ASSETScope February 2011 by Bindu Pillai

The monthly newsletter

SCOPE Issue 81 | February 2012 | www.ei-india.com

This Month’s Issue Exam Preparation ........... 01 School Events ....... ......... 02 PISA Story ...................... 03 Letter from Santa ........... 04 Google Science Fair ........ 05 Chess in Schools ............. 06 Teacher’s Bite ................. 07 Duke TIP ......................... 08

Exam Preparation Tips The exam time is the most stressful part of a school year. It is important to be positive and physically fit for the exam. Think of it as a way to demonstrate knowledge and not as some imposing challenge. Go to the exam focused and relaxed. Don’t be afraid of the exams: Fear for the exams may make you lose focus. Get into a regular study habit from the beginning rather than just before the exams. This will help you gain confidence. Create a good study plan: Prepare a time table before starting to study. Give the tough subjects more time and easier ones less. Decide clearly, what, when and how much you will study each day. Take regular breaks while studying: Research has shown that the human brain cannot concentrate for more than 30 to 50 minutes continuously. So take 10 minute-breaks to recharge your brain, by doing things you like to do, for example: talking to a friend on phone; watching TV; listening to music; or going for jog. Select a proper atmosphere for studying: Choose a comfortable and relaxing place to help you concentrate on what you are studying. Study in the silent hours of the morning when you can concentrate more. A mirror in the room may distract you considerably as you may

formulae and figures and also other important points.

be tempted to see your reflection often. Don’t try to study while the TV is on. It is believed that studying facing the east or more accurately, north east, gives you great positive energy and better concentration. Sit straight: Never sit on the bed or lie down on it while studying. Remember to sit straight with your feet slightly raised and parallel to the ground. Placing the feet on the ground causes ionization and induces sleep. If the legs are raised above the head while studying, it will affect the blood flow direction and causes sleepiness. Make notes while studying: While studying make small notes in the form of key words or phrases or diagrammatic representations, so that you can remember all points during your revision. An ideal note could include all important

Sleep well and Eat well: Sleeping for 6 hours and not more than 8 hours, will greatly affect your performance in the exam. Our brain is said to be most active from 5 a.m. to 8 a.m. and in the evening from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. and can retain the most at that time. Fasting will affect your performance adversely, so eat well but keep to a normal diet. Heavy meals containing rice, fats, spices, fried potatoes or non-vegetarian food are best avoided as they rob the brain of oxygen and make you feel drowsy. Eat things which supply continuous energy to the brain for long spans of time. For e.g. sprouted food, high protein diet, green vegetables, curd, milk, honey, chocolate with cocoa etc. Don’t forget to have a glass of water before you go to bed, to keep your brain cells charged!!! Practise your presentation skills: Practise writing answers in points. In essay questions don't forget to underline the key words or important points. Try to write neatly and legibly. Believe in yourself: Last but not the least, remain confident and believe that you can do well.

Source: http://ayurveda.hubpages.com/hub/Tricks-to-tackle-exams (modified)

Annual Maths Exhibition 2011-2012

The annual Maths exhibition of The High Range School took place on 17th December 2011. The exhibition aimed at showcasing an array of mathematical exhibits made by the students. This also aimed at making Maths more interesting and exciting. It encouraged the students to enjoy learning Maths. Students from classes 1 to 12 participated whole-heartedly on the exhibition. Each of them had something unique and interesting to offer! A variety of puzzles, games and charts were on display. The students puzzled everyone with wonderful brainteasers and puzzles. They tested the intelligence of everyone including the parents! All the exhibits were very interesting and appealed to the parents and students alike. Perhaps one of the most interesting aspects of the Maths exhibition was the geometrical town put up by the students of class VIII. They converted their whole classroom into a geometrical town! The town was created using only geometric shapes. They created the town from scratch using cardboard boxes and chart paper. All the designing, painting etc was done

