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.