THE RIGHT CURRICULUM
At Podar, we ensure that the quality of education is of the highest quality in all our schools. All our Lesson plans and exams
are set by our extremely experienced Podar Innovation Center.
INNOVATION CENTER
80+ academicians ensuring your child gets the best experience. Since its inception in the year 1927, the Podar Group has taken giant strides to extend their reach not only in the cities but also to the interiors of our motherland, with the ideology that quality education is the right of every child. As the Podar fraternity spread across geographical boundaries, it became indispensable to ensure that the quality of education is maintained and enhanced further.
Integrity
We operate with truthfulness, honor and reliability.
Excellence
We are committed
in our pursuit of
quality education.
Discipline
We are committed
in our pursuit of
quality education.
Innovation
We embrace changes as an opportunity
Passion
We purse goals harder in adversity.
Respect
We show respect
to all. We value
diversity.
MISSION
To be the best and be recognised as raising the traditional standards of educational possibilities and outcomes for students, parents and society.
VISION
To develop and equip
children of India for
challenges of the 21st century.
About Podar Innovation Center
Thus in the year 2008, the Podar Innovation Center (PIC) came into being with five veterans - not only skilled academicians but also exceptionally creative, energetic and zealous people who wanted to bring about a change that mattered.
Today, PIC encompasses a team of more than 80 such academicians, educationists and experts who work to facilitate teaching and learning at various levels of the Podar educational system, starting at the primary and ascending up to the senior secondary school.
The advantage of having a centralized and a standardized system is that irrespective of where a school is located, the Podar standard of education is maintained. Right from selecting textbooks, building syllabus, making of the yearly planners, developing lesson plans using Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and other teaching aids, formulating worksheets, designing question papers and internal assessments, developing guidelines for activities, projects and lab work, the PIC team ensures that only the best goes to our students.
This team aims to provide high quality academic and non-academic support to all the Podar Education Network Schools based on the curriculum guidelines from the various boards including Indian boards like the Central Board for Secondary Education and Indian Certificate of Secondary Education, the Maharashtra State Board and an international board like the Cambridge Assessment of International Examination.
Continuous and Uninterrupted Quality Education in the times of a Pandemic – Virtual School Plans
According to Charles Darwin’s theory of survival of the fittest, it is not the smartest or the most intelligent species that survive but the fastest to change and adapt. With the outbreak of the pandemic of Covid-19 the world was faced with a situation where only those who adapted survived. Podar Education Network was quick at adapting to the situation. In the short transition period from pre-lockdown to lockdown the Podar Innovation Center created a Virtual School Plan (VSP) that went live on the 2nd of April, 2020 – the scheduled day for the start of the new academic session.
The Virtual School Plan (VSP) was a threefold plan with creation of content to support synchronous and asynchronous virtual classroom teaching in the form of resources like lesson plans and student support documents amongst others, creation of a support system to guide teachers, students and parents alike, to transition smoothly onto a platform for teaching that many of them had never experienced before; and thirdly the creation of a system to continuously monitor and evaluate the performance of schools – despite the odds.
All verticals of the Podar Innovation Center worked in synergy to create and execute the plan effectively.
EXPERIENCE
Stage two of learning is shaped with experience. Having already explored with the senses, in this stage children connect that exploration with past knowledge and create their thoughts and shape their ideas that leads to knowledge and understanding of the world around them. Analyzing, optimizing, restructuring are some of the high end pre-frontal skills developed at this stage. John Dewey’s model of “Project Based Learning” along with Jean Piaget’s “Cognitive Learning Theory” are incorporated at this stage to help children experience knowledge with understanding.
Curriculum And Content
Inquiry Approach
All subjects are dealt with using scientific approach of inquiry based learning that involves engaging visuals and presentation formats, and well-crafted activities to arouse the learner’s curiosity. It taps into the procedural, manipulative, observational, drawing, reporting and interpretive skills of the learners, hence enabling them to better grasp the key concepts.
Problem Solving Skills
All subjects are dealt with using scientific approach of inquiry based learning that involves engaging visuals and presentation formats, and well-crafted activities to arouse the learner’s curiosity. It taps into the procedural, manipulative, observational, drawing, reporting and interpretive skills of the learners, hence enabling them to better grasp the key concepts.
