#TeacherBlogger: कामयाबी के लिए जरूरी है लाइफ स्किल्स By Ms. Shivani Singh, Ekya Schools, JP Nagar
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अगर किसी भी व्यक्ति को किसी भी कार्य में सफलता पानी है तो इसके लिए उसे स्वस्थ होना बहुत ही आवश्यक है, क्योंकि जब तक स्वास्थ्य अच्छा नहीं होगा तब तक सफलता प्राप्त नहीं की जा सकती। किसी भी व्यक्ति के सफलता में उसकी जीवन शैली सबसे महत्वपूर्ण होती है,इसलिए किसी भी इंसान को सफल होने के लिए अपनी जीवन शैली या जीवन कौशल को सुधारना सबसे जरूरी होता है। जीवन कौशल वो सकारात्मक योग्यता है जो व्यक्ति को रोजमर्रा की जरूरतों तथा कठिनाइयों से गुजरने में समर्थ बनाती हैं।
क्या है जीवन कौशल? (What is life skill?)
हर इंसान के जीवन में उसका सकारात्मक व्यवहार व आउट-स्पोकन, वह योग्यता होती है जो उसको सफल बनाती है। किसी भी व्यक्ति की आउट-स्पोकन उसके जीवन को दिशा देती है। अगर किसी के जीवन में आउटस्पोकन, समय प्रबंधन, सात्विक चिंतन, संबंधों में सुधार, स्वयं की देखभाल के साथ-साथ पूर्णतावादी होना जैसी जीवन कौशल है, तो वह अपने जीवन में चुनौतियों का सामना कर सकता है।
आउटस्पोकन होना (Be Outspoken)
आउटस्पोकन होना एक ऐसा कौशल है जो हमारी भावनाओं, आवश्यकताओं, इच्छाओं तथा विचारों के स्पष्ट तथा विश्वासपूर्ण संप्रेषण में सहायक होता है। यह ऐसी योग्यता है जिसके द्वारा किसी के निवेदन को स्वीकार करना, किसी विषय पर बिना आत्मचिंतन के अपने मत को अभिव्यक्त करना, प्रेम, क्रोध इत्यादि को अभिव्यक्त करना संभव होता है। यदि आप आउटस्पोकन हैं तो आप में उच्च आत्म-विश्वास एवं आत्म-सम्मान तथा अपनी अस्मिता की एक अटूट भावना होती है।
समय प्रबंधन करना (Time Management)
कोई भी इंसान जिस तरह अपना समय व्यतीत करता है वह आपके जीवन की गुणवत्ता को निर्धारित करता है।। समय प्रबंधन का प्रमुख नियम यह है कि आप जिन कार्यों को महत्व देते हैं उनका परिपालन करने में समय लगाएं या उन कार्यों को करने में जो आपके लक्ष्य प्राप्ति में सहायक हो।
आहार
संतुलित आहार व्यक्ति की मन: स्थिति को ठीक कर सकता है, ऊर्जा प्रदान कर सकता है, मांसपेशियों का पोषण कर सकता है| संतुलित आहार व्यक्ति की रोग प्रतिरोधक क्षमता को मजबूत बना सकता है तथा व्यक्ति को अधिक अच्छा अनुभव करा सकता है। जिससे वह जीवन में आने वाले दबावों का सामना और अच्छी तरह से कर सके।
व्यायाम
व्यायाम ऐसी प्रक्रिया है जिससे हम अपने शरीर की देखभाल करते है। बड़ी संख्या में किए गए अध्ययन, शारीरिक स्वास्थ्य एवं स्वास्थ्य के बीच सुसंगत सकारात्मक संबंधों की पुष्टि करते हैं। व्यायाम जीवन शैली में वह परिवर्तन है जिसे व्यापक रूप से लोकप्रिय अनुमोदन प्राप्त हैं। नियमित व्यायाम वज़न तथा दबाव के प्रबंधन में महत्वपूर्ण भूमिका निभाता है तथा दबाव, दुश्चिंता एवं अवसाद को घटाने में सकारात्मक प्रभाव प्रदर्शित करता है। अच्छे स्वास्थ्य के लिए जो व्यायाम आवश्यक है, उनमें तनाव या खिंचाव वाले व्यायाम जरूरी है। जहाँ खिंचाव वाले व्यायाम शांतिदायक प्रभाव डालते है, वहाँ वायुजीवी व्यायाम शरीर के भाव-प्रबोधन स्तर को बढ़ाते हैं।
By
Ms. Shivani Singh
Teaching Staff
Ekya Schools, JP Nagar
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Ekya / April 03, 2024
The Power of Learning with Intent: A Guide to Purposeful Education
In a world brimming with information, the art of learning has evolved beyond the mere acquisition of facts. Learning with intent, a deliberate approach to education emphasises quality over quantity, depth over breadth, and purpose over passive absorption. It’s about cultivating a mindset that transforms knowledge into meaningful action and empowers individuals to navigate the complexities of the modern age effectively.