by them. It was one of the most innovative exhibits because it allowed the students to completely unleash their creativity. They had to think outside the box to create certain components of their town. It was a wonderful effort by them! The town was a creative result of the students’ imagination. They constructed geometrical apartments, a children’s park, a shopping mall and a market place. The students also made a geometrical railway station too! It was absolutely amazing. The amount of detail was superb! It was a result of the hard work of the students. The exhibition also showcased “playful pi”, a stall completely devoted to pi. The stall contained information and facts about the mathematical constant. The stall also showcased a “cake” ( not edible!) with the digits of pi. The stall showcased tons of amazing facts about pi. This stall gave the viewers a unique opportunity to learn more about the mathematical constant. On asking the parents about the exhibition they replied "good"..."nice" and also "great"! On the whole, the exhibition was a thumping success! Kudos to all the students and the teachers behind the scenes!

By Tamanna Elizabeth Chacko, ASSET Ambassador, The High Range School, Munnar

Joy of Christmas at Montfort School

Greeting card for ASSET

In view of sharing the joy of Christmas with the less fortunate, Montfort School, Kattur conducted a rural sports meet on December 9th 2011. Rev. Bro. Dhanraj, the Principal of the school presided over the function. The Chief Guest of the sports meet was Mr. P. Elamurugan, President of Lions Club. Thiruverumbur, Trichy. Students from various Government Elementary schools in and around Kattur-Thiruverumbur were invited for sports meet. More than 200 students participated enthusiastically in various sports events and prizes were awarded to the winners. All the participants were given lunch and a memento each. It was indeed a thrilling as well as a wonderful learning experience for all the children. Montfortians had the opportunity to mingle and interact with the children socially and economically. By Jaya Krupa G J, ASSET Ambassador, Montfort School, Trichy

From Rishabh Jain, ASSET Ambassador, Jain Public School, Ujjain

India Fares Poorly in Global Learning Study A global study of learning standards in 74 countries has ranked India all but at the bottom, sounding a wake-up call for the country’s education system. China came out on top.

Languishing at the bottom Mean performance on the overall reading scale. Ranks Overall reading scale

OECD (average)

Shanghai (China)

556

South Korea

539

Finland

536

Hong Kong (China)

Tamil Nadu (India)

533 337

73 Himachal Pradesh (India)

317

314

Kyrgyzstan

493

Source:PISA

Tamil Nadu and Himachal Pradesh traditionally rank high on human development parameters and are considered to be among India’s more progressive states. The India Human Development Report 2011, prepared by the Institute of Applied Manpower Research (IAMR), put them significantly ahead of the national average. IAMR is an autonomous arm of the Planning Commission. For literacy, Himachal Pradesh ranked 4 and Tamil Nadu 11 in the National Family Health Survey released in 2007. Yet, in the PISA study, Tamil Nadu ranked 72 and Himachal Pradesh 73, just ahead of Kyrgyzstan in Mathematics and overall reading skills. The eastern Chinese metropolis of Shanghai topped the PISA rankings in all three categories—overall reading skills, mathematical and scientific literacy. PISA is an international study that began in 2000. It aims to assess education systems worldwide by testing the skills and knowledge of 15-year-old students in participating economies.

It was the first time that India participated in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), coordinated by the Paris-based Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). India’s participation was in a pilot project, confined to schools from Tamil Nadu and Himachal Pradesh.

In Tamil Nadu, only 17% of the students were estimated to possess proficiency in reading that is at or above the baseline needed to be effective and productive in life. In Himachal Pradesh, this level is 11%. This compares to 81% of students performing at or above the baseline level in reading in the other countries, on an average.

The findings are significant because they come at a time when India is making a big push in education and improving the skills of its workforce. If the results from the two states hold good for the rest of the country, India’s long-term competitiveness may be in question.

In other words, only a little over one in six students in Tamil Nadu and nearly one in 10 students in Himachal Pradesh are performing at the international average. A similar trend was observed in mathematical and scientific literacy, too.

