ScooNews Magazine - February 2019 - Digital Edition by ScooNews

Children must be taught how to think, not what to think

Volume 3 Issue 7 February 2019 CHANGING TEACHERS’ LIVES EVERYDAY, EVERY WAY!

Margaret Mead

STRAIGHT

Group Editor Ravi Santlani Deputy Editor Parvathy Jayakrishnan

TALK

Reporters Anushka Yadav, Anshu Pande, Ashima Sharma, Anuj Kr.

Ravi Santlani, CEO

Website Team Pranav Sharma, Ojas Godatwar Art Direction Rexsu Cherry Advisory Board: Anand Kumar, Founder, Super-30 Dr Jagpreet Singh, Headmaster, The Punjab Public School, Nabha Dr Neeta Bali, Director- Principal, G D Goenka World School, Gurugram Dr Swati Popat Vats, President, Podar Education Network & President, Early Childhood Association India Geeta Dharmarajan, Founder & President, Katha Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar,Trustee, Vidyadan Trust & Maharana of Mewar Foundation Lt Gen SH Kulkarni (Retd), Director, Mayo College Meenakshi Uberoi, Education Evangelist, Founder, De Pedagogics Nishi Misra, Principal, Scindia Kanya Vidyalaya, Gwalior Prajakt Raut, Co-founder, Applyifi & The Growth Labs Sandeep Dutt, Founder & Chairman, Learning Forward India Skand Bali, Principal, The Hyderabad Public School, Begumpet Pics Pressfoto Pixabay, Shutterstock Cover Design ATLT Inc

Founder & CEO Ravi Santlani Vice President Operations Vinay K Singh Vice President PR Vanya Bhandari National Sales Head Pankaj Sharma BD Executive Yashwant Parmar, Shivam Joshi, Kirti Mishra, Aryan Mudgal EDITORIAL OFFICE EduPulse Media Pvt Ltd, J-3, Jhalana Institutional Area, Second Floor, Jaipur 302004 India Email: editor@scoonews.com FOR ALL SALES QUERIES Pankaj Sharma +91-74120-27891 sales@scoonews.com FOR SUBSCRIPTION +91-72405-17913 subscribe@scoonews.com PRINTED AND PUBLISHED by Ravi Santlani on behalf of EduPulse Media Pvt Ltd PRINTED AT Popular Printers, Fateh Tiba, MD Road Jaipur, Rajasthan, India. PUBLISHED AT, J-3, Jhalana Institutional Area, Second Floor, Jaipur-302004, India Editor : Ravi Santlani Publishing Date: 10 Fabruary ‘2019 Total number of pages 194, including Covers

So, are you part of the problem or the solution?

he progression is there to see… but the change must come faster, much faster! Over the years, awareness has slowly but steadily been growing about the importance of the early years in a child’s development. From parents to educators, it is now more commonly known that the linguistic, cognitive and social skills that children develop in early childhood are the real foundations for lifelong learning. Early access to Early Childhood Education Care has been proved to provide young children, particularly from low-income and second-language groups, with a good start in life. The unfortunate truth is that over 40 percent of India’s children in the 0-6 age group are deprived of any early childhood care. This, despite the Constitution and Parliament having recognised the importance of Early Childhood Care Education and declaring their endeavour to provide ECCE for all children until they complete the age of six years. India cannot move forward and takes its rightful place in the world while neglecting the holistic care of its youngest citizens—the adults of tomorrow. As this hugely important yet much neglected section fails to attract the necessary attention, it is time for the nation at large to advocate a separate ministry for ECCE. The Early Childhood Association, spearheaded by President Dr Swati Popat Vats, has been passionately championing quality Early Childhood Education and Care. It is time for us, parents, educators, industry players and media, to lend our voice to the ECA’s demand for a separate early childhood development, care and education ministry. It will be the only way for child health, education, care, rights and laws to receive the urgent and specialised attention it deserves. If we cannot rise up to be part of the solution we remain, unfortunately, part of the problem.

February 2019

CONTENTS

12-128 EEA EXCLUSIVE

170

162 LEARNIT 2019:

132-155

EEA SPEAKERS’ GALLERY

158 GESS DUBAI WHAT WILL YOU CREATE?

Be inspired at the Middle East’s biggest education show

February 2019

EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT MILESTONES

Anushka Yadav shares her experience as part of the Indian Delegation curated by FICCI Arise, India at Learnit 2019, London

174

CREATING THE HAPPIEST LEARNING SPACES

YOURS TRULY INSIGHTFUL READ The twenty-first century classrooms require educators to match students’ curiosity; the magazine’s January issue has given us some interesting books to read and improve our communication with students. My favourite one has to be Teaching with Tools Kids Really Use: Learning with The Web and Mobile Technologies by Susan Brooks-Young. I found the book relevant to the problems educators face with edtech; it certainly helped me to understand and use edtech better. The mere thought of reading a book to understand technology never crossed my mind! Thanks to the author for introducing these informative and relevant books that we needed. Aashima Jain, Bangalore

EDTECH IMPORTANCE It might have been a fruitful year for edtech start-ups, however, there are plenty of such start-ups that shut down because of varied reasons. I'd like to congratulate the team on highlighting how schools, as well as policymakers, have been dicey about inculcating edtech in classrooms. Our education system needs edtech now more than ever; especially, when it is a must for holistic development of the twentyfirst-century student. However, there's hope for many emerging start-ups as even the government is all set to bring "digital intensity in education." Thank you for the well-researched and well written article. Mili Gaur, Patna

BUILDING BRIDGES After reading UNESCO’s GEM Report 2019, reality set me back a little. It's frightening and sad to think of so many children not being able to receive basic necessities, a loving environment, and education. Every day millions of children are displaced and have to leave their homes in search of a safer land. Organisations like

UNESCO and their efforts should be lauded because they are making sure that each child gets what they deserve. Only education can transform lives and break barriers; it has the power to build bridges. Thank you team ScooNews for bringing your readers close to the wonderful efforts being done. Sumit Pareek, Jaipur

THE NEW COOL Every article in the magazine was refreshing and had so much new to offer. Technology is reaching new heights, and especially in the field of education. For everyone who is into this field should know the trends as well as the challenges edtech is facing. I loved the article about edtech in India. It was a lovely read and I look forward to reading more articles on this topic. Aditi Mittal, Mumbai

TIME FOR CHANGE I have always wanted to voice my opinion on the curriculums that the schools follow and after reading a whole article on it, I understand that it is not just me who wants a change in the way our children our being taught. It is high time we update teaching methods and the content being followed in schools. The modern world needs modern lessons and techniques. Radha Agarwal, Jaipur

LET’S PLAY? I really enjoy the content ScooNews offers. Although, I would like to request for a small puzzle or Sudoku whilst, I read the magazine. I believe that puzzles are important features in a publication and can be a valuable means to build up a loyal audience. Just a suggestion by an ardent reader! Akkansha Gupta, Patna

GUIDANCE NEEDED I read recently that State Education Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama has requested the central government to allow Gujarat government to impose a ban on online and mobile games like PUBG owing to the negative impact they have on children. I wonder if ‘banning’ is really the solution. Isn’t it our responsibility as educators and parents to explain to our children the negative effects of playing violent games, and guide them to better content? We do need to spread awareness among students on the side effects of all potentially dangerous games in general. A blanket ban is not the solution, in my opinion. Sreeni Vasan, Mumbai

CHANGE IS ESSENTIAL It is interesting to note how our schools are so sceptical when it comes to accepting new technology. In this day and age when textbooks and notebooks are going obsolete, we need to accept technology as a part of our life and include it in in our schools to aid better learning. Children benefit a lot from technology if used in the right way and in the right amount. I hope our negative mindset about technology changes for the better and we adopt it for the betterment of our education system. I personally use technology while teaching my students and I have seen the benefit of it myself. Madhu Joshi, Hyderabad

CUT AND KEEP I love the 'Take 2' and 'Tech it out' columns in your magazine. It is filled with valuable information for teachers and students alike. I tend to cut out and keep snippets of these pages every month to refer to in future. The biggest advantage is that you not only give names of books and apps, but you also explain what it is and how it is useful. I leave these snippets on a board in my kid's room and I see that they often refer to it and try out new apps that help them enhance their knowledge of the subject taught in school Siddharth Das, Mumbai

TALK TO US

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February 2019

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TRENDING

Kerala govt school students best in Maths The Annual Status of Education Report (2018) proved that when it comes to education, Kerala is doing really well. The study covered 596 districts, 17,730 villages, 354,944 households and 546,527 children who are aged between three to 16. The study, which covered government schools across the country, showed that coming to attendance in government schools’ primary sections, Kerala comes second behind Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Since 2014 in Kerala, there has been no enrollment in private schools overall. The report further says that government schools in Assam and Kerala have pre-primary classes. The report also said that since 2016, government schools have seen a gradual rise in learning levels, and has come as a great motivation to government-launched General Education Protection Mission. Coming to reading and arithmetic, ASER discovered that government school students’ performance has increased by 5 per cent. In the higher secondary sections in government-run schools in Kerala, the enrollment percentage is higher compared to private schools. While it is 58.5 per cent in government schools, it is 34.3 per cent in private schools. Further, the number of girls between the age groups of 15 and 16 not getting enrolled in the schools has dropped to 0.6 in 2018 from 1.1 in 2006. However, in case of reading capability, students in private schools are doing better than those in government schools. But coming to arithmetic, those studying in government schools are doing better than those in private schools, the capability increasing to 44.7 from 36.0 in 2014. While in arithmetic the capability divide between girls and boys was not big, girls trumped boys in reading skills, in all age categories.

Programme helps rural girls continue education For many rural, poor and underprivileged girls, class 7 or 8 is their last step of education. Observing this, two organizations – Concern India Foundation (CIF), Bengaluru and Vanasiri Rural Development Society (VRDS) launched a two-year girl child empowerment programme at Ranebennur in Haveri district to prevent girls from dropping out from school. VRDS executive director SD Baligar said that 25 girls have been selected for this weekend programme. The focus has been on girl children of single parents and those who have drunkard fathers who aren’t bothered about their daughter’s education, and those girls and their families with poor house conditions and remote villages deprived of high schools and public transport.

SC order to remove age limit for IIT JEE The Supreme Court has ordered the removal of the age limit for the IIT JEE examination or the Joint Entrance Examination, JEE Advanced 2019. Those candidates who were earlier not permitted to appear for the examination may now do so. Although, there is not much clarity about the order and when it would be implemented, the effect would also lead to removing the age limit on JEE Main examination. Since one attempt of JEE Main 2019 examination has already been conducted by NTA for the year, how the age limit will be removed is yet to be seen. The JEE Main 2019 result was declared by National Testing Agency in January. JEE Advanced 2019 examination is scheduled for May 19, 2019 and will be conducted by IIT Roorkee this year. JEE Advanced is the engineering entrance test for admission to the prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology, IITs in the country. Candidates have to clear the JEE Main examination in order to be eligible for JEE Advanced 2019.

February 2019

Approved: 5,000 more seats in Navodaya Vidyalayas Union Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar announced the approval of an increase of 5000 seats in Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV) for the Academic Year 2019-20. At present the number of seats in JNVs, residential schools for talented rural children, are 46600. The addition of 5000 seats will mean availability of 51000 seats from AY 2019-20. In the last four years there had been an addition of 9000 seats and with the addition of 5000 seats the total number of seats added to JNVs by the government in five years, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will be 14000 seats. In the next four years, the government is likely to add 32000 more seats. Navodaya is the only education system in the country where students give an entrance examination for admission into Class 6. In 2001, 5.50 lakh aspirants appeared for the entrance examination for Class 6. Over the years the number of aspirants appearing for the entrance examination has increased considerably. For the 2019 entrance test, 31.10 lakh students have registered for the entrance examination. The Navodaya Vidyalaya system, which began as a unique experiment, is today unparalleled in the annals of school education in India and elsewhere and has become a passport out of poverty for thousands of underprivileged children. In the past five years Navodaya Vidyalaya have consistently recorded a pass percentage of over 97 per cent in Class 10 and Class 12, of which 86% secured first division, which is far better than private schools and CBSE’s national average.

ASER data shows early education is crucial Early Childhood Education, or ECE, is included in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2030 that were approved by India among many countries around the globe. SDG Target 4.2 states that by 2030 countries should “ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education so that they are ready for primary education”. In India, too, the importance of early care and stimulation has been recognised in the National Policy on Early Childhood Care and Education (2013), which aims to provide “developmentally appropriate preschool education for three to six-year-olds with a more structured and planned school readiness component for five to six-year-olds.” The recently created Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan scheme has also brought renewed focus and attention on ECE through the Integrated Scheme on School Education that aims to treat school education “holistically without segmentation from pre-nursery to Class 12”. In the elementary school sector, ASER has demonstrated for more than a decade that getting all children into school, while undoubtedly a major achievement, does not by itself ensure that children are able to learn at the expected level. ASER data shows that gaps between what children can do and what is expected of them emerge very early in children’s school trajectories and widen as they move through the system. ASER 2018 data shows that even several months into Class 1, nationally more than 40 per cent of children are unable to recognise letters of the alphabet, let alone read words or connected text. As implementation of the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan rolls out across the country, ASER data on young children suggests that a “one size fits all” solution is unlikely to be successful. While helping children get a head start in the early years is important, it is critical to ensure that all stakeholders — parents, teachers, policymakers and textbook developers — understand that the key words are “quality” and “developmentally appropriate”. The continuum envisaged for the early years’ curriculum should start from and build on what children bring with them when they enter preschool and school, so that they are able to grow and thrive.

Students discuss scope of mobile phones in schools

Explaining the benefits of mobile phones, a survey taken of students all over India shows that many believe that a mobile phone enhances education. It is a mini computer with a vast potential for learning. A student can use it for research or as a calculator. Some believed that mobile phones should be allowed in schools. These should preferably be basic phones, not smartphones. Students can use them to call up parents in cases of emergency, such as a weather disturbance or a transport problem. Mobile phones can help students share notes when someone is absent so that he or she can stay abreast of studies. To understand a topic thoroughly, students can browse educational videos on YouTube. Attendance of the students can be updated through an app on phones, which can be accessed by parents as well. Describing the negatives, some students felt that in this era of unlimited internet access and smartphones, it is very easy for students to get distracted. There is a high chance of unhealthy financial competition and discrimination among students, depending on the brand of smartphones they use, leading to inferiority complex and depression among students. Additionally, it was felt that mobile phones in schools will reduce the interest of students in sports and extracurricular activities. They will be distracted by the attractive games and apps on the phone. Moreover, they may also limit students’ communication with their teachers and classmates, if they remain glued to the screen during breaks. Mobile phones can lead to increased problems with bullying in school. Continuous exposure to radiation causes health problems. Research has proved that children who spend more time with mobile phones have difficulties in holding pencils for writing and their sleep schedules also get affected. Students may also try to cheat with the help of mobile phones.

February 2019

TRENDING HRD ministry approves Bharatiya Shiksha Board for Vedic and Modern Studies In a bid to open the country’s first national school board for Vedic education, the Maharshi Sandipani Rashtriya Vedavidya Pratishthan (MSRVP) – an autonomous body which falls under the Human Resource Development Ministry, is working to promote ‘ved vidya’. The ministry has given its approval for the setting of Bhartiya Shiksha Board (BSB). As per the proposal, there will be a Vedic Education Board which will be controlled by VERI. It will allow mixing of both traditional gurukul system and modern syllabus.

Govt to introduce mandatory self-defense in school syllabus

After an overwhelming response to a Pune-based coach’s petition, Maharashtra minister Vinod Tawde assures of education department’s plans to introduce self-defense as part of a new hour-long sports sessions format. In a bid to reduce the cases of child abuse, the state education department has now decided to start mandatory self-defense training for school children. Wheels of this initiative were initially set in motion by a citybased self-defense coach, Neha Shrimal, who said her concerns about child sexual abuse and rape provoked her to take up the cause. Shrimal had started a Change.org petition for her initiative, which received support from nearly 1.3 lakh users. Taking reins from Shrimal, the state government is now considering running the programme in all schools, making it a part of the curriculum. Shrimal, in her petition, had stated, “In India, over 53 per cent children face sexual abuse. Whenever any such incident happens, we just look at the police and legal system for help. We never imagine that a girl can also have the power to deal with such situations. I am a mother of a seven-year-old girl. When I read about such incidents, it sends chills down my spine. I want to ensure that all our daughters get to learn self-defense techniques and become capable of protecting themselves.” Shrimal had demanded that such training should be made compulsory for school students after receiving such a strong response on various social media channels. While the government machinery is yet to provide an output, Shrimal went ahead to start the process herself. She has already started voluntary trainings for school students and has travelled to many schools in the state.

February 2019

Tripura govt to train 40,000+ teachers to switch to NCERT syllabus The BJP-led Tripura government will impart training to some 40,660 school teachers to enable them to switch to the NCERT curriculum from the next academic session beginning April, a minister said. For the first time in 43 years, NCERT (National Council of Educational Research and Training) curriculum would be introduced in nearly 5,000 Tripura government-run schools from the 2019-20 academic session. In order to enable the switch to the NCERT curriculum from the existing Tripura Board of Secondary Education (TBSE) curriculum, the education department has undertaken a five-day training programme for the school teachers. The training will happen in five phases. Currently, these teachers teach 7.30 lakh government school students. Over 85 per cent of these students are taught in Bengali. Earlier, a notification issued by the School Education Department said that following a close study, it has been observed that there are distinct variations and differences between the course curriculum and syllabi of TBSE and those of the national school syllabus developed by the NCERT. The government decision to start schools from 8 a.m. instead of the existing 11 a.m. has been postponed. A committee would be formed soon to study the change in school timings and after the findings are released, the next course of action would be taken.

President approves Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (Amendment) Act The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (Amendment) Act, 2019 which was passed by the Parliament on January 3, 2019 received the assent of the President of India on January 10, 2019. The Act is to further amend the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009.

Instruction module discourages students from cheating The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will be issuing an ‘instruction module’ to all schools to discourage students from cheating. A senior Board official said, “Cheating is an individual malpractice. This year we are doing something special to bring down the instances of cheating. We will be issuing a module to the schools by next week. It talks about why cheating is unethical and immoral. It will have case studies to that effect.” The official also assured leak-proof exams this year.

February 2019

OP-ED

WHAT CHILDREN NEED

Presence over Presents

Image Courtesy : http://www.taarago.com

February 2019

Princess Diya Kumari, hailing from the royal house of Jaipur, is an Indian politician. A member of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly from Sawai Madhopur constituency, she manages two schools: The Palace School and Maharaja Sawai Bhawani Singh School, besides public charitable trusts and hotels.

Princess Diya Kumari writeback@scoonews.com

have often been asked if being a member of the royal family of Jaipur made my childhood different and more exciting than usual. I always struggle to answer this. Yes, my childhood was exciting and full of fun but just as it is for any other kid of that time. My father, Late Brigadier HH Maharaja Sawai Bhawani Singh MVC was a true soldier at heart, having served the armed forces for more than two decades, and it was thanks to him and the grooming given to me by my mother Rajmata Padmini Devi, that I got a very balanced upbringing. My parents were careful to make me understand the difference between the cost and the value of things we have with us. Although they could have easily provided me with whatever I asked of them, they took care to give me what was required and not just desired by me. Today, whatever I am, I attribute it to the balanced upbringing I got as a child. My father would often be away serving the nation but my mother was always there for me, to cater to my emotional needs. She always took care that I remained connected to my father when he would be away and of course my father would always come back and make up for the time lost â&#x20AC;Śnot by showering me with gifts, but showering me with his love and attention and telling me stories of courage, valour, bravery, and values which should be cherished as a citizen of our country

February 2019

OP-ED

Image Courtesy : http://www.taarago.com

and as a good human being. Hence, it saddens me to see the young parents of today, who have no time for their children and end up substituting their presence with expensive gifts, toys, games … which leaves the child bereft of the love, security, attention and care which he requires. It’s not that my parents had all the time in the world! Apart from his duties towards the nation, my father also had to take care of his duties towards his state and his city. The most important quality that I imbibed from my father was humility. His life and deeds were a living example of how humility is one of the greatest strengths a person can possess. My mother had her hands full managing the family Trust and day to day affairs of the City Palace, which kept her occupied all the time. Yet, my parents took out time for me. They ensured that I received the care, love and attention I needed. I studied in Modern Public School, Delhi and Maharani Gayatri Devi Public School, Jaipur. As a student, my life was not easy. I always got flustered when the lessons used to be delivered primarily through lecture method with hardly any practical lessons or experiential lessons imparted. It was during my student years that I felt that I would try and make a difference in the education sector in whichever capacity I could in future. So it was that when the time came to put my son to school, I decided to open a school

with a difference wherein the children would have experiential learning which would lead to their holistic development. With the support and encouragement of my parents, I opened my first school within the premises of the City Palace and hence we named it The Palace School. It was based on the tenets of Maria Montessori as I believe the Montessori system is one of the most progressive and comprehensive systems of learning, which caters to every need of a growing child. My second school, Maharaja Sawai Bhawani Singh School, came up a couple of years later. Both the schools are doing an excellent job of imparting 21st century skills to the students. A lot of care is taken to ensure that the teachinglearning process results in enhancing the critical thinking, creative thinking and problem-solving skills along with strengthening the decision-making abilities of the students. It is important that the parents and teachers understand the importance of honing these skills in children today.

lots of children today are growing up with poor emotional quotient, leaving them vulnerable instead of empowered while dealing with the rigours of day to day life. As a mother, with an extremely busy and hectic schedule, looking after my family business, my political duties, being part of various projects and enterprises, it is sometimes difficult to balance my personal and professional life. Yet, I am conscious of the fact that anybody can do the professional/ political work that I do but no one can step into my shoes as a mother to my children. Hence, I make sure I am there for them whenever they need me. Sometimes, I feel that being a parent is like walking on a tight rope. It is difficult to maintain the balance between being a firm, strict parent and being a friend to your children. I personally feel while it is essential to be friendly with one’s children, one should not become a friend. The child needs a parent, who can guide and correct them… children have enough friends in their life, but only one parent.

Our children, since childhood, are unwittingly programmed for success but are not trained to handle failure. The child’s psyche starts getting a shape with all the visual, auditory and emotional inputs which he receives from the environment around him. Unfortunately, most of the time, the parents are not available for the child—emotionally—with the result

I would like to end by saying that it’s not important just to be a good parent or a good teacher. It is more important to be a conscious parent, a conscious teacher and a responsible adult. For the way we talk and behave in front of our children, is how they will shape up in future. Our voice and our actions become their inner voice and the triggers for their reactions.

February 2019

OP-ED

MOULDING OUR CHILDREN’S FUTURE:

IT’S TIME TO

February 2019

Prince Lakshyaraj Singh, scion of the over 1500-year-old House of Mewar in Udaipur, is committed to social causes including education, health and environment. As trustee of the Maharana of Mewar Charitable Foundation's Educational Trust, he takes particular interest in the day-to-day running of the schools under the Trust.

Prince Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar writeback@scoonews.com

t the age of 12, I could not understand why a routine report from my school caused such a lot of concern in my family. It was as if my entire future had been painted black for me and that the focus from then on was not on how well I could do in life, but on how I would be able to complete my schooling. The report that I mention was from an Education Counsellor stating that I needed special attention and that I had special needs. The fact that I thought I was ‘special’ was my personal opinion! Certainly, I had never imagined that ‘special’ in this case meant that I was considered not only to be slow in my learning and dyslexic in my writing but also that I would need special assistance to cover the gap in my learning ability or else I would not be able to cope with my classmates. Coming from a certified Counsellor, was perhaps the first time that made me look at education in a negative way. It was no longer fun and games, nor was it any more about art and music which I loved. To my dismay, the fact that I would scrape through my exams, also led to my being labelled as a slow learner. Ironically today, I am responsible for the future of over 2000 employees and 3000 students (in our educational institutions). Hence, it is my duty to bring the focus of educators, parents and facilitators on this very important aspect of education which deals with children who are at their most impressionable and crucial age of develop-

February 2019

OP-ED

ment. Let us look at some of the challenges and opportunities faced not just by educators and administrators but also from a child’s point of view, because our actions will mould or unmould the child’s future.

informed young parents. Nevertheless, the most important role of parents and grandparents is to pass on traditions, customs, manners, ethics, values and life lessons to them. PARENTS SHOULD:

Children benefit greatly from positive and active engagement from parents. Parents instil the core values, confidence and thought processes which eventually affect the behavioural and cognitive development of children in pre-school years.

Educate young children about their bodies and safe and unsafe touch through age appropriate language.

Urban Indian households today predominantly have a double income nuclear family system. The internet and social media take up any free time that the parents are left with. These new generation ‘Google’ parents have norms of raising children which are very different from previous generations.

Nurture the skills that they are born with, because they are born intelligent. Read story books to children to nurture love for reading. Encourage children to become selfmotivated/ self-confident and independent. Visit biological parks/ sanctuaries, museums, botanical gardens, exhibitions. Provide balanced nutritious diet.

THEY ‘GOOGLE’ TO FIND ADVICE ON EVERYTHING: What is the best routine for my child? What should be the ideal weight! How many hours should they sleep? Is my child eating enough?

Limit the use of technological devices. Teach by setting examples themselves. Encourage outdoor activities/ games.

Why is my child angry all the time? Internet in return, floods them with advice, suggestions, theories and dos and don’ts. No doubt the schools are gearing up to meet the expectations of these highly

What is the best medium of teaching mother tongue or English? In a country like India where several languages are being spoken, the dilemma of whether to use one’s mother

February 2019

tongue (MT) or English as the medium of teaching for pre-school children always prevails. Research has shown that young children in bilingual programmes with their mother tongue as the medium of instruction, consistently perform better than their peers. Schools need to seamlessly blend the mother tongue, English and the regional language in their classroom setups so that the children do not feel out of place during their learning sessions. One needs to promote multilingualism among children to help them perform better. The parents, teachers and the community should work together to make this transition from one language to another, smooth for the children. CONCLUSION I sincerely hope that in the years to come we shall be able to invert the pyramid with increased focus on research on Early Childhood Care and Education rather than the later years of education by when it is almost too late for any intervention and/or to reverse the learner’s inadequacies. I think it is time to row out our boat and meet the currents of challenges that face a child as he/she tries to navigate the high seas of life rather than wait for a wave to carry us unwillingly into the uncharted waters of education tomorrow.

INTERVIEW

From NAUGHTIEST girl in the class

TO PASSIONATE ECE CHAMPION

What drives President, ECA and Podar Education Network, the indefatigable Dr Swati Popat Vats? MARIE Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;SOUZA attempts to find out

February 2019

inu, as Dr Swati Popat Vats was called at 3, was not a fan of school. She remembers crying not to go and when she did it was only because she liked plopping down in the cosy lap of a teacher. Not any teacher at all—“The only teacher I liked was this well-built lady with a big bindi, named Bapuji. She was the only saving grace.” Many decades later, this unerring radar to see and tell it like it

is, has remained the strong point of the woman that Tinu grew up into. That, and an enormous capacity to dig in, set the ball rolling and keep driving it forward till the mission is accomplished. And she largely pulls it off, humour intact and not a hair out of place. Yes, it’s difficult not to be impressed by Dr Swati Popat Vats, educational activist, child rights campaigner, teaching expert, parenting guru, President

Podar Education Network, and President Early Childhood Association. A trained teacher from Nirmala Niketan, despite the initial misgivings of a beloved father who believed she had a flair for art and would soon be bored of the “baby-sitting”, it perhaps could never have been just vanilla teaching for Swati. What appeared to be the constant scaling of the profes-

February 2019

INTERVIEW sional ladder has been driven by a perhaps unconscious desire to engender much needed and widespread change. Her early stint at the Hasanat High School run by the Saifee Trust provided that initial glimpse into teaching as it should be. “As a teacher trainee there, it changed my entire outlook of education,” she avers. “Every classroom opened into a garden, and the studies were completely project-based even in standard 10. It was way ahead of its time and I learnt so much about teaching, education, what it is to be teacher, and how to give lessons in a fun playway method. Years later when I did my B.Ed training, I went back to Hasanat to give my lessons and used puppetry to teach class 9 and 10 students.” Her next stint at Mumbai’s popular starkids’ school Jamnabai Narsee saw her bringing in many of the methods learnt at Hasnat, including puppetry. Five years later, when she moved to Arya Vidya Mandir Juhu, it was for the opportunity offered to lecture in their teaching training programme as well. “This was something I looked forward to, because I could inspire so many people,” she recalls. Also heading the art and craft department, she realised her father was right—she did have a designer within her and it found the perfect ground to bloom. It bloomed further as she was approached to set up Early Childhood Education schools. “It had the design element, the curriculum element and I realised I enjoyed it,” smiles Dr Swati, who had also completed her B.Ed by then. Eight schools under her belt, she was appointed by Euro Kids as founder-consultant for their first 100 schools. It was a matter of time before she was on board the Podar Education Network, helming their now mammoth Jumbo Kids network. Over these 20 years, learning has been constant… “I realised that principals of high schools are not in favour of bringing in changes in the early years. They are bringing about flipped classrooms and a host of other innovations, in the secondary, but nothing in the early years because that is where your admissions come in and they don’t have the knowledge to convince a parent about why they are doing what they are doing. A parent wants to put their child in a school that ‘writes’, and they feel it’s better not to change things,” she points out. Along with working on changing the mindset of principals, she helped create a modern and relevant ECE teacher training programme. “I realised that there was no teacher

training programme in this country for the early years. Every state has its own programme of varying durations. The kind of teachers coming in are those who are shouting at children, threatening, abusing, forcing children to write. I thought something had to change.” Further research, led to the realisation that much depended on the government, the NCERT, universities etc. Attending World Forum Foundation conferences abroad, which see 80 different countries come together for early years, she was inspired by their advocacy to their governments to bring about change. Realising that the associations in the country were largely ‘inactive’, she along with Dr Sonawat decided it was time to start their own – the Early Childhood Association. “It sounded like a foolish dream at that time but we said, let’s go for it. And surprisingly, even as we were framing the organisation’s members, we had good people who joined us like Swaroop Sampat, Samir Dalwai, Kamini Rege, Asha Verma… the founders - and it suddenly became clear that everybody was looking for an association like this. Every school and brand was saying that they wanted guidance, and they wanted somebody to be their voice.” The ECA has since grown from strength to strength. “We started territories, campaigns like the Anti-Cursive campaign, the Anti-Spanking campaign, we are now doing the Right Start which means schools taking children in at the right age, and ensuring children are not interviewed as per the RTE Act.” The ECA has many important firsts to their credit - making parent groups part of the association, including corporate houses as members to ensure quality, and roping in NGOs that work with balwadis and anganwadis to deliver quality. “The only thing left now is the government. We want a one nation, one policy format where I’m not saying everything should be the same in every state but there should be some non-negotiables like age of entry to nursery class, and safety policy.” This has been something of an uphill task as in India, education is a concurrent subject. Dr Swati explains, “Early Childhood comes under the Women and Child Development Ministry, which makes the policies. But at the state level we don’t come under the education department nor WCD which doesn’t handle education. The education department’s Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan starts from age 6. When it comes to the state level we

February 2019

are lost, we are nobody’s baby. Though we are now hopeful with the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan.” Under this policy, education will now formally begin from three years onwards. Early Childhood Education will now be at the state level under the education department and under HRD at the central level. Additionally, NCERT has recently come out with an excellent policy and curriculum for the early years and while it should appear like a no-brainer that it be adopted across the states, the reality is not as uncomplicated. “Instead the states will individually form committees and make their own policies based on the NCERT policy and curriculum. This is what we are against. When we have a superb document like this, why is it not just implemented in all the states? Because education is a concurrent subject, which means every state can make changes in the education policy. And we are saying either put early years under one minister, so that she can control it across all states, or don’t make early years a concurrent subject,” Dr Swati points out. Harking to Nobel-winning economist Heckman’s proposal on why one dollar invested in the early years, saves you 7 dollars when the child becomes an adult, Dr Swati points out that 80% of our children are studying in anganwadis. “This child can never catch up. Language, self-esteem will suffer. As adults, they will keep making wrong choices when they vote, lose jobs, fall prey to alcoholism, teenage pregnancies. You are always going to be investing in taking care of them. As a New York Times article said, are we investing in prisons or pre-schools? It’s time for government to now prove to the country that they care for its children. The teachers and parents of these children are a vote bank sitting right there!” Over the years, despite the many achievements, her must-do list has only increased. From ECA-conducted workshops in different cities to help teachers understand theory and how to use it in the classroom so they can become better and respectful educators, to advocating a uniform early years teacher training programme pan India, to demanding a separate budget for ECE, to making mandatory a parent education programme to prepare parents for child rearing, and above all, the setting up of child protective services… yes, there are miles to go but we get the feeling Dr Swati Popat Vats will propel it all and then some!

EXPERTSPEAK

Take Them Walking IMAGINATIVE EXPLORATIONS FOR YOUNG CHILDREN

February 2019

Dr Gillian Judson writeback@scoonews.com

esearch shows that meaningful experiences in nature as children can impact the development of a conservation ethic (deBrito et al., 2017; Fisher-Maltese, 2016; McClain & Vandermaas-Peeler, 2016; Selby, 2017; Wells & Lekies, 2006). Unfortunately, not all outdoor learning experiences are created equal. Practices that neglect emotional and imaginative engagement in the learning process do little to cultivate the heart of a conservation ethic (Judson, 2010, 2015). With the aim of developing learners’ ecological understanding— an awareness of the interconnectedness of all things and a sense of care/concern for the natural world — we can teach in ways that afford our students’ emotional connections with their local natural and cultural contexts. We can support young children in developing a “sense of place”—a personal relationship with their natural/cultural context as well as a certain depth of knowledge about it. This article briefly introduces Imaginative Ecological Education, or IEE, a crosscurricular approach to teaching that combines three elements in learning: Feeling (engagement of emotion and imagination), Activeness (involvement of the body), and Place (a focus on the natural, local world) (Judson, 2015, 2010). Given the scope of this article, I focus on the Feeling principle and a resource called The Walking Curriculum: Evoking Wonder and Developing Sense of Place (Judson, 2018) that exemplifies some features of imagination-focused Place-based learning.

Dr. Gillian Judson is Executive Director of The Centre for Imagination in Research, Culture, and Education (CIRCE—pronounced sur-see) and a member of the Faculty of Education at Simon Fraser University in B.C., Canada.

This article briefly Introduces Imaginative Ecological Education, or IEE, a cross-curricular approach to teaching that combines three elements in learning: Feeling (engagement of emotion and imagination), Activeness (involvement of the body), and Place (a focus on the natural, local world) (Judson, 2015, 2010). Given the scope of this article, I focus on the Feeling principle and a resource called The Walking Curriculum: Evoking Wonder and Developing Sense of Place (Judson, 2018) that exemplifies some features of imagination-focused Place-based learning. Engage Learners With Place: Imaginative Ecological Education Educators of all kinds and in all contexts are in the business of meaning-

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EXPERTSPEAK making. And, at the end of the (school)day, meaning requires emotion. As Dr. Immordino-Yang (2015) shows us in her research in affective neuroscience—and what I think all teachers know deeply—is that emotion is the mind’s rudder. Emotion directs all learning. Our students frequently and routinely think about the world in ways that evoke their emotions and imaginations. For example, they universally enjoy stories or narratives of all kinds. They all enjoy jokes and humour. They all identify patterns in the world around them. Many are fascinated by extremes of experience and limits of realityt h e stuff in the Guinness Book of World Records. Many associate with heroes and even idolise people, ideas, or institutions. Many start collecting things and obsess over hobbies. Words cause images to arise in all of their minds. They all enjoy a good mystery and can be left awestruck by unanswered questions or strange events. I could go on and on; our students' emotional and imaginative lives manifest themselves in many varied ways.

oral language and the body: the senses, the sense of musicality, the story-form, dramatic oppositions, vivid mental imagery, rhyme, rhythm & pattern, a sense of mystery, play. These tools are profoundly powerful for learning. (This post provides detail on how each of these tools can support learning for young children.)

These different forms of engagement are not insignificant; they are actually ways of thinking that help human beings learn. In Imaginative Education, a pedagogy developed by Dr. Kieran Egan from Simon Fraser University in B.C. Canada, t h e s e features of our imaginative lives are "cognitive tools"— they are emotional ways human beings make meaning in the world (Egan, 1997; Egan & Judson, 2016).

In a nutshell, The Walking Curriculum is about providing students with outdoor, Place-based inquiry questions that connect to and employ different cognitive tools of the imagination. Through frequent opportunities to explore their schoolyards, images and knowledge of the local natural world may become etched in learners’ minds—they will come to know each Place in great(er) detail and may develop emotional connection and, ultimately, a sense of ethical responsibility. Like a holographic image, each walk can bring some aspect of the natural world and related curricular knowledge into focus.

In ECE our students are actively emotionally and engaging with the world around them by employing tools of

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IEE brings the emotional and imaginative engagement of the child to the center of theory and practice in outdoor learning (Judson, 2015, 2010). IEE intentionally combines these cognitive tools with a body-based and Placebased approach to learning. A look at The Walking Curriculum provides a glimpse into how this can happen. IEE in Action: A Walking Curriculum To the child, as to the artist, everything is relevant, little is unseen. (Horowitz, 2013, p. 76) I have always felt that schoolyards tend to be underused resources for ecological learning. Many teachers have not been given the opportunity to consider how Place (the natural and cultural context in which learning occurs) can contribute to their teaching. Others assume that learning/teaching outside is suitable solely for 5“natural” topics—e.g. topics in science or social studies. Fewer still, perhaps, have ever considered how Place is—or can be— a co-teacher. A long-term aim of The Walking Curriculum is that teachers will re-imagine what Place can contribute to their teaching.

Details The 60 walks described in The Walking Curriculum include “prompts” to support student exploration and to cultivate students’ emotional connections to Place. The walks reflect a variety of themes, perspectives, and motivations. For example, learners may be asked to find things (such as shapes, spaces or lines, evidence of growth or change,

“the best” hiding places), to change perspectives (imagine being a beetle, a detective, or a visitor from outer space), to encounter the world differently (emphasizing one sense over another or moving through space differently), or to seek evidence of human-nature relationships. In all cases, the intent is to deepen students’ awareness of the particularities and meaning of Place. For now, check out these sample walks designed for young children (note each is paired with a cognitive tool to ignite imagination): The (Sur)Faces Walk Look for “faces” of all kinds. What (sur)faces do you encounter on the walk? What do you notice about the (sur)faces? The Senses: What do the surfaces feel like? How do they feel different to the touch of a finger? How do they feel to the touch of your forearm instead of your finger? The Motion Walk Employ as many of your senses as possible to complete this challenge. What is moving around you? What is on the move? Besides seeing movement, how else can you tell something is moving? Gesture & Intention: Try to repeat using your body the movements you discovered. Are the movements easy or hard to do/represent? Why? The Borders Walk Notice areas of transition on your walk. Where are the borders to your walk? What borders appear to you within your walking space? Sense of Mystery: How do you know it is a ‘border’? What are the clues? The What’s Underfoot Walk What do you notice about the world you are walking on? What is under your feet? Sense of Wonder: Everything, eventually, goes back to the Earth—so what really have you been walking on? The remains of ancestors? The dampness of water that was once in an ocean far away? Imagine that with each step a ghost escapes. What ghosts of flora and fauna float around you? The Animate World Walk What evidence of life can you find? Binary Opposites & Metaphor: Classify your findings into animate (rooted or moving—anything that won’t stand still) and inanimate; also classify your findings as screams (obviously alive) versus whispers (subtle).

I have always felt that schoolyards tend to be underused resources for ecological learning. Many teachers have not been given the opportunity to consider how Place (the natural and cultural context in which learning occurs) can contribute to their teaching.

Final Thoughts The Walking Curriculum encourages us to conceive of place-making in imaginative terms; we are imaginative and emotional beings after all. Of course, simply being outside (playing at the playground or playing soccer) or doing things outside (taking “indoor” work outdoors/cleaning up the playground) will not necessarily help students form relationships or any profound emotional connections with nature. It is important, therefore, to try to include opportunities for what Naess (2002) calls “Activeness” Activeness describes a profound internal form of relationship we can cultivate with the natural world that has the most potential impact on our understanding of nature. Get some more ideas about developing attentive or “body-full” learning in these Lessons For Living Attentively or read more about this principle for imaginative and ecological teaching here. With opportunities to emotionally and imaginatively connect with the natural world—and with your guided support—young children may be increasingly aware of nuanced changes. The Walking Curriculum can help learners grow to feel connected to the Place where they go to school. References de Brito Miranda, A.C., Jófili, Z., dos Anjos Carneiro-Leão, A.M., (2017). Ecological literacy - Preparing children for the twenty-first century. Early Child Development and Care, 187(2), 192-205. Egan, K. (1997). The educated mind: How cognitive tools shape our under-

standing. University of Chicago Press: Chicago. Egan, K. & Judson, G. (2015). Imagination and the engaged learner: Cognitive tools for the classroom. (New York: Teachers’ College Press). Fisher-Maltese, C., (2016). "We won't hurt you butterfly!" Second-graders become environmental stewards from experiences in a school garden. International Journal of Early Childhood Environmental Education, 4(1), 54-69. Horowitz, A. (2013). On looking: Eleven walks with expert eyes. New York: Scribner. imaginED: education that inspires. Retrieved from: http://www.educationthatinspires.ca/imaginative-ecological-education-2/ Immordino-Yang, M.H. (2015). Emotions, learning, and the brain: Exploring the educational implications of affective neuroscience. New York: W.W. Norton & Company.) Judson, G. (2015) Engaging imagination in ecological education: Practical strategies for teaching. Vancouver, B.C.: UBC Press. Judson, G. (2010). A New approach to ecological education: Engaging students’ imaginations in their world. New York: Peter Lang. Judson, G. (2018). A Walking curriculum: Evoking wonder and developing a sense of place (K-12). KDP. Get it here. McClain, C., Vandermaas-Peeler, M., (2016). Outdoor explorations with preschoolers: An observational study of young children's developing relationship with the natural world. International Journal of Early Childhood Environmental Education, 4(1). Naess, A. (2002). Life's philosophy: Reason and feeling in a deeper world. Athens, GA: University of Georgia Press. Selby, D., (2017). Education for sustainable development, nature, and vernacular learning. CEPS Journal, 7(1), 9-27. Wells, N. M., Lekies, K. S., (2006). Nature and the life course: Pathways fromchildhood nature experiences to adult environmentalism. Children, Youth and Environments, 16(1), 41663.

February 2019

EXPERTSPEAK

CODING IN KINDERGARTEN

NURTURING CODING SKILLS IN YOUNG CHILDREN

Dr Swati Popat Vats writeback@scoonews.com

hat do Froebel’s gifts, HOT, STEM, guessing and estimation games have in common?

They are all the foundation of learning coding and robotics in the early years! The first six years are brain development years and it is during this time that the brain learns about patterns, sequences, and problem solving and thinking skills—all skills required in coding! It is time for our early years programmes to adopt what the world is calling, ‘a new literacy’- coding. Children have become digital natives, which means born in the digital era and are exposed to technology and gadgets from the time they are born (the first time a parent points a camera/phone at them!) many of the toys they play with belong to ‘the internet of toys’. By the time a preschooler joins the job market 20 years from now, all the jobs will require some or other kind of programming. Technology will be used for everything…almost everything. We teach preschoolers to read, write, count, we

teach them about the world around them - animals, birds, insects etc. and we are forgetting that the world around them now is full of gadgets and technology. Teaching them how to safely engage with technology and informing them how this technology works, is the need of the hour. It is time to ensure that these children who are presently in early years programs are exposed to ‘technology literacy’ and are aware that machines should not be making us do things all the time but that we can tell a machine what to do…that machines listen to US! What is a code? It is a set of instructions for a computer. What is coding? It is the process of creating step-by-step instructions a computer understands and needs in order for its programs to work. The foundation of coding is: Pre-coding activities which are developmentally appropriate games and activities in which children explore some of the concepts involved in coding in ways that are meaningful to them. However, coding in Kindergarten, is not about computer programming, we are talking about laying a foundation, about training their brains to think and understand SYSTEMS, PATTERNS, and INSTRUCTIONS through role play, games, puzzles and board games.

