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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Pressure of Competitive Exams

Have you ever imagined how it would feel if you were in a no man’s land? Have you ever had a sinking feeling deep inside with no vision of the future and little hope of finding one? Have you ever felt breathless with excessive efforts and thought that they would not be enough? Have you ever felt the need to be accepted so that your existence could be acknowledged? - Heavy questions? Yes! Think of the trauma that one will have to go through to come up with such thoughts. This is the life of people who are one amongst the thousands who sit for a competitive exam for higher education in India.

School is a lovely place. Even though it has its own issues (tests, homework, exams, attendance, strict teachers etc) yet it is still a sanctuary which plays shelter to our childhood mischief and adolescent struggles. At the end of it we look back and find happiness in all the good and bad that happened there. But as soon as we set foot beyond the boundaries of school we find that we need to fend our way forward through a very hostile competitive environment, to find our next calling.

 Competitive exams are now a part and parcel of student life. They have become the step that leads to our career. Once common for medical and engineering or government jobs, they have now become mandatory for all post graduate and some graduate level courses. Government competitive exams for banking, staff selection, railways, etc. are vital to get jobs in the related sectors.

 In the pursuit of the dream career, students spend a lot of time and energy preparing for such competitive exams. On an average, around one year or more is spent in preparation. In an attempt of perfecting the skills required for succeeding in the exams, coaching classes are sort after. In all, not just time and energy, but money is also spent in this process.

 The pressure starts to mount under the many mock tests, question papers and not to mention the expectations of the family and peers. The gargantuan demands that parents have today really cut the self belief which students have in them before an exam. Actually the problem is that parents generally over stress on the fact that how important an exam is when they should actually make things seem more normal to their children.

 Records and results too show a large fail rate which further discourages students. The thought that thousands of students appearing for the exams and the need to outperform can also be intimidating. The atmosphere of approaching exams mount to such pressure that often candidates feel disoriented. Many times these insecurities, worries and inhibitions infest as physical issues like fever, nausea, sleeping disorders and dietary issues- all of which are sure to further dampen spirits.

The pressures to outshine these exams are high, but there are ways to tackle them normal human mind can easily clear competitive exams but you have to modify some basic strategies regarding preparation for exams.

 These strategies are listed below:

1. Self Belief: You should believe in yourself and your abilities. You should believe that can clear these competitive exams if you can perform to best of your abilities. Belief is everything and everything can be achieved through belief.

2. Knowledge: You should have proper knowledge about your concepts. We don’t have to acquire extra knowledge as conceptual knowledge is needed for competitive exams.

3. Time Management and Data: We can manage this time by preparing time table for each day. We also have to record weekly data which ultimately helps in representing our performance graphically.

4. Sharpness: A sharp mind has many advantages such as concept understanding, quick response to a tricky question and speed. The best method to sharpen your mind is to do as many questions as you can. Try to challenge yourself.

At the end one must understand that competitive exams should not be looked upon as us against many but us against ourselves. If we perform the best we can, our determination will bear fruit.
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Dr Sugata Mitra

Dr Sugata Mitra, a professor of Educational Technology at the School of Education, Communication and Language Sciences at Newcastle University, UK has bagged TED’s annual prize of $1 million that gives an exceptional individual the chance to conceive and launch a high-impact project.

 

Dr Mitra is well known for his “hole-in-the-wall” experiment that pioneered the concept of giving computer education to slum children. Dr Mitra said that he will use the prize money to launch a global initiative for self-directed learning toolkit for schools and families.

According to “My wish is to help design the future of learning by supporting children all over the world to tap into their innate sense of wonder and work together. Help me build the School in the Cloud, a learning lab in India, where children can embark on intellectual adventures by engaging and connecting with information and mentoring online,” he said.

Mitra developed the concept of the Cloud from his 1999 “hole in the wall” experiment, in which he carved a hole from his research center into an adjoining Delhi slum.

He placed a freely accessible computer in this hole, and found that groups of street children, with no prior experience or knowledge of English, could teach themselves how to use the computer.

For the next ten years, Mitra expanded on his findings and created a “granny cloud” – online moderators of retired teachers – who could Skype into learning centers and encourage children with questions and assignments.

Mitra also developed the concept of Self Organised Learning Environments which embraces a process where educators ask the kids big questions, leading them on intellectual journeys rather than asking them to just memorize facts.

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Learning Management System

In India, if we look around, we will realize the fact that teaching as a practise has evolved immensely through the ages. From the ‘Gurukul’ style of imparting education we have worked our way to high technology labs and class rooms equipped with top of the line equipments.

