Brit author hosts workshop in city to make English joyful

British author and educator Claire Horsburgh, associated with Oxford University Press, is visiting India with the aim to conduct make English teaching lively and enjoyable. On her visit to Chandigarh, Claire conducted a teacher training workshop, where she focused on joyful learning pedagogy as outlined in the Ministry of Education’s National Curriculum Framework (NCF-2023). The workshop was chaired by Chirag Vashishta.
“It is always a pleasure to visit India and connect with the strong roots I have in this country. The Indian education sector is undergoing rapid transformation, and the government’s new National Curriculum Framework is catalyzing this change. I feel privileged to train teachers in India to adopt innovative techniques and methodologies that can make their classrooms joyful and engaging,” she said. The workshop in Chandigarh, attended by principals and teachers from leading schools, focused on professional development for English language teachers. Claire emphasized the NCF’s move away from rote learning, introducing application-based, experiential, play-based, and activity-based learning. She promoted teaching without burden through humour and a conversational tone.

She stressed the importance of building core competencies in students, including listening, speaking, reading, writing, vocabulary, and grammar. She also emphasized developing 21st-century skills and higher-order thinking skills (HOTS). Additionally, she highlighted holistic learning, pride in Indian literary heritage, experiential learning through activity-based tasks, art integration, and projects designed to engage learners and help them develop cross-curricular connections and life skills.
“As an educator and author, I’ve seen how language can unlock opportunities and connect cultures," she said, adding, "This experience has shaped my career and given me insights into what motivates learners. Each learning journey is unique, and resources should adapt to individual progress, helping teachers personalize their approach. Remember, it’s okay not to get it right the first time—learning is a lifelong process.”