At its core, learning with intent involves setting clear objectives and actively engaging with the subject matter. Whether exploring a new language, delving into scientific principles, or honing a creative skill, intentionality infuses each learning endeavour with purpose and direction. As Albert Einstein aptly said, "The only source of knowledge is experience." This quote amplifies the importance of active participation and hands-on learning, highlighting that true understanding arises from deliberate engagement with the material.
Furthermore, engaging actively with the material is paramount. Embrace challenges and embrace mistakes as opportunities for growth. This proactive approach not only deepens your understanding but also cultivates critical thinking and problem-solving skills essential for success in any field.
Moreover, learning with intent emphasises relevance and applicability. Seek out opportunities to apply newfound knowledge in real-world scenarios, bridging the gap between theory and practice. By contextualising learning within your personal or professional sphere, you enhance its significance and utility, making it more likely to stick.
In conclusion, learning with intent is a transformative approach that transcends traditional notions of education. By setting clear objectives, engaging actively, prioritising relevance, and fostering a growth mindset, individuals can harness the full potential of learning to achieve their goals and thrive in an ever-changing world. So, embark on your learning journey with purpose, and let each lesson propel you towards a brighter, more fulfilling future.
By Sweta Pradeep Rao
Senior English Educator
Ekya School JP Nagar
Ekya / April 02, 2024
Gadget-free Summer Break
With summer vacation around, I urge parents to explore various ways to facilitate children to make healthy choices during their vacation time.
Last week, when we asked our Early Years to visualise their characters and create a story, most of them came up with stories about ghosts and monsters attacking others. When we had conversations about what gave them this idea, we understood that these story ideas emanated from their online games. While gaming per se develops specific skills and requires focus, it also stifles the imagination of young children. Since it is visually appealing, children tend to remember those images in their heads all the time.
I often see parents providing very young children (1 year to 3 year olds) with gadgets as the means to keep children engaged and entertained. I see children watching phones in the waiting areas of clinics, hospitals, school lobbies and banks.
This brings us to a fundamental question “ Should children be engaged by parents all the time?” Not necessarily. What is likely to happen if children were not handed over gadgets at the waiting lounges? What would they do? Some of them may cry, some may throw a loud tantrum, and some may crib. If parents show resilience and allow children to settle down themselves, they will soon find ways to keep themselves engaged. Likewise, during summer vacation. What if this is a “no gadget” vacation and parents do not take up the responsibility to engage their children? What would children do? How can parents show resilience here and facilitate children to make healthy choices? I leave the readers with this thought for this summer vacation.
Mathangi R,
Head of School,
Ekya NICE Road.
Ekya / April 02, 2024
The Eye of the Storm
In the hushed embrace of an Indian evening, our journey began, a symphony of anticipation orchestrated by the hum of jet engines and the flutter of boarding passes. The promise of adventure beckoned from distant shores as we boarded our flight bound for the United Kingdom, our hearts aflutter with dreams of far-off lands and newfound horizons. But as we soared through the velvet sky, a foreboding shadow loomed on the horizon, a harbinger of the chaos that was soon to unfold. In the blink of an eye, the tranquil serenity of our airborne sanctuary was shattered by a deafening crack, a burst of purple lightning that danced across the heavens with an otherworldly fervour. The air crackled with electricity as the plane shuddered beneath the force of the storm, its metal frame quivering in defiance against the tempestuous onslaught. And then, in a heart-stopping moment of sheer terror, the heavens unleashed their fury upon us, casting our fragile vessel into a maelstrom of chaos and uncertainty. The sky darkened to a shade of ominous charcoal as the winds howled with a primal ferocity, tearing at the wings of our faltering craft with savage intent. The cabin was awash with panicked cries and frantic prayers as we clung to our seats with white-knuckled desperation, each passing moment stretching into eternity.
