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Ekya / August 07, 2019 Posted by : administrator

Speak on a Topic (Grades 1-8) 

July 30, 2019, saw students of Grades 1 – 8 get ready to talk on various topics. They were all part of the “Speak on a topic” activity.Diverse topics were addressed in this event. Students from Grades 1-8 spoke fluently and confidently on topics like Artificial Intelligence, space shuttles, sports, animals, solar systems, family, transport, environment, to name a few.

They also referred to current events such as Cricket world cup matches, floods and so on when they were speaking on topics of their interest. The event led to a discussion on the various problems that the world is facing such as air pollution and students gave practical, potential solutions for the same. This was an interactive session where everyone was given a chance to express themselves without competing with each other. 

Hindi Recitation  (Grades 1-3) 

Grades 1-3 actively participated in reciting Hindi poems such as Machli Jal Ki Rani Hain, Lakadi Ki Kathi, etc. on July 25, 2019.

Hand gestures, body language, expression and body movements were portrayed by students while they were reciting poems. They thoroughly enjoyed and showcased their talent of presenting what they have learned in the Hindi language classes.

 

It was amazing to see the children recite from memory and their presentation skills. Their in-depth understanding of the poems was apparent through their perfect gestures and expressions.  

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Ekya / May 07, 2024

5 Things You Need To Know About The IGCSE

Introduсtion The International General Certifiсate of Seсondary Eduсation (IGCSE) is a globally recognized curriculum and qualifiсation for seсondary school students. First offered in 1988 by Cambridge Assessment International Eduсation, the IGCSE board allows 14-16 year old students across the world to develop skills for further aсademiс рrogression or рrofessional life. Over 5,000 schools in 160 countries offer IGCSE subjeсts sрanning languages, humanities, sсienсes, mathematiсs, and voсational skills. Read on as we exрlore 5 key asрeсts of this globally foсused curriculum framework.

Globally Reсognized Qualifiсation

First and foremost, the IGCSE board is an international qualifiсation that is recognized by universities and сolleges around the world. Unlike state board сurriсulums that focus on sрeсifiс geograрhies, the IGCSE emphasises global relevanсe suited for today’s increasingly borderless world. With aссeрtanсe across Ivy League institutions, Russell Grouр universities, and aсademiс рowerhouses both in North America and Europe, the IGCSE signals readiness for tertiary education abroad. So, for students who are targeting internationally oriented сareers or рlanning their higher education outside their country, IGCSE serves as an ideal foundation. Its globally foсused рedagogy also рreрares students well for multicultural workрlaсes.

Curriсulum  

Central to the IGCSE’s global recognition is its well-rounded curriculum сovering сore subjeсts like maths, science, first and second languages as well as a рlethora of eleсtives sрanning humanities, social sсienсes, teсhniсal voсations and сreative arts. This exрoses students to diverse subjeсts aiding aрtitude identifiсation while keeрing further education and сareer oрtions oрen. Allowing sсhools flexibility to offer any mix of 70 subjeсts encourages individualised subjeсt сombinations tailored to evolving student interests. This is augmented by loсalized teaсhing сontent adaрtation рermitted to ensure relevanсy. Suсh сustomization opportunities make the IGCSE framework agile to institutions’ aсademiс рriorities.

Age Grouр

As an internationally benсhmarked qualifiсation aimed at seсondary education learners, IGCSEs are most suited for students in the 14 to 16 age group sрanning grades 8, 9, and 10 or equivalent national grades. However, enrollment flexibility exists for those falling slightly outside standard age рarameters based on individual capabilities and сirсumstanсes.

Certifiсation

Uрon сomрletion of the IGCSE examinations, students receive individual сertifiсations for each subject they have taken. The number of subjeсts required may vary from sсhool to sсhool, but students have the option to pursue a minimum of five subjeсts and a maximum of 14 subjeсts.

Examination

The IGCSE assessment is сonduсted by Cambridge International Examination (CIE) and involves a сombination of сoursework, oral exams, written exams, and рraсtiсal exams. This сomрrehensive assessment allows students to demonstrate their learning effectively, especially for those whose first language is not English.

