Mentor Magazine | February 2018 | Volume 11 | Issue 09 by Mentor Magazine

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Share your thoughts for Mentor Online (mentor.lxl.in) on following topics: Support Staff as Change Agents Emotional Wellbeing of Support Staff Support Staff and Student Wellbeing We thank our contributors for their informative write-ups under Writer’s Choice: Challenge of Middle Graders: Dr. R K Kharbanda Civic Education: Anuradha Pati Financial Literacy: Raman Bansal

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Share write-ups, videos and infographics on any of the topics above at info@lxl.in and we’ll publish it Online!* You can also contribute under School Pedagogy, Governance, Innovation, Leadership or Writer’s Choice categories www.lxl.in

CONTENTS

February 2018 | Volume 11 | Issue 09 | â&#x201A;š 40

MENTOR THOUGHTS 5 Sultan Speaks Beyond boundaries

Inside The Mind Of A Leader Ms. Radhika Sinha, Aditya Birla World Academy

33 LXL Safe School Framework Being proactive

34 Creating a Customised Training Calendar

Targeted building of human capacity in schools

14 Preparing For Examinations Factors affecting students' performance

SCHOOL LEADERSHIP 22 Mark of a Successful School In skills or scores

SCHOOL PEDAGOGY 6 Design Thinking Solving complex human problems

25 Examinations: A Means or An End Assessing student examination performance

SCHOOL INNOVATION

9 E-learning for Excellence

Accessing digital resources

Food for Thought Staying healthy during examinations

SCHOOL GOVERNANCE

11 Managing Emotional Wellbeing of Students

Evaluating Board Examinations A critical analysis by the students

Conscious healing of subconscious A Venture of Publisher & Owner: Syed Sultan Ahmed Editor-in-Chief: Kalpa Kartik Content Team: Upasana Jaipuria, Parul Pandey Designed by: Uday S Production: Praveen U M, Sathish C, Guna V Printed by: Manoj Printed at: Elegant Printing Works, #74, South End Road, Basavangudi, Bengaluru - 560 004.

NOTICE: Authors/contributors are responsible for the authenticity of information they provide in the article. The publishers do not accept liability for error or omissions contained in this publication. By submitting letters/emails or other publication materials to Mentor Magazine the author/contributor agree that it is the property of Mentor Magazine. All communication to Mentor Magazine must be made in writing. No other sort of communication will be accepted. All decisions regarding publishing of an article is the prerogative of the publisher and editorial team of Mentor Magazine. Mentor Magazine is owned and published by EduMedia Publications Pvt. Ltd. for and on behalf of Mr. Syed Sultan Ahmed. All disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the competent courts and forums in Bengaluru City.

International

Kids Film festival INDIA

Announcing the Winners of the

1 edition of IKFFI st

MAKE CINEMA Contest for Students! and the award goes to…

‘Happy New Year’ Directed by Waseem Niyas

‘What's In A Name?’ Directed by Anant R Gokhale

‘Mango’ Directed by Shivam Kothari

Indian School Al Ghubra,

and Anant K Gupta

Abhyasa International

Muscat, Sultanate of Oman

Modern School Vasant Vihar,

Residential School, Telengana

New Delhi

Junior

Senior

Super Senior

IKFFI, an online film festival hosted by schools showcased the art of cinema through film screenings in schools and provided an opportunity for students to narrate their stories and ideas via films in the Make Cinema competition

To host IKFFI 2018 in your school, contact us: Ik .lxl.in | info@gmail.com | +91 90191 11110

SULTAN SPEAKS

February 2018

Beyond Boundaries sultan@lxl.in

Therefore, the entire claim on impact is actually limited to only those students who by sheer chance got admission into those schools. Let's do simple math, the average population of a good-sized school in India is about 2,000, this indicates that the number of students that pass out of the school grade 10 or 12 is about 200 every year. Even if a school has been in existence for 100 years the number of kids who have actually been inﬂuenced by the school is just 20,000. This number is minuscule compared to the billion-plus population we have in India.

“School failed me, and I failed the school. It bored me. I wanted to learn what I wanted to know, but they wanted me to learn for exam.” This was said by Albert Einstein and is still relevant for schools decades after. Education in schools should go beyond textbooks to impact the students' lives and prepare them to face the real-life challenges. But the harsh reality is that schools today are failing miserably in achieving this goal. Let's not talk about preparing students for life when they are not even able to prepare students for examinations. Students going to coaching right after the school have been a common trend for a while now. As schools remained traditional and did not evolve they have allowed innumerable new education-related businesses to germinate.

If we may ask, what about the other children, the ones who did not get admission to these quality schools? Well, the answer you would get is that they are not their students so it is not their problem. When town planners design cities, they earmark spaces for civic amenities that include parks, hospitals, and schools. Schools have been given a space to make a difference to our society, somehow schools have only made a difference to the students who study in their premises and have never been concerned about the others! In future, if schools have to be relevant they have to reinvent themselves and move beyond the madness of academic grades. Schools have to look at children outside their walls as their concern and add value to their lives, this is a humungous opportunity waiting.

Private education companies today create content, train teachers and run coaching classes which should have ideally been done by schools. This phenomenon has made most schools redundant as centers of learning. Schools cannot compete with coaching classes in the race of getting marks, in fact, most schools have joined hands with coaching classes. Statistics tell me that schools are in general selﬁsh and shortsighted organisations. If we ask a question to any school, who are your students, the answer would be – the ones who have gotten admission in their schools, paid their fee and wear their school uniform.

Syed Sultan Ahmed, Managing Director, LXL Ideas 5

PEDAGOGY

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Design Thinking Tirthankar Dash

irthankar Dash is a Humanist and a Design Thinker. Mr. Dash works at the intersection point where human insights meet design. In a career that spans over 20 years, he has worked across geographies in a host of industries. His experience ranges across Advertising, Sales and Marketing, Brand Management and Innovations. Mr. Dash has set up and heads Quantum 360°, a Design Solutions Lab that helps businesses build brands, products and services around powerful human insights. In the last 10 years, he, along with his team, have played a pivotal role in the launch of many new brands, products and services across countries. Mr. Dash spends his free time searching for answers to this one question as to what makes life meaningful.

industrial era are complex and wicked. Complex problems are difficult and impossible to solve because of their incomplete, contradictory and changing requirements that are often difficult to recognise. They have no determinable starting or stopping point and have dynamic inter-dependent variables. For e.g. Climate Change, Diabetes, Obesity, Mental Health are all complex because these involve a multitude of interrelated variables like physical, social, psychological, emotional factors etc. making it difficult for a person to hold to it and resolve it and where changing one aspect creates more problems.

Business of Education Education is a business of creating human capacity. So, schools today are manufacturing more and more human capacity. Now the question is- what is this capacity for? The simplest answer one gets is to go out and make a living. Education leading to employment is an incomplete answer. Has the whole and soul of education reduced to putting food on the table? Is there nothing else? My hypothesis is the whole role of education is that to build human capacity to solve problems. According to a report by World Economic Forum Report on skills of future, complex problem solving will be the number one skill that would be needed.

