About Us
Common Grounds International Academy (CGIA) is Calicut’s first truly child centered school where class strength is 10-12 students and the staff pay great attention to each child growing them in wisdom by nurturing their understanding of concepts. Students receive one-on-one teacher attention so that the student can master material at the individual goals set for him or her. The kids grow to love learning at Common Grounds; instruction is fun, hands on and interactive.
We use a Multi-Age System in most of our classes, which means that two or more grades are taught in one classroom to encourage older and younger student mentoring and interaction. Read more about Multi-Age Classrooms here. In this a cooperative, group learning environment, students learn to collaborate, form questions, listen to others, problem-solve, practice public-speaking, and teach themselves to learn, in small groups. We emphasis transferable skills which means that our curriculum, lesson plans and examples relate to everyday life so that students understand why they are learning subject matter and how to apply their knowledge. Motivation for learning is centered around a positive approach including reward systems, constant encouragement, affirmation, and positivity, which crown each child with honor, value and intrinsic motivation to learn and contribute to community.
We have created an environment that shapes high character with a moral compass. Teachers embody peace, gentleness, kindness, patience, self-control, joy, and love: the fruits of a spirit that is guided by a gracious, just, and good God. We seek to build up the whole person through morel lessons, exercise, the arts and other “specials”. Family involvement through classroom volunteering, day trips, family event nights, and regular interaction with parents on student progress, reinforce the family structure, and uphold respect for the value and strength of family.
Finally, our student population is unique being made up of Malayali, other Indian and international students. Thus, our teachers use the English language close to 100% of the time, which along with having peer interaction with native speakers causes our students to gain English language fluency within the first few months of attendance. CGIA is an initiative of Common Grounds Foundation and is run by an administrative board.