1. Introduction: Meet Educationist Dr. Dimple Mehta
Madhavi: Hello, I'm Madhavi Adimulam, and welcome to the Ananya CDC podcast. Today we have Dr. Dimple Mehta, who's a renowned Educationist, certified corporate trainer, and a life coach from Jamnagar, Gujarat. With over 18,000 educators and 24,000 parents trained globally, she's a leading voice in inclusive education, parenting, and personal development.
Madhavi: Her dynamic workshops, often hosted on platforms like Book My Show and PayTM Insider, are known for their interactive style and live Q&A sessions. She has worked across sectors, from training police personnel to special educators, and is a recognized speaker and contributor in educational forums. Her accolades include the Best Corporate Trainer award in 2022 and the Woman of Impact in 2024. Welcome, Dr. Dimple.
2. Common Challenges Facing Educators Today
Madhavi: Dr. Dimple, you have trained over 18,000 educators. What common thread or challenge have you noticed in today's teaching community?
Dr. Dimple: So, ma'am, across the thousands of educators I have worked with, a common thread is their deep commitment to shaping meaningful learning experiences, despite the evolving challenges in education. One of the most pressing hurdles I feel today is the balance between traditional pedagogy and the rapid integration of technology.
Dr. Dimple: Additionally, I feel educators are increasingly navigating diverse classrooms, ensuring inclusivity and adapting teaching methods to different learning styles, including those with learning delays or other unique conditions. Yes. One thing I need to say is that despite these complexities, what remains constant is teachers' resilience, passion, and drive to inspire students.
Madhavi: I can't agree more, especially teachers in India with limited resources. I think it's resilience that takes them forward.
Dr. Dimple: True.
3. Defining Empowered Teaching in the 21st Century
Madhavi: So, what does Empowered Teaching mean to you in the context of 21st Century classrooms? I think Empowered Teaching is something that we would like to know more about.
Dr. Dimple: Um, so ma'am, as per what I feel, empowered teaching in 21st-century classrooms is about equipping educators with the confidence, tools, and strategies to adapt to the ever-evolving educational landscape. So ma'am, it's not just about delivering content; it's about stimulating critical thinking, creativity, and adaptability in students with different potentials in a class. Because we all know that in a class there are students with different potentials, perhaps needing approaches like remedial education or specialized occupational therapy support.
4. Fostering Co-Creation, Empathy, and Innovation
Dr. Dimple: And when we talk about 21st-century skills, a teacher is facing all these kinds of diverse children. So an empowered teacher is one, I feel, who continuously learns, engages with students as co-creators of knowledge, and navigates each of these diverse learning needs with empathy and innovation. So ultimately, I feel it's all about creating classrooms where students feel inspired, challenged, and prepared for the complexities of this modern world.
Madhavi: So your trainings involve these kinds of, uh, you know, training? Is it like you train teachers how to co-create and develop things together with children?
Dr. Dimple: Yes, ma'am. So, I tell them about the tools, I empower them about the strategies, and I give them hands-on activities to ensure that they implement these tools.
5. The Evolving Role: Are Teachers Wearing More Hats?
Madhavi: So, how have expectations from teachers changed over the years? Are today's educators expected to wear more hats than ever before?
Dr. Dimple: Uh, yes, indeed. Over the years, the expectations from educators have evolved dramatically. Today's teachers, ma'am, are not just knowledge providers. They are mentors, they are counselors, they are innovators, they are guiding lights in the lives of the students. So the weight that they carry has grown heavier as they strive to create welcoming learning environments, adapt to changing pedagogies, and support students beyond academics. Now, every school and every teacher is supposed to maintain that progress holistically.
Dr. Dimple: So when we talk holistically, it's about everything. Now the teacher is supposed to take care of the students, addressing emotional needs and more. So they now wear multiple hats: nurturing young minds, addressing individual needs, navigating changes, and preparing students for the future. So despite these growing demands, one thing, again, I say that remains unchanged, is the unwavering passion for shaping lives and teachers' tireless dedication and the love that they pour into every lesson, every conversation, and every moment spent molding young hearts and minds.
Madhavi: Can't agree more. I am what I am today because of my teachers. I remember clearly which teacher motivated me to do certain things in my life. Definitely.
Dr. Dimple: I agree, ma'am, because this is one of the activities that I make all my teachers do in my training sessions too. So the first brainstorming activity, uh, the icebreaking activity also that I make my teachers, my participants do, is remember the teacher, your ideal teacher, and what is that one good quality of your favorite teacher that you give credit to, that today you are because of that teacher. So, yeah.
