The middle years – foundation for career making
As children enter the age group of eight to fourteen years, their mental, psychological and social requirements undergo a vast change. According to research conducted by the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (https://www.dese.gov.au/quality-schools-package/resources/student-wellbeing-engagement-and-learning-across-middle-years), these are the years of rapid neurological and social development, and crucial for the educational growth of students. These are also the years when the children are transitioning from dependence to a sense of independence and from multiple interests to a few focused endeavours. It is within this context that the role of the middle school curriculum and teaching becomes important. Among the international schools in Pune, MIT Gurukul is a classic example of having incorporated the particular needs of the middle year students into its pedagogical methods.
Among the top-rated good schools in Pune, MIT Gurukul’s teaching methods focus on reasoning, critical thinking, group-based solutions and cogent explanations for the real-life application of theoretical concepts. Classroom learning is complemented by robust lab work, inquiry-based research work, team presentations, projects and field visits. With positive affirmations and confidence building, we also help develop the self-learning, self-dependency as well as cooperative and collaborative personality traits in the students. Our teachers follow the philosophy of ‘there are multiple paths to knowledge seeking’ and focus on developing the innate qualities of each student.
We understand that in the middle years there is a need to shift the emphasis from just grades to skill-building, competition to collaboration, academic intelligence to emotional and social adeptness, and from marks based outcomes to lifelong learning. Middle years education can thus be the platform over which each of these competencies is based, and careful planning and execution of middle year school education are the ‘here and now’ need. These skills hold good for the students as they tackle the rigours of the high school curriculum, and later in life as they enter the higher education years and ultimately the professional arena.
Middle school years are also the formative years for students to evolve as responsible, compassionate and empathetic individuals. For this, we find that nature walks, volunteering and community outreach, innovation and creativity in education, and environmental understanding work well to bring out the good qualities in students. As the young scholars of today are the leaders of tomorrow, we hold them in our care through such activities during these middle years for a smooth transition to a responsible high school year!
While academic excellence is at the core of our middle year teaching process, we do recognize that some students can become world leaders in the areas of arts, sports, writing, social work and environmental concern. Thus we employ qualified trainers in all these areas to mentor the students. Our student clubs also see increased participation of the middle school students in positions of responsibility, where they learn to express their views, contribute ideas, hone negotiation and communication skills, and refine their oratory abilities. Your child could be our next student success story. As you search for IB schools near you, choose MIT Gurukul. If you are interested to know more about our curriculum, contact us admissions@mitgurukul.com.
