“Can I See? Let us see…”
Reflective Learners:
Hari Shree is one of the prominent IGCSE pre-primary schools in Chennai where we promote holistic education through activity based learning.
Activity based teaching and learning is meant to steer classrooms away from textbooks. When children take charge of their activity they are mindfully engaged, leading to timeless learning. They learn to derive meaning on their own and not wait for an Acharya to interpret things for them. Learners become self-reliant.
Here is how it happened in one of our environments at CHSV JC. Diya was completely engrossed in her counting activity and I asked her the name of the material she was using. She was from PP1 and she didn’t have an answer. I expected her to reach out to her Acharya, or to one of her peers…
She continued with her task, after completing the activity on her own and she started putting back her material in its place, she came back to me took me to the corner where she had kept the material and asked me to read the label that was stuck on the material. Her contemplation has given in-depth perception of all learning. It showed that she is independent as well as reflective. A PP1 child taking time to process the question, reflecting on it and directing me to the answer without seeking help is an insight on how independent and reflective the child is.
Collaborative and Engaged Learners:
The joy of learning from your peers, where the fear of failure is non-existent and expectations are nil. All a learner would hear is a tiny voice guiding them, showing what needs to be fixed with a smile or a giggle. All interactions are at the same level in a literal sense. Children don’t hesitate to reach out to their partners when in doubt and here the partner is an older peer who is always willing to help, they feel that it is their responsibility to make the younger one understand the concept. If they feel that the younger one is still struggling, they immediately dive into action by demonstrating the activity. It keeps both learners engaged meaningfully. The younger one is getting to understand the new concept and the older peer is revisiting the concept which is a reinforcement happening naturally. During the interactions language is simple, straightforward and to the level of the child’s understanding making learning sustainable and adaptable to any context.
Hari Shree is a reputed pre-school in Chennai that follows Cambridge IGCSE curriculum that focus more on practical approaches. It eventually allows students to focus on creative thinking and problem solving. The ability to distinguish between what they actually see, what they imagine and what is reality. It is one thing when adults explain it but another when students start to explore and find out on their own. It makes students learn to be reflective and to assess every piece of information for them. Cambridge learner attributes encourage students to become engaged intellectually and socially, ready to make a difference.
Blended curriculum makes it possible by bringing in the best practices of both the world where learning has become inductive and not prescriptive. Conscious effort is taken to lead children to be compassionate and responsible global citizens, to think globally and act locally, contributing towards a sustainable future that continues to grow and we are really proud of our journey so far! The school stays rooted, while going global.
