Category: school

CHILDREN, learning styles, parenting, preschool, school, teacher

100 % INFORMATION, VERY LITTLE INSPIRATION

Dr Manjit Legha

A PERSPEVCTIVE TOWARDS INSPIRING CHILDREN

There is always a constant talk around what is ailing our education system.

 Let us hold our thoughts there and focus on a parallel line of thought – what can make our education system stronger and sticky?

There is a reason why I use the word sticky. The digital world that we live in today is overflowing with information.  There is excess of information everywhere. If education meant information, then Google would win hands down. But the true purpose of education is not gathering of information. It is to have the ability to sift this information, take what is relatable, contextual and usable. That is what we could refer to as ‘knowledge’. That is why I use the term sticky. Knowledge sticks around for long, information withers away.

Now if we focus on the classrooms, teachers and the taught, it very evident that our teachers today are willy nilly led by Board diktats, curriculum and school mandates along with Management & parent expectations, running against deadlines, documentation of copious records, after school engagements and extra curricular activities. Enough to turn the day into a robotic affair. Where is the time for them to turn classroom teaching into a passionate affair. Yet in this very lack lies the magic. Instilling passion and inspiration into classrooms, subjects and curriculums – is the key to cultivating a learners mindset.

Before teaching a chapter, a lesson, or a piece of curriculum, we must attempt to inspire the child. Why must they learn language ? Why must they learn numbers and maths? Why must they study science and geography?

While there is already a good amount of focus on subject expertise (and rightfully so) we need to focus more on Inspirational expertise as well.  We rarely make the inspirational capacity building a vital part of all Teacher trainings. As the age old saying goes – we follow the rules in letter but what about the spirit? We attempt to teach curriculum but what about the soul of the curriculum? Are we getting that across to the children?

Food for Thought:

Inspiration begins right at the kindergarten level. Never underestimate a 3 or 4 year old’s capacity to get curious and inspired. In fact there is enough Research to suggest that upto 7 years of age the neurons connect most rapidly, thereby translating that this is the time to build synapses that get attuned to excitement, thrill and passion for learning.

Early childhood educators must not introduce alphabetic and numeric literacy without building in the purpose.

Alphabets are our friends, look at what they give us? They give us the gift to communicate, speak, read and write.

Numbers are our friends. They help us measure the things and world around us

Why must we read books?  Why must we look after our books?

If we spend a few minutes daily on the ‘why’ , then the ‘how’ becomes easier and relatable.

Primary Years are presumed as the years when the child’s formal schooling starts getting serious! There is so much pressure on writing, rote learning, completing syllabus, learning new subjects – that the teacher just loses track of the ‘why’. The rhymes, songs, dance, movement, and free play is thrown out of the window and a sombre learning journey begins. Not because the teacher plans it intentionally but because there is ‘so much to do. Where is the time for such activities’. Nobody really guides her on the point that Inspiration comes before perspiration. And inspiration is a smart cookie, you can dovetail inspiration in the heart of every Lesson with just a sentence or two, a minute or two.

Why must we study algebra and why must we learn to write essays?

Why do we have subjects for study and subject periods as such?

What is the purpose of studying EVS? Why and how are EVS and Social Studies related to each other?

Agreed that Learning styles, innate abilities and interest guide the learner’s journey, but it is a fact that all learning styles, abilities, and interests respond very well to inspirational quotient.

We talk about IQ and EQ, why not the INQ (Inspirational Quotient)

By Middle school the formal schooling aspect gets even more serious! Subjects involve deeper study, subject teachers are boxed in and student abilities and interests also begin to get stereotyped. Added to it, Pre teens and teens see a hormone volcano erupting every now and then. This age group is a total digital geek by now and have all information at the click of a mouse. So why should they attend classes? What is wrong with bunking classes? Why are grades important?  Why should they study chemistry when their interest lies in languages?

Herein too, the role of the teacher expands to near Herculean size. I mean the expectations rise but is the teacher able to deliver? Has she built in the inspirational capacity? Because such queries cannot be dealt with a straight jacket approach. The teacher needs to mould herself/ himself into an influencer at this stage!

I leave my thoughts about the INQ for senior secondary students for a later discussion.

But its time that we plough in Amazon stature energy towards inspiring our teachers to be the inspirer.

It’s a huge and daunting task that requires constant fuelling and re fuelling.

We need to keep our teachers inspired, so that they in turn can inspire our children.

CHILDREN, Coronavirus, learning styles, Lockdown, parenting, school, Socialdistancing

WHEN NORMAL WAS BORING

Dr Manjit Legha

 

lockdown 2

History must be chuckling at us as it has a totally new chapter to write today.

The word ‘lockdown’ will now get a new meaning in our lexicon and who knows , how many synonyms will this term have .

