Notes on Education

There is a need to survey the latest as well as classical curriculums and activities of leading kindergarten and primary schools from around the world. A comparative study and selection of best practices is the need of the hour. Different countries and different schools may excel in one area or the other of primary education while being deficient in other areas. A comprehensive survey and study of available practices can lead to a selection that is best suited to the needs of modern children in different parts of the world. Besides the curriculum, there is also a need to study the scheduling of activities over a day, week and year in order to arrive at the best practices. Little children need much care and protection. The procedures evolved in different schools to ensure that such care is provided within the school and while a child commutes from home to school and back need to be examined and deliberated upon. In order to make such a study possible there is a need for an International

A kindergarten building can be made pretty on the outside by use of bright colors or bright child posters. However it is better if it has a pretty soul. Here is an example. I found this pictures by searching on the Internet on a website that claimed it wase in the public domain and posted it here after adding the signpost. Incase any one has objection to my using this picture please let me know and I shall delete it immediately. The house does not have high steps and is therefore suitable for small children.

An organization needs to be created to carry out any substantial educational activity. It is proposed that a Trust managed by a Board of Trustees come into being in order to carry out the education programs as visualized by the author. The name of this trust shall be ‘Froebel Education Trust’. The name honors one of the leading human contributors to education of the youngest of children on our planet – Friedrich Froebel. Friedrich Froebel was born in Central Germany in 1782. He was a deeply spiritual man and a scientist who was drawn to the field of education of the young. His gift to the world was to point us in the right direction for educating our children and ourselves, a profound understanding of relationships between humans, the physical world, and our spiritual nature. The most profound aspect of his work is his trust and admiration for the perfect order of the universe and his belief that each child is a unique part of this universe waiting for the proper nourishment to unfold

T he first ten years of a human life are the most influential ones in shaping character. Utmost care is therefore required in providing the best possible education to a child at the youngest age. One may wonder what the best age is to begin in an elementary school for an average child. Although, there is no uniform consensus on this, my own experience suggests that an age between five and six is the right age to begin education at grade 1 level. Thereby a child will be about eighteen years old when he has finished twelve years of primary, middle and high school education. He or she would then be an adult and ready to enter university. That appears to be the right practice because then a person is ready to move out of a closely supervised school education as a minor to a university where greater freedom is available and necessary for intellectual development as an adult. It is appropriate that a child be provided at the most one year of preschool education beginning at an age bet

The most essential requirement to develop a schoolis that of land . Buildings and other facilities can develop over a period of time but the allotted land remains fixed. In present day India, land is available at a premium near centers of population. Away from towns and cities abundant land a reasonable rates may be found more easily, however it is of little use for children who are not expected to spend more than fifteen minutes or half an hour to commute to school. In present day India many kindergartens are located on small lots of crowded localities. Such schools do not have room for even a small garden leave alone a play field. The Froebel Education Trust does not support this concept. It recommends that a kindergarten lot must be at least half an acre that includes a garden play area under the shade of trees; a kindergarten cum primary school lot at least one acre and a school that has the potential to develop into a high school must be at least five acres. Larger lots have the s

The picture posted at the top and bottom of this post is due to the kind courtesy of the Japanese website putiya-en.com Friedrich Wilhelm August Frobel, 1782 -1852, (or Froebel since the 'o' is with an umlaut) invented the concept of the kindergarten and laid the foundation for modern education based on the recognition that children have unique needs and capabilities. The singing of Nursery Rhymes is often a part of Kinder Garten curiculum. Some modern psychologists are unsure of the effect of some hidden violence that exists in some of the classical English Nursery Rhymes. The present author has composed new versions to eliminate this violence. These new versions along with an excellent introduction to the English Alphabet for preschoolers can be found in the book - Magical Alphabet. This book is the basis of the first recorded video episodes of the Reading Lady that has been aired widely on Public Access TV in more than twenty five states of the US. For more

A possible concept for a primary school building to house grade first and second along with a teacher's and Principal's room is illustrated here. The grade three and grade four rooms are not visible in this picture as they extend at right angles to this block behind the building. The grade three and four block may be reached by a paasage through this main block or an external path behind this block mainly for use of grade three and grade four pupils.The photograph here is from the Internet and was described as in the public domain. If anyone has any objection to its adaptation here please let me know and I shall remove it immediately.

Although I have been involved primarily with higher education, recently my mind is occupied with children's education. Therefore I am launching this blog to record and develop my thoughts in this direction.