initiated another activity during this period in the PGCITE course.

I started being guided by Sushma ma’am in IBDP History and taking a large number of proxy classes or substitute teacher classes at Podar IB in the PYP and MYP sections.

The IBDP kids, both IBDP-2 and IBDP-1, treated me as ‘one of the gang’ – girls and boys alike. I was treated with deep love and respect. My PYP boys and girls, especially in Hea ma’am’s 1A class, were always worried because I rarely ate during snack or lunch break in their class. The same was true for the kids in Amrin ma’am’s 3B class and Krishna ma’am’s awesome 3C class.
Sushma ma’am thoroughly guided me in History and was the backbone of the confidence I have in that IBDP subject today. In our IBDP History class sessions, which met three or four times a week, I noticed Sushma ma’am also discussing IGCSE History, which guided me in that area as well. Today, as of February 2026, I am proficient in:

1. Seven AS & A Level Humanities Subjects
2. Nine IBDP Level Humanities Subjects

I am fully confident in teaching them, and I have already been tutoring IBDP, IGCSE, AS & A Level, etc., students in these subjects worldwide, both online and offline, since the year 2025, after I began my PGCITE course.

I don’t think all this would be possible without the encouragement, love, and dynamism of Sushma ma’am of Podar IB for a History Teacher like me. She instantly recognized my passion for the subject and honed it to the best of her ability.
But frankly, at the time, I was drowning in studies. My important MTS exams were coming up, and I had to score an A+ or an O. At the same time, I was studying diligently for my content exams in the PGCITE course, as I do with everything.

But then, on March 3, 2025, Rekha ma’am started discussing the content exam papers with us and helping us solve them.
As everyone knows, I realized something significant then.
I can solve the IGCSE English and Global Perspectives Papers, as well as any IBDP or AS & A Level Papers in the Humanities. But for the life of me, I could not solve the PYP Math and Science Papers!

Rekha ma’am was stunned.

She and the rest of the class could not believe that I drew a blank on the Math test and, eventually, on the PYP Science Paper because there was a lot of Math in it.

Rekha ma’am realized what was up. She then told me not to stress and that the PYP homeroom teacher position was not meant for me. However, she added that if I ever wanted to teach the PYP, I could do so as a subject teacher rather than a home-room teacher. She pointed out that I could excel in English, Global Perspectives, and UOI.

I was thrilled beyond belief, and thankfully, I could take any number of senior Humanities exams I wanted to give at the IBDP, IGCSE, and even AS & A Level, and at the Lower Secondary Section Level, or the IGCSE, and my particular subjects in the PYP – but no PYP Math and Science for me.

However, my PGCITE January 2025 batch colleagues and even Rekha ma’am tried to coax the ‘fear’ of Math out of me. I remember Rekha ma’am coaxing me in the classroom to solve math problems in my head, especially complex ones, and my PGCITE best friend, Sana, encouraging me in Math whenever I gave the right answer before anyone else. Even Harshada and Barkha, at that time, were very supportive and understanding of my situation. They knew that at Bombay Scottish School, Mahim, where I was a school student, I was mentally, emotionally, and physically abused, including verbal abuse, beatings, caning, comb-to-knuckle bashing, taunts, and slaps on the back, because I was supposedly ‘poor’ in Math.

After I finished the PGCITE course in December 2025, I did not let sleeping dogs lie.

As I informed the wonderful HR at Oberoi International School, Goregaon, I do not make a New Year’s Resolution List when the old year ends in December. Instead, I make a different type of list. It is a list of things I did not know or could not do the previous year. I make the list, then learn everything on it the following year. In this case, I did not know Math the whole of 2025, so this year 2026 – I have made myself a promise to not only learn Math but also ace it and learn it to the level of Advanced Calculus, Advanced Linear Algebra, Linear Equations, Probability and Statistics, Convex Optimization, Probabilistic Graphical Models, Discrete Mathematics and Proofs, ML Math, Topology and Geometry, etc. Since I studied Probability in depth to become proficient and teach the AS & A Level Subject ‘Thinking Skills’, I have already reached the Mensa Scale. Now I have to go higher, if there is any such thing as higher!

