Coming into the past few weeks in this, the
final newsletter of this academic year, we are in the process of reviewing and
reflection. How well have our children learnt? How many opportunities did they
get? How are our teachers doing in promoting learning?
This includes looking at the inter-school
events students participated in, tracking grades and progress. Teachers in the middle and senior school are
soliciting anonymous feedback from students and reflecting on their practice.
It is a useful exercise and often a heartening one.
Educators tend to be self-critical, looking
at an ever-receding horizon of what needs to happen next, forgetting to look
back at how far we have come each year. We forget about new initiatives – in
events like Founders, in introducing adaptive learning like Chalopadho in the
middle school, or the author visits and guest speakers across primary and
secondary school, the tributes in the MYP authorization report, the increase in
competitive matches in primary and secondary sports. In some ways this is good
– there is no space for complacency in education and it is only fitting that
the bar is constantly raised.
PYP
Exhibition
The PYP’s culminating assessment in the
form of the PYP exhibition was a delight to see how much our Grade 5 students
have learnt. The complex theme this year was an exploration of How We Express
Ourselves – an idea which would be a challenge for many adults. Please click on
the link below and watch the short video where students reflect on expression
through art, media and dance. It speaks volumes for how students learn to think
and examine deep ideas.
MYP
Personal Project
Grade 8 students invited parents and
students to view their personal project presentations, showcasing ingenious
ideas and creativity. Topics included the creation of video games, a dynamo
with a bike making electricity, apps, cookbooks, animated movies, fashion
design, magic tricks with Aditing, a book on terrorism and much else.
Learning
Opportunities in Art
Art students across the school benefited
from working with established artists to become familiar with mono-printing,
mosaic art, ceramics, sculpture and calligraphy brush painting.
Clubs
Middle and senior school students showcased
at an assembly what they have learnt all semester in the various activity clubs
they attended. There are 13 clubs for students to choose from, including chess,
photography, cookery, upcycling, dance, drama, music both Indian and Western,
community service etc. Some are run by external trainers, others by parents and
our own teachers. The level of learning was generally excellent though
inevitably the progress of individuals varied based on their interest and
involvement.
Adult
Education, Community Service and Workshops
In the past month the school held workshops
for our support staff.
One was on
educating them on the prevention of sexual harassment, an increasingly
important area for both men and women. The second was on cancer prevention and
the importance of self-examination for breast cancer. Many of our didis
expressed their profound gratitude at being educated into these crucial areas.
The Interact club held a bake sale in aid of CanSupport. It was a wholly
student-driven initiative and one which led to some interesting discussion on
whether fast food is the best sale item for this cause. Students pitched in
favour of the market force of what sells well and would therefore raise most
money, arguing that maximum fundraising was the aim and that students did not stop
eating these items outside. It raised an ethical dilemma and got them to think
about how they should define success criteria.
A leadership workshop was held for the
academic staff: Heads of department, coordinators, Grade coordinators. It gave
them the opportunity to reflect on their crucial and complex role.
Looking
Ahead
Even as we look back we are simultaneously
looking ahead at ways to enrich the programme further. The school is
introducing Robotics as a support area in different parts of the curriculum
across primary and secondary. An experienced teacher has been appointed and
equipment is being purchased.
We
are also in the final stages of purchase of a 3D Printer to enable learning of
and through this area.
And we plan to enrich our PE and fitness curriculum through the formal
introduction of Yoga at the secondary level as well.
Finally I would like to thank everyone who
continues to make Pathways into a special learning environment for our children
– our support staff, parents, teachers and school leaders. I hope you have a
good summer and I look forward to seeing students back in school on 1st
August. For those of you moving away and
leaving Pathways we very much hope you will stay in touch and continue to visit
the school and be a part of it in the years ahead.
Dr Shalini Advani
School Director
