thinkCIQuarterly : Conference Edition

cIQ

DELEGATE COPY

think

Creativity & Intelligences

JULY 2014

Conference Edition

uarterly

NURTURE THINKING. FOSTER TALENTS.

www.thinkCIQ.in

+

Control

HOW MUCH IS TOO MUCH ?

How can your actions teach Fractions?

the

INSPIRING

the Right Kind of INDIAN CHUMBAK

Guru

Dr.U.R. Ananthamurthy talks about being a creative teacher & the possibility of simplifying his language but never his thoughts.

Pg 53

Montessori Method - the tool of a Genius?

O F F I C I A L Mobility Partner think

cIQ

What is

missi g i n o u r schools today?

cIQ think

i nnovat i on creat i v i ty & i ntell i gences

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“W

I’m thinkCIQ 'ed

e are in a very exciting phase of growth and development. thinkCIQ is one such initiative working towards enabling the leaders of the future to be thinkers and makers. We need to work at the foundation level to encourage children’s natural creativity and help develop their innate talents. One of our approaches includes a Quarterly Refereed Journal, and I am delighted to present to you our Conference Edition. This is a small preview to our Inaugural Edition to be released soon.

We have done our best to capture the essence of thinkCIQ and what we would like to see the entire nation to be working towards. We have some students of Grade IX and X contribute articles, while also being the issue’s Associate Editors. Its interesting to see students write on the correlation of music and sports, a topic very few people would have thought of relating especially at the high school level. One of our writers has even tried to explore the idea of control over a child's life and debates on how much is too much? One of the more exciting articles was an interview with the founders of Chumbak, and their entrepreneurial journey.

Alongside our student written articles we have some teachers sharing their best practices from the classroom. Mathematics, a normally dreaded subject, has been converted into a fun hands on exercise using fractions as an example to mould your future actions. For English we have a poem written by a student which is later converted into a comic strip, also illustrated by a student, where the entire evolution has been documented with an article by a creative writing teacher.

We hope you were able to take back maximum value from all the different sessions during thinkCIQ 2014, while this Conference Edition inspires you to begin documenting your work in a fashion that can be shared with the rest of the community. Our mandate is to ensure that we are equipped as parents and educators to provide our children the foundation they need to excel in this new world.

Dr. M. Srinivasan Founder & Editor-in-chief

We look forward to your feedback : thoughts@thinkCIQ.in Join in the conversation : www.fb.com/thinkCIQ and on twitter @thinkCIQ

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cIQ

FOUNDERS’ MESSAGE

think

Conference

c

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Pg

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Edition : JULY 2014

Mansoor Ali Khan S. Selvarajan

Challenge the WINDOW Dr.M. Srinivasan

ontents

Pg

/ 53

the INSPIRING Guru Dr.U.R. Ananthamurthy

talks to Devi Sastry about being a Creative teacher, his childhood & what drives his imagination in a rare tete-a-tete with his student Dr. M. Srinivasan.

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THINK

BRAIN

CREATE Pg / 60

Pg

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/ 21

Tune into sport

Imagining science

Hands on activities

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Control

How much is too much ?

Pg

How can your actions teach Fractions ?

A tete-a-tete with the ingenious & creative start up couple Vivek & Shubra

Pg / 25

Chess &

Intelligences ?

TECHN -OLOGY

/ 41

The Right kind of Indian “CHUMBAK”

Writing with Comic Strips

/ 64

Pg Pg

/ 29

IRIS A creative program

By Intel

Pg

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Creative

/ 48

Creative solutions to environmental Issues reap

benefit

RESEARCH

Montessori Method A tool of a Genius

Curiositi A bold initiative in schooling

Meet the band

Endoplasmic RETICULUM

cIQ think Conference

Edition/ JULY 2014

Founder & Chief Curator Dr.M. Srinivasan Founder & Chairman Mansoor Ali Khan Founder & President S. Selvarajan COO Sarvesh Srinivasan

Editor-in-chief Dr.M. Srinivasan

Design & Art Director Madhumitha Srinivasan

Marketing Head Kavita Gosh

Editor-Features & Special Projects Madhumitha

Assistant Graphic Designers Athreya Krishnamurthy Mahati Kalaparthy

Compliance Ramakrishnan.R Manjunath

Features Editor Ashni N Shah Devi Sastry

Designer ( Pre Press ) Naina Satish

Views and opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of thinkCIQ, its publisher or editors. It is always our endeavor to verify the information published but we do not take any responsibility for the absolute accuracy of the information provided.

Director Research Sarvesh Gita Sridhar Consulting Editor Arun Katiyar Jayanti Tambe Editorial Interns Manas Minnoor Shree Kulkarni

Design Intern Rohan Nanjappa Issue Contributors Shaurya Arora Nikhil Koundinya Bharath Divyang Sharoon Sunny Rashmi Mishra Sandhya Khandekar Kuldeep Dantewadia Gautam Prakash Gita Shridhar Manoj Thandassery

Principal Photographer Ishaan Jadhav

Event Management STIR

Director of Photography Nikhil Koundinya

Production Centre Stage

For any subscription related queries, please reach us through an email subscriptions@thinkCIQ.in . To advertise in future editions of thinkCIQ do get in touch with us by writing to advertise@thinkCIQ.in MAG/(2)/CR/PRB/102/13-14. thinkCIQ Quarterly publication has its editorial office at #175, GEAR Road, Doddakannelli, Off Sarjapur Road Bangalore 560 035. The Conference Edition is printed and published for private circulation only, by M. Srinivasan and printed at Print Express, Unit of Gurubal Engineering, No. 405, 1st ‘A’ cross, 7th Block, Koramangala Industrial Area, Bangalore 560 095

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/ 13

Founders’

message

P

resently, we live in creative times, Â always innovating and working hard to discover new solutions in the way we educate our children. The vision of thinkCIQ 2014 is to amend the Standard Educational Model by encouraging spirit of inquiry in learners and cultivating more curiosity in classrooms. With the school managements, educators, parents and students supporting thinkCIQ as one community, we have no doubt that we shall be able to achieve higher-order learning outcomes in our students. This platform will facilitate educators to think beyond the memory of information so that we are successful in promoting enhanced comprehension, analysis, and evaluation skill consistently. ThinkCIQ will endeavor to synthesize all the necessary requirements so that multiple intelligences are encouraged in students along with a quest in educators to deliver optimum learning opportunities, more creatively.

/ 14 At thinkCIQ, we understand that without the synthesis of multiple approaches and creative push to constantly generate something different and unique, educational progress will come to a standstill. This platform will endeavor to recognize teachers working in different schools, who have been consistently encouraging creativity in students. This initiative will also encourage teachers to prepare students to be independent, inventive and innovative contributors to society.

This movement also aims to prevent creative impulses from being subdued by a continuation of the instructive approach to teaching that generally prevails in the current educational system.

With the participation of National and Global experts, thinkCIQ will investigate multiple ways like divergent, generative, evaluative and convergent thinking in learners so that the current model of classroom teaching can be refashioned. The goal of the conference will be to continue helping parents and teachers to understand different strategies of teaching and how they complement each other to encourage metacognitive learning in students. This would in the longer run, help our children to recognize and understand their individual thinking skills and creative abilities.

The conference will facilitate discussions that will help in bridging the difference between academic and creative approaches in education. It will also emphasize the requirement to infuse creativity into every aspect of education.

Today, we understand that there is no right or wrong response when it comes to creativity. This confluence of experts will explore different strategies and methods to encourage students to be creative and imaginative.

With so many positive and encouraging outcomes from thinkCIQ, an invaluable quest for progressive education, we are glad that we have finally been able to bring to reality what was conceptualized so enthusiastically a few months ago.

And for this, we thank all the parents, students, teachers, facilitators, eminent speakers, organizers and sponsors and last but not the least, NIMHANS who have made this conference successful by contributing whole heartedly in individual ways that will go a long way in benefitting our future generation for a brighter future.

~Mansoor Ali Khan Founder & Chairman thinkCIQ

I

n the 21st century it will be imperative that our children are able to think out of the box, have multidimensional thought process and innovate to succeed in life. Before time is lost in improving our education system we at CIQ found it a more effective option to work along with the existing system and supplement it directly with various activities.

The idea of think Creativity & Intelligences Quest (CIQ) is to enlighten and empower both teachers and parents about what they could do and how they can go about it, when it comes to influencing children to think. As of now there are many who are engaged in research and professionals who are in the right direction.

