HOW TO ENGAGE STUDENTS IN A 40-MINS CLASS?

40-mins, are they too less to teach as well as engage? Or is it too long a time span to hold students’ attention? For a teacher – the dilemma has always been there!

Children are so fickle minded that they switch channels in no time. TV is meant for entertainment; still children get bored! On the other hand a classroom is a place where they are always under a pressure to learn and perform! Both are strikingly different situations but a child’s reaction is the same. If she gets bored, she will lose the will and concentration to continue and would love to change or simply ‘switch off’!

Consequently, is a teacher supposed to entertain? Yes of course, but not in the true sense of the word. In a classroom scenario, a teacher has to replace it with intellectual engagement, stimulate enough interest that the child is actively involved in the learning process. The traditional mode of teaching is a one way process that is a teacher delivers all the knowledge but whether it has been assimilated and put to use is a bigger concern. Disinterest and focus are lost in passive learning!

Following are a few tips and methods to be incorporated in daily classroom activities to engage students in active learning and meet the pedagogical goals on the way. Most importantly keep them focused for 40-mins:
Teach to fulfil all learning styles – Each one of has a different learning style. It is impractical to expect a kinaesthetic learner to learn by simply reading a text book. The lesson plans and activities should motivate and engage learners of all styles.  

• Change scenario and resources

Freshen up the young minds by changing the environment. Take them out to field trips, library, and garden or in any other classroom. You will see a renewed energy in them and in yourself too. Books are an integral part but you can always bring other resources to the classroom to stimulate interest. These could be online resources and audio visual aids.

• Make children responsible for their own learning

Children learn best when they are actively involved in the learning process. Focus on activities that prompt them to reason and evaluate evidences and gives them an opportunity to formulate and solve problems on their own. Don’t get tempted to solve a problem because they are taking too long to reach a simple obvious solution. Let them wrestle with the problem, once they understand it; their minds will find ways to solve it and subsequently develop reasoning, evaluating and problem solving skills.

• Competition and Reward - the two magical wands

Put simple human psychological means to reach your goals. Competition and reward happen to be truly magical. Develop a fun filled competitive spirit and reward appropriately. But use them sparingly to get the results. If used too often, the novelty and enthusiasm will go away in no time.

• Encourage, Praise and communicate 

Each child is unique. Watch them and find out positives of each one of them. Plan activities and tasks where the low performers can also perform well. Praise them liberally to build self-confidence. This is the starting point! Introduce them to new challenges, encourage them to take up these challenges independently and help them to excel.

• Communicate expectations and deadlines

Children tend to do anything to gain acceptance from adults. Communicate to them what is required of them and they will strive to get it. Communicate your grading criteria and other elements of assessment. Be transparent with them. Schedules and deadlines are important to keep them focused and are a great way to motivate!

Unified Learning offers a wide range of online learning resources to stimulate interest. To know more, write in to info@unilrn.com

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Set the Ball Rolling for the New Session

It’s that time of the year when students are happy and anxious at the same time. And both are attributed to the same fact – a new school year! With so many years of teaching experience up your sleeve, are you too feeling the same? 

If not anxiety, at least your mind is working on how to break the ice. If you set the right ball rolling now, it will roll to the end of the year without any fuss and flutter. We have listed a few activities and ice-breakers for you to say welcome to your students in the new session:

Introduce yourself 

Not all students are new to the school and neither you! They know you somehow or the other, even if you haven’t taught them earlier. But, it’s always a great idea to introduce yourself.  What they know of you is someone else’s impression about you. Let them know you, from you. Talk a little bit about yourself. Add a few lines about your school days. Children will love to hear how you were as a student!

Ask students to introduce themselves

Students have been together at least for a couple of years and know each other pretty well. However, that’s not true! Children who are very outgoing are usually favourites and everybody knows about them but what about those who are shy and have never been at the centre of things. It’s time for them to open up too. Ask them to write a 10 line autobiography on one half of the paper and draw a self portrait on the other. Ask them to read it aloud one by one and later stick all those portraits on a board in the classroom.  You have just introduced a feeling of belongingness in them!

