5 R's of Note making

The important aspects of learning includes careful listening, paying attention, understanding, synthesizing and organizing all main ideas in our brain. These components require a good note taking technique for an effective and better understanding. There are many ways to take notes, and everyone seems to have their preference when it comes to note taking. Many methods involve some or all of the 5 R’s of note taking: record, reduce, recite, reflect, and review.  Let me brief on these 5R's.

The first step in note taking is record.  When you record, write down only important facts and details.  When you take notes be sure to write only the things that are important and not the words that doesn't matter. The second step when taking notes is to reduce your information or notes to short simple phrases.  When reducing your notes to short phrases you will take out only the important words from a paragraph and make it into a smaller sentence or phrase.The third step to note taking is to recite.  When you recite your notes jot down the important informations into your own words.The fourth step in note taking is reflect.  For this step you will look back at your notes and add any information to them that you think is important to know or add to them.The last step in note taking is review.  When you review go back and look at your notes and information that you have written down.

Like any skill, note taking develops with practice. Practicing proven note taking techniques can dramatically improve a student’s academic performance. 

Overlearning

The degree of memorizing something repeatedly beyond the point at which you think you know is termed 'Overlearning'. This overlearning is generally used in kinder-gardens for their initial learning and also in music or other physical skills because it helps complex actions become more automatic and easier. This overlearning should not be mistaken for cramming because cramming does not yield long term knowledge or understanding of the material. On the other hand, overlearning helps in acquiring procedural memory. In this context, I would like to brief on what procedural memory is: It is a memory for the performance of particular types of actions. This is created through procedural training or repeating a complex activity over and over again. The procedural memory involves the utilization of cognitive and motor skills below the level of conscious awareness.

Implicit procedural learning is essential to the development of any motor skill or cognitive activity.The acquisition of skill requires practice. Merely repeating a task alone, however, does not ensure the acquisition of a skill. Skill acquisition is achieved when an observed behaviour has changed due to experience or practice. This involves analyzing the desired skill and repeating them over and over to achieve success. So the process of overlearning helps the learner is to perform an activity accurately.

The situations where overlearning is involved includes learning multiplication tables, learning vocabulary for a foreign language, mastering an instrument, in making speeches or giving a performance in front of the audience.Studies have revealed that this overlearning actually reduces the amount of mental effort leading to better performance even under a pressurized situation. This goes by the old saying "Practice makes a man perfect"!

1-day memory workshop for kids

Electronic entertainment - Not a boon to an infant

Many of today's children are growing up with continuous access to electronic media right from the time they get up till the time they hit the hay. Many marketers claim that exposing children to baby videos gives a head start but research shows that the opposite is true. The new media environment is a recent occurrence and no one still knows the full extent of exposing children to a constant stream of this stimuli. However it is a well known fact that babies brains are optimized to learn from social interactions. Exposing the kids to this new media world reduces the time they spend with other people and thereby can impair many aspects of their development. Multiple studies have shown that infant TV watching is correlated with poor language development. A Thai study published that children under 12 months who watched TV for more that 2 hours a day had a six-fold increase in the risk of language delay.

Exposure to baby TV watching is also associated with reduced cognitive ability. The quick and bright colours may also interfere with the normal development of attention. Studies reveal that electronic entertainment has no benefit and clear costs before the age of 2. However, educational TV exposures for older nursery-school-aged children is a mixed blessing (though it has its own pros and cons) depending on the information it offers. In this light "Go outside and play" is backed not only by commonsense but by modern brain research too!

Believe in your memory

We might have seen many people writing down everything they wish to remember on a piece of paper. Now my question is that, does this really help you out? As an educationalist, I would say that if you write things down with the intent of aiding your memory (as in case of kids for cramming poems etc.), then its fine. However, if you consider it as a substitute for memory, you are going to miserably fail because your memory will get worse through neglect and non-use. Please keep in mind that the memory should be trusted. The more you trust it, the more reliable and useful it will become. Writing down everything on paper, without trying to remember, is all against the basic rules of strong memory. This actually means

1. you are not trusting your memory;

2. neglecting the confidence in your memory ;

3. not exercising your memory;

4. your interest is not strong enough in retaining it.