And then, as if mocking our feeble attempts at control, the plane tilted almost 180 degrees, its nose plummeting towards the earth with a sickening lurch. Time seemed to stand still as we hurtled towards the ground, our fate hanging in the balance as the world spun wildly out of control. But just when all hope seemed lost, a glimmer of salvation emerged from the chaos, a beacon of light amidst the encroaching darkness. With a mighty roar, the engines surged to life once more, their thunderous symphony drowning out the cacophony of the storm as we clawed our way back from the brink of oblivion. As the storm clouds parted and the sun cast its golden rays upon the horizon, we emerged battered but unbroken, our spirits buoyed by the triumph of the human spirit in the face of adversity. And though our journey had been fraught with peril and uncertainty, we emerged from the crucible of the skies stronger and more resilient than ever before. For in the crucible of adversity, we discovered the true measure of our strength, our courage, and our unwavering determination to defy the odds and chart our course through the tempestuous seas of life. As we touched down on solid ground once more, I couldn't help but marvel at the beauty of the world around us, a testament to the indomitable spirit of the human soul.
Arjun Narasimhan Kuppuswamy
Grade 8C
#TeacherBlogger: Importance of Lifeskills for students By Ms. Pooja Nagpal, Ekya Schools, JP Nagar
Life Skills
Teaching kids to count is fine, but teaching them what matters is best Bob Talbert.
Education
As the quote says, we can teach kids to count, read, write, and learn about the world, but it is also essential to teach them how to live in this world. Life skills education is a significant way to lead one's life as one ought to lead to be justified to others and oneself. It is a pointer to one's development in diverse dimensions—physical, mental, emotional, social, aesthetic, cultural, etc. To deal with stress, anxiety, day-to-day problems, behavioural issues, and many such social situations, Life Skills are of help. Being a branch of social psychology, the subject of life skills concentrates on the social behaviour of human beings in different social situations.
Definition
The abilities for adaptive and positive behaviour enable individuals to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday life.
Life skills are essential for every individual, especially for students. These skills equip students with the necessary tools to succeed personally and professionally.
Reasons for Teaching Life Skills
Life Skills Education contributes to primary education, gender equality, democracy, good citizenship, child care and protection, the promotion of lifelong learning, quality of life and peace. The skills must be repeated again and again. Thus, the knowledge is remembered repetitively, making the brain remember 90% of the information. Hence the need to repeat, recap, reinforce and review.
Students should develop essential life skills to enhance their well-being and success:
- Decision-making
- Critical thinking
- Interpersonal relationship skills
- Self-awareness-building skills
- Empathy
- Coping with stress and emotions
Decision-making skills
You can practice and improve by learning a good decision-making process emphasizing how you decide, not what you choose. Everyday life is an endless sequence of decisions. Good decision-makers are those who overcome biases that might affect their choice. Employers expect managers to make excellent choices based on facts and data rather than intuitions. Decision-making is the thought process of selecting a logical choice from available options. Rational decision maximizes our chances of happiness, successful living and fulfilment.
Critical Thinking: Critical thinking will enable you to express your thoughts, ideas, and beliefs better. Better communication helps others to understand you better, resulting in less frustration for both of you. Critical thinking fosters creativity and out-of-the-box thinking that can be applied to any area of your life. Students should develop the ability to question, reason, and use logic and evidence.
Interpersonal Skills: Interpersonal skills are essential for students to develop as they build relationships. Students should learn to listen actively, empathize, negotiate, and resolve conflicts.
Time Management Skills: Time management skills are crucial for students, as they need to balance their academic, social, and personal lives. Students should learn to prioritize their tasks, set goals, and manage their time effectively to meet deadlines and achieve their objectives.
