School's Approach to Early Childhood Education:
The School’s approach as it has developed today, is based on Aunty Gauba’s philosophy. It aims at drawing out of pupils, their
hidden talents and igniting their intellectual as well as creative skills. The School does not follow any formal or rigid method at
this level. Instead, the emphasis is on approaching education in a way that draws upon the pupils’ own creativity and
imagination leading him/her to explore the road of education.
The School also aims to nurture various qualities in students such as self-control, imagination, responsibility, creativity, spontaneity, cooperation, etc. The children are encouraged to
perform various tasks both individually and in groups to develop self confidence and social skills like patience, empathy, respect
for others, communication, tolerant, etc. In the process of performing these activities and tasks, they get trained to believe
that difficulties must be overcome and never circumvented. The children are given food for thought through stimulating group
discussions, taking them out for educational trips and reading out to them.
We ensure to make learning interesting and activity oriented for our pre-schoolers. Activities such as colouring, free hand
drawing, clay modelling, flash cards, puzzles, interactive conversations and story telling for better listening skills are
practised to engage students for a better learning and communicative skills. Use of multimedia is done through smart
boards for enhanced learning of lessons and to capture the children’s attention and imagination.
English and Hindi, both are used to make the children learn these two languages. The medium of instruction, therefore, is
bilingual. English is taught first as it is easy for children to absorb a new language in their formative years. Once they
master the technique of dealing with the first language, it does not take them much time to master the second language Hindi
as it is widely spoken all over.
Teaching Methodology followed in School for the preschoolers:
Listening Skill.
Reading.
Writing.
Number work starts in Nursery.
Listening Skill:
Listening is a skill that can be improved upon. Active listening leads to strong communication skills. A child who listens well
expresses his/her ideas willingly. We at our school extensively promote storytelling, oral work and activities which involve
children where they need to hear, follow instructions and develop good communication skills.
Reading:
Reading begins with the introduction of English alphabets in an innovative manner. This develops interest in children and their
efforts become more concentrated. Gradually there is a shift from alphabets to simple small lettered words. By the end of the
session, children are able to read a primer fluently. There is a gradual progression in reading as the children grow up.
Writing:
Writing first begins on the floor. The children enjoy floor work exercises. It gives them space and freedom of movement. Next
stage is learn to write on a slate. Colourful chalks are used for the same. Once they are comfortable to write on slate, the final
stage is writing in their respective notebooks. By that time, they are confident enough to wield a pencil to write. They seldom
make mistakes in formation of alphabets or words. Gradually they move from simple words to sentences and so on.
Number Work:
Number Work begins with helping children to recognise numbers. The children learn association between number and quantity simultaneously.
The Card System used in Nursery and KG:
One of the interesting aspects of education imparted in the school is the use of cards. These cards were devised by Aunty
Gauba decades back and have been improvised from time to time. The aim of using these cards is to:
a) arise interest of children in the concept being taught as they are attractive visual aids.
b) give a clear picture of a story/a situation/a topic in a comprehensive manner to fuel the imagination and creativity of children.
For each subject matter, there is a set of cards (between 4–12 in numbers). These cards enlighten children about a concept
and also give suggestions for further reading, questions and illustrations.
Aunty Gauba felt that if this system could be properly implemented, it would make an stronger impact as visual impressions leave a lasting imprint in a child's mind. In order to
condition children to the idea of cards, these still remain as loose cards and have never been published in the form of a bound book.