ASSETScope June 2015

The Monthly Newsletter

Issue 115 | June, 2015 | www.ei-india.com

MISCONCEPTION Series

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3 Interesting Ideas...

ASSET

ASSET Talent Scholars - Inspiring Students Student’s Corner

COVER Story Back to school Teachers work in an amazing profession that allows them for a fresh start every 12 months. Not many jobs can boast of that perk. Going back to school after the summer break can be exciting, nerve racking, and hectic for teachers. Going back to school gives teachers a chance to make small adjustments or significant changes depending on where they are in their careers. Shared below are a few activities that will help get to know one another well: Opening-Day Letter Write a letter to your students. In that letter, introduce yourself to students.

Tell them about your hopes for the new school year and some of the fun things you'll be doing in class. In addition, tell students a few personal things about yourself; for example, your likes and

dislikes, what you did over the summer, and your hobbies. Ask questions throughout the letter. You might ask what students like most about school, what they did during the summer, what their goals for the new school year are, or what they are really good at. In your letter, be sure to model the correct parts of a friendly letter! On the first day of school, display your letter on an overhead projector. Then pass on to each student, a sheet of nice stationery. Have the students write return letters to you. In this letter, they will need to answer some of your questions and tell you about themselves. This is a great way to get to know each other in a personal way!

Variation: Mail the letter to students before school starts, and enclose a sheet of stationery for kids to write

back to you.

Send students into the school hallways or schoolyard, and ask each one to find Stringing Conversation Together something that "is completely the Cut string or yarn into pieces of opposite of yourself." Option: To widen different lengths. Each piece should the area to be explored, provide this have a matching piece of the same activity as homework on the first night length. There should be enough pieces of school. When students bring their so that each student will have one. items back to class, ask each to Then give each student one piece of describe why the item is not like him or string, and challenge each student to her. You'll get a lot of flowers, of find the other student who has a string course, and students will describe how of the same length. After students find those flowers are fragrant or soft or their matches, they can take turns otherwise unlike themselves. But you introducing themselves to one another. might also get some clever responses, You can provide a list of questions to such as the one from a young man who help students "break the ice," or brought in the flip-top from a discarded students can come up with their own. can; he talked about its decaying You might extend the activity by having outward appearance and its inability to each student introduce his or her serve a purpose without being partner to the class. manipulated by some other force (and how he was I Am NOT! able to serve a purpose on Here's a challenging activity that might his own) help high school teachers learn about students' abilities to think critically.

Teacher Corner For Middle school

3 INTERESTING IDEAS THAT ARE HARDLY COVERED IN THE TEACHING & LEARNING PROCESS OF MUGHAL HISTORY 1. Mughal History after Aurangzeb In most cases the learning of Mughal history ends with Aurangzeb. He was the last link amongst the greatest Mughal rulers. It is generally considered that he was the cause for the decline of the great Mughal power. It is partially true, but not fully. Bahadur Shah I (1707-12) was his successor and was a great ruler. He was learned, dignified and had reversed some of the narrow minded policies and measures adopted by Aurangzeb. During his rule, relationships between the Marathas and the Rajputs had improved considerably.

Jahandar Shah, the next short lived ruler was weak, but clever. He also had advocated a friendly policy towards the Rajputs and the Marathas. He abandoned the anti-Hindu policies of Aurangzeb and adopted a liberal attitude towards the Hindus.

Why Important?

In the ongoing socio-political situation in India, it is very important to focus on the best practices of Muslim rulers towards maintaining social harmony. Aurangzeb is often treated as an enemy king for the Hindus, and this perception labels all Muslim rulers including the Mughals as destroyers of

the past too we lived in a globalized world. In this case, Mughals had come from Central Asia through Persia. They brought in several fresh ideas and after settling down in India did not forget their roots. There was always an exchange of ideas with their contemporaries such as the Ottomans of Turkey. The west also began the process of colonization during the Mughal Era. So it is very important to appreciate the contemporary world history that influenced the Mughal Era considerably.

2. Mughal Era and the Contemporary World Contemporary India as an idea cannot be understood in isolation. It is also valid for historical eras. We as teachers and learners of history are often stuck on glorifying our past and being too nationalistic. In this process we often forget that, like today, in

Why Important?

This is important because it can break the rigid nationalistic attitudes of students. They can become more open minded, tolerant and appreciate history holistically.

Architecture is the visual component of history learning. Appreciating the art and architecture of a historical building helps students relate better with the history content. It enhances their visual, design and in some situations photography skills. In today’s world, heritage tourism is increasingly becoming a sought after career option. A proper understanding of Mughal art and architecture is a must for students aspiring in this career option.

3. Mughal Architecture

Useful Links

Architecture is a major primary source for learning history. India has more than 5 thousand years of architectural history, and the architecture of the Mughal Era was the climax. Though there was a tradition of Islamic architecture 500 years before the establishment of the Mughal rule, it was only from now that the true Islamic form got introduced. The Mughal buildings are grand and majestic in appearance showing several elements of Central Asian and Persian architecture. However they are beautifully

As we delve more into the idea banks that have shaped the identity of our nation, we step more into a world full of acceptance and appreciation. For instance, Akbar, one of India’s greatest emperors was a Muslim, who could go dead against the Catholic beliefs and ideas, as Islam and Catholic religions had been strong rivals for centuries. But he did the opposite.

