How does Pallikoodam Coimbatore perceive the Future of Learning?
It is mainly an attitude. One has to let go of the old shore in order to find the new. However, going out to sea takes courage, fortitude and resilience when familiar landmarks disappear. One has to be willing to reinvent the wheel. But if any area needs it, it’s EDUCATION, as the future stakes of our children depend on it.
The biggest shift in EDUCATION or the purpose is, putting the child’s voice at the centre. Often schools and institutes silence children and force them to accept the way of tradition.
We have to teach children to be their own leaders, otherwise, they will never survive in the new world of not just the 21st but also the 22nd centuries.
Moving away from a patriarchal, top-down, hierarchal, authoritative structure to an inclusive, collaborative, child-centred, self-organising model is the key. We are all in together. Education should be the most exciting place on earth, for students, teachers and school creators. It’s where the best innovation can happen. Instead of suppressing it, we have to wholeheartedly allow it to emerge.
As Abraham Lincoln said, ‘the best way to predict the future — is to create it’.
‘Taking education to the next level’… How does Pallikkoodam Coimbatore strive to achieve this?
There are many important aspects of changing the game.
Firstly, we are creating a personalised learning experience for our students with “HANDS ON & MINDS ON” rather than a standardised one. This is the most vital shift. It is good they move at their pace so learning is authentic and real.
We favour stage, not age, and keep our class sizes small, no more than 20 in primary and 23–25 in middle to high school and in that sense we are a boutique school, offering a bespoke and tailored educational experience.
We like the latest thinking in pedagogy and have therefore chosen the most modern and contemporary subjects from the Cambridge programme including Global Perspectives, Thinking skills, Environmental Management, Design and Textiles and Digital Literacy. At A’level we hope to add Media Studies, Design & Textiles, Marine Studies and Psychology — as well as all the usual STEM subjects.
We offer the full flexibility of the Cambridge system by allowing our IGCSE learners to schedule their own exams over the November, March and June series. This means they don’t have to take all their exams in one go (which is stressful). Much better to stagger them in order of preference. We feel this puts the learner in charge of the examination process rather than at the mercy of it.
Keeping in mind the digital and cyber safety, we embrace the internet and technology, harnessing these forces for educational purposes. Secondary children are allowed to bring their laptop to school; we often have digital reviews about best policy on their use, as discussed with the children themselves. Self-control is our ultimate aim. We would like our kids to be creators on the internet rather than mere consumers. As a school, we have been studying Digital Citizenship since the onset, to give children a positive and informed handle on the virtual universe.
Practically, we have personally designed the learning spaces, all the furniture in the school so that it is dynamic, flexible and interactive . Once again, this gives children and teachers the day-to-day power to express themselves in the classroom rather than be stuck in a rigid grid of conformist infrastructure.
In terms of our day-to-day reality, we do have semi formal uniforms and are on first-name terms with each other (addressing faculties as Mr and Miss).
We want the people of Pallikoodam (teachers & students) to go beyond the classroom and become a part of our culture making us democratic, cooperative, innovative, seeking and unafraid to explore. Most importantly, we are able to manage people’s differences of opinions with goodwill and equanimity. This is the spirit with which Pallikkoodam operates.
This goes to the heart of our community, where we have open, supportive and genuine relationships with each other — from the Trustees, to our School Board, the parent body, faculty, and children. Bullying is rare in our school. Creating a bedrock of safety, discipline, kindness, loyalty and harmony is key to our 21st grade school.
Author:
Swetha Krishnamurthy, M.Ed,
Founder, Pallikkoodam Coimbatore.
