Shiv Nadar School, established by the Shiv Nadar Foundation, claims to incorporate technology into its educational methods, with a strong focus on sports, arts and the overall well-being of students. The institution operates across four campuses, with three situated in the National Capital Region (NCR) and one in Chennai. The school claims to have a diverse community, comprising around 6,000 students and roughly 1,000 dedicated educators, Shashi Banerjee, director of education, Shiv Nadar School, told FE Education. “Following the SAMR (Substitution, Augmentation, Modification and Redefinition) Framework, we provide our teachers with training that encourages a gradual progression in technology integration, moving from basic enhancement to profound transformation. Additionally, we advocate for minimalism in empowering our educators with technology,” she said.
The school claims to offer a comprehensive curriculum which combines international and national standards, with guidance from the SNS Standards and Quality Assurance Framework to ensure that the campuses consistently meet and define global excellence standards. The integration of technology in school is centred on the implementation process, rather prioritising the specific technological tools and applications. It claims to focus on harnessing technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) to captivate its students with innovative concepts and opportunities. “Within our educational approach, we regularly utilise a diverse set of tools, including Padlet, Kahoot, Flipgrid, Google Forms, Menti surveys and mind-mapping software. These tools serve as essential components of our strategy to cultivate student agency, enabling them to assume responsibility for their own learning. Furthermore, they aid in our objective of reducing dependence on increasingly scarce resources,” Soniya Mawani, head, school standards, quality assurance, Shiv Nadar School, said.
Moreover, the Shiv Nadar School asserts to teach liberal arts subjects such as sociology, psychology, social and cultural anthropology, while integrating technology within these disciplines. “In the field of sociology, we’ve developed a subject-oriented website that offers numerous hands-on practical experiences, providing learners with a firsthand encounter of the subject’s essence. This platform aims to empower students to explore autonomously, make informed decisions and select their subjects wisely,” Manjima Chatterjee, vice principal, central arts curriculum lead, Shiv Nadar School, said.
It further claims that liberal arts students at the school have numerous leadership opportunities which includes the model United Nations framework and various campus initiatives provide platforms for leadership development. “Students play an active role in organising events, festivals and conferences, honing their decision-making and problem-solving skills,” she added.
Moreover, the school has expressed its commitment to fostering a joyful learning environment which nurtures students’ passion for learning. The school has established a ‘Parent Partnership Programme’ aimed at recoginising the diversity of first-generation learners and ensuring equal access to learning opportunities and empowerment within the school community. “We promote diversity and equity in our learning environment through initiatives such as ‘Grandparents Day’ and by empowering our support staff. We have integrated Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles into our curriculum delivery. As we transition from theory to implementation, we steadily equip our educators with the knowledge and tools they need to embrace UDL principles,” she explained.