Inspiration
G.Lily Jebamalar – Atal Tinkering Lab’s ‘Exemplary Teacher of Change’ 2020
“My students created ‘Debrigator’ and I couldn’t be more proud.”
G.Lily Jebamalar, a Physics teacher from DAV Model School IIT, West Medinipur, West Bengal, is an ‘Exemplary Teacher of Change’ 2020 awardee by Atal Innovation Mission. With a rich teaching experience of nine years, she undertook the responsibility of being an ATL in-charge two years ago to teach over 200 students (grade 6-11) twice a week. In fact, she was one of the teachers to initially prepare a proposal for ATL in her school.
The school she works in is situated in a small town and that meant none of the locals knew about Atal Innovation Mission or Atal Tinkering Labs before 2018. Hence, she made efforts to educate the parents before encouraging their children. “Slowly and gradually people are learning more about it and students are becoming further innovative as well as curious, thanks to ATL,” she tells ScooNews.
During our conversation with her, she also talks about ‘Debrigator,’ the copyrighted project created by her students in the ATL classroom. This is a machine with an application linked to it which gives benefit points on the amount of waste discarded into the machine. The project is to boost the habit of discarding waste properly. In fact, her school has installed the ‘Debrigator’ in the hopes to improve children’s waste management skills and in return, the latter receive coupons to be redeemed in the local malls.
"I enjoy my teaching job and complete all my assignments on time so I can encourage my students as well. I feel accomplished when they show interest in various STEM projects. It’s fun to brainstorm together and present our designs to the ATL team. Plus, this time spent unitedly tells me a lot about my students that helps me strengthen my bond with them,” she says.
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.’