I have had many parents complaining about the terrible memories of their children because they can't remember their school work and consequently score low grades. Yet, some of these same children are too good in remembering the cricket scores or the batting averages of top batsman. So can we stamp them as kids with poor memory? Absolutely no, it is only their lack of interest in academics and memory is not to be blamed. If kids can remember things that they are interested in to such a tremendous degree, it proves that they have a good memory. Hence this true memory needs to be believed in the first hand for proper training. Only then can any brain training sessions be successful. So start believing in your true memory!

Studying strategies for kids

Decades of research have identified study techniques that can vastly improve learning, but the most bitter truth is that most teachers don't practice them or only a few parents are aware of them. Fortunately, these strategies aren't complicated and can be easily practiced at home. Students often wait till the last minute, then make up for the lost time in a marathon revising session. This approach is not to be encouraged as it leads to short-term memory . The power of spaced study is to be enforced as the brain can retain many kinds of information longer if there is time to process the learned information between training sessions. Two revising sessions with time between them can result in twice as much learning as a single session of the same total length. One reason as to why this spaced training works out with all ages and ability groups  is that the breakup time allows the brain to consolidate the newly learnt information. The next approach is to expose the kids to elaborative study techniques like short answers and reasoning rather than multiple-choice questions. You can take advantage of this fact by quizzing your child to improve his/her performance at school. A third way to improve the child's learning is mixing up. Children who see ten similar examples in a row learn considerably less than the children who see ten different examples. This strategy can be applied to work across domains like sport, art, science, maths or any other subject. Learning in multiple contexts gives your child's brain a deeper connection to the material.

At first, your child may find these approaches discouraging because they often result in more errors during studying- but with practice they will perform well in their exams with less effort. Sometimes new changes ought to be reinforced!

Exam Scores - an absolute measure for ability?

Exams have a role to play in helping us identify children's strength, but they are just one way of trying to measure ability.That's it. There isn't a single test in this whole world that can absolutely measure the full extent of your child's individual gifts and talents. This is because the point at which the individual skills begin or end cannot be measured. Well, there are of course well-researched tests that are valid and reliable but they are based on statistical averages. However, these cannot change the fact that each child is unique, brilliant and beaming with their own skills. The exams should not aim to find out what your child does or doesn't happen to know. Rather, they should be more geared to make the child use their independent thinking to find solutions to problems for themselves. By all accounts of genius in history, not all have not sailed through the path of academic exams to reach the position where they are now. On the contrary, they identified their own strengths to make it to the top!

Child's natural ability

Any parent who has spent hours trying to sort out their laptop, or struggled all week to stop their digital watch going off every 10 minutes, only to have their 6-year-old fix it for them in under 10 minutes. I think you got exactly what I mean! A child doesn't know that something is highly complex until we tell  them so. If we pre-condition them into thinking their ability, it actually means that we are putting brakes on them even before they get started. Let us consider a scenario wherein children learn to ride a bicycle. Despite the difficulties involved in learning it, lots of children successfully tackle the situation. How? This is because they don't see it as a problem but as an opportunity. They are not worried about the process but their focus is on the goal. No one ever told them to be "super-smart" to do that. When they fall off a couple of times and get hurt, they never link it to a failure instead they succeed after a number of tries. Hence this process of finding solution is a natural ability for both children and even adults!

But if we are using this natural ability, then why is that when children are faced with abstract problems they find it difficult to solve? The solution is that they should always try to find a way into the problem. Unless they train themselves not to let the situation throw them, they may panic at this stage. The problem may look alien to the children, but that does not mean that they lack the skill, knowledge or experience to solve it. The trick is being able to transfer what they already know to the 'strange situation' they are looking at. By training them on few 'tricks of genius' and helping them to master the art of solution-finding, they will be able to unlock and maximize their natural gift whenever they need to!  

A memorable day at the Vidyatheertha foundation award function - Chennai

 

The Sunset fell past the horizon, as a black haze fixed itself over the sky, perilous lightning strikes filled the sky, and the moon glowed over the sky, creating a gloomy look over the waxing sky. But the Sringeri Mutt Hall at Mandavelli was beaming with radiant lights and over pouring with students from all important schools of Chennai and gearing itself to announce the winners of the Inter-school essay competition (TOPIC - The Efficacy of Chanting mantras). Sri Vidyatheertha Foundation has been conducting Inter-School essay competition from the year 1995 as per the directions of His Holiness Jagadguru Sri Bharathi Theertha Mahaswamigal in the city of Chennai.This time as many as 2100 students took part in this event and this is the highest turnout in the last 18 years.  I happened to be a part of this function that inculcates moral, ethical, traditional and patriotic values in students. What mesmerized me (particularly in this function) were the words of Smt C.P. Vijayalakshmi, Asst Director, Doordarshan Kendra who emphasized on the utterance of namah' s of lord. She preached that even an illiterate who is not exposed to the Vedic mantras can attain moksha if he just utters the name of his God. Her lectures on the divine path and mantras were so encouraging and inspiring to kids who attended the function that day. As rightly said that we are in the Kaliyuga, I personally feel that such kind of exposure is required for children of these ages.It was indeed a memorable day in my life!

Children don't resist change but resist being changed

The words "Children don't resist change but resist being changed" is the implication of my workshops that I have conducted so far. The kids (who lack concentration) I have counselled had one common issue that they are being pushed by their parents into extensive studying. This change is what the children desperately want to resist. They wish to be on their own - playing, reading, watching TV whatsoever...What parents fail to discover is that the kids have immense knowledge in many other aspects and they need to take advantage of this skill for their enhancement.  However, the term "advantage" is not to be mistaken for bribing the kid for accomplishing a work. Bribing is a toss-up kind of situation and can turn up any way! When kids are encouraged on their areas of interest, they automatically incline towards the path we set them. They should be made to realize that a positive change is a blessing in disguise.

Aptitude

Aptitude is one word that can be perfectly defined as an inherent ability for learning. In this context, there is a subtle difference between the word ability and aptitude. Ability is the capability of the child  to demonstrate in the present while aptitude is how quickly the child learns in the future. A child has a variety of aptitude that he exhibit right from his childhood. But as parents, we always tend to follow a general kind of learning which sometimes might not even suit the child. To understand their capabilities it is important to know the different kinds of aptitude that a human brain is capable of.
The first and the foremost aptitude skill is the general learning. This is what they do in the school i.e  learn, understand, reason and make judgements. If the child is good enough in this, he or she is talented in academic skills. The other kind is the verbal aptitude in which the kids show extreme  lexical skill in understanding words and using them effectively. Such kids can be encouraged for spell bee competitions. Some kids might be good at numerical aptitude. This involves general mathematical skills working with numbers quickly and accurately. The above mentioned are the skills we are all aware of. But apart from these, there still remains some unnoticed skills.
Have you ever seen kids working with identification of patterns and their meaning eg constructing a piece of furniture or a model from a set of instructions. This is spatial aptitude and the kids exhibiting such skill tend to be creative. Form perception is another kind of aptitude in which the child looks in for the minutest detail in any given object or a problem under study.
We would have observed kids having an excellent eye and hand coordination(eg assembling or sporting activities.) Motor coordination skill is the one behind this. Some kids have the ability to manipulate small objects quickly and accurately because they have the finger dexterity kind of aptitude. eg playing a piano, sewing. The other kind is the manual dexterity, the skill to work with hands like painting/decorating, building things, operating machinery.
Now that we have understood that there are a number of aptitude skills that a child can have... don't we think that its the right time we look out for our child's capability? Not all children learn and progress the same way. So understand this and help them with the right tool to come up in flying colours!

