Annual Report - Gateway School Of Mumbai

ANNUAL REPORT
2015-16
Message from Head of School
Dear friends, family, coworkers, and supporters,
we have
always
believed that
every
stakeholder
connected
with the
school students,
parents, and
teachers depend on
each other
and support each other in building their capacity.
The fact that our students are contributing the
sales from their artwork towards the further
education of their teachers is a tangible and
powerful example of this philosophy in action!
Thank you for providing the inspiration and
encouragement needed by our Gateway-Mumbai
team to achieve the many successes we have this
year! Here are some highlights:
To begin with, we have successfully supported all
our Grade 10 students through their National Open
University (NIOS) examinations! Also, the results
of three students that attempted the Grade 10
Cambridge International examinations (IGCSE)
have just started coming in. Two of them have
passed with overall averages of 70%, while one of
them is awaiting a final result confirmation from
the board. We do not know of any other special
needs school in India that has undertaken the
ambitious challenge of seeing its children through
IGCSE! The NIOS achievement is equally special
and meaningful to us because our students
succeeded in their tests without us having to
sacrifice on teaching for understanding and instead
focusing squarely on rote-memorization (as is
commonly done for this examination board). In the
words of a parent after the examinations, “The kids
have gained in terms of real learning of concepts
with relation to the outside world. They have learnt
to produce on paper what they have understood.”
As far as Gateway-Mumbai’s outreach program is
concerned, this year has been our most impactful
by far! Through professional workshops, engaging
in systematic school development programs,
supporting internships, and inviting professionals
for classroom visits, we have helped empower
institutions and educators that are working with
more than 16,000 students! In addition to these
lines of action, we have also participated in
government policy reform, educational research
and dissemination, and membership in prestigious
school networks aiming to reform education in
India and around the world.
At the same time, the artistic achievements of our
students this year are awe-inspiring! First, the
Annual Art Show was a pleasantly surprising
revelation of how quickly and how much the
students’ visual arts skills and creativity have
increased in just one year. The process of working
closely with more than 11 accomplished artists and
designers allowed them to produce more than 50
masterpieces of art in several different mediums
including clay, textiles, ceramics, canvas, and
others. But there’s more. The students then went
on to blow us away with their dramatic
performances at Annual Day! Supported by a
professional instructor this year, the students put
up two spectacular plays - one described Malala’s
emotional and inspiring journey to becoming a
global changemaker, while the other provided
some comic relief with its modern and cheeky take
on the classic Cinderella.
Finally, I’d like to share with you the great
possibilities that the near future holds for the K.V.
Bodani Education Foundation. We have recently
confirmed a strategic partnership with one of the
best school teams we have ever interacted with the Cooke Center for Learning & Development in
New York. We will be developing a powerful
internship program and life-skills program for our
older students at Gateway-Mumbai, modeled on
Cooke Center’s highly successful curricula.
Additionally, we are in the process of exploring
strategic partnerships with, a. two renowned
colleges for education in New York, to help us
design a certificate course for Early Intervention
specialists, and b. an exceptionally successful
independent-living and job-coaching focused
organization in New York, to help us create a
program for young adults with Autism and/or other
developmental disabilities find and successfully
maintain appropriate job placements within the
mainstream society.
Not only have our students done well for
themselves, but they have also been productive
contributors to society. The sale of their artwork
at the Annual Art Show raised a total net income
of more than Rs. 12 lakh (approximately $17,000),
and all of this money has been earmarked towards
Gateway-Mumbai’s ‘Excellence in Teaching Award’
- where one of our teachers will be sponsored
to pursue a Master’s degree in education from a
top-tier university in the US. At Gateway-Mumbai,
I promise to keep you posted on these
developments as and when they take place
through the year ahead.
01
LEARNING THEORY
The circles in the diagram refer to how we view
learning. These circles are not mutually exclusive,
but rather interconnected. Each helps facilitate
the other, and for learning to take place, all need
to be addressed holistically.
At Gateway, we firmly believe in the
concept of neuroplasticity. Given the
appropriate interventions, all students
can learn and there is no ceiling or
plateau to their learning capacity. Given
this belief, we select activities that are
developmentally appropriate. We draw
from developmental theorists such as
Piaget and Vygotsky, to structure
learning activities that are appropriate
for a child’s age and abilities.