Many jobs of the future will be in fields of technology.  Kids today need to use a lot of machines like computers as a part of their training and education. Online education has become widely used within the last 10 years by children as young as pre-school age. It’s being implemented into basic curricula throughout the nation, from elementary schools to college campuses. Therefore they need to be taught as to how to use the internet as well as other technological tools.

Today teachers are finding ways to make their current curriculum more engaging, exciting and efficient by using more electronic educational tools and applications. Instructors have a better way of presenting a syllabus and course discussions by using online webinars, and even a centralized class forum and grading system.

A learning management system (LMS) is a software application for the administration, documentation, tracking, reporting and delivery of education courses or training programs. LMSs range from systems for managing training and educational records to software for distributing online or blended/hybrid college courses over the Internet with features for online collaboration. Colleges and universities use LMSs to deliver online courses and augment on-campus courses.

By using a learning management system (LMS) schools can teach their students better through an integrated web-based platform of online education courses. LMS greatly helps in record keeping and documentation of educational and administrative information. Also data regarding each individual student can also be managed by this system.

Several college campuses have actively adapted these systems in their functions and have seen great result in the form of better management of information, better student response, better course structure formation and more. Systems can be up and running with little installation and training. There are several benefits that come when such a system is up and running like students can take advantage of things like webinars, assessments, and discussion forums, with a simple self-registration process.

We must understand the rapidly changing scenario in the Indian education space. 4 out of 5 students own a computer or other electronic device that they use for education purposes. This statistic bears more teeth when it comes to the urban cities. Elementary up to college, students are embracing the technological age by using that technology to sharpen their communication, creativity, and problem-solving skills. More online courses will harness more and more students.

In fact, some say that online education succeeds with the shy kids even more as such kids are more likely to speak up with questions or comments in an online discussion because there is a more laid back learning environment and no judging from other students.

Honestly speaking, once seen as a second-rate choice, ‘online education’ has developed a niche for itself and has been flagged as a mainstream, respectable option full of endless subjects and breakout career prospects. http://unilrn.com/

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Planning for the Boards

Board exams can be a difficult time. But if only one plans ahead success can be formulated. There are some tips and suggestions that might help get better prepared for the challenge that awaits.

1. More time to more matter

Give more time to the subject that has more syllabus or is difficult to crack by you. While planning, each chapter and each topic needs to be accounted for.

One way to start preparing is starting off with the difficult subjects first and start about 1 week before the date for the first exam.

2. The key lies in the textbooks

There is very little chance of a question beyond your prescribed textbooks. You may even find word by word repetition of questions in the exam. Thus, be well versed with each concept and topic in your textbook. Also diagrams, tables and graphs play a vital role. They are interesting to learn and when produced with answer, can get you the extra brownie point in the exams.

3. Practice makes you perfect

Solve at least 10 past year's question papers to get an idea of the kind of questions asked. This will even give you the particular topics which are more asked about.

4. It’s a number game

To get the scores one wants, number crunching becomes really important. This means memorizing certain formulae, notes and dates are essential for almost all subjects.

You can write down these notes in bright colours on chart papers and stick them around your study place or pin them on to a board in your room. Every time you pass by, you will take a look at the notes which will also help you in memorizing them.

5. Tick, tock, moves the clock

You need to answer all questions in a set time limit for every individual question. Only then can you finish the paper on time. You must practice mock papers and time yourself.

6. The more, the merrier

It is always good to study in a group, say once a week. It will help you get your doubts cleared by your friends who might know how to solve a particular question you find it hard to solve.

Say, you have left out some portion of the syllabus purposefully; your study group can tell you if it's a good idea to do so. Spending time with your friends will also help you feel refreshed.

7. Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise

The idea is to sleep early and wake up early to stay fit and fresh. Studying in the early mornings is the best time as there is minimal distraction outside which helps you concentrate better.

8. Take a chill pill

Don’t worrying about lacking behind in preparation. Things will fall in place eventually. Just clear your mind.

Just Relax!

At the end, remember, don't give up on recreation and hobbies. About 8 hours of dedicated study is enough to get you good marks. Most importantly, feel happy to be happy.

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Virtual School- The Rural Tool

In your journey through small town tales of India you might have crossed two small mischievous boys who despised the very thought of getting up in the morning and heading to school. Remember Swamy- The Dennis of Malgudi? He along with his friends roamed about the village to bunk classes whenever possible. Another one was Chiku from the popular movie, Swades, who made excuses of stomach aches to skip school. But then again, haven’t we all?