6. Essential Mindset Shifts for Modern Educators
Madhavi: Yes. So ma'am, coming to emotional intelligence, we often talk about emotional intelligence and mindset. What are the top three mindset shifts every modern educator needs to make today?
Dr. Dimple: Okay. So of course, in today's rapidly evolving world, educators must embrace powerful mindset shifts to not only teach, but truly transform the lives of these students that are with them.
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7. Mindset Shift 1: From Performance to Purpose
Dr. Dimple: So what comes to my mind, the first thing is shifting from performance to purpose. Education is no longer just about grades or outcomes; it's about igniting curiosity, resilience, and a love for learning that extends beyond the classroom. Because practically what happens, ma'am, is that when educators focus on the deeper impact they have, every lesson becomes a moment of connection and empowerment.
8. Mindset Shift 2: From Authority to Empathy
Dr. Dimple: Second, what I realize is moving from authority to empathy. Students today don't just need knowledge; they need understanding. The modern educator must be adaptable, emotionally intelligent, and willing to listen deeply. True learning will always happen in safe spaces where I guide teachers that they ought to give students that feeling that they are heard, they are valued, and they're emotionally supported. Perhaps drawing on principles from Cognitive Behaviour Therapy could be useful here.
Madhavi: I mean, that's a lot of things to teach a teacher, especially in our country where teacher education is not stressed. To become a teacher, one doesn't have to be a qualified, like a licensed teacher in India. Even today, it's the same, right? Anybody, any graduate wants to be a teacher. They can apply for a teacher's job and they can get it. But after they come into their jobs, they realize that, "Oh, I don't have the skillset to be a teacher." So that's when they look for people like us and say, "Oh, I want to learn about this, I want to learn about that." And that's when people like you step in and then do the training and actually kind of make them real teachers. It's a lot of responsibility, you know, actually.
9. The Crucial Role of Continuous Learning & Training
Dr. Dimple: Actually, it's even for the freshers, as you rightly said, but even the teachers who are experienced, ma'am, we need to upgrade and update the skills because of this evolving scenario that is rapidly evolving day by day. So even that is very much essential, ma'am.
Madhavi: Absolutely. We are just training a bunch of rural teachers currently. My friend runs an organization, they work in rural setups and train school mothers to become mentors for the kids in high school, especially teenage kids, adolescent kids. I was talking to these ladies, and they're so nice and wonderful people, but they have no idea what they have signed up for as mentors. So we are actually teaching them counseling skills, listening skills, how to talk to children, how to keep information confidential. It's very difficult because they have never thought about this at all. And we are introducing this concept for the first time.
Dr. Dimple: It's actually crucial.
Madhavi: But I think all these skills, they can take command over it only with experience.
Dr. Dimple: Yeah. Yes. It all starts, as we say, the journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step. I think they've taken their first step and now we have to guide them further. Yeah.
10. The Power of Self-Awareness and Reflection in Teaching
Madhavi: So in your experience, what role does self-awareness and reflection play in an educator's growth?
Dr. Dimple: So as we discussed ma'am, teaching is not just about imparting knowledge; it's about constantly evolving, understanding oneself, and deepening connections with students. So when educators take the time to reflect, not just on their lessons, but on their emotions, challenges, and breakthroughs, they unlock the ability to teach with greater impact, if they do so. So I believe that in the feedback of teachers training, that they too believe that self-awareness allows educators to recognize their strengths, their biases, and their areas of growth, which further helps them to promote emotionally safe and intellectually stimulating classrooms.
Dr. Dimple: Because reflection transforms experiences into wisdom, and every challenge faced, every difficult conversation, and every moment of triumph becomes an opportunity for refinement. So that's why, without fail, every teacher training workshop that I conduct, I end with reflecting tools, along with the essential message that says something like, you know, the greatest educators are not those who know it all, but those who continuously reflect, learn, and grow, both for the students and for themselves.
11. Ananya's Practice: Daily Wins and Lessons
Madhavi: Absolutely. Even we here at Ananya, we have a, you know, like a mandatory post that we have to do in our groups every day. Every day our therapists have to write, "What is your win for the day?" and "What is your lesson for the day?"
Dr. Dimple: Amazing.
