"Embracing Knowledge: The Power of Learning Through Exposure"

This year has started with a lot of learning for me!?

I work for The Green Acres Academy, Acres Foundation. This is my 5th year working with the institute.

Our school believes in continuous improvement as one of the ways to progress and lead change in the field of education. Continuous learning is also an integral part of our improvement efforts.

Acres Foundation is a learning hub, and we invest a lot of capital to provide professional development to our team.?

We conduct professional development sessions for all levels, including educational operations, instructional practices, and administration.

Decisions regarding who participates in professional development, when it occurs, and the topics covered are based solely on team members' performance, passion, and commitment towards the institute.

My mentor, Ms. Radhika Zahedi, attended a fellowship at the Teachers College of Columbia.

Meanwhile, my colleagues and I got an opportunity to go on an exposure trip to one the most reputed international schools in Bangkok, Thailand, “The Magic Years International School.”

Where did we go?

Magic Years International school, Bangkok Thailand.

The school is situated in the suburbs of Bangkok City, a place away from the hustle and bustle from the main city. While we were travelling to school from the airport I was wondering why a school would be far away from the city.?

But, when I entered the school, my question was answered: It had huge open classrooms, a play area, pet animals (turtles in a pond), a farm with goats, and salad plants such as tomatoes, carrots and so on. There was a canteen and dining area with a kitchen, an art room, an information desk, a visitor area, labs, a sub-school building for early years (EY), office rooms, a library, a music room, a gym room, a dance room, a big playground, a swimming pool, and a separate middle school building. Additionally, the suburb offers a quieter environment. I must say the choice for the location of the school did involve a lot of thought.?

Why did we choose MYIS?

Our school management knew the founder of this school, Ms. Khanum Thampi.?

Ms. Khanum has been running the school for over 30 years now. She is a dynamic leader and a visionary. During my conversation with her, I learned about her belief in every child's uniqueness and capacity. And how as educators our aim is to raise responsible, independent and kind human beings. I was truly inspired by her.

MYIS is a school which practices IB, Reggio, and incorporates some aspects? of Montessori philosophies in its curriculum and teaching practices.

Alongside these best practices, the school also upholds strong values and a culture similar to that of The Acres Foundation.

At Acres, our Early Childhood section is the most eclectic department. We are likely the first ICSE school in Mumbai to have taken the risk of transitioning from teacher-centered to student-centered education practices since 2019.

We have introduced a strong phonics program and a co-teaching model. Through inquiry-based thematic learning, comprehensive Math and literacy problems, we provide children with opportunities to explore, experience learning materials, have the freedom to move around in class, and play while they learn.?

We have been conducting and practicing this dynamic programme for the past 4 years.

And we felt now is the time for us to pause, look, and review ourselves as program providers.

The motive of this exposure was not to compare our programme with an international school, nor did we go there to copy a practice that MYIS is successful for.?

However, our main objective was to glean insights and learn- from the school, to understand the potential capacities of our students. We believe that children's needs are universal; if students in IB schools can learn these skills, why can't the same be done by students from any other school?

We chose MYIS because they were open to sharing their classroom experiences, teacher dialogues, observations, and looked at our visit as a gift in the form of feedback.

Educational institutions like MYIS are truly inspirational.

How was the overall experience/vibe?

We were spellbound with the way our exposure visit was planned by MYIS.

Ms. Merdith Sprang, the EY coordinator at MYIS, is an excellent educator. She and her team welcomed us with warm smiles and hugs.

All three days were fully packed with balanced schedule:?

• Starting with school tour
• Breakfast
• Class observation
• Lunch break?
• Play time/ gym/ dance observations
• Division meeting?
• Debrief?
• Goodbye for the day?

Each day was so fruitful.

The school was a living example of student-centered learning.

We witnessed young students from age of 1 to 7, all in the EY program.

Learning took place everywhere, whether through play, conversation, observation, or even emotions. The adults in the school guided students without being authoritarian. Their conversations were natural, as if they were speaking to young adults. Children were consistently reminded of the essential agreements, choices, and the importance of being aware of themselves and others around them. We discovered the significant impact of adults' roles in the environment.

Every quote from Dr. Maria Montessori I studied was a flashback for me when I was observing the classes. Dialogues, lessons, and interactions between teachers and students felt so real, and young children seemed like young adults to me.

“I call a child of three years a man because I see his merits instead of his size. He has acquired a great degree of independence and can do many things for himself – he can eat, speak, and walk without assistance. ”

- DR Maria Montessori

The 1946 London Lectures, p. 146

These words resonate so deeply in MYIS’ culture of learning.

What has stuck to me the most?

The belief of every teacher striving to make the students independent stuck to me the most.

As educators, our goals should always be to foster independence in our students.

Independence in learning numbers, sounds, packing and unpacking their bags, boxes, making friends, or even using the toilet, and expressing needs.?

Our duty is not to just teach but to be a guide to our students and assist them to become independent individuals for not? just academic success but for life. And this can only start from early years as we lay the foundation.

I look forward to more exposure and learning visits like this and believe every school or educational institution has something special to offer.

"I dream of being able to host such an immersive experience with my Acres Foundation team, welcoming educators, program professionals, and students from around the world to collaborate and share in learning."