A Future School. Review on Jayshree Periwal High School, Jaipur

An educational system isn't worth much if it teaches young people how to make a living but doesn't teach them how to make a life. For us education has only one goal: setting the mind free. We believe in giving students problems to solve rather than answers to memorize. To cater to diverse sections of students we offer a unique blend of national and international curricula. We are a candidate school following the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (IB PYP) from Play group of grade 5. Thereafter the students study the national board CBSE till grade 10. They can switch over to the International General Certificate for Secondary Education (IGCSE) at class level 9 and 10. We are a Cambridge International Center to conduct Cambridge International Examinations such as the IGCSE. For grades 11 and 12 students are at a liberty to choose between the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) and the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).

This is the introductory paragraph in the website of Step by Step High School, Jaipur, which gives a lot of idea about the school, under the able guidance of its Principal Ms. JayShree Periwal.

There are many things which you can find on the website about the school and its different aspects, so I am going to write a few small, not so important, yet something which make this school stand apart from the crowd.

Uniform:

Summers: A T-shirt and blue denim divider skirt for girls and denim shorts for boys.

Winters: Unisex uniform, denim shirt and denim trousers, with a jacket.

Shoes: Adidas.

What sets it apart :

In all, they put the child in a complete comfort zone, no hassles, no tie belts or such accessories, which are at times very difficult for young kids to maintain, and they end up looking shabby, instead of smart. A comfortable kid will always look good, and will be able to concentrate on more important things.

Subjects:

They have PYP (Primary Years Program) system till 5th grade. That means they have English, Hindi, Maths and Inquiry as their main subjects.

English & Hindi: Two course books, and a lot of worksheets, which mostly cover the grammar part.

Maths: Two course books. A lot of practical approach. E.g. fractions, paper plates were brought to make them understand. A snake from egg carton was created to give them the idea of crores. An empty match box was shown to explain the faces, edges sides of a cuboid.

Inquiry : This was a new concept for me. They take six topics in a year, hence spending almost two months on one topic. The main catch is there is no book. At the start of topic, a circular comes from school, announcing the start, and they refer some websites, for reference, which gives parents some idea about the topic.

They go in the depth of the topic in next two months. They bring the topic down to kids level, but at the same time, give them some information, which is way ahead for them.

E.g.

Inquiry topic: Air (Standard 1): They explained what air is, its properties, percentages of different gases in atmosphere. How different properties of air are applied in real life. What are different forms of air. A few might think, it is too heavy for 6 year old kids. But the kids enjoyed it like anything, when they saw, air bubbles on leaf immersed in water (plants also need air and leaves have stomata from where the air enters). Air bubbles in a glass tumbler (showing water has air, which helps aquatic life to survive). Two balloons at two ends of a stick, one inflated and other not, making the stick drop at the inflated end (air has weight). A hot air balloon (showing hot air is light and rises up and cold air settles down – hence applying it on Air conditioners as well). Air exerts pressure, hence tube tyres are so successful.

Such topics are supported by Audio visual clips, which include power point presentations, short films, animations, which make topic more interesting. They clearly understood the difference between tornado, hurricane, and blizzard when they saw the clips.

A field trip, if required (during the reduce, reuse and recycle inquiry topic – class 1, kids were taken to recycling centre, and were made aware of how the things could be recycled).

What sets it apart :

Spending 2 months on one topic. They are in no hurry. They go in the depth of topic, covering all the aspects. Sky is the limit and practical learning makes things more interesting. “I learn and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand” is the motto school works on. They give ample time to kids to learn understand and absorb the topic so that they can practically apply it in their life.

Tests:

There is no exam system till sixth. Only weekly tests take place, which decide the performance of kid. Absolutely no rote learning is encouraged. The questions are oriented in such a way, if the kid doesn’t understand the concept, he cannot answer. If the parents made him rote learn, it wouldn’t help much.

Or else the test is practically based. They have to present a show and tell, what his concept about the topic he is speaking on, his confidence and ability will also be counted. Recently, my daughter has an inquiry test (Topic: human Body, class V), they were divided in a group of 4 kids. Each kid will take an organ system. They will collectively prepare, so that they could show the inter-linkage between different systems. It had to be in form of an interesting skit and everything would be done in school. No parent’s assistance would be appreciated. So, my daughter Muskaan and her group, made four states, digestivesthan, respiratory Nagar, Circulatora and Skeletan Nadu. They all boasted about their functions and vital organs, and tried to prove they are superior to each other, and in this dispute, stopped supporting each other, leading to body collapse. In this they covered all the major functions, vital organs and interlinkage. It was the sole effort of 4 kids. Similarly the other groups contributed in their own creative and extra ordinary way.

English and Hindi Tests : A lot of unseen passages are given, apart from the usual coarse book questions and grammar. Also there are listening tests and visual tests and reading rubrics.

Maths : The questions are never copied from the book.

Challenge Question: At the end of each test, there is a challenge question, which carries no marks but still is mandatory. It is little tricky. e.g. for class 2, the question was, in a farm there are animals, 2 goats, 2 cows and 3 ducks. how many legs are there on the farm.

What sets it apart :

A practical approach. Kids are not only learning and absorbing information but are able to apply it as and when required.