Humans as Designers of Present and Future Humans are designing themselves into their next era and they are the cause as well as the solution to the problems. Complex problems are results of humanity's inability to grasp the consequences of their actions. So, we produce an idea but refuse to take the ownership of the entire value chain. Let's discuss the biggest wicked problem of all i.e. Artiﬁcial Intelligence (AI). Humans have created AI and soon we will have automated cars. But in case of an

Problems of Present and Future: Complex and Wicked In the industrial era, our problems were linear and simpler that involved using knowledge within a set of known variables to come up with solutions e.g. transportation problem can be solved by designing a more efﬁcient car using the laws of mathematics and physics. But the problems today i.e. in the post6

February 2018

of our job market would be automated e.g. lawyers losing their jobs to a machine with algorithms, programmers to self-generating programmes and teachers to robot teaching the subjects. Thus, our life in future will be disrupted if we don't reinvent ourselves at some level. This is a provocation that the educational industry needs to make to prepare themselves with a single-minded focus on solving complex problems of present and future. Need to Redesign Education Now, the question arises: Is the education system geared enough to create the capacity to solve some of today's problems? Our schools today are teaching skills to solve external problems which were present in the last 200 years of dehumanisation. This educational system worked great for the era we lived by but now we are on the next curve of evolution where the magnitude and complexities of the problems will escalate explosively. Presently, our education is designed to heavily inﬂuence the analytical thinking in students that leaves them with a highly developed left-sided brain. These students are not even thinking with a balanced head leaving them extremely unprepared to move into this new world.

accidental killing, who is to be blamed: the human owner or the machine. Recently, Sophia became the first robot to be declared a citizen by Saudi Arabia. What does it mean for a robot to be a citizen? What rights does Sophia hold? Nobody has elaborated that. This is because we created the product but didn't think about designing the ethics, morality and regulations around it resulting in more problems. Everything from improper household waste segregation to climate change is because of our inability to map our creation to consequences. From Past to Present and Future: From Dehumanisation to Rehumanisation Today, all our developmental indicators measure human productivity and not their well-being. Our metrics for success are devoid of humanness resulting in indicators which increase when they are casualties like war and environmental disasters due to the creation of more labour jobs. This is because, for hundreds of years, we human beings have trained our minds to think ourselves as machines and labour. This has resulted in our success being measured by increased productivity, efficiency, time management etc. Through machinification, we have been constantly dehumanising ourselves. But now, machines and artificial intelligence have become so big that we have started to search for our humanness. Machines have already started replacing us and in the next 10-15 years, 50%

Using a systems approach, we need to design new models of education. Here, we are not dismantling the old system but layering it with new skills, ideas and thinking to create new capacity to solve new problems. For e.g. when Quantum Physics came in, we bought a new curriculum to understand it. Likewise, when new issues and paradigms appear, one must prepare to design a curriculum that addresses some of these challenges. The best way to go about it is to be self-aware i.e. schools today are preparing students for entering workplace ﬁfteen years later, so they should ﬁrst imagine what the jobs of future will be. Have the school do that? 7

PEDAGOGY

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In my opinion, the job market is going to change dramatically. More than mechanical engineers, we would require Climate Change Engineers, Mental Health Professionals, Mindfulness Coaches, Well-Being Managers making the schools completely out of sync with the market of industry and sustainability. Schools are the factory of the future and it becomes their prerogative to take action against some of these changes which are already happening. William Gibson has rightly said, “Future is already here- it's just not evenly distributed.”

Why: Getting an Insight (Synthesis Mind) How: By ideation and iteration (Creative & Collaborative Mind) Ÿ What: Creating Prototype (Building Mind) The Human-centered design thinking brings together different perspectives i.e. behavioural sciences and technology together to result in hybrid thinking and this is what our education systems need to promote. Ÿ Ÿ

“ Using a systems approach, we need to design new models of education

The schools need to take an ownership of bringing human sciences like psychology, a n t h r o p o l o g y, s o c i o l o g y t o t h e forefront.Having an appreciation for and teaching human sciences leads to change in behaviour and developing empathy and maturity in students to handle these problems.Instead of algorithms, the school assignments should focus on solving complex problems that have been made smaller suited to the age of the child. Assignments like design joy in your house, make you canteen healthy or make your mother happy can encourage students be to understand the human situation of the problem and build empathy to come together as a group to solve problems.

Redesigning Education using Human Centered Design Thinking Human Centered Design Thinking is the ﬁrst realistic approach taken by corporates to solve complex problems of future. This system involves bringing human in the centre of the design because everything collides with the human condition eventually. Its objective is to make experiences more meaningful in the context of who one is and what one wants to do with self. The design aims to move from an existing condition to a preferred one by intervening on a ﬂow of events to produce the desired effect. Human Centered Design moves from chaos and intangible experiences to order and tangible experiences by incorporating selfexpression into solving problems. This design moves through four sequential steps to solve problems i.e. Ÿ Who: Building empathy to the situation (Humanistic Mind)

Business Innovation Models have already moved from mathematical to humanistic. It is the need of the hour for schools to realise that problems of future are complex and human in nature so that they can build human capacity to solve them. Then only, they will truly succeed in creating maker's mindset i.e. mind that designs the future of the World. 8

dash@tdash.co

February 2018

E - learning for Excellence Monika Mukh

onika Mukh is a Librarian with more than fteen years of experience in the eld. Currently, she is a librarian at Chitkara International School in Chandigarh. She has been instrumental in helping the school transition from a traditional to a fully automated online library. Ms. Mukh has successfully completed three years of diploma in Library and Computerised Information Sciences (LCIS). She is also a graduate and postgraduate in Library and Informational Sciences, professional courses that help in studying the principles of the library using the current technological aids. Ms. Mukh has also completed her MBA in Human Resources Development and plans to use her learning in increasing technologically efcient human capacity. She believes schools can achieve a lot more only if they recognise and invest in E-learning, Managing and Building E-resources.

maintained for public access catalogue facility, the books are categorised under different subject categories and displayed on the screen of each user ID. This helps every student access the required reading material and avoid situations of the limited availability of books especially during examination time.

The tremendous growth of technology in this digital age has changed the reading culture drastically. E-learning provides the learner with an opportunity to learn anywhere, anytime. It has become essential to utilise the power of our E-resources as the majority of our adolescents are turning digital natives and ﬁnding it easier to consume content online. For long, our students have been using textbooks, classroom notes and supplementary books referred by their teachers to prepare for exams. Now, with the integration of technology in the classroom learning, online preparation using E-resources is gaining popularity. E-learning is a concept of learning electronically using the internet and communication technology.

E-resources Without e-resources, e-learning is not possible. There are speciﬁc kinds of e-resources available for speciﬁc information seekers. Few of them are as follow: Google Scholar: It is a freely accessible web search engine for research scholars. It provides digital or physical copies of articles; Indexes technical reports, thesis, books and other documents including web pages that are deemed to be scholarly.

Online Library: Unlimited reading material School Libraries play a vital role in disseminating the suitable communication services in support of e-learning through various electronic resources and services like ELibrary or online library. Schools can fully automate their libraries providing an uninterrupted circulation of reading materials to all the student members. In Online library

RefSeek: It is another web search engine for students and researchers, where the academicrelated information is easily accessible. RefSeek's unique approach offers students comprehensive subject coverage which helps 9

PEDAGOGY

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them in their particular subject area. DOAB (Directory of Open Access Books): The main objective of this e-resource is to provide Open Access of variety of books to the readers. It invites academic publishers all across the world to provide the data of their books to DOAB for free access. eGyankosh: It is a national digital repository to store, index, preserve, distribute and share digital learning resources developed by the open distance learning institutions in the country.

“ Schools can fully

Khan Academy tutorials of Maths and Science etc are gaining traction with students especially in helping them understand the d i f ﬁ c u l t c o n c e p t s t h r o u g h va r i o u s illustrations. Through audio-visual engagement with graphs, charts, an instructor can sometimes be the difference between students performing well and poor in the exams.

automate their libraries providing an uninterrupted circulation of reading materials to all the student members

Online Exam Prep Apps: Simulates the exam setting with time-bound question papers helping students to manage their time while answering questions. The assessment sheet provided also helps them be aware of their mistakes and provides room for improvement. Students can pace their studies at a level they are comfortable with which is not possible in a classroom setting. Conclusion There is no doubt that e-resources are helpful in e-learning but sometimes there are some challenges which are confronted by the learners like technical issues, time factor, lack of knowledge and non-availability of funds. We can only overcome these challenges t h r o u g h a c t ive d e c i s i o n m a k i n g a n d implementation of proper e-learning process. Using e-resources judiciously can help our students and teachers widen their subject horizons and prepare better for examination.

National Digital Library Portal (NDL, INDIA): NDL is an all-digital library that stores information about various types of digital contents including books, articles, videos, audios and other educational material relevant for the users from varying educational levels and compatibilities. NDL portal is designed to beneﬁt all kind of users like students (all levels), teachers etc. Watching Online Videos: YouTube videos, 10

monikamukh83@yahoo.co.in

February 2018

Managing Emotional Wellbeing of Students Veena Murthy

eena Murthy has more than two decades of experience as a teacher. She started her career as a primary school teacher right after her graduation. Later on, she went to complete her MA in English, Sociology and Economics from the prestigious Osmania University. After postgraduation, she joined as a Senior Secondary Coordinator and was also a Social Science Teacher. She Joined Delhi School of Excellence, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad in 2016-17 as the Principal. Under her leadership, the school has been felicitated with the Best Emerging School Award by Times of India in 2016-17 and Social Action Award for Excellence in Health Awareness by Indian Development Foundation in 2017-18. Apart from being a teacher, she has been actively involved in Social Service activities and regularly conducts and organises blood donation camps, MUN sessions etc.