Learning at Gateway begins with the body. I
first need to understand myself, my body, and
regulate myself in order to learn. This is Sensory
Motor development.
On this Sensory Motor foundation is built
Socio-Emotional, Cognitive and Language
Development, which happens simultaneously. “I
use language to think, I have to be able to think
before I can function in a group.”
DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE TASKS
EXECUTIVE FUNCTION
LANGUAGE
DEVELOPMENT
In the outermost circle, we have Executive
Function and Mindset. Executive Function is the
control system of the brain - it helps the child
navigate through the different skills in their
repertoire and determine what to employ and
when. It helps one organize, plan, identify what
to focus on, and what cognitive strategies to use,
and guides one to respond in different situations.
COGNITIVE
DEVELOPMENT
SENSORY
MOTOR
SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL
DEVELOPMENT
Finally, learning is dependent on my Mindset. “If
I believe I can learn, I will. Is my mindset one that
values the process of learning or only the
outcome?” At Gateway, we encourage our
children to focus on process learning, highlighting
that success comes from trying, rather than from
getting something right.
MINDSET
THE BRAIN IS PLASTIC AND CAN LEARN
02
LEARNING THEORY
Keeping the learning theory in mind, we
have outlined some principles that guide
our teaching:
GROUP LEARNING
We all learn from and with each other. Eventually,
students will need to be part of a larger society,
working alongside their colleagues. The emphasis
on group learning teaches children how to harness
each other’s strengths and work effectively as a
team.
MEANINGFUL TO EVERYDAY LIFE
From experience, we have learned that students
find more value in studying matters that they
perceive as directly impacting their lives. They are
more intrinsically motivated and can better
generalize and transfer learning.
MULTI-SENSORY
We also know from research that employing
multiple senses when learning strengthens
students’ understanding and ensures that they
are more actively engaged in tasks.
PROMOTING RISK-TAKING
Structured and safe environments promote
risk-taking, which enables a child to reach out of
his comfort zone and be open to new learning
experiences.
PROMOTING SELF-REFLECTION
In order to ‘own’ their learning and utilize it for
problem-solving, students must reflect and learn
from their mistakes. Research tells us that when
we are actively engaged in the process of
learning, and not focused on the outcome, we are
better lifelong learners.
03
ORGANIZATIONAL THEORY
SYSTEMATIZED LEARNING
Learning is generated through continuous cycles of study and planning,
action, and reflection. Systematic documentation of insights generated
through pulsating cycles of the learning process are then used to inform
practice at Gateway-Mumbai and also for dissemination to the
community-at-large through outreach projects.
BUILDING CAPACITY
Leadership roles, organizational structures and protocols, and allocation
of resources are all directed towards the overarching goal of supporting
professional growth and building capacity in Gateway’s team members.
UNIVERSAL PARTICIPATION
Everyone in the Gateway community is involved in relevant
decision-making processes and in the generation of learning.
COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE
We hold all our team members to the highest standards of diligence
and professionalism.
COLLABORATION AND CONSULTATION
Collaboration between Gateway-Mumbai’s multidisciplinary team
members and the student’s family informs the child’s educational plan.
Honest and respectful consultation is used as a tool to facilitate
‘intellectual conflict,’ through which diverse perspectives are shared and
unity of thought is then achieved.
04
2015-2016 OUTCOMES : MISSION
ANNUAL DAY
This year, we had an external theatre professional,
Mr. Gerish Khemani, work tirelessly with our
students and teachers to put together a
drama-based showcase, centred upon Inner
Strength. Our younger students performed a
spin-off on the classic Cinderella through
shadow theatre. It was inspiring to see our fierce
and independent Cinderella build a life for herself.
Our older students enacted the tragic yet
inspiring story of Malala Yousafzai. It was gratifying
to see our students not only embody Malala’s
ideals of justice, peace and equality during the
performance, but truly learn from her story. Our
students were not the only performers: some of
our parents performed a cheerful Samba dance as
a surprise for the students. The evening ended with
a lovely dinner organized by our ever-enthusiastic
PTA!
