The monthly newsletter
SCOPE Issue 72 | April 2011 | www.ei-india.com
This Month’s Issue Improving Reading.......... 01 Summer Learning Loss.... 02 ASSET WEEK Prize........... 02 History of Our Story......... 03 The Hole in the Wall........ 04 Aditi Joshi, Does India..... 04 Multiple Intelligences...... 05 National Science Day....... 06 Teacher’s Bite.................. 07 Pi day Celebration............ 07
Note: The ASSETScope Newsletter will not be issued in May 2011
Editor’s Note Hello Readers! March was the month of exams, the devastating Earthquake and Tsunami which hit Japan badly and the Super Moon. It was saddening to see the destruction, live, on TV. Through the use of social networking sites such as ‘Twitter, Facebook, and Mixi’, people all around the world were able to get instant updates on the statuses of friends and family, as well as send thoughts and prayers to those in need. Social networking tools have shown their ability once again to unify us as human beings, and to bring out what is most altruistic and empathetic in our natures. Coming to this issue of ASSETScope we have interesting articles on ‘Summer Learning Loss, ways to learn History, Multiple Intelligences, Hole in the Wall’ etc. Do share your feedback for this issue. Happy Reading
Bindu Pillai
Assessment Summit........ 08
Improving Reading Habits in Students The greatest gift is the passion for reading. It is cheap, it consoles, it distracts, it excites, it gives you knowledge of the world and experience of a wide kind. It is moral illumination. - Elizabeth Hardwick
Poor reading habits can lead to lack of interest or comprehension skills and ultimately to discouragement in reading for study or pleasure. Thus dysfunctional tendencies can develop in children in the classroom at a young age. School practices such as reading aloud, making elaborate outlines, and testing can interfere with the learning process. While it takes time to rectify ingrained habits, it is possible to re-teach children how to read well. Find out the interests of your struggling readers and incorporate those into your teaching strategies and the material you select. For example, a child who loves outer space will be more interested in a book about astronauts than a book about butterflies. A child who loves basketball may be motivated to read the kids’ sports section of the newspaper. Have a non-reading activity planned that can eventually include reading. For example, when the time is right, NOT when the children are in the middle of a game or an activity they enjoy. But when your kids are looking for something to do, you can tell them that you are going to be turn yourself into a cartoon later in the day. Then when the time comes, have all your supplies ready for making yourself a cartoon. You can have costumes, paper to draw yourself as a cartoon and so on, you
can also give yourself a name and a story line. Oh, you might not know or have a story line to get started as a cartoon? This is when you can suggest to your kids that they can look for story ideas in books. This is a creative way to have your kids read books. Make scrapbooks of words. Old magazines and newspapers have thousands of words. Encourage kids to find their favourite words and put them together in a personal scrapbook. What type of words might be of interest? They could be: favourite colours, one’s own names or names of friends and toys etc. Instead of just a word on a page, have them draw a picture too. Reading is essential for children as it helps them develop qualities such as, initiative, originality and character, besides providing them with varied entertainment, instructions and invaluable experiences. Reading also enables children to see possibilities, alternatives and options that they could not see before. A child seeks meaning in its day-to-day life and wants to unfold the mysteries of the wonderful world of nature and intricacies of human relations. And reading books lays a sound foundation in all these areas for a better tomorrow.
Summer Learning Loss Summer learning loss is a very real phenomenon that has been documented by many reputed educational and healthcare organizations. Fortunately, parents have options to prevent summer learning loss, ensuring their children are ready to hit the books again when they return to school. What is Summer Learning Loss? Summer learning loss is a phenomenon that occurs when children are out of the school environment for a significant period of time. During such absence, children can lose some of the skills they gained during the previous school year, particularly in the areas of Maths and Reading. In the article on ‘Reading is Fundamental’, facts about learning loss, as studied by Johns Hopkins University's Centre for Summer Learning, include: •
Students suffer from learning loss when they do not participate in educational activities during the summer.
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Students lose an average of about 2.6 months of grade level equivalency in Maths computation skills over the summer.
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Low-income students suffer from greater learning loss than those in higher-income families.
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Summer learning loss may be a contributing factor in the reading performance achievement gap between high and low-income students.
