Disha India

Heritage School: Creating an Experiential Middle Program

ProjectsHeritage Xperiential Learning School, Gurgaon

For last more than fifteen years, Disha India has worked intensively with The Heritage Xperiential Learning School, Gurgaon on the design and implementation of experiential curriculum and pedagogy in the elementary program and international school. We have designed integrated learning expeditions based on the curriculum and contextual needs. The big idea is to use real-life experiences from the local context of the child as a pedagogic medium of teaching and learning inside the classroom.

We design integrated expeditions for children and use them as pedagogic medium for teaching and learning.

In each grade we have approximately two expeditions and develop the required concepts, skills and values through them. Through expeditions we also build a culture of craftsmanship, care and courage. The expedition grid will give you an idea of how we have mapped and aligned our expeditions across the middle program.

Expeditions are guided by big ideas and guiding questions. Big ideas are the enduring understanding that we would like to develop in students through expeditions.

Guiding questions give the required focus and help in achieving the learning outcomes. Disha India has outlined some important big Ideas and guiding questions that set the context and direction for its experiential curriculum.

In the quest to understand the big idea "to conserve trees, we need to connect with them at the physical, emotional and cognitive levels", the students of grade V of The Heritage School, Gurgaon went through a learning expedition 'Meet the Tree'. As part of their expedition, students studied the trees of their school campus, met the experts with their queries and created a "Nature Trail" for the school visitors. Students also designed a tree theme based notebook with illustrations and brief descriptions of the trees in their school campus. The middle program children will use this themed notebook designed by grade V as their expedition notebook.