EI introduces two products on Tablet PC –

Mindspark and Detailed Assessment

performance not by walking around but by just viewing the live Imagine you were given your favourite brownie with your detailed reports on the tablet. favourite ice cream. What a combination. Children love Mindspark and to use the latest technology – tablet to work Students love Mindspark on tablets and they wait eagerly for on Mindspark is a stupendous the next session. experience. Detailed Assessment is a topic wise Educational Initiatives (EI) recently diagnostic test customized to the introduced two of its products school’s text books. Schools have Mindspark and Detailed started taking DA on tablets. In Assessment on tablet PC. When addition to the primary benefit of Mindspark was introduced on providing immediate diagnostic tablets in a school in Chennai, reports, this innovation will help children were awestruck. They your students be part of the latest could not believe that they will be technological revolution sweeping using a tablet PC to do Mindspark. the globe, better prepare them for These tablets are a more personal the future and contribute to the device – a student can be at his/her worthy cause of a green planet. Students doing DA test on tablet PC own desk and enjoy the use of the Detailed Assessment tests are tablet in his/her own pace and conducted for Maths and Science comfort. tests on Tablets. Due to infrastructure constraints, a mobile lab works more For more information regarding Mindspark and efficiently where lab is brought to classroom, rather than Detailed Assessment, write to us at info@ei-india.com children going to lab. Also, the teacher can monitor the student

A Letter From Santa Dear Teachers, I have been meaning to write this letter for a long time! It is a letter that I feel is long overdue and with the elves getting all ready for my long ride, I finally found the time! I have been watching teachers for many years and I am amazed at the work they do. I have come to the conclusion that the teaching profession, like my own, must be filled with bits of magic! Please let me provide ten statements of evidence regarding my belief. 1. I travel the world one night of the year visiting all the boys and girls of the world. The teaching profession works with every boy and girl all year long. This equates to each teacher fulfilling educational needs for 30 – 200 children each and every school day. Seems like magic to me! 2. I deliver presents to all the boys and girls. From my Toy Repair Shop statistics I find many of these gifts are broken or no longer garner a child’s interest within months! Yet teachers find inner gifts in every child. Teachers nurture these inner gifts until they develop into true presents that will last a lifetime. These kinds of gifts sure seem like magic to me!

presents in my own way. Teachers work with children when they are awake and they have spent time learning how to engage children using Googles, blogs, phlogs, glogs, prezis, and all these other words I really don’t know! Being able to teach, transform, and accommodate for this new digital generation must really be magic! 6. I have made it a practice to leave coal behind for children who do not make my good list! It seems every year the same children always get the coal. Teachers refuse to leave coal, in fact, they are working hard at leaving no child behind. To work towards a goal of leaving no child behind is a true act of magic! 7. I read the news and I am always so thankful to read all the nice articles about my work. It really does provide me with motivation to keep up my vocation. I read news articles about the education profession and it seems that most articles are unsupportive. Yet, teachers keep working hard at providing success for their students! These teachers must be operating on a little bit of magic! 8. I have thousands of elves, of course the reindeer, and the community of the entire North Pole to assist me. Teachers work every day, many times by themselves, as they provide new opportunities for their students! Carrying that load alone must be much heavier than my bag of toys. It must really be magic! 9. I receive many a thank you and millions of pictures of happy faces as children open their presents each year. Teachers don’t always get the thankyou’s, or may never see the present getting eventually opened. When they do, appreciation may come in decades later! A thank you that appears after many years must be the result of pure magic!

3. I keep my naughty and nice list for every child. Some people believe this job is pretty amazing! Yet when I look at the teaching profession, teachers provide a constant evaluation of all their students! Their list covers all the aspects of developing and learning which they report to children’s parents and to the children themselves! This evaluation is based on a wide variety of observations, data, and student performance. Teachers will then use this list to help improve each and every student! Wow, keeping track of every student’s ability and prescribing ways to be successful must really be magic! 4. I leave presents to students who are on the nice list and who believe in me. Teachers work with all children because they believe in every student. Teachers continue to do so, even when students stop believing in the educational system’s ability to help them achieve. That type of persistence has got to be magic! 5. I have operated my workshop using the same technology for hundreds of years and it has worked for me. Then again, I work with children when they are asleep, delivering