IGCSE Core vs IGCSE Extended Oрtions

Many subjeсts рrovide twin oрtions – IGCSE Core and IGCSE Extended сatering to different skill levels within student сohorts. The Extended alternative integrates suррlemental content for advanced learners seeking greater rigour and higher attainment рossibilities. It leads seamlessly into tertiary рathways loсally and abroad. Conversely, the Core oрtion сovers foundation syllabus сontent for students still strengthening their grasр over subjeсts. It рreрares them for further skill-building required to ultimately transit to higher education through graduation сredentials. This built-in flexibility allows сustomization for сomрetenсy varianсes across learners by deрloying an aррroрriately сhallenging сurriсulum version benefitting them. Careful subject selection tailored to individual strengths and interests thus remains key.

Assessments

A robust globally standardised assessment methodology forms the baсkbone of the IGCSE curriculum. Rigorous written examinations test сontent mastery and aррliсation сomрetenсies while рraсtiсal assessments gauge exрerimental skills and deeрer understanding.   Certain subjeсts incorporate oral tests and сoursework рrojeсts demanding research, analysis, and synthesis abilities. Suсh multidimensional assessments aligned to international standards signal to universities that сertifiсate holders рossess well-rounded сomрetenсe. Exams are administered by the Cambridge Assessment International Eduсation (CAIE) division in June and November worldwide, with results deсlared next January and August, respectively. Over 10,000 institutions across 160 countries сonneсt students to these globally benсhmarked IGCSE assessments annually.

Different From Cambridge O-Level

While both the IGCSE and Cambridge O-Level are qualifiсations offered by Cambridge International Examination (CIE), they differ in their curriculum structure and assessment aррroaсh. The IGCSE curriculum offers a broader and more flexible curriculum, сatering to a wider range of students' interests and abilities.

Grading

The grading system for IGCSE exams follows a scale of A* to G, with sрeсifiс сriteria for each grade to indiсate the quality of aсhievement. Students are encouraged to read questions carefully, underline сruсial details, and use сharts and diagrams to enhance their answers for better сomрrehension.

Subjeсts

IGCSE offers approximately 70 subjeсts, inсluding 30 languages, сategorized into five groups: Languages, Humanities, Sсienсes, Mathematiсs, and Creative and Voсational. Students are encouraged to carefully seleсt their subjeсts based on their interests, talents, and strengths. Conсlusion As the IGCSE student community swells across geograрhies, standout рerformers continue enjoying рriority aссess to рremier universities in the US, Canada, and beyond. This signals the relevanсe of integrating this globally foсused curriculum as early рreрaration for tertiary studies internationally, even if initial higher education рlans remain loсal. So, for students and рarents seeking globally validated сredentials beyond home boundaries while keeрing international education рossibilities oрen, Ekya Sсhools, one of the best IGCSE sсhools, рrovides quality education and holistiс develoрment for students, ensuring they thrive aсademiсally and рersonally. Whether you're seeking a сomрrehensive curriculum, robust assessment structure, or the best IGCSE sсhools in Marathahalli, Ekya Schools delivers exсellenсe in education.    

Ekya / May 07, 2024

What Is IGCSE And Is It the Right Choice for My Child?

Every parent wants their child to have the best education, you are no different. However, when finding the right school for your child, you are often presented with a plethora of options. One such option that has grown in popularity in recent years is the IGCSE Schools in Bangalore. It is a globally recognized board and its curriculum is designed to foster holistic growth among students.  As one of the top IGCSE schools in Bangalore, we will explain what IGCSE is and help you decide if IGCSE schools are suitable for your child.

What is IGCSE?

The International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) is an internationally recognized board created by the University of Cambridge in England. It caters to 14–16 year olds (usually grades 9-10) and prepares them for further university studies worldwide. IGCSE courses offer a rich curriculum that tailors to individual strengths and nurtures the skills and competencies of students. Here are some of the benefits of IGCSE schools for your child.

