What is it? How Aikyam implements it?

• Montessori is a revolutionary method of observing and supporting the natural development of children.
• Authentic Montessori educational practice helps children develop creativity, problem solving, critical thinking, time-management skills, care of the environment and each other. The basis of Montessori practice in the classroom is mixed age group (for example ,3-6 ages in one class), individual choice of research and work, and uninterrupted concentration."
• Montessori education enables children to develop the fundamental capacities that they need to become happy and fulfilled adults who contribute to society.
• This methodology help children become independent thinkers with a lifelong love of learning.

The Montessori classroom is referred to as the prepared environment. It is a meaningfully structured learning space where everything has a purpose and a place. Furniture is light and child-sized, learning materials are designed to fit in children’s hands, and everything is designed to be open and accessible. The prepared environment activates a love of learning through curiosity, stability, and the freedom to choose.
Aikyam environment is designed to facilitate maximum independent learning and exploration by the child through a variety of activity as well as a great deal of movement.

What is it? How Aikyam implements it?

• Sustainable Living is a pattern of resource use that aims to meet human needs while preserving the environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present, but also for generations to come.
• Children are the most vulnerable to the impacts of unsustainable living with specific harms arising because of their physical and cognitive vulnerabilities. Nevertheless, children do not have to be victims in the face of these challenges.
• Education, including early childhood education, has an important role to in building resilience and capabilities in children that equip them as active and informed citizens now and in the future and who are capable of contributing to healthy and sustainable ways of living.
• It is in the early childhood period that children develop their basic values, attitudes, skills, behaviours and habits, which may be long lasting.
• As early childhood education is about laying a sound intellectual, psychological, emotional, social and physical foundation for development and lifelong learning, it has an enormous potential in fostering values, attitudes, skills and behaviours that support sustainable development – e.g. wise use of resources, cultural diversity, gender equality and democracy.
• The child as a right holder, who is an active participant and has his or her contribution to make to society’s present and future,and not an invisible, marginal worthless being.
• In education for sustainable development, young children’s perspectives and meanings are listened to, considered and shape the content and approaches of learning. Second, early childhood education for sustainability is much more than environmental education.
• Aikyam broadens the method than simply taking children outdoors to discover the beauty of nature and speaking about the natural environment.
• We provide the opportunities for children to engage in intellectual dialogue regarding sustainability, and in concrete actions in favour of the environment.
• In addition, Aikyam incorporate learning to be compassionate and respect differences, equality and fairness as the world is increasingly interdependent and inter-connected.
• Aikyam refers to the 7 - R's for education for sustainable development ( reduce,
  reuse,
  recycle,
  respect,
  repair,
  reflect and refuse).

What is it? How Aikyam implements it?

Democratic practice in Early Childhood Education Community means the adoption and enactment of democracy as a fundamental value.
Aikyam implements it by -

• Promising commitment to cooperation and solidarity, dialogue and listening.
• Respecting for diversity.
• Recognising of multiple perspectives and diverse paradigms.
• Welcoming curiosity, uncertainty and subjectivity – and the responsibility that they require of us.
• Developing a capacity for critical thinking.

The benefits of Montessori — the emphasis on independent learning, for example, and the warm, supportive community—continue to be important at each stage of development as children grow into lifelong learners and responsible citizens of the world.

• Our mission is to work together to build a safe, respectful and nurturing environment focused on maximizing each child’s sense of wellbeing and acquisition of skills for life and learning.
• We are committed to the families we serve, providing support and encouragement.
• Our goal as Aikyam Community is to equip our young people with the skills and mindset to thrive and then take on the world.
• We strive to support this environment by building a more inclusive curriculum, addressing a range of learning styles, offering a wide array of diversity efforts and programs, and by participating in the wider community.
• Aikyam is in a mission to continually evolving to reflect the needs of our children, families and the community and to being a contemporary leader in early childhood education in North Bangalore.