05 March,2011 07:08 AM IST | | Kranti Vibhute
Upcoming school sets up transparent lift & subject-specific classrooms to make learning more interactive for students
The upcoming Ascend International School (AIS) has literally elevated the level of competition for the existing institutes at Bandra Kurla Complexu00a0American School of Bombay and Dhirubhai Ambani International School.
Ascend International School (AIS), which is likely to be operational by August, has embarked on an ambitious way of teaching.
It plans to give students hands-on lesson on Newton's first law of motion through a transparent elevator that has been installed in the institute.
According to AIS officials, the school is designed in a way that every part of it will be some sort of learning for the students.
Take the case of the elevator, it has been designed transparent so that a child can see how it works.
And they will ask questions regarding its functioning out of curiosity. Like other international schools, AIS too will follow IB (International Baccalaureate) curriculum.
The school is designed by Don Carlson, an award-winning architect based at Washington.
Aditya Patil, CEO of AIS, said, "Some features such as glass elevators will help children understand the mechanism and operation of the elevators that are based on counter balance which is a part ofu00a0 physics.
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Common areas and design studios meant for children to work and display their creations will help reinforce confidence in them.
AIS believes that the physical environment must be constructed to maximise learning opportunities for children.
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Through individualised education, children will foster academic excellence and cultivate self-confidence, creative, reflective and analytical thinkers."
The school has also built specialised classroom for students of different age groups and grades.
For instance, the higher grade students will have classrooms specially designed for subjects such as history, geography and science. There will be a smartboard (touchscreen board) in every classroom too.
As far as selection of faculty members are concerned, the school management is not taking any chances. There will a mix of India and expat teacher in the school, said Patil.
He added:u00a0"Our teacher will visit the house ofu00a0 a child when he/she takes admission. The teacher will interact with the child at home to know what are the likes and dislikes of her prospective student.
This will give help her handle the child in a better way in the classroom."
Parents speak
Anita Bisra (name changed), mother of a Std I student, said, "We have decided to get our daughter enrolled in AIS because the school's curriculam has been planned to inculcate passion for learning among students."
Sheela Verma, parent (name changed) of a pre-primary student, said, "We spoke to a number of schools since we wanted the best for our child.
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But we finally decided on AIS as the school provides excellent infrastructure along with Individualised Education Plan. Two teachers per class would also ensure that my child is given personal attention."
