ATL calendar

Summary:  Calendarize all ATL activities during the year so that students and as well as other stakeholders (teachers, parents, etc.) know what to expect in the ATL.  This will enable students to plan better and make the best use of the learning and tinkering opportunities made available in the ATL. 

As tinkerers start tinkering in the ATL, ATLs need to conduct mentoring sessions, workshops, training programs and events on a regular basis to engage the students, develop their skills and encourage greater participation by students.  However, these activities are not always planned in advance or calendarized.  Due to this, students don't have a clear picture of what to expect in the ATL throughout the year.  Often students get to know about an upcoming ATL program or event at the last minute, by which time they may have committed to other engagements or activities outside the ATL. This results in poor attendance by students, which has the potential to impact future ATL programs as well.  Poor attendance can take ATL activities down-hill over a period of time.  There is a need to streamline and calendarize ATL activities for the entire year so that students are aware of what to expect in the ATL and can plan ahead to make use of the learning & tinkering opportunities made available to them.

Here are a few steps you can follow in coming up with an ATL Calendar for your ATL:

1. Gather inputs and suggestions from ATL students, teachers and mentors for planning the ATL activities & events for the year.

2. List the various events, activities, mentoring sessions, expert-led talks, field visits, demonstrations, competitions, projects, etc. (called tasks) planned for the entire year.

3. Identify the resource persons who will be needed to conduct these sessions.

4. Schedule the tasks by assigning start & finish dates, ownership, and target audience.  Spread the tasks throughout the academic year, ensuring they don't conflict with examinations or other school events.  Take advantage of winter and summer holidays when feasible.  Discuss with the ATL mentors and get their commitment to the Calendar.

5. Publish the ATL Calendar to all the ATL students, teachers and mentors, preferably at the beginning of the academic year.

6. Track each task on the ATL Calendar to completion.

The following online tools can be used for constructing the ATL Calendar:

• Google Forms for gathering inputs from ATL students and mentors for planning the ATL activities and events.

• Google Sheets for organizing, planning and structuring the various ATL activities for the year.

• Google Calendar (web) for ATL in-charge to schedule various events and activities of the ATL on a yearly calendar.

• Google Calendar (app) for students to view the calendar of ATL activities for the year.

• Canva for creating a poster of the ATL Calendar and publishing the same to all ATL students.

Here is a list of ATL activities for the academic year 2022-23.  You can list similar activities at your ATL.

All the ATL activities for the year can then be scheduled on Google Calendar as shown below: 

Role of School Management:  Mandate the ATL Calendar for the entire academic year.

Role of Students: Participate in ATL activities, events, competitions, mentoring sessions, etc. as per the ATL Calendar.

Role of Mentor(s): Contribute to the development of ATL Calendar and provide commitment to the activities or events where the mentor's participation in needed.

Role of ATL In-charge:  Come up with the ATL Calendar for the year.

Calendarize the entire year's activities in your ATL.  Submit the link / screenshot(s) / video-recording of the ATL Calendar put together for your ATL.