Administrators should in consultation with the school counsellor identify the emotional needs of the children and work towards building a stress-free environment in the school Ÿ Planned Academic Calendar: A systematic, persistent, organised, planned and regular effort from the beginning of the academic session is followed to prevent anxiety related to the examination. The calendar should be a healthy mix of academic and extra-curricular activities Ÿ Working on Emotional Resilience: The students should be taught to manage the stressors around them efﬁciently so that their self-efﬁcacy improves by regularly attending the counselling sessions held at the school Ÿ Stress-Busting Activities: Regular physical education, zumba, aerobics, other dance for ms helps the students to relax, rejuvenate their tired minds, build their endurance, stamina and enthusiasm for other strenuous activities. In addition to this, meditation like yoga sessions enables students to think positive and eliminate

“Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.” - Aristotle As educators, all of us would have faced situations of the emotional breakdown of our students during exams when we counselled to make them feel better and continued with the schedule. Looking back, I realise that there were untold and unexpressed issues which my students held in silently- maybe I didn't observe keenly or lacked the tools to resolve limiting my management of the situation to a few words of wisdom. As every school is working hard to prepare their students to ensure good results, they are also making sure their students don't face exam stress. What majority of schools however lack is taking proactive instead of reactive measures. I, as an experienced educator, believe the importance of preventing rather than resolving stress. Proactive Measures to Reduce Examination Stress Ÿ Building the Right Atmosphere: 11

SCHOOL GOVERNANCE

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Shashank Soloman

negative thoughts, focus on their goals and increase their concentration power. It helps them introspect and work on their strengths and weaknesses

Implementation of an Idea: Destressing through Music Therapy A) Introduction of CHOS Our management has introduced Music Therapy as a unique programme called CHOS i.e. Conscious Healing Of Subconscious to our students. Music has been associated with reducing the stress hormone cortisol and boosting immune response by increased production of beneficial antibodies and cells invading harmful viruses (Levitin, 2007). Though there are therapy centres which specialise in healing specific emotional issues outside the school, CHOS is first of its kind inschool program for our students who come from various emotional backgrounds. Our aim is to empower them in all socio-emotional aspects and mould them into a holistic individual through the power of the sound of music.

“ Administrators should in consultation with the school counsellor identify the emotional needs of the children and work towards building a stress-free environment in the school

B) Pilot Programme Intensive research for eight months by a school team comprising of our school counsellor, the music teacher and myself was done before the CHOS programme actually began. A small group comprising of students from different emotional backgrounds was selected. Initially, we followed the receptive method and allowed students to speak what they felt after listening 12

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to certain speciﬁc tunes. During the process, we realised that a few of them were not interested in music and refused to listen to instructions and respond, that is when we decided to use the active method. Since the group was small it was possible for us to cater 15-20 minutes per student every day. B a s e d o n t h e o b s e r vat i o n s r e c o r d e d , techniques changed and the behaviour of the group was observed on campus and the same was done back at home by parents. Apart from reading extensively about Cymatics and doing an in-depth research, our team is also taking up sound therapy courses so as to qualify, equip t h e m s e l ve s a n d h a n d l e t h e s e s s i o n s professionally.

and teamwork The music is also played during lunch in the dining hall and in the classrooms. This has r e d u c e d n o i s e l eve l s d u r i n g c l a s s transactions and during breaks Ÿ As there is already emotional resilience set, anxiety and stress levels during tests and exams have reduced. Students listen to tunes which calm them before taking up a test Ÿ Issues like turning blank during exams, dryness in mouth, sweating, headache, stomach disorders arising out of anxiety, forgetfulness, lack of retention etc. have also signiﬁcantly reduced among students Ÿ

C) CHOS Implementation A selected set of tunes that would relax and destress students are played before assembly for 6-8min every day. Students sit straight with their eyes closed and feet grounded. The tunes are changed once a week. The decibels are kept in mind while playing the music for different levels. D) Beneﬁts of CHOS: Research proves that music has the power to help relax and reduce stress but it is important that the right kind of music is to be heard for the results to be achieved. CHOS helps the students in selecting the right music Ÿ Repeated practise of listening to music among students helps them to settle down emotionally Ÿ Helps the students start their day at school on a positive note and with a relaxed state of mind. Ÿ After four weeks of exposure to music, parents observed a voluntary reduction in screen time of their students Ÿ After implementing the programme, we observed that our students are calmer, focused and exhibit increased cooperation Ÿ

After the successful implementation of CHOS in our school, I strongly believe in the power of healing through music to ensure emotional sustainability of our future generation. As a strong foundation is required for a huge building to stand, in the same way, a strong emotionally balanced mind is needed to support our bodies. To achieve this, it is a prerogative of schools to adopt therapeutic ways in building emotional competence in our students.

principal.bh@dsehyd.com

SCHOOL GOVERNANCE

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Preparing For Examinations Biswajit Majumdar

iswajit Majumdar is a senior English teacher and has been in the eld of education and research on the English Language for more than two decades. He is the Senior School Co-ordinator at M C Kejriwal Vidyapeeth, Howrah, West Bengal. He has a burning zeal to make education relevant to the needs of the present time. Mr. Majumdar focus lies in addressing the diverse interests and abilities of the students by presenting information in a variety of ways. He has presented his paper at the International Conference for School Leaders at Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi in December 2017. He regularly conducts workshops both for the teachers and the students in various parts of the country for the betterment of learning. Mr. Majumdar is a keen learner and aims to foster true learning and critical thinking in the students.

One of the most stressful experiences that all of us have gone through as students is the environment and the situation of examination hours, the room, the invigilators and of course the question papers. Many of us must have gone through the nightmares related to exam hours. This is quite common in our country where the destiny of students' destinations is apparently determined by the exam results. Since the board examinations are around the corner, we must know the factors that affect the performance of the students adversely and we also must be acquainted with the inﬂuential f a c t o r s t h at w i l l f e t c h a s u p e r l at ive performance.

Ÿ Ÿ

Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ

Factors to be kept in mind for students to ensure their best performance Ÿ Make short-term plans for the preparation (chapter wise and subject wise) Ÿ Go through the patterns of questions and accordingly prepare every chapter Ÿ Make the habit of framing cor rect sentences.Write in simple sentences without any ambiguity Ÿ Reading question papers of all types should

Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ

be a part of their daily routine Collecting answers from diverse resources to enrich the content Making a blueprint of an answer before actually writing it helps in smooth ﬂow of thought and offers less room for mistakes Time management is important. Make a habit of ﬁnishing the test paper in relatively lesser time during rehearsal period Reviewing the written answers thoroughly at the end of an examination is a must Avoid long sentences, double negatives and idiomatic language Use separate paragraph with proper punctuation for every question that you answer for and underline the key-words of your answer to draw the attention of the examiner Understand the question asked before answering Do not make spelling errors and tense mistakes when you write your answers A legible handwriting is one of the key criteria to make the examiners read the answers comfortably

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Students should be aware of question type and marks allotted as it will help them plan and use their time more effectively and fruitfully during the examination hours Ÿ Start studying well before the examination as timely preparation will decide the scores Ÿ Focus on understanding the concepts rather than learning by rote for a long-term retention Ÿ On the day of the exam, relax, be happy and imagine you are writing any ordinary test that you have already written conﬁdently Ÿ

“ Schools must take the herculean task of counselling the parents of the students appearing for board examination

Schools must take the herculean task of counselling the parents of the students appearing for board examination Ÿ The schools must suggest and advise the parents to be empathetic while interacting with their children Ÿ Finally, parents are urged to explain and inform the child about the ways to face the exam conﬁdently instead of being a dictator or an indifferent party Ÿ

The Secret of Success The students who know how to deal with the examination patterns and conditions will be successful in combating the exam stress. These students review and analyse critically the areas to be improved. They solve the problems, look up the correct and relevant answers in their textbooks and other resource materials. They ask the teachers about the concepts that they have doubts on and most importantly after gathering them and giving them a proper shape, get them checked. The secret of success for any student is to utilise optimally all the resources at their disposal. Do their best and leave the rest.