Madhavi: Every single day we post. Every day. "Today, I've done this, I think very well. I've seen this result in the child," and "I think this I would like to do differently tomorrow because what I did did not work for the child. I don't know how to help the child. Can somebody help me in the group? I don't know how to fix this problem. I don't know how to help this kid." So we make it mandatory because once they leave the premises, they will get sucked into their lives and they forget reflections. Because I work with a lot of young people, and once they go, they have their own life going on in the evening. So I tell them, before you leave the building, take one minute and write these two things and leave. So I read every day and then I know, "Oh, this is where I need to help," or "This is where, oh my God, maybe this is not what we are supposed to do." Because everybody, when they look back at their day, they, as you said, kind of becomes our wisdom. So collective wisdom in Ananya context because 30 or 40 of them are posting their messages in the group and we are like, "Oh, this is what we have to learn." And that topic, one topic becomes our training topic for the... if it's trending, everybody's posting the same problem, that means we have to address it because multiple people are facing the same issue.
Dr. Dimple: And then when your teachers are writing on it, when they discuss on it, they also gain confidence that yes, they are able to, and through this reflection, they are sharing best practices too.
12. Empowering Educators in Resource-Limited Environments
Madhavi: You've worked with teachers in both urban and rural settings. How can educators empower themselves even in resource-limited environments?
Dr. Dimple: Um, so I've seen ma'am firsthand that empowerment isn't just about access to technology or abundant resources; it's about mindset, adaptability, and the sheer determination to make a difference. So in resource-limited environments, the most powerful tool an educator has, I feel, is creativity. They need to possess that. So when digital access is very much limited, teachers become innovators using storytelling, local examples, and peer collaboration. This they can take help of in making their lessons engaging and meaningful. Because a simple chalkboard, a heartfelt discussion, or even the wisdom passed down through generations, can also spark deep learning. So, creativity is one of the factors, I feel. And another crucial factor is community involvement. I believe, ma'am, that a school doesn't exist in isolation. And educators who integrate the local culture, traditions, and expertise into the teaching create a far richer experience for our children, for our students. So, that is what I feel ma'am, that creativity and community involvement should be there even though they have less resource access. Connecting with the local community is key.
Madhavi: I feel nowadays we have a lot of resources because India also has become, you know, a global economy. We are, our GDP is getting better and better, and we have the money. Even rural teachers have better resources compared to our childhood. I'm 53, so it was 40 years ago when I was in school, but I remember our teachers. We were in a small community in a colony, and I was going to a school which is run by the Parent Association, and it's a normal school with very limited resources. But our teachers were so innovative. Yes. We used to have a yearbook, which was handwritten, and since I had good handwriting, I could write a big chunk of the yearbook. And, uh, but we did everything that posh school kids did, you know, nothing. We never felt that we were living in a time or were from a school that had fewer resources. Our teachers never made us feel less in any way. You know, I feel that, especially teachers in India, we are resilient. We have gone through the hard times. I mean, I tell mothers, you don't need a fancy occupational therapy setup in your house. You just need to take your kid to the park or you can think about some items from your kitchen that you can use. You don't need anything fancy. Don't be under this confusion when you watch these Insta videos that parents have fancy equipment. You don't need it at all.
Dr. Dimple: And if teachers are dedicated, of course, they know their children better, in a very better way. What are the challenges? What are the requirements, individual needs? And of course, they can.
13. A Transformation Story: The PD & EE Approach
Madhavi: So, can you share a story of an educator who made a powerful transformation after attending one of your workshops?
Dr. Dimple: Um, so I remember this teacher called Asha, who was from Nepal. And she had a passion for teaching, but she was unhappy as not all her students were actively participating and not all her students were able to understand. She felt stuck in traditional methods. Now, every child in her class had a different barrier. A few had gaps in foundational academic concepts, and a few had behavioral issues.
Dr. Dimple: So there, into one of these training programs that she attended, I introduced the concept of a document where every teacher is supposed to maintain, and the name of the document is Personality Development and Educational Enrichment. So in short, I term it as PD & EE. So here a teacher is supposed to maintain the strengths and weaknesses of every child. She's supposed to list out a good number of strengths, and she's supposed to work on only one weakness at a time. Now, this weakness, I didn't want to use negative words, so the sentence that I wrote in this format is "areas to be converted into strength."
