Day 15....on the way to Aura

Today we had our last school visit as a large group to Sesame Street Schoolhouse which is a Pre School program and has been selected to develop a school readiness program by the government of India.  We heard a marketing presentation on how the Sesame Street curriculum, Galli Galli Sim Sim, develops school readiness, promotes literacy, and uses mixed methodology to teach academics and emotional well-being.  The school follows a revenue and franchise model, with over 30 centers in the country. 

Teachers took us on a tour of the different interactive learning classrooms, which are set up like learning stations.  There is a strong digital presence including educational videos on MP3 players, broadcast TV, the web, phone messages, RSS technology, and text based messages. Teachers and parents can find teaching tips on educational strategies and content online.  Their current challenge is to produce content to use globally, in the preschool sphere, and open source.

On the way to the hotel, we drove by Lotus Temple and took pictures from afar.  Visitors were lined up for hours to visit the Bahá'í House of Worship, where people of any faith are free to pray or meditate. The structure is made up of pure white marble. The lotus shape was chosen because it is a symbol common to Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Islam. Around the blooming petals there are nine pools of water and it is set among lush green landscaped gardens.