Best Curriculum - Kindergarten | Primary, Middle & Senior School (2023)

Our students engage with today’s dynamic new world through new ways of learning, and therefore of teaching, too. And our responsive curriculum harnesses this philosophy. It connects and criss-crosses different disciplines in joyful, meaningful ways so that learning is an immersive and holistic experience for children, conceptually sound and practically relevant to the real world and their lives, now and in the future. It is learning for life, effective and value-based, in tune with a new connected global environment.

Academic rigour is balanced by equal emphasis on the arts, sport and social changemaking. Collaborations with schools and educators around the world strengthen our curriculum. Children are encouraged to be curious, to ask questions, think critically, and solve problems on their feet. Project-based and hands-on, ethical and forward-looking, our curriculum cultivates new trajectories of thinking, seeing and processing ideas in children’s minds.

We recognise that children learn in a multitude of ways, at different paces and through divergent paths. They articulate their responses and express their intelligence in a variety of ways, too. Our curriculum is infused with this progressive idea. Beyond the conventional mathematical and linguistic skills, it encourages children to demonstrate their brilliance by exploring and honing Multiple Intelligences (MI). And through our method of Differentiated Learning, we allow the interests, strengths and abilities of the child to guide us in supporting his or her educational needs. This includes formulating a specialised strategy to nurture the potential and intellectual abilities of students with Special Education Needs (SEN) or nurture Accelerated Learners through Individual Learning Plans.

We offer a blended curriculum of CISCE and CAIE till Grade 7 after which students choose examination Boards of their choice. Grade 8 is a transitional year that helps us build Board-specific skills. In Primary School, the curricular framework leverages theme-based thinking and sensorial learning. At this level, we follow an integrated curriculum based on NCERT (National Council of Education Research and Training) and the Cambridge International Primary Programme (CIPP) guidelines.

In Middle School we present an experiential, enquiry-based approach, which transitions students into deep conceptual thinking across disciplines, often culminating in integrated projects. The curriculum here is based on guidelines provided by the ICSE & IGCSE. In Secondary& Senior Secondary School, academic rigour, varied prescribed reading and supervised forays into the internet stimulate and synchronize learning. At this level, students become capable of more complex work, adept as critical thinkers and problem solvers – all essential life skills for personal fulfillment and lifelong learning. Students are guided at this time in their preparations for their ICSE, IGCSE and A/AS level board exams.

Kindergarten (Pre-K, K1, K2)

The pre-school curriculum at Inventure is a mix of discovery and delight, sparking senses and stimulating experiential learning. Our littlest students thrive in their new world, imbibing concepts in a safe, caring space, through imaginative, creative methods and inter-disciplinary hands-on learning. They use their senses, movement, a multitude of interesting materials and play to explore, investigate and collaborate. And true to our philosophy, they begin each day with sports.

In pre-school, we emphasize the process rather than the product. We seek to create a love for learning rather than merely covering topics in a syllabus. Such engagement, which is led by the little students themselves in learning centres, and facilitated by the teachers, brings a wonderful outcome: the children begin to come up with ideas and engage in critical problem-solving processes in a variety of contexts, both curricular and social. And these are learning skills that will stay with them for life.

Curricular Highlights:

• Learning Centers where developmental and foundational skills are acquired through observations, construction, pretend play, reading and art.
• Theme based learning as part of the curriculum
• Teacher-led Instruction to help children reflect and make connections with their world.
• Circle Time to encourage social interaction, listening, conversing, feeling, thinking, empathy and patience.
• A strong Reading Programme with books sent home every week
• One Co-curricular Activity everyday including swimming, yoga, library.
• Supervised Play and Field Trips to energise children in a healthy, stimulating outdoor environment.
• Guest lectures and Parent Participation
• Makkala Habba, the Kindergarteners annual function, which celebrates awards and graduation on this day

EXPERIENTIAL AND INTERDISCIPLINARY LEARNING

The children were learning the sound ‘n’ in Hindi, so they decided to make a ‘nadi’ or a river with foil, water and cloth in the sandpit. Some of the children put rubber animals into their installation that they thought would live in a river. Another started counting the animals. Yet another brought in the concept of gravity into the way the water was falling from a higher to a lower place. Through fun, hands-on play, and their own inventiveness, the children learned so much, across disciplines.

Primary School (Grade 1-5)

The curricular framework leverages theme-based thinking and sensorial learning. At this level, we follow an integrated curriculum based on NCERT (National Council of Education Research and Training) and the Cambridge International Primary Programme (CIPP) guidelines.

In Primary School, curious minds begin to investigate and question, connect and collaborate. They make fruitful discoveries in in languages, math and science. Theme based learning is the underlying methodology with a curriculum we have designed in-house. Teaching and learning is experiential and focuses on skill building. In a cheerful, stimulating environment, children acquire knowledge through a theme and project based curriculum which makes learning real and relevant. Teachers guide and mentor children to learn in multiple ways, share their ideas, and become responsible for their own learning, at their own pace. Dance, music, theatre and art are woven into the curriculum. Sports is done every day. The Reading and Writing Workshop fosters creativity and communication. Math concepts are made fun through games, activities and problems that relate to their daily lives. An emphasis on computer literacy in primary school leads to the burgeoning of critical thinking, design, problem-solving, presentation and programming skills. And the wonderful output of all this learning and its application is displayed during the Celebration Of Learning.