The lockdown has brought so many facets of our life to the fore.

Thinking aloud , I bring one such thought to the fore – When Normal was boring.

When going to work everyday was a drudgery.

When travelling in the metro was a crowded boring experience.

When going to school everyday , as a teacher or a student , was monotonous.

When checking examination papers was tedious and appearing for exams was dreadful.

When School assemblies were thought of as repetitive and regimented .

When sitting in the classroom was an ordeal and chit chat in the staffrooms was meaningless gossip.

When getting a pedicure done was a ‘have to do chore’ and ordering stuff online was routinely boring.

When workout sessions in the gym were a drag and a jaunt to the close by Shopping Mall was insipid

When Sunday visits to extended family was a “have to go there “ affair and attending weddings was a social compulsion.

When buying fruit from the Sunday bazaar was a noisy affair and one which I just had to do !

Ah ! wouldn’t I give my left arm today for a juicy Pizza Hut treat or a Mediterranean salad ?

For a walk in the crowded Dilli Haat or a distant relative’s wedding.

For a real classroom with real children drowning me in their vivacious cacophony.

For a walk in my school and a high pitched warm “Good morning mam “.

For a push in the airport queue and a jostle in the transit shuttle.

When whims of the heart and were just a call away for awesome fruition .

Such is life !

When normal was boring and the heart craved for a break from the boring.

And now , the same heart yearns for the boring to be back !

So how many of you out there are praying for the normal to be back ?

What are you missing the most ?

Come, let’s talk about it

 

 

 

CHILDREN, learning styles, parenting, preschool, school, Uncategorized

COMPETITION

Dr Manjit Legha

competitionWhile surfing through the net I chance upon this picture (pasted above) and that begins a debate within my mind.

It is human nature to compete. Competition is a good form for survival.  The newspapers, media, hoardings, advertisements are copiously overflowing with multiple  brands/ individuals/ products  competing against each other. And this is what our children see, read and experience everyday. Competition against each other.

But if we talk about education & schools, should the focus of all learning be centred around competition?

In schools, should the focus of all achievement be centred around competition?

Schools are the nurturing grounds for skills, values, academic expertise, friendships, community service, camaraderie, sharing and so on. The first lesson that a child learns outside the home is on the school grounds. Kindergartners experience their first singing, rhyming, dancing experience at school and if we turn each learning into a competition, how good is that for the child?

Children develop their gross motor & fine motor skills at Preschool .They learn to balance, jump, run, skip, dodge and catch. Should we turn each of their dance moves, stage moves, dabbing skills, running, colouring skills into competition? How good is that for the child?

Children are developing their language skills at Preschool and picking up new rhymes and songs and stories. Should we turn their entire learning experience into a competitive one? How good is that for the child?

What they learn at ages 0 – 6 is actually the roots of all life skills  and yet we hurry to pitch their colouring skills against each other, their writing skills against each other, their recitation skills against each other.

Firstly, no two children are alike.

Secondly, each child learns at his or her own pace.

So it follows that Every Child is Unique. So how do we set up competition benchmarks between two children that are completely unique from each other?

A certain amount of competition is healthy and natural.  It helps us develop a perspective and set a few goals. But to use this as a constant so early in a child’s life proves detrimental to our students in the long run. It is no wonder then, that we have anxiety, panic attacks and depression within our Formal classrooms.  Each learning experience need not turn into a competition. If we indulge in too many competitions at the very beginning of a child’s school life, it robs the joy, the pleasure and the thrill of attending school. It deprives the child of bonding opportunities with friends. It robs the joy out of a pure learning experience.

One of the best ways to beat this is to shift the focus.

Shift the focus from competing against others to competing against self.

Train yourself & your child to think on these lines:

  • Did I read better than yesterday?
  • Did I run faster than day before?
  • Did I share more than last week?
  • Did I take lesser time to solve my puzzle in my second attempt?
  • Did I learn a few more dance moves this week?
  • Did I laugh more than what I did yesterday.

And of course:

  • Did I feel more comfortable with Maths this week?
  • Did I score better in Science this time than my last test?
  • Did I learn a new sport this year?
  • Did I cultivate a new hobby this year?

If we focus on a pattern of self improvement rather than competition, then our children will naturally develop better habits and values.

There will be less of envy, jealousy and hatred.

Our children will strive to be better version of themselves each day.

And that’s what the true aim of education is. To create a better self and to be lifelong learners.

To practice the same will of course be a journey and not a day’s affair. But let us start thinking differently.

Let us make a beginning.

Happy parenting!

 

 

CHILDREN, learning styles, parenting, preschool, school, teacher, Uncategorized

To Each Their Own: Learning Styles

Dr Manjit Legha

Picture1

 

I clearly remember the Chalk and Board days when my teacher used to teach my class of 40 students in a uniform style or strategy and most of us used to end up giving a chorused reply.