The role of teachers, parents and the school Ÿ Keep reminding your kids that their hard work will deﬁnitely bear the best fruits Ÿ Make the students realise that if they are scared of tough questions that most questions framed are of average difﬁculty and designed to be correctly answered by most examinees Ÿ Allow the kids adequate sleep as a fresh mind will help them comprehend concepts easily Ÿ Give healthy food since student's mental faculties function sharper with the right nutrition 15

biswajit.majumdar09@gmail.com

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INSIDE THE MIND OF A LEADER The world's simplest idea. The Golden Circle, coined by Mr. Simon Sinek. A man who deciphered the minds of leaders, leaders like the Wright brothers, Steve Jobs, Martin Luther King. He said exceptional leaders had a way of life, a way of doing things and realizing this gave birth to the Golden Circle. It consists of 3 concentric circles. It begins with the why? How? And ﬁnally what? The purpose of this is to understand what a leader is made of in their core and what drives them in this dynamic world. In this issue, Ms. Radhika Sinha, the principal of Aditya Birla World Academy, Mumbai, shares her beliefs on making a difference and what made her venture into the ﬁeld of education.

WHY?

where we learn our ﬁrst lessons of life. My Alma Mater, Sacred Heart School, in Jamshedpur has played a vital role in shaping me as an individual today. I graduated with English Honours followed by a Masters in English Literature from Ranchi University. My journey only reafﬁrmed my belief that I was meant to be a teacher and was simply waiting to share and spread the joy of learning. The lessons I learned in school stay with me, even today. We learnt to accept challenges, face competition, disappointments, rejoice at victory, make friends, feel anger, love, jealousy, pride, joy; the entire gamut of emotions.

What made you embark on this remarkable journey and what keeps you going every day? I am a teacher at heart; my journey has been inspired by my teachers, some who cared and some who didn't cared enough. My inherent love for children, to be able to touch their hearts in even the smallest of ways, is what keeps me going. The following words encapsulate the very essence of my life's calling: I have the power, passion, the skill and the knowledge, to make a difference; Each and every day, Each and every child!

I know for sure, that the values we imbibed then, hold us in good stead today and they will remain with us forever as a source of strength enabling us to hold our head high.

Tell us about you, about your story. A school is best described as 'Life in Miniature' 16

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my paper onto my face! There was pin-drop silence in the classroom. That day I quietly shelved my aspiration to pursue medicine. On the other hand, my love for English Language and Literature dates back to the day, I wrote an essay and my teacher asked me to read it out in class. Since then, somehow I knew that I wanted to be a teacher who cares to make a difference in the lives of children she touches. I have loved every moment in my classroom teaching English. Maybe I was not cut out for the Sciences! Tell us your core belief. I believe, challenges, obstacles and failure are all developmentally necessary: they make us think beyond ourselves – they nudge us out of our comfort zone. It is only when we face a challenge that we ﬁnd the hidden reserves of courage and resilience come to the forefront!

Share an instance that tested your strength and how did you overcome it? When I was the Principal of an all-boys' residential school, the resistance from the 'male' staff that I had to deal with was uncomfortable and indeed a challenge, to say the least! However, I knew that I had the ability to work my way through this; also, I had the trust and support of the Management. So, I devised a way of collaborating with staff for all action plans; respecting their suggestions and views; involving them in decision making and impressing upon them the need to work as a team. I managed to keep my calm against all odds; I let my sense of fairness rule my actions; by and by, the acceptance came!

Tell us about some of the instances that changed your life? The instance that you felt was your calling. As adolescents, some events evoke powerful emotional reactions that might override the intellect and stay with us forever. I would like to share a short, personal anecdote: I lost my mother to Cancer when I was in grade 9. At that time, I was all charged to study Medicine and do research in Radiology and Oncology. I was a fairly intelligent student. My interests also lay in music, dance, and theatre. I pursued all these with equal vigour and joy.

HOW? How have you channelled your passion into your present role as a leader? I believe 'to develop learning, one needs to develop teachers'; being a teacher at heart and having identiﬁed the urgent and nonnegotiable need for improvement in the levels of English language skills, I have taken up the challenge single-handed to enhance the level of Language Skills for our entire teaching and administrative staff. They have become my 'willing learners'!

There was this cultural festival of which I was an enthusiastic participant involved in multiple activities. But I will never forget, that particular day, after the show, we were receiving our marks for a class test. My name was called out and our Physics teacher started off, “You can waltz down the ramp, sing and dance, be a drama queen. But in Physics, you can never get more than a 2/10!!” And she ﬂung 17

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were testimony to the fact that we were imparting the right kind of learning; the emphasis on a holistic development was evident when our children stood out in cocurricular activities; our placements got better and better every year; our graduates shared that the values they had imbibed consciously and unconsciously at school stood them in good stead!

The strategies used are innovative and creative; every session is crafted keeping in mind the requirements of the learners as well as the numbers, at times over 90 staff members! To hold the attention of the entire staff, is not an easy task but there is a differentiated methodology to keep every learner engaged; rolled into the teaching-learning is music, quiz, drama, games online tools, fun exercises, 'verbattle' and debate, group discussions, story-telling. There are several online assessments, including a half yearly and ﬁnal examination! The staff engages in all the exercises freely and the feedback received after each of the sessions has been extremely heartening and motivating.

Over time and steadily, we built an open and transparent communication system with our parents and today, I am proud to say that we share a fantastic sense of mutual trust and understanding. We want to know what your leadership strategy is in the ﬁeld of education and how you implement it. I feel that leading by example is the best form of leadership. I try to model the qualities that I would like our team to emulate.

It has been an important learning for me as well because I managed to keep my 'willing learners' thoroughly engaged and it kept the teacher in me so rewardingly motivated! How have you impacted your school's growth since your joining? I have been with the school since its infancy and the journey of a new school is indeed a r duous. We al l came from different educational and school backgrounds and while we all brought with us a wealth of experience from our previous organisations, we had to carve out an identity for our school, a distinct niche for Aditya Birla World Academy.

Advance Planning has helped me pre-empt situations; it gives me time to collect my thoughts and be ready with responses; also the prior preparation for scheduled events has helped me manage my time better. I also strongly believe in the 'power of purpose'; Every day, I make a mental note of what my purpose for the day is. It could be the very simple 'day to day' matters to resolve or work at, but I note them down all the same. At the end of the day, I take a stock of what I have been able to complete and close. It sure gives a sense of fulfillment to note that the purpose for the day has been achieved and one is ready for the next. To resolve conflicts from an objective stand, to be in the observation rather than judgmental mode; to respond rather than react and to facilitate open dialogue between the conflicting parties within a given time frame. Ongoing reflection of 'why I do what I do' has helped me in the way I handle things.

In today's world, expectations are very high from all stakeholders and they want immediate and visible results! So, we did have our share of 'helicopter' parents, each one trying to tell us how to run the school. I even had to address the parent body explaining to them that there is a ver y ﬁne line between 'involving and interfering' in our children's education and we would much rather have the ﬁrst! We dealt with every instance with calm and patience, knowing that we were on the right track and our actions would speak for themselves, far louder than words. And they did: our results 18

February 2018

Parents were divided into groups and they held animated and constructive discussions on the ﬁrst two questions and came up with a SWOT analysis, outlining our strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Some of the points were common and some diverse but we were able to get a wide range of ideas from different perspectives. They also brainstormed on how SMART goals could be set for the school.

Take us through the process of – ideation, plan of action and execution of one of the best practices/idea that you implemented in your school. 'Skyward Bound' was a conscious and wellplanned initiative to get all our stakeholders to co-own the ideas of a strategic plan for the way ahead. It was a unique and amazing exercise conducted separately, with our students more informally, with staff as well as our parents, more formally. Parents felt that the experience of sharing thoughts and ideas in setting up the future goals of our school gave a strong feeling of being responsible towards the journey that the school has in mind to give the best to our children. The transparent and wonderful connection that they share with the school was clearly evident during the sessions.

Each group shared their views with the rest of the groups; the approach was honest and transparent, positive and unbiased and a true reﬂection of balanced and good ideas. There was so much of energy, valuable insights and perspectives. There was a palpable sense of belonging and eagerness to contribute to take our school to great and greater heights. This was the start of a collaborative partnership built on mutual trust and understanding.

