The Pioneer Program
Ekya Schools
At Ekya Schools in India, knowing how to learn is seen as an important skill and key to educating lifelong learners. One of the innovative initiatives Ekya students benefit from is the Pioneer Program, a series of micro-courses aimed at nurturing curiosity and providing learning opportunities beyond the classroom.
The Pioneer Program focuses on building skills such as creative writing, research, reading and analyzing and knowledge in special interest areas. The online courses offered in the current year range from Game Design, Coral Kingdoms, Design and Innovation, Forensics, Metaverse and Feelings to Grow your Garden. The course catalogs are released twice a year and students register for the course they are interested in. The Pioneer Program is designed and facilitated by teachers, experts, and the parent community. Since the program is delivered online, it allows students to continue learning regardless of lockdowns or other restrictions.
‘‘Going forward, we hope to build a large repository of courses to address the diverse learning needs of our student community, taking student feedback into consideration. A very popular course is our ‘Introduction to Forensic Science’ which explains the fundamentals of investigation techniques. It provides a description of specific types of evidence and the techniques to collect and analyse the evidence. As students progress through the course, they refine the techniques and apply them to other areas of study. The topics covered in the modules include crime-scene investigation; the collection, handling, and examination of trace evidence such as; fingerprint, blood, and blood spatter examination.
Areas of study are introduced in scenarios taken from headlines and popular media. These features engage students as they describe the historical development of forensic science techniques. Each module of the course begins with a true-life story, student objectives, key vocabulary, and a Key to Science Topics. The Key to Science Topics identifies Biology, Earth Science, Chemistry, Physics, Psychology, or Mathematics concepts integrated into module topics’’, explains Shobha Sivaramakrishnan, Manager of the Ekya Learning Center.
‘‘Another popular course is our ‘Junior Engineers’ program. This is a hands-on introductory course that helps students understand and experience what engineers do in the real world. The topics covered in this course include Orientation, Need for Engineers and what they do, Science behind Engineering and Engineering Design. During the course, the students will build a working electromechanical model using real engineering materials. At the end of the course, the students will be able to employ school science concepts to solve sample engineering challenges, develop a mindset to be curious and learn to problem-solve real-world issues.’’
Find out more about learning at Ekya Schools: www.ekyaschools.com
