ScooNews - February 2020 - Digital Edition

Volume 4 Issue 7 February 2020

CHANGING TEACHERS’ LIVES EVERYDAY, EVERY WAY!

Group Editor Ravi Santlani

Assistant Editor Anjana Deepak

Reporters Anushka Yadav, Ashima Sharma, Anuj Kr.

Website Team Pranav Sharma, Ojas Godatwar

Art Direction Rexsu Cherry

Advisory Board:

Anand Kumar, Founder, Super-30

Dr Jagpreet Singh, Headmaster, The Punjab Public

School, Nabha

Dr Neeta Bali, Director- Principal, G D Goenka World

School, Gurugram

Dr Swati Popat Vats, President, Podar Education

Network & President, Early Childhood Association India

Geeta Dharmarajan, Founder & President, Katha

Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar,Trustee, Vidyadan Trust &

Maharana of Mewar Foundation

Lt Gen SH Kulkarni (Retd), Director, Mayo College

Meenakshi Uberoi, Education Evangelist,

Founder, De Pedagogics

Nishi Misra, Principal, Scindia Kanya

Vidyalaya, Gwalior

Prajakt Raut, Co-founder, Applyifi &

The Growth Labs

Sandeep Dutt, Founder, Learning Forward India

Skand Bali, Principal, The Hyderabad Public

School, Begumpet

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Cover Design ATLT Inc

Founder & CEO Ravi Santlani

Vice President Operations Vinay K Singh

Vice President PR Vanya Bhandari

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BD Executive Khushi Agarwal, Kritika Sharma,

Mihika Agarwal, Sagar Nagpal

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Publishing Date: 10 February ‘2020

Total number of pages 56, including Covers

I

Children must be taught how to think,

not what to think

Margaret Mead

STRAIGHT

Ravi Santlani, CEO

TALK

Our Most

Important Educators!

"A child’s most important steps happen before they set foot in a

primary school. By their fifth birthday, children’s brains are 90%

developed and the foundations for success at school and in later life

are in place,” says a joint UNICEF-OECD-UNESCO blog.

t is now widely known and accepted that the earliest childhood years are

a period of intense and rapid neural development and that children’s ability

to capitalise on these years is directly related to their environment. As

much as the curriculum, the tools and techniques are important in building

this environment, what most of us will acknowledge is that trained

teachers are crucial to high-quality preschool.

However, they are also its most neglected component. Early childhood

educators in India earn as little as Rs. 40,000 a year on an average and we

still treat preschool teachers like babysitters. An unskilled labourer makes

more than this.

These noble souls prepare the foundation for our children's school, college

and life. Early Years educators become a support for parents and families,

and aims at building stronger, healthier and happier communities.

With all these responsibilities and roles resting on a country’s Early Years

educators, why are they not given the respect and special status they truly

deserve? The 7th Pay Commission, launched in September 2015 ensured

that the teachers in primary schools, secondary and higher secondary

schools, colleges and universities get a hiked net salary of 16 per cent.

Sadly, no mention of the Early Childhood Education happened!

I believe that the first positive step in this direction is the creation of a dedicated

Early Childhood Education ministry. This can subsequently play an

instrumental role in creating education, teaching and other policies and

guidelines for the upliftment of Early Childhood educators in specific and

Early Years education in general.

The investment in Early Childhood educators & education is one of the

most valuable investments a nation can make to promote human resource

development, reduce gender inequality and increase social cohesion, while

reducing the costs for later remedial programmes.

February 2020 3

12

CONTENTS

FEATURE

K.I.S.S in ECE -

What to do with what

we know in ECE

41 SPECIAL REPORT

Pilgrimage to

Germany and Italy -

A report by Dr. Reeta Sonawat, Dr. Swati Popat Vats,

Monica Jairam and all the educators

Dr. Swati Popat Vats

20 EXPERTSPEAK

Bela Kotwani

Meenakshi Mohindra

Dr. Reeta Sonawat

Dr. Manimekalai Mohan

Arshiya Afsar

52 EVENT

Modern School Hosts 80th

IPSC Principals’ Conclave

Mr. Jimmy Eappen

50 Principals along with the IPSC honorary members from

prominent Public Schools which are members of Indian

Public Schools’ Conference converged at Modern School,

Barakhamba Road for the three-day 80th Annual IPSC

Principals’ Conference on the theme Education ‘Education

Four Point Zero

4 February 2020

YOURS TRULY

GUIDE ON MENTAL HEALTH

Your issue on Mental Health Guide

for schools was excellent. I was

pleased to see the various issues and

topics usually taboo to be spoken

about, being addressed on a platform

such as yours. It is heart-warming to

see you’ll discussing these issues and

educating us.

MANAGE STUDENT ANXIETY

Rajita Das

Bangalore

I loved the article on managing student

anxiety. I re-read it so many

times. It is true that students face a lot

of anxiety these days due to various

reasons. I have a teenage son who

faces anxiety issues too and it was

great that a number of ways to cope

with these issues were listed in the

article. I have asked him to try a few

and it has helped. Thank you

Scoonews.

Sheila Nair

Kerala

SCHOOLS MUST ADDRESS MENTAL HEALTH

The article by Fatema Agarkar on

urging schools to play an important

part in addressing mental health

issues and help be part of the solution

is something all of us must talk about

and act on immediately. It has become

of utmost importance to protect our

children from the perils of this sickness

that rears its ugly head.

Shivangani Dutt

Mumbai

EDUCATE ON SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF

MENTAL HEALTH

I feel that the school must play a large

part in our children’s lives. It is

always wonderful to see people like

Yvette Lee working for the betterment

of our future generation and also by

saying that teachers must educate

themselves and others on the signs

and symptoms of mental health

issues and provide a safe environment

for our children.

THANK YOU SCOONEWS

Uma Krishnamoorthy

Chennai

I have been subscribing to

Scoonews magazines for a

year now. I have thoroughly

enjoyed reading every single

issue of your magazine, every

month. This month has taken

the cake as the issues discussed

this month is something that is

very close to my heart. I just

want to thank the entire team at

Scoonews for bringing these

issues to the forefront.

LIFE SKILLS TRAINING

Sonal Agarwal

Delhi

Children must be taught life skills

with the right guidance and training.

Children of today are faced with

so much peer pressure, they sometimes

lack empathy. It has to be

addressed sensitively but also firmly.

As Neerja Birla mentions, education

goes well beyond academics. We have

to raise children with knowledge, life

skills and strength of mind and character

to face any challenges.

YOGA A MUST….

Deepak Dayal

Mumbai

Being a yoga teacher, I must stress the

fact that yoga must be made an integral

part of everyone’s lifestyle especially

that of a student who faces so

much stress and anxiety while learning

to grow in this world. Yoga has

been proven to reduce stress and anxiety

and help nurture the mind and

body. It must be made mandatory in

schools to practice yoga every day for

the betterment of the teachers and

students to maintain mental health.

Rachel Dias

Kerala

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6 February 2020

TRENDING

Handwriting to be sharpened

in West Bengal schools

Special sessions will

be held in state-run

schools in West Bengal

that focus on handwriting

improvement.

Syllabus committee

chairman Abhik

Majumder said that

the teachers of primary

schools will be

specially trained

before the next academic

session so that

these trained teachers

can work with pre-primary

and primary students

to hone their

handwriting skills.

"We have often seen poor handwriting causing serious problems to a student when

he goes to higher classes. Poor handwriting also reflects a lack of coherence in

thoughts. That is why the committee, in consultation with the government, has

decided to give address it, starting with the primary school students," a school education

department official said.

Apart from training, a separate chapter will be added on handwriting in one of the

textbooks. At present, students have three books in class 1, seven books in class 3

and eight books in classes 4 and 5. Students will go through various writing and

palm moving exercises which will be a part of a training module devised as per

globally set norms.

MOU approved to be signed

between Brazil and India

To strengthen

the bonds of

friendship

between the two

countries of

India and Brazil

and to increase

bilateral cooperation

on the issues

of early childhood

care, the

Union Cabinet,

chaired by the

Prime Minister

Shri Narendra

Modi, has given

its approval for signing of a Memorandum of Understanding

(MoU) on Cooperation between the Ministry of Citizenship of

the Federative Republic of Brazil and the Ministry of Women

and Child Development of the Republic of India for bilateral

cooperation in the field of early childhood. Both countries will

exchange the best practices of their respective countries in the

field of early childhood education.

Shillong

launches

‘Diksha-

Meghalaya’

Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge

Sharing (DIKSHA) – Meghalaya was officially

launched at the Conference Hall,

Directorate of Educational Research and

Training.

Dignitaries that attended the program

were Education Minister Lahkmen

Rymbui as the chief guest in the presence

of Principal Secretary, Education

department, DP Wahlang, Secretary,

Education department, CP Gotmare,

Director, School Education and Literacy,

A Marak, District School Education

Officers, teachers and other officials of

the Education department.

Rymbui, in his brief address, stated that

DIKSHA is launched to elevate school

education in the state and it is incumbent

upon all stakeholders including

teachers, students and others to update

themselves on recent trends and developments

in terms of new tools and technologies.

He expressed hope that with

the launching of DIKSHA – Meghalaya,

teachers, learners and education officials

can reap the benefits of the platform in

the day-to-day teaching-learning

process.

DIKSHA – a national digital infrastructure

launched by the Ministry of Human

Resource and Development (MHRD) and

the National Council for Teacher

Education (NCTE) allows States to leverage

a common technological backbone

and integrate their respective teacher initiatives

based on their goals, needs and

capabilities.

The State believes that interactive audiovisual

content, assessments and animations

will make learning engaging for

children thereby helping them understand

concepts better. It is also expected

to reduce the pressure on teachers by

providing them with a range of curated

content linked to the curriculum that

they can use while preparing for classes.

It is also embarking on a journey to create

and curate quality content by trained

state government teachers that can be

leveraged by all states through the DIK-

SHA platform.

8 February 2020

Reading of preamble made

mandatory in schools

The Madhya Pradesh government

has made the

reading of the Preamble to

the Constitution in schools

mandatory as per an order

issued by the education

department. Also,

Maharashtra’s state education

department has asked

schools to ensure students

read the Preamble to the

Indian Constitution during

assembly starting January

26, 2020 - the 70th Republic

Day.

The government’s order,

however, has not gone

down well with the

Opposition BJP in Madhya

Pradesh. State BJP

spokesperson Rajneesh

Agrawal said, “Any innovative

practice in the schools

to enhance the knowledge of students is always welcome.

But in Madhya Pradesh, the state government has introduced

the practice as a political gimmick. On the one

hand, the Congress is going ahead with a ‘Save

Constitution’ agitation despite the fact it is the Congress

which always tried to weaken the Constitution with its

anti-democratic decisions

and practices whenever it

was in power at the

Centre and on the other, it

is now talking of reading

of the Preamble on school

campuses.”

However, Minister for

school education,

Prabhuram Chaudhary,

said, “Such a practice in

schools will strengthen

the feeling of students

regarding our

Constitution besides

arousing interest in them

to know more about our

constitution which is the

foundation of the country.”

Schools in Maharashtra

are apprehensive about

the directive. “Merely

reading out the Preamble may not help. This has been tried

in the past too and fizzled out. It would be better to

improve the civics curriculum to give students a better

idea of the Constitution and its principles,” said a management

representative of an ICSE school. The school did

not follow the rule in 2013.

New Zealand schools to teach

climate crisis, activism and

'eco-anxiety' to students

Schools in New Zealand will have access to materials on climate crisis written by

leading science agencies of the country. The curriculum will put New Zealand at the

forefront of climate change education worldwide. 11-15 years old students of all

schools will be offered the New Zealand scheme and it will not be made compulsory

said the government.

“One of the pieces of feedback we’ve got from teachers around the country is that

they’re really crying out for something like this because kids are already in the conversation

about climate change,” said James Shaw, New Zealand’s climate change

minister and co-leader of the left-leaning Green Party. “They’re seeing stuff on

social media on a daily basis and none of it is good news, and the sense of powerlessness

that comes from that is extremely distressing.”

It was suggested students keep a “feelings thermometer” to track their emotions,

learn how to change defeatist self-talk, and consider how their feelings could generate

action and response. Another tool included in the curriculum helps students create

and carry out an action plan on a particular environmental issue – such as creating

an edible garden.

The curriculum includes text, video, and advice for teachers, the Education

Minister Chris Hipkins said in a statement. “It explains the role science plays in

understanding climate change, aids understanding of both the response to it and its

impacts – globally, nationally and locally – and explores opportunities to contribute

to reducing and adapting to its impact on everyday life,” he added.

February 2020 9

TRENDING

14th Central Teacher Eligibility Test

to be conducted by CBSE on 5th July

The 14th edition of the CTET- Central

Teacher Eligibility Test will be conducted on

the 5th of July 2020. The test will be conducted

across 112 cities and in 20 different languages.

Aspiring candidates are requested to

download the Information Bulletin from the

below-mentioned website and read the same

carefully before applying. The detailed

Information Bulletin containing details of

examination, syllabus, languages, eligibility

criteria, examination fee, examination cities,

and important dates, etc. are available on the

CTET official website www.ctet.nic.in w.e.f.

24-01-2020.

Aspiring candidates have to apply online only

through the CTET website i.e.

www.ctet.nic.in. The online application

process will start from 24.01.2020 and the last

date for submitting an online application will

be 24.02.2020. The fee can be paid up to

27.02.2020 till 03.30 PM.

The application fee applicable for CTET July

2020 is as under:

Category Only paper I or II Both Paper I & II

General/OBC Rs. 1000/- Rs. 1200/-

SC/ST/Diff. Abled Person Rs. 500/- Rs. 600/-

“Pariksha Pe

Charcha 2020” at

Talkatora Stadium,

New Delhi

50 Divyang students also took part in the interaction programme

with the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi as

part of ‘Pariksha Pe Charcha 2020’ at Talkatora Stadium,

New Delhi. This year, students from across the country,

and also Indian students residing abroad, participated in

the event seeking guidance on various issues of importance

to them from the Prime Minister.

Wishing the students a happy New Year the Prime

Minister explained the importance of the decade, that the

hopes and aspirations of the current decade rest on those

kids who are in their final years of schooling in the country.

He spoke on various topics such as demotivation and mood

swings to which he said that most often students get demotivated

due to factors that are external to them and also as

they try to attach too much significance to their own

expectations. On balancing extra-curricular activities and

studies, he said, “Not pursuing extra-curricular activities

can make a student like a robot”. Other topics that were

spoken about were whether scores were all that mattered,

the importance of technology in education, rights vs

duties, etc.

An Online competition on ‘short essays’ was launched for

the students of classes IX to XII for the third edition of

Prime Minister's Interaction Programme ‘Pariksha Pe

Charcha 2020’. Selected winners attended ‘Pariksha Pe

Charcha 2020’ and interacted with Prime Minister Shri

Narendra Modi. A painting and poster making competition

was held on exam related issues for CBSE & KVS school

students. Around 50 were selected and exhibited before the

Prime Minister during the ‘Pariksha Pe Charcha 2020’.

10 February 2020

Teacher from LP school

suspended for caning boy

Minimol Jose of St Xavier’s LP School, Mannarappara, near Kuruppanthara was

suspended pending an inquiry by the school management on Thursday for caning a

Class II student aged 7 years, allegedly for not being able to read the Malayalam

textbook properly.

