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> Activities |
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| Educational activities |
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At Vikramgad (Rural Area)
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| Trainings and consultancies for spreading education methodology |
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Educational Aids
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| This concept was introduced and realized by the founder of Gram-Mangal, late Anutai Wagh, and by her mentor and Guru, late Tarabai Modak. It evolved as a consequence of their efforts to bring tribal children to the schools. Traditionally, in tribal families, the older off-springs would look after their siblings when parents went out in search of their daily bread. So in order to enable the older children to come to school, their younger siblings were also allowed to attend. This led to the experiment in collective classes – i.e., from crèche to primary classes – now known as Vikaswadi. This has continued even today.
• A multi-grade School. Up to grade 3 with attached crèche & preschool.
• Use of graded self-learning material, locally prepared by teachers themselves
• Flexible planning
• Emphasis on "open air activities"
• Continuous evaluation system (with no stress on examination)
At present there are around 250 children enrolled in 6 Vikaswadis and Balwadis (preprimary )
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| Every year, the elders in the families would set out for their earning season when they used to run out of their provisions at home. They had to leave their village. This earning period would, at times, be extended over months at a time. Inevitably, children had to accompany their elders, resulting in a mass exodus to cities. The schools would also close down. To combat this, the idea of a residential school got evolved at Gram-Mangal. In the face of problems and difficulties, the school was established in 1993. It remains exclusively for tribal children and entirely financed by Gram-Mangal.
At present, 50 children from grade 4 to grade 7 are taking education in the free school.
• Project method integrating all Curriculum subjects.
• Democratic education program
• Math's enrichment program.
• Training in Athletics
• Exposure and training in Hindustani classical music.
• Natural farming as integral part of school program
• Environment education program
• Arts.
• Education associated with Life skills
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Farming and allied activities
Although we have been experimenting with farm products and agriculture for some years now, it is only for the past few years that we initiated an organic farming system at Gram-Mangal with systematic inputs.
For that, a portion of the approx. six acres was allotted to agriculture. The foremost consideration is that no chemical fertilizers or insecticides etc will be used in the farm. Very systematically, trees were planted with an eye to what is needed, what can be grown in the available conditions and what will
utilize
the conditions most effectively.
The farm produce is primarily used for consumption on the campus. Any surplus is offered first to the families of our staff and friends. The quality is assured. Children have free access to the farm and its produce.
The students are assigned responsibilities for the well-being of the plants. In fact, they are encouraged to participate in the farming activities. Some time is allocated for looking after the plants and other farm products.
Gram-Mangal advocates and encourages the ‘organic farming method’. Gram-Mangal also sells surplus vermiculture and organic fertilizer. There is almost zero wastage on the farm. The small dairy provides for the entire needs of milk at Gram-Mangal. From time to time, we have experimented with breeding rabbits and raising poultry and eggs. |
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| Although Gram-Mangal had developed and continued developing hundreds of educational aids for the help of children in their constant quest for learning, it earlier lacked the facility of a formal training-cum-resource centre. This need was fulfilled with the support from ICICI.
The centre was constructed with the conscious effort that it should blend with the environments and yet provide the most appropriate means of training for the various resource-persons that come to Gram-Mangal in search of the best educational means for pre-school and primary school going children.
The centre has carefully stored all the samples of educational aids developed here. A preliminary study of their classification and the approach to their utility can be revealing. The importance of these educational aids in the development of the core competencies of any child needs to be understood.
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About five years ago, Gram-Mangal extended its experimental Vikaswadi to the town of Vikramgadh. Here, Gram-Mangal had a presence for some years, as part of its work in social service and through association with another sister institution, Gramin Vikas Parishad.
The effort met with immediate and resounding success, thanks especially to the strong appeal by its local teacher. As of now, the education has progressed to the 4 th standard. Unlike other Vikaswadis of Gram-Mangal, this one is not in the tribal belt. Also, Gram-Mangal does request for a part of its expenses to be borne by the parents.
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Schools may not provide good education; yet a home can become the effective centre for learning. This thought has led to the unusual experiment undertaken in Pune by Gram-Mangal. Many parents, dissatisfied with the education being provided in ordinary schools, have enrolled their children in it. This experiment is succeeding with the firm and full support and participation of the parents. Children from Balwadi to the 7th standard are participating.
Some of the objectives of these ‘happy homes’ are:
•A home should transform into a top education system.
•The entire house including the parents should keep learning all the time.
•The household, the children and the ‘teaching’ faculty should all blend together.
•Children should be enabled to grow with confidence, with the ability to take decisions, with problem-solving and with the development of a scientific approach.
•They should learn to relate with the environments, develop gracefully to become good citizens, inculcate values and be able to easily imbibe social responsibilities.
•To enable children master the abilities implied in the curriculum so that they become sensitive to arts, aesthetics, literature and languages and learn to enjoy them.
•Conscious efforts from parents can make the entire learning process effective.
•Education is not merely to become literate, but to learning how to live.
•Education and life’s routine ought to blend and learning must be useful in life.
•Search for musical, linguistic, mathematical, physical as well as internal and environmental intelligences must be undertaken and they must be encouraged.
•To enable children learn the ropes in realizing knowledge and remain ever curious for more knowledge.
Roles of the household and the parents:
•The home - the family environments - is the is the best place for effectively receiving various types of opportunities.