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So why start from early years? Isn’t it too early to understand the concept of coding? Well, no, because coding is nothing but understanding sorting and classifying, recognition of same and different, recognition of shapes, ability to make sets, sorting, see sets within sets, patterning, ordering and sequencing, one to one correspondence, number value, number counting, playing games of guessing and estimation, etc. And all of these are already part of children’s every day play and exploration and an integral part of readiness curriculum in early years. Coding is not different from how children play or learn, coding is already an integral part of the exploration that children indulge in during play, it is time for early years educators and parents to connect the dots and see how children learn coding while playing and ensure that play makes a big comeback to early years learning! Fredrich Froebel the father of kindergarten, designed gifts, and occupations for young children. These were designed to make children see patterns

and shapes in their environment and in their play and understand the connections between these patterns and shapes, his quote, "It would prove a boon to our children and a blessing to coming generations if we could see that we possess a great oppressive load of extraneous, merely external information and culture; that we foolishly seek to increase from day to day," is more relevant today than ever before. I have included Froebel’s gifts in the coding curriculum that I have designed (‘Start Coding with Jumbo’) for early years. Froebel discovered that brain development is most dramatic between birth and age three, and recognized the importance of beginning play based learning, earlier than was then practiced. Froebel’s gifts help children see form, shape, patterns, connections, and this is exactly what the learning and understanding of coding requires. It requires the five processes of problem solving, reasoning, communication, connections, and representation. These are critical to the young child and his or her understanding of coding and robotics, and are nurtured when children play

(are occupied) with Froebel’s gifts. Froebel designed Gifts and Occupations and the difference between Froebel’s gifts and occupations is that Gifts can be returned to their original state after play (whole to parts and parts to whole) whereas occupations are craft activities and cannot be returned to their original shape. According to Froebel, the child’s desire to play is nature’s way of stimulating the brain to grow and that is why it is important for us to realize that play is the fuel for brain development. Froebel’s gifts are a gateway for children to learn to play with Math concepts, Mathematics was more than an intellectual pursuit to Froebel it was the language of the universe. His gifts were carefully designed so that children can experience three-dimensional, then two-dimensional and then move to lines, edges and points and then understand how lines, edges and points make a three-dimensional shape. So, learning actually comes ‘full circle’ when children play with Froebel’s gifts. So, in his gifts one to six children experience three-dimensional solids, which represent whole forms of the physical world. While playing with gifts 7 to 9

Dr Swati Popat Vats is the President of Podar Education Network, she is a ‘tinkerer’ and has always advocated for developmentally appropriate use of technology for young children. She is the first to design an early years’ curriculum for coding and robotics called ‘Start Coding with Jumbo’. She believes that play is the way children learn and coding and robotics are a great combination of tinkering in play! She is a big follower of Froebel, Montessori, Vygotsky, Piaget and Gijubhai Badeka and her curriculum on coding and robotics for early years is hugely influenced by their work, especially Froebel’s gifts. She is also the President of Early Childhood Association. For any questions on her coding and robotics curriculum for early years she can be contacted on swatipopat@podar.org or 7506639870 (messages only)

children experience 2 dimensional shapes, the sides of solids, the edges of solids, lines and points. Froebel designed 3 different ways to play with the gifts, 1 Forms of life, 2 Forms of knowledge and 3 Forms of beauty. In Forms Of Life children can create

February 2019

EXPERTSPEAK I have included Froebel’s gifts in the coding curriculum that I have designed (‘Start Coding with Jumbo’) for early years. Froebel discovered that brain development is most dramatic between birth and age three, and recognized the importance of beginning play based learning, earlier than was then practiced.

something from their world (around them) using all of the gift pieces. In Forms of Knowledge, adults help children see the math in the gifts, count the sides, see the difference between a sphere, a cylinder and a square, hear the sound a particular block makes when dropped on the floor etc. Whereas in Forms of Beauty children make abstract designs using the gifts, here Froebel devised two rules, “always use every piece and modify but never destroy a design”. If the child wants to change a design then the child has to find a way to modify an existing design in stages to arrive at the new design or concept. By playing with Froebel’s gifts a child builds a foundation of symbolic learning by internalizing these play experiences. Playing with Froebel’s gifts help children perceive the geometric blocks of the world and help nurture the very skills required for a coder, namely –Understanding, Creativity, Logical thinking, Remembering, Working with others, Taking risks and questioning The coding curriculum for early years that I have designed is based completely on play and because it is a foundation for understanding coding, I have included coding activities in all areas of play be it Block area, Dramatic play, Cooking area, Art area, Playground, Water play, Sand play, Music & movement, etc. The foundation of coding for early years should also start with Encouraging HOT (Higher Order Thinking) skillsEncourage children to notice things, play games like where is the teddy hiding. Encourage children to describe things they see or do, during nature walks or during water and sand play. Ask ‘what’ questions before ‘why’ questions- what is happening to the sand when we mix it with water?

Encourage one to one correspondence activities. Take photos of the child’s environment and see if children can recognize them. Click photos of each child’s eyes and see if they can recognize their own, their friend’s…. ‘Start Coding with Jumbo’, curriculum is SCREEN FREE and engages children through HANDS ON LEARNING, through engaging games and activities that involve: Directional games involving location and movement like board games Treasure hunt Giving directions to peers during pretend play Games using grids and maps Some coding activities that young children learn about in ‘Start Coding with Jumbo’ are – Decompose or break it down- how to break down a problem into smaller parts to solve the problem- Gamepick up all the blocks from around the classroom, then pick up all the blocks from around the classroom before the sand timer stops, and then pick up all the blocks from around the classroom, before the sand timer stops and only 3 people can be used to pick the blocks. Algorithm- a list of steps needed to follow or complete a task, play games of missing instructionsteach the doll the steps of brushing teeth. Debugging is when you go looking for mistakes or bugs in your programworksheets for find the mistake, find what is missing. Sequence- is the order the program has to follow- put the story in the right sequence. Pattern- a pattern is what you see when something is the same over and over- what comes after, what

February 2019

comes before- patterning games, Froebel gifts. Loop- a special bit of code that repeats over and over again- during singing and musical play time. In the ‘Start Coding with Jumbo’ curriculum, the children also learn about robots and robotics. Young children are first given game instructions to move on a specified pattern during outdoor play, in this they learn how to follow instructions and move their body to complete the game or the maze given. Then they play in pairs and give instructions to each other, they role play being a programmer and a gamer, the programmer gives coding commands and the gamer follows the commands and moves accordingly. Young children then play with puppets to understand how ‘they’ can make the puppet move. They explore the difference between hand puppets, finger puppets, string puppets, and shadow puppets. They ‘program’ the puppets in a puppet show. And then move on to games that require them to build robots and program robots to move around a grid. They make grids, place the story characters in the grid, and retell the story using the robot by making it move to each step of the story. Children do this by using directional cards/buttons to give instructions to the robot to move up, down, left and right, forward, back The most important role of early years educators and parents in fostering learning of coding is to provide the stimulation and encouragement to help children develop and practice their own thinking, to learn by DOING, to make mistakes, to learn from them. When we support children in this, we help children take big steps towards becoming competent, confident, code thinkers! That is why I have worked on a foundational curriculum/program to teach young children about coding and robotics, understanding the foundation of coding and robotics before they start programming and using robots. Understanding that humans program any technology or gadget that we use and thus we have control on how, how much and when to use it. The new millennium requires children to live in an ever changing technology filled world, parents and educators now realize that childhood is the most important time in a child’s education We need logical thinking and ‘Start Coding with Jumbo’ helps children see the interconnectedness of things and patterns in their physical and technological world.

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STUDENTSPEAK

Tech travails of a CHIRPY SIXTH GRADER Pragyanshu Dhyani writeback@scoonews.com

echnology is a fantastic thing. It excites, it engages, it entertains, it educates. Especially for kids like me, it has become an important part of our daily life. But using technology in almost everything around us, are we going too far from our real human side? The funny thing is that if you know technology too well, you are stamped as a geek and if you fear it, you are old fashioned. Living with or without it is not a choice. It’s a compulsion. It is a need. There are a few observations I have made and I would like to confess it to you today. Student life is very hard these days. Stress, depression, mood swings are many of these nuisances. But there are more roots to them, which are further elucidated in my point of view as a student. BOMBARDED WITH INFORMATION The internet is full of information but having access to information is not enough for students. There are many difficulties I face while using technology. • How to find right information In my one hour of studying sci-

ence, 45-50 percentage of the whole hour goes into searching for the right link. It consumes both my time and energy. For example, while searching for “photosynthesis for grade 6”, I don’t know which link is relevant. Then I’ll have problems with websites, which either have paid files with no info or useless info (for me at least) and it turns out to be just an advertisement. I really feel sorry for the ones reading and swatting off advertisements from their screen in the article. Then at some point of time I will get bored and then I see a familiar icon (videogame icon) and I tell myself, “Oh, just a few minutes will not make much difference”. One hour passes with a blank notebook headingPHOTOSYNTHESIS and I might end up playing some game on screen. • Too many resources, too much confusion There are Byjus and Khan Academy and YouTube videos. So many resources are available but do they all have the same information for the same thing? No, and how do I find what suits my curriculum’s work or any specific project?

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• Difficult to select age appropriate information As I said, all things are not relevant for me on the Internet. As far as education is concerned, I wouldn’t get info for my grade easily. • How to control screen time When too much is happening on screen, I don’t know how to control my screen time. There are guidelines made for me as far as using screen is concerned - that is half an hour per day or maximum one hour on weekends. Whereas whatever is mentioned below is possible on screen only. I really need suggestions as to where and what can

Pragyanshu Dhyani is a class 6 student of R. N. Podar Santacruz the advertisement says.

Image Courtesy : : https://storyweaver.org.in

be reduced as everything looks important to me. • Study material on screen My worksheets, assignments, revisions and answer-keys are all on the screen as they are sent by the school and I have to use them. • Extra information on screen There is so much beyond curriculum on the screen, like if I need extra information related to my curriculum or if I have to make any project, I have to surf the net. Source of information and research material for extracurricular activities is on the internet again.

Apart from these, there are many WhatsApp groups for school and class groups and different activity groups which keep us updated about day to day happenings and God help us if we miss out on any class or event. • Books on screen I love reading books. My library is already overloaded but that can’t stop me from reading. In a city like Mumbai where distances are huge and commuting has become difficult, visiting the library regularly is not possible. So here comes Kindle, another gadget. Now I can read books anytime anywhere, as

• Entertainment on screen In contrast to my parent’s times, when they had one black and white box to watch one movie in a week that too of someone else’s choice, I have Netflix, set top box, and YouTube to watch movies and shows of my choice. But then it’s on screen. • Games on screen I know most parents dread this screen time but when all my friends are playing online games, why shouldn’t I? But it is screen, right? I understand how much my parents hate it but I love it, after all, you can now play sports or race or even be in the middle of a war without breaking a sweat! • Less real life experience! I have no qualms admitting that I have difficulty in connecting technological information and real life experience. Honestly, I couldn’t figure the working of screwdrivers without the help of YouTube. Big deal!

February 2019

STUDENTSPEAK Image Courtesy : https://storyweaver.org.in

I feel there is a need to find a balance while using technology and I am really not able to figure out how to do it. Searching for study material and finding the right information takes too much of my screen time, but that’s necessary. Playing games and watching my favorite shows is something I would not want to leave. I will leave it to others to figure out for me, as I feel there is still time for me to judge technology. It’s a friend for me who sometimes spoils me, and at another moment, is there to help me. Pragyanshu Dhyani, Class 6 student of R. N. Podar, Santacruz

DIFFICULTY IN STRIKING A BALANCE It has become very difficult for me and my fellow students to create a balance between… • Study • School • Travelling • Social life • Screen time

weaver competition and Spelling Bee both, but while participating in Storyweaver I was relaxed and during the Spelling Bee competition at the state and national level I felt intimidated looking at the environment around me. Despite winning both, I was nervous at the Spelling Bee and unperturbed and chilled at the online competition.

THERE IS A POSITIVE SIDE TO IT Let’s move to a positive side now. You wouldn’t be able to read this article without me keying it in. There was an online storytelling competition long back, the Story-weaver competition. It was a competition where I had to tell a story. I illustrated my story on save the earth. The best part about it was, I applied online, I relaxed and drew it sitting in a cozy corner of my bed and submitted it online. There was one more aspect to it which is the most important one: I learnt to draw with the help of a YouTube channel. So, it all happened with the help of technology. Recently I reached the international level of Spelling Bee. I won the Story-

TECHNOLOGY MAKES ME LAZY! Technology is helping me at different levels but at the same time it is making me lazy as well… • Writing on paper is boring while on computer it looks easy and cool. All of us can have beautiful handwriting that is neat and properly aligned. Well, I typed this as well! • Autocorrect keeps us away from learning the right spellings. One can keep typing without even realising that many of the spelling mistakes have been corrected by software, while some just got a red underline. We click on a wrong

February 2019

spelling and there are suggestions for right spellings. We don’t feel like memorising them; one more click and the right spelling is replaced over the wrong one. • Technology makes us postpone our activities. You go to a library, and restlessly finish a book. But when you have Kindle or gadgets, you take it easy and then don’t finish it in the end. • The virtual world is easy to handle. Of course, I still can’t remember whom Porus was defeated by but I do remember all the skill variations for my FIFA game. • Watching hobby ideas and DIY makes me happy and satisfied. DIY is the abbreviation of Do It Yourself. But the only inspiration I am getting from watching someone else’s pair of hands fold a simple piece of origami is – ‘Oh, if they can do it, why can’t I’ But then when I mess it up I tell myself, ‘It’s better and more relaxing to just watch it’.

EXPERTSPEAK

When Inclusion Is Prejudice!

many of these nuisances. But there are more roots to them, which are further elucidated in my point of view as a student.

Kusum Kanwar writeback@scoonews.com

I love school.” For educators, such declaration from a student is the best testament of ‘success’. However, Priya, 8 years is not among our ‘usual’ pre-schoolers. She lives under the flyover in the slums of Kandivali near our school.There are a few observations I have made and I would like to confess it to you today. Student life is very hard these days. Stress, depression, mood swings are

While it’s been a while that we had opened our doors and hearts to around 30 feisty street children aged 4 to 16 years, this most impromptu confession, with twinkling eyes and one that prompted other more reluctant children to also coyly break into a jiggle and express their happiness, is perhaps one of the most surreal moments I have experienced.

February 2019

It is during such moments we realise the impact we can have on improving lives through some basic additional efforts. In this case, from just helping Priya and other children like her experience the joy of a well-kept school premises and other resources. Or even in dedicatedly training a group of tribal children in self-defence, education and hygiene. It made me think how much we could really achieve if each of our children could attend quality school pro-

Kusum Kanwar is K-12 Principal, Director of KK Kids Learning Systems, ECA Ambassador for Principals Image Courtesy : :http://www.thegeyik.com

grammes (which is the basic right of each and every child as per the Indian constitution) right from the preschool level and not just from primary. It is time and again research reiterated that 0 – 6 years is the most important period for all kinds of development! What does the term inclusion really mean, when do we start implementing it and who all do we include in this? We have always prided ourselves on being an ‘inclusive’ school. Through

our initiatives we have tried to extend it to ‘social inclusion’ too. While our children at Kangaroo Kids, Kandivali and the children under the flyover have already set the wheels in motion in terms of learning to respect and share each other’s spaces, I constantly wonder why there must be a need for schools to be ‘inclusive’ in the first place. Should that be a goal? The RTE Act has set in pace the mission to achieve universal elementary education but can inclusion be sudden-

ly forced upon when there are so many learning, cultural, linguistic impediments to grapple with? Have reservations at colleges, institutions helped us get the desired effect of ensuring that the opportunities presented be translated to effective outcomes? That is the keyword we must analyse the outcome, in terms of empowerment. A dipstick survey report by Parikrama Humanity Foundation, a non-profit company in the field of primary education, found that only 8 per cent of the jobs in well-known IT com-

February 2019

EXPERTSPEAK It made me think how much we could really achieve if each of our children could attend quality school programmes (which is the basic right of each and every child as per the Indian constitution) right from the preschool level and not just from primary. It is time and again research reiterated that 0 – 6 years is the most important period for all kinds of development! Image Courtesy : www.kidsphysiotherapy.co.uk

panies in Bangalore are held by people who have emerged from government schools. Yet, of the million-plus schools in this country, 94 per cent are government or government-aided institutions. Alarmingly, in India’s emerging knowledge industry, more than 90 per cent of jobs are held by people from 6 per cent of its schools. Higher education fares better than primary education but has only about 10% of the population having access to it. Also, 3 million graduates a year, being dispensed out of faulty education systems into various enterprises – locally and globally. Out of these a whopping 90% are deemed unfit for the job-market. What do these numbers tell us? 1. We need a well thought out and tailored approach for real ‘inclusion’ to take place factoring in the social, economic and bureaucratic elements. It must clearly run deeper than sweeping Acts and Reservations that sound ideal but must be pragmatic and in sync with ground realities.

2. In a country where 74% population still depends on agriculture as primary means of livelihood and earnings of less than Rs.100 a day, where do we stand at vocational education and training (VET) in this skill-based economy? A dismal 10% of workers receive formal education in vocational education, compared with 65% in US and 70% in UK. China is training 90 million youths against our 3.5 million youths in VET! We need more and more social enterprises that also focus on truly empowering people across communities. 3. We have the lowest spends on Education and Health – the two most critical components that build a nation! India beats subSaharan Africa, known over the world in term of hunger parameters. How do we expect our children to study when they aren’t healthy? How does anyone grow financially if he is bogged by debts due to escalating healthcare costs – since our public healthcare is also

February 2019

such a failure? Our public expenditure on healthcare is just over 1% of GDP. In education it is about 3%, lesser than sub-Saharan Africa. For true empowerment through inclusion, one that transcends the social, economic, cultural factors, it must have 100% involvement from the entire ecosystem. We need to start early, young and work together. And not just through reservations or categorisations, which further divides us. We need to connect at the ground level and encourage the communities to explore, engage and enrich each other’s perspectives while also advocating their equal rights to be included in the societal framework with the freedom of also retaining their respective identities. While inclusion is a way of abolishing various degrees of inequalities, it shouldn’t be an end. The goal must be empowerment. After all, doesn’t the term ‘inclusion’ imply prejudice?

EXPERTSPEAK

Make teachers your biggest investment Asha Varma writeback@scoonews.com

t was a Monday morning and Puja was in a dilemma. She was almost in tears, as she left for school where she was a preschool teacher.

The dilemma was the sudden decision of her mother-in-law to spend the next six months with her younger son who lived in Surat. Puja had to be in school at 8.30 am while her sonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s school bus arrived at 8.45. So far, the grandmother had undertaken the responsibility of seeing off the boy when the bus came. Who would do that now? This was the

February 2019

dilemma. She decided to speak to her headmistress, not knowing what to expect. The headmistress heard her out, and assured her that she would think about it. Later that day an arrangement was made. Pujaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s co teacher agreed to handle the class alone for 30 minutes, while Puja could come to school after seeing her son off.

Italian floor tiles (even if it means slipping in the rain) Best school awards (a fortune spent on flights and hotel rooms) Some schools boast of horse-riding (In Mumbai? Where is the space?) The well-being of teachers, the heartline of a school, is not on the list of priorities. (They are getting salaries, aren’t they?)

With 55 years in education, Asha Varma is consultant Early Childhood Education Children’s Academy group of schools Mumbai, coordinator life skills programme, member of the ETST core group at Asia Plateau Panchgani, founder member and secretary of the Early Childhood Association of India and visiting consultant at Siddhartha public school Himmatnagar Gujarat.

Image Courtesy : : www.povertyactionlab.org

We have so often heard statements like, ‘Teaching is a noble profession’, ‘Teachers are nation-builders’. Then you ask someone, ‘What is your daughter planning to do?’ ‘She wants to be a teacher.’ ‘Oh’. End of conversation. Dilip Mirchandani, erstwhile director of St. John’s school Mumbai, always maintained that the teachers are the Kohinoor diamonds of every school, they need mentoring, nurturing and need to be taken care of. This showed in all his dealings with teachers. He believed in investing in his teachers. The result? Teachers who knew him swear by his name today long after he is no more. WHY DO WE NEED TO INVEST IN TEACHERS? The emotional atmosphere in a classroom setting is important to the experiences of students. This atmosphere is affected by the emotional stability of the teacher. Teachers undergo immense pressure while trying to cope with the never ending, ever changing series of demands they face from moment to moment. When a student blows his gasket, he is usually given the option of taking time out, or can leave the classroom to cool off; the teacher cannot do this. Unlike other professions that deal with files, paper, food or brick and mortar, teachers deal with human material which has moods and phases that change from day to day. In the afternoon the son’s bus passed by Puja’s school. The driver would drop him off and he would play here till Puja was free to go home with him. A new phrase was coined: ‘Break rules, do not break people’. Without being aware of it, the headmistress had made an investment - she had invested in Puja.

WHAT ARE WE TALKING ABOUT? INVESTING IN TEACHERS? SURPRISING, BECAUSE SCHOOLS INVEST IN: Infrastructure (some school receptions resemble 5-star lobbies) Competitions (glass cupboards full of trophies lining corridor walls)

Extra work for colleagues, a disrupted curriculum, and obvious financial implications. Teachers face stress. Former primary head teacher John Illingworth, himself a casualty of chronic stress and strife in the education system, believes that “Depression, anxiety, and burnout

February 2019

EXPERTSPEAK

have become teacher diseases”. Long term unaddressed stress equals long term teacher absence, generates extra work for colleagues, a disrupted curriculum and obvious financial implications. Teachers face students, calm irate parents, take flak from superiors; it is all buildup without release. The education sector is facing recruitment and retention crisis. Many teachers feel overworked, under-appreciated, and stressed. For many, the worklife balance is non-existent, their relationships outside are suffering, and their passion for the profession is waning. It is important therefore to focus on and ensure the well-being of the teaching staff. Well-being of teachers is not a luxury, for the end of term, it is not a bolt or an added extra. Well-being of teachers is a fundamental prerequisite for healthy constructive quality teaching and learning. Along with less sick leave, higher retention levels, a happy teacher has a profound effect on students. What can we do to ensure our teachers are fit, well, and flourishing? We need to invest in them, by making it a top priority. HOW DO WE DO THIS? Here is a list which, when adhered to, has shown amazing results…

STRUCTURE AND WORKLOAD Rules of employment clearly stated in the employment contract, and adhered to, without which the teachers feel helpless and cheated. A school handbook that clearly states the roles of all staff members. A clear revised job description, when staff is promoted or moved. No expectation of immediate response to mails, and a ban on sending mails on the weekend. Give thought to individual workload before introducing new initiatives. Investigate complaints of bullying or harassment, and take steps to stop such behaviour. An ongoing professional development programme increases job satisfaction and contributes to teacher resilience and well-being. Remember work-life balance. Accept that teachers have families, social obligations, domestic responsibilities, and they also need to have fun like anyone else. School working environments need to be good enough to work in, eg. clean toilets, de-cluttering and tidying, essential and timely repairs are affordable changes that reduce stress at the workplace. Words of appreciation and praise for a job well done, go a long

February 2019

way in building up the self-esteem and confidence of teachers. Teachers’ inputs during meetings need to be valued and acknowledged. Before any organisational change occurs, managements need to consult staff, take their opinions, provide training and resources to deal with the new system, and let all reflect together on how it will affect the work-life balance. Hiring additional teachers or teaching assistants at peak times of the year to maintain a healthy workload. Looking for areas where mentoring, coaching, or administrative and technical support is required and making it available eg. help with photo copying and laminating when required. Allowing staff to take a “real break” during lunch time. Limiting after-school meetings. Having approachable leaders in place. Reducing time spent on nonteaching activities. STAFF SURVEY Have staff surveys which address the following questions… 1. Do you feel stressed at work? 2. Do you feel adequately supported at work? 3. Do you feel equipped to manage your workload? 4. Where/who would you turn to if something went wrong? 5. Would you like to have the opportunity of counselling? 6. What do you enjoy about your job? 7. What do you not like about your job? HAVE A WELL-BEING TEAM Have a well-being team comprising some teachers to boost morale by: Putting fun posters in staffrooms and toilets. Leaving a mug full of sweets or stationery on some one’s table. Getting extra help to clean up after lunch. Organising a lunch or a picnic. Remembering birthdays.

“Teachers are at breaking point, It is time to push wellbeing up the agenda” Julian Stanley.

EXPERTSPEAK

EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING FOR CREATIVITY Dr Reeta Sonawat writeback@scoonews.com

s the word suggests, experiential learning is nothing but â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;learning from experienceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. This is a learner-centred approach as it allows each individual member to share and handle the responsibility of their experience that results in learning. Incorporating experiential learning in various teaching strategies will help in acquiring effective learning. It will provide each individual opportunity to engage in the activity, critically review the activity, analyse the activity, list the useful outcomes and apply the results in various situations. There are certain ways in which the experiential learning model can be applied in the training. We will understand this way through a creativity activity. I EXPERIENCE - ACTIVITY, DOING: At this first step, the trainer plans the activity to be conducted. The materials required and the procedure of the activity decided. Name of the activity: Creativity through experiential learning. Materials: Circle, triangle and square cut-outs of 3 sizes (small, medium, big) and 3 colours (yellow, green, blue), black chart papers, fevicol, colourful chalks. (materials should be according to group size). Procedure: The trainer will arrange all the cut-outs at different locations in the given space. All the shapes of a particular size (large/medium/small) are

to be placed in close proximity. For example, all small squares, triangles and circle are to be placed on the floor while all medium sized shapes to be placed on the table. Select one place where a large black chart paper sheet should be placed on the ground. Place the Fevicol where it is easily accessible. Similarly, same coloured chalk sticks are to be grouped together and placed across the experiential activity area. The trainer also decides a strategy to carry out the activity. II Process - Sharing, Comparing, Processing, Reflecting: At this step, the activity begins, where the trainers call all the members to participate in the activity. This activity requires minimum of 25 participants. The trainer begins by telling the participants where all the materials are kept. The trainer informs them that they are supposed to follow the instructions. All the participants should follow the instructions together. The instructions can be as follows: Pick only green and yellow chalks to draw lines (zigzag, wavy, straight) on the black chart paper. Make sure that no line touches another line. Use Fevicol to stick only medium size yellow and blue circles and triangles on the space where there are no lines drawn. Stick small sized cut-outs of any colour anywhere on the paper. Stick big triangles near the small yel-

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low circles. Join all the green and blue squares with pink chalk. Decorate the lines in such a way that they do not touch the detailing or decoration of other lines. Stick yellow circles on top of any sized triangles. Write your name anywhere within the empty space without touching any other detailing on the chart paper. III Generalisation - Drawing conclusions, identifying general principles: After completion of the activity, the trainer should ask the participants to observe the outcome and list down the important learning that has occurred through this creative experience. The participants after looking at the final product will feel the satisfaction of creating something so good without even knowing what they are creating. The

Dr Reeta Sonawat is former Dean, Faculty of Home Science, Prof & Head, Department of Human Development, SNDT Women's University, Juhu Campus.

general principles drawn through this activity can be: Following instructions Team work Collaboration Cooperation Sharing Comparing Understanding Comprehending Physical strength Writing readiness Math readiness Language readiness Spatial orientation Taking Turns Reading Readiness Pattern recognition Active Listening IV APPLICATION (POST-TRAINING EXPERIENCE):

After the participants have been actively involved in creating something, it is necessary to help them understand where they can apply there learning. The trainer should make sure that the participants have enjoyed and learned and are able to apply their experience and carry their learning forward. Following are the range of activities where the participants can apply their learning: Providing stimulations: This type of creative activity is best in providing stimulations for all round development of an individual. The individual develops physically, socially, emotionally and cognitively. Games: This activity can also be converted into various games, which will develop competition and sportsman spirit. Skill practice: Various physical, social, language skills are developed and sharpened through such creative activities. Completing an instrument: The sense of completion brings satisfaction. Once all these steps are completed the trainer should encourage the participants to speak and discuss individually, in groups or as a full training group. They discuss all the outcomes from the activity. They should be encouraged to think critically about their experience. The trainer should help the participants to put their thoughts and feelings in words. For this process the trainer

can: Ask following questions like, what did you learn from the activity? Was it useful? Your most liked part about the activity, your most disliked part about the activity, how can you make it better? etc. Help them draw conclusions Summarise their conclusions Encourage them to think Make sure that each participant speaks out their thoughts Help them learn from each otherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s perceptive and thoughts This approach serves as a guide for a trainer who is aiming to carry out an educational experience for the group of learners. This model is best for skills training as it allows participants to practice their skills. Learners assume responsibility of their experience as they create, criticise and apply. Implementing the activity effectively also plays a major role. Reference: Experiential Learning is adapted from an excerpt of the paper titled 'Independent Effectiveness: A Reconsideration of Cross-Cultural Orientation and Training', by James A. McCaffery, Ph. D; International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 1986 c.f. Participants' Training Manual on 'Training of Trainers for ICAR Transfer of Technology Projects (199192)'.

February 2019

EXPERTSPEAK

The Power of Play-Based Learning

Rita Bose

which is not true in this case, and hence the misconception.

writeback@scoonews.com

he trend these days is to call work that the child enjoys as Play Based Learning. This is because the adult cannot accept the fact that when the child is smiling and happy, s/he is really working hard to bring out the inbuilt potential. The Montessori Method is an internationally recognised scientific method. The children use all their faculties, power of observation and intelligence while working with this material. They find such joy in it that they are always in a happy frame of mind. And adults always associate Happiness with Play

A short history â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the Montessori Method was established in the year 1907. After many years of research and experimentation with various materials and working with children of diverse backgrounds, this method came into being. Dr Maria Montessori, the Founder of this form of education was an expert in various fields besides being a Doctor of Medicine. She gave up everything in order to work with children. For her the child was the centre of focus. It is a well-known fact that children absorb things best when they are offered to his/her hands and eyes. So, to help the child become aware of

February 2019

dimensions, shapes, colours, solids â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the material offered to him/her brings out that particular sensorial aspect. In order to bring out differences in length, only the lengths keep on changing while the height and width remain the same. Similarly, for all other sensorial perceptions. We may also call this the sensorial material, as all the senses come into play â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Visual, Acoustic (different sounds), Olfactory (different smells), Gustatory (different tastes), Tactile (different textures) and stereognostic . So, while we think the child is playing, he/she has absorbed so much from the material and now using these as keys, the child can explore his/her environment on a higher level. Most of the material offered to the child has a built in Control of Error.

Image Courtesy : http://3.bp.blogspot.com

The adult need not stand over him/her to keep on correcting the child or point out mistakes. This helps in building up the child’s confidence. The child keeps on working at his/her own pace and rhythm. I would like to mention here that the child has the freedom to work with any material for as long as he/she wants. But Freedom and Discipline go hand in hand. The child can choose a material provided it has been presented to him/her and provided the material is at its place. And after working with it the child has to put it back in the proper place. The motto of ‘A place for everything and everything in its place’ is adhered to here. Language and Arithmetic is also offered to the child’s hands and eyes.

The child makes great strides in these fields too using the ‘Play Based Method’ as most might call it. A child of 4 years when offered the Decimal System of Numeration understands the concept with clarity and can tell an adult that 10 tens make a 100 and 10 hundreds make a 1000. The child is very clear and confident of this concept. The child also develops a positive Social Behaviour and becomes a responsible and aware citizen. Great personalities of India like Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore took a keen interest in the Montessori Method. Dr Montessori believed that ‘in order to reach World Peace we need a new Human Being – a better Human

Rita Bose is PrincipalDisharee Montessori House and President-Montessori Association (Kolkata)

Being’. She also stated that ‘an education capable of constructing Peace cannot be limited- it is a Work of Universal Magnitude’. So, let’s all join hands to bring to the child a love and desire for his work without the child feeling burdened and claustrophobic. Let the child’s world be filled with enthusiasm and a healthy approach to life. Let us all recite the Montessori Prayer-

Help us O lord to penetrate into the Secrets of the Child So that we may know him, love him and serve him According to thy Laws of Justice and according to thy Divine Will

February 2019

EXPERTSPEAK

Going the

e x t ra

m-i-l-e Harsha G Ramaiya

forms, she is a mother-like figure making school a second home for kids.

writeback@scoonews.com

eachers are the foundation to make a good and balanced generation. We hold the utmost responsibility to serve our nation, as we have the roots in our hands. We are the actual nurturers of this Garden. A teacher plays a vital role in moulding a child’s entire personality. We believe that a teacher is not just performing a job as an individual, but she works for a noble cause. A teacher should be proud of the duty she per-

We teachers should believe in ourselves and have a vision to make the best generation only then we can work towards our goal. A teacher is not only to teach what is given in the book or in the syllabus. We should not set boundaries around ourselves limited to only the syllabus, as actual teaching is beyond the syllabus and only a teacher can do it, but for that we have to go the extra mile. I think we should go that extra mile as only then will we be able to

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serve the actual purpose of being a teacher. A teacher has a lot of impact on a student’s mind so to prove ourselves as the real role models we should give that extra mile an effort. When I say impact, it means children believe us more than even their parents and this belief is our strength and that can inspire us to deliver more and the best. The child absorbs each and every word said by his teacher, which remains with him throughout his life, and mostly the teacher’s words become a student’s character.

TEACHER Being one is the highest Privilege, Having one is the best Blessing

human touch of thinking and teaching with heart is missing. A teacher is not only an employee and should not think that way, our wages are given as a token of our services rendered to a particular institute but we owe our duty towards society as we are in a noble profession and our thinking also should be expanded to more than just a time bound duty. If we consider wages and time to time duty then we are in a wrong profession. We should look into ourselves and question ourselves that, if I have chosen teaching as my profession then I have to give my 100% and expect (here wages or recognition) almost nothing. By this I don’t mean that you should be under-paid or tolerate work exploitation but I am trying to say that the quality of our work should not get diluted because of any reason as we have to set the society an example of what a teacher actually means. A teacher takes the initiative in bringing up students to be responsible citizens. We strongly believe that a teacher has unconditional love towards her students irrespective of job timings and wages paid to her.

Harsha G Ramaiya is founder and director Small Wonders, ECA National Core Committee Member, Admin First Moms Club and President Bhavnagar Pre-School Association TIE

Children are so inspired by their teachers that mostly in their school days most of the kids want to become teachers and when they role play, they enact their teachers. Seeing how much impact a teacher, her behaviour, her attitude holds on minds and hearts of the kids, don’t you think it’s a big responsibility to portray ourselves right? Our goal as teachers is not and never should be the completion of syllabus given to us, because as teachers we should believe that the sky is the limit

for us to reach and to teach. Our attitude should be to make studies enjoyable and interesting rather than a burden for kids as in today’s scenario, studies have become a burden and very boring. The main reasons for this are… 1

We focus on showbiz rather than on the actual essence of education. (Here I mean textbooks are chosen by their cover and not by the content) We have become mechanical, that

It is we who make a subject interesting or boring as no subject is actually interesting or boring. As we have often heard students saying, ‘I like this subject because my teacher teaches in such a way, that it becomes easy and interesting’. We also hear the students say the same in the reverse way. We should remind ourselves daily that we are very important to make the change in the society and we should not have any bar of wages, time, and efforts etc to give our best. We should ignite ourselves to make the change in society, we should regularly update ourselves through the resources available as only then can we help the coming generation better. Let’s pledge to have a very happy, interesting, innovative, creative, out of the way, out of the box teaching.

February 2019

EXPERTSPEAK

Teaching Self-Regulation and Behaviour Boundaries Cindy Terebush, MS Early Childhood Studies, is author of Teach the Whole Preschooler: Strategies for Nurturing Developing Mind, United States of America

Cindy Terebush writeback@scoonews.com

e are born with our temperament and behaviour is learned. Some children are more cautious than others. Some adapt to change easily while others do not. In every group, there are children who are more active and children who are more passive. The seemingly fearless are sharing space with the more anxious. These innate personality traits will be a part of who they are for their whole lives. They need to learn skills to help them cope, work together, behave within the boundaries of their culture, follow directions and strive to be the best version of themselves. Sounds simple â&#x20AC;&#x201C; just teach them â&#x20AC;&#x201C; but it is tricky. In the early childhood years, children are egocentric. They see the world only from their own point of view. They do not yet understand that other people can

February 2019

have different viewpoints or need different things. When we make demands of them that are contrary to their desires, they find that frustrating. They think if they want a toy, that everyone must want them to have it. Then, we come along, tell them that they can’t have it or that they have to wait, and they do not understand how we could say something the opposite of what they think. Children at this age are also limited in their ability to express themselves. Verbal children may know vocabulary but that does not mean they can use those words when they are upset. The same is true for all of us. I have been so angry or so frustrated that I cannot come up with effective words to use to say what I need. Adults struggle to find the words and string them together so we can communicate in those moments. If we, who have been through so many years of using words cannot find them when we are emotional, it is certainly unrealistic to expect that of young children. Children are who non-verbal or speech delayed are even more challenged. They find it difficult to communicate all the time, not just when they are in an upsetting situation. They need someone’s attention or help regulating their own feelings and the impact of those feelings on their bodies, but they don’t have the tools to tell us. They will default to more physical actions and reactions so that they are “heard.” When I first started working in Early Childhood Education, I went to the orientation for new teachers and was told that I was not allowed to use negative words when speaking to the children. I was not permitted to say, “No” or “Don’t” or “Don’t do that.” I thought I’d definitely slip and be fired. I wasn’t sure how to communicate to the children if I couldn’t say, “No. Stop. Don’t.” My use of words was always on my mind. Not only did I not get fired, that job was the best training ground I’ve ever had. I had no choice but to figure it out. With time and very intentional practice, using only positive phrasing started to come naturally. To this day, I strive to speak the same way to my own children who are now in their twenties. Make it your intention to pay attention to your words when addressing children about their behaviour. Are you helping the child to understand why

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certain behaviour is expected? Are you talking to the children with positive words that helps them to both know what you do expect and feel as if the request is possible? Behaviour is taught. It cannot simply be erased, and it needs to make sense to the child. Children need to know why I am asking them to behave a certain way and what we need them to do instead. We cannot simply make inappropriate behaviour disappear at our command. We have to replace the behaviours in a way that does not demean children and negatively impact their self-esteem. We need them to understand. Self-regulation is a skill set – just like any other skill set. We explain other skill sets to them. We need to explain our lessons about behaviour, too. We may have a list of rules for children to follow at different times of day or in different places. All those rules are confusing, so we need to put them in simple categories for children to understand. Primarily, we want to teach children to be safe, be healthy, be kind and take care of their things. The rest are the details. We can help children to understand why we ask for certain behaviours if we attach them to those four categories every time, we teach them about appropriate behaviour. We also need to remember to tell them what to do instead. For example, when a child is running in a crowded hallway, I need to tell the child the type of rule (which really is what they will gain by doing it) and what I need to have happen. You might say, “Be safe. Walk in the hallway, please.” If a child hits

another child because they are arguing over a toy block, you might say, “Be kind. Tell her that you had the block first.” Finally, when children are meeting or exceeding expectations, they need to be acknowledged. They need to be encouraged to continue the desired behaviours. Self-regulation can be acknowledged but we need to be careful. When we are encouraging some, we need to be sure not to discourage those who struggle with their social-emotional growth. Offer the whole class time for doing an activity that they love if the whole class earns a certain number of pom-poms or small balls or some other item that can fill a jar. Each time a child does the right thing, they get to add one to the jar. They can even add pom-poms or balls to the jar for their classmate if they see them being kind, safe or taking care of their things without having been asked to do so by an adult. The jar has to be small and the contents large so they will fill it quickly. They need fun, acknowledging activities frequently. When it is full, celebrate with an activity they enjoy such as extra time on the playground or dancing to their favorite song. Every child at their own level can add to the jar without anyone being able to see who added how many. They are acting as a team. It is true that some children may not contribute to the jar, but isn’t that true of real life? On any team, some will contribute more than others on any given day. They will learn to help each other contribute, be happy for those who do, be willing to share in their success and then try again. Self-regulation, cooperation, teamwork and persistence will pave a strong path for the years ahead.

February 2019

EXPERTSPEAK

CELEBRATING CHILDREN’S

Uniqueness, Nurturing Natural Leadership Mindset Magdalena Matulewicz writeback@scoonews.com

e all have unique gifts and talents we come to this world with that can make a real change. But the bottom line is that most of us have not been supported as children to explore them in full and use them confidently. Does it sound or feel familiar to you? Imagine, if you had been given a chance to really get to know yourself as a child... -

to truly explore who you are in your essence,

to dive deeply into your gifts,

to take all the time you needed to understand what best serves you, how you best express yourself.

Imagine, if as a child you had been given an unquestionable appreciation for who you are... - for the way you move, - the way you walk, - the way you speak, - the way you rush, - the way you take things slowly, - the way you giggle, - the way you think. If you had a chance to understand that these were all your gifts that you came to this world with, and the only way to live a truly happy life is to celebrate them.

If you had been given a chance as a child to notice how celebrating your gifts yourself makes the whole world celebrate you and that the world becomes a beautiful place when you share these gifts. Imagine… What a difference would it make for you now? What kind of person would you be right now? How much easier it would be for you to share your gifts? Finally, imagine what a difference it can still make for our children! Yes, it’s true that children learn in any environment and they will. But why would we as Leaders, Educators and Visionaries choose to offer them the mediocre? Why make the journey more difficult? Why not appreciate their gifts early in their lives so they can confidently nurture them later on for their own happiness and for the better future of your nation, your region and the entire world? Freedom to Explore We can still make a change and help new generations explore their uniqueness starting from the early days of their lives so that our children can grow to their full potential, live truly happy and fulfilling lives and confidently share their talents with the world now and in the future. All we need is child-friendly, exciting and

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personalised learning environments that nurture children to: 1. explore who they really are as individuals, 2. discover their inner gifts, their unique talents and learning preferences, 3. find out how they can use their gifts and passions in their everyday life, 4. build their confidence and pride about who they really are and what they have to offer to the world. Every child can help bring about new innovations, new ideas, new technologies, new approaches that will make the

Magdalena Matulewicz is Co-Founder/President of Natural Born Leaders www.naturalbornleaders.org

insights and clear understanding of what is needed. Who is shifting the World? The answer has always been and will always be the same - it’s our children. While they make only 20% of the current population, they will be 100% of our future! And how will they shape the world? It’s very easy to predict…

develop their confidence and grow the mindset that makes them feel unstoppable and ready to inspire others! The Importance of Early Years Early years is the most important period in every child’s life - it deeply impacts their personality, confidence, habits and behavioural patterns that will stay with the child for their life time.

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world an amazing place to live. All children can potentially do this - but it all depends… … It really depends on how much support a child will receive in their early years to grow to their full potential. Because to flourish, to share their gifts with the world, to lead others - our children first NEED enabling environments to explore who they really are and discover their inner talents. They need all the time they want to dig deeper into what they feel the most passionate about. They need friendly environments that support them to experiment, make mistakes, take risks safely,

In the world we live right now, the right mindset, self-awareness and confidence in your own skills and talents are the most desirable assets. It is crucial to offer our children the most empowering early years education that nurtures their unique talents and gifts, and at the same time is fully aligned with their individual learning preferences, energy expression and personality. Early Childhood Education and Care providers have a very important role to play - to create truly child-friendly spaces where all children are celebrated for their uniqueness. Personalised learning processes is the key approach to ensuring that each child receives the education that honours their individuality. Addressing the New Paradigm Shift We are entering a massive paradigm shift in education. And this paradigm calls for new approaches, deeper

They will do what they have been taught by us - their parents, their teachers, the media, the society. They will use the same percentage of their potential that we are allowing them to use right now. They will be as confident as we encourage them to be today, they will be as kind, loving, considerate and respectful as we are to them today. Our children will share their creativity and their natural genius to the extent they are using it today and how much we are ready to appreciate it now. If we want our children to live in a happy, safe and loving world where they can confidently share their natural gifts and talents with others, we need to take full responsibility right now and role model the attitudes and values that we want our children to pass on to future generations. And it all starts in early childhood where confidence, leadership mindset and all life-long skills are shaped. The New Paradigm Shift in Education calls for celebration of child’s uniqueness. It calls for new approaches that promote positive self-image and conscious self-knowing. And when these are in place, all other skills, including academic skills, can be easily developed. Personalised and Self-Directed Learning, Positive Pedagogy and Full Potential-Oriented Education are the key approaches that will greatly facilitate this New Paradigm Shift. The good news is that these approaches can be easily introduced in early years settings around the globe today - by modelling best practices, and running effective teacher training programmes.

February 2019

EXPERTSPEAK

Imparting

VALUE EDUCATION in Schools Dr Kinjal Bhatt is Principal, NaICE: The Primary School, Bhavnagar, Gujarat

Dr Kinjal Bhatt writeback@scoonews.com

EDUCATION AND SOCIETY TODAY Students of primary classes are often found cheating and using undesirable words. Disrespecting teachers sometimes starts as soon as they move forward in their school. By the time they enter the middle school, they have developed all the ways and means to display behaviour with no values. It is a pity to see a student of class 10 or 12 bunking classes and sitting with mobiles in the canteen, aimlessly engaged in Facebook when actually this is the time to give finishing to whatever they have learnt. Such a scenario really disheartens the educators who have been trying to create individuals with social and moral responsibilities. In this fast world of globalisation, junk food, terrorism and corruption, students are under continuous stress to compete and prove themselves. Education system of any country is

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expected to prepare the following generation to adapt better in the dynamic society. The process of schooling and higher education should prepare students to differentiate between dos and don’ts at all stages of life. Our country has been adding meaning to education by incorporating ‘karma’ and ‘dharma’. Ancient Indian education has produced citizens with strong moral code

and norms of living and conduct. But does our current education system train the students to accept roles expected from them? Values have been felt to be subtracted from the rigid boundaries of what we call education. Teaching learning continues even today and production of citizens also takes place. But does our current education system prepare students for

these challenges? Are we preparing individuals or humans? We educators have to act and accept the challenge of adding values in our education. We have to develop means and ways to produce humans and not just individuals. The current article is an attempt to explore the scope of value education at school level.

