(As taken from the pages of my journal)
It has been an interesting 2 days in Shantinetikan and the surrounding area. Tagore is definitely the heart of the systems here, with a very revered status amongst the people. Touring the high school and university campuses was a scene of a true open-air no walls concept. Classes are held mostly outside. K-8 students explore their natural surroundings with a special focus on music, dance, arts, and poetry. The basics of reading, writing, and math are also taught with school beginning at 5:30. A very unique aspect is that the K-12 is located within the university complex and these students have access to the university students and professors.
Throughout this weekend, the question of elitism and idealism were topics of conversation. I am interested in Tagore the man and what is early and middle years were like. He was definitely in the elite class, and originally the school was for the elite. It appears to have evolved in the last 20 years or so bringing rural and tribal people into the school. How will his philosophy and beliefs transfer back out into these communities? What is the impact of the students who return home on their tribes and villages?
A theme that is common both here and at the Loreto school in Kolkata is creativity. Creativity is taught in the arts, but it is not very visible in the other realms. By creativity, I mean the application and analysis of content material to the students' lives and communities. Moments of reflection, or analysis of experimental results, that type of thing. Students know content very well, but struggle to apply that knowledge to situations or their own lives. If students read a poem, the teacher explains what it means and students write that down. Whereas at Ocean View, students would read the poem, offer up their interpretations and impressions and then we discuss it together. It often leads to me changing that I teach that day and gives students a chance to apply something to their own like. I wish that I could get my own students to remember content the way it is done here in India without losing the application and creativity piece. That is something I am working on to take away from this amazing trip. The best part of this weekend was spending the morning, conversating with some of the teachers at the school. It was a time of sharing experiences, methods, success and opportunities on both sides. I think this was one of the most beneficial and enlightening moments of my trip so far.
It has been an interesting 2 days in Shantinetikan and the surrounding area. Tagore is definitely the heart of the systems here, with a very revered status amongst the people. Touring the high school and university campuses was a scene of a true open-air no walls concept. Classes are held mostly outside. K-8 students explore their natural surroundings with a special focus on music, dance, arts, and poetry. The basics of reading, writing, and math are also taught with school beginning at 5:30. A very unique aspect is that the K-12 is located within the university complex and these students have access to the university students and professors.
Throughout this weekend, the question of elitism and idealism were topics of conversation. I am interested in Tagore the man and what is early and middle years were like. He was definitely in the elite class, and originally the school was for the elite. It appears to have evolved in the last 20 years or so bringing rural and tribal people into the school. How will his philosophy and beliefs transfer back out into these communities? What is the impact of the students who return home on their tribes and villages?
A theme that is common both here and at the Loreto school in Kolkata is creativity. Creativity is taught in the arts, but it is not very visible in the other realms. By creativity, I mean the application and analysis of content material to the students' lives and communities. Moments of reflection, or analysis of experimental results, that type of thing. Students know content very well, but struggle to apply that knowledge to situations or their own lives. If students read a poem, the teacher explains what it means and students write that down. Whereas at Ocean View, students would read the poem, offer up their interpretations and impressions and then we discuss it together. It often leads to me changing that I teach that day and gives students a chance to apply something to their own like. I wish that I could get my own students to remember content the way it is done here in India without losing the application and creativity piece. That is something I am working on to take away from this amazing trip. The best part of this weekend was spending the morning, conversating with some of the teachers at the school. It was a time of sharing experiences, methods, success and opportunities on both sides. I think this was one of the most beneficial and enlightening moments of my trip so far.
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