Teachers can make the class interactive by using new ways and methods to assess the student’s knowledge after each lesson or unit. One of the ways of conducting revision through a game is given below. I have taken a unit from mathematics as an example.

* GAME NAME – quick pass

* TOPIC – statistics

* GRADE – 8^th

* PURPOSE of the game – revision

* TIME FRAME – 40 mins class

GAME REQUIREMENTS:

bowl with questions

students to stand in a circle

a ball to be passed

GAME INSTRUCTIONS:

picking a student at random the ball will be given to him/her

the student picked at random will pick  a question from the bowl

as soon as the student reads the question he/she has to pass the ball clockwise

while the student ponders upon the question the ball will be passed to the others one by one

the student has to answer before the ball is passed in a circle reaching him

if the student provides the right answer to the question, the student holding the ball at that point of time will pick a question from the bowl and the process continues

if the student gives the wrong answer, he/she has a chance to give the correct answer until the ball reaches him

if the student is not able to give the correct answer, the question will be passed to the next student

for every right answer the student will get points according to what is stated in the chit

    NOTE:

there is no negative marking

the students should not rush while passing the ball

same student will not get a chance to pick a question again, it will be passed to the next student who has not answered

question chits will also have points to be given to the student if the answer is right

each chit will have different points depending on the question

the students with most points will be the winners

EXPECTED OUTCOMES:

By participating in this game the students will be able to recall all the definitions, calculations and formulae from what was taught in class. The game will also help in the students retaining what has been taught, with the help of this game all types of students in class will be given a chance at random to participate which also helps me as a teacher to evaluate even the weak students.

Family engagement is when the schools and the parents make conscious effort to be a part of their children’s education and future. Majority of the parents today are very actively involved in their children’s school life which is a great way to support them.

Family’s active involvement has a very positive effect on the student’s. There are high chances of the students scoring good grades because of the support from the family, they become confident individuals.

Being involved in the child’s education gives a sense of relief to the parents. It becomes a shared responsibility between the school and the parents for the holistic development of the child.

 One of the important benefit would be that when families are invited to be a part of their activities they will become more aware of the needs and interests of other families because of which they can mutually help each other.

Schools should make arrangements for the family’s to be a part of the events conducted on the school campus which results in the parents being involved in the student learning at home.

If family engagement is done effectively it will also reduce any behavioural issues in the child. The child will have a better mental health

In today’s world there are a number of hindrances in family’s engagement in the child’s school education, namely lack of time, working parents, other responsibilities etc. because of these constraints the family is not able to engage in their child’s life which in turn will reflect negatively on his grades. Hence even in their busy schedule it’s nothing less than a task for the family to strike a balance and provide the attention the children are in need of.

Libraries are a great source of knowledge to young minds and it is one of the most important facility that has to be provided by the school to the students. There are a few who debate that the students can easily access most of the library content online but that is not the case all the time because not all library books re available online and having a library creates a positive impact on student’s learning process. There should be library inclusion in the school’s curriculum to take full advantage of the library facility.

There are a number of schools today who either do not know the importance of libraries or they have the library facility but do not allow students to effectively use it.

Let us now look into a few importance of libraries in schools

• Libraries are a boon to students as they can receive knowledge from all around the world in different languages.

• As libraries also have international magazines and multi lingual newspapers the students will be well updated with the global current affairs.

• Libraries can be a very useful place during examination, it is the best place for students to concentrate and study during any kind of assessments.

• Reference books are available at the libraries which is very helpful for the students to refer to many other books to clear any arising doubts

• Libraries are not just helpful for the students but it is also very helpful for the teachers, they can refer to many books and articles before preparing for a particular class.

• Most importantly the presence of libraries develop the habit of reading among the students. Today reading habit is a must for student’s especially high schoolers.

• Libraries are a great way to store previous years question papers, which helps the teachers and the students to refer whenever necessary.

Above mentioned points are the academic benefits the students and teachers will receive, there are other non-academic benefits they are:

• Libraries will also have fiction books which will interest the readers in developing reading habit.

• The students can take a break from their stress and borrow fictional books, this also increases the language competency and fluency for students.

Community service in schools may not sound that important for a few but involving the students in community service/ volunteer work can make a huge difference in their lives. Community service does not have to mean service on a large scale but it can also involve small scale help that can be provided to our neighbours in need. Our society today is encountering some major global problems like poverty, illiteracy, malnutrition etc. hence it is only rightful for the school to involve community service or volunteering on some level of frequency to give back to the society.

Community serice in the form of providing financial support, teaching the poor children deprived of studies, providing meals, keping the environment clean etc.

Importance

* The very first benefit that comes out of including community service in schools is that the students will become active members of the society. Today’s youth are tomorrow’s future hence it’s important for our students to be involved in our society’s development.

* It creates positive impact on the society. The society will develop a feeling of belonging. The society’s development will in turn result in the development of our country.

* It will make the students well aware of the issues prevailing in the society. It provides students with the opportunity to become well aware of the different socio economic statuses present in the society.

* The students encounter many personal benefits like developing life skills, team player, lead by example, motivate and inspire them. Numerous studies have also showed a positive connection between students and community service, it says that it’s not only good for the mind but it is also good for the body as it reduces stress levels.

* The students develop a sense of concern and respect towards people around them which makes them responsible and respectful citizens of our society.

* Surveys have also showed that involving in volunteer works or community service have helped them develop skills that can land them jobs in the future.

The most important benefit is the happiness and peace that is derived after helping a person in need and of course the immense happiness to the people who have received help is most rewarding. Schools including community service of some sort in their curriculum is recommendable.

What are your views on including community service in the school curriculum?

Find the links of studies conducted below:

http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/24592/

https://www.nationalservice.gov/sites/default/files/upload/employment_research_report.pdf

How important is self-defence for students?

As we are well aware of the threats that students face almost every day of their lives, it is all the more important to talk about the importance of self-defence. Many schools today have a well-planned curriculum on self-defence which is a sense of relief both to parents and for the school management. The sad truth of today’s education is that we take precautions only when the harm occurs. Many schools have taken up self-defence as an important learning to their students by having regular karate classes, yoga sessions, effective physical education classes, regular sports events.

Why self-defence?

Self-defence does not just help the students from dangers and accidents but also has other benefits like the following.

* one of the obvious reasons we are aware of is that it saves students from falling prey to kidnap, trafficking etc. learning karate, taekwondo or any kind of self-defence art will help students to protect themselves from dangers and stay safe.

* Students stay fit and healthy with regular motor activities. Indulging in good physical activities will result in good health of the students. It will decrease the possibilities of falling ill frequently

* Involving themselves in some kind of physical activities develops confidence and healthy spirit of competition among students.

* The students learning about self-defence will also be in position to spread awareness to the others about the importance of the same.

* It makes them goal oriented and gives a direction to achieve their goals in life.

There was this interesting article that I came across and I think that one of the techniques that the parents can use to keep their children safe is ‘CODE WORD’ technique. it’s about how a code word saved the life of a child. This simple technique can be adopted by all parents to keep the children safe. Find the link below.

https://www.thisisinsider.com/family-code-word-saves-girl-from-kidnapping-2018-11

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton