Power English Classes
Most of our students communicate in their mother tongue at home and are not used to speaking English. So, for students of classes 1–4 who need extra support in learning English, we utilize the Karadi Path methodology. We conduct Power English classes with a “Total Physical Response” activity that includes listening to music, story reading, and enacting what they see on video. These activities keep students focused and improve their language skills.
Moulinath, a class 7 student of Isha Vidhya Karur, says, “I used to be hesitant to speak in English as I found it difficult to express myself. The story reading sessions enhanced my English vocabulary, and speaking in English is easier now.”
Code Vidhya
To make them future-ready, students from class 4 onwards are taught “Code Vidhya,” which means they learn programming, web designing, etc., to strengthen their logical reasoning, problem-solving skills, creative thinking, and more. They get inspired to explore technology during these sessions.
At a recent session, class 7 students of Isha Vidhya Cuddalore made rainbow colors in NeoPixel rings using Microsoft MakeCode with micro:bit. NeoPixel rings with LEDs are used in timepieces, GPS route finders, etc.
LEAP – Learning by Exploring and Presenting
Students of classes 6 and 7 learn to organize their thoughts and express themselves effectively by becoming proficient in making Microsoft PowerPoint (PPT) presentations on various topics. Each student gathers content, prepares a PPT, presents it to the class, and receives feedback. The process also helps them improve their communication skills and gain the confidence to face an audience.
Dhivyadharshini, a class 8 student of Isha Vidhya Salem, says LEAP helped her learn to become organized in written communication, adept at browsing the internet, and able to create presentations by herself.
Atal Tinkering Laboratories
The recently set up Atal Tinkering Laboratories (ATLs) at seven Isha Vidhya schools are part of Atal Innovation Mission (a Government of India flagship initiative), which aims to foster curiosity, creativity, and imagination in young minds and inculcate skills such as a design mindset, computational thinking, adaptive learning, physical computing, etc.
These labs are equipped with materials from different streams to facilitate STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) learning for the students from classes 4–12. Learning is mostly hands-on and includes discussions among peers with nominal instructions from the teacher.
Sivakrishna, a class 11 student at Isha Vidhya Erode, plans to pursue marine engineering and says learning in ATL has given him a clear idea about electronics in boats. He is already ideating on using sensors for ship navigation.
Peer Learning
Peer learning prepares students to communicate confidently before an audience, helps sharpen their critical thinking and verbal/non-verbal communication skills, gives them the chance to improve their narrative skills, and learn to respond impromptu. Besides, students learn better when another student teaches, as they drop inhibitions to clarify doubts.
An ongoing activity for class 8 students is to go out in pairs and conduct peer learning sessions for groups of 4–5 students from classes 2–5 in Tamil and English classes.
Aruna, a class 10 student at Isha Vidhya Erode, taught science to class 6 students and says it enhanced her skills at explaining concepts in a simple way to juniors, and helped her gain confidence.
Self-Management Spaces
Students are given an opportunity to take full ownership of a project or event and see it through. Recently, students of Isha Vidhya Coimbatore organized a medical camp. Mentored by their teachers, the students formed groups for various tasks like scheduling, material arrangement, record maintenance, etc., and while doing so, learned organization, leadership, teamwork, and other skills.
Subha Sri, who was part of the student team, says that she learned to manage time well and dispense information with clarity. She is now employing this knowledge in her academic pursuits.
Career Day
Recently, 18 guest speakers from various professional fields, such as engineering, medicine, and law, gave online talks to students of classes 9–12 about their career options, and guided them on how to pursue those careers. Inspired by the online sessions, our students asked questions and moved the guest speakers with their enthusiasm.
Tamil Selvan, a student, shared, “These sessions widened my interest in new things, and gave me hope for a good future. I learned that I should be accepting, strive to fulfill my dreams, and be passionate about my work.”
Fun Learning Activities in Kindergarten
To help kindergarten students learn effortlessly, we introduce fun activities even for simple lessons like learning the alphabet, shapes, numbers, and more.
