By Dorothy Fernandes for BIS Mumbai

An insightful and enriching program on Leadership, Effectiveness and Development – LEAD, conducted by Fr Joaquim Fernandes, SDB, on October 16, 2025, aimed at deepening educators’ understanding of reflective teaching practices and professional growth through research. The session brought together teachers from the Primary, Secondary and Junior College sections in an engaging, thought-provoking atmosphere that blended clear theory with practical application, allowing them to explore their leadership, personal styles, motivation and action.

Fr Fernandes began the session by defining Action Research as a systematic and reflective process undertaken by teachers to improve their own teaching practices and enhance student learning outcomes. The core of the session focused on the steps of Action Research, which Fr Fernandes clearly outlined: Identifying a problem or area of focus, planning an intervention or strategy, implementing the action, observing and collecting data, reflecting on the results, revising and continuing the cycle as needed.

Fr Fernandes made the session highly engaging by using the exploratory method to help teachers reflect on and identify the real issues present in their classrooms. Instead of simply lecturing, he encouraged observation, questioning, and critical thinking. He presented short insightful videos and meaningful movie clips, including a fascinating visual of the Waggle Dance Theory, used by honeybees discovered and decoded by Karl Von Frisch an Austrian Ethologist. Through this example, he beautifully highlighted how discipline, teamwork, responsibility, coordination, and systematic planning lead to success—even in nature. He further connected his ideas with the educational philosophy as advocated by great thinkers, emphasizing that learning happens best through experience and practical application. By doing so, he helped teachers understand that effective classroom management and the teaching-learning process improve greatly when students are actively involved, allowed to explore, and guided to think, plan, and work together. This approach laid a strong foundation for Action Research, as it inspired teachers to observe deeply, identify problems realistically, and find practical solutions through experimentation and reflection.

Through relatable analogies, he helped the teachers explore fundamental questions: Why do we teach? What do we teach? And who are we teaching? These reflections encouraged educators to go beyond the curriculum and reconnect with the purpose behind their teaching. After three months, the teachers will complete their assignments, and the findings will be compiled, printed, and utilized.

The session was interactive and reflective, fostering a space where teachers could relate their own classroom experiences to the principles of action research. The seminar served as a valuable reminder of the importance of continuous learning and introspection in the teaching profession, and of the powerful role that educators play in shaping both minds and lives.