There are many oasis of individual excellence amongst mentors and schools. thinkCIQ is an arrangement where these Oasis of Excellence will share the platform with the researching minds and orient millions of their colleagues and parents to a new kind of thinking, learning and creating, in the realm of school education.

~S. Selvarajan

Founder & President thinkCIQ

think create engage share Do you go to a thinkCIQ Partner school ?

w w w. t h i n k C I Q . i n

w w w. t h i n k C I Q . i n

cIQ think

A platform for the Child & the stakeholders in his life.

Share your stories, innovations & creativity with us.

Write to CONTRIBUTE@thinkCIQ.in

cIQ think

think Stereotypes & Breaking boundaries to be Creative. How control can and hinder the process of innovation and influence talents

Featured

Bharath Divyang ,Nikhil Koundinya & Shaurya Arora

A chess wizard, Analytical Thinker & Grade IX Students, share with us the importance of being Creative & developing Multiple Intelligences to excel & how the stakeholders in their lives can moderate control to help nurture their creativity.

Edited By Devi Sastry Â

Tune into Sport

By Shaurya Arora Student G r a d e

F

IX

amous personalities have said that reaching 0-90% in any activity is easy and common, but the journey from 90% to 99% requires some extra inputs, some extra energy to jump from one orbit to the other. We all know what sports are, or what music is, but both of these in coalition can produce something massive that will have the capacity to take you over to the other side. You must have observed many prominent sportspersons like Kobe Bryant and Lebron James engaged in their mp3’s before a match or many cyclists wearing head phones during a race. Why? It is because it is music that pushes them over the bar. When you listen to music, a part of your brain called the nucleus accumbens activates. This triggers the release of the ‘pleasure chemical’ dopamine that lives in a group of neurons in your brain called the Ventral Tegmental Area (VTA).

/ 22 Music comes in different genres including heavy metal, pop, rock, disco music, funk, classical, etc… These different music forms produce different effects on the body and therefore different sports require different music forms for maximum efficiency. Now, would it be right if Vishwanath Anand starts listening to Heavy metal before a game or if a sprinter entertains himself to Carnatic music before a Race? I think not.

What is the difference between a guitar and a tuna fish?

You can tune a guitar but you can’t tuna fish

A sport like chess requires maximum concentration and calmness, but heavy metal would do just the opposite. On the other hand, Carnatic music produces a soothing effect on the listener, but I am not too sure if a sprinter would want that before a race. Research has proved that music can stimulate brainwaves depending on the type of music to boost your concentration, alertness, and calmness.

Science has brought many miracles and wonders to our lives.

Science defines music as a regular vibration of sound waves, but for me, it is much deeper. For some, it pumps people up with determination, for others it inspires them to an incomprehensible extent, makes them calm, triggers the adrenaline rush, provides entertainment and recreation, opens up a whole storehouse of energy…This list could go on forever, but most importantly, it boosts one’s performance.

I play basketball for the GEAR basketball team as well as jam on the electric guitar. If you ask me, before I started learning guitar, I was an OK student in school as well as at home. I wasn’t exceptional at sports and played quite rarely. In fact, I even used to be reluctant to go for basketball classes. Today it is a totally different scenario, and I give full credit to one of my best friends, the guitar. It gave me the confidence and strength I was in desperate need of, and here I am now, a totally changed person.

Music isn’t confined. For example, in the case of Basketball, Each stage of the match has a different mental and physical environment. The pre-match scenario (1-day before) is more of a nervous state where the players are very anxious. This stage usually requires a form of music with a slow tempo to calm the players and reduce their tension and anxiety. Many recommend fast and heavy metal music just before a match to boost the players and encourage them. They believe this type of music will also trigger an adrenaline rush which is usually helpful in fast games like basketball, but the other side says listening to calm and slow music may be more effective. By the end of the match, joyful music like rock would be best suited, as winning or losing is all part of the game. Post-game music varies from one person to another. In most cases, listening to the music you love the most will help you to the fullest.

Life without music is unimaginable. In fact, a better word would be ‘impossible’. Is it possible to dance without music? Is it possible to have marriages without songs? Is it possible to conduct matches without the music that follows? Victor Hugo has said “Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.”

I prefer playing western music over classical, but everyone has their own preferences and you may enjoy Carnatic music more.

In the context of sports, majority of people say that western music is more helpful than classical, but these are only stats and there is always the other side of the coin. The debates will go on forever, but in the end, music is music and as long as you continue to relish music, be sure to see an increase in the outcome of everything you do.

Control How much ?

is too much !

By Nikhil Koundinya Student G r a d e I X

R

ules, we see them everywhere; In school, on the streets, at work, even at home. But don’t you think these rules can sometimes get in the way? Have you ever felt that maybe there are too many unnecessary rules? Be it work, school or the road, there are always unnecessary rules.

/ 24 For example, in an international board, if a student is weak in social science and he/she is SURE that she is going to take up science as his/her college course and have to do anything with history, then he/she has choice to DROP social science as a subject. But, in the Indian board all the core subjects are compulsory until the 10th grade. Why does a student who wants to become an engineer, musician or a doctor need to know when and where the Battle of Panipat happened??

Instead of giving the students the chance to drop these subjects, the subject should be made more fun to study. The students need to have some basic knowledge about the subject; this basic knowledge is achieved by studying these subjects until 10th grade.

These subjects shouldn’t be studied the way they are studied now.

Math should be studied like a mathematician Science should be studied as a phenomenon Social science should be studied with evidence and not facts Languages should be taught like an art along with literature Another example is that Indian universities are much stricter than International universities. If a student in an Indian university wants to take up engineering, the subjects required to study are pre-set by the universities. This doesn’t allow the student to do much research work and they mainly concentrate on getting good grades. A student can only do research work after he/she attains his/her master’s degree and he/she is aiming to get his/her PhD. This is the main reason why India is producing good quality engineers and doctors, but not good quality scientists, inventors and researchers.

So I think it’s safe to say that if we want to see the next big multinational, multibillion dollar company founded by an Indian, then we need to amend the education system and convert it into a research and innovation based curriculum. Education is the root for every single person who wants to lead a successful life. Therefore education should be dealt with utmost care and precision.

To sum it all up, I think that too many rules hinders creativity and productivity, at least some amount of freedom should be given to students or anyone for that matter when it doesn’t relate to anyone’s safety. All unnecessary rules must be cut down. Many a times these unnecessary rules anger students and it makes them rebellious. This will lead to disciplinary actions against these students

“

Math should be studied like a mathematician Science should be studied as a phenomenon Social science should be studied with evidence and not facts Languages should be taught like an art along with literature

”

Chess &

Intelligences I

By Bharath Divyang School C H E Z Z L E S

ntelligence – a word that is the hall mark of our evolution as a species. Humanity has been able to achieve everything from cooking breakfast to sending rovers to Mars due to its collective intelligence.

Have you ever wondered – what makes us think & how the process of thinking & reasoning evolves in the human brain? To think that a game of kings could unlock some wonderful mysteries about the genesis of ideas & thought could almost sound presumptuous & preposterous at the same time.

/ 26

Any processing engine requires software to run and the brain's software is built using concepts The oldest measure of intelligence is the famous IQ, which heavily relied on measuring the logical & verbal abilities of a child. The theory of multiple intelligence was put forth to rectify some of the shortcomings of the IQ theory.

However, I suggest another way of visualizing intelligence by abstracting it one level above the multiple intelligence theory.

The Opening The basic building blocks of the brain's hardware are its neurons.

These neurons are interconnected like a giant internet that helps the brain's neural pathways to carry inputs from the body's various sensory organs and helps the brain process the output.

Any processing engine requires software to run and the brain's software is built using concepts.

T h e s e co n ce p t s a r e c r ea t e d , combined, parsed, recombined and modified using the brain's language – logic & reason. While the brain's hardware is one of the greatest mysteries of the world, the software is something we have understood better.

Just like with the technological revolution the world has seen, the software & hardware form a virtuous cycle of growth & innovation.

Better software leads to better hardware, which in turn leads to better software in turn.

Chess impacts the very heart of this software development process happens in the human brain.

The Middle Game The core of intelligence is the brain's ability to build on concepts from the simple to the most complex through the process of integrating information in a non-contradictory system due to the brain’s ability to understand cause & effect, find patterns among concepts, grasp the fundamental concepts of time and space & the constraints therein and its ability to realize & differentiate good from bad. It is these abstract fundamental abilities of the human brain that we call the sixth sense. Once we have defined intelligence, our next endeavor & quest is to measure, find ways to improve, analyze strengths & deficiencies and control our intelligence intelligently.

