To be alive in this beautiful, self-organizing universe — to participate in the dance of life with senses to perceive it, lungs that breathe it, organs that draw nourishment from it — is a wonder beyond words.
True to this quote, Ekya School ITPL put on a tribute to the human senses, in the form of a Sound and Light show. As part of the Open Day, organized in November, the Sound and Light show organized by our students had an innovative twist, combining the influences of Mathematics, History, Art and Architecture.
India is an amalgamation of various cultures, the beauty of which is clearly evident in the numerous architectural marvels present in our country. Math and architecture being intricately linked, and each of these well-constructed structures clearly display notable mathematical concepts. Through the Sound and Light show, the students showcased these concepts associated with famous landmarks like the Nachiar Kovil, the Konark Sun Temple and the Taj Mahal, also highlighting the rich culture of the lands where these structures exist.
Enthralled by the visuals before them, the audience got to learn more about the mathematical concepts behind each structure through informative presentations.
On display were the various dance forms of Bharatnatyam, Odissi, Kathak and Sufi, presented with the corresponding landmark and the state it belonged to. Members of the audience were treated to shadow performances, using their sense of sight to perceive the movements of the dances with live background music played by students. Being transported to another dimension, where music, dance and art brought alive the essence of incredible India, this was a unique experience that turned out to be truly memorable and enthralling for everyone present.
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What if we taught football the way science is often taught? Students read about famous football matches, memorize rules and statistics, and learn about famous players. When they get to college, they would finally be handed a ball for the first time and be expected to play. Of course, they would not be successful.Science is the same; if we expect students to be able to pursue science in college or as a career, they need many opportunities to practice. Here at Ekya, we want our students to: ● Cultivate a mindset of interest, curiosity and scientific inquiry ● Engage in scientific practices such as building and investigating models, systems, and theories to better understand themselves and the world ● Apply interdisciplinary and collaborative skills to solve real-world problems Science in most schools is a list of facts/topics that students should know, plus a little slice of doing science, through investigation and experimentation. This ‘doing of science’ is overwhelmed by the facts about science, and there is no clear way to connect the pieces. Our science standards at Ekya fundamentally change this balance. The facts about science are still there but it’s on equal footing with doing science, as well as with connecting ideas across science. Our curriculum includes three essential components, called the three dimensions of science learning. These three elements of learning, are woven through every aspect of our science education. Our curriculum has been designed to develop scientific thinking and learning by integrating three dimensions of science learning: (1) The science and engineering practices through which scientists and engineers do their work: Using industry standard practices, at a school level, enables students to understand that science and engineering are creative processes of developing explanations and solutions. Our students use principles of design thinking while learning science concepts in order to apply their skills in a meaningful way. The Science Curriculum focuses on design thinking as a process and not just the end-product. (2) The crosscutting concepts that apply across science disciplines: Through this, students learn to think like experts having been provided with a conceptual framework around which to organize their own ideas and understanding. In turn, this helps students make sense of new content and tackle novel problems and be more flexible and creative with their science and engineering ideas. (3) The core ideas of the disciplines: Concepts are carefully selected and organized sequentially in our curriculum. Focus on the fundamental and limited number of core ideas gives time for students to engage in scientific investigations and argumentation and to achieve a depth of understanding of these ideas. Since a deeper understanding of concepts takes the spotlight, our students will leave school better grounded in scientific knowledge and practices than when instruction ‘covers’ multiple disconnected pieces of information that are memorized and soon forgotten once the test is over.
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