OBJECTIVES

'Be the change you wish to see in the world'- Mahatma Gandhi

I am much inspired by Gandhiji's words and have made it my mission statement and have completed my research which is related to the mental health of school going children in India. I was concerned with the trauma faced by the children in the prevalent educational setting in India. The foundation of my research was laid when I saw the children in need suffer due to insensitive teaching practices and uncooperative peers and family. I believe that what I do in education should help make changes for the better in our society. Life skills enhancement, in my understanding, was a way to alleviate the stress the children experienced seeing that life skill education promotes mental well-being in young people and behavioral preparedness it equips individuals to behave in a pro-social ways.

EDUCATION

• PhD (Education), 2006, the University of Worcester, Henwick Grove, WR2 6AJ, UK. Title of the thesis -The role of drama in enhancing life skills in children with specific learning disabilities in a Mumbai School: My reflective account (Thesis available through web-space from the living theory section of http://www.actionresearch.net and you can access it directly from http://people.bath.ac.uk/edsajw/rawal.shtml)
• Program for School Counselors (Certificate) 2002-03-Department of Post Graduate Studies and Research, Shreemati Nathibai Damodar Thackersey Women's University (SNDT). 1,Nathibai Thackersey Road, New Marine Lines, Mumbai-400020, India.
• MA (English), 2000- Annamalai Open University , Annamalai Nagar - 608 002 Tamil Nadu India.
• Teacher training course in Special Education (Certificate )1998- Arya Vidya Mandir Institute of Special Education, St. Cyril Road, Bandra (West)Mumbai 400 050.
• 4^th Master degree- Instructors Course ,1996-Ohara School of Ikebana, Higashinada-ku, Kobe 658-0063 Japan.
• Applied Art Course ( Diploma)1977-1979 Sophia Shree B.K. Somani Polytechnic, Bhulabhai Desai Road , Mumbai - 400 026 India.
• The Indian School Certificate Examination (of the University of Cambridge Local Examination Syndicate) 1974 - Cathedral and John Cannon School, Mumbai.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Current projects

• On the core committee for drafting the National Vocational Educational Qualification Framework, in collaboration with the All India Council for Technical Education(AICTE) and the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India.
• Presently facilitating on-going teacher-training sessions with GCERT (Gujarat Council for Educational Research and Training) and Sarva Shikhshsa Abhiyan Mission (SSAM) - Using drama and innovative methods to enhance life skills in whole schools. Additionally, facilitating a participatory action research project and action research projects with the same 2008- to present.
• On the editorial board of Educational Journal of Living Theory (EJOLT), published from UK.
• Teaching MBA Pharmaceuticals- NMIMS (Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies) –Effective Communication Skills- year II students. 2010 Teaching in Jamnabai Narsee School, in the IB section. Teaching 'Theatre' for creativity, action and service-CAS subject.2010-to present.
• Faculty - with Jamnabai Narsee School , Teacher Enrichment And Academic Management (TEAM) Certificate Programme 2010-continued.
• Panel member for Group Discussions /Personal Interviews for Full Time MBA- NMIMS Core and Focused Programmes (except Pharma) for Batch 2011. Speaker at one day conference organized by Sheth P. T. Mahila College of Arts and Home Science, 30.1.2011, Surat- 'Skill enhancements to meet the needs of the child with dyslexia".
• Member of the Jury at a public hearing on "child labor in Agriculture" Organized by Save the Children (Maharashtra, India) on 31.1.2011.
• Speaker at seminar organized by Surat Pediatrics Organization 'Steps to Happy Life". 'Subject – Importance of Enhanced Life skills in Family Environment' 301.2011, Surat.
• Key recourse person for SSAM Teacher Training in Drama as a tool to teach Life Skills in Primary schools through Video –conferencing, Bhaskracharya Institute for Space Applications and Geo-Informatics (BISAG), Gandhinagar. Addressed 80,000 school teachers in Gujarat. 22.1.2011, Gandhinagar.
• Conducted session "Identifying Children with Learning Needs and Remedies" –National Conference 'Inspire Early Childhood…Growing Together'- Podar Institute of Education, New Zealand tertiary college supported by the World Forum Foundation on 11.1.2011, Mumbai.
• Guest Lecture- Lokmanya Tilak Municipal Medical College, Department of Psychiatry Sion, Mumbai. 4.1.2001. Subject –'Drama and innovative methods for assessment'
• Member of the Jury at a public hearing of children from across the Gujarat state "Maari Vaat Maaru Sapanu". Organized by Save the Children, in association with Campaign against Child Labour (CACL) on 10 December 2010, Human Rights Day.
• Conducted three (2008, 09, 10) - 10 day residential Drama Camp for village children in Sadra, Gujarat using drama in education and theater to teach life skills.
• Guest lecture at CUNY (City University New York) May, 2008 on Action Research for M.Ed. students.
• Written a paper - Improving Pro-social Skills and Anger Management through Drama: Journal of Psychosocial Research, India.
• Teaching Life-skills through Drama to 5th and 6th grade students at SVKM (Shri Vile-Parle Kelavni Mandal) International School, Mumbai 2008-2009 Written a paper -…as I engaged in Reflection: Reflective Practice, UK To cite this Article Rawal, Swaroop (2009) ''… as I engaged in reflection: a play in three acts '',Reflective Practice,10:1,27 — 32
• Written a book on Learning Disability – Learning Disabilities in a Nutshell.
• Presented paper on 'Enhancing Life Skills in children with learning disability using drama-in-education' at LD conference by Tata Interactive System, Mumbai and Calcutta, 2008.
• Lecture on life Skills and innovative research methods. Nair Hospital – 2008.
• Judged Documentary films made by third year BMM students – HR College, 2008.
• Presented paper-titled Drama camp at Sadra; a memoir at Sharing Best Practices in Education held on July 18-19, 2009 in Mumbai.
• Presented paper-titled 'Imagination' at the 'Varied Communication Skills' Workshop, Hinduja college, Mumbai, 2008.
• Presented paper at an International Conference in psychology organized by S.N.D.T. Presented paper at ETEN 2006, Leiden, The Netherlands. Presented paper at conference for 'Children with special needs' organized by Lighthouse Educational Centre, Mumbai in 2006.
• External guide to a M.Sc. student, SNDT Women's University.

