Urbanization of childhood in India

Have you ever compared your kid’s childhood with your own? Do you think there has been a significant difference in our upbringing compared to our children’s? Nine out of ten times -- if you are living in urban India – your answer is going to be YES.

You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to experience the changes that urban Indian neighborhoods have gone through. And these very changes have altered the natural growth pattern of our innocent children.

Changes -- under the pretext of development -- have been induced too much and too soon, and in multiple dimensions: economically, socially and physically, in our neighborhoods. The economical and physical changes are far easier to understand and comprehend than the undercurrent social changes.

We can see malls at every other corner “nukkad” in our vicinity, permanently altering the physical landscapes. The steep rise in the number of vehicles, owned by an average Indian household, has resulted in congestion even in inner roads leave aside the main roads. The problems of rise in pollution level and its relation to global warming, road accidents, bird migration are well recorded and talked about everywhere. Strangely, I am yet to see a serious debate on how these changes have altered the lives of our young ones.

There are no more open spaces where our children can go and ride their bicycles these days. The idea of gully cricket would soon finds its place only in our history books, as most of us are scared to send our children out on the streets either because of traffic or pot-holed roads forget about their rendezvous with gully cricket. The few green areas left in the neighborhoods have been converted into walk-areas with huge signboards of “playing not allowed” hanging in front of them. Hence, the fact that obesity is taking endemic proportions amongst the urban children should not really surprise us.

Economically, the urban India has made long strides and the signs are everywhere – the Ferraris, Hondas, Nokia, Victoria Secret, La Royale have made great inroads in Indian households. This is a clear indicator of the increased levels of disposable income of the middle class. But, all this has come at a cost – the cost that unknowingly our children are paying very dearly. The working middle class does not have time to spend with their children in order to attain this heightened level of wealth, and as a trade-off for time they end up buying some latest model of mobile phones, mp3 player, some new TV channel on their CAS systems or a playstation for there deprived kids. For lack of a better term, let’s use electronic blast to represent all the above gadgets. The observation that our children are very easily distracted these days should not astonish us anymore.

It’s the under-current social changes that are the scariest with far reaching consequences. The breaking up of the Indian Joint family system, K-named television soaps, entry of internet into the young lives and inclination to have a single child has completed altered the social fabric of urban India. Lack of company at home and abundance of nuclear families has essentially sucked out the idea of empathy and tolerance amongst today’s children – the qualities that are responsible to bind our diverse country together. So, don’t fret if your younger one cannot accommodate with his sister who is giving a board examination, because he has to watch his favorite cartoon; so what she has an exam tomorrow.

All in all the changes -- economic, social and physical -- in the urban Indian neighborhoods have turned our innocent young ones to stubborn, individualistic, distracted and physically unfit individuals. Welcome to the Urbanization of Indian Childhood.

Montessori Approach revisited

The travel allowed me to read a very interesting book on the Montessori approach. I will use the medium of this blog to write summary about this book.

As per Dr. Montessori, a child goes through four planes of development that span through the age 0 to 24. At the conclusion of age 24, the adult is fully formed. If all has gone well, he/she is a mature being, ready to live wisely and responsibly and to fulfill his/her part in serving humanity.

The four different planes of development identified by Dr. Montessori are as:
1. First plane of development: 0 to 6 years old.
2. Second plane of development: 6 to 12 years old.
3. Third plane of development: 12 to 18 years old.
4. Fourth and final plane of development: 18 to 24 years old.

Each plane of development is associated with certain characterstics and associated challenges, I would go into these planes individually in a separate blog entry.

Various Preschooling philosophies

With proliferation of preschools in the Indian society, I thought this entry may help parents and preschool providers to understand the various philosophies that different pre schools are following. Since, there are several philosophies on preschooling, I will be using multiple blog entries to explain each of those philosophies. I have used extensive information from this source.

Preschools subscribe to many different theories and philosophies of education. You may hear some of the following terms used to describe schools you're considering. Familiarize yourself with the various styles to help determine which one is the best fit for your child.

The different categories of philosophies are as:
1. Montessori
2. Waldorf
3. Projects
4. Community/Religious
5. Cooperative
6. Reggio Emilia


Montessori:
Montessori is centered on establishing independence, self-esteem, and confidence while fostering learning at a child's own pace.

This self-paced education is accomplished by changing the role of adults in the classroom from teachers of a whole class into that of "guides," as they are often called, for the students as individuals. According to the American Montessori Society, guides have four principle goals, which encompass what the Montessori method hopes to achieve. The guide strives to

* awaken your child's spirit and imagination
* to encourage his normal desire for independence and high sense of self-esteem
* help him develop the kindness, courtesy, and self-discipline that will allow him to become a full member of society
* help him learn how to observe, question, and explore ideas independently

The guide may introduce a lesson to the class as a whole, but will then focus on working with students in small groups as they investigate topics on their own in a carefully prepared classroom environment. This individualized attention means children with special needs — whether they are gifted or delayed — often do well in a Montessori environment.

This environment is another trademark of a Montessori program. With so much emphasis on individual and small-group exploration, the room itself is kept bright, warm, and inviting. It will often contain many learning centers that allow a child to focus on what they are most interested in, while being shown through gentle encouragement that they should not be afraid of trying new things either. These centers are filled with objects that cater to what preschoolers are most responsive to — highly tactile, very hands-on learning materials that teach through manipulation.

The sense that they are in charge of this environment also fosters feelings of responsibility and accountability in the children, another focus of the Montessori approach. Studies have shown that a feeling of ownership contributes to better care of belongings. Visitors to Montessori classrooms are often amazed to see children working together to clean up centers after they are done experimenting and learning in them, feeding the animals they are helping raise, even watering plants and tending to small gardens in some instances.

