Janwaar Math

We’ve enlarged our open school project and include now ALL children of the village œ whoever wants to come is welcome. We’ve set up a range of online courses with two freelance teachers (Hindi and Math) and PassionGuru, an NGO working with kids in rural areas. The kids have selected spoken English, Karate and Creactive Sketching as their favourite subjects. Anil, one of our first Open Schoolers, is taking care of the kids and shows them how to get online. You can read some of his weekly reports here.

Saurabh Suri, who is teaching our kids math, was introduced to me by Barthi Batra, the headmaster of Prakriti School or partner in the Open School Project. Saurabh is great – he is down to earth, hands on and has really understood, that the kids need the link to their daily lives in order to “start” learning. Here are just a few examples how Saurabh is “teaching” math. He is taking learning in a very organic (natural) manner. This way he can keep the excitement level of the kids high as they learn to use Math in their daily life experience.

His learning approach is based on Mahatma Gandhi. Nayee Taleem (New Education) was “introduced” by Gandhi in 1935 and has three pillars:

• Self-reliance with autonomy: A teacher, school and community must be self-reliant and must have autonomy to make decisions of school like curriculum design and learnings as per local needs.
• Mode of learning: The model of learning must be in local language as first language and using SUPW (socially useful productive work) ie hands on work, but done in scientific manner. Unfortunately today either our kids don’t want to do hands on work, or if they do then they do it so mechanically that they do not know the ability do any work from a scientific or logical mindset.
• Character building: Learning through our daily experiences, reflecting back and correct our mistakes next time.

Please click on any photo to enlarge the picture and then you can easily flip through!