School is a home away from home

Home is all about comfort and being your real self. School should be the same if this clichéd statement has to be put to test.  Children learn the best when they are comfortable rather than in an impersonal environment. So plan some icebreaker activities like give a sheet to them to put at least 10 things that each student in class has in common like favourite star, favourite cricketer, favourite holiday destination etc. This will encourage teamwork.

Strike a chord

Students learn better when they feel connected to their teacher. Come out of the conventional student teacher equation and reach out to them. Think of a few things that interest them the most. The topmost common point of interest for today’s generation is social media and internet,  Plan some project that requires online research and references and they will find you on the same ground as they are!

Set the expectation and goals right  

Some of you might think that these icebreaking activities will compromise with your stature as a teacher and students might not take you seriously.  Here is the trick for your first class. Don’t recapitulate from the previous year; teach something that is brand new. Give a home assignment on it (the online research one mentioned above). You will be able to make an intellectual engagement with them.

Also share with them the year’s learning goals and outcomes that are expected of them. Make the grading and homework policies transparent to them.  

Plan day by day at least for the first month

Planning for each day of the first month takes out most of the stress. Most importantly you will get ample time to take up each of the above activities and create a positive environment for the whole year to fall in place!

Best of luck for the new session and happy teaching!

Unified Learning’s rich multi-media content are great brain teasers engaging a child intellectually. To get a free demo of these, write in to us at info@unilrn.com.  

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Parents Can Help Ease Academic Stress Of Children

Today's teens who want to go to college must get top grades, compete in extracurricular activities and often hold down jobs. Classes usually are too big for individual help. Schools are sometimes dangerous. Many students have broken families. Drugs and alcohol are common and tempting.
 

Face it. Students today are lucky to survive, let alone thrive. Parents can help teens by setting reasonable priorities and expectations.

The most important rule is to reward for effort, not achievement. If teens try, whether it's to get a better grade, make the team or lose weight, their effort should be acknowledged. Parents who harp about failure, or who expect near perfection, can do a lot of damage. Teens who feel loved, valued and acknowledged, no matter what, try harder.

Allow teens to pursue their passions. If they prefer arts to commerce, parents must let them go for it. They'll get more satisfaction and have more success. Driving them too hard in a certain direction can backfire.

At the same time, parents have to drive the message to their children that their future relies on a solid education. Parents can help set rules about how much time to devote to homework. For example, children may be allowed to watch TV once homework is done.It’s best to let go at sometimes so if the children choose not to do it, let them deal with the consequences - poorer grades and no TV . But one must be alert to realise when guidance is required. If they're trying to do well at everything and failing, help them organize and prioritize.

Meanwhile, join school PTA and booster clubs. Meet your teens' teachers. If there's a problem, don't blame the schools and don't let them blame you.

If grades are chronically low or steadily falling, or if a typically enthusiastic student skips school and neglects homework, check it out. It could be anything - depression, stress, heartbreak, drugs, poor physical self-image, social immaturity, a death or divorce in the family, friction at home or school or even a learning disability. Any of these problems requires support from parents and, in some cases, professionals.

Some tips that prove effective most of the times, are:

Be a friend- Talking to the kids about their issues helps them ease out. If they know that come what may, if there isn’t any pressure from their parents, children tend to be more relaxed. Try to be as open as possible to understand what their problems are.

Encourage hobbies- Try and make children be involved in something other than books. Also, be involved in their hobbies. This shows that you trust them and believe in them.

Instil the ‘move on’ attitude- Parents must teach their kids how to learn from past failures and mistakes. They must teach them to be strong and not worry about scores but to be determined in their efforts.

At the end of it, parents can play a very positive role in their kid’s development and give them a relatively stress free life.

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What’s next after 10th?

With the results of Class 10th looming large on the horizon, it is time for the students to take a call on the education stream they are going to pursue. Choosing the stream is a watershed event and the decision taken now will impact the entire future lives of the students. Hence, it becomes imperative that students and parents exercise utmost care at this point in time.
Career is a very important aspect of anyone's life. Choosing a career in a certain stream defines the future of a student. However, it is difficult for a student to choose a career path at the early age. Here is some guidance about how to choose a stream after 10th standard. There are various streams and career options available for a student in each of the streams.

