Specially crafted education boxes to cater to different learning abilities in children

It is said that one must think out of the box to excel and stand out. Funnily enough, the key to out-of-the-box thinking today comes in the shape of a box – Pod Squad, a monthly subscription box for kids between three to seven years. It exposes them to nine types of intelligences based on American developmental psychologist Dr Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences theory that all children are born with nine intelligences – verbal-linguistic, logical-mathematical, visual-spatial, bodily-kinaesthetic, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, naturalistic and existential.

The theory implies that all children have different learning abilities. Gardner says these differences “challenge an educational system that assumes everyone can learn the same materials in the same way and that a uniform, universal measure suffices to test student learning”.

For parents, this means they can identify their children’s aptitudes and interests, and allow them to learn and grow in areas they are naturally good at.

The genesis

Pod Squad is the brainchild of Abha Shah, director and promoter of Quadrum Solutions, a company which produces children’s content. Shah recalls that while playing with her nephew, who has a strong affinity for animals, he would love activities tailored to ‘naturalistic’ intelligence (see box).

“When faced with numbers or even words, he’s not as stimulated, gets bored and de-motivated instantly,” says Shah. “I realised that children need more than conventional literacy and numerical skills. And that’s what Multiple Intelligence is all about; recognising that children are different, and have innate talents that make them perceive the world differently.”

Shah began visiting schools, activity centres and conducting group meetings with parents. “I also spoke with publishers and toy-and-game makers to understand the market, variety and pricing. We started developing activities and inviting groups of kids to try these. Taking their feedback, we eventually created the programme.”

Each box includes four to six activities, which guarantee hours of learning and fun. “Seventy per cent of the activities have variations to them and are thus reusable, while 30 per cent activities are DIY,” explains Shah.

At present, Pod Squad is available on a three-monthly and six-monthly subscription basis, but plans are underway to introduce an annual subscription box as well. Parents can buy a sample box, before making a commitment.

Aiding mainstream education

Variations of educational kits on similar lines include Small Brown Box, Magic Crate and Bazinga Box. Like Pod Squad, they are available on monthly subscriptions.

The Small Brown Box comes equipped with two clearly-defined projects and other ideas, all aimed at specific development areas. The Bazinga Box, launched in 2015 by ISB graduate Rohit Sabnis, covers six skills and 24 sub-skills for children between the ages of four and eight.

Magic Crate is the brainchild of Viswanathan R. The IIT-Varanasi and IIM-Kozhikode graduate says he began Magic Crate to keep his four-year-old hyperactive son busy. Magic Crate caters to two age categories: three to five and six to eight. Each box comes with four activities on science, arts and games.

Career compass

Shah was even more determined to launch Pod Squad realising the ever-increasing career choices today. “People who show aptitude in specialised skills can make a living out of it – this is very different from what was the case 10 to 15 years ago.”

The nine intelligences:

Verbal-linguistic learners are good at reading, writing, telling stories and playing word games.

Logical-mathematical intelligence learners like experimenting, questioning and figuring out puzzles.

Visual-spatial intelligence learners are good at planning their work and finding directions. They like designing, drawing and visualisation.

Bodily-kinaesthetic learners like hands-on learning, tangible experiences, acting and dancing.

Musical learners with a strong musical intelligence are more perceptive to sounds, rhythms, tone and music.

Interpersonal intelligence learners are friendly and sensitive to another’s moods, feelings and motivations.

Intrapersonally-intelligent learners are good at setting goals for themselves, planning and reflecting on their work.

Naturalistic intelligence learners like playing with pets and gardening.

Existential learners are sensitive about the world around them. They strive to make connections between what is being learned from the lessons and the everyday world outside the classroom.

[Source:- DNA]