I had recently visited Eklavya, a school run by Prof. Sunil Handa (IIM A Alumnus and a Prof in IIM A) in Ahmedabad. It was a great experience to see a school with such a different pedagogy and focus on development of a child into an all round, well groomed individual.
I saw a clear focus on development of various faculties of the children there through doing rather than reading or listening. I believe firmly that we always remember our actions and we can relate to our actions more than to a book we read or a lecture we heard.
I saw principles of science being taught to children through various games. It was easy for children to remember the principle of potential energy and kinetic energy through looking at a ball in action falling from a height and seeing the potential energy convert into kinetic energy and vice versa. There were a lot of mind games (called Taaleem) which made children think and develop their mental abilities. The school looked very clear in its vision.
One of the most touching incidents narrated to me was the following:
The school authority had got a picture of a goddess carved on a tree trunk. It was shown to students and then there was a big debate in the school by the students whether it should be done. The students said that the tree should not be disturbed like that as it is a living being and then no other tree was carved by school authorities. Team work, care for environment and collective decision making is very clearly seen in the above incident. It really moved me.
For people who want to no more about the school can visit: www.eklavya.org
Harinder Chhabra's Weblog 