As mentioned earlier, intelligence is like the software that processes new data and information. There are two types of software – one, which is created for a particular type of information and the other, which is created independent of the data input.

The former is what we call crystallized intelligence and the latter is called fluid intelligence.

Here is where the chess plays a pivotal role.

Fluid intelligence is built on fundamental thinking patterns such as abstraction, pattern recognition, extrapolation, causation & correlation. Chess helps build each one of these and once developed, one can't help but apply it across a variety of subjects.

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The Endgame

Directions in a new city Figuring out that streets run eastwest and boulevards run northsouth in a new city you've never been to and estimating the time required to go from point A to point B within 90% accuracy based on how long it takes to walk one block and extrapolating is fluid intelligence. Knowing a short cut from point A to point B that cuts the traffic in half is crystallized intelligence.

This is just a simple example of situations we face in our everyday lives, where fluid intelligence can make a huge difference. Today's world, in particular, underlines the need for fluid intelligence more than ever. The reason for this is the every changing landscape of information and data.

Information that was once relevant turns obsolete at a faster pace. The average shelf life for information has come down drastically making the quest for crystallized intelligence so much harder. The 21st century is going to continue to be one where mankind will spend most of its time & energies in knowledge acquisition and categorization. A highly evolved fluid intelligence in this milieu will be a certain game changer.

The reason chess is such an effective tool to build fluid intelligence in children is because it is a game and it is visual. We have begun to understand the human psyche better where Gamification is wonderfully effective means of learning and visual information is processed and acquired faster and at a quicker pace compared to other type of data.

Chess is all about patterns – from the basic patterns of alternating colors to recognizing opening patterns. Rooks move vertically & h o r i z o n ta l l y. B i s h o p s m o v e diagonally. King moves in all directions. This nature of chess allows for building two important skills – abstraction & chunking.

Chess is also a very important means to simulate the impact of decisions. Once a child is able to understand what is good & bad – gaining & losing pieces, it doesn't take long to feel the impact of good & bad decisions thus learning the most important skill – cause & effect.

In chess, you get only one move, 64 square and 16 pieces – imposing a strong sense of time & space constraints, which exists even at a global scale. Chess inculcates the sense of conserving both time & space.

At a higher level, most time in chess is spent introspecting and analyzing one’s games and this leads one the most important skill required for fluid intelligence – meta thinking – the ability to think about your thoughts.

And finally, the most important thing chess builds in a child is the journey itself the process of concept-building from learning the simplest of knowledge about files, ranks & how the pieces move to creating complex strategies – something that is required across all forms of intelligence.

Thus, I believe chess should be in the arsenal of every child in this century. The quest is not to make everyone into competitive chess master but to make everyone a critical thinker with common sense. It would do the world a world of good.

Don’t you think?

t

echnology Featured The Initiative for

Research and Innovation in Science (IRIS) program by intel

empowering the next generation of innovators.

Edited By Ashni N Shah Â

W

inning the orld with Science

The Initiative for Research and Innovation in Science (IRIS) is a fine example of public–private partnership heralded by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India (DST), the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), and Intel, for empowering the next generation of innovators.

IRIS traces its roots to 2006, when the Intel Science Talent Discovery Fair, which began in 1999, and CIIDST’s Steer the Big Idea merged into one program with a common mission of promoting the spirit of science and research based innovation. Since its inception, IRIS has promoted and nurtured science and scientific research among young Indian innovators. With the sole purpose of recognizing and rewarding outstanding projects, IRIS provides a platform for these geniuses to represent India at global science competitions like the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF).

The Team India ISEF at the INTEL Office

/ 31

The Inspiring Story of Hetal Vaishnav

Winner, IRIS National Fair 2008, 2009, 2010 Grand Award Winner, Intel ISEF, 2009 & 2011

Hetal Vaishnav was a Class 10 student at the Late Shree S G Dholakiya High School, Rajkot, when she represented Team India at Intel ISEF in 2009, and won the Grand Award Second Prize in Environmental Management—and as many as three Special Awards.

What’s more, she qualified for the rare celestial honor of having a minor planet named after her. So, for some years now, Hetal has been on top of the world—quite literally so, as the minor planet (25636) Vaishnav has been looking down on earth from the heavens!

In 2011, Hetal proved, yet again, that diligence and determination is a winning combination, as she proceeded to win the Grand Award Second Prize at Intel ISEF 2011 in Los Angeles, California, this time for a team project with her brother Ankur. He, too, thus qualified to have a minor planet named after him—(28428) Ankurvaishnav—and now keeps Hetal company in the skies!

The First Steps to Success

Hetal’s success is a result of years of hard work and perseverance.

She competed at the Initiative for Research & Innovation in Science (IRIS) National Fair for five consecutive years from 2006; and in each of the last three years, from 2008 to 2010, she was a National Award winner at IRIS. The story of her triumphs started at the IRIS National Fair 2008, where she submitted her project on Recycled Composite Material Made from Non-recyclable Multilayer Film Plastic Packaging Waste,

which illustrated a novel and cost effective process to create composite material using non-recyclable plastic waste, thereby preventing it from being dumped in landfills.

The genesis of her project was a chance observation. Hetal saw that a rag picker was not collecting waste packets made up of multilayer plastic. She wondered why—and found out that this was because recycling companies do not purchase multilayer film plastic waste, as it cannot be reused or recycled. It was then that Hetal decided to work on the idea of recycling this material.

“I just wanted to live the experience of being at something as splendid as Intel ISEF. I was content after winning three Special Awards; the Grand Award was just a topping on my ice cream!” said Hetal after her win.

After considerable research and hard work, she found her answer: a process that would deliver an innovative material that is sustainable to water, has good nail- and screw-holding capacity, and has features that are better than MDF and plywood.

Adjudged a National Winner in the Environmental Sciences category, Hetal was shortlisted to participate at Intel ISEF 2009 in Reno. At Intel ISEF, she won award after award for her project: the Ricoh Sustainable Development Award of USD 12,500; the Second Award of USD 200 and a citation from the Patent and Trademark Office Society; and the Second Award of a USD 500 Savings Bond from the Ashtavadhani Vidwan Ambati Subbaraya Chetty (AVASC) Foundation. But what made her day was the Grand Award Second Prize of USD 1,500.

A year later, the minor planet (25636) Vaishnav was christened after Hetal by the prestigious Lincoln Laboratory of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston.

She responded with sheer joy and amazement at this achievement: “I had no expectations of winning, and was extremely happy when I did, and learnt that a minor planet was named after me.”

/ 32

The IRIS National Fair

Participation in IRIS

The IRIS National Fair is like a grand carnival where participating students, project guides, school representatives and scientists come together to explore, understand, appreciate and recognize the spirit of research and innovation. The four daylong event is complete with project exhibitions, workshops, interactive sessions, and entertainment capsules which are attended by a large number of students, eminent representatives from the world of science and technology, government officials and supporting corporate houses.

There are 2 categories defined for participation in IRIS: • Category I Classes 5 to 8 • Category II Classes 9 to 12 Students who have an idea that is original and innovative, are eligible to participate; individually or in a team of two. Students can submit their entry online at www.irissciencefair.org between July 1 and August 31.

The Team India ISEF at Stanford University

Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF) The Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF), a program by Society for Science and the Public, is the world’s largest precollege science fair competition, conducted in May every year in USA. The best and brightest— nearly 1,800 winners from over 70 countries— are invited to attend Intel ISEF, where they share innovative ideas, showcase cutting-edge research, and compete for more than USD 4 million in awards and scholarships.

Till 2014, a total of 91 Indian students have won 115 awards and accolades at Intel ISEF. Among these, 18 students have not only brought laurels to the nation, but also had minor planets named after them courtesy Lincoln Laboratory of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston, USA, that confers this honour on all ISEF first and second Grand Award winners.

IRIS is the only fair in India which provides an opportunity for its winners to participate in Intel ISEF.

Please join us for an innovative journey; visit

www.facebook.com/ IRISNationalFair

/ 35

Challenge the Windows

A

By Dr. M Srinivasan

ccording to advanced researches, the total learning by a child up to the age of 5 is more than what one would learn in the entire period of life post 5 years. The obvious importance of 2 to 5 years is more than driven home by the researches as well as our experience with children. Wouldn’t it be sad if we spend all our energy and resources to teach the child to master what he would forget and also would be of no use beyond the examinations and grades! Wouldn’t it create wonders if we could build the imagination of each child!