I have already started solving and studying Advanced Calculus and Linear Equations, which seem strangely easy and exciting all of a sudden after I’ve aced Probability. Maybe my passion for becoming a Data Analyst and then a Data Scientist has conditioned or primed me to finally absorb Mathematics. Also, there is no one to cane me or crack the skin on my knuckles till I bleed – so I think I will manage this time around!

But I haven’t taken Math lying down. After seeing and being told by professionals last year (2025) that deepening my expertise in Mathematics at an advanced level could increase my IQ from 133 to… who knows!? Claude AI predicts that, after 6 months of consistent study starting in January 2026, I will increase my IQ to 138. Gemini AI, on the other hand, believes I already have an IQ of 138 and that it will rise to 145 in 3 months. He bases this on my new expertise in Probability and on my improved retention and reading speed. My reading speed is now superfast. It scares people.

I can finish a 125-page book on Shivaji Maharaj at the Scholar’s Bookstore opposite the Podar Campus by speed-reading in (take a deep breath) 15 minutes.

That scared the salesman attending to me, called Pintu, and almost made another retail man drop his book packages. He had to start reciting the Hanuman Chalisa for protection under his breath. Needless to say, he was reciting it wrongly, and I had to correct him, which made him freak out even more!
As I said, I scare people.

That’s because of my efficiency and alertness.

But if it helps my IBDP, AS & A Level, IGCSE, and other IB students here and abroad improve their work, and if it allows me to do more teaching, more research, and work 24/7 and 365 days of the year without a break – well, I am a happy camper!

I have never believed in New Year’s Resolutions. I believe in correcting what I did not do well, did not know, or did not follow up on in the year gone by. So that would be an Old Year’s Restitutions List. Works for me.

This is how, after my 10th-grade ICSE Board exams in 2005 and during the LONG (it used to be really long then!) SUMMER VACATIONS before HSC college, I learnt a number of things:

1. Oratory, Public Speaking, and Voice Modulation Professionally (Redemptorists Priests)

2. Website Designing (NIIT)

3. French (Zelia Almeida, ma’am, from St. Andrew’s School, Bandra West. She still claims I was her best student! I finished the 11th- and 12th-grade French portion in 1 month, that is, May 2005, and by June 2005, I was tutoring the 12th-grade HSC seniors who were weak.)

4. Learning to play the Guitar

5. Learning to play the piano professionally on Yamaha and Casio

6. Worked at the Bombay Scottish School Library doing cataloguing, labelling, shelf arrangements, and menial work, which was fun with Aruna around!

7. Basic Sanskrit (Self-taught using the 10th-grade lecture notes of my tuition teacher and scholar Sharma Sir)

8. I learned the entire Bible, along with the Bhagavad Gita, the Koran, the Tibetan Book of the Dead, the Tao Te Ching, the Hadith, the Shariat, the Tipitaka (the entire Buddhist Canon), and, lastly, the Zend Avesta (courtesy my maternal uncle’s Parsee friends). I learned all verbatim between March and June 2005. I did not need a guide; I was self-taught.

So, this kind of list works for me.

However, regarding the March 2025 PYP full homeroom exam, Rekha ma’am felt it was best for me not to take it. Just English and Global Perspectives, if possible. Ultimately, she said she would only give me the English PYP exam by September 2025, which I did. Some other International Schools where I applied for a job this year (2026) did not promise me a job but offered extensive testing of my further subject qualifications in the Humanities Stream of my choice, free of charge. They were apparently impressed by my website teaching portfolio, my research on it, and my CV, so they wished to help me as much as they were able to, free of charge, especially after hearing that I had lost three family members I was the caregiver for back to back in 4 months (November 2024 to February 2025) and the many hospital expenditures I incurred before and after the deaths, including funeral costs, etc. Many International Schools abroad in the USA, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Dubai, Singapore, Finland, South Korea, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Denmark, China, Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa have offered their free services to me to supervise my content exams if all else fails, correct them, and evaluate them because of not only my CV and my website teaching portfolio for PGCITE but also because they admire me as a writer and Goodreads influencer and because I am willing to give content exams on a continuous basis even after employment anywhere in Mumbai, India, compared to IGCSE and IB teachers they work with. I thank you all at this point for your offers. I am grateful and will get back to you ASAP.