10. I discovered a light in Rudolph as he brightens up a dark, foggy, or snowy night so that I can deliver joy to all the children across the world. Teachers provide the light that brightens our world in both the darkest night and brightest day! It is the light of learning and knowledge! The ability to keep that light burning bright must take a quite a bit of magic! You see, I have found that magic does not come easily! It is made possible only by those who work hard and keep believing, and seek what they know is possible! As you can see, there must be a great deal of magic in the education profession! Please continue to keep this magic alive and know that you are all on my good list! After all, I had to learn all that I do from somewhere! So from across the years I know I have many teachers to thank! Last, to all teachers across the world… I really do believe in you! Thanks for all the magic, Santa – Mike Gorman

Source: http://21centuryedtech.wordpress.com/2011/12/10/a-special-letter-from-santa-ten-reasons-why-teachers-must-be-magic/

Google Science Fair 2011

In 2011, Google launched the first ever global online science competition for 13-18 year old students with the Google Science Fair. Over 10,000 students from 91 countries submitted amazing science experiments. With project topics ranging from “Can I program a robot in English?” to “Can I make a sailboat even faster with a winged keel,” to “How does marinade affect carcinogen levels in grilled chicken?,” After narrowing this impressive group of young people down to 60 semi-finalists, whose projects were viewed by the public, 15 finalists were selected to come to Google headquarters for the final live Google Science Fair. The top 15 wowed the luminary judges—as well as more than 1,000 local attendees plus Googlers who stopped by to check out the action in our exhibit hall on the day of the finals. When the results came in, girl power was the theme. The top three winners by age category were all young women: Lauren Hodge was in the 13-14 age group. Lauren studied the effect of different marinades on the level of potentially harmful carcinogens in grilled chicken. Naomi Shah was in the 15-16 age group. Naomi endeavoured to prove that making changes to indoor environments that improve indoor air quality can reduce people’s reliance on asthma medications. Shree Bose was in the 17-18 age group. Shree discovered a way to improve ovarian cancer treatment for patients when they have built up a resistance to certain chemotherapy drugs. The judges said that the unifying elements of all three young women were their intellectual curiosity, their tenaciousness and their ambition to use science to find solutions to big problems. They examined complex problems and found both

Winners (from left to right): Lauren Hodge, Shree Bose, Naomi Shah. Photo by Andrew Federman. simple solutions that can be implemented by the general public—like changing your cooking habits or removing toxins from your home—as well as more complex solutions that can be addressed in labs by doctors and researchers, such as Shree’s groundbreaking discovery, which could have wider implications for cancer research. The winners took home prizes furnished by Google and their partners CERN, LEGO, National Geographic and Scientific American. Shree received a $50,000 scholarship, a trip to the Galápagos Islands with a National Geographic Explorer and an internship at CERN. Naomi and Lauren each received $25,000 scholarships and internships at Google and LEGO. All three were awarded lifetime digital subscriptions to Scientific American. Beyond the grand prizes, everyone went home with some pretty cool loot, along with plenty of photos and memories that will last a lifetime. The Google Science Fair 2011, got an overwhelming response. The winners were invited to the White House to meet with President Obama, and asked to speak at TED Women in Los Angeles. Shree Bose, the grand prize winner was also named one of Glamour Magazine's Amazing Young Women of 2011. Link to the speech at TED Women: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmnAFj4Y3tc&feature= player_embedded For more details visit: http://www.google.com/intl/en/events/sciencefair/index.html