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EXPERTSPEAK also emphasise to think and understand the importance of such values. Cultural activities: These should not merely focus on display of talent. Through these art forms, socially desirable values can be taught. Attributes like team work, coordination, respecting others’ opinion, etc can be cultivated while practicing any art form. Social activities: When a school extends beyond classroom walls, a student realises the problems in the outside world. They understand their responsibility to solve this universal problems and start valuing the things they already have. Sports activities: They can focus on physical and mental health. Team spirit, honesty, determination, etc. can be taught along with any game. Students also learn to respect others’ efforts and accept defeat. Image Courtesy : https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org

WAYS OF BRINGING CHANGE Value education starts from home but it continues throughout life. Value education in schools plays a major part in individual’s life. Value based education can shape their future and add purpose to their life. It helps them learn to live the right way of life. School is the place where the child spends most of his or her learning years. Many attributes and behaviour they develop for a life time have their roots in school. Including value education as a textbook, as a graded subject or as a lecture per week is not enough. The school has to give due importance and priority for inculcating these desirable values among children. Special well-planned learning experiences need to be designed so that students understand the importance of value in the real sense rather than just a fact. These learning experiences can be designed at two levels - curricular and co-curricular. Value education through curriculum We understand that time bound syllabus is very important but it cannot be taught at the cost of values. Our subjects and treatment to each subject should be done consciously. Need based: Curriculum should be developed after conducting a detailed analysis of the students of

a particular class. Values which are most important and urgent should be given priority. A group of values to be achieved in a year’s time can be listed. Flexibility and innovativeness: The curriculum of other subjects should be flexible enough to incorporate teaching of values. Any theory or illustration explained may be linked with value in life. For example, while explaining gravitation, we say anything that has ego falls down. Teaching of language: While teaching creative writing and grammar rules, emphasis should be given on values like sacrifice and brotherhood. This will help students explore more about each value. Value education through co-curricular activities Through curriculum a student acquires knowledge but overall development of an individual takes place through co-curricular activities only. These activities help develop confidence and overcome inferiority complex. Educational activities: Activities like debate, poem recitation, should be organised on themes like sincerity, honesty and regularity. This will not only strengthen the expression of feelings in words but

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ROLE OF TEACHERS AND MANAGEMENT A strong moral character is an obligatory part of a teacher. No teacher can discharge his or her duties well if the teacher is morally degraded, dishonest and a participant in the race of collecting unfair money. Value oriented education is most effective when teacher considers it as a life mission and displays all moral and desirable behaviour traits in front of students. The value education teacher is not solely responsible but all teachers together should contribute to this process. However hard the staff may try, these activities will gain importance only if management has similar emphasis. The authorities should have a clear vision and anyone who deviates from the same should not be entertained. Instructions and guidance can be given to teaching and non-teaching staff. Regular follow up of given instructions should also be taken. Those who follow the given guidelines should be acknowledged and appreciated. CONCLUSION Globalisation and privatisation of education system has made it mechanical and less valuable. In the competition of getting more students, schools have shifted their focus from student to curriculum. But we as educationists can take charge of the situation, can add meaning to what is taught in schools. A small change in focus and approach can create wonders. Let’s all work towards helping create humans!

EXPERTSPEAK

How Creative Play Nurtures Children’s Natural Leadership Mindset Witold Matulewicz writeback@scoonews.com

eadership is often misunderstood as being bold, arrogant and self-centred or needing to be in the centre of attention. It’s actually very far from the truth. It is essential to understand who a leader is and how nurturing children’s natural leadership skills will eventually help create generations of confident individuals who will in turn positively influence all areas of life in the future personal, education, business, environmental, and political.

5. celebrates other people for their talents and leads, inspires, listens and guides them to share their gifts with the world with kindness, compassion and integrity considering not only the personal but also the collective good 6. is ready to make a change to the world no matter how small or big 7. leads happy and fulfilling life staying true to their nature, always. A True Leader is a highly evolved human being, and we most certainly should offer our children opportunities to explore their natural leadership gifts if we really want to help them grow to their full potential.

Let’s explore the deeper meaning of the world “leader” and why we, educators and parents, should want our children to be leaders and support their natural leadership skills in their early years.

Creative play is one of the most effective ways to nurture children’s holistic growth and their leadership mindset.

A TRUE LEADER IS SOMEONE WHO: 1. is confident about who they are because they know themselves 2. inspires others with his/her gifts and talents - because they recognise their own gifts 3. is trusted - because they can trust themselves 4. can express themselves to the world easily and effortlessly because they don’t feel afraid to do so

Here’s a few ways how creative play nurtures the leadership mindset: 1. Creative play allows children to express themselves the way they like and prefer at the very moment. 2. Children can explore their inner gifts, talents and preferences, experiment with them and decide how they can make the best use of them in the world. 3. Creative exploration opens up the whole new world of possibilities

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which a child can flexibly test, reflect on and improve until they are satisfied with the result. 4. While creating a child develops great confidence in their own skills and in their natural gifts and talents. 5. Creative play allows plenty of space for celebrating individuality. Every play is creative when it is ChildLed because only then it is SelfDirected. Children create all the time and creative play is not restricted to Arts & Crafts only. It goes much further beyond this. Construction is creative,

Witold Matulewicz is Co-Founder/VicePresident of Natural Born Leaders www.naturalbornleaders.org

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jumping around is creative, discussion is creative, dancing is creative, gardening is creative, role-play is creative. To really nurture childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leadership mindset any creative experience must always be Child-led, otherwise the creativity aspect will most likely be controlled, restricted, shaped towards a certain direction or agenda-driven, and this greatly limits the opportunities for Personalised Self-Directed learning and development. Child-Led means that a child is the sole author of the experience, they take it where they want it and how they want it. This also means that an educator is

a facilitator of this experience, offering child-friendly and safe environments, and providing access to relevant, age and stage of development appropriate resources. This means not imposing any structure, any outcome, any result. We allow a child to experience whatever they wish and need at the moment - by doing so we show them that we trust them, that we celebrate who they are and that whatever they offer to the world is wonderful and it doesn't need to be changed or modified to our liking. The only non-negotiable condition here every Early Years Educator needs

to make sure they provide is the environment that is safe for all children to creatively explore and take manageable risks. Safe learning environments will not restrict children and will offer them more space to express themselves creatively and fully as individuals. This approach can go perfectly in line with any curriculum or national requirements, and every experienced educator should have no problems with cross referencing child-led learning experiences with the early years curriculum they follow.

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EXPERTSPEAK

February 2019

Preventing & Responding to Challenging Behaviour Barbara Kaiser is the co-author of Challenging Behavior in Young Children: Understanding, Preventing, and Responding Effectively, 4th Edition. Pearson, 2017. https://www.challengingbehavior.com

Barbara Kaiser writeback@scoonews.com

s soon as four-year-old Andrew enters the classroom, he walks to the block corner, stands for a moment watching the block play, and then kicks over the other children’s constructions. They react angrily, and the teacher comes over and redirects him to another activity. Moments later he moves to the puzzle area, watches again, then knocks the puzzles off the table. Once more the children are angry. The teacher talks to Andrew about his behaviour and rather than leave him to his own devices she sits and reads him a book about having friends. When a child engages in challenging behaviour, it often keeps other children from functioning by distracting them, frightening them, destroying their work, even hurting them. At the same time, the child with challenging behaviour monopolises teachers’ time, depletes their resources, and prevents them from teaching. If early childhood educators can meet the child’s needs before challenging behaviour appears, they will have more to give to all the children, and the classroom can become a place that’s pleasant, relaxed, and conducive to learning. Image Courtesy : https://crain-platform-cny-prod.s3.amazonaws.com

Children often use challenging behaviour when they don’t have more appropriate ways to communicate their needs. This means that we should be teaching children new skills to replace their challenging behaviour rather than merely disciplining or even punishing them. Being proactive is far more effective than intervening after a child misbehaves. There are many things we can do to prevent challenging behaviours and teach children appropriate behaviours—including social and emotional skills. But first of all, teachers must make the classroom a place that children want to be by including the following three elements: Developing an inclusive environment where all children feel welcome and important Increasing the opportunities for social interaction by using cooperative toys and materials that naturally lend themselves to two or more children playing together Creating a sense of community and an atmosphere of friendship and caring where teachers give time and attention to children when they are engaging in friendly behaviours and children support one another’s efforts and achievements

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EXPERTSPEAK Increasing the opportunities for social interaction by using cooperative toys and materials that naturally lend themselves to two or more children playing together

ships. Besides helping them to make friends and get along with others, social and emotional skills enable them to behave more appropriately, recognise and manage their emotions, make responsible decisions, understand and appreciate the perspective of others, feel and show empathy, and resolve conflicts more peacefully (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL).

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So how will teaching social emotional skills change Andrew’s behavior? Chances are he wanted to join in play with his peers but didn’t know how. Children with challenging behaviour have great difficulty in the social and emotional realm because they are often rejected by their peers, and without friends they have few opportunities to learn and practice these skills or build self-confidence. Those with the most challenging behaviours especially need responsive, consistent, and nurturing relationships with adults in order to learn and develop, yet their behaviours often prevent them from developing and benefiting from those relationships. Social and emotional learning (SEL) teaches behaviours, attitudes, and words that allow children to initiate and maintain positive social relation-

Social-emotional learning is stronger when it begins early, and the preschool years are the optimal time to begin. There is no doubt children learn social and emotional skills simply by being in a group, but they learn much more when we teach these skills proactively. Giving them formal status in the programme makes our teaching intentional and explicit, highlights their value, and amplifies the classroom’s prosocial ambience. To promote the social and emotional competence of all children in the classroom, social skills should be taught to the whole class. No one is stigmatised, and the children develop a common understanding and language. Key skills that children can learn are: Friendship skills. Joining in, cooperation, sharing, turn taking Emotional literacy. Recognising and expressing one's emotional state, learning that feelings change, and that it’s possible to have more than one feeling about something Empathy. Recognising and relating to others’ feelings, understanding that not everyone feels the same way and that all feelings are valid. (It is what you do with them that counts.)

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Managing feelings. Learning how to calm down, comprehending that anger can interfere with problem solving. (A student who cannot manage emotions properly will find it hard to focus on learning.) Problem-solving skills. Learning to identify the problem so that there is a solution imbedded in their understanding of the issue. Instead of seeing the problem as ‘He took my ball’ or ‘I had it first’, children are more likely to find a solution if they pose the problem as ‘We both want to play with the ball and there is only one ball’. Then they can come up with and evaluate possible solutions such as, ‘We could take turns, play together, or get another ball!’ When children acquire these skills, they feel more confident and are better able to develop relationships with their peers, which in turn gives them more opportunities to learn and practice social skills. Classroom teachers can help students develop social and emotional competencies by teaching these skills directly, by using engaging curriculum materials, and by implementing specific instructional and classroom-management practices, such as supportive schedules and routines. Schools around the world now use researchbased social and emotional learning programmes. The PATHS program is a comprehensive SEL curriculum that is evidencebased and proven effective. It offers a common framework for effective SEL instruction from preschool through kindergarten and the elementary grades. Second Step, developed by the Committee for Children, is researchbased, teacher-informed, and classroom-tested to promote the social-emotional development, safety, and wellbeing of children from Early Learning through Grade 8. Learning social and emotional skills helps children throughout their lives. They are better prepared to handle their emotions well, relax and focus on learning, perform better academically, make responsible decisions, gain selfconfidence, resolve conflicts cooperatively, avoid negative behaviours, and make positive decisions—all of which lowers their risk for later delinquency and violence.

INSIGHTS

Six Tips to Be a Truly Great Parent Ranked amongst the fifty most influential people in India, Sadhguru is a yogi, mystic, visionary and bestselling author. Sadhguru has been conferred the "Padma Vibhushan", India’s highest annual civilian award, by the Government of India in 2017, for exceptional and distinguished service.

Sadhguru, Isha Foundation writeback@scoonews.com

few hundred years ago, John Wilmot, an English lord, said something significant about parenting: “Before I got married, I had six theories about bringing up children. Now I have six children and no theories.” So, what should you

do in terms of parenting? Look back at yourself when you were a child – what kind of parents would have been the best? Unfortunately, people have been made to believe that children are all born improper and we have to correct them. If you look at parents and children, generally, at least children below 10

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years of age are definitely more joyful. So, who should be the consultant for life – those who are more joyful, or those who are falling apart within themselves because they do not know how to handle their offspring? Children emulate what you do. If you set an example as someone worth looking up to, you do not have to do much parenting.

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#1 EVALUATE YOURSELF Before you decide to have a child, you must evaluate yourself in every aspect – the way you sit, stand, speak, and react to situations. Ask yourself, if you were a five-year-old, would you like and look up to this person? Another thing you could do is spend sufficient time with children to see if they like you, and if you like them. This way, a lot of wisdom would blossom, and fertility clinics would close down. #2 CREATE THE RIGHT ATMOSPHERE If you already have a child, all you have to do is create a loving, supportive, and invigorating atmosphere. There is really nothing to teach. What you know about life that the child does not know are just a few tricks of the world, how to survive and how to make a living. These tricks need not be taught to children too early. Right now, when a child enters your life, it is time to learn, not to teach. Children may not know what

is dangerous, what is nice, and things like that. But hopefully you have a certain wisdom about life around you. If they are moving towards danger, exercise your wisdom. Otherwise, children are able to conduct life more joyfully than you. Learn those aspects from them. Do not teach them commandments that have not worked for you and that you yourself could never follow. If you want your children to be better than you, the first thing you have to do is to establish integrity, because wherever they go, this will sustain them. If you try to teach your children things that you are not able to follow yourself, obviously they will see through that after some time. Your words and your behavior should match. If you create a loving and vibrant atmosphere, they will be fine. #3 SKIP THE TOYS, CLIMB A TREE You have to physically nourish and

mentally ignite children about things. The simplest way is to take them out into nature, where everything, from an insect to a flower, is exciting. But most parents today want to buy some stuff, throw it in the children’s room, lock it – everything is padded so that they cannot hurt themselves – and the parents can go to a party. That is not parenting. Billions of dollars are spent every year on toys for twenty to thirty percent of the children on the planet, while the remaining seventy percent never get a toy in their lives. Those who get these toys are the ones who suffer most, on a mental and emotional level. The others may suffer because of lack of nutrition and other basic requirements. But the affluent ones are going through inner turmoil. If instead you take your children out, make them climb a tree, walk somewhere with them, take them for a swim, the child will grow up physically and mentally healthy.

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INSIGHTS Once you have a child, it is a twenty-year project – if they do well. If they do not do well, it is a lifelong project. If you are not ready for that, you should not get into it. A child is not a personalised project. We are creating the next generation. In some way, the next generation should be at least one step ahead of where we are. If we do not aspire and work towards that, we should not have children.

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#4 PREPARE YOURSELF FOR A 20-YEAR PROJECT Once you have a child, it is a twentyyear project – if they do well. If they do not do well, it is a lifelong project. If you are not ready for that, you should not get into it. A child is not a personalised project. We are creating the next generation. In some way, the next generation should be at least one step ahead of where we are. If we do not aspire and work towards that, we should not have children. What is the point if the next generation is going to be just like us, nothing more? And above all, humanity is not on the verge of extinction – there is no need for everyone to reproduce. It almost looks like we are trying to compete with the insect population in terms of numbers. It is time we slow down in many respects. Those who decide to have children must dedicate time for them, because this is about making the next generation better than who we are. And above all, you must be a kind of a person the child will look up to and love to be with. If they are really looking up to you, five minutes of contact can be worth five days. The responsibility of having a child requires involvement. Suppose you made the mistake of having a child without being able to offer the necessary involvement, then please hand over the child to someone who is loving, caring and joyful, someone who is able to give his or her life to the child. Whether they are the biological par-

ents or not – the child does not care. Whoever is most loving, most joyful, is the one who children would like to hang around with. #5 EXPLORE THE POSITIVE AND WONDERFUL WORLD Nowadays it’s not uncommon to find three-year-old kids glued to the television or smartphone screen. And we don't know what they are taking in because even you can't figure what's going on. One moment, somebody is talking about creating a beautiful world, the next moment there is a bombing happening. Every parent needs to think about what they want to expose their children to. The exposure that they have had is what will stick with them for life, not a moral teaching. You must expose them to all the wonderful things in life. This may sound extreme, but I think if people want to have children, they should be ready to withdraw with them to a natural space for at least two months in a year, rather than living in cities or apartments. Children need to be in nature if you want them to be healthy and physically and mentally balanced. #6 PROVIDE EMOTIONAL SECURITY The number of people going crazy today is too large. In the European Union for example, which has enjoyed economic wellbeing for much of the last two centuries, thirty-eight percent

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of the population has psychological problems. This is mainly because they grew up in conditions where they were uncared for. They did not know if their mother or father would leave them at some point. When there is no emotional security, human beings become psychologically imbalanced. If you want a generation of people to be productive, they either must be conscious or they must have emotional security – otherwise, they will go crazy. We have destroyed all these things, and then we wonder why our children are acting crazy, why our children are shooting someone or themselves. For most people, I would say emotions make up at least eighty percent of who they are. If you do not harness your emotions, if you do not make them into a positive force in your life, they can smother and destroy you. Today, being emotional is equated with having negative emotions. When we say someone became very emotional, it means he went a little crazy. We have to change this concept in the world. Why can’t we acknowledge that joy, bliss, love, devotion and ecstasy are emotions? Emotional security is absolutely important, because emotions are still the largest dimension of most human beings. If one becomes really conscious, then emotions do not matter. But until then, they play a significant role. So, if we want to bring up our children well, there should be a loving atmosphere around them all the time – not just at home, but also in school and on the street.

EXPERTSPEAK

Infusing Gross National Happiness in Early Childhood Education:

From Policies to Practices Karma Gayleg writeback@scoonews.com

hen we think about the purpose of Early Childhood Education, we do not think of children being able to name the alphabet, numbers, colours, shapes and do work sheets as the primary outcomes of early education. However, many of our children end up doing just these in practice. In the case against overemphasis on academics in Early Childhood Education, there is a need to ponder over a few fundamental questions. For example, how are personal traits and attitudes built?; how do young children learn skills such as empathy, ethics, self-discipline, kindness, responsibility and sharing, etc.? While Early Childhood Education policies and principles lay strong emphasis on holistic development and develop-

mentally appropriate learning approaches, there seems to be some gap between policy and practice. In essence, Early Childhood Education practice, unlike school education, should focus on learning socio-emotional skills, cognitive flexibility and language skills through culturally relevant approaches and activities. In this article, I seek to juxtapose early learning principles and gross national happiness by attempting to underscore how GNH is being infused both in policy and principle in Early Childhood Education programmes. 1 An overview of Gross National Happiness (GNH) The philosophy of Gross National Happiness emerged from a vision propounded by His Majesty, King Jigme Singye Wangchuk in 1972, that â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Gross National Happiness is more important

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than Gross Domestic Productâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Since then, there have been continual deliberations on the concept. GNH is a holistic and sustainable approach to development which strives for balance between material and non-material values with the conviction that happiness is the ultimate human goal. Therefore, GNH is development guided by human values that emphasise collective happiness and interdependence. 2 RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GNH GOALS AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT OUTCOMES What does a GNH-infused early childhood education actually look like? How can children learn social, emotional and cultural traits through ECCD programmes? How can happiness as an area of focus be practically integrated into early learning centres? How can we physically design our early child-

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hood centres so that they embody GNH principles? These questions could be clarified to some extent by looking into specific aspects of an early childhood programme, which in Bhutanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s case are as follows:

happiness, and is in fact foundational to lifelong health, happiness and learning.

The Early Learning and Development Standards (ELDS) are valuable benchmarks for high-quality system of services for young children, emphasising developmentally appropriate content and outcomes. The standards give emphasis to six domains of early development and learning namely physical well-being and motor skills, emotional and social development, language development, general knowledge and cognitive development and moral and cultural development. GNH as a national vision has also been infused in these standards, wherever necessary and possible and the following are a

Early Childhood Care and Education Policy

An enabling policy is the first step to a goal or a vision. In Bhutan, it is mandatory that any policy or programme has to ultimately contribute to enhancing happiness and well-being. A policy screening tool is used for screening policies to ensure that policies contribute to increasing happiness. In this sense, as the Early Childhood Education policy aims to promote holistic development of children for them to thrive and succeed in school and in life, it upholds well-being and

Early Learning and Development Standards

Karma Gayleg works with the Ministry of Education in Bhutan. As a Program Leader for ECCD in Bhutan since 2007, he gave momentum to the ECCD program through rigorous advocacy initiatives and innovative models of ECCD. He has been associated with ARNEC, as a country focal person and as steering committee member. He was also a Global Leader for the World Forum for Early Childhood in 2011-12 representing the Asia Pacific Region.

few examples of GNH infused standards: Children are able to differentiate between events that happened in the past, present and the future. (GNH domain - community vitality) Children demonstrate knowledge of relationship between people, places and regions. (GNH domain community vitality) Children are able to demonstrate awareness of economic concepts (GNH domain - economy) Children are able to understand that the use of technology makes life easier (GNH domain - education) Children are able to use creative arts as a means to express themselves (GNH domain - education)

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EXPERTSPEAK

Children are able to demonstrate spirituality. (GNH domain – wellbeing) Children are able to exhibit honesty in words and in actions. (GNH domain – good governance) Children are able to take on responsibility. (GNH domain - community vitality/ education) Children are able to show respect and concern for others (GNH domain - community vitality/ cultural diversity) Children are able to show respect, sense of belongingness (identity) and love for one’s country and culture. (GNH domain - community vitality/ cultural diversity) Children understand characteristics of the natural world through observation (GNH domain - ecology) Children are able to use different

approaches to solve a problem. (GNH domain - education) Children are able to demonstrate understanding of cause and effect (GNH domain - ecology/ education) Children are able to adapt and control emotions (GNH domain health) Children are able to demonstrate self-confidence (GNH domain - wellbeing) Children are able to demonstrate interpersonal skills (GNH domain – community vitality) Children are able to demonstrate healthy habits and personal care and hygiene (GNH domain - health)

3 EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION PRACTICES Many of the day to day practices within the early childhood centres have underpinnings of GNH, which actually

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help children to learn what is fun, relevant and meaningful to them as well as enrich the programmes. The following are some of the note-worthy practices being carried out in many of the centres: a

Learning from and with the environment Learning through the environment and using environment friendly materials and practices to develop children’s awareness, understanding and appreciation of the environment is an important consideration realised through activities that children love doing such as planting and growing a tree, nature walks and using nature as learning spaces and themes. Furthermore, preparation of learning materials from locally available resources and waste materials is also encouraged, thereby contributing to conservation and sustainability of resources. b

Learning of culture and

Meditation or mindfulness training is a regular part of the Early Childhood Care and Education programmes. This is not in the sense of religious indoctrination but done by way of joyful experiences. Through this activity, children have the opportunity to reflect on many things such as their friends, family, activities at home, foods they like, etc.

on many things such as their friends, family, activities at home, foods they like, etc. This activity is also productively used as a transition activity to settle children from one activity to the next one. It is hoped that repeated practice of meditation starting in the early childhood centre would help children develop into reflective persons and build resilience against stress throughout their lives. b Social Interaction and bonding

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traditional values Learning of traditional culture and language is an important task for children in Bhutan. With the onslaught of modernization, there is apprehension that most children, especially those brought up in cities in small families may not learn and understand the values and customs. So, parent involvement in story-telling, songs and dances, arts and crafts, etc. are encouraged. Even as part of regular activities such as dramatisation and pretend play, folk culture, local languages and traditions are promoted. Children are also encouraged to participate in community events and local festivals. a

Meditation and mindfulness training Meditation or mindfulness training is a regular part of the Early Childhood Care and Education programmes. This is not in the sense of religious indoctrination but done by way of joyful experiences. Through this activity, children have the opportunity to reflect

Relationships based on respectful, responsive and reciprocative interactions are encouraged at all times as part of the ethos of each of the centres. This includes greeting each other regularly, expressing gratitude, offering help, taking turns, cooperating in activities, sharing things and helping each other. In addition, love and respect for elders as an important part of the Bhutanese culture is encouraged. Furthermore, there is emphasis on the ‘cause and effect’ phenomena in every aspect of programmes in Early Childhood Care and Education centres. This is critical as part of the Bhutanese culture where the law of causality or ‘Karma’ assumes an important role in encouraging or discouraging any act, thought or behaviour. At the early childhood level, this is strengthened through activities and ideas such as: If we litter, the environment will get dirty If we spoke harshly, the other person will get hurt If we washed our hands, we will not get sick

If we said ‘Thank you’, the other person will be happy that he/she did something meaningful If we helped someone in need, he/she will be okay, etc. 4 Parenting Education As the parents are important players in children’s learning both at home and in the centres, and maintaining a link between the two, parenting education as an integral aspect of the programme draws from parents’ knowledge and skills. The diverse backgrounds of parents and families help to enrich children’s experiences as parents get involved in the centre programmes. Parenting education sessions are also used to discuss common issues pertaining to child-raising and to inform them on emerging perspectives on child care and development. In this way, centres and families have the opportunity to build close relationships and work together for children. Gross National Happiness as the overarching goal of all efforts in every field is most appropriate in the context of child education. Through the simple day to day activities that are carried out in Early Childhood Education Centres, by ensuring that children’s learning experiences are meaningful and fun filled, it is believed that the foundations of happiness are laid. When there is a goal such as gross national happiness, provided it is not pursued with compulsive obsession, the early childhood programmes have a direction that enables them to support children in a way that balances their present wellbeing and future success. GNH as a guiding light is therefore an immensely enriching element in all early childhood programmes in Bhutan.

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EXPERTSPEAK

A Joyful Journey To Positive Parenting

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Dr Kamini Prakash Rege writeback@scoonews.com

garden with different flowers becomes beautiful when it blossoms. Similarly, if parents learn how to be a ‘gardener’ and are able to recognise their child’s personality and nourish it, then their ‘garden’ will become fragrant! This is what positive parenting is all about! Parenting children can be enormously rewarding and fulfilling - but also exhausting and challenging. It is truly the best and the worst of times. Yet you are the role model for your child, and most parents, when asked what they really want for their children, respond with ‘I want them to be happy’. Your parenting choices really can help - and the love and support you give your children is critical to their future well-being.

When it comes to family life, everyone strives to figure out how the relationship between parents and children can become ideal. Positive parenting techniques work well for raising children with discipline and good moral values, and are every parent’s dream. However, it is not an easy feat. And it is important to know that the parent child relationship is a two-way street, in other words, it is actually a partnership between a parent and their child. When parents develop effective parenting skills, they are able to take the initiative in filling the generation gap. When parents start to understand the balance of where to place boundaries, where to encourage, and where to discourage, then their children will not get spoiled. In this way they become good parents. When people do not know how to be a good parent, distance between the two develops.

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Positive parenting involves emphasising the positive and planning ahead to prevent problems. It also involves using everyday situations and creating opportunities to help children learn and to motivate them to do their best. Children who grow up with positive parenting are likely to develop the skills they need to do well at schoolwork, build friendships, and feel good about them. They are also much less likely to develop behavioural or emotional problems when they get older. Parents who learn to use positive parenting skills typically feel more confident and competent in managing daily parenting tasks, are less depressed, less stressed, and have less conflict with their partners over parenting issues. NEED FOR POSITIVE PARENTING Being a positive parent doesn't only

Dr Kamini Rege is Assistant Professor, Department of Human Development, College of Home Science Nirmala Niketan. She is also Treasurer - Early Childhood Association - India

Positive parenting with a partner also means open and honest communication - and teaching your children - by your own actions - about how to find positive solutions to conflicts. Of course, all parents argue, and sometimes it's in front of the children. Yet what is essential for the children is to also see the resolution - to witness how two adults who love each other can solve their differences and return to a stable, caring, supportive relationship, despite the fractious emotion. For you as a parent, recognising that there will be ups and downs and taking care of self goes a long way. If you are stressed or upset, your children will naturally pick up on this and feel those emotions intensely as well. If you are more relaxed and joyful, your children also mirror those sentiments, and the entire household is more harmonious. We all feel those negative emotions at times - and by watching how we deal with them, our children learn models for their own behaviour in future.

mean better outcomes for your child, but it also has benefits for relationships with other important adults in the child's life, and for you as a parent. As babies and children develop, they go through natural stages of development and attachment to their parent. Positive parents recognise these stages and respond accordingly, teaching the child that his or her own actions matter, and that loving relationships are stable and secure, no matter what the circumstances may be.

APPROPRIATE TIME TO INITIATE PARENTING In recent years there have been some startling discoveries about how the love and support we receive in our earliest years affects our lives. It turns out that love is essential to brain development in the early years of life, particularly to the development of our social and emotional brain systems. As babies, our nervous systems are profoundly shaped by our earliest relationships and this has lasting consequences for our adult life, despite our inability to remember babyhood. Research shows that the way our brain develops as a baby can affect the way we respond to stress and our future emotional wellbeing. A lack of love and support during the crucial early years can increase the likelihood of future mental health issues and conditions such as anorexia, addiction, and anti-social behaviour. As parents we often think about the early years of our children's lives as a time to be struggled through, where getting our child "into a good routine" and helping them develop their basic skills in eating, walking and speaking are the most important things. But the research sug-

gests that what matters most is providing unconditional love for our children and helping them feel understood, valued and secure. BE THERE FOR YOUR CHILD. No matter the age of your child, he or she wants and needs your full attention. With young babies, this means getting closer to their faces and making noises and imitating their own actions. With toddlers and pre-schoolers, this means getting on the floor with them and playing at their level, reading books, zooming cars, dressing dolls and doing it over and over and over again. As your child starts attending school being present with them means sharing stories about your day as he or she shares stories about what happened at school. Asking open questions with a sense of humour can help draw out interesting anecdotes. With teenagers, some parents tend to draw back and give more room. However, teenagers still need to know that you are there, loving and supportive. Ask questions, and respect their desire for privacy. Be prepared for the unexpected - the most interesting stories come out when you least anticipate it, driving in the car or late at night. And above all, dedicate time to your child - put away the technology and play. MAINTAIN A POSITIVE RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR PARTNER Really listen to what people are saying Understand each otherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s needs Enhance your relationship with your partner Look for the good Ask about the things that have gone well HELP YOUR CHILDREN DEVELOP EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE Accept all emotions and work with your child to name them - both the positive and negative. Share in the joyous moments with your child, letting him or her experience the full pleasure of pride, love, excitement, anticipation, surprise and the like.

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EXPERTSPEAK Accept that your child will have difficult moments. These are the times that build resilience. Instead of trying to take the sad away from a disappointed child, share in the disappointment with him or her and acknowledge the emotion. For example, say "I understand that you're disappointed. It must be very disappointing to have a play date all scheduled and then your friend is sick and can't come over." Give your child a safe and supportive space to share and feel all emotions. DON'T BE TOO HARD ON YOURSELF There will be times when you didn't do something the way that you wanted. Don't kick yourself. Learn and move on. Everyone has bad days. Be realistic in your reasoning Detox your negative thinking patterns FIND OPTIMISTIC WAYS TO EXPLAIN THINGS When negative things happen, resist the urge to see them as permanent. A child who is being defiant may be having a bad day, or may be tired, or may be frustrated from an earlier event. That defiance is temporary, and not a permanent character trait. When negative things happen, resist the urge to generalise them across time and space. A child who behaves one way at home may not behave the same way at school, or on the sports team. When good things happen, enjoy them and savour them. Actively share with your child when you see them doing or saying positive things. Catch your child doing things right. For example, say "I saw you helping that younger child up when she fell down off the see-saw. That was a very kind thing to do." FIVE PRINCIPLES OF POSITIVE PARENTING The principles go hand in hand to help you build a strong bond with your children and to position you as the effective leader your child needs throughout childhood. Principle #1: Attachment: Attachment is a deep, secure emotional bond. Children are hardwired to connect with their caregivers emotionally, and without it, their development is hindered. The bond between primary caregivers and infants is responsible for shaping all our future relationships! It strengthens

For you as a parent, recognising that there will be ups and downs and taking care of self goes a long way. If you are stressed or upset, your children will naturally pick up on this and feel those emotions intensely as well.

or damages our ability to focus, be conscious of our feelings and calm ourselves. It can even affect our resilience. If a secure attachment is made, children will rest in our love and security. They feel safe with us, and this safety provides them room to grow and learn appropriately. If a secure attachment is not made, research tells us that behavioural problems and relationship troubles later in life are likely. Not only do we want to create a secure bond so that our children can grow and develop properly, but this attachment also makes it easier to guide and correct them. A strong attachment gives us genuine influence, which is far better than forced compliance. Children want to please those they feel connected to. They listen to us and accept our boundaries much more readily when the bond is secure and strong. To develop a strong attachment, trust is essential. They must feel felt by us. When they feel we are for them, not against them; when they feel we are safe to run to; and when they feel that they are loved and valued, we will have their hearts. Only when we have their hearts do we have real, lasting influence in their lives. Principle #2: Respect: Respect regarding children is often a one-sided topic. We expect them to show it to adults. The idea of showing respect to children is usually tied to permissiveness or being too “soft,” but this isn’t so. Children learn how to show respect best by living it. We respect a child’s mind when we develop a secure attachment and when we are positive and affirming. We respect a child’s body and dignity when we choose not to use shame or physical punishment. We respect their personhood by allowing space to explore and develop at their own pace, and we respect their spirit by honouring them just the way they are. Principle #3: Proactive Parenting: I think parents will often wait until a problem arises before teaching the boundaries

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and skills needed to deal with that particular behavioural issue, but being proactive means putting in the time up front, before a problem arises. It means teaching children how anger feels in the body and giving them ways to deal with it (dinosaur breaths or shake-itout, for example) before they ever hit or bite a friend. Proactive parenting means building the relationship and allotting sufficient time for play and connection each day to thwart any behaviour problems that could arise from disconnection. It requires us to be watchful at play dates and around babies and pets so that we can intervene at the first sign of a problem. Proactive parenting also means responding rather than reacting to our children’s behaviours. This requires forethought into how we will handle certain situations. Responsive parents are in control of their emotions and able to respond thoughtfully when a problem arises. Principle #4: Empathetic Leadership: Too often, Positive Parenting is confused with permissiveness. This is unfortunate because they are completely opposite. Positive parents are very much in a leadership role with their children. It just doesn’t look like the dictatorship we have come to recognize as typical. Empathy is an important part of leadership because it draws us closer and provides that important attachment. When children feel understood and know that we are on their side, they accept our leadership. Principle #5: Positive Discipline: Positive discipline moves beyond punishment and toward problem-solving. Children don’t learn life lessons with their noses in a corner. Positive discipline holds them accountable by teaching them how to own up to and fix their mistakes. It gives them the skills and tools necessary to do better in the future and focuses on their capabilities, not their mistakes.

EXPERTSPEAK

Teaching Parents About Parenting 76

February 2019

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Sonal Ahuja writeback@scoonews.com

Sonal Ahuja, educational alchemist, is founder, House of Learning

truly the best and the worst of times. Yet you are the role model for your child, and most parents, when asked what they really want for their children, respond with â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;I want them to be happyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Your parenting choices really can help - and the love and support you give your children is critical to their future well-being. There is nothing in the world I feel more passionately about than children, their education and parenting.

These by far have been my most meaningful endeavours. Having worked in the area of Early Childhood Education for more than two decades, I have embraced the nuances of the field and yet, I discover something new each day! It is not that I have not committed mistakes in my parenting, I did. Parenting has actually brought out the most intense emotions in me. I do not think anything in this world comes close to changing us as a person or our lives, as much as having children. My work is

part of a tradition in psychology that shows the power of people beliefs. These may be beliefs we are aware or unaware of, but they unequivocally affect what we want and whether we succeed in achieving our goals. In this article, you will learn how a simple belief about yourself, guides a large part of your life. You will understand your mate, your boss, friends, and your children. You will see how to unleash your potential and your child's too. Parenting is never

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EXPERTSPEAK about any kind of strategy but it is our philosophy of life in general. It is not about our children but it is about us becoming more aware, mindful, sensitive and conscious human beings. I really believe that parenting hardly comes naturally to anybody. There are some parents seen to be made for parenting - their patience, calmness and gentle presence sometimes is beyond belief. For the rest of us, we have to develop these skills and way of being through considerable conscious effort. Therefore, I do believe, strongly, that parenting has to be an inside out process. As parents, we are required to have the belief that we have to first work on ourselves. Whatever issues we might face with children, the question is not what the child needs to do at that point in time, but what we as parents need to reflect on or do. In case you are facing a difficulty with your child, simply ask yourself a few questions: How do I feel about it? How is that impacting my child? Is it my need or my child's? What am I supposed to do as a parent? Now answer them with great transparency and you will exactly know what you are supposed to do. Another fact about children is that whatever we focus on, it grows in them. As a parent, if I focus on the child's weaknesses, it is apparent that those weaknesses will grow. Therefore, it's always good to work on the strengths of a child in order to initiate growth in that area in particular. Most commonly, this goes very much against the common parenting practice - the focus is more on irresponsible lifestyle and weak areas, hence we end up lecturing them, criticising them for the wrong choices. The more we see the grey areas, the more we crank them up with our negativity. The need, therefore, is to accept children as they are and focus entirely on what they can actually do and are capable of. Definitely, children will do well if they are assured of their capabilities. It is so obvious after seeing a little baby trying to walk. The baby takes small steps forward, looks at his caregivers with a beautiful smile, takes another step and then, maybe, falls down. Now imagine, if this baby is continuously guided, counseled, trained and also compared with other children who could walk, then what? I am sure the children lose interest in whatever they are doing. The child might give up and not want to put in efforts again. Not only this, we might end up believing and declaring that the child is lazy, or maybe doesn't want to walk or

I would have regarded the youngster’s needs, just as I might want others to regard my requirements. Do you mind if a youngster irritates you when you are accomplishing something, maybe is tired. Sounds a little weird, doesn’t it? I think it is the self-doubt that is now stopping the child from keeping pace with what the child was doing previously. Somehow, I have always been a little confused by a lot of parenting literature out there which aims at categorising parents into pigeon holes on the basis of parenting tiles and as a result, we hear a lot about different styles of parenting: Permissive, laissez-faire, drill sergeant, helicopter, tiger mum, authoritarian, authoritative, democratic etc. I have never known which style I fit into! Instead, I am really contented with my own style of parenting, with all its imperfections. It has been strangely interesting to give myself permission to be imperfect. There is no right or wrong way of parenting. If each child is wired and inspired differently, then each parent is wired and inspired differently too. This article is not about making you a perfect parent so that you can have the perfect kids. This is a small effort that will make you feel that you have got a companion for you to reflect, introspect and dive deep to connect to the immense wealth of wisdom that is already there. Always remember parenting is not about bringing up children. It is about growing up and transforming ourselves to be a better human being. It is not about being there FOR the children but it is exclusively about being there WITH the children. I see so many examples in my daily schedule, where we as parents keep reminding ourselves that we are here for our children and as a consequence, we really skip being with them... It was a great day at my school and it was the ideal opportunity for youngsters to leave for home. A mother, who had come to get her girl, came to me with her little girl and asked, ‘What influences you to work with kids, what influences you to talk’ to them?’ I was

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going to state my standard answer, ‘Since I cherish them’. However, the little girl abruptly tugged her mom’s dress and stated, ‘Mamma let’s go’. The woman swung to her tyke and in an abrupt voice condemned her, ‘Can’t you see I am conversing with Ma’am? How many times have I told you not to hinder me when I am conversing with anybody, awful behaviour!’ It was at that exact second that I understood that it was not ‘love’ that influenced us to work with kids, but rather it was Regard. On the off chance that I was in the mother’s place, I would have reacted with, ‘Indeed, dear, you must be ravenous, I will hustle just a bit with your Ma’am’ or something similar. I would have regarded the youngster’s needs, just as I might want others to regard my requirements. Do you mind if a youngster irritates you when you are accomplishing something, yet in the meantime you believe it is perfectly alright that you burst in when the child is accomplishing something? Do you frequently feel that it is imperative that we control kids, yet it isn’t worthy when youngsters endeavour to control our circumstance? Some places, we are working on a same platform while in some other places we think that we are up here and our kids are down there. That is the reason we believe that they should be controlled, told, chastened, and rebuffed. In some places, we think we are predominant; we know increasingly and subsequently well of the need to ‘drive them’. Yet, what might happen in the event that we think about them as equivalents? What will happen in the event that we approached them with deference, worked with them as though they are equivalent to us? What are we going to get if we somehow happened to give regard? A kid who feels regarded is considerably more open to tuning in, to comprehend, to take after (the correct things), to participate and to improve things. Envision how it might be in a place where we are not regarded when contrasted with a place where we seem to be? Clearly, the youngster will think, feel and act better. Also, we will be in an ideal situation as well! In the event that you lead through dread you will have little regard; however, in the event that you lead through regard, you will have little to fear.

EXPERTSPEAK

Imparting VALUES via festive CELEBRATIONS absorb and practice the life-lessons we bring to the fore.

Smriti Agarwal writeback@scoonews.com

t Podar Jumbo Kids, we have introduced ‘Number Magic’, a numeracy programme which gives form to abstract numbers for young children. Our language programme called ‘Symphonics’ has helped kindergarteners excel at reading skills by giving them a proper understanding of the soft sounds of letters, diagraphs and blends. However, our unique Life Skill and Parent Partnership Programme which we implement in our school festivals and events, is even more special. Here we go beyond the surface level of festivals and occasions, and aim to celebrate the underlying values they represent. By involving the parents in the execution of the same, we hope the learning moves beyond the school and is implemented in the child’s home-life as well. The effects and response to this mindfulness are truly momentous and aweinspiring; when we see the children

day and understand its implications on the present. At every event, parents are invited to the school to celebrate and participate with their children, to strengthen the child’s belief that they are a part of a collaborative, harmonious and supportive environment. Parents often miss out on essential play-time with their children, and are unable to give them undivided attention because of professional and household obligations. However, at the school events they are placed in a space free of distractions to simply be a child with their offspring, while enjoying the myriad activities on hand.

Life skills like compassion, sharing, friendship, resilience, courage in the face of adversity and many others are taught to children through the activities they participate in and enjoy during each celebration. We have come to realise the importance of Life Skills Education and how EQ (Emotional Quotient) is as important as IQ (Intelligence Quotient). These important skills are emphasised and learned through the spirit of the festival giving the children and parents a unique perspective towards the culture of community and empathy. Festivals are not celebrated for their religious implications, but rather for their cultural heritage and the spirit of community skills.

Out of the 45 different events we hold, here are a few of my favourites that show the ways we have co-opted the traditional celebrations, and given them our own unique spin -

Instead of being a simple day off, national events are celebrated on the same day, to ensure the children understand the historical importance of the

Gandhi Jayanti - Bapu ke anek roop – Educating parents and children on the different roles our father of the nation fulfilled in his lifetime; that

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Smriti Agarwal is Senior Headmistress, Podar Jumbo Kids Mumbai of a lawyer, weaver, scavenger, potter etc.

plants with the promise to protect the environment.

Gurunanak Jayanti – The theme is ‘Wisdom, Power and Knowledge’, implying that the attributes of Gurunanakji are focused on, imbibed and practiced instead of celebrating it religiously.

Kartavya – Silent walkathon by children and parents to advocate safety on roads and urging people to follow traffic rules and regulations.

Halloween – ‘Fear will run when we have Halloween fun’ – With shadow play and neon lit dark rooms as a few of the activities for children, it helps them realise that shadows or darkness which they are scared of are more fictitious than real.

Our anniversary celebrations do not rely on pop-culture references and themes, instead we choose a specific theme that would be fun and educational for the children, every year. We immerse the children in the history and understanding behind the theme for months leading up to the annual day, so that they are not merely repeating lines but are rather sharing the insight they have gained. This is shared in the form of a musical extravaganza that is written in-house by our educators and represents almost every state and culture of the nation, like the last year’s theme ‘Jai Jawan Jai Kisan’ or this year’s ‘Weaves of India’.

Rakshabandhan - Children make the rakhis which they tie to trees and

Parents are encouraged to participate with DIY Prop-Making Parties and a

Janmashtami – ‘Milk and milk products help me grow, give me more, give me more’ – Children learn about healthy eating habits and understand the process and benefits of consuming milk products during growing years.

special Parent’s Dance, which also fosters a kinship between the educators and the families. The themes for the annual Sports Meet also showcase that learning can be fun through a playful and stress-free experience. This year ‘Sports With The Magic Of Numbers’ had children doing math activities and gaining numerical skills on the race track. A Sports Meet is not about competition or winning but about completing the task at hand and learning from it. We implement a 100% participation policy to include every child and foster the spirit of sportsmanship over competition by presenting each child with a certificate. Teaching academic subjects or life subjects needs to have a wider range of focus which reduces the dependency on books and classrooms. Let’s take every opportunity to make learning experiential and engaging through play and hands-on activities.

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EXPERTSPEAK Dr Nicolene du Preez writeback@scoonews.com

Leading change in ECE

“

We need the tonic of wildness...At the same time that we are earnest to explore and learn all things, we require that all things be mysterious and unexplorable, that land and sea be indefinitely wild, unsurveyed and unfathomed. We can never have enough of nature.” -Henry David Thoreau, Walden: Or, Life in the Woods Radical change has taken place in education systems during recent decades (Bennet: 2018). According to multiple sources, it is a pivotal time in Early Childhood Education because of the critical need to ensure the development of frameworks that will allow educators to deeply understand and connect concepts of “care” and “education”. European Commission, 2011; Eurydice, 2009; Penn, 2009; UNESCO, 2010 (in Bennet 2018: 3,4) When it comes to leading change and redefining curriculum frameworks towards ones that will have a lasting impact in a fast-changing high demand world, early years is the most sensible place to start. It is not difficult to envision the Early Years (EY) as a garden filled with opportunity like plants that grow from their roots up when the soil is carefully prepared to allow growth to flourish. The same analogy applies to education. Our EY need to grow from well prepared educational soil for the whole system to benefit. According to Amus (2012:7?10) the notion of early childhood and nature is not new. This notion is grounded in historical theories by the work of Froebel, Rudolf Steiner, Maria Montessori, Reggio Emilia approach and Forest Kindergartens (Amus 2012:7?10). Early childhood Education (ECE) is without a doubt the seed and soil where all education starts. At Green School Bali, this valuable fertile ground called Early Years is nurtured through nature and mindful intent to educate for sustainability. The outcome of this pedagogical garden will rest heavily upon the preparation of the soil. This article will briefly explore a philosophical journey offering an organic view of Early Childhood Education through the lens of permaculture design principles. This fresh approach of Early Childhood Education might be the nourishing compost we have all been waiting for. According to Soderberg (2018), now more than ever it is time to rethink what it is that we are doing in educa-

February 2019

tion so that our practices have more profound impact on society and the world itself. “The ecological, structural and epistemological crisis that the planet is facing right now cannot be resolved within the modern educational model. Education can be a means for the transformation of society to a more just, sustainable future – but only if education itself is transformed and re-envisioned by looking to the perspectives that have been most marginalized. This new kind of pedagogy will develop outside the realm of an academicdiscourse” - Soderberg (2018). Possible questions might sprout: What if it is possible to have a curriculum design that clearly reflects sufficient and sustainable principles? What if ECE could incorporate a philosophical basis into the curriculum that will share principles that are fair and equal to all involved, humansand nature? What if there are examples that might lead us closer to an understanding of what these solutions might look like? As one walks through the Early Years at Green School and admires the wallless bamboo structures, one cannot help but feel that the answer is near. The interconnectedness between nature and one's own being awakens the very core of wonder, so deep that it can be felt from the inside out. The wild jungle weaves education and community together and it is with no surprise to find permaculture principles living and thriving here. In the heart of the Green School, Early Years is slowly evolving into a transformative pedagogy. Figure 1.1 illustrates and highlights the 12 permaculture design principles with three core parts in the centre. The three core parts - earth care, people care and fairshare work-are interconnected to establish a fertile basis for these twelve principles to flourish. When planning the design for any curriculum the integration of the three center parts (see figure 1.1) will be at the core guiding the design. Figure 1.1 Permaculture design principles

Image source : https://permacultureprinciples.com

At Green School Bali, this valuable fertile ground called Early Years is nurtured through nature and mindful intent to educate for sustainability When referring to permaculture, the pure intent is to be self sufficient and sustainable. Early Childhood Education could be developed from the very same intent. For the next part of this article the focus will be looking at the permaculture design principles and their possible philosophical value as a starting point to approach curriculum, with the intent to cultivate a deeper of understanding by design. Figure 1.2 outlines the flow used to discuss the twelve permaculture principles.

Figure 1.2 Flow of discussion PRINCIPLE ONE: OBSERVE AND INTERACT By taking the time to engage with nature we can design solutions that suit our particular situation. Observe and interact holds a strong power in the development of curriculum. Designing solutions from contextual observations can be revolutionary. Taking time to interact with children, educators and parents will allow insight. Even small observations can be useful to make meaningful changes in curriculum as our holistic understanding of children expands. PRINCIPLE TWO: CATCH AND STORE ENERGY By developing systems that collect resources when they are abundant, we can use them in times of need. Catch and store the energy your curriculum produces. This energy will be evident in the way educators respond to planning and implementation. A well-designed curriculum will draw from all its resources internally and both externally. These resources such as passionate educators or a knowledgeable community will feed the curriculum in times of need. It is however

Dr Nicolene du Preez (EdD) is Kindergarten Teacher, Green School, Bali, Indonesia

important to make sure that in abundant times these resources are valued and kept safe for the future. PRINCIPLE THREE: OBTAIN A YIELD Ensure that you are getting truly useful rewards as part of the work that you are doing. Obtaining a yield is a valuable principle to remind us of how we can celebrate our success. It also reminds us in the education sector of how to plan ahead to be successful. The yield may vary from small success in classroom projects to community wide endeavors. Obtaining the yield of how well a unit was implemented can have a knock on effect if we capture and store the right information, process and achievements for future and immediate use.

February 2019

EXPERTSPEAK

ARE WE RAISING A GENERATION OF

NARCISSISTS? Swati Sarawagi n the Facebook world, one expects friends to clap for every cup of coffee, coup and cuddle.

considered superfluous. Can you imagine yourself being praised for tying your shoelaces? It was expected of you and you did it. And you went on with life without assuming that what you had done needed a mention.

In the real world too, are we raising children addicted to praise for their selfesteem?

A parent now, you are constantly trying to find a balance – even in something like praising your child. How much is too much?

writeback@scoonews.com

A parent is a child’s first and foremost cheerleader! Children need to hear their parents’ encouragement that gives him confidence. Praise is social conditioning that will help steer the child in the chosen direction. Praise is an important tool for moulding the child’s habits. We all know praise is addictive. Let it not become counter-productive!

Swati Sarawagi is Founder Director of Swarnim International School. She has a Masters in Education (JCU, Singapore), a Masters in Psychology (A.U.) and she is an alumnus of the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

A baby is born with a natural instinct to explore. He is highly motivated when his actions produce results. He doesn’t need praise for crying when he is hungry – the food he receives is reward enough. A baby understands that his actions are producing a result on somebody (when I cry, papa picks me up) or something (when I press this button, the toy lights up). He feels capable of trying new experiences. He does not need praise; his reward is in the sheer delight of producing result. Most of us grew up in a time when our parents were strict and too much praise was

February 2019

Rewards need to be earned and they should be given sparingly to have value. The culture of a participation certificate takes away from the effort component. What can parents do to encourage children to take risks and grow without the fear of being judged and without the need to be celebrated for every small feat? LET YOUR CHILD BE SELF-MOTIVATED Intrinsic motivation happens when a child feels pleasure and pride in what he has accomplished. External token rewards (praise, stickers, gifts) are then not required. He feels good about himself and enjoys challenges. Rewarding children for every minor achievement, on the other hand, diminishes the joy for its own sake. Let the outcome be the reward in itself. TIMING IS IMPORTANT Praise in the middle of the task

might throw him off task and make him lose interest in completing it. Instead, a warm smile or a back rub will also convey to your child that you appreciate what he is doing. ACTIVITIES SHOULD BE DEVELOPMENTALLY AND AGE APPROPRIATE Experiences should be neither too hard nor too easy. Too easy and he becomes bored. Too challenging and he will lose interest and become disheartened. He may not be motivated to try if he doesn’t think he can do it. Mastery through his own effort will keep him motivated. Our aim is to not use praise as validation. The child should develop the selfconfidence of being right. Putting kids on a pedestal for completing a most mundane task hampers the child’s selfconfidence as he feels that the very least is expected from him. He feels belittled - that is all that he must be worth. His activities must challenge him to meet realistic attainable standards. ENCOURAGE A GROWTH MINDSET THAT IS WILLING TO ASK QUESTIONS, TRY NEW THINGS AND LOOK DUMB! If we praise the child for being “smart”he may be scared to ask a “dumb” question – to let his peers know that he is not as smart as the teacher thinks him to be. He also begins to feel he needs to do things perfectly in order to get someone’s approval. He then avoids activities that are beyond his comfort zone and becomes risk aversive. Do we want him to become scared of not knowing all the answers and stick to only the conventional path? A child should, instead, be praised for trying. And a final word of caution – praise should not compensate for failure or it comes across as pity. “You did your best” will also convey to the child that he has a fixed ability that cannot be improved (he has already done his best!). Focus rather on the effort and tell him which areas he can improve in. He will appreciate that a lot more. Replace “Try harder” with “The runs were outstanding but be careful about the catches you gave away.” This information helps him to understand which areas to focus on. You must praise your child otherwise he won’t be inspired to put in his best. He might even think you don't care. Our aim is to make him not dependent on it. Keep it simple.

Effective praise serves to motivate and increase a child’s levels of confidence. So how do we encourage him to stretch himselfto extend beyond their current comfort zone? Harmful praise - Judges/ labels children“You are a smart girl for finishing this puzzle” implies stupidity for an unsolved problem. Effective praise - Acknowledges the child“I can see that you enjoy puzzles a lot.” Hp - Is general – “Good boy” Ep - Is specific“You have kept your toys away” is a far better acknowledgement that is likely to produce the desired action again (hopefully). Hp - Compare a child to another. This indicates that competition, not mastery is the goal“If Sai can do it, why can’t you?” Ep - Compare the child to his own past performance“Last time you struggled with the concept- this time it was easier. Did you practise at home?” Hp - Praising the outcome“You ate an apple – here’s a star for you” Ep - Linking the activity to the pleasure experienced“Wasn’t the apple crunchy and juicy? And your body will thank you for making it so strong!” Hp - Belittling the child’s success – “You finished the task because you took extra time.” Ep - Linking the effort to the success“You could do this because you thought long and hard about the problem and remembered the steps.” Hp - Compliment involves you“I am so proud of your run today.” Ep - Compliment centers around the child I’m sure you are proud of yourself.” Hp - Focuses on the outcome“You got 10 out of 10! Superb” Ep - Focuses on the effort and the strategies used by the child“You got all correct and I can see that you are improving your handwriting too.” Hp - Bragging in public puts pressure on the child to perform. (It also annoys your guests.) “Baby, show him the dance you just learnt.”

Ep - Celebrate your child’s achievements with comfort people. He himself will join in to demonstrate his newly acquired skill - “Show Baba the dance you were practicing.” Hp - Exaggerating – Children sense insincere praise as quickly as adults. When a dive is executed awkwardly despite a lot of effort, there is no point in saying – “Beautiful dive!” Ep - Being truthful- By not defining the outcome as good or bad, the child does not feel judged and yet knows she has your attention“You were focused and the effort was evident. You are getting better with every dive. ” Hp - Praise for error free success or low challenge activity“You did it so fast! So cool.” Ep - When the child has already displayed mastery over something previously“I’m sorry I wasted your time with something so easy. Let’s try something hard- something you can learn from.” Hp - When the outcome is not great“This painting looks amazing.” Ep - Communication is very satisfying to a child -Have a conversation to show your interest“Hmm- you used orange to depict the sky. Is that for a reason?” Hp - Praise him for being smart- indicating that intelligence is fixed“You are smart for solving this problem so fast.” Ep - Praise the capability for learning indicating that intelligence can be nurtured“You applied the concepts taught to you correctly. That was smart of you.” Hp - Diluting the praise “Who would have thought you could complete your meal in less than an hour?” Sarcasm is likely to do more harm than good. Pointing out past failures is really a way of criticising your child. Ep - Praise should be sincere or it loses its power. And it should focus on the present achievement of the child. “You are growing to be an independent boy as you can now finish your meal in less than an hour.”

Let him truly deserve the praise.

February 2019

EXPERTSPEAK

POINTERS FOR POSITIVE PARENTING

Image Courtesy : http://indiadidac.org

Dr. Alice Sterling Honig writeback@scoonews.com

amilies are powerfully influenced in their child rearing practices by many factors - cultural mores, parent education level, parenting practices they themselves experienced during childhood, community mores where they currently reside, and also by poverty and overcrowding in households. The challenge for professionals is how most effectively to engage with families to bring about best developmental practices, as determined by researchers and clinicians. Finding ways to communicate positively is critical for a harmonious partnership between families and care providers and teachers of their young children. Using skills in creating trusting relationships with families, teachers need to decide what are the most critical and important child development factors,

practices, and insights that adults need to know in order to help all children succeed in becoming curious, zestful learners, kind, patient, and empathic with others, and able to keep wonder and joy in life while courageously navigating inevitable life struggles and setbacks. Professional knowledge in the following areas can be particularly helpful for parents, grandparents, care providers, foster families, and others who are involved in guiding young children. TEMPERAMENT. Children have quite different temperament styles, and these are partly genetic. Temperament traits include: mood and activity level (high or low); withdrawal or approach to new persons, events, foods, and experiences; attention span and task persistence (long or short); frustration tolerance and threshold for stress/distress; intensity of response to distress; how

February 2019

long it takes to adjust after stresses; and rhythmicity of bodily functions, such as eating and sleeping. These nine traits cluster into three major temperament types: slow to warm up/ suspicious of the new; easy going and easily soothed; and feisty/trigger/ intense. Aware of a childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s predominant temperament type, parents can more sensitively deal with upsets that occur. The slow-towarm-up child needs more slow, careful introduction to new classrooms, foods, etc. The intense child needs more redirection, soothing, and provision of opportunities for vigorous movement. ATTACHMENT STYLE. For over sixty years, attachment researchers have discerned four major attachment styles. Raised by cherishing parents who provide loving cuddles, attunement to and effective responses to infant/child distress or upsets, securely attached chil-

dren are more likely to act in accordance with parental rules and make friends easily. Insecure/ hesitant/ ambivalent children, whose parents have been inconsistent in discipline and providing loving attentiveness, tend to act more babyish and are more easily bullied by insecure avoidantly attached children, whose parents did not enjoy or provide close cuddles and gave commands without explanations as if the parents had all the privileges and the children had all the responsibilities. Disorganized insecure children combine characteristics of the other two insecure types. Their parents sometimes were fearful and/or fear inducing. Pediatricians as well as infant care providers need to be alert to family practices and with grace and good humour support parental caressing, sensitive attunement to infant distress signals and positive soothing strategies. The good news from research is that when parents of highly irritable babies have been taught swaddling and soothing techniques, then their babies were highly likely to become securely attached despite difficult temperament styles. Temperament is not destiny! ENHANCING LOVE OF LANGUAGE. To help children relish language learning, parents need to talk with babies and children frequently. Adults need to show genuine interest in young children’s attempts to communicate - even when toddler babbling and jargon are indeed difficult to understand! Babies respond with delight and their brains are stimulated to release cascades of electrical and chemical signals when adults use ‘parentese’ talk - a high pitched voice with long-drawn out syllables and loving tones. Both men and women can both become adept at parentese and enjoy how their delighted babies wriggle and respond with vigorous cooing sounds to parentese talk. Telling stories to children who are nearby and sometimes helping while parents are busy with home or farm chores is another way to entrance children - especially with stories of their own arrival into the family. Story telling is an art that entrances children who are listening to the adults’ stories. Bringing home and sharing picture books (from the library or buying children’s picture books at second-hand shops) is a sure way to arouse young children’s passionate interest in book reading and learning. Parents snuggle with a child and look at picture books together. Parents show pleasure as a little one points to and labels pictures and talks about the story later. Choose

books that show how both boys and girls can be successful and also honored at a variety of roles and skills in life. EXECUTIVE SKILLS. Young children are challenged when they are asked to focus on a somewhat difficult task. They are challenged not to melt down into temper tantrums when a situation requires an abrupt change from a desired goal (for example, if a child expected to go out for a treat and a sudden downpour cancelled that trip). Controlling strong negative emotions such as anger or frustration is a hard task for young children to learn. In dozens of cultures, research shows that shaming and spanking have severe negative effects on children and lead to later emotional difficulties. Some children are able to self soothe by thumb sucking and rubbing a favorite blanket on the cheek. Ohers learn to distract themselves by humming; some just leave a tense play situation with a bullying peer by going off peaceably to play by themselves. Some elementary teachers teach children self-calming breathing and meditation techniques to help the children grow sturdy executive skills. Executive skills correlate more with high school success than children’s IQ scores when they were young!

Dr. Alice Sterling Honig is Professor Emerita of Child Development, Syracuse University

NATURE EXPERIENCES. With generous time for outdoor play and exploration, children learn to notice and appreciate plants, animals, insects, fish, night sky stars, trees, raindrops, fruits, and flowers. Their senses become attuned to bird calls, and to different subtle scents sniffed as a rainstorm blows petals in the wind. Their passionate curiosity about the natural world can motivate children later on in life to become scientists to find out ever more about the awesome wonders of this world and worlds beyond.

KINDNESS. Empathy is an essential skill for creating a peaceable world. As parents show compassions for those in need, sick, or with difficult physical or emotional problems, then children grow up learning to feel empathy for those who are having life difficulties. From parent models, children learn nurturing ways with animals, peers, teachers, relatives, and neighbors.

Parents can rejoice as they notice early gifts of children to appreciate and learn about the natural world. Parents are often the first to notice early gifts of children -whether love for and tenderness with animals, musical talent, artistic ability, dance gracefulness, tinkering skills, athletic skills, a passion for design and fashion, or a passion for numbers and math. Whatever a child’s early passions and talents are, parents can be the first proudly to notice and nourish those early budding interests and skills. Help parents feel how special they are early on as they cultivate in their boys and their girls abilities that can lead to rich life satisfactions in the worlds of work and leisure and

JOY. Happiness experiences are sometime fleeing in life, especially when families experience difficult economic, interpersonal, or medical problems. Parents are the special and deeply-tobe-appreciated persons whose love for each of their children helps “keep the joy pipes” open throughout childhood. Despite life trials and tribulations, when practicing gentle ways, admiring and positively affirming words, providing firm rules plus giving clear reasons for rules, and showing genuine personal interest in each individual child, parents help children grow into people who will help the world become a better place to live. Positive parenting is a priceless gift for all humanity!

friendships.

February 2019

EXPERTSPEAK

CHILDREN FLOURISH IN NURTURING CONSISTENT RELATIONSHIPS

February 2019

Bhavini Doshii writeback@scoonews.com

abies are born ready to be in relationships - they are hungry for love and attention. It is up to us, as parents, to meet their basic needs. To feed them, keep them safe and warm and make sure they get lots of sleep. Babies will survive if we meet these very primitive needs, but we don’t just want them to survive we want them to flourish! As parents we shower them with love, we cuddle them and comfort them because they are the apple of our eye and we adore them. Through our behaviour we are naturally creating a secure attachment relationship, while at the same time, we are encouraging our baby’s brain to develop. When babies are born, they have all their brain cells in place but very few are wired together. In fact, 90% of the brain’s wiring takes place in the first three years of life. These connections are made directly in response to a child’s environment and influenced by the key people in their life.

In real estate they say it’s all about ‘location, location, location,’ while in brain development it’s all about ‘relationship, relationship, relationship.’ The better the relationships are in a child’s life, particularly for the first 1,000 days, the more the brain reaches its maximum potential in the future. SO HOW IS A SECURE ATTACHMENT RELATIONSHIP CREATED? Children need adults who notice them, talk to them, cuddle them and who listen and respond to their emotions. During the first nine months of life, a baby’s focus will be on creating an attachment relationship with the person who cares for them the most. Every time you respond to your baby with love and kindness, they are learning that their needs will be met in a caring way, setting the foundation for future understandings of connectedness, belonging and empathy. The map in their brain is wiring to say “the world is safe and I am loveable”, in turn creating a secure attachment. On the other side of the coin, if a baby is left in a state of stress for extended periods and responses are chaotic and cold, that baby will perceive the world as unsafe and will have difficulty managing stress, developing relationships and making sense of their feelings in the future. If you are busy in the bathroom and can’t tend immediately to your crying baby don’t panic! It’s the overarching environment that the child is experiencing that matters and how you respond most of the time to ensure baby’s needs are met. This means that the adults (parents, grandparents or caregivers) who care for young children are responsible for how these babies’ brains develop and to set them up for future success. The Circle of Security, developed by a group of American psychotherapists, explains secure attachment relationships. (Cooper, Hoffman Marvin, and Powell (2004) www.circleofsecurity.org). In it, the adult represents a ‘secure base’ for the child to return to if they feel unsafe or uncomfortable. Notice how your toddler glances back at you as they crawl away or walk towards the playground, they are ‘checking in’ and making sure you’re there if you need them – they’re simply looking for reassurance.

Bhavini Doshii is CEO & Founder, Porse Natural Childcare

Children also need adults to be their ‘safe haven’ and need to know that they will be welcomed back into their arms if they trip or fall or when they come back from their exploration. Young children sometimes run back to adults when they don’t understand what’s

going on and need support when facing feelings that are too intense to manage on their own. Often they may be tired, hungry, sad or frustrated but they need their parent’s or caregiver’s help to understand this because they’re still too young to do it alone. The Circle of Security reinforces that children rely on their parents or caregivers to be emotionally and physically available, even if it’s simply by observing from the other side of the playground. Contrary to some old myths still floating around, an attuned, caring responsive approach does not make children needy, spoiled or a ‘cry baby’. In fact, the opposite is true; the more a baby’s cries are responded to in their first year of life, the less they cry in their second year. This is because they have developed a feeling of security and they have an assurance that their needs will be met. It is not possible for a child to be too attached. It is paradoxical, but when we fulfil their dependency needs, children are pushed forward towards independence. The baby will go on to form other attachments with their other main carers but there will only ever be a few key relationships, and an hierarchy will develop amongst them. This means that if Mum isn’t available they will happily get their needs met by Dad and if that second person isn’t available, they’ll let their Nana, Pop, or Educator help them. This is normal and healthy because children need quality interactions – not quantity. In those first 1,000 days parents really want to provide, or have someone provide on their behalf, attuned, sensitive and consistent interactions with their baby. One of the greatest strengths of quality home-based childcare are Educators, who are able to form a secure attachment with a young child in a calm and natural home environment. With a maximum of four children in care at any one time, Educators have the time to provide children with consistency of care and a go-to person. The low ratio means they are able to respond to a child’s needs and reassure them, creating the Circle of Security that’s so important in those first formative years and well into the future. PORSE understands how the brain wires and fires in the early years. We use this to help develop training and programmes to support our Educators to ensure they’re doing the best for your children in their care. If you want to stay at home with your children and earn an income or simply want the best childcare option for your family, contact us today: 0800 023 456 porse.co.nz

February 2019

EXPERTSPEAK

DEVELOPMENT MODEL FOR TEACHER TRAINING IN ASIA AND BEYOND

Kris Laroche and Dr Nicolene du Preez writeback@scoonews.com

t has become more common in recent years to discuss professional development research, both in relation to the 'educator-asresearcher' and a more general concept of the research-engaged educator. Such discussions have taken on a sharper focus that stress the active role of the

educator taking ownership of their own professional development –and yet, this is problematic in terms of educators' capacity to both engage with research and, at the same time, develop their own professional selves. This article focuses on an initiative at Green School Bali for faculty profes-

February 2019

sional development, which sought to enhance teacher choice and voice during a process of making and utilising the methodology of Educator Agency. The article illustrates how educator agency increases when collaboratively designing and implementing professional development ‘For Teachers, By Teachers’. Implementing this model results

Kris Laroche (MS) and Dr Nicolene du Preez (EdD) are Primary Teacher and Kindergarten Teacher Green School Bali

in a tangible, holistic impact on educators as their confidence and relevant knowledge grow, as supportive and focused professional networks are strengthened among faculty, and as professional learning is personalised to be meaningfully tailored to explicitly encourage sustainable innovation. Further, psychological safety is addressed head on in this model, therefore, ensuring trust is built and honoured throughout the organisation. The article draws upon qualitative data generated from three cohorts of participating educators, through a variety of feedback channels as well as direct observations by the authors. HISTORICAL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT In order to change current state, it is important to understand that history repeats itself. Understanding this history is a first step in breaking the cycle. In the past, professional development has generally been a top down approach with very little room for individual preferences, reflecting the dominant paradigm of the industrial/factory model of schools. This approach arises from predetermined outcomes

and planning for the best interest of educators, as decided upon by external bodies often far removed from the realities of teaching and learning in a given context. This historical perspective predominantly perceived educators as passive learners, lacking the ability to take responsibility for their own professional learning and growth. According to Rucker, (2019:online) content usually created for professional development would be a mile wide and an inch deep for educators, lacking relevance or applicability to specific challenges, and unable to create an authentic and safe space for reflection on practice, either as individuals or collectively, let alone incorporate the much needed process of co-creation. These restrictions have led researchers to seek new perspectives in educational reform. Improving professional learning for educators is a crucial step in transforming schools. We teach who we are. In a rapidly changing world where complexity and chaos are the reality, the need for deep learning that addresses diverse needs, abilities, and unknown futures has intensified. This has lead practitioners, researchers, and policymakers to think more ystematically and creatively about how to improve educatorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; learning from recruitment, preparation, and support, to mentoring, coaching and other leadership opportunities (Darling Hammond, Hyler and Gardner 2017:1). It is further mentioned (2017:1) that sophisticated forms of teaching are

needed to develop 21st century student competencies, such as deep mastery of challenging content, critical thinking, complex problem-solving, effective communication and collaboration, and self-direction. For these sophisticated forms of teaching to become the norm, professional development opportunities are needed for teachers to learn and refine the pedagogies required to teach these skills. We propose that Educator Agency is an effective methodology for this development. EDUCATOR AGENCY Educator Agency allows every teacher to have more choice and voice in their own development. This level of flexibility stimulates internal commitment for improvement through deep engagement, in addition to addressing diverse needs across the organization and over time. When agency is allowed educators develop ownership over their own choices. According to Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Brien (2016) it was found that teachers' perceptions of whether their opinions are factored into school-level decisions appear to be related to job satisfaction. Table 1.1 Educator feedback on professional development. Table 1.1 represents feedback that was collected during a week long professional development week at Green School in Bali. This is a small selection

Table 1.1 Educator feedback on professional development. Achievement comments by educators

Improvement comments by educators

I am electrified by the kindness and creativity of my colleagues. I have had a great time leading workshops and am thankful for how enthusiastically people joined in. Great cross-division collaboration. The two workshops I went to were thoughtful and relevant and so valuable. I loved learning from my colleagues and am excited for more. This is exactly the sort of thing that many of us have been hoping for for a long time. It was so enriching for upcoming projects. I love that we're empowering teachers. Enjoy time together as a whole faculty. There are many new courses that fit my needs. I think teacher lead for the workshops is a really great idea. I loved how the technology helped streamline the process of choosing the courses. I enjoyed having the chance to share and teach something I feel passionate about.

Too much going on.

I think it's better to have fruit as a snack A few sessions were overlapping each other. I was confused about choosing courses. There was not enough transition time between workshops. There were workshops that I wanted to go to but they were both happening at the same time.

February 2019

EXPERTSPEAK

of feedback that came from a weeklong structure that was created and implemented by Green School educators for Green School educators. Drawing from the methodology of educator agency. This feedback was collected over five days with 76 different workshop offerings, 4 Keynote presentations, 41 people presenting or leading workshops, not includingfarmers that presented with Kul Kul Connection (KKC), 10 Well Being activities and 5 Yoga Nidra sessions. In table 1.1, educators submitted comments during a professional development week that was created and implemented with choice and voice from the teachers. This was not a traditional approach to creating nor implementing professional development. This innovation revealed a newfound commitment of educators to attend multiple and varied sessions and to give feedback on how this development directly impacted their own personal and professional needs. The teacher agency given during the development week allowed for authentic introspection and generative collaboration. Looking closely at table 1.1 with specific reference to the feedback for improvement column it is impor-

tant to point out that the major theme in this column deals with the logistics of that particular development week. The logistics are not considered to be a factor that would influence educators future implementation of what their learnings and insights during the development week. In other words feedback in column two allow the process to improve logistically in the future where as feedback in column one explicitly states the positive and far-reaching impact of educator agency.their learnings and insights during the development week. In other words feedback in column two allow the process to improve logistically in the future where as feedback in column one explicitly states the positive and far-reaching impact of educator agency. BUILDING COMMUNITY THROUGH PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY Allowing agency during the planning of professional development structures builds community and psychological safety. In this context, community would be referred to as the educators and faculty involved in professional development. As seen in figure 1.1 there are various components to building psychological safety in a communi-

February 2019

ty such as leadership, group dynamics, trust and respect, using opportunities to practice what works well and a overall supported organizational context. Keeping in mind that if the last mentioned component of context is created with educator agency, the context will allow commitment through the choice and voice of educators. The hard work creating a professional development structure is not as much the physical components such as venue, food, time and other basic needs. However planning from the inside out ensuring internal commitment and safety of educators plays a crucial part in the sustainability and quality of impact of the professional development offered.

Figure 1.1

EXPERTSPEAK

NEUROSCIENCE RESEARCH THAT IMPACTS EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

February 2019

Educationist, entrepreneur, and writer based in Mumbai, Linar Ashar is the chairman of Kangaroo Kids Education Limited (KKEL) and founder of Billabong High International School Lina Ashar writeback@scoonews.com

he formative years of a child’s life see rapid growth and development and help them develop optimally during that period. The brain develops faster than ever during the first five years. A child is born with more than enough brain cells to be highly successful. More than 100 billion! But it's not the number of brain cells that determines usable intelligence, it's the number of connections that are made between those brain cells. These connections are formed by the experiences and thoughts that you provide to your child via a rich, stimulating environment in the early years. That environment is made up of games, visits, conversations, experiences, activities and loving attention. These valuable and rich experiences are supplemented by a quality preschool. Preschool prepares children for a lifetime of learning where they are introduced to concepts in a fun, relaxed environment. Children see that learning is exciting and they want to learn more. It gives them a jump-start to primary school as they develop a number of skills—pre-reading, pre-writing, premath, science and social. They also develop an understanding of listening, following directions as a group, problem solving skills, sharing and taking turns. These are very important for future success. Children in preschool learn an approach to learning itself. In other words, they learn how to learn. Depending on their preschool experiences, they can come to view learning as creative exploration, or as dull memorisation. Research in neuroscience suggests that brain-compatible learning is inclusive of many powerful learning concepts like emotions, patterns, survival, environments, rhythms, positive thinking, assessment, music, etc. in both teaching and learning. The future belongs to a very different kind of person with a very different kind of mind—creators and empathisers, pattern recognisers, and meaning makers. These people—artists, inventors, designers, storytellers, caregivers, consolers, big picture thinkers—will now reap society’s richest rewards and share its greatest joys.

There is sufficient research done in the area of neuroscience and behavioural science that leads us to a conclusion that life success cannot be achieved by high academic scores and grades alone. Over the years, a number of studies have indicated that a positive correlation exists between young people’s achievement and their levels of development in areas we call ‘habits of success and habits of mind’. Our education system balances both and this year our students ‘gifted’ us proof of concept. At Billabong Highs across India various students at the IGCSE board exams received titles of ‘EVM World Topper’, ‘PHYSICS Country Topper’, ‘Computer Science Country Topper’ and ‘Chemistry Country Topper’. We have put the BIG doubt to rest; the doubt whether learning can be enjoyable and still effective. I still stand by my belief, though, that our society is hypnotised into believing that ONLY IF a child does well academically does he have the chance to succeed in life. Our school mantra is ‘to ignite human greatness by fostering a love for learning, a talent for thinking and a respect for hard work.’ So sure, students who perform well are demonstrating greatness, but so are students who demonstrate greatness in non-conventional academic ways. We have many instances of these students as well. Only yesterday I was gifted a Random House-Penguin authored and published book by a Grade 8 child of Billabong High, Bhopal titled ‘Scout Warrior’. Inculcating ‘habits of success’ which are not solely dependent on the intellect - We base the content knowledge on what we call the intangible, implicit, untested curriculum geared to develop the habits of mind that lead to success. The future is all about creativity and innovation. We constantly evolve our learning systems based on neuroscience findings of how the brain best learns and mapping what our students will need to be equipped with when they leave school. Children, who do brilliantly academically, sometimes struggle to make it big once they are out of school. Getting 100 percent on an exam is no longer the key. Knowledge and understanding that were the cornerstone of the information age won't cut it in the conceptual age that we are entering. The future is all about creativity and innovation. We constantly evolve our learning systems based on neuroscience findings of how the brain best learns and mapping what our students will need to be equipped with when they leave school. Content knowledge forms only 40% of our learning system. The remaining 60% is based on what we call the intangible, implicit, untested curriculum geared to develop the habits of mind that lead to success.

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EXPERTSPEAK

THE WORLD IN A CLASSROOM: CATCHING UP WITH GLOBAL TRENDS IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION Prajodh Rajan writeback@scoonews.com

research study as long back as 1995, called “The Early Catastrophe: The 30 Million Word Gap by Age 3” confirmed what many ECE (Early Childhood Education) experts had been advocating: the most critical brain development in children takes place before they reach age five. Decades later, ECE continues to be a widely researched topic across the world – primarily because of its enduring impact. Learning today defies definition. It cannot be boxed in, and the old ways of learning are not good enough. Furthermore, the parents of today are moving away from the traditional behaviour of choosing a pre-school based on its proximity to now picking

one based on its programmes and offerings. Today, the time is ripe to take a quantum leap in ECE. National and international best practices must adapt themselves, and revisit curricula, teaching methods and policies to keep childhood education at par with changing times. The need of the hour is a modern and future-ready pedagogy in tune with what is happening around the world. It is imperative that education across the globe speaks a common language, moving towards a common goal. TO BEGIN WITH, THE NEW GENERATION MUST BE INSPIRED BY ACTIVITY. Active learning engages and challenges the way children think in reallife and possible situations. Physical movement, like dance, running, and playing sports, helps them develop motor skills while enhancing their

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well-being and creating healthy habits for the future. Yoga, for instance, brings into focus body movement, simple breathing techniques, and posture to instil body awareness and this is further enhanced by infusing song, storytelling and interactive games for children. Learning through play enables children to explore, create, and absorb information in a natural, fun way. When they run, jump, roll, throw, catch or swing, they build muscles and burn energy. Their body coordination improves, their brain is activated, and metabolism is boosted as well. This helps them eat and sleep better, which is a must for balanced growth. With an active and involved lifestyle, children are more likely to have welldeveloped memory and language skills. They can be watchful of and regulate

Prajodh Rajan is Co-Founder and Group CEO EuroKids

their behaviour, leading to enhanced school adjustment and academic learning. It encourages the growth of diverse skills and builds better connectivity to the world around them. Erstwhile First Lady Michelle Obama kick-started “let’s move” – an initiative for tackling the nation’s childhood obesity crisis. Following suit, preschools are building the foundation for lifelong good health through an inventive approach to ECE. And even though teachers and schools have a limited ability to influence family eating habits and exercise routines, they are working towards planning more physical activities for children while at school. THE PLEASANT OUTDOORS PROVIDE KIDS A WONDERFUL CANVAS TO EXPLORE THEMSELVES

A research study on 2000 students across 11 schools in California was conducted in 2006. This study indicated that students exposed to outdoor learning scored higher than the students of traditional systems in everything from math to science to attendance. This serves as a great inference on how outdoor education improves kids’ grades. Learning in outdoor settings is an exhilarating experience that gives children a chance to explore the outdoor world. It is seen as an extension of the indoor learning environment where children can continue their learning by touching and feeling their surroundings. Many children who find learning uninspiring in the indoors become enlivened and inspired when outdoors. They use their imagination, solve problems, develop confidence, and find many natural avenues to quell their thirst for more.

MUSICAL EXPERIENCES IN EARLY CHILDHOOD LEARNING GREATLY NURTURE YOUNG MINDS Learning today is a balance of powerful technology and sensitivity to arts and humanism. A 2016 study at the University of Southern California’s Brain and Creativity Institute found that musical experiences in childhood can accelerate brain development, particularly in language acquisition and reading skills. Young children love a blend of music, movement, rhythm and dance, which can bring many benefits to the social, mental and physical development in children. Thus, incorporating music in ECE helps young children with social interaction and language growth. CURIOSITY OF 21ST-CENTURY CHILDREN IS BOOSTED WITH IMMERSIVE LEARNING

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EXPERTSPEAK room learning, it can create a calming effect by enhancing awareness. It can be integrated into curriculum-themed activities through exercises in breathing, sensory experience, guided imagery, and movement. It is easy, inexpensive, and can be practiced by anyone at any time, and is perfectly suited for educational settings anywhere around the globe. As with the changing times children are being braced to meet the demands and roles of the future, jobs unknown and unheard of, will soon demand skills that combine advanced technology with great creativity. And this is where mindfulness comes in.

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THROUGH TECHNOLOGY With the rate at which technology is percolating into our daily lives, it wasn’t going to be long before it dived into the way our children learn. But it is vital to know that technology is not an all-consuming entity. As the world takes bold strides towards creativity, technology is an enabler of that spirit. If children are the WHY of change, technology is the HOW. It is the bridge that is helping reach new dimensions of learning. Today, children are exposed to various means of digital content. From an audiovisual aid to using Augmented Reality in class, multiple techniques are woven together to simplify learning. The bold new concept of blended learning uses technology to deliver a seamless mix of multiple learning modalities. Far from a traditional classroom, blended learning is a childcentred approach that creates a learning experience where the child interacts with peers, the teacher and content directly. An online and face-to-face

environment is integrated for an improved learning outcome, flexible teaching-learning and increased student engagement. THE JOURNEY TO DEEPER MULTI-DIMENSIONAL LEARNING STARTS WITH MINDFULNESS. On the one hand, while automation and digital transformation are redefining demands, emotion, imagination and values are becoming increasingly valuable. Furthermore, an increasing parental interest in learning outcomes is compelling early learning programmes to respond, with a better structured and more holistic curriculum model. Emerging as a popular topic for researchers and academicians, mindfulness is a lot more than just that. It is a great tool to help children develop self-regulation, manage emotions, improve concentration. Mindfulness practices help children improve their ability to pay attention, by learning to focus on one thing while filtering out other stimuli. As a part of the class-

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MINDFULNESS CAN HELP CHILDREN SEIZE EVERYTHING THAT THE FUTURE HAS TO OFFER. Mindfulness or being aware contributes directly to cognitive, social, emotional developmental and performance skills in children. For children around the globe, being mindful is the edge, the emotional advantage that no one can replicate. A mindful school culture is crafted with an emphasis on attention, resilience and kindness, values that will blossom with significance tomorrow. It inculcates self-awareness as it enhances children’s knowledge of their internal states, preferences, resources and intuitions. Mindful learning includes practices aimed at teaching kids to pay attention to the present moment. It involves acceptance - witnessing thoughts, feelings, body – sensations; without judgment or believing them. And finally, it builds empathy for other’s feelings, needs and concerns – irreplaceable qualities in the highly technology-driven world of today. As the citizens of the future evolve into a smarter and responsive generation, their learning for tomorrow - starts today. Thus, education today needs to be delivered through innovative and dynamic pedagogy, inspired by these revolutionary times. As Thought Leaders in pre-school education, EuroKids recognises that we are currently at a turning point in human history and learning has got to stay ahead of the curve. Classrooms are now opening up to the world with knowledge pouring in from all corners of the globe through technology. The future is going to be immersive, transformative and will need a new set of skills. At EuroKids we embrace this change and have thus launched a new curriculum EUNOIA, based on the concept of Mindfulness, to enable the overall holistic development of the mind, body and soul of each child.

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A Science-Based Approach to ENHANCE INFANTS’, TODDLERS’, AND PRESCHOOLERS’ Language and Reading Skills Dr Robert C. Titzer writeback@scoonews.com

abies are born ready to be in relationships - they are hungry for love and attention. It is up to us, as parents, to meet their basic needs. To feed them, keep them safe and warm and make sure they get lots of sleep. Babies will survive if we meet these very primitive needs, but we don’t just want them to survive we want them to flourish! As parents we shower them with love, we cuddle them and comfort them because they are the apple of our eye and we adore them. There is an abundance of recent research on language learning that is generally not being used to help infants and toddlers learn language skills at higher levels. This research could be used to guide decisions made

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by parents, teachers, preschools, or governments to help infants, toddlers, and preschoolers learn language and reading skills more efficiently. The following principles are applied in the “Your Baby Can Learn” programmewhich is designed to enhance young children’s language learning in multiple languages in a fun, multisensory way. 1

PROVIDE INTERSENSORY REDUNDANT INFORMATION WHEN TEACHING LANGUAGE SKILLS. Babies who see and hear words at the same time will have intersensory redundant information. Having redundant sensory information has been shown to help babies learn more complex tasks (Bahrick, Lickliter, & Flom, 2004). Babies have very good crossmodal perceptual abilities (e.g., Ruff & Rose, 1987), so infants who see and hear

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individual words can learn what the words look like in a way that is similar to how they learn how the words sound (Titzer, 1998; Massaro, 2012). Even 2-day old babies have learned arbitrary auditory-visual relationships (Slater, Brown, & Badenoch, 1997). 2

ISOLATE WORDS, THEN USE THEM IN FLUENT SPEECH. Isolating words, then hearing the words in fluent speech helps babies who are new to a language learn word segmentation (Lew-Williams,

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Pelucchi, & Saffran, 2011) over only hearing words in fluent speech. In addition, the number of times a word was used in isolation, but not the total number of times the word was heard, was a predictor of later word usage (Brent & Siskind, 2001). 3

TEACH THE SHAPE BIAS EARLY IN INFANCY. The shape bias is the tendency to generalise information about an object by its shape, rather than its colour, material, or texture when learning nouns.

For example, the shape of a cup or a chair lets you know that you can drink from the cup or sit on the chair. The cups and chairs can be any colour and they can be made out of numerous materials, but their shapes provide the relevant feature that is more likely to determine the function of the object and its category. Babies who learn shape bias learn new words and categories more quickly (e.g., Landau, Smith, & Jones, 1988; Smith, 2000; Gershkoff-Stowe & Smith, 2004), so learning to pay attention to shape ear-

Robert C Titzer Ph.D. is an American professor and infant researcher who created an approach to teach babies written language that later resulted in the Your Baby Can products. He has been a professor, teacher, and public speaker on human learning, and is founder of the Infant Learning Company, a company that produces learning products for infants

lier is very important. Smith, Jones, Landau, Gershkoff-Stowe, and Samuelson (2002) showed that 17month-old infants can be taught to have a stronger shape bias in a laboratory setting in four 15-minute sessions and once they are taught they also learn new words in their home environments at faster rates. The videos, books, and word cards used with this approach intentionally vary the nonrelevant features of written words such as the font colour, background colour, and size while keeping the gen-

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EXPERTSPEAK eralisable shapes of the words relatively constant by varying the fonts in order to teach babies the shape bias. 4

FREQUENCY EFFECTS IN LANGUAGE LEARNING ARE IMPORTANT, SO INCREASE THE INFANTS’ QUANTITY OF RELEVANT LANGUAGE. The frequency effect states that when other factors are equal, a higher frequency of an aspect of language leads to more language learning. Frequency effects in language learning are found when infants or children are learning single words, simple syntactic constructions, and more advanced syntax as well as in other areas of language learning (Ambridge, Kidd, Rowland, & Theakston, 2015). 5 PROVIDE CLARITY OF LANGUAGE. In many situations, there are numerous possible meanings when parents say words. For example, if someone says the word cup while drinking from a cup the baby must determine what is meant. Does the word could refer to the person, the action of drinking, the colour, size, or material of the cup, a part of the cup, the entire cup, or many other possibilities. It is very important to provide clear meanings to help babies learn words more efficiently. Cartmill, Armstrong, Gleitman, Goldin-Meadow, Medina, and Trueswell (2013) found that the clarity of the language input from parents predicted vocabulary three years later. 6

PROVIDE VARIOUS REPRESENTATIONS FOR THE SOUNDS, SHAPES, AND MEANINGS OF WORDS. People say the same words in slightly different ways, so ideally, babies should hear men, women, girls, and boys saying the same words. This helps them generalise the sounds of the words. The same is also true with written language – the non-relevant factors such as colour, size, background colours, etc. should vary. The fonts are more relevant, but they should also vary to help the child’s ability to generalise to other fonts or even handwritten words. When learning new words, babies are usually learning a category. For example, the word chair does not refer to only one chair. The variability of the exemplars plays a large role in whether children generalise the meaning of the word to a wide variety of chairs. Perry, Samuelson, Malloy, and Schiffer (2010) taught 12 categories to 18-month-old babies using either low or high variability. While both groups learned the exemplars that they were taught, Perry et al. (2010) found that increasing the variability of the exemplars helps

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babies generalise ordinal category words (such as chair) as well as superordinate categories (such as furniture). 7

THE DIVERSITY OF LANGUAGE IN A CHILD’S ENVIRONMENT SHOULD CHANGE OVER TIME. Initially, repeating some high frequency words many times helps the baby learn the first words. Once infants have a strong shape bias, then they typically learn new words at a faster rate (e.g., Smith, 2000). Over time, the diversity of language drives the size of the child’s vocabulary, so the number of different words spoken to the child should increase. One of the benefits of reading books on many topics to children is the relatively large number of infrequently used words in children’s books. 8

MAKE LANGUAGE LEARNING INTERACTIVE. For newborn infants, language learning can be relatively passive. By around 6 months of age, babies should be asked to say words, do physical actions related to the meanings of words, or answer questions about words. As infants learn language and motor skills, then parents and teachers can have early conversations with babies. Recent research shows that the number and quality of conversations becomes increasingly important

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around 18 months of age. “Conversational turns” between 18-24 months of age predict language scores 10 years later (Gilkerson, Richards, Warren, Oller, Russo, & Vohr, 2018). 9

TEACH MULTIPLE LANGUAGES SIMULTANEOUSLY INSTEAD OF SEQUENTIALLY. Bilingual infants who learned two languages simultaneously from birth were compared with bilingual infants who learned languages sequentially after mastering the first language (Kousaie, Chai, Sander, & Klein, 2017). Simultaneous bilinguals had more optimal brain development and improved cognitive control. Cognitive control (also called executive control) makes flexible thinking and complex goal-directed thought more likely. The research points in the same direction for language learning that earlier is better and that simultaneous learning of language skills provides for more efficient brain development compared to sequential learning. Evidence that this comprehensive approach works. The above scientific principles work individually as detailed above. The Your Baby Can Learn programme applies these principles. As new scientific studies are completed, the pro-

EXPERTSPEAK gram adjusts to incorporate new information to improve the approach. A large component of the approach is educating the parents and caregivers about how to talk to babies and toddlers. Studies on this language enrichment program have spanned three decades with numerous researchers collecting data. The general findings are that babies, toddlers, and children who use this program learn additional vocabulary from using this approach and they learn to read words (Titzer, 1998, 2019, Downey, 2002; Perkins, 2009; Hare, Baldwin, & Okoth, 2013; Thompson & Titzer, 2019; Titzer & Thompson, 2019; Thompson, Titzer, Tarver, & Woods, 2019). One study had mixed findings where the parents reported positive results (that the babies learned vocabulary and to read words) and the researchers did not (Newman, Kaefer, Pinklam, & Strouseet, 2014). Additional positive data have been collected in Your Baby Can Learn classes in Hong Kong, the US, India, and other countries. An Anganwadi Project study (Raja & Patil, 2018) in Bangalore showed that the very young children learned English words using the program even though they did not get to use the program very frequently. In Hong Kong, many babies who used the program regularly have scored perfect scores on word reading tests (Titzer, 2019). A case study (Titzer, 1998) found that a baby who started at 3 months and 9 days could read more than 400 words by age 12 months and simple baby books that she had never seen by 18 months including sounding out novel words phonetically. In another study, 260 out of 261 parents with babies who consistently used the series said the program had a “positive” or “very positive” effect and none said it had a “negative” or “very negative” effect (Titzer, 2019). Hare, Baldwin, & Okoth (2013) used families with low SES in a longitudinal study and found 95% of parents said their babies or children learned vocabulary words from the program and 81% said their babies or children learned to read words using it. Downey (2002) found that young children with autism learned to read words from the program even though they only used the video part of the program. Studies show that babies who use the program learned to read an average of 17 out of the 20 words on the word reading test and they scored a full standard deviation above a same-socioeconomic status comparison group on overall language skills (Thompson & Titzer, 2019) and almost a full standard deviation above the comparison group on overall cognition (Titzer & Thompson, 2019).

