The monthly newsletter from EI
Issue 65 | August 2010 | www.ei-india.com
This Month’s Issue Importance of .................. 01 Mathcovery....................... 02 Events................................ 03 Design for Change ............ 04 Mindspark ........................ 05 School Corner.................... 06 Teacher’s Bite ................... 07
AY ESS test
Mathcovery Poster............ 08
Con
st greate ? e h t is world Who of the r e h c tea
on Send your entries m co ia. ind eie@ assetscop gust, 2010 Au st 31 te da Last
Editor’s Note Welcome to the 65th issue of ASSETScope! In this issue we announce the Mathcovery Contest - a contest and a challenge for students across India to explore Maths in places least expected. What is really interesting is that, it has been conceptualised by the students themselves and we call them our creators! Catch the action on page 2 ASSET Week is going on in full swing! Some interesting videos have been sent by students. It has been a great pleasure to see students so excited about this activity!! I hope you enjoy this issue and we are looking forward to your contribution for the next issue. Bindu Pillai
Importance of Educational Field Trips Teachers must justify a field trip as an educational experience at a museum, science centre or zoo. Unique experiences can enhance a student's understanding of things learnt in the classroom. Not all students learn the same way. Some students are able to understand how something works only by seeing a hands-on demonstration or by viewing the "real thing." Field trips require significant planning and coordination for teachers. Students are likely to have an educational experience that they could never have had in the classroom. Field trips help students interact with what they are learning. The experience goes beyond reading about a concept; students are able to see it, manipulate it or participate in it physically. Students are able to see elements with their eyes rather than just read about it or believe what they are told because it's in print. Visiting a farm and milking a real cow is much more powerful than reading about milking a cow. Field trips provide entertainment for students. They often serve as a powerful motivator for students, stirring up excitement as the trip nears. Breaking away from the routine, provides kids with a refresher that might make them more focused back in the classroom. Learning and fun make a great combination. Field trips are considered fun, but provide opportunities for
children to learn as well. Field trips take the book learning from the classroom and extend it to life. Students often question the importance of topics they study in class. Field trips, particularly for older students, can answer the question of how learning can be applied in life. For example, a field trip to a bakery proves that measurement and chemistry apply beyond the science classroom. There are also plenty of opportunities to incorporate the field trip experience back into classroom activity after returning to school. Through presentations, slide shows and question-answer sessions, the kids can instil the lessons acquired on the field trip. Leaving the classroom for a field trip places the kids in a different social environment. They encounter a new set of adults and possibly other children during the course of an average field trip. These interactions teach them how to behave in different settings. They employ more self-control because the environment is a less contained one than the classroom. A sense of teamwork and community feeling is developed among the students as they experience a field trip together. Many children don't get to experience the typical field trip locations with their families. A school trip gives students the opportunity to experience new venues.
Maths is in volcanic eruptions, traffic jams, human figures and manufacturing cars. With this point of view, 6 students of varied ages, under the guidance of a team of experts from Mindspark, came up with an interesting and unique idea for a first of its kind mathematics competitionMATHCOVERY. Meant for students between grades 5 and 10, Mathcovery seeks to help students realize the unlimited potential of mathematics through the discovery of Math present in the most unexpected things and places. The participants from across the country will submit their unique ideas, wherein they have to explain the presence of math in situations and objects where it is not apparent. “Working with Mindspark in creating a nation-wide contest was simply amazing. I learned many new things like math is found everywhere. Usually, we find math difficult but actually it’s very easy, as we discovered.” says Anshul Sheth, a class 7 student of Delhi Public School (DPS), Bopal. Anshul is part of the team of students who initiated Mathcovery. The group consisting of students from class 7 to 11 has been working with the Mindspark team for some time now. “The fact that I am actually a designer of a nation-wide contest is in itself very hard to believe. Sitting there in a real office, working with grown-ups, processing ideas and dishing out results has done wonders for my perspective. I am looking forward to launching this contest and eagerly waiting to see the results”, says Anuron Mitra, a class 10 student of Zydus School for Excellence, Ahmedabad .
