The Open School
The Open School caters to the needs of Children with Specific Learning Difficulties. It is located at Shenoy Nagar in a well-equipped building covering an area of around 10,000 sq. ft.
The classrooms are well ventilated and hygienic. The students and teachers share a close rapport in a child friendly and cheerful ambience.
“Learning Imaginatively” is the motto of Sankalp and at the Open School and the children are taught both Academics and Life Skills based on their individual achievement levels. The class strength being small, active learning takes place as there is a lot of interaction between the teachers and students.
The students are given a lot of opportunity to build confidence in themselves and self-esteem.
The teachers are trained to use differentiated strategies to cater to individual learning styles and focus on a child’s strengths. A child at the Open School is taught the basics of Reading, Comprehension, Basic Math and Writing before graduating to academic subjects like English, Science and Social Studies.
Strategies & Methods for Children with LD
Academic instruction is imparted through a therapy approach and a structured learning environment is made available to the student to develop cognitive and social skills to help them become independent learners.
The curriculum, textbooks, workbooks and worksheets till Class 8 have been designed and compiled by the teachers with a lot of visuals, exercises, graphic organizers and other strategies to make learning fun.
Individualized Education Program assures that each child is taught subjects like English, Basic Math, Practical Math, Science and Social Studies along with co-curricular activities like Cookery, Dance, Drums, Silambam, Theatre, Yoga and Pottery at their levels of competence.
Physical Education and Brain Gym are an essential part of the curriculum.
Occupational Therapy through exercises to stimulate the brain and body and to improve motor coordination, visual perception, a sense of balance, gait, handwriting skills and activities to cope with daily living is also offered.
The evaluation process is continuous with unit tests and examinations every term. Skill based assessments are also conducted simultaneously.Experts in the fields of Management, Education, Environment, Fine Arts and a variety of other fields are invited to conduct workshops and interact with the students
The students are taken on regular field trips and outbound trips to broaden their horizons.
The teachers are encouraged to regularly attend seminars, workshops and webinars to upgrade their skills and learn new methodologies.
Psycho Educational Assessments
During intake Psychological assessment is done to help the school better understand the student and provide valuable insights into their individual behaviour, cognitive and other skills, thoughts, personality and learning styles. The assessments are generally conducted over a span of three sessions.
The Open School for Specific Learning Disabilities conducts the following :
- IQ assessment both verbal (BKT) and non-verbal Bender Gestalt Test, Knox Cube, Seguin Form Board, Colored Progressive Matrices, Standard Progressive Matrices)
- Formal assessment for Learning Disabilities (NIMHANS Battery Diagnostic Test for Learning Disability, Woodcock Johnson Tests of Cognitive Ability, Woodcock Johnson Tests of Achievement).
- Informal assessment for LD (Aston Index
NIOS Subject Training offered at The Open School:
The students at The Open School are trained to write the NIOS Board examinations at the Secondary and Senior Secondary levels.
After Class 8, the students appear for the Secondary exams over a period of two years.
The Higher Secondary Examinations are also taken by the students over a period of two years after clearing the Secondary level.
For more information on the NIOS please visit their website:
English
Optional
Business Studies
Home Science
Data Entry
Painting
Higher Secondary
Examination
English
Optional
Mass Communication
Home Science
Commerce
Data Entry
PRAYAAS
PRAYAAS is a vocational training programme for a period of 1-2 years covering vocational skills like Weaving, Data Entry Operations, Book Binding, Lamination, Jewellery making, Cooking, Art and Craft along with soft skills and personality development. The target group is children with Specific Learning Disabilities over the age of 16 years and have completed their Secondary education.
The main aim of Prayaas is to create employment opportunities for children with Learning Disabilities and to up-skill the children so as to meet the industry standards.
The first batch of students have completed a year of training and have acquired hands on experience in all the areas. Some of them did an internship with Suder Bakery. They were also taken on industrial visits to get a feel of a working environment.