The Monthly Newsletter
Issue 123 | February, 2016 | www.ei-india.com
Learn at the world’s top...
Misconception Series
COVER Story
Nature Calls
by Julie
How to Develop a Culture of “Can” In your Classroom “Give a man a fish, and feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and feed him for a lifetime.” What separates good teachers from excellent ones? Excellent ones hand out fishing poles; creating a culture of independence and self-reliance in the classroom. These students don’t just recite facts or regurgitate information - they have learned how to learn. They know that if answers aren’t in front of them, they have the tools to investigate and research. So how do you cultivate a culture of “I can…” in your classroom?
1. Make it a Safe Place to Fail Failure is one of the most important tools for learning. When children try to balance a block on a ball and it tumbles to the ground, that failure teaches them the nature of shapes. The next time, they’ll try the block first and then the ball. Failure can be the doorway to great accidental
inventions. Allow children to fail. The fear of failure cripples a student’s ability to risk new endeavors and try something new. Teach them that failure is NOT fatal. 2. Encourage Curiosity
couldn’t speak about fears, concerns, etc.? Teaching students how to disagree and debate respectfully helps them develop their own internal voice. 4. Tiered Responsibility
Terry Heick writes about the Gradual Release of Responsibility Model. In simple terms, it means, “Show me, help me, let me.” When embarking on new subjects, the teacher should first model the concept, then assist with the concept, and finally let the student work on the concept independently. 3. Give Your Students a Voice Each step is critical to allowing the Students who have a platform and a student the chance to trust in voice feel more empowered than his/her ability. those that don’t. Imagine a situation at work, when the ability to speak 5. Foster Peer Support one’s mind or even disagree with a Have you ever watched a child who refused to ride a bike for a parent, colleague or boss was missing. but all of a sudden did it when with Would one feel empowered to conquer a big project or would one a group of friends? Peer support is different from teacher support. Both feel doomed to fail because one Curiosity propels a young child to explore the environment. By the time we’re teenagers, that innate curiosity is squashed through rigorous testing and assignments. Allow students’ curiosity to take them to new places.
are necessary. In the classroom, students who feel “I CAN” usually have peer support when the going gets tough. There is a type of peer pressure that drives students to complete their assignments. Try to encourage that in your classroom. 6. Use Natural Consequences Natural consequences (without condemnation) work well to steer students to get back on track. This works closely with creating a place to fail safely. There is no need to strip students of natural consequences – that isn’t real life. But, there is a difference between a situation, where the student has to feel the pain of consequences with the help and support of a neutral teacher versus a natural consequence, plus a disappointed and angry teacher.
Source: http://www.opencolleges.edu.au/informed/features/how-to-develop-a-culture-of-can-in-your-classroom/(modified)
Learn at the world’s top universities this summer Educational Initiatives (EI) is excited to announce that some of the world's most renowned gifted learning institutes have joined forces with ASSET Talent Search to give academically talented students the best opportunities to enhance their potentials. This association offers endless opportunities for the participants of ASSET Talent Search including the chance to partake in the residential summer enrichment programs and online courses offered by these institutes.
Northwestern University Center for Talent Development’s (CTD) The programs offered by CTD, is a unique chance for ASSET Talent Scholars to explore their potential to the fullest. What It Offers? Over 80 courses are accessible through GLL and the residential summer program Who Can Apply?
Purdue University GERI's residential summer programs ASSET Talent Search scholar will now be able to apply to Purdue University's Gifted Education Resource Institute's STAR program. GERI in a quest for holistic development of giftedness, creativity, and talents among students, has designed the STAR program for lifelong learning. What Is It About? The STAR program conducted at Purdue University’s GERI is an innovative centre which helps in enriching students. The program merges rigorous academic learning with, entertaining and interesting social opportunities.
Students who score in the 90th percentile in the ASSET Talent Search in any of the subjects – English, Maths or Science can apply to CTD’s summer program Spectrum and its online program Gifted Learning Links (GLL).
Who Qualifies?
Eligibility For GLL
Students are required to fill out a form provided by Purdue GERI and also have to submit a 1-2 page essay that addresses the student's desire and motivation to participate in the Summer Residential Program. Students can use the following questions as guidelines:
All students from grades 5, 6, 7 and 8 who score in the 90th percentile will be eligible to apply for Gifted Learning Links. Eligibility for Spectrum Students from grades 7 and 8 who score in the 90th percentile will be eligible to apply for CTD’s residential summer program Spectrum.
Students of grades 7 and 8 scoring above the 90th percentile in the ASSET Talent Search, in any one of the subjects - English, Maths or Science, are eligible to apply.
A. Why did you select the class(es) you have chosen? B. In what ways do you think you will benefit from the program? C. Why do you want an academic and/or artistic challenge?
Note: Students below the 90th percentile threshold are still welcome to apply using a portfolio, which includes their ASSET test scores.