Both Chiku and Swamy have mirrored one of the problems that education in India faces. Like them, many children in India do not want to go to school. Actually the biggest challenge lies in rural and backward India, where attending school is not just a matter of choice but is governed by several factors like lack of educational infrastructure, poverty, illiteracy and ignorant attitude of people towards education. Therefore we need to implement a solution that will combat all these issues at the same time. One tool that promises to help is Virtual School.

As the term reads, a virtual school is an online institution that imparts education through online methods. This is like bringing the school home rather than having to go to school physically every day. All you need is access to the internet and with the digital divide in India decreasing every day, this method seems to be the ‘real deal’. Even the government has introduced certain programs that promote virtual schools and online education model. This is because the government recognises the deficit in teaching talent and infrastructure. 

Virtual schools hold several advantages, including not being required to attend and travel to face-to-face classes and the integration of digital media. Virtual schools also give a student the opportunity to stay in school when traditional schools will no longer accept them.  In this way it really helps the purpose of providing education to all. This method of schooling can be adopted in case of extensive absences due to medical reasons. In rural India where sending the girl child to school is a phenomenon to be thought about twice, virtual school proposes to be a great help in bringing gender equality. Virtual schools can be considered a great equalizer, as these schools can make education accessible to non-traditional students. Additionally, students with physical disabilities or transportation issues may find that they are able to succeed in virtual school without the burden of getting to a physical location for schooling.

Another factor that leads to illiteracy in rural India is the priority of the farmer. Think about it, if you are a farmer who has to work day and night on his land to harvest the crop, will you have the time or energy to go to the distant village school. Would you even consider it a necessity? Students who have job and family obligations, which can limit the time spent in the classroom, are able to attend virtual schools at any time of day. For parents returning to school, this is an option which allows them to fit schooling into their busy schedule. Virtual schooling gives the unskilled ‘desi’ a real chance of building upon his twenty-first century skills which include global awareness, computer literacy, self-directed learning, online communications and so on.

Virtual schooling may sound amusing to us but the reality of rural literacy raises grim concern which can be addressed only by this technique, making it the most important agent in the progress of our nation.
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Let’s just hope that Swamy and Chiku make the most of it.

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Board Exam Fever

Board Exam Fever

February has arrived. For most of us it might be the indication of the onset of spring, but for many kids it’s the start of a nightmarish phase of their lives. The reason-- board exams are round the corner. All those who associate school days with joyous abandon would be shocked at the plight of students these days. With cut offs and educational standards reaching new levels of inhuman expectations, students are struggling to keep pace with all that is happening around them. Actually, several instances show that they do get good scores, but at a maddening cost to their mental and physical well-being. Others, who are not strong enough, take to horrific ways of escape ----even ceasing to exist in this world.

Starting with prelims and practicals, stretching up to the entrance tests for higher education courses that follow the actual examinations, the students are in a state of constant strain. Parents, too, share the anxiety that their children undergo, trying their best to handle the emotional outbursts that their children present. It’s the time of the year when school students feel like soldiers being sent to the battle front to face the enemy onslaught. Here they must realise that instead of taking exams as a do-or-die fight, they should believe in themselves. Students often start showing signs of stress related problems like eye trouble, headaches, sleep disorders and anxiety. Gruelling study schedules right before the exams render students prone to headaches, eye disorders and other conditions related to exam stress. Skewed dietary schedules also precipitate stomach and intestinal disorders.

Parents should do their bit too in boosting their wards' self-confidence. Praiseworthy words rather than scolding make exams a fruitful exercise. Students must be made to understand the true reason why exams are held as they often ask the question “Why?” They must be told that how exams are essential to judge one's performance and how they work as a stimulant to our brain which is really good for us. They must be told that faring well in exams is essential but the way to success comes through happiness and peace of mind. Only then can students fill their minds with positive thoughts and take on tests with a smile.

Students need to prepare sincerely for their exams but also relax their mind at regular intervals by playing with pets, reading a book and going out for a wall. Such activities carried out between periods of study help in reducing stress and optimising performance. Music therapy is increasingly becoming popular among schools and has proved to be highly effective with a music teacher hopping from class to class singing jingles. However funny it may sound, the fact of the matter is that it works.

