How Outdoor & Experiential Learning Are Transforming School Curriculum
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The Indian education system is undergoing an unprecedented shift from the traditional teacher-centric course design to a more student-centred learning approach. In contrast to the traditional model, where students are passive recipients of knowledge, the new education policy highlights the importance of recognising the students’ autonomy in knowledge construction and learning.
As the curriculum moves beyond textbook learning, the approach emphasises holistic learning to foster life skills such as critical thinking and practical intelligence in an autonomous and agentic environment. Even the idea of the classroom is evolving to move beyond enclosed walls and see the world as the learning playground. Here’s how schools in India are changing for a brighter future:-
Bal Vatika: Play-based learning for little explorers
During play, children showcase agency in their choice of peers and games. Moreover, in early childhood studies, it is a proven fact that play is highly stimulating for neural pathways, leading to the development of higher-order cognitive functions. Paving the way for holistic development in early childhood, school curricula are being designed with the importance of child immersion in play in mind.
Classrooms are seen as balvatikas, where children are encouraged to engage in play through the creation of characters (role-play) and other curiosity-led experiences which prompt them to solve problems, develop self awareness and learn basic socialisation skills with peers. As children encounter real-world objects and situations, it gives them the opportunity to boost critical thinking as well as social and ethical values, incorporating emotional intelligence in the learning.
Another aspect of experiential learning encapsulates multisensory learning in early childhood. Teachers introduce visual, tactile, auditory, olfactory and kinesthetic encounters that recognise that every child has their unique disposition to learning and development. Additionally, an integrated approach to show the interconnectedness between concepts and cater to their inquisitiveness becomes a part of children’s learning.
At the end, these changes recognise the two-way relationship between teachers and students, wherein, as children interact and make inquiries, they foster social and emotional skills, form friendships and experiment with ideas that can challenge the teacher in more than one way.
Bagless days to renewal of multidisciplinary approaches: Transformations in higher education
In line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, many schools are implementing 10 bagless days for students’ participation in skill-oriented and experiential activities as vehicles of learning. These activities can range from apprenticeships under artisans to excursions and field trips to historical and cultural sites, which make them aware of real-world challenges and their social responsibilities. Additionally, exposure to workshops by artisans aligns with the importance of understanding various trade practices within society.
To make learning for senior students more stimulating and stress-free, the former assessment, which was purely based on rote memorisation, has been replaced with an open-book appraisal in which students must demonstrate theoretical understanding through subjective, application-based questions as opposed to recall-based questions.
Building a competent teaching workforce
To support the teaching models of outdoor and experiential learning, significant changes in teacher training are warranted. Efforts are being made to equip educators to respond in ways that meet children’s curiosities and capabilities, thereby strengthening their motivation to discover knowledge and build skills through classroom engagement. However, this doesn’t mean a fully unstructured and open-ended learning environment, but rather one in which educators intentionally create learning encounters that prompt their students’ curious engagement with the curriculum.
Future of learning in India
The NEP has wonderfully recognised that learning is a social process and doesn’t occur in the vacuum of students’ cultural identities. Hence, emphasising the importance of equality and inclusion, it mandates equal access to opportunities for learning within local contexts and emphasis on collaborative learning so that children can learn from one another. Allowing students to learn as they discover and create an understanding through open discussions, outdoor and experiential learning in classrooms is opening new avenues for cognitive, emotional, and social growth in children, while ensuring resilience in their physical health and well-being.
Views are personal
The author is Principal – Modern Public School, Shalimar bagh
