Day 10: Global Perspectives
Today we are scheduled to teach! The day began with a whole school assembly. A select group of students recited a Sanskrit prayer in the firm of a song/chant, the National pledge was recited by the whole school, student birthdays were announced, then awards were handed out to students who had participated in school competitions. We were introduced to the students, and Emily taught a song called ‘mango-kiwi-banana (they were humming and singing the song to us, and themselves all day long 🙂). We were invited to observe a 4th grade language class that consisted of Tamil and Hindi speaking students. As we stumbled over the words students tried to teach us (they taught us how to say ‘My name is … in both languages), the outstanding part of the lesson, for me, was the singing. The teacher invited students to sing a Tamil song, and students sang a story about a boy who wanted to defend his country. They also sang another song about the letters in the Tamil alphabet and how practicing writing makes them better. This mode of teaching and learning through song and story appears to strengthen learning connections in literacy and social development.
After the language class, we observed students in the Functional curriculum and Occupational therapy classes play cricket. Students were attended by teacher aides who supported and encouraged them. Later, during a conversation with the teachers, we learned about the detailed and systematic practices the teachers implemented to individualize instruction, while anchoring the student to the learning/school community. This discussion also highlighted the process used to engage and involve parents; an area of inquiry for me. It is important to note here that policy and practice accommodations for Special needs students is limited in India. HLC is among a handful of schools that implement a needs-based curriculum that also incorporates inclusion principles and practices. At HLC, parents and teachers meet at least 3 times a year to identify student needs, they also collaborate with a consultant who helps evaluate students as part of the admissions process. Teachers and parents also share data (photos and notes) through a google drive resource in order to ensure that there is a continuity of practices between home and school.
We were ushered to our respective classes where we taught a predetermined lesson. Mine was on the culture of gratitude. I really wanted to have a conversation with students to gauge their understanding of gratitude and to determine what influences contributed to their expression of gratitude. We started out with an open-ended question asking them what gratitude means to them. A number of students gave synonyms like ‘friendliness, compassion, acceptance, appreciation, etc.’. I then asked them to describe scenarios where they would show gratitude. A number of responses included actual scenarios (situations where somebody did something for them and they gave thanks) while others were making statements that involved the sentence frame ‘I appreciate it when you …’ I then shared with them information about Thanksgiving and asked for an equivalent holiday they know of. Initially they didn’t respond, however, the teacher reminded them that they also have a festival in which they offer thanks to one of the elements of nature (the sun) for providing a bountiful harvest. This celebration is called ‘Pongal’ and it is a harvest festival held at different times in the different states of India. Although I did not have a deeper conversation about gratitude, I am glad we all made a connection using holiday celebrations. After our individual teaching sessions, we debriefed in the teacher’s lounge to excitedly share about our lessons and the students’ responses. The teachers we chatted with were extremely gracious with providing contextual information and explanations of students’ learning and schedules. We were able to observe a few other classes before the end of the school day.
We closed out the day with a visit to the Mall. We sampled the fries at McDonalds to compare tastes and the final verdict is ….. They taste the same! The menu, however, was clear evidence of the influence of a culture on systemic enterprise. The McDonald’s menu showed a Vegetarian menu, distinct from the chicken menu, and a whole other section for spicy foods. Having experienced the strong affiliations and identity markers that food presents in India (being Vegetarian is a marker for religious identity and dedication), it is unsurprising but also significant that an International business conglomerate like McDonalds would appeal to the cultural taste of the community. This feature of strong cultural norms and beliefs influencing globally established practice is also evident in the church we visited that showed statues of Jesus and the Virgin Mary draped in jasmine flower garlands. As also in educational practices that involve local/national practices (Sanskrit prayer at assembly, sitting on the floor in classrooms) that anchor children and instill a sense of Indian-ness within a ‘western’ learning system. This idea of culture and learning is what I hope to further explore.