The Gateway School of Mumbai is dedicated to
empowering children with learning challenges,
along with their families and the professionals that
support them. Our intention is to help students
develop the skills, knowledge, understandings, and
attitudes, necessary for them to lead fulfilling and
productive lives as independent and successful
individuals that actively contribute to society.
NIOS RESULTS
About two years ago, our students’ families made
a powerful argument for why Gateway-Mumbai
should offer the National Institute of Open
Schooling (NIOS) as an alternative Grade 10
checkpoint examination to the Cambridge
International board. After much research,
deliberation and consultation, we acknowledged
the merits of the suggestion and introduced the
NIOS syllabus for select students. The outcome of
this collaboration - a 100% clearance rate for all our
students that attempted the NIOS examinations in
April ‘16! We are proud of our students, their
teachers, and their families!
CONTRIBUTION TO SOCIETY
Every year, the proceeds of our art show go
towards a cause. From this year onwards, the funds
will be used towards our ‘Excellence in Teaching
Award.’ Gateway is a place where we all help each
other grow - our teachers help students learn in
the classroom, and in turn, our students are helping
their teachers learn further, by pursuing a Master’s
degree in education from a top-tier university in
the US.
OUR ANNUAL ART SHOW
Gateway-Mumbai’s fourth Annual Art Show - The
Spring Summer Showcase 2016 - took place at the
prestigious Upadasthra House. The preview, which
was attended by students, parents, external artists
and designers, socialites and Bollywood actors,
was a beautiful representation of GatewayMumbai’s unique art program. The event,
initially scheduled from 6th-8th April, received a
huge response and was extended to view until the
10th of April.
What parents are saying
(anonymous reviews):
To what extent do you feel like the school creates
a welcoming environment for you, the parents?
90%
To what extent has the school been prompt and
responsive with email communications sent by you?
88%
To what extent is the aesthetic feel of the campus
one that promotes joy and positivity?
88%
How would you rate the school overall?
88%
05
OUTCOMES OF 2015-2016 : VISION
The Gateway School of Mumbai’s vision is to generate learning and spread
evidence-based practices in the field of education and therapies, in India and globally.
Through conducting professional development workshops, engaging in systematic
school-development programs, supporting internships, and inviting professionals to
visit classrooms - this year, Gateway-Mumbai has reached out to and impacted more
than 50 institutions, 15 principals/directors, 600 teachers, and approximately 16,000
students!
POLICY
Gateway-Mumbai was part of a task-force appointed to support the Government of Maharashtra in
outlining concessions and accommodations offered to students appearing for the State Board
Examinations. This project is a work-in-progress.
INSTITUTIONAL COLLABORATIONS
a. The India School Leadership Institute (ISLI) Network has invited Gateway-Mumbai to be a member
of its community of exceptional schools around the country. They aim to support leaders at low-cost
schools to work towards driving excellent outcomes in their institutions. So far, ISLI has reached out to
184 school leaders that work with 85,000 students!
b. The Ashoka Changemaker Schools Network has invited Gateway-Mumbai to be a member of its
global community of over 200 leading elementary, middle and high schools that are viewed as drivers of
a changing education landscape. As part of this network, Gateway-Mumbai will reach out to and share its
practices with low-cost private and public schools all over India.
RESEARCH
a. The CEC Annual Convention (USA) was recently attended by over 5000 educators, administrators,
therapists, and other professionals. Our team members, Dr. Radhika Misquitta and Ms. Manika Khanna
were invited to share key learning that has been generated at Gateway-Mumbai over the years.
Ms. Khanna presented about Gateway-Mumbai’s unique and powerful professional development
framework which is designed to build capacity in teachers, and is targeted specifically at developing
countries and other contexts where special educational practices are emerging.
b. Research & Development (R&D) Team Study - We created a Research and Development Team at
Gateway in 2015, in keeping with our vision of continuously learning and spreading best practices in
education, and to ensure we are at the forefront of innovation. For our first project, the R&D team
explored how we could increase academic learning time for our students. Results from the study
indicated that our teachers use instructional time optimally (that is, most of the time in a given class is
used in teaching content). However, most content tended to be teacher-facilitated, rather than
student-facilitated. These results informed our professional development for the next academic year,
where our focus will be on students’ group learning.
