Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.
John Dewey
PHILOSOPHY
OUR BELIEF
- We facilitate a deep understanding in our community that children are strong, capable, curious and have rights.
- We value and respect members of our community as unique individuals and approach them with compassion.
OUR JOURNEY
Our philosophy stems from our innate belief in children as strong, capable, and creative learners. Joyful learning is fundamental to our belief and we also believe that the teacher’s role is to be a collaborator and facilitator in the learning journey of children while being committed to their own life-long learning.
And this belief about collaborative learning has only been strengthened as we’ve joined hands with The Max Group. For over decades, The Max Group businesses have had well-entrenched positions in their respective categories and are recognized for their unmatched service standards, especially in the business of Life.
From saving lives to improving quality of lives and now shaping lives, The Max Group has always focused on making lives better through their values of Sevabhav, Excellence, and Credibility.
With a common goal to create a learning environment that’s as unique and exemplary; Learning Matters is a reflection of what our partnership with The Max Group truly stands for.
OUR VISION
OUR MISSION
- Each individual is valued and respected.
- Students and educators are engaged in a collaborative learning process.
- Knowledge is constructed through active exploration of materials, ideas and social interactions.
- Teaching processes are based on in-depth understanding of the principles of learning differences.
OUR LOGO INSPIRATION
Learning Matters’ logo is a Swan made of a Tangram Puzzle. The basic colour of our logo is ‘White’ which is associated with light, goodness, innocence, purity and is considered to be the colour of perfection. In additive colour mixing, when you mix all the colours, you get the colour White and in the context of learning, if all the different colours stand for knowledge, virtue, wisdom, goodness, morality, righteousness etc. colour White is a perfect mixture of all these attributes.
The 7 notes or the swaras in music that form the core of the entire galaxy of music merge with the sacred sound of unstruck sound. In other words, if all seven colours of a Rainbow symbolize ‘Relative’ truth then colour White is ‘Absolute’ truth.
The Swan in the logo is a representation of knowledge since Swans have always been deeply rooted in our history and mythology. A Swan is said to eat pearls and separate milk from water from a mixture of both; just like our teaching approach at Learning Matters which separates child-centric learning from conventional learning methods, leading to holistic and ‘Organic’ growth.
Just like the puzzle pieces of a Tangram, our teaching approach is as diversified, interesting and participatory. Another reason why we have chosen Tangram as our design element is that Tangrams have both geometric and artistic features. It’s a fact that children are naturally curious and Tangrams are a perfect way to use their curiosity to learn the way they like.
FOUNDER’S MESSAGE
As a long-time educator, my objective for Learning Matters is to make learning a joyous process for children. To assist children to find meaning in school learning and be able to connect it to their everyday lives. To allow their natural wisdom, curiosity and creativity to flourish and ensure that all students succeed.
I know, the seeds for lifelong development are sown in the early years. It is crucial to give young children the advantage with the right start. I am committed to providing research based best practices in our Early Years classrooms at The Children’s School.
Unfortunately, I have seen and worked with several students who despite being capable and bright struggle at school because their learning profile is not understood. Since our inception in 2005, Learning Matters Foundation has assisted hundreds of students through accurate diagnosis and educational intervention in our after school intervention programme.
We also share our expertise and the current research on learning and teaching with educators and parents through professional development workshops.
I am thrilled to have joined hands with Max Learning Ventures to ensure growth and continued quality in education. Together our endeavour is to serve many more children and families.
I invite you to join us in our exciting endeavour. We must establish equitable classrooms in order to create healthy citizens for a just and tolerant society. Not a tall order for those of us who invest in the future – the future, which is after all, meant for our children.
Sonya Philip, M.Ed.
WHY US
Learning Matters Foundation was established in 2005 by highly trained, experienced, and passionate educators. Our goal is to ensure children experience joy and success in learning. We merge the current research on learning and teaching with classroom practices.
Our in-depth expertise in child development and in understanding learning differences has allowed us to build –
- a child-centred early years education programme,
- an after school intervention and enrichment programme,
- and ongoing professional teacher trainings.
The disturbing disparity in educational practices in the wider community drives us towards sharing our knowledge through outreach.
OUR TEAM
It’s a fact that successful organisations are made of its people and it holds true for us too. A mix of thorough professionals with unique skill-sets and experiences, team members at Learning Matters not only add value but learn from one another every single day. Add to this, our team strives continuously- through our efforts and collective ways to create a place that truly reflects our culture, ethos and values that we’ve built over the years.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
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Tara Singh VachaniTara Singh Vachani
Tara Singh Vachani, Co-founder and Chairperson of Max Learning Ventures Board is the Executive Chairman of Antara Senior Living and is on the Board of Max India Ltd as Non – Executive Director. She is also a Director at Leeu Collection, her family’s international hospitality business with five-star boutique properties in U. K., South Africa and Italy. Tara is also the Managing Trustee of Max India Foundation, which represents the Max Group’s social responsibility efforts.
