National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 has changed the landscape of learning in India. The NEP 2020 policy talks about introducing ‘play/activity-based learning’ in the foundational (pre-school-grade 2) and preparatory (grades 3-6) stages, and ‘experiential learning in the middle stage (grades 6-8) in order to make learning joyful and engaging for children. In this context, the NEP suggests the inclusion of ‘hands-on learning, arts-integrated and sports–integrated education, story-telling pedagogy’ (section 4.6) among others as standard teaching and learning strategies across different subjects.

This approach can certainly create space for providing concrete experiences to children and make learning enjoyable and interactive.

The policy moves away from rote learning and focuses, instead, on internalisation and experiential learning. Moreover, experiential learning provides the possibility of including within it a range of experiences within, outside, and beyond the classroom. These can range from reading and analyzing case studies (based on fictional and real-life issues), simulations, role-plays to field trips and community activism.

This can provide the space for students to reflect, interpret, analyse, and evaluate various ideas, concepts, and issues and

thus, pave the way for mastering higher-order thinking skills.