DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF ALTERNATIVE CURRICULUM
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In keeping with our vision we have been trying to bring into actual practice in the classroom an alternative curriculum and pedagogy. This has been found to be broadly in keeping with the new NCERT curriculum and NCF, 2005. This classroom engagement has involved a very intensive interaction with the teachers and has usually involved parents also.
Interaction with teachers. The interaction starts with workshops with the teachers on the approach to be taken and on the concepts to be dealt with. A preliminary baseline survey is conducted to assess the understanding of the children. Based on this a more specific curriculum is planned and Resource persons from Jodo Gyan conduct classes in one of the sections in the presence of the other teachers of the same grade. This is followed by discussions with the teachers. The visits to the schools are conducted either weekly or twice a week with opportunity for observation of the classes by the teachers. Periodic/monthly workshops are conducted with the teachers to deal with broader concepts and approaches. In practice this interaction has turned out to be something more than just mathematics and has involved many larger issues of human concern. The successes of the programmes have greatly relied upon the readiness of the teachers to enter into a dialogue with us and to go that extra kilometer to make things happen.
Interaction with Parents In most of the schools regular interaction with the parents has become a regular feature of our programme. This helps them to understand better the new methods their child is using and when and where they can help the child and when to avoid helping. These interactions have helped us to understand the fears and genuine concerns of the parents – whether it is ok to delay the learning of the tables, the role of writing and practice enz. This is an ongoing dialogue and so far this interaction has been very encouraging.
Role of School Leadership An unmistakable lesson from our experience has been the critical role that school leadership can play in bringing innovative practices into the school. It has been our fortune to come across principals and managements with vision and strength to take a leap into the unknown.
Below we provide a brief overview of the schools where we have introduced the new practices. More details of the curriculum itself are available in the preprimary, primary and middle school sections.
Jodo Gyan Kendra (1999 –on going) Kendra refers to the little ‘school’ for the children of Shakurpur that we started in 1999. From 1999 till 2006 the ‘school’ had only preprimary grades. Apart from this tutions used to be conducted for older children. The engagement with the learning of these first generation learners started us on an inquiry to find appropriate solution in mathematics and other subjects. In 2006 the school was extended to the primary classes. Children learn in non-graded classes broadly equivalent to Grade 5 and more details of the work are available in the section on Kendra.
Ar
 my Public School (APS), Noida (2004-2007)The programme on the alternative curriculum in mathematics started in APS in 2004 with intervention in Class I. It progressively included the higher class and when it rounded off in 2007, it included Class IV. APS classes are single teacher classes with each class having about 40 or more children. The collaboration with APS was a breakthrough because it showed the feasibility of conducting activity-based and dialogue based Maths classes in large classroom setting also. In 2007 the programme included the Classes I, II, III and IV and involved 8 teachers and about 320 students The Heritage School, Rohini (2005 – On going) The programme started in 2005 with classroom intervention in Grades 1 and 2 and each year it moved on to one Grade higher. The children who have learnt as per this curriculum have now reached Grade 6 and the programme in this school has the distinction of being the longest continuing curriculum programme outside the Jodo Gyan. A strong and close relationship has evolved over the years with this school and continuing trust of the leadership and teachers have contributed in a great way to making a strong and innovative programme. The Junior programme of Grades I, II and III involves 31 teachers and students 450 students. In Middle School Program of Grades IV, V and VI involves 6 teachers and 450 students. In Grade 6 our involvement is confined to place value, integers, fractions and decimals.
The Heritage School, Gurgaon (2006– Ongoing) The Junior programme was started in 2006 involving Grades KG, I, II, III involving 48 teachers and 720 students.
In Middle Program started in 2009 with Grade IV and presently it involves 180 children and 5 teachers. The work in the school added a new dimension to the work of Jodo Gyan because it involved partnering with a strongly professional parent community.
Maxfort School, Pitampura (2006 - 2009) In Classes I, II, III, IV and towards the end of the programme it involved a total of 420 children and 19 teachers. The programme continues to be implemented in the school. The dedication of the leadership from with the faculty has sustained the programme.
Swami Shivananda Memorial Institute (SSMI), East Punjabi Bagh (2008-09 and modified being continued) - Aided (Gover Pre-primary During 2008-09 Jodo Gyan designed and set up the Balwadi along with the deputation of a trainer and two teachers from Jodo Gyan. Two of the teachers have since continued with the Balwadi programme in SSMI. Primary During 2008-09 resource persons from Jodo Gyan was very intensely involved with the teachers and children of Grades 1 to 5 during the introduction of an alternative curriculum in the classroom. 2009-2010 Weekly activities were conducted with the children of classes 2 to 5 with opportunity for the teachers to be present. The programme involved 320 children.
The Heritage School, Vasant Kunj (2009 – Ongoing) This programme started this academic year in K.G. and Grades I and II and involves 180 children and 12 teachers. We are still in the process of getting to know each other and developing common meaning structures.
The way ahead Through this process, a community of teachers and resource persons has developed in Delhi. Today this community of practice with shared frameworks and language and symbols consists of about 110 people. Participation in the community is seen to evolve through different stages and we feel that usually about three years of participation is needed to become a fully competent member of the community with the first year for the major stage of initiation. (see Lave and Lave and Wenger,1991 and Wenger 1998 , for a discussion on communities of practice). As a community this is still in its infancy. Further development of this community and its interlinkages with other communities in education (both in academia and outside) and elsewhere is crucial in order to sustain the development of appropriate practices suitable for our children.
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