Guest Faculty :

• 2010 – DilKush Teachers' Training Centre in Special Education - Drama to teach Mentally Challenged children.
• 2009 – DilKush Teachers' Training Centre in Special Education - Drama to teach Mentally Challenged children.
• 2007 - Podar School – Teacher Training Course for Learning Disability.
• 2007 – SVT College of Social Studies.
• 2006 – SNDT – Reflective Practice.
• 2005 - SNDT – Using drama as a tool for counseling.
• 2001 - DilKush Teachers' Training Centre in Special Education, Mumbai - Drama for Special Children.

Teaching 'drama-in -education':

• 1998-2000 at Dristi – (A school for children with special needs).
• 1998-2000 at Nalanda/Schoolnet – a NIOS

Workshops in 'Educational Drama' with:

• Arya Vidya Mandir, Santa Cruz
• Dil-Khush School for special children, Mumbai
• Bombay Cambridge, Andheri E
• Jamnabai Narsee School, Mumbai.
• Russell Square International College, Mumbai
• Phsyiotherpy Department, Nanavati Hospital
• Army Schools, LOC Uri, Kashmir
• TVS group of Schools , Madhurai
• IAPE, Mumbai

Talks on ' Educational Drama' and 'bringing up children with leadership qualities' :

• WIAA (Women's wing)
• Various Rotary Clubs and Lion's Clubs in Mumbai
• Keynote speaker at, conference titled 'Counseling the need of the Day' at New Era School, Mumbai. 2005
• Keynote speaker at Masque, festival of drama in schools, organized by Jamnabai Narsee School, 2004.
• Wrote for Blitz- Personal column on Parenting in the years 1998 /99.

Presently Writing for :

• Mid-day (Gujarati newspaper) Personal column
• Aah Zindagi (Gujarati/ Hindi monthly magazine) Personal column.

• Photographic and Film Model since 1977 – done some of the most prestigious advertisements both national and international.

Worked in theatre since 1976:

• 1976 – Designed costumes and settings for plays produced by Indian National Theatre and Burjor Patel Productions
• 1978-onwards- Lead-role actress in over 20 plays (over 3,500 performances) in India, the UK, the USA, Belgium, New Zealand, Australia and E. Africa.
• Produced 6 plays under Aangikaam banner.

Worked on TV since 1978-in various Tele-productions :

• 1978 - tele-plays produced by Bombay Doordarshan.
• 1984 - Acted in lead role in the most successful comedy 'Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi' and since done 5 other Tele-serials
• 1995-1999 - Philips Top Ten
• 2001-2002 - All The Best

• Represented the nation as Miss India '79

COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES

• Interact Club – in school
• Honorary Member Inner Wheel in – Rotary Club Mumbai West
• As Miss India '79 done community work at orphanages, old peoples home, and remand homes.
• Honorary teacher at Shruti School for Deaf in 1995.
• Honorary teacher at Jamnabai Narsee School, Mumbai 2001-2005.

AWARDS

• 2007- Rotary Club, Bombay Sea Face- Award for Vocational Excellence (for endeavor in Educational Field).
• 2006 – Human Resource and Development, Delhi. - Award for Research in Life Skills Enhancement.

INTRESTS AND OTHER ACTIVITIES

Jazz dancing, Painting, pottery, dress making, embroidery, quilting and patch-work, jewelry making, Ikebana-Ohara School, gardening.