Close to eight thousand schools pan India are going to participate in Mathcovery, making it one of the biggest
mathematics competition of the country. Entries have started pouring in and it’s amazing to see students coming up with ingenious ideas” says Sudhir Ghodke, director, Educational Initiatives (EI). EI is now recognized as the leading organization working in the field of assessment in India and abroad. In the final round of the competition the 30 finalists from the senior and junior group will have to present their ideas in the form of 2D or 3D models. “Till now such competitions have mainly taken place for Science and Math has repeatedly got ignored” adds Mr. Ghodke. Each one of the team members was excited to unfold a field where math was subtly used but went unnoticed. “I had a wonderful time while working with Mathcovery. I got to discover Maths in so many things that I never noticed. Math is cool”, says Nishant Gajjar studying in class 9 at Zydus School for Excellence, Ahmedabad. Tarini Hardikar from SN Kansagra, Rajkot says, “Working with Mathcovery was a unique experience since I was seeing a regular school subject with renewed interest, respect and perspective. It provided me with an amazing outlook to the omnipresence of math.” As for Rahul Makwana the whole outlook towards Math has changed forever. He now says, “Math is so much fun!” The simple statement says it all for this class 8 student of Delhi Public School (DPS), Bopal. “The contest has an idea beyond what is taught to us in the schools. While working on the contest I had much learning. The contest is all about discovering math in the most unobvious fields. It will help you to increase your understanding for math and its application in diverse areas. Do take part and DO THE UNOBVIOUS!” says Chiranjiv Melwani, a class 11 student of St Xavier’s School Loyola Hall, Ahmedabad.
Check out the Mathcovery poster on the last page.
Events
2010 ASSET WEEK was celebrated in many schools with joy and enthusiasm. The week-long celebrations are aimed helping students build interest in the test and understand its value. Now it’s time to tell us about the activities done. We are waiting to hear from you. Log on to www.assetweek.com and submit your school activities’ details before 21st August and be
a part of a national contest. You need to submit the details of selected ASSET Ambassadors also along with the ASSET Week activities. For more details visit www.assetweek.com
The prizes for the winners are: Category
Prize for School
Prize for ASSET Coordinator
National Winner
Memento
Netbook (mini laptop)
1st Runner Up
Memento
Mobile Phone
2nd Runner Up
Memento
iPod
Book: Life Competencies for Adolescents Training Manual for Facilitators, Teachers and Parents Devendra Agochiya July 2010 / 404 pages This training manual serves as a practical guide for equipping adolescents with competencies to face the present and future challenges of life effectively and creating in them an urge to lead a more responsible, happier and healthier life. It advocates and seeks active involvement of all sections of the society-educational institutions, voluntary organisations, and civil society-in the holistic development and growth of adolescents into confident, responsible and productive citizens of the country. The Author: Devendra Agochiya has over three decades of rich experience of working with national and international organisations engaged in the fields of youth and social development, training, empowerment and management. He is currently working as a freelance consultant with a number of national and international agencies. He has authored ‘Every Trainer’s Handbook’, a best-selling publication of SAGE. To order this book, please contact your nearest SAGE office or visit www.sagepub.in
Advt.
Mindspark Mindspark Mindspark Teacher Interface
!
MindS ark
TM
An Internet-based Computer-Adaptive Learning Program
Mindspark changed its look for the students and now it is revamping the teacher interface. The teachers get a series of reports for their class. Mindspark has been designed to help the teacher plan her classroom teaching as well as aid her by clearing their misconceptions while providing enough practice to strengthen their concepts.
Mindspark Blog
“ We have to recognize that human flourishing is not a mechanical process, it's an organic process.... It's about customizing to your circumstances, and personalizing education to the people you're actually teaching.� - Sir Ken Robinson's talk on www.ted.com Mindspark is a curriculumintegrated, computer-based, self-learning program that supports and helps students learn and understand maths. Sir Ken Robinson, a leading expert on innovation and human resources, has emphasized the need to move from a standardized to a customised model of education. We see Mindspark as the bridge that connects both worlds, understanding each for it merits.