An experience on a science exhibition

 

Last week I attended a science exhibition at "Vidya Peet" Bala Vidya Mandir in Adyar. I was actually spellbound seeing the exhibits... what an innovation! The exhibition has both physical science and life science categories. The physical science section had projects that included experiments concerning electricity, motors, electrostatic induction and much more... The life science dealt with eco-friendly exhibits and working models of heart, lungs, DNA models, nervous system of human and even the digestive system of cow. One important exhibit that caught my attention was an integrated farming solution - an absolutely splendid model that integrated farming, poultry, apiculture and undoubtedly it bagged the first prize. As I listened to almost  every project, I could understand the effort made by each student in making the visitors understand the underlying principle of their models. Their thoroughness in the subject was showcased by the fact that they were also in a position to tackle the questions posted by the visitors. In a way, it also helps to build their confidence.

After attending such programmes, I find that it inculcates certain values like awareness on global warming, pollution, recycling on the minds of both the kids and as well as the visitors. Hence such activities must be promoted as it encourages students to visualize the future of the world and help them become responsible citizens.

This is not the first exhibition I have attended but every time I visit such places I really feel that I have lot more to learn - the new ideas, the innovations, the thirst for creativity.... Never think that science is just for the kids; it has lot more to impart us...So next time you get an opportunity to visit such exhibitions better grab it!

Parentsalarm.com

Parentsalarm.com is an effective solution developed by Infogem Web Solutions to keep the parents informed about their wards’ performance. The software facilitates the assessment of strong and weak areas of the child that helps as a platform for the parents to understand their child’s ability. Apart from this, it also assists in knowing the attendance, fee reminders and confirmations, examination dates and reports, circulars and homework. It has a customized SMS facility and any change in the schedule, holidays, meetings and announcements are also immediately communicated to parents through this instant SMS facility. This application is cloud-based and hence is made available to educational institutions at zero infrastructure costs. With technology advancing, it leaves no stone unturned and this website development is one such…

CREATIVITY

"In the creative state a man is taken out of himself. He lets down as it were a bucket into his subconscious and  draws up something which is normally beyond his reach. He mixes this thing with his normal experiences and out of the mixture he makes a work of art."

                                                                                                                                             E.M. Forster

The term "CREATIVITY" is the ability to outstrip traditional ideas, rules, patterns and create new ideas, methods that are unique and novel. It has become apparent that the creativity comes from the right side of the human brain and this is the side that is not utilized optimally as opposed to the left side of the brain. In order to work to its full potential, each of these hemispheres must be capable of analyzing its own input first, only exchanging information with the other half, by means of the interface, when a considerable amount of processing has taken place.Because both hemispheres are capable of working independently, human beings are able to process two streams of information at once.The brain then compares and integrates the information to obtain a broader and more in-depth understanding of the concept under examination.

The importance of using both the sides of the brain is significantly important. A car needs fuel to run; likewise, for the subconscious aspect of the right brain to function, it needs the data, collated and processed by the left brain. Lack of data into the left-hand hemisphere could result in the creative side, or right hemisphere, ‘drying up’ and hence the creative talent in many people remains untapped throughout life. Until we try, most of us never know what we can actually achieve. The pressure of modern life has closed our pathway to creativity. 

We all have creativity - only that if we had tried, we would know whether we find it enjoyable or whether we have a talent or flair for it. Then, if these signs are positive, we must persevere. By cultivating new leisure activities and pursuing new pastimes, it is possible for each of us to explore the potential within us.

NO TO IIT???

IIT? No thank you, say some – The Hindu

This week was difficult for Bharath Kumar. He had to make a decision: mechanical engineering at IIT-Bombay or a four-year specialisation programme in physics at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore.

“I was not confused. The problem was convincing my family and friends that I really wanted to pursue research,” said the student, who finally decided to go with IISc.

Bharath is not the only one who has rejected an IIT seat. R. Gowtham, also a high scorer, worked rigorously for four years to get into the IITs, but is now enthused about studying at the Chennai Mathematical Institute (CMI).

“The CMI test is even tougher than the IIT test because there are just 50 seats available,” he said.

On why he chose CMI over an IIT, he said, “I wanted a course that combined computing and mathematics. Once I realised my love for both subjects, I started focussing on getting into CMI as it offers such a course.”

