Chrysalis’ ThinkRooms follow a unique technique of teaching. We want kids to know why they’re learning about the things in their Studios and how it will help them in their daily lives. To do this, we encourage kids to enhance their way of thinking. We spark a sense of curiosity in them and make learning an experience instead of a task. We want them to know, understand and find ways to apply their knowledge, independently. In order to achieve these learning goals, after extensive pedagogical research, we’ve come up with four principles that form the basis of the Chrysalis curriculum. Let’s dive deep into the 4 facets of thinking: Look Deep, Look Beyond, Look Around and Look Within.
Look Deep
Every lesson in our Studio starts with ‘Big Questions’. This encourages kids to think out loud about the importance of the lesson. They share their ideas with each other and discuss them with teachers. After this, kids learn in detail about the lesson. Then, there’s a scenario that prompts kids to analyze the topic critically and this improves their logical thinking and reasoning skills. This also aids with better understanding as they are motivated to learn more about the topic than just reading what’s in the book. The best part is that kids are excited to do this and they just develop this way of thinking naturally when they practice this for their lessons across all subjects.
Look Beyond
We help kids develop out-of-box thinking which goes beyond the content of our Studio. There are a few questions in a lesson that helps kids kickstart their imaginative thinking and creativity. For example, there are prompts like ‘Imagine that you are a new vitamin. What would you name yourself? Which food sources would you be present in?’ etc., in a lesson about food. We’d like kids to develop a unique thought process instead of conforming themselves to normalcy.
Look Around
One of the most important goals of learning is application. Instead of telling kids this lesson has its application in these fields, we nudge the kids to observe their surroundings and discover where they can use their knowledge. It’s fun for them and they might even surprise us by listing out uses we haven’t even considered. This helps them connect what they’ve learned to the world around them. Studios prompt kids to develop empathy by giving them appropriate scenarios that makes them imagine how they’ll react to those situations. This will lead them to be sensitive to societal issues and develop good values like kindness, compassion, generosity, etc.
Look Within
In the previous 3 facets, kids have learned about a lesson, understood it thoroughly, and got a sense of how it affects the world around them. But what about how it affects them? That is where the fourth factor comes into action. The Studio has a section that asks about the kid’s likes and dislikes relating to the lesson. This emphasizes self-reflection and helps them figure out their preferences and form their own opinions based on what they’ve learned.
All the lessons in Chrysalis’ Studios include these 4 facets of thinking. We also provide multiple scenarios for each aspect and it is not limited to 4 per lesson. We question kids while they are learning and we encourage them to not only ask questions but find out the answers too. At the end of the day, our goal is for the kids to develop a well-rounded way of thinking which is integral to our vision of providing a holistic learning experience. Happy Teaching!
