March 2, 1998

Cramming and boring classes are out. Informal interaction, computers and liberal curricula are in. That's how some schools are redefining education

By Vijay Jung Thapa with Nandita Chowdhury and Stephen David

Hey you guys, I read yesterday how this scientist predicts the sun will swallow the earth," says a sixth grader to his classmates, kicking off the beginning of an astrophysics class in a Bangalore school called the National Academy for Learning (NAFL). That's the first indication that something unusual is going on. Here's the second: the 24 children in class are placed conference-style facing each other, some of them standing and talking, others sitting and looking up reference books on the side. The "facilitator" (read teacher) slinks around quietly by the side, letting everyone else except himself talk, stepping into the conversation only once in a while to set the facts straight. At the end, the kids decide for themselves how they want to "express" (call it homework) what they discussed. "I want to write a poem on the solar system," states one of them. Another wants to write an essay on black holes. Yet others decide to sit together and write a software programme with graphics that will depict the milky way. As the bell rings, two of them get up saying they are going to skip the English class and chill out for a bit in the sports room -- maybe play Chinese checkers for a while. "It's just that I'm feeling a bit dull," says one of them.

This is school? Astrophysics is an ancient subject, but the idea of teaching it in such an interactive way to 11-year-olds is brand new. You may not know it yet but a handful of big-city schools has undergone a silent revolution. Gone are the old school systems of regimented regimes, being trapped inside a prison-like building, sitting row by row, listening to the drone of a teacher as the world outside seems to entice more than what's written on the blackboard. For these schools, the brave new world of education is attractive and alive, where learning is fun, teachers are called motivators or facilitators, curricula are customised and cut-to-size and everything is free of rules and regulations. "There are a whole lot of new concepts in schooling that have come like a fresh breath of air," says A.K. Sharma, director, National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT).

What has fired most of these schools to change is the popular concept of education being linked to doing well in the board examinations. If a school follows that premise, education is reduced to trying to get those maximum number of toppers. And schooling becomes geared towards just forcing information-heavy curricula down the throats of students who take a smorgasbord of courses with no focus. Educationists across the country today are realising that the build-up to that "make-or-break" examination is spawning a generation plagued with nervous disorders. Yet, board examinations are a reality that can't be wished away, and they do help in getting into good colleges. "What the better schools are doing is trying to build a broader and more holistic picture of education ... they are trying to break the shackles yet stay in the stable," says Venita Kaul, head of NCERT's primary education department. Simply put, these innovative schools say board examinations are important, but there is more to learning than just cramming your textbooks only to vomit it all out in an examination.

That's the key. "Too often, we mistake knowledge for learning," says Rajni Kumar, educationist and chairperson of the Patel Education Foundation that runs the Springdales Schools. "Real learning comes from doing things and taking that knowledge and using it in other situations." Kids today want to see the relevance of what they are learning. They want more real-life experiences. And keeping in tune with this, schools these days work on thematic curricula with loads of practicals, field trips and project work. An example: for kids in Vasant Valley School, Delhi, learning the theory of evolution meant watching an audio visual, a movie, a trip to the zoo and the museum, and ended with a home assignment -- putting fruit flies in a glass jar and watching them mutate. In Rishy Valley, Andhra Pradesh, a simple thing like letter-writing is made more inventive by writing to real people in war-stricken Sarajevo through the United Nations. "Keep giving them real-life situations, that's the way it works," says Bubla Basu, a Mumbai educationist and former Rishy Valley teacher.

Schools today believe that the way to work is to provide a "child-oriented" atmosphere. Things are changing rapidly. No more intimidating Gothic architecture, schools instead emphasise cheerful landscapes, with green spaces and trees -- including things like fish ponds, rock gardens and insect farms. And principals recognise the fact that daydreams are a part of reality too. Says Arun Kapur, director (education), Vasant Valley: "One should always have that nook or corner where a student has the privacy to goof off." It puts the kid at ease, relaxes him and gives him a sense of equilibrium. "Once relaxed, they become enthused with the idea of school ... only then does the general standard go up," says Vibha Parthasarathy, principal of Sardar Patel School, Delhi.

Classrooms too look different. They have become smaller, more interactive and allow for personal interaction between the students themselves. Experts firmly believe that the traditional seating arrangement -- the teacher in front looking down on the students -- is not conducive to learning. Seating arrangements in classroom are like patterns in a kaleidoscope, forever changing -- depending on the situation. If it's group activity, then desks face each other; if it's a routine class then it's conference style; and if it's a guest lecture, then it can be back to just rows. All this is designed on the assumption that kids learn best from their peers. Lessons today are like group conversations with teachers who, like skilled air-traffic controllers, guide several planes of thought into various aspects of a subject, creating classroom magic. Most of the homework is finished in the class.

The role of a teacher has changed too -- from a "sage on the stage" he has now become a "guide by the side". Experts stress that in today's world of changing scenarios, teachers need to believe that they are in the learning curve. More imperative, they should get greater opportunities to continue their own education. The "know-it-all" aura they exuded is destined for the dustbin. Says Sharma: "A teacher should have the guts to tell a child, 'I don't know. Wait, I'll tell you tomorrow'." Schools today insist that a teacher should be able to handle subjects in different ways -- through books, music, movies, art, audio-visual shows or computer software. "Teachers are taught that the school needs to be a place for all children," adds Kaul, "not based on the idea that they are all the same but that they are all different."