Spending four years at an IIT is a dream for millions of aspiring engineers, and many of them spend more than three years preparing to crack the test that can get them there.

But after the test, some think it over and often choose another institute if it has a course they really want to pursue.

This year, over 310 students have rejected the prestigious IITs to get into other institutes. Over 76 candidates withdrew their admissions from IIT-Madras, which is the worst-hit among all the IITs. IIT-Delhi was second, having lost 63 students, while Kanpur had the least number of withdrawals at 16.

While most candidates who have rejected their seats had been selected for streams such as mining, metallurgy, and biotechnology, in some IITs, even core departments like civil and chemical engineering have had candidates withdrawing.

“The IITs offer a total of 9,885 seats. The National Institutes of Technology (NITs) offer 15,458 seats. A student who gets chemical engineering at IIT-M may get computer science or electrical engineering in one of the better NITs and so may opt for that,” said R. Raghavan, a former IIT professor.

He added that while a decade ago no one would even think about not accepting an IIT seat, withdrawals were now quite common.

“Also, everyone wants computer science, electronics and communication and electrical engineering, keeping placements and a corporate career in mind, which is not possible with the limited number of seats,” he added.

Another factor is the ‘old vs. new IITs’. Many students who get into the newer IITs – Indore, Mandi, Ropar, Jodhpur and others, chose NITs or reputed private engineering colleges in their State.

“Many of the new IITs function in ‘borrowed’ campuses and I am not sure how good they are. Also, placement reports show big companies still prefer to recruit from the old IITs,” said Ananya Baradwaj, who has taken up in civil engineering at NIT, Calicut.

ASPECTS OF INTELLIGENCE

Intelligence may be narrowly defined as the capacity to acquire knowledge and understanding which enables the individual to deal with real situations and profit intellectually from sensory experience. There are a number of different methods which measure intelligence, the most famous of which is the IQ, or intelligence quotient test. In the formation of such tests many psychologists treat intelligence as a general ability in a wide variety of aptitudes. It is now becoming increasingly recognised that there are many different types of intelligence and that a high measured IQ, although desirable, is not the only key to success in life. Other characteristics, such  As outstanding artistic, creative or practical prowess, especially if combined with personal characteristics such as ambition, good temperament and compassion, could result in an outstanding level of success despite a low measured IQ. It is because of this that in recent years CQ (creative quotient) and EQ (emotional quotient), have become regarded as equally important, or even more important than, IQ measurement. A good memory is yet another type of intelligence, and could result in high academic success despite a low measured IQ test score.

Successful intelligence involves thinking in three aspects : analytically, creatively and practically. The three aspects of successful intelligence are related. Analytical or componential thinking is required to solve problems and to judge the quality of ideas. Creative or experiential intelligence is required to formulate good problems and ideas in the first place. Practical or contextual intelligence is needed to use the ideas and their analysis in an effective way in one’s everyday life. Successful intelligence is most effective when it balances all the three aspects.It is more important to know when and how to use these effectively than just to possess them.

According to the theory of multiple intelligence, it identifies nine types of intelligence which can be summarized as

1. Naturalist Intelligence (“Nature Smart”)

2. Musical Intelligence (“Musical Smart”)

3. Logical-Mathematical Intelligence (Number/Reasoning Smart)

4. Interpersonal Intelligence (People Smart”)

5. Existential intelligence

6. Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence (“Body Smart”)

7. Linguistic Intelligence (Word Smart)

8. Intra-personal Intelligence (Self Smart”)

9. Spatial Intelligence (“Picture Smart”)

It is completely wrong to write off or even put down someone who has scored badly in an IQ test which, after all, has only provided us with one type of information about that individual. All of us have the potential for achievement in some kind of intelligence and we also possess the potential for improvement in many other areas.

MAKE YOUR CHILD AN ACHIEVER IN LIFE

Have you ever wondered how to make a kid an achiever in life? When I say “achiever” it is not just a perfect ten in academics but in real life too. If your kid scores centum in all subjects, it doesn’t guarantee a bright future unless he quips himself with life-skills. Life-skills help promote mental well being and competence in young people as they face the realities of life.