Thinking Skills
Profound thinking skills require both imagination and intellectual ideas. To produce excellence in thinking we engage our learners in a curriculum that overlaps the logical and the imaginative. Our curriculum provides students with ample opportunities to practise higher order thinking.
Curriculum Solutions Period Allocation
For optimal effectiveness of the entire teaching – learning process it is important that the time devoted to each subject is well planned. The syllabus designed for a particular academic year needs to be carefully distributed for successful learning to happen. Thus the PIC team provides the schools with a period allocation plan that synchronizes completely with the syllabus laid.
Syllabus
Schools are provided with a syllabus for each grade and subject. The syllabus provides the teacher with the number of periods required to complete a particular lesson. The syllabus is planned keeping in mind the tentative number of working days that each school is expected to have in a single academic year. While formulating the syllabus care is taken to include sufficient time for revision of topics. The syllabus also accounts for the time in the academic year that is invested in the non-academic and co-curricular events of the school like the school annual day, sports day and other activities.
Teacher's Manual
Teachers need to make wise decisions about the strategies and methods that they would apply to help learners understand & move systematically toward learner centric goals. Lesson planning is a vital component of the teaching-learning process. Proper classroom planning keeps teachers organized and on track while teaching. The better prepared the teacher is, the more likely she will be able to handle whatever unexpectedly happens in the lesson. PIC provides user friendly Teacher’s Manuals to guide teachers on how to facilitate successful lessons. The Teacher's manual is the instructor’s road map of what students need to learn and how to deliver the lesson effectively during the given class time. The manuals recommend the use of stories, poems and other stimuli as set induction. They incorporate instructional strategies that lead to fruitful thinking. They provide the teacher with tips to integrate learnings together and make the lessons interactive.
Assessments
Assessment resources include Question Paper, Blue Print and Answer Schemes to these Question Papers.
Academic solutions also contain Practice Sheets / Question Banks and Revision Tests as per the requirement of each subject. These resources provide the needed revision and help to the students to prepare for their exams.
Virtual School Plan Curriculum and Content
In order to ensure that education and academics of our students is not hampered during the Covid-19 associated global lockdown, Virtual School Plans were created promptly. Classes were conducted on online platforms synchronously as well as asynchronously. The curriculum and content team of the PIC ensured a smooth transition to an absolutely new medium of instruction for teachers and students by creating quality resources to support such teaching and learning.
- A Virtual Schooling Timetable (VSTT) is made available on the Between Us portal for the learners to ensure that students follow a schedule of studying for a few hours every day.
- The Student Support Documents (SSDs) are made available for every lesson in the syllabus. These documents prescribe detailed step by step instruction to the students as to what he/she has to do each day to complete the course on schedule.
- Video resources and Power points are provided in addition to the SSD for every lesson.
- The teaching learning is supported by Synchronous and Asynchronous virtual classes conducted by teachers.
- Worksheets are provided to support practice of the concepts learnt. Students download these worksheets and submit their answers through the BetweenUs portal itself where they are assessed by the teachers and then receive teacher’s feedback.
Integrated English
At Podar all our endeavours focus on a safe and nurturing school environment that supports and encourages lifelong learning.
The Integrated English Curriculum is an extension of the academic and co-curricular work at Podar with a vision to develop self-initiated learners that showcase independent thinking, self-confidence, teamwork, ability to communicate their thoughts and ideas and a sense of personal and social responsibility.
This is achieved by focusing on developing 21st century skills of Critical Thinking, Communication, Collaboration and Creativity through theme based modules which utilize experiential and project based learning techniques as their basis for learning.
Sessions are student centric where we expect the teachers to act as the facilitators.
Theatre in Education
Podar Innovation Centre took one more step beyond academics in enhancing the teaching learning experience for its students with its program on Theatre in Education. TiE uses interactive theatre and drama activities and practices to help aid the educational process. The foundation of the program lies in the belief that students learn best by doing. Theatre and drama provide opportunities to students to experience and perceive the concept in an individualized way. Over and above the drilling of the concept, TiE also helps in enhancing communication skills and developing and honing the performance related skills, thus building the students’ confidence.
Remedial Learning
Every child achieves learning at their own pace. Some students pick up faster than the others, while some others require additional support. PIC provides resources that aid the teachers to provide additional support for students who require remediation. These resources are broadly in the form of worksheets on Literacy and Numeracy. These worksheets assist students to accomplish expected proficiencies in core academic skills.
