Presently during teaching, imparting the subject content to the student through various means acquires primary importance. Many teachers though capable of delivering a subject matter often miss the key competencies a student should learn through the process to be able to apply them. For example, communication and expression skills in languages, real life problem-solving skills including estimation and computation, etc. In time, only the students who are already doing well benefit and are given more attention by teachers whereas a large number of children lack competence.
This proposal looks at creating the awareness of learning in students and teachers. This is done through the creation of individual learning programs for each student by understanding their strengths and difficulties. With the help of the students a plan is created that can help them build on their strengths and overcome their difficulties. The students are then motivated to carry out the plan with the support of the teacher. They are also enabled to track their learning continuously.
The teacher acts as a guide selecting the most appropriate approach to support the child’s learning among those already practiced at the school (Education by Design, bi-lingual approach, Glenn Domain, peer learning, computer based learning, etc) and innovative new ones. The specific details of the chosen learning approach is created into a micro-project with a clear learning outcome and details of the process.
An extensive baseline survey has been carried out by the teachers. This will enable the fixing of milestones to enable us to assess the effectiveness of our work.
One aspect of maximizing learning outcomes is in being able to complete the learning plan put in place. Another is being able to look at not just understanding and recall, but application of ones knowledge hence maximizing the learning. A third is acquiring these through ones own initiative and becoming self-learning and self-motivated.
New educational approaches being initiated this year towards this goal are:
1. Writing correct English sentences, initiating from their thought process that is in their mother tongue, constructing anglicized sentences in the mother tongue and then converting it to English. This enables students to write correct English sentences on their own with ease.
2. A multi-media database is being created for remedial activities that students can access by themselves to supplement the learning from books and from the teacher.
3. An intense inclusive approach is being adopted for students in 1st and 2nd grade so they can attain the intended learning outcomes at the end of the academic year.
4. Focus on application of their learning in math and science. For the younger children this will connect with the world around them through observation and measurements. For older children this is further developed into patient problem solving through experiments, challenges and programming. In all cases the hope is to make the child more self-reliant and self-directed.
In broader aspects education including Judo, music, dance, drama, computer education the same aspects of self-motivation and self-mastery are reemphasized.
Isai Ambalam School 