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REFERENCES: Ambridge, B., Kidd, E., Rowland, C.F. & Theakston, A.L. (2015). The ubiquity of frequency effects in first language acquisition. Journal of Child Language, 42(2), 282-286. Doi:10.1017/S0305000914000646 Bahrick, L. E., Lickliter, R., & Flom, R. (2004). Intersensory Redundancy Guides the Development of Selective Attention, Perception, and Cognition in Infancy. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 13(3), 99–102. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.09637214.2004.00283.x Brent, M. & Siskind, J. (2001). The role of exposure to isolated words in early vocabulary. Cognition. 81. B33-44. 10.1016/S0010-0277(01) 00122-6. Cartmill, E. A., Armstrong, B. F., Gleitman, L. R., Goldin-Meadow, S., Medina, T.N., & Trueswell, J. (2013). Quality of input predicts vocabulary 3 years later. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 110 (28), 11278-11283; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1309518110. Gershkoff-Stowe, L., & Smith, L. (2004). Shape and the first hundred nouns. Child Development. 75, 1098-114. 10.1111/j.14678624.2004.00728.x. Gilkerson, J., Richards, J. A., Warren, S. F., Kimbrough Oller, D., Russo, R., & Vohr, B. (2018). Language experience in the second year of life and language outcomes in late childhood. Pediatrics, 142(4), 1-11. Kousaie, S., Chai, X., Sander, K. M., & Klein, D. (2017). Simultaneous learning of two languages from birth positively impacts intrinsic functional connectivity and cognitive control. Brain and Cognition, 117, 49-56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bandc.201 7.06.003 Landau, B., Smith, L. B., & Jones, S. S. (1988). The importance of shape in early lexical learning. Cognitive Development, 3(3), 299-321. https://doi.org/10.1016/08852014(88)90014-7 Lew-Williams, C., Pelucchi, B., & Saffran, J. R. (2011). Isolated words enhance statistical language learning in infancy. Developmental Science, 14, 1323–1329. Massaro, D. (2012). Acquiring Literacy Naturally. American Scientist. 100(4), July/August.

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Perry, L. K., Samuelson, L. K., Malloy, L. M., & Schiffer, R. N. (2010). Learn Locally, Think Globally: Exemplar Variability Supports Higher-Order Generalization and Word Learning. Psychological Science, 21(12), 1894–1902. https://doi.org/10.1177/09567976103 89189 Raja, S. & Patil, S. (2018). Impact of Your Baby Can Learn Programme: Anganwadi Project -- Urban Banglore. Your Baby Can -- India. Unpublished report. Rose, S.A., Ruff, H.A. (1987). In: Handbook of Infant Development, 2nd edn. (Osofsky J, ed.), pp. 318–362. New York: Wiley. Sénéchal, M. and LeFevre, J. (2002), Parental Involvement in the Development of Children’s Reading Skill: A Five-Year Longitudinal Study. Child Development, 73: 445-460. doi:10.1111/1467-8624.00417 Slater, A., Brown, E., & Badenoch, M. (1997). Intermodal perception at birth: Newborn infants' memory for arbitrary auditory-visual pairings. Early Development and Parenting, 6, 99-104. 10.1002/(SICI)10990917(199709/12)6:3/43.0.CO;2-M. Smith, L. B. (2000). Learning how to learn words: An associative crane. In Becoming a Word Learner. New York: Oxford University Press. Smith, L. B., Jones, S. S., Landau, B., Gershkoff-Stowe, L., & Samuelson, L. (2002). Object name Learning Provides On-the-Job Training for Attention. Psychological Science, 13(1), 13–19. https://doi.org/10.1111/14679280.00403 Thompson, T., Titzer, R., Tarver, T., & Woods, A. (2019). Babies who are taught to read words have greater expressive vocabularies. Manuscript in preparation. Thompson, T. & Titzer, R. (2019). Babies who are taught to read words have overall language abilities a full SD above a same-SES comparison group. Manuscript in preparation. Titzer, R. & Thompson, T. (2019). A new scientific approach to teach infants language skills. Manuscript in preparation. Titzer, R. (2019). Infants and toddlers can acquire written language while simultaneously enhancing receptive and expressive language. Manuscript in preparation.

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Tips for positive parenting Sue Atkins

TIVE PARENTING

writeback@scoonews.com

arenting is tiring, exhausting, overwhelming and frustrating to name only a few of the very strong emotions parents go through every day.

Research has shown that children who grow up with a secure and healthy attachment to their parents stand a better chance of developing happy and content relationships with others in their life.

Whether they are toddlers or teens children need parents’ time, energy and attention.

A child who has a secure relationship with their parent learns to regulate emotions under stress and in difficult situations.

Parenting is the most fulfilling job that anyone will ever do, but it’s not without its challenges. Modern family life can be stressful and with various pressures on families it’s not always easy. Most parents want what is best for their child, and a strong parent-child relationship, can help lead to better outcomes for children wherever they live in the world. CREATING A POSITIVE PARENT-CHILD RELATIONSHIP IS IMPORTANT Developing the bond of connection from the very beginning of a parent’s journey is important because the parent-child relationship is one that nurtures the physical, emotional, spiritual and social development of a child and sustains them in a busy, hectic, fast paced world. The relationship a parent creates is a unique bond that a parent and child will enjoy and nurture throughout both of their lives - building memories that will last a lifetime. This relationship lays the foundation for a child’s personality, their confidence, their selfesteem, their life choices and their overall behaviour. Parents pass on their values about life and what is important through their parenting. Creating a strong and positive parent child relationship can also affect the strength of a child’s social, physical, mental and emotional health and wellbeing. HERE ARE SOME OF THE BENEFITS OF POSI-

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Kids don’t come with a handbook - Sue Atkins

Positive parents help to nurture a child’s mental, linguistic and emotional development. Positive parenting helps a child feel connected and that they count, that they are significant and that they matter, so a child exhibits optimistic and confident social behaviours. Healthy involved parenting lays the foundation for better social and academic skills and outcomes for children. Secure parent-child attachment leads to healthy social, emotional, cognitive, and motivational development, long term self-esteem, strong mental health and wellbeing as well as lifelong resilience. THERE ARE 4 WAYS PARENTS LEARN TO PARENT We go on ‘Marketing to Management Skill Training Courses’ but how many of us go on Parenting Courses? Not many. People often find it a taboo subject to ask for parenting help or support as they feel they should just be born with this innate ability to raise happy, confident, resilient kids. But that isn’t true. We live in a world where grandparents and immediate family don’t necessarily live nearby anymore so parenting values and support can be harder to pass down from generations to genera-

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tions and families are busy working, juggling and managing a multitude of tasks. Parents often revert to the way their own parents parented them, or they decide that they definitely don’t want to parent the way their parents raised them. But where do parents get the help, advice and support they need free from finger pointing and judgement?

The positive news is that there’s a great deal parents can learn from good books, the media, and from family and childhood experts. The important thing for parents to do is to discern, ponder and consider what they are looking at, listening to or watching, and to make sure that it sits with their core values and intuition.

Sue Atkins is an internationally recognised Parenting Expert, Broadcaster, Speaker and Author of the Amazon best-selling books ‘Parenting Made Easy – How to Raise Happy Children’ and ‘Raising Happy Children for Dummies’, as well as author of the highly acclaimed Parenting Made Easy CDs, Apps and resources, and produces ‘The Sue Atkins Parenting Show’.

from Their Parents. The main way parents learn to parent is by watching their own parents. Some will have been lucky enough to be blessed with incredible parents who modelled how to be patient, loving, tolerant and kind and knew how to handle misbehaviour, tantrums and every day challenges and also how to take responsibility as a parent. Image Courtesy : https://www.parenttoolkit.com

Parents often turn online for advice but sometimes that advice is conversational, anecdotal and based on other parents’ ideas from forums. It’s not based on robust research or studies. Most parents become parents without any training and that’s one of the things that makes parenting so hard: There is no simple formula. Parents are not automatically given great parenting skills just because they have a

baby. They don’t always know what to do. And as parents with more than one child will know, each child is also unique and different and arrives into the world with their own personality, character as well as their own strengths and weaknesses. All of this makes parenting rather complex. HERE ARE SOME WAYS PARENTS LEARN TO PARENT. 1 They Learn Parenting Skills

Many others, however, may not have been quite so fortunate. Maybe they had parents who were trying to do their best, but they made lots of mistakes, had addictions, mental health issues or found the whole experience too overwhelming. Or, perhaps they had parents who were immature and never took ownership of the huge responsibility of being a parent or they had parents who were absent, neglectful, selfish, or even abusive. The positive news is that even if a child’s experience was less than ideal,

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EXPERTSPEAK

parents can choose to learn and practice positive parenting skills, and they can break the intergenerational patterns to carve a new brighter future for their children. All it takes is a commitment to that idea of being the best parent they can be. 2 They Learn Parenting Skills from Observing Others Whether it’s from observing a sister, someone on the school playground or a stranger in the supermarket, lots of parents learn from friends, neighbours, family or even celebrities. As much of parenting comes through the advice and the example of others it’s also a good idea for parents to ‘Pause to Ponder’ the influences on their parenting style, values and attitudes. Many people who have experienced, or witnessed, poor parenting from their own parents are able to look to others and learn to do things differently and better as they become parents themselves. The positive news is that it’s never too late to change to positive parenting models and copy them. Parents could look for positive examples of great parenting from a neighbour, a friend, a sibling, an aunt or uncle, a grandparent, or even a stranger who’s parenting their child positively in the park. By simply finding someone whose parenting skills they respect and admire parents can gain in confidence. They can then watch, listen, ask questions and

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try out what other parents do, to see if it works for their family. 3 They Learn Parenting Skills from Books, Media & Experts The positive news is that there’s a great deal parents can learn from good books, the media, and from family and childhood experts. The important thing for parents to do is to discern, ponder and consider what they are looking at, listening to or watching, and to make sure that it sits with their core values and intuition. There are dozens of great parenting books out there, one to fit each of a parent’s needs, styles, parenting problems, or ages and stages of their child’s development so they need to explore. There are tools, techniques, strategies and advice for every child’s needs and every “issue” they may face. Every parent can easily find these excellent resources— to read, watch, listen, and to build their confidence. It’s important for parents to remember to always keep the bigger picture in their mind – that they are raising a happy, confident, resilient adult – today’s child but tomorrow’s future and they need to be adaptable and flexible on the journey. 4 They Learn Parenting Skills from Their Children & On-the -Job. Parents teach children, but every parent knows that children also teach parents too. Children are mirrors and sponges watching, learning and listening to parents all the time. So, it’s

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important for parents to be a positive role model in all that they do, say and in how they act. Parenting is a full-time, never ending job. It’s demanding, frustrating, overwhelming, and definitely exhausting. It’s also delightful, surprising and wonderful. ‘Failing Forward’ is a way for parents to see mistakes. I remember my own father saying to me ‘But I haven’t done this before’ which came as a surprise as I thought he knew everything! It’s a timely reminder that parents become great parents by simply being and doing their best and a natural part of that is making some mistakes. It’s not necessary for parents to beat themselves up, but to remember to make learning from their mistakes a natural part of their parenting toolkit and then they can’t go far wrong. None of us stop learning. IN CONCLUSION There are many ways to learn to be a positive parent. What matters is that parents continue to learn and to have the intention to be the best they can be. As they focus on acquiring the best parenting skills–from their own parents, from those around them, from experts, and from their children–their children will surely only benefit as they grow up to be happy, confident kids with strong self-esteem and good mental health.

EXPERTSPEAK

Teacher training trends in Asia

Vaidehi K N writeback@scoonews.com

lobal socioeconomic trends and cultural changes pose new challenges for ECE teachers in 21st century. Rising parent expectations around learning outcomes, are creating opportunities for those who are ready. Thus a teachers’ role in early childhood setting is much more demanding and challenging. Thus teachers are the cornerstone of educational development and ‘good schools require good teachers’. Teachers are at the forefront of the process of educational reform, since the quality and effectiveness of any education system ultimately depends on the quality and nature of the interaction that occurs between learners and their teachers. THE CURRENT SCENARIO For most of USA, Europe, Australia and New Zealand, school readiness is around behavioural, emotional and motor skills, not academic standards. In Asia including India the demand from parents is more aorund academic

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21ST CENTURY CHALLENGES IN THE NEW PARADIGM New Paradigm

Traditional Paradigm

Individualised Learning

Reproduced Learning

Student Centric

Student follows teacher

Individualised Programmes

Standard Programmes

Self-Learning

Absorbing Knowledge

Focus on How to Learn

Focus on How to Gain

Multi learning Sources

Teacher-Based Learning

Extensive of IT & media

Limited or no IT usage

World-Class Learning

Site-Bounded Learning

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Vaidehi K N is Managing Partner, Podar Jumbo Kids Banashankari and Sarjapur.

evolving. Asia thus is at a critical point of this transformation journey being closely mentored by governement agencies and global organisations.

excellence and readiness! Though this is taking a paradigm shift.

the paradigm shift to inquiry based learning with critical thinking. It requires teachers to reorient themselves to align their beliefs and practices with the global trends in education.

Asia is engaged in an educational movement in this decade to transform the traditional academic- and instruction-driven education into inquirybased and child-centered approaches involving critical thinking as the core. ECE teachers in India now have to possess skills to handle students’ varied interests, talents, and creativity in addition to academic knowledge.

The encouragement of conducting “learning by doing” activities throughout a wide range of fields replaces the traditional content-valued education. The objective is to focus on each child’s holostic developmental needs by a child centered integrated curriculum.

“Teach Less, Learn More” is the new mantra in ECE and for all the right reasons. Teachers who earlier were abiding by the prescriptive curriculum are now forced to acquire new skills to handle

How to address the tension between achieving “success” in academic knowledge, and attaining the goal of valuing children’s creativity and diverse ways of thinking, are still

TRENDS IN CHINA China’s educational system has made great progress. The nine-year compulsory education has been basically universalised in 2000. Politicians, parents, and the general public challenge the quality of teacher education in China, and therefore the reform of the curriculum of teacher education is a very hot topic in teacher education institutions. In general, everybody agrees that the complex knowledge structure for teachers comprises subject-matter knowledge, conditional knowledge (knowledge about pupils’ development, knowledge about learning and teaching, knowledge about assessment and evaluation, etc.), practical knowledge, and cultural knowledge. But there is lack of common understanding about what should be the proportion of those kinds of knowledge or where the emphasis should be put. China has raised the qualification

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EXPERTSPEAK ECE Teaching is not very attractive, partly because of its low social status and partly because a teacher’s job is very complex and demanding. Therefore, better pay and incentives are being provided to attract talented young people to the teaching profession.

standards by the establishment of Master of Education professional degree. Now comprehensive universities like Beijing and Peking unversities have started to prepare ECE teachers. The undergraduate programs will emphasise general education and foundations of major fields as in ECE. The majors will be widened to cover interdisciplinary or multi-disciplinary studies including ECE. ECE teaching institutions are raising their standards and improving their quality of education to promote professionalisation of teachers by including global stadards. Teachers are still not regarded as full professionals by many policy-makers or the general public in China. TRENDS IN MALAYSIA During the ’60s and ’70s after years of independence, there was an urgent need to recruit enough teachers to staff the newly built classrooms. To ease the acute shortage of teachers in ECE and primary schools, many untrained teachers with academic qualifications as low as Form 3 (which is equivalent to nine years of general education) were recruited and given part-time training during the weekends and school holidays in training colleges and regional training centers. To staff the secondary schools, many graduate teachers were imported from the United Kingdom and India. The goals of teacher education have changed over the years according to the pressing needs of the education system. Consequently, different types of teacher education programs have been developed to cater to the following priorities at different points in time: a) to ensure that enough teachers of the various levels needed by the schools are recruited and trained; b) to raise the quality of teachers; c) to train enough teachers in specialised subjects like ECE, English, science, and mathematics;

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d) to provide sufficient trained teachers for vocational and technical schools; e) to provide training for upgrading, professional development of practicing teachers; and f) to provide professional training for all kinds of practitioners in the education system, including school counselors, school principals, teacher educators, curriculum developers, and others. The teacher-training curriculum is focusing on: a) Teacher Dynamics – Soft skills, child psychology in ECE, language and thinking skills, Islamic education, Moral and environmental education. b) Knowledge and Professional Competence - Psychology, pedagogy, and guidance and parent counseling. c) Self-enrichment - art education and physical and health education/games. d) Co-curricular activities - management of co-curricular activities, games, athletics, uniformed units, and societies.

ers are improved to include a better career structure with more promotion and professional development opportunities.

The teaching profession and ECE does not attract the most talented young people and less male teachers.

In all ECE teacher education programmes, the practicum is being made mandatory which attempts to link theory and practice of teaching. This there has been a shift from the technical-rational model to the reflective practitioner model.

ECE Teaching is not very attractive, partly because of its low social status and partly because a teacher’s job is very complex and demanding. Therefore, better pay and incentives are being provided to attract talented young people to the teaching profession. The quality of teacher training is being improved by paying attention not only to the intellectual qualifications of future teachers but also the characteristics of their personalities, and the working conditions for teach-

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TRENDS IN INDIA India has a long tradition of teaching and learning. Traditionally, the society entrusted young ones to the learned scholar known as guru with full confidence and faith: the guru looked after all the learning needs of the learner, including the total development of the personality. There is a serious imbalance of avail-

the new curriculum challenges. A new type of educational institution called the District Institute of Education and Training (DIET) has been conceived within the National Policy on Education (NPE) and the Ministry of HR as major steps towards effective teacher education. The DIET is designed to improve and enrich the academic background of ECE and elementary school teachers. Training in models of ECE teaching (concept attainment, inquiry training and critical thinking) in the form of lecture, demonstration, discussion and peer practice feedback has been put in place to enhance the understanding and competence of both teacher educators and student teachers in using the models of teaching. Teaching in these models also brought about significant favourable changes in the attitudes of both teacher educators and student teachers towards new models and their willingness to implement them in teacher training programmes. School students taught through these models also responded favourably to them. In the long-term, helping teachers at the beginning of their training definitely sounds like a good investment. After all, before you can become a good teacher, donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t you have to have the opportunity to be a good student? REFERENCES:

Image Courtesy : http://www.ocac.gov.tw

ability of qualified/trained ECE teachers in the country. In many regions, ECE trained teachers are not available; this has led to untrained teachers being appointed. It is widely acknowledged that teacher education has not yet acquired the requisite status as a profession like engineering, medicine, and business management. The community and parents still do not give much credibility to the training aspect of teachers in schools. ECE teacher training and general teacher training are preparing teachers to integrate indigenous knowledge in theory and practice; developing among them an understanding of the impact of globalisation, privatisation and information and communication technology; fostering among teachers as well as in the students the interest for life long learning; empowering teachers to inculcate at every stage

values among students; enabling teachers to establish linkages with parents and the community; developing among teachers the competencies to deal with differently abled students; orienting teachers in modern techniques of evaluation; etc. Specialised training on parent management is part of the ECE training as parentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; expectations are very high and students are demanding! Teacaher concerns around career advancement, placement opportunities, professional development, and transparency in upward mobility scenario are being addressed. New systems are evolving to provide professional feedback to the teachers and thereby contribute to their professional growth. There is immediate emphasis on retraining and reorganising existing ECE teachers, making most of them competent in their profession and to

Ben-Pertez, M. (2001). The impossible role of teacher education in a changing world. Journal of Teacher Education, 52(1), 48-56.

Cheng, Y. C., Chow, K. W., and Mok, M. C. Magdalena (eds.), Reform of Teacher Education in Asia-Pacific in the New Millennium: Trends and Challenges, 93â&#x20AC;&#x201D;106.

Ding, G. (2001). The integration of pre-service and in-service teacher education: The cases of Shanghai and Jiangsu. AsiaPacific Journal of Teacher Education & Development, 4(2), 6172.

Gopalan, K. (2003). Some quality issues in teacher education. University News, 41(7), 1-3.

Lee, M. N. N. (2002a). Teacher education in Malaysia: Current issues and future prospects. In E. Thomas (Ed.), Teacher Education: Dilemmas and Prospects (pp. 5767). London: Kogan Page.

NCERT. (2013). Teacher education curriculum: A framework. New Delhi.

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EXPERTSPEAK

Planning our children’s lives

Is it helping or hurting? Bela Kotwani writeback@scoonews.com

n a bustling city like Mumbai, parents juggle tasks to manage their professional and personal lives. When children are added to the mix, parents face unique logistical challenges from day to day. Running a ‘tight ship’ allows parents to meet their responsibilities and maintain control. Is this the best solution? What is this solution ‘costing’ us? 1) Late speech development: In order to finish tasks by a certain time, most households put dinner, baths, toys, and most detrimentally a smart phone or tablet in front of children so they may complete tasks quickly. A child never has to ask for anything hence speech development takes a back seat.

Bela Kotwani is CEO and Principal Cosmikids, National Committee - ECA

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2) Inconsistency in reward or reprimand: Due to busy lives not much thought is given to sending a consistent message to children. When guests are present, watching YouTube videos is fine but other times it’s not. Eating chocolate is not allowed however, when the child is acting up in public chocolates may be the easiest way to stop it. The end result? Children try to connect the dots themselves or figure out how to manipulate rather than earn a reward.

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3) Fostering a culture of instant gratification: You do…I give you—this strategy works most times in most households and is the quickest way to get chores done! Parents get what they want so they may get back to their work. This creates a culture of mixed messages, and the message sent is chores and necessary actionable items must receive compensation. Just imagine the disarray when the world does not compensate someone for day to day tasks. 4)

Fear of the ‘C’ word: Chores evoke thoughts of punishment in children. Doing chores means doing something menial, when approximately 90 percent of the world does their own chores. Chores build a

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sense of pride and respect for our habitat. Since we live in a culture where a set of people create a mess and another set of people clean up messes for a living, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s our responsibility to teach children dignity of labour. Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s take a break and pat ourselves on our backs for dealing with all that life throws at us every day. Where do we begin? Or how do we undo whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been done? Simply by doing exactly the opposite of how things are being handled today. 1) The power of please, thank you and excuse me: Teach children how to

request for things rather than demand or even worse present things without a request. Teach them how to request for food so they understand when they are hungry. This not only teaches children how to express themselves but also to value what has been given to them. 2) Good cop, bad cop is not the way to go: Both parents and all adults in the household should have the same consistent message at all times, be it publicly or privately. Once children begin understanding, reprimand should be discussed and agreed upon by both parent and child, and then followed through consistently each time.

3) Let the chore be the reward: We bathe because we must feel fresh, we need to eat so there is strength, we clean our room so we can live in a clean room. We can make a list and reward at Christmas and Diwali. 4) Dignity of labour: There is a confidence factor attached to doing chores. Children are infused with self-assurance and are able to function independently. Last but not the least, let every thought, word and action in the presence of children be consistent and synchronised. Allow children to think for themselves so they become leaders not followers. We owe it to our children and we owe it to the world!

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EXPERTSPEAK

Nature Kindergartens International consultant Claire Warden is Director Mindstretchers, Founder Living Classrooms Charity and International Association of Nature Pedagogy

Claire Warden writeback@scoonews.com

nature kindergarten is a model of early years education that has evolved through Germanic and Scandinavian traditions of outdoor nurseries for children from 2 to 5 years old. However, there are also many other models of nature-based education we can explore that embrace the same underlying values of nature pedagogy (Warden 2018), but which are culturally and climatically situated in other parts of the world. This article explores an example of a nature kindergarten in Scotland in order to stimulate discussion around what a nature-based model in India might look like. In 2006, Mindstretchers founded the first nature kindergarten in Scotland. It was called Whistlebrae and operated as a site of innovation to drive change in peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s awareness and understanding of nature-based models of early education. It developed conversations with the authorities responsible for licencing early education and care by

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providing a tangible context for those conversations; it drew people from across the globe to see and feel how a nature kindergarten model operated; it provided a situation to engage in dialogue to determine which educational models may be culturally relevant to Scotland; and it provided a framework for professionals to question and explore the values and beliefs in the pedagogy of practice - a process which ultimately became my PhD in nature pedagogy. Throughout the world, there have always been people who place nature centrally to their lives, and now the number of educational settings that embrace the teachings of the natural world in their day-to-day practice has increased to a level that is growing exponentially. There are many different types or models of settings that are nature-based and they have evolved in their own cultural locations and are therefore affected by climate and curriculum. They have a wide range of names, such as Schogsmulle (Sweden); Barneharge (Norway); Waldkindergarten (forest kinder-

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garten in Germany); Nature kindergartens (UK); Nature pre-schools (USA), but they all provide children with immersive experiences in the natural world. All of these settings share a connection and similarity in their work, in that they embrace the values of nature pedagogy (Warden 2011, 2015, 2018). I define nature pedagogy as a relational pedagogy that embraces the art of being with nature inside, outside and beyond (2018: 2). When nature pedagogy is fully embedded in practice, it is manifested as a way of working with children and families that creates settings for care and education that embrace nature and place it at the heart of their values. Its impact is all-encompassing, from the biophilic educational environments, to the child-centred process of assessment and planning, through to the active learning journeys that we encourage children and families to take to support the children to be sustainable in their thoughts and actions (Warden 2012:7). The range of models around the world can be placed along a

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continuum of practice based on the amount of time they spend in contact with the natural world in their day-today practice. Our definition of a nature kindergarten is that it sits at the end of the continuum where nature pedagogy is integrated into everything, in order to create a sustainable way of educating children that brings together the health of the mind, body and spirit with education and the need to teach skills, concepts and knowledge. Models such as forest school or nature clubs are more reductionist, as only blocks of time are spent in the forest, rather than fully embracing a pedagogy for day-today living and learning. In practice that means that our current nature kindergarten, Auchlone Nature Kindergarten, is the manifestation of our nature-based, pedagogical values of love, hope and justice. We support place-based learning as it gives us cultural identity and a history-making potential that is valued by children and families. The programming is mindful of children’s authentic experiences across three nominal spaces to ensure connection and relevance - inside the setting, outside in the outdoor area and beyond the fence to learn with the community and natural landscapes around the setting. The Auchlone site has a home-

styled inside area in a 19th Century stone house; and a landscape designed by children with hills, sandcastle, hiding spaces, small pond and mud area. This links seamlessly to the area beyond the fence where the natural landscape of fields and forests exists on nature’s terms, not cleaned up, ordered or tidied. At Auchlone, children can be outside 70-100% of the time all year round, five days a week if they want to be. The staff are trained to work inside or outside. Given the damp climate here in Scotland, we sometimes settle in an open-fronted kinder kitchen that allows daily cooking, provides warmth from a log stove and light from a child-created, stick candelabra. It is in this space, where we stay in our outdoor clothes, that we develop a real sense of community, resting after a strenuous walk or sharing our tales of risk and adventure. There are many routines that are often the backbone of our daily and seasonal rhythms - collecting wood for the fire, harvesting food, making our felt slippers, packing backpacks for our journeys, designing and making forts and shelters and celebrating the joy and love of it all through story, song, writing, drawing and making artefacts. The planning and programming of the

nature kindergarten model stems from social constructivism, where we create a balance of adult intentionality with children’s voices and theories. We use Participatory Planning through Floorbooks (Warden 1996) to combine four voices. The first is to raise and honour children’s voices; the second is the voice of the natural world as an authentic context, the third is the professional analysis which tracks the learning journey that evolves over time; and the fourth is the parent or carer who creates a link from the home to the education setting. Given that nature pedagogy embraces the natural world, we use the elements of Fire, Earth, Air and Water to guide our fascinations and project inquiries. This lends itself easily to science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (S.T.E.A.M.), as many great thinkers, such as Edison, took inspiration from the natural world. There are those who suggest that there is an unrealistic, romantic notion of childhood and nature that we seek to support in a nature kindergarten. My research (Warden 2018) suggests that although childhoods are indeed situated and complex, there is a purity in the moment where a child studies a worm or is fascinated by water droplets on a leaf, that exists below these larger cul-

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EXPERTSPEAK When nature pedagogy is fully embedded in practice, it is manifested as a way of working with children and families that creates settings for care and education that embrace nature and place it at the heart of their values. tural worlds. The unspoken question is around whether these models of nature immersion, such as nature kindergartens, are relevant in other climates and cultures, and do they have relevance in the urban landscapes where many of us live. The answer lies in our understanding of the pedagogical values, not simply a site or name, but in the interconnectedness all the models have with nature pedagogy. An experience that uses nature as the context for learning inside or outside; a setting that seeks to be sustainable by embracing holistic learning of the mind, body and soul; a place that allows children to connect to animals and plants on a regular basis; an environment that embraces biophilic design in the décor - these aspects are not about the sites but about the situations we want to encounter. A flower vase on a children’s dining table, gentle tones of colour in the furnishings, images of the natural world on the walls, the sound of birdsong inside - all have a positive effect on the emotional wellbeing of young children, as well as the intellectual and physical benefits they offers. This is the holistic world of nature pedagogy and it can be applied anywhere. Adults are key to the quality and intentionality of the education of young children. Auchlone Nature Kindergarten has received the highest ratings from the Scottish inspectorate for care and education. As an educational entrepreneur, my focus was to achieve this status so people could clearly see evidence that children could engage in high quality learning outside the walls of a setting. This quality of interaction was achieved through staff training in nature pedagogy that supports them to understand

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and connect to how to learn with nature, rather than just being in it, or learning about it. The pedagogy and landscape have become intertwined in a way that they work seamlessly together. Children and families feel this when they come to be with us - it’s a relational pedagogy that places value on all living and non-living aspects of the natural world. The staff/child ratios we work with are 1:8 for 3- to 5year-olds and this doesn’t alter across the three spaces unless we are near water, as we don’t perceive there to be more hazards outside, in fact the reverse is normally the case! We have built on Gill’s (2007) work, so that the risk management process records children’s voices and their ideas as the stake holders, and includes dynamic risk assessments that change daily and residual risk assessments that are written up for the site itself and the experience offered. Rather than risk assessments preventing adventure, we suggest that they enable us to think collectively as a team and therefore support us to give children the freedom they seek. The physicality and complexity of the nature kindergarten model allows the body, brain and soul to grow. The range of simple materials provides complex learning through a range of provocations that authentically emerge from the context. The potential of nature’s store cupboard has been celebrated by theorists such as Montessori, Froebel and Pestalozzi, who give us a framework to understand the place of nature in children’s lives. There is a rising interest in naturebased models of early education around the world. However, rather than impose one possibly inappropriate model on top of a culture context, it is vital to create place-based models that draw on culture and context to shape and define them, whilst holding onto core values and guiding principles that connect us as a profession. My husband and I founded a charity in 2010 called Living Classrooms, which was designed to bring learning alive for marginalised groups. This now runs the International Association of Nature Pedagogy, which is a free professional association that seeks to connect practitioners globally who believe in nature-based practices. The focus has tended to be towards Germanic and Scandinavian immersion models, such as nature kindergartens or forest schools, however there are many, many ways of engaging with the natural

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world that are rooted in Indigenous pedagogies or other cultures that embrace different ways of knowing and being with the natural world. The association seeks to embrace rather than segregate people into separate silos defined by names, and to connect them through debate and research about how to learn with nature, hence the term nature pedagogy. When we view nature pedagogy as a way of being with nature, we can start with whatever nature we can access. It may be the park, the vegetable stall at the market, the weed in the pavement it all has potential for learning. It is how we enter a relationship with it, to care about it, to respect it, to gather it in a sustainable way, to understand the natural world, that is the key to raising it as an invaluable element of the learning process. It is this relationship that lies at the heart of models of nature immersion, such as nature kindergartens, so it can take place anywhere - urban or rural, hot or cold, wet or dry! BIBLIOGRAPHY Gill. T. 2007. No Fear. Growing up in a Risk Averse Society. https://timrgill.files.wordpress.co m/2010/10/no-fear-19-12-07.pdf Ingold. T. 2011. Being Alive. Essays on Movement, Knowledge and Description. Routledge. Oxon. International Association of Nature Pedagogy www.naturepedagogy.com Living Classrooms Community Interest Company www.livingclassrooms.org.uk Warden. C. 1996. Talking and Thinking Floorbooks. Assessment, Documentation and Planning with Children. Mindstretchers. UK. Warden. C. 2011 Fascination of Water- Learning with Puddles. Mindstretchers. UK Warden. C. 2012. Nature Kindergartens and Forest Schools. Mindstretchers. UK Warden. C. 2015. Learning with Nature, Embedding Outdoor Practice. Sage. UK. Warden. C. 2018. The Creation and Theorization of Nature Pedagogy A Narrative Inquiry. PhD thesis. Liverpool Hope University. UK. In press.

EXPERTSPEAK

A Global Idea of Montessori

A common bond brings us together - The Child.

Mrs. Tapati Gupta Individual presentation given by the Adult (for enriching vocabulary)

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Fun activity (tricolor salad making with carrot, cottage cheese and capsicum) Santwana Basu writeback@scoonews.com

he child is our World. At the Casa–Dei-Bambini Kolkata, we follow the Montessori method and use all the Apparatus for four major developmental areas to cater to the needs of our children. These include EPL (Exercise of Practical Life) Sensorial, Language and Arithmetic. Children are very happy in our prepared environment. The touchstone of Montessori Education is engagement with purposeful work in an activity centric environment. So, we have to think twice before giving a task to the child. Is it an activity or an exercise? How much involvement with the material will help the child to be enriched? What children need are the experiences with the materials which spark their interests. Let me quote Maria Montessori’s thought, “I could only write the first page of the book of the CHILD–after that I observed and followed the child”. In her prayer she mentioned, “Help us, oh lord! To penetrate into the secrets of childhood so that we may know him, love him and serve him according to thy JUSTICE following thy divine will.” We have to understand what the secret of childhood is; then

only will we be able to serve and love our children.

Originator of the method is not Dr. Montessori but the child.

When Montessori started her work with children, “they were closed flowers with souls closed within”. Circumstances enabled these children to undergo an extraordinary transformation–their souls revealed themselves with such radiance as to spread a light through the World. This is what she discovered—“the secrets of childhood”. It is not a system but a method, a path which is open-ended. It is therefore flexible not rigid. It is a revolution–not a reform. Montessori is interested in human development–childhood in particular and nature’s time table. One cannot see the method, one sees the child. Study of the child is through observation–Methodically, Scientifically and Respectfully. Better relationship between the child and the adult. Environment adapted to the needs of the child. Children learn by doing. It is a point of arrival, not a point of departure. A child progresses according to his own pace.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SENSORIAL MATERIALS: 1) They are scientifically prepared. 2) They are universal in character. 3) They are physically and psychically proportionate. 4) They are not familiar materials. 5) Various activities are possible with one material. 6) A psychological technique has been used. Difference is in the physical property; all the rest is the same. WORKING ENVIRONMENT OF CASA-DEI-BAMBINI KOLKATA Dr. Montessori preferred children’s mother tongue as medium of instruction. They can follow, understand, concentrate and express better through mother tongue. Memory, imagination, power of observation, listening and speaking skill increase. HER MOTTO IS: Respect the child Learn from the child Follow the child

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EXPERTSPEAK

NEW WAYS TO TEACH SCIENCE IN

THE EARLY CHILDHOOD CLASSROOM

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Francis Downey writeback@scoonews.com

n a warm summer evening, I stood with a friend and his 4year-old son to watch as a storm approached from the ocean. As we watched, the wind picked up and palm fronds waved wildly. My friend’s son looked up and asked: What causes wind? The question was not surprising. While “mom” and “dad” are considered the most commonly used words among early learners, any parent can tell you “why” is a close second. Children constantly ask: “Why?” No sooner is one “why” question answered than another is asked. In this sense, children are natural scientists. They begin talking about science and math even before entering preschool (Brenneman et al, 2009), and demonstrate an ability to observe, describe, compare, question, predict, experiment, reflect, and cooperate (Greenfield, 2009). A scientist always begins with a question and then uses observations to develop an answer to

the question or a theory. My friend’s son had started with the question. I then turned the question around and asked him what he thought caused the wind. Looking thoughtful, he turned around studying our surroundings. He then slowly responded that the flapping palm fronds were generating the wind, which was only growing stronger. This, of course, was a wrong answer, or an alternative conception, but that does not matter. My friend’s son was doing science. He had asked a question, made an observation, which children do regularly (Eshach & Fried, 2005) and developed a theory. His theory was based on his past experiences and observations, which is normal (Duit & Treagust, 1995). He knew that a small moving object can make wind. He had used a fan and waved his hand and felt the wind generated by both. Extrapolating from those past experiences, he had reached what he thought was a reasonable conclusion. Since science is composed of two facets, knowledge and a process (Duschl, Schweingruber, & Shouse, 2007), he had more or less implemented the process of doing science, but not the knowledge. He had used the scientific method to learn about a natural phenomenon. (Charlesworth & Lind, 2010) Dispelling alternative conceptions, such as the one my friend’s son held, can be difficult. Further observations can sometimes be made. Another approach would be to turn to appropriate literature. This is difficult for two reasons. First, when it comes to nonfiction sources, early learners usually have access to textbooks alone. Textbooks contain collections of facts and are inaccessible to young readers. Still, reading relevant sources is vital to conducting science. Scientists both write about their ideas and read what other scientists have done. They write for one another and for the public. So, reading and writing are essential to science.

Francis Downey is Editorial Director, Engage Learning - English | STEM | Environment | Social Studies | Citizenship

An alternative approach to the textbook is an authentic source such as a magazine or a trade book coupled with instruction (Norris et al, 2008). Instead of lists of facts, a magazine designed for the classroom contains nonfiction expository text with colourful photos and graphics that relate to the topic being researched (McCrudden et al, 2009). In addition to text that early learners can access, photos can form the basis for observations. Students can then integrate text with images and observations of the natural world. These are necessary skills for success

and often not taught. Early learners come to authentic sources with a purpose in mind. Research has shown that when students develop a purpose for reading, they are more successful (Duke et al, 2011). A magazine also helps students learn to read nonfiction texts in a way that a textbook or fiction cannot. Early learners are usually taught to read fiction and are expected to apply those skills to nonfiction. However, the skills needed to discern meaning from nonfiction are vastly different from those needed for fiction. Teaching reading strategies helps early learners become successful readers (Harvey & Goudvis, 2017) who can integrate reading with hands-on activities. Alternative conceptions abound and come from a variety of sources, ranging from media to experiences to peers to even science instruction. For early learners, associating size and weight is an alternative conception based on experiences and observations. Early learners are not always aware of the differences in meanings of specific terms (Inagaki, 1992). If you tell a child you are holding two 3-kilogram objects, one that is larger than the other and ask which weighs more, they will usually say that larger object weighs more. You may repeat the information over and over again and early learners will insist that the larger object is heavier. However, if you let children handle each object and add that to their experiences, they are more likely to reach the correct conclusion. Experiential learning is the best way to improve comprehension (Piaget, 1964). Because young learners’ opinions of natural phenomena are stable (Schneps & Sadler, 2003), they may not readily transfer this or similar experiences to new circumstances. So, it is important to remind early learners of past experiences before presenting them with a similar activity with different objects. This suggests that a strict constructivist approach to teaching science, which is commonly used for older learners (Gunstone, 2000) will not result in success for early learners. This inquiry-based approach allows students to work in small groups and make their own decisions concerning how best to conduct an activity. It helps to increase comprehension and allows students to apply the scientific method. However, younger learners may not be able to transfer prior knowledge to new situations until they learn to generalise what they have experienced when it runs counter to their preconceptions.

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EXPERTSPEAK ing multiple observations students will begin to discern patterns and then employ those patterns in making future observations.

Image Courtesy : https://www.ufv.ca

As a result, science is often taught as part of the arts-and-crafts curriculum. There is value in many arts-and-crafts activities. They often build fine motor skills and sometimes help students retain vocabulary and build valuable background knowledge. However, it misrepresents what science is and too often knocks out a natural interest in science. While these exercises can build background knowledge, they do not provide students with experiences that allow them to develop the observational and analytical skills to classify and organise information they will need to draw on as they are exposed to more advanced scientific concepts. In other words, arts-and-crafts projects may help build knowledge but not the process of science, when both are essential to the study of science (Shaffer, Hall, and Lynch, 2009). Using an arts-and-crafts approach to teaching science also underestimates studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; capacity to reason and ask their own questions. Contrary to what many educators believe, early learners are capable of engaging in exploratory play and other activities relating to science, math, and engineering. Playbased learning can increase student understanding (Fleer, 2017). Their abil-

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ity to understand scientific concepts is quite sophisticated. (Duschl, Schweingruber, & Shouse, 2007) Young learners need more scaffolding than their older counterparts. By dividing students into small groups and utilising a guided inquiry approach, a teacher can give students the freedom to become active agents while focusing their attention, as well as reminding them of appropriate previous experiences and background knowledge. As students gain experience and confidence in their own work, the teacher can utilise a gradual release model to give them the appropriate freedom to conduct their own activities (Banchi & Bell, 2008). This will undoubtedly vary from group to group and the teacher will have to draw on her experiences using differentiated instruction models. She can allow some groups to develop their own questions and peruse them while giving more assistance to other groups. Activity-based learning should also be repetitive. For instance, utilising the size and weight example given above, students can determine that the weight of various different-sized objects are the same. They can use rocks, jars, toys and other accessible objects. By mak-

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By integrating reading and inquiry, early learners become active learners who learn the process of doing science and learn that science is more than a collection of facts or a collection of already discovered knowledge. Instead knowing a lot of disconnected facts, early learners exposed to reading and inquiry know how to ask questions, observe, collect and organise data, and discover conclusions. Exposure to science in early education lays the foundation for greater success in science in the later grades (Eshach & Fried, 2005). This model will turn early learners into domain-specific experts. By developing an expertise in a single domain (Kuhn & Pearsall, 2000), such as science, early learners will find it easier to expand that expertise into other domains (Bowman, Donovan, & Burns, 2001), such as math and engineering, as well as reading and writing. Teachers can also pair students with varying domain expertise to create zones of proximal development in which children can help one another, or provide needed scaffolding (Vygotsky, 1978). This helps students become active learners who develop their own questions instead of waiting for a teacher to ask questions for them. These activities also promote the development of fine and gross motor skills just as artsand-crafts activities do. It also develops spatial awareness and symbolic thinking, as well as awareness of cause and effect relationships and object permanence. All of this not only develops readiness for the upper grades but for a career and life. Students develop a curiosity and a purpose for what they are learning. A student-centred inquiry approach has its risks, though. The teacher has to be willing to surrender some control to students and allow them to make mistakes and go in wrong directions. She must also be willing to let students ask question to which she does not know the answers. Instead of being the traditional sage on the stage, she must become a guide who assists students in answering their own questions without straying too far. They must also keep a variety of resources and supplies that students can use to answer their questions. So the classroom transforms into a laboratory in which the students and teacher share control and purpose. In essence, they become partners in education who prepare a scientifically literate generation that understands natural phenomena and can make informed decisions.