Academic Guidance for Std. IX & X
Robust academic guidance is given to teachers for grades IX and X. It is ensured that the students are provided with exam oriented content which will prepare them systematically for the Board exams.
Symphonics
Symphonics is the in-house phonics program that spreads from Pre-school to Std. V. The program aims to develop a strong foundation in English language learning by integrating phonics into the learning of reading, writing and spelling of words.
The program incorporates the use of colourful flashcards, interesting stories and melodic rhymes for making learning joyful. The journey to reading is made easy and enjoyable with the help of read-along books which are in simple decodable text. Extensive lesson plans and illustrated teaching and behaviour manuals support effective teaching.
Spell the Beans
Spellings form an integral part of not only Languages but for all other subjects too. Yet, the learning of spellings has always been a dull and drab activity for learners.
Keeping this in mind PIC designed a programme by the name of ‘Spell the Beans’. This programme incorporates the use of fun-filled activities intended at retention of spellings. This program targets the students from Grade III to Grade IX.
Math Gym
Math gym sheet is an exercise designed on particular concepts in mathematics. Students are asked to solve 4 – 5 questions on the concept every day. It provides the brain the required exercise to ensure that the concept is not only drilled and retained in the brain but also provides opportunity to practise formulae and calculations. Thus building a strong foundation of every mathematical concept taught at a particular grade level.
Math Lab
All Podar Learn School have a specially designed Math Lab. These labs are equipped with state-of-the-art tools and equipment that provide students with hands on opportunities to apply the learning from the classrooms. The Podar Innovation Centre design Math Lab activities that help in strengthening mathematical concepts by providing hands on experience to students in understanding the concept clearly. It helps in making math more enjoyable and student friendly and thus develops their interest in the subject. We have recently launched the Power Math programme in all Podar Education Network Schools. This program is based on the CPA (Concrete Pictorial and Abstract)approach. It aims to strengthen the basic Math Concepts through concrete learning in the primary classes. It is based on activities that help different types of learners to understand and retain the Math concepts using age appropriate manipulative. The program is supported by Power Math Kit and Activity Books for students.
Khan Academy Math Program
PIC has introduced the Math Program of the Khan Academy to selected schools. This program contains practice exercises, instructional videos and a personalized learning dashboard that helps every child to learn at his own pace. Students are provided immediate feedback. The interface is child friendly and provides motivation to practice more math in the form of praise pop-ups.
The teacher interface of the program provides reports on progress of every child in terms of individual growth of every student. These reports help the teacher in initiating focussed remediation in the classroom.
Beanstalk Olympiads
Beanstalk Olympiad for students is a benchmark test in English, Mathematics and Science. The Olympiad emanated from the goal to take academic competition to a level of excellence from where we could measure the strengths of our students and work in the direction of improvisation. It envisions the enhancement of the knowledge of the learners by providing a competitive platform, thus elevating the teaching – learning process. Learning happens when the students are actively engaged in the real academic sense. Beanstalk Olympiad endeavours to promote the same.
THEMATIC LEARNING PROGRAM
Theme based approach for effective learning. The Theme Based Approach is a way of teaching and learning, whereby many areas of the curriculum are connected together and integrated within a theme. The activities and lessons focus on providing students with relevant, meaningful interactive, hands-on experiences. It is also important that the lesson plans and activities be related to real-life experiences.
PODAR INNOVATION CENTER - THEMATIC LEARNING PROGRAM
The thematic units give a coordinated way to deal with educating and learning. Children are able to relate to real-world experiences and build on prior knowledge of a topic. Thematic units also help teachers by paving a way to facilitating learning for each child who has his/her own way of learning things.
A thematic way to deal with instructing includes incorporating every single branch of knowledge together under one subject. Themes help us to weave the design that brings in the structure to the whole of our approach. They intertwine the different methodologies which make the learning experience meaningful for the child.
Through the theme, children get to understand their own unique strengths, explore multiple ways of learning and also use the skills that they have been acquiring.
Through skilful planning the curriculum integrates into a framework that helps children to be introduced to life skills, academic skills, understanding one’s own unique skills, critical thinking and ample of opportunities are provided for children to learn social, cognitive, emotional and physical development which are recognized as equally valuable assets which are reflected in our curriculum.