The incident came to light when the child’s mother found marks on her ward’s

lower limbs. Based on the response from the child, the mother approached Childline

authorities and later filed a complaint with the police. Police have booked a case

against the teacher under Section 82 of the Juvenile Justice Act and IPC 324.

Though the school authorities tendered an unconditional apology and reportedly

requested her not to proceed with the complaint, the mother refused and lodged a

police complaint. However, things took a different turn when the Democratic Youth

Federation of India activists staged a protest in front of the school on Thursday,

demanding the teacher’s arrest.

Initiating suo moto proceedings in the caning incident at St.Xavier’s LP school in

Kuruppanthara, Kerala, State Commission for Protection of Child Rights

Chairman, P Suresh, along with members Sr . Biji Jose and M. P. Antony will visit

the school and house of the student.

Kaduthuruthy District Education Officer (DEO) Saudamini, who visited the school,

held talks with the school authorities, PTA members and the protesters. Later, the

official also visited the victim’s residence and collected his statement. Upon confirming

the accused teacher’s involvement in the incident, a recommendation to

place the teacher under suspension was sent to school management.

Khelo India Youth

Games - Harayana tops

medals tally

At Khelo India Youth Games in Guwahati, Haryana

topped the medals tally. The state team amassed 17

Golds after Day 4 to jump from number 6 to the number

1 position. They won four Golds in kabaddi,

three each in archery and athletics and one each

from cycling and gymnastics.

Maharashtra came in second place with four Golds

to manage a tally of 16. They have a total of 71

medals, though, as opposed to Haryana’s 47, to set up

a thrilling race to the finish. The defending champions,

Maharashtra, were well served by Aditee Ajit

Dandekar (Girls Under-21 Individual all-around rhythmic gymnastics) and their

4x100m relay quartet but they could only watch as Haryana went for the kill across

sports.

Tamil Nadu stole the limelight in athletics, with an equally impressive five-gold

show; Kerala’s Ancy Sojantoo made an impact, anchoring her State’s Under-21

4x100m relay squad to collect her third Gold medal. Their Gold tally swelled to 7 from

track and field, taking them to the fifth place with 8 Golds out of 25 medals. Delhi and

Gujarat occupied the third and fourth spots.

Haryana dominated archery too, winning 7 medals including 3 Golds. Himani

Kumari, who missed out on a medal in Pune last year, claimed the Girls Under-21 title

with an easy win in the final. Tisha Punia, a quarterfinalist last time, beat her teammate

Tamanna in the Under-17 final while Ridhi took the bronze to ensure a sweep for

them in this category.

Class 8

dropout

caught

teaching at

govt school

A Class 8 dropout was

caught teaching at a primary

school at Devli, 45 km

from Khargone district

headquarters, Madhya

Pradesh. Dayal Singh, the

accused claimed that he

was paid Rs 4,000 per month

by a government teacher

posted to the Devli School

to teach students.

The incident came to light

when deputy district collector

Rahul Chouhan made a

surprise visit on Thursday

to find Singh teaching the

students. Chouhan said

Dayal Singh confessed that

he was standing for government

teacher Rameshwar

Rawat who had been paying

him Rs. 4,000 per month for

performing his duties. Both

teachers, Rameshwar Rawat

and Jhabbar Singh posted

to the Devli School were

found absent.

Twenty-three children were

present in the primary

school when the surprise

check was conducted. On

checking the attendance

register, it was found that

two teachers had not

marked their attendance

during the past one week.

On being questioned, Dayal

Singh told the deputy collector

that two teachers

came to mark their attendance

once in 15 days. The

two teachers have been suspended

and a case has been

marked to the sub-divisional

officer. An inquiry has

also been ordered. On

action against Singh, the

district administration said

appropriate action will be

taken only after the SDM

completed the inquiry.

February 2020 11

FEATURE

K.I.S.S in ECE -

What to do with

what we know in ECE


writeback@scoonews.com

K.I.S.S - Keep It Simple Silly in

ECE. Its time to know what to

do with what we already

know in ECE. We are absorbing

information at a fascinating speed

as we attend conferences globally, we

read on Google, we take ideas from

Pinterest, we buy books, borrow curriculum

ideas and so much more,

then why is the quality of early childhood

education not improving with

the same speed? Why are parentschool

relationships at a low? Why are

teachers clueless about when to start

writing? And why are schools still

struggling to convince parents

about the importance of play-based

curriculums?

We should begin by ‘using’ what we

know to create quality education for

young children because I want our

country to excel in its care and education

of its littlest citizens. Yes, they

are not our future citizens, they are

already our citizens and we are failing

as adults if we don’t make our

country and the world a better place

for all children without boxing them

into categories of special, rich, poor,

backward, forward, smart, not so

smart, etc.

Hiam Ginnot shared, a school principal

who survived the Nazi camp wrote,

“I am a survivor of the Nazi concentration

camp. My eyes saw what no person

should witness. Gas chambers built by

learned engineers. Children poisoned

by educated physicians. Infants killed

by trained nurses. Women and babies

shot and killed by high school and college

graduates. So I am suspicious of

education. My request to help your students

be human. Your efforts must

never produce learned monsters,

skilled psychopaths or educated maniacs.

Reading and writing and history

and arithmetic are only important if

they serve to make our students more

human.”

IT ALL BEGINS AT THE

CURRICULUM DESIGN STAGE

And so we must be careful of the curriculums

we design for our children.

As we hear hundreds of ‘educators’

say in conferences that “we are

preparing children for future jobs”,

well we definitely need to be educating

children so they are productive

and employable but most importantly

we also need to be educating children

so that they are creating a society that

is liveable and social. Today, our curriculums

need a balanced blend of IQ

(intelligence quotient), EQ (emotional

quotient), SQ (social quotient) and RQ

(resilience quotient).

After all, it is the RQ that will decide

who will give up when faced with

problems and who will not. Giving up

can also mean taking drugs, committing

suicide, etc. it is not the people

Dr. Swati Popat Vats is the President,

Early Childhood Association India,

Association for Primary Education &

Research (APER) and Podar Education

Network

12 February 2020

with IQ alone that are heading organisations,

there are many examples

where a person of high IQ is

employed by a person of high EQ, SQ

and RQ even though this person has

an average IQ. It is thus important

that the curriculum used in early

childhood care and education settings

is based on what is developmentally

appropriate for young children and is

in line with their developmental milestones.

Such a curriculum is a quality

curriculum.

A quality curriculum also gives children

ample opportunities to move and

use their bodies. Children grow rapidly

in the early years and during this

time they are learning to move their

bodies and to manoeuvre them

through activities like walking, bending,

jumping, climbing and twirling.

These activities help them channel

their abundant energy in ways that

help contribute to their learning and

development. You take away this precious

time to use their bodies and you

will end up with a lot of aggressive

and violent children.

A quality curriculum is about building

positive relationships. Learning

to self soothe, learning to seek help

from a caring adult, learning to enjoy

the company of other children are

important towards building lasting

positive relationships. So what can a

teacher do to help kids develop positive

relationships? A teacher can create

ample opportunities for children

to talk to each other, play together

during free play activities, singing

time and alternating her planning

with small group and large group

activities. Help them to describe their

feelings when they are upset, help

guide children to understand conflict

resolution. Let us not forget that

every child is just one caring adult

away from being successful for life.

When I was a preschool teacher, all

the ‘naughty’ children were put in my

class. And I loved to have them

because I would try and solve the mystery

of each child’s ‘naughtiness’.

Today ‘naughty’ children are called

‘aggressive’. Any child is labeled

aggressive if the child cannot sit

straight while you are telling a story

or if the child cannot share or even if

the child pushes someone in the park.

It is important that parents and teachers

understand child development

because then they would know what

behaviour is age-appropriate and what

needs to be looked into for modification.

For example, when children

between the ages of 2 to 4 years push

someone, it is because they lack

impulse control and cannot wait for

their turn. By age 5 children have

learnt social manners and have an

understanding of ‘not to hurt others’.

So when a 3-year-old pushes we need to

February 2020 13

FEATURE

handle it differently, from when a 5-

year-old or an 8-year-old does the same.

Children get aggressive for many reasons,

but the two most important reasons

are lack of attention and too

much attention. When a child feels

ignored, he/she usually reacts aggressively.

When a child is spoilt, then the

child wants attention all the time and

when that attention is divided or late

in coming the child reacts aggressively.

It is important for adults to make a

distinction between the two, as the

first one needs love and the second

one needs firmness.

Many schools and educators ask me

questions like “At what age should writing

be taught," "What is the right age to

teach them how to read." Learning is not

age-related, it is developmental and

stage related, and that, dear educators,

is the very meaning of ‘Developmentally

Appropriate Curriculum.'

Read the work of Amanda Morgan,

she beautifully paints a picture of

how development works: children are

simply not ready for the same things

at the same time. We have children of

varied age groups in our classrooms.

During the early years, every month

matters and we have children who are

almost 9 months younger than the

rest of the class struggling to understand

what others are understanding

in a jiffy. We then label these children

as slow learners, instead of practicing

differentiated learning. Our curriculum

should help us meet the children

where they are and help them

reach the next stage, our true job as

educators is to support them and not

force them. Differentiated curriculum

planning helps you provide for all

children.

THE IMPORTANCE OF PLAY

Did you know that brain development

can be seen? It is during play that children

show us how their brains are

developing. They have play behaviours

and urges and knowing about

these urges can help us to understand

why children do what they do. It is

because educators do not know the

signs of brain development that they

end up thinking that children are

being ‘difficult’ when they display

these behaviours and urges. Piaget

called these play behaviours and

urges as Schemas. Jean Piaget used

the term “schema” to describe both

the mental and physical actions

involved in building mental models of

the world.

1. Orientation - the urge to hang

upside down, go under tables and

furniture - helps in future perspective-taking.

2. Positioning - lining up things likes

blocks, dolls, etc.- helps build mental

models that will help the child

sequence information later.

3. Connections - joining train tracks,

clicking together pieces. This can

mean connecting and disconnecting

too, building followed by

destruction, and that can mean

other children’s block structures

and sandcastles get destructed

when the urge gets hold. The urge

for connections is just trying to

understand the connection

between whole and parts and parts

and whole.

4. Trajectory - the urge to throw,

drop, climbing up and jumping off,

putting your hand under running

water. It can be diagonal, vertical

or horizontal. This is a multi-

14 February 2020

dimensional urge, after all, learning

is based on movement. Wants

to know how things move, understand

the relationship between

speed and objects.

5. Enclosure/container - the urge to

fill up cups with water, climb into

cardboard boxes or build fences for

the animals - to know and see how

things fit into the world.

6. Transporting - can be the urge to

carry many things in your hands

at one time, in jars, in buckets and

baskets, or even better containers

with wheels - to know how to handle

multiple items at the same time

and how many will fit in what and

how many can I carry at a time.

7. Enveloping - to have a sheet over

your head, wrapping things in fabrics

or with tape and paper – how

things can be hidden and uncovered.

The foundation of future

archeologists?

8. Rotation - have you seen children go

round and round? Merry go-rounds?

Anything that goes around anything

that is circular - wheels, turning

lids, watching the washing machine

on spin cycle, drawing circles, spinning

around on the spot, being

swung around. These are all experiences

of ?the Rotation schema.

9. Transformation - the urge to transform

can come in many forms;

holding all your food in your mouth

for a long time to see what it turns

into, mixing your juice with your

oats, water with dirt, or wanting to

help make the dough.

Read each of the schemas again and

try and connect each to these professions

mentioned below and you

will realise that children’s everyday

play is connected with their

future learning and growth. Now

explain this to parents when they

ask you, ‘Why play?’

(Pilots, Astronauts, Adventure sports,

Sports. Writers, Chefs, Corporate honchos,

Teachers. Architects,

Engineers, Teachers, Journalists.

Aeronautical and space engineers,

Landscape designers. Packaging

experts, DNA scientists, Farmers,

Mall designers, Coders, Civil engineers,

Homemakers, Archeologists,

Fashion designers, Actors, Makeup

artists, Vehicle designers, Soldiers,

Drivers, Policemen, Adventure ride

designers, etc.)

It is when we don’t allow children to

play and ask them to ‘be still’ and ‘be

quiet’, that we are asking them to do

something that they developmentally

cannot. We ask them to walk in a line,

with their hands at the back, to stand

still, and to refrain from talking.

Instead, why don’t we make patterns

on the floor and ask them to jump or

walk on them? Or ask them to hold

bubbles in their mouth? Or make a

butterfly on their back with their fingers?

All these are more interesting

and appeal to the urge to play in young

children. Understand the above

schemas and you will know how to

make transitions and learning more

interesting and involving for children.

ITS TIME TO MOVE FROM

‘TIME OUT’ TO ‘TIME IN’.

How is making a child stand in a corner,

or sending a child out of the class

or removing a child from a school for

misbehaviour, helping a child? So

many children (like Toto Chan) are

being expelled from preschools

because they are ‘unable to behave’,

because they bite, hit and scream.

February 2020 15

FEATURE

It would be ideal to have an agreement

of behaviour both at home and school

- Rule # 1 should be, ‘hitting and hurting

is not allowed and so we will use

words instead.’ Show kids a socially

accepted avenue to show their anger

and frustration; don’t stop them from

experiencing these emotions. Use

sentences like, ‘I know you are angry

because I did not give you the toy, but

instead of beating me, you can beat

the pillow’. Don’t react to kid’s misbehaviour

with your own, if we are

telling children not to hit others when

they are angry, then how can we hit

them when we are angry?

For repeated instances of misbehaviour,

it is important to see children who

experience repeated serious conflict not

as problem children but as children

with problems who need guidance.

So try the following -

1. Identify and specify instances of

misbehaviour

2. Observe what happens before and

after the behaviour

3. Measure how often it happens

4. How long does it last

5. Find a pattern in the behaviour

6. Bring about the change and implement

it.

7. Continue measuring the behaviour

8. Every time the child exhibits the

new behaviour, encourage the new

behaviour

Changing the way we talk and

instruct our children - let's avoid

beginning a sentence with a negative.

The part of our brain that picks up

motivators in language has a curious

way of processing negatives like ‘do

not talk’. It seems before it can

process the negative, ‘do not’, it must

first form a visual representation of

the action it is not supposed to do. So

the child first visualises the action

that is talk and then processes the

negative - don’t. Many children can

only do the first part and are unable to

process the negative.

Are ‘pyjama parties’ during school

hours in preschools/nurseries developmentally

appropriate?

In the early years, sleep and sleep

habits play an important role in the

overall healthy development of both

the body and the brain. If children do

not get the required sleep time they

can suffer from immune system related

weakness or memory and brain

development related issues. Getting

children to go to sleep is a huge task

as children keep wanting to explore

the world and are unable to understand

rest, tiredness and thus don’t

know when to let go and sleep.

Parents have had a tough time getting

their children to follow a sleep routine

and then comes an invitation

from the preschool/nursery to have a

‘Pyjama Party’. When preschools or

nurseries have a ‘Pyjama Party’ in

school during the day it confuses children

for the following reasons -

1. Their parents taught them that

after you wear your pyjamas then

straight to bed, no more play. “And

here is my school asking me to

wear a pyjama to play.” This

impact will stay with them for a

few weeks and they will again have

tantrums during sleep time.

