Kidss is an amazing, encouraging school in Pune, India. In this edu-caring school, children from 6 weeks up to 15 years of age live and learn together. 1 year olds learn reading, mathematics and 5 foreign languages. Parents and children are closely integrated in the learning process!
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Newspapers describe VKidss as "School of the Future Comes to Pune", "Parents make the most of these vital years", "Maximise your child's learning ability", "Never too young to learn", "Babe's Day Out", "The futuristic School of the Millenium"...
To our great pleasure, VKidss website contains comprehensive information about the school's philosophy and culture. Take the inspiring read and view the video - will you also make it into this bright school future? In this life or the next?
Will you also make it into this bright Future? To our great pleasure, VKidss' website contains comprehensive information about the school's philosophy and culture. Take the inspiring read and better your chances of creating a �future� that is quite beyond our common imagination.
We recommend that you view the VIDEO for hands-on impressions!
In the video, you hear about educational principles by Buckminster Fuller http://www.bfi.org/, that every child is a genius from birth.
And when you see few months old children playfully learning foreign languages (german and french besides english) and reading
the alphabet, you will see what this means. Teachers explain how quickly children change their social behaviour in the school.
To view the video, go to http://www.vkidss.org, enter, - a music is starting. See the yellow arrow at the right hand bottom? click the arrow pointing to the right 6 times. On this page, at the bottom left, you see a link to the Video.
Click it, it will open a NEW PAGE with the video. Tips: The music that started at the beginning, will disturb listening to the video. Close the original vkidss.org page. Now, click the play button to start the video. Is the resolution poor? You can enhance it by making the browser window smaller. You can resize the window to your preferred size by using your mouse and adjusting the browser window edges.
On the website you learn about the teachers, and open positions for Young Women Teachers. You will see that the staff is made up exclusively of young women. The school is looking to employ more "trained, enthusiastic and creative young lady teachers."
The section about teachers explains: "Our teachers are very young, enthusiastic and loving. The basic criteria for the teachers' selection are
1) Love for children
2) Abundance of patience
3) Professional Skills
Our teachers are trained every day on theories as well as on the handling of tiny babies of six weeks of age rioght up to 15 years. The subjects covered, beside the basics of Montessori Teachers' Training, B.Ed sillaby, on the latest concepts on neurolinguistic development. These are based on the research-based discoveries on multiple intelligence, learning styles and their application by Howard Gardener, Edward de Bono, Glenn Doman, Lauren Bradway, and other prominent neuro-scientists. Other subjects covered are training on foreign languages (Greman, French, Spanish, Japanese), kinesiology (BrainGym), human effectiveness, creative thinking, art of generating harmony, love and patience."
Teachers' comments on their own learning experience are amazing. They are available in the Teachers section.
"I have been a teacher for five years. And in spite of being number two in my earlier schools, I realised that I knew nothing, when I came face to face with true learning. I am confident today, that the children I am helping learning and training, are going to be the pillars of tomorrow - of my country and the world at large. I have a vision that some of these great kids are the future Nobel Prize laureates of the scientists that will bring grace to humanity. All this would not have been possible, if it wasn't for VKidss."
This is not exactly like in conventional schools, but reminds VERY MUCH of the successes of PISA world champion country Finland, where teacher training deals only to 40% with content, but 60% with pedagogy. Also, in Germany's excelling Helene Lange Schule (Wiesbaden), curriculum content is reduced and learning processes are central. The entire 9th grade spends 5 full weeks exclusively on a theatre project.
Better skills and results despite less of formal curriculum content? No - because of it! answer the principals and decision-makers in charge.
Note also that in Finland, students applying for teacher training at university, have to pass an admission test. It tests complex understanding about teaching. But it can also be seen as a personality test. Only people understanding the responsibility of the teaching profession, and willing to follow lifelong self-development as a teacher, enter the education system in Finland. This is 10% of the people that apply. And 10% may be exactly the quota of what we have experience din our personal school careers as what we may understand to be a - GOOD Teacher, the ones to whom conscientious parents gratefully entrust their children.
But Victorious Kids Educares takes it further, also because of the cultural traditions of India. Here are some details about school life.
School children include babies from 6 weeks of age.
From the start, they learn english, french and german, mathematics and reading. Leadership skills, ethics and the arts make part of the holistic curriculum. Teachers at Vkidss take two shifts from 9am to 6pm.
A lot of information is available in the section on "Our Training Methods".
It tells you a lot about "Emotionally Intelligent and Creative Parenting" integrating the parents in the learning process, - and filling the gap that governments and media don't educate parents about.
The approach is based on established findings in neuroscience, and manifests having fun teaching children from as early age as 12 months, languages, math, animal names and their classification - more easily and more fun than older children. Thereby stimulating and laying a long-term path of learning for the young learner. The difference of intelligence and thinking is mentioned. The role of the teacher is seen as a learning facilitator than someone filling a passive, empty bottle - like conventional school education does. Major cultural shows are of course of Victorious Kids Educares' curriculum.
WHAT ELSE?
The school nurtures a view towards life that will help children succeed in life. It shows familiarities with cultural traditions
There are some key approaches about a good life discussed with the children: These "laws" when spoken to a child have to be simple and not abstract.
FIRST LAW: Everything is possible.
SECOND LAW: If you want to get something, give it first.
THIRD LAW: When you make a choice you change your future.
FOURTH LAW: Don't say no - go with the flow.
FIFTH LAW: Every time you make a choice or a wish, you plant a seed to grow.
SIXTH LAW: Enjoy the journey.
SEVENTH LAW: You are here for a reason. Find the reason why you are here?
"You are here for a reason."
We can present this to a child, let us say on a Sunday, like:
"- How did I make difference today?
- What talent did I uncover?
- What did I get from this Universe, through someone, a gift, a lesson, a beautiful experience - that made me feel special?
- What did I do to make someone else feel special?
Sit together silently and feel the reason. Even if she / he is not sitting, you do.
Have a smile on your face with your eyes closed. They should see the glow of joy from your face."
(Note: Readers with a modern, urban background should not perceive this as esoteric traits. These are simple basics appreciated in all cultures and spiritual traditions of the world, in all religions, in common sense, in psychology and ethical values learning programs. You find them - maybe "translated" - in mainstream magazines about well-being all over the world. They are not new. They have been part of indian culture ever since, and are a cornerstone of the particular positive qualities of India; besides others that could be improved for more congruence with societal frameworks agreed in United Nations charters.)
http://pnyv.org/index.php?id=34&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=270&tx_ttnews[backPid]=564&cHash=ac27bf8719
Links:
CONTACTS:
Victorious Kids Educares
WEBSITE: www.vkidss.org
Telephone: +91 20 31005859, +91 (0) 9822009578, +91 20 30901072, +91 20 26878333 (FAX)
Postal address: "SHUKRANA", Behind Empress Garden, Pune
Email: Personal Enquiry: robbinghosh@vkidss.org
