Thursday 30 January 2014

Extended Day Program at Ekya Schools

Academic Subjects:

Language
Mathematics
Ekya Quest
Handwriting
Non academic Subjects:
Visual Art
Performing Arts
Yoga
Gardening/ Outdoor time
Audio Visual Room


Ekya Quest:
The Ekya Quest is an exclusive curriculum that has been integrated into the content of the children’s learning objectives. It comprises of a teaching style and learning that is driven by an inquiry based approach. Children learn and imbibe more by inquiring into their environments and being curious about the world around them; with the teacher’s facilitation and guidance, children are given myriad opportunities to do so.
Topics of interest and those that have an immense scope to be explored and investigated into are chosen for the academic year, keeping in mind the age appropriateness and children’s prior knowledge of the subject.
Learning takes place in the form of pre- made worksheets, group discussions, audio and visual media, field trips and incursion visits to the school campus by professionals who can give an in-depth learning experience to the children.
The Ekya Quest covers both science and social studies topics some of which include:
mammals
health and hygiene
sense organs
plants
solar system
life cycles
The goal of the Ekya Quest learning module is to enforce learning through a medium of instruction that moves away from the traditional system of learning from textbooks and other familiar teaching practices. As educators we strive to provide enough experiences for children to grasp and empower themselves whether it be learning through activity based learning or discussions which will support various thinking routines. Through this approach, we nudge children to also become independent thinkers and well rounded individuals.
While the learning is an ongoing process, the teacher documents the learning through pictures and observations are made during group discussions in the class. From the beginning of a topic to the end of the selected topic which might last from a period of four to six weeks, the learning that the children gain evolves from the first week to the last week. The objectives are met and children gain new understanding and perspectives of the world around them by the end of the topic.


Performing Arts:
The performing art classes include activities related to dance, drama, rhymes, and songs.
The teacher defines a schedule for the year, and uses a resource package of activities that will emphasize and tap into children’s potential into the performing arts.
Through drama, children explore facial expressions, body language and basic voice modulation techniques with the teacher. This is a great opportunity for them to lose their inhibitions and enjoy themselves. The performing arts classes will also be driven around the Quest topics that will be ongoing throughout the school year. For example, if the children are learning a unit on mammals, the teacher would create a short drama sequence that will be driven around the characteristics of mammals. Children will take on the role of choosing to be any one mammal and enacting the mammal or enjoying enacting how an elephant trumpets and walks around.
Children will also get opportunities to make props appropriate for their drama sequences to add creativity and also to add an element of excitement of performing for an audience.
Dance for younger children is an expression of themselves. Dance lends itself to physical movements and coordination for children that is crucial at an early stage. Listening and speaking skills also get targeted here, as children follow instructions and steps to a dance sequence.
Dance classes can be in the form of understanding and appreciating it as an art or they could be driven around a theme such as a festival that might be celebrated at school. This then also lends itself to an appreciation of cultural dances in India and children expand their learning. Some dance sequences can be driven around well known songs, or even stories that children are exposed to at home and at school.
Rhymes and actions are integral to every early childhood classroom; at Ekya we include it as a morning activity to awaken the children’s listening skills and also to help them settle into the day’s schedule. Teachers take it to another level, by including rhymes and songs in different languages, onlookers can see children burst into smiles and sing along loudly with the teachers.
While rhymes and songs can help children to open up, it also addresses important development skills such as self- esteem, social skills and confidence in children. Actions and movements along with the singing of the rhymes bring both the children and teachers together. On specific days, children are also taken outside of the classroom to enjoy rhymes and songs with other class groups.

Visual Arts:
The visual arts teacher guides children to experience the techniques and skills that are characteristic to experiencing the arts. Through various art mediums, children explore and create pieces that are characteristic and are an expression of their creative minds.
Children in the art classes will also be introduced to famous artists’ work from around the world, and will be given opportunities to enjoy simple techniques and skills in their art books.
 For example, at Ekya children are exposed to learning Kandinsky’s concentric circles and it is integrated through Quest topics that are covered during the day. When the teachers are covering a topic on birds, the drawings of the birds could be done by using Kandinsky’s concentric circles, by doing this art appreciation is also tapped into through the visual arts classes.
The elements of art that the younger children experience are: color, line, shape, texture, patterns, composition, visual awareness, clay, perspective and form.

Ekya School, best CBSE school in Bangalore gives you an Extended Day Program.


To Know More about school, Visit: http://www.ekyaschools.com/

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