Good Schools of India
Joy of Learning Weekly #42
Wood in the Hills - Sneha
Christmas Book Fair
WELCOME TO WOODSTOCK SCHOOL
ELICITING GREATNESS SINCE 1854.
“Many of them showed a strong interest in adult fiction and classic literature, even though those categories weren’t permitted for their age group. The team had to guide them to suitable sections, but their curiosity was a clear sign of how eager children are to explore beyond their usual reads #BrewingKnowledge.”
Brewing Knowledge Friday
We meet on Fridays to read and discuss from “What Did You Ask at School Today?” by Kamala Mukunda.
Key Takeaways
Intelligence is multifaceted. Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences (e.g., Linguistic, Musical, Spatial) and Sternberg’s Triarchic Theory (Analytical, Creative, Practical) challenge the narrow, school-centric view of intelligence.
Traditional IQ tests are culturally biased. They measure familiarity with mainstream culture, not “true” intelligence. The Flynn Effect (a rise in IQ scores with no corresponding rise in genius) further questions their validity.
Practical intelligence is distinct from academic intelligence. A study of milk plant assemblers showed their complex, in-head calculations for order fulfilment were unrelated to their low school performance.
Education can build “intelligent novice” skills. This involves teaching domain-specific knowledge, how to generalise it, and metacognition—the ability to think about one’s own thinking.
Learning Forward Saturday
Quick recap
The meeting focused on teaching English language skills to students through various classroom activities, including verb usage, silent letters, and interactive exercises. Brinda and Neelashi discussed plans for future teaching sessions and agreed to meet in Delhi to coordinate further activities. The group also covered teaching methods and classroom enhancements, emphasising the importance of creating engaging learning environments and proper English language instruction.
Learning Through Productive Failure in Grade 1 – Swati Tripathi at Sunbeam Gramin School
Experiment in Productive Failure –
In our class, we tried an experiment to see if struggling before teaching can help children learn better.
The teacher showed the children two chairs with a gap between them, along with a toy car. The task was simple: “Build a bridge so the car can cross without falling.” At first, the children worked in pairs for five minutes without any instructions. Many bridges fell. Some children stacked blocks into tall towers, some made only one side, and some gave up quickly.
Task Separation in Parent-Child Relationships
Our Read And Lead Saturday evening reading session from the book The Courage To Be Disliked, with Gurdeep as the Youth and Shalini as the Philosopher, focused on Adlerian psychology’s concepts of task separation in relationships, particularly in parent-child dynamics and workplace interactions, with discussions about balancing boundaries and expectations. The conversation ended with reflections on personal freedom, choice, and the value of productive failure in learning, along with discussions about using AI tools for capturing meeting insights.
Books Of The Week
Federer: Completely Revised And Updated Edition (English) by Chris Bower
This updated biography of Roger Federer traces his life and career from his early days to his legendary status. The author, Chris Bowers, provides an affectionate and analytical portrait of Federer, examining his influence on tennis and sporting history.
Lessons from the Guru–Chela Tradition - Sunbeam School Suncity
Guru Chela (Mentor and Seeker): Guru Nanak, the exalted guide, mentors his compadre to receive the spiritual baton.
"Allegory - A Tapestry of Guru Nanak’s Travels”, a 24-episode docuseries, sequentially explores Guru Nanak’s life events to unfold the deep import of his messages. This docuseries is filmed at over 150 multifaith sites in 9 countries.
Redefining and Reimagining Education - Neelashi
This week, a community engagement project in Bhandarjood and the Arthur Foot Academy’s hinterland is seeing the light of day.
The village teachers, girls, panchayat, and schools are coming together to redefine what education can be for adolescent girls in their village. For official purposes, the names of the organisations involved in implementing this project are not to be disclosed. What we can reveal is what is coming ahead of us and what has come along so far.
My Good School
The Session began by discussing workload management and priorities, then engaged in a reading session on Guru Nanak and Bhai Mardana’s relationship, which led to discussions about leadership and discipline approaches in education. The primary focus then shifted to analysing a new book titled “What You Are Looking For Is In the Library” by Michiko Aoyama, which features interconnected stories set in Japan and explores themes of stereotypes and professional identities. The discussion concluded with discussions of Japanese cultural practices in retail settings, the challenges of urban migration, and the impact of social media on adolescents, including personal strategies for managing digital use.
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