To discover a world of endless possibilities, we must perceive our environment through a child’s eyes. It is this joy of exploration that opens up a whole new world to children. At Keystone, a Cambridge curriculum school in Hyderabad, we address our educators as designers as they are responsible for designing the learning process and customizing it as per each child’s needs. A designer’s role at Keystone is varied and wide–ranging. It involves being a friend, a mentor, and a partner of a child in their journey of learning. In our project–based learning environment, designers are provided with a community of like-minded individuals and field experts. They guide them through the process of crafting projects that integrate multiple disciplines and provide clear, tangible learning outcomes.

Professional development for educators is a critical aspect of the Keystone approach. The school calendar provides for dedicated personal and professional development time for all academic staff. We use a combination of in-house training programs, expert mentorship, professional workshops, and community learning to promote a well-rounded environment for our designers to enhance their skills. Every educator that joins Keystone goes through a rigorous orientation program that immerses them into the culture and philosophy of the institution before introducing them to the day–to–day responsibilities of a designer.

Learning is a continuous process for our educators. Unlike a traditional academic environment where they follow the same lesson plans and teaching approaches year on year, Keystone provides a very dynamic environment where designers are challenged to constantly innovate and adapt their techniques
according to the learning needs. Every project cycle includes ‘Project Tuning Sessions’, which bring together all the designers in a common setting where they evaluate and provide constructive feedback on each other’s project designs. This is a microcosmic representation of our approach to operate as a
community of learners contributing to each other’s development. It promotes rapid identification and propagation of best practices in teaching through a strongly connected peer group and expert facilitators. This is an aspect that truly sets us apart from other academic institutions.

In addition to working on their academic competencies, our educators regularly participate in well–being sessions such as yoga, meditation, self-help, and personal development so that they be role models to the students. Tenured staff is provided the opportunity to take up leadership roles such as mentorship for culture, language, PBL, subjects, community engagement, etc. based on their interests and career goals.

All of these initiatives lead to the development of a robust community of educators who are perfectly in sync with the Keystone approach and possess the right set of skills to realize the vision of the organization.