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Many students who qualify for federally-subsidised meals during the school year do not receive the same nutritional content over the summer.
•
Studies show that time out of school can be a dangerous time for many unsupervised children and teens.
Ron Fairchild, Executive Director of the Centre for Summer Learning at Johns Hopkins University, told CNN, "One hundred years of research confirms that all young people are at risk of losing ground academically over the summer months." CNN also reports that this learning loss can mean, for some students, an academic setback that may take weeks, or even months, to overcome. Fortunately, experts have also found
ways to minimize learning loss during vacation time. Say Goodbye to Summer Learning Loss Parents and educators can work together to help prevent or minimize the effects of summer learning loss. They can do this by asking students to take summer school classes to help them retain the skills and information they acquired over the previous school years. Students during the summer months, can join camps and workshops that focus on specific areas of student interest like: Maths camp, writing workshop and classes in robotics, drama or art. Some experts say that the first step in preventing learning loss is as easy as making books more accessible. Summer learning loss is a very real phenomenon, but it does not have to be an inevitable one. By engaging your children in fun learning activities over vacation, such as reading books, visiting museums and attending camps, you can prevent the learning gap so your children are ready to hit the books when the school bell rings once again.
ASSET WEEK Prize Distribution Ceremony The ASSET WEEK prize distribution ceremony was held at Sishu Griha Montessori and High School, Bangalore.
Ms. Sujatha Mohandas, Principal receiving the first prize memento from Ms. Deepali Sinha, Educational Advisor- EI.
Ms. Madhulika Chandrakumar receiving ASSET Coordinator prize from Ms. Deepali Sinha
Students with Student MYBOOK
History is Our Story A lot of enthusiasm was seen among the students as well as parents. Now, they seem to be much interested in learning the subject. This helped them connect with their grandparents and ancestors and appreciate the great contributions and sacrifices made by them. Ms. Namrata Rana, Social Studies teacher, Grades 5-6, SN Kansagra School, Rajkot The following is a student submission related to the project: THE FAMILY TREE Family is not the name given to group of people living together under the same roof. It has a greater and deep meaning. Making a ‘family tree’ and knowing my cultural roots was indeed exciting and thrilling experience for me. The project was given to us with the deadline of submitting it in a month. Students have a stereotypical mindset regarding the learning of history. They believe that in real life what they see around them has no connections the with past. Before commencing the teaching of history, we identified that students were not interested to knowing about past events, the beginning of the great civilizations, and the great wars that took place in different periods of time. In this academic year (2010-11) before we started teaching history, we had designed a project for the students, titled ‘History of My Family’. A family is the fundamental unit of the society and leaves a strong mark on the society’s cultural tradition. Many of us have no idea about the history of our respective families. To make this idea more clearer and more precise, we asked the students of Class 6 to work on the project. The project was aimed to find out their family’s cultural identities. It had emphasis on making a family tree and
Drishti Miglani with her grandparents My family history consisted of great events like the freedom struggle of India, partition of India and living as a refugee. Truly speaking, this project made me discover all the facts which I would not have been able to know. While working on this project, I got to know the detailed struggle of my grandfather in making us what we are today. He had experienced great events like the partition of India and Pakistan and how they further settled in India. I also came to know about the kind of work he did when they settled in India. On the other hand, this also helped me in knowing about my maternal grandparents and the journey of their lives. Because of this project we could know about the hardships faced by our great grandparents.
collecting detailed information about their families. Students collected information about their parents, grandparents and great grandparents. They also supported the project by providing various evidences like birth certificates, photographs, and other important things required. The project also included written information regarding the struggles taken up by the family in the past.
The project had made me curious to learn about how the journey of entire mankind began. I am able to understand my family much better after doing this project. While doing this project, there were so many emotional moments shared between the family members. It was a great experience to know the facts about the family and sacrifices done by them for us. This project had developed high regards and respect for all in my family. It was indeed a wonderful and heart touching experience. Drishti Miglani, Class 6E, SN Kansagra School, Rajkot.