The idea behind 'Skyward Bound' was: To reach out to our parents as important stakeholders for their valuable inputs and involvement Ÿ To differentiate between perception and reality Ÿ To co-own and share responsibility of planning for the future Ÿ To understand, share and respect different perspectives Ÿ To establish realistic goals, objectives and strategies Ÿ To build a stronger partnership of mutual understanding and trust Ÿ To articulate 'our vision' based on 'your vision' + 'my vision' We believe that our vision prepares us for tomorrow; our mission shapes our today and we can prepare for tomorrow if we believe in our core values.

We take pride in being one of the very few schools that invite feedback from all stakeholders, like the learner feedback, the annual surveys from students, teachers and parents. We value their responses and try to incorporate whatever is feasible and in sync with our philosophy.

WHAT? What have you done in your school that represents the belief system that you would like to instill in children? In addition to a commitment to academic excellence, Aditya Birla World Academy strives to bring about a holistic development in every child – to hone the talents that lie latent within every child.

We asked ourselves four crucial questions: Where are we? Where do we want to be in the next 5 years? How do we get there? How do we measure our progress?

Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ

We are committed to traditional Indian values and culture for children to stay connected with their identity and feel a sense of belonging, but we also recognise the need for a global 19

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their competence, effort and commitment and taking a ﬁrm stand in case of complacency or work not up to expectations Ÿ Putting in place a comprehensive annual performance appraisal system, thereby motivating staff to give their best Ÿ We have a web-based interface, one-stop portal for parents to view real-time information and progress of their child. All student data, admissions, fee payment, communication is online

perspective in life. We pride ourselves on being an 'International School with an Indian Soul'. Our motto “Learn, Achieve and Inspire” epitomises the spirit of our school. We endeavour to build an awareness of and respect for cultural diversity within the country and internationally where a student learns to accept and respect diverse views, develop attributes of open-mindedness, a sense of camaraderie and a sense of social responsibility. What did you do to bring to life your aspirations for your school? Being a new school, it was important to translate the school's vision, priorities and targets into explicit policies and practises as well as develop a culture of collaboration, in which all members of the school community contribute to the achievement of shared goals.

What is the future you want for your school? What future do you see for your school? What will you do to bridge the gap, if any? Education is not just about academic training and excellence. It is also about laying emphasis on the importance of life skills, such as selfdiscipline, open-mindedness, respect, responsibility, resilience and reﬂection. Student engagement is of utmost importance to bring about active learning; learning that is meaningful, relevant, fun, experiential – the key is that the child is learning for life. The future sees education widening its horizons as there is a growing awareness of a paradigm shift in the mindset of what an education must equip a child with. Even in a world of specialisation, the importance of a holistic development is emphasised. The world needs people who are passionate about what they do; who respect open-minded perspectives and those who can transcend barriers that beset the path of global exchange.

In a short span of 10 years, we have carved a distinct niche for ourselves. This achievement is on account of: Ÿ Working closely with the Heads of Faculty to make the learning more skill based; to ensure there is stronger vertical and horizontal integration Ÿ Striking a good balance between delegating, letting go and yet overseeing matters – have placed trust, given complete clarity and conﬁdence to the team that while we all are together each one is accountable for the task on hand Ÿ Giving positive and speciﬁc feedback to staff on an ongoing basis, appreciating

February 2018

Chai time chit-chat Tell us your life's journey all the way from your ﬁrst steps into a school to right this moment. It has been a wonderful journey having worked in different school setups! Ranging from a private school to a missionary, an all-girls' public residential school to an all boys' residential school and amidst this, a school for the underprivileged. But the one common thing that kept me going was my inherent love for children! Share one of the ﬁnest advices you have been given that you still carry along with you today Rather than being the “best in the world” aspire to be the “best for the world”. As a leader what kinds of changes do you aspire to make in the future of education? Another big avenue we see our school moving towards is transitioning into incorporating more technology into our teaching methods. Virtual Reality is a new space in education technology, and we are slowly taking steps to explore this. What is the most unexpected thing you've learned along the way as a leader? Creating a conducive work culture amongst staff amid the clash of titans with their professional egos! The leader is caught up managing people more than anything else. Does students' perfor mance in examinations directly represent the quality of learning in the school? No, it does not directly represent the quality of learning. Student performance in the exam is partly the sincere effort of

the teachers and partly the diligence of the students. How do you factor examinations in teacher evaluation and performance assessment models? Teacher performance is evaluated on several parameters so as to have a fair and 360° system. How do you ensure a fair evaluation of student's performance in examinations? We ensure that there are assessment objectives and rubrics shared with students at the beginning itself. There is a mark scheme and a tiered and thorough process of moderation How do you use examination system to better the teaching-learning practices? Formative tests, being assessment tools for learning, give a sense of the progress in the teaching-learning process, while summative tests and examinations being assessment tools of learning outcomes give a clearer sense of how effective the teaching-learning process has been. What are the in-service training programs for teachers to help them deal with examinations better? We arrange professional development sessions on: Ÿ d i f f e r e n t i a t e d a n d i n n ova t ive assessment strategies Ÿ how to improve the quality of feedback Ÿ the anecdotal comments and the rubrics for project-based learning Ÿ sharing best assessment practises within the department

principal@adityabirlaworldacademy.com

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Mark of a Successful School G S Madhav Rao

S Madhav Rao is presently the CEO of Synergy School Systems in Noida. With a career spanning over four decades, Mr. Rao has donned several hats from that of a teacher to Educational Administrator and Chief Academic Ofcer. He has worked with Delhi Public Schools as Principal and later with GEMS Schools as the Executive Principal. After spending 14 years in Middle East, he returned to India as the Chief Academic Ofcer, GEMS India based in Gurgaon, Delhi NCR. Mr. Rao has also been a recipient of CBSE National Award for teachers. His expertise in School Education go across a spectrum of specialisations- creating innovative School Models, Curriculum Design, Class Room transactions, Assessment, School Quality Assessment, Building Designs and British and Indian Curriculums.

the schools should do a really good job of that—allowing you to really search out what you want to do and ﬁnd your passion. They shouldn't care if that's in academics or art or sports. I think the school system really fails with testing. You're just learning to take a test. You're not learning to actually be happy.”

Measuring Successful Schools Are successful schools measured by their students' academic achievement? In reality, YES! Should it be? – A provocation to ponder that future success of school needs skills besides an academic portfolio

This clearly explains a gap in understanding what school provides and what our students need. It is high time we designed learning for learner’s sake to accomplish the ultimate goal of education i.e. learning that can be applied for the beneﬁt of the self and the society.

What reference do we have to measure the success except the summative scores secured per hundred. We do not have well-defined criteria that we believe show the impact of schools' work on the students' successes in life. Even most of IIT alumni don't work in the field of pure engineering and technology for which IITs deliberately train them. Without data on what is being accomplished in terms of students' success by our intended actions, it is difficult to measure schools attainment.

Looking at Academic Success: Present Status Our students' academic success greatly depends on the ability to recall and reproduce, followed by exhibiting some understanding and very little application. Our country doesn't participate at Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) tests is something to worry about. It surely shows that we lack conﬁdence that our students can be in the ﬁrst ten high performing nations. We may have to worry a lot in the way we teach math and

A student of Grade XI was quoted in The Hechinger Report: “Role of school is to engage the student and ﬁnd what makes the student interested in the subject. It's about ﬁnding passion, and I think 22

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get special mentoring from thriving private coaching industry. More over the students who opt for Math and Science do not prefer to pursue them at graduation even if they fail to get admission to a good Engineering College! With poor funding, lack of resources and incentives, many brilliant and talented minds do not take to science research as a career. Explains why we don't ﬁgure at Noble awards in science and technology! How do we then measure the impact of success when it is not about the deliberate work that schools do in teaching science and math?

sciences without any reference to global standards. Therefore domestic success of schools in performing well is relative. Most schools do not consistently perform well at boards. How do we then say that a school is successful if it has one time or occasional achievement?

Measuring Success: In skills and not in scores Success should mean getting into the workforce with a concept of leadership and teamwork besides academic achievement. For many, success is about getting a good job with the help of knowledge and skills that you attain through the schooling.