Choosing a career in a particular stream or profession right at the beginning has a long lasting impact on a student’s future. It is very important for any student to choose carefully from various options available to him or her vis a vis his or her interest. Good judgment and right kind of aptitude coupled with guidance in the right direction to pick up a definite stream helps one in choosing the right career option. So from the very beginning a student should be careful in making choice of their stream. As soon as a student reaches 10th standard, some kind of pressure of choosing a career path linger in their mind. Because by then they are at the edge of completing their school life and it is peak time to choose ones career path than ever before.
Agencies responsible in choosing the right career options for a student:
Due to existence of variety of options coupled with cut throat competition in the professional filed makes one confused as to what to pick up as career options. There are mainly three agencies which are largely responsible for a student’s choosing a career path. These are namely the student himself, parents, teachers and career counsellors.

Role of a student: Though there are no definite tools which can accurately determine what career one should choose yet a few simple steps can help one to make a decision in the right direction.

• Jolt down the subjects of interests. The interest should be evaluated with skills necessary to pursue them in the longer term.
• Explore or test the chosen option. One should act in the best possible practical way to find out what really excites him or her.
• Consider external factors such as personal responsibilities and their priorities, financial strength to pursue the option and flexibilities in changing the path if in times of uncertainties one can change the career option with minimum obstacles.
• Attending career guidance seminars, educational fairs etc can also help a student in knowing the latest development in the outside world apart from the bookish knowledge.

Role of Parents and Teachers: Parents should facilitate in exploration of the right career option for their children. They can help their children by giving advices of successful people and their career growth and supportive instructions. But they should be unprejudiced to allow their offspring to follow their own dream. So students should always be given preference for their choice and at the same time it should be complemented by advices of the parents. Valuable advices and good wishes of parents help children to forward their step in new path of life.

 

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Trained to Lead

Proven leadership ability is a big deal and it is what sets one apart. It’s a race out there. Thousands of students have excellent grades and test scores, but what often secures an acceptance letter—is outstanding involvement in school clubs, athletics, or community organizations.

With a year or two before the college application process gets going, students have the chance to work their way up in a club or team, earning the experience and respect that will guarantee them a leadership role in college.
Even in college, student leadership is arguably the most beneficial extracurricular activity a person can perform. The experience gained from a leadership role will be valuable for a lifetime. Planning, decision making, communicating, and working as a teammate, are all skills that one builds as a student leader. Students must be taught how to be proactive and assume the status of an initiator.
As a student leader, you are in the unique position to make a difference on your campus. This is the moment to think big and to exert your voice from a position of influence. You can put into action, changes, that will impact the entire campus community and improve the student organization in which you are part.
There are several benefits of playing a leadership role as a student-
Boost college applications
A significant leadership role or two can make the difference between a decent application and a stellar one. Student leaders are “good problem solvers, promoters of school activities, idea-contributors, dependable, and persons who exemplify positive attitudes about life”—in other words, model candidates for higher learning!
Build self-esteem
Hard work, accomplishment, and recognition are vital factors in positive self-image. By taking on positions of responsibility at school and in their communities, students will feel genuinely good about themselves—which is just as important as looking impressive to admissions officers.
Invest in the future
Being a leader can benefit a student not only in high school and college, but in their professional life. People with leadership roles in high school are more likely to hold managerial positions as adults, earning higher incomes than those in non-leadership roles.
Therefore, students today must be educated to be good human beings and must  trained to be leaders.

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Virtual Learning Environment

A virtual learning environment (VLE) is a set of teaching and learning tools designed to enhance a student's learning experience by including computers and the Internet in the learning process. The principal components of a VLE package include curriculum mapping (breaking curriculum into sections that can be assigned and assessed), student tracking, online support for both teacher and student, electronic communication (e-mail, threaded discussions, chat, Web publishing), and Internet links to outside curriculum resources. In general, VLE users are assigned either a teacher ID or a student ID. The teacher sees what a student sees, but the teacher has additional user rights to create or modify curriculum content and track student performance. There are a number of commercial VLE software packages available, including Blackboard, WebCT, Lotus Learning Space, and COSE.

A virtual learning environment can also include students and teacher “meeting” online through a synchronous web-based application. The teacher is able to present lessons through video, PowerPoint, or chatting. The students are able to talk with other students and the teacher, as well as collaborate with each other, answer questions, or pose questions. They can use the tools available through the application to virtually raise their hand, send messages, or answer questions on the screen given by the teacher.