The Hole in the Wall children quickly taught themselves how to surf the net, read the news, and download games and music. Mitra then replicated the experiment in other locations. Each time the results were similar: within hours, and without instruction, the children began browsing the Internet. Can children given only access and opportunity really teach themselves the rudiments of computer literacy with no instruction? "The Hole in the Wall" experiment, and the documentary film that chronicles it, show the answer to be a "Yes!" Mitra estimates that, given access to one hundred thousand computers, one hundred million Indian children could teach themselves computer literacy within five years. The revolution in information technology is redefining poverty, as how much you know is becoming just as important as how much you own or have access to. "The Hole in the Wall" examines one possible solution to the growing technological gap between rich and poor - the so-called 'digital divide' - that threatens to consign millions to an "information underclass." When Indian researcher Sugata Mitra embedded a high-speed computer in a wall separating his firm's New Delhi headquarters from an adjacent slum, he discovered that slum
The film concludes by noting that the spread of information technology is changing societies around the world, and the implications of Mitra's experiment are profound particularly for poor people. Links: The Hole in the Wall Project Home page PBS' Coverage of The Hole in the Wall, following the film's television screening
Aditi Joshi, Does India Proud
Ms. Jerry Harter, HOD, Eng. Dept. Malaysian Univesity giving the certificate and trophy to Aditi Joshi.
Aditi Joshi, a Class VI student of Manovikas School, Margao returned with the highest laurels from the MaRRS International Spelling Bee Championship held in Malaysia. She was adjudged the Best Performer of the Competition held on 12th & 13th February, 2011, for her excellent participation and awarded the top prize of Twenty Two Thousand, Two Hundred and Twenty Two U.S. Dollars (22,222 USD) Aditi emerged the overall winner in her category as well and received Four Thousand, Four Hundred and Forty Four US
Mr. Ronald Coutinho, Founder & Trustee, Manovikas School giving the certificate and trophy to Aditi Joshi.
Dollars for her win. This is the first time an Indian student has received the coveted Best Performer Award at the International MaRRS Spelling Competition. Earlier in Kolkata, at the National Competition, Nikita Menezes Gama of Class IX at Manovikas, won the first place at the National Level. She also figured among the top five at the International Competition in Malaysia.
Multiple Intelligences: A Theory for Everyone Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences makes people think about "IQ," about being "smart." The theory is changing the way some teachers teach. When Howard Gardner's book, Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences (Basic Books, 1983) burst on the scene, it seemed to answer many questions for experienced teachers. We all had students who didn't fit the mould; we knew the students were bright, but they didn't excel in tests. Gardner's claim that there are several different kinds of intelligence gave us and those involved with teaching and learning a way of beginning to understand those students. We would look at what they could do well, instead of what they could not. Analytic
Naturalist “Nature Smart”
Intrapersonal “Self Smart”
Musical “Music Smart”
Logical/ Mathematical “Logic Smart"
Introspective Existential “DeepQuestion Smart”
Multiple Intelligences
Visual/Spatial “Picture Smart” Bodly-Kinesthetic “Body Smart”
Verbal/Linguistic “Word Smart” Interpersonal “People Smart” Interactive
Later Gardner books, such as The Unschooled Mind: How Children Think and How Schools Should Teach (Basic Books, 1991) and Multiple Intelligences: The Theory in Practice (Basic Books, 1993) helped us understand how multiple intelligences could help us teach and evaluate our students in new and better ways. The Original Seven Intelligences Howard Gardner first identified and introduced to us seven different kinds of intelligence in Frames of Mind. •
Linguistic intelligence: sensitivity to the meaning and order of words.
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Logical-mathematical intelligence: ability in mathematics and other complex logical systems.
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Musical intelligence: the ability to understand and create music. Musicians, composers and dancers show a heightened musical intelligence.
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Spatial intelligence: the ability to "think in pictures," to perceive the visual world accurately, and recreate (or alter) it in the mind or on paper. Spatial intelligence is highly developed in artists, architects, designers and sculptors.
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Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence: the ability to use one's body in a skilled way, for self-expression or toward a goal. Mimes, dancers, basketball players, and actors are among those who display bodily-kinesthetic intelligence.
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Interpersonal intelligence: an ability to perceive and understand other individuals -- their moods, desires, and motivations. Political and religious leaders, skilled parents and teachers, and therapists use this intelligence.
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Intrapersonal intelligence: an understanding of one's own emotions. Some novelists and or counselors use their own experience to guide others.
