ASSETScope March 2013

The Monthly Newsletter

SCOPE ISSUE NO 91

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MARCH 2013

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www.ei-india.com

This Month’s Issue Exam stress................... 01 The world of.................. 02 A woman is a.................03 News Bite...................... 04 Thoughtful story........... 05 The power of................. 06 Teacher’s Bite............... 07 ASSET Poster................ 08

Exam Stress A Natural Feeling….... Let's LEARN to DEAL with it Can there be anyone who is never stressed about exams, even if only a tiny bit? For most of us, exams are the most pressurised times of our lives. Everyone gets stressed during the exams but it's important not to let it get out of control.

Stress affects us all in different ways and at different times. Not all stress is bad. It can often heighten our performance as it makes us more aware of our surroundings and gives us a sparkle! Just think about the actress waiting to go on stage. What may be good stress for someone may be a problem for another. Our ability to cope with stress is affected by the number of problems/issues we are trying to deal with at one time and the support systems we have in place. We all know someone who always seems to be "in control". What makes that person different? Does he/she have a lot of friends and interests? Does he/she have a more "laid back" attitude to life? While we do not want everyone to be the same it can be useful to try to develop one’s lifestyle in a way which helps one cope with stress better.

What are the Symptoms?

When talking about stress there are some things worth remembering:

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Stress is inevitable - we are faced with it at home, school, work, or in our social lives Stress is a fact of life Without stress life would be very boring But - too much stress becomes "distress"!

So everyone has bad days. Sometimes our stress levels get out of hand and can stop us from performing at our best, which will, in turn disturb our bodies as well as our minds.

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difficulty in getting to sleep or difficulty in waking up in the morning constant tiredness forgetfulness unexplained aches and pains poor appetite loss of interest in activities increased anxiety and irritability increased heart rate migraines/headaches blurred vision dizziness

Continue...

So How Should I deal with Exam Stress?

Learn to recognise when you feel stressed. A break or a chat with someone who knows the pressure you're under will get things into perspective.

Avoid comparing your abilities with your mates. Those "Oh my God I've only read Macbeth 17 times" conversations are such a wind up. Everyone approaches revision in different ways, so just make sure you've chosen the method that works best for you.

Make a realistic timetable. Stick to it.

Eat right. Don't drink too much coffee, tea and fizzy drinks; the caffeine will 'hype' you and make your thinking less clear. Eat healthily and regularly; your brain will benefit from the nutrients.

Sleep well. Wind down before bed. Don't revise under the duvet - your bed is a sanctuary not a desk. Get your 8 hours of sleep.

Exercise well. Nothing distresses the mind faster than physical activity. Build it into your timetable. Being a sloth makes our mind sloppy too. Panic is often triggered by hyperventilating (i.e. quick, shallow breaths). So if you feel yourself losing it during the exam, sit back for a moment and control your breathing. Breathe deeply in and out through the nose, counting to five each way.

Steer clear of any exam 'post-mortem'. It doesn't matter what your mate wrote for Question 3(b). It's too late to go back and change your answers, so it will just make you worry even more.

After the exam don't spend endless time criticising yourself for where you think you went wrong. Often our own self-assessment is far too harsh. Congratulate yourself for the things you did right, learn from the bits where you know you could have done better, and then move on.

Ultimately, don't lose sight of the fact that there is life after exams. Things might seem intense right now, but it won't last forever.

All the best for your exams!!

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk

The World of Books What exactly is the world of books? To everyone's delight, these are our sources of entertainment. Some irritate bookloving people by calling them 'bookworms'. They are ofcourse, unaware of the pride we book-lovers have when we are called so. I have no hesitation in admitting that I am a bookworm too.

We enjoy discussing our favourite books and we are of course, very much into the books we read... be it fantasy, mystery or a classic. Anything indeed! I contribute a small poem to all the readers of ASSETScope:

Felicitation

Prachi Jain of Class 3, studying in Matushri ULA & DNK English School, Chinchpokli, was awarded the Topper Trophy in ASSET English in the Summer 2012 test.

I recently had a chance to visit England on an exchange program offered to our school by the British Council. I found that most of the women in that country are independent, self-reliant and demonstrative, in spite of the problems they face in their lives. Men do not stare at them everywhere. Roads are safe for them to walk or drive on, even at midnight. They are not emotionally bound.

Children in a family must be educated to respect women.