Leadership Skills: Leadership skills are essential for students to develop as they prepare to take on leadership roles in their personal and professional lives. Students should learn to communicate effectively, delegate tasks, inspire and motivate others, and make tough decisions.
Self-awareness: Resilience is the ability to bounce back from adversity. It is a necessary skill for coping with life's inevitable obstacles and one of the key ingredients to success and learning to bounce back and bounce forward. Resilience skills are essential for students to develop when facing challenges and setbacks. Students should learn to bounce back from failures, cope with stress, and adapt to change.
Students must develop life skills as they prepare for their personal and professional lives. These skills allow them to attain their objectives, establish healthy relationships, and lead fulfilling lives. By becoming independent learners who can manage change, take accountability for their work, and lead others, students are better equipped to produce outstanding results. Moreover, acquiring essential life skills can help individuals navigate life's challenges effectively. Remembering that good mental health is vital to overall well-being is critical.
By Ms. Pooja Nagpal Teaching Staff Ekya Schools, JP Nagar
ChatGPT And Beyond: How To Handle AI In Schools
"Some people worry that artificial intelligence will make us feel inferior, but then, anybody in his right mind should have an inferiority complex every time he looks at a flower," says Alan Kay, the most renowned American computer scientist, and some of them consider him the father of the personal computer.
What is AI?
Before dwelling into ChatGPT, in simple terms, let us understand AI or Artificial Intelligence."Artificial Intelligence is the science of making machines think like humans," says Aruna Pattam, an AI and Data Science expert. says Alan Kay, the most renowned American computer scientist, and some of them consider him the father of the personal computer.
AI can process large amounts of data, similar to humans but slightly more efficiently. It reads the data, understands its underlying pattern and structure, and provides relevant and refined outputs.
Unveiling ChatGPT
ChatGPT is a conversational language model. In simple terms, an AI that answers questions or performs text-based tasks. All the results produced by ChatGPT are text-based. Other AI models can create images, audio, and video outputs.
How is ChatGPT different from Google
Google is a search engine, i.e., it continuously collects and updates a vast collection of information from various sources on the internet. This information includes audio, video, images, and text, and it covers a wide range of topics contributed by people from different fields.
ChatGPT's Large Language Model (LLM) is trained on an extensive and diverse dataset, including books, articles and websites. Unlike Google, it does not rely on external internet sources to generate answers.
What Role Does AI Play in Education?
The topic of AI in education has sparked numerous debates, particularly concerning its impact on the population that relies on rote learning and memory-based assessments as the primary means of cultivating creativity and cognitive intelligence. "The traditional education systems centred around these practices are on the verge of becoming obsolete as the demand for progress in dynamic, immediate learning experiences is set to surge significantly."
Ekya Schools has always believed in preparing students for future challenges and equipping them with skills and knowledge to thrive in a rapidly changing world. Our response to the challenge posed by AI tools like ChatGPT, Midjourney, Perplexity, Curipod, and Slides AI.io impacting assessments and learning methods has been to embrace digital transformation in education. This proactive approach benefits both educators and students.
AI for Educators
Our passionate educators and curriculum designers are eternal learners, constantly finding ways to manage time while improving lesson plans, presentation skills, and curriculum by integrating the newest pedagogical approaches and technology in classrooms.
"The role of AI in education is simply as a tool to augment and not replace human skills."
At Ekya Schools, we see AI as a complementary educational aid for both educators and students.
Top AI tools for better classroom teaching:
1. gotFeedback by gotLearning - to generate personalised feedback for students
2. Conker - to quickly create multiple choices, read and respond, and fill-in-the-blank quizzes.
3. ChartGPT - to convert texts into charts and graphs.
4. Expontum - a quick way to identify knowledge gaps and previous research projects.
5. Magicschool.ai - assists in various tasks such as lesson planning, differentiation, assessment creation, composing Individualised Education Programs (IEPs), enhancing communication clarity, and more.
6. ChatGPT - allows the exploration of new teaching methods, provides quick answers, generates resources and ideas to conduct interactive activities and more.