This in turn helps create a mentality of cooperation, instead of competition, among the children. To further this cooperative spirit, Montessori classrooms are divided into three-year sections, which allow children to get to know their teachers and one another better. Older children are encouraged to help the younger children in their explorations, teaching compassion and instilling the lesson that there is no shame in needing help in life all at once.

Finally, to end this entry a quote by Maria Montessori (the thought behind Montessori programs).

"Our goal is not so much the imparting of knowledge as the unveiling and developing of spiritual energy."
- The Child in the Family :: The Clio Montessori Series, 1996 :: p. 63

Reggio Emilia Approach of preschooling

My continued exploration of children's development in India led me to find this interesting offering by ibambini. Ibambini is trying to promote an Italin approach to child care and education called Reggio Emilia approach. I took excerpts of this concept from here.

What is Reggio Emilia?
There is much about Reggio Emilia's approach to child care and education that distinguishes it from other efforts both inside and outside of Italy, and attracts worldwide attention. Of special interest is the emphasis on children's symbolic languages in the context of a project-oriented curriculum. The Reggio Emilia approach is made possible through a carefully articulated and collaborative approach to the care and education of young children.

In the USA particularly, the experiences of the city of Reggio Emilia have been reified into the "Reggio Emilia Approach", a new curriculum model of excellence, which heavily reinforces existing instrumental developmentalist discourses of education. This 'branding' of Reggio Emilia, obscures the postmodern accent in the dialogues that the pedagogues of Reggio Emilia have attempted to establish. Critiques of the US 'Reggio Approach' which have targeted attempts to establish normative Reggio 'curricula' have largely been ignored. The work in Sweden by Gunilla Dahlberg, and her UK colleague, Peter Moss, provide unsettling counterpoints to the monolithic arguments of the proponents of the 'Reggio Approach'.

Cornerstones of Reggio Emilia approach are:

Community participation:
Reggio Emilia's tradition of community support for families with young children expands on Italy's cultural view of children as the collective responsibility of the state. In Reggio Emilia, the infant/toddler and pre-primary program is a vital part of the community, as reflected in the high level of financial support.

The parents' role mirrors the community's, at both the schoolwide and the classroom level. Parents are expected to take part in discussions about school policy, child development concerns, and curriculum planning and evaluation. Because a majority of parents--including mothers--are employed, meetings are held in the evenings so that all who wish to participate can do so.

Administrative Policies and Organizational Structure:
There is no hierarchy among the teachers (consequently no teacher). This staffing plan, coupled with the policy of keeping the same group of children and teachers together for a period of three years, facilitates the sense of community that characterizes relationships among adults and children.

Teachers as learners:
This one core aspect of Reggio Emilia approach that really distinguishes it from others. Teachers' long-term commitment to enhancing their understanding of children is at the crux of the Reggio Emilia approach. Their resistance to the American use of the term model to describe their program reflects the continuing evolution of their ideas and practices. They compensate for the meager preservice training of Italian early childhood teachers by providing extensive staff development opportunities, with goals determined by the teachers themselves. Teacher autonomy is evident in the absence of teacher manuals, curriculum guides, or achievement tests. The lack of externally imposed mandates is joined by the imperative that teachers become skilled observers of children in order to inform their curriculum planning and implementation.

Teachers routinely divide responsibilities in the class so that one can systematically observe, take notes, and record conversations between children. These observations are shared with other teachers and the atelierista and parents in curriculum planning and evaluation. Teachers of several schools often work and learn together under the leadership of the pedagogista as they explore ways of expanding on children's spontaneous activities.

The role of enviornment:

The organization of the physical environment is crucial to Reggio Emilia's early childhood program, and is often referred to as the child's "third teacher". Major aims in the planning of new spaces and the remodeling of old ones include the integration of each classroom with the rest of the school, and the school with the surrounding community. The preschools are generally filled with indoor plants and vines, and awash with natural light.

Other supportive elements of the environment include ample space for supplies, frequently rearranged to draw attention to their aesthetic features. In each classroom there are studio spaces in the form of a large, centrally located atelier and a smaller mini-atelier, and clearly designated spaces for large- and small-group activities. Throughout the school, there is an effort to create opportunities for children to interact. Thus, the single dress-up area is in the center piazza; classrooms are connected with phones, passageways or windows; and lunchrooms and bathrooms are designed to encourage playful encounters.

The hundred languages:
As children proceed in an investigation, generating and testing their hypotheses, they are encouraged to depict their understanding through one of many symbolic languages, including drawing, sculpture, dramatic play, and writing. They work together towards the resolution of problems that arise. Teachers facilitate and then observe debates regarding the extent to which a child's drawing or other form of representation lives up to the expressed intent. Revision of drawings (and ideas) is encouraged, and teachers allow children to repeat activities and modify each other's work in the collective aim of better understanding the topic. Teachers foster children's involvement in the processes of exploration and evaluation, acknowledging the importance of their evolving products as vehicles for exchange.

Very interesting concept and idea. buildingBlocks plans to develop a similar concept, however, contextual to the Indian ethos and culture.

What is this blog about?

This blog is intended to discuss various aspects about a child's development. I am going through this exercise as my current professional venture is trying to address this problem, I thought it would be good discuss about this in the public domain. I intend to explore the past, present and future of various methodologies involved in child's development in this public forum.

This way my ideas, opinions and assumptions would get verified and may have universal application. In case if you have interest in learning about my company (Building Blocks), please feel to send me a note on tarun dot bhalla at gmail dot com.

Thanks,
Tarun