Student-Centric Approach

The IGCSE curriculum is student-centric and fosters creativity. Teachers and students contribute equally to the class, making it an enriching experience. Learning is practical, allowing students to understand concepts better through real-life applications. IGCSE schools encourage students to ask questions, share ideas, and learn collaboratively with their peers. This approach nurtures logical and creative thinking skills in students. 

Preparing for the Universities

One of the major advantages of joining IGCSE schools is that the students here are well-prepared for further studies. This is made possible by the extensive knowledge and benefits that come from a globally standardized education. The students are encouraged to become independent thinkers and learners which is crucial for university studies. IGCSE schools focus on understanding and grasping the concepts rather than just memorizing. These are the traits most universities look for in a student. 

A Community Worldwide

The IGCSE program brings together students from all over the world in a global community. Children learn how to be inclusive and empathetic towards different people and cultures. This helps them develop a broad perspective. The program also allows each child to become a part of a diverse and comprehensive global community.

Inquiry-Based Learning

IGCSE courses foster curiosity in students by emphasizing real-life experiences, exploration, and expression. This encourages children to ask questions and research answers, helping them gain a better understanding of their communities and the world around them.

Rigorous Assessments

Top IGCSE schools in Bangalore such as Ekya Schools offer a rich experience for students with thought-provoking assessments. These include a variety of modes such as oral, written, coursework, and practical assessments. These assessments offer questions of different difficulty levels, enabling students to challenge themselves and discover their strengths and weaknesses. By instilling confidence and boosting morale, the IGCSE curriculum empowers students to plan their future educational journeys. 

Choice of Subjects that Cater to Different Abilities

The IGCSE subjects are designed to meet the needs of different students. With over 70 subjects to choose from, including 30 languages, schools can offer a combination that suits each student. Students must select at least 5 subjects, which include: 
  • Mathematics
  • Science
  • Humanities and Social Science
  • Languages
  • Creative, Technical, and Vocational Subjects Students also have a wide range of 30 languages to choose from, including their mother tongue.

Recognized by Universities Across the World

The IGCSE is the most recognized examination qualification across the world. Students with these qualifications are accepted into several countries like the US, UK, Germany, Canada, Australia, and Singapore. Many universities acknowledge and accept the IGCSE curriculum as part of their entrance criteria. The IGCSE opens up opportunities for further vocational education and serves as a strong foundation for employment. Students with IGCSE backgrounds have the necessary abilities that employers value in potential employees.

Conclusion

In conclusion, choosing the best school for your child can be a daunting task considering the number of options today. However, if you think a strong syllabus and robust curriculum are best for your child, IGCSE schools are the way to go. To find the best IGCSE schools near Bannerghatta Road, look no further than Ekya Schools in JP Nagar. Our goal is to give students a well-rounded education that nurtures critical thinking, and creativity along with academic excellence.Join us and allow your child to delve into the stimulating realm of IGCSE subjects, nurturing their personal growth and development along the way.. We're here to shape future leaders with an inclusive and inspiring learning environment.      

Ekya / May 06, 2024

Common Mistakes When Making A Class Presentation

A successful school presentation demands a lot more than just good content. Presentations are more about expressing and explaining things in a creative manner which involves two important parts- the content in an understandable form and its way of presenting it. The second involves speaking skills, presentation skills, voice modulation, and more. Many aspects of class presentation should be taken into consideration. However, there are a few common mistakes that are often committed during its preparation: 

Not Doing Your Research

Whatever topic you choose to present, you need to have a good knowledge about it. Well, that will only come with good research skills. You can do that by getting help from your teacher, the school library, or the Internet. Research not only helps you with better presentation but will also prepare you to answer the questions asked during the question hour.  

Not Making a Proper Introduction

 Whether the presentation is in front of a small group or you are representing your school, a small introduction about yourself along with the topic’s introduction is a must. This not only gives you a great start but also gives the audience an idea of what the presentation is about. To make your introduction a bit more interesting, you can start the presentation with a quote or some statistics to grab attention. 

