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What led to the opening of Sri Atmananda Memorial School in Austin?
In 1994, a social worker with extensive experience in assessing school-age children on behavioral, social, and academic development, was employed to do an evaluation of the school in Malakara. He and his wife brought their five-year old son for the two-month stay. They were so impressed with the effect of the school on their son that they asked for and received permission to open a branch school in Austin.
What are the staff's teaching credentials?
The staff at the Austin branch are professional teachers who have Texas teaching credentials and experience in teaching in American schools. These teachers trained in the KPM Approach to Children at Sri Atmananda Memorial School in Malakara. They continue to learn through their experiences with the children and close communication with the trainers in Malakara. An electronic communication system links the staffs of the two schools.
How many grades are planned for the school and when will it be completed?
The school opened in 1995 with the first and second grades, and another grade will be added each year until completion at the twelfth grade in 2005. The basic school buildings for grades kindergarten through twelve are already in place with facilities for science, computer science, mathematics, languages, and art.
Why is the KPM Approach to Children relevant today?
People everywhere wish to make education effective. Developed nations want to revitalize education and make it relevant to today's world; developing nations recognize the importance of education to long-term economic growth. Nations the world over want education to lead children towards positive influences and away from some of the more negative elements of today's society. All societies want education to ensure a better tomorrow. The KPM Approach's teaching method strengthens academics and character in children, and, if applied on a large scale, can answer these needs.
What is the origin of the name, the KPM Approach to Children?
The KPM Approach to Children takes its name from Sri K. Padmanabha Menon, the founder of the Approach.
How is your method different?
The KPM Approach to Children is based on regard for the feelings of the child. Our primary aim is the happiness of the children, and this becomes the foundation of their education. Most children quickly relax and feel happy in the school, but there are children whose outside experiences create serious obstacles to their happiness. Teachers will give such a child the attention and help needed to eliminate or make the obstacles manageable. We maintain a low student to teacher ratio to ensure that this effort is constant throughout each day of learning. In this approach, the children's interests are allowed to structure their learning. They are not assigned classrooms--rather the subjects are assigned to the classrooms. The children decide on their own what subjects to study, and how long to study them. The teachers recognize when a child's interest is awakened, and then expand a particular subject or activity to include other subject areas. Under this approach, learning is constant.
If you let a child follow her own interest, what if she shows no interest in mathematics?
Our experience shows that children are interested in everything. The teachers prepare activities and take advantage of any opportunity to introduce science, math, and reading in the course of younger children's play. For example, children playing with cars can be helped to make license plates, calculate kilometers per hour, or measure the liters of gasoline needed to get to a destination
How does this approach compare with other education models, such as Waldorf, Summerhill, or Montessori?
Other educational approaches impose a structure, either in the use of materials or the manner in which classroom activities are conducted, which limits the child's development. Our approach is tailored to each individual child, without preconceived ideas about academic structure or how children use materials. In addition, freedom is not our only aim; the children have a sense of freedom but are guided--through their own interests-- in constructive directions.
Can the KPM Approach be effective in any culture?
Yes, because it depends upon the relationship between the teacher and the child, not upon a specific culture. Any culture becomes a medium through which the child learns. The syllabus used may be culture-specific, but the way of teaching has universal application. It uses an educational approach based on the fundamental human need for perfection, and provides the opportunity for each child to awaken to the best in himself. It can be used at any economic level.
You say that the children are free to do what they like, but how will they adjust to the "real world" when they leave school?
A school employing the KPM Approach is a microcosm of the "real world," not compartmentalized into classrooms and subjects. The children are constantly making decisions and using their discrimination to meet ever-changing situations. With the help of teachers, the children are allowed to confront and learn from such situations. Through this they build confidence, develop an ability to think for themselves, and make decisions. They develop abilities which enable them to move well in society, and to relate academic topics and their personal interactions to the world around them. Our approach allows the children freedom of decision and purpose. The children feel happy and develop academic and physical skills. They are allowed to make their own decisions from their own judgments. These skills are important to functioning effectively in the world of today and tomorrow.
Your approach calls for many teachers for your students. How can we afford to do that?
How can we afford not to? We put our resources into teachers and not into remediation. This approach is cost-effective over the long term and can reduce the costs of remedial education, as well as help prevent behavioral problems that lead to social ills. We also offset the cost of teacher resources by creatively tapping community resources, and through older children learning and playing with younger ones.
How do you handle negative behavior?
Discipline is generally not a problem because the children are not obstructed by the teachers. Instead, healthy choices are presented to the children, thereby giving them the opportunity to develop discipline from within. Also, simple underlying causes for bad behavior, such as hunger or ill treatment at home, can be found and remedied.
Can you teach this approach?
If a teacher has an openness to learning a new approach and a genuine love for teaching, then he or she can learn the KPM Approach. We train prospective teachers at our pilot school in Malakara. The training affects the teacher and shifts the effort from "teaching" to observing the child's interest. Teachers find out how much their own thoughts and feelings affect the children, and gain a new understanding of the responsibility of working with children