I had also begun research on my TOK thesis topic, ‘The Ontology of the Soul in ‘Dracula’: Materialism vs Spiritualism in Victorian Gothic Fiction’. I read extensively into the night, then sat for MTS college classes right after, in the dead hours. I would invariably arrive at Podar International School, Santacruz, every morning at 8:00 am for my internship and observation classes, not to mention the proxy classes in the PYP and MYP. My dark circles and vacant, anemic eyes were indications to Rekha ma’am, as well as the astute Sushma ma’am and even Divya Mulchandani ma’am, the MYP Librarian (especially!), that I had not slept at all the previous night, again! It scared Rekha, ma’am, to see my tenacity and perseverance in my studies and the seriousness of this PGCITE course, but then she has never slept on an empty stomach before – I guess. Or seen three blood-family members die in front of her own eyes and in her arms because of the lack of money (in lakhs!) So, lack of lakhs! And then it turned into crores!) to pay hospitals, surgeons, hospital technicians, pharmacies, aftercare workers, caregiving homes for the aged, etc. So, I guess she got more scared by my perseverance than concerned at this time in March-April 2025.

I again aced my MTS exams in the New Testament by the end of April 2025, earning an A+. I was disappointed because I had hoped for an O (Outstanding), which would have entitled me to an immediate scholarship. By this time, I was studying more than ever, giving tuitions to ICSE students in the evenings, then attending Church, after which I took a quick bath, had a hasty dinner, drank some more Nescafé or South-Indian brewed milky coffee galore, and then got back to my studies.

My short story ‘Caste Metal,’ which I published on Amazon in 2019 for a U.S. short story competition where I placed 3rd, has become increasingly popular in recent years. People are reading the short story on KU (Kindle Unlimited), downloading the PDF, EPUB, or Kindle copies of ‘Caste Metal,’ loving it, and leaving 5-star reviews on both Goodreads and Amazon, as well as on other social media sites where books are discussed and rated, such as Fable, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, Meta (formerly known as Facebook), etc. By now, the popularity has taken over the internet, and the 5-star reviews are heartwarming to see.

So I was taken up again by the fame I was receiving, all over again, on the internet and through my many international literary circles. It kept the pain and agony of losing my 3 family members at bay at times. But I can never forget it all. Nevertheless, it kept my spirits up. And it helped me keep the spirits of my remaining aged family members up and about, thanks be to God.

As I mentioned, during this period, we selected moderators for each subject. Due to my hectic schedule with tuition, Church ministry, and my Master’s program, I had to step down as the English moderator. I did not mind being the moderator for Global Perspectives, but the election for that subject did not go through, so that was that.

Minal was the ace Science Moderator for our PGCITE January 2025 Batch, and I really miss her because she was a stellar Biology Teacher. Any International School, whether IGCSE or IB, would be privileged to have her as their senior Biology Teacher.
Minal and I were both very dedicated to our content exams, internship, and class observations at Podar International School, Santacruz. She preferred observing only Biology classes and as many other Science classes as possible, such as Physics and Chemistry. I, on the other hand, especially during this time, observed anything and everything, of course, including English and History classes galore, which were my subjects in the Humanities, not to mention TOK classes with Rajnigandha ma’am galore, especially in IBDP-2. I hope to see Minal again someday. I miss her.

On March 12, 2025, right after the discussion and explanation of the Global Perspectives Content Paper, we had a guest lecturer in our class: Dr. Vandana Sawant, ma’am, the head of the Remedial Department at Podar International School, Santacruz. She had completed her teacher training for special needs students at Nirmala Niketan and, during her two sessions with us, encouraged PGCITE students to train as special needs teachers or to take up shadow teaching opportunities if they arose in the near future. Ananya, the youngest among us PGCITE students, has taken this seriously and is currently pursuing her B.Ed. in Special Needs Teacher Training at SNDT University, Santacruz.

