Learning Never Stops

A very inspiring video. Kiran takes teaching out of the confines of the classroom into the city outside. The students are given am amazing opportunity to empathize . They spend the whole day making incence sticks and then they are given the opportunity to go out into the busy streets to sell them. I wonder if many schools will allow that! Some parents might object as math and grammar lessons would not be covered if the kids spent the whole day making incence sticks! The school may be hesistant to send students out into the streets incase anything happened.And yet The Riverside School went right ahead...

I decided to write about this because I think we need to appreciate the importance of SSA. I have been at home lately waiting for my work permit to come through (more time for blogging!)My son came home yesterday from school and told me that the little cherubs in my class were very upset because they were not allowed SSA. What constitutes SSA? Well, I have a number of interesting math and spelling actvities along with countless board games and manipulatives, scrap paper, colouring pencils, etc. Every Wednesdays, I allow these angels free reign and for half an hour...welcome to chaos in my classroom! This time is theirs and no one tells them what to do. School life can be so structured and stifling for the kids and we need to find opportunities to empower them and allow them to decide what they want to learn. I know, structure is important, but hey, look at the way their faces light up when its SSA. SSA is about choice, freedom, and fun. That's the time when true learning takes pla...

My little one's teacher often tells me he can't concentrate in class. He is always up and about talking to his peers., He scores about average marks in tests and hardly likes to write. Mind you I am not worried. I listen to him with awe as he plays on the key board and his dry sense of humour keeps me smiling. He is 9 years old and came second runners-up in the video game competition , beating boys far older than him. I admit that I was proud but I did feel he was playing a bit too much at home. But then I got thinking. What is it about video games that seemingly make kids more resilient to challenges and adversity than in real life classroom problem solving situations? What makes them persevere through tasks even though it can be as difficult as solving a real life math problem. Why don’t we necessarily see the same resolve and self-efficacy when solving a math story problem as we do when needing to conquer, say, a virtual war setting? I wish my lesson plans caould be a...

There are days when thinking taxes me. Well, today is no brain day for me and I am simply having fun. There! Went to "spell with flikr" website and embedded the code for my name! Now I think I'm happy. Did I achieve anything? Oh yeah :)

I came across a strategy which I will hopefully practice when the next unit of inquiry starts. I forget whose idea this is...but  it's a great one. At the beginning of each unit, we collect resources for the children. My colleague and I go down to the library and get as many books as possible. We delve into the messy unit boxes, items which have been sitting there long forgotten. (We need to create virtual  unit boxes in order to see what's in them from the confines of our desks!) So the idea is to let the students look at the central idea and inquiry lines and then go through the resources themselves. They should be able to identify which resource will help them with their research work, which ones will address an inquiry line, etc.

I've been thinking! How can I perk up my Math lessons? The students are learning about 3D shapes. My favourite math topic :) And yet I am reluctant to open the huge ponderous math text book...very, very reluctant. That's when Google Sketchup popped into my mind. I've been meaning to learn about it. But I had a better idea. I downloaded it onto my laptop and asked my two boys to play around with it.Within minutes, they had created oil tanks, buildings and soon a whole city with a hoverig helicopter! My older one, I observed was playing with shadows and creating dimensions that gave his pictures a very realistic look. 3D is all about visual and spatial comprehension. On Google Sketchup, simple objects can be twirled around and lifted high into the air. We can see inside compact shapes and get a feel of what it means to be 3D. By creating cities, students will see the connection between real life and 3D shapes; understand why the pyramid was a sqaure based trianalge and why oi...

A student had to make a presentation about the peoples of Mombasa. He was all set to write a report in word but was again debating whether he should create a power point instead. I asked him if he was willing to try something new and I could see the heistation in his eyes. He feared that anything new might be rejected. Probing deeper, I found he was afraid of basically three things: Firstly, taking risks in case he did something that was not expected; Secondly, incase people did not know how to use the new technology and lastly, getting poor marks! Are we not as educators supposed to encourage children to take risks and go for it? Should they be stifled because we are not abreast with technology? Kids will surprise you with how quickly they can decode complex instructions. Well, this child decided to go for it and here's what he came up with. I am positive his teachers will be thrilled with this. I am just happy I was able to nudge him along. People of Mombasa on Prezi I...

Sir Ken Robison! His speeches are dynamic and laced with humour.This video meant alot to me personally as a parent and as an educator. Today's education system indeed caters to technological needs and we look upon intelligence as equivalent to academic achievemment.However, Sir Ken Robinson chooses to define intelligence as diverse, dynamic and distinct. Also impicit in the speech is the different ways boys and girls learn. Yet we tend to treat them the same in the classroom. Another section I'd like to refer to is how "we", the doctors and edcuators in cohort invented ADHD because we can't figure out how to figure out students who can't sit still...

Every morning my students and I sit by the French window.The salty ocean breeze pours in and energizes us all. After a short bout of meditation and breathing exercises, we are ready to start the day. Every one wants to share. I enjoy these moments but have to keep an eye of the watch. The kids love talking and as educators we need to appreciate, understand and incorporate this into our classrooms. Sometimes I do find myself swallowing my impatience when I realise all my 25 want to share. At the back of my head looms the all encompassing curriculum I need to cover! So I lay down rules... Only 10 share today and the rest groan and sulk. Sometimes i wonder if any one hears them at home! They have so much to say and so many questions to ask ... " Miss why do you think adults still litter even after having been through school?" And it goes on and on... In our school, which is an established PYP school, we use the 8 concepts of Form, Function, Connection, Causation, Perspective, C...

The other day I was thinking about how to make learning more purposeful. My students were engaged in creating word problems. There was a lot of interaction going on and I was generally pleased with the way the lesson was progressing. At one point, I brought the class together and asked them why they were doing what they were doing. Most kids gave me a blank stare, but I do have those kids who save the day, especially when the inspectors come knocking :) One student responded, " So that we learn how to solve real life problems...?" Another, " We need to understand there is a story behind an equation!" I realize as an educator that there needs to be more emphasis on "why" we do things rather than "how" we do them (or "how well" ) in order to make learning more purposeful. I have posted a video which I think drives home this point.

A student of mine once told me that he felt "not special." That left me dumbstruck. I was so moved by this statement, I was determined to do something to change his perception of himself. Our class was practicing a short play and to this student's utter surprise, he was given the lead role. I do not exaggerate, but he wowed the audience with his performance. He was funny, brave and simply amazing. It's been a while since I have seen him. He has moved on to Middle School and is a big and confident young man. One day I happened to meet him in the corridor. He winked at me and said, "Ms. Naini, I know I'm special." Ain't that just great?