Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Of Schools and Education

Parag and I believe in the alternate method of education which is child-centric. But of course he is the stronger and more vociferous advocate of this philosophy of pedagogy. Our move to Bangalore, the proposed move to Bombay and the final decision to stay on in namma Bengaluru, have all been the outcome of the availability and proximity of schools that profess this philosophy, where the child and not the academics/syllabus is the focus of attention.

The teaching methodology practiced in the majority of schools today is such that the child is under tremendous pressure to perform according to certain set standards. Anything below that is unacceptable. The increase in suicides amongst the young is most certainly an indicator of how taut and tension-filled is the wiring within.

My brother-in-law, Gautam, in the course of a recent conversation recounted his experience with learning Math whilst he was enrolled in one of the top notch schools in the city. His story, at least the part about struggling with Math is something that most of us will empathize with. Anyway, he was telling me about this school he went to where he had a tough time with the subject but he was expected to perform well and cope nevertheless. His move to the school where he subsequently passed out from proved to be a real blessing for him. Here the onus of his education and understanding of the syllabus was not his alone, but mainly that of his teachers’. It was his teacher’s responsibility to ensure that he understood the mathematical concepts that were being taught in class. And if he did not, then constant efforts were made till he did! The teacher approached the problems / concepts in a variety of ways to ensure that he understood them. There was no question of taking extra tuitions. It was a journey that both teacher and taught made together and Math was no longer the “Bogeyman”.

5 comments:

Unknown said...

Your words are true. It is also a teacher's responsibility to ensure that each student has understood the concepts that are being taught in class. I think most of us can empathize with a struggle to learn math in school. The traditional education system does not allow a student to question the teacher or even raise a question when in doubt. I remember we used to nod our heads for everything without understanding the concepts and were too scared to ask for help lest we be branded slow. I firmly support the system of child centric education. After a lot of research on schools which believe in the same philosophy as we do, we choose Inventure Academy . The school incorporates the method Multiple Intelligences in it's curriculum. Every child's inherent talent and strengths are recognised and education suited to teach them. This is the kind of education that must be followed in schools.

Unknown said...

Your words are true. It is also a teacher's responsibility to ensure that each student has understood the concepts that are being taught in class. I think most of us can empathize with a struggle to learn math in school. The traditional education system does not allow a student to question the teacher or even raise a question when in doubt. I remember we used to nod our heads for everything without understanding the concepts and were too scared to ask for help lest we be branded slow. I firmly support the system of child centric education. After a lot of research on schools which believe in the same philosophy as we do, we choose Inventure Academy .The school incorporates the method Multiple Intelligences in it's curriculum. Every child's inherent talent and strengths are recognised and education suited to teach them. This is the kind of education that must be followed in schools.

Unknown said...

My daughter goes to Inventure Academy. I chose the school specifically due to their mix of traditional and modern education. For the fact that kids are not only given the text books , but been asked to use them as GUIDES….and ask questions, not just read and accept. Their teaching methodology is something i wanted for my daughter. She used to be a very quite child, and i was always afraid she may not like school, but i was mistaken. She has taken to school and her classmates so smoothly. They sit together and discuss things, learn about each other and how diverse aeach and every kid is in that circle itself. I feel it's very important to interact with various different people too as part of education.

Muthu said...

Rajalaxmi & Mallika - Thank you for your feedback. Where is Inventure Academy? Is it in Bangalore?

Unknown said...

Yes Muthu, Inventure is in the outskirts of bangalore - sarjapur road. It's a few kms from the domasandra circle/ varthur lake - depends on which side you are coming from. They have a location map on their site. Why don't you check it out?
It's www.inventureacademy.com