It’s during this age that children build their imagination and let their creativity flow without being aware of what it is to be creative or mundane. If they are guided to be good in parroting or just having a good time, it is a planned tragedy. During this age children enjoy structure, order and discipline. If this is inculcated without the interference of the adults, it would be an almost ideal world for young children.

Children learn themselves; they explore various permutations and combinations. They choose, and decide; they accept the consequence and mend their thinking. They feel encouraged to try again or try another way. All these should happen under the eyes of a Guide but the guide should not go beyond observing and interfere only if it is absolutely essential. Nothing is achieved by pressure cooking to clock precision.

Children take their own time to assimilate and thus build confidence in themselves, their ability, style and uniqueness.

An explorative and a free environment which encourages one to think and not learn based on rote methodologies, would make a genius out of every child. It is a stark contrast to systems and methods that produce a bell curve of achievements mainly due to the interference or indifference of the system and the adults involved.

Logic

Analysis

Linear

Sequencing Computation

FACTS Think

in words Languages

Math

Motor

Skills

Creativity Imagination Visualization Interaction

Unique Emotion

BRAIN

Mentors apply right brain tools to teach left brain skills & concepts & develop smarter , more efficient tools in the classrooms.

Featured

Sandhya Khandekar , Sharoon Sunny & Rashmi Mishra

Mentors who share with us “Teaching Tools in Classrooms” and the importance of being Creative

Edited By Ashni N Shah

/ 38

magining sc i ence

By Rashmi Mishra Mentor H A N D S

M

ON SCIENCE

an’s curiosity and meticulous efforts helped her in new inventions and discoveries.

Man thought of going to the moon, he did it. Man thought of seeing a person talking on the phone, he did it. Is it magic?

Magic is something which is not real; it is fiction or imagination.

Science is the systematic study of things and happenings around us. It has helped in differentiating between the real and the virtual. Science has answers for the questions that arise in our mind.

To ignite the mind to think beyond the limits, creating something new and working differently, a different approach of learning is followed that is experiencing learning through “Hands-on”. As said by Aristotle,”What we have to learn to do, we learn by doing”. It opens up the mind breaking the restriction and limitation of learning in a specific way.

Flexibility in approach for learning through “Hands-on” science helps in building the curriculum. The class benefits in the form of web building of questioning, answering, reasoning and leading to conclusion.

Developing the ability to prove a theory with correct reasoning and concepts will lead a child to be an inventor in future.

Concepts of science are experienced by doing activities and experiments that include investigations, analysis, hypothesis, synthesis, research, application and creation. Learning hands-on makes a mind work towards reasoning all the time, which makes constant learning. It helps in developing imaginative and abstract thinking in children so that they come up with unusual, unique and clever responses.

“ What we have to learn to do, we learn by doing”. ~ Aristotle

“

Developing the ability to disprove something with correct reasoning and concept will lead a child to be an inventor in future.

~ Rashmi

Firstly, children learn that mass is the amount of substance present in it. Then they use an analogy to understand the concept of density by considering themselves as atoms in the room (volume).

Density = mass/ volume = (number of children/ classroom)

By increasing the number in the classroom, distance between the children (atoms) becomes less for the same volume (classroom). Therefore, the density increases.

Example iron block has more atoms that makes it denser as compared to a brick of the

activity

Are the melting icebergs a threat to the sea level?

“Understanding density”

same volume.

Density: A comparable quantity

Take two transparent glasses and fill it with water. Place a raw egg in one glass and observe the position of the egg.

Now add two tea spoon of common salt in the other glass and stir well. Now place the raw egg and observe its position.

Density of the egg varies as compared to the normal water and saline water.

Observation: Position of the egg changes with respect to change in the density of the water.

Q1 Name in the three states in which water is present?

Q2 Icebergs in spite of being solid and huge, can float on water. Why? Q3 Will the sea level change if icebergs melt completely?

Concept of science is experienced by doing activities and experiments that include investigations, analysis, hypothesis, synthesis, research, application and creation

“Ask the children to do the analogy of iceberg with an ice block and a transparent jar as sea. Ask them to observe the ice block very minutely.”

Floating/Sinking depends on density

Take a transparent glass jar and fill it with water and place a ice block in it. Note down the level of water as initial level. Once the whole ice block melts note down the final level.

“Ask the children to observe, analyse and research on the concept and give precise explanation for change in level of water or no change in level.”

Depending on the result ask them to investigate the factors that contribute to increase in water level in the ocean and seas. From the work done by the children, high performance and high potential is seen. Flexible thought process in young minds enhances the capacity ot integrate original ideas and its solutions. As each person has appetite depending on the physical activity, appetite of learning can be enhanced by providing challenge and intense mental exercises.

Through guidance by the mentor and shaping up the students ideas learning process of the children becomes effective when their thinking style is kept in mind.

This is how through “hands-on” science the horizon of understanding expands which may later help the students in creating something new that may be solutions for their problems that are prevailing in the environment.

How can your

ACTIONS teach fractions

By Sandhya Khandekar Mentor M A T H E M A T I C S

A

cademics are an important part of students’ school years as grades play an integral role. However, there is another more playful component of a well-rounded education that may positively impact students' learning. Besides being fun and a great way to study, a teaching philosophy that promotes learning by doing (hands-on teaching) can enhance students' learning in which they absorb knowledge not only by listening, but by experiencing. Known as multisensory learning, the hands-on teaching strategy engages learning and comprehension on multiple levels. This practice allows children to understand information and also to use it. The joy and excitement that comes with experimentation encourages children to participate in the learning process more often and for extended periods of time. This results in improving knowledge retention.

/ 42 We need to stimulate children's curiosity, experimenting, finding that sometimes things go wrong and asking "why?" Part of the math's baggage that most adults carry around is the sense that math's is all about getting the right answers. If math's is to be an exciting subject then we have to regard it as a subject where it is OK to get things WRONG. The emphasis should be placed on using skills and process used for arriving at a solution rather than just concentrating on the answer as an end in itself.

A

1

2 .

Even if there is only one answer to a question, children should be encouraged to present it in their own way.

Math can teach children to think in a logical manner. It helps them view and analyze things.

The left brain is the home of logic, rational thinking, and objective, analytical views. The right brain, on the other hand, is intuitive, creative, takes in the big picture, and is subjective. Consequently, right brain thinkers are more likely to think outside the box.

Stimulating right brain by using left brain help children develop their own learning strategies and work on open-ended problems.

3

.

.

If 21st-century skills such as critical thinking, creativity and innovation, problem solving, selfdirection and teamwork are to be developed, adopting an unconventional approach to teaching and teaching mathematics creatively is essential. Teaching creatively means teaching with variations and innovations. Creative mathematics teaching allows flexibility in adopting various approaches that are suitable for childrens’ level of understanding and that are appropriate for the content.

For instance, three different ways to show the multiplication fact 3 x 4 can be –

4+4+4 or 3x 4 C

B

4+4+4 or 3 x 4

Or using Lattice way of multiplication and the regular way.

W

hen students observe that a teacher can explain a piece of information using a number of different ways, they understand and also discover that they can also learn a concept in more than one way.

This way teachers can help their students to be effective learners with the implementation of Multiple Intelligences Theory.

There are many possible ways

which can be applied in a classroom for the teaching activity from storytelling to dramatization and regular discussions to may be artistic representation or research.

Mathematics education should also include integration of subjects to ensure that children establish a connection with the surrounding world.

Math concepts come to life when taught with everyday situations which the children can relate to.

4x 3 or 3 x 4

The child learns from the people and materials around him/her.

Promoting hands-on math is very important to ensure that children understand the abstract concepts, makes learning interesting and it is helpful to remember content for a long time.

“

The emphasis should be placed on using skills and process used for arriving at a solution rather than just concentrating on the answer as an end in itself.

~ Sandhya

�

Students differ in their preference for learning and teachers have to see that they can learn successfully or learn the same ideas in different ways (written or spoken verbal descriptions, pictorial form)

Example – Fractions can be represented in following ways

1) Students divide shapes into the appropriate number of equal sections given by the denominator, then shade in the appropriate number of sections, given by the numerator to create a picture of the fraction. They can also use pattern blocks, circular pizzas etc…

2) Students use the number line model or divide fraction strips into the appropriate sections by length. They can also use number line, rulers, rods, fraction bars or strips.

3) Students use individual shapes to match fraction. They can also use different color counters, balls etc.

Fractions are fun!

Well, once you learn them they are.