Chess in schools

Chess, a good game to increase the cognitive ability, this is the latest logic behind the schools bringing out chess as a compulsory and important subject in the school curriculum. It is an ancient game which was once used to teach young knights and princes about military strategy. After Gujarat‘s decision to involve chess in the school syllabus, it is the turn of Tamil Nadu which is now planning to launch chess as an important part of the school curriculum from the next academic year, especially in the “educationally backward districts”. Introducing this will help children to test their skills and for this, trained teachers will appointed or will be given training so as to give children a better understanding about the game of chess. Learning to play chess is one of the most rewarding things a child can discover. Encouraging kids to study the game of chess is a great move you can make as an educator. Mentally gifted children as well as those with less abilities and those who struggle in school will all benefit from the challenging game. Chess is an exercise of infinite possibilities for the mind, one which develops mental abilities used throughout life: concentration, critical thinking, abstract reasoning, problem solving, pattern recognition, strategic planning, creativity, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation, to name a few. Chess can be used very effectively as a tool to teach problem solving and abstract reasoning. Learning how to solve a problem is more important than learning the solution to any particular problem. Through chess, we learn how to analyze a situation by focusing on important factors and by eliminating distractions. We learn to devise creative solutions and put a plan into action. Chess works because it is selfmotivating. The game has fascinated humans for almost 2000 years, and the goals of attack and defence, culminating in checkmate, inspire us to dig deep into our mental reserves. Chess has been played and enjoyed by people around the world for two thousand years. If there were an award for the game of the millennium, it would be long to chess. The game is said to have been invented in India around the fourth century B. C., by a Brahman named Sissa at the court of the Indian Rajah Balhait, where it was called Chaturanga. Many notable people in history made chess their favourite pastime. Many parallels have been drawn between mathematics, music, and chess. Mathematical thinking is generally held to be more or less closely related to the type of thinking that happens in chess. Mathematicians are indeed drawn to chess more than

most other games. The reasoning ingredient in a chess combination is always of prime importance, even though a vivid imagination will make a chess player think of possibilities that will not occur to a less imaginative logician. In the twentieth century, many educators, parents and chess experts maintain that chess education improves a host of mental abilities, including abstract reasoning and problemsolving. Children enjoy it and it’s good for them.” Chess, with its aesthetic appeal and inherent fascination for students of all ages, is catching the attention of educators, who are beginning to realize its academic and social benefits: To the players, the game is like an unfolding drama... The players live through the emotions of an exciting story... Chess has a powerful aesthetic appeal. The best chess games are works of art. They are the products of original and creative thinking…. The beauty of chess is as compelling and pleasure giving as any other art form. The endless opportunities for creating new combinations in chess are perhaps comparable to painting or music. Several benefits accrue from the teaching and promoting of chess in schools: • Chess limits the element of luck; it teaches the importance of planning. • Chess requires that reason to be coordinated with instinct [intuition]; it is an effective decision teaching activity. • Chess is an endless source of satisfaction; the better one plays, the more rewarding it becomes. • Chess is a highly organized recreation…. • Chess is an international language…. It can be a lifelong source of interest, amusement, and satisfaction. Chess provides more long-term benefits than most school sports. Long-term goals students achieve through chess: • Chess increases strategic thinking skills, stimulates intellectual creativity, and improves problem-solving ability while raising self-esteem; • When youngsters play chess they must call upon higherorder thinking skills, analyse actions and consequences, and visualise future possibilities. • Chess dramatically improves a child's ability to think rationally. • Chess increases cognitive skills. • Chess improves children's communication skills and aptitude in recognizing patterns. • Chess makes a child realize that he or she is responsible for his or her own actions and must accept the consequences. • Chess teaches children to try their best to win, while accepting defeat with grace. • Chess provides an intellectual, competitive forum through which children can assert hostility, i.e. "let off steam," in an acceptable way. • Chess helps children make friends more easily because it provides an easy, safe forum for gathering and discussion. Chess is found as required curricula in nearly 30 countries. In Russia, it has been part of the curriculum for over 40 years, where “adolescents were encouraged to play chess at a very early age to increase their problem-solving and reasoning skills.

Teacher’s Bite should not use discipline to only punish children physically. Any teacher with strong subject knowledge and a heart of a parent in the body will easily be able to manage a classroom.

Dr. A. P. Gaur, Principal, DALIMSS, Sigra, Varanasi

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

It has been my dream to become an educator since my childhood. In fact during my days of primary school education, we had our teachers as our role models. Our parents, village-folk and everyone gave great respect to the teachers and no doubt our teachers were really great teachers then. They had knowledge of all subjects including practical knowledge. That thing influenced me to become an educator.