I am sure many of you have also grown up in similar classrooms as front-benchers and back-benchers.

The point here is not to argue about the pros and cons of teaching methodologies of the years gone by. The point is to leverage and learn from what a huge body of Research now tells us.

A significant amount of Research is now available on the Importance of Foundation Years (0 -6 years of age).

This Research has thrown a lot of light on how Teaching – Learning strategies should be customized to Student – Learning preferences.

The simple logic behind this advocacy is that we are all born with certain learning preferences.

We may grow into certain learning styles with passage of time and add on to our innate learning styles – that’s a distinct possibility as well.

But to say that all children in a particular class learn optimally through a single teaching style is clearly an outdated strategy.

Teachers today practice varied teaching strategies that are suited for varied learning styles.

 As a parent, it is equally important for you to know the same.

Here is why you should know about various Learning styles inherent in young children:

  • Your little one shows no interest in a reading session but the minute you put on the audio version of the story, your child is all ears!
  • Your child is not interested in writing pages of continuous A’s , B’s and C’s but the minute you show them a picture and ask them to trace the letters underneath the picture, your child is all eyes!
  • Your child cannot decipher calculations like 2 + 2 = 4 but the minute you draw some match stick figures and explain addition, your child gets the right numbers.
  • Your child is a shy speaker and refuses to sing a rhyme or a song at home, but the minute you put on the audio version of the rhyme, your child is happy to sing along.
  • Your child doesn’t remember the colour of fruits like orange or strawberries but the minute you let the child touch and feel a real strawberry / orange, your child remembers their colour for a long time afterwards.

 To understand the above better, let’s talk about certain Learning styles in detail.

For classroom and children related learning, we often talk about four major learning styles:

 Visual Learning style – Children with a dominant visual learning style, learn better through pictures, colour coded lines, posters, charts, graphs, videos, diagrams, detailed notes, directions on a map etc.

They love to read a story or a poem, learn faster if the text in the story has visual effects, recognize text and pictures easily in storybooks, hoardings and Bill Boards.

Auditory Learning style – Children with a dominant auditory leaning style learn better through reading aloud, self-talk, audio books, recording & listening to directions.

They love to set a rhythm to their rhymes and stories, hum along a poem, give sound effects to what they are writing and love to listen to audios repeatedly. They may also love to have an audience who is forever willing to listen to their chatter, their rhymes and their songs.

Kinaesthetic Learning style – Children with a dominant Kinaesthetic Learning style learn better through drama, role play, charades, gestures, hands on activities and enactment. In short, they learn better through doing things themselves.

They love to act out a story, watch others act it out, like to touch and feel objects & props, are more open to physical gestures of affection like shaking hands, holding hands, putting arms around each other, dancing & miming.

Reading & Writing Learning style – Children with such a dominant learning style learn better through comic strips, learn better if someone explains to them in detail on paper, write their homework assignments, learn rhymes & stories after writing them out, learn through the print word in books, newspapers etc.

They love to read all instructions before attempting a puzzle or a game, refer to dictionaries, underline words while reading, play games like Scrabble and eventually like to take notes in class, write a diary about their day to day routine, as they grow up and join Formal school.

Needless to say, our children often display an eclectic mix of several learning styles during any given task as well. Your child may like to sing, dance, mime and read story books aloud at the same time. Which is also fine! Young children are often experimenting and developing their learning styles during the Foundation years.

An introduction to varied learning styles helps a parent to provide the right environment at home, understand children better and refrain from building stereotypes around their learning graph

If a child is not happy while writing, it does not mean that he/ she is not learning at all. It could just mean that maybe you need to vary your strategy.

If a child is not happy reciting rhymes in front of a group, it does not mean that he/ she is not learning. It may just mean that your child is exercising his/ her right to remain quiet.

So parents, loosen up your seat belts and enjoy the journey.

One style does not fit all.

Happy parenting.

Warm Regards,

Manjit Legha

Director, Academics & Training

 

CHILDREN, parenting, preschool, school, Uncategorized

TEACHING CONSENT TO PRESCHOOLERS

Dr Manjit Legha
photograph of happy children

Some of you might wonder as to how the topic of this article holds valid for Preschoolers.

Fair enough. Allow me to explain how the very thought of discussing ‘consent for Kindergartners ‘ cropped up.

Many a times, young parents walk up to me and ask, “My child is asking me questions about the # Me Too movement . They see it on television / newspapers and want to know what ‘Me Too’ is all about . Aren’t they too young to be talking about this? What do we answer them?”

It is such questions that led me to discuss the matter at length.