Understanding fractions is a critical foundation of math learning. But despite their daily frequency in our lives, math with fractions can be difficult to grasp at an early age. To give children a clear understanding of the concept of fractions, I realized they need multiple opportunities to practice with many and varied representations of fractions. I did not want any of my students saying fractions are boring!

I wanted to present examples of how fractions were used in real-life.

Fractions are introduced in class by playing a ball game. We call it as indoor basketball. The class is divided into groups of five. Each group gets 5 chances to throw the ball in the basket. If in group 1 the ball goes exactly in the basket 3 times we write it as 3/5 . Other group can have ball going in basket only once so it can be written as 1/5. Instead of drawing various shapes, dividing it into equal parts, then shading few of them and later writing about it, fractions are comprehended and grasped quickly this way.

Making a Pie fraction game and/or fraction strips is a perfect hands-on tool to learn fractions and very commonly used. But I wanted to make learning fractions exciting and fun. I wanted to combine young children's curiosity and experiences to Math world to create lifelong learners. Children can easily and certainly associate food items to different mathematical concepts. I wanted hassle free culinary delight along with learning.

Later 5 glasses of juice was mixed, its taste checked and it was found that it was the same as the original. So the fraction of 5 glasses- WATER= 85/100 SUGAR= 10/100 & SQUASH= 5/100.Now if we consider the value the same as taste , the observation is ( even if quantity is increased ) the taste remains the same, In other words the value is the same but numbers can be different . i.e. 17/20

= 34/40 = 85/100 or 02/20 = 04/40 = 10/100.

So I decided to have a juice party in class to cement the understanding of equivalent fractions. Each student got a clear glass. They had to have in it 17 parts water, 2 parts sugar and 1 part orange squash. So the whole juice is made of 20 parts and fraction of water is 17/20, Sugar is 02/20 and that of squash is 01/20. So 17/20 + 02/20 + 01/20 =20/20 =1 which is also one whole glass.

Now every student were told to taste the juice and note it down.

Now they were asked to mix 2 glasses of the juices. Now the fraction of water is 34 parts out of 40 parts and fraction of sugar is 04/40 and that of squash is 02/40. That also means 17/20 = 34/40 and same for sugar 02/20 = 04/40. Now they were told to taste it again. It was the same.

Interactive Approach & Creative teaching methods Concepts of Math

=

The challenge I faced in class was

about the distribution of squash to each child in correct proportion, carrying different containers, jugs and pitchers for the different groups in class and making the children relate taste and value of numbers.

My suggestion or improvisations for my challenges that I faced would be to use clear glasses so that what is inside can be easily seen. Also if permanent pen markings are made on the glass, it would be easier for children to view, observe and check , compare, perceive and relate it to fractions as in 2 parts out of 10 etc.

Teachers should perceive teaching creatively as a necessity.

Teaching mathematics creatively can generate satisfaction. When a lesson is interesting and enjoyable, it is likely that children develop positive attitude towards learning. Promoting an attitude of delight and fascination with numbers will encourage children to embrace, rather than fear math.

Students comprehend & retain concepts for longer duration & apply them.

(Higher the numerator , Higher the result value)

/ 45

C

REATIVE WRITING with

omic strips

There was once a fellow named Ned, whose hungry desires soon got to his head....

But no amount of Tasty Treats, would satisfy his needs...

One evening he sat himself down, and the word soon spread across town...

would he grow TWICE as big ? or merely cease to EXIST !

So he decided to

eat himself instead !

The answer would soon be found...

He soon began to go out of his mind, As he ate himself up to his Spine !

The neighbors soon went in To see what happened to him...

But a pair of

STILL CHOMPING TEETH were all they could find.

C

By Sharoon Sunny Mentor L i t e r a t u r e

hildren have an inexhaustible imagination and they can think through complex problems with wisdom that sometimes outstrips adults.

They can spin tales of wonder at the drop of a hat. Stories abound in their rich imaginations and if they are egged along the right path, children will show some spectacular results.

As a writing instructor, I have used various methods to teach creative writing to children, and one of the most effective methods of teaching writing has been through the use of comic strips.

Comic strips might seem like a rather radical way of introducing writing to children, but it has proved to be an effective tool in teaching reading and writing skills especially for reluctant readers and writers. The brilliant thing about this approach is that it has a broad appeal to almost any age group or learner level because they depict real dialogue and culture. There is strong evidence to show that realistic samples of everyday language are important for language acquisition. The comic book or strip format is a powerful tool to enable students to express themselves with great artistic creativity and expression. They begin to think of unconventional and novel ways to convey their feelings through words. Helping students use images is a powerful tool in a teacher’s toolbox since it helps students stay interested and motivated. It helps in cross-curricular literacy with other core subjects as well.

With a medium that is both visual and textual, students are more forthcoming with their opinions, and thereby, contribute towards fruitful discussions about the subject matter. Helping students gain visualization skills is an important way to foster greater comprehension when reading. It allows students the ability to become more engaged in their reading and use their imagery to draw conclusions, create interpretations of the text, and recall details and elements from the text. This ability then directly transfers itself to writing skills as well. It creates a roadmap that enables them to write sophisticated content.

During my research on varying approaches to writing, I came across Penny Kittle, a renowned teacher of writing instruction. In her book, “Write With Them,” she gives teachers of writing several insights into how actual writing occurs in real classroom environments. It is here that the idea of the comic strip as a tool to teach writing occurred to me. I began asking students to sketch alongside their writing and this gave them a phenomenal release of sorts. They realized that found another medium, a medium in addition

to words to make sense of their own writing.

Our thinkCIQ Features Editor Ashni N Shah, was asked to think of “ Questions that don’t have Answers “ After some deep thought she said “If you ate yourself would you become twice as big or disappear completely?

When we asked her to elaborate and share with us what she had in mind, to sa;sfy our curiosity about this weird ques;on, she decided to write a poem. We loved it so much we decided to do a comic strip for this piece by Sharoon, who talks about making wri;ng for children more exci;ng,

There was once a fellow named Ned, whose hungry desires soon got to his head....

But no amount of Tasty Treats, would satisfy his needs...

So he decided to eat himself instead !

One evening he sat himself down, And the word soon spread across town...

Would he grow twice as big ? or merely cease to exist !

The answer would soon be found...

He soon began to go out of his mind, As he ate himself up to his Spine !

The neighbors soon went in To see what happened to him...

But a pair of still chomping teeth were all they could find.

Poem by Ashni N Shah, Grade X

Once they were given ownership of their writing, the perspective shifted from teacher-instructed to studentowned, which made a tremendous difference since it enabled them to build it ground up. This gave their writing a creative edge that did not exist previously.

If you choose to approach writing via cartoon strip writing, then the following method will help create simple steps towards a more enjoyable experience towards writing:

§ Decide on the context that you would like to focus --prewriting, pre- and post reading activities, response to literature, and so on. § Allow your students the liberty to choose characters, setting, dialogue etc. to flesh their stories out. § Get them to animate a book they have recently read. This will get students to think about what is important in the story, think analytically about characters, events, and themes and condense what is truly important in the story into a comic strip. § With my primary and middle years students, I use

Dr. Seuss and Shel Silverstein stories

because they’ve all read and enjoyed them in their younger years. Seuss talks about some very complex issues and getting students to make a strip on the deeper meaning in the text will help them gain a better understanding of his message. § Provide age appropriate, sample comic strips for them to understand the task at hand.

Cartoon strip writing enables a student to connect with literature on a personal, and yet an academic plane. Over a period of two years, I’ve noticed how children are animated and enthusiastic to write about contemporary literature.

Contemporary literature is part of their lives; something that is here and now.

To warm them up before the start of a session, I give them a writing prompt—a word or a single image. This is done at the very start of every session. The task is for them to write all they can write about the given image or word for a good 5 mins. without resting their pens. As reluctant as they are in the beginning and do not have much to show at the onset, they eventually build the stamina to write for long and write well.

Reach out to Sharoon for more information on her writing workshops that happen throughout the year website: www.abetterword.in and Blog:

abetterwordbangalore.wordpress.com

Cartoon strip writing enables a student to connect with literature on a personal, and yet an academic plane.

Re

search

Featured Montessori Method – a tool for a genius

Wouldn’t it be sad if we spend all our energy and resources to teach the child to master what he would forget and also would be of no use beyond the examinations and grades! We explore Montessori , the GEAR way to understand Early Childhood Enrichment in its essence.

Edited By Gita Sridhar

the B A S I CS

A

re you a CREATIVE teacher, thinking differently in a classroom ?

