KALPANA SHARMA
A decade ago, when I stepped into Rajghat Besant School, I was awestruck by the vastness of the space. There was something very alluring about the campus. As I began my journey in teaching, many questions have arisen in my mind related to the ambience of the place. I often used to ask myself—what thought must have gone in building a space like this? Was it a conscious effort to exercise an ‘architectural psychology’, an effort to build up physical spaces which provide a sense of solace, and are conducive towards learning? The entire environment was inclusive and had such a positive impact on emotions, attitudes and behaviour. I could feel the shifts within, and it urged me to stay with this question—what role can a space offer in facilitating the process of learning and flowering, in fostering creativity and curiosity?
The welcoming assembly hall
Our Assembly Hall at Rajghat Besant School is a masterpiece. It resonates with the ambience of Shantiniketan, for it was designed by Shri Surendra Nath Kar, the architect of that hallowed institution. Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore came to inaugurate it. The structure is vast and embraces one with a sense of positive energy. Generally, buildings have a frontal presence but this structure has a welcoming side at each end. The back side is closed and yet has a frontal presence as it faces the Ganga. The central hall is multifaceted. We not only have assemblies and gatherings here, but it also has four classrooms leading off from its corners. Students in primary school start their formal learning in this space. The openness itself speaks volumes, for there are no doors to the classrooms. Till date I don’t know the real reason behind it; but to me this feature is a symbol of inclusion, a perfect example of a barrier-free setting. The windows are broad and provide enough of an opening to soak in the lush nature which surrounds us: peacocks dancing, little squirrels running here and there among the ancient trees and the Ganga just a few steps away.
I find the classrooms very welcoming, as they convey a sense of space and flow. The approach is minimalistic. Children sit on straw mats with little colourful desks. They mostly sit in circles or semi circles, so that there is a constant flow of communication. Krishnamurti and Tagore have both placed nature at the centre of learning, and this can be witnessed at Rajghat. Having been here for a while now, I have felt deeply that this place embodies a certain cultural idea. Compassion and relationships are at its centre and the ambience radiates warmth all around. This is the most sacred place for me till now.
Once, during my BEd programme, a mentor had mentioned that if one really wants to learn about a school, one should closely look at the art work done by children. This is the best sign of the quality of learning happening in the school. These artworks can never be produced to a certain quality, by placing any specific demands. Here, all around, I saw phenomenal work on display. This was possible only because children felt safe, secure that their work will not be judged or criticised. It reflected a truly inclusive approach.
The junior school programme
My major reasons for joining a Krishnamurti school were for my own learning and to find the right learning environment for my five-year-old son who has special needs. Prior to joining this school, I was in touch with a few experts in the field, occupational therapists, special educators, psychologists, who had guided me in developing a learning environment for my son. However, once I started my journey here, I slowly started moving away from these ‘outsourced methods’ as nearly everything required was a part of the fabric of this school.
The core of the program revolves around all three—the head, heart and hands. Project-based learning with its rich interdisciplinary approach has its own merits. This enables one to build connections across subjects, augmenting conceptual understanding in various subjects. This also aids differentiated learning, giving each child an opportunity to assimilate things better and at their own pace. The art programme in the junior school is an integral part of the learning process. Most of the exercises which I used to do for my son were all woven into the art programme here. Dance, music, tabla, craft, pottery, sports, all these provide joyous routes to expressing oneself. Overall, I have come to feel that we are sowing the seeds that promote socioemotional learning, keeping in mind the neuroplasticity of the developing brain. Observation is the key chord, promoting attention, listening, seeing and feeling. Earlier I had been working on these aspects in isolation through a set of exercises for my son. But now I realized that all of this is embedded in the curriculum here and this has proven helpful for my son.
Meeting children’s individuals learning needs
As the years progressed, I have been drawn to the approach of working with each child differently. Class discussions among the teachers of a particular set of children are an important platform for understanding each child. While working with children who have some special needs, we talk about an Individual Education Plan (or IEP). The way in which these class discussions flow, each child is discussed at length. The process shows that each teacher is very alert, for our evaluation is far from judging or classifying children according to a set of criteria. The subtle and unique aspect of each child is captured, and this has a tentative tone since the child is seen as a dynamic being. These meetings aim at not just sharing and listing out the flagged areas but also discussing, as an adult body, how can we together come closer to understanding the uniqueness of the child and figure ways to move forward with the child.
During a discussion among teachers about a particular class, we were once discussing a child who was not coping well academically and had frequent outbursts of anger. He was a socially withdrawn child. He was slow at writing and completing his school work. Most of his teachers had started feeling that he appears to be ‘lazy’, ‘unwilling to work hard’, ‘irresponsible’ and ‘stubborn’. As a way forward everyone was asked to share the positive strengths of the child. It was then recognized that he was an avid reader, loved to sing and was good at football. The class teacher then suggested that we take these strengths as the starting point and just put aside everything else for a few weeks. Another colleague who had worked with the child in the previous grades shared that the child probably has a learning difference, so he needs to be dealt with more patiently and provided some one-on-one help. He further added that it would be a good idea to start with some positive feedback and make it balanced. Everyone agreed to offer this. We also spoke about focusing on what the student does, rather than acting on assumptions of what he/she is like. Moreover, in sharing our feelings, we suggested that it is better to make ‘I’ statements (rather than ‘you’ or ‘they’ statements), for this would help build better communication and trust. The teachers slowly started working with the boy, focusing on his areas of strength and through these, also working on academics. He started anchoring book talks and organizing cultural evenings. He was also made an active member of the gardening club. All this helped him to come to know his unknown ‘self ’ and gather confidence. The inner chaos started to settle. Slowly, he started coming out of his shell and became chirpier. Today, he is on his way to becoming more independent and can handle many things on his own. It is beautiful to see him smile, laugh, play, spend quality time with his friends, articulate his thoughts confidently in class, and become responsible for his learning. He loves to go for silent walks and writes poetry as well.