Parents must treat their sons and daughters equally. Violation of basic rights begins in families. Parents set limitations to girl children as an attempt to safeguard them, but on the contrary, the boys are let free. The discrimination starts only at home. If things are ignored at the micro level, damages are sure to happen at the macro levels.

But what about Indian women? They are susceptible and effusive. There is of course a big difference in the attitude and the behavior of women in urban and rural areas. So, we still need to think about the upliftment of women in our society.

Though women in urban areas seem to be independent, they are still under the clutches of men.

They need to assimilate different ideas and suggestions and harmonise them to lead a peaceful life. Magnanimity is always expected of them. So, individual liberty is put off

Are our values stolen? Have we forgotten the teachings of the great legends like Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and Swami Vivekananda? They are known for rendering ultimate respect to women. The recent shameful incidents against women and young girls cause a lot of mental agony. Immediate action must be taken against sexual harassment and brutality to women.

Ideas and suggestions are shared by many. But when the accused is not punished immediately, such heinous acts continue to happen

Needless to say, the villages are male dominated societies and women are seen as machines to generate families. As most of them hail from conservative families, they are emotionally bound and are icons of sacrifice.

They depend on men even for simple tasks.

Our society must stop seeing women as sexual partners to men.

Women should have equal rights as men and they should be aware of their rights. Their feelings must be respected. Unmarried women should enjoy the same status and must receive the same respect as the married ones.

This doesn’t happen in our society. We debate on equality, but do we really have equality among women? Why should a woman keep all her innovations aside and all her ambitions in her dreams and ultimately make a family?

The upliftment of women is not in providing avenues for them to improve their economic status or in giving big posts and positions. It rather lies in how we value them as individuals. A woman should be allowed to take decisions, to live alone if she wants to, to be demonstrative, and to set her goals on her own, in addition to accomplishing her ideals.

An immediate action and a permanent solution is the need of the hour. The most disturbing thing is that people forget such reprehensible acts when some other issues pop up.

As a part of creating awareness among young children, we at Chettinad Vidya Mandir have taken “Children’s Rights “as a topic under ISA (the International School Award) offered by the British Council. Students of grade 9 made a complete analysis of their rights and also listed those that are violated. They had a multi point Video Confer ence on “Women’s Rights “, facilitated by the Face to Faith Foundation. Mr. Singirankabo Ignasce appeared as the guest speaker and shared his contribution to the upliftment of women in his country. We also had a session by eminent Judges and Lawyers in our district on “Human Rights”. We are further planning to have a sharing session online with our parents on “My Success Story in spite of the Challenges Faced by me “ by the end of February. We ultimately focus on educating children that women are human beings who deserve respect regardless of their strengths or abilities.

Let us put our thoughts together to make the God’s best creation – the women, happy, by breaking the idea that they ought to keep men happy.

Ms. Vidhya.M.S, Principal, Chettinad Vidya Mandir, Chettipalayam

News Bite CBSE makes Accreditation a Must Get accredited in three years or lose your affiliation. While the Central Board of Secondary Education is planning to roll out the accreditation process for its schools from the new academic year, it has also stated that School Quality Assessment and Accreditation is a mandatory process and all schools with three years of affiliation experience have to apply for accreditation within three years starting from April 2013.

"Otherwise they stand to lose their affiliation," CBSE chairman Vineet Joshi said.

The assessment will be a multidimensional process where not only the school administration, teachers and students will be quizzed but even alumni inputs will carry weightage. "It will be a comprehensive assessment. At the micro-level , schools will have to satisfy the trained external peer assessor team of maintaining standards in: curriculum planning, student assessment and performance, sanitation, provisions for the disabled; and greenery," Joshi said.

Teachers to Devise Questions which Test Understanding

VKK & M.E.C Public School ICSE School Day Report

The Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board (GSHSEB) has decided to examine students with questions that test understanding instead of rote learning. In fact, the board has formed a pool of 150-odd subject expert teachers to make a bank of questions which will test if the student has really understood the subject.

VKK and MEC Public school ICSE organised its annual day function on 19th Feb 2013 in the Main branch premises, with galore and enthusiasm. The inaugural ceremony commenced with the auspicious lighting of the lamp by the Chief guests, Prof. H.S. Ganesha Bhatta , Principal of MES Teachers College and The Secretary of MEC Institution Dr. Vidya C. The programme was ushered in by a welcome dance done by the primary class students. Kumari Dhanyatha P.J. of Class V made a humble beginning with a warm and heartfelt welcome speech.