Implementing Gardner’s Theory in the Classroom When asked how educators should implement the theory of multiple intelligences, Gardner says, "(I)t's very important that a teacher take individual differences among kids very seriously … The bottom line is a deep interest in children and how their minds are different from one another, and in helping them use their minds well." An awareness of multiple-intelligence theory has stimulated teachers to find more ways of helping all students in their classes. Some schools do this by adapting their curriculum. In "Variations on a Theme: How Teachers Interpret MI Theory," (Educational Leadership, September 1997), Linda Campbell describes five approaches to curriculum change: Lesson Design: Some schools focus on lesson design. This might involve team teaching ("teachers focusing on their own intelligence strengths"), using all or several of the intelligences in their lessons, or asking student opinions about the best way to teach and learn certain topics. Interdisciplinary Units: Secondary schools often include interdisciplinary units. Student Projects: Students can learn to "initiate and manage complex projects" when they are creating student projects. Assessments: Assessments are devised which allow students to show what they have learned. Sometimes this takes the form of allowing each student to devise the way he or she will be assessed, while meeting the teacher's criteria for quality. Apprenticeships: Apprenticeships can allow students to "gain mastery of a valued skill gradually, with effort and discipline over time." Gardner feels that apprenticeships "…should take up about one-third of a student's schooling experience." With an understanding of Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences, teachers, school administrators, and parents can better understand the learners in their midst. They can allow students to safely explore and learn in many ways, and they can help students direct their own learning. Adults can help students understand and appreciate their strengths, and identify real-world activities that will stimulate more learning. Source: Education World
Events... National Science Day Competition In our school, we have a system of clubs like Science Club, S.S. Club, Maths Club, Health and Sanitation Club, Art and Craft Club, English Club, Hindi Club, Journalism Club, etc. This year, the Science club bagged the second runners up award in the ‘Best Club’ category. Following are the activities conducted by the Science Club during 2010-11. We students of J. H. Ambani Saraswati Vidyamandir enjoyed them a lot. Hope you like them too!
Science Models: Exhibition-cum-competition This program was held especially for the middle school students (classes 6 to 8). The children came with extremely innovative ideas for the welfare of mankind. The young scientists were given the best platform to portray their scientific skills. A large number of students participated in this competition and were judged by our Principal, Supervisory Heads and science teachers. Some of their ideas could really be of great use in day-to-day life like, the thief alarm, automatic generation of electricity while cycling, guest alarm, etc.
The Robotics Show This show was a debut in our school. The secondary and senior secondary students let their imagination go wild and manufactured working ROBOTS!! It was indeed amazing to see the robots fight with each other in robo-fights. A robo-race was also conducted where the task was to compete on
the race course (comprising of inclined planes, oily routes, sandy planes and speed-breakers. The robot that won the competition completed the lap in just 59 seconds! There were also other events like the tree-plantation program, visit to the Science Centre of Surat, and the informative assembly of 31st December 2010, welcoming 2011 as the International Year of Chemistry! - by Charu Maheshwari, ASSET Ambassador, J H Ambani Saraswati Vidyamandir, Surat
Join ASSET Ambassadors on Facebook After the successful initiative on ASSET Ambassador NING site, we are now on facebook. Facebook does not require any introduction, but it will create a platform for all students to come together and share their activities, thoughts, events, photographs with others across the country. ASSET Ambassador on facebook will give them an opportunity to be with other students globally and enable spreading the idea of “Learning with Understanding” across the globe. For more details visit: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Asset -Ambassador/136836396383766
Teacher’s Bite Mr. Rajiv Kumar Sharma, Principal, Spring Dale Senior School, Amritsar
Q:
Who has influenced you to become an educator, and how did they influence you?
My maternal grandfather was a teacher, in fact, a Guru respected by young and old. As a child I found him highly inspiring. He was a man for all weathers, very knowledgeable yet down to earth. But what prompted me to take up teaching as a career was the affection and love of students during my short interactions with them installing computers in schools in the early 90s.
Q:
What is your approach to classroom management and student discipline?
Be very well prepared for your class. Always involve students in each step of learning. Help them create knowledge together rather than merely imparting knowledge. Don't confine
teaching-learning to the classrooms. Be open to the adaptation of technology.