Lack of preparation for the presentation

Not preparing well before the presentation day may put you in a difficult spot. It is possible that you will present well but you are internally not satisfied with your performance. Well, one of the best ways to prepare is to at least go through the content twice. Practice in front of the mirror or ask your parents to be the audience during the preparations. This way, you will get to know your weak areas and work more on them. You will be fully prepared to capture the attention of the audience with your confidence and speaking skills. 

Confident Body Language

Confidence is the key to a good presentation. It is not something that will develop overnight, we need to work on it. As per a study, poor body language affects your confidence. You need to understand that your language speaks a lot about your personality. With good content and strong body language, confidence reflects automatically. For class presentations, you can practise hand movements and voice modulation. Another important point that should not be ignored is maintaining eye contact with the audience. Before the final presentation day, it is advisable to practice in front of a mirror.

Not Being Engaging

 If you want your audience to understand the presentation well, then keep it engaging. A presentation full of text will make it boring so, to keep a balance between the infographics and text to make it more interesting and engaging. If possible, minutes of video related to your topic. This will keep your audience entertained. Remember whenever on stage  it is your responsibility to keep your audience engaged sensibly without going off-track. 

Inconsistent Slides

 Presenting slides in a good way demands a perfect framework that involves a lot of things and often focusing on one aspect might lead to ignoring others. Here are a few common slide mistakes made during the presentation. 
  1. Overcrowding the slides: It is one of the most common presentation mistakes often committed by students. You need to understand that for presentation “less is more” fits perfectly. Instead of too much text, visuals should be used. Instead of paragraphs, pointers should be used. Using different colours also makes the presentation interesting.
  2. Reading directly from the slides: Reading directly from the slides only projects you as underconfident and unprepared. Although it might seem a little tempting and an easier option, the best is to make small pointers of important topics on which you want to talk.
  3. Complicated data: Data should be presented in a way that the written content becomes more understandable. For this Pie charts or bar graphs in different colours can be used. 
  4. Not maintaining the hierarchy: Arranging the slides haphazardly
  5.  only confuses the students. It will distract them as there will be less clarity regarding the points. 

Going Off-Topic

Many times you might go off-topic to make your point more clear during the presentation. But as a presenter, you need to understand that class presentations and question sessions should be done within a time limit. For this students need to maintain the flow as per the hierarchy and should have an idea about which points need more explanation than the others. This will only come with a few practice sessions before your final day. 

Not being prepared for feedback and questions

 Once you finish your presentation, allow your audience to put their doubts in front of you. This way not only will your audience get a chance to clarify their doubts but you will also learn to tackle difficult questions. Sometimes, if you have no answer or are in doubt about the question, it is ok to accept and consider returning with better research next time.  As a presenter, you need to keep the flow of your presentation in a positive direction and end it on a positive note. It leaves a good impression on the audience. Keeping a way forward slide at the end is a good way to end. You can also present an idea about a drive you want to start in your school related to some global concern. But make sure everything is related to your topic of presentation. Nothing should go off-track.

Conclusion

If you are searching the internet with terms like- the best schools in Bengaluru or ICSE schools in Bangalore, CBSE syllabus schools consider Ekya Schools. We are among the leading schools in Bangalore, offering the best quality education. Our Understanding by Design (UbD) framework curriculum is designed in a way that caters not just to the academic requirements of a student but simultaneously builds the overall personality of the student.  We encourage students to actively participate in co-curricular and other group activities like presentations. This helps in building confidence and developing skills like speaking skills, presentation skills, tackling questions, and more. We have expert faculty that prepares our students for holistic development. At Ekya, different school clubs also help students develop different skills such as music, dance, coding, debating, and more.  Hopefully, the above information will be helpful.      
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Dinner Table Conversation by Ms. Shilpa Arun

"Family Time"

Family time is less common now in the era of gadgets and digital distractions. The age-old ritual of family dinners is possibly the best way to get every member of the family together. As the saying goes "A Family that eats together, stays together", but the merits of 'Family Dinner' are manifold. It provides a sense of belonging and caring among all members, promotes healthy eating habits, relieves stress, offers a 'good night's sleep', and more than anything it brings happiness and encourages family bonding. Here is an interesting blog by Ms. Shilpa Arun, parent of Anika Arun Bharadhwaj, studying in Grade-2 in Ekya School JP Nagar, on "Dinner Table Conversation," discussing the purpose, challenges and positive outcomes of reviving the 'Dinner Table Ritual.'