The teachers were recently trained in setting papers which pose intelligent questions and not questions which test if the child has mugged the answer.

"The board is gradually moving towards setting papers which are of a higher standard. There are specific ways of questioning which can use graphs and pictures for students to think and use common sense to answer questions," said a board official.

Questions like answering in ascending or descending order can also be asked. Officials said that a leaf is being taken from papers set by the central board, which twists questions slightly to test the understanding of the subject.

"The idea is to ensure that the students understand everything in the textbook. We have found that students tend to rely on guides available in the market and then complain that the paper was set from outside the syllabus. In many cases, they have actually not read the textbook thoroughly," said a board official.Indirectly, the board also wants to curb copying, as questions which have direct answers can facilitate mass copying.

Mrs. Shashikala, Principal of MEC Public School presented the annual school report. She highlighted the achievements of the students in various fields. Highlighting the prominent achievements of the school during this academic year in scholastic and co-scholastic areas and reiterated the importance of parental engagement in partnership with the school. The best student from each standard is selected for the award based on good conduct and values that the student upholds. Jasmine House is being awarded as the Champion House of the academic year 2012-13. Sri L. Krishnamurthy Principal of MEC Public School ICSE was honoured for his National and International Award for Education Excellency.

The children from classes I to VII presented a spectacular display of cultural extravaganza featuring various folk dance forms of Karnataka and also patriotic dances including a play in English on the Vital Force theory.

The whole show was a wonderful fusion of classical, patriotic and folk cultures by a harmonious blend of music rhythm and dance, a grand celebration which saw the little stars twinkle on the grounds of the school. From tiny toddlers to teenyboppers, the event encouraged, gave rewards and an opportunity to the students to showcase their talent. The programme rose to a final crescendo with the grand finale and ended in a beautiful resonance lingering in the minds of everyone.

Thoughtful Story: God is Never Wrong!

A king who did not believe in the goodness of God, had a slave who, in all circumstances, said: My king, do not be discouraged, because everything God does is perfect and has no mistakes!

One day they went hunting and along the way a wild animal attacked the king. His slave managed to kill the animal, but could not prevent his majesty losing a finger.

Furious and without showing his gratitude for being saved, the nobleman said "Is God good? If He was good, I would not have been attacked and lost my finger."

The slave replied: "My king, despite all these things, I can only tell you that God is good, and he knows "why" of all these things. What God does is perfect. He is never wrong!"

Outraged by the response, the king ordered the arrest of his slave.

Later, he left for another hunt and was captured by savages who made human sacrifices.

In the altar, ready to sacrifice the nobleman, the savages found that the victim did not have one of his fingers, so he was released. According to them, it was not so complete to be offered to the gods.

Upon his return to the palace, he authorised the release of his slave whom he received very affectionately.

"My dear, God was really good to me! I was almost killed by the wild men, but for the lack of a single finger, I was let go! But I have a question: if God is so good, why did he allow me to put you in jail?"

"My King, if I had gone with you on this hunt, I would have been sacrificed for you, because I have no missing finger, therefore, remember everything God does is perfect. He is never wrong."

Often we complain about life, and the negative things that happen to us, forgetting that nothing is random and that everything has a purpose.

Every morning, offer your day to God, don't be in a rush.

Ask God to inspire your thoughts, guide your actions, and ease your feelings. And do not be afraid. God is never wrong!

You know why this message is for you? I do not know, but God knows, because he never makes mistakes...

Have you ever felt embarrassed when you were caught doodling in a meeting? Have you felt a twinge of guilt that perhaps others perceived you as not paying attention? Well relax, not only are you in good company but one could argue that you are exercising the creative side of your brain and in fact are retaining more information than your daydreaming counterparts!

Leonardo Da Vinci, Frank Gehry and even Bill Gates are all doodlers. Visual language is nothing new. Humans have been expressing themselves through doodles for thousands of years. But how does this apply to learning?

A traditional definition of doodling is to “scribble absentmindedly.� But what if doodling could actually help free up your mind to focus on what was being presented? A study published in the Applied Cognitive Psychology journal in 2009 found that people who doodle during lectures can retain up to 29 percent more of the information that is being presented.

An experiment in Delhi's municipal schools has shown that not only can students as young as six years learn through art but in fact it has resulted in better attendance records, a more responsive classroom and improved teamwork.

However, the acceptance of art in mainstream learning even at the primary level was not easy initially.