D. If accepted, what will you contribute to the success of the program you attend?
For More Information On Northwestern’s CTD Programs, Visit:
The Gifted Education Resource Institute’s STAR Program at Purdue University in USA offers both, two-week and four-week long courses for students, so as to stimulate their imagination and broaden their academic horizons. The program offers over 20 courses in a wide range of fields like Science, Humanities, Language and Mathematics.
www.ctd.northwestern.edu/courses for course information www.ctd.northwestern.edu/resources for resources www.ctd.northwestern.edu/aboutctd for information on CTD
Gifted Education Resource Institute’s STAR Program at Purdue University, USA
Courses Session 1 (July 3-16): Abnormal Psychology, Vet Med, Breaking Brands (Advertising and Toy Design Lab in Mechanical Engineering) Session 2 (July 17-30): Fun with Programming, Brain Teasers & Logic Puzzles, Leadership 101, Breaking New: Current Problems, Issues, & Events Applications for the Program Begin from February 1, 2016 For More Information On Purdue University's Gifted Education Resource Institute (GERI) STAR Program, Visit: Courses: http://geri.education.purude.edu/youth_programs/SRES/Final_GERI%20Bro%2020151.pdf Residential Experience: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3F2_W3bK6U Academic Experience: https://www.youtube.come/watch?v=7CEOpLaWM8A
For more information on ASSET Talent Search, write to us at talentsearch@ei-india.com
MISCONCEPTION Series States of Matter
Q
Class 4: Scicence P
Which of these is/are examples of EVAPORATION? 1. water changing to water vapour from oceans and rivers. 2. water changing to water vapour from a puddle on the roadside. 3. water changing to water vapour from a glass kept inside the house.
A
only 1
B
only 1 and 2
C
only 2
No. of students 9992
A. 51.3%
Only 16.9% answered correctly
water is 'heated' up.
1 Why was the question asked in ASSET test?
Students need to internalize that the conversion of water from the liquid state to a gaseous state is known as evaporation- whether it be steam from boiling or hot water, drying up of water indoors or outdoors, or the water cycle. This level of understanding is sufficient at this level- students need not have a detailed understanding of evaporation at this stage.
This question was designed to test whether students understand that evaporation of water occurs in many situations, or have the notion that it is limited to large bodies of water normally depicted as part of the water cycle.
What did students answer? 17% of students answered this correctly, whereas 51% chose the wrong answer, A. Possible reason for choosing A: Students have probably heard of the term 'evaporation' only in the context of the water cycle and thus think that it can only occur in the water cycle. Some students in fact think the 'water cycle' itself is called evaporation. Possible reason for choosing B: Students probably believe that evaporation can take place only outdoors, in the presence of sunlight. Possible reason for choosing C: Students are probably making a random guess.
3
C. 10.2%
B. 19.3%
D 1, 2 and 3 P
2
D. 16.9%
Learnings Students across the country were interviewed on this concept and it appears that they are confused about evaporation and where it can occur. They seem to have strongly associated the water cycle with evaporation and consider both to be the same. Students may find it difficult to understand the abstract concept of evaporation as they can't visualize it or see it happening at a microlevel. The understanding of evaporation relies heavily on students imagining the right model of how water passes from the liquid state to the gaseous state. It might be confusing for students to understand that evaporation can occur at room temperature as they have seen 'steam' rising from hot water / liquid. Also some students think that 'drying' and evaporation are two different phenomena and that evaporation can only occur if the
4
How do we handle this? In class, take two bowls with equal amounts of water and keep one bowl outdoors in the sunshine and one indoors. Leave them undisturbed for the next 3 days and ask students to observe the level of water in both the bowls, twice a day, for 3 days. They will see that the level of water in both the bowls has gone down after 3 days, although there will probably be more water left in the bowl kept indoors. Students need to understand that water evaporates whenever it is kept open and there is enough air around it, and also that the water need NOT be hot for it to occur. • Put a drop of water on a smooth, non-absorbent surface, like glass. Spread the water to form a thin film. • Ask students to think about what happens to the water when it 'dries up'. Discuss these responses. • Explain to them that water turns into a gas and is taken away by the air slowly till there is no water left on the surface – students need to understand that the process of 'drying' is the same as evaporation. Repeat the procedure while fanning the surface. Ask them to see whether the water dries up faster. Tell the students to think about what is happening to the air when you're fanning it. Discuss their reasons. Now, ask students for examples in which evaporation occurs. If students still appear confused, then discuss their responses and guide them towards understanding that the process of evaporation is essentially the conversion of water from a liquid to gas (at any temperature) and is not always directly visible.
For more information on ASSET, write to us at info@ei-india.com
STUDENT’s Zone Nature Conservation Foundation, Education and Public Engagement Programme
Nature Calls Nature Conservation Foundation is producing a series of nature/outdoor activities for children (814 years) called Nature Calls. The content and activities are designed to encourage children to go outdoors and observe and experience nature outside of their homes and school environment. We encourage you to use these simple outdoor-based activities as part of your teaching modules and welcome any suggestions on how effective or not you think the activities are, in getting children outdoors to observe and engage with the natural world around them. Each activity also has a printable high resolution PDF file that you can print and use. Do email us if you prefer that we snail mail you a printed set of activities especially if you are in an area with poor or unreliable Internet connectivity. Nature Calls is supported by Wipro Applying Thought in Schools and is a year -long collaborative project with the Brainwave, a science magazine for children and The Hindu in Schools. In addition to being featured as a monthly column in the Brainwave magazine, and as a weekly feature in The Hindu in Schools, Nature Calls is also available online with additional information listed under each activity, a contest and space for children to send us the observations they make in nature and to ask us any questions they have about the featured topic. We hope your teachers and students enjoy Nature Calls and we look forward to hearing about your experience using these activities! Email: edu@ncf-india.org Website: http://ncf-india.org/programmes/educationand-public-engagement
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