IIT Gandhinagar’s Prerana programme enters Day 3, training mentors in hands-on STEM activities and Indian Knowledge Systems for holistic education.
Prerana Mentor Training opens with director‑led session
The third day of the Prerana Mentor Training Programme commenced at the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IITGN) with an insightful session led by Prof. Rajat Moona, Director of the institute. The session set the tone for the day by emphasising the role of mentors as curators of curiosity and facilitators of critical thinking rather than mere transmitters of information.
Prof. Moona addressed the cohort of school‑level mentors and highlighted how contemporary education must move beyond rote learning to fostering inquiry, creativity, and problem‑solving. He underscored the importance of aligning modern teaching methods with India’s diverse social and cultural context, so that education becomes both rigorous and relevant for students across geographies.
The Director also spoke about IIT Gandhinagar’s commitment to community‑engaged education and innovation, underscoring the institute’s support for initiatives like Prerana that seek to build strong foundations in science, technology, and holistic development. By hosting the mentor training on campus, he said, the institute aims to expose school teachers and community leaders to the ethos and values of a research‑driven technical university.
Hands‑on STEM activities for mentor engagement
The core of the day’s programme centred on hands‑on STEM activities, designed to give mentors direct, practical experience with innovative teaching methodologies. Rather than watching demonstrations only, the participants engaged in guided experiments, design challenges, and collaborative problem‑solving tasks that mirrored the kind of learning environments they are expected to create in their classrooms.
Mentors worked with simple, low‑cost materials to build working models, design circuits, and explore basic scientific phenomena. In one activity, they constructed simple mechanical systems to understand principles of motion and energy; in another, they used basic electronics kits to light up LEDs and design simple control mechanisms. The goal was to make abstract concepts—such as force, energy, current, and resistance – tangible and relatable for younger learners.
Facilitators from the Prerana team stressed the importance of activity‑based learning, where students learn by doing, questioning, and iterating. Mentors also received guidance on how to structure lessons that start with a provocative question or real‑world problem, followed by guided exploration, experimentation, and group discussion. The idea was to help them shift from teacher‑centred instruction to student‑centred, discovery‑driven pedagogy.
Introducing traditional wisdom through Indian Knowledge Systems
In addition to the STEM‑focused sessions, the programme included a dedicated module on Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS), led by an expert faculty member from the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur. The session highlighted the value of embedding India’s rich cultural and knowledge heritage into modern educational practices, particularly in science and mathematics teaching.
The resource person explained how ancient Indian texts and traditions contributed to fields such as astronomy, mathematics, medicine, metallurgy, and environmental management. Examples included Vedic mathematics techniques, traditional agricultural and water‑management systems, and indigenous material‑processing methods that demonstrate empirical understanding even without modern formal frameworks. The session did not romanticise the past but instead encouraged mentors to view these systems as living sources of context, inspiration, and comparative learning.
Participants learned how to design lessons that create meaningful bridges between traditional knowledge and contemporary science. For instance, teachers explored how local agricultural practices or household techniques could illustrate scientific concepts such as heat transfer, fluid dynamics, or material properties. The IKS session also encouraged mentors to bring in local artisans, elders, and community practitioners as resource persons, thereby strengthening the link between school and community.
Strengthening mentors’ pedagogical capacities
Throughout the day, the Prerana Mentor Training Programme reinforced the idea that effective teaching is less about content coverage and more about enabling students to think, create, and reflect. The combination of hands‑on STEM activities and the IKS session equipped mentors with both technical confidence and cultural sensitivity, helping them internalise Prerana’s core pedagogical approach.
Mentors practised converting textbook topics into activity‑based lesson plans, incorporating open‑ended questions, collaborative tasks, and reflection prompts. They also discussed how to design classroom environments that are inclusive and psychologically safe, where students feel comfortable sharing ideas, making mistakes, and learning from failure. The facilitators emphasised the importance of differentiated instruction, where mentors recognise and respond to the varied learning levels, interests, and backgrounds of their students.
The programme also highlighted the role of feedback and formative assessment in day‑to‑day teaching. Rather than relying solely on year‑end examinations, mentors learned how to use informal questioning, observation, peer feedback, and short projects to track learning progress and adjust their instruction in real time.
Blending technology, culture, and holistic learning
By integrating cutting‑edge STEM practices with the wisdom of Indian Knowledge Systems, the Prerana Mentor Training Programme aims to create a holistic, multi‑dimensional learning experience for students. The initiative does not see technology and tradition as opposing forces; instead, it seeks to demonstrate how modern tools – such as data‑enabled devices, simple sensors, and digital simulations – can coexist with and complement traditional knowledge and cultural narratives.
Prerana’s vision is to prepare mentors who can design classrooms where technology is a means, not an end; where science and culture are interwoven; and where curiosity and ethical values develop hand‑in‑hand. The programme’s pedagogy encourages teachers to ask questions such as: How can this scientific concept be grounded in local context? How can traditional practices inform or be enriched by scientific inquiry? How can students become both knowledgeable and responsible citizens of their communities and the nation?
Closing the training with renewed purpose
As the third day drew to a close, participants engaged in a reflective session where they shared their key takeaways from the hands‑on STEM activities and the IKS module. Many mentors expressed a renewed sense of purpose, highlighting how the training challenged them to rethink their own teaching habits and classroom structures. Several spoke about the value of stepping into the role of a learner themselves, working in teams, and experiencing the same kind of questioning and experimentation they now plan to introduce in their schools.
Sustained capacity‑building initiative
Organisers of the Prerana Mentor Training Programme reiterated that the goal is not a one‑off awareness event but a sustained capacity‑building initiative. They plan follow‑up workshops, online modules, and peer‑learning circles to help mentors implement and refine what they have learned. The programme also envisions a network of Prerana‑trained mentors who can collaborate across districts and states, share best practices, and mentor newer batches of teachers.
By hosting the mentor training at IIT Gandhinagar and weaving together hands‑on STEM exploration with Indian Knowledge Systems, the Prerana Mentor Training Programme has laid a strong foundation for a culture of inquiry, innovation, and inclusivity in school‑level education. As these mentors return to their classrooms, they carry with them not only new activities and tools but also a deeper understanding of how to merge modern science, cultural rootedness, and human‑centred teaching into a coherent, transformative learning journey for their students
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