C

B

ecome a trend setter in the world of education & show ome forward with your people how its done! experiences and innovative teaching tools. o write to us at

D

contribute @ thinkCIQ.in

All articles should have the following details§ Name, School/Institution/Company § The Idea- PROCESS- Product & the challenges faced. § Activity/Exercises to share as examples. § How would you Improve on the same creation. § Support with Visuals/Research.

Montessori Method the tool of a Genius

Compiled by Gita Sridhar

Montessorian Â

Montessori

GEAR

/ 51

Chapter 1

THE REASON BEHIND THE BOOK

I

n an ever changing world, the term “schooling” carries different meanings and has different outcomes (results, consequences, conclusions)for many. But to us, in GEAR, it is simple and straightforward.

Our ‘vision’ is to take “learning”, in its purest and best form to all- irrespective of where they come from. And in our endeavor and journey, we realized that both the “teacher” and the “student” need to be continuously stimulated and engaged, as learning is a lifelong process. The teacher is as much a student; and the student himself a teacher at times.

And why do we look at “Learning” as a lifelong process? Because Education is a process that includes all facets of life which are not just academic. We welcome every generation that comes to us with respect and an understandingthat, we need to be equipped ,with the appropriate tools- mentally, emotionally, spiritually, physically.

And we also understand that each generation is as different as it is wonderful. Our children help us become versatile and dynamic. They guide us as much as we do them; We help them open their minds, and they understand that when we show them a mirror, it can be used as a window. This is what education means to us- and it is constantly changing. That is what makes it a lifelong process.

Our Environments are born out of this need. Our desire to share this outcome with all- parents, teachers, children and all those interested in learning, is what made us write this book.

We host open houses and an orientation programme for parents every year. Yet, at the end of each session, we have a few parents who ask questions like, ”what will my child learn?” “When will he start writing?” “How much and what homework will he get?” “ My child does not tell me what goes on in class, ”etc.. We realized that brief sessions are not enough to educate parents and make them understand the beauty of the Montessori method.

Hence this book.

We hope you enjoy reading it as much we enjoyed writing it.

“Each second we live is a new and unique moment in the universe- a moment that was never before and will never be again. What we teach our children in school is 2+2=4 and Paris is the capital of France. When will we teach them what they are? What we should say to them is: Do you know what you are? You are a marvel! You are unique! In all the world there is no other child exactly like you! In the millions of years that have passed, there has never been a child exactly like you.

Look at your body, what a wonder it is! Your legs, your arms, your cunning fingers, the way you move! You may be a Shakespeare, a Michelangelo, a Beethoven, a Lily Boulanger. You have the capacity for anything. Yes you are a marvel. And when you grow up, can you then harm another who is like you a marvel?”

-Pablo Casals, cellist.

The Book – “Exploring

Montessori, The GEAR Way”

Coming out soon

/ 52

Chapter 2

T

here are numerous schools with different teaching methods, everywhere. Among all the methods, we, at GEAR, have found the Montessori Method to be one of the best specially for preschool education. Our joy at seeing how children become independent thinkers, purposeful learners and develop a sense of self-worth and work, made us want to not only promote the method further, but also share it with all.

We adapt educational methods for the promise it holdsand all methods do guarantee academic success. But even so, most methods depend on teachers. Montessori Method is the least dependent on teachers. The child in the Montessori takes full control and teachers are mentors.

Parents always have this one question, and rightly so.

How will Montessori benefit my child? We say- It is only the Montessori Method that helps children “develop patience with failure” and a willingness to try again and again. It helps prepare them for the real world. And how?

By showing them that the world is not divided into “Somebody” and “Nobody". It teaches them to build spirit, and that as individuals they all have a place in the world, and they can build for themselves a unique identity. It teaches them to balance spirituality in an otherwise materialistic world.

In our experience with Montessori children we have found that children from Montessori backgrounds are more open to learning, and master skills and solve problems better and faster. They give it their all, in all that they do, thereby developing their full, unique potentials.

Our Montessori environments are prepared in such a way that children experience a sense of joy and celebration by just being in them, and they understand that they are a part of something bigger than themselves.

They learn personal empowerment and responsibility .They learn to honour all life and discover their own dignity in an imperfect world. Most importantly, they think for themselves, and learn to be leaders as well as good team members.

This is the promise of Montessori, which we have seen.

WHY THE MONTESSORI METHOD ?

A letter by Mahatma Gandhi to Dr. Montessori

Madame Montessori, Even as you, out of love for children, are endeavoring to teach children, through your numerous institutions, the best that can be brought out of them, even so, I hope that it will be possible not only for the children of the wealthy and the well- to - do, but for the children of paupers to receive training of this nature. You have very truly remarked that if we are to reach real peace in this world, and if we are to carry on a real war against war, we shall have to begin with children and if they grow up in their natural innocence, we wont have to struggle, we wont have to pass fruitless idle resolutions, but we shall go from love to love and peace to peace, until at last all the corners of the world are covered with that peace and love for which , consciously or unconsciously the whole world is hungering.

M.K. Gandhi, 1943

“You never know what is enough unless you know what is more than enough.” - William Blake

“Creativity is like crystallization. The idea comes from a super saturated mind.”- U.R Ananthamurthy

“

”

/ 54

The teacher-student bond grows as time passes, the teacher grows in dimensions and depth, the student grows in achievements and reach. When they meet after a long gap, the exchange is wordless, motionless and beyond silence. It’s the eyes that talk, it’s the handshake that speaks. When i called on my teacher, who changed me from a science mind to an arts student, I was transformed to yet another level.

The CIQ team had a rare opportunity of his attention and were exalted with the experience of insight into a thinker’s mind and a writers heart.

Dr.M.Srinivasan

Student & Co- Founder thinkCIQ

the

INSPIRING Guru

Dr.U.R. Ananthamurthy Edited By Devi Sastry

O

ne of the wisest minds of 21st century India is undoubtedly Kannada writer, beloved teacher and orator UR Ananthamurthy. He has had great success in his respective fields and is world-renowned for his works. Recently, a team from thinkCIQ had the honor of asking him a few questions. Dr. Ananthamurthay was extremely humble and wise. His ideas wowed the team and the knowledge he shared with them was priceless. He inspired the team to aim higher and strive for more.

Q: What got you interested in writing?

A: At your age I began to love words. Words in English and words in Kannada. I had good teachers in poetry. The headmaster of my village school would come to our class and read Shakespeare to us boys who didn’t know English. He never worried whether we fully understood or not. Our headmaster believed whether children understand something or not, on hearing it their minds will be aroused and someday they will understand it. During the holidays he would give us slates and a lantern and tell us to teach the villagers to read and write. That is what got me interested in writing

Q. As a teacher, how important is it to be creative?

A. It is very important. There is a statement of Blake: “You never know what is enough unless you know what is more than enough”. A teacher who comes to teach you physics or math, you should feel that he knows more than what he is teaching.

Q: How did you become a teacher?

A: After my honors I applied for a teaching job for which I had gone for an interview. After the interview, my interviewers were so impressed that they said to me, “Why do you want to be a teacher?

We can make you a government servant”. I said, “No. I want to be a teacher.” That is one decision I took without any hesitation, and it was a good decision because I am still in touch with young people like you, because I am a teacher.

Q. Is writing the only medium you use to express yourself? If not, do you have any alternatives?

A. I speak, I participate in seminars, I make speeches, sometimes even to a mass audience. I may simplify my language, but I do not simplify my thoughts.

Q. A-t the end of your novel S a m s k a r a , y o u l e ft y o u r protagonist in a dilemma. Why did you leave your story openended?

A. I leave it open-ended because, I do not myself know what he could have done. A novelist should not assume that he knows everything. In a very good novel, a novelist tells you what he knows and leaves gaps of silence where he doesn’t know. So, what he knows becomes literature and what he doesn’t know also becomes literature. A novel ends but doesn’t end with a book. It should go on in your thoughts.

Q. Have any of your childhood works been published at a young age?

A. We used to have a wall magazine in school. We would publish our works in that magazine. Everyone used to read it: teachers, students, parents. It felt just as satisfying as being published.

Q. What is your advice to budding writers?

A. Don’t think of only publishing, when you write, try to speak to yourself rather than to an audience. Try to speak to yourself in order to get authenticity. I’m not saying that you should not address the reader, but you should address yourself more. Also, do not be in love with adjectives. Make your writing full of realistic images.