Why Important?

Indian culture. But two of his successors were not. So focusing on this idea gives dual perspectives to students.

blended with the Rajput style. Beginning with the Humayun Tomb in Delhi and the climax as seen at the Taj Mahal in Agra, the Mughal monuments show the best of Islamic art in the entire world.

http://indiahistoryspeaks.blogspot.in/200 7/12/catholic-mughals-agra.html

By Jitu Mishra – Educational Specialist (Member of ASSET Test Development Team)

MISCONCEPTION Series Properties of Matter

Q

Class 4: Science

A class had a torn umbrella. Which of the following materials that the teacher gave them, should they use to repair the umbrella?

D. 41.4%

C. 2.9%

B. 1.7% No. of students 1057

A A piece from an old raincoat P B

A piece of newspaper

C

A piece of cardboard

D

A piece of silk cloth

A. 53.5%

P Only 53.5% answered correctly

similarities between umbrella fabric and silk, like their shininess.

1 Why was the question asked in ASSET test?

Thus, science teachers must keep 2 objectives in mind • Exciting the natural curiosity of children- and guiding them to observe and experiment with things more systematically.

Students observe different materials in their daily lives, and are often curious about these. This question was designed to test if students can identify the correct material, given the function it is supposed to perform.

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What did students answer?

54% of students answered correctly, though 41% chose the most common wrong answer, D- 'a piece of silk cloth'.

Possible reason for choosing B and C: Very few students have chosen these options indicating that these are random guesses.

Possible reason for choosing D: Students have probably seen umbrellas made of smooth and shiny silk-like material. They may have heard the term 'made of silk' applied to shiny sarees and kurtas they see, and made an assumption, that umbrellas too are made of silk.

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• Helping them to relate to essential properties of a material, or a design, and guide them in sifting between essential and nonessential properties.

Learnings Students were expected to understand that a raincoat, whose function is clearly to shield us from rain, is made of waterproof material, and would therefore provide the best-suited material to patch an umbrella. Even if students do not have sufficient experience with silk garments and are unsure about the 'waterproofing' ability of silk, 'piece from an old raincoat' would have been the logical choice, had they considered the key function umbrellas perform.

The student response data indicate that many of them have not thought logically about the following• Why do we use an umbrella?

• Therefore, what property must the material of an umbrella have?

• Which of the other materials in the option would definitely have the same property?

Instead students have focused on superficial (and irrelevant)

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How do we handle this?

Observation: Ask students to observe various objects that are used in daily life, the materials they are made of, and guide them to record those observations in a systematic way. Students could be asked to bring some of these objects to school (where that is possible), or just share their observations and questions. It is not required that the teacher knows the answer to all questions, but only that he/she be willing to explore the answers systematically with the children. For example, a student might present the following observations • There are 3 types of chairs in my house.

• The dining table chairs are made of wood; the computer chair is made of plastic or steel (I am not sure- the legs were black and smooth); the chair in the verandah looks like wood, but it has very thin wood and not thick like the dining table chair wood.

Guiding the discussion towards understanding essential properties: When presented with such observations, the teacher could ask for further details like • How many legs did the different chairs have? • Which chairs were heavier and which were lighter?

After discussing the observations, ask students about the reasons for the use of different materials or designs. Questions such as the following can facilitate this • Do you think the dining table chair can be made out of steel? Why? Why not? • Do you think a chair can have only 3 legs? Only 2? If so, then why does the dining table chair have 4?

Such discussions should help children understand that certain properties of materials used in chairs are essential properties (like strength), while other properties may be important for other reasons- like aesthetics, cost etc.

For more information about ASSET, write to us at info@ei-india.com

STUDENT’s Zone ASSET Talent Scholars - Inspiring Students The students who perform in the top 5%, in the Duke Tip ASSET talent search in any one of the subjects like English, Maths or Science overall is awarded the title of ‘ASSET Talent Scholar’. These students receive certificate and medal from ASSET. To know more about Duke Tip ASSET talent Search write to us at talentsearch@ei-india.com

Interview of an ASSET Talent Scholar Q.1 Apart from having a thirst for knowledge, what else excites your mind?

Ans: Apart from striving to learn more and more, the thought of travelling the whole universe excites my mind. Being able to see every nook and corner of the world is my dream.

Q.2 If you were a time machine, what period in history would you go back to? And why?

Ans: I would like to go to the period of time when Hitler ruled this entire world because I want to see how cruelly he tortured Jews. I want to go there and be a person who raised the voice against him.

Q.3 What is your favourite book? Give reasons why?

Ans: One of my favourite books is "The Fault In Our Stars". The book portrays emotions in such a manner that the reader gets completely engrossed. I've read it twice or thrice and every time tears have welled up in my eyes

Kanishka Wadehra, ASSET Talent Scholar 2014-15 Class: 8 St. Kabir Public School, Chandigarh Q.4 What other talents do you possess?

Ans: I love to paint and dance. I have been learning both since the age of 11. I have even had an exhibition of my paintings. I am thankful that I got an opportunity as a child to nurture my talents.

Q.5 If you could be someone else for a day, who would that be?

Ans: If I get a chance, I would like to become Michelle Obama for a day so that I can experience how it feels to be the first lady of the most powerful country in the world.

Fun Zone

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