I have always trained students with special needs and differently abled students throughout my life, with only a B.Ed., effectively, because during the course of my life, I had worked for several years with such special needs individuals alongside some of the top psychologists, counselors, and psychiatrists in our city of Mumbai, India. I knew how tough the Special Needs Teacher Training was at several institutes from my own experience in the B.Ed. program at college, where we were required to observe the Special Needs Teacher Training program or the B.Ed. (in Special Needs) department. I found it to be a grueling degree course, and though my B.Ed. professors like Dr. Cerena ma’am, Dr. Giselle ma’am (now the current Principal), and Sr. (Dr.)Tanuja, encouraged me to take it up because I had the aptitude for it, especially to teach differently abled students – visually impaired, hearing impaired, those on the spectrum, etc. – I refused because I needed to continue earning immediately after the B.Ed. in the year 2010, because by then everyone in my family of 5 senior citizens was going to be retired, and two were seriously ill and were regular visitors to the Holy Family ICCU, sometimes thrice or four times a year – each! And since I knew the course would be two years and grueling, I declined.

I learned sign language techniques through my social work during my B.Ed., and, strangely, much earlier, when I was a school student at Bombay Scottish School, Mahim, doing regular social work there for UNICEF and UNESCO.

During my B.Ed. Social Service time, I opted for adult education and daycare services for infants and kindergarten children, as well as education for the visually and hearing-impaired. I learned, or rather revised, the sign languages at my disposal (TSL, SSE, BSL, ASL, IS, IPSL, and very little CSL). At UNICEF, TSL, BSL, ASL, and the much-needed IS became essential to me. It was required to do the social work there, especially to communicate with fellow UNICEF students working with you. I worked for UNICEF from 5th grade through 8th grade. That was the only extracurricular activity at school that no one could really degrade me about or cane me for, because there was no ‘competition’ in social service (back then!). So I was left alone to do my thing, and I did it well enough.

My B.Ed. Teachers mentioned above saw me using TSL on a regular basis to communicate with hearing- and visually impaired students (juniors) at the Special Needs B.Ed. Training College of my Educational B.Ed. Institute, St. Teresa’s College, Santacruz. It was the Special Needs professors there who liked my proficiency and wanted me back next year for a B.Ed. in Special Needs Education. But as I said, I refused.

Why did I learn all this?

When I read Helen Keller’s autobiography, ‘The Story of My Life,’ for the first time in 4th grade, I was deeply influenced by her story. My maternal uncle, Blaise, then told me about her story and her contributions to society, which left a lasting impression on me. I could not imagine doing anything without my eyes and ears, let alone my voice! After that, I saw the movie ‘The Miracle Worker’ and its Bollywood remake, ‘Black,’ in theaters, and I was determined to find ways to teach and communicate with students with disabilities as a teacher.

During our two sessions with Dr. Vandana Sawant, she mainly gave examples of remedial students who had reading, writing, speaking, and vocalizing issues, along with discussing certain psychiatric issues that students of the day struggle with, such as ADHD, Bipolar Disorder, Clinical Depression, OCD, Mood Disorders, Anxiety Disorders, Personality Disorders, Eating Disorders like Bulimia and Anorexia, PTSD, Psychotic Disorders, and Neurodevelopmental Disorders like ADHD aligned with the Autism Spectrum Disorder.

This part of the session, right from the first day, really intrigued most of the PGCITE Teacher Trainees because, strangely, none of them had actually heard of these diseases or how serious they were! Well, it all looked alike, except for Anaya and me, because we both had done Psychology at college.

Rekha ma’am, Dr. Vandana Sawant, Ananya, and I exchanged looks of astonishment and shock because it seemed absolutely fantastical, especially coming from Arts graduates! Yet Dr. Vandana Sawant was very patient, though still astonished, as she went on to explain each psychological disease to my PGCITE colleagues. She sometimes asked Ananya or me to elaborate on certain ailments, and we were more than happy to oblige.
Anaya did her Psychology major from Canada (BA), while I studied Psychology through SYBA and then graduated from TYBA with a double major (Double Major B.A.) in History and Sociology. I took 4 Psychology papers for my B.Ed. at St. Teresa’s Institute of Education (we had 11 subjects to study), but I pursued an extra specialization in Computers, not Psychology. I double-majored in History and English at my B.Ed. college. The extra specialization or 11th subject was Computers because I wanted one subject less to study. I received a number of awards there as well, so much so that, to save time and give me all my award certificates and scholarships in one shot, my then Principal, Sr. Lillian Rosario, tied a big, strong rubber band around all the certificates to keep them together, as you can see in this photograph of me receiving my many awards.

