A CLOSE LOOK AT THE CHANGING TEACHING-LEARNING PROCESSES IN TODAY’S CLASSROOMS. THESE INNOVATIONS ARE DEFYING AGE-OLD TECHNIQUES IN AN ATTEMPT TO SHAPE A GENERATION THAT THINKS FOR ITSELF Theme-based learning, where children are taugh

Doing away with textbooks

A SERIES THAT TAKES A CLOSE LOOK AT THE CHANGING TEACHING-LEARNING PROCESSES IN TODAY’S CLASSROOMS. THESE INNOVATIONS ARE DEFYING AGE-OLD TECHNIQUES IN AN ATTEMPT TO SHAPE A GENERATION THAT THINKS FOR ITSELF
Theme-based learning, where children are taugh

“The project urban got students farming out of class. They studied the concept across subjects.” PAULINE TEMASFIELDT , principal, Smt Surajba Vidya Mandir, Jogeshwari. “My son remembers his answers and is excited about his schoolwork now. He seems a lot more confident.” PALLAWI KUMAR , parent from NL Dalmia School. “I have used case studies of Singhania and NL Dalmia schools to explain the effectiveness of this method.” MUKUND DIXIT, professor at IIM-A.

MUMBAI: For the next six weeks, Class 4 students of NL Dalmia School on Mira Road will not carry any books to school. They will learn about cars, and motorbikes in class.
Kusum Shukla, a science teacher at Smt Surajba Vidya Mandir, Jogeshwari, teaches students about different kinds of leaves in the school’s organic garden. The theme-based learning programme will span across subjects. Students will write essays on traffic rules in the English class; they will learn about kinds of vehicular pollution in science and calculate distances in mathematics class.
To make learning more effective, schools are experimenting with theme-based learning and moving away from conventional subject-wise teaching. And this method of city schools has found its way into the research practices of Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.

“In social studies class, we learnt how we went from bicycle to small cars to big airplanes. Our classroom is filled with posters of roadways, railways, waterways and airways. We stick pictures of different vehicles on these posters. We have lots of fun and it is easy to remember these things,” said Pratayush Kumar, a Class 4 student of NL Dalmia School.
Smt Sulochanadevi Singhania School, Thane, has been implementing theme-based learning programmes for the past six years now. The school follows a system called SPICE (see box). “Through this method, students are encouraged to ask questions, and relate things they learn to the world outside. They work with each other and come up with innovative solutions to problems,” said Revathi Srinivasan, principal of the school. The school plans to implement this method in Classes 5 and 6 next year.
In a similar attempt to break away from the textbook-mould, schools are teaching outside classrooms. What started as an experiment to grow food organically using campus waste, soon turned into an out-of-classroom learning experience for students of Smt Surajba Vidya Mandir, Jogeshwari. Besides urban farming, students studied the evolution of farming methods and Maharashtrian agriculture in history class and teachers taught concepts of demandsupply and budgeting in the economics class.
The arts too are being used to make dreary subjects more interesting. At Amulakh Amichand School, Wadala, students were asked to bring out lessons taught in environment studies, science and value education classes through plays in the dramatics class. During the Ugly Duckling adaptation, students spoke of self-confidence and displayed placards on keeping lakes and ponds pollution-free. During practices and rehearsals, English teachers taught them vocabulary and gave essays on topics related to the play. “Students overcame stagefright, and their creativity blossomed. They even made props from waste material,” said Uma Chaudhary, principal of the school.

WHAT IS THE SPICE METHOD?

1 SPICE IS A TOOL
I LLUSTRATION: ABHIMANYU SINHA for theme-based learning. Six weeks are dedicated to cover aspects of a selected theme across disciplines
2 IT STANDS FOR
S: similarities and variety, P: patterns, I: interaction, C: continuity and change E: evolution and adaptation
3 STUDENTS WORK

in groups across various disciplines and have a comprehensive understanding of the topic by the end
4 AN EXAMPLE
Sahyadri mountains: Students learn its vegetation in biology, forts in history and land forms in geography
5 IN THIS WAY,
all disciplines such as languages, science, maths and social studies can be covered in openended way

‘We need to pique a child’s curiousity’

The former principal of Jamnabai Narsee School has helped implement the SPICE method in Smt Sulochanadevi Singhania School and NL Dalmia School.
What led to SPICE?
In 1992, I tried to implement the SPICE methodology in Atul Vidyalaya in Gujarat, where we decided not to have textbooks up to Class 4. It’s a project-based teaching-learning process that guides students to discover what is present in their surroundings and give their discoveries perspective.
What are its benefits?

We need to make learning in classrooms a participative activity and build a sense of wonder and discovery around the concepts we teach. SPICE reduces the burden on children and goes beyond limiting, drab textbooks. There is a link between what they learn in school and their daily lives. The method increases curiosity and observational skills in children. There is no compartmentalisation of subjects and children work as a team and help each other learn through projects.
What is needed to implement SPICE in schools?
A committed principal who is convinced of the benefits of this method is an absolute must. Also, teachers need to be trained to break away from traditional method of teaching from textbooks. This system can be successfully implemented up to Class 7; beyond that, we are bound by different board examinations.
( As told to Anjali Lukose)