EXPERT-EASE

DANCE THEIR WAY TO A

FITTER INDIA

Aarti Pandey is Mind and Co-founder, Folk Fitness

Aarti Pandey writeback@scoonews.com

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Health Organisation) report projected that by 2025 India will have over 17 million obese children and stand second among 184 countries. Two-third of the children who are obese are most likely to be an obese adult. This is surely very important and critical for all of us to take massive and consistent actions now! We at Folk Fitness are committed to the mission of getting these projections to fail. We have created age appropriate, Indian folk dance-based fitness curriculum for schools called “NANHE” which is delivered by our certified folk fitness professionals. We are recognised by Limca Book of Records as first fitness routine including 122 registered Indian folk dances. Other than our core mission of building a fitter younger generation, our Indian folk-based approach provides us an opportunity to revive the dying art form with Folk musicians and singers creating melodious tracks on which thousands of kids dance their way to fitness. Movement on Music We believe dance-based fitness programmes are the most effective for early childhood development. The advantages of a dance based fitness curriculum are a) Movement on music is appealing to children, thus its motivational effect to practise b) It moderates the effects of accumulated stress arising from other school lessons c)

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Movement on music has a strong emotional effect, helping children experience many emotions like enthusiasm, joy, euphoria etc. d) Mirroring the trainer in the class and coordinating the steps with other kids builds socialising, discipline, co-operation and coworking e) Regular practice also helps children to develop and intensify music abilities like music pitch, rhythm, memory and co-ordination abilities. Fitness in Folk “Folk dance on music” is an Indian way to celebrate life. It has functional exercise for every muscle group and every Indian relates to it naturally without any concerns of the lyrics not being appropriate for kids. More than 1000 folk and tribal dances of India provide great variety and flavour. Every folk dance has a story to tell, a reason for their existence and the steps are majorly influenced by their profession and their geographical areas. For example, a Punjabi folk dance will be influenced by the landscape, which is absolutely flat and will involve a lot of jumping and free movement, which makes some of those steps perfect for cardiovascular activity. The Koli dance from Maharashtra would be done to the beats of a beach song as this style is connected to fishermen which involves lot of pulling movements engaging the upper body. The

EXPERT-EASE

Fitness in Folk “Folk dance on music” is an Indian way to celebrate life. It has functional exercise for every muscle group and every Indian relates to it naturally without any concerns of the lyrics not being appropriate for kids. More than 1000 folk and tribal dances of India provide great variety and flavour. Bihu dance of Assam is done with soft movements engaging the core muscles. “NANHE” way to Holistic Development The design of the “NANHE” curriculum is such that each 35-minute class is focussed on holistic development of the child. A low intensity programme based on "HIIT" (High Intensity Interval Training) elements enables the children to utilise and channelise their

energy in a positive way. The use of smaller muscle groups like fingers and wrists enhances fine motor skills and movements for bigger muscle groups like arms and legs which in turn help in the development of gross motor skills. A repetitive approach increases memory and the variation in choreography helps in agility and strength. Cardio movements are used as energy busters to challenge the heart to reach the THR - Target Heart Rate, this helps

COMPONENT Meditation Warm Up Skill Development

DURATION 2 Minutes 30 secs 5 Minutes 5 Minutes

CONTENT Voice over Instrumental medley 3-5 Folk dance styles

Strength & Agility

5 Minutes

3-5 Folk dance styles

Energy Buster

5 Minutes

3-5 Folk dance styles

Pledge Stretch & Cool down

3 Minutes 5 Minutes

Folk Fitness Anthem Voice over

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highly energetic children to release the energy in a positive way. Each warm up and cool down session includes meditation and the NANHE pledge which helps children to be more relaxed, focused and responsible for their own well-being. The soothing music during cool down and stretching sections have therapeutic values. The routine is accredited by the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America, National Academy of Sports Medicine and Fitness and Sports Sciences Association. Children also become more aware of Indian cultural through interesting stories and Folk Fitness animated characters – Sher Singh, Champion Champak and Chotta Chetak. Parents are engaged through weekly home assignments with online content access to practice and celebrate with the child. Children also perform the learnt Folk Fitness routines to demonstrate and celebrate holistic development.

KEY LEARNING OUTCOME Get the mind ready for the routine Get the body ready for the routine Development of fine motor skills, gross motor skills, hand eye coordination, improved concentration & memory. Development of muscular and functional strength, bone structure, agility & speed enhancement. Strengthening of cardio vascular system, stronger immune system & weight management. Special pledge to orient child’s mind to develop healthy habits Development of flexibility and mindfulness.

MADABOUTED

I am mad about providing learning opportunities to the young outside the four walls of a classroom

I am mad about not stealing childhood from a child under the garb of education. Lt. Gen. Surendra Kulkarni Principal – Mayo College

Dr. Neeta Bali Director – G. D. Goenka World School, Sohna Road

I am mad about the opportunity to be a part of a journey, to play a tiny part in moulding a life to bring out the best version of themselves! Sangeetha George Careers and College Advisor Kodaikanal International School

I am mad about the potential for appropriate technology to be used as an instrument to empower individual students.

I am mad about edtech - how technology, especially apps, can assist teachers; make things easier for teachers and parents; and enrich student development! Siddhartha Kapoor Director – Vidyatree Modern World College

I am mad about teachers acknowledging they are not the only source of knowledge, classrooms eliciting love for knowledge, a pedagogy that encourages curiosity, and making learning an exciting experience.

Roshan Gandhi, Director of Strategy City Montessori Schools

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Ashok Pandey Principal Ahlcon International School

I am mad about building strong relationships with my students and inspiring them to give of their best. Mildred Lobo Principal - Bunts Sangha's SM Shetty International School and Junior College

I am mad about how learning can bring a life-long smile of happiness in the life of each student. Dr Bijoy Sahoo Founder and Chairman – SAI International School

I am mad about inculcating the 4 Cs (Character, Compassion, Creativity and Critical Thinking) in my students. They are essential for creating an atmosphere where students get prepared for unknown challenges and unknown professions of tomorrow. Skand Bali Principal – The Hyderabad Public School, Begumpet

India’s first Edvertising Agency, Mad About Ed reached out to top Indian educators and asked them – what are you mad about? Here’s what they had to say...

I am mad about the mental and physical fitness of the entire community engaged in education - be it students, teachers or leaders Manjula Pooja Shroff Founder & Director Calorx Foundation

I am mad about ensuring my students flourish in happy, positive and conducive learning environments, and go beyond just grades, to truly imbibe 21st century skills. Raghav Podar Chairman - Podar Education

I am passionate about ensuring enough learning happens amidst nature, and every child respects this symbiotic relationship between humans and plants from the school environment.

I am mad about applying the most effective, clinically proven strategies for realising one’s true potential! Harsh Madhok Director - Sunbeam Group of Educational Institutions, Varanasi

I am mad about making a dent around with everything I do. Obviously, being a ‘Theatrecian’, there's a lot of drama and madness in me! Kanak Gupta Director - Jaipuria Schools

I am mad about creating life-long learners who will know how to learn everyday! Savita Venkat Chief Development Officer - Bombay Cambridge Gurukul

Suvina Shunglu Principal - Sri Sri Academy

I am mad about creating a climate of curiosity and learning where there are no boundaries and every child is given the same opportunity. Manika Sharma Director - The Shri Ram Schools.

I am passionate about empowering girls through education and igniting their minds in the pursuit of knowledge. Hina Sharif Khan Head of Career Guidance and Alumni Relations – Selaqui International School

I am passionate about seeing children stretch and outdo themselves in whichever field they set their mind, heart and body to. Just witnessing the sense of wonder that accompanies that moment when they realise ‘I, too, can do it’ is highly exhilarating! Atul Khanna Director - Strawberry Fields High School

I am mad about sports in school as it teaches students to accept failure, value teamwork, inculcate discipline in life and cherish success. Col. Gopal Karunakaran CEO – Shiv Nadar School

What are you mad about? Post your responses on LinkedIn and Facebook using the #MadAboutEd and we will feature the most powerful stories! You can also send in your responses at info@madabouted.com

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THE SPEAKERSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; GALLERY 132

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D Princess Diya Kumari

rincess Diya Kumari, born in the illustrious august family of Jaipur, is one of the most proficient women of modern India. With marvelous adroitness, she manages her copious business ventures, school, museums and NGOs, while working towards the development of her constituency of Sawai Madhopur as an elected Member of the Legislative Assembly of Rajasthan. She studied at the Modern School, New Delhi, and at Maharani Gayatri Devi School for Girls in Jaipur, and later did a decorative arts course in London. She runs two highly prestigious educational institutes of Jaipur - The Palace School and The Maharaja Sawai Bhawani Singh School. She takes a personal interest in managing both the institutes as she feels that education plays a vital role in transforming both individual lives and the society as a whole. Princess Diya instituted the Young Achiever in Education award in her name to hearten the youth to outshine in the field of academics.

r Swati Popat Vats is the founder President of Early Childhood Association India, an association that works for quality care and education of our youngest citizens (0 to 6 years). Dr Vats is President of Podar Education Network and she leads over 290 preschools and Daycares as founder Director of Podar Jumbo Kids. Vats is also the National representative for the World Forum Foundation. She is a proud Nursery Director of Little Wonders Nursery (UAE) that has branches in Jumeirah and Sharjah. Vats has received many accolades and awards for her contribution to Early Childhood Education and has been conferred the Fellowship of Honor from the New Zealand Tertiary College. The founder consultant for the Euro Kids preschool project in India, she has helped set up TATASKY’s children’s television activity channel, ACTVE WHIZKIDS. She is also the founder expert on the world’s first video-based parenting website www.born-smart.com that helps parents understand and nurture brain development in the first 1000 days. Dr Swati Popat Vats has authored many books for parents and children and is a strong advocate of nature-based learning in the early years and promotes brain research-based teaching and parenting in her workshops across the globe.

Dr Swati Popat Vats

She has been enthusiastically associated with several NGOs and organisations. She is involved with the Eye Bank Society of Rajasthan and is also the patron of Rays, an NGO working for HIV+ children. She also monitors the working of Sawai Man Singh Prathmik Chikitsalaya, which aims to provide good medical attention to the common man and to distribute complimentary allopathic medicines to the deprived. In 2013, she established the Princess Diya Kumari Foundation with an objective of empowering women through Vocational training, education, and livelihood generation. In 2014, she was appointed Rajasthan State Government’s Ambassador for the “Save the Girl Child” campaign and was awarded the YFLO Women Achievers Award in Politics by the Young FICCI Ladies Organization(YFLO), New Delhi. Most recently in January 2017, Princess Diya Kumari was conferred upon an Honorary Doctorate Award by the Amity University in Jaipur in the identification of her mammoth contribution and impact in the field of benevolence and playing a lead role in family heritage.

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ormer Professor and Head Department and Dean of the Department of Human Development at S.N.D.T. Women’s University, Dr. Sonawat is currently working as a Director, Early childhood Education, Ampersand, Mumbai. She was selected global leader Early Care and Education by World Forum Foundation, Montreal, 2005. As an international leader in Early Childhood Education, she was invited by U.S. State Department Bureau of Educational and cultural affair, Washington D.C. to overview U.S. education system and federal leadership in early childhood education. She has visited innovative Charters Schools and Magnet Schools in 2009; she has also visited George Washington University, Rutgers University, Arizona State University, and University of Arkansas.

Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar

orn in the illustrious House of Mewar, Udaipur, and being a direct descendant of icons like Maharana Pratap, gives Maharaj Kumar Sahib Lakshyaraj Singh Ji Mewar of Udaipur a proud and privileged background along with the responsibility to carry forward the legacies he has been bequeathed with. Singh completed his school education from Mayo College, Ajmer where his love for cricket and sports in general, grew and flourished immensely. Further, he spent Spent productive years in Australia for a graduation programme at the Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School. He acknowledges that hospitality does come naturally to people from his background; At Blue Mountains, he honed his hospitality skills with the best-in-class teachers and deans. Today, as the Executive Director of the HRH Group of Hotels, he is happy to be abreast of all changes in F&B technology, management and service standards. He continued to pursue more professional development programmes in the field to enhance his professional qualification. Maharaj Kumar Sahib Lakshyaraj Singh Ji Mewar of Udaipur is deeply involved with several developmental works and the growth of Maharana Mewar Public School in the eastern wing of The City Palace, Udaipur. Under his leadership, the School has been voted as 'Best School of Udaipur' by leading agencies. He remains a committed sports administrator, promoting cricketers, young swimmers, athletes and badminton players from Udaipur and Rajasthan. Singh wears another hat when he is discharging his duties as a Trustee of the Maharana of Mewar Charitable Foundation. Through the Vidyadan Trust, he is deeply involved with developmental works and the growth of Maharana Mewar Public School (MMPS) & Maharana Mewar Vidya Mandir (MMVM). His aim is to make the school grow by empowering both the teaching faculty and the over 3000 strong students, who are being exposed to new ideas and new challenges in their educational curricula.

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For postdoctoral research, she worked on the project “Integrated Education in Kindergartens and Primary Schools” in Bremen University, Germany. She underwent training in Early Childhood Education with Reading Difficulties at Golda Meir Mount Carmel Institute and Training Center, Haifa, Israel. Dr. Sonawat is a recipient of National Award for Teacher Trainer in innovative training for the project “improving classroom environment towards quality in education “ and Faculty Research Fellowship by Shastri Indo Canadian Institute for the project titled “Adolescent of Minority Groups, Sense of belongingness to society”. Rotary Foundation Awarded Rotary Grant for University Teachers as a Rotary Ambassador of Goodwill. She was Visiting Professor at the Atma Jaya Jogjyakarta University, Indonesia for three months. She has been invited as a speaker and presented papers in Athens, Brasilia, Montreal, Jogja, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Reggio Emilia, London, Belfast, Manila, Auckland, Honolulu. She is also the author of several books such as Creativity for Preschool children, Music and Movement for Preschool children, Science for Preschool children to name a few.

Dr Reeta Sonawat

C Dr Kamini Prakash Rege

hief Coordinator pre primary, Children's Academy, Asha Varma has more than 55 years of experience in the field of education. She started her journey in education with Podar School, Santa Cruz in 1961. She enhanced her skills and knowledge and successfully worked as a teacher, a headmistress and a teacher trainer. She is the founder director in India, Nepal, Botswana and South Africa.

r Kamini Prakash Rege (Ph.D) holds the position of an Assistant Professor, from the Department of Human Development, College of Home Science Nirmala Niketan, Affiliated to the University of Mumbai and holds the Treasurer's position in ECA -India. She has been teaching at the Graduate and Postgraduate levels for over the last 20 years. She is a recognised Ph.D. guide in the specialisation of Home Science by the University of Mumbai.

At present, she is the consultant of early childhood education and the coordinator of life skills programme at the Children’s Academy group of schools, Mumbai.

Being an expert in the specialisation of Human Development and Early Childhood Care and Education, she has contributed her valuable knowledge and proficiency to various institutions and organisations as academician, consultant and researcher.

She is a member of the ETST core group at Asia Plateau, Panchgani and a visiting consultant at Siddhartha public school, Himmatnagar Gujarat.

Throughout her career she has been awarded with multiple accolades. Noteworthy among these are the ‘Rashtra Vibhushan Award’ for Outstanding Individual Achievement and Distinguished Services to the Nation in 2014, ‘Shiksha Rattan Puraskar’ for outstanding performance and remarkable role in Education /Knowledge industry in 2012.

She is a founder member and secretary of the Early Childhood Association of India (ECA).

Asha Varma

She has been a consultant to several institutes and organisations associated with teacher training and education and deeply involved in the development of policy, programme and planning activities for young children. She has to her credit several research papers, posters and publications at the State, National and International level. She has developed innovative techniques for introducing curriculum, such as creative expression through role play, anecdotes, critically evaluating and sharing records, videos and films, demonstrations, workshops and hands on experience with several target groups such as administrators, supervisors, teachers, children, adolescence, parents, graduate and postgraduate students. She’s associated as a life member of multiple organisations, such as ECA (Early Childhood AssociationIndia, designated as the Treasurer - India), AECED (Association for Early Childhood Education and Development), HSAI (Home Science Association of India), Bal Shikshan Parishad, ARAHE (Asian Regional Association for Home Economics), International Play association (IPA), Indian Scientist Association (ISA).

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C Daniela Lucangeli

rofessor, Neurocognitive Developmental Psychology, University of Padua, Daniela Lucangeli received her PhD in Developmental Psychology at the University of Leiden (1997) following an international project (Erasmus/Socrates). From 1998 to 2001, she was Assistant Professor of Developmental Psychology and in 2001 she became Associate Professor. She spent many periods abroad to study and collaborate with several European universities, such as the Faculty of Social Sciences of Leiden; the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences of Ghent University; the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience (UCL) of London. She carries out teaching activities at the Faculty of Educational Science, Psychology and Medicine at the University of Padua (in graduate courses, PhD courses and specialization courses). Moreover, she has held several lessons at Faculty of Psychology of University of Valencia, concerning Developmental Psychology and Psychopathology of Learning. Her main areas of research are: mathematical cognition, metacognition, developmental dyscalculia (assessment and treatment) and learning disabilities. She is a member of the Italian Ministry of Public Education for the guidelines for DSA and for guidance and tutoring. She is a member of the CNOP (Committee of the National Council of Psychologists), and member of the Technical Scientific Committee "The educational system of the Veneto Region". From 2007 she is vice-president (pro-rector) in Tutoring and Counselling for the University of Padua. She obtained many grants from the Department for Education, University and Research – Scientific Research Program of National Relevance (MIUR): - 2008 (Prin-cofin) The relationship among motivational aspects, cognitive processes and self-perceived hearing handicap. - 2008 (Strategic program) Difficulties and learning disabilities from school to university: detection, intervention and services for the territory. - 2006 (Prin-cofin) The cochlear implant in children with associated disabilities: assessment of the basic psychological profile. She is the President of a teacher national association (CNIS) and of the Gate (Gifted and Talent Education). She is the vice president of the Human Potential Network Research Foundation (HPNR). She is a member of other national and international research associations (IARLD, AIRIPA, AIP). She is the Scientific Director of the “Polo Apprendimento”. She is author of 45 research publications on peer-reviewed journals and several books and book chapters. She is on the editorial boards of many educational journals as Journal of Learning Disabilities and referee for many other international journals (Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, Journal of Educational Psychology).

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laire Warden is International Education Consultant and Advisor, working across Australia, USA, Canada, Asia and Europe. Founder of the International Association of Nature Pedagog & Living Classrooms not for profit association, she is CEO of Claire Warden Ltd and Mindstretchers Ltd. Claire Warden has developed her approach to nature pedagogy and experiential learning through a variety of experiences including primary teaching, advisory work, lecturing in further education and development of the award winning Auchlone Nature Kindergarten in Scotland. Claire works with governments and associations around the world to create high quality nature-based models of education for children furthered by the art of learning with nature inside, outside and beyond. Claire is an international advisor to the Children and Nature Network, World Forum Foundation and the International School Grounds Group. Claire was voted Exceptional Master Leader in the field of Early Care and Education, is a board member of the Natural Heritage Advisory group for the National Trust for Scotland and Founder of Living Classrooms CIC (Community Interest Company) which develops the capacity of communities through engagement with the natural world. Claire is an author of many books and materials relating to early years including ‘The Potential of a Puddle’ which details UK national vision and values for outdoor play; ‘Talking and Thinking Floorbooks’ which presents the planning methodology that supports consultation and democracy in early education and Claire’s latest book – ‘Learning with Nature: Embedding Outdoor Practice’ which is rapidly gaining a place as required reading on many academic courses.

Claire Warden

e is co-chair of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) Alliance for Re-Imagining School Education for UP and a British Council School Ambassador. He is also associated with other International Organisations such as Goethe Institute, Tony Blair Faith Foundation and CBSE. He frequently participates in TV debates and speaks on various national and international forums across the globe on topics primarily concerning education and progressive learning.

Dr Robert Titzer

r Robert Titzer is an infant researcher who helps infants learn advanced language skills through a fun, science-based programme called Your Baby Can Learn! He developed prototype versions of this series for his two daughters nearly 30 years ago and now his programme has been used by millions of families around the world. A recognizable expert in the area of infant learning, his work has been published in scientific journals including the prestigious Psychological Review. An excellent speaker, he has spoken with tens of thousands of parents around the globe. He demonstrates fun learning activities that caregivers can do with infants and toddlers to stimulate brain development. Dr. Titzer has appeared on thousands of TV news programmes, including Good Morning America, The Richard & Judy Show, and Prime Time Morning on Channel News Asia among others.

Along with his passion in the field of PK-12 education space, he is also a visiting faculty at the CBI Academy where he has trained officers from the Central Bureau of Investigation, National Investigation Agency, Narcotics Control Bureau and Police forces to name a few. Passionate about innovation, technology, entrepreneurship and igniting young minds, he is a proponent of distributed leadership model and firmly believes that “Technology may not replace teachers, but teachers who use technology effectively will replace those who don’t.”

Dr Ernesto Burgio

He's trying to change the way societies around the world view early literacy and early learning. Titzer proposes teaching written language simultaneously with receptive and expressive language skills and he has data showing babies who are taught to read words score a full standard deviation above a same-socioeconomic status comparison group on overall language skills. Titzer is trying to help babies and toddlers in India use this science-based approach to learn language skills at higher levels. Titzer’s multisensory, interactive approach is quickly spreading to nurseries and preschools that are looking to immediately apply today’s science into their curriculums. After earning his teaching credentials from San Diego State University, Titzer taught in public schools on Guam and in California. Titzer completed a Master of Science degree from The Pennsylvania State University and a Ph.D. in Human Performance from Indiana University, where he worked in infant development laboratories conducting important theoretical experiments related to infant learning. He is currently working on several manuscripts and a new book on infant language learning.

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S Dr Patrizia Granata

rofessor, Special Pedagogy, University of Padua, Dr Patrizia Granata graduated in Pedagogy in 1991 in Padua, completed her Master’s in Head Teacher in 2001 in Ferrara, and postgraduate certificate in Clinic Pedagogy in 2006 in Firenze. Didactic creator of B612 model, coordinator of experimentation and of experimental school (Giovanni XXIII), Head Teacher, vice president national of CNIS (Association for National Coordination of Specialized Teachers and Research on Handicap situation) and manager of the education of the same organisation, professor in Special Pedagogy at the University of Padua and writer of educational children’s books. She is the author of multiple children’s books.

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tefano Cobello has long experience in coordinating local networks of schools in European projects. He is an expert in intercultural education, educational reobotics and takes up training activities of pedagogues. Stefano Cobello has a BA in philology - Russian and English. He has been in charge of training teachers in the Regional administration and is responsible for youth for Europe European programme in Veneto Region. Stefano has been a Lecturer of the Italian language and History of Art in the East Oriental Siberian Russian Academy – Ulan – Ude ( Buriatia), in Verona in a short course about aspects of cultural environment and in other universities in Europe, He is a teacher in Italy since 1989. He coordinates the European Pole of knowledge - National Network of Educational Institutions. He is involved as Ph.D candidate at ISSK-BAS – Sofia – Bulgaria (Sociology) on the model of inclusions for disabled students.

Stefano Cobello

runabh Singh is a committed school principal, educationist, innovator and promoter of Nehru World School, Ghaziabad. An alumnus of King's College London and Hindu College, Delhi University, he has been awarded the ‘Innovation in Progress’ Fellowship at the World Round Table Conference for Educational Leadership for two consecutive years and the ‘Global Teacher Accreditation’ award from Cambridge Foundation for his action research on continuing professional development of teachers.

Rama Datt

ama Datt, Executive Trustee Maharaja Sawai Man Singh Il Museum Trust, Jaigarh Public Charitable Trust, Trustee Shila Mata Temple Trust, did her schooling, college in science stream at Dehradun. For the past 37 years she has been in the field of education and has made efforts to make education easy, enjoyable and multidimensional at all levels. She has worked at Sawai Man Singh Vidyalaya, Jaipur, (1984 to 1996), is the founder Principal of Mahaveer Public School, Jaipur (19962003). Steered Sanskar School, Jaipur, (2004-2017). At present, she is advisor to the same school, a member of the Governing Body of Maharaja Sawai Bhawani Singh School and The Palace School. She is associated with 'DISHA' where she conducts Teacher Training Programmes. She has had various articles published in newspaperss on Parent Teacher relations, their role in development of the children, concept of education, etc. Her emphasis on Students' Resource Centre and Teachers' Resource Centre in schools where she worked has brought a total change in the teaching process. A much sought after resource person for city school workshops. Globally, she has also been invited for Exchange programs to Germany, USA and UK for her outstanding contribution in the field of education, and her work, facilitated by various organizations.

He is co-chair of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) Alliance for ReImagining School Education for UP and a British Council School Ambassador. He is also associated with other International Organisations such as Goethe Institute, Tony Blair Faith Foundation and CBSE. He frequently participates in TV debates and speaks on various national and international forums across the globe on topics primarily concerning education and progressive learning. Along with his passion in the field of PK-12 education space, he is also a visiting faculty at the CBI Academy where he has trained officers from the Central Bureau of Investigation, National Investigation Agency, Narcotics Control Bureau and Police forces to name a few. Passionate about innovation, technology, entrepreneurship and igniting young minds, he is a proponent of distributed leadership model and firmly believes that “Technology may not replace teachers, but teachers who use technology effectively will replace those who don’t.”

Arunabh Singh

In 2002, she was honoured by The Society of Unaided Private Schools of Rajasthan and also 'Shree Radhakrishnan Samman' by Avantika. In 2005, Sawai Pratap Singh award by Maharaja Sawai Man Singh I l Museum, The City Palace. In 2012, she received the 'Best Educationist Award' and Certificate of Excellence by International Institute of Management and Education, 'National Mahila Rattan Gold Medal Award' by Indian Solidarity Council, 'Eminent Educationist Award' by National and International Compendium, 'Vidya Ratan Gold Medal Award' by International Institute of Education & Management, 'Bharat Vidya Shiromani Award' by Indian Solidarity Council, all seven at New Delhi. In 2015 she was awarded 'The Women Empowerment Award 2015' by Zee Marudhara and 'Women Recognition Award 2015' by Rajasthan Patrika and FM Tadka.

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Neeraj Jain

Born and brought up in Delhi, Neeraj has a keen interest in sports and Music. He obtained his Bachelor’s degree in commerce from Hansraj college, University of Delhi, Chartered Accountancy from Institute of Chartered Accountancy in India, CMA and CFM from Institute of Management Accountants, USA and Executive MBA from ISB, Hyderabad. While doing his Executive MBA he attended programs in FDC Brazil, Kellogg School of Management and Wharton Business School in USA. Though a finance specialist by training, he discovered his interest in reading and education once he joined Scholastic. Since 2002 he has been working closely with the global teams of Scholastic to bring out the best books, reading programmes, proven pedagogy, and latest developments to support the changing face of education in the Indian classroom. Currently, he works as the Managing Director for Scholastic India. He has been involved in conducting focussed group sessions on reading with school principals in different parts of India. He has been a part of various conferences as speaker and moderator. Neeraj has also been on the Steering Committee of “Excellence in School Education” an initiative by IIT Delhi.

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orn and brought up in Mumbai, India, Dr Aziz has lived in Singapore for more than 30 years now and is the proud grandma of three lovely girls. At Scholastic, she has oversight of Scholastic’s global education business and the research and development of all education product, technology and print. She completed her doctoral research at the Leeds Metropolitan University and holds a Bachelor's degree in English Language and Literature from the Open University. She holds Graduate degrees in Business Administration and English Studies from the University of Strathclyde and the National University of Singapore, respectively. Inspired by her work in development of materials for teaching and learning, Duriya’s Master’s research was on the role of teacher feedback in materials development, and her doctoral research culminated in the presentation of a framework for development and evaluation of materials in meeting the objectives of stakeholders in education and their impact on teaching and learning. Though an English language specialist by training, math education found her and Dr Aziz has spent almost 20 years developing curriculum programs based on Singapore mathematics pedagogical principles and practices for more than 20 countries, in different languages, and worked with ministries, schools and teachers on the implementation of these programs. Dr Aziz’s primary interest is in the development and implementation of programs that incorporate global best practices while remaining culturally and contextually appropriate, to drive sustainable change at a systemic level including development of teacher competence, knowledge and independence. Duriya has written several textbooks for learners of English and children’s picture books, as well as academic articles on English language teaching and materials development for education.

Duriya Aziz

ith over twenty years of experience, Ezette Grauf is an internationally respected leader in education strategy, redefinition of curriculum and pedagogical change. She has successfully designed and implemented curriculum frameworks internationally, most recently in countries such as Australia and the Middle East. Another feather in the cap, she was also the head of curriculum for the Government of Abu Dhabi.

Ammara Habib

mmara Habib is Head of business, Mad about Ed. Over the past few years, Ammara has worked across a number of fields, which enabled her to diversify her perspective on life and its dealings. Her experience in the field of education, coupled with her passion for everything branding and marketing, has led her to the inception of Mad About Ed, Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first Edvertising Agency.

Furthermore, she has held Directorship and Principal positions in various locations around the world. Grauf holds a Master of Education and a Bachelor of Arts with a double major in Linguistics and Literature along with numerous other graduate diplomas including the Teaching of Reading. Currently, Grauf is the Head of Teaching and Learning at Heritage Xperiential Learning School, Gurugram.

Ezette Grauf

While working with over 350+ schools from across India, she has closely witnessed the passion and hard work that educators put in every single day. This has also helped her identify the gaps in marketing and branding in the education sector. She strongly feels that the right tools and research driven insights can help organisations and educators unlock their potential and optimise their results. These insights and the professional engagements with educators strengthened her knowledge of the education sector enabling her to engage with an even larger audience. She has a Master of Science in Applied Psychology, Ammara is also a staunch advocate of the Violence Against Women Movement and has worked with victims of domestic violence.

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A Francis Joseph Downey, Jr.

rancis Downey is one of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading authorities on developing authentic learning experiences in formal and informal education settings. An innovative educator, Francis has been involved with education for more than 40 years as a lecturer, teacher, and publisher. A graduate of Yale University, he began his career in education as an education specialist at Dinosaur State Park in the US state of Connecticut, designing curriculum that integrated environmental instruction with core curriculum. After leaving that position, he worked in several science museums and planetariums developing education programmes. A frequent guest on TV news programmes, he commented on current space exploration. Teaching history for a decade at the college level, he developed courses in US history, African-American history, the history of Puerto Rico, European history, and world history. In the early 1990s, he began working in educational publishing, developing classroom magazines. An editor at Weekly Reader, he developed ScienceSpin nearly 20 years ago, a science magazine that is still published today. He began working at National Geographic, leading the team that developed National Geographic Explorer Magazine and many supplemental educational programs, becoming a vice president of the world-renowned organisation. Throughout his career, the Association of Educational Publishers has awarded him several Distinguished Achievement Awards, the Most Improved Award, and even their top award, the Golden Lamb. Francis Downey is one of the founders and Editorial Director of the Indiabased education publishing company, Engage Learning.

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Delhi-based Consultant Psychologist, Dr Bindu Kapoor is a school counsellor at G.D. Goenka Public School, Rohini. She has been in the field of school counselling since 2003 dealing with academic, emotional and behavioural concerns of students. Kapoor was also an ad hoc lecturer at the Department of Home Science, University of Rajasthan from 1990 to 1996. Her post-graduation in Human Development and Doctoral degree in Psychology along with vast enriched experience of almost two decades in the field of education has enabled her to touch many lives. She holds expertise in behaviour modification, identification of academic gaps and mending emotional irregularities. Kapoor is also a renowned resource person for School Orientations and Demystifying Modern Parenting through her fun-filled and pragmatic approach centred sessions. Her strong passion towards identifying trends and ensuring development through prior strategic planning is commendable. Kapoor has conducted a plethora of sessions for students on bullying, careers, substance abuse and many others along with sessions on parenting and workshops for teachers on an umbrella of topics such as stress and classroom management.

Dr Bindu Kapoor

roup Medical Director and Senior Pediatrician, Apollo Hospitals Group, Professor Anupam Sibal has been a paediatrician for twenty years. Prof Sibal established the division of pediatric gastroenterology and hepatology in 1997 at Apollo Hospital, Delhi. He helped set up the first successful pediatric liver transplant programme in India at Apollo hospital, Delhi in 1998. Professor Anupam Sibal, is the Group Medical Director of the Apollo Hospitals Group (AHG). AHG is the largest integrated healthcare provider in India with 9,000 hospital beds across 70 hospitals.

Aarti Pandey

he ‘mind’ behind Folk Fitness and its cofounder, Aarti Pandey is inspired by India’s rich culture and a thirst for fitness. She wanted to bring forth a sense of fitness inclusiveness for all age groups aiming to make India a fit country. Being a women entrepreneur, she sees Folk Fitness as an entrepreneurship platform for housewives, fitness enthusiasts, and fitness trainers irrespective of gender and region. Folk Fitness, now, has over 700 fitness trainers across 18 cities in India with its presence in Australia as well. Some of the key awards and recognitions conferred upon Aarti are Leading Young Woman Entrepreneur at the 6th Annual Women Leaders in India & Awards, Phoenix Leading Lady Awards 2018, Entrepreneurial Success by National Start-up and Entrepreneurship Conclave, Pune International Dance Congress and Made By Her Star 2017 by Women At Work She started her journey by learning Bharatanatyam to attain strong classical dance knowledge. Aarti founded Pune’s premier Dance academy DDLL in 2010 as her first entrepreneurial endeavour. This venture further expanded to launch Fiber Fitness Services Pvt. Ltd in 2013. Aarti has learnt Indian folk dances under the expert guidance of Late Indumati Lele and has represented Maharashtra and India at many national and international dance competitions.

Prof. Sibal served as the only Asian Joint Commission International (JCI) Physician Surveyor from January 2008 to 2010. He currently is a member, Asia - Pacific Advisory Council of JCI. Professor Sibal is an Honorary Clinical Professor at Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia. He served as a member of the Institute Body (IB) of the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, (PGIMER) Chandigarh from 2009 - 2014. IB is the highest decision-making body of PGIMER headed by the Union Cabinet Minister for Health and Family Welfare. He has served on the Executive Council of the International Pediatric Transplant Association, The Asian Pan Pacific Association of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition and the Commonwealth Association of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition and has lectured extensively in India and abroad. Prof Sibal is the author of the National Best Seller "Is Your Child Ready to face the World?" Exploring the crux of parenting, this book asks and answers whether your child is ready to face the world. He comments regularly in the print and electronic media on healthcare, pediatrics, leadership and parenting.

Prof Anupam Sibal

After being trained in various Indian folk and Latin American dance styles, Aarti started teaching dance to various dance and fitness enthusiasts. Currently, she holds an experience of more than 20,000+ hours of teaching dance fitness. With an MBA in Sales and Marketing from Welingkar Institute of Management, Aarti has more than 6 years of corporate experience. Being a mother of two, she also efficiently manages her work-life balance by spending quality time with her family. She was recently recognised as a Champion Mentor on Sheroes.com – a women-only portal.

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fter her Bachelorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; degree in Child Psychology and Masterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Degree in Education Administration from Santa Clara University, Umme worked as a teacher and an administrator in Bay Area Elementary and Middle Schools. Very soon she realized the need to learn more about the Early Childhood Education, where every child begins his/her journey of becoming a lifelong learner; therefore, she pursued her degree in Early Childhood Education. Umme is currently working as the Principal of New York Academy, a progressive American School in Hyderabad. She is also an Adjunct Professor at Notre Dame de Namur University in California. Umme is a dynamic instructional leader with an enduring passion to help children reach their full potential not just academically but also socially, emotionally, and physically. She believes that teaching and learning are irrevocably connected and effective teachers are the change agents in the society. They have the power to create lifelong learners with a growth mindset. Effective teachers help their students reach their full potential.

Mehak Jaipuria

ehak Jaipuria is a Director of Seth M. R. Jaipuria Schools. She has worked previously with Flow India, taking K-12 students to museums and heritage sites across Delhi and the country. She was a part of the curatorial team at Jaye He, the museum at the T2 terminal in Mumbai, and gained art education experience at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

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Therefore, there is no more critical need in the world today than training teachers in the science and art of teaching and learning. Her vision is to enhance, expand, and support teacher training in India by equipping teachers with current researched-based knowledge, with the skill set and mind-set to motivate and help their young learners.

Umme Salma

hirag Singal is Founder, Giraffe Uncle. Where would you go out to play, if every park in the city would throw you, and your friends out - for the reason that playing in a playground will ruin the grass. To 16-year-old Chirag, that didn’t fit well, and using the power of the Internet, he reached out to his friends on Facebook. Together, they started a community playground development project. By working on their own and converting a waste land in their residency - a bunch of kids ended up changing the rules of play - and got featured in a daily local. This is how Chirag started a Football academy for over 50 players in the city and he does it for free!

Dr Adarsh Sharma

r Adarsh Sharma is a well-known expert, consultant and advisor in the field of Early Childhood Care, education and human development. Her professional career spans over a period of four decades where she has dedicated herself to the field of ECCD and has played a key role in its movement in India. She has a master’s degree in Human Development and Family studies from M.S University of Baroda as a Ford Foundation Fellow. After receiving a PHD from the University of Delhi, she pursued post-doctoral research as a Fulbright Scholar on ‘Techniques and Methods for Evaluation and Appraisal of Early Childhood Interventions’ at Pennsylvania State University. She worked for over two decades at the National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development (NIPCCD), a premier organisation of research, training and advocacy in the field of Women and Child Development, under the aegis of Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD), and retired as its Director in 2005. She has worked as a Consultant for several national and international agencies working for the wellbeing of women and children. In her capacity as a secretary and treasurer of the Indian Association of Preschool Education, she helped the association grow and expand its network in India during the early seventies and eighties. Dr. Sharma was instrumental in setting up a postgraduate department of child development in G. B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology in the year 1985 as a Professor and Head of the department. She was associated with the establishment of the Center of Early Childhood Education and Development (CECED) at the Ambedkar University of Delhi in 2010 while she was a visiting Professor there. She represented India as a member of the steering committee of Asia Pacific Regional Network for Early Childhood (ARNEC) from 2008 to 2012 and acted as a country coordinator.

He had unknowingly become part of a revolution which truly made the importance of play in a child’s life visible. The passion grew when he decided to drop out of the Chartered Accountancy programme and move to Bangalore to study psychology. Within a few months in Bangalore, he missed working with children and so he joined a Youth Football Academy as a coach and started coaching children as young as 4 years of age. He kept experimenting new methods of teaching children. For a mere proof of concept, he cycled his way from Bangalore to Jaipur, a journey of 2,300 kms in 11 days. This was followed by another epic, where he ended up cycling from Jaipur - West to East India - Bhutan - Myanmar - Thailand - Cambodia - Laos Vietnam, around 13,000 kms in 8 months, alone, by crossing all land borders. The journey concluded as a research understanding learning patterns across cultures, and later translated into designing and facilitating non-competitive sports and play sessions for a Kindergarten in Bangalore. In 2017, he was back in Jaipur, and he got summoned by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, to head Rajasthan in a programme called Mission 11 Million, in collaboration with FIFA, to host FIFA U17 World Cup in India, and bring the joy of football to 11 million kids around the country. Currently, Chirag Singal, is one of the youngest panellists at the Early Ed Asia, and at the age of 25, owns a project in called “Giraffe Uncle”, which helps children have more efficient time playing outdoors, in a non-competitive, inclusive, and emerging design. He has been invited to TEDx, IIM A, NITs, BITS and other schools, and colleges to share his story and to promotes his stand for the practices we bring to the playground for our toddlers.

Chirag Singal

The Government of India has appointed her on its special committees on several occasions related to policy formulation, planning and programming of ECE interventions. She was a member in the ECE subgroup of the India’s National Curriculum Framework – 2005, a member of the core group of the committee of the National Policy of Early Childhood Education 2013. She was also one of the expert members of the National Technical Advisory Group set up for Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), a campaign mode for Education for All. Widely travelled in India and abroad for academic pursuits, Dr. Sharma has several national and international publications to her credit and has drafted reports and documents for the Government of India. She served on the editorial board of global journal Childhood published by Norwegian Institute of Child Research and SAGE Publishers during 1992 to 2003.

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A Firdaus Lalkaka

hartered Accountant by profession, Firdaus Lalkaka is an educationist?at heart. After earning his stripes in financial services, he has been actively involved, since 2001, in the management and administration of Thumbelina Nursery & K.G. School, an Ahmedabad-based Preschool established in the year 1974. It was his mother, Perin Lalkaka who built strong foundations for the school for which she was conferred with the “Lifetime Achievement Award” by Eklavya Education Foundation in 2009. Lalkaka’s close association with Thumbelina since its inception enabled him to gain a fair insight and understanding of Preschool education. His fondness and love for children and his natural interest in Early Years Education coupled with his ability to understand law motivated him to bring about a positive change in ECCE in India. Lalkaka has been raising critical issues on government policy in the fond hope of?reducing?the drop-out rate, improving the?learning outcomes?as well as?transforming the school-going experience for students into a safe, fun-filling and positive one. Rather than treating ECCE as a State subject, Firdaus believes, that the interest of children would be better served if the Government of India introduces a?OneNation-One-Policy?framework with standardized norms and policies pertaining to?age-atentry,?curriculum,?infrastructure, Child-Safety?etc. With stakeholders coming together and designing an ageappropriate curriculum, such steps would go a long way in not reducing Preschools to being nothing more than mere downward extensions of the formal and structured education at the level of Class-1 and above where children are forced to grasp concepts?ahead of their time; further, it’ll help in tempering the?abnormally high expectations of parents.

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fter 23 years working in the UK and with a passion for travel and playing a role in educational development overseas, Susan decided it was time for a change. In 2006, she took up the first of two postings in Nigeria as Principal. 18 years later, she is currently the Head Teacher at Nehru World School in Ghaziabad, and has enjoyed a rich and varied career in Education, firstly in the UK (5 schools) and then overseas. She’s focused on the Strategic Development Planning, Professional Development and Developing School Policies, Practices and Systems with all staff. In her free time, Susan continues to enjoy travelling, walking, reading and listening to literature and keeping up to date with what’s happening in the world!

Susan Holmes

National Core Committee Member as well as a Territory Head of Early Childhood Association, Harsha G Ramiya has always dreamt of becoming a teacher. She began her journey in 1992 with a dream to carve a child’s life and make a difference. Since 2005, she followed the path towards achieving her dreams, sketching the world of small kids and laid the foundation of “Small Wonders”. Under her initiative, she has been conducting programmes for the development of Aanganwadi children by giving them healthy food, games and different gifts which make them very happy.

KAUSAR SAYEED

highly skilled and accomplished educator with extensive knowledge of the latest and most effective teaching method, Kausar Sayeed specialises in effective teacher training programs and parenting coach, development skills with effectual presentation and communication abilities. With more than a decade of hands-on experience with expertise on integrated curriculums, Sayeed is a resourceful and passionate education professional with an accomplished career promoting quality education across India. Founder of Learn2Lead, an initiative that empowers preschools by connecting experts from the field to Preschools. It holds a reputation for its well-curated leadership programmes and consultancy projects. Currently, she’s the National Committee Member of Early Childhood Association while she has been the Territory Head, ECA for the Telangana region, India from the years 2015-18. As a Territory Head on ECA, her territory was awarded as BEST TERRITORY for three consecutive years by ECA-India in 2016 & 2017. She was appointed as the Ambassador to LXI ideas for the same region where she conducted extensive workshops for teachers and parents in schools. Furthermore, she holds a key position in the recently formed Telangana Parent Association.

Currently, she is also the admin of “First Mom’s Club”- Bhavnagar Chapter and the President of Bhavnagar Preschool Association (TIE-Team of Ignited Educators). With her best ability, she added many feathers in her cap and made Small Wonders and Bhavnagar proud. Ramiya has been awarded with the most Enterprising Territory, ECA at their National Conference in Mumbai. She is also a proud recipient of the Nari Ratna as well as Shiksha Ratna Bhavnagar. Another feather to her cap was added when she was awarded with Innovative Educator of the Year 2019 at Dehradun. She has been interacting with parents as well through her YouTube channel and Facebook Live sessions. Ramiya firmly believes that every child deserves to get a healthy, valued atmosphere and a wealthy education, for which she is always ready to work selflessly.