•Parents themselves will be the teachers. Their skills and professions will also be very useful in their children’s education process. Parents can also takes up the group responsibilities.
•They will keep notes of the development and progress of their wards.
The ‘Centre for Learning Homes’ will be a main centre of many such learning homes. It will help in keeping records of the progress made by each individual child and thus provide back-up in the progress. It will facilitate further stages of education by understanding the development graph of each.
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| Various training courses on the learning methods through the use of educational aids are conducted at Pune and Aine for Balwadi- and primary teachers. Thousands from schools as far away as in Thane, Mumbai, Pune, Vardha, Nasik, Ahmednagar, Chandrapur, Yeotmal, Dhule, Parbhani, Jalgaon etc have benefited from the trainings. Gram-Mangal runs training courses for teachers, parents, office bearers in educational institutions and all those who wish to work in the field of child education. These trainings deal with the science of learning/teaching, its methods and methodology, the relevant research and the techniques followed in different schools. |
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One year’s Certificate course in Balwadi Teachers' training : Developed by ‘Maharashtra Balshikshan Parishad’, this course runs for a year, preparing the trainee in the science of child education through actual experiences. This is a residential course run from Dabhol, another village near Aine. Trainee teachers from places as far as Delhi, Rajasthan, Gujarat etc are benefiting from the course.
Traditionally most of the teachers joining this course are girls. They undergo a very strict and useful regimen throughout the year, during which they receive training even of making the educational aids with their own hands. Thus, when they branch out, they are fully equipped to start a Balwadi or a Vikaswadi on their own. They are very well looked after, and have to get actual hands-on experience of every-day teaching on any one of the several Vikaswadis run by Gram-Mangal. In this exercise, the senior and well-trained staff of Gram-Mangal supports them.
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Training courses for Balwadis : Language, Arithmetic, Experiencing arts, Studies in Environments, Projects, Evaluation. |
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Language, Arithmetic, Science, Arts, Environment, Projects, Geography, Evaluation.
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| for Quality Improvement: Gram-Mangal constantly strives for improvement in quality in schools around Mumbai, Pune, Nasik, Thane etc by ongoing guidance to teachers. |
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Production and dissemination of Education supporting Aids
These aids are nothing but handy materials (or toys) that are especially developed to support learning of specific concepts, with which the children are encouraged to play. Fredrik Froebel and Madame Montessori initially developed them, and have been used for a few decades in the field of child education. Subsequently, more aids were developed by Stern and Napier, and these richly contributed to mathematics education. We may look at educational aids in three broad groups:
1. Concept clarifying tools: Mainly these are to be used under the guidance of a trained teacher. The teacher is expected to put forth an idea for the children; whereupon the children themselves take up playing with the aids and learn the concept on their own.
2. Tools for practice or consolidation: Generally, once their working is demonstrated to them, children play with them on their own. While doing so, they internalize a concept and consolidate it.
3. Means of evaluation: A teacher can, with experience, evaluate by observing a child playing with the aids how far a child has understood a particular concept, or how it has developed in mastering a skill, or how much it remembers a thing. Importantly, these observations do not bring any pressure on the child since it is unawares of the observations.
Gram-Mangal has worked for several years on these education supporting aids and adapted them to the local conditions. Where necessary, relevant modifications were made. As part of Gram-Mangal’s overall effort in the field, these have been explained in a book-form. The book provides details on making similar aids, methods of using them, drawing conclusions from their use etc. It encourages teachers and parents to understand the principles behind these ‘learning tools’ so that they may make changes in them to adjust to the environments. Truly, anything can be potentially a learning tool in the hands of a sensitive teacher.
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Gram-Mangal has contributed through occasional training support to other well-known institutions.
Some of them are:
1. Orchid School, Pune
2. Vidya Pratishthan English Medium, Baramati
3. Revachand Bhojwani Academy, Pune
4. Kamla Nimkar Balbhavan, Phaltan.
5. Swapnabhumi, Parbhani.
6. Art of Living, Mumbai
7. Dnyan Probodhini, Nigdi, Pune
8. Deccan Education Society, Pune.
9. Gyanda Shala, Pune
10. Day Care centre -Nashik
11. Don- Bosco school, Nagar.
12. Rachana Balwadi, Nashik.
13. Satpuda Vikas Mandal, Jalgaon, Maharashtra
Additionally, Gram-Mangal has one year training for the trainee teachers of institutions outside of Maharashtra, as follows:
1. Ramgad, Rajasthan.
2. Dhrangadhra, Gujarat
3. Smt Anjoli Ela Menon’s school, Delhi
4. Raipur, Chhattisgad
5. Ranchi, Zarkhand.
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Consultancies for preprimary and primary units are provided to:
MIT preschool, Pune, Maharashtra
Sharadashram, Dadar, Maharashtra
Vidya Vikas Prashala, Kasarwadi, Pune, Maharashtra
A.K. Joshi School, Thane, Maharashtra
St. Josephs, Bandra, Mumbai, Maharashtra
Ramgad, Rajasthan
Nayee talim, Vardha, Maharashtra
Jivan Shikshan Shiroor, Maharashtra
Sahyadri Vidyalay, Sangamner, Maharashtra
Bharat Vidyalay, Vaee, Maharashtra
Gurukul, Badlapur, Dist. Thane, Maharashtra
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