5 Simple ways to motivate a child disinterested in mathematics

Every child who avoids studying maths has a preconceived idea that he will never need to use anything more than the basic functions of arithmetic in real life. Getting such students to take interest in the subject can be quite a task and most mathematics teachers remain perplexed about finding ways to change the way their students look at the subject. Students easily get disheartened when they fail to understand or solve their math problems which drive them farther away from the subject.

Teachers must make them realize that failing a couple of times is okay and that they would eventually surmount the challenges they face. It is imperative that teachers try to make students look at maths as more than just mind-boggling formulas.

Here are a few techniques teachers could incorporate in their teaching methodology to make students change their negative approach towards the subject:

1)      Try using more figures and visuals wherever possible while teaching: Children today have a natural preference for learning visually.

2)      Try explaining concepts using real life examples: Kids ought to know that math does not just start or end in their books but is also of immense help in day-to-day activities.

3)      Start with basic level calculations: Try not to overwhelm young developing minds with big numbers and complex calculations. Stick to simple examples till the time students pick up on the method of solving the problem.

4)      Reward them for being consistent and finding a solution - Show them that perseverance does wonders in the process of learning. One must be patient so as not to intimidate the students and demotivate them.

5)      Always be enthusiastic while teaching: Often your mood will reflect in the way you teach. Children often take a shine to energetic and cheerful teachers and once you have their attention, they are all yours!

Remember, children have the natural quality of being curious and impressionable. So all you have to do is just tap into their inquisitive minds by using the simple but effective methods we have listed above. Read More...

5 important life-skills schools should start teaching

Ever met a nerd with poor social skills or heard about a scientist who was afraid of women? I am sure, most of you know where I am going with these questions. Today, we shall learn about the skills that school books and teachers don’t normally teach students, but are nevertheless important to get by in the real world. Teachers often donate marks to students in subjects like ‘Moral Science’ because it is not as important as mathematics. 

A look at the 5 things schools must start teaching their students for helping them develop important real life-skills:

1.       Compassion : We’d find many people who are proud about their IQ but are not really bothered about having a good amount of EQ. Being compassionate is something all religious books talk about so why should schools even meander into the territories of religion? It is important to understand that emotions are an integral part of a person’s personality. What good is your intelligence if you are not compassionate enough to use it for the good of other people? Schools must teach the importance of kindness, empathy and compassion to children so that they grow up to become good human beings and not just smart people.

2.       Soft skills: It is usually too late to learn soft skills once you are grown up. Lacking good communication skills can create havoc in your professional as well as personal life. Schools must teach kids the value of building relationships, communication and networking.

3.       Logic and critical thinking – Not all good-graders manage to crack competitive exams which require strong aptitude skills. Exams like IIT JEE and CAT test the aptitude and application skills and rote learning is of use for students aspiring to clear these exams.

4.       Decision making – It is of utmost importance for kids to able to be decide things for themselves by differentiating between things correctly. Schools should undertake various activities which test and improve the task management and problem solving skills of students.

5.       Importance of failure – Often, kids are taught that failing is a bad thing. A lot of young people resort to suicide fearing the education system and society which is so very intolerant towards failure. The truth is that failure makes one value success, and also that one does not handle failure by running away from situation. Teacher and parents must keep motivating kids against all odds. Read More..

5 effective educational search engines for school going kids

Google maybe to vast for school going kids who need to use a safe search engines. Parents must see to it that their kids are not exposed to harmful or utterly useless information on the internet.

Following is the list of some of the most useful search engines which you can recommend to school-going children. 

1)      Kidzsearch : This search engine responds to a child’s specific search query without any adult or sensitive content mixed with it. The results obtained are of a quality as high as the quality of Google search engine.

2)      Exalead: For well-segregated, more relevant and quicker results, students should opt for Exalead. Exalead helps students as they can find project documents and PDF files for reference.

3)      SearchyPants – SearchyPants makes Internet browsing more fun for kids. This safe engine allows families to communicate with each other with the help of custom messages.

4)      Ask Kids – A free and interesting platform which helps kids with their school assignments. This search engine is filled with information on various subjects like history, science, maths and geography.

5)      DuckDuckGo – Another innovative search engine which will help kids find an answer to any kind of doubt they have. The interface is nice playful and the engine is extremely easy to use.Read more details...

 

3 kinds of teaching and learning methodologies which will benefit the 21st century students

Teachers may often wonder that despite their best efforts students are unable to understand what they teach or be attentive during their classes. To bridge this gap it is important to understand children’s learning needs and develop new strategies to cater to them.

Take a look at the three approaches which should be used by educators to help students learn better:

1.  Inquiry-based learning: Learning that is induced by investigation, pursuit and study is called inquiry-based learning. All the great inventions made in the history were based on the initial inquiries made by the inventors. It relies on getting the student involved in the learning process more than the teacher and propagates the fact that curiosity creates knowledge. 

2.  Project-based learning: Learning that revolves around students undertaking various kinds of assignments which results into a constructive output like a presentation or a product. This kind of learning not only helps the student understand topics better but also gives him hands-on experience when he applies himself on a project. It also improves his decision making and problem-solving skills.

3.   Problem-based learning: This technique is similar to inquiry-based learning. A challenge related to the topic being taught in class is presented to the students. Students then form little teams to explore and solve the problem in their individual ways. The teams then present their solutions in front of everyone. This kind of learning incites participation and enthusiasm from the students thereby enhancing the learning experience.

The above three instructional approaches are being widely accepted in schools worldwide. All of them involve student’s participation in the process which helps with the learning and teaching process.

Instilling good values in kids is education too

One cannot fully emphasize the importance of having good values. Since good values are one of the most intangible qualities one could have, many often don’t regard it necessary. Young children are impressionable and pick up everything the society around them propels. Social Emotional Learning needs to be accepted and taught to kids so that they grow up to be good humans. Qualities like compassion, tolerance, kindness helps an individual contribute to the society positively.

People skills may not be a listed official job requirement but it is not any less than a person’s educational qualification as a bad image or lack of people skills makes it almost impossible for a person to grow in an organization. It’s only too late when a person realizes its importance. Once children learn negative qualities it is difficult to make them unlearn once they grow up. Famous adage ‘What you sow is what you reap’ has us aware somewhere in our minds that to be treated well one must often learn to treat others well.

A developed EQ also equips a person to handle problems in his life with a certain level of maturity. Individuals with poor tolerance often react to bad situations only to make the issues at their hands worse. Parents and teachers should play a role in helping children differentiate right from wrong and have role models who are not just successful but also exceptional human beings who are grounded and know how to treat other human beings.

Our society may show that individuals have a sense of community but the prevalence of apathetic anti-social elements can influence other individuals to resort to malice for their own safety or benefit. Children need to be taught that goodness eventually triumphs everything and that evil cannot be countered with evil. Enforcing such behavior would help them handle future challenges in a positive way.

Adults are the torchbearers of behavior and character for the young people and they must consciously take the effort to shape the young minds in a positive way. Adults must try and be the ideal role models which their children seek or see to it that their children find the right role models to learn from. To sum it up instilling social values is as important as becoming an educated individual because the only threat to humanity is other humans who fail to be humane.Read more..