IPDA India hosts 2019 International Conference on ‘Co-constructing professional knowledge: Learning across disciplines’

Partap IPDA International Conference 2019 was organised by Partap College of Education, Ludhiana, in collaboration with International Professional Development Association (IPDA), U.K. The International Conference organised on the theme “Co-constructing professional knowledge: Learning across disciplines”from 22/02/2019 to 23/02/2019 witnessed participation of academicians and professionals of various disciplines from different parts of the country and across the globe. 

Dr. Manpreet Kaur, Vice Principal, Partap College of Education, and Secretary, IPDA India Ludhiana, formally welcomed the guests and said that participation in such events should be done in the spirit of learning and to prepare ourselves for global challenges. Dr Balwant Singh, Principal, Partap College of Education, and Chair, IPDA India, in his inaugural address said:

“This conference was organised with the objective of facilitating professional growth of teachers and providing a platform to the professional communities to expand and share their knowledge in a multicultural and interdisciplinary context.”

The Inaugural session of the Conference was chaired by Professor Sikander Kumar, Vice-Chancellor, Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla. Prof. Sikander emphasised the need of ushering a multidisciplinary approach in education. Guest of Honour for the inaugural programme Prof. Sanjay Kaushik, Dean, College Development Council, Panjab University, Chandigarh appreciated the efforts of the organising institution and said that the theme of the conference chosen by the organisers was the need of the hour. 

Keynote Speaker Dr. Coleen Jackson, Director, International Leadership Associates and co-chair IPDA England, emphasised the need of adopting a collaborative and partnership working approach to Continuing Personal Professional Learning(CPPL). She said that activities of CPPL should include development of skills that are needed in a particular profession. She also said that such conferences and exchange programmes are must to facilitate exposure to global trends and to widen interdisciplinary horizons.

Dr Balwant Singh, Principal Partap College of Education signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for ten years with Dr. Svetlana, Associate Professor fromKazan Federal University, Kazan, Russian Federationfor an Exchange Programme between the two institutions for mutual exchange and collaboration of faculty, students and research projects, organization of academic programs/courses, seminars, conferences.

Professor Juanjo Mena, Department of Education, University of Salamanca, Spain in his keynote address discussed the importance of multi-disciplinary approach to the practicum. He emphasised the role of supervision in the areas of medicine, engineering, andeducation and highlighted the role of innovative educational technology and mentoring in practicum of all professions. 

During a panel discussion on “Signature pedagogies across professions” leaders of various disciplines shared their views on teaching learning scenarios in their respective fields. Dr. Tilak Raj Bharadwaj, Associate Professor, SCERT, Solan & Dr. Vijay Obed, Professor and Head, Department of Plastic Cosmetic Surgery, Christian Medical College, Ludhiana, Dr. Santosh Kumar Mishra, Assistant Professor, Department of Dairy Microbiology, College of Dairy Science and Technology, GADVASU, Ludhiana emphasised the need of introducing training for all professions like medicine, nursing, law, engineering, management, humanities and sciences. 

Delegates from different parts of the country and the world presented papers and posters on various sub-themes – Professional development in different disciplines, signature pedagogies across professions, and mentoring technological and leadership skills for a teacher. A compendium on the papers on themes of the conference was also released during the event. Various Sub-themesof the conference were also presented through an exhibitionof posters.

An International cultural event was organised. Delegates from different states of India and abroad presented their folk dances and songs.

The second day of the International Conference began with the keynote address of Dr. Lara Sara Agrati, University of Guistino, Italy. She emphasised that teaching and learning situations present many varied challenges and highlighted the need for use of digital resources and innovative pedagogies for co constructing & developing new paths to learning.

Next keynote speaker, Svetlana V. Karkina, Associate Professor, Kazan Fedral, University, Russia, emphasised on the development of multimedia resources in music education. She talked about ‘Moodle’ which is a very useful online tool in higher education. She also focused on the effective way of music education through distance learning. 

The conference was an amalgamation of ideas across disciplines and discussions on various topics related to Professional development of teachers.

Dr. Coleen Jackson presented concluding remarks on the conference. She said that the participation of academicians from different disciplines makes learning more enriching as interdisciplinary discussions widen our domain of knowledge and widens our mental horizons. She congratulated the organisers of the conference for providing a platform to academicians and professionals of different disciplines, cultures and countries to interact and co-construct their knowledge.

Principal Dr. Balwant Singh appreciated the contribution of all the resource persons, speakers and delegates from different parts of the country and the world for participating in the conference. He acknowledged the efforts of Dr. Coleen, Co- Chair IPDA for extending support to IPDA, India for organising the conference. He also gave special mention of the efforts of Dr. Svetlana for facilitating the signing of MOU between Partap college of Education and Kazan Federal university, Russian Federation. He said that the MOU will act as a bridge for academic, professional and research exchange. Dr. Manpreet Kaur, Vice Principal thanked all the guests, speakers and participants for their valuable inputs to the conference. 

Best Papers & Posters presented in the two-day conference were awarded for presenting ideas in a coherent and reflective way. 

Post conference events were also organised on 25 and 26 of February 2019. On 25 February, an extension lecture was organized on “Russian Education System” by Dr. Svetlana V. Karkina, Associate Professor, Kazan University, Russia. She elaborated that the education system of Kazan is mostly regulated by Government institutions and the literacy rate is 100%. She added that one student may not go to school but he/she may continue his education on his own level. From Kindergarten to the seventh standard, music is the general subject for all the students and the medium of instruction in the classroom from Kindergarten to higher education is the Russian language. She emphasized the utility of music on society. She added that their kindergarten education starts with the pictures, fairy tales, and music lessons. These activities fetch the interest of the students and make them more socialized. She said that for the development of the children they follow the learning theory of Jean Piaget. She also mentioned about a special school in South Russia where the students are very close to nature. 

On 26th February Dr. Svetlana explained the methods of “Instrumental music”. Dr. Svetlana explained and demonstrated the elements of piano. She said that, working on piano, students learn deep moral and aesthetic meaning of the Tatar folklore. They develop ethno cultural ideas of love, family values, gratitude to parents and respect of seniors, devotion to traditions of a sort and the importance of family education.The Tatar piano music is diverse and original, reflects both national traditions, and achievements of the European classical music. She also demonstrated a mesmerising performance of tatar music on piano. After that the atmosphere was filled with the melodious singing and playing of sitar by the students of the college.

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