Dr. Dimple: So I give examples to the teachers in the training session that these strengths and these weaknesses can be pertaining to academics and non-academics. And that is the name of the document: if it is academics, it's educational enrichment; if it is non-academic, it is personality development (similar to goals in Social Skill Therapy). So in any area. So even a child who's securing more than 90%, probably 98, 99, also has many scopes of improvement and can become better and better. See, a child securing 99 percentage, but the child is not sharing, the child is not ready to wait. So there are many issues. And so the teacher can work on these formats. So basically, this is how we can claim that we are giving holistic education. And through this, the advantage what I saw, ma'am, with my experiences, is that teachers gradually are developing that vision of looking at the child with what kind of strengths a child is having, or else till date, the teacher will just focus on what are the gaps and what are the weaknesses. But through this, now they have started developing that positive vision towards the child, looking at the strengths of the child. So this really worked with this teacher.
Madhavi: So I think one teacher at a time, you're transforming their lives. Even if one teacher... imagine, I always, when I go for training, if there is a bunch of 30, 40 teachers in the class, and if one, if one teacher walks away from my training saying, "Yeah, I will do that extra bit to include a child," my job is done. That's enough for us, isn't it?
14. Insights from Cross-Sector Training Experiences
Madhavi: You've also conducted workshops on platforms like BookMyShow and even trained government staff. Have any of these cross-sector learnings influenced your work with teachers?
Dr. Dimple: Yes, ma'am. Definitely. So, platforms like BookMyShow exposed me to a vibrant range of audience expectations, the importance of engaging delivery because participants from nine countries joined in this session, which I conducted on BookMyShow. On the other hand, training government staff taught me the value of structured approaches and attention to detail, which I feel is very much required. These experiences, ma'am, have significantly influenced my work with teachers by helping strike a balance between creativity and practicality. So in classrooms, teachers face a unique set of challenges, and I've found that applying insights from these cross-sector learnings, as you're asking, allowed me to offer tailored strategies that are both innovative and grounded. So with the blend of these two, we see that these strategies and these tools are so very effective at ground level.
15. A Daily Pep Talk for Teachers: Patience, Passion, Purpose
Madhavi: If you could tell every teacher in India just one thing to keep in mind every morning before stepping into the classroom, what would that be?
Dr. Dimple: So I feel they should have a pep talk. They should talk to themselves saying that "I'll be patient, I'll be committed. I'll inspire curiosity, I'll develop kindness, and I'll empower every student to believe in their potential every day." They should lead with patience, passion, and purpose with an open mind and a compassionate heart, because that treats each child with respect.
Madhavi: So each day they should lead with patience, passion, and purpose with an open mind and a compassionate heart that treats each child with respect.
16. Dr. Dimple Mehta's Role at Iris Florets
Madhavi: So, I met you at Iris Florets, Dimple ma'am. And I know you as a person who only did work at Iris, and only yesterday evening I came to know that you do a lot more than that. So what exactly is your role at Iris and what do you do there?
Dr. Dimple: So ma'am, at Iris, I am with this esteemed company for almost 10 years now. We cater to four verticals. Uh, it's a preschool, it's a formal school, international curriculum, and proper CBSE K-12 schools. And I head the academic department where I cater to all four kinds of verticals. Uh, we take care of 145 schools across three countries, and yes, I head the academic department there. So my designation is Head of Academics, and I train teachers, I train principals, and so we conduct these training programs regularly. I conduct many parenting sessions too over there.
Madhavi: So yeah, I think I met you in that capacity. Every time I did a training with Iris, we were talking to each other. So I somehow thought that you take care of the training in Iris, which is right. Okay.
17. How to Connect with Dr. Dimple Mehta
Madhavi: So one last question before we call it a day. Finally, how can our listeners connect with you and benefit from your upcoming programs or any trainings?
Dr. Dimple: So to stay updated, or to contact me from Iris, my email ID is dimple@iriseducare.com. And to stay updated on my upcoming programs, content, and regular updates, the listeners and the viewers can follow me on all social media with the same domain, that is @thedimplemehta. And can also visit my website www.thedimplemehta.com.
Dr. Dimple: Additionally, I would encourage your listeners to mail their specific requirements to me at info@thedimplemehta.com. And I'm soon going to start sharing insights, tips, and actionable strategies that educators can implement because I firmly believe, ma'am, that education is a shared journey, and I invite everyone listening to be a part of this collaborative movement.
18. Conclusion: A Shared Journey in Education
Madhavi: Thank you so much. It was wonderful talking to you. I'm hoping that we can get to do more podcasts with you and learn a lot. I try to cram a lot in one podcast, but I don't think I can. So I think I had to restrain myself and ask you very limited questions. We can do more podcasts for parents and for teachers.
Madhavi: Thank you for listening to the Ananya CDC podcast. For more resources on child development, therapies, and parent support, please visit our website at asap.org.in or explore our blog and other podcast episodes. Until next time, take care.
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