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Sojhi connects North American Diaspora
WSN Network
 San Jose: Almost three years ago, few
individuals had a vision to shape the future of Sikh education for
the next generations. Out of this vision came Sojhi – Gurmat and
Panjabi Education Resource., a project of Sikh Research Institute (SikhRI).
The goal of Sojhi is to increase the effectiveness of Sikh education
by developing high standards of learning with comprehensive teaching
materials. The Sojhi team consisting of over 15 full time, part time
and volunteer staff members has developed a comprehensive education
plan for Sikh schools serving students from Kindergarten to Grade
12.
After
developing a set of standards for Kindergarten to grade 12 in 2005,
the Sojhi elementary school curriculum was introduced in June, 2006.
Since then, 28 community and private schools have adopted the
curriculum and are currently implementing it. Khalsa School Calgary
- a full fledged private school in Alberta, Canada - is the most
recent adopter of the curriculum. Along with teaching their students
the Alberta education curriculum, Khalsa School Calgary intends to
introduce the Sikh curriculum as developed by Sojhi. Sojhi
curriculum introduces children to Gurmat based vocabulary and
contemporary Panjabi, as well as Sikh heritage with a focus on the
Sikh theological framework from 1469 to present. Over 300 lesson
plans complete with resources for teachers and students are provided
in the disciplines of Boli (language arts) and Virsa (Sikh
heritage).
Sojhi curriculum nurtures skills that children learn through their
educational curriculum. Students using the curriculum will have the
opportunity to enhance skills that they learn in their regular
education classes. Developmental milestones and abilities have been
taken into account while developing the curriculum. For example, at
a 2 nd grade level children are typically developing map reading
skills. In the Sojhi curriculum similarly, as students begin to
learn about the land of our Gurus they begin identifying districts
and provinces of East and West Panjabi. This helps them improve
their map reading skills through added practice.
Sojhi curriculum also focuses on developing leadership skills at a
young age. In order to effectively facilitate such proficiency in
the classroom, Sojhi also provides teacher trainings at all level.
At the very first level, Sojhi works on helping teachers understand
content and instruction.
The Sojhi team has conducted over 15 trainings over the last year.
The most recent training was conducted in Charlotte, North Carolina
for the Charlotte Gurduara Khalsa School on 4 th August 2007. The
training consisted of interactive workshops where teachers were
in troduced to teaching techniques on questioning, developing graphic
organizer and the importance of planning and preparing to teach in
the classroom. Foundational understanding of Sikhi was provided
through workshops such as: Sikh Culture and Traditions, Sikh
Celebrations, Language: Spelling, Parlance and Vocabulary and The
Ten Nanaks: One Jot. Jaspal Singh from Durham, NC said that "the
training program was incredible. It is an impressive effort that
reflects a profound love of Sikhi and manages to integrate the best
of eastern and western approaches. It is inspirational to see how
the staff at SikhRI has developed resources to maximize the
abilities of our children to grow."
Sojhi also provides second level customized trainings for schools
adopting the curriculum. On 1 st July 2007, a second level training
was conducted at Guru Nanak Foundation of America (GNFA). This half
day training was requested by the school to help the teachers
enhance their knowledge of Sikh Theology and Gurbani Linguistics.
The instructional training workshops were developed in conjunction
with the Institute's staff: Jasmine Kaur, Surenderpal Singh, and
Harinder Singh. Nineteen teachers from GNFA and two teachers from
Guru Angad Institute of Sikh Studies (GAISS) attended the 4-hour
training.
Gajinder Singh, the education coordinator at GNFA, said: "Speaking
on the subject of Sikh Theology and Gurbani Interpretation, Harinder
Singh did an excellent job in sharing his vast knowledge of Sikhi
and Gurbani. Harinder Singh is a great educator and communicator who
helps connects the general Gurbani precepts to common daily
practices." Jasleen Kaur, one of the GAISS teachers, felt that
"every teacher should be taking it [teacher training], as being a
teacher it is very important to be clear and have an open mind to
learn and to teach others."
Sojhi will continue to conduct specific teacher trainings for the
schools using the curriculum and first level training for the new
schools that adopt it. My Gurmukhi Khajana: A Gurmat Based Primer
has been developed in conjunction with Kikli to supplement the
elementary school curriculum. Other teacher and student supplemental
resources will also be developed for use in the classrooms and at
home. Sojhi will soon be releasing its Middle school curriculum for
students in Grades 6 to 8.
22 August, 2007
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