Q. What do your readers look forward to, in your books?

A. Readers look forward to the problems and the struggle with problems in my books. They look forward to no egoistic narration.

Q. What motivates you?

What inspires you?

A. My inspirations are of various kinds. Sometimes a word begins to boggle me and it begins to gather thoughts. This is an image for my creativity: if you have a super saturated solution and you put a thread in it, a crystal begins to form. Creativity is exactly like that. There must be a super saturated emotional solution in you and the idea grows by taking what it wants from the solution. That is the best image for creativity.

Q. If you could live your life again, what is one thing you might change?

A. I am a little lazy sometimes. I would definitely be more methodical. It may disturb the creativity, but I could write books that do not require much creativity.

The conversation sparked the minds of the team and got them thinking. To be in the presence of a brilliant mind such as Dr. Ananthamurthy was the team’s privilege.

I may simplify my language, but I do not simplify my thoughts.

Interviewed by Devi , Ashni & Shaurya Grade X & IX

With Best Compliments

Bharati Bhawan was established in 1943 by Ram Mohan Bose, who wanted to publish high-quality books at affordable prices. Starting from Patna, Bharati Bhawan gradually spread across India, and now has offices in New Delhi, Kolkata, Bengaluru (Bangalore), Ranchi and Noida.

Bharati Bhawan publishes school and college textbooks in English, Hindi and Bengali. It publishes books for state school boards and for the national boards - CBSE and ICSE. Apart from publishing books, Bharati Bhawan also distributes books published by leading publishers. It is the principal distributor for Pinnacle Books Pvt. Ltd.

# 98 Sirsi circle Mysore Road Bangalore – 560 018 Tel – 080 26740560 , 26740570 e - mail - sales.bbpdblr@gmail.com , website: www.bharatibhawan.in

THE IMPROV is a mad-ical improvisational comedy show created by CENTERSTAGE in 2012. THE IMPROV is performed WITHOUT A SCRIPT by 6 to 8 Actors on any stage where they perform hilarious scenes given to them ON THE SPOT by the Audience. Disclaimer or Non-Spoiler - It is NOT a stand up comedy show, nor is it 'the Improve'.

Hosted by Filmmaker & Creative Head of CENTERSTAGE - Saad

Khan

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Do a flip ! WAIT Act like an 80 yr. old Russian Belly Dancer

Fight the FISH !

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CREATVE Featured

Chumbak & Reap Benefit

Creative Entrepreneurs and Change Makers.

We learn from them how to be “ Different “ and make a “ Difference”. They walk the talk and bring to us talents like never seen before. Revolutionizing the Indian Creative platform through their Brand and Concepts.

www.chumbak.com

/ 60

The

RIGHT kind of

n tête-à-tête with Devi Sastry & Ashni N Shah The brand name "Chumbak" has become somewhat synonymous with 'quirky desi souvenirs.' Chumbak

products are the right kind of Indian- the kind that can bring a smile to your face on a cloudy day. So how did Chumbak go from being a tiny tourist brand to a world-famous company? Well, when we got the chance to find out, we just couldn't say no. Here's what Vivek and Shubhra, the founders of Chumbak, had to say to us.

E

veryone knows that Chumbak designs are based on identifiably Indian thingselephants, owls, rickshaws and more.

When asked why they chose these muses for their products, Vivek and Shubhra stated that they wanted nothing more than their products to be India portrayed right. The founders, who love to travel, found that our country had no more to offer to travelers than pashmina shawls and tiny Taj Mahals! They wanted to create products that were undoubtedly Indian, but not old-fashioned or boring. They were tired of tourists seeing India in the past on postcards, rather than the India around us today.

The result- designs with everyday Indian items.

The founders describe the transition of their products from in-your-face India-themed to more subtly India-inspired.

There was a point in time that the founders had to sell their apartment for money to start up the company. When asked how they handled the tough times, Vivek and Shubhra denied that they had any tough times. Yes, they said, they did have to sell their apartment, but it was just a matter of renting a new one and living off their savings for some time.

We asked Vivek and Shubhra why they thought Japan was one of their biggest markets. The news, when they had initially found it out, came as a shock to them. They hadn't expected such a strong response to their products from the Japanese Market. They think it's because their Japanese fans (no, not that fan) like the graphics and design of Chumbak products. The founders believe that the fans haven't ever seen the things we Indians take for granted like auto rickshaws.

They believe that their Japanese fans see Chumbak as art.

Most people can identify a Chumbak product without seeing the logo. So how do they maintain their signature "Chumbak" style?

Vivek and Shubhra believe that their designers play the most important role in this context.

Being able to replicate the signature style is one of the criteria that job applicants are judged based on, which may contribute to the fact that very few are actually hired as designers. The designers then have to combine what Chumbak is known for and their own interpretation of the brief, to create their own product. They say that it isn't so much a signature style as what the design stands for. They describe how there has been a gradual change in design from the very beginning to their present stage.

Starting a company may seem terribly large, but all you have to do is start small. Vivek and Shubra began with the very simple idea, portraying everyday India items in a unique way. It was fairly basic, and today that is a worldwide company.

Speaking of Chumbak and India, we had asked them what they loved most about India. After all they had seen a lot of India, but something ought to have stood out. It barely took them a couple of seconds to give us their answer. We had expected something more along the lines of ‘The Taj Mahal’ or ‘That one mountain in Kashmir’ but instead of that, we got the simple answer, a much better one I might add. Color. The one thing they loved the most about India was quite basic, the color.

For Vivek, it was the unpredictability and how they could obtain inspiration from the chaos.

For Vivek and Shubra it’s quite simple, as to how they keep their brand exclusive. Design is at the core. Almost anything and everything they do revolves around one thing, the design.

They have to consistently maintain the quality of design even if they decide to make slight changes in their work.

When asked about how they planned to expand their target audience, they said the audience’s age group didn’t matter as much the fact that the product actually had an audience or any kind. However, 70% of their audiences are people between the ages 18-25.

Around 60% are women, and in India, 60% of their products are sold in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore only!

Chumbak is a company that’s been around for quite a while so naturally we were interested in knowing what was next. What were their future plans, should we expect a change in design? They are aiming and building bigger stores with larger formats. They are trying to learn from their failures and experiment with different products.

Based on the consumer tastes and the evolution design only time can tell what Chumbak’s future has in store.

So to sum it up, you don’t need a truckload of money, a fancy work studio and a hundred employees to start your own company. Start small and grow from there. Great things take time, so go slow and make it count.

Chumbak began as a mere dream from Vivek and Shubra, just a half formed idea in the back of their mind. And from there it grew, slowly it became a tourist brand, and then finally a worldwide company. This transition didn’t happen in one day, it happened over a couple years. But they never gave up. Through the criticism and the tough times they kept going, constantly being inspired by the everyday objects around them.

They got inspiration from the most basic of things from a rickshaw driver on the streets to the Bharatnatyam dancers in the studio, from the quirky Indian pronunciations of words to the Indian elephants.

“Japanese fans see Chumbak as art.” Design is at

the core. Almost anything and everything they do revolves around one thing, the design.

As Vivek so nicely put it

“ Inspiration is limitless”

Interviewed by Devi & Ashni Grade X

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Creative Solutions to Environmental Issues

By Kuldeep Dantewadia Gautam Prakash  Reap Benefit follows a process of behavioral change to tackle serious environmental issues.

We work closely with the youth and children on everyday elements of waste, water and energy.

We aim to engage the head (cognitive skills), heart (empathy) and hand (problem solving) so that we can have a generation of eco-literate citizens who will bring a ripple eect in all walks of life.

Solutions come from understanding people, their motivations both intrinsic and extrinsic and how we add an element of fun to bring change which is long term sustainable and brings measurable impact.

+

+

= Behavioural change and tangible Impact in

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How we scientifically mould behavior

As an experiment, we co-developed waterless urinals made from plastic in low income government schools

At Reap Benefit we believe solutions comes from understanding people, their motivations both intrinsic and extrinsic and how we add an element of fun to bring change which is long term sustainable and brings measurable impact.

We

Some of the creative solutions which have been developed through games and by engaging students have been: The pre-dominant tool we use is Gamification. We believe Gamification ensures fun and engagement which allows students and youngsters to engage and respond to everyday problems in a rewarding way rather than cynicism and boredom

De’Grade-­‐ An organic enzyme to convert food waste into compost. Developed predominantly for children so that they can get used to composting and manage the food waste at home at low cost

Grey water system co-developed by students to reuse the water used for washing the utensils during mid-meal and reuses it for sanitation purposes Human Centered Bin which accelerates segregation of dry waste by incorporating elements of transparency and design elements made from locally available materials enhances segregation more than 90% without any instruction.

want to prove innovations to daily problems can be solved with the youth of the country.

