Indian Institute of Management – Ahmedabad (IIM-A)

Post Graduate Program Students’ Exposure Visit to

Chaitanya School and Sajeevta Foundation

Collaboration for Inclusive Learning

7th December 2013, at Chaitanya School, Gandhinagar, Gujarat

Innovation for Inclusive Learning

Collaboration for Innovation in Inclusive Learning

Chaitanya School and the Sajeevta Foundation have

been working together since 2012 to create inclusive

learning for children of different backgrounds in

Gandhinagar, Gujarat’s capital city. In 2012 the Sree

Vidya Niketan Trust, who manages Chaitanya School

decided to precede the implementation of the Right to

Education Act (RTE) by enrolling children of

economically weaker sections (EWS) for inclusive

learning at Chaitanya School.

The Sajeevta Foundation, a registered not-for-profit

company, works through learning mentors to create an

inclusive learning environment with the school

management, teachers, families and children. The

inclusive learning is for children of all backgrounds to

be educated with the value of learning through

interactions that represent the country’s socio-

economic diversity, and for all to be prepared to

succeed in life. At the neighbourhood study centre

each student has 20 hours a week of academic and

mentoring sessions. At Chaitanya School, inclusive

learning is a sustained practice for 30 teachers and

over 400 students. The Sajeevta Foundation has run

workshops for teachers and management as well as in-

classroom demonstration to strengthen an internal

innovation team to lead practice appropriate for the

needs of all students.

This experiment in Gujarat’s capital shows how private

schools can contribute to developing inclusive

education, as needed by the majority of India’s children

and not just for the privileged few. Widening financial

inequality in India is paired with an inequitable

education system where the wealthy afford high-fee

private schools and the poorest enrol in public schools

where completion rates are only around 50%. The

Right to Education (RTE) law aspires for India to have

the world’s largest public-funded inclusive learning

initiative in private schools, bringing children of

economically weaker sections alongside wealthier

peers. The implementation of the law gives private

schools a responsibility that is not well defined: to

integrate and teach children of the lowest income

groups who typically are first-generation learners

without family support for learning.

There is an urgent need for proven and scalable

systems to be shared across India’s private schools

that can ensure students of all backgrounds learn well.

The density of quality resources and professionals in

high-fee private schools is a ready environment to

innovate inclusive teaching. Chaitanya School and the

Sajeevta Foundation have developed systems for

inclusive learning through a mentoring program

situated in the neighbourhood and a teacher training

program based in the school. The goal is to innovate

inclusive learning systems that make success in life not

dependent on the wealth of the family a child is born to,

but for all children to have opportunity to succeed.

Elizabeth Koshy, Director of Chaitanya School addressing the

IIM-A PGP students on synchronicity and fundamental principles

needed for successful collaboration.

Gautam Patel, co-founder of the Sajeevta Foundation presenting

details of India’s education system and a scalable approach for

inclusive learning.

IIM-A Exposure Visit to Study the Socio-Cultural Environment of

Business

The exposure visit for IIM-A Post-Graduate Program year one (PGP-I) students is to learn about Chaitanya School and Sajeevta Foundation’s collaboration for Innovation in Inclusive Learning. This is part of the IIM-A course titled ‘Socio-Cultural Environment of Business’ (SCEB). The aims of the SCEB course is to make the IIM-A students aware of various facets of public life that impinge on business in direct and not so direct ways so as to make them better managers, business leaders and citizens.

Interaction through CV making

To ensure the exposure visit was interactive for IIM-A students and an active learning experience for Chaitanya School students a CV Creating task was designed for the thirty IIM-A students to each work with two Chaitanya students. The learning goals were:

To learn how to create a Curriculum Vitae: this is the Latin term for course of one’s life. The IIM-A students were to bring a copy of their own CV as a model example.

To learn what makes an IIM-A student successful learner, by asking questions about their CV details

To reflect on what is needed for your future CV so that you can make your dreams come true. This was a reflection task for students to think about their own personal learning goals.

Instructions and a CV making format were given to each student (see annexes for the full-size formats):

Aspirations of Chaitanya Students

Over one hundred Chaitanya students of classes 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 interacted with the thirty IIM-A students and each of

the Chaitanya students wrote about their learning and the future aspirations. A selection of what was written is given

below:

About learning About future aspirations

The visit to the Surya Press was illuminating and interesting as we learned how books are printed, cut and bound together.

Constructed a model of land and water pollution.

Reading story books makes me happy.

I like Karate because of self-defence.

I like chess because my brain is very sharp in chess.

I enjoyed the dance of Dasavatar as it gave knowledge about ten avatars of Vishnu.

I like reading literature because it is the most useful and mind freshing hobby.

I liked to learn about why we fall ill.

To open any electrical thing gives me excitement.

I like Mathematics and algebra.

We visited the Surya Press. It was a nice visit because it is a nice thing to know about the books we read today and how it is printed.

I like collecting plants and leaves and I learn about Science.