Dinner Table Conversation

Parenting is touted as an arduous adventure for most adults at present. All adults as parents always do their best to nurture their young ones. From pre-birthing sessions, birthing lessons, to postpartum experiences, infancy, toddlers, pre-schoolers, primary schoolers… the information flows on, till we are tired of seeking. I begin to wonder how our parents and elders managed to parent without this information flux. Or were we better children? This debate never ends. What caught my attention was Dinner table conversations. This seemingly innocent routine, which most of us followed in our homes, with our parents, is now a major bonding activity for the new age parents. It strongly reminded me, that eating together, these days is indeed a challenge. We forgot about this important time, without fully understanding its consequences, perhaps. Our evenings struggled by the hour, with phone conferences, virtual meetings, and endless office reports. We resorted to eating on time rather than choosing to wait for everyone to be home in the evening, or interrupting work, to make time for a dinner with family – has this really become a thing of the past!? It took me, close to 8 months and a lot of organizing, to finally introduce this dinner ritual in our home. Repeated attempts to create Meal-time-Rituals, Eating-Together memories in our home, were met with the blaring Television/Music, Meeting Reminders and the ever charged, ever-connected MOBILE phones. Nevertheless, we implemented eating one meal together “Dinner-time!” I would love to share our experience.
  • This Dinner time organizes my family, settles us, regularly bringing all members together, contributing to the physical, mental and social well-being. (Yes, after all the complaining from kids about switching off the TV and from adults about keeping phones away, finally ends, this really happens, we are at peace when the food is served!)
  • We now eat together from a single menu, elders and kids alike. (Well, there are days when some pickle will substitute a sabzi ‘too gooey’ for the kids or we adults down a rather bland sabzi!) 8 out of 10 days, the single menu works.
  • New dishes are welcomed. Simple traditional dishes make us share a few more stories. (Worth all the Effort)
  • All the rainbow veggies are included for dinner. We are eating more of them (Good for us parents who are growing on our sides.)
  • It is often said, we should not talk while eating, but I promise you, dinners are eaten faster during this little ritual. (we end up spending more time talking after dinner, while my ‘mother-hawk's eyes zeroed-in often at the clock, to start the bedtime routine!)
  • The kids help in setting up and cleaning the table! Good for them! (It takes half an hour more when kids do this, my legs and back rest and my throat hurts!)
  • As parents, with all our experience and wisdom (Rather limited & ancient, I have come to understand!!) we find that small window of chance to include useful life-skills into (ridiculously silly) stories and talk about them (without laughing ourselves) although many stories are met with a pair of suspicious eyes asking us “so, is this a story???” So what? I guess the ‘important bits’ of the stories are put out there! Honestly, it is the children who teach us better.
  • We learn to work together, delegate a few chores, take responsibility, to negotiate, while prepping & wrapping dinner, together. (I love delegating, though!!)
  • We plan for the weekend, distribute chores, make lists, set reminders for more to do, all while cleaning up the table. (of course, this will mean more driving and waking up early during weekends.)
  • Somehow, we learned to laugh more, be more goofy and loosen up. I am glad we are learning this well!! (We do laugh a lot!!)
  • We learn to share what did not work for us at school and at the office, and how we can do something different to work it! (Including how some dishes do not work well for them too!!)
  • About Money. It is a life skill which in my opinion must be taught to children like they understand the concepts of brushing teeth & combing hair! We all know by now, is not ‘the money-making’ that is important, rather ‘managing the money’ is the life skill kids need to master.
  • We learn to be patient and wait as everyone will finish those last few spoons! (Very important for parents!)
  • We learn to help each other at the table by suggesting to try what combinations are yummy. (yes sometimes, we adults taste Obbatu with tomato sauce & other times the kids taste vegetable salad with lemon Tahini dressing!! In the end, we finish what we have on our plates, despite the yumminess!)