06
THE YEAR IN PICTURES
Library Week
Mr. Adi Godrej Visits Gateway-Mumbai
Adaptive Physical Education Class
Farewell Party For IGCSE Students
Sports Day 2015
Grandparents’ Day 2015
Annual Day 2016
Parent Support Group
07
THE YEAR IN PICTURES
Farewell Party For IGCSE Students
Library Week
Art Class In Progress
Rock Climbing Fun
Special Grandstand - Mr. Arjun Kanungo
08
LOOKING AHEAD 2016-2017
GRADE 12
society. For the current year, Gateway has
Gateway-Mumbai is now offering a 12th grade
partnered with Angel Express, an NGO that works
programme, a two-year academic + vocational +
towards the education of underprivileged
service-learning programme for students who have
students.
completed Grade 10. As part of the academic
programme, Gateway will offer the Senior
ADAPTIVE SKILLS PROGRAM WITH COOKE
Secondary NIOS Certificate. This programme is
CENTER
flexible with a wide range of subjects that students
Gateway-Mumbai has partnered with the Cooke
can choose from, the examinations for which, can
Center for Learning & Development in New York
be attempted over several years.
(USA) to develop a vocational programme for
students 14-years and above. As part of this
INTERNSHIP
programme, students will engage in learning
As part of the vocational component of the 12th
activities wherein they will develop real-world
grade programme, our students will be ongoingly
skills such as money- and time-management,
engaged in internships. These internship
independent home-living skills, and will learn to
opportunities will be supported by our team and
work effectively in their community. Students will
will prepare students with the skills and knowledge
also undertake internships (with support from our
to transition effectively into the workforce after
team) where they will be afforded opportunities to
graduation.
develop work skills in real-world settings.
SERVICE LEARNING
R&D TEAM
Students who are 14-years and older will also be
Gateway will continue with its R&D team which
afforded opportunities for community
began in 2015. We are currently in the planning
service-learning as part of Gateway’s mission to
process to identify our project for 2016-17.
develop productive and contributing members of
09
LOOKING AHEAD 2016-2017
OUTREACH
In addition to our earlier lines of action for sharing
the tremendous learning being generated at
Gateway on a daily basis, this year we will be
embarking on projects of dramatically higher
scale and scope. This includes designing a series
of courses for India’s largest (and still very new)
online teacher training portal, and supporting
mainstream schools with strategic planning and
teacher training for effective inclusion of kids with
disabilities.
JOB SUPPORT
The K.V. Bodani Foundation is exploring the
possibility of establishing a structured program to
support adults (21+ yrs.) with Autism and/or
other developmental disabilities find appropriate
job placements within mainstream society and
succeed in their responsibilities. The inspiring and
successful Job Path New York (USA) is being
considered as a technical partner for this project.
EARLY INTERVENTION SPECIALIZATION
We are currently engaged in consultation with a
team of experts from the renowned colleges,
Hunter College and Bank Street College of
Education, in New York (USA), to explore the
possibility of co-designing a certificate training
program for Early Intervention Specialization in
India.
10
THANK YOU
Ajay De
Grishma Saksaria
Alistair Woodham
Hita Tolia Ami Modi Ishana Kirpalani
Anita Kanungo & Sanjay Kanungo
John Gloster & Tisha Gloster Ankur Bhatia Jossie O’Neill
Anuradha Jasani
Jyoti Soonderji Anurag Tyagi Kaajal Prashar
Apoorva Lakhia Kalandi Kilachand Bharti Thakker Karan Johar
Bijal Mehta & Apoorva Mehta Kavita Singh & Nandini Singh
Bimal Parekh & Arun Shah - Sunidhi Securities
Kayomi Engineer Bob Cunningham
Kelly Dorfman
Camphor & Allied Products Ltd. Kinnari Punjabi Carrie Strauch
Krsna Mehta
Chirag C. Doshi
Laila Bijlani Motwani Deanne Pandey Lakshmi V. Nair
Divya Mafatlal Mahesh Jethmalani Ekta & Rahul Raheja - Raheja Universal Pvt. Ltd.
