Early Learning Centre Awarded the ‘Most Promising Preschools of the Future’
Mangaluru: The prestigious Education World magazine has awarded Early Learning Centre (ELC) as one of India’s Promising Preschools of the future with special recognition for Innovation in curriculum. This is the first award granted in this category to Mangaluru. With this award, Mangaluru will be put on the radar as being among the leading preschools in the country.CFAL and ELC have been changing the paradigm of learning in the region. Our students have been the toppers in the region in all STEM based examinations and they are deviating from the regular rote- based learning. With your support ELC is looking forward to have Mangaluru being listed as among the best in early education in the country.
ELC was established as a grassroot movement- to bring about a change in early education. It is based on the Four Elements approach – taking inspiration largely from the work of John Holt, J Krishnamurthy, Maria Montessori and Sugatha Mitra. Early education in the region is largely based on rote learning and excessive focus on writing. ELC is on a mission to change this and bring childhood back – learning happens through play, exploration, reading and self- direction. ELC has the most child-friendly environment in Mangaluru where learning happens organically.
Respect, sustainability and responsibility are an integral part of the core curriculum. Math, Science, Dance, Art, Social sciences and various other avenues are made accessible through hands on activities. ELC has the largest library for young readers in Mangaluru and through reading and Montessori material, children are encouraged to self-direct their learning at an early age. Instead of passive learning that depends exclusively on the teacher, active and engaged learning happens at ELC.
Early Learning Centre (ELC) and Centre for Advanced Learning (CFAL) have been changing the paradigm of learning in the region. Since the inception of these institutions, students from this region have consistently been topping some of the most difficult STEM examinations. In the recent International Olympiads, a CFAL student was the state topper. Last year, CFAL student Aditya Prakash was one among India’s toppers in Math Olympiads- a selection from Karnataka after 21 years. ELC and CFAL have been honored with multiple awards this year. Along with the Education World award for ELC, CFAL has been awarded as one of the premier coaching institutions of the country by Higher Education Review magazine.
At ELC, their teaching methodology does not follow any one particular philosophy- instead, they use best practices from various methods and are always looking at current research and innovation in the field of education. Many schools in Mangaluru call themselves ‘Montessori schools‘ or follow outdated methods of textbooks and rote learning without giving proper consideration to the uniqueness each child. At ELC they believe that every child, every region and every period in time is different and blind replication of any one philosophy and following the same old method of teaching may be redundant in changing times and in a changing world. ELC is considered as a Special school in Mangaluru that provides education for children with multiple teaching methodologies. ELC India is one of the best Play School in Mangaluru with world class facilities for play school, after school classes, day care centres etc.
At ELC, they have an open ended curriculum –they believe that children can decide what they want to learn, how much they want to learn and we work with them to further their interests. They have certain basic parameters that have to be completed, but there is no upper limit to a child’s learning. Children can choose to learn on their own, with each other, with their teacher, and from their environment. More than teachers, the management members are there as facilitators, and they are always there when the children need them, and they are not project managers that direct every aspect of the child’s learning. Children are encouraged to be free and independent leaders rather than micro managed followers.
ELC provides a very high quality learning environment- from a creative outdoor area that includes an antique chariot that incorporates a rock climbing station and a community slide, a sun themed sand play space, a tree house, sky walk way, cycling and skate boarding tracks, organic garden, outdoor art easel, inflatable pools, water sprinklers, pottery machines, clay and mud stations, sensory tables and the like. They also have a library with the largest collection of books for young children, learning resources from the best suppliers in India and abroad, Lego block stations, train tables, Montessori supplies, puzzles and a huge collection of toys. Every group has I-Pad and classes have projectors which we use for presentations, music and dancing and we incorporate the best technology and online resources in our classrooms.
They have various experts who work with us including classical musicians and dancers, artists, scientists, mathematicians, doctors, environmentalists, cooks, farmers and members of the local community. They speak to children, work with them and teach them hands on work. We also take children for field trips every month. They believe that children do not need to learn for some external objective (marks/ stars/ making others happy) but for their own love for learning. To foster this, they do not have harsh examinations, tests and competitions- instead, they have a lot of inclusive activities and our assessments are personal and non-threatening.
A love for children and openness to change are the starting points. With these, anything is possible! At ELC, they are aware of the profound importance of childhood, and they realize that taking children into their care is no ordinary responsibility. Being a young team, they understand the complexities of being a parent and the difficulties in navigating through what they think is best for their children. ELC strongly believes that quality learning requires quality learning environments. To achieve this, they provide a place where human beings who love and care about their children and who are interested in their learning watch over them and help them grow.
Ending this column with a few thought-provoking quotes: “Trust Children. Nothing could be more simple, or more difficult. Difficult because, to trust children we must first learn to trust ourselves, and most of us were taught as children that we could not be trusted.” ~ John Holt; “There is no end to education. It is not that you read a book, pass an examination, and finish with education. The whole of life, from the moment you are born to the moment you die is a process of learning.” ~ J Krishnamurti; “Our task, regarding creativity, is to help children climb their own mountains, as high as possible.” ~ Loris Malaguzzi
“Children learn how to make good decisions by making decisions, not by following directions.” Alfie Kohn; “We can think of ourselves not as teachers but as gardeners. A gardener does not grow flowers; he tries to give them what he thinks they need and they grow by themselves.” John Holt; “The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. But education which stops with efficiency may prove the greatest menace to society. The most dangerous criminal may be the man gifted with reason, but with no morals.” Martin Luther King.; “My hope and wish are that one day, formal education will pay attention to what I call “education of the heart.” Just as we take for granted the need to acquire proficiency in the basic academic subjects, I am hopeful that a time will come when we can take it for granted that children will learn, as part of the curriculum, the indispensability of inner values: love, compassion, justice, and forgiveness.” ~ Dalai Lama
EARLY LEARNING CENTRE
Kottara Cross 1st Lane, Kotekani, Bejai Kapikad Road, Mangaluru: 575004
Phone: 099011 15108; 9900415934
E-mail: contact@elcindia.org.
Website: elcindia.org/