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…