The Learning Resource Centre
While this collaborative approach has helped many children, nonetheless we do have a few children who need a little more support than what this process offers. These are children who have mild disabilities or children with special needs who are diverse learners. They struggle on the academic as well as social-emotional front. They need special interventions to make their learning process more joyous and meaningful. Hence, at Rajghat we felt that we could walk a few more steps and become inclusive in a wider sense. This is when we established the Learning Resource Centre (LRC) in 2017. The LRC is a whole school approach where we work together to support these diverse learners. This centre aims at creating an inclusive school by sensitizing teachers, parents and students. This is led by teachers who are trained to work with special needs children or are experts in remedial teaching. It is a space that is equipped to meet the demands of the diverse learners. The LRC also attempts to ease the journey of the child by exploring various concessions granted by examination boards and help in planning for the future of the child.
After having worked through our normal interventions with the child, giving enough time for the child to unlearn, learn and relearn, all efforts are made to build a conducive learning environment, keeping the unique nature of the child at the centre. Support classes, that take the form of one-on-one sessions or working in small groups, are anchored by the special educators. Intensive work is done with the parents as well. For many children this support is very helpful and they slowly start becoming responsible for their learning. And yet, for some we feel that this support is not enough and they need something more. To figure out a way to work with such a child, we work out an assessment plan. Using informal tools, we take comprehensive feedback from current and previous teachers. This includes all aspects of the child—academic, emotional and physical. We also meet the parents and take their inputs too. Previous Knowledge Testing (PKT) is done to understand the current academic level of the child. This helps in creating a comprehensive profile of the child—strengths, needs and current academic levels. At that point the child is also sent for an external assessment with a comprehensive school report stating his current level, interventions done and problems faced. The formal assessment done outside the school by experts (psychologists, special educators, therapists) then acts as a guide map for the school and parents to work with the child. It helps us to identify the ‘dominant mode of learning’ of the child and offer more focussed help. The report is future-oriented and also guides us about concessions and accommodations which could be helpful for the child.
Concessions recognized by exam boards
Examination boards in India, such as the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), offer the following concessions or accommodations:
- Extra time or a scribe is provided during the examination to help the child give a better performance.
- Assignments and examination papers are marked for content and ideas, while ignoring handwriting and spelling mistakes.
- Use of a calculator is allowed as per some guidelines.
- The facility of choosing alternate subjects as per guidelines of the Board can be considered.
- Exemption from the third language may be considered.
Some people feel that these concessions encourage mollycoddling of the child. However, to me these concessions echo the positive spirit of inclusivity. To use an analogy: it is just like wearing glasses to support our vision. Over the past one and a half decades I have closely witnessed how these scaffolds help in weaving together an alternative curriculum which is responsible and sensitive. In other words, a curriculum which helps in the growth and development of every child. The emotional and academic aspects of a curriculum are two sides of the same coin. I feel that while dealing with the academic front, if we don’t also provide the right kind of emotional support, it is a fragmentation which is unjustified. I wonder what kind of inner world of the child we would then be nourishing.
These concessions liberate the child and lift their spirits. For instance, learners with dyslexia mostly struggle with spellings and correct grammar usage. They are slow at writing and some of them also struggle with calculations. When a child understands that he now has extra time and need not be conscious about spellings and grammar or that he can use a calculator, the inner knots start opening up for most of these children. They become so much more at ease and start responding positively to our interventions. One of my students was given calculator support, and just a month later he started figuring his way out and became independent in learning math concepts. We thus need to ask: is math only about calculations? Giving this little scaffold, and one that is recognised by the exam board too, eased the journey for the child and helped him walk a few steps towards excellence. His body language changed; he seemed to be so much more at ease, and enjoying his learning process. Another student of mine, who has autism, was given the flexibility of choosing another subject as a concession. The child dropped mathematics in grade nine and picked up dance instead. Prior to this, the child would have frequent mood swings, feel agitated most of the time, and stay isolated. It was difficult to see this child going through so much distress. But the moment this concession was put into effect, there was a complete turnaround. Slowly the child began participating in hostel chit chats; he began to play with others, crack jokes and seemed happy. There were clear positive shifts seen in all other areas of his life too. Was this not a step towards helping the child sort out the inner chaos he had been experiencing?
What finally matters
A few months ago, I met a few of my former students who were diverse learners and who had passed out from Rajghat school. Meeting your old students is always a pleasure. But for me the joy was double, as I could see them bubbling with confidence, living without fear and enjoying every bit of what they were doing now. This has made me think further about how important it is to teach our children to learn how to overcome fear, how to question, how to resolve conflicts, how to live together, in other words, how to be truly human! For me as a teacher, it has been a journey of exploring all the possibilities of inclusion through an alternative curriculum that is responsible and sensitive. This has also helped me to think and learn with my students in a boundless manner.