About Me

Hi! I am Sanjukta Sivakumar, English teacher and founding principal of Delhi Public School, Tapi, Surat.

I enjoy developing task banks with novel and motivating cross-curricular English language tasks for ESL learnersof all ages. I am interested in astronomy, photography, bird-watching, pets, nature, wildlife (fauna more than flora) and visiting sanctuaries and reserves and conservation. Until the onset of knee and back issues, I used to enjoy trekking, camping and hiking expeditions with my students and playing table-tennis, squash and badminton.

I am an avid reader and especially enjoy historical novels and Indian English literature, but anything goes. I used to write stories for my daughter when she was younger, and I still occasionally write poems for myself. I also write short stories for my students.

I like listening to western classical instrumental music and North Indian classical music, and looking at sculpture and paintings of all schools and ages. Whenever time permitted in the past, I have enjoyed writing musical scores for songs, painting scenery and props, and writing and directing plays for my students during functions.

I have a working knowledge of English, Hindi, Bengali and French, with a smattering of Sanskrit, Latin and Greek.

I hold a Ph.D in English.  My work may be of interest to students and teachers of the subject. For those to whom it may matter, a more detailed schema of my doings is outlined below.

Professional:

  • I became the founding principal of Delhi Public School Tapi, Surat in 2009.
  • I was Education Consultant at DPS Surat from 2002 to 2008, engaged in curriculum framing, time-tabling, teacher recruitment and training, counseling students and parents, introducing and coordinating ELE across the curriculum projects, teaching English and French, co-ordinating academic and co-curricular functioning, editing the online school magazine and newsletter, designing content for the website, textbook selection, etc.
  • I was an external faculty member in the English Department at EFL University, Hyderabad from 2008-2015.
  • I was an external faculty member teaching English at Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology, Surat, in 2006-07.
  • I was Head of the Department of English at The Assam Valley School (ICSE/ISC) from 26.07.95 to 22.04.03. This is a residential public school near Tezpur, Assam, covering over 200 acres, founded by the Williamson Magor Trust. Here, I taught English in Classes 9-12, organised debates, elocution, creative writing, directed plays, drafted the English syllabus for Classes 4-8, helped with staff recruitment and other departmental administrative duties. I was also, at different times, the Senior Housemistress of Bhoroli and Subansiri with associated administrative and pastoral duties.
  • I was guest lecturer in Old English and Linguistics in the Department of English at Gauhati University, Assam from 18.10.93 to 25.07.95.
  • I was a lecturer in English Literature at Loreto College, Kolkata from from 01.02.93 to 17.10.93.
  • I taught English language and literature in Classes 11-12 at Modern High School for Girls, Kolkata (my Alma Mater) from 01.11.92 to 31.1.93, organised debates and elocution, and wrote and directed skits.
  • I was Spoken English and French teacher at the Ramakrishna International Mission Institute of Culture and Languages, Kolkata from 01.08.92 to 17.10.93.
  • I organised, conducted and examined Cambridge YLE Examinations (Starters, Movers and Flyers) at The Assam Valley School and Delhi Public School, Surat.
  • I have been at different times an examiner and paper setter for WB Board, SEBA, ICSE/ISC and CBSE.
  • From 1993 to 2017, I have presented papers in national and international seminars in English language and literature at the Jadavpur University at Kolkata, the Gauhati University, the Central University of Tezpur in Assam, the English Language Teachers’ Association of India (ELTAI), Loyola College in Chennai, Amity University in Lucknow, EFL University of Hyderabad, MS University of Baroda, and conducted workshops for Pre-primary, primary, secondary and senior secondary English teachers.

Publications & Workshops:

  • “Redefining Education: Cognitive Revaluation of Twenty First Century Needs”, International Journal of English: Literature, Language & Skills, Vol. 4, Issue, 5, April, 2016.
  • “Teacher Development from Materials to Method”, Fortell: A Journal of Teaching English Language and Literature, Issue No. 28, pp.14-18, January 2014, ISSN No. 2229-6557.
  • “Content Integrated Collaborative Learning for Learner Autonomy”, ELT Voices, 5(2), pp. 38-44, April 2015, ISSN No. 2230-9136.
  • “Overcoming Problems in Writing: Content Integrated Multiple Intelligences Approach”, Paper presented in 2nd International ELT Conference: Role of ELT in Education for Sustainable Development. Amity University, Lucknow, 25 May, 2014.
  • “Motivating L2 Writing with MI Task Inputs”, paper presented in The 10th Asia TEFL International Conference: Expanding Horizons of Language and Communication: ELT Issues, Challenges and Implications, Gurgaon (Delhi NCR), 5 October, 2012.
  • “Materials to Methods and Training to Empowerment: The Growth of a Teacher”, Paper presented in National Seminar on English Language Education In India: Theory and Practice, University of Hyderabad, 23-25 January 2012.
  • “Guided Reading Strategies”. Gujarat Government Workshop for English Teachers in Karmyogi Teachers’ Training for English Teachers, Surat, 17 June, 2011.
  • “Managing Mixed Ability Classes: Differential Approaches to L2 Writing”, Paper presented in English Teachers at International Conference on Interactive Media in Pedagogy: Learning English in and Beyond Classrooms. HM Patel Institute of English Training and Research. Vallabh Vidyanagar, Gujarat. 8 January, 2010.
  • “Critical Thinking, Creative Writing and Literary Genres: Viable Multimedia Inputs”. Workshop for English Teachers at International Conference on Interactive Media in Pedagogy: Learning English in and Beyond Classrooms. HM Patel Institute of English Training and Research. Vallabh Vidyanagar, Gujarat. 10 January, 2010.
  • “Accessing Mixed Abilities in Individual Learners”. Workshop for English Teachers at the Fourth International and 40th Annual ELTAI Conference,
  • Chennai (Tamil Nadu, India) on Managing Mixed-Ability Classes. 7 August, 2009.
  • “Multiple Intelligences: Empowering Cognitive Development in Teachers”. Workshop for English Teachers at ELT@I Surat (Gujarat) Chapter, 22 November 2008.
  • “Empowering Teachers and Learners through Cognitive Frameworks in Cooperative Classrooms”, paper presented in ELT Seminar on Reflective Practice in the English Classroom, The Loyola ELT Resource and Research Centre, Andhra Loyola College, Vijaywada, 11 August, 2008.
  • Book Review of Doing Task-based Teaching by Dave Willis and Jane Willis, published in Journal of English and Foreign Languages, No. 36, April 2008, pp 69-72.
  • “Crisis of Identity in Webster’s Duchess of Malfi”, paper presented in Jadavpur University UGC Seminar in 1993 and published in GU Literary Journal, 1995.
  • Secondary and higher secondary level English supplementary readers (abridged literary classics) for SEBA, Assam.
  • Short stories in The Statesman (Kolkata) and The Sentinel (Gauhati).