I remember that award ceremony well. I was in charge of the entire computer setup and program, and I also served as the media department’s supervisor. I remember the Principal of Podar International School, Santacruz, Ms. Vandana Lulla, visiting the event. That year, she often came to my college, St. Teresa’s, for our many programs, events, and assemblies. She was very impressed with my computer work and presentations and asked me to join the school as a teacher for MYP 6th or 7th grade in 2011. But I wanted to get into the ICSE, and I ended up joining Lilavatibai Podar High School in Santacruz instead, where I taught for one year, grades 9 and 10, in three subjects: English Language, English Literature, and History. I was the first teacher, the class teacher of 9H – an awesome class, most of us are still friends to this day. After all, we were only 6 years apart in age! I was 21, and they were 14 or 15 at most.

Dr. Vandana Lulla was at the event where I received the award certificates from Sr. Lillian Rosario. She cheered loudly with the whole crowd when my name was called, along with the never-ending number of award certificates.

So, all this was not new to me – but it was new to everyone else in the PGCITE class. Dr. Vandana Sawant continued for the next two sessions, explaining each ailment in detail, drawing on her own experiences to deepen our understanding of the struggles that such children face in an International School setting.

She even spoke to us about the following between each ailment’s explanations:

1. Individualized Education Plans (IEPs)

2. Special Accommodations, e.g., a reader, writer, prompter, or extended time.

3. Board and Pre-Board Facilities for Special Needs or Remedial students.

4. The Drishti Report

5. Collaboration of teachers and educators with the following :

i.Speech Therapy

ii. Occupational Therapy

iii. Specialized Education Teachers

iv. Counsellors

v. Other Professionals

Our sessions with Dr. Vandana Sawant were interesting, and we also learned a lot about additional International Board activities that were integrated into our study of the IB Learner Profiles.
One was the Card Sorting Activity, which we learned on February 24. It was a while back, just after my other PGCITE Teacher Trainees had completed a few Board invigilations, while I continued to work with them daily from February to the end of April 2025.

The card-sorting activity is a versatile and highly effective instructional strategy frequently used by teachers in IB and IGCSE schools to promote active learning, critical thinking, and collaborative discussion.

At its heart, card sorting requires students to organize a set of cards—containing vocabulary, images, dates, or complex concepts—into categories that make sense based on shared characteristics. Teachers typically use two main formats—closed card sorts, in which students place items into predefined categories to test specific knowledge, and open card sorts, in which students generate their own category names to reveal their unique mental models. Rekha ma’am used the closed card method with us that day on February 24, 2025.

The primary value of this activity lies in the ‘meaningful talk’ it generates. When working in pairs or small groups, students must justify their reasoning and debate their choices, which deepens their understanding and encourages peer tutoring. It serves as a powerful formative assessment tool, allowing teachers to circulate and quickly identify misconceptions and knowledge gaps.

While traditional physical cards offer tactile engagement, many modern classrooms use digital tools such as Desmos, Flippity, or Classflow to facilitate these activities. Teachers are often advised to limit sets to 20–30 cards to maintain focus and ensure the activity can be completed within a standard 10–20-minute classroom window.

When Rekha ma’am led this activity, she had just started the IB Learner Profiles topic by showing us videos, the IB website, and how to proceed, along with a list of the IB Learner Profiles. We had to match the IB Learner Profile with its description in the card-sorting activity. I was placed in the Inquirers Group with my PGCITE course colleagues, Maitri, Arya, and Harshada.
As soon as the cards were placed on our table, I asked the group whether they were ready to discuss. Matri categorically said they were only ready to win, so without further ado, because I am always the perpetual ‘Johnny on the spot,’ I matched the cards in half a second after she said it and finished the task. And we won because it depended on which group matched the cards the quickest.