To nurture the 21st century learners, one thing which doesn’t work at all, is to brush things under the carpet. So let’s discuss this clearly and openly. Adult guardians need to discuss this with each other and when needed, with their children too.

Is it too early to talk about ‘consent’ to Preschoolers?

Firstly, we need to disengage the word ‘consent’ from ‘sexual consent’.

With early childhood learners, we need to deal with consent as a vital life skill.

So once we deal with ‘consent’ as a life skill, then the answer is – “No, it is not too early to discuss this with your child”.

Just as we teach them about tying their shoelaces , buttoning their shirts , cleaning themselves , courtesy and good manners , so also we must teach them to learn to read body language and nonverbal clues. (Their own as well as those of their peers/ family etc).

Such as, a frown means – I may be confused.  A smile means – I am feeling happy. A high five means – I agree with you.

How Can you Teach children to recognize  Non Verbal clues?

The best way is by talking to them.  While reading a story about Grizzly Bear, you may casually remark, “Ah, look at Ishaan. I don’t think he would like to be in the forest “.

If grandmother is sitting reading her prayer book, you may say, “I don’t think she would prefer to be disturbed at this time”

If your pet is taking a nap, you could say, “This is definitely not the time to play with Zorro”.

If the elder sibling is doing some Project work, you may say, “Didi needs to work by herself. Let’s check with her an hour later if she is ready to play with you “.

Remember, children need to be taught how to read body language and how to respond to that as well.

“See, Grandma is thankful that you let her complete her prayers “.

“Didi is thrilled because she completed a wonderful project. She looks so excited “.

“Zorro is ready to play now. You can see him wagging his tail and that’s a happy signal “.

Do not confuse ‘privacy and space’ with lack of empathy or feeling of togetherness. Treat it as an expression of their sexuality. Each child has his / her own unique sexuality and we need to teach our children to respect their own sexuality and those of others as well .

I remember my childhood days when a particular look on my father’s face would make me disappear from his line of vision for hours ! Teach your children to read your body signals and clues . They are as important as the spoken word.

Why do the stage and the mirror form an important part of our Preschool set up?

Well, it is to teach children to see what emotions look like. To learn to read a happy/ sad / confused face. It is as important for children to learn to read their emotions as well as those of others. (There are umpteen researches which reveal that children with relationship issues in adulthood were never taught to recognise and read emotions during childhood. They never learnt how to express emotions either)

Do children know when to say Yes / No?

The honest answer is that children at this age are on their way to a number of discoveries! Just as they are beginning to realise whether they have a sweet tooth or not, whether they prefer an orange candy or vanilla Ice cream, similarly they are beginning to discover some body urges / moods and preferences. This is the building up of their sexuality -the way they like to eat, walk, talk, sit, dress etc. So they need help in defining what a no or yes mean.

There is nothing wrong in setting up a home rule which says that “Dad likes to rest for half an hour after lunch, so no noise!”.

“Mom likes to read a book in silence on a Sunday afternoon, so no noise “.

Rahul loves the colour pink , so yes – he can have a pink bag .

Validate their body signals

Allow your children to shape up their preferences and express them too. Most children need help in recognising body signals. When your young one is rolling on the floor in an interesting display of tantrum, you may say, “I can see that you are upset. But rolling won’t get you anywhere. Talking to mummy could help”.

Some teachers use a good welcome practice. While ushering the children into the class, they give them multiple choices as to how would they like to be welcomed – with a hug, a high five, a jig or a verbal welcome. When this exercise is repeated a couple of times, children gradually learn to recognise what they like. They learn to recognize their body signals. Encourage them and respect the same .

Encourage children to read emotions – If a child is visibly uncomfortable at being hugged, tell the child that its okay with you.

If a child is not comfortable holding hands, tell the child that this is okay too. Let them be for a while.

Give due attention and regard to their body signals.

If a child wants to use the washroom in the middle of an Activity/ Homework, do not shush them down. Help them believe that they are beginning to read their body urges well. Yes, there will be some false signals and alarms out here, but most children will gradually wean off from giving false alarms.

If you shush them at this point of time, they lose faith in their ability to read their body signals & urges. From bladder control to building of anger / excitement to natural sexual curiosity – children need to be able to read them.

If the teacher /parent disregards or disclaims their urges and brushes them away often, children stop trusting their natural instincts. Such children are not likely to talk to their adult guardians years later when they undergo hormonal changes, menstrual discomfort and matters of sexual exploration

Because they have no faith in their own body urges, they apply the same principle to their peers, friends and companions. They are unable to recognise a nonverbal clue or physical discomfort of people around them.

They are unable to take a ‘no ‘ for a no.

So teaching consent and respecting consent needs to be brought in from an early age.

And again, the trick is to keep things natural, conversational and as free flowing as possible.