Q:
What are your views regarding the ‘Importance of Teacher Training and Development’ in educating students?
Teacher training and development is crucial in educating students in this global era of fast paced changes. Due to the revolution in digital technology resulting in multiple resources of knowledge, the role of teacher has changed from a source to a facilitator of learning. Teachers need to be well acquainted with modern ICT and methodologies to understand individual learning abilities in order to become effective teachers. Teacher training and development has to be ongoing and specialized.
Q:
What are your views regarding ASSET?
The 'ASSET' test is beneficial to all stake holders including the students, parents and the school to get an authentic and valid feedback of students' proficiency levels in various subjects. The test results can be used to devise strategies both at the individual and collective level to improve learning areas.
Pi Day Celebration 14th March is celebrated as the World Pi Day all over the world! Pi, the ratio of circumference to diameter of a circle, has captivated imaginations for thousands of years - perhaps ever since the first person tried to draw a perfect circle on the ground or wondered how to construct something round like a wheel. Approximately 3.14, the number has its own holiday on March 14 - 3 -14, get it? - which also happens to be Albert Einstein's birthday. One of the oldest, if not the first, established Pi Day celebrations is at the Exploratorium in San Francisco, California, which boasts of 22 years of pi mayhem. Mathematicians, teachers, museum directors, math students of all ages and other aficionados celebrate the number with pi
1st Prize Winner Amritha Chandramouli - Natural Pi in Stone
recitations, pie-baking, pie-eating contests and math-related activities. To celebrate the Pi Day, EI conducted an online Pi competition for students on Mathcovery page of Facebook. The students were asked to discover ð in the UNOBVIOUS and then take a picture of it. Students discovered Pi in the Unobvious and uploaded different pictures. Some interesting pictures we got were of Pi in Eiffel Tower, Pi in the Mathcovery logo, Pi in a chappati with the explanation of theory and other interesting images of Pi discovered in the Unobvious objects. We got a total of 267entries.
Funny Photograph of Pi Prateek Bajaj -Pi in the pigeon's feet
Assessment Summit Dubai, February 2011
“GEMS Education & Educational Initiatives in
major push to improve
assessment
patterns in
Indian schools.” Mr. Sridhar Rajagopalan, MD, EI
Educationalists from the CBSE Indian schools in the GCC and India met on 26th February, 2011 in Dubai for a special seminar specifically aimed at exploring changes in assessment patterns in Indian schools. This full day seminar provided a platform for sharing of views, insights and experiential learning by practising educators and researchers from the UAE as well as the GCC countries and India. The first-of-its-kind summit, hosted by GEMS Education, a global education provider for K – 12 in different curricula, and Educational Initiatives (EI), discussed ways of improving the teaching and learning standards through assessment as well as fine-tuning current assessment methods. The summit saw Sridhar Rajagopalan, Managing Director, Educational Initiatives, Sudhir Ghodke, Director, Educational Initiatives, Farooq Wasil, Director, Asian Schools GEMS Education, George Mathew, Principal, Our Own English High School (Abu Dhabi), Neville Noronha, Principal, Our Own English High School (Al Warqa’a, Dubai), Nooraine Fazal, CEO,
Inventure Academy (Bangalore), Dr. Ms. Madhulika Sen, Principal, Tagore International School (New Delhi) speaking on various areas linked to assessments. Participants included Principals, Vice Principals and the Academic Supervisors from across the GCC. The Assessment Summit jointly organised by EI and GEMS is a great opportunity for teachers, school leaders, researchers and educational specialists to come together to share best practices related to assessment and specifically CCE. The Plenary sessions witnessed Principals sharing notes on the challenges as well as successes in the implementation of the Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE) - as envisaged by the CBSE. The summit focussed on actionables and on translating different perspectives into practice with a roadmap for the HOW of implementing assessment. Dr. Wasil, Director, GEMS Education said, "Assessments carried out with the right spirit and approach is a sure shot path to empowerment and school leadership has to always be on the learning curve to ensure this."
Humourous Bite During lunch break Teacher: Are you eating the grapes your friend had brought? Ria: ‘No, ‘I'm helping her share.’
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