With an extensive education and experience across the world, she has majored in Politics and South Asian studies at the National University of Singapore followed by courses in Strategy Management at the London School of Economics, and Hospitality Business Strategy and Management at Ecole hotelier de Lausanne, Switzerland.
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Sonya Philip (M.Ed.)
Sonya Philip (M.Ed.)
Sonya is the Co-Founder/ CEO of Max Learning Ventures. She loves children and is passionate about giving each child the tools to show their success.
She is an educator with two post graduate degrees in education from the United States including one in special education. Sonya has over three decades of teaching experience. She has taught at The American School in New Delhi and at The Lab School of Washington in DC.
Besides being a reading specialist trained in several recognised reading programmes, she has attended several professional courses at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and at the Reggio Emilia Malaguzzi Centre. She regularly works with students, consults with parents and conducts workshops for school educators.
Sonya is a Vipassana meditation and yoga practitioner. She is a keen golfer and lover of the Himalayas.
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Sanjiv Malik
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Vaibhav Gupta
Vaibhav Gupta
Vaibhav Gupta, who is currently leading the Strategy and Growth Alliances vertical at Antara Senior Living, has been with the Max Group for over a decade. With over 16 years of total professional experience, he has successfully led teams in the areas of sales management, corporate strategy, board governance, change management and driving growth initiatives. In his association with the Max group over the last decade, he has led governance activities of various operating businesses of the group, along with playing an active role in ideation and incubation of new businesses. Having completed his MBA program from ISB Hyderabad (with a Dean’s list honour), he has received multiple accolades for his work at Max, including the prestigious Max Group Chairman’s Award in 2015 and Porter Prize for Excellence in Governance and Corporate Integration in 2014.
As a Non-Executive Director at Learning Matters, Vaibhav provides active oversight on matters relating to overall business strategy, growth thinking and financial prudence.
Management & Educators
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Sonya Philip (M.Ed.)
Sonya Philip (M.Ed.)
Sonya is the Co-Founder/ CEO of Max Learning Ventures. She loves children and is passionate about giving each child the tools to show their success.
She is an educator with two post graduate degrees in education from the United States including one in special education. Sonya has over three decades of teaching experience. She has taught at The American School in New Delhi and at The Lab School of Washington in DC.
Besides being a reading specialist trained in several recognised reading programmes, she has attended several professional courses at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and at the Reggio Emilia Malaguzzi Centre. She regularly works with students, consults with parents and conducts workshops for school educators.
Sonya is a Vipassana meditation and yoga practitioner. She is a keen golfer and lover of the Himalayas.
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Parmvir Singh
Parmvir Singh
Parmvir, as the overall Business Head focussing on growth & strategy looks after the operations and expansion of Max Learning Ventures in becoming a hub for the successful development of early childhood education and associated programmes.
His professional journey is as unique and diverse as our learning programme. In a nutshell; he is a professional who has taken a leap from ‘Steel to School’. An MBA from the Indian School of Business, Parmvir also holds a Masters in Engineering from The University of Sheffield, UK. In the past, Parmvir has worked in the B2B sector handling multiple roles spanning various countries. His global exposure, keen interest in the learning business, and his ability of putting pieces together make him an integral team member.
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Samini Philip
Samini Philip
Samini Philip earned her B.A. from Oberlin College, Ohio, USA. She graduated with honours in Psychology and minored in French. She did her Master’s in Social and Political Science from Cambridge University, U.K.
Samini has been working as the Admissions Director at Learning Matters Foundation since 2012. She has experience teaching in the early years and has attended several professional development courses including Project Zero at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education. She has also participated and attended a month long intensive training by Susan Griss, a faculty member of New York’s Bank Street College, on Minds in Motion—a kinaesthetic approach to teaching elementary curriculum through movement.
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Shweta Sood
Shweta Sood
Shweta has an MBA in International Business from Amity University, Noida and also holds dual bachelor degrees. She earned a post graduate certification in Human Resources from Sheridan College, Toronto and is also certified in Steiner Waldorf Early Childhood Studies. Shweta is an advocate of life-long learning and joins us having over a decade of experience in the early childhood education arena.
When not at work, she enjoys reading fiction and learning of new developments in the early childhood education space. She loves to indulge in endless play and storytelling with her two sons, Avyaan and Jiyaan.
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