Coimbatore: iDiscoveri, a social enterprise to renew education in India, has initiated a programme, XSEED, to help children develop a strong foundation in the primary years, which is critical for a child’s development.

The new scheme of education is to be adopted at Perks Junior School from June 2010.

Orienting the parents to the programme recently, Anustup Nayak, a partner with iDiscoveri, says the programme is adopted in over 300 schools reaching out to 1,20,000 students across the country and abroad.

As a practical approach, the team trains teachers on innovative teaching methods, since they should have a sound understanding of how children should be taught. The coverage of topics in XSEED is in line with the requirement of the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) meeting the requirement of CBSE and State matriculation boards.

XSEED is not an additional programme or syllabus that needs to be implemented beyond class hours, Mr. Nayak said and pointed out that the aim of the curriculum is to bring out a ‘winning child,’ they must enjoy learning.

Mr. Nayak says that the reality is that teachers and parents struggle through early years. “In such a situation we blame teachers and government.”

He says that XSEED incorporates several innovative methods. In Mathematics, beads, cubes and several such aids make the abstract concepts of numbers and fraction real for children. Science is made clear by making children start finding answers to scientific questions through experimentation themselves. In English, grammar is learnt in the context of application by using high-quality reading materials. Similarly, Social Science is learnt in the context of society around them using project works like surveys and interviews in addition to reading and finding information. Each topic in XSEED progresses through experience, observation, analysis and action. An ongoing assessment system is also followed ensuring that teachers are able to detect issues with the child’s learning as soon as they teach and hence take timely corrective action.

“There should not be a gap between the teacher and student. Even the back-benchers can raise questions,” he says.

Detailing further, he says the students’ workbook is designed to make a child think. The teachers will get a manual. On the role of parents, Mr. Nayak says that they should spend time conversing with the child, read with the child everyday and encourage child to complete the homework independently.

On the results so far, Mr. Nayak says that children are performing better than the children taught in traditional method and parents have reported that children’s skill is improving.

Principal of Perks School, Elizabeth Edwin says that the school will stress on the new methodology which will bring about a new change in the system. The programme will also focus on all-round development of child’s abilities. A video clipping on what is happening exactly in the class room was also shown.

Courtesy - Hindu