After a carefree and enjoyable early socialization stage in our Pre Primary Wing, the learner is now ready to tackle the fundamentals of knowledge. The curiosity aroused about the world outside is now channelized into academic learning with plenty of activity. The focus is now on acquiring study skills. We ensure that children discover ‘how’ to learn – the ‘what’ of learning is then easily acquired. The system followed involves enquiry, questioning, weighing alternatives, problem solving and discussion. The learner is at the forefront, replacing the traditional methods of teachers explaining, memorizing and testing.
We continuously evaluate the Effort and Achievement put in by our young learners’ every day, with a system of double grading that records both input and output. Remedial measures are built into the system, with no segregation of ‘weak’ students or any attaching stigma. We believe, every student can do better, regardless of present achievement levels. Also, every student’s attempts to improve should be noted and encouraged, regardless of levels of present achievement. Children are not allowed to think that they are ‘brilliant’ or ‘weak’ or otherwise different from others. All such labels come with their attendant stresses and other psychological evils. Everyone, teacher as well as learners, are involved in the continual striving for perfection.
Every academic subject is denoted by basic skills required to study that subject. The weekly timetable is then adjusted so that a requisite number of periods are allotted to every skill. Our system does not encourage tuition teachers and rote learning. But we follow the Learning Partnership framework, wherein parents are expected to provide an appropriate home environment and moral support for the completion of assignments and experiments, to supplement the atmosphere of ‘learning by doing’ present in school. Every child should be encouraged to try again and again and to report every difficulty back to the teacher, who will then provide the requisite inputs. We believe in guiding students to confront challenges, solve them to the best of their own ability and to gain confidence from such learning experiences.
To ensure an all round development of personality, we include a wide and varied range of co curricular activities and educational excursions alongside the academic periods. Learning is not confined to books – and one learns from life is best prepared to learn from books.