Manju Bafna Elina Meswani & Nikhil Meswani
Manvinder Dawar Fran Reinstein
Meghna Shah
Gagan Oberoi
Michelle Poonawala
Gaurav Shah
Munisha Malhotra Gayatri Meswani Nandini Seth Ginnie Nudell
Nidhi Gia Gopi Patel
Nina Kilachand 11
THANK YOU
Oriental Aromatics Ltd. Shivya Trehan
Orrin Devinsky
Shriyali Tayabji
Parag Satoskar
Smita A. Jatia
Penny Patel & Sanjeev Patel
Smita Sanghavi
Pernia Qureshi Sonal Panchmatia Premal Sanghvi Sonali Thakker Puja Malpani
Sonam Kapoor
Radhika Ruia Sudhir Jain Rakhee Mehra
Superna Motwani
Ramesh Gurjala Sushma Saksaria (La Devi)
Reena Wadhwa Tania Deol & Bobby Deol
Renu Chainani Tara Daswani Reshma Piramal & Harsh Piramal
Tara Sharma Reshma Merchant Tarini Jindal Handa & Vikram Handa
Ritika Garg
Thota Vaikuntam Robert Swan
Tonya Pulanco
Rupa Thakker Usha Vora Sant Sanganeria Foundation Vaishali Bafna Sapna Singhania Vatsal Sheth Sapna Tulsiani & Uttam Tulsiani
Vidita Singh Seema Jogani
Vijay Kadam Seema Khan Yogeshwari Singh & Sameer Parikh
Sharon Herzfeld
Sheila Kanungo
Shibani Agarwal
12
TESTIMONIALS
The time I spent at Gateway is undoubtedly one of the turning points in my life where I
realised, I really want to be a Special Ed. Teacher! Without the support, training and
opportunities provided by this team, I would never have had the chance to work with such
amazing children and recognize the career I want for myself and strive towards achieving it.
Former teacher (now pursuing further studies)
01 August 2015
The school is not a school, it’s a second home for the kids. The warmth and affection that I
felt made me realise how hard you all have worked and what a tremendous job you all have
done. Love, laughter and happiness exuded everywhere. We all felt comforted and secure in
the knowledge that someone understands and is ready to be there for them… The gateway
school needs to be congratulated for this service to society. Reality seems to take a
different hue now. Life has its challenges and those who make it easier for us should not only
be thanked but applauded in abundance.
Grandparent
26 October 2015
Thanks for the status update and for being so sensitive towards the kids’ well being...We also
observe that this sense of responsibility and concern is prevalent throughout the school. My
elder son studies in a different school. How much ever I avoid making a comparison between
the two schools, I must admit that Gateway school stands out...and that too by a wide
margin.
Parent
05 February 2016
My paper went awesome..... I was not anxious throughout. I finally gave a paper without
being anxious. I will do so well miss. Thank you!
Email from Grade 10 student, right after NIOS exam
April 2016
13
TESTIMONIALS
We wish to congratulate the entire Bodani family for living a dream and making it happen...
in such a short span of four years.
Going by my modest professional experience, I can say this is an impossible delivery made
possible...the teams delivering presentations yesterday reflected a radiance backed by confidence that we had not seen in the past. The future of our children is in more than safe hands,
more than what we expected from you to be delivered.
Parent
30 July 2016
On behalf of the PTA, I wish to congratulate the GSoM management for their unique democratic approach. Honestly, I believe that we would not find another school in Mumbai or for
that matter in India, who would be as honest & transparent with the parents. I thank you, for
making us part of such a GSoM family and feel very fortunate of being a part of it. We are
truly blessed!
PTA member
26 February 2015
14
The Gateway School Of Mumbai
Sion-Trombay Road, Next to Deonar Bus Depot,
Diagonally opposite TISS, Govandi (E), Mumbai – 400088
Phone: +91-22-25563613, +91-22-25563614
Email: [email protected]
www.gatewayschoolmumbai.org​