2. Parents have also taught them that

a party is when you wear the ‘nice’

dress and go and have fun. “Now

you are asking me to wear a pyjama

to a party? Does that mean I

can wear a pyjama anywhere? You

are confusing me with different

concepts.” I am at the pre-operational

stage of cognitive development

(Piaget) and I cannot understand

how a pyjama that you

taught me was for bedtime is now

acceptable as school wear. For

example, children at this stage cannot

accept that their mother is also

someone’s daughter. How can she

be? She is my mother.

Pyjama parties are fun and a creative

idea to have a party but definitely not

in school and not in the daytime. As

early childhood educators, we should

always weigh the ‘creativeness’ or

‘funkiness’ of the idea against its

impact on young children and their

learning and formation of good

habits. Keeping the above in mind it is

important that preschools/nurseries

should refrain from celebrating a

pyjama party in the daytime at

school. And it is for the same reasons

that one should avoid using food for

creative activities. It has the potential

to generate the following thought in

the young mind - ‘You taught me that

food is important and I should not

waste it, and now you want me to do

artwork with it?’

WHAT ABOUT OUR RHYMES

AND SONGS?

Rhymes and songs that we sing in

preschools also need to be developmentally

appropriate for socio-emotional

development. It is so depressing

that Humpty Dumpty cannot be

put back again. Or singing the song of

the great plague? How depressing!

And killing and roasting deers?

Knocking down Piggy and then saying,

‘I don’t care’! Rhymes and songs

like Humpty Dumpty, Ringa Ringa

roses, One little, two little three little

Indians, Piggy on the railway, etc.

need to be changed to help children

develop positive social and emotional

skills.

Here are the new versions-

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall.

Humpty Dumpty did not have a fall.

He knew how to be careful, he knew

how to play.

And that is why he is in one piece

today!


Round and round the rose bush.

We love to smell the roses.

Hulla Gulla.

We never pluck the roses.


Piggy on the railway.

Picking up stones.

Down came an engine,

And broke Piggy’s bones.

Ouch! Said the Piggy.

That’s not fair.

Oh, said the engine driver,

I will take more care!

- Dr. Swati Popat Vats

TYING OUR CHILDREN IN

LOOPS WITH CURSIVE WRITING

Cursive handwriting is another area

that we struggle with. Yes, cursive

actually needs to be done away from

kindergartens, as children are too

young to understand the complex

curves and loops used. It would be like

making children hop and run before

they learn to crawl and walk. Print is

always better in kindergarten as reading

and writing go hand in hand and

16 February 2020

FEATURE

since reading is in all print, writing

too should be in all print.

As children learn to write, the emphasis

is also on teaching them to be precise,

neat and increasing their writing

speed. Print is usually not the best

font for this and since cursive is not

good so the dilemma for schools is

what to use with young kids. Marion

Richardson, a school inspector in the

UK understood this and created the

Marion Richardson font which is a

form of print but all letters have a

‘handle’ at the beginning or end of the

letter to easily ‘hold hands’ with the

next letter. This helps kids understand

spacing, line format and helps

them keep their writing neat and

increase the speed. So it is important

to start with print and then teach kids

that letters need to hold hands to be

safe and quick, just like we hold

hands when many of us are walking

together. Once this is explained in a

story format and once the ‘handles’

are pointed out to the kids, then kids

will not find the transition to cursive

not stressful.

WHAT ABOUT NUMBERS?

Should number counting, number

writing and number names be done

together? Any curriculum- cognitive

planning that I do (and anyone does

should be) is based on Piaget’s cognitive

theory. 18 months to 6 years can

focus only on one variable at a time.

And so according to Montessori,

counting of objects is what needs to

be focused on first. And in her equipment,

there are bead sets in which

children can count in sets up to 5000.

So the beads are in sets of 5 and 10 and

a teacher would say 4500 and the child

is able to give that many bead sets so 4

of 10 and one of 5. Side by side the

children are using sandpaper number

cards to feel the formation of the

number, these cards are from 0 to 9.

For the 3 to 4-year-olds she has sticks

in a box with numbers and children

have to put that many sticks in the

slot as per the number. No writing of

numbers or number names. Writing

of numbers is not part of number

education, it is part of writing! So

don’t confuse both.

WE DON’T NEED TO BE

SPECIAL TO BE INCLUSIVE

Special children? Differently-abled?

Schools are constantly struggling

with labels. My good friend and

expert, Dr. Dalwai says, it is important

for schools to move from labeling

to enabling. And that is what we

require - a growth mind-set and inclusion.

This would mean changing the

way we approach situations. Instead

of saying, “our school is not equipped

for this child”, let's say, “ how can we

get our school equipped for this

child?” instead of saying that you do

not have the resources to help the

child, ask yourself and experts, what

best can you do with the resources

you already have. And instead of saying,

‘my teachers are not trained for

this, how about saying, ‘Where can we

learn more about this?’ When a plant

struggles to grow, you fix the soil, the

water, and the sunshine.

Setting parent expectations

Parent-school relationship? Is it really

thriving? Then why are we still not

able to convince parents about the

importance of play in our curriculum?

Why do schools say, “we have so

many books, tests and writing

because parents demand it.” Is it

because parents demand it or you are

unable to explain and convince the

parents otherwise? Who is the educator

here? No wonder parents are losing

respect for educators and schools:

We are giving in to their demands

because we are only concerned with

filling our schools! Speak to parents;

actually speak to them about the

Technology that you bring into the

school. The problem is that parents

don’t have access to tech, too many

passwords to remember, too many

things to check and make notes, and

the biggest one is that its one-way

communication. It is because parents

are unable to communicate with

schools that the new trend of parent

Whatsapp groups has emerged.

Then there is the speed-dating format

of parent-teacher meetings. Instead,

have personal communication - have

each teacher call up a parent once a

month and also convey to parents

what support teachers want from

them. They want less stress on tests

and writing. The teacher wants to do

what globally schools are doing but

parents hold them to traditional

methods because their child’s friend’s

school is doing it.

SCHOOL READINESS?

‘School readiness’ implies, for me, that

children are not ready and need to be

‘worked on’ to fit the system. And if

you ask Primary teachers, they say

they want children to come to them

knowing how to read, write, add, sitting

still, to know how to queue up

quietly and above all, pass tests so the

school achieves. The watchword here

is the school, not the children. Ever

tried to wear shoes that don’t fit you?

If too small it will hurt you and if too

big you will trip and fall. That is exactly

what is happening to our children

when we put them in schools that are

not developmentally attuned. Here is a

list of resources that is high on the

recommended list to read, learn and

imbibe from.

1. Maslow before Bloom

2. Froebel - Development based learning

and gifts and occupations -

forms of life, forms of knowledge

and forms of beauty

3. Montessori - Didactic equipment,

sensitive periods

4. Vygotsky - Scaffolding, ZPD, mental

tools

5. Rudolf Steiner - Rhythm, reverence

and repetition

6. Erik Erikson - Emotional development

stages

7. Jean Piaget - Cognitive development

stages and play schemas

8. John Bowlby and Mary Anisworth

- Attachment and separation anxiety

9. Reggio Emilia - Documentation

and inquiry based projects

10. High scope - Plan do review and

conflict resolution

11. Gijubhai Badheka - Teaching

through stories

12. Tagore - Nature based curriculums

13. Gandhi - Life skills education and

art and handwriting

14. Marion Richardson - Moving from

cursive to a font with a loop

Let's not focus on getting children

ready for schools. Let us focus on getting

schools ready for children

instead. Lets K.I.S.S in ECE and learn

to use that we know about ECE.

18 February 2020

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EXPERTSPEAK

Often Asked

Questions About ECCE

EARLY

CHILDHOOD

CARE AND

EDUCATION

Q. 1 What is Early Childhood?

Early Childhood refers to the age

group of 0-8 years.

Q. 2 What is Early Childhood Education?

Early Childhood education is the informal

education we offer as

teachers/facilitators to children

between 2 ½ to 8 years of age.

Q. 3 What is Early Childhood Care &

Education?

Early Childhood years are the formative/most

impressionable years in a

person’s life. Care includes, caring for

the child’s physical and emotional

needs as well and not just the routine

aim of intellectual/cognitive development.

Education encompasses providing

information, instilling values, training

in self-help skills and encouraging

children to think, imagine, create and

grow. Thus, care and education are

equally important in the early years.

Early Childhood Care & Education is the

education we impart to children

between 2½ to 8 years of age. Here we

also include parent education and

community programmes.

Dr. Reeta Sonawat is Former Professor,

HOD and Dean, Dept of Human

Development, S.N.D.T. Women’s

University and Executive Director, Early

Childhood Association India & Association

for Primary Education and Research

(APER).

20 February 2020

Q. 4 Why is care included?

The ‘care’ component adds in the programme

a more holistic approach

including even the health, hygiene,

mental health aspects, emotional &

social well being. These are given the

rightful significance, as they are

inter-related.

Caring for children is very important. Care

includes caring for children’s physical as

well as emotional needs. Care is an

important aspect of growing as children

need to feel secure and comfortable.

Q. 5 What is pre-primary or pre-school education?

Is it different from ECCE?

Why this extension?

Pre-primary/pre-school education

includes children in the age group of 2

½ to 5 ½ years of age. As the name

suggests, pre-primary or preschool

education means educating children of

class nursery, lower and upper KG

while ECCE would include classes I & II.

This extension is made since the characteristics

and needs of children during

this stage are similar though progressive.

Besides, it is a transition period for

children moving from pre-school to

primary school, from a safe and protected

home-like environment to formal

schooling.

Q. 6 What is the age group of preschool/preprimary

and ECCE years.

For practical purposes the age group is

categorized thus:

Pre-primary - 2 ½ yrs. to 5 ½ yrs.

ECCE

- 2 ½ yrs. to 8 yrs.

Pre-primary or preschool is meant to

include children before the entry of primary

schooling & Early Childhood is

broader extending the age to 8 years as

the characteristics & needs are similar.

Q. 7 What is a preschool child like?

Preschool children are curious and

exploratory by nature. They are active

and very energetic but also have a

short attention span. They are fast

learners, are egocentric, imaginative

and observant, they need approval

love and affection.

They are very innocent, excited, restless

and very very active to the extent of

being restless. They have a highly

impressionable mind and images

formed on that are hard to erase.

Q. 8 Are they different from an adult? How?

A child who goes to school for the first

time is curious and ignorant, whereas

an adult may be ignorant but no

longer curious. They have experienced

life and know what one is talking

Early Childhood Care & Education is the

education we impart to children between 2½ to

8 years of age. Here we also include parent

education and community programmes.

about. They can learn in an abstract

form but not so with the child who

learns only through concrete experiences.

Children are very egocentric by

nature and see things from their own

perspective, unlike adults.

Q. 9 What is the goal of ECCE? Is it to prepare

them for primary classes? Is it to keep

them occupied before coming to school?

Is it to prepare them for preschool courses

like IIT, Engineering, etc.?

Early Childhood is one of the most

important periods during which not

only is the rate of development at its

optimum but the impact of influences

on the child at the greatest. Quiet

often as the question implies, it is confused

that the child has to be prepared

for the demands of the primary school

i.e. writing, reading and arithmetic and

for future career prospects.

In a nutshell, the goal of ECCE is to give

children an exposure for all-round

development – social, emotional, cognitive,

physical. For this ECCE centers

aim to provide children with readiness

activities for future academic activities

and develop a readiness for life skills.

By and by in the process the children

are prepared for primary classes.

Other very important goals of ECCE

would be to develop a positive selfconcept

in childrento inculcate continuous

curiosity to learn to make learning

a pleasure and school a joyous

place to be

Q. 10 What is learning?

Learning is a permanent change in

behaviour through experience.

Learning could also mean gaining

information. Learning is being able to

apply gained knowledge and information

to day-to-day life.

Q. 11 How different is it from knowledge

and information?

Learning is different from knowledge.

When a person learns, there is a

change in his behaviour because of his

learning. Information/knowledge is a

matter/content you seek and get but

learning is related to the application of

this knowledge.

Q. 12 Do all children learn similarly?

No, children do not learn similarly, there

are individual differences, which

should be respected. Some are auditory

learners, some visual, some learn by

trial and error, some by repetition.

Each child has a different rate of

learning too.

Q. 13 Does learning take place only in school?

No. Learning does not take place only in

school. Children learn through their

senses. The child’s physical environment,

culture, society in which he/she

lives, norms, rules, values and traditions

are responsible for what the

child learns.

Learning happens from the womb to the

tomb, everywhere at all times.

Q. 14 Is there any relevance to the Education

that we offer & how do we alleviate the

snags?

Education offered today hardly has any

relevance to the life situation that the

child faces. The education imparted to

children must be such that it

i) helps children learn life skills like getting

along with others, playing, interacting,

cooperating and contributing

ii) develops a balanced personality and

positive self-concept

iii) equips them to deal with challenges

of life like coping with demands and

expectations of life

iv) helps them learns the application of

knowledge and process the information

received

Q. 15 Maladies of Education today

There are various problems in our present

education system

i) It is content-based

ii) Emphasis is on rote learning

iii) Lack of practical experience

iv) Lack of trained/qualified teachers

v) Lack of funds

vi) Large class strength

February 2020 21

EXPERTSPEAK

Education today is very content based so

the knowledge gained by children is

very limited. They don’t really know

what they learn. They learn it as a routine

without giving it a thought. It

does not prepare them for future pursuits

as the application aspect is rarely

focused upon.

Q. 16 What is free play?

Free play is when a child is allowed to

play freely without any

direction/instructions from the teachers.

The teacher is a mere supervisor.

Free play is a child-directed activity when

a child initiates the activity, has an

opportunity to make choices and

opportunity for self-expression, discovery

and exploration

Q. 17 What is holistic development? Why is it

necessary?

Holistic development is the optimum

development of all faculties/aspects of

a child viz. physical, motor, emotional,

social, cognitive, moral and in all personality.

A holistic approach is very necessary

as each area/aspect of development

is inter-related. Any lag in a particular

area of development affects the

holistic development of a child and

results in developmental problems in

young children. E.g. a physically weak

child will not be able to participate in

all the activities with his friends/peers.

As a result, his social development is

affected and also emotions suffer. This

leads to lower self-esteem which in

turn curbs his quest/confidence to seek

knowledge. This cognition is affected.

His personality suffers and he may turn

to other improper or immoral avenues

for gratification.

Holistic development of the child is necessary

as it develops the child’s personality,

develops a positive self-concept

and prepares the child for life skills.

Q. 18 What is creativity?

Creativity is the skill of coming up with

newer ideas through different mental

calculations and divergent thinking.

Creativity consists of seeing what everyone

else has seen, thinking what no

one else has thought and doing what

no one else has dared.

Great emphasis is laid on the development

of creativity at the preschool

stage.

Q. 19 What is the play-way

method/activity method?

The play-way method was introduced by

Caldwell Cook. He defines play-way as

‘Good work is more often the result of

spontaneous effort and free interest

than of compulsion and forced

application.