Curricular Highlights:

• A blended curriculum that includes the best of both CISCE and CIE.
• Theme- based Learning: An umbrella topic is chosen, and learning flows from this through the year.
• Reading and Writing Program : Based on the Lucy Calkins Programme of the Teachers College of Columbia University.
• To support our reading program this year, we are also offering online reading resources RAZ plus and Lightsail.
• ‘Top Math’ textbook and workbook that creatively engages young students and the online learning tool Mindspark, which is adaptive and captures the learning curve of each student.
• Technology Integration & Introduction to Coding
• Celebration of Learning: A showcase for parents of the hands-on, experiential, activity-based learning that has taken place throughout the year.
• Sports and Beyond Academics programmes as part of the weekly timetable
• Outbound Life Skills Development Program: Aimed at developing ‘Independence’ in Grade 4 and ‘Self Worth’ in Grade 5
• Maker Space for Grade 5: STEAM learning through making and design thinking.
• 21st Century Computer Skills are infused into the lessons in a safe, stimulating way.
• Math and Science labs: For integrated projects as part of the theme based learning model.
• Prayas for Learning Support: A teacher led initiative focuses on specific need gaps and building up of specific skills in reading, writing, spelling, organization, task completion and comprehension
• Aligned with the Round Square Discovery Framework: Incorporates the twelve discoveries (Inquisitiveness, Communication skills, Appreciation of Diversity, Ability to Solve Problems, Commitment to Sustainability, Inventiveness, Sense of Responsibility, Tenacity, Courage, Self-Awareness, Teamwork Skills, Compassion) which are valuable tools for character building and real life connect.

THEME-BASED LEARNING

The group children are role playing. They have used the Cauvery water issue as the subject for their interaction. As they present the topic, they are all talking at once. There is chaos. The second group comes forward to present. They have only 2 speakers. In the final group. There is one clear leader who represents the group and presents their findings. After this, the children begin to learn about the types of governance: it is an organic transition, as they now understand the need for a society of group to have a leader, a representative. They have arrived at this learning through engaging with language, reading, theatre, civics and more. Then, real world connections are made – to Indian society now and in the past.

This is a small glimpse into Inventure’s unique way of teaching in Primary School through interdisciplinary Theme-based Learning. Using the standards and benchmarks set by the Boards, our teachers structure the learning very differently – not as units, but strung into an interwoven curriculum, where the theme is a lens through which the entire syllabus is discovered and imbibed. Themes include ‘how things are organized’; ‘how much do we really need’; ‘patterns around us’; and ‘evolution’.

Students are explorers, discovering concepts to gain knowledge and hone 21st century skills like Collaboration, Communication, Critical thinking and Creativity through experiential learning, interacting with peers and the community. They discover themselves, set goals and develop values and character.

Middle School (GRADE 6-8)

We present an experiential, enquiry-based approach, which transitions students into deep conceptual thinking across disciplines, often culminating in integrated projects. The curriculum here is based on guidelines provided by the IGCSE.

Emerging from the theme based world of primary school, children in middle school excitedly delve deeper into academic disciplines and their specializations. They begin to make leaps into abstract and critical thinking. Middle school incubates fresh, unconventionalways of processing ideas and working, encouraging children to make interesting connections between their new knowledge and real life applications of it. The writing programme sharpens communication and reflection on perspectives and self. The Maker Space becomes a locus of creativity and problem-solving. At the same time, students are honing art, music and sport abilities. Their engagement with the wider world becomes more intense through guest lectures, field trips, projects, exhibitions and presentations. The Empathy Programme opens up new perspectives. These varied learnings often culminate in integrated projects. Students at this stage begin to come alive to the values of compassion, empathy, ethics and collective social responsibility that we infuse their environment with, and begin to manifest these in their community outreach

Curricular Highlights:

• Customized Curriculum: Based on NCERT & CIE guidelines and Inventure’s educational approach.
• Deeper exploration of subjects: Biology, Physics, Chemistry; Algebra, Geometry and
  Arithmetic; History, Civics, Geography; language and literature appreciation.
• Writing Program: Where each student produces up to four publications across a range of genres.
• Life Skills Development Program: Aimed at fostering ‘Initiative & Confidence’ in Grade 6, ‘Empathy’ in Grade 7 & ‘Relationships’ in Grade 8.
• PODS: Interest-based electives where curricula and activities are collaboratively designed by students and teachers, and focus on kindling talents and skills, and then honing them.
• Celebration of Learning: A festival where in addition to learning about concepts and their wider world applications, students learn life skills such as teamwork, perseverance, discipline, creativity and hard work.

