Knowledge
Digvijay Nath Dwivedi – Atal Tinkering Lab’s ‘Exemplary Teacher of Change’ 2020
“A teacher must welcome all kinds of curious queries from students.”
Digvijay Nath Dwivedi is a Chemistry teacher to grade 11 & 12 in Mamta Modern Senior Secondary School, Vikaspuri, Delhi. He has over 20 years of rich teaching experience, which is probably one of the reasons why his school nominated him to be their Atal Tinkering Lab (ATL) in-charge to the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) team. This was back in 2018.
Mr. Dwivedi, armed with an M.Phil degree in environmental Chemistry, initially faced some challenges when he began the ATL (STEM) teaching. However, he never gave up and diligently studied all the subjects and taught himself first so he could teach his students well enough.
Though this wasn’t the only challenge he came across, Mr. Dwivedi had to convince his students’ parents, too, to let their wards be a part of the ATL classes. “A majority of parents, as well as students, had this perception that only those with a science background can sit and learn in the ATL tinkering labs. With the help of continuous open dialogues, my team explained to them how STEM/STEAM are up and coming technological advances in the world, for a child of any educational background,” he tells ScooNews. He told them that learning about STEM/STEAM and flowing with one’s own curiosity will let their children reach new heights.
And just like that, Mr. Dwivedi made sure kids of science stream additionally with those who chose other streams could participate at their will. He believes that all children who possess a curious, innovative and entrepreneurial mind and plan to venture into start-ups later in their lives should get the ‘Tinker’ knowledge to support their dreams.
Earlier in 2020, Mr. Dwivedi was chosen as one of the ‘Teacher of Change’ awardees by AIM. The reason lies with his dedication, empathy and out of the box thinking. But above all, it’s his strategic planning that takes the brownie points.
In his school, the ATL classes happen 5 out of 7 days a week. To manage, he has prepared an impeccable timetable to adjust the classes after the school timings and has been successfully balancing his responsibility as an educator, both inside and outside the premises. Apart from this, he also makes sure the fifth day of ATL class is dedicated to teaching the children from low-income families. For this, he himself spoke to the administration and welcomed children of the lower-income community to Mamta Senior Secondary School, so those with no educational prospects so far could get better opportunities in the present.
What truly inspires us is Mr. Dwivedi’s golden rule of teaching. He never says 'No' to any query made by his students. In his class, everyone is allowed to raise their hand and voice their doubts, subject-related or not. “It’s crucial to satisfy the curiosity of young minds. This welcoming behaviour of an educator encourages them to move over coyness and become innovative & interested in things around them,” he enlightens.
Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) of NITI Aayog targets to create scientific temper and cultivates the spirit of curiosity and innovation among young minds. AIM proposes to support the establishment of a network of Atal Tinkering Laboratories (ATL) in Indian schools.
Atal Tinkering Labs is the flagship initiative of Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog. It aims at fostering innovation and entrepreneurship among school students. To learn more, visit www.aim.gov.in.
Refer to https://aim.gov.in/pdf/ATL_Teacher_Book_high_res.pdf to read more about the ATL ‘Teachers of Change.’