Last date for nomination: May 30, 2025
About Bedrock Series
Educational practitioners frequently come across situations where they either have to choose between two or more available options or defend a choice that they made in the past. They struggle to do so, as, more often than not, their responses are intuitive and commonsensical, the rationale of which is never explicitly articulated. Education, being a highly contingent endeavour, draws heavily upon concepts, principles and theories developed in several other disciplines. Three major disciplines that education draws upon are Philosophy, Psychology and Sociology, which are known as foundational areas of education. The Bedrock Series is designed to help the participants gain an understanding of the relevant concepts, principles and theories of the three disciplines, which help them appreciate the what, how and why of education.
This is a series of short intensive independent courses that form the bedrock of educational practices. These courses are specially designed with a focus on developing a holistic understanding of three foundational areas of educational understanding and theorising; viz, Philosophical Perspectives of Education, Perspectives on Learning, and Sociology of Education. All the courses in the series are conceived, developed and facilitated by well-known education practitioners and academicians.
Participants need to enroll in each course separately. In the Bedrock Series this year, the course 'Sociology of Education' will be offered online. The courses “Philosophy of Education” and “Perspectives on Learning” will be offered in-person (face-to-face).
About This Course
Course Outcomes
The course will help the participants to see the reason behind what is happening in education and how it is being done. They will be able to theorize the prevailing practices and note any discordance therein. The courses adopt a collaborative pedagogical strategy. This intentionally promotes reflection to answer the questions which will serve as a beginning to start the joumey toward becoming a reflective practitioner in education. Participants, after completing the series, if they need so, will be able to design a new system of education, by adjusting the set of parameters learnt through the three units of the series.Pre-requisites
This series/course is ideal for those interested in and engaged with educational thought and practices: educators, teachers, or education administrators, coordinators, and members of leadership teams or program teams of NGOs, etc. Individuals with 3–4 years of experience of working in education or those who have studied the field will benefit the most. However, the courses of the series are also valuable for fresh graduates considering a career in education. Anyone who has a keen mind, and is interested in the rigorous study of education, would benefit and enjoy these courses. However, the ability to read, write and understand the Hindi language is a must, along with an undergraduate degree. Another prerequisite for this series of courses is self-motivation.
Expected Commitment
Sociology of education (Virtual)This online course has a duration of 1.5 months consisting of 6 units. The total course duration spans 6 weeks, inclusive of the course completion assignment. (Details to be shared)
Course Details
Sociology of education (Virtual/ online)What to teach, how to teach and whom to teach are some of the basic questions of schools and educators. We all know that their answers come, at least in part, from our social context. This short course introduces sociological ways of 'seeing' that context. It is about the concepts and theories through which sociologists and anthropologists help us to understand our context and to plan our actions in it. It is also about some of the methods through which we penetrate the superficial to build a deeper understanding of our social context. The course will do this by introducing the basic processes shaping our times and the educational questions that get raised by them the growth of complex societies driven by capitalism and rationalism, the relation between individuals and social structures, the changing forms of nationalisms and ethnic identities, changes taking place in gender, caste and the class structure. Along with these, the implications of a sociological understanding for what we do in education would be discussed, highlighting some of the fundamental debates and dilemmas of our times.
Facilitator(s):
- Amman Madan (Professor of Sociology of Education and Anthropology, Azim Premji University, Bhopal)
About The Resource Organization
Digantar Shiksha Evam Khelkud Samiti, a non-profit organisation founded in 1978, is dedicated to educational innovation and social upliftment. Key objectives include running schools, advancing educational thought and practices, conducting research, and promoting cultural and social development. Currently, it operates two non-fee-paying schools in Jaipur, Rajasthan, serving marginalized communities.
Digantar's approach integrates theory and practice through The Academic Resource Unit (TARU) and Digantar Publications. TARU offers capacity-building programs for educators, emphasizing the importance of grounding practice in educational principles. The organization advocates for quality alternative education, aiming to cultivate autonomous, rational and caring democratic citizens. Its school and various initiatives reflect this commitment, including teacher training, research and curriculum development.
Amman Madan
Amman studied Anthropology at Panjab University, Chandigarh, and Sociology at Jawaharlal Nehru University. He works on the possibilities of an education for dialogue, fraternity and justice, and anchors a network of researchers and activists working toward that. His areas of research include how education helps in dealing with conflicts, how it transforms societies and how it mediates social inequality. He has worked on the educational challenges posed by the existence of different civic cultures and political philosophies.
Amman has been a research associate with Eklavya Foundation and has taught at Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education and IIT Kanpur He has been visiting faculty at Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS). Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), and Central University of Tezpur. He currently serves as Professor of Sociology and Social Anthropology at Azim Premji University, Bhopal.
Testimonials
“I really enjoyed all parts of the aspects of the course. I felt that the learning experience was safe, inclusive to a great degree, engaging and interactive. I have a lot of gratitude for the way that my tendency to engage via asking questions (something that really supports my neurodivergence) was responded to with kindness.”
“I really enjoyed all parts of the aspects of the course. I felt that the learning experience was safe, inclusive to a great degree, engaging and interactive. I have a lot of gratitude for the way that my tendency to engage via asking questions (something that really supports my neurodivergence) was responded to with kindness.”
“I really enjoyed all parts of the aspects of the course. I felt that the learning experience was safe, inclusive to a great degree, engaging and interactive. I have a lot of gratitude for the way that my tendency to engage via asking questions (something that really supports my neurodivergence) was responded to with kindness.”
“The most effective part of the facilitation was the way in which concepts were linked to real life scenarios today, either in the faculty's experience or the other participants. It brought complex theories to clear life.”
“Overall, it was a rich, exciting and powerful learning experience for which I am very thankful.”
“I would rate the overall course 4.5/5, considering all aspects. I do wish we had more time to discuss the solutions as well."
“The structure of the course was well designed as it allowed us to open up a new concept in its relationship to education every day. The facilitation felt very closely connected to real life, while at the same time encouraged me to push myself in my thinking. The idea of discussing readings in a peer group was also really novel and allowed for a different kind of engagement with the text, where one could get a glimpse into the link between the texts and other students' different backgrounds and work realities, making the process much richer. Even the daily sharing from certain groups about their understanding of the reading was very valuable. Each day felt like a dive into a rich new world, with just enough of an opening to create curiosity to explore these concepts further. The faculty brought my mind to a point where each theme felt urgent and integral, and I felt compelled to learn more about them when I got home (for instance, especially in the context of educational goals, knowing what it is we actually want to do, and the 'why' underneath it etc).”
“The course content and delivery were excellent. The way all questions were answered was both encouraging and helpful. I also felt that the learning environment was highly conducive, thanks to the professor and participants who fostered such a positive atmosphere. Aman ensured that curiosity remained alive while progressing and completing topics on time. The idea of continuing discussions online is brilliant.”
“Discussion to reading design was something that worked very well. After having discussion and then going into the reading was impactful.”
“The mode of lecture and time for processing thoughts based on experience and sharing the contextual stories. It worked as relating our real-life experiences to the theories being discussed.”
1. https://youtu.be/tAl5maGacto2. https://youtu.be/ire5UCTqkhc
3. https://youtu.be/EGAvQziH-HA