Through Gamification we have worked with 14000 students saved 200 tons of solid waste, 21 lakh liters of water, 2 lakh units of electricity and co-developed 5 innovations in schools and 25 companies now.

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By Manoj Thandassery

A Bold New Generation Requires Bold New initiatives in Schooling

I

ndia was in the global media spotlight as the country successfully executed the largest democratic exercise in history. Several reports have been written on the mind-boggling logistics that went into the exercise, and of course, the political changes it swept-in. A new kind of voter emerged in this exercise, one who threw away old baggage, a voter who intensely discussed his or her political options on social media and finally boldly voted in unprecedented change. A voter who scarcely cared about the opinions, calls, threats, sops and predictions of pundits, ‘political veterans’, the media, psychologists and perhaps, his or her own family and community.

This new voter is the youth of our country and for the first time in our history, we have a generation looking to express itself, a generation that is unafraid to take risks and demand its dues. It is a generation that cares little of our colonial past, or our preliberalization days of thinking small and living small. It is a generation that is impatient for change and believes it can be the best in the world. It is also a generation that sweeps into the dustbin of history, any old idea whose appeal is no longer relevant.

As Educators and Parents, we need to ask ourselves – have the institutions of child learning (our homes and our schools) adapted to meet the evolving needs of this generation? Are we still focused on creating a generation of ‘followers’ and ‘doers’ when we have at our potter’s wheel a generation that aspires to be ‘leaders’ and ‘innovators’?

Employers will tell us that in today’s urban India jobs are now chasing applicants, be it engineers for Chip Design or workers for Building Construction. As parents and Educators, our concern should be less about our children finding jobs and more about providing them the platform to fulfill their dreams and the collective dreams of our country.

This requires several changes.

Creativity and Imagination are skills often ignored both at home and at school. In a world where the ‘doing’ is increasingly being relegated to computers, machines, robots and drones, what we need are innovators.

One needs to create an environment where these skills are given an opportunity to develop. This does not come from mechanical teaching and learning, but rather comes from creating an environment that fosters the development of new ideas using existing concepts.

The days when chart paper based activities were

sufficient to establish creative thinking are passé. In today’s search-cut-pasteprint world, several well-meaning initiatives don’t necessarily serve their purpose. The same activity if it were to be converted into a task where the student had to create a scrapbook story, would exercise creativity and imagination. Students also need to be given opportunities to express ideas in any manner that excites them. What’s the harm in an aspiring poet making a poem out of a topic or a hip-hop singer singing out something? The question to ask is this ‘Are we giving our children the opportunity and encouragement to express themselves in ways that they chose?’

Schools also have the opportunity to become plaCorms for students to become community influencers and thought-­‐leaders. Making a chart or model of a water purificaIon plant is good, but, think of the value in having students bring water samples from different homes and areas, and publishing a live website that tracks water contaminaIon in that area?

Perhaps they can then begin a social media campaign to educate residents on this maNer. Such projects require several shiPs. To begin with, teachers need to be encouraged and empowered to iniIate such acIviIes. Also, the walls between subjects need to collapse as such acIviIes require team-­‐work at the subject level. There is another problem t h a t n e e d s c o r r e c I o n . I n d i a n educaIonal insItuIons have few linkages with industry. With Corporate Social Responsibility now becoming mandatory for large companies, corporates are also looking for areas where they can make an impact. This also means that teachers need to reach out to parents beyond the tradiIonal PTA, build relaIonships and draw in their Ime, skills and connecIons. That will also miIgate the resistance that t e a c h e r s s o m e I m e f a c e w h e n introducing innovaIons.

School leaders need to lead this change.

This requires professional development of teachers, developing iniIaIves that incenIvize teachers to think outside the box, and empowering them with infrastructure and budgets. Schools in India have played a stellar role in our

development, and that has helped us become a Regional Power in Economic Development and ScienIfic progress. Let us now help this next generaIon take our country to becoming a leading innovator, a country that makes scienIfic breakthroughs, leads in contribuIons to leading research journals and delivers the next wave of product breakthroughs. The United States has held this mantle since the end of the industrial revoluIon, and if there is any country that has the inherent diversity and demographics to provide a similar ferIle landscape, it is ours.

(Manoj Thandassery is Co-­‐Founder of Curiosi; Learning Solu;ons, Pvt. Ltd, a Bangalore based start-­‐up that partners with schools to provide an innova;ve, simple and affordable program to make the school curriculum hands-­‐on)

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Coming Soon

Student Band, 2014 Artwork Athreya Krishnamurthy

“Invisible Force a.k.a Shaurya”

“Beach Boy a.k.a Thomas” “Creeping Death a.k.a Akash”

“Silent Whisperer a.k.a Shourjo”

“Beauty Queen a.k.a Alisha”

the BAND & THE PEOPLE Thomas Tarang Joseph Piano and Vocals Alisha Machani Bass Guitar and Vocals Shourjo Chatterji Drums Akash Gudi & Shaurya Arora, Guitar

“Shaurya”

“Thomas”

“Akash”

“Alisha”

“Shourjo”

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C R E AT I V I T Y

CREATIVITY

N N O VAT I O N M A N A G E M INNOVATION ENT MANAGEMENT F U T U R E S S T U D I E S FUTURES STUDIES

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

A unique interdisciplinary postgraduate programme delivered A unique interdisciplinary postgraduate programme deliveredin in partnership by the Universitypartnership of Malta, and of by the Malta University of Malta,the Malta University and the University of Potsdam, Germany, in collaboration with the University of Turku, Potsdam, Germany, in collaboration with the University of Turku, Finland.

Finland.

This Masters programme willThis develop students’ knowledge and Masters programme will develop students’ knowledge and skills in the areas of creativity idea generation, innovation skillsand in the areas of creativity and idea generation, innovation management, futures studies and entrepreneurship. management, futures studies and entrepreneurship.

Students will learn to become flexible who arewho are Students will learnthinkers to become flexible thinkers Start Date: prepared to recognize opportunities, take risks, increase prepared to recognize opportunities, take risks, increase competitive advantage, add value and deal competitive advantage, addcompetently value and deal competently October with uncertain futures and change. with uncertain futures and change.

Duration of programme: The programme will be delivered using The programme will a be blended delivered using alearning blended learning (e-learning and face-to-face) approach. (e-learning and face-to-face) approach.

Three semesters Students will be expected to Students participate in a will be expected to five-day participate in a intensive five-day intensive seminar at each of the three participating universities during the seminar at each of the three participating universities during the Admission requirements: first year of the course. first year of the course.

A Bachelors degree and a

This unique new International M.Sc. Programme ThisJoint unique new International Joint M.Sc. Programme minimum of one year is the right choice if you wish to: is the right choice if you wish to:

work experience

improve your ability to address challenges improveexciting your ability to address exciting challenges and opportunities and opportunities create your own successful create future and venture towards your own successful future and venture towards it with competence and confidence it with competence and confidence take on a leadership role intake enterprise on a leadership development, role in enterprise development, innovation management or innovation policymanagement making. or policy making.

For full details please visit www.um.edu.mt/strategicfutures For full details please visit www.um.edu.mt/strategicfutures

sign and Development of Thinking - University of Malta - Msida - Malta Enquiries: The Edward de Bono Institute for the Design and Development of Thinking - University MSD of Malta -2080 Msida MSD 2080 - Malta m.edu.mt/strategicfutures - Telephone: (+356) 2132 3981; 2340 e-mail: einnform@um.edu.mt - www.um.edu.mt/strategicfutures - Telephone: (+356) 2132 2434 3981; 2340 2434 This programme was as part ofof This designed programme was designed as part eInnForM, an Erasmus eInnForM, Curriculum an Erasmus Curriculum Development Project, partly funded by the Development Project, partly funded by the European Commission’ Education, European Commission’ Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency

UNIVERSITY OF MALTA

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TOP 100

AWARDS

TOP 100 would comprise of 3 categories covering students, teachers and schools. From the announcement of the awards we would begin to encourage all to begin working towards aspects on which one would be judged. Giving them almost six months to prepare themselves before the application process and shortlisting begins. The TOP 100 awards will be announced at thinkCIQ 2015.

TOP 100

Innovative Schools

Creative Teachers

Promising Scholars

TOP100@thinkCIQ.in

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