MAKER SPACE

One student wanted to make copper melt. So he built a furnace. Another little girl was concerned about her friend who was standing for student council election: her friend was stressed. So she invented a machine which, at a press of a button, ejected motivational messages or helpful advice on how to manage the stress. A group of 8thgraders designed a game and an app to help people learn how to segregate waste.

All this was done in a unique innovators’ lab at Inventure called the Maker Space, which is part of the timetable till Grade 8 and an elective, or POD after that. We believe that children learn with all their senses. That bringing theory and practise helps children to understand how those senses are being used and how their learning is happening. The Maker Space offers a variety of tools and materials (both hardware and software) and teachers (who step in only when the student is really struck). Design thinking processes are employed and STEAM projects are explored, allowing children to understand that there are several ways to approach a challenge. Children work through structured processes and scientific processes, but often find other directions to move in through their inquiring minds, adding things along the way to their creations. The Maker Space allows for all this, creating an environment where children make things, not just for the sake of making them, but to express their thoughts and ideas, to find solutions for problems, and to acquire the discipline and grit that comes from failing and trying a thousand times. And through it all, develop empathy, intuition and logic, discovering themselves in a wholly different way.

Senior School (GRADE 9-12)

Academic rigour, varied prescribed reading and supervised forays into the internet stimulate and synchronize learning. At this level, students become capable of more complex work, are adept critical thinkers and problem solvers – all essential life skills for personal fulfillment and lifelong learning. Students are guided at this time in their preparations for their IGCSE and A/AS level board exams.

In senior school, our students, on the brink of independence, imbibe a set of skills that will prepare them for the outside world, to face it with resilience and maturity. On one hand they possess an unshakeable conceptual foundation which is a stepping stone into academic excellence, high external test scores, and admissions into the national or international university of their choice (with the help of our expert career guides). Challenging and motivating, this is a phase where they begin to acquire and exercise higher order thinking and scientific curiosity, catalyzed by growing objectivity. On the other hand, Beyond Academics activities like sports, the creative arts, PODs, guest lectures, community outreach and programmes like Changemaker mold them into well-rounded, confident and responsible young people and with the values of independent thought, social change and compassion embedded in them. Leadership programmes, the Model United Nations, internships and other such platforms give opportunities to engage with the country’s growth, by developing a voice and contributing to policy and laws that impact children, for instance. They also learn to interface with the global arena in diverse ways. Simultaneously, we support and scaffold them with counselling and accelerated learners programmes as and when needed. For these are the young people who will go out there and make a difference.

Curricular Highlights:

• Grades 9 and 10: We have accreditations from the CAIE, UK for the IGCSE
• Grades 11 and 12: We offer the A/AS Levels, affiliated to the CAIE.
  o Cambridge International A/AS Level students are placed in top universities in India and across the world. With its strong theoretical base, it provokes experimentation and interactions with the physical sciences on the one hand, and the humanities and life science fields on the other.
• Student Leadership Workshop for those elected to the Student Council.
• Model United Nations (MUN) – Dialogues through Model United Nation where Inventure students host the Inventure Model United Nations (IN MUN) and participates in various prestigious MUN, nationally and internationally.
• Counselling: Counsellors engage in individual and group / classroom / circle time sessions to address various behavioural/ emotional and study related concerns.
• Internships: All students of Grades 10 to 12 are required to engage in for a minimum period of two weeks during the May or July school breaks. Students are expected to complete two internships of two weeks.
• Presentations by Colleges & Universities: An opportunity to interact with visiting representatives of foreign and visiting Universities.
• College & Career Guidance: At Inventure, career guidance support begins from Grade 8, when students are required to make Board choices between ICSE and IGCSE. Thereafter, counselling is focused towards exploring career opportunities and higher education options. To facilitate this decision, workshops and orientation sessions are organised for students and parents from time to time.
• Outbound Life Skills Development Program: Aimed at fostering Life Skills such as ‘Teamwork and Collaboration’ in Grade 9, ‘Leadership and Decision Making’ in Grade 10, ‘Community Awareness and Action’ in Grade 11 & ‘Personal Vision’ in Grade 12.
• Changemaker Program: A platform to teach our senior students to be advocates of positive change, in their neighbourhoods and beyond.
• Accelerated Learning Trajectory: This includes allowing students to pursue higher level courses from the prescribed syllabus at IGCSE and A-levels and scaffolds them appropriately. We also offer Additional Mathematics from CAIE for 10th Grade, and Further Mathematics for 12th Grade after they finish their A levels in the 11th Grade.

INFLUENCING POLICY

Students at Inventure never take a back seat. In 2014, Inventure Academy partnered with 18 other schools, UNICEF & various legal, market research, and child protection organizations, to create & present a Student Charter to the Government of Karnataka regarding the security and abuse of school-going children. The Charter contained key findings from the Safety Charter drafted by students of Inventure Academy in 2016 during the ‘Our Safety Our Voice’ initiative.

In 2018, in the course of the Round Square Youth parliament event hosted by Inventure, 5000 children across India gave their inputs through a questionnaire on cyber security, on what makes them feel safe and unsafe online. From the answers collected, Inventure students are preparing a charter which they will present to the government and the United Nations.