In the playway method, children learn

through doing

Learning takes place in an environment

of freedom

Learning suits the needs and interest of

children

The child is free from authoritarianism

Children take responsibility for learning

and progress in studies

Ample opportunities are provided to children

for self-expression

It is a more fun way of learning things

through play and by doing things as

part of this exploration/experimentation.

Their learning is more meaningful

as they have concrete first-hand experience.

Q. 20 Why is the project/integrated method

suggested as the most appropriate

method in the ECCEd. Centre?

This method provides children both

opportunities to explore and apply

skills learnt.

Enhances competencies in children

Stresses intrinsic motivation

Encourages children to determine what

to work on and accepts them as

experts about their needs.

It is based on a theme/topic of children’s

interest. They search for answers to

their many queries. They learn a great

deal by actually doing things. Their

awareness increases during their

search and they may develop newer

interests. Also, they learn the subject in

depth.

Q. 21 What is a developmentally

appropriate programme?

A developmentally appropriate programme

is one, which

plans according to the developmental

needs of children

respects individual needs, interests and

capabilities of children

alternates between active and quiet

activities

provides a variety of experience

motivates/encourages participation

initiates children to work individually or

in groups

sees that the classroom is arranged

with appropriate teaching aids and

materials.

A programme which is tailor-made to

suit individual requirements provided

with a variety of activities of all kinds –

quiet and active, child-directed and

teacher-directed which is planned and

implemented very systematically to

achieve the goals required. Also, it

aims to encourage/motivate the partic-

22 February 2020

ipants to do their best, working as a

team or individually and achieve their

full individual potential.

Q. 22 What is ‘Quality in Education’?

Quality in education is to develop the

child holistically. Quality education provides

an appropriate curriculum, proper

teaching techniques, a conducive

environment, appropriate materials

and equipment and involves parents in

the educative programme.

Quality Education is one, which helps the

child develop holistically, and helps the

individual to apply it to day-to-day life.

In other words, it is a properly

planned, culturally appropriate, needbased

education which helps the child

tackle and enjoy life to the fullest.

Q. 23 What is right environment?

The right environment is one that is

child-friendly, safe and developmentally

appropriate. The environment is

right when it is stimulating, enriching,

peaceful and conducive to learning.

Safe means in terms of infrastructure

e.g. plugs, sockets, walls, grills, doors

etc. are not dangerously exposed.

Stimulating means something that

leads to questioning in the child’s

mind. Enriching means providing many

avenues/exposure to new ideas.

Conducive means not too many restrictions,

encouraging, motivating, and

supportive without too many conflicts.

Q. 24 What is the importance of

planning a curriculum?

Curriculum planning is very important.

It gives focus, direction and purpose to

activities carried out in school.

It helps the teacher to be clear on what

abilities and skills are to be fostered

in children.

Planning avoids emphasis on certain

areas of development and neglect

of others.

Planning helps the teacher to know in

what areas the children have grown

and what abilities they have acquired

over a period of time.

Planning helps to achieve set goals.

Q. 25 What is flexibility in preparing the

programme?

The programme planned should be flexible

to serve the needs and interests of

children. Flexibility in preparing the

programme would mean the ability to

shift or change certain activities/sessions

in order to suit the needs and

requirements of children and their

readiness level at that time.

Q. 26 What is flexibility in dealing

with children?

There should be a lot of flexibility while

dealing with children, depending upon

their age, stage of development,

needs, interests and capabilities.

All children do not respond similarly to

the same situation/stimuli. In order to

make the child reap the fruits of an

exercise, the teacher may have to

change part or whole of the plan that

has been decided upon. This could be

while teaching a concept or during

behaviour modification.

Q. 27 Will children write?

Often, a question that is uppermost in

the minds of everyone is if the school

adopts the play-way/activity method,

what would happen in the area of

acquiring academic skills. Since the

developmentally appropriate programme

advocates that there should

be no formal writing in the preschool

sections, parents fear and even teachers

have apprehension in the area of

writing skills to be acquired in the children.

Children will write if appropriate readiness

activities are provided for finemotor

development. Children can definitely

write if during the pre-school

years, a lot of readiness activities are

conducted systematically.

Q. 28 Will he cope up with the

formal method?

Another area of concern is the transition

from the informal method to the formal

method. The informal method is

recommended in particular at the early

childhood stage whereas later on, the

schools adopt the formal method of

teaching and learning.

If the foundation is strong, and the child

is trained in self-help skills, readied in

academic skills and the development is

holistic, he will cope up with the formal

method. Though the individual

rate may differ, the majority of the

children certainly cope very easily with

formal methods. Others do it with a little

more effort.

Q. 29 Will he come up to adult expectations?

This question needs to be answered from

two angles.

One, from the adult expectations point

of view and the other the child’s ability

to meet the expectations.

If adult expectations are in line with the

developmentally appropriate milestones,

then it would not be very difficult

for the child to come up to these

expectations. But sadly, often these

expectations are way beyond the

capacities of a young child. All that it

leaves is a bruised and low self-esteem

in children.

However, when the child has developed

holistically and has a positive self-concept,

he will come up to adult expectations.

A child will most certainly be in a

better position to achieve goals and

thus live up to adult expectations if his

early years are enriched with life experiences

and activities for readiness.

Q. 30 What is the teacher’s role in education?

The teacher plays a very important role

in education. S/he is the facilitator,

planner, nurturer, enricher, problem

solver and advocator.

As a friend, companion, educator, guide,

motivator, troubleshooter, leader,

director and at times follower too.

Q. 31 Why should the teacher respect

the child?

Every child has individual differences.

Children grow depending on their age

and stage of development; even then

there are individual differences. Unless

the child is accepted and appreciated for

what he is, all teaching-learning

becomes meaningless. Thus, it is important

that the teacher respects each child.

Q. 32 Who should be an ECCE teacher?

Often it is opined that to teach at the

preschool level anyone can be appoint-

February 2020 23

EXPERTSPEAK

ed. Hence, any graduate, be it economics,

chemistry or commerce and

who can speak English is appointed.

On the other hand, it is also popularly

believed that only B. Ed.’s can be a

proper teacher. However, the most

appropriate teacher would be a person

who has the required qualification and

training in ECCE only is eligible to be

an ECCE teacher.

Q. 33 What are the goals of an ECCE teacher?

The goal of an ECCE teacher could be

listed as follows:

To be a constant learner

To be firm but patient and reasonable

To be fit, hardworking and clear thinking

To participate in community affairs

To preserve our culture and heritage.

To be responsible and dedicated

An ECCE teacher should be sensitive, flexible,

enthusiastic, cheerful, alert, innovative,

vivacious and adventurous too.

Q. 34 Is there any accountability in this field?

No, there is no accountability in this field.

It is all the more important that some

accountability is expected and implemented

because the children they handle

are of impressionable age, wherein

foundations are laid for future development.

Proper planning of the programme and

diligent implementation with regular

reviewing will help a teacher achieve

her goals. She is therefore accountable

for what and how much of her objectives

have been realized.

Q. 35 Why involve parents?

Parent involvement is necessary

because

Parents are very important for children

Teachers need to understand the parentchild

relationship

Parents should know what is happening

in school to enhance learning.

They should be made partners in the

child’s education process. Parents are

the most significant and inseparable

part of a child’s life. They spend more

time with the child and can reinforce

what is learnt in school. Their involvement

and cooperation can help better

results.

Q. 36 What is the goal of ECCE Teacher

Education?

The goal of an ECCE Teacher Education is:

To change our mindset

To understand child development and

behavioural changes in children

To gain the first-hand experience to deal

with children

To have theoretical and practical knowledge

To be sensitive and patient

To get to know the importance of foundation

years and its effects on later

development

To be a constant learner

To be abreast with the new teaching

techniques

To be aware of the children’s background

To be aware of children’s capabilities

The main goal of ECCE teaching education

is to change the mindset of teachers,

to bring about an attitudinal

change in teachers, being sensitive to

their needs, to use age-appropriate

and culturally appropriate techniques,

to be a continuous and enthusiastic

learner keeping up with the changes

in the field of education.

24 February 2020

EXPERTSPEAK

Social and Emotional

Learning (SEL)

IN EARLY CHILDHOOD

Arshiya Afsar


We know that man is a

social animal. Over the

last few decades, we all

have increasingly experienced

that the power of ‘The

Collective’ is far above that of ‘The

person.’ It is therefore imperative that

children are provided with a secure

and safe environment, where they can

have more interactions with people

who are ready to nurture, to model, to

educate, to talk and to listen.

Today, the relational landscape is

changing and children have fewer

role models to look up to and seek

guidance from. Due to changing family

dynamics, as more couples choosing

to live in nuclear families,

children have lesser avenues for emotional,

social and cognitive interactions.

It then becomes essential for

schools to provide children with

the right socio-emotional learning

experiences.

The neurobiological networks in our

brain have a direct bearing on our

physiology and health. Children that

are equipped with better social and

emotional skills have better stress

responses. This means that they have

a healthier body and can ace essential

emotions like empathy, compassion,

respect and problem-solving. In fact,

children can confidently deal with

negative experiences, if they have a

strong relationship network.

We all know that more than 90% of

brain development is completed by

the time children reach 5 years of age.

Starting at birth, children learn at an

incredible pace and by the time they

are five, their brain can form up to

700-1000 new neural connections per

second. That is a lot of brainpower. It

is at this highly impressionable age

where the learning capacity is at its

peak that Early Childhood Educators’

Arshiya Afsar is Co-Founder & MD,

Learn2Lead and the Territory

Head – Telangana & Andhra Pradesh,

Early Childhood Association India.

26 February 2020

have the responsibility to help children

learn these important skills.

Early Education today needs

to experience a paradigm

shift from IQ and Cognitive

skill development, to

social and emotional

development. Basically,

children need to be

taught how to be

Human! Simple skills

like sharing with others,

making friends,

resolving conflicts and

working in a group, need

to be a part of school curriculums

everywhere.

There is strength in character

and this character building

happens in the early years

of a child. One of the major

skills I advocate in preschools is to

teach children how to get back on

their feet once they fall. This is an

essential skill, whether they do it

independently or ask for help, they

must get up and try again.

Let us broadly design a step by step

process to understand how we can

approach Social & Emotional

Learning, SEL, in Early Childhood.

Step 1 - Understanding the 5 core

competencies of SEL

Self Awareness - To help children

understand themselves and identify

the emotions they are feeling. I am

happy. I am sad. I am angry!

Self Management - To guide children

to find ways of managing their emotions

after they identify them. When

to reflect, introspect or even ask for

help!

Social Awareness - To teach children

to show understanding and empathy

towards others. Place themselves in

the other’s shoes and consider what

effects their actions may have.

Relationship Building - To show children

how to interact, get along with

others, work in teams and effectively

deal with conflict.

Responsible Decision-Making - To

help children consider choices wisely

and think about the consequences of

these choices to make the best decisions.

Analyse situations and assume

personal responsibility to understand

how their choices affect not just themselves,

but others too.

Prepare a

Calm-Down Kit to

help children

manage their

emotions

Step 2 - Designing curriculum and

age-appropriate activities for Social-

Economic Learning. Here are the

model activities.

Teach feeling words and how to

manage them

Ensure a dedicated time every day for

SEL through Circle Time or

Reflection Time

Design fun games like emotions sorting

games, mood meters, emotions play

dough, emotions mask, anger management

strategy cards, friendship

games, sharing games

Watch Character Education Videos

every week

Introduce books about feelings

and emotions

Make yoga and meditation an essential

part of the day for the tiny tots

Set up a calm corner or safe corner for

children

Prepare a Calm-Down Kit to help

children manage their emotions

Teach step-by-step coping strategies

for problem-solving for children

Step 3 - Review meeting with

parents and children to check

the progress

Prepare questionnaires to measure

and check the emotional and

social wellbeing of children. This

needs to be done term-wise to continuously

monitor the children’s

progress.

Have review meetings with parents to

communicate and understand the

factors affecting a child’s mental and

social well-being.

Measure the Happiness Quotient and

Design corrective methods to ensure

the smiles and joy of children in a

safe and secure environment.

These simple and easy steps can facilitate

an environment of conducive

SEL at school. Improved mental

health and behaviour boosts social

competency and helps create a positive

school climate, too. It further

leads to reduced conduct issues and

emotional distress in little children,

while boosting social competence.

The ability to manage one’s own emotions

and connect with other people

encourages children to work harder

for people they admire and are emotionally

connected to. In fact, our

most treasured memories from school

are tied to people through social and

emotional connections and not to decimals,

English grammar, multiplication

tables or geography.

Learning should be a social process,

providing children with emotional

and social nourishment, instead of

just academic nourishment. Through

SEL, we can create socially and emotionally

stronger children, who excel

not just in academics, but in communication,

perseverance, grit, empathy

and caring.

Let us create memories and experiences

for our children, not expectations!

February 2020 27

EXPERTSPEAK

What is the

purpose of play in

EARLY YEARS?

Bela Kotwani


As adults we go to work every

day, we solve problems, create

and understand our career

aspects on a daily basis. In

the same way, when children are playing,

its work for them. In the child’s

eyes, play is their work. They are solving

problems, creating new things and

understanding the world through play.

The importance of play in early childhood

cannot be overstated.

There is no better education than

play. When you play, you are having

fun and even as adults you always

remember the fun times. All work and

no play makes Jack a dull boy – this

proverb has a lot of substance to it.

With just a little amount of play introduced

in life, both you and your children

will be happier and more interactive

with the people around you.

It has been observed that play promotes

emotional regulation which is

vital for a child’s resilience and men-

Bela Kotwani is Founder & Principal,

Cosmikids, Director - Kidsology Educare

Pvt. Ltd. and National Committee Member

– Early Childhood Association India.

28 February 2020

tal health. Playful children tend to be

happier, better adjusted, more cooperative

and popular with their peers

than those who play less. Children

who play more also develop more

empathy, another essential element

that advances social skills. Such children

grow to have a better understanding

of other people’s feelings

and beliefs.

Play time also gives boost to feelgood

hormones in the body along with

the overall development of physical

health. Play that involves physical

activity helps develop motor skills,

strength, and endurance, which ultimately

benefits in a sound physical

health. Play, especially pretend-play,

improves a preschooler's speaking

and understanding abilities.

Last but not least, play is a better

way to bond. Happy play moments are

some of the precious gifts we can give

our children.

Skills a child learns, develops and

strengthens during play

1. Stimulate early brain development

2. Creative thinking

3. Improved communication, vocabulary

and Language

4. Social competence and Empathy

5. Better physical n mental health

6. Better relationship skills

One of my personal favourite

poems sums up the importance of

play memorably and wonderfully

Play that involves

physical activity helps

develop motor skills,

strength, and endurance,

which ultimately benefits

in a sound physical

health. Play, especially

pretend-play, improves a

preschooler's speaking

and understanding

abilities.

Just Playing

When I’m building in the block room, please don’t say I’m “just playing”

For you see, I’m learning as I play, about balance and shapes.

Who knows? I may be an architect someday.

When I am getting dressed up, setting the table, caring for the babies.

Don’t get the idea I’m “just playing”. For you see, I’m learning as I play.

I may be a mother or a father someday.

When you see me up to my elbows in paint or standing at an easel or moulding

and shaping clay, please don’t let me hear you say “He is just playing”

For you see, I’m learning as I play, I’m expressing myself and being creative.

