Terminators

When I was in school I used to get a standard report card on an A2 or an A3 size paper. My report card had two folds and it contained my progress for the year. It was possible to have this because it contained my score only for my regular academic subjects.

However nowadays in many schools in India and around the world report cards run into many different pages. Today's English grades/scores are on a special sheet and the students are evaluated in Reading, Writing, Grammar, Listening, Speaking etc. The report is detailed similarly for other subjects and also have scores on neatness, punctuality, socio-emotional development, mental development, food habits, motor ability etc. Therefore the reports cards might be called report books. If you are a parent reading this blog or anyone who cares about education ask yourself what is it that you really want your child to be able to achieve?

I think every parent would want his child to be polite to them, should be able to make the right decisions, enjoy diversity and the list is endless.....

I am also asking myself does this report book/card mean anything to the student who is the most important stakeholder in the entire education system? After personal introspection I feel younger kids need to be encouraged for whatever they can do now which they were not been able to accomplish some days, months or years before. Therefore these kinds of report cards might mean a lot to their parents or teachers but they may not be important for a child.

Also in the 21st century the character of the student is being considered equally important as academics. Currently fortune 500 companies need and employ people who have strong leadership qualities, people who can work on teams, people who celebrate diversity and the list goes on... So who do we think really can help students achieve these skills?

A dedicated teacher and a right environment.....

This can only be done if we have great teachers. Today we need teachers who are really interested in overall development of the child and are genuinely interested in creating a global citizen. Otherwise looking at the current scenario it seems that we would create a society full of people who know very well how to write/give/crack a test but cannot do anything else.

Therefore rather than creating test taking "Terminators" we should create a generation who can serve their parents, the society and become global citizens of the world. I dedicate this post to all those teachers working around the world helping children to remain human and who are trying to make a child's learning journey a legacy.

World Maths Day

World Maths Day, is a day celebrated across the world in month of March. The students play against each other in mental arithmetic games. Each game lasts for 60 seconds, and students can play as many as they wish. The questions are appropriately leveled for different ages and abilities.

This is truly a unique world event and its one of the way to fascinating students to enjoy Mathematics. Past results shows that students will make significant improvement in mental arithmetic skill and have fun in the process. I think we need to encourage all students have to take participate in upcoming World Maths Day event. Registration for school and students is absolutely Free of charge!!!!

For more details about history and prize visit http://www.worldmathday.com/

Are kids Safe Online?

How many parents, teachers and mentors are worried when they see their little ones surfing online on their own?

Yes, very much.... would be the answer of all.

Then the very next question that would come to their mind would be: how can we help the children learn what is right and good for them and have a control over what they can do online?

Bewildered by the same question, Kidzui was formed. Kidzui is a web browser built for children, which is easy to use with access to large set of diverse online content and activities. Above all, the basic version of this web browser is FREE !!!!! for all.

This is not just any other product which was created to build a fortune, but a serious product because it was built with input from a diverse team of teachers and parents who went online and found the best content around for kids. The best part is that the parents and the teachers can approve the content that they want their kids to enjoy and this can be done easily without applying the buggy filters that block content. So give it a try and make learning fun for your kids.

There are some other popular sites like these which are worth attention of everyone who takes education seriously and are as follows:

www.4kids.org: Videos, Games and a lot of information for both kids and teachers.
www.4teachers.org A wide variety of easy to use resources for teachers.
www.totlol.com This is a video site powered by google which has loads of content for children.
www.dimdima.com Excellent Moral based stories and more..
Nortel LearnIT A very good site with interesting resources for teachers and kids.
Oracle Think Quest Education Foundation Worth visiting... Students can create projects online.
Teachers Tap Professional Development Resources for Educators.

Enjoy and Keep Sharing !!!!!!!!!!!

NCERT - National Talent Seach Examination

NCERT conducts a national talent search exam every year. With this scheme NCERT gives out 1000 scholarships every year. Any student studying in a recognized school in 8th standard is eligible to appear for this examination. The examination is held in two stages, the first stage covers the social sciences, science and mathematics in the following categories at the state level :

1. Mental Ability Test
2. Scholastic Ability Test

The second stage comprises of the social sciences, science and mathematics in the following categories at the national level:

1. Mental Ablility Test
2. Scholastic Ability Test
3. Interview

However in the second stage only the students who pass the written examination at the national level are interviewed.

Each student who is selected is entitled to receive a monthly 500 Rs scholarship from NCERT upto his/her doctorate education based on their selection of subject. The following are the important dates:

• Stage 1 (State Level) : Last Date of Submission of Application form: 31st August 2009
• Stage 1 Exam (Gujarat) : 8th November 2009
• Stage II Exam (National Level) : 9th May 2010

I think in the limited scope of scholarship opportunity in India, this is a very good opportunity for students at a very early age and I personally think all 8th standards should appear for this examination.

Please visit the NCERT site under the scholarship section for more details or visit the following ad in the TOI newspaper.