Visit to Agastya Campus - August 2015
INTRODUCTION:
I was introduced to Agastya through my father, as I was looking for community service opportunity. After getting a basic understanding of what Agastya is and what their goals were, I decided that I wanted to be a part of their Young Instructor Leader program. To summarize, Agastya is a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering creativity, teamwork, and leadership through the sciences to underprivileged children in rural villages in India. They do so by creating innovative and enticing models/ learning tools that will help children become more interested in the sciences and spark a passion for learning. Prior to my trip to Agastya, I attended a Computer Engineering course At the DigiPen Institute of Technology. It was a great experience that effectively introduced me to Computer Engineering. In this course I was introduced to topics such as basic C and C++ (coding), array mathematics, Electrical Engineering (logic gates, adders, etc.), and software/ hardware integration. At conclusion of the course I decided that I would take my knowledge from DigiPen and create my own curriculum though which I could teach kids at Agastya.
DAY 1:
After driving through the rural roads of Kuppam, through a plethora of small, isolated villages, we arrived at the entrance of Agastya as large gates opened up into a beautiful campus spanning many acres, with nothing but forests, mountains and small villages encompassing the area. After settling into the room we toured around the campus. We began by driving to the IT building where students in 6th grade were assembling robotics kits as well as animating short videos. We walked further down the hallway to be introduced to the library where they have books for children of all ages. Through these books the children are taught to understand more complex subjects aiding in the understanding of class materials. We were then introduced to Mr. Ganu an academic advisor that has been with Agastya for several years now. He talked to us about the overarching goals of Agastya. We discussed how Agastya strives to spark curiosity in children in a unique way that enables them to succeed in their ensuing academic and social careers as they grow into intellectually courageous citizens of the world.
After talking for several minutes we were all called to gather at the lunch hall where we enjoyed hot, home-made, authentic, Indian food. After the meal we proceeded to the teacher training building in which they had a room of products invented by students from Agastya. I was surprised to see kids of such a young age taking up such complicated subjects. For example, a middle school two middle school siblings entered a science fair held by google. This first student had figured out the de-fluoridation of water effectively addressing a local problem they were having with fluorine content in their water. The other student had created an all-natural herbal detergent that can competes with larger detergent brands.
Subsequently, we continued our tour at Vision Works. This building was mainly composed of staff manufacturing learning tools that would be later utilized in local schools and Agastya. Children that attend in Agastya’s curriculum get about 8 exposures, so in this time the goal is to entice kids to develop a passion for science. To do so they use these creative and interesting models. Here we were introduced to the brains behind the learning tools. He was in charge of designing these simple, innovative and inexpensive tools to teach kids about different fields of science. I was delightfully surprised to see the ingenuity behind these tools of learning. All of the tools excelled in making topics such as Bernoulli’s principle and hydraulics exceptionally simple, and easy to learn. To give an example, he had created a circuit assembled behind a small whiteboard in a way so that the children could use pre-made pieces (such as bulbs, resistors, or just wires) to complete the circuits. Another tool consisted of a box with a small hole so that a ray of light would be projected on to a slab of wood protruding from the box. Then you would place pre-made pieces of glass in front of the light discover the concept of light refraction. In such a simple and unique manner, students can explore countless different fields of science. On top of that, in comparison to traditional learning tools used in schools, the cost is much lower and the utility is even higher.
After exploring the building further we drove to another building that went by the name, Discovery Center. Similar to the Pacific Science Center in Seattle, Washington, this building was mainly composed of entire floors of different captivating experiments for children to have fun and learn at the same time. However, the only difference between the Pacific Science Center and the Discover building was that the experiments delved deeper into more complicated subjects at Discover. Also, beside each station below the instructions, there were a few questions written for children to figure out as they interacted with the experiments. We then went to the floor above. We initially went to a part of the second floor in which they had fashioned the captain’s deck of a commercial ship to be a kind of exhibit where children could see the science behind the different parts of a ship such as sonar. We then went into a part of the building which contained the math and physics rooms. This is where I decided I would be spending most of my time. Given, I would be teaching subject matter in the field of physics. These rooms all had models from Vision Works that tremendously aided in the learning process of these children.
Our tour was concluded in the planetarium in which they had a full mechanized model of the solar system suspended from the roof. Then on the floor above this they had the traditional dome-shaped screen onto which they projected different shows.
After this we were treated with a music festival held by a group from New York, it was called Sangham. The group from New York teamed up with Indian schools and artists to put together a show that combined Indian folk songs, ballet, and themes of environmental conservation. This was done for the first time in Agastya and it was a great welcome for us. After this we concluded our day with another great meal.
My expectation were surpassed after I really looked at the inner workings of Agastya. I was very especially impressed to see the quality of the classes. After visiting Vision Works and the Discover building I was thrilled to see such a unique way of teaching. It is a much more hands-on style of learning that traditional schools all over the world lack today. Looking back, I believe that I would have greatly benefitted from a teaching style such as this. I really witnessed the affect Agastya has on kids when I saw their accomplishments in the teacher training facility. Overall, I felt that Agastya has provided kids with the necessary tools to acuminate their knowledge on all fields of science and cultivate a new passion for learning.