Frankly, we can see the change happening now as more and more students believe in the notion of not being bookworms. Students have carved out a balance between recreation and studies to excel in examinations.
Unified Learning suggests student to widen their learning scope by gaining more knowledge with free minds.
Visit http://unilrn.com to know about Unified learning and its services.

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Student Centric Learning

Student Centric Learning

The term student-centric learning (SCL) is linked with flexible learning, experiential learning, self-directed learning and therefore the term ‘student-centred learning’ can mean different things to different people.
Over the years a major paradigm shift has occurred in the methods of imparting lessons; from teaching to an emphasis on learning has encouraged power to be moved from the teacher to the student. The teacher-focused/transmission of information formats, such as lecturing, have begun to be increasingly criticised and this has paved the way for a widespread growth of ‘student-centred learning’ as an alternative approach. Yet a very important problem that looms over this matter is that many institutions or educators claim to be putting student-centric learning into practice, but in reality they are not.
Student-centric courses are those that emphasise: learner activity rather than passivity; students’ experience on the course outside the institution and prior to the course; process and competence, rather than content. In this particular model/method of learning the student enjoys great power as here, the key decisions about learning are made by the student through negotiation with the teacher.
In relation to curriculum design, student-centeredness includes the idea that students have choice in what to study, how to study. However, to what extent can this be carried out practically is still a problem.
One student-centric approach to curriculum design, Problem-Based Learning (PBL), allows for some choice within a programme of areas that students may study. It allows students to set some of their own learning objectives/outcomes, dependent on prior knowledge. Problem-Based Learning, through the use of problems/issues/triggers, encourages the students to develop their own learning goals, thereby filling in the gaps in their knowledge or understanding. They are useful in addressing the active learning aspect of student-centric learning. Other approaches to curriculum design also support the idea of student choice and activity in learning.
The use of student-centric learning appears to be reflective of today’s society where choice and democracy are important concepts, however is it an effective approach to learning?  The main critique of student-centric learning is its focus on the individual learner. Student-centric learning, in the School system, can be in danger of focusing completely on the individual learner and taken to its extreme does not take into account the needs of the whole class. The point is that if each child is unique, and each requires a specific approach appropriate to him or her and to no other, the construction of an all embracing, and general principle of teaching becomes an impossibility.
The changing demographics of the student population and the more consumer/client-centric culture in today’s society is the reason why student-centric learning is thriving. Although we must recognize that it is not necessarily an easy task.
Unified Learning envisions a boundary free arena encompassing both teacher and learner. Visit http://unilrn.com/ to know about more learning experiences and our services.

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Board Exams

“You may never know what results come out of your action, but if you do nothing there will be no result”

~ Mahatma Gandhi

Everybody has been afraid of examinations. Even Lord Christ once uttered, "May God not put anybody to test". Teachers, students, examiners and examinees, all think that examination is a curse, a horror and a terror. Exams are one of the many ways to assess the acquired knowledge, level of understanding and the various ways in which the acquired knowledge can be applied in different situations. Exams are important as their results influence future professional careers, social status and self–esteem. Exams teach us lots of things and give training for various things like punctuality, writing skills, timing sense, expressing our thoughts and opinions and so on. Without exams it is very hard to find out the real knowledge of an individual student. Additionally, exams serve as motivation to study.

Board examinations, whether State, ICSE Board or CBSE Board exams, are one of the most crucial milestones in one’s life and scoring well in these is something which every student aspires to. Every student works hard to do well in the exams so that he can achieve good marks in the academic year. But as a matter of fact, students fall apart most of the time when it concerns their exams, especially in the board papers which is dreaded by the student community. Students are pressurized to perform beyond their calibre. The mounting stress only makes them exhausted of exams as it demands high-scale preparation. It is mandatory for students to follow certain effectual guidelines which make preparation easier and stress free…especially in case of the Board Exams.

To get good results in a board exam, a student needs to be systematic and follow a particular pattern. For example, in a Math exam paper, each step carries certain marks…so a student needs to be very careful about the pattern of the exams and should strictly consider them while solving the sums. Everybody is capable of passing the exam. The best way is to take action rather than stress. After all, stress wont help you pass. Rather it is the right action of asking the right person to help you to understand which will get you ahead.

Board exams are like any other exams. The best way to achieve success is to be calm, freshen up your mind, and plan a preparation schedule, revise and stop worrying. Board exams are the time when children look up to their parents for help and support. And therefore their duty is to help them through and not pressurize them.

Unified Learning provides learning programs that can help your child acquire, learn and progress.
Visit http://unilrn.com/ and know about our services.

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