Harsha Girish Ramaiya

Sayeed also developed S.T.E.M Curriculum for Early Years for the S.T.E.M Academy of U.S.A. For her excellent work and dedication, she was awarded by UNESCO in collaboration with Government (APHRDI) for conducting safety drive across the state by creating awareness on POCSO law under ECA Umbrella. She has spoken at various ECA Programmes as well as reputed schools. Under her leadership, 'Prime Years Pre-School' was awarded as one among top 20 Preschools in Hyderabad for 5 consequent years from 2012 to 2016. Another feather on the cap, she was ranked as one of the top 100 Awakened and Innovative mentors of India by 'Think CIQ' in 2016.

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o-founder at Chalees Minute School, Kunal Chawla has made online courses with Google, Udacity and MIT that have reached over 2 million learners worldwide. His wonderful venture, Chalees Minute School is an online learning space for middle school students in India to learn subjects like mathematics and science in 40 minutes or less. Prior to starting Chalees, Chawla taught 6thgrade science at Ahlcon International School in New Delhi. Furthermore, he helped build Google’s online education platform. Further, he worked with Drishtee, an educational and employment enterprise in rural India that offered livelihood opportunities to village residents within their community. Being an insightful writer as well, Chawla has written prolifically for education technology magazines like EdSurge and his work has been featured in the New York Times.

Sonal Andrews

onal Andrews is an accomplished poet who has written more than 500 poems in Gujarati, Hindi and English. Her poems were recited at Doordarshan Kavi Sammelan three times. She was anchoring a programme for children to promote Gujarati Language and literature on Radio – Aakashvani for a year. She worked in professional theatre for years as an actress and a script writer in Mumbai. She has worked with the likes of Manoj Joshi, Supriya Pathak, Ali Raza Namdar and Sarita Joshi. She has won more than 21 trophies and medals for monoacts, being a lead actress and writer. She has been awarded trophies by likes of Shabana Azmi, Neena Kulkarni and Anil Sharma for her performances on various occasions. She has done summer camps with more than 120 kids aged 4-12 years, making them perform street plays on current issues and also on professional stage (one- act plays). The street plays written, directed and executed by her were appreciated very well by Mr. J. J. Rawal who is an astrophysicist and used to be the Director of Nehru Science Centre. She worked as a counselor for Regency College in Hyderabad from 2001-2002 and a counselor and creative head of MOHAN Foundation from 2002 – 2004. She passed with distinction in ‘Professional Communication Skills’ from Trinity college of London’ and she is pursuing a diploma in speech and drama.

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He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from the University of Texas at Austin along with a Master of Arts in Education Technology from Stanford University. Chawla has also been associated with Arpan since 2018, where he is responsible for making online courses that support Arpan’s mission of creating a world free from child sexual abuse.

Kunal Chawla

mriti Jain is the Co-Founder, Director of ‘I am a Teacher’ (IAAT), a non-profit organization. Understanding the dire need of a change in teachers’ education, Smriti committed herself to develop a practicum based yearlong pre-service diploma program which can fundamentally transform our classrooms and schools. She has given birth to one of the most innovative and rigorous programme for teacher preparation – the Post Graduate Diploma in Learning and Teaching. The program runs in partnership with The Heritage schools in Gurgaon and American School of Bombay, Mumbai. With masters in Learning, Teaching and Instructional Leadership from Harvard, she has a deep commitment and passion for education.

Magdalena Kaniewska Smriti Jain

o-founder and President of Natural Born Leader, Magdalena is a UK-qualified Teacher Trainer, Early Years Professional, and UK-certified AssessorEvaluator in Early Years Education with over 15 year of experience. Magdalena is responsible for assessing the quality of Early Childhood Education and Care provisions in the UK while being in charge of training other Early Years Professionals and Parents. An expert in the field, Kaniewska specialises in varied domains such as Intuitive Parenting, Positive Pedagogy, Child-Led and Self-Directed Learning and Play, MultiSensory Learning, Cross-Curricular Education, Multicultural Learning, Entrepreneurial Education and Multilingualism. Additionally, Magdalena is strongly passionate about sharing the benefits of Personalized Learning. Magdalena also firmly believes every child is a Natural Born Leader who, when adequately supported and nurtured, will share their talents with the world and empower, inspire, guide and lead others to do the same.

Rebecca Chandler-Leege

ith over 20 years of leadership experience, Rebecca leads Worldreader’s Global Impact Team as the Chief Program Officer; Worldreader seeks to create a culture of reading and ensure everyone can be a reader. Rebecca holds a Master of Science in Multinational Commerce from Boston University. She leads the global content, digital programming and impact & evaluation teams as well as regional impact leadership teams. Most recently, she led World Vision’s engagement in All Children Reading: A Grand Challenge for Development, a global initiative of USAID, World Vision, and the Australian Government, that seeks, tests and disseminates innovative education technology solutions to address child illiteracy. Previously at World Vision, she was Director for Child Development/Protection inclusive of education and gender sectors. Rebecca also worked with World Relief, initially in Rwanda as their Director of Programs before relocating to their headquarters in the United States as Director of Global Program Operations. She has lived and worked throughout Africa and Asia for over 15 years. Chandler Leege also spent six years in the private sector in international human resources consulting with Fortune 500 companies.

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onal Anand Singh has been working in the area of early childhood education for the past 12 years. She currently holds the position of Director (Academics) at Nehru World School, Ghaziabad where she heads Curriculum and Continuous Professional Development. She has worked extensively with British Council since 2010 in integrating international dimension in school curriculum and was validated as a Master Trainer by Institute of Education, University of London in 2012.

Sonal Ahuja

onal is an early childhood education expert with a diploma's in child psychology and educational psychology from the academy founded in Galway, Ireland. She is an active member of the American Psychology Association and NAEYC. Her work on language acquisition in early years has been acknowledged by the NCERT at the national level. She worked closely with Delhi Legal Services Authority for spreading awareness against child abuse. She has attended and spoken in many seminars on schools of Tomorrow & innovative practices in the education system. She is currently heading Early Childhood Association as territory head Delhi. Founder of House of Learning, Director of Shri Ram Foundation preschools, Advisor to the formal school Shri Ram Bal Bharti, regularly conducts training for teachers, parents & children. She explores ideas and ideals about learning, about parenting, about behaviours. Out of her experience of more than two decades towards touching lives firstly as a mother, then as an educator, reflector and finally as an expert has come up with a ready reference book for all the parents as well as for the school leaders by the name – “OVERCOMING PARENTING MYTHS – SECRETS TO GUIDING YOUR CHILDREN FOR LIFE”. She has been awarded by the Early Childhood Association for the efforts and contribution towards ECCE. She has also been awarded from IWC women achiever awards for excellence in bringing the change in early childhood education. Not only this, she has been felicitated for running developmentally appropriate curriculum and assessment and from Brain feed for running best pre school, also by the world wide achievers in the same category. She was also felicitated by Pooja Bedi for being an effective moderator at Teach Primary Magazine Launch and by Global triumph foundation for being an expert moderator.

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She was awarded the Global Teacher Accreditation by British Council in 2013 for her research on implementing a peer observation and coaching framework and evaluating its impact on improving Teaching-Learning practices. With a passion for early year’s education, she is creating innovative spaces for learning for the young people in our country.

Sonal Singh

rvashi Warman has been associated with the field of education for more than two decades now. Currently the principal at The Palace School, she is an author of a series of books on General Awareness and EVS for Primary School children. She has also written and produced many musical plays for school children. In 2015, her Play called Choti Si Asha on Saving The Girl Child was appreciated by Ms Maneka Gandhi, Hon’ble Union Minister, Ministry of Women and Child Welfare.

Sneha Tapadia

EO of Jumpstart International preschool, Sneha has been contributing the field of early education since 2009. She was accolade in 2018 as one of the most inspirational Women entrepreneurs by Technology Widgets Magazine. Jumpstart has also been consistent at being awarded as one of the top 10 preschools of Pune from the year 2015 till 2019 by Educational World magazine. It has also been awarded by ECA (Early Childhood Association) in 2016 for excelling in all seven parameters of quality education-use of latest technology, parent partnership, use of nature in education, developmentally appropriate practices, innovative techniques in number education, innovative techniques in reading education, and inclusive education. Jumpstart was also awarded as the 6th best preschool in India by Silicone India's Educational Issue featuring some of the most popular preschools in the country in 2016.

Urvashi was the sole representative from India for the Global Assembly Of Educateurs Sans Frontiers in Dallas, USA, in the year 2012. She has been felicitated by Simply Jaipur, A Media House and By Lion’s Club International for her outstanding contribution in the field of education. She is also the recipient of Zee Marudhara Women empowerment award in the field of education in the year 2015. She also won the Women's Progression Award 2017 in the field of education in the year 2017 and Pride Of India Award 2018 for developing holistic excellence at all levels in imparting education. She has recently been awarded the World’s 100 21st Century Education Award in 2019.

Urvashi Warman

Sneha also launched a unique one of its type 360 degree program for preschoolers which is a 6 hour holistic preschool program focusing all aspects of development and nurturing teacher child relationship. She believes that the school and parents together can bring the holistic development in children with the help of desirable experiences.

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ith an academic and professional background steeped in Educational Psychology; Nisha Jain Grover has amassed many years of invaluable experience in the realm of Special-Needs Methodology & Teaching. She combines her scholastic accomplishments including degrees in English, Psychology, Career Guidance & Education with a wealth of real-life teaching & counseling to present a formidable force of intellectual & practical know-how. The founding director, Vatsalya Legacy Educational Society, has been Nationally acknowledged for her path-breaking Counseling work. Nisha is the proud recipient of the most 'INNOVATIVE EDUCATOR'. Amongst her roster of well-regarded honors is the 'OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT AWARD 2009' as well as the 'STEPPING AHEAD TROPHY'. The Doctorate-pursuing Nisha has also lent her expertise as the resource person for the Education and Management Department at IIT Delhi and IIT Madras, while also pioneering MIND MAPPING in Rajasthan. Of Nisha's myriad professional endeavors; she is excited by creating high-energy, intense workshops and training programs. With a recent WOTFA 2016 Felicitation; Nisha employs her breadth of serious interests in NeuroLinguistics, Hypnotherapy and Counseling to outbound training, leadership development, and remedial coaching; training more than 20,000 teachers, 500 doctors and a near-infinite number of disillusioned parents, seeking all manner of intervention. Other than catering to various schools, organisations, universities and professionals she is the consultant and resource person to the top 10 schools of our country, and is perennially hungry to help, grow, learn and innovate.

Ezette Grauf

With Vatsalya Pre-School, Nisha is passionately enthused to put her enormous experience and winning results to practice in her school. Conceived, designed, developed with a single-minded focus â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 'to liberate the young learner from any & all limitations by redefining pre-school education'. Not bound by any restrictions, at her own school, Nisha is able to espouse an open, imaginative & creative learning philosophy that is fun, sensitive, and global.

Nisha Grover Jain

Sunisha Ahuja

ducation Specialist â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Early Childhood Education, UNICEF New Delhi, Sunisha Ahuja has more than 25 years of experience in the education sector. She has worked with the ministry of education and several non-profits including Mobile Creches, Care India and Room to Read. With her education background in Child Development, she has worked on the thematic areas of early childhood education, early literacy and reading promotion in primary grades. In the different roles that she has performed she has led programme development, provided technical assistance, conducted professional development programmes, and managed large projects and fund raising activities.

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Lina Ashar

fter acquiring her Bachelorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s degree in Education from Melbourne's Victoria College, Lina came to India in 1991 on a year-long sabbatical from college. Lina chose to stay back in India to change the antiquated approach to education which existed then. Her conviction to offer an education which sets the child as its centre led her to start her first preschool in Bandra (Mumbai) in the year 1993 with 25 students. The journey from one Kangaroo Kids Preschool to a network of Kangaroo Kids Preschools and Billabong High International Schools across 29 different cities in India as well as in Dubai, Maldives and Qatar has been a phenomenal one. Linaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unique approach, injection of potent solutions and radical processes to ensure that the quality of education is improved was instantaneously well received and noted. Lina has been promoting and practising 'topic based learning' since 2002, something that the Indian media lauded the Finland education system for, very recently. With an intention to spark human greatness in every student, Lina was the first in the Indian education industry to introduce a learner centric methodology and introduce innovative ways of learning by providing an integrated activity and theme based learning. The industry has recognised and awarded Lina several times over for her unique and meaningful contributions to the sector, notable among them being: Leading woman in education at the Women Leaders in India Awards 2015 by iiglobal, Nationwide winner of the Best K12 innovative curriculum by Franchise India 2015, and Alumni Excellence winner by Australian High Commission 2015 to name a few. Lina dreams of a society in which every child enjoys the right to a joyful childhood and quality education.

ased in New Delhi, Mahesh Balakrishnan has an extensive background in Sales and Marketing and has over decades of global business development experience across multiple industries. His experience includes working with regulators, policy makers and industry leaders. A passionate teacher and mentor, Mahesh brings in a decade of experience in education. He has worked across higher and primary education, online learning and technology in education in the fields of simulation and gamified learning. He also conducts corporate workshops. He has been active in student mentoring and providing them various career pathways to higher education.

Mahesh Balakrishnan

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V Vaidehi K N

aidehi started her career as a Software engineer. She travelled extensively across Asia and US on Software related projects and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s where her passion for early childhood education (ECE) took shape. While she was in the US, she observed the schools and methodology being used at her son's schools. In 2004, she started her ECE journey with Podar Jumbo Kids. 14 years into the field of education, her passion has increased multifold and to equip herself better, she completed her Masters in ECE from New Zealand. She has won many awards for her services in the ECE industry and has presented many research papers both nationally and internationally. Her last presentation in New Zealand World Education Forum and in the US on Gender Bias at Early years won her many awards and was seen as an eye opener in the industry. She won the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Rajiv Gandhi Best Women Entrepreneur award from New Delhi and her schools running in Banashankari and Sarjapur have won Best Center awards multiple times the recent one being in 2017 where The Banashankari Center was adjudged as the First Best Center in Karnataka and 5th Best across India. She is now getting ready to present her next research paper in Macau China in 2019.

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aidehi Singh, the founder Principal of Maharaja Sawai Bhawani Singh School, has been in the field of education for more than twenty years and has extensive experience at both teaching and administrative levels. An ardent believer in the concept of holistic education, she lays equal emphasis on excellence in both co-curricular as well as the academic field. It is her endeavour to provide a balanced education to children of all abilities, with an aim to develop articulate, self confident, honest and socially responsible young citizens who are aware of their duties as much as their rights.

Vaidehi Singh

Vinitha Ramchandani

initha’s career history has largely been about introducing and managing transformative change in the space of education and literature. An editor and author with 20 years of experience in editing and writing, Vinitha has worked with the media as a journalist for many years, eventually moving to working with the book publishing industry. She has worked with Ashoka Changemakers for the Public in their Culture Creator drive. For this she conceived and lead the four-pronged programme of creating new content in empathy for children, infusing the publishing community with the drive to take on the challenge of investing in fresh content, talking to schools and parents and getting them to be in sync and participate in the project, as well as convincing libraries into a movement where empathy-driven books were curated into a separate section.

itold Matulewicz is the coFounder/President of Inspection Support & Consulting Services UK. He is a UK-qualified Teacher Trainer, Early Years Professional, and UK-certified Assessor-Evaluator in Early Years Education with over 20 year of experience. He is In charge of training other Early Years Professionals and Parents and responsible for assessing the quality of Early Childhood Education and Care provisions in the UK. He specialises in Intuitive Parenting, Positive Pedagogy, Child-Led and Self-Directed Learning and Play, Multi-Sensory Learning, CrossCurricular Education, Multicultural Learning, Entrepreneurial Education and Multilingualism.

Witold Matulewicz

The intent was to tap young children in India and create an empathy programme in the belief that tomorrow’s change makers will be children who can drive leadership through empathy. She was awarded the Kalinga Fellowship 2018 for her transformative work in the space of empathy for her work with urban school children. Vinitha has written over 20 books for children, the last two being a book on Subhas Chandra Bose and one mapping the city, titled People Called Mumbai. Her latest book for children was launched December 2018 at Kitaabo, children's literature festival, Jodhpur. Once Upon a Time, on the pedagogical legacy of Gijubhai Badheka, has been co-authored by Dr Swati Popat Vats. This year she looks forward to curating a book for the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, Asia’s largest art festival, as well as releasing two other books for children.

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READ ALOUD! HOW DO YOU READ TO THE BRAIN? Neeraj Jain

FREQUENT READER

writeback@scoonews.com

he human brain is a very complex organ. In the first five years or so, a child’s brain is crowded with neurons and synapses being formed constantly. Neuro-scientists have proven that the child’s brain is at its most pliable during these early years of life. It is these crucial years in the growth of a brain that will determine not just what the child learns, but also how he or she learns for the rest of their lives. Naturally, we cannot ignore how we deliver information to them, or interact with them during this very impressionable and fragile age in their development. A lot of research done in the field of early and pre-school education in children will tell you that it is essential that you read to the little ones - help them pick up the basics of social, linguistic, physical and personal coordination abilities, introduce the basic concept of numbers and hone the fine and gross motor skills. According to the Scholastic Kids and Family Reading Report, India – compiled from a nationwide survey carried out by YouGov, it is heartening to see that 34% of kids aged 0-5 are read aloud to 5-7 days a week. In addition, among the kids who are no longer read to, 57% wished that it had continued. Look at any behavioural research study, and you will see that everyone–including children–learn much better when they are in interactive and supportive environments where they feel special in some way. Also, we must note, that many children find this a relaxing experience, which can be a good tool to reduce toxic stress in our children. Picture a storytelling session–a teacher

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For me, my read-aloud sessions are exclusive time with my son, without other distractions. The moment we pick up a book to read out we are transported to a world created by the book, away from mobiles, TV, and trappings of regular life. (Parent of a six-year old) sitting with a book, surrounded by children–all waiting to hear her weave a whole new world with her words for them to walk into. In the hands of a good storyteller, armed with the right book, one that covers diverse subjects and topics, this medium can support, inform and nourish a child. When a

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teacher reads aloud an age-appropriate book to a group of children–as they hear a story, and make the relevant connections, they learn to become better listeners and their imagination and creativity is activated. “Read aloud builds the foundation for independent reading in the future.” (Fountas and Pinnell, 1996) “When a child listens to stories being read aloud, they also learn to understand the process of writing a story, as well as becoming aware of literary conventions that are often used to start or end stories.” (Bredekamp et al., 2000).

READING ALOUD AT HOME

Reading aloud has also been credited with being the single most significant foundation for development of the important literary skills, ultimately leading to reading success Bredekamp, Copple, & Neuman, 2000 A read aloud with a big book helps children make important links between what is written and what meaning it conveys – that written words ultimately convey meanings and sets up a conversation between the child and the author as well. Your children will also be learning to read. True, when a child first comes to school, he or she is too young to read more than a few letters, at the most – but every child first reads visually. When a teacher points to the words as she reads – the child learns to ‘read’ the word-pictures. If it is a word that is oft repeated in the same story – by the end of it, some children will be able to see the word and identify it as well. This is also a great opportunity for the teacher to be supportive and empathetic. If any particular child may be facing difficult circumstances – be it at home or at school - story-telling time can be a good opportunity to look for visible cues and to offer help. Often, shared reading sessions can become a safe-space for little children, a place of trust where they can express their problems. It has also been observed that emotionally engaging cute characters often inspire a sense of reciprocity – where the child begins to identify with the characters and share their feelings. This releases oxytocin – the feel-good chemical in the brain – promoting empathy, connection and reducing stress considerably.

To me, as a teacher, a read aloud session is what calms a child down and helps the child to concentrate on the text being read. It is a time when, subconsciously, the child learns voice modulation, articulation, pronunciation, pauses, tone, fluency and speed. It is an end all activity in developing a love for a language in a child. - Primary school teacher

Our children are the future. But before they go out into the world as balanced and responsible individuals, it is up to us to give them the right skillset and tools. The beautiful thing about the read-aloud is how it can be tailored to the lifestyles and preferences of families and educators. Everyone can join together around the read-aloud to create a sense of well-being and mutual care. It is a prescription for lifelong success for the child and a dose of deep well-being for the family. Scholastic Kids and Family Reading Report, India – http://scholastic.co.in/static/readingreport/

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GESS DUBAI WHAT WILL YOU CREATE? Be inspired at the Middle Eastâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biggest education show

ESS Dubai is the leading education conference and exhibition in the MENA region. The free to attend conference provides three days of CPD accredited inspirational talks and dynamic, hands-on workshops from global industry leaders and influential local practitioners. With visitors coming from 92 countries to experience 550+ brands exhibiting the latest and most innovative educational products and solutions, GESS Dubai is the meeting place for educators to further their knowledge, learn from their peers and continue to promote the highest quality of education in the region. Organised in partnership with the UAEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ministry of Education, under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Deputy Ruler of the UAE, GESS Dubai offers more than 200 workshops, presentations and sessions providing unparalleled insights on the latest in education, curriculum development, technology advances, teaching innovation, leadership enhancement and others. WHAT CAN VISITORS EXPECT AT THE SHOW? For over 12 years now, GESS Dubai has been the leading platform for leading suppliers of educational products and solutions to showcase their products, including some of the most cuttingedge innovations that are critical to enhancing the quality of teaching and

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EVENT learning across schools in the Middle East. Visitors will also learn from global and local experts who will share their insights on some of the pressing challenges confronting the education sector in the region, as well as the latest trends on pedagogy and teaching methodologies, curriculum advances, and other important issues shaping discussions on quality education, learning improvements, future learn-

ing, health and wellness, among others. The show is free to attend, and registration is now open via the show’s website at www.gessdubai.com. WHY SHOULD EDUCATION PROFESSIONALS VISIT GESS DUBAI? With more than 200 workshops, panel discussions and other sessions all the conference content is free and offers educators exposure to the latest teaching methods and best practice through

collaborative, hands-on and innovative sessions. The conference allows teachers to take home practical teaching methods to use in the classroom immediately and part of what makes GESS unique is that they regularly meet and speak to members of the teaching community to ensure they are providing the content that they want to see. It is important to note that GESS Dubai has over 200 conference sessions that offer CPD-accreditation which they can use for professional advancement that could lead to career progression. WHY SHOULD SUPPLIERS GET INVOLVED? GESS exhibitions and conferences have global industry support from key associations, government bodies and ministries. The 2018 edition of GESS Dubai saw an increase in the quality of visitors at the event, with 74% of the audience influencing or having purchasing authority, 25% increased attendance of Principals and 30% increase in purchasing and procurement managers. More and more companies are using GESS Dubai as a platform to launch their products in the lucrative education market as visitors came from 92 countries worldwide. GESS Dubai is the only way to reach out to such a targeted audience of global education buyers. The exhibitions offer educationalists exposure to the latest innovations in educational products and services, as well as live demonstrations from global market leaders. GESS events attract a unique mix of local and international suppliers that you just won’t see at any other event. Exhibiting at a GESS event provides the perfect platform to launch your products and develop business relationships in strategically important areas of the world. Visitors come from both the public and private sectors and include the region’s most influential buyers. The audience of educational professionals represents the full range of educational establishments and all levels of the education community. Exhibiting at a GESS event puts you face-to-face with a targeted audience of your chosen region’s key decision makers. This year, there are over 550 international and local educational brands with participation from a number of countries and country pavilions from: UK, Germany, Finland, USA, Japan, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Korea and China.

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LEARNIT 2019: OF MEANINGFUL INTERACTIONS, SCINTILLATING SESSIONS & A BOX FULL OF MEMORIES

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Anushka Yadav shares her experience as part of the Indian Delegation curated by FICCI Arise, India at Learnit 2019, London

rdinarily, my morning begins with a cup of coffee and publishing the morning news on our website but the morning of January 22, 2019 was a little different; the strong chill breeze and the pouring sky accompanied me as I sat at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi at 9:15 am with a hot cup of cappuccino that tasted a little better. Why did it taste a little better, though? Headed for London to attend a world-class ed conference as part of ScooNews makes that vital difference! By 11:30 am, the Indian delegation travelling on our flight had assembled at the boarding gate with smiles bigger than their suitcases. Delhi's cold weather was compensated with warm hugs, pulsating laughter and handshakes on who's going to be more excited for London! Almost everyone wore the tricolour badge, feeling proud, knowing that they're representing the country at an international conference. As a student, I've always seen my teachers and principal in a formal setting; to be able to see these reputed men and women in an informal setting and to experience the "travelling life" with them makes the student in me happy. Yes kids, your principals love to chatter too and they do know how to have fun with their friends. Now that I think about it, conferences are a great way for them to be able to learn and have fun at the same time; they rarely get the time to go out of their offices, where they work tirelessly, and have a light interaction. Events like FICCI Arise and Learnit conference provide a chance for them to be part of a group and transfer the refreshing learning experience to the growth of their organisations. I was snapped out of this thought by a roaring sound of laughter from the old and new group of friends. As hugs and laughter lit up the room, Arunabh Singh, ChairmanUttar Pradesh (West), FICCI Arise, called everyone together for a group photograph. Click Click! And we were all set to board the airplane. Did the laughter and the chatter stop? My attention was caught by the mini meeting between CBSE and FICCI Arise officials, prepping on some important points for the Learnit conference. What's a Tuesday like where you get to see school principals, directors, chairmen and influencers come together and become kids who are thrilled for the journey ahead? I'd say it's the best kind of Tuesday. Nine hours later, we were outside

Heathrow Airport, experiencing the first snow of the year. Our teacher, Arunabh Singh, took the roll call while India’s top educators answered with “YES, SIR!” It was funny yet exciting to see educators and policy makers become kids again. After a chilly morning and a toasty breakfast the next day, the Indian delegation was as excited as they were at the airport. Despite the jet lag creeping in, the smiles and the sparkling eyes failed to fade. As instructed, the bus departed from the hotel by 9:45 am and the delegates kept their promise to be on time like good students. But believe me the day wasn’t any different, the vibrating laughter and the constant chattering failed to leave the party. Amidst constant discussions and deliberations on CBSE and ways to improve the education system, I could overhear principals planning to go shopping, for lunch and even to the theatre. Annie was our guide and friend on our journey to and from the Bett Show 2019 at ExCel, London. On our way to the Bett, we were lucky enough to witness the wonders of London like the Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Tower Bridge, Coca-Cola London Eye and the beautiful river Thames. The Literature student in me was elated by the sight of the places that I had read about in our classes. There’s something about the city that fills your heart with warmth and happiness despite the dark and cold weather. Coming back to the fun-filled journey, as Annie shared a list of places to shop and dine at, the delegates started hooting at the mere thought of visiting these places. After a 40-minute ride, we reached the beautiful ExCel. Our day began with a special session by Google where principals as well as policy makers gave and took suggestions on how to improve education in the country using efficient tools and products by Google. Following the session, we scattered in groups to explore the colossal exhibitions. It was as amazing as it looks in the photographs; there were exhibitors as far as my eye could see. Google, Adobe, Microsoft, Lenovo as well as several edtech start-ups bedazzled the Bett Show with their products. Day 1 of Learnit began at 7 am for me; I went for a little warm up walk around the city and I won’t lie, my face, legs and hands froze. Nevertheless, I followed the smell of freshly brewed coffee and some palatable breakfast at the QEii Centre, London or our home for the next two days. The photographs

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truly speak for how delicious the breakfast was and how thrilled our delegation was at the start of an extraordinary journey. I’m delighted and proud to introduce our readers to Vinod Rao, Secretary Education, Government of Gujarat, a man who is truly dedicated to improving the education system in our nation. While chatting with a delegate from Canada, I was called by my Editor in Chief, Ravi Santlani, to hear Vinod Rao tell us the issues that continued to eat up the quality of Indian education and how we could bring together a makeshift change. After all, isn’t this why all of us are here? To meet, deliberate, discuss and act upon the weaknesses that block the growth of our future generations. After filling up on the delicious croissants and pastries, the Indian delegation was ready to attend the line-up of some interesting sessions. Katy Fryatt, the curator of the world’s event for learning, lit up the room with her enthusiasm and smile as wide as the

London Eye. Before we knew, it had started raining - a sign of good luck perhaps. The best part about this education conference is that there are different conference halls, each with a different session going on; it’s the attendees’ choice to pick the suitable session that interests them and/or matches their needs. Good for the attendees but tricky for the reporters! As I jumped from session to session simultaneously, the session on ‘Women and Diversity in STEM’ compelled me to sit down and listen. The speakers of the session Katie Grootegoed, Lead STEM Fellow, Director of Technology Enhanced Learning, Breakthrough Schools, Kara Iaconic, Global Head of Learning, BBC Studios and Megan Roberts, Executive Director, Math for America - pointed out to a common conclusion which is to see STEM as a level playing field for women and not just for men. To make schools STEM oriented for women, it is imperative that we look at the roots of our education system, both nationally

and globally. Kara Iaconic said something really interesting, “If we believe truthfully that women are as good at STEM as men, we can bring change. I need you to understand how systems work and fail, the marketing avenues, SEOs, how are microsites built etc. When we show strength and confidence in women while providing them the necessary education and skill set, they will find the best of the best solutions to the problem.” Another session that had my utmost attention was ‘The Poverty Related Attainment Gap: Can Poor Kids Ever Do as Well as Rich Kids?’ with Ed Hidalgo, Chief Innovation & Engagement Officer, Cajon Valley Union School District and Russell Hobbey, CEO, Teach First as speakers. The simple takeaway from the session was that disadvantaged children can do as well as rich kids because there are millions of schools being run under a tree but the children are “super motivated and excited to learn.” There have been large investments

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made towards beautifying the school campuses but often, educators are unsupported and quality of instruction is compromised. However, to make sure that the disadvantaged group of children become successful, it is imperative that the education community supports a safe environment, happy individuals and healthy relationships between the educator and the students. Further, Ed Hidalgo said, “There’s a huge disconnect between business and education, it is our responsibility to build those connections. We have a super curriculum on top of the mainstream curriculum wherein students attend conferences, deliver presentations and understand workplace values. As educators, we fail to have a healthy relationship and dialogue with our students; someone needs to talk to them about their talents and skills. It is highly important that we help them understand their selves.” When asked about his views on self-directed learning, Russell said, “Yes, we need to direct children’s attention to what will be useful for them in the later years. We need to understand and make them realise what’s ahead of them and what will be useful. Thus, strong agency and self direction will help to build a strong foundation of

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knowledge and cultural awareness. We can’t use self-directed learning as an excuse to run away from focusing on the balance in education.” Concluding the session, Ed pointed out the necessity to focus on early years education to close the attainment gap. After a series of sessions, it was the moment everyone was waiting for; Katy Fryatt’s keynote speech. The adorable Katy and her two daughters stole the show as they welcomed the delegates and thanked the speakers, “We’re all here because we passionately believe about changing education and I’m grateful to everyone present here. Secondly, we’ve tried to create an agenda that gives you meaningful interactions. We’ve brought together educators and government leaders with thoughtfully selected technology partners. We built Learnit to make all of your interactions as meaningful as possible. When these keynotes finish, you’ll eat lasagna at roundtable with people you may never have met and never have spoken to; I urge you to talk to them and share experiences, food and jokes. I believe wonderful things can happen when connections like these are established. Finally, we built Learnit to unite the global learning

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ecosystem in a room. We have delegations from 69 countries including specific groups from Columbia, Brazil, Afghanistan and India, who are here to drive change. I firmly believe that we all need a seat at the table. Finally, much like a child, Learnit is young, fresh and optimistic, even naive. We may be imperfect but we do want to learn.” We couldn’t help but be in awe of Katy’s beautiful daughters who thanked the attendees. The conference hall roared with applause in support of the wonderful and strong woman - Katy Fryatt. A rainy morning called for a cup of hot chocolate. Walking towards the venue and looking at the Westminster Abbey, it seemed like a good start to Day 2 of Learnit. The Indian delegation reached the venue on time after an early morning walk around the city. Honest confession: I couldn’t motivate myself to get up early. Yes, the youngest one in the delegation couldn’t wake up early. It seemed like I was back to school as we walked towards our “classes”. It was a special day as there were two speakers from the Indian delegation; the first session ‘Investing in Early Childhood Education’ had the

esteemed Dr. Swati Popat Vats, President, Podar Education Network & Early Childhood Education along with Milla Kokko, CEO & Co-Founder, Hei Schools and Jen Lexmond, CEO, Easy Peasy, as speakers. It was warm and motivating to see the support and presence of the entire delegation in the room brought together by FICCI Arise. The enlightening session focused on teacher training while stressing on the need to focus on the environment in terms of architecture, interior design, and the learning environment, which should be based on the current reality. Personally, I admired how the speakers spoke of building an international community to share ideas. The panel urged educators to help in improving the quality and the quantity of interactions between parents and kids at the very beginning; even the home environment needs to be kept under check. Further, the speakers pointed out with utmost honesty the lack of education about Early Childhood Education on the part of parents and policymakers. When asked the reason for the lack of investment in the field, Dr Swati Popat Vats responded, “Now, people are coming to

understand the economics of careers that investing in early years actually brings you returns, which are not only in money.” While I was busy clicking photographs, my attention was caught by a session on the ‘Global Learning Landscape’ where the speakers praised the “incredible progress in edtech in India.” Dear Indians, we are being praised internationally for improving the education atmospherics. This realisation coming on Republic Day, was heartening! Another session where the Indian delegation was seen marching to was ‘Raising India’s Next Generation of Entrepreneurs’, a session by Arunabh Singh, Chairman, Western UP, FICCI Arise and Director, Nehru World School, Ghaziabad as well as the man responsible for bringing together the wonderful delegation of dedicated professionals. Singh narrated the success of his project Startup Superstars. “We (India) have a population of 1.3 billion growing on to become 1.5 billion. Larger populations bring many challenges. We have also been called the world's youngest country, because more than 50% of our population is

below 25 years of age. We’ll need 12 billion jobs for our future generations which is more than Greece’s population. It will call for a tremendous level of competition. So, we came up with a simple solution - each student will have their own business idea for a start-up. There will be a networking event for which one full year will be spent in planning by everyone in the school. So you come up with an idea, you then convince your classroom, you set up business, do your reports and eventually file your balance sheet. Concurrently, that’s also dynamic teaching that suppresses tradition. While the school funds the business, the parent is also onboard from day one. At the end of the project, only the principal amount is returned to the school, the rest is kept by the student. If they lose the money, they don’t have to give the money back. We work like venture capitalist funds who don’t expect anything in return. We try to get the students to succeed but here failure was an acceptable outcome as well. Because even if kids fail, learning is a process.” Further, he explained to the audience the challenges that come with the project. Closing his presentation, Singh thanked the Indian delegation

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Shobha Mishra Ghosh Assistant Secretary General, FICCI

Naga Prasad Tummala, Chairman, FICCI Arise

Roshan Gandhi Director of Strategy, City Montessori School

comprising of educators, policy makers and entrepreneurs, and said “We can and we will make a difference together.”

technologies that are staying. You get a clear-cut idea of tested products in comparison to vendors’ constant proposal to buy certain products.”

After a refreshing session, I thought it was a must to interact with officials from FICCI Arise, India. Facing the majestic Westminster Abbey, Shobha Mishra Ghosh, Assistant Secretary General, FICCI and I sat over a cup of English tea. She was filled with joy and zeal, pointing out, “Initially, we thought we wouldn't have many people in our delegation. But the offer which Learnit and Google made generated a lot of excitement. It was, particularly, interesting for me because 15 to 20 policymakers were onboard. We learned it was technology in education that attracted them. The government seemed keen at bringing back home the thrust of Digital India. A lot of interest was generated when we spoke to Katy about the spread of education technology across the globe. We should learn from Learnit and recreate something similar with many boards that we have including state boards. And I'm very happy to say that with the CBSE leadership over here, we are finally talking about doing something together in terms of getting the technology companies from within the country. FICCI wanted to bring together the domains of technology and education leading to an enhanced educational experience.”

The delegation brought together by FICCI is commendable for another reason: they invited an interesting group of leaders from all age groups and backgrounds. I got the opportunity to meet one of the youngest leaders in the field, Roshan Gandhi.

The insightful chats were followed by some wonderful sessions. Day 2 of Learnit was dominated by sessions on Early Childhood Education and edtech in schools across the world and we thoroughly enjoyed attending each. However, you could tell many of us seemed tired after the long walks post the conference followed by early mornings.

Naga Prasad Tummala, Chairman, FICCI Arise, also told us about his experience at Learnit, “It has been good to witness the technological innovations in education. Learnit has a compact and ready design programme. Platforms such as Learnit and BETT help us to understand what are those

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Gandhi’s journey from London to Lucknow is an inspiration for the youth to give back to society. “I was born and raised in the UK. Post my undergrad from Oxford, I decided to move to Lucknow after consultation with my family. It was a sudden decision but my extended family is in the education sector, running the City Montessori Group of Schools. I really felt that the opportunity to contribute to Indian education and to make an impact in improving and changing Indian education as well was such a great thing to do that I wanted to go and serve in India instead,” the 24 year old said. Gandhi was particularly interested in attending sessions on edtech at the Learnit Conference, “It’s interesting to see how technology is evolving the role of a teacher as well as driving the learning process. I’d like to extend my gratitude to FICCI for providing this huge learning experience. There has been a lot I’m taking back and look forward to implementing it back in India and to make an impact.” Summarising his thoughts, the young leader pointed out the need to maintain a balance between social and emotional well-being in teaching to encourage the development of well-rounded and happy individuals.

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Not to forget, Day 2 of Learnit was closed by an interesting turn. The Indian delegation visited the Google office in London and learned how simple basic tools and products by Google can be used in schools to improve the quality of education and make it efficient. My favourite part was meeting Raymond, the doggie at the Google office. With some drinks, snacks and a pink sky, we said goodbye to a delightful day. On our way back to the hotel, I could hear the delegation making plans to do some shopping, have an English breakfast and be touristy for one final day.

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Children see magic because they look for it. - Christopher Moore, writer

Image Courtesy : https://www.rd.com

Early childhood development

MILESTONES AND HOW TO ACHIEVE THEM 170

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PARVATHY JAYAKRISHNAN writeback@scoonews.com

hildren are beautiful just as they are and all we need to do is guide them to do develop and grow into individuals who can think clearly on their own. One thing we need to understand as parents and educators is that every child is unique and different from one another. Developmental milestones are indicators that tell you the abilities that an average child can achieve at a certain age. These milestones can involve physical, social, emotional, cognitive, and communication skills such as walking, sharing with others, expressing emotions, recognising familiar sounds, and talking. The milestones can help identify potential delays in development and the parent can get help from a doctor, if needed. Delays can be identified by a parent, teacher or a caretaker who is closely involved in bringing up the child. PHYSICAL MILESTONES The first five years of a child’s life is most crucial in their overall development and it is important that he/she is observed very closely to understand their development and to see if they are achieving milestones. Children may be observed by their parent, caretaker or their preschool teacher and any gaps in development need to be discussed and tended to. Early intervention in any case can lead to much better results.

FROM 1 TO 2 YEARS Children start becoming independent at this age and tasks requiring balance and hand-eye coordination begin to emerge. During this stage of development, most children are able to: Pick things up while standing up Walk backwards Walk up and down the stairs without assistance Move and sway to music Colour or paint by moving the entire arm Scribble with markers or crayons Turn knobs and handles FROM 2 TO 3 YEARS Building on earlier skills, children become increasingly adept at activities

that require coordination and speed. From two to three years of age, most children begin to: Run in a forward direction Jump in one place Kick a ball Stand on one foot Turn pages of a book Draw a circle Hold a crayon between the thumb and fingers FROM 3 TO 4 YEARS Children develop better movement and balance skills. From age three to four, most kids begin to: Ride a tricycle Go down a slide without help Throw and catch a ball Pull and steer toys Walk in a straight line Build a tall towers with toy blocks Manipulate clay into shapes FROM 4-5 YEARS During this period of development, children become increasingly confident in their abilities. Most children begin to: Jump on one foot Walk backwards Do somersaults Cut paper with safety scissors Print some letters Copy shapes including squares and crosses It is important that a child is given a safe environment to explore, be it at home or in school. Parents and teachers can encourage a child by introducing them to new objects and letting them explore and grab and hold them. To aid proper physical development, nutritious and age-appropriate food is a must. Shelter, warmth, clean air and environment, health care and proper activity and rest are also mandatory for proper physical development. COGNITIVE MILESTONES Cognitive milestones are centered around the child’s ability to think, learn and react. Cognitive milestones are equally important and need to be observed for every child as they grow. FROM 1 TO 2 YEARS When a child turns one, his/her cogni-

tive skills grow exponentially. They are old enough to observe adults and even emulate their actions. So it is important for parents and caretakers to set good examples to the child. Most one-year-olds begin to: Understand and respond to words Identify objects that are similar Tell the difference between "Me" and "You" Imitate the actions and language of adults Point out familiar objects and people in a picture book Learn through exploration FROM 2-3 YEARS Two-year-olds learn a lot from their experiences since they are old enough to explore on their own. With a little assistance and guidance, they can do wonders. Most two-year-olds are able to: Sort objects by category (i.e., animals, flowers, trees, etc.) Stack rings on a peg from largest to smallest Imitate more complex adult actions (playing house, pretending to do laundry, etc.) Identify their own reflection in the mirror by name Respond to simple directions from parents and caregivers Name objects in a picture book Match objects with their uses FROM 3-4 YEARS Children become increasingly capable of analysing the world around them in more complex ways. Since children are becoming much more active in the learning process, they also begin to pose questions about the world around them. At this age, the little explorers are able to ask “why” questions which is a sign of deep curiosity and that should be encouraged. At the age of three, most kids are able to: Demonstrate awareness of the past and present Actively seek answers to questions Learn by observing and listening to instructions Organise objects by size and shape Understand how to group and match object according to colour Have a longer attention span of

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FEATURE around 5 to 15 minutes Asks "why" questions to gain information

Tell where they live Draw pictures that they often name and describe

FROM 4-5 YEARS As they near school age, children become better at using words, imitating adult actions, counting and other basic activities that are important for school preparedness. Most four-year-olds are able to: Rhyme Name and identify many colours Draw the shape of a person Count to five

Cognitive development can be boosted by being patient and answering your child’s queries. Although there maybe too many questions which your toddler may ask, it is important that the teacher or parent communicates and responds to them. It will make them sharper and more aware of what is happening around them. It is also important to give your child a chance to make a choice. For example, you can ask a child, “Would you like to colour the picture with blue or green?” - a

question that will force the child to think and make a decision. Singing along with your child and encouraging him/her to sing also boosts cognitive development. Practicing shapes, colours and counting are also great activities to involve your toddler in. Schools can take children to the post-office or the vegetable vendor to introduce new concepts to their preschoolers. Playing with everyday items like helping your toddler look at his own reflection on a steel plate or making music by banging hands on a table can be great exercises to boost cognitive ability. SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL MILESTONES This is yet another very important set of milestones. Social and emotional milestones deal with the child’s emotions, how they express themselves and how they interact and play with other children. FROM 1 TO 2 YEARS During this age, kids often spend more time interacting with a lot of people. They also start to gain a greater sense of self-awareness. At this stage, most can: Recognise their own image in the mirror Initiate play activities Play independently, often imitating adult actions Act pleased when they accomplish something Start trying to help, often by putting toys away Express negative emotions including anger and frustration Become more self-assertive and may try to direct the actions of others

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FROM 2 TO 3 YEARS During the toddler years, kids become more and more creative and confident. At two years old, most kids begin to: Become aware that they are a boy or girl Begin to dress and undress themselves Demonstrate personal preferences about toys, food, and activities Start saying "No" to adults Enjoy watching and playing with other children Become defensive about their own possessions Use objects symbolically during play Often have rapid changes in mood

FROM 3 TO 4 YEARS Because three-year-olds are becoming increasingly able to perform physical actions, their sense of confidence and independence becomes more pronounced at this age. During the third year, most children begin to: Follow directions Perform some tasks with little or no assistance Share toys with other kids Make up games and ask other children to join in Begin engaging in pretend play FROM 4 TO 5 YEARS During the fourth year, children gain a greater awareness of their own individuality. As their physical skills increase, they are more capable of exploring their own abilities which can help lead to great confidence and personal pride. At this age, most kids begin to: Understand basic differences between good and bad behaviour Develop friendships with other kids Compare themselves to other children and adults Become more aware of other people’s feelings Enjoy dramatic, imaginative play with other children Enjoy competitive games It is important that the parent or the teacher gives consistent rules to the child so that they get to know that the world is orderly and they also need to be aware of what happens when rules are broken. Children need to be given an opportunity to play with others and explore their own emotions. If you see a child giving an unsuitable emotional response to some event, he/she needs to be told that the reaction is unacceptable and an alternative response needs to be given so that they learn. It is important to be caring and nurturing. Loving touches and encouraging words make your child feel that he/she is special. When they feel loved, they will learn to love others the same way. A child also needs to be helped in resolving conflicts in a healthy and appropriate way. COMMUNICATION MILESTONES Communication milestones involve verbal and nonverbal communication. Children go from making babbling sounds to saying their first word to speaking small sentences in a very

short period of time. It is very important that the parent and teacher speaks to the child to encourage their speech. It is amazing how children can understand a great deal of language spoken to them even before they utter their first word. FROM 1 TO 2 YEARS During the first year, the use of language begins to grow considerably. Developmental researchers often refer to this period as the two-word stage because most kids begin to use simple, two-word sentences. Starting around the age of 18 months, children begin to learn estimated 9 to 10 new words each day. At one year of age, most children start to: Understand basic commands such as "Eat your cereal" Use "mine" to indicate possession of objects Have a vocabulary that includes several words that are spoken clearly Often use other words that are less clearly spoken and only family members can understand Start to string together simple words in order to describe things or events FROM 2 TO 3 YEARS During the second year, children begin to use language in more complex ways. By the age of 24 months, approximately half of all a child's utterances are at least two words long. During this period of development, children also: Have specific words to describe most things Are understood by family members Begin using adverbs and adjectives Use two to three-word sentences Can describe what happened during the day FROM 3 TO 4 YEARS At age three, children begin to develop more advanced language and communication skills. Most people outside the family are able to understand what the child is saying at this point and the child can carry on conversations using two to three sentences at a time. Other abilities that begin to emerge include: Can understand and use sentences Begins using the past tense and plurals Able to follow a series of two to four directions Can understand and use sentences that utilise time ("I'm going to the zoo tomorrow.")