Veena Gandhi of Nigam Pratibha School in New Chokhandi in West Delhi says she is one such example. "I had so many doubts about this ideology. But we started the art experience after a seven-10 day training course for teachers. Before long, we found that instead of forcing children to learn boring facts, the class became interactive. They were teaching us," she remarks with a smile.

The National Council for Educational Research and Training's (NCERT) 'Art Integrated Learning' (AIL) project seeks to create links between different subjects and art experiences of the child for new learning and development.

AIL was introduced in 20 municipal schools among 1,700 students in Delhi in 2012. A year later the resounding success of the project has prompted schools and education departments across the country to adopt this method of learning.

According to the Head of the Department of NCERT's department of education in arts and aesthetics, Pawan Sudhir, states like Bihar, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Manipur, Assam and Mizoram have expressed interest in following AIL in the next academic session.

So, one teacher used clay and marble chips to explain molars, canines and pre-molars to eight-year-olds while another taught the concept of a home with piles of junk. Now, it appears there is no stopping.

Ashok Agrawal, Head of West Delhi's District Institute of Education and Training at Rajinder Nagar, who oversaw the Delhi pilot project, says it helped educators understand and assess children's comprehension levels without pressure.

Not only have teachers noticed improved attendance but they have also realised that involving them in art work has created a better learning environment for differently-abled children and has improved teamwork.

Source: TIMES OF INDIA

Q: Q:

Who has most influenced you to become an educator, and how did they influence you?

No one has influenced me in particular. After completing my Post Graduation degree in English Literature, teaching was an obvious and natural choice. However, after joining this field, a lot of people influenced my thinking in more than one way.

Mostly these were colleagues and seniors.

Q:

What is your approach to classroom management and student discipline?

Classroom management depends upon individual abilities the way you influence your students, your personality, your commitment and so on. It is always desirable to begin a session by laying down ground rules and by being consistent in behaviour. The class must be trained to listen patiently and with intent. It is equally important to teach appropriate ways of responding.

What are your views regarding the 'Importance of Teacher Training and Development' in educating Students?

Teacher training is the most important, albeit most neglected aspect of modern day schooling in India. It is of vital significance as the role of the teacher is fast changing - from the sole source of knowledge, he has become just one more source of knowledge. Proper training can establish a teacher as a vital link between the vast knowledge that is available to students and its processing. By redefining our role as mentors and facilitators, we can save our breed from becoming irrelevant. Besides, smart students love smart teachers and training alone can give us this edge. By being in sync with trends and developments in the global scenario, a teacher can reinforce himself in an assertive manner.

Q:

What is your view regarding the ASSET Test?

I consider ASSET a very unique tool for benchmarking as well as for provoking creative thinking. It makes a student realise that learning has to go a step beyond memorizing facts and data - the step being the application of concepts acquired.

So far as discipline is concerned, I am of the firm opinion that self discipline is the best discipline. Any attempt to force a certain way of behaviour from a host of individuals without orienting them is bound to create resistance. Thus, by setting out clear and well enunciated goals and communicating them to all stake holders will usher in desirable and sustainable discipline.

Introduction by Anupam Kher, Edited by Anu Kumar and Published by Hachette India (Children’s Books) It is said that learning the history of India or even the history of the world is always incomplete without learning about Gandhiji. However, in most cases we learn about his narrative history, from his experiment of truth in South Africa till his death in 1948. Narrative history is no doubt engaging, yet it was in a context of a different time. In the last few decades, the world has changed so much; as a result many of us are unable to relate the episodes of British India with the present time. Yet what remains significant are his practices, such as speaking the truth, pratcising non-violence, maintaining self-dignity, and so on.

Towards the end, the editor has compiled all the major events with relation to Gandhiji using the chronological timeline. Yet another feature of the book is a collection of questions on facts pertaining to Gandhiji and an exhaustive bibliography.

The book is a MUST for schools of all kinds as a reference source on the teaching of values.

The book under review is a modest attempt to expose our generation to Gandhiji’s principles and practices through wonderful anecdotes, stories and quotes. To cite an example from the chapter “Freedom Song”, a well-known quote is: “It is Swaraj that helps us to learn to rule ourselves…But such Swaraj has to be experienced by each one for himself. One drowning man will never save another. Bing slaves ourselves; it would be more pretentious to think of freeing others”.

By : Jitu Mishra, Educational Specialist

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