Month: November 2017

In an era of cut-throat competition where everyone is running a race to achieve the targets, the relations are taking a back seat. The statistics are quite astonishing where nearly a quarter parents say that they play occasionally with their kids. Surprisingly, some fathers are oblivious to the choices of kids, whereas there are some who talk to their kids only on weekends. The social networks are brimming out with ways to keep yourself healthy even at the workplace but no one talks about the health of the relations within a family. A famous author has rightly said, “How we preserve time for FAMILY is one of the most significant issues we face in most cultures.” For the kids, your time is the life precious jewel that is embedded in their memories forever. Following are a few advantages amongst the myriads highlighting the importance of family time.

1. Making a stronger bond: – The kids need a sense of belongingness and security, someone to turn to and look up to for anything. Family time certainly ensures deep and strong family bond.

2. Teaching important lessons of life: – Although there are many factors around which teach children, but family discussions where parents put forth problems seek the opinion from kids and discuss matters would prepare them well for facing the real world.

3. Appreciation, Affection, and Encouragement: – Researches confirm that teenagers who are praised, appreciated, hugged or kissed are likely to grow into positive and happy individuals.

4. Instill family values: – In the age of broken relationships and unrest amongst youth, instilling family values has become more significant. Children often portray behaviors which they see. Hence, spending time together will build a sense of worth and instill positive family values in your children.

5. To accept the differences: – Each family member is a unique individual and is special in their own way. Family time allows members to know about each other’s interest, show respect and tolerance. An open vent of feelings, sharing chores, control through humor and encouragement and most importantly being our own self can only be the results of time spent together.

When parents involve themselves unexpected scores, positive attitudes and better behavior are the fruits to reap in the later stage of life. So share meals, throw distractions, get on to a game of cards, holiday together, camp, hike, raft, movies an do whatever you can and create memories to leave indelible imprints forever. Because at the end of your life, you will never regret not having passed one more test or crack a deal but you will regret the time you could not spend with your family.

 

Imagine a classroom where the teacher is reading out a chapter in a monotone voice. Researchers, rather I would say all of the teachers would agree that 75% of students in such class would be daydreaming, 20% doodling and rest would be making a failed attempt to actually listen. Should this be the type of classrooms where our country’s future is supposed to be nurtured? Gone are the days of lectures where children were passive listeners and whatever teacher told was all correct. A classroom should ideally be a place where children look forward to coming to. But making a class an interactive class is the biggest challenge faced by teachers all over the world. Imagine a classroom where the teacher is reading out a chapter in a monotone voice. Researchers, rather I would say all of the teachers would agree that 75% of students in such class would be daydreaming, 20% doodling and rest would be making a failed attempt to actually listen. Should this be the type of classrooms where our country’s future is supposed to be nurtured? Gone are the days of lectures where children were passive listeners and whatever teacher told was all correct. A classroom should ideally be a place where children look forward to coming to. But making a class an interactive class is the biggest challenge faced by teachers all over the world.

Here a few strategies which could be of help for teachers in managing class as well as make lessons interesting.

1. Love your job: – Every task can be accomplished successfully only and only when you have a desire to do. Hectic and busy schedules are invariably a result of lack of management. A proper planning beforehand would give you ample time to insert activities in your lessons, thereby making them more effective. If you have fun while teaching then possibly your children will also have fun studying.

2. No lectures only conversations: – Try it once, the students will tell you more than probably you can imagine. Engage the students like you would do with a friend, over a cup of coffee and see a stylish shift in the interest levels of students.

3. Learn together: – No doubt, the job of the teacher is to educate but at times letting down your authoritative guard and learning new things together would be great fun for both. Get involved in every task, work as a team rather than a just a silver-rimmed observer.

4. Relate the content of day to day life: – Don’t lose the credibility of your students by telling them that lesson has to learn “because they have to”. Give them the real answer. If they are learning mathematics tell them that they need to use it to check out bills, buy groceries measuring the area of the garden and relate them to solve real-life problems using mathematics.

5. Use Technology: – The students live and breathe technology. Instead of a paper, make use of tablet or computer or smart board. Let them video conference for a project together, let them interact with students abroad to widen their perspective on a given project. Let the technology be used for the purpose it was actually invented for.

6. Let your stubbornness “go”:- This definitely does not mean compromising with rules but it just expresses to be more understanding. Make yourself available for the students.

The purpose of the teacher is not just to disseminate information. Let loose, laugh, involve and most of all be passionate about what you are doing. All the things you’re working hard to achieve with students will improve if a suitable environment is created where your students love being a part of. Be more trusting, be more influential and make your lessons interesting.

It is still a common belief that creativity is innate and creative people have the special gene in them. As a matter of fact, creativity blossoms in an environment where the students are free to make mistakes. Traditional classroom management approaches which are based on rewards and punishments have gone down the drain and are ineffective. Neither this approach makes children develop self-discipline and sense of responsibility nor provide the suitable environment for buds to emerge. Rather makes the relationships stringent, furthermore killing this special gene called “creativity”. The crux of the view is that the teachers need to impose fewer restrictions on the class so that the children develop intrinsic motivation to give vent to their creativity. Certain factors which can help give expression to students on one hand and on the other hand maintain the class decorum are mentioned below:

1. NO to unilateral rules: If the rules are laid down by teachers unilaterally, in the long run, kids will find not find any necessity for them. The approach here required is bilateral. The kids need to be actively involved in process of making classroom rules along with the reprimand if it is broken.

2. Respect the child’s perspective: Instead of being authoritarian, give a patient hearing. Maybe the child’s perspective is right to his /her age group. We need to explain logically if there is any wrong influence on the child.

3. Taking away a privilege: Instead of infliction the child with an unpleasant situation, the better option would be to take away a privilege. Think of the ways to reconstruct classroom rather than depending on punishment.

4. Give choice: Miss a hobby period or complete the assignment, should be the preferable way of giving child a power where he is to decide what he has to.

All in all, it can be said that little freedom can serve the broad purpose of learning, practicing and mastering new skills. A classroom needs to support intrinsic motivation of the child to learn and not only drawing on to different strength, ability, and interests but also maximize child’s learning. Children need to learn to make their own decisions as success is not the key to happiness but happiness is the true key to success.