The principal goal of education is to create
men who are capable of doing new things, not simply of repeating
what other generations have done.
Education is an inaccessible commodity for children of under-served
economic backgrounds. For the few who do reach school are unable to
develop to their full potential. Constraints of time, expertise and
resources, leave many Government and charity schools today straddled
with gaps in the curriculum in and beyond basic academic subjects.
An educational process that does not address the creative roots in
an individual ignores that part of the person most responsive to
learning. This means, approaching educational objectives with a more
active and visual frame of mind; with tools that enhance the
individual character of teachers and students.
Search Years is dedicated to try and fill that gap for as many
children as possible from the under-served backgrounds (economic,
social and religious backward communities). We understand the
development of a child should not only be on a physical and mental
level but spiritual, moral and social too.
Our Program Focus Area is:
Children and Education:
Understanding education in a broad sense by including
culture, art, technology and sports ;
Engage with academic subjects in an exciting and interesting
manner
Identify basic interest areas and talents of a child. Also
help develop skill sets that empower him to pursue a vocation.
At Search Years we inspire children to become catalysts of
change, and translate their ideas into social action, believing
that individuals can impact society at large.
it is our responsibility to protect and enrich the environment
recognising the rights of a child
Program Interventions Creative educational techniques form the basis of our interventions
as they spur individuals to higher level of thinking and functioning
as they can see the world for what it might be, rather than being
limited to the concrete reality of what it is. We extensively use
the following mediums in all of our focal areas including academic
subjects:
Natak Takatak ...spontaneous theatre, dance & music
Music, Dance and Drama as educational tools have become very
popular. Their success as a legitimate learning device is well
established and their incorporation for use in Indian education
system is long overdue. The benefits it offers, including
development of social awareness, self respect, self confidence and
ability to cooperate & work with others are as crucial to Indian
education and Indian children as to anyone else.
Bhumigandha …clay sculpture, pottery and colors
At Search Years, children experiment with a variety of building
techniques while they learn to think about their ideas and adapt to
change along the way. Children love to work with clay. Clay is a
wonderful, tactile medium that normally kids have experienced in
some form before. Its three- dimensional nature forces them to think
about structure, shapes and forms.
Wi-Fi …computers in education
There has been a major paradigm shift in education from theories of
"learning" to theories of "cognition." Cognitive science approaches
teaching and learning in a different way. It addresses how the
human, as an information processor, functions and uses information.
Rather than focusing on teaching facts through expository lectures
or demonstrations, the emphasis is, instead, on developing
higher-order, thinking and problem-solving skills. As a tool,
high-speed computers have revolutionized the representation and
manipulation of information.
The goals of Search Years’ school computer education program are to:
Set up basic computer labs, layout curricula and provision
qualified instructors in the stakeholder schools.
Meet the needs of middle school students who enter at varying
degrees of proficiency.
Help students progress in attainment of the seven essential learnings (described in the curriculum) for technology.
Expose students to a wide variety of technology tools
Ismile Pleaze ….photography
In children, much like in adults, photography provides the thrill of
catching and freezing a moment, a scene, a smile, a movement and
looking back at it. It is a creative art involving the child
physically and psychologically. The pride of reproducing a moment
encourages the child to look at the world through his own eyes.
Jantram Mantrum …simple engineering and machine building
House Building Techniques for 8th class upwards (Masonry, Electrical
and Plumbing Installations, Carpentry, Painting and surface
treatment) Mechanical processes (Car trouble shooting) and automata
for juniors are some of the activities being planned under this
intervention first to be test tried at Kalasthali. Automata is
planned for class 6th to 8th where the simple mechanical parts seem
to produce an almost magical response to the figures that they move.
Designing and making automata is an exciting activity, covering a
range of skills and processes from Art, Engineering and Science,
through to Craft Skills involving card, wood and metal. Sometimes
referred to as Mechanical Toys or Kinetic Art, they are marvelous
small machines that utilize most of the mechanical processes which
can be found in almost every modern machine employing cams, gears,
ratchets and cranks. Besides Automata, other scientific processes
with help of such creative aids will form the curriculum of this
program.