“ Success should mean getting into the workforce with a concept of leadership and teamwork besides academic achievement

Besides academics, we can attribute success to a school that assures habits of mind in its students that help them to perform effectively in the careers they choose. Some are: Ÿ Skills developing physical and mental wellbeing. Today physical and mental illness have become common problems and schools need their curriculum to focus on building resilience and stamina in students to adjust to the rapidly changing World Ÿ Life Skills: cognitive and higher thinking skills, social and emotional skills build competency for critical thinking and problem solving Ÿ Adaptive skills through creativity and innovation in face of challenges. New graduates will increasingly be recruited for their adaptability!

The only admission that is craved is to IITs. About 50% of total seats are available for general category whereas lacs of aspirants appear for JEE main and JEE advanced after school. Schools cannot claim absolute success for themselves as these successful candidates

“91% of HR directors think that by 2018, people will be recruited on their ability to deal with change and uncertainty.” says The Flux 23

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success shall be open to new opportunities and adopt a growth mindset. Seth Godin, a critically acclaimed American author has said, “If you’re not doing the things that scare you, you’re not really learning.”

Report by Right Management. The future of success in schools Success of schools in future will be measured against Ÿ Per fo r m a n ce i n In t er n at i o n a l Examinations like PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) that evaluate education systems worldwide Ÿ Building skills required in the present and future jobs. Schools need to know the industrial requirements and promote a learning environment that focuses on meeting the demands Ÿ Curriculum that offers a behavioral skill certiﬁcation. Learning in schools should bring about an observable change in the behaviour as schools are tasked with responsibility of building human capacity in their formative years of development Ÿ Designing a dedicated framework to incorporate visible and measurable pedagogical innovations Ÿ Fostering Willingness to Learn, Unlearn and Relearn Ÿ Empowering students and teachers to be resourceful, ﬂexible, and creative Ÿ Moving from a local to a global platform by network and idea exchange

“ Schools should add skill set certication as an essential ingredient of competence to succeed Thus, schools need to think out of the given box and invest in innovation, creativity, higher order thinking and practical application of knowledge disseminated to their students. For now academic success is essential but will not be the sole driver of attainment. Schools should add skill set certiﬁcation as an essential ingredient of competence to succeed. In the race to scores, we have left or leaving many children behind. Success to me means helping every child actualise what he or she is good at!

“The opportunities and possibilities of the 21st Century are exciting and empowering for schools. Schools that have high expectations of 24

rite2madhav@gmail.com

February 2018

Examinations: A Means or An End Rajeshwari

ajeshwari is the Headmistress of Chinmaya International Residential School. She teaches Economics and is also a Spiritual Guide with a vast experience in education for the past 20 years. An inspired and creative person, she conducts many workshops for students and teachers on Holistic and Value-Based Education. Being in a residential school and living with children and having observed them closely, she believes that children should be nurtured to be emotionally and spiritually strong so that they can become intellectually cultured and responsible citizen of the nation and the world. As a spiritual guide, she mentors and counsells students of different age group and prepares them to not just earn in life but to live the life as a whole. In this article, she has shared useful tips for improving the teaching-learning process through exam results.

e n d by i t s e l f. To a d d va l u e t o t h e i r examinations, schools can implement the following practical steps: Ÿ Adopting different methods of assessment at least in the primary school. In the beginning of the year, the teacher should identify individual learners and prepare a bridge course to ﬁll the gap in some learners so that in due course the learner can catch up with the rest of the class Ÿ Learners at different levels should be provided with question papers based on their current learning capabilities. This will motivate the learner to pick up the pace and content comfortably and quickly rather than face demotivation by performing poorly when tested with the other mainstream students Ÿ Student's performance in a class should not be recognised by who scored the highest in the examination. Rather, they must be recognised and awarded by the criteria of who improved the most in the exam when compared to their previous performance. This will motivate the students to compete with themselves rather than others

Plight of Present Examination System The plight of the present examination system and the stress on rote learning and exam results is a sorry affair. The entire system, including children, teachers, parents and the society take exam performance as a yardstick to measure children's potential. Assessing student's capability and future aptitude with just one assessment is unfair. However, as the examination system is here to stay, we as educators can do our bit by adding qualitative value to it. Tips and Tec hniques to Add Value to Examinations For Schools: The examinations normally test what the student does not know rather than testing how well does he knows something. It is this fear of the unknown that makes a student, who may be academically very good, to take extreme steps like suicide fearing the unknown result of his performance. One must understand that an examination is just the means to understand where we stand academically and it is not the 25

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One, the students open up to learning as the group is small and they can ask any questions, without inhibition, to their mentor. Secondly, the mentor himself/herself grasps the concept at a deeper level as he/she has to teach in such a way that his group understands the concept. Here the mentor becomes both creative and also learns to communicate his ideas effectively For Parents and Students: Student assessment should go beyond rote learning and exams results to discover and reveal the different aptitudes and intellectual abilities of the students Ÿ Parents must be made an integral part in the evaluation of the child. They must attend counselling sessions to understand that all children are not the same and neither are their learning abilities in a given area. Once parents understand this, the pressure to perform in the exam and meet the parent's expectation will reduce Ÿ Schools have started introducing methods like mindfulness and meditation to make the minds of the students calm and focused in this generation of turbulence Ÿ

For Teachers: It is essential for teachers to analyse the exam performance and evaluate the student's area of strengths and weakness after the exam. Some of the methods can be by analysing the performance of the class based on the question paper blueprint with r e s p e c t t o t h e f o l l ow i n g a s p e c t s : Knowledge, Understanding, Application, Skill and Evaluation based questions. This analysis can also be done chapter wise/ concept wise/ question wise. Teachers can come to a better understanding of the strength and weakness of the class based on the above analysis. The teacher can then focus on remedial areas and guide the students accordingly Ÿ It is also noticed that most of the time, the teacher focuses on the average students of the class and somehow misses to engage the high and low achievers. After the exam, the high achievers could be given more challenging questions and remediation provided for low achievers Ÿ Mentoring system is another technique that can be adopted in class. Groups can be made where a high achiever mentors the other students in his/her group and helps them to learn. There is a two-fold advantage of this method: Ÿ

Conclusion: It is well known that many students fail as engineers and doctors but become successful in the pursuit of arts, music, literature and media. Fearlessness to do what one is passionate about and facing failures with 'so what?' is the only key measure for a truly successful person. The strength of character, willingness to move ahead on the right path alone no matter what and looking at life itself rather than lifestyle and its worth is the true measure of success. So let us build the future by not fostering the fear of the unknown, rather facing the unknown fearlessly.

rajeshwaricirs@gmail.com

February 2018

Food for Thought Rekha Gupta

ekha Gupta is a certied Dietitian and Nutritionist with a Masters in Nutrition and Dietetics from Indira Gandhi Open University. She is also a qualied diabetes educator, certied by International Diabetes Federation, she secured the rst rank in her batch. Ms. Gupta has also completed her Bachelor’s and Masters in Pharmacy from Department of Pharmaceutics, Indian Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University. A registered Pharmacist with Pharmacy Council of India. She has also worked as a guest lecturer for the Pharmaceutics Department of her former University and a certied Pediatric Nutritionist, counsellor for HIV , AIDS and family education. Ms. Gupta has conducted several workshops for school and college students on Right Nutrition for school going children, Healthy tifn, cooking Nutritious food without Fire and Healthy Food for Holistic Development.

provide children with smart diet tips to great grades in exams!

For students during exams what they eat can be as important as what they study. A well balanced nutrition is important throughout the year but is particularly important during examination time when the brain and the body are under stressful condition. A good diet can give enough energy and improve mental health and alertness, while a poor diet can make a student feel sluggish, anxious and jittery.

Healthy Tips for Students During Exams Start the day with healthy wholesome breakfast: Foods with a low glycemic index e.g. oats, muesli, upma, eggs in all forms are beneﬁcial and provide a steady supply of glucose. Small frequent meals are preferred: Three to four large meals a day will make them lethargic and sleepy as blood is redirected to the stomach instead of the brain. Small, frequent, nutritious meals will give them a constant ﬂow of steady nourishment keeping them alert and awake.

It is important for the schools to remind the students how important it is to eat well, especially during exam time. A healthy diet is not just important for the physical health, but also mental health as our brain requires the right nutrients for normal functioning. Many students ﬁnd it hard to know which foods are important when trying to keep the grey matter happy.