  • I can vouch for this since we started the dinner ritual, we have learned to prioritize good food & family time with kids over other interesting (now ex) activities. (checking office mail, browsing news, pic, quotes on social media, silently clicking on emojis to express our opinions! Or even watching ‘The Mummy’ for the 10th time)
  • We have nearly stopped eating processed food, during that one important mealtime! (Ice-creams and chocolates are STRICTLY NOT included in the bad food list, at our home!)
While attempting to articulate the learning (even for us, parents) I understand better, how the repetition, consistency, conscious conversations, togetherness, being present and minus the gadgets, work with children. There are days when on weekends, I admit, I want to order some burgers and finish our dinner on the couch in front of the TV, but the children – I hear them assigning chores to set up the table among them, that is motivation enough, for us parents to straighten ourselves and cook-up even a simple rice and rasam to eat together, while the ice cream tub will complement it. The real icing on this piece? is that children are independently managing the table. That is a great starting point, right? I am also seeing the bright speck of light, at the end of the long tunnel – ‘Eat what is cooked, well.’ Almost. I guess I have learned more than I taught or thought. With dinner time, there are so many takeaways, despite the exhaustion!! Despite that lingering incomplete office report at the back of my mind, having managed to create a small window of time for us all, to connect with each other, sans distractions (read TV and phones for us elders), we get a glimpse into this amazing world, a multitude thought universe, all packed into the little children, who are the greatest teachers in our lives and help us, parents, attain the ever eluding spiritual and mental maturity! I am reaching for the stars, eh? Maybe. Although we start at, being happy to retain parts my sanity, while disciplining the ‘younger versions of us parents’ out of the kids, I cannot wait to continue this ritual of endless chitter-chatter, too many questions, loud arguments, strict disciplining, secret negotiations, crying, laughing our hearts out, cheering & teasing, sharing, planning a get-away, discussing weird stories, books, politics, education, food, friendships, myriad of experiences, and a thousand other random silly things. This fits great into our hearts. I pray that this ritual will go on to become a tradition of sharing, listening, caring, modeling positive relationship building and successfully managing to bring a smile on the grumpy faces who may have a had a bad day. It is important and we are loving it! Try it yourselves! There is really more that could happen while eating together.
A brief profile of Ms. Shilpa Arun:
Ms. Shilpa Arun is a Chartered Accountant, with about 15 years of work experience in corporate finance, auditing & compliance. She loves practicing yoga, listening to music, reading and spending time with my family. She strongly aspires to learn something new every few years.
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Field trip to Cubbon Park

Field trip to Cubbon Park (Grade 2) - Ekya School Byrathi The students of Grade 2 visited Cubbon park, a historical landmark along with two teachers. Our students are learning about how history surrounds us in their social studies lessons and hence this visit gave them a chance to understand that better. Students had ample time to make notes about the landmark’s importance. They also had a chance to experience the fresh air and greenery in the city. Students effectively used this time to observe and learn the history of the place.  Teachers had taken a few worksheets to support student’s learning, in which they marked the name, their observations on the surroundings which allowed them to discuss the following
  • How the traffic on the road is now as compared to the older images of the place
  • Whether there were any additions to the landscape in their surroundings
  • If there were any changes in the name of the place
They also visited Vidhana Soudha (the seat of the state legislature of Karnataka constructed in a style sometimes described as Mysore Neo-Dravidian, Indo-Saracenic and Dravidian styles) on their way back to school.  This trip allowed them to understand the relevance of history in our present context and also gave them a chance to enjoy the green surroundings of Cubbon Park.

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