Surplus

Surplus is a simple mindful process through which children, teachers and all support team members add value to the ecosystem. There are multiple opportunities in each day (the bus ride, the lunch time, the bathrooms, the time between sessions, etc.) to leave the world a little bit more, just a little bit more beautiful and a little bit more kind - and the Surplus process is designed to help all stakeholders be more observant and more intentional.

Assessments

Often a child's awareness of self is relegated to a 'grade' or a set of marks - limiting and diminishing a child's identity. In this workshop - participants will learn multiple ways to help value and evaluate the 'plurality' of a child's identity - so that both, the child and the parent are more aware of the myriad facets that make up the full story of a child.

Month-End Presentation

A culture of congeniality is built when members of a community have warm and social interactions amongst each other. But a culture of collegiality is cultivated when all team members feel safe to share both - their achievements and their 'failures' in a safe and non-judgemental space. The Month End Presentation is a time for the community to gather and celebrate and be inspired by their colleagues as they travel this journey of growth and purpose.

Meeting With Purpose

Team meetings are times for personal and professional growth - and when nourished with meaning and purpose, it offers an opportunity for a team to align and commit to the vision and mission of the school. This workshop will provide simple strategies to leaders and coordinators on how to always start with empathy and relevance to build a culture of shared values and goals.

Humane Framework

This workshop will take participants through our Design Thinking framework - FIDS (Feel, Imagine, Do, Share) to show how we create processes that bring values to life.

The participants will learn to use the framework to
1) build a culture of iteration
2) use co-creation as a tool with all stakeholders (students, parents, staff, and community) The workshop will use case studies from Riverside to highlight the FIDS method.

The workshop will demonstrate, that if you are anchored by strong values built for the learner first, and follow a design thinking framework, you can shape HumanE citizens with an I CAN Mindset, who are rooted in empathy, ethics, excellence, and collaboration.

Spark Plugs

Spark Plugs are opportunities created for children to take agency and build leadership qualities through sharing their talents and passion with their peers. It rests on the belief that 'Age has nothing to do with competency' and that when we action our skills - we learn both - about our talents and ourselves. Participants will learn simple strategies to help all children become 'Spark Plugs'

Material Exploration

Material Exploration offers learners the creative outlet to express their ideas through the exploration of material with their senses. It also offers them the understanding of how different materials behave when they interact with each other - opening up new avenues for further exploration. Participants will learn simple techniques and strategies to guide their children in this wonderful world of exploration.

Classroom Management

Participants will learn how to design simple strategies/routines with the children for classroom management that ensures that everyone is aligned on the expectations, roles and responsibilities for the learning journey. This in turn, ensures that both- the teachers and the students can maximise their time on a daily basis for wellbeing of all and learning outcomes of the year.

Thinking Routine

The ability to think is an essential tool to build the 21st Century skills such as problem solving, decision making and creativity. Participants will learn simple 'thinking routines' and a vocabulary that support the various ways in which one can 'think'.

Languages of Learning

There are said to be 100 Languages of Learning - debunking the 'one size fits all' model of teaching or learning. This understanding of the myriad ways children 'learn' allows our 'teaching' to be filled with multiple opportunities to 'enter' and 'exit' a lesson. Every lesson is energised and intentionally designed to reach as many children with as much intention for the desired impact.

Think Through

To imagine a more just and equitable world is often thought of as a responsibility of adults - but to bring our young children's notice and attention to the world and it's inequities is a responsibility of education. The Think Through is a simple process that allows children to experience and empathise, then imagine a world that 'can' be - by offering their solutions and strategies. Over time, this cultivates a mindset of I CAN - I am not helpless, Change is possible, and I CAN drive it.

Pre-Math

The Pre Math workshop will introduce the participants to the core and foundational concepts that form the building blocks of a child's understanding of logical mathematical thinking. It will be through hands on and minds on activities that will allow the participant to feel confident and bring meaning and joy into the teaching.

Story Telling

Stories are all around us and they are a great way to engage, inspire and build imagination in children of any age group. It empowers the children with the creative freedom to express their thoughts and feelings without having to worry judgement or validation. Participants will learn how to use the various techniques of story telling - from simple vocal skills to dramatic play to props and play.

Phonics

Phonics is the foundation on which language and comprehension is built on - it offers children the logic of how letters 'sound' and once children understand the association, they are able to build words, which then become sentences...all of these leading to comprehension and meaning.

Design Thinking Bootcamp

To help participants understand how Design Thinking is to plan with the user and not for the user. They will build their understanding the framework of 4 steps of Design Thinking and how it can be implemented in Education.

Community Engagement

The Community Engagement workshop is a simple and powerful way to build a circle of giving and gratitude. Very often, a team is so committed to the tasks within the school walls that we sometimes don't get the time to reflect on all our blessings. This workshop will offer a simple strategy to ensure that we grow our spirit of abundance within our team and with the larger community.

CAR/Meetings of Mind Interaction

The Coffee at Riverside workshop is a powerful way to build the skill of asking 'higher-order questions'. By using the format of a 'chat show' the participants will learn the road map to help the students not only understand how to ask the right questions but also develop the skills of anchoring and organizing the event.

Mastery

The Mastery workshop will take the participants into the many steps that students need to go through to build a 'Disciplinary Mind' - a mind that is not content with just 'content' but is curious about the chosen topic of interest and eager to delve deeper to gain a well-rounded perspective of the same.

Personal Project

Very often children are confused about what it is that 'interests' them and more often, find it difficult to stay 'interested' in what they choose! The Personal Project workshop introduces the participants to a simple and structured road map to guide students to choose an area of interest and take the time to learn more about it through mentors, experiences, buddies and finally to create an output from this journey to feel a sense of accomplishment.

Learning Hub

In high school, the focus is on moving oneself towards gaining a level of mastery in the area of choice. The mind that is being honed is the ‘disciplinary mind’. While this has great importance, the other minds ( such as synthesizing, creating, ethical and respectful) are also of great value and need to be nurtured to develop a more well-rounded approach to one’s learning and life. The Learning Hub workshop offers a simple framework to demonstrate how each of these minds needs to collaborate to create experiences that go beyond just the text.

AIR

Unlike most theatre productions in schools which are often led by adults, the Artist in Residence workshop will offer the participants a way to transfer the agency to the students by bringing in an artist. It also allows children and teachers to observe and learn from experts.

Mental Spa

The mental spa is a very simple yet effective strategy that teams can use to not only offer an opportunity to understand each other, their likes and dislikes better and also to expand one's worldview beyond just the formal professional development times. As the word suggests, it is like a mind-massage and if done every month, the mental spa gives opportunities for each team member to showcase their interest to the rest of the team and it builds a healthy collegial spirit.