Rekha ma’am was not pleased.

My group was asked to try the task again, this time without my help and by discussing it among themselves.

My group lost.

I can’t help finishing tasks like these super-quickly. I have an IQ of 133, and it now appears to be 138. I have no freaking clue why!?!? Also, when it comes to reading, I have managed to increase my already very fast reading speed through Deep Learning with Claude AI. I can now read a 125-page book in 13 minutes, or even 15 minutes if someone is constantly chatting on WhatsApp in the background. People do talk a lot these days, more talk and less work – or even no work!

So when I saw the chits, the task was already done in my head. I was being inclusive by inviting a discussion and collaboration. But they specifically wanted to WIN. I have always believed in this post-Truth Era and in the proverb ‘too many cooks spoil the broth,’ so I did it in a millisecond.

I am not kidding. I can read VERY fast. I can connect my thoughts, unlike an AI or LLM, which is, for now, a plus point against AI. That is why I need to visit many libraries in Bandra West, where I live, and elsewhere, because I finish books too quickly. People think I am nutty, but it is not so. It is the IQ that must be blamed, or my neural networking since childhood. It used to work hopelessly for Math until last year (2025), but it is awesome for everything else. And now, pardon me, Math is getting better too.

To make it up to you, dear reader, I am sharing with you a Lesson Plan based on the Card Sorting Activity, which was given to us as homework by Rekha ma’am. No one but me did it, so the discussion was skipped. Luckily, I can share it here with you all now. Here is the lesson plan:

Topic: ‘Characterization and the Loss of Identity in ‘Night’ ‘ ‘

Grade: IBDP English A: Literature (HL and SL)

IB Link: Part 3: Individual and Society / The Reader, Writer, and Text

Learning Objective: To analyze how secondary characters serve as ‘mirrors’ or ‘foils’ to Eliezer’s internal transformation and loss of faith.

PGCITE Teacher: Fiza Pathan

This lesson plan is designed for an IBDP English A: Literature (Standard or Higher Level) classroom. It uses a card-sorting activity to help students analyze the complex character dynamics and psychological shifts in Elie Wiesel’s ‘Night.’

Activity: The ‘Shattered Identities’ Card Sort

1. Preparation (Pre-class)

Create a set of approximately 20–25 cards divided into three types:

Character Names: Eliezer, Shlomo (the father), Moishe the Beadle, Madame Schächter, Akiba Drumer, Juliek, and the Pipel.
Trait/Action Phrases: Prophetic warning, Loss of faith, Silent observer, Musical resistance, Burden of care, Total physical/spiritual decline.

Thematic Anchors: Loss of Innocence, The Silence of God, Dehumanization, Father-Son Bond.

2. Phase 1: Closed Card Sort (15 Minutes)

Divide students into small groups (3-4 members). Ask them to match each Trait/Action card to its corresponding Character Name.

Example: Students must decide whether ‘Loss of faith’ applies more strongly to Akiba Drumer (who loses it) or to Shlomo (who remains devoutly static).

IB Focus: Encourage students to use specific textual evidence to justify why a trait belongs to a specific character.

3. Phase 2: Open Card Sort and Comparison (20 Minutes)

Ask groups to re-sort the cards into categories from Eliezer’s perspective.

Challenge: Sort characters into groups like Reminders of Sighet, Victims of Dehumanization, or Foreshadowing Figures.
Discussion Prompt: How do characters like Madame Schächter or Moishe the Beadle serve as unheeded warnings for Eliezer’s future?

4. Phase 3: Synthesis and Plenary (25 Minutes)

Each group presents one category. The teacher leads a final discussion on the Dynamic vs. Static nature of characters in the memoir.

Key Question: If Eliezer is a dynamic character (changing from devout to a ‘corpse’), which secondary characters highlight this change most sharply?

Writing Extension: Use the sorted cards to outline an essay response on the prompt: ‘Discuss how Wiesel uses secondary characters to map Eliezer’s spiritual and psychological journey.’