I may be an artist or an inventor someday.

When you see me sitting in a chair “reading” to an imaginary audience.

Please do not laugh and think I’m “just playing”.

For you see, I’m learning as I play.

I may be a teacher someday.

When you see me combing the bushes for bugs, or packing my pockets with choice

things I find, don’t pass it off as “just playing”. For you see, I’m learning as I play.

I may be a scientist someday.

When you see me engrossed in a puzzle or some “plaything” at school.

Please don’t feel the time is wasted in “play”. For you see, I’m learning as I play.

I’m learning to solve problems and to concentrate.

I may be in business someday.

When you see me cooking or tasting foods, please don’t think that because I

enjoy it, it is “just playing”. I’m learning to follow directions and see differences.

I may be a chef someday.

February 2020 29

EXPERTSPEAK

Shaping Early

Experiences

INTEGRATING STEM,

STEAM AND

EXPERIENTIAL

LEARNING CONCEPTS

Dr. Manimekalai Mohan


The search for an elementary

school is an overwhelming

experience for parents. They

are faced with the pressure of

choosing the right school even before

their child learns to speak. Between

the multitudes of curriculum, infrastructure

and school walks; it is often

a difficult choice.

One of the most common decision

areas faced by parents is whether to

choose a school with STEM, STEAM

or Experiential Learning pedagogy.

Each of these new learning pedagogies

believes in exposing children to

multiple approaches and evaluate the

impact on student learning.

Let’s have a closer look at each of

these teaching styles and understand

what they deliver.

STEM and STE(A)M - How does the learning

look like?

STEM stands for Science,

Technology, Engineering and Math.

Educators believe that even before

Dr. Manimekalai Mohan is Founder,

Managing Trustee and Correspondent,

SSVM INSTITUTIONS, Coimbatore

30 February 2020

children graduate to universities and

select their specials, they must

engage with these subjects when they

are young. Alison Graham, a STEM

coordinator at Atkins’ Cardiff office,

feels that engaging primary school

children around these subjects helps

them immensely in their future

careers. Moreover, children enjoy it

too. They respond to these activities

positively as it nurtures their problem

solving and creative skills.

In the recent past though, STEM

has seamlessly transitioned into

STEAM as education experts felt that

STEM fundamentally lacked the creative

element. To ensure that creativity

and innovation as a focus area is

not lost, STEAM was introduced. An

additional A for Arts was added to

the earlier STEM. Both these curriculums

emphasize critical thinking,

problem-solving, communication, collaboration

and creativity at each

grade.

STEM learning creates meaningful

learners. STE(A)M learning environment,

however, allows students to

draw connections between concepts

learned in school and real-life challenges.

To help develop problem-solving

skills STE(A)M encourages them

to master foundational skills.

The children are further challenged

to solve these issues using

their critical thinking skills.

Although STEM is associated with

mathematics and science techniques,

integrating other disciplines like Art,

Language and Social Sciences enable

A pretend grocery

store that

allows students to

select, weigh,

count and calculate.

These activities

enhance their

math skills while

gaining a view of

real-life scenarios.

students to gain a macroscopic view

of world problems. In the process,

developing the STEM habits of the

mind.

How does STE(A)M benefit learners?

a. Exposes students to creative thinking

processes

When students engage different concepts

of STEAM in a project, they

experience guided inquiry where

they must ask thoughtful questions,

engaging in a deeper dialogue,

discovering answers and

slowly learning to problem-solve

creatively.

b. Encourages meaningful collaboration

Most STE(A)M projects involve teamwork,

coordination and thoughtful

dialogue to discuss ways to solve

problems. It strengthens teamwork,

responsibility, authority

and knowledge of the group.

c. Enhances critical thinking

STEAM activities enable learners to

think systematically through problems,

applying the approaches of

engineering and technology to solve

and also understand when to step

back and look at the larger picture.

d. Develop unique ways to solve a problem

Since STEAM projects provide equal

opportunities to all students,

unique ways to solve a problem

are discovered. This challenges

stereotypes and creates “out-ofthe-box”

learners.

e. Show them different ways to value Art

Along with STEM application that

focuses on Mathematics for problem-solving,

Arts connect various

mediums like vocal music or visual

arts to increase engagement.

This brings about creative innovation

to the fore required in specialised

services.

Experiencing Experiential Learning

Opposed to STEM or STEAM

learning techniques, experiential

learning focuses on building life

skills. Early learning in an experiential

learning environment entails the

student to seek beyond academic pursuits.

Quite literally, it encourages

learning by doing. American educational

theorist David Kolb believes

that true learning happens through

transformative experiences. He

brings to the fold learning by observation

and reflection, concrete experience,

forming abstract concepts, creativity

and active interactions.

To provide a better understanding,

preschools which practice experiential

learning encourage the development

of life skill concepts through

these select scenarios:

1. Grocery shopping in Math

A pretend grocery store that

allows students to select, weigh,

count and calculate. These activities

enhance their math skills while gaining

a view of real-life scenarios.

2. Fancy Dress and Food

From school plays and other special

days at school, students are encouraged

to think of trademark dishes to suit the

occasion and get it to school. It creates

multi-ethnicity in kids.

3. Combining subjects into one lesson

Hands-on art activities such as

using dough or clay, students are

encouraged to make geometric shapes

they have learned so far. Also termed

as crossover learning, these activities

sharpen their thinking abilities.

Experiential learning enables

children to pursue their areas of

interest through simulated problem

situations as they arise in real-life.

STEM focuses on Mathematics as the

base to develop problem-solving abilities,

STEAM uses arts to train wellrounded

and creative minds.

Experiential learning on the other

hand, focuses on empowering children

to become more patient,

resilient, quick thinkers, problem

solvers and tough to deal with life’s

challenges by working on their life

skill abilities.

CONCLUSION

It is increasingly felt that the

young learner’s imagination is

shaped with a perfect blend of STEM,

STEAM and experiential learning

today. Educators are embracing a

framework that integrates the values

of each of these key approaches to

create world-class learners.

An interplay, therefore, of all 3

frameworks, is essential to create

empowered, aware, sharp and empathetic

future learners. Fascinating it

may sound but primary schools are

borrowing the best of each value system

to create successful learners

today. So, parents are best advised to

seek out schools with a blended

approach.

According to Education Closet

(2017), STEAM creates students who

are willing to “take thoughtful risks,

engage in experiential learning, persist

in problem-solving, embrace collaboration,

and work through the

creative process” and describes these

learners as the “innovators,

educators, leaders, and learners

of the 21st century”.

February 2020 31

EXPERTSPEAK

How inclusive are

OUR SCHOOLS?

Jimmy Eappen


Every child has the right to an

appropriate and efficient education

in his or her local

mainstream school. The right

to inclusive education has been

explicitly stated in Article 24

(Education) of the United Nations

Convention on the Rights of People

with Disabilities (2006).

In the famous Bollywood movie -

Tare Zameen Paar: Every Child is

Special (2007), actor Darsheel Safary

beautifully portrays the life of a

Dyslexic child. This is a typical example

of how Indian films help spread

awareness of the need for inclusiveness

in education. In this movie, the

protagonist Aamir Khan brings to our

notice famous people who were

dyslexic such as Leonardo Da Vinci,

Thomas Alva Edison, Alexander

Graham Bell, Winston Churchill,

Keanu Reeves, Albert Einstein, and

Abhishek Bachhan.

According to the famous

Paralympic champion Deepa Malik,

“Disability brought my life into focus.

Someone had to make the first move

and push for inclusion of disabled

people in the mainstream.” (Deepa

Malik is the first Indian woman athlete

to win a medal in Paralympics

games in 2016).

The background:

In our society, we come across

children who are excluded from regu-

Mr. Jimmy Eappen, Head, Early Years,

Pathways schools.

32 February 2020

lar schools because of various conditions

such as physical disability, intellectual

inadequacy, emotional instability,

or other reasons pertaining to

their race, language, religion, gender

and poverty. Thousands of children

never join a school due to the abovementioned

reasons.

This situation repeats itself

around the world and more so in India

where these disparities carry more

weight. Children with disabilities are

10 times more likely to drop out of

school than those without. Children

with disabilities are often unable to go

to school because of unsuitable

school buildings, limited understanding

within their communities and

among teachers about their learning

needs, along with prevailing prejudices

around disability.

According to the National

Education Ministry’s regulation

“Inclusive education is an educational

system that provides opportunities

for special needs and talented students

to pursue an education at mainstream

schools along with other

Neuro-typical or normal students”.

History of Inclusive education in

India:

The first school for the deaf was

set up in Bombay in 1883, and the first

school for the blind was established in

Amritsar in 1887. There was a rapid

expansion in the number of such

institutions in the following years.

The early missionary societies, NGOs

and Government authorities realised

the need for establishing special

schools to cater to the children who

are born with disabilities.

The mainstream schools and the

public were not ready to accept these

children in regular schools. Hence

even the policymakers did not try for

the integration of the disabled in the

initial stage. However, over the years,

we have realised that these special

schools have certain disadvantages

which became evident. These institutions

managed to cater to a very limited

number of children who were

mostly in the cities, and they were not

cost-effective. These special schools

segregated Children With Special

Needs (CWSN) from the mainstream,

thus developing a specific disability

culture (Chadha 2003).

Moving from Segregation to

Integration:

The concept of integrated education

(IE) in India came up during the

mid-1950s. The policymakers and

educators realised that having separate

institutions for disabled children

will not integrate them into the mainstream.

So there was a need to review

the existing system and come up with

an alternative. The Royal

Commonwealth Society for the Blind

and the Christopher Blind Mission

began small experiments by trying to

integrate them. The Ministry of

Education, too, launched a comprehensive

scholarship scheme in 1952, a

rudimentary beginning of the integrated

education initiative by the

Government (Chadha, 2003). The

results of international experiments

conducted by various countries and

researchers proved to be successful

and gave better results when these

children were integrated into the

mainstream. The Planning

Commission, in 1971, included in its

plan a program for integrated education.

The Government launched the

Integrated Education for Disabled

Children.

Mantra for successful inclusive

schools:

"Inclusion” Is not merely placing

students with disabilities in general

education classrooms along with regular

students. Inclusive education

means that students learn side-byside

in the same classroom irrespective

of their physical, mental, emotional,

cultural, socio-economic, religious

or any other divisions. They

enjoy everything together be it field

trips or after-school activities. Here

are a few pointers that can help lay

the foundation for inclusive schools.

The school infrastructure should

meet various needs and challenges of

disabled children.

The schools should have specialist

educators to address the needs of differently-abled

children.

The school curriculum and

resources need to be created keeping

in mind the benefits of an inclusive

classroom.

The special education teacher

should help all students in an inclusive

classroom irrespective of students

who need special education support

or not.

Teachers need to create small

groups and teach them based on their

specific learning needs so that everyone

will benefit

The entire school community

needs to be oriented and prepared to

accept children who are differentlyabled.

The children with special needs

should not be treated with sympathy

but treated with respect and equality

The parent community needs to

support the cause of school management.

All students learn differently and

therefore differentiated teaching

along with co-teaching and setting up

high expectations help everyone to

perform well.

Conclusion:

Inclusive education can become

successful only when each student

feels that he is a part of the school

community without any discrimination.

This requires a mindset to

accept differences and respect people

of all backgrounds and abilities.

Inclusive education is the collective

responsibility of everyone. The

Government through policies and

monetary support; the institution

through a change in policy, outlook

and approach; the staff, the students

and the parent community – all stakeholders

must work collaboratively.

Only then inclusive education can

become a total success and reality in

our country.

February 2020 33

FEATURE

MORNING ASSEMBLY

IN SCHOOLS

Capt. S.N. Panwar is Education Officer

(Retd.) KVS and currently resides at

Jodhpur.

Capt. S.N. Panwar


Through the years, whenever I

have got the opportunity to

meet the children of my relatives

and friends, I have asked

them questions related to their

school, especially about the morning

prayers. Over time, these questions

have thrown up some interesting statistics.

Only 25% of the children were

able to recite their school prayer properly,

50% could sing only starting

lines and 25% were not able to sing

the prayer of the school at all. It was

an interesting discovery and upon

further prodding, I found that children

are not singing because it was

routine and mass singing and they

were not interested in singing the

prayer every day. Moreover, many did

not know the meaning and importance

of daily prayer.

34 February 2020

In my opinion ‘Well begun is half

done’. So it is very important to start

the day with a well-organised prayer

as it will have an impact on the minds

of the children and the rest of the

working system in school. Self-discipline

will trickle down right and a

proper educational environment will

be created for the teaching-learning

process in the classrooms.

It is important to note that morning

prayer is not a religious gesture of

any Dharma but a training of the

mind for becoming a virtuous human

being. We can say it is Moral

Education, where they learn about

values of life through various activities

in the Morning Assembly i.e.

prayer, pledge, and thought of the day.

The students attend school for

learning textbook lessons and the

morning assembly has the potential

to provide just the right motivation

for that. All the activities of the

A pretend grocery store that allows students

to select, weigh, count and calculate.

These activities enhance their math skills

while gaining a view of real-life scenarios.

Morning Assembly should be directed

towards cultivating self-discipline,

love for learning subjects and respect

for their teachers and elders.

The Morning Assembly provides a

unique once-in-a-day opportunity to

the Principal and the students and

teachers of the entire school to be

present in one place. As a Principal, it

was a pleasure to speak to everyone

and inspire them to create excellence

in the school. It was a platform for the

teachers and students for expressing

their frank ideas, views, and suggestions

to improve the school. During

Morning Assembly all the members of

School used to have a “we feeling” i.e.

Our school - right or wrong. Our

school should be No. 1 in all the activities.

I have had the opportunity of

being an education officer of

Kendriya Vidyalayas for about six

years and I have inspected a number

of Kendriya Vidyalayas. During this

period, I got the opportunity to attend

the Morning Assemblies of different

schools, in different states. I observed

some wonderfully organized and wellconducted

Morning Assemblies.

While Sanskrit slokas, prayer, pledge,

thought of the day, Rashtriya Geet

and recitation by students were common

in all schools, quizzes, mass P.T.

and National poems were additional

elements in some schools.

In most of these schools where

exemplary Morning Assemblies were

organized, it was wonderful to see

that children walked properly while

coming and going back from the

Assembly Ground to their respective

classes. I found complete silence in

the school after the well-organised

Morning Assembly due to self–discipline

among the students. After

observing such wonderful assemblies,

I still feel we can elevate the Morning

Assembly further with the help of

these suggestions.

1. The students are distracted by the

sights around them during the morning

prayer. Ask them to close the eyes, and meditate

while singing. Closing their eyes will

allow the students to concentrate on the

words of the prayer.

2. After the prayer, ask the students to

continue to keep their eyes closed and meditate

on their respective God for a minute.

The class teachers can check the uniform and

cleanliness of the students in the Assembly

ground during this time.

3. Further, class teachers can be asked to

take necessary action against the students,

who came late and missed attending the

prayer in the Assembly ground.

4. Once in a week, mass P.T. can be

organized by the Physical Instructors. I would

suggest Saturdays when all the students are

dressed in white and wear P.T. shoes. Mass

P.T. gives mental and physical strength to students

and at the same time teaches them the

value of unity and self-discipline.

5. Each member of the staff can be

asked to deliver a talk carrying a message

through a moral story or a lecture.

