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‘Every
child is a potential genius...’
Primrose School, a unit of The Mother’s
Service Society, Venkata Nagar, is a unique learning experience for the
child. It incorporates innovative teaching methods used in the USA which
enable early mastery of reading and writing skills. Children can easily
read books even of higher levels by the age of five.
The extensive use of computer,
video films and CD Rom programmes on computer in each classroom ensures
that children love to learn.
The student-teacher ratio is kept very
low to enable the teacher to work with small groups of 4-5 children at a
time while the others are absorbed in learning games or recreational play.
The most effective ratio is five students per teacher during pre-school,
LKG and UKG and fifteen students per teacher during standards 1 to 5.
The Method
A highly successful
alternative approach to education has been evolved in the USA by the
Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential, founded by the eminent
educationist Dr. Glenn Doman. Doman’s work is based on the conviction that
learning is a natural instinctive urge in young children that is very
often neglected due to a lack of exposure or compulsory teaching.
The most important aspect of the approach is the attitude
of the teacher, which should be that learning is a form of play which
fosters the blossoming of the child’s natural development. Children
naturally love to learn, and learning should and can be made interesting,
enjoyable, and fun.
No two children have the same gifts, talents, abilities,
interests, or emotional makeup. One of the keys to building a good
self-image is to allow each child to develop his or her gifts to the
fullest. At Primrose, we give each of our children the same attention and
care and yet at the same time bring out their unique talents.
Beginning at the lowest level in pre-KG, an extensive use
of flash cards containing English and Tamil words and general knowledge
subjects enables the child to absorb large amounts of information. Audio
visuals, including video films on nature, science, language development,
etc. and computers using multimedia CDs to teach sciences, geography,
English, Tamil, Hindi, French and history are important learning tools in
every classroom.
In Primrose School, despite the brief time exposure, very
average children are able to read simple Tamil and English stories by the
end of 15 months in lower Kindergarten, or around 4 or 4 ½ years of age.
During the same period, the children also learn to recognize all the
states of India, the geography of the country, the continents, peoples of
the world and a wide range of plant and animal species.
The unique aspect of our school is not a different
syllabus from other schools, but a different METHOD in teaching it. We
aim to be a School where learning is an uninterrupted stream of discovery
and joy.
Computer-aided Education
Fresh learning opportunities through library period,
creative story-writing, multimedia presentations on computers in science,
geography, literature, and foreign languages give a rich content to our
curriculum. At the UKG level, the child is introduced to computers
gradually in the area of maths and reading. By the 1st standard, each
child is given 1.5 hours per day divided into two sessions on his own
computer with lessons in reading comprehension, creative writing,
mathematics, science, foreign languages and the environment. Each child is
encouraged to go at his own speed and graduate to the next level whenever
he has completed the present level. We believe computers enhance the
learning process in the following ways:
1. Thinking processes:
Computer-based technologies provide support for thinking processes and
for acquiring problem-solving skills.
2. Self-esteem: Technology is something
children want to master. Learning to use computers enhances the children’s
self-esteem and makes them excited about coming to school.
3. Preparation for future: Technology
prepares students for the future. Both higher education and the world of
work will be infused with technology in future.
4. Skill development: Students, even at the
primary school level, are able to acquire an impressive level of skills
with a broad range of computer software. They can handle more complex
assignments and do more with higher-order skills because of the
supports and capabilities provided by technology.
5. Artistic creativity: Children become
enthralled with the creative arts offered by the computer in the areas of
designing web pages, greeting cards, colourful reports and homework
assignments using their natural artistic skills.
For
information:
Primrose School
120
Gundu Salai, Oulgaret
Pondicherry - 10
ph: 413-2290106,
2292346
e-mail: info@primroseschool.org
website: www.primroseschool.org
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