Hyderabad, August 4th, 2025: In a significant stride toward transforming classroom learning and building 21st-century competencies, the Telangana State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), in collaboration with Pi Jam Foundation, successfully conducted a two-day intensive capacity-building program for government school teachers across the state.
The focus was equipping educators with the tools, mindsets, and methods to effectively implement the newly launched Digital Learning Textbooks for Grades 1 to 9, a pioneering initiative by the Telangana Education Department. Held across 2 days, the training was not a conventional workshop. It was experiential, immersive, and deeply aligned with real-world contexts, ensuring that teachers didn’t just learn about concepts they experienced them.
From Traffic Lights to AI Bias Teachers were immersed in hands-on, engaging sessions that seamlessly blended programming, computational thinking, physical computing, AI, and Design Thinking. The goal was not just skill-building, but cultivating a mindset of creativity, problem-solving, and relevance to students’ lives. The sessions were carefully scaffolded to connect directly with the digital content of the new textbooks ensuring that teachers can bring this same energy, relevance, and depth to their classrooms.
The launch of Telangana’s Digital Learning Textbooks marks a significant shift in how content is delivered and how students engage with it. To support ongoing learning and ensure equitable access, the state will be leveraging telangana.codemitra.org a dedicated digital platform where students, teachers, and parents can access the same experiential learning modules.
“The energy in the room was palpable,” shared a participating teacher. “For the first time, I saw how I could teach AI not just through screens, but through stories, games, and the real lives of our children.” – Mr. Madhusudan from Model School,Gundala, Yadadri Bhuvanagari
Highlights of the workshop included:
– Simulated real-life traffic scenarios using physical computing tools like sensors and LEDs, allowing teachers to explore how real-world problems can be translated into coding challenges.
– AI activities that demystified concepts such as machine learning, data classification, and bias without the need for screens or prior technical knowledge.
– Roleplays and collaborative games on ethical AI decision-making and exploring human biases in algorithms, fostering deep discussion and reflection.
– Design Thinking sprints, where teachers tackled everyday school challenges, modeled empathy, and rapidly prototyped contextual solutions.
This initiative aligns with Telangana’s broader vision of nurturing curious, capable, and context-aware learners who can shape and thrive in the world of tomorrow.