Proteins are essential in the diet: Carbs are digested quickly whereas proteins provide the much-needed slow burn giving a constant source of energy. A breakfast rich in protein increases tyrosine (an amino acid) levels in the blood and brain which help nerve cells manufacture chemicals which keep children alert and active.

Teachers-as Nutritionists It is seen that teachers always have more inﬂuence on children social and intellectual development. It becomes the duty of a teacher to talk about nutrition and good eating habits to students, especially before exams. They can 27

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Keep them hydrated: Generally, the intake of water and ﬂuids go down during the exam time which makes a person listless, restless, irritable and the concentration goes downs. Water can also be substituted with fresh juices. Avoid too much caffeine i.e. coffee, tea and carbonated drinks: All these lead to dehydration and acidity. After giving an initial boost, they can cause a deep low. They will also interfere with circadian cycle and lead to sleep deprivation. Avoid too much sugar, junk and processed foods: These foods are loaded with sugars and simple carbohydrate and can cause a sudden spike in sugar levels in the blood. After a while, when the stomach feels empty it could lead to a craving for more.

Role of Schools Ÿ The schools should plan a nutrition workshop on the right diet for their students before the examinations. This will create awareness about healthy eating and the impact it has on the performance of the child, thus making them better prepared Ÿ There should be a proper fruit break in school and ensured that students get a fruit and eat it too Ÿ P r o p e r hyd r at i o n s h o u l d b e g ive n importance. During exams, the school should provide lemon juice with a couple of cookies to the children for proper hydration and energy Ÿ If required, schools can provide individual counselling to parents and students from a nutritionist Ÿ School canteen should serve healthy food choices like juice, fruit platter and healthy snacks rather than junk food which makes students dull and lethargic Ÿ The students should also be told what they should eat before an examination. Eating light and nutrient packed food during this time is a great help To conclude, the right nutrition is the foundation of not just academic success but interconnected with all areas related to the holistic growth and development. To teach right...feed right!

Give them stress-buster foods: During the stressful period of exams, the body's requirement for water-soluble vitamins like Vitamin B complex and C, minerals like zinc goes up. These help in the synthesis and functioning of adrenal hor mones that basically are our stress-fighting hormones. Brown rice, nuts, eggs, fresh veggies and fruits can help. Foods to increase the efficiency of the brain: Anti-oxidants like Vitamins A, C and E cut back harm to brain cells due to heightened stress during exam time by fighting the free radicals. Eggs, fish, green leafy vegetables, fresh fruits will facilitate to meet this demand. Don't miss out on memory boosting foods Omega 3 fatty acids found mainly in seafood and oilseeds are required to enhance brain function and memory. Avoid outside food during exams: Eating outside food can cause infection due to low immunity and high-stress condition during exams. 28

rekhavns@gmail.com

February 2018

Evaluating Board Examinations The best judge to critically examine our boards are the students facing them. This article brings to you two young authors; Abhijna: a class 10th student and Kriti, a class 12th student who share their present experiences of going through the dreaded 'BOARDS' and also enlighten our readers on some useful tips and techniques to sail smoothly through.

bhijna Choodi is a grade tenth student studying at Cambridge Public School, Bangalore. He is an avid soccer fan and considers sports essential for development. Abhijna had the honour of being the sports minister of his school for two years. Abhijna likes participating in debates and other literary events and has won several Model United Nations held in schools such as Bishop Cotton Boys', The International School of Bangalore etc. A talented musician, he has also cleared the junior level of Carnatic Vocal Music. Abhijna takes school and competitive exams seriously. Recently, he has cleared the National Talent Search Examinations (NTSE) stage 1 and is now preparing for the school boards.

riti Dutta is a student of grade twelve from Presidency School Bangalore South. Kriti secured an impressive score of 93.5% in her 10th ICSE Board Exams. She was among the six students selected to take part in the interaction with Mrs Sudha Murthy, chairperson of Infosys. Kriti was the Middle School Prefect in the 6th and 7th grade, the Literary Club President in 10th and the House Captain for two consecutive years. She has been part of a dance troupe that raises funds for 'Seva In Action-school for special children with special needs', Koramangala and a member of CMCA (Children's Movement for Civic Awareness).

this process the basics and concepts are neglected. Especially in the sciences and mathematics, without knowing the core concepts, its impossible to solve most questions Ĺ¸ The core part of your preparations consists of relentless practise, learning, solving exercises and perfecting your concepts and problem-solving skills. It is vital to completely solve all the exercises in your school textbooks, clear doubts. Then move onto previous year question papers, model papers, specimen papers, tricky questions, board question banks. In this phase, you must improve your knowledge database to the maximum, perfect concepts and clear

How are you preparing yourself for board exams? Please share some tips with other students. Abhijna: The boards are becoming more challenging and competitive and every mark counts, so in order to achieve that perfection, just hard work is not going to cut it anymore. Though hard work is vital for boards, teachers are stressing the importance of 'smart work'. To do well in boards and achieve the success that you desire, there are a few key steps: Ĺ¸ First, get your basic concepts right. This cannot be stressed on enough because students are under the impression that the more challenging questions that they solve, the more marks they are going to get and in 29

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Chemistry, Math, Computer and English. The only subject helping me maintain a stable percentage is English! Although my friends and I feel as though everything is a downwardspiral, certain techniques have been helping us improve. Ÿ Make your own study material: For Physics and Chemistry, I have maintained a separate derivation book for derivations of important formulae from the beginning of the year and this has now become a lifesaver. I know there are plenty of formulae books available in stores and online, but making them on my own helps me accurately recall during the exam Ÿ Pay attention in class! Our classmates deﬁnitely have more interesting things to say/do and so do our fuzzy little brains, but listening to what the teacher has to say, is like watching an audio-visual version of the answer-key of your future question paper. th Ÿ For all the 11 hour brave hearts, solving the last ten years question papers is a sure shot boost to your conﬁdence and it positively helps with a revision of basic concepts

all doubts Lastly, polish your skills. This part is very underrated by most students but is vital to their success. At this stage, you already know the concepts, solved lots of questions and now it is time to give the ﬁnishing touches. Solve board papers with a time limit, with accuracy and precision, to get accustomed to the pressure. Discuss questions with your teachers, they provide essential tips as they have a lot of experience. Most importantly, take your preliminary examinations very seriously to check your preparation level

What do you fear most about the Board Exams? Abhijna: The thing I fear most about board exams is probably similar to what most students fear, i.e. failing to meet the expectations of your parents, family, teachers and friends. Moreover, we ourselves expect a lot going into board exams as it is the first major, life-changing exam that we will write. As it decides our future, a lot of fears creep in, what if I don't finish the exam? What if I get below 90%? What if my friends beat me? What will I do in the future if I don't do well? What will my parents think if I do bad? It is even noticed that quite a few times students underperform, due to the stress and fear related to these exams. They can't perform to their potential because it is difficult for students to cope up with the pressure. So when you actually look at it from a student's perspective, there is undeniable fear

Kriti: With my 12th board exams approaching at such an alarming rate, I realised the stark difference in my methods of preparation in classes 10th and 12th. For my 10th ICSE, with my beloved Mathematics, I made it a point to solve at least 5 questions every night. These little bits of practice every night helped me during my revision before exams. Coming to subjects I liked the least (English), I made it a point to read it ﬁrst thing every morning, or on my way to school. That way I at least had an idea of what was going on in class and prevented my thoughts from gallivanting elsewhere. But 12th, wow! My combination is Physics, 30

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long hours Students need to ﬁnd their own stress busters which can allow them to relax for some time. Either hanging out with friends, playing sports, evening walks or anything else that helps them relax Ÿ Many schools are taking up parent counselling workshops to help parents understand their child's needs during the exam times. This is deﬁnitely a step in the positive direction considering that students need all the help they can get during this crucial period

of failing at every step of the way.

Kriti: More than the fear of getting my answers wrong or not having enough time to complete my paper, I fear my correct answers will not contain certain “key-words” that examiners expect at the time of correction and this could lead to the deduction of the entire marks allotted to the answer. If the question asks a certain theory and my answer has explained it satisfactorily, my marks will be cut off if I have used a synonymous word instead of that given in the textbook. That way, I feel, even though most of our concepts are clear, we are being graded differently, while those who have quoted the books probably just memorised it having no absolute idea of what is explained.