Then, on the same day, Rekha ma’am explained the Loop Cards activity to us. This time, she changed my group and put Barkha and Asma in it, ordering me to ‘not act before everyone had spoken’ and to ‘only go by what the others said after their discussion’. For all of us who know Asma well, once she starts talking, there is no full stop. I, or Barkha, didn’t get a chance to talk or end the discussion, because Asma had a lot to discuss before making her decision. I saw the cards of everyone in my group, and everyone else had already figured out the various answers. Still, under duress, I maintained strict silence like a dunce from the first decade of the 20th century.

The Loop Cards activity—often known as ‘I Have, Who Has?’ or ‘Follow Me’ cards—is a highly engaging active-learning strategy used by International Baccalaureate (IB) and IGCSE teachers for formative assessment, lesson recaps, and knowledge consolidation. The activity uses a set of cards, each containing an answer to a previous question and a new question for the next person. Because the cards are designed to link together, the sequence eventually ‘loops’ back to the first person who started the game, ensuring every student in the class participates.
In the context of the rigorous IGCSE and IB curricula, teachers use this strategy to build fluency in specialized vocabulary, mathematical formulas, and historical dates. For instance, in an IGCSE Mathematics lesson, cards might require students to quickly solve ‘x’ or convert fractions to decimals to find their link in the chain. In the IB Diploma Programme (IBDP), subjects such as Business Management or Biology use loop cards to reinforce complex terminology—such as definitions of sources of finance or cellular respiration—by having students listen critically to their peers’ questions and identify the corresponding term on their own card.

The pedagogical strength of this strategy lies in its ability to transform a standard review session into a collaborative, high-energy challenge. Teachers often add a competitive element by timing the class to see whether they can complete the loop faster in subsequent rounds, which strengthens listening and concentration skills. Furthermore, it serves as an excellent differentiation tool; more advanced students can be given multiple cards or tasked with creating their own sets to demonstrate deeper mastery of the subject matter.

I asked for my own multiple cards, but Rekha ma’am tossed my offer aside and told me to concentrate on Asma’s ‘Sermon on the Mount.’ Barkha kept trying to get a word in, maybe even a letter of the alphabet, but it was hopeless.

So we lost.

When I asked Rekha ma’am for my multiple cards, she and a few others gave me a Sermon on the Mount (and a Sermon on the Plane, if you know your Bible well! Matthew and Luke combined!) about me not being a ‘team player’ and that I should not let my intelligence get in the way of my collaboration with others who were ‘normal’ and worked at a ‘normal’ pace. And that I should try to act like ‘regular’ people who work hard, avoid overanalyzing a complicated card puzzle, and not just solve it in a second to make my team win. That was selfish and self-centered behavior. Intelligence was not important; only collaboration mattered in life. Otherwise…

And besides, I didn’t know math, so I couldn’t really be all that smart, everyone at Podar IB said every day.
Boy, news sure spreads fast there!
Well, I’ve taken care of that problem, too, the math problem.
Now I will really be in trouble. 😉

The next topic we covered on March 3, 2025, and the last topic we discussed as a PGCITE class in this section of IB Learner Profiles, was ‘How to make a Kahoot’.

A Kahoot is an online educational tool that allows you to create a game and integrate it into your teaching syllabus on https://kahoot.it/ or via your Kahoot account.

Integrating Kahoot into the IGCSE or IB classroom is an excellent way to bridge the gap between rigorous academic requirements and high student engagement. Because these boards often require deep conceptual understanding and quick recall, a well-designed Kahoot can serve as a powerful formative assessment tool. By turning syllabus-specific content into an interactive game, you can transform what might otherwise be a dry revision session into a spirited competition that clarifies complex topics and reinforces long-term knowledge retention. At Podar International School, IB teachers always use Kahoot to test their students. Also, during free classes, students would log in to specific Kahoots to complete quizzes rather than waste their time, especially in the MYP sections of the school. I also loved solving these Kahoots with these students. It prompted me to create online games for my PGCITE teaching portfolio website, and I used them during my lessons at Podar.