This forms the basis for new teaching methods. Experts say in most formal schools today the system is loaded towards the "scholastic mind" -- kids who easily grasp the concepts of maths, science and languages. But those who don't get stuck in the dregs and are dubbed average for life. The way to reach out to these children is a multi-level pattern of teaching. The option is to treat each subject like a room with many doors. The teacher should try and open as many doors as possible so every kind of student gets in. Today, an art class can delve into geography, where students are asked to draw the different elements, they can write an essay on physics or study history through a musical. The idea is to take concepts and flit them in and out of different areas like maths, literature and philosophy instead of categorising them under one formal subject.

For instance, earlier a world history lesson on the Nazi regime in Germany would be read out, key words defined, important dates stressed and finally wrapped up with a test on the subject. Today, kids could see a popular movie on the subject, read out a poem on the Jews, discuss a painting on Auschwitz or conduct a debate on fascism versus democracy. Or they could divide up the class and do a play on the life of the Fuhrer.

Similarly with maths, always a problem subject, teachers today start with the premise that most kids have their own natural way of learning arithmetic. The youngest begin by using sticks and dots. Later games, computer software or workbooks allow students to learn at their own pace and structure a solution in their own way, reinventing mathematical concepts for themselves. Students are urged to visualise a problem and estimate an answer, instead of just memorising formulas. Each aspect, such as algebra or geometry, is introduced with a discussion of a real-world problem to show how integral a part of ordinary life maths really is. More importantly, right through the goal is to produce children who ask questions, form independent hypotheses and develop a creative turn of mind that cuts through the cult of obedience. "We urge students to acquire knowledge on their own," says G.K. Gopal-krishnan, principal of NAFL.

What better way than using a computer? Most innovative schools insist on kids growing up with a mouse in their hands. Many are gearing up for completely wired classrooms. "Technology is a big and powerful tool," says Indu Pillay, principal of Mothers International School (MIS). Educational software has, to a large extent, replaced workbooks and other printed curricula. Eleventh graders in MIS play Symcity -- a popular game where the player is a mayor of a city and encounters real-life problems such as how to lay sewer pipes, investigate whether toxic waste from a plant is killing fish in the river or work out the annual budget with all the trappings of deficit and credit. Again, a whole array of subjects is taught in one go. Besides, computers make learning activities highly individualised and geared towards each child's level. That means a fifth grader whose reading ability is stuck at third-grade level can work on lessons on the computer that match his abilities. Says a teacher at MIS: "Earliler, I knew generally at what stage the class was. Now, I know specifically."

The innovative trends continue outside the class walls too. What was once called "co-curricular" is now an integral part of the curriculum. Says Kapur: "You'll see kids here attending classes on performing arts; how they do in drama is as important as how they do in science." These schools strain to provide a wide variety of topics to kids so that even if they aren't doing well in maths or chemistry, they still have something to crow about. The new philosophy: every child is good at something. Gone are the days when a below-average child would trudge his way home miserably, feeling uninvolved and good at nothing. "Today, every student needs to feel he counts," explains Parthasarathy. At Sardar Patel, instead of ranking, authorities have worked out a "line of excellence" and everybody above that is deemed meritorious. That line of excellence extends to activities like sewing, rock climbing or helping disadvantaged children. The result: in about three years of schooling, 90 per cent of a class gets at least one merit card.

Innovation is also used to inculcate a value-system and make children more sensitive to their surroundings. Second graders today sit cross-legged, facing each other in class whispering compliments to each other. "You're a nice speller." "You've got pretty handwriting." "You are a good artist." Even basic values like kindness can be taught. Most of these schools feel that inculcating values and life skills are as essential as literature or long division were to a late '90s education. Says Shirin Choksey, head mistress of Udayachal Primary School in Mumbai: "We teach kids to lead, follow and be efficient in interpersonal relationships." Each school works out its own sense of values -- and life skills involve things like rejecting junk food and plastic bags or inviting the whole class for a birthday party. Last year, at MIS, sixth graders debated whether cold drinks should be replaced by lime juice in the canteen. They worked out the pros and cons and opted for the healthier lime juice.

The other hallmark of a new school is the fact that it has buried what was once considered essential to education -- a fierce competitive spirit. "It is not wrong to say we are laid back," says G. Venkateshwar, principal of Bombay International School, where the feeling is that without the usual pressures a student works and learns much more than he normally would. Says Gopalkrishnan: "We don't want them to grow up with aggression in their minds and hearts." Most of these schools don't hold examinations till Class V. Even later, tests are only slipped in occasionally with much more emphasis on continuous internal evaluation. No doubt parents sometimes worry about these New Age techniques. But most of these innovative schools have tasted CBSE examinations today and quite liked them. Says Kapur about Vasant Valley, where students excelled in their first board examinations last year: "From a flavour-of the-month school, we have become a more serious player now."

The bottom line, finally, is the kind of education you want to give your child. On the one hand, you have the traditional school system with a sage on the stage who tells you to shape up, for life is tough. On the other, you have the new schools with guides on the side who tell you to go happily roistering down the boulevards of life. Which one prepares the child better for life? "It was a difficult decision for me to take," remembers Rajat Khanna, a Delhi-based parent. But he remembered his own schooldays and figured the bad memories outweighed the good. "So breaking a family tradition, I put him in Sardar Patel a few years ago." Today, Khanna is overjoyed with the school. And every morning, his son, a bundle of energy, gobbles his breakfast, raring to go to school. Something his father never did.

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