I like gardening as I feel light and peace when I do gardening.

I got the award of best model maker in 2013 when I made the model of hydraulic energy.

I want to be a Doctor to save others life.

I want to become and IAS or an IPS officer because I can help a person who is having problems. I can solve their problems.

I want to change the mind of people against corruption and I want to spread health and education awareness. I want to win awards as the best officer and environmentalist.

My dream job is police officer because I like police officer job. I want to get awards in my police officer job.

Feedback from IIM-A Students

There was an interactive discussion at the very end of the visit, after which the IIM-A students wrote down their

feedback and impressions of the exposure of the inclusive learning collaboration between Chaitanya School and the

Sajeevta Foundation, some of the feedback is listed here:

Impressed with the methods of pedagogy for ensuring participation of each and every student of the class in the process of learning.

I was blown away by the enthusiasm, knowledge, communication skills and general aptitude of the students.

I was most impressed with the dedication and determination for the cause of inclusive learning.

I was most impressed with the diversity of economic and social backgrounds in the classrooms.

The methods of taking direct feedback from all children in classrooms.

I really like the methods used to implement the all-class response systems and differentiated teaching.

The ways devised to teaching children from zero level to meaningful communication is commendable. A lot of effort has been put into this noble cause, this is highly inspirational.

The quality of facilities and exposure provided by the school including the chess class, field trips and experiments.

Annexures:

1. Schedule for exposure visit, 7th December 2013

2. CV-making instructions for students

3. CV-making formats for students

Exposure visit for IIM-A PGP-I Students

Chaitanya School and Sajeevta Foundation’s Collaboration for Innovation in Inclusive Learning

Schedule for Saturday 7th December

The exposure visit for IIM-A Post-Graduate Program year one (PGP-I) students is to learn about Chaitanya School and Sajeevta

Foundation’s collaboration for Innovation in Inclusive Learning. This is part of the IIM-A course titled ‘Socio-Cultural Environment

of Business’ (SCEB). The aims of the SCEB course is to make the IIM-A students aware of various facets of public life that

impinge on business in direct and not so direct ways so as to make them better managers, business leaders and citizens.

Time Activity Logistics

10:00 Director’s welcome to Chaitanya School Activity Hall, Chaitanya School, Lekawada

10:30 Presentation on Inclusive Learning Initiative: collaboration between

Chaitanya School and Sajeevta Foundation

Question and Answer session

Activity Hall

11:00

Interaction between Students of IIM-A and Chaitanya School (standards: 5 and 6):

Working groups of two IIM-A students with four Chaitanya students

IIM-A students will present their CVs as model examples.

Chaitanya students will prepare a CV of their educational performance and a Dream CV (format will be given)

Chaitanya students will then return to their classes

Activity room, Vidhyavihar

11:35

Interaction between Students of IIM-A and Chaitanya School (standards: 7, 8 and 9):

13:00 Lunch for IIM-A students Activity room, Vidhyavihar

14:00 Interactive session on Inclusive Learning Initiative with IIM-A students. Activity room, Vidhyavihar

14:30 Depart from Chaitanya

School Lekawada

Interaction with IIM-A students for CV creating

Instructions for Chaitanya students:

Learning goals are:

How to create your own Curriculum Vitae: Latin for course of one’s life.

What had made an IIM-A student successful: see their CV.

What will you need to make your dreams come true: think about what you have to achieve now to get where you want to be in ten years’ time.

You have one period to complete the following four tasks:

Time for the task Tasks to complete:

5 minutes 1. Introduce yourself to your group and find about the other members of your group.

10 minutes 2. Ask the IIM-A students about their CV: use Why? and How? and Where? and Who? and What next? questions.

10 minutes 3. Use the format on the other side of this page to make your own CV. Ask the IIM students to help you with this.

10 minutes

4. If you complete the first three tasks then take a blank sheet of A4 paper and begin making your Dream CV for what you hope to achieve by the year 2023 (ten years from now). You should write on this dates and details of:

The address you dream to live at.

The exam results you dream to work for.

The college you dream to get admission at.

The university you dream to get admission at.

The job you dream to have.

The awards you dream to win.

Please submit your work before the end of the period.

Curriculum Vitae

Your Name

Address line 1 Address line 2 Address line 3 Address line 4

Mobile Number Email address

Education:

Chaitanya School (mm/yyyy to current) Standard X to Y

Give details of most recent exam results. List your favourite subjects. Write about the best piece of work you produced this year. Write about which lesson you enjoyed most. Write about your favourite school trip.

Name of previous school (mm/yyyy to mm/yyyy) Standard X to Y

Name of previous school (mm/yyyy to mm/yyyy) Standard X to Y

Awards - list the awards here and write the reason you won, example: 1st prize for best Rangoli: I practiced at home first. 2nd prize for Karate: we have Karate lessons at school every Wednesday. Hobbies and interests - list your hobbies here and give the reason you enjoy them, example: Cycling: makes me healthy. Collecting old coins: I learn about history.