Core teaching-learning methodology
Learning environment: Our teaching methodology is structured around a free learning environment. We have tried to organize our space, materials and other resources in such a way that students can explore and meaningfully engage with them in a natural and unforced manner. We have adult mentors to facilitate the process but they usually intervene only if a student seeks guidance or appears to reach a dead-end. We do not stop students from talking or making mistakes or taking an ‘incorrect’ step. Rather, the idea is to make them aware of the logical consequences of what they are doing so that they can take informed decisions on whether to amend a step or move on.
Every student has a mentor she/he can turn to, talk with and discuss her/his encounters and issues with materials or people. The mentor also guides and supports the student’s learning, interests, decisions, errors, questions and the like. This increased interaction with and individual knowledge of every student is recorded daily and serves as a useful guideline in evaluating progress.
Thematic rooms: Students do not sit in conventional classrooms. They study in thematic rooms that contain all the material requirements to explore the theme, and are staffed by teachers who are well informed in the discipline and can guide and mentor the students. The themes include: Room for the Child Scientist, Room for Language and Inquiry, Room for Numeracy and Logic, Room for Art and Aesthetics, and Room for Music and Dance. In addition there is an Open space for Outdoor Games, apart from other spaces such as Kitchen and Kitchen Garden for learning life skills, as well as Stairs and Multipurpose Hall that serves for learning and skill exhibition.
We intend to broaden our thematic repertoire in future by adding new themes such as Sense of History or repositioning existing cultural themes to include Craft and Design, and so on.
Every student has a mentor she/he can turn to, talk with and discuss her/his encounters and issues with materials or people. The mentor also guides and supports the student’s learning, interests, decisions, errors, questions and the like. This increased interaction with and individual knowledge of every student is recorded daily and serves as a useful guideline in evaluating progress.
Thematic rooms: Students do not sit in conventional classrooms. They study in thematic rooms that contain all the material requirements to explore the theme, and are staffed by teachers who are well informed in the discipline and can guide and mentor the students. The themes include: Room for the Child Scientist, Room for Language and Inquiry, Room for Numeracy and Logic, Room for Art and Aesthetics, and Room for Music and Dance. In addition there is an Open space for Outdoor Games, apart from other spaces such as Kitchen and Kitchen Garden for learning life skills, as well as Stairs and Multipurpose Hall that serves for learning and skill exhibition.
We intend to broaden our thematic repertoire in future by adding new themes such as Sense of History or repositioning existing cultural themes to include Craft and Design, and so on.
Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE).
Continuous evaluation: The RTE Act 2009 specifies that it is not mandatory to conduct examinations for students. The NCF 2005 emphasises a more elaborate method of evaluating the student’s growth known as Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE). We have evolved a CCE method at AND school to capture their growth and progress as well as evaluate the school’s academic processes.
* Every student’s recollection of the previous day on the podium is recorded by a teacher. This builds a comprehensive report of the student’s progress while giving a continuous account of the activities.
* The teacher’s diary gives a clear account of how activities progress and whether they proceed as planned. It also registers how the activities influence the development of the students.
* Apart from these two direct modes of evaluation, the portfolio or personal cupboard each student maintains gives a record of activities they engage in.
* Planning sessions and the decisions students make also throw light on which activities are appropriate and which need to be re-worked. This, in turn, aids continuous evaluation of both students and teachers.
* Feedback from parents and peers is another facet of comprehensive assessment of the students as well as the learning processes in the school.
* Every student’s recollection of the previous day on the podium is recorded by a teacher. This builds a comprehensive report of the student’s progress while giving a continuous account of the activities.
* The teacher’s diary gives a clear account of how activities progress and whether they proceed as planned. It also registers how the activities influence the development of the students.
* Apart from these two direct modes of evaluation, the portfolio or personal cupboard each student maintains gives a record of activities they engage in.
* Planning sessions and the decisions students make also throw light on which activities are appropriate and which need to be re-worked. This, in turn, aids continuous evaluation of both students and teachers.
* Feedback from parents and peers is another facet of comprehensive assessment of the students as well as the learning processes in the school.
A glimpse at our methodological practices
- Although the materials, activities and books are chosen on the basis of the NCERT syllabus and NCF 2005, the school does not follow a pre-set curriculum. Starting with the NCERT syllabus, it draws on materials and resources from various other sources to enrich its academic transactions and fulfil the learning needs of the students.
- The choice of topics and activities is guided by regular discussions with the students and their expression of interest. In addition to activities, these topics are explored through books, films, visits, talking to experts, surfing the internet and experimenting with ideas, hypotheses, etc.
- The emphasis is more on the process rather than the product or outcome. What is important is the effort the students and facilitators put in more than the end result.
- We encourage cooperation as opposed to unhealthy competition, which tends to put unnecessary emphasis on success as well as the fear of failure.
- For us, love and care go hand-in-hand with freedom and space for students. We see these as important ingredients in helping them develop as independent, free-thinking individuals.
- We seek to develop a strong and continuous school-parent partnership. It is essential to get vital inputs from parents, students, and the community into every aspect of what we do as a school system if we are to attain the common goal of holistic development of our students.
- We conduct regular review meetings with parents to bridge the home-school gap in their child’s education.
- The students ask questions about their teachers and the school system and we encourage them to pursue change for the better. We envision this will help them understand their role in any system, and prepare them to become active and responsible citizens.
- Diversity adds value to our learning environment as teachers and students they learn together in a multilingual setting (including languages like Hindi, English, Marathi, etc).