DAY 2:
After talking to several people, we finally decided that the curriculum I had in mind would not quite work. I had to adapt my subject matter to what they were learning at the moment. We decided that I would be teaching a group of 9th graders abut electromagnetic induction. However, this was a subject I had not studied in depth before. So I ended up learning a more about electromagnetism in general. Prior to this, I walked around the physics and math classrooms with Dr. Reddy, a teacher for this department, to look at the tools they were using in class. Once again I was impressed by the sheer number of models and tools they had for children to study. They covered topics from trigonometry to circuits. As we were walking around I was observing the classes that were occurring. All the teachers were exceptional at making the children visualize a problem and solve it. The level of hands-on learning and interaction was phenomenal. We continued in this manner for the rest of the day observing several classes to understand how I should teach when the time arises.
After reaching the guest house, as mentioned previously, I found myself learning a lot more about electromagnetism than I thought. In fact, I found myself taking a liking to the subject. After spending a few hours learning about electromagnetism I ended up understanding other subject like circuits and alternate energy sources to a much deeper degree (at an atomic level). I was also surprised to see the level of the subject matter that these young student were learning. After a few hours of preparation I was ready for my class session the following day.
DAY 3:
After waking up and eating breakfast, I went directly to the physics department in the Discover building. The class I was teaching arrived at the building and I began the session. The overall experience was great. I truly felt that the information I was providing was being enthusiastically accepted by these children. I started off the class by asking the question, “How do we get electricity?” Eventually, one student said from water. From there, I continued by talking about how if you can create a magnetic field from current can we do the opposite. We then talked about Faraday’s experiment. When I asked them if they wanted to do the same experiment he did they replied with a resounding yes. I began the experiment by having them create a coil from copper wire and attaching this coil to a Galvanometer. From there I had the student try to figure out a way to create current on their own using a magnet. After on group had discovered the correct way to do so all the students became very ecstatic. In this manner I piqued their curiosity by showing them a real world example of the magnetic induction. Subsequently, I showed them a real model turbine they had in the building to show them the real world application. Then to conclude, using a pHET simulation program I showed them how magnetic induction worked at a conceptual level. The magnet alters the magnetic field, moving electrons, and creating current.
Teaching these kids was truly a great experience. One of the issues we were anticipating was the language barrier, given that the students knew very little English and spoke their local language, Telugu. However, this ended up being a very minute problem, as our translator was Mr. Reddy and he knew the subject matter as well. Regardless, it was great to see that their faces lit up whenever they figured something out and they were curious to learn more. The fact that they were learning from a person from a younger age group may have sparked their curiosity a little more. Nevertheless, it was an experience that I’m sure all of us will cherish.
After the class session we headed for the IT department where I met with a teacher of the robotics class. I decided to observe one of the classes to see if I could help in any way. I ended up filling the role of a TA and I went around and interacted with the kids. Specifically, I went from group to group to help them figure out the assembly of a motor powered car. However, these children were very bright and didn’t require too much help. Similarly to the kids I had previously taught, they were taking up the challenge of, in this case putting together a simple car, enthusiastically. I could very much tell that the children valued their experience at Agastya tremendously. In fact, one of the students expressed their feelings of the effectiveness of the class after the session.
DAY 4:
After the morning routine, I decided to head back to the IT department and observe/ interact with a higher level robotics class (9th grade). I talked with Sarath, the teacher, about how they were using a software called Lego We Do, in which the students would essentially put together blocks of code to program a Lego robot. Once the kids arrived I was grateful to see the children’s smiling faces once again. They were putting their minds together to make this robot in a way that showed genuine interest and curiosity. I helped them though the rough spots in the process of the assembly, however, they were showing a great level of problem solving a circumlocution that reflected their passion for learning. Unfortunately, due to the approaching holiday we had to end our trip after the class. However, the time spent at Agastya was truly an eye opening experience.
CONCLUSION:
My experience at Agastya, to say the least, a tremendously enjoyable and unique experience. The campus was fantastic and the kids were exceptionally bright and great to work with. This goes for the staff as well, they were very welcoming and made my stay there delightful. It was definitely a memorable experience. Seeing the work that they do at Agastya was heartwarming. It seems like they have brought great change to countless underprivileged children in rural villages all around the Kuppam area. The positive influence they have had on these rural villages is priceless, and I am glad that I was able to contribute this extraordinary organization.
FEEDBACK AND SUGGESTIONS:
While my experience at Agastya was enriching, I would like to provide some feedback. The main issue that I faced was communication. Prior to going to Agastya’s facility, I had sent the curriculum I would have taught to Agastya, and I did not receive any feedback. My assumption was that I would have taught 9th and 10th graders about logic gates, circuits, etc. However, when I arrived I was told that there are very few students in 9th and 10th grade and, I could not get the same batch of kids for 4 days in a row (the minimum amount of days for my course). While I did end up teaching a few different groups of kids, I was unable to completely accomplish what I had come for. Also, while I knew the language barrier would be an issue, I think that having a more organized way of translation would be better. I was lucky to have Mr. Reddy (who know the subject matter) translate for me; however, I would imagine others who have the language barrier would not always have as much luck. Aside from the listed problems, our stay was smooth and a memorable experience!