Inodai, which is set to open in Andheri this month, will not only be a school without blackboards, textbooks and homework but will also have one teacher for all subjects, who will greet kids with hugs and handshakes to make them feel special
Inodai, which is set to open in Andheri this month, will not only be a school without blackboards, textbooks and homework but will also have one teacher for all subjects, who will greet kids with hugs and handshakes to make them feel special
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IMAGINE a school sans blackboards, textbooks and homework; one where the teacher wants to make every child feel special and greets them with a hug or a handshake at the beginning of every day. Sounds like a dream, right?
A teachers' training programme at Inodai
Well, not anymore. For Inodai, a Waldorf School based on these principles is opening its doors in Andheri (West) with its first batch beginning on June 15.
Waldorf education, propagated by Rudolf Steiner, is an unconventional system of teaching, which emphasises the role of imagination and creativity in learning.
"The joy of learning is getting killed in the conventional system of education. In Waldorf education, we make sure that the child can express things differently.
They are asked to express themselves in whichever way they want," says Padmini Seshadri, head of the teacher training workshop at Inodai.
"Things are taught to kids in a different way altogether. The teacher sings a song or recites something and this is how a child picks up various subjects, simply by listening to the teacher," explains Dr Bindu Chowdary, a trustee of the school.
And, to make sure that children learn better, they have only one teacher teaching all the subjects between kindergarten and Std I.u00a0
"In Waldorf Schools, we make sure that there is just one teacher who teaches all the subjects to students from kindergarten to Std I, and then another teacher teaches all subjects from Class I to Class VII," said Aajay K.
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Chauhan, president and trustee, Inodai, Teachers who teach different subjects are subsequently introduced. "Until Std 1, the teacher will hug every student and welcome him or her into the class. After that, she will greet every student with a handshake when the day starts.
That is how every child will be made to feel special. This way, the teacher becomes like a second mother and the child knows who to expect in class every day, he added.
"We also believe in age-appropriate education. A child will be admitted to nursery only if he is three-and-a-half years old. He will be in Std I when he is six and not before that," he emphasised.
Teacher crunch
While the trustees claim that the system of education is different and brings out the best in a child, the biggest challenge they have come up against is finding teachers who fit their criteria.
"Getting the right kind of teachers is a problem because they from conventional schools and have to a lot of things. Many teachers join thinking that they can teach in the Waldorf way but later drop out. This affects the children and the curriculum," says Seshadri.
Seshadri Desikan, a former trustee of Tridha, Mumbai's first Waldorf School and a trustee of Inodai, was so keen on making his daughter get a Waldorf education that he sent her to a school in Australia.
"I wanted an alternative form of education for my daughter. I had heard about anthroposophy (see box) and Waldorf Schools and I did not want her to miss out on Waldorf education. I want her to come out as a complete Waldorf product even if its costs me a bomb," he said.
Inodai will start with the kindergarten section and then start one class up to Std XII every passing year.
Anthroposophy
Waldorf education (also known as Steiner or Steiner-Waldorf education) is a humanistic approach to pedagogy based upon the educational philosophy of the Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner, the founder of anthroposophy.
Anthroposophypostulates the existence of an objective, intellectually comprehensible spiritual world accessible to direct experience through inner development.
It aims to develop faculties of perceptive imagination, inspiration and intuition through cultivating a form of thinking independent of sensory experience.
Cmpetition
The question that is on everyone's mind, however is, can students from Waldorf Schools compete with their counterparts from conventional schools? "Our students appear for board exams. Hence the switch to college education is not difficult at all.
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Many of them even do better," claims Desikan. Bold claims indeed, because even he admits the jury is still out.
Himangi Ghosh, a trainer for teachers at Waldorf Schools has a more cautious approach. "It is too early to draw any conclusion. We will have to wait and see how our students are doing in their professional careers," she said.
Many schools in the city are also gradually opening up to the idea of Waldorf education. Sushma Dhumal, director, Vishwajyot High School, Khargar says, "Two years ago, we started with Waldorf education and introduced it from Class 1 to Class 5. Slowly, we will also introduce the idea in higher classes."
There are signs of this form of education getting accepted in colleges too. Says Vinita Bhatia, associate professor, St. Xavier's College, "We shall first have discussions about the course content and then decided whether to teach undergraduate students about anthroposophy."
Student's take
Pranika Borkar, who is in her first year of junior college at Mithibhai and is a former student of Tridha, said, "History, which is considered one of the most boring subjects, was presented to us in an interesting manner and extra curricular activities were actually part of our curriculum. At least I will not have to wait till retirement to learn gardening. It was taught in school itself." orkar now aspires to be a historian.
It's time for schools and colleges across the city to reopen for the new academic session. Keeping this in mind, MiD DAY will be bringing you a series of reports on significant issues related to the sphere of education.
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The stories will range from safety guidelines for school buses to the contentious issue of fee hikes.
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Also on the agenda will be the upcoming SSC results and the online admission procedures for educational institutions in the city. Remember, knowledge is power.
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