To create your own Kahoot for your students, start by signing up for a free teacher account on the Kahoot website. Once logged in, click the Create button to enter the quiz builder. For IGCSE or IB subjects, it is highly effective to mix question types. In contrast, standard multiple-choice questions are perfect for testing definitions and key terms. You might use True/False questions to quickly check curriculum-specific statements. If you have a premium subscription, you can even use Puzzles to help students practice sequencing processes, such as the steps in a scientific experiment or a historical timeline. To make your quiz as relevant as possible, you can upload diagrams, map snippets, or past-paper images directly into your questions, helping students become familiar with the visual style of their official board exams.

Once your quiz is ready, hosting it in the classroom is straightforward. Project the game onto a shared screen, and your students join using a unique Game PIN on their own devices. For IB Diploma Programme or IGCSE classes, Classic Mode is ideal for individual assessment, while Team Mode can encourage collaborative problem-solving skills, which these boards value. It is also important to adjust the timer for each question; for instance, you might give students only 20 seconds for a quick recall question to build exam speed, but extend it to 2 minutes for complex IB math or science problems that require more thought. If you are short on time, you can always explore the Kahoot! Discover page to find and adapt high-quality, pre-made quizzes created specifically for IGCSE and IB curricula.

The true value for a teacher lies in the data gathered after the game. Kahoot provides detailed Reports that pinpoint which questions students found difficult, often defined as those answered correctly by fewer than 35% of the class. This allows you to immediately address specific misconceptions or re-teach a topic before the final exams. Beyond live games, you can also assign a Kahoot as self-paced homework, giving students the flexibility to revise at their own pace. By incorporating these interactive elements, you not only make the learning process more enjoyable for your students but also gain the critical insights they need to excel in their board examinations.

Rekha ma’am then asked us to make a Kahoot for homework. I did, and I can share it with you here. However, no one else in my PGCITE class did the homework. When Rekha ma’am made me present mine to the class, it was on English Literature for the MYP (8th grade), ‘The Boy in Striped Pajamas’ by John Boyne, and no one looked really pleased. Since I want to be a ‘team player,’ I am not going to share the link here. Pretend I didn’t do the homework either!

With that, we went on to study the IB Learner Profiles in detail. I presented the assigned homework for correction/grading. But it wasn’t corrected because the others hadn’t done their assigned homework, and my doing it meant I wasn’t being a team player. I am posting the homework here for your perusal.

In April 2025, Rekha ma’am asked us to give a presentation on the readiness of our teaching portfolios. It was mandatory for grading purposes. I had already published my website teaching portfolio for PGCITE. I am a diligent student and teacher – and the website was already well-known on Google – so I did not have to prepare anything.

When Rekha ma’am asked me for my portfolio and asked, ‘Where is it?’ I went up to the class computer keyboard, typed the word PGCITE into Google, and voila – there appeared fizapathansteachingportfolioforpgcite.com above the Podar Website, even though the latter was usually number 1.

‘Here it is, I answered, meekly and almost apologetically, ‘Can you see it?’

There was no answer.

I then realized I had goofed again by becoming world-famous. Not a team player again! Sigh. 😉

And the other PGCITE students’ portfolios? Well, do I really need to answer that question?

Rekha ma’am asked me to give a detailed presentation of my portfolio and my website, and I did.

This is the same website teaching portfolio for PGCITE that you are reading. Thank you for your presence and continued support in making fizapathansteachingportfolioforpgcite.com number 1, both nationally and internationally. Without you, dear reader, I could not have managed this.

Thank you for supporting my free educational content and continuing to do so, because I have miles to go and a lot of work to do in this field. Miles to go before I sleep.

Thank you, and I hope you at least don’t mind that I’m not a team player. 😉

I would like to connect with you to create more free, high-quality educational content for the IGCSE and IB Boards that is inclusive of all. Even non-team players, or what some people call – pathbreakers.

You are already an exceptional pathbreaker, too! If so, feel free to connect with me here on my website teaching portfolio for PGCITE: fizapathansteachingportfolioforpgcite.com, and let us create quality, useful, and always-free educational content for the betterment of others together. 😊 Join me anytime. I would love to hear from you. 😊

The End of IB Learner Profiles

---

End of Introduction to Fiza Pathan’s Portfolio

©2026 Fiza Pathan