Vanderbilt University Archives

Mr. Benny Varghese is Research and Publication Officer (Post Graduate Teacher Mathematics) at Navodaya Leadership Institute, Canacona, Goa—one of the seven teacher training institutes for Navodaya Schools run by the Ministry of Education, Government of India. With 25 years of teaching experience in senior secondary schools, Mr. Varghese was honored with the National ICT Award by the Government of India in 2016 in recognition of his effective and innovative integration of ICT in promoting students’ learning. During 2020-22, he served as an institute advisory board member of the Central Institute of Education Technology, a constituent unit of the National Council of Educational Research and Training, Government of India. He holds a master’s degree in mathematics and a bachelor’s degree in education.

At times, the abstractness of mathematics makes its teaching and learning a dull experience for many. Through his Fulbright DAI project, ‘Toy-based pedagogy for enjoyable mathematics learning’, Mr. Varghese aims to transform the traditional methods of teaching and learning Math by means of gamification. Given children’s fondness for games, he intends to design and use mathematical games to teach and reinforce math concepts. Upon his return to India, he intends to share his enriching Fulbright DAI experience and his pedagogical findings with Navodaya school teachers. He further aims to implement the findings of his project in Navodaya schools and in other educational organizations in the country.

Ms. Kritika Dhiwahar is an English language facilitator at HLC International School, Chennai, Tamil Nadu. With a distinction in Cambridge International Diploma in Teaching and Learning (CIDTL) and training in drama from the National School of Drama, New Delhi, Ms. Dhiwahar uses storytelling and drama techniques to create an inclusive learning environment. She holds a master’s in English literature and a bachelor’s in education and has over a decade of experience in classroom teaching and teacher training. She also works as a freelance teacher educator for Srikriti, the Teacher Education Centre, and for leading publishers—Macmillan Education and Scholastic, India.

Ms. Dhiwahar’s Fulbright DAI inquiry project, “Play’s the Thing: Targeting (language) learning outcomes through story and drama-based learning”, focuses on exploring pedagogical applications of storytelling and drama. She aims to understand how these methods are implemented in U.S. schools to advocate their increased use in the Indian ELT context. Through her project, she seeks to establish the educational value of drama and storytelling. Ms. Dhiwahar plans to conduct seminars and workshops to inspire her fellow educators to embrace storytelling and drama as pedagogical tools in language learning classrooms. She believes that bridging the gap between a theoretical understanding of language and its practice will enhance language acquisition and the overall educational experience of Indian students.