Educators benefit by establishing a creative and profoundly interactive classroom environment through AI-based software. Such sessions undoubtedly enhance student engagement, effectively boosting their ability to apply their skills to real-life challenges.
AI for Students
Significant aspects of students' learning process, such as cognition and comprehension, retention and memory, application and transfer, critical thinking, problem-solving, creativity and innovation, collaboration and communication, self-regulation and more, are addressed and met in experiential classroom learning.
"Undoubtedly, AI has opened up a new avenue and learning methods for students."
Key learning developments using AI:
1. Personalised Learning Paths - Learning can now be tailored for the success of each student based on the skills, talent and versatility they possess.
Example: ChatGPT, Knewton Alta & Stepwise Math
2. Focused Practice for Improvement - AI will tailor quizzes and other practice exercises for gradual improvement based on a student's learning pace.
Example: Yippity
3. Visual Mapping - Visual learning, the most effective method for understanding and retaining information, is now possible across all subject areas, significantly enhancing children's learning capacities.
Example: SlidesAI.io & Curipod
4. Collaborative Learning - Students can now collaborate with anyone from anywhere in the world, breaking down geographical barriers and fostering a global exchange of ideas and perspectives.
Example: Kailo Edu
5. Interdisciplinary and Multidisciplinary Learning - AI's ability to simplify complex concepts and ideas has allowed students to learn from and understand renowned published work from across the globe.
Example: AskYourPDF, Perplexity
"Text-based AI like ChatGPT has simplified and enriched students' learning process."
Using diverse AI tools has allowed them to re-analyse and restructure their learning pattern, expand and correct their knowledge, and elevate their ideas through beautifully visual and simplified text-based content.
ChatGPT and School Assignments
With the introduction of ChatGPT, simple assignments such as "Write an essay on Pollution" or "Briefly elaborate on the life and works of Shakespeare" no longer pose a challenge for students. To truly encourage the imaginative capacities of those young minds, educators must venture beyond the confines of what ChatGPT can easily and quickly generate.
"ChatGPT allows students to leverage vase databases to improve their learning."
Here's how students can use ChatGPT to optimise their assignments:
1. Factual Accuracy - Students can now be accurate in their assignments and learn beyond what is taught in class.
2. Enhanced Creativity - To get those extra points from the teacher or impress their friends, students can be extra creative in how they draft their essays.
3. Critical Feedback - Once they write an essay, they can upload it to ChatGPT, asking for constructive feedback, which improves their writing strategies, conversation style and tonality over time.
4. Improve Writing - Great writing exercises from ChatGPT allow children to hone their writing skills consistently. Even if children copy lines generated by AI, they unconsciously practise the most formal way of writing.
5. Ask Right Questions - Asking writing questions only improves one's critical thinking ability and problem-solving skills, and it is possible when children provide prompts to ChatGPT to generate answers.
Students can utilise ChatGPT by OpenAI to guide themselves in creating the best and most creative assignments.
Merging Tradition with Technological Progress for Holistic Growth
Amid the march of technology, with generative AI models now at our fingertips, evaluating work and encouraging active student participation is challenging. Nonetheless, the vision and mission of Ekya Schools is to embrace digital evolution by integrating these advancements into the ongoing learning areas while reshaping and reThinking traditional schooling to foster a community of learners, thinkers, doers and changemakers.
A few heartwarming moments of progress in traditional learning that have taken place within and beyond classrooms:
- Design Thinking - to foster critical thinking, insight identification, collaborative ideation, learning from failures and risk-taking.
- Aryaman 2023 - Pushing boundaries for a cause.
- Collaborative Friendship Anthem - celebrating the harmonious melody of friendship with a song from our hearts
- Spell Bee - Young linguists weave a web of words!
Ekya is one of the best schools in Bangalore where children find a world beyond the boundaries of classrooms; 5 campuses spread across Bengaluru - Ekya BTM, Ekya Byrathi, Ekya ITPL, Ekya NICE Road, Ekya JP Nagar. To learn more about our pioneering education and learning philosophy, visit us at www.ekyaschools.com, find your closest campus here or reach us at 080-46809096.
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