Overview: Educational Process

Translating the educational philosophy and intent of the school to the educational process is a profound challenge. There are certain fundamental principles that form the basis of the educational process in Shibumi.

Fear cannot be the basis of learning. Neither can competition and comparison. A little more subtle, but an equally crucial fact is that reward and punishment do not bring about learning.

Our concerns are:

To convey a sense of the richness and vastness of the world as well as the freshness of each day and the life around us.
To help the student to have quietness and a meditative quality.
To see that the student is in an environment of nurturing, care and love.
To convey a sense of freedom to every student and make him understand the responsibility that goes with it.
All aspects of a student’s growth are valuable and not just one area i.e. academics

It is essential that all students should have skills. However if acquiring skills is driven with the ambition of worldly success, then it becomes an empty and limiting process. There are two kinds of skills that we will nurture. One, which the adults (parents and teachers) feel the student should acquire to live in the world. The other is what the students themselves wish to have. Through this approach we hope that the young person will be equipped to live a sane and intelligent life and discover what s/he loves to do.

Teacher- assisted self learning for all the basic skills ensures that each child progresses at the pace that is right for him/her. It also creates a sense of responsibility for one's own learning from an early age.

Vertical grouping instead of the traditional age-based class structure makes for healthier peer dynamics as well as helping to minimize comparison in the mind of the student as well as the teacher. Every student has the right to master basic academic skills without being compared to an average in terms of age or skills.

Group activities and non-academic activities such as exposures, workshops and apprenticeships form an important part of the curriculum. Each student will be required to attend exposures on one hand and encouraged to take up projects of his or her interest on the other. This is essential to allow for the growth of confidence in one's own interest and skills and not in an external measure such as tests, marks and examination results. However non comparative evaluation of skills acquired is essential to the learning process.

Dialogue is an essential part of the educational process between teachers and students, between parents and teachers, and between students and their parents. We hope this will encourage a capacity for critical thinking and an objective examination of what is.

Excursions form an important part of the curriculum not only for cultural exposure but also to bring about a deep relationship with rivers, mountains, forests and the sea. Contact with nature brings about a sensitivity which is not measurable but which is of immense benefit psychologically.

Working with one's hands and mind in doing art, craft and other practical activities is an essential part of the curriculum. These are the times when there is an opportunity for the brain’s continual and inconsequential chatter to slow down. A love for music is nurtured. Time to be alone and quiet is part of one's daily life.

Physical fitness, taking care of the body and eating healthy food is a priority at the school. Therefore dance, sports and games, walks and treks find an important place in the educational process. We offer healthy, simple vegetarian food at the school.

Caring for the campus by doing the physical chores oneself brings about an awareness of the importance and dignity of physical labour. This removes the attitude of taking for granted that others are there to do the “dirty work”.

It is the school’s endeavour to provide an academic programme of excellence. But it must be kept in mind that each student performs at the pace and capacity which is suitable and right for him or her. Pressure to perform can have serious effects on the psychological growth of a child. The urge to discover, the ability to work hard, the capacity to question – these are the milestones of a student’s educational journey. We take the responsibility for preparing students for qualifying examinations when they are academically as well as emotionally ready. Students appear for the Cambridge International Examinations (CIE) at both the 10th (IGCSE) and 12th (A-Levels/GCE).

These examinations are student friendly and flexible. Students begin preparation for their first examination as soon as they turn 15 and not earlier.

Given on the right are the different stages of a student’s educational progress. The ages given are somewhat approximate and vary from student to student. Each student works individually and with groups to optimise the learning process.