The Mindspark Race At Your Pace team reached Sobha Jasmine, Belandur, Bangalore. Children in groups of 6 who zoomed through the track had the chance to win Mindspark badges, yo-yo’s and even the racer car. Mindspark adapts to the child and challenges the child to reach his level. Visit http://blog.mindspark.in/ for various news about Mindspark, Mindspark in schools, Student views, videos, contests etc.
Sparkie Tales
Standardised Linear Curriculum Batch Conformity Coverage Stress
Customised Organic Learning Individual Passion Depth Joy
Mindspark provides an opportunity to revolutionize education. Be a part of this exciting journey into a world where students start to love Maths and take responsibility for their own learning. Get involved!
www.mindspark.in
Sparkie Tales is a monthly newsletter from Mindspark that will update you on the features, partnerships, updates and experiences from the field. For free sign up of the Newsletter write to mindspark.blog@gmail.com
Handling Mixed Ability Classes Teaching a mixed ability classroom is a challenging task, for the teachers need to cater to the varied needs of the individual students. Students in any classroom can be said to be of mixed ability as they form a group of individuals, wherein each individual is, to some extent, different in terms of knowledge, language, culture, level of confidence and ability.
School Corner they have understood instructions and closely monitoring them during pair and group work. Giving the students open ended tasks or questions is another effective way of involving all the students. As this activity has a variety of possible correct answers instead of a single answer, it will allow each learner to perform at his or her own level.
To be able to do justice to the children in such a class, the teachers would need to know the problems that may arise and the techniques that can help deal with these problems. The class has to be structured in such a way that no group of students feels that they are wasting time waiting for others to catch up or, alternately, that they need to catch up with the other members of the group who have gone ahead. How can we design a lesson to meet the varying needs? To attain this, we would need to provide students with multiple options for the process of gaining information, making sense of ideas, and expressing what they have learned so that each student can learn effectively. We also find classes in which there are different levels of motivation. Some of the students may have a very positive attitude towards learning English while others may see it as just another school subject. Good classroom management skills are absolutely essential in the mixed ability class since organising and running our classrooms efficiently and effectively will translate into maximum opportunities for all students to learn. We should make conscious efforts to provide the weak and introverted students with the opportunity to participate in classroom activities by establishing eye contact, nominating weaker students to answer easy questions, checking whether
Recognizing good behaviour and encouraging effort and good work is important. Saying ‘’Good’ and ‘’well done’’, smiling and nodding to express approval, all help to boost motivation. The focus should be on the positive aspects of the performance rather than on the errors. Similarly, rewarding what is good rather than punishing what is undesirable go a long way in encouraging the learners. For example, drawing the attention of distracted students back to the task tactfully, while commenting positively on the classroom behaviour of the students concentrating on the task, would help everybody. Motivation positively effects learning in a mixed ability class. The weaker learners are often those with the least motivation, further reduced with a sense of failure or fear of failure, since they find the subject difficult and make slow progress. Successful learners, on the other hand, are often those who are more motivated from the beginning and their sense of success motivates them to further tasks. English being the lingua franca of the international community, and as the only language that links all the states of India together, the benefits of teaching Indian children to master English are huge. Hence in a mixed ability class, the teacher is the organizer of opportunities and should focus more on ‘’reading his/her students’’.
Contributed By – Priyadarshini, Little Angels School, Visakhapatnam
ASSET’s Hindi Team conducted workshop at SNK School, Rajkot Hindi experts Manju Bhatnagar and Swati Jha from ASSET visited SNK School, Rajkot for a workshop with the teachers. Various aspects of the Hindi language were shared with teachers. Training was given to teachers about how students should know the correct pronunciation of different letters and matras. The teachers were encouraged to emphasise the difference between different letters and their pronunciation as well as the difference in pronunciation between Gujarati and Hindi. Teachers wanted to know how to make effective and thought provoking questions in Hindi. The teachers were guided about the importance of ‘Try after the test’ in the question booklet and were told how it could be used as a workbook for students. The teachers were highly elated after the meet and wanted such meets to happen regularly.