VLE Learning platforms commonly allow learner engagement and administration – managed access to learner information and resources and tracking of progress and achievement; and communication and collaboration via emails, notices, chat, wikis, blogs etc.

In principle a learning platform is a safe and secure environment that is reliable, available online and accessible to a wide user base. A user should be able to move between learning platforms throughout their life with no loss of access to their personal data. The concept of a learning platform accommodates a continuously evolving description of functionality changing to meet the needs of the user. 

VLE can help teachers and support staff manage and deliver a variety of daily tasks, including:

·         the creation of lesson plans using existing resources

·         allocation and marking of on-line assignments

·         discussion and support with students on line

 

The various interactive tools of VLEs can also support students with both class work and homework, and can cater for individual learning styles. For example, students can:

·         submit and track their assignments on line via a personal home page

·       contribute to and participate in discussions with classmates and other schools via the various tools

·         work at their own pace within and out of school

·         complete their worksheets and tests online for final submission and grading

·         attempt offline assignments with instructions and guides from the learning platform

Being able to work at their own pace is particularly beneficial to students. This allows the student to personalize their learning, to go back on lessons taught in classrooms and revise on their work, or if they feel confident they can progress to the next level or topic and prepare for lessons ahead. Doing so allows them to reinforce teaching and learning in the classrooms.

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Negative impact of putting pressure on kids

Negative impact of putting pressure on kids

Just take a minute and ask the following questions to yourself and try to be honest with your thoughts. (Don’t try to fool yourself) Have you ever had to do something compulsorily because your parents or friends wanted you to? Did you really want to do it yourself? Did you like it? Have ever regretted not challenging that thought?

I think that you might have been struck by lightning, isn’t it? Yes, if the answers of this small self assessment leave you gloomy and sulky, you, my friend, have been a victim of parental or peer pressure. The consolation for you is that, you are not the only one. There is a multitude of kids, teens and people who are bogged down by such pressures which eventually makes them really unhappy and depressed. But another point to think about is that would you like your child to be exactly in the state you are right now, unhappy?

In the world today, parental-peer pressure has reached unbearable limits. From parents this pressure is basically towards building a good career. Many times continuing the family ‘legacy’ is important for most parents. For instance, if you come from a family of doctors, chances are, you will be expected to become one, too, regardless of your capacity or inclination. When one or both parents are achievers, they don’t see any reason for their talents not to manifest themselves in their children.

Some average income earners force kids to excel beyond their abilities so they can avail of scholarship grants and minimize the cost of schooling in their budget.

What consequently happens is that-

1) Children can get easily frustrated.

Children under great pressure become very unhappy with one or two little mistakes. They may start blaming themselves for the slightest setback. They may start having sleepless nights. They will take every mistake of failure as the ‘end of it all.'

2) Children become misguided.

When the pressure is too much, the child no longer sees knowledge and the acquisition of knowledge as goals.

3) Children become fearful.

With expectations set high, children may fear punishment from their parents every time they fall short. If children have difficulty in certain subjects or areas, they need support and guidance early on. However, since they are afraid of ‘disappointing’ their parents, they will not come out and admit having issues.

4) Children may become socially isolated when bragged about.

Constant bragging of parents about their children to others may not always be well received. A child may develop either an unhealthy superiority or inferiority complex. The feeling of being better than everybody else, because a child was constantly drilled that he or she is can result in ostracism by peers. Similarly, feeling inferior to others may cause children to retreat into their shells.

5) Children measure self-worth with achievements.

When children hear their parents comparing them with others, it only translates to two messages: either “Mommy and Daddy love me because I am perfect,” or “They say I’m not as good as the other kids.”

6) Children may resort to drastic physical harms.

Being frustrated with the mounting pressure, children may even resort to committing suicide or on the opposite side, harming others through violent means.

Remember-

As a parent you must realise that you must let them learn at their own pace, and be there to hold their hand when they need it. Keep in mind that accomplishments in infancy, toddler years, and preschool years do not necessarily predict a child’s success in adulthood.

Just as parents do best, love and accept your children for whom they are. Allow them to be themselves and hit that road the way they see it. Each child is unique. Respect their ways of learning, growing, and thinking. Ultimately, children’s true measure of greatness depends on the guidance and values their parents give them.

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