Learning should be a joy!

Recently, a video of grade 3 students in Mysuru in Karnataka learning the tables while dancing had gone viral. And it once again brought to the fore – the method of teaching.

We are not doing much in terms of content but at least we can change the way we teach children; we take a lesson or two from Karnataka’s unique methodology – Nali Kali, which simply means Joyous Learning.

This is a method of teaching wherein children learn through playful activities. Nali-Kali was adopted in Classes 1-3 of government schools in 2009.Students of the three classes are grouped in a single classroom and are told to perform activities as a way of learning. Nali-Kali originated in Rishi Valley and was first piloted with the support of Unicef at HD Kote in the present day Chamarajanagar district in 1995.

And recently, a school in Ashok Nagar was to be razed to be the ground, operating on the same Nali-Kali method. But the Indian Railways came to its rescue. Senior officials from the railway workshop came up with the idea of converting a few bogeys into classrooms which otherwise were to be sold as scarp. It has been painted beautifully, even with a  bio-toilet installed.

Maybe this is how we need the schools to be – making learning a joy and teaching through example how things can be reused and recycled, saving the earth.