Kriti: At home, my parents have managed to create an environment of 100% serenity. The bitter truth, I ﬁnd it appalling! The fact that we are in our “Board year” and that we must be in our study-mode seems petrifying to most of us. Our parents, with worry lines on their faces, always on their toes to be there for us, making sure we do not get diverted is rather, how do I put it, pressurising. Sometimes I feel I would have written my class test with a lot more conﬁdence had it been a different grade.

How can your parents, teachers and the school help you reduce the exam stress? Abhijna: What most people don't understand is the situation that the students are being placed in, it is the first time for most students to write an examination of such a massive significance. Doing well in boards not only requires the thorough preparation of the syllabus, but also requires you to mentally prepare yourself for the boards. It requires a confident, strongwilled, positive, stress-free mindset. This is where parents, family and teachers step in. I believe it is not only necessary but also the duty of their parents and teachers to take care of the emotional side of the students and not always pressure us into studying. It is clinically proven that the brain requires breaks to perform at its max, studying non-stop is not effective and possibly detrimental. Ÿ It is necessary for parents and teachers to act as constant morale boosters for students, to instill confidence and positivity. They must ensure students are in a positive environment at home or school Ÿ Their words of encouragement and support go a long way in helping the student's mental health. They must encourage students to take positive breaks between

“ Students need to nd their own stress busters which can allow them to relax for some time As you would have already experienced, school is the only place you would ever meet so many like-minded people. Thereby, I don't think a school needs to do much to help relieve stress, we are great at motivating each other! One humble request though, P.E happens to be the best stress breaker, and it deﬁnitely would make us less whiny if another teacher wouldn't 31

INNOVATION

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are not tested. There are some students exceptional in certain fields and not so good in others, they can certainly make it far in their respective fields but are brought down by board exams Ÿ The thing is that we have not come up with a different method of evaluation that is realistically implementable throughout India until then board exams will hold the massive significance they hold now, even though a lot of people debate over them

take it as a substitution to continue their “revision”. As cliché as it seems, encouragement does wonders! It brings about such an unintended adrenaline gush—we are prone to do better. This undoubtedly is the best way to help a student build up the enthusiasm to do better. What are the Pros and Cons of Board Exams to evaluate your performance. Abhijna: There deﬁnitely have been a lot of debates over the pros and cons of the boards.

Kriti: Evaluating my performance via Boards

PROS: Ÿ An effective method to evaluate the 'overall learning capability' of a child and checks the precision and accuracy of the knowledge of the child Ÿ The pressure that it accumulates and puts on the students, shows the students the 'real world'. It shows that nothing comes easy, everything requires hard work. It helps us to handle pressure, teaches effective time management skills and increases the overall knowledge of the child

PROS: At least after tediously studying so many vast topics, I can narrow down to the topics I would like to take up for my further studies and those I would choose not to Ÿ Also, once I successfully faced and conquered the class 10 board exams, I ﬁnd my fear of facing tougher, bigger exams fading away. I have learnt to manage time, multitask and give my best in pressure situations Ÿ

CONS: Less importance to Practicals: are allotted only 20-30 marks in our boards. Honestly, practical exams happen to be the only ones wherein our actual knowledge of the subject is tested Ÿ Predictability: Board exams happen to have one loophole, and that is the past year's question papers. If one patiently scans through the previous board questions they will surely know what topics to not prepare for even though they seem to be part of the syllabus Ÿ With all of these random points mashed up into an article, I would like to say that no matter how hard examination boards try to make exams seem like a positive segment in our lives, we teenagers, by all means, take exams results as the maker or breaker of our lives

CONS: Ÿ From a student's perspective, I guarantee that not everybody necessarily agrees with the method of evaluation of one's performance and worth using board exams Ÿ It is deﬁnitely not an indication of a human's true worth, they deﬁnitely don't decide your entire life, yes it does go a long way in making your career and future but that doesn't mean it's a sure shot indication of whether you are going to succeed or fail in life Ÿ Boards don't effectively test so many factors that the real world requires, like creativity, innovation, even though there are parts of the exam where students need to be creative, its due importance is not given. Moreover, factors like socialisation skills, team management and others as such

abhijna.c@gmail.com/kd.kritid@gmail.com

February 2018

LXL Safe School Framework Dr. Sagneet Kaur & Anishaa Ahuja LXL Research Team

Under Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, safe environment precedes intellectual needs establishing the importance of safety in imparting education. In an international research, it was highlighted that 1 in every 3 student feels that their school is unsafe with India having one of the highest ratings with 72% of students citing their schools to be UNSAFE (Childfund, 2016). A root cause of this failure is our reactive approach to safety breach and exhaustive policy guidelines lacking consistency and scalability.

LXL Ideas in its initiative to build safe schools conducted a pan India research to assess the present status of safety among schools, understand the perception of safety from the eye of different stakeholders and to preview a 360 degree assessment of schools in different safety aspects i.e. Physical, Psychological and Socio-emotional.

outside area of schools (65%) and school ground (54%) are ill-maintained Lack basic health and hygiene, like schools, lack hand towels (69%), sanitizer (56%) or sanitary napkins (49%) Ill-equipped medical facility, like school ambulance (93% of schools); nurse (74%), on-call doctor (75%); medical equipment (68%) and sick room (50%) Inability to ensure psychological safety; 64% parents cited schools are not suited to handle mental health issues Weak social safety; 35% schools never do background check of staff and 42% students don’t feel teachers and seniors are approachable

With inferences drawn from above research, LXL Ideas has brought a dedicated and collaborative framework to ensure safety among schools. Detailed inferences of LXL Research on Safe Schools; LXL Safe School framework and implementation process can be https://www.slideshare.net/mobile/LxLIdeas/s yed-sultan-ahmed-md-lxl-ideas-safe-school

The results highlighted a lack of basic safety and security measures following these inferences: Ÿ 54% of parents, teachers, and students are not satisﬁed with safety policies Ÿ 51% of schools lac k awareness of government policies and guidelines on safety Ÿ 64% teachers cited that their school never conducted any training on safety Ÿ 59% of schools do not include parents and their feedback in ensuring safety Ÿ Lack of basic infrastructural safety in the following facilities; school canteen (72%);

Taking this issue in-depth, LXL Ideas is conducting Phase 2 Research on Safe Schools w i t h a n o b j e c t i ve t o c o m e u p w i t h implementable recommendations to make the LXL Safe School Framework viable and scalable to implement. Come and join us in this initiative by writing back to us on info@lxl.in

anishaa@lxl.in

MENTOR THOUGHTS

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Creating a Customised Training Calendar Kalpa Kartik, Editor-in-chief, Mentor Magazine, Director, LXL Ideas kalpa@lxl.in

Mentor Conclave 2017 left me with lots of learning, understanding and some important insights into the minds of other educators, leaders, and stakeholders from the learning community. One of the concerns coming to the forefront was a huge demand for in-service teacher training and the inability of schools to provide professional training programs for their teachers. To address this, practical planning and implementable strategies are required with emphasis on design to nurture excellence, creativity and overall performance in the workplace.

Ÿ Ÿ

required? What should be the model of evaluation? Will everything ﬁnish in allocated time?

Answering these questions, the schools can efﬁciently design an effective year-round training calendar for their teachers. In a nutshell, to organise a training in a school, the action plan is to lay down speciﬁc learning objectives and then select the resource materials that would aid in accomplishing them. The training content shared should detail the subject matter that the school wants them to learn, how long each section should take, the methods of instruction for each topic covered, and the measures the school will use to check that the participants have learned what was needed for them to learn.

All schools prepare their academic calendar months in advance. Similarly, schools need to be proactive while preparing a training calendar for their employees. Training Calendar is like a roadmap laying down the tasks and guiding the schools towards achieving their ultimate goal of trained human resources. To achieve this goal, the schools should have a clarity on: Ÿ What is the needed skill set to be acquired by their trainees? Ÿ Why are these skills important? Ÿ How will the content be presented i.e. the entire execution? Ÿ How will they know that the trainees have understood the class correctly? Ÿ What are the teaching-learning materials

The most important aspect of designing a training calendar is the active involvement of the learners in entire learning cycle and welldeﬁned task orientation with achievable speciﬁc aims and objectives in a given time period. If schools check all these boxes, they would successfully equip themselves in building an environment of growth and learning for their teachers and support staff ultimately improving the learning outcomes of their students.

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