2020, an important year for the world, one for the reason being- the beginning of a new decade and two- the onset of a worldwide pandemic – as defined by the world health organisation. Exactly 100 years from 2020, in the year 1920 a similar kind of event occurred where the disease of Spanish flu caused by the H1N1 influenza A virus, spread like wildfire ;
It’s almost as if its a circle, no matter what timeline, similar events keep recurring giving a sense of deja vu, we always reach the starting point, although it might feel like it’s a first-time event for millions of youth- it simply is history repeating itself, billions of ancestors would have experienced the same exact thing that we are experiencing today and encountered familiar struggles.
Currently, masses across the globe are facing a historical event and not the good kind. It is excruciating to even think about how different people are missing out on some of the most important moments of their lives and are unable to celebrate with their loved ones.
It is difficult to say which generation is suffering the most, it may be the youth who can’t step foot in the first step of their life which would be the basis of their entire being – nursery, or young adults who are missing out on the supposedly “fun years” and adventures that could have become future stories they reminisce when they miss being the age they are now or others.
From the point of view of a senior about to graduate high school, everything changed so quickly I didn’t get time to adjust, two minutes ago I was in 10th grade, celebrating the cancelling of board exams, and suddenly this wave of responsibility gushed over me as I near the age of 18, it is scary to think about how different of a person I’ve become, it was easier to connect and even socialise when I was younger, I would give up anything to experience the joy of being carefree and oblivious again.
By, Yukta Jhaveri, Grade 12, Ekya BTM
As a facilitator, any aspect of change in the teacher-student relationship impacts me deeply and leads me to transcend and reflect on my role in today’s world. We have long been proud of our traditional methods of education and the relationships like the one between the guru and the shishya have been seen as sacral.
Recently there have been many instances that portray this beautiful relationship in a new light – not always positive. Are these rare incidents or do they symbolise the deep chasm that seems to have developed between the tutor and the taught and are they a sign of the times? This has struck at the very basic root of the educational system in India and has created unease and led to soul searching. Indeed it is a wake-up call. If only we could open our eyes, look with compassion, and listen with our hearts.
More than that, we have to lend our ears to the pleas of the teaching fraternity toiling under great compulsion and struggling to enlighten the minds of the future citizens of our nation.
Education should be the one area of constant revision, change, and improvement for any country which seeks to establish itself as a power. Revolutionary progress is much needed at all levels of our education system. A complete overhauling of the system and a more open-minded approach to teaching and learning should be our call.
Much needs to be done. Constructive and effective dialogue has to be set up between the teachers, the parents, and the students. The channels of communication and facilitation should be opened and widened to allow for more awareness and understanding. Parents and teachers both have a great impact on the mind of a young child. If the home environment is conducive and children are encouraged to respect their teachers, then the school too will become a place of illumination and learning. Creating an optimistic feeling towards school and teachers will only help parents to enable their children to establish strong bonds with their alma mater and their teachers. Similarly, school staff to need to be sensitized to the pressures faced by parents and children today and be facilitated to handle them with sensitivity and sensibility. This will lead to mutual respect and acceptance and further strengthening of the teacher-student symbiotic relationship.
Let us begin this noble task. Let us make platforms that will enable our future citizens to fly high. Let us say “We Are Together”
By, Madhuri.V. Iyer, CCA Coordinator, Ekya BTM
At Ekya Schools, we believe that what we learn depends on how we learn. Our methodology and pedagogy are student-centric and we believe that students learn best when they are an active part of the process. We structure all our programs to equip our students with 21st-century skills along with the required content knowledge.
We use the Singapore Math Approach in teaching Math at the primary and middle school level. This is a highly effective teaching methodology originally developed by Singapore’s Ministry of Education for Singapore public schools. The method has been widely adopted in various forms around the world. It is a teaching method based on the national mathematics curriculum used for kindergarten through sixth grade.
Through this approach, students can develop critical thinking and mathematical mastery of their work. At the crux of this methodology is the Concrete-Pictorial-Abstract learning method (C-P-A) in which lessons are taught through scaffolding and students learn how to problem-solve with perseverance. This method also enables teachers to convey math concepts progressively from introduction to understanding to fluency. It is where content meets pedagogy.We aim to raise our student performance to the expected international levels.
How does this Approach help students?Math, for the most part, has been memorizing some steps and procedures again and again. To make it challenging, the numbers were made bigger. The bigger the numbers, the higher the challenge was the rationale given. That mindset has now changed. We now believe that this is not challenging, instead, it is just tedious. Singapore Math focuses on the Concrete – Pictorial - Abstract approach. This makes it easier to link ideas to the concepts.
We aim to equip students with sound concept development, critical thinking, and efficient problem-solving skills. What do our students learn in Math classes?Here are a few things we do in our classrooms:
By, Teresa George, Math Curriculum Designer, Ekya - CMR K12 Schools
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