LEARNING IN THE EARLY YEARS

 Learning is unique to the child. Every learner has his/her own ways of learning. Childhood is the best time to explore. This exploration on the part of the child helps them to have their own general view of the world around them. The early years of 0-6 years of age is considered the best time for brain development. Recent studies in brain researches have focused upon this by bringing out the point that about 85% of brain development takes place during these early years. This period is thus considered to be the window of opportunity for the child.

Developmentally Appropriate Practices is a perspective withing Early Childhood Care and Development which aims to promote optimal learning and development of young children in various early childhood educational settings. Developmentally Appropriate Practices take into account important concepts related to the learning of young children like curriculum,theme-based activities, assessment practices, etc . Developmentally Appropriate Practices is integral for the holistic development of the preschool child.

                                                                 An ECCE worker

MY VISIT TO ASHRAM SCHOOL

 The word Ashram refers to the hermitage. When my teacher from the Regional Institute of Education, Bhubaneswar instructed that I should be going to visit Ashram School to interact with the teachers and the students there I couldn't visualize the exact picture of it. And when I finally visited it I came in terms of the functioning of the school. There are several of these schools at different locations of the state. These schools have students from the remote districts of Odisha and are for the tribal students. Odisha is home to many tribes many of which also belong to Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups. The students I met at Ashram School belong to several of these tribes like Munda, Santhal, etc from districts like Malkangiri. When I listen to the tune of Sambalpuri dance I cannot wait. To welcome us amidst them many of the students danced to the beat of Sambalpuri Dance. Both Sambalpiuri dance and Sambalpuri sarees are famous. The  Saree is famous for its intricate design and beautiful motifs. When I interacted with the headmaster I got to understand the functioning of the school. During my visits to several schools in my profession as a teacher educator on numerous occasions, I have got to interact with administrators and officials, Headmaster, and teachers. Often have I seen the dilapidated condition of residential schools with improper infrastructure and lack of appropriate facilities. But in Ashram School the picture was very different. The teachers were very friendly and cooperated with us in exploring the school. The students seemed to excel not only in academics but also in extracurricular activities. The students of the school come from diverse cultures many of whom are home to the indigenous knowledge systems passed through oral tradition. These Ashram Schools in the state of Odisha can definitely provide a platform to help these students to exhibit their local handicrafts and hone their skills better by making it a part of the curriculum. This can work in the direction of making Atmanirvar Bharat or Self Reliant India as is the vision of Prime Minister of India a reality.

RETHINKING THE WAYS CHILDREN LEARN

To quote Howard Gardner

"Wouldn't it be sad if there was only one way to learn and only one way to be assessed and that was the  end of Education?''

Assessment is an integral part of the teaching-learning process. There are several forms of assessment, the individual teacher should be left to decide about the ways to access the children. School is considered to be a miniature society where students spent a significant part of their lives. Education aims at bringing out the best in the child. As I say every flower is beautiful, it has to bloom in its own way. There cannot be only one single way of assessing the child. Gardner gave the concept of Multiple Intelligence. The eight different types of intelligence introduced by Gardner are-Logical/Mathematical, Linguistic, Musical, Spatial, Bodily-Kinesthetic, Naturalist, Interpersonal, and Intrapersonal. There are different ways in which synaptic connections are built in the brain and add to the existing schemas of knowledge. According to Gardner human intelligence are of multiple types and there are several ways in which processing of information takes place. Some students may be good at analyzing information, yet others can be best at identifying different categories of plants and naming them. It is essential that we recognize the ability of our students and make necessary changes in the way content is delivered in our classrooms.  Students in a diverse country like India come from different sections of society. This diversity adds to the beauty of Indian classrooms. Diversity is seen in terms of food habits, culture, religion, and many more. When we as teacher educators and teachers consider having a one -size- fits -all approach for our children it will invariably lead to differences in the classroom and will leave many students behind. Rather we should be more flexible in the delivery of instruction material and pedagogic practices. This would lead to equity and inclusion in classrooms. As educators, it is essential that we think about the varying ways in which we deliver instruction to young minds.

Education as a way of emancipation

The very thought of education brings to my mind the concept of emancipation. It liberates our mind, helps to grow to break the shackles of intolerance, removing darkness and poverty. I have learned so many things during my four  years  of experience as a student-teacher and as a prospective teacher educator.Every policy and programme whether it be National Policy of Education(1986), Kothari Commission (1964-66), Secondary Education Commission(1952-53)  were framed taking into mind the needs of the people associated with their actual implementation at the ground level.The grassroot level approach in curriculum development as suggested by Hilda Tawa prioritize on taking the opinion of the teachers. My  associations with the community in and around the village of Napaam,Tezpur the internship program at Kendriya Vidyalaya  during the B.Ed programme have helped me to have a practical approach. It in a way has helped me to hone my skills. Classroom discussions have been mainly activity-based. National Curriculum Framework (NCF) 2005 has focused upon the concept of Constructivism in education. At a time when students  lives are at stake due to the global pandemic COVID-19, countries have shifted to online classes. In a developing country like India, lack of infrastructure in the form of proper ICT resources is often seen as a barrier to making education reach every child. Down the line, there are many who cant afford to have a cell phone to get connected to online classes. It is thus necessary that the top-level administration and the bureaucratic process involved in policy planning take note of these issues which seem minimal but are of utmost necessity to shape the future of the nation.It is time we as stakeholders of the education system take a serious note about the challenges faced by learners to tackle issues arising due to the pandemic which has a huge impact upon the education system.This would also help us to deal with the post pandemic challenges as well.As Kothari Commission notes 

