The buzz in our campuses -June 2022
Ekya BTM – The electric campus
Joy, laughter, happiness, colour and energy – these are the words that define the atmosphere at Ekya’s BTM campus. On the first day of school, as the teachers prepared to welcome students to their classrooms in open arms, the excitement was palpable.
Now, the wait for classrooms and corridors longing for the sights and sounds of children is complete. Boards inviting students to their classes, books filled with knowledge, chalks describing complexities and stationary documenting the experience; the little things that the students have missed are all back. Smartphones and televisions are joyfully traded for school bags and lunches with their friends. With so much to share, the only commodity we are short of is time.
Reminiscent of all the classes they have been through with us, I rejoice as I see our students walking down the corridors enveloped in a world of learning with their friends. There are seldom finer moments of felicity when students ask me, ‘Ma’am, do you remember me?’. The sparkle in their eyes reminds me of years past, as I reminisce about their growth in school. With students in Montessori asking for homework, I am ecstatic about the efforts our teachers have put in to develop our students.
With a euphoric sense of achievement, we in Ekya are walking into a year filled with optimism, filled with hope and most importantly filled with energy!
BACK TO OFFLINE SCHOOL
Teacher: “Sam, can you please turn on your video?”
And that’s how our two years have passed. Years 2020 and 2021 have been a challenge for the entire universe. As the memories continue to haunt us, the education sector was one area that was severely affected by the pandemic.
Today, after two long years, when the school gates have finally opened to welcome children, our effort has increased by two fold. The sanitiser station continues to be present at every corner of the school, everyone at school continues to wear a mask and take precautions when we are under the weather.
While we are excited to see the happy faces of our children, we are duly aware of the times they have missed being around their friends. Several ice breaking activities have been included to help children overcome their social bubble and get acquainted with the physical school environment.
Online teaching has not only compelled us within four walls, it has also given us ample learning strategies which we have carried over to the offline platform. Presentations, study-videos, visual imageries- have been beneficial in honing the speaking and logic and reasoning skills of students. While the threat of the virus continues to scare us, we, while holding the hands of our children, continue to bridge every gap, onward and forward.
How teachers can help students to form a Growth Mindset in the classroom
A word that is heard quite commonly is ‘mindset ‘. Mindset is a set of beliefs that shape how you make sense of the world and yourself. It influences how you think, feel, and behave in any given situation. A growth mindset towards learning is now considered as important as the academic knowledge itself whether at school or at the workplace.
Research shows that a growth mindset towards learning helps students to understand that their abilities can be developed over time through effort and persistence. On the other hand, people with a fixed mindset believe that abilities are fixed and are present when you are born. They cannot be developed or improved further.
When a child has a growth mindset, they tend to have a hunger for learning and a desire to work hard and discover new things. This often translates into academic achievement. On the other hand, those with fixed mindsets are more likely to give up in the face of challenging circumstances.
How are these mindsets formed in the first place? One of the main causes is found to be praising and labeling often in early childhood at home, school or in public interactions. Thus, parents and teachers can make a significant impact in the formation of mindset in students.
A few pointers on how we can make a difference as teachers in formation of a growth mindset:
Teach the students about brain neuroplasticity which is the ability of the brain to form new neural connections in response to challenges or new experiences. Students will be more interested in learning when they know that they can remodel their own brain during study and drill. A very useful teaching resource in this direction is the 3-D brain map sourced from the Open Colleges website. Students can click on various parts of the brain model and learn about different parts and their functions. The brain map also provides options for accelerating learning by providing case studies.
“Picture your brain forming new connections as you meet the challenge and
learn. Keep on going.” – Carol Dweck
Mistakes and Failure from the students are to be normalized and not criticized. As children grow, they become more and more reluctant to commit any mistake due to the fear of failure. Only if they commit mistakes will they learn. Encourage students to openly discuss their failures and learn from them.
Practice positive self – talk and reframe language during communication and feedback. A teacher must add the golden word “yet” if any student says “I am not good at math”. “Not yet”, the teacher must add so that students understand skills are modifiable. Teaching students how to use positive self-talk helps them develop the confidence and essential skills necessary to be successful in scientific challenges and investigations.
Therefore, as a teacher, the next time a student struggles we must consciously use a growth mindset to encourage and help that student to find a different way of thinking.
“More and more research is suggesting that, far from being simply encoded in the genes, much of personality is a flexible and dynamic thing that changes over the lifespan and is shaped by experience.” – Carol Dweck.
Ms. Preethi C
High School Math Teacher
Ruan locks - donating hair to cancer patients
Hello everyone! My name is Ruan. I am in 7th grade.
With the world changing almost overnight due to Covid in December 2019, we all knew that physical school had shut in March 2020. Barber shops were shut too. My first haircut during lockdown was funky and styled in layers by none other than my mother at home.
Soon after I wanted to try something different. I wanted to sport long hair like my hero, M S Dhoni. My mother was comfortable with the idea and allowed me to have my way of nurturing and caring for it week after week, day after day. As the results started showing she introduced me to the world of cancer patients in need of hair donations. She asked me to consider donating to a noble cause at the end of my journey with my style statement. My mother, Ar. Roopa Roy channelizes donations of refurbished woodwork to various under-privileged organizations through her work. Following in her footsteps came naturally to me in my way.
Cancer patients lose hair during the radiation therapy process which takes a long while to grow back only after the treatment is complete. Hair donation facilitates making wigs for such people helping them look and feel more normal and acceptable in our judgemental society. It boosts their self-esteem.
However, donating hair is not as simple as it sounds.
Donation hair needs to be a minimum of 6 inches long and a maximum of 15 inches long.
Donation hair should be free from exposure to any chemicals through hair coloring, perming, or any other hair styling sources
Furthermore while cutting the hair for donation it should be kept in mind and taken care to not fall or touch the ground. It should be collected in a cotton cloth bag, placed in a zip-lock pouch, and then sent to a specific organization dealing with the making of wigs for the purpose.
It’s time now to bid adieu to my long locks as I shall be back to physical school next week. I feel humbled to be able to contribute to a noble cause. I’m excited, it feels great! For girls probably it is easier to do this, but as a boy, I’ve had to answer a lot of questions. My mother has faced trolls of being too lenient or spoiling me with such freedom or style precedents at such a young age. She has faced them with panache every single time! I urge you to do something that makes a difference to the world, to mankind. To be kind enough quietly, strong enough mentally to make that difference count.
Last week I visited the school to prepare for the academic year ahead. Yet on knowing the reason she was all praise. I’d thus like to take the opportunity to thank Madhuri ma’am and Asha Ma’am for encouraging me to share this with you. Thank you!
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