What is your approach to classroom management and student discipline?

I strongly believe that self-discipline is the best discipline—and cannot be an imposed one. Any fool can beat and scold any child to get work done but as educationists we

What are your views regarding the ‘Importance of Teacher Training and Development’ in educating students?

A teacher must be most sympathetically and respectfully looked after by the school-management. He has chosen this profession for his own sustenance also. So in order to do justice to his job, a teacher must know the latest advancements going on in the field of education for which he must be imparted with most modern training. It is the training which updates a teacher in education. For his development, a teacher must be given a proper salary, allowances, free education to his children, medical casual leave etc.

What is your view regarding the ASSET Test?

The exam and its concept, is wonderful. No doubt, our children are getting benefitted with the regular supply of questions that we are getting from ASSET team unfailingly .The ASSET team is doing wonderful work.

COLUMN: Round 5 We are here with the question for round 5. This month’s question from Math Subject. Last month’s answer for the quiz question is D QUESTION OF THE MONTH The length of a pencil is 10 times the length of an eraser. NATRAJ ERASER

NATRAJ ERASER

pencil is 10 erasers long What is the ratio of the length of the eraser to the length of the pencil? A. B. C. D.

1:1 1:10 10:1 10:10

If you know the correct answer of the questions Send us a mail at assetscope@ei-india.com with the correct answer along with your name, your school’s name, city and contact number. The subjectline of the mail should be “SMSL Quiz Round 3 Answer”. Last date to send the entries is 20th February, 2012. Answer this question and get a chance to win SMSL goodies from the ASSET Team.

DUKE TIP The Duke TIP in India program provides a unique learning environment designed to motivate and challenge academically talented Indian students. Within a supportive and nurturing campus setting, Duke TIP strives to stretch highly talented students beyond their self-perceived expectations and limits. Duke TIP summer options ensure that students can continue to be challenged academically, even over the summer. Duke TIP Summer Studies Programs are superb academic opportunities and dynamic residential and social experiences for seventh graders in India. Since 2008, almost 400 Indian students have participated in Summer Studies in India Program. Students explore topics ranging from environmental engineering to entrepreneurial leadership, engage in inspiring residential programming, experience life on a university campus, and develop lasting friendships with academically-gifted peers from throughout India. Selection for the Duke TIP in India Summer Studies Program is based on a student's exceptional performance on an abovelevel ASSET test. The test is administered to 7th standard students as part of our Duke TIP in India Talent Search, and the process mirrors the objective selection process that Duke TIP has successfully used for over thirty years to identify academically gifted youth. Summer Academic Experience Duke TIP courses are dynamic, fast-paced, and intense. Students attend a single class for seven hours on most weekdays and three hours each Saturday. Duke TIP Instructors are selected for their expertise in their field of research and are committed to providing rigorous and high-energy educational experiences at the college level. Instructors employ a variety of instructional strategies including Debates, Simulations of realworld activities, Peer teaching or presentations, Lab experiences, Individual or group research projects. Residential Experience In addition to having the opportunity to study academic topics

at the university level, Duke TIP in India students experience a structured version of university life. Residential counsellors provide social and recreational activities during evenings and on weekends. A staff of residential counsellors is chosen from a large group of outstanding undergraduate and graduate students through a competitive application and interview process. These residential counsellors supervise the students outside of the classroom. They live in residence halls with students, organize social and recreational activities, serve as role models and enforce behavioural guidelines. Each residential counsellor supervises a group of 10-12 students. "Duke was a golden opportunity for me, and I had the joy of my life. It was the most memorable instance of my life." -2011 Duke TIP Summer Studies in India participant "Nowhere else can a student enjoy as much while learning so muchâ&#x20AC;? -2011 Duke TIP Summer Studies in India participant Duke TIP has committed significant resources to provide financial support to students who have qualified for the threeweek Summer Studies Program in India and who demonstrate financial need. Please visit www.tip.duke.edu for more information about Duke TIP in India and International.

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