Now, next question that immediately pops up is that, we were not taught such skills and still did we not survive? Some might even argue that kids might learn these lessons on their own. But if there is a possibility that we can prepare them before they go on their own, then why can’t we look this as an opportunity to shape a child into a strong, confident and smart adult.

What follows is a basic curriculum in life that a child should know before reaching adulthood. There will probably be other skills you can add to this list, but at least it’s a starting point.

Critical thinking: This is one of the most important skills not taught in school. If your kid is an unquestioning, naive student introduce him to the technique of asking questions. This increases not only logical reasoning but also intellectual criteria such as clarity, credibility, accuracy, depth and precision. Conversation is the best way to accomplish this skill.

Positive thinking: It is most important that we have a positive outlook on life. Many things may be messed up, but they can be changed for the better. If your child complaints, tell him to find solutions instead of complaints. Help him to believe in himself and encourage the attitude of positive thinking. 

Passion: One of the most important ways to make your child successful is to find what he is passionate about. May be your child is too young to decide on his passion but help them in identifying and pursuing it.

Motivation:  Motivate your kid in achieving small goals; help him in understanding the different strategies involved and give him a great feeling of achievement. 

Being Organized: Children should be taught to be organized. Give them to-do lists, set them routines and encourage them to keep things in their place. 

Personality development: Every person who develops his personality also becomes popular. Being independent, developing public speaking, participating in group discussions, being polite, getting along with his peers are some of the areas a child can be encouraged for personality development.

 Character building: Children do not learn values that make up strong character simply by telling them. They learn from parents and adults from everyday life. So we should set a good example to them through our behaviors and actions and coach them to be responsible and kind. 

Social service activities: Participating in NCC, NSS helps the child to develop a sense of social awareness. They also get to know about their community and develop leadership skills.

Thus the life skill activities help the child to explore alternatives, weigh pros and cons of an issue, have a rational thinking, communicate effectively and be self-confident. Help the child to have a “wholestic” development!

LINGUISTIC SKILLS AT AN EARLY AGE

According to neuroscience, kids exposed to foreign language at an early age have a superior language learning abilities. Babies start to learn a language even before they are able to speak. From early in life, your infant absorbs huge amounts of information that make him an expert in his native language. A child’s brain, which is rapidly growing and eager to absorb new things, can soak up a new language even without realizing it.

Exposing a child to a second language at an early stage helps them to innate new words and develop a natural pronunciation. Babies whose brains discriminate native sounds well at seven and a half months go on to learn language earlier than babies who show the less mature pattern of distinguishing all sounds equally well.

Children can learn more than one native language if they are exposed to both languages early enough, but their brains appear to represent the languages somewhat separately. Bilingual children reach language milestones at the same age and have the same risk of language impairment as monolingual children, though the details of their language development are somewhat different. So if your household is bilingual, this is not a disadvantage for the child’s language learning.

Children who hear more words while interacting with their parents in the first two years of life, learn language faster than children who learn few words. So talk to your baby and put up a good show of understanding of what he is saying. This helps the child’s language skill to develop more quickly.

Additionally, foreign language learning is much more a cognitive problem solving activity than a linguistic activity, overall. Studies have shown repeatedly that foreign language learning increases criticalthinkingskills, creativity, and flexibility of mind in young children. Students who are learning a foreign language out-score their non-foreign language learning peers in the verbal and, surprisingly to some, the math sections of standardized tests. This relationship between foreign language study and increased mathematical skill development, particularly in the area of problem solving, points once again to the fact that second language learning is more of a cognitive activity.

Children gain a great sense of accomplishment from learning to say something in a foreign language – it’s like learning to crack a code! Language learning also provides frequent opportunities to perform before an audience. This nurtures pupils’ self-esteem and self confidence and develops strong interpersonal skills.

Therefore, it is absurd to wait until secondary school to begin studying a foreign language. Take advantage of the child’s language skills and train them up at an early age for best results. When it comes to language, there is no substitute for an early start. Complex skills require deep foundations!