Curriculum & textbooks
For Cambridge Primary (5 to 11 years, Stage 1 to Stage 6) and for Cambridge Lower Secondary (11 to 14 years, Stage 7 to Stage 9 ) the Ananthamurthy International School offers a rich blend / combination of the Cambridge International Curriculum and the National/State Curriculum in tune with our Roots and Wings approach, derived from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s famous words, often quoted by Dr. U.R.Ananthamurthy, “there are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children. One of these is roots, the other, wings.” Thus, up to the Stage 9 Check-point Examinations, apart from the Cambridge International core subjects (English, Science and Mathematics), students are also taught Social Science topics from the Kerala State Board syllabus enabling them to learn about Kerala's (& India's) geography and history. Also, up to Stage 9, students are taught Hindi and Malayalam language (using the Keraleeyam integrated curriculum). All children learn Carnatic Classical vocal music, Western popular music and Kalarippayattu.
The Roots and Wings approach adopted up to Stage 9 (Grade 8) equips children to smoothly go on to the higher stages of the Cambridge International Pathway, while at the same time getting them ready to go on to Grade 9 CBSE / ICSE or Std 9 of the Kerala Board, if parents so decide.
Beyond Stage 8, the Ananthamurthy International School intends to offer two distinct choices:
(a) Cambridge Upper Secondary (14 to 16 years), Cambridge ‘O’ level, IGCSE, leading to Cambridge ICE Certificate and Cambridge Advanced (16 to 19 years), Cambridge ‘A’ level, leading to Cambridge AICE Diploma.
(b) The Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) and Higher Secondary (HSE) Examinations by the Kerala Board of Public Examination.
Essential reference material is prepared and made available to children, as and when required, based on appropriate international and local resources.
Parents are advised not to purchase textbooks or guidebooks brought out by private publishers.
Within the Social Constructivist perspective of learning, learning is seen as an active process, where knowledge is constructed, not transmitted, memorized or acquired. Students ‘construct’ their own meanings by building on their previous knowledge and experience. New ideas and experiences are matched against existing knowledge, and the learner constructs new or adapted interpretations to make sense of the world. Teaching-strategies based on this approach, adopted by the Academy, therefore, mark a conscious effort to move away from the ‘traditional, teacher-centred, objectivist models:'lecture-based, memory-oriented transmission models’ to a more student-centred approach. Teachers are trained to be ‘friends and facilitators’, creating learning environments which
- Provide multiple representations of reality that avoid oversimplification and represent the complexity of the real world.
- Emphasize knowledge construction instead of knowledge memorization / reproduction.
- Emphasize authentic tasks, experiments, field trips and projects in a meaningful context rather than abstract instruction out of context.
- Support collaborative construction of knowledge through social negotiation, avoiding unhealthy competition among learners for recognition.
Teachers keep close track of children’s learning by observing, analyzing and evaluating children’s interactions and performance in various individual and group activities, assignments and projects apart from carefully evaluating children’s notes, presentations and other written products.
At the end of each lesson, teachers evaluate the extent to which each student has achieved the objective of the particular lesson. Records of this 'formative' evaluation are meticulously maintained and shared with parents.
Also, summative evaluation is conducted regularly (through Unit Tests, Term-end Tests and Model Tests) so as to prepare children for confidently facing the Cambridge International Annual Exams / Check-point Exams.
Parents are strongly advised to avoid providing private tuitions to students as private tutors are likely to use teaching strategies that conflict with those adopted by the Academy.