6. The students may be asked to sing

national songs in different Indian languages

and each song should be translated either in

Hindi or English by a teacher, so that all the

students may understand the meaning of the

song. This can help cultivate emotional and

national integration among the students. This

can be done along with the prayer with the

help of the Music teacher.

I steadfastly believe that wellorganized

morning prayers in all the

educational institutions have the

power to create a conducive educational

environment in institutions

along with encouraging all-round

development of the students. When

we give our children the right start of

the day, we can certainly expect them

to live it fully, exploring their true

potential and diving deep into the

world of learning.

Lastly, I will leave you with a quote

by Spellman that best sums up my

thoughts on the interplay of the

Morning Assembly and the ensuing

day, ‘Pray as if everything depended

on God and work as if everything

depended upon man.’

February 2020 35

EXPERTSPEAK

GO FOR

COLLABORATIVE

TEACHING

Meenakshi Mohindra


One of the most desirable academic

goals at the primary

level is to give the young

learners such strong foundations

in the basics of all disciplines

that they can cover the rest of the distance

with the least assistance, full

confidence and great exuberance.

Collaborative Teaching has been

one of the best experiments in this

direction in recent times. It is a model

that requires more helping hands to

fill the knowledge gaps.

When enquired from teachers as

to why foundations in basic disciplines

are so weak, the following reasons

are repeatedly offered: learners

are not from suitable socio-economic

backgrounds; parent support is negligible,

learners have very limited language

skills; the course content is

huge; time allotted is insufficient;

teacher to student ratio is too

demanding; teaching aids are not easily

accessible or suitable. From a parent-student

perspective, teaching

methodologies seldom vary or leave

allowance for any proactive experience.

Collaborative Teaching

addresses all these issues more successfully

than any other available

option.

Meenakshi Mohindra is Former Principal,

Bhavan Chandigarh & an Educational consultant.

36 February 2020

How do we organize Collaborative

Teaching?

The one thing to remember before

we begin Collaborative Teaching is

that it is not simply the stepping in of

more teachers. It first requires a

mindset that believes that every

human child, irrespective of socioeconomic

limits to his birth, is born

to learn unless of course limited by

some special disability. Next,

Collaborative Teaching requires deep

discussions and intensive planning.

Collaborative Teaching:

A case study

Collaborative Teaching requires

the identification of a specific problem

at a specific level. A “walk the

talk” style of session does wonders

for the success of this program.

Members freely talk of teaching problems,

their concerns over the drop in

academic standards, and how new

methodologies can be adopted and

knowledge gaps minimized. Solutions

automatically come to the fore and

are adopted in an environment of

mutual respect.

Take, for example, the case of

Grade 7 Math results in a leading

school. The mass drop in results was

not taken as a teacher or student's

inability to deliver or receive. A systematic

inquiry was undertaken by

the Principal and inputs from students,

parents and the Math teacher

gathered. It brought to light three

simple problems; first, the course was

rather vast. Next, the time required to

do justice to teaching and learning

was not enough and lastly, that the

teacher-student ratio was rather difficult

to handle.

Promptly, the Principal brought in

Collaborative Teaching to sort out the

issue. She, the Vice-Principal, and the

concerned Math teacher decided to

share the problem. Each took over a

section, revisited the basics in the

problem area, brought in teaching

aids to help better understanding and

put the students through simple as

well as complex tests. In not more

than ten days, students regained lost

ground, overcame their fear of Math

and did extremely well in test assignments.

The parents regained their

confidence in the school. What is

more, Collaborative Teaching safeguarded

the Math teacher’s selfrespect,

built mutual goodwill, sense

of collective responsibility and mutual

trust.

Collaborative Teaching at the

Primary level is even more effective

Undertaken with the spirit of

“leave no child behind” was the lesson

of ‘Fractions’ to be delivered to Class

III. Two experienced teachers stepped

in to help the regular Math teacher.

Several sit-in discussions later, a list

of 10 teaching points was prepared.

Collaborative

teaching has

been one of

the best

experiments in

this direction

in recent times.

It is a model

that requires

more helping

hands to fill

the knowledge

gaps.

These were to be taught roughly over

ten days. The group prepared three

sets of teaching aids, such as fractionalizing

foodstuff, fractionalizing by

folding or cutting paper, or fractionalizing

sets of whole things, such as a

set of books, flowers, playing cards,

safety pins, etc.

The class was also divided into

three random groups for which they

picked up name slips of their guide

teachers from a basket. Each group

then learnt the first three basic points

with the help of their guide. After 15

minutes, each group moved on to the

next table and re-learnt the same

basics with different teaching aids

and so on. By the time each group

reached the third guide/table, it was

ready to teach the teacher there and

played the role reversal game with

much enthusiasm.

This nearly hour-long exercise finished

rapidly and the students, as well

as teachers, were delighted at the

learning outcomes. The same basic

exercise was repeated the following

day with further success. Young 8-

year-olds could now clearly define a

fraction in their own words, tell

which fraction was unitary, which

was bigger or smaller and played happily

with dices to make like or unlike

fractions.

To firmly set in the concepts first,

no formal written assignment was

given to them for two continuous

days. On the third day, two full pages

of assignments were given to the

class, and much to our dismay and joy,

the entire class finished the assignment

in less than 10 minutes with

practically no errors. This included

“can never learn” types also. How

exciting was the whole exercise!

Collaborative Teaching was carried

out hereafter only at the time of the

introduction of the next set of concepts,

roughly once every four days.

The entire chapter was over in about

three weeks with all concepts wonderfully

established in every head.

The benefits of Collaborative

Teaching go beyond academics

Collaborative Teaching comfortably

incorporates basic teaching principles

of ‘supportive and productive

learning’, promotes learning by

doing, offers equal opportunity to all,

builds a team spirit and offers deeper

learning and application, one can

watch and observe interest areas and

learning preferences of each child, it

builds mutual goodwill, establishes

confidence in young learners and

makes learning a happy experience

February 2020 37

FEATURE

EXPERIENTIAL

LEARNING

ENRICHING

LEARNERS

ROHIT DUA


“A good institution cares about

a child’s education, a great institution

cares about the whole child

but the greatest institution cares

about the whole environment

encompassing the child.”

Parents entrust the apples of

their eyes, their kids to the

schools with the hope that the

schools will partner in their

dreams and help the kids bloom into

fragrant flowers. It is an established

fact that a child’s consciousness is

moulded in the first six years of her

childhood. What kids learn in their

foundation years shapes their future.

38 February 2020

These years set and strengthen the

foundation of their creative pursuits,

career choices and character development.

Just like delicate exotic plants,

kids require the right environment to

grow and blossom into good human

beings. The educational institutions

must bear the onus of providing such

opportunities to all the students.

Experiential Learning begins with

the right attitude

It has been stated by the National

Curriculum Framework for early

childhood care and education that

learning during the pre-primary years

happens more by observation and

experience than by being actively

taught in the classroom. That’s why

nowadays there is more focus on the

experiential learning approach to

accelerate learning. You will agree that

learning happens almost everywhere.

We learn from nature how to be an

altruistic provider, we learn from

preachers how to be empathetic perceivers,

we learn from even a rag picker

how to sift recyclable things through

the trash, in fact, we learn from just

ROHIT DUA is Managing Director,

Little Flowers Group of Schools, Delhi

about anything and everything around

us. The role of a teacher is to instill a

love for learning and develop observational

skills in the kids.

A paper plane Vs a propulsion

rocket – that’s how conventional

teaching methods and the latest progressive

methods are being compared

these days. But the need of the hour is

to maintain a fine balance between

the two. We can’t totally do away with

traditional methods and blindly rely

on what western countries are doing.

In fact, even the western education

system has started experimenting

and successfully implementing the

ancient Indian Gurukul system. So,

we don’t need to criticize ourselves,

we just must adopt an open outlook.

Just as different plants thrive in different

climatic conditions, we also

must customize the quality of education

according to the demands of our

social conditions.

Our institution believes in amalgaming

technology and holistic values

with pedagogy. Teachers walk the

extra mile to embrace every child. As

their facilitators, teachers discover

the innate talent and nurture it by

providing a suitable platform to the

budding Michelangelos, Mozarts,

Michael Jacksons, P.V.Sindhus,

Kailash Satyarthis, Mary Koms,

Narayan Murthys and so on of tomorrow.

We cannot and must not have the

same criteria for teaching and grading

students. Each child is a genius.

So we should not judge a fish by its

ability to climb a tree and make its life

hell by demoralizing it. Our institution

celebrates the uniqueness of

every child. We cater to different

learning styles and learning paces.

Education is the path to innovation.

Actually, our future growth

relies on competitiveness and innovation.

But once again, we must teach

children to be in competition with

themselves as cut-throat competition

gives rise to only negativity. There is a

direct correlation between positive

energy and positive results. We can’t

be contented by just teaching kids

how to count. We have to teach them

what counts the most. i.e.- humane

qualities like gratitude, kindness,

faith, resilience, courage, effort,

integrity, politeness and generosity.

We need to provide the students with

life skills to meet future challenges.

Why experiential learning?

It is said that when it comes to

kids, only 10% is formal learning.

Another 20% is social learning and a

whopping 70% is experiential learning.

This implies that children learn

the most from informal environments.

So, we need to pave new paths

and find new avenues to augment

experiential and social learning in

schools. Trust me, if you can motivate

the learners to think beyond the

enclosed classrooms, half of the battle

is already won.

Open the doors of

experiential learning

Let the kids learn to count by picking

fallen leaves. Let them learn to recognize

colours by observing the gifts of

nature like flowers, fruits, vegetables,

rainbow, etc. Take them to a zoo

instead of showing stuffed toys or digital

aids. Show them your rainwater

harvesting system, they will learn to

save water. Show them the solar panels

you have installed, they will certainly

think of saving as well as producing

electricity at home. Let them see the

compost pits in your schools, they will

learn to segregate biodegradable products.

Water your vertical gardens with

them, they will evolve as eco-crusaders.

Let them see the Robotics Labs,

Science Labs, Language Labs even

when these topics are not in their curriculum.

Their yearning for learning

more will be intensified.

Brighten that spark in their eyes,

enlighten that curiosity in their

minds to know more, to learn more, to

share more and to care more. Involve

them in every constructive activity

and you will be overwhelmed with the

positive outcome. The kids are brimming

with creativity, they have so

much inquisitiveness, we just need to

harness it judiciously.

The schools have a social obligation

and ethical responsibility to produce

socially responsible future custodians

of the world. We have the

power to scribe a new story of the

nation that dispels darkness, to make

a new portrait of the world that is free

from discrimination and hatred, that

is adorned with peace and humanity.

For keeping our students engaged

and interactive, inquisitive and interested,

we need to create a happy environment

and engage them in purposeful

learning by integrating formal

and informal learning and maintaining

non-judgmental classrooms. We

need to realise the world dreamed by

Rabindranath Tagore - ‘Where the

mind is without fear and the head is

held high.” We, the teachers can use

our pens as magic wands and eliminate

the darkness of ignorance and

kindle the light of knowledge.

February 2020 39

SPECIAL REPORT

Pilgrimage to

Germany and Italy -

a report by Dr. Reeta Sonawat, Dr. Swati Popat Vats, Monica

Jairam and all the educators

The first educator’s pilgrimage

was organized from 9th

January 2020 till 16th January

2020 by the Early Childhood

Association in partnership with

ScooNews and Haba. Early Childhood

Educators always say that hands-on

education, exploration, experimentation,

and observation are best for the

child’s holistic development.

Considering this, ECA in collaboration

with ScooNews, planned a trip

for educators to Europe from where

excellent teaching/learning initiatives

have emerged. The plan was that

the academics will be taken care of by

ECA and the operational part will be

with ScooNews. Since this was the

first such trip conceived from India,

both the organizations wanted a maximum

of 30 participants only.

The purpose of the educator’s pilgrimage

was to provide hands-on

February 2020 41

SPECIAL REPORT

experience of the four philosophical

pillars of early childhood education

that are: -

1. Steiner Waldorf

2. Fröbel

3. Reggio Emilia

4. Maria Montessori

An initiative of this significance and precedence

took a lot of behind-the-scenes efforts.

It all began with

1. PLANNING: Meetings took

place in Mumbai and Jaipur to plan a

programme which could fulfil the educational

and cultural needs of the educators.

For the pilgrimage to be a success,

it was necessary to reach out

countrywide so that a majority of educators

would be aware of this initiative.

The idea was for the participants

to learn from their own work and work

currently getting done in Germany

and Italy during the trip. 3 seminars

were proposed during the trip.

Getting permissions from various

organizations in Germany and Italy

was probably the biggest point of

action. Budget for the hotel, travel (in

both the countries and International

travel) and food had to be allocated.

Finally, it was decided to get on board

a travel agent for the handholding of

the participants.

2. CREATING A WHATSAPP

GROUP: The number of educators

interested to take the tour was 32. A

Whatsapp group was instituted to

facilitate easier communications. The

group ended up sharing more than

2000 messages in connection with getting

to know each other, travel-related

questions, details of the programme

42 February 2020

A Pilgrimage is a very sacred word. An Educational Pilgrimage as was

rightly named was truly a very enriching and enlightening experience. I

went there with an expectation of knowing and understanding the

world of the ECE philosophers and returned fully immersed in the

philosophies of Steiner, Fröbel, Reggio and Montessori - the names which

I had only read and used as an Early Years Educator. Dr. Swati Popat Vats

whom we call our dear 'Swati mam' was a mentor who not just envisioned

the trip, but literally, handheld us into the world of these philosophers.

‘Thank You’ is not a word that can justify the efforts that she put

in to ensure we understood the core values and also the way she managed

this group of notorious educators.

Monisha Panjabi

Podar Jumbo Kids -

Master Franchise, Gujarat, Ahmedabad

The journey was about stepping into the four approaches of ECE by

resourceful workshops, demonstrations, observations and interactions at

the birthplaces of these approaches.

Monica Jairam

Research Scholar

New Delhi

Limited resources with infinite opportunities...the famous kindergarten

philosopher Fröbel had laid down infinite learning opportunities for educators

and children with brilliant teaching aids. It was an amazing journey

of 8 days to visit the four pillars of education - Fröbel, Steiner, Reggio

and Montessori with another 30 educators under the expert guidance of

Dr. Swati Vats, President Early Childhood Education. Amazing experiential

learning across Germany & Italy, unbelievable innovative learning methods,

an educator’s dream come true.

Seema Tanwar

Kanvasedu International Pvt Ltd

PUNE, Maharashtra

Truly an "Educational Pilgrimage". It was an amazing learning experience,

with the best educational group of our country and under the

leadership of Dr. Swati Popat Vats, the real champ of Early childhood

education - don't have words to express my feelings ...just fantastic.

Mufti. Dr. Sajid Siddique Belim

Director: Rightway School

President: Straightpath foundation Bhavnagar, Gujarat.

and logistics of materials needed for

use in both the countries. The group

remains active till date. Participants

have uploaded more than 200 photos

of the journey, meetings, and visits. In

fact, anything exciting/interesting

that happened during the trip is on

the WhatsApp group.