 

                                    "The destiny of India is  being shaped in her classroom

 

ACCESSIBILITY

Education in India is still today a distant dream for many. When I visited Keonjhar, I met some children near my picnic spot. I don't know from which tribes they belong to. There are many  Particularly Vulnerable Tribal  Groups (PVTG'S) in Odisha. They might be from the Munda or Santhal tribe. When I visited the lone house near our picnic spot I saw some kids playing outside. The younger one, a girl was munching some biscuits given by people visiting the place for a picnic. I tried to interact with them through the languages that I knew. Nothing worked out. Probably they are unable to understand Oriya, their dialect is different. When I asked them about the school through signs and hand gestures they said that they do travel to school. Accessibility is still a barrier in many parts of India-accessibility in terms of reach to school and related resources. Barriers can be many -geographical, rugged terrain, poor internet connectivity, poverty, broken families. The list could be endless. When I saw the little ones cleaning plates from visitors leftover I felt where is their childhood. Are we as stakeholders of the education system really working to make their lives better? Disparities in terms of rural-urban divide, resources, and others seem to leave many children out of school.

When  I returned at the end of the day to Bhubaneswar, many thoughts were fast running in my mind. The images of the kids, the tears on their faces raised many questions in my mind. Wandering around after having food, I visited a family and saw another girl selling wine made of Mohua to a visitor for a meager 20 rs.

In Keonjhar, people use solar panels for their works in most of the places. Issues associated with accessibility if taken care of by people associated with educating young children can work miraculously to trap the potential of the human resource of the country.

My Visit To Aurobindo Integral School Matruvihar

Sri Aurobindo and the Holy Mother gave the concept of Integral Education for the holistic development of the child.The concept of Integral education takes into account the development of the child in all the domains of development. At a stage when the education system is being highly commercialized the existence of such institutions across the country appears as hopes for many. I got this rare opportunity to visit the institute and interact with the stakeholders involved. Located far away from the capital city of Bhubaneswar, Tangi is a must-visit place for all of those who wish to seek out some time for themselves away from the hurly-burly of everyday life. Home to many birds Tangi has also to its credit the presence of many wetlands which has attracted bird watchers from around the globe.Mangalajodi is located in Tangi which is also known as Birds Paradise.

                       Under the able guidance of a visionary to pursue the noble mission of empowering village youth through education the school was started some 30 years back. Today it is a full-fledged institution with a total of 800 students,350 of them who stay in the campus, and the rest from villages of nearby areas. In spite of having a busy academic schedule whenever we get a holiday in between, we never fail to lose any opportunity to execute our travel plans. The teachers from the Regional Institute of Education, Bhubaneswar inspire us for more field visits.NCERT  which is involved mainly in the training of teachers has also many courses for students. Our teachers try their best to have more and more practical experience as part of our course. When we planned out for Tangi it was difficult at the initial stage. Yet we never lose hope. When we heard about the school from our teacher we were very excited to visit it. Trying to find out the location of the school was really difficult as there were many such schools in the capital city. With the help of one of the retired army officers, we finally got the location of the school.It was a clear day when we started out for Tangi. There was a slight drizzle on our way. The hot coffee offered to us while waiting for the Principal was enough to cheer us up after the tiring journey.When we reached the school the daily routine of the school already started. We could hear the music of meditation from the classes. The discipline of the school was something to be appreciated. All the slippers of the students, as well as teachers, were kept outside. Each classroom had some words written outside, like in front of the Principals office the word was written as Service. Our meeting with the Principal was very interactive. The teachers of the school explained to us about the activities of the school. The walls of the school had boards hang on them for students to study through group activities during summer. The cowshed had many cows and has been named Kamadhenu. Visiting the vegetable gardens maintained by the students was a delight. There were separate patches of it with one part for the vegetables and the other for the flowers. A monkey jumped from a tree and disappeared among the grove. The blooming flowers of the school garden, the freshness of the vegetables, the cute smiles of the children, the welcoming attitude of the teachers and the commitment of the Principal was really a thing to applaud about. Bowing before the relics of Sri Aurobindo and The Holy Mother I returned when one munchkin touched my feet. The map of 'Akhanda Bharat' reflected the vision of Aurobindo.Meeting Chulbuli a name given to a duck, seeing the beautifully arranged vegetable garden and the cow shade, it all seemed like an Ashram. Everything tuned with the rhythm of Nature. We thanked the teachers of the school and heeded Bhubaneswar. This is the kind of education system which is the need of the hour where the child gets every opportunity to bloom in their own way.

  

Wayside picnic on our way to Tangi