Learn and sing songs FROM 4 TO 5 YEARS Between the ages of four and five, children become increasingly skilled at conversing. Not only are they able to talk about cause-and-effect, they are also able to use and understand different comparative language such as fast, faster, and fastest. Some other communication milestones that are achieved during this time period include: Able to follow a string of up to three unrelated instructions Enjoys listening to longer stories and can remember them with some accuracy Uses sentences that average around four to five words Can combine various thoughts into a single sentence Asks questions about how, when, and why things happen Can talk about imaginary or future things ("I wish that…" or "I hope that…") To enable communication milestones, it is important to speak to your child and listen as well. Children are far more likely to share their ideas and feelings if they know they won’t be judged, teased, or criticised. You can empathise with a child’s experience, yet disagree with his behaviour. Encourage pretend play. The above milestones are defined to catch any difficulties your child/student may be facing and to facilitate an early intervention to correct them. However, each child develops at his/her own pace and it is important to not jump to conclusions and give a chance to the child to achieve a certain milestone. Some developmental milestones build on one another. Achieving a milestone earlier doesn't mean that the child is gifted and achieving it late does not mean that your child is delayed. It is just an individual difference that simply asserts the fact that each child is unique and each child needs to be given individual attention. Preschool teachers spend a lot of time with their students and are capable of finding differences in abilities at a much faster rate. If a child is failing to achieve milestones at an expected rate, it is important to take him/her to a healthcare specialist and get him/her evaluated. There are multiple programmes that can help a child achieve milestones and an early intervention always leads to successful outcomes.

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CREATING THE HAPPIEST LEARNING SPACES roviding children with the bestin-class facilities to explore and grow, Kara4kids is setting a new benchmark for preschools in India

ing within an organic and nurturing environment; from the world around them. Ensuring that children are not restricted by a space constraint, Kara4kids aims to extend learning beyond classrooms keeping in mind with what Zigler says – “Children bring more than their brains to school.”

Choosing a good preschool for your toddler is the first most important decision parents make for their children. It is their first time away from the comfort of their home and they should be made to feel safe and secure. Kara4kids provides exactly that and much more. Following the highly acclaimed early years’ teaching methodologies, they have developed an integrated curriculum which follows an eclectic approach towards learning as they believe that children learn with deep understanding by watching, interacting and work-

With over 12 years of experience in dealing with children and helping them grow, Kara4kids goes by the philosophy, “The stronger the start, the greater the finish”. They aim to lovingly nurture children in a safe and homely environment by stimulating their social, emotional, cognitive, and physical growth through innovative methodologies, learning advancements, and expertise. Keeping the child as the epicentre of their world, they ardently believe that the fledgling years of a child are of paramount importance;

PARVATHY JAYAKRISHNAN writeback@scoonews.com

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since the emotional and mental enrichment they receive during this age are instrumental in shaping their future well-being. Kara4kids has a customised formative years programme. They follow international standards for their day-

(SEN), and/or other specific learning difficulties (SLD). They believe that children with special needs can learn in a natural, holistic and an inclusive environment and need not be isolated. The first Kara4kids school was founded in Bangalore in 2006 by Khushroo Rustumji , an alumnus of IIT, hailing from London. He used his experience to bring a safe and exploratory learning environment for the formative years of a child. Today, Kara4kids comes under the management of Mrs Prachi Mehrotra, Director NestaVera Education Management Pvt. Ltd. who visions to create kara4kids as the happiest learning space for child-centric education. Currently there are 4 centres of kara4kids in Bangalore giving kids the chance to explore, be creative and learn with a smile on their faces. The play areas at Kara4kids centres are cosy indoor and outdoor spaces designed to give each child a developmentally appropriate playing experience. It houses state of the art facilities like a 4,500 square feet play area, rock climbing, jungle gym consisting of a large ball pool, trampoline, monkey bars, a slide and a specially designed wind tunnel, an outdoor tree house, indoor track to ride tricycles, bikes and cars, an international sand pit, a pretend play area with all the latest equipment (kitchen, house etc.), bouncy castle and a library for children of varying age groups. Their dedication to the field of education has earned them the following awards -

care facilities where the Infant and Toddler Care Ratio is at 1:1 and 1:2 respectively so that each and every child is attended to with utmost care. They provide an exploratory environment that enhances learning by play. Kara4kids tries to maintain a family-

like environment for children which truly ensures that it is their home away from home. Kara also has a qualified team of Special Educators and Therapists with a proven track record in supporting children and their families with a range of special educational needs

Listed as one of the Best PreSchools in Karnataka by Brainfeed Magazine (2019), Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Most preferred Pre-Schools Survey Awards by Education World-C fore (2010) and Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most admired Pre-Schools Survey Awards by Education World (2011).

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“A

EARLY CHILDHOOD CARE AND EDUCATION:

WHAT MAKES IT ESSENTIAL?

child’s most important steps happen before they set foot in a primary school. By their fifth birthday, children’s brains are 90% developed and the foundations for success at school and in later life are in place,” says a joint UNICEF-OECDUNESCO blog. UNESCO defines early childhood as “the period from birth to eight years of age”. Alongside remarkable physical growth and “brain development at its peak,” the environment and people in a child’s surroundings influence her or him highly at this stage. Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE), thus, aims at the holistic development of a child. It includes all forms of education, both formal and informal, that builds a strong foundation for the child’s lifelong learning and wellbeing. On the surface, informal education refers to the primary source of input i.e. a child’s relationship and its nature and quality with his or her parents and/or primary caregiver. When peo-

ANUSHKA YADAV examines the sole purpose of ECCE, which is to help children live their best lives

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ple say parents are the first teachers of a child, it’s the truth and not just hearsay. The relationship between the two is critical and sensitive, especially between the ages 0 to 2. On the basis of the quality of the parent-child relationship, a child forms a sense of self, and attachment with the parent. The second part of the equation of ECCE is the formal education. It differs from state to state, and programme to programme. Educational programmes are often designed according to age groups and are administered in several settings such as daycare, childcare, kindergarten, nursery school, or preschool. Some people consider ECCE as a mere preparation before entering the primary school; however, it is much more than that.

with play. Play meets the physical, intellectual, language, emotional and social needs of children. You would ask how does that happen? According to research, it has been found that the curiosity and imagination of children are evoked naturally when they are unfettered. Tassoni suggests that "some play opportunities will develop specific individual areas of development, but many will develop several areas."

children to step out of their comfort zones leading to overcoming shyness for healthy social development. It is better for preschoolers to learn the art of sharing at an early age to avoid hostile behaviour. Children also learn to cooperate, respect the opinions of others, be better listeners and learn the art of communication while promoting teamwork. The active, hands-on experiences enable a child to inculcate life skills in his day-to-day life.

WHAT ARE THE KEY REQUIREMENTS FOR CREATING A PLAY-BASED LEARNING ATMOSPHERE? A Safe Space for Children to Interact and Play in Correct Supervision. A Culturally Aware and Trained Educator, who has certification in the Early Years Foundation

CLOSING EDUCATION ACHIEVEMENT GAP: Providing appropriate education in the formative years helps in pre-emptively closing the education achievement gap between students coming from high and low-income families. Children of low socioeconomic status (SES) already lag behind their higher SES peers as they begin school later; high SES children have three times the number of words in their vocabularies as opposed to low SES children. However, it has been proven that participation in Early Childhood Education drastically improves performance on standardised test while dropping the rate of grade repetition. Thus, the quality of ECCE programs co-relate with improvement in lowincome preschoolers’ IQs and test scores while decreasing grade retention.

However, before setting up this environment, it is imperative that we understand the purpose of Early Childhood Care and Education.

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ECE experts owe their gratitude to the renowned psychologist, Jean Piaget for his research and theory on learning through play; Early Childhood Education posits that learning is highly effective when combined

LEARNING & HOLISTIC DEVELOPMENT: Foremost, it aims at instilling enthusiasm in the child towards learning; with the powerful tool of learning with play, ECE experts believe that different play and structured activities lay a strong foundation for learning and developing the imaginative power of an individual. It is at this stage that children’s thirst to acquire knowledge until satisfactory answers are obtained develops. Preschoolers realise the importance of education in their lives. Several studies have reported that children who attend an ECCE program tend to have their IQ scores increased by the age of five from 4-11 points; on the other hand, a Milwaukee study reported a 25-point gain in IQ scores. As mentioned above, one of the central purposes of Early Childhood Education is to promote holistic development. Preschools can be a place where a child’s weaknesses are recognised and worked upon while they are given the freedom to express and improve on their strengths. Further, it also leads to stimulating the brain of the child which is another purpose of ECCE. Improve Social Skills: ECCE aims at developing friendship among the preschoolers belonging to the common age group through play. One of the most important aspects of such schools is to provide the children with a safe environment that builds strong relationships while they interact with each other; it also encourages

SCREENING & IMPROVING HEALTH AND WELLNESS: Listed as one of the most important purposes, ECCE provides the opportunity to participate in an early childhood screening. How is this screening helpful? Screening is done for three to five-year-olds and it tests things such as physical and emotional health, cognitive development, speech, hearing, coordination, vision, as well as social skills. Screenings are beneficial in identifying any development of healthrelated issues that require attention. It, further, helps in preventing delays in learning and/or healthy development. From giving appropriate nonverbal and verbal cues to providing a nutritious diet, everything affects a child. Visual stimulus and response time as early as 3 months can be an indicator of verbal and performance IQ at age 4 years. Thus, a good diet activates memory while junk and processed foods can cause attention, focus and behavioral issues. ECCE programs encourage the nourishment of the brain through cross lateral movements and exercise. “A child’s physical development level impacts their ability to complete sim-

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UNESCO defines early childhood as “the period from birth to eight years of age”. Alongside remarkable physical growth and “brain development at its peak,” the environment and people in a child’s surroundings influence her or him highly at this stage.

Image Courtesy : http://2.bp.blogspot.com

ple tasks such as sitting still, holding a pencil, putting on their shoes, and especially reading – all skills essential for school,” remarked early years’ specialist Dr Rebecca Duncombe, who led a study monitoring children of school age in UK, which found a higher number of kids experience problems with their balance and coordination ultimately affecting their ability to learn in class. Support Parents, Family, and Community: In an interview, Dr Swati Popat Vats, President, Early Childhood Association of India, said, “There are some unknown ways by which a parent might affect their child; for example, if you take the child to a movie theatre, and the first thing you do is give them popcorn, then ice-cream, etc. Now, one tub of popcorn has enough salt for a week’s consumption, and you have just overloaded the child with sugar. Most parents say that the child is hyperactive and cranky after going to malls and theatres, and that is obviously going to happen because of all the sugar and salt that was pumped into the child. These are the things parents are not aware of. Another thing is

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sleep. Many parents do not know that children require nine hours of sleep and if they don’t get those nine hours, their brain’s ability to remember and the immune system become weak. It is important that parents get educated about these simple things so they can stop unknowingly harming their child.” Thus, ECCE becomes a support for parents and families, and aims at building stronger, healthier and happier communities. Ultimately, the purpose of ECCE is to nurture caring, responsible and capable future citizens. Early Childhood Association, India says… Our Goal Is advocacy for stress free childhood years, after all this is the right of every chil. We want to touch the lives of all those who affect the lives and learning of children – be it teachers, parents, policy makers, entrepreneurs media. UNESCO’s approach is reinforced in the Education 2030 agenda and in particular in target 4.2 of Sustainable Development Goal 4 which aims at

February 2019

ensuring that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education, by 2030, so that they are ready for primary education. "We must place quality pre-primary education at the heart of education plans and policies across countries," concludes the joint UNICEF-OECDUNESCO blog. In this way, Early Childhood Care and Education is one of the most valuable investments a nation can make to promote human resource development, reduce gender inequality and social cohesion, while reducing the costs for later remedial programmes. For disadvantaged children, such programmes play an important role in compensating for their hardships as well as in combating educational inequalities. Thus, ECCE is education that is fundamental to an individual’s development; it has the ability to significantly affect the later years of an individual’s life as well as the nation. The sole purpose of ECCE is to help children live their best lives.

And you thought being a PRESCHOOL TEACHER

ANSHU PANDE lists the challenges, qualities and yes, the enormous rewards of teaching tots

WAS EASY PEASY

hildren begin learning from the time they take birth. The realisation as to who are their parents, how to react when hungry, and even every emotional response is structured by observing the surroundings. At the age of 3, parents usually enroll children into a preschool, which aims at Early Childhood Education. Preschool builds the foun-

dation of learning in children. It offers children the chance to socialise with other children, learn more about themselves, learn how to problem solve, build confidence and much more. Childhood education continues to be of high importance to parents, policymakers, and the public. This was seen in 2013, when President Obama asked Congress to expand access to high-

quality preschool to every child in the country through his State of the Union speech. Preschool lays the foundation for kids to understand what â&#x20AC;&#x153;schoolâ&#x20AC;? actually is. Teachers use a variety of methods to help children grow cognitively, as well as conceptually. A positive relationship with preschool teachers can

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FEATURE The preschool teacher faces several challenges in the course of following the curriculum and teaching in a playschool. The top three are: 1. Retaining the attention of kids – Each young mind has a different sort of behaviour and interests. It is not possible that each and every child in a preschool classroom will be the same and pay an equivalent attention to everything that is told by the teacher. Some kids may find the classroom discussions engaging or some may not find it very interesting to invest attention in. So, binding every child in a classroom in a thread becomes difficult for a teacher. Toddlers being fussy and moody might not be very engaged towards the teacher. It becomes a dare for a playschool teacher to grab and retain the attention of children for long. In a large-sized class, many students will definitely be distracted and even distract others. Keeping a child stick to what is being told in the class or the activities going on needs diverted attention at a single point in time. And this becomes one of the biggest challenges for a playschool teacher.

make an exponential difference in a child’s success as they continue through elementary school. In addition to helping foster growth intellectually, it is just as important to help children grow in their physical abilities. In terms of human development, the importance of Early Childhood Education cannot be overstated. Education gained in this duration, is about honing and molding the holistic child, which will eventually form the basis of their lifelong journey. A child’s early years are the foundation for its future development, providing a strong base for lifelong learning and learning abilities, including cognitive and social development. Well-established research continues to emphasise the importance of Early Childhood Education as an essential building block of a child’s future success. The most important role is played by the teacher. It might look very easy to become a play school teacher and deal with kids. But do you really think it is? Mostly evaluated amongst the list of pretty simple jobs, being a playschool teacher seems to be an easy goal for many. But looking deep into

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the reality, it is not something everyone can do. Becoming a playschool teacher is not just about following the routines and taking care of kids. When you get inside a room full of different types of kids, a playschool teacher is given a super teacher dimension altogether. The world inside a classroom is different from what a kid and the teacher might experience outside with any other person. When a child gets enrolled in a playschool, the child is expected to enter a world full of strangers by leaving the protective environment at home. Here, the young bud is shown a very different perspective and made to learn the basic mannerisms. All that has to be served to a budding mind comes from a preschool teacher. It takes a core hardship and perfected dealing mechanism for a teacher to deal with a toddler, make him understand things better, groom him in the right direction, and perfect the behaviour for futuristic academic goals. Along with all the responsibilities, there are other weighty aspects that a playschool teacher is expected to take proper care of, to completely justify the role taken up by them.

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2. Physical misbehaviour – Young children are not familiar with a concrete language and are undergoing the development stage of speaking skills. Toddlers, being a bit fussy or notorious, differ in their behaviour and understanding level in this age. Not so wide understanding level and ability to express things often leads to conflicts between the children which may result in physical misconduct with each other. As a preschool teacher, it becomes very important yet difficult to make children understand good and undesirable behavior. There might be the incidents of hitting faced by a teacher in the class. So, guiding the children in the right direction for the same is important. A wrongly handled hitting case might lead a child to become very stubborn or naughty and repeat the activity again. Thus, it is a challenging situation for a teacher to handle this kind of physical misconduct in the playschool premises. Also, a teacher has to be very sure that other children in the class might not get affected by this or follow the same path. Managing all the things at a single point becomes very confusing and at times frustrates the preschool teacher too. 3. Effective execution of the pre-

school curriculum – Implementing the playschool curriculum in a class with a lot of distractions and disruptions due to various factors becomes a very difficult task for a playschool teacher. A lot of issues entailing the implementation of curriculum in the different aspects are faced by the preschool teachers. Some of them are listed below. Availability of materialistic facilities: Not all schools are highly equipped for teachers, to provide the go through of the curriculum in a very modern and technical manner. The availability of materialistic facilities becomes very important as the curriculum followed nowadays is technical-centered and emphasis is on the use of technology to groom the children rather than bookish content for the young mind. The unavailability of the resources prevents the teacher from following the curriculum in a creative and more profound manner, as suggested by the makers. Planning takes a chunk of time: If a preschool teacher follows the designed curriculum, it may take a huge chunk of time to understand it, make various arrangement for activities quoted, prepare the documentation of the observations of a toddler’s learning based on the same and reflect on the activities that are really helping the child. All the formulation done before and after the curriculum takes a lot of time and it becomes difficult for teachers to simultaneously manage everything around from classroom to fussiness of each kid and paperwork. Also, this hectic schedule disables the teacher to implement what and how she has planned the activities to be done as per the interest of the kids. Assessment reports are lengthy: Along with the things mentioned in the curriculum, a teacher has to report the progress details and assessments of each and every child. The curriculum already demands most of the time of the preschool teacher, plus the formulation of these reports on qualitative and subjective aspects acts like a cherry on the cake for a teacher. Whether a preschool teacher likes it or not, she has to complete the same. This assessment process makes it challenging for teachers to work and is very time-consuming. Even in the case of difficulties, the preschool teachers manage to work so efficiently to direct the future of toddlers in a right manner. Without any mistake or distractions, the playschool teachers are devoted towards their duty and handle the most important

and crucial age of every human being. It is no secret that working with children can be incredibly fun and that is why teaching is considered to be an exceptionally rewarding career. The enthusiasm that children bring with them is infectious, making the job a lot more pleasant. There is a sense of pride knowing you have nurtured the development of a child in the most important learning years of their life. Other than a formal education in the field, a good preschool teacher requires certain traits which will help excel at their job: Patience: Children can sometimes be loud, stubborn, emotional and irrational; where the patience of the teacher comes into play. A teacher should have the ability to understand the child's mood swings and patiently engage him/her into learning. One might even have to teach children in different ways for them to understand a concept. Interestingly, patience also comes handy for teachers to deal with the incessant queries and concerns parents have about their child. Creativity: Children can be easily distracted; hence the teacher needs to be very creative. The teacher should have the ability to come up with new and innovative techniques to teach children so as to grab their attention and keep them engaged at all times. Children have different skills of learning - some are attentive while some understand better through visuals or through activities. So as a guru, one needs to employ a variety of techniques to ensure seamless flow of learning. Classroom Management: Managing a classroom can be very challenging. A teacher should be able to control children, but at the same time not scare them. It is important for a teacher to strike a balance between being firm but at the same time have a warm personality. Creating a welcoming, engaging environment in which the children can learn while playing is essential. Communication Skills: The teacher should have good communication skills. It is very important to communicate difficult concepts to children in a way they understand. Teachers can incorporate lessons through songs, rhymes, role play, etc. Communication skills can also help a teacher record and communicate the growth of the children to their parents as well as other teachers. More importantly, a preschool teacher should be an active listener and should be able to gauge the

body language of children to understand their thoughts and emotional condition. This is paramount. Flexibility: You can have everything planned out for each lesson, but great preschool teachers know that unexpected turns can happen at any time. When you remain flexible to deal with change, you can handle almost anything. This could include something as simple as having an alternative plan for rainy days or more drastic like adjusting your entire curriculum to accommodate for a reduced budget. Even the very nature of teaching young children requires constant fine tuning and dealing with minor issues. By staying flexible, you can tackle every kind of educational challenge with poise and grace. Dedication: Great preschool teachers are dedicated to their students and their career. When you are determined to stand up for your beliefs on behalf of your educational values or your students’ needs, you will gain respect from your colleagues, parents and students. Moreover, excellent educators are dedicated to the love of learning and inspire their students to learn more. At the preschool level, making the classroom a place where learning is fun can resonate with children for the rest of their lives. Most of all, truly successful teachers are dedicated to bringing out the best in their students. Qualifications: The educational qualifications vary from state to state. A background in education is essential, and a good candidate for a preschool teaching position will have taken higher education classes in the fields of psychology, child development, education, classroom management, and curriculum. Many university courses also require aspiring teachers to gain some hands-on experience volunteering in a classroom, day care centre or other similar environment. There are ample opportunities for preschool teachers who have undergone training in pre-primary education or have a diploma in early childhood care. To serve the growing demand for trained preschool teachers there are many courses certified by the government and private institutions, with respect to the same, the fees for which range from Rs.40,000- Rs.65,000. Remuneration can vary from 1,50,0003,00,000. In the end, I would like to leave you with a beautiful quote by Vicki Zakrzewski - “Helping students find a path to purpose is one of the noblest aspects of teaching.”

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OPEN LETTER

DEAR GOVERNMENT, IT’S ABOUT TIME…

Dr Swati Popat Vats writeback@scoonews.com

e say, “Children are the future” – and that’s true – but there’s a fundamental problem with that idea. It suggests that... they are just kids now, but later, when they become the future, we can start taking care of them... with colleges and universities, a better economy, a better job climate. But that’s wrong. A recent New York Times editorial poses the question, ‘Do we invest in prisons or pre-schools?’ The answer is obvious. The most critical time that you have with children is – ‘right now’.

BETWEEN 0 AND 5 It’s the first five years. Children go through a period of rapid learning in the first five years. The most embedded parts of our personality – our attitudes and moral values, our emotional tendencies, our learning abilities, how we deal with people, how we deal with situations, good or bad – they are all a product of experiences that we have between the ages of 0 and 5. That’s when we learn how to adapt and respond to the world. In April 2014, 16 neuroscientists specialising in nutrition, chemistry, and child development discussed and debated the influence of early experience on brain development at the UNICEF offices in New York. 3 messages were delivered to UNICEF from this meeting. One of the messages was "Early Intervention is the answer: it becomes progressively harder to fix problems". ECD MAKES A DIFFERENCE

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Early Childhood Development – early education and care – makes a difference that persists well into adulthood. It shapes who you become. At that age, your brain is making new connections that will one day become the blueprint for your life. And at that age, if you don’t receive the right kind of care or learning, you will grow up with... a few crayons missing from your life’s pencil box. And why should that happen to anybody? DO WE CARE FOR OUR CHILDREN? The problem is not that we don’t want to care for our children. People just need to know how. Parents, teachers, the government – all the stakeholders in the future of our children – we go about it on a trial-by-fire basis, learning each time as the child grows up. But we need a more structured, a more uniform way to do this. Over 40 percent of India’s children in the 0-6 age group are deprived of any early childhood care despite the Constitution and Parliament having recognised the importance of ECCE. Article 45 of the Constitution directs that “the State shall Endeavour to provide ECCE for all children until they complete the age of six years”. The plain truth is that after more than 72 years since Independence, early childhood care, development and education in this country is still neglected. It’s time the country invested in taking care of its youngest citizens. THE WORLD IS RACING AHEAD OF US IN TAKING CARE OF YOUNG CHILDREN… The world is right now at a crucial period of enhancing and strengthening early childhood care and edu-

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cation. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and UN Member states: Put early childhood development at the heart of the new post-2015 development framework with targets that promise all children care, support and services which work together for the best start in life. President Obama has declared Preschool for all programmes so that the youngest citizens get the quality, care and education they so rightly deserve. The 2011 UNESCO Global Monitoring report notes that “Education opportunities are shaped long before children enter classrooms. The linguistic, cognitive and social skills they develop in early childhood are the real foundations for lifelong learning”. It is obvious that ECCE sets the foundations for one’s learning and development. The provision of quality early childhood education and care (ECEC) has remained firmly on world government agendas in recent years. Public awareness of gaps in provision and of insufficient quality in services has moved the issue of child care and after-school care onto electoral agendas in many countries. There is a growing recognition that early access to ECEC provides young children, particularly from lowincome and second-language groups, with a good start in life. (Report of OECD)

Why countries invest in ECEC? Among the immediate factors turning governmental attention to ECEC issues

Image Courtesy : http://sea-globe-xdu34h413chai.stackpathdns.com

are: the wish to increase women’s labour market participation; to reconcile work and family responsibilities on a basis more equitable for women; to confront the demographic challenges faced by OECD countries (in particular falling fertility rates and the general ageing of populations); and the need to address issues of child poverty and educational disadvantage. Because economic prosperity depends on maintaining a high employment/ population ratio, the wish to bring more women into the labour market has been a key driver of government interest in expanding ECEC services. European governments, in particular, have put into place family and child care policies to help couples to have children and assist parents to combine work and family responsibilities. (Report of OECD) The other minority… Young children are the other minority in our country, because they are presently just 20% of our population, have no voice, cannot vote so are being ignored when it comes to policy, laws, investments. But every business house, entertainment house, corporate company, uses young children for their benefit, crimes against young children are on the rise. Young children in our country are still battling with diseases, malnutrition, lack of proper health facilities, child care. Our country needs to set up child protective services to take care of them. We need to invest in our young children because they are going to grow up and become the youth of this country. It will be too late to take care of them then, because research has proven that the early years are when the foundation of all future growth is gained.

TOO LITTLE…TOO SLOW… The Working Group on Children under Six was constituted for writ-ing a paper in 2009 on the status of early childhood care and education in India, at the request of the Planning Commission. Ten years on their issues highlighted are yet the same… That it has been seriously neglected in India is amply demonstrated by the poor developmental indices that relate to the situation of children under the age of six, whether they are infant or under-five mortality rates or the prevalence of malnutrition. It is also a fact that most interventions in this issue have so far changed the situation minimally and far too slowly. There is, therefore, an urgent need to prioritise policies towards children under six, not only to protect their rights but also to en-sure that the future generations are healthy and well. Urgent need to set up a ministry of early childhood development, care and education… Our country is battling with crimes against women and children. If we want our national human resource, our young children to grow up as strong, healthy and competent youth then it is time to invest in early childhood. As there is too much work to be done regarding laws, policies, frameworks, trainings, support systems, health, nutrition etc., it’s time to dedicate a separate ministry to early childhood development, care and education. The ministry can look after pregnancy, birth,

mothering, parenting, child and mother health, child health and nutrition, care and education of young children. The ministry can look into child rights, child laws and thus strengthen the generations that will grow up and take this country to become a super power. It may sound impossible but there are some countries that have taken the initiative and have set up a separate ministry. Singapore has the Early Childhood Development Agency which is an independent agency charged with overseeing child care and kindergarten education. In Scotland, governance is handled by the Ministry of Children and Young People. In Dubai you have MOSA, Ministry of Social Affairs… So where does India stand in comparison and which ECA recommendations should be done on a war footing? We recently compiled a comparative study of the early childhood policies of 39 countries. It shows us that we have many proven best practices that we can refer too and expedite the work for quality, safety and care in the early childhood department The countries we compared are Armenia, Australia, Bangladesh, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Bhutan, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Denmark, Dominica, England, Estonia, Finland, India, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Mauritius, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, New Zealand, Nigeria, Palestine, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Scotland, Singapore, South Africa, Sweden, Uganda, United States, Wales.

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OPEN LETTER Question on ECE policy

Global Trend

What India should do

1 ECE is under which ministry

28 out of 39 countries come under ministry of education

Spread across the Ministry of Women and Child Development, the Ministry of Labour, the Ministry of Health, and the Ministry of Rural Development, HRD ministry

There should be a separate ministry for Early Childhood Development: Care and Education This is required as too much work on policies, frameworks, health, nutrition, and child rights is yet to be done and so a focussed ministry with a minister is required or else our national human resource our children will go unattended and uncared for.

2 Do you have a separate ministry for early childhood?

28 out of 39 don’t have a separate ministry for early childhood. 5 out of 39 countries do have a separate ministry for early childhood education. Singapore, the Early Childhood Development Agency is an independent agency charged with overseeing child care and kindergarten education. In Scotland, governance is handled by the Ministry of Children and Young People.

Firmly recommended to have a separate ministry as presently it is not getting the budget, the attention or the work that it deserves

3 Does your country have an ECE national curriculum framework?

30 out of 39 have an ECE national curriculum framework. Te Whariki of New Zealand “Early Years Foundation Stage” in England “De Cero a Siempre” in Colombia “Lesotho Early Childhood Curriculum” in Lesotho “Curriculum for the Preschool” in Sweden “Pre-primary Curriculum” in Bangladesh “Palestine Early Childhood Education Curriculum” in Palestine “Early Learning and Development Standards” in Bhutan “National Early Learning Standards” in South Africa

A vision document is in place. No developmental milestones details or developmental outcomes for various age groups given.

A focussed ECE national curriculum framework needs to be in place that should be basic yet comprehensive for all centres be it government or private. Top sample is the te whariki curriculum of new Zealand

4 What it is called?

12 out of 39 countries call it Early Childhood Development Curriculum and 6 out of 39 countries call it Preschool Curriculum

Presently no special name

Giving it a name will give it an identity across India

5 Do you need a license to start an ECE program?

28 out of 39 countries need a license to start an ECE program

Presently None

There should be a licence or registration required

6 Is there any regulator or accreditation body?

25 out of 39 countries have ministry of education and training as their regulatory or accreditation body and 9 out of 39 countries do not have it

Presently None

There should be an accreditation body that can also de-recognise and close centres if not maintaining quality of program

7 Are the fees charged controlled or specified by the government?

26 out of 39 countries does not have fee structure controlled or specified by the government

Presently no

Fee structure should be linked to services provided

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February 2019

Question on ECE policy

Global Trend

What India should do

8 Is the teacher child ratio specified and fixed?

26 out of 39 countries follow specified and fixed teacher child ratio but it varies from country to country

In the new policy document it is specified

The present one specified is fine.

9 What is the minimum area/sqm requirement to set up an ECE program?

14 countries out of 39 have approximately 2.5 area/sqm requirement to set up ECE programme and rest of the countries have 3.5 area/sqm or above to set up ECE programs.

1 classroom measuring 35 square metres for a group of 30 children and availability of 30 square metres of outdoor space for a group of 30 children

Okay

10 Are assessment guidelines given/specified by the government?

27 out of 39 countries have early childhood assessment guidelines given / specified by the government.

Presently very rough categories mentioned. Non guidelines.

Urgent need to get this in place as most centres confuse assessment with testing. The EYFS (early years foundation stage) assessment and observation guidelines of the UK government are good

11 What subsidy on fees is given to parents by the government?

15 out of 39 do not have subsidy on fees is given to parents by the government

None. ICDS programme is free for parents

Required for a poor country like India so that our youngest human resource can be developed and nurtured.

12 Is this subsidy given to the parents or the centre?

15 out of 39 do not have subsidy on fees is given to parents by the government

22 out of 39 countries give subsidy to the centre. 4 out of 39 countries also give subsidy to the parents depending on their income. New Zealand: The Government has two current subsidies: one based on the family’s income, and the second based on the age of the child. If the family qualifies for the subsidy based on income, they receive a subsidy of $3.93 per hour. The second subsidy is for children over 3 years of age. For these subsidies, children over 3 receive 20 hours per week of care at a subsidized rate. In most cases if you qualify for the ECE income subsidy, you then don’t qualify for the 20 hours of ECE. Finland: Government pays the municipalities for organising the ECE services so parents’ fees in public ECE service are relatively low. If parents choose a private service provider, government pays financial support for the centre, which decreases the fees charged from parents. Government also pays child benefit for every child under 17 years. Bangladesh: The ECCD centres are free of cost; all costs are borne by the government. Private initiatives run by the NGOs provide school books, exercise books, pencils, learning materials, and so on. United States: Public subsidies and funding for early childhood education are provided via a multi-level set of programs administered by a combination of federal / national, state, and local agencies in the form of payments to parent, tax credits for parents, and direct subsidies to centres. Most of the funding goes to support the care of low-income families, families who are poor, and for children with special needs. Many private employers also provide subsidies to underwrite the cost of child care for their

Required for a poor country like India so that our youngest human resource can be developed and nurtured.

February 2019

185

OPEN LETTER Question on ECE policy

Global Trend

What India should do

1 ECE is under which ministry

28 out of 39 countries come under ministry of education

employees. Lesotho: Non-monetary subsidies are given to the centre. Food is also provided by Government or its development partners for the reception class and home-based ECCD centres. Singapore: The financial subsidy is paid to the centre for each child. Those parents in the lower-income bracket could get more support. South Africa: The government provides Site Management Committees R15 per child per day. Sweden: From the autumn tern when the child reaches the age of 3 and up to the times when school starts, there is a right to 525 hours of care, free of charge per year. All municipalities apply a system of maximum fees. This means that there is a cap on how high fees can be for a family. The maximum fee system is voluntary for municipalities, and municipalities that apply it are entitled to a government grant to compensate them for loss of income and to secure quality.

13 Are educational outcomes defined?

22 out of 39 countries educational outcomes are defined. It varies from country to country in terms of who defines their outcomes. For example: early childhood national curriculum, ministry of education, early childhood care education policy etc.

A vision document is in place. Developmental outcomes of different age groups need to be specified.

Basic educational outcomes need to be defined and further need to be in sync with primary as presently there is a disconnect between expectation of primary and developmental appropriateness in kindergarten

14 Is teacher salary/minimum wages fixed by government?

Separate

If toilets are same, it is better as young children get over their curiosity of body parts and then there are no later issues.

15 Are toilets for girls and boys separate?

20 out of 39 countries do not have separate toilets for boys and girls

Presently No

Minimum qualifications need to be defined and tied to minimum wages like for B.Ed teachers.

16 Any other points that can help?

20 out of 39 countries want that ECCE should receive attention in various ways like making preschool education mandatory, having no difference between childcare and preschool so that they don’t have 2 separate ministries, have more funding for preschool etc.

Preschool education is not mandatory. No guidelines for crèches, daycares. Teacher qualifications for day-care and preschool are different. No regulations, frameworks or training in place. Too much emphasis in policy only on ICDS program. There should be a common minimum standard across the nation. ECCE programs that cater to children from groups such as migrant populations at construction sites, street families not covered

2 years preschool should be made mandatory for every child. The policy should cover daycares too. There should be no distinction between ICDS and private or NGO programs. Government to redo all ICDS centres and make them sample centres for others to follow (case in point PAP preschools in Singapore set up by the People’s Action Party – affordable quality preschools for all. Minimum qualification and syllabus of course to be common across India.

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Question on ECE policy

Global Trend

What India should do

17 How much percentage of your country’s budget is allotted for early childhood education?

7 out of 39 countries spend between 5% to 10% of the country’s budget is allotted for early childhood education and 4 out of 39 countries spend between 0.3% to 4% of the country’s budget is allotted for early childhood education.

1% of the total union budget

10% of the union budget to be allocated for early childhood care, education and development. Money collected though the education cess should accrue to the early childhood sector as well.

18 What is the qualification required of caregivers in ECE in your country?

10 out of 39 countries require their caregivers to pass at least B.A level 9 out of 39 countries require their caregivers to pass at least 12 std pass. 4 out of 39 countries require their caregivers to pass at least 10th std.

None defined, it says ‘adequate trained staff’

Can be 2-year course after 12th std. With one year of theory and one year of internship with pay. Course syllabus to be defined and common across.

18 What is the qualification required of caregivers in ECE in your country?

None defined, it says ‘adequate trained staff’

Can be 2-year course after 12th std. With one year of theory and one year of internship with pay. Course syllabus to be defined and common across.

A whopping 98% of our brains develop in the first five years. "Brain development occurs shortly after conception and progresses at a very rapid pace in the first few years of life. When our brain fails to get what it expects and needs, especially in certain critical or sensitive time periods, then the amount of effort required to set it back on track is enormous and optimal outcomes are less likely.

ConclusionThe change is not going to happen overnight. We are looking at big changes, revolutionary changes – but we are still taking baby steps. Still, if we can learn anything from these children, it is that baby steps can make a big difference if they are in the right direction. It is time we set a target year by which to ensure that the poorest and youngest citizens of our country get the care, development, and education

that they deserve. It's time to invest in early childhood. It’s time to have a ministry for early childhood. (We can have names, designations and signatures of office bearers here) Dr. Swati Popat Vats President, ECA

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TAKE2 ANSHU PANDE writeback@scoonews.com

6 Great Books for Early Childhood Education Professionals

The Importance of Being Little by Erika Christakis A bold challenge to the conventional wisdom about early childhood, with a pragmatic programme to encourage parents and teachers to rethink how and where young children learn best by taking the child’s eye view of the learning environment. Christakis’s message is energising and reassuring: young children are inherently powerful, and they (and their parents) will flourish when we learn new ways of restoring the vital early learning environment to one that is best suited to the littlest learners. This bold and pragmatic challenge to the conventional wisdom peels back the mystery of childhood, revealing a place that’s rich with possibility.

The Methods of Moochhali Ma A new book on Gijubhai Badheka is a treasure trove of information about this pioneer educator. Affectionately called 'Moochhali Ma' (Mother with Whiskers), Gijubhai Badheka (15 November 1885 – 23 June 1939) born in Chittal, was an educator who helped to introduce Montessori education methods to India. Badheka was a High Court lawyer, however, following the birth of his son in 1923, he developed an interest in childhood development and education. In 1920, Badheka founded the Bal Mandir pre-primary school. He published a number of works in the field of education including Divaswapna (Daydreams). A book on this pioneer classroom storyteller and Indian school revolutionarian will be launched at the Early Ed Asia conference. 'Once Upon A Time - Divaswapna and the Gijubhai Method' has been authored by Dr Swati Popat Vats and Vinita, with a foreword by Dr Swaroop Sampat Rawal. It will be available at all Crossword bookstores and online stores.

Handbook of Early Childhood Education by Robert C. Pianta Comprehensive and authoritative, this forward-thinking book reviews the breadth of current knowledge about early education and identifies important priorities for practice and policy. Robert C. Pianta and his associates bring together foremost experts to examine what works in promoting all children's school readiness and social-emotional development in preschool and the primary grades. Exemplary programmes, instructional practices, and professional development initiatives—and the systems needed to put them into place—are described. The volume presents cutting-edge findings on the family and social context of early education and explores ways to strengthen collaboration between professionals and parents.

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Foundations of Early Childhood Education: Teaching Children in a Diverse Society by Janet Gonzalez-Mena A practical introduction to the field of Early Childhood Education, it can even be used as a hands-on guide. The text emphasises observation skills and the need to understand child growth and development, special needs, developmentally appropriate practice, positive guidance, an overview of curriculum, and the importance of working with families. Based firmly on research, but with a focus on practice, the text gives students the information they need to function in early childhood settings of various types including classrooms, child care programmes, and infant centres. The information is reinforced by a multitude of real-life examples--dialogues, case studies, stories, and anecdotes--that help students make the connection between theory and practice. The text also integrates and discusses cultural influences and stresses what students need to know about working with children from diverse backgrounds.

Curriculum in Early Childhood Education: Re-examined, Rediscovered, Renewed by Nancy File It provides a critical examination of the sources, aims, and features of early childhood curricula. Providing a theoretical and philosophical foundation for examining teaching and learning, this book will provoke discussion and analysis among all readers. How has theory been used to understand, develop, and critique curriculum? Whose perspectives are dominant and whose are ignored? How is diversity addressed? What values are explicit and implicit?The book first contextualises the historical and research base of early childhood curriculum, and then turns to discussions of various schools of theory and philosophy that have served to support curriculum development in Early Childhood Education. An examination of current curriculum frameworks is offered, both from the US and abroad, including discussion of the Project Approach, Creative Curriculum, Te Whariki, and Reggio Emilia. Finally, the book closes with chapters that enlarge the topic to curriculum-being-enacted through play and that summarise key issues while pointing out future directions for the field. Offering a broad foundation for examining curriculum in early childhood, readers will emerge with a stronger understanding of how theories and philosophies intersect with curriculum development.

Spotlight on Young Children: Observation and Assessment (Spotlight on Young Children series) by Holly Bohart and Rossella Procopio The debate surrounding testing and accountability in Early Childhood Education continues, but one thing is universally agreed upon: effective observation and assessment of young childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s learning are critical to supporting their development. Educators balance what they know about child development with observation and assessment approaches that both inform and improve the curriculum. This foundational resource for all educators of children from birth through third grade explores; What observation and assessment are, why to use them, and howWays to integrate documentation, observation, and assessment into the daily routinePractices that are culturally and linguistically responsiveWays to engage families in observation and assessment processesHow to effectively share childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s learning with families, administrators, and others Find inspiration to intentionally develop and implement meaningful, developmentally appropriate observation and assessment practices to build responsive, joyful classrooms.

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TECH IT OUT ANUSHKA YADAV suggests six must-have apps for preschool educators

AlphaTots Alphabet

The youngest of minds are using technology in the classroom and at home; it has become a vital part of the learning experience. We bring to you a list of essential apps if you are an educator or a parent of a preschooler.

ing into fun. AlphaTots exercises patience and sense of humour through symbols, pictures and music that appeal and interest children. The perfect blend of sight and sound helps your preschooler to learn the alphabet as well as retain the information and apply it quickly in day-to-day life.

A fun preschool application, it combines a quirky visual style with an intuitive gameplay style for the active preschoolers. Basically, it turns learn-

Timmy’s Kindergarten Adventure

The app combines the best techniques of learning to produce a highly engaging yet rewarding experience starring Timmy, one of the most engaging and entertaining characters. Timmy’s Kindergarten Adventure covers all skills from numbers to words for students of all levels and backgrounds. The

Bubble Guppies: Animal School Day

Molly, Gil, Mr Grouper and all of their fish-themed friends will be your kid’s friends. The highly interactive and visually attractive game by Nickelodeon will teach preschoolers about the animal kingdom. Your preschooler will learn about the animals

they come across every day; from their sounds to where and how they live. Basically, all the habits and characteristics of 40 different animals are included in Bubble Guppies. There are four games that function as the connection between teacher and student. But these games can be played without any supervision as well.

Park Math – Duck Duck Moose

Park Math focuses on teaching the basics of counting, sorting, patterning as well as basic addition. Despite the average graphics, the gameplay of the seven included games is more than exciting enough to keep the attention of a child intact. The gameplay and its strength have earned the app several awards such as the Parents’ Choice Silver Award, the iLounge Best Kids’ App of the

Bugs and Bubbles

Bugs and Bubbles is one of the best values in the field and is known for its imaginative graphics in the field of preschool education. Top quality production values such as original music and voice

Year and the Children’s Technology Review Editor’s Choice Award. The games are based on the relatively new Common Core Standards meaning that the material is exactly what will be taught to the child in school. Blue Bear, the happy personality of the host, will be of great interest to the preschooler. Having trouble teaching your children the core concepts of number theory? Park Math is the solution!

acting will keep your children glued to their seat. The 17 interesting games teach varied topics such as counting, colours, patterns in numbers and in shapes, sorting and tracking. The best part of the game? The built-in learning curve that adjusts automatically according to the student’s performance.

Little Writer – The Tracing App for Kids

The Little Writer app requires stylus functionality; it gives children an interactive method to learn how to write both uppercase and lowercase letters. The app monitors the child’s ability to trace lettering in a detailed way; it improves the proficiency of a student’s writing to a high level smoothly.

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preschooler’s journey through the game is summarised and recorded by a sloped learning curve. When we said it’s a rewarding experience, it surely is as it gives coins to the user that can be used in other aspects of the gameplay. Want to introduce a new concept in your class? Timmy’s Kindergarten Adventure is the perfect app for you!

February 2019

Since the game is customisable, teachers and parents too have a role to play. They can turn on or off different features as per the child’s needs or the day’s lesson. By the end of the game, children will be able to write three- and four-letter words on their own.

ScooNews Magazine - February 2019 - Digital Edition

Articles inside

From Naughtiest Girl in the Class To Passionate ECE Champion

Moulding Our Children's Future

What Children Need