Learning at a given space and time

Learning at a given space and time

"LEARN THROUGH PLAY"

Education….The Key to Success….Stepping Stone towards a Bright Future…

These are the most common phrases we hear to describe Education. All of us are aware of its importance and significance in our lives. For those who are blessed are given the opportunity to have this ‘Key’ or ‘Stone’ and are able to build a successful life. Let’s