3. APPLICATION FOR VISA: It

was told to participants that you will

be supported by the Operations team

and the travel agent to get visas. The

Operations team did the handholding

at every step, whenever help was

required. All the documents, eg: air

ticket, insurance, hotel reservation,

tour plan, invitation letters and cover

letters were provided. This was the

first milestone achieved when all the

32 applicant’s visas got approved.

4. THE JOURNEY STARTS

FROM DELHI: Participants from

Assam, West Bengal, Gujarat,

Maharashtra, and Andhra Pradesh

came together in Delhi. They started

arriving at Terminal 3 on Jan 8 from

7.00 pm up to 1.30 am on Jan 9, 2020.

The flight was for Dubai on 9.1.2020 at

4.20 am. The group discussed the

minute-to-minute programme which

was meticulously planned. The excitement

was very high because some of

them were coming from different

flights from Mumbai. One participant

was joining the group directly in

Dubai. The current and evolving

whereabouts of other group members

were the main topic of conversation

at this stage.

5. DUBAI AIRPORT: While some

members of the group wanted to

attend to the morning chores at the

two-hour layover at Dubai, the other

members went ahead to find out the

gate number and way to reach that

February 2020 43

SPECIAL REPORT

gate. The second group informed the

first that they will have to trek 100

stairs and then again 75 stairs to

reach the gate. So, it was indeed a pilgrimage

of sorts as for any pilgrimage

climbing stairs is an important

part of the journey. Onward journey

to Munich: Now everyone was tired

but ready to travel 4568 km more.

This was a sight, everyone was looking

tired, and some of them were

sleeping with their mouths open

while others were trying to sleep. I

was also dozing while writing. All

the participants reached Munich

happily without any hiccups, with

all their belongings. This was the

second milestone.

6. DAY 1 IN MUNICH: From

Munich airport, the group travelled

by road to Bad Rodach. The journey

was pleasant and enjoyable. The participants

talked, discussed and familiarized

with each other’s work. The

stay was in Haba guest house.

7. BAD RODACH: On the day of

arrival in Bad Rodach (Germany) at

Haba Company, Germany. Dr. Swati

Popat Vats introduced delegates to the

Haba family and Samridhhi Sharma

the CEO of Haba India. Samriddhi

took over by giving a brief introduction

to Haba, a family run business,

followed by dinner. The participants

were welcomed and addressed by Mrs.

Sabina Habermas, founder of the factory.

She mentioned that she is the 3rd

generation in the family to take care

of the factory. The factory is 80 years

old. They are leaders in manufacturing

toys, of quality and high standard,

in Germany. They have R&D

teams and specialists in Pedagogy

(Curriculum, classroom practice,

knowledgeable about the development

of the child and assessment).

Haba is the one-point solution when it

comes to educational material.

8. VISIT TO RUDOLF STEINER

PRE-SCHOOL: The second day started

with a visit to Waldorf ’s kindergarten.

The school entrance had two

notice boards stuck on the left and

right side of the walls. The information

on the boards seemed to be

notices for parents which we could

not understand as they were written

in German. The main door led to a

lobby, where there were tree pots,

flower pots, paintings of angels, toys

and sitting area was provided.

The left and right side of the lobby

had classes of children from 2 to 3

Rudolf Steiner has rightly said, ‘Humanity is a great riddle in itself.’ Just

the thought of me being a catalyst in its growth and development at its

tiniest level- left me stupefied. I knew nothing. I had no techniques. I

knew no great theories or philosophies. No scientific detailing was explicated

other than a business deal. Besieged, but I was confident that I

would celebrate their childhood with them and play with them. I knew

that my happiness was contagious, my energy was transferable, my

enthusiasm for life would match with theirs, and my love for learning

was discernible enough to be imitated by them. I took a plunge into it

with my HEAD, HEART AND HANDS. And, this trip has validated that play

is the highest form of learning. It has cemented my core belief. Thank

you, Dr. Swati Popat Vats, (Doc as I call her with love), Ravi, Vanya and

Samariddhi (great friends)

years of age, half of the group was

sent to one class and the other half to

another. The classroom door had a

small instrument stuck on it. The

classroom itself was large in size with

a kitchen in one corner. The kitchen

had a slab on which the gas was

attached along with a washbasin with

hand soaps and towels. There were all

kinds of utensils and cooking materials

available in the kitchen. It was an

open kitchen and stairs were attached

to the kitchen so that the washbasin

could become accessible to children.

In one corner of the classroom,

there was a mattress that was covered

by a cloth that made the shape of a

hut. The classroom had a room

attached which gave a feeling of a

house as there was a drawing-room

set up with a sofa set, centre table and

other decorative material and were

according to the child sizes. The other

portion of that same room had soft

toys, child-sized utensils (kitchen

sets) made of wooden and other play

material for children. While at one

corner there was a child-sized cloth

pressing table with a small-sized

pressing machine. There was one

more room that was used as a storage

Mehek Valecha

Diversity the Playschool

Founder DirectorHyderabad

This tour was a great opportunity to experience first-hand the history of

modern early childhood education. Less is more, Simple is best…that’s what

we experienced visiting Fröbel museum that foundation of complex concepts

can be laid in early childhood by simple gifts and occupations of

Fröbel. It was a privilege to visit María Montessori school, Waldorf School,

Loris Mallaguzzi International Center. It was also insightful to see the cultural

heritage and diversity across the countries we toured. It gives me

great motivation to absorb all these learnings and adapt them to the cultural

sensibilities and diversity of India. Thank you, Dr. Swati, for guiding us

on this journey. Thank you ScooNews and Haba for all the arrangements.

Ms. Swapnil Limaye

Podar Jumbo Kids, Whitefield, Bangalore

Preschool and Childcare Director

area by the teacher to keep classroom

materials. There was a small model of

a church in the room along with some

child-sized tables and chairs.

Children in the classroom were

allowed to do activities of their

choice. Some children were playing in

the drawing-room area while others

were hiding under the tables. Few

children were seen playing in the

groups of two to three with soft combing

the hairs of a doll. Approximately

five children were scribbling on a

piece of paper with crayon colours

which were in the shape of stones.

The teacher sat in the middle of

the classroom on the table and chair

preparing for the other activities.

Children at times came to show the

teacher whatever they were doing or

just to make a random conversation

with her. In between the lobby and the

classroom, there was a passage with a

door where there were knobs attached

to the wall where children had hung

their jackets which they had worn

during the forest visit. In the same

area, there were knobs to hang bags,

bottles and shoe racks to remove

shoes.

44 February 2020

The passage also had toilets with

child-sized pots, doors and washbasins.

Wall colours of the rooms

were yellow and orange as these

colours are not so bright and not so

dull. The main lobby led to the first

floor from stairs where there were

two classrooms for three to six years

old. All classrooms had the same

structure with minor changes. Both

the age group classes had mixed age

groups sitting together. They had an

open playground with a cattle house

near to it. Outside the playground,

there was a cycle stand that was made

from a tree log. There were hens moving

in the playground.

9. VISIT TO HABA COMPANY:

In the second half of the day we came

back to Haba Company and we were

taken to Haba toy-making factory

which was near the Haba Company.

As we went to the factory, we were

asked to assemble outside the factory

to look at the logs of woods which

were stacked together for further processing.

The factory started with a

pathway that had various shapes of

wood stored in open shelves with

laser light on both sides. These woods

were kept in stock to be used wherever

required. The pathway led to

machinery starting from small to big

machines.

In the initial phase of this pathway,

there were pieces of machinery

that were cutting woods in small

pieces and shapes like in form circle,

small sticks, clown shapes, cone

shapes. Moving ahead, there was

machinery to colour these small

wooden toy parts. Further, there were

machines to cut one sheet of wood

February 2020 45

SPECIAL REPORT

into various shapes, colour them and

decorate them with small dots altogether.

Some of the machines were

making wooden puzzles starting from

scratch to putting the puzzles in their

boxes and making pacing boxes with

cellophane sheets.

The last part of the entire process

was a machine for quality assurance.

The machine tested toys on the softness,

saliva, grip and other parameters.

The last portion of the factory

had an outlet to load materials in

trucks for dispatch. Each machine

required some mechanical work for

which there were workers present. No

object or machine in the factory was

allowed to touch as they were secured

by laser lights.

In the next portion of the workshop,

Samriddhi Sharma, CEO of Haba

Company India, introduced herself

and the Haba factory. This was followed

by five demonstrations of coding

games by Haba Company’s German

personnel. They had one game on each

of their table we had to go in groups to

understand those games.

Later in the day, presentations

were given by Dr. Swati Popat Vats on

Rudolf Steiner and Fröbel. Rudolf

Steiner was a philosopher, sociologist,

educationalist, artist and scientist. He

believed that children should not be

rushed into adult consciousness but

should be allowed to savour their

childhood. According to his philosophy,

teachers should work in close collaboration,

pool thoughts and ideas,

should not perform intentional teaching

or provide premature stimulation,

be joyful, attentive, controlled, protective,

reverent, artistic and enthusiastic.

Some of the temperaments of children

that teachers may experience

are: melancholic, phlegmatic, choleric,

sanguine. The keywords to help

children deal with these temperaments

are calm, gentle, joy, harmony,

ordered rhythm amongst others.

Fredrich Fröbel is the father of

kindergarten based on Jean Jacques

Rousseau and Pestalozzi. His major

contribution was the introduction of

gifts to children. Gifts had a primary

difference from other materials used -

they were able to be returned to their

original form when play is finished.

In total there were nine gifts that are

as follows-

Gift 1: Yarn ball

Gift 2: Sphere/cylinder and cubes

Gift 3: Divided cubes

Gift 4: Rectangular prism

Gift 5: Cubes & triangular prism

Gift 6: Classic building blocks

Gift 7: Parquetry tablets

Gift 8: Sticks & rings

Gift 9: The points

The day ended by sharing the plan

for Day three.

10. WORKSHOP ON STEINER:

Dr. Vats conducted a workshop on

Rudolf Steiner’s philosophy. Steiner’s

education and Waldport’s education

means the same. She gave an in-depth

understanding of the biodynamic system,

eurhythmy. She emphasized the

philosophy that education should not

46 February 2020

I worship my work and I believe my devotion wouldn't have been complete

without this EDUCATORS' PILGRIMAGE. It has channelised my focus

in the right direction. I am not only enriched by the knowledge that I

have gained from this trip, but also by the association I have made with

the mentor and each individual on this trip. To crown all, I have learned

to appreciate different perspectives.

Manobi Deka

Director and Principal Sparsh group of

preschools and elementary school Guwahati

"NOT ALL WHO WANDER ARE LOST"

A very educative trip with "Sardar" Popat Vats mam, senior educationists

and other Educators or I would like to call all of them NATION BUILDERS.

We all visited with one single objective of learning there and bringing

back to our respective places in the great country Bharat. What I learned

is that

An industrialist or industry can initiate and build a world-class education

system as Waldorf did. How a town, a community like Reggio Emmilia

built an education environment that became standard for all others to

learn and follow. How a male, moreover childless, the great educationist

Fröbel Friedrich came up with wonderful gifts for the children of the

world which are still relevant and show forms of life, beauty and knowledge.

And how a single mother Maria Montessori who started her first

school for the slum children overcame so many personal/professional

obstacles in life and offered us something worthwhile for the foundation

of humanity.

So much of quality content came to all of us in presentations and discussions.

It will lay down very strong foundations or impact on all of us in

our journey as an educator.

Ankit Vohra

Jain Toddlers

Jain Public Schools, Madhya Pradesh

Emerged, Enlightened, Educators!!!

The first and best ever educational pilgrimage with enlightening, enriching,

engaging experiential learning journey!!! Dynamic passionate and visionary

mentor - Swati mam literally opened the door to infinite learning opportunities!!

The transformative learning from the original place of work and initiatives

of Fedrick Fröbel, Rudolf Steiner, Reggio Emilia and Maria

Montessori was a true experience of childhood education!! Thank you ECA-

APER-ScooNews-HABA for the discovery of the ocean of knowledge.

Harshita Sharma

Founder-Brainstorm International

Territory Head -ECA -APER –Pune

be rushed, children should savour the

childhood, they should learn to know

and love the world in childhood and to

freely take responsibility for life

skills. She elaborated on the three

stages of life and the principles

Steiner talked about. The real objective

of education should be to leave

the next generation in the best possible

condition to create its own form.

Lastly, she spoke about the temperament

of children.

Dr. Vats conducted another workshop

on Fröbel, where she acknowledged

the values given by Rousseau

and Pestalozzi and Fröbel in the

child’s education. Fröbel strongly

advocated that education should harmonize

with the child. She spoke

about Gifts and Occupation and gave

emphasis on the whole, parts, and

parts to the whole. Children need to

play with gifts and bring the gifts

back to the original state. She said

now we know that the neuron connections

and brain development take

place in 0-3 years, whereas Fröbel has

proved this to be the case 150 years

ago. Fröbel has given importance to 3

forms. The first form is life, second is

knowledge or understanding and

third is beauty. She explained how

Fröbel emphasized on Form.

Professor Michaela Rissmann

from Erfurt University, Germany gave

a seminar on Fröbel. She gave the

life sketch of Fröbel. She said

February 2020 47

SPECIAL REPORT

Kindergarten should look like a garden

and every child should have individual

space. The system of Fröbel ’s

approach is to divide, disassemble, cut

and make whole. The structure he

gave was 0-3 Nursery, 3-6

Kindergarten and 3-10 daycare for

children. He said his approach looked

very simple from outside but inside it

has perfection.

11. GALA DINNER: All the participants

came in Indian traditional

The Education Pilgrimage was a dream come true. I had never thought

that what I researched, implemented, practiced and advocated philosophies

of these great Gods of education, I would ever get to experience in

their original places of practice. So, I am grateful to Swati Mam, Ravi

Santlani sir, ECA and ScooNews for arranging this first-ever pilgrimage.

Thanks to HABA Germany, Samriddhi Sharma and the Habbermass family

for the insightful trip inside the HABA factory. Waiting for the next pilgrimage

tour.

Vishakha Deshpande

Principal - Pre-primary

Saraswati Mandir Trust's English Medium School, Thane

48 February 2020

Educational Pilgrimage to Germany and Italy was an intentional educational

investment made for enriching and learning along with a group of

educators, school leaders to the four important pillars of Early Childhood

Education, included Frederick Fröbel, Maria Montessori, Reggio Emilia

Rudolf Steiner's and HABA, the original place of work and initiatives. The

tour was holistically experiential with an emphasis on recognition and

transformative experience of learning. It was indeed an experience related

to spiritual renewal, transformation, and an expanded view of experiential

learning that included cognitive, embodied, and spiritual dimensions.

The visit was an eye-opener and suggested ways to strengthen the

effectiveness of education in postmodern education.

Dr. Kamini Rege

Assistant Professor

College of Home Science Nirmala Niketan

Founder member and Treasurer National committee ECA and APER

Mumbai Maharashtra India

A TEACHER

Plants the seed of Knowledge.

SPRINKLES them with LOVE

And PATIENTLY NURTURES their growth.

To produce DREAMS into reality.

The Educational Pilgrimage was so meticulously planned by ECA,

Scoonews, Edvour AND HABA.

‘Thank You’ is not a word that can justify the efforts put by them, especially

of Dr. Swati Popat Vats, to ensure that we educators from across

India understood what seeds were sown by the Masters and accordingly

nurture the next generation. This Dream will surely be nurtured to create a

wonderful world.

