Author Alfie Kohn

Alfie Kohn's  six previous books include Punished by Rewards and No Contest: The Case Against Competition. A parent and former teacher, he was recently described by Time magazine as "perhaps the country's most outspoken critic of education's fixation on grades and test scores. " He lives in Belmont, Massachusetts, and lectures widely.

 

What to Look For in a Classroom
From The Schools Our Children Deserve by Alfie Kohn

 

GOOD SIGNS

POSSIBLE REASONS TO WORRY

FURNITURE

Chairs around tables to facilitate interaction

Comfortable areas for learning, including multiple "activity centers"

Open space for gathering

Chairs all facing forward or (even worse) desks in rows

ON THE WALLS

Covered with students’ projects

Evidence of student collaboration

Signs, exhibits, or lists obviously created by students rather than by the teacher

Information about, and personal mementos of, the people who spend time together in this classroom

Nothing

Commercial posters

Students’ assignments displayed, but they are (a) suspiciously flawless, (b) only from "the best" students, or (c) virtually all alike

List of rules created by an adult and/or list of punitive consequences for misbehavior

Sticker (or star) chart -- or other evidence that students are rewarded or ranked

STUDENTS’ FACES

Eager, engaged

Blank, bored

SOUNDS

Frequent hum of activity and ideas being exchanged

Frequent periods of silence

The teacher’s voice is the loudest or most often heard

 

LOCATION OF TEACHER

Typically working with students so it takes a few seconds to find her

Typically front and center

 

TEACHER’S VOICE

Respectful, genuine, warm

Controlling and imperious

Condescending and saccharine-sweet

STUDENTS’ REACTION TO VISITOR

Welcoming; eager to explain or demonstrate what they’re doing or to use visitor as a resource

Either unresponsive or hoping to be distracted from what they’re doing

CLASS DISCUSSION

Students often address one another directly

Emphasis on thoughtful exploration of complicated issues

Students ask questions at least as often the teacher does

All exchanges involve (or are directed by) the teacher; students wait to be called on

Emphasis on facts and right answers

Students race to be first to answer teacher’s "Who can tell me…?" queries

STUFF

Room overflowing with good books, art supplies, animals and plants, science apparatus; "sense of purposeful clutter"

Textbooks, worksheets, and other packaged instructional materials predominate; sense of enforced orderliness

TASKS

Different activities often take place simultaneously

Activities frequently completed by pairs or groups of students

All students usually doing the same thing

When students aren’t listening to the teacher, they’re working alone

AROUND THE SCHOOL

Appealing atmosphere: a place where people would want to spend time

Students’ projects fill the hallways

Library well-stocked and comfortable

Bathrooms in good condition

Faculty lounge warm and inviting

Office staff welcoming toward visitors and students

Students helping in lunchroom, library, and with other school functions

Stark, institutional feel

Awards, trophies, and prizes displayed, suggesting an emphasis on triumph rather than community

 

 

THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVE of The Gurukul is to educate, develop and prepare all our pupils for life in the “global village”. In doing so, the school recognises the complexity of life in India and that it would be failing the pupils if it did not prepare them for their integral part in society.

THE GURUKUL RECOGNIZES AND APPRECIATES THE WORTH OF EVERY CHILD, irrespective of colour, sex, culture, religious belief or nationality. We believe that each child should be valued and appreciated for his/her strengths. It is the responsibility of the school to give enough opportunities to discover the inherent potential of the individual child and develop the same, whether it is in Mathematics / Science, or the Creative Arts.

We believe that the time spent in school by children should be enough for an education. There should be no need for extra tuitions once the children are admitted to The Gurukul. With small class sizes, children will get all the extra help that they may require in the school itself.

Homework will be kept to a minimum in The Gurukul – and the older children will be given only up to an hour’s homework. This will be more of a reinforcement of work done in school and needs to be done by the child and not the parents. There will be no exams till the 4th Grade, though there WILL BE continuous assessment of the children based not only on tests or examinations and reports of the child’s work and behaviour will be sent home periodically.


Books will be kept at school and will be sent home only on weekends. The environment in the school is conducive to help teachers and students relate to each other without fear and pressure. The emphasis is on imparting learning skills and not on mere acquisition of knowledge. The student is encouraged to think independently, observe nature and environment and relate to it rightly and with sensitivity.

The Gurukul has instituted a SCHOLARSHIP FUND for children of parents below the poverty line, who have topped their classes consistently. This will be utilized for their higher education ONLY in Government Colleges. Applications have to come through their previous schools. The first scholarships were given to 3 children from Kerala in June 2004 and amounted to Rs. 20,000/- .



designed by Asha R Panickkar
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