Teacher’s Bite
Importance of Teacher Training and Development in educating students The future of our country is in our classrooms today. India will be one of the leading nations of the world in the near future. The need of the hour then is to form enlightened citizens for our country. There are three persons who can bring about this transformation – the father, the mother and the teacher. Today parents lack time for the formation of their children, then the privilege of transforming children rest upon the teachers. Those teachers who consider it a privilege will get the students to face challenges and convert them into opportunities. Here comes the importance of Teacher Training and Development in educating students. Knowledge alone will not take us forward, without the knowledge of self and the capacity to use this knowledge profitably for growth and development of self and society. In the words of Swami Vivekanada, “Education is the manifestation of the perfection that is already within the child.”
ASSET Ancient India had the best system of education – Gurukul – where every aspect of a student was developed systematically. Today with a large number of students in class, education has taken a different turn. Now, it is not the development of the student but the acquiring of knowledge by the student that is important.
Sr. Aloysius Thomas R.J.M. Principal St. Anthony’s Jr. College, Agra Cantt. Educational Initiatives’ ASSET is sure to help educationists make education more meaningful, whereby students, teachers and parents are assisted in evaluating the teaching learning process that is taking place. With the timely support system provided by ASSET, all concerned are helped to improve the learning skills in various subjects, whereby students get a better grasp of things, practical knowledge and encouragement to comprehend their learning. Students look forward to the thought-provoking multiple choice question that reaches us every day, with its right answer the next day. The Teacher Sheets help the teachers also. Parents too get a clear picture of their child’s strength and weaknesses in various subjects from the detailed reports. This will in turn help students in the selection of their careers as well. The capacity of feelings need to be emphasized, for, the feeling of compassion is essential for a genuine transformation of persons to take place.
Inside EI
Mindspark partners with Design for Change Contest Mindspark has associated with ‘Design for Change Contest’ as a Learning Partner and will be rewarding a grant of Rs. 5000 to the top 100 entries. The ‘Design for Change Contest’ asks children to do the following: • design solutions for problems that they encounter in their lives, schools, neighbourhoods or communities • implement these solutions in a week • document their work • send it to the organisers This year, students from more than 22 countries are expected to participate in this contest. DFC would be extending invitation to more than 15000 schools in India through its partners – Akshara Foundation, Satya Bharti School, Yuva Unstoppable, Centre Point School – Nagpur, Akanksha, Bharti Foundation, Seth MR Jaipuria School – Lucknow, Pratham, Aura, Kaivalya, Naandi, Sevalya Foundation. To know more about the contest you can log on to http://designforchangecontest.com/india/
Mr. Sudhir Ghodke, Director EI to join speakers from Harvard Mr. Sudhir Godhke, Director EI, along with Kailash Satyarthi, President of the Global Campaign for Education (GCE) and Kiran Bir Sethi, Founder of the Riverside School in Ahmedabad will be joining the speakers from Harvard University, the European Commission, 10 Downing Street and Microsoft at the Education Project 2010. The event is initiated by Prince Salman Bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince of Bahrain and Chairman of EDB. The event is from October 8 to 10, 2010. For details, visit: www.educationprojectbahrain.org
Educational Initiatives Pvt. Ltd. 613-615, J. B. Towers, Opp. Doordarshan Tower, Drive-In Road, Ahmedabad - 380054 Phone : 91-079- 40269696 Fax : 91-079-26841400 Email : info@ei-india.com Website : www.ei-india.com
We would like to receive your feedback on the contents of ASSETScope and the activities of EI. Please send your comments / opinions / suggestions to bindu@ei-india.com, assetscope@ei-india.com or to the postal address mentioned on the left. This is a platform meant for you and it would be great to exchange ideas with you.