Most of us have grown up in a time where we were sent to schools closest to our homes with a “one size fits all” academic curriculum. The students who could not cope with it were simply labelled “dumb” or “lazy” and no one really spared a thought about other abilities, strengths, or gifts that they might have possessed. We almost never saw a child “different” from us in our schools. We have come a long way from there today, thankfully!
With the advent of the information age, parents, students, educators, school administrations, and governments have made a concerted effort to include a diverse range of students into the education system. Today, we have schools dedicated to catering to the needs of those who learn differently and TABIS is the forerunner for this cause.
Let’s start from the basics. The first thing that children observe as soon as they set foot in the school, is its infrastructure. The wall colours, the posters, staircase, ramps, classrooms, washrooms – all designed in a way to make them feel welcomed and comfortable. The rules and regulations that one must follow in school are also more practical and aimed at student – betterment rather than punishment.
Placing students in ability-appropriate grades rather than age-appropriate grades makes them feel that they are at par with their peers and instils a sense of fair and healthy competition. Depending on the requirements of the students, classroom modifications are made with respect to seating arrangements, lessening distractions, having a shadow teacher for assistance, etc.
At TABIS, the Junior School section designs its own thematic-based curriculum, while the Senior School section follows the NIOS Board. No matter the content being taught, the focus of our teachers has always been to teach the child, rather than teach the topic. Since every classroom has students who learn differently and are at different levels, the lesson planning, and delivery are carefully designed, targeting all learning mediums - auditory, visual & kinaesthetic. The worksheets or activities are also graded from easy, medium to challenging levels of difficulty so that the students themselves work and build on their skills. This helps them assess their own progress and gives them a sense of achievement. Differential teaching methods are used to meet the needs of the group – whether it is hand-holding a child who needs help or creating opportunities for further exploration on a topic for the gifted ones.
“Why am I learning this?” “How is this going to help me?” “Where will I use this in my life?” – Very often, these are questions that students think about. Curriculum integration is at the forefront of our planning and makes the entire process of learning holistic and more meaningful for the student. This helps the students build connections and does not isolate one subject from the other. Drawing examples from real life, experiential learning, field visits, and talks with resource personnel from different walks of life, etc. – all bring learning closer to home for them. The teachers also are motivated and encouraged to develop new skills and learn new teaching-learning strategies through our monthly Professional Development Sessions.
Another question that generally plagues the mind of a student, is how to learn the content taught or understood. The learning strategies for the content are incorporated in the process of teaching itself. Thus, their stress and anxiety are reduced since they know not only what to learn but also how to learn it. The learning strategies shared are logical, relatable, and also fun! Many a time, students themselves come up with these strategies and are encouraged to share them with their peers. This builds their confidence and also makes them active participants in the teaching-learning process.
Assessment techniques used, target understanding rather than marks. Project-based work, book-making, presentations, research-based questions, activity-based assessments, problem-solving are some of the interesting techniques used. The students enjoy these and it reduces performance anxiety due to examination stress. For the formal assessments too, students set their own benchmarks in consultation with the teacher. The child’s progress is compared to their own previous performance rather than against a class average. This makes the goals more realistic and achievable for the students and they are more likely to work towards it since they are involved in target-setting.
At TABIS, we focus on holistic development rather than mere academic excellence. Hence, the daily timetable of a student includes speech, occupational, and behaviour therapies as well as co-curricular activities. Regular multi-disciplinary meetings help to understand the Occupational and Speech Therapy requirements for the students, their areas of difficulty, strategies that can be used for them, and their progress on those lines. The co-curricular activities are also carefully chosen, once again, to ensure the development of the mind, body, and soul. Activities like Chess, Curiosity Gym, Art, Dance, and Drama are not only a lot of fun and break from academic work, but they also teach higher-order thinking skills like reasoning, logical thinking, and problem-solving. It also gives them an outlet for creative expression. Mental health awareness and guidance are critical in today’s times - The Minds Matter Program is a unique mental health initiative of the Aditya Birla Education Trust, first introduced at TABIS. This gives students an opportunity to explore, understand and express their thoughts and feelings, makes them mindful of those of others around them, it helps them build empathy which goes a long way in moulding their overall personality.
We strongly believe in our motto – inspiring potential. Through a wide array of events held like Sports Day, Project Day, Annual Day, Language Fest, or Math Fest, a platform is provided to showcase a variety of talents that our students possess.
Inclusive education is the need of the hour – with an increasing number of students facing academic difficulties or mental health issues, it has become even more important for schools and educators to realize that this is the way forward. It helps students become more mindful, tolerant, and open-minded about accepting individual differences. It is the stepping stone to develop mature individuals who are sensitive and capable of developing friendships with a wide variety of other children irrespective of their differential needs and abilities while making those with differential needs feel like they too are a part of the bigger picture – It’s a win-win for all!
If you are looking for a special school in Mumbai, you can contact here.
Author:
Delnaz Sinor, Teaching Faculty - Senior
The Aditya Birla Integrated School
Also read- https://www.adityabirlaintegratedschool.com/blog/looking-for-top-special-schools-in-mumbai