Archana Poshe

Magic Touch Playschool and Daycare.

Proprietor, Mumbai, Maharashtra.

The Educational Pilgrimage tour to Germany and Italy under the guidance

of our mentor Dr. Swati Popat Vats was an eye-opener for all of us.

It was a dream come true to learn about the four Philosophers. It is very

truly said that a field trip gives us everlasting knowledge...This memorable

trip will always help me to continue working on the right path for

the development of early childhood. My sincere thanks to one and all for

giving this experience.

Sakina Bharmal

Principal, Hasti Kindergarten

Dondaicha

Life is a Pilgrimage - The wise man does not rest by the roadside inns. He marches

direct to the illimitable domain of eternal bliss, HIS ULTIMATE DESTINATION

- A Respectable Saint

The Educator’s Pilgrimage was a true Yatra to Chardham of Education.

With the newer horizons opened for us Educators under the Guidance of

Dr. Swati Popat Vats, we all are sure to achieve and bring a remarkable

change for the betterment of the Future of India sitting in our

Classrooms.

Kush Sakaria

Shreevallabh Ashram Schools

Killa-Pardi, Valsad, Gujarat

dresses. There was dance performance

by the participants and performance

by professional dancers from

Germany. The grand show was followed

by delicious food. Mrs. Sabina

Habermas gave a small speech thanking

everyone and distributed certificates

to the participants.

12. VISIT TO FRÖBEL MUSEUM:

Located at bad Blankenburg,

Germany, it was a place of displaces

which we read in the books and more

than that. We spent considerable time

going through and understanding the

museum. The museum staff gave a

short speech highlighting and

explaining the 7 gifts of Fröbel.

The museum had been built in1982

at a place where he first invented his

first “kindergarten” which is also

called “house above the cellar”. The

museum displayed Fröbel ’s living

room with furniture and photographs

of his kindergarten and its classroom.

Further ahead, was the area

where there were small models of

toys of that era like kitchen sets,

chess boards, pattern formation.

There were books of songs, rhymes,

games, paradise of childhood, inventing

kindergarten, principles of

Fröbel ’s system, Fröbel ’s gifts written

during that time. The museum

had displayed the letters Fröbel had

written to Pestalozzi. The museum

personnel even gave us a demonstration

of Fröbel ’s gifts.

In the second half of the day,

Fröbel ’s grave was visited which is

situated at Thuringen, Germany.

Fröbel ’s grave was created in 1852 by

Ernt Luther to the design of Wilhelm

Middendorff. The grave first has a

sphere, cylinder and cube which is

the second gift designed by Fröbel for

children. Ernt Luther was the descendant

of Martin Luther. The story goes

that Fröbel became concerned that

Ernt and his brother Keilhau were living

in poverty and hence, Fröbel

undertook the education of both the

brothers. That’s why in 1852 Ernt

designed Fröbel ’s grave but later a

new gravestone was donated according

to Middendorff ’s design. Homage

was given at his grave by all the delegates

one-by-one. Further, we headed

towards Frankfurt to take the flight

for Florence.

13. SEMINAR ON REGGIO EMILIA

AND MADAM MONTESSORI:

Dr. Reeta Sonawat conducted a semi-

February 2020 49

SPECIAL REPORT

The World's FIRST EDUCATOR'S PILGRIMAGE organised from 9th January

2020 - 16th January 2020 to the Four Pillars of education which started almost

180 -185 years ago was truly an enriching and enlightening experiential

learning for all of the 30 Educators from different corners of our country. All

the educators became one big family in a span of just 8 days and bonded so

well and learned a lot under all our able mentors - Swati Ma'am, Reeta

Ma'am and Kamini Ma'am. Dear SWATI MA'AM who has an amazing

CHARISMA is a true mentor and a great source of inspiration to all of us .

Thanks, ECA, SCOONEWS (Ravi Sir and Vanya Ma'am) and HABA (Samriddhi

Ma'am) for all the hard work and efforts put in to make this journey truly

Memorable and Cherishable.

Sandhya Rajendra Shimpi

Director - Iris Kindergarten, Pune

A pilgrimage is a journey or a search keeping spirituality in mind. Similarly,

the first Education Pilgrimage organised by ECA and Scoonews in partnership

with HABA, Germany under the mentorship of Dr. Swati Popat Vats was a

learning experience for me. This Shiksha Yatra to Germany and Italy helped

to open my mindset and broaden my idea about education. Seeing and

understanding the work of the four famous early childhood educators was a

dream come true for me. I am grateful to the organisers who conceived this

eventful journey and a special thanks to Swati Mam who poured out her

knowledge to enrich us. Thank you once again and best wishes for many

more such education pilgrimages. I hear and I forget, I see and I remember.

Reema Ganguly

Principal - pre-primary

Amarjyoti Saraswati international school, Bhavnagar.

Though thoughtfully labelled as the Educators Pilgrimage, I would like to

rename the tour as a “voyage of discovery”. Now that my mind has been

stretched and made richer by the new learnings and experiences I was

exposed to, I’m certain there is no way it can shrink back to its old dimensions

again because it awakened something dormant within me. I find

myself pondering about the gap between where I am currently standing

and where I want to be in the future. Hence, I look back at the exposure I

received on this tour and I ask myself a few pertinent questions which I

intend to answer and implement too.

1. Where and how could I apply what I was exposed to suitably and which

specific areas of learning could I apply these to?

2. What beliefs and mindsets do I need to change in myself and the adult

others that I interact with on a day-to-day level in order to compel and

propel change ahead?

3. What sort of support would I need to enlist to achieve the optimum

benefit of converting the theoretical knowledge gained into practical

implementation suitable and adaptable to the parental mindset and cultural

setting I work in?

4. What will it take to overcome the mental walls of rigidity within which

we confine ourselves and often confine our early learning centres too, due

to which we face regular stumbling blockades and how can these be overcome?

This tour ignited a new vision that it is essential to herald change and that

too in unforeseeable ways because we need to embark on a journey in our

classrooms, setting aside earlier preconceived notions. We are all learners at

the end of the day and our learning capabilities boil down to 2 mindsets.

We can either choose a growth-oriented mindset or a fixed mindset.

Thank you, Swati Ma’am, for always encouraging us to embrace challenges,

I intend to keep revisiting my vision from time to time. By initiating

such a venture, you have turned mirrors into windows for many like me.

Diana Tyagi

Franchisee- Podar Jumbo Kids Worli,

Mumbai.

nar on the Reggio Emilia Approach.

She gave glimpses of what, why and

how it works. She said the teacher is a

researcher, the environment is the

third teacher, and the curriculum is

exploratory. She also talked about the

structure and system of the approach.

How the community is an integral

part of the system and the city/town

mayor is the head of the Reggio

Public Schools.

A presentation was made by

Dr. Swati Popat Vats on Maria

Montessori’s philosophy. Her philosophy

says “Education is not something

which the teacher does, but a natural

process which develops spontaneously

in the human being. It is not

acquired by listening to words but in

virtue of experience in which the

child acts on his environment. The

50 February 2020

An exceptional Educator’s Pilgrimage was organized by ECA, Scoonews and

HABA from 9th January 2020 to 16th January 2020. I feel so blessed to be a

part of this unique experience which enabled us to visit four core fundamentals

of early year’s education. Starting our journey at Coburg, Germany from

Steiner – Waldorf School that strives to develop students’ intellectual, artistic,

and practical skills in an integrated manner. I finally got to know why are the

schools called Waldorf schools? Standing in the same house where Friedrich

Fröbel lived and conceptualized his philosophy fascinated me as to how a

man could conceive the idea of play being the highest form of human expression.

One of the biggest notions came tumbling down that you need to be a

parent to understand children.

“Fröbel gifts” are truly not that well known to the world. His grave gave me

chills, as to the magnitude of respect given an educator by his followers.

HABA Toys took me to a new world of “Coding” something I could not imagine

to do with a 4-year-old, but they just opened my mind to another level of

understanding. Exploring Loris Malaguzzi International Center, I felt like a

toddler in an adult suit. Understanding the role of community and learning

environment as a teacher providing children with an array of possibilities to

optimize their potential to respond creatively and meaningfully.

Getting a chance to visit Maria Montessori’s first Casa Dei Bambini in the

slums of Rome was a different experience and a lifetime opportunity. What a

dream come true! The tour went just as attributed by Benjamin Franklin "Tell

me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn." An

enlightening, enriching and hands-on experience beyond words!!! I had just

read about these philosophies and methods of learning, but to see them

being implemented in reality was another experience altogether. The trip not

only empowered us but also suggested ways to use this abundant information

to transform our takeaways worthy of our boundless promise to nurturing

India’s tomorrow. Lastly, expressing my heartfelt gratitude to the cup of

coffee leading to the conception of the idea. Dr. Swati Popat Vats for initiating

and mentoring the trip. Thanking Dr. Reeta Sonawat and Dr. Kamini Rege

for their insightful sessions, HABA, Scoonews and Edvour for the wonderful

arrangements.

Ms. Amrit Nagpal

Head - Preschool and Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCEd)

Birla Open Minds, Mumbai

teacher’s task is not to talk, but to prepare

and arrange a series of motives

for cultural activity in a special environment

made for the child”.

It aims to “free a child to learn

through his own efforts”. The purpose

is to allow children to be liberated

under adult supervision. Through

this liberation, the child can move

and manipulate materials and can

develop a sense of order and logical

thoughts, which lead to the foundation

of 3R’s. Children can make choices

of their own, explore, discover and

be creative within a supportive environment.

The philosophy supports

mixed-age groups, individualized

instructions, child-directed programmes,

designed environment,

hands-on approach and integrated

curriculum. The typical areas of

Montessori’s approach are-

1. Practical life

2. Sensorial materials

3. Language and writing

4. Maths

5. Science and cultures

According to Maria Montessori,

three things are required for learning

which are the brain, the muscles and

the senses. The child first observes,

participates, practices, discovers and

performs. The day ended with the distribution

of certificates by the Early

Childhood Association.

14. LORIS MALAGUZZI

INTERNATIONAL CENTER: The

group headed towards Loris

Malaguzzi centre at Reggio Emilia.

We were taken to the auditorium

where we were given a presentation

on the inception of the Reggio Emilia

approach. This was followed by a visit

to an exhibition where there were

materials that are used by the teachers

at each centres of Reggio Emilia.

15. VISIT TO FIRST SCHOOL

OF MONTESSORI: At Rome, we visited

the first Madam Montessori

School which was started on January

6, 1907. Today, the “Montessori

method” is one of the most wellknown

and widely used educational

approaches in the world. We all had a

nostalgic feeling while standing at the

place where Montessori was running

a school. She has a special place in

India because her major work is

implemented in Indian soil. We still

meet people whose teacher was directly

trained by her. And they went on to

start their own school.

This was followed by a summary

talk by Dr. Swati Popat Vats on the relevance

of Madam Montessori’s teachings

in today’s time. She immaculately

put in perspective and it was a

moment of epiphany for all Educators

on the trip.

Workshops by Dr. Swati Popat Vats

were enlightening, without which the

visits to these pillars of education

would have been meaningless.

February 2020 51

EVENT

A look at the 80th

IPSC Principals’

Conclave

Modern School hosts 80th IPSC Principals’ Conclave.

Mr Amitabh Kant, alumnus of Modern School,

Barakhamba Road and CEO, NITI Aayog, stresses on the

need for a strong value system.

50 Principals along with the IPSC

honorary members from prominent

Public Schools which are

members of Indian Public

Schools’ Conference converged at

Modern School, Barakhamba Road

for the three-day 80th Annual IPSC

Principals’ Conference on the theme

Education ‘Education Four Point

Zero’ from 5th January 2020 to 7th

January 2020.

The 80th IPSC Principals’

Conclave was held to chalk out new

age strategies for promoting positive

partnerships for excellence. Day One

of the conclave kicked off with an

Executive Committee Meeting of

IPSC, followed by an ice breaker dinner

with Chief Guest, Hon. Chief

Justice of India Sharad Arvind Bobde

in attendance.

The conclave was formally inaugurated

on 6th January and the Chief

Guest, Mr Amitabh Kant, an alumnus

of Modern School, Barakhamba Road

and CEO, NITI Aayog in his address

emphasized on the important role of

the Principals in shaping the future,

while talking on how Education 4.0

will create new jobs hitherto

unknown and the schools have to prepare

the students to be ready for the

challenges.

He candidly spoke on the Fourth

Industrial Revolution and shared

about start-ups like Embibe and Hello

English and praised them for bringing

about a revolution in the education

ecosystem of India by effectively

using Artificial Intelligence and

Language Learning, respectively. He

stressed on the need for a strong value

52 February 2020

system which needs to be imparted to

the student community. He made a

fervent appeal to all IPSC principals

to devise ways to collaborate on common

grounds. He highlighted the need

to realign India’s education system to

emphasise skills rather than mere

degrees. He was presented with the

IPSC souvenir by Dr Vijay Datta,

Principal, Modern School,

Barakhamba Road.

Col VK Banga, Immediate Past

Chairman, IPSC was honoured with

the IPSC Gaur Hari Singhania

Lifetime Achievement Award for his

exemplary service to the field of education.

The Conclave was a meeting point

for the Principals, educationists and

experts like the Motivational Speaker

and Author and a Modernite Mr Shiv

Khera, Ms Shyama Chona, Justice

Sidharth Mridul and Ambassador

Deepak Vohra to discuss and strategize

to prepare the students for the

future challenges.

Shiv Khera, Author, Educator,

Business Consultant, successful

Entrepreneur and an alumnus of the

Modern School, Barakhambha Road,

shared his personal experiences

while he was a student himself at

Modern School and how he felt nostalgic

on coming back to his school and

addressing the eminent gathering of

School principals. He also shared on

how quality schooling helped him

shape his career and make a mark in

his professional life. His two-hour

long keynote focused on five must

have strengths in everyone’s life;

Physical Strength, Financial

Strength, Mental Strength, Emotional

February 2020 53

EVENT

Strength and Spiritual Strength. Mr.

Khera ended his keynote with a

phrase ‘Direction is more important

than speed’ which received a standing

ovation by the august gathering.

Dr Vijay Datta, Principal, Modern

School, proposed the vote of thanks

saying that it was a matter of pride

that a national level conclave was

being hosted by his school during

which leading academicians of the

country would pool in their combined

knowledge and experience and take

important decisions that would

directly affect the future of school

education in the country.

The students of Modern School,

Barakhamba Road presented a cultural

programme which showcased the

100 years’ journey of the school and

enacted the play ‘Aladdin.’ The

students of Modern School also put

up a spectacular Horse Show for the

visiting dignitaries.

The three-day conclave concluded

with the Annual General meeting

where Ms Nishi Misra, Secretary,

IPSC took over as the new

Chairperson of the IPSC. At the AGM,

Ms Nishi Misra, Principal, Scindia

Kanya Vidyala, Capt Alokesh Sen

(Retd) and Dr Vijay Datta, Principal,

Modern School, Barakhamba Road

were felicitated for winning the

National and CBSE Awards.

The 81st IPSC Principals’

Conclave will be held at Raj Kumar

College, Rajkot in 2021.

54 February 2020

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