Classroom with a View review: Nature walks, culture class, question hour — schools with a difference

Glimpses of everyday practices that give students the time and space to enjoy their education, not learn by rote

The book talks of the educational tropes in a group of schools in India that seek to practise what philosopher J. Krishnamurti talked of in his transformative vision of education.

An art student in Class 11 sits alone for hours every week in art class, kneading clay into shapes. He is not particularly skilled in clay work, nor is he keen to learn new clay techniques. He is just content with the feel of clay.

This is the story of a boy who went on to become a noted writer and academic. Years later he told his art teacher that his work with clay, making something, viewing it, breaking it down and rebuilding it all over again, all of it had helped him become a writer, as this was what he did in his writing as well.

How can any educational endeavour solely based on immediately measurable outcomes hope to allow such time and space, as the boy got? This is the kind of reflection that Ashwin Prabhu’s book gives rise to. Classroom with a View talks of the educational tropes in a group of schools in India that seek to practise what philosopher J. Krishnamurti talked of in his transformative vision of education. Widely respected and dismissed as “alternate schools” and “bubbles”, these schools tend to be seen as elitist. Prabhu offers glimpses of everyday practices here that have relevance for the system at large.

Community service

Practices such as “culture class” and “circle time” involve teachers and children discussing themes in an open-ended manner.

A girl, for instance, asks, “Why am I always trying to please others?” and the teacher is reminded of conundrums he had faced at that age. Nature walks and class trips without a fixed agenda open up opportunities for many styles of learning. Multidimensional projects in which everyone participates help students pursue ideas to conclusion in work with others. Boys and girls playing games and dancing together learn to co-exist without being in competition. Activity is valued in itself, rather than spurred on by punishment or rewards. Children engaged in community service learn to work for others. In mixed-age groups, children of Classes 2, 3 and 4 learn from one another.

Time and space for art and craft, and engaging with the natural and social environment nurture sensitivity in students. Children are encouraged to talk about their fears, and to seek help when they need. Multiple modes of assessment are used, but exams carrying marks start only in Class 9.

Stark contrast to schooling ruled by academic performance

In all this, what comes across are educational experiences that emphasise on talking, listening, attention to nature, working with hands and material and togetherness.

This is in stark contrast to schooling ruled by academic performance in examinations measured numerically. Even if we add art, sport etc., “holistically”, outcome-based understanding would only seek to rank performance, not see learning in the engagement in itself.

The book offers many examples, but consider this: a six-year-old child is challenged by her teacher: “Can you run across that stretch of ground?” She runs as fast as she can before realising that the ground is larger than she had realised; perhaps she slows down, perhaps she stops altogether. In any case, she has learned something on her own. Learning need not always be linked to measures that principally serve to compare performance.

Minor quibble

The National Education Policy 2020 wants common examinations for Classes 3, 5 and 8, which would test for “achievement of basic learning outcomes, along with relevant higher-order skills and application of knowledge in real-life situations”. The contrast could not be starker.

If I have one complaint, it is that these practices are offered as if they derive neatly from the underlying philosophy, and we miss teachers’ own conflicts, experimentation and struggles. Also, calm and reflective as these methods are, how do they work when confronted with deeply rooted injustices (such as caste), abuse and violence? In a deeply divided society such as ours, learning from conflict is crucial as well.

The book, however, is elegantly produced, with thoughtful quotes and photographs that show children outside the classroom. The style is conversational, and Prabhu is careful to suggest rather than offer templates.

Classroom with a View; Ashwin Prabhu, Tara Books, ₹800.

The reviewer was a member of the committee that formulated the National Curriculum Framework 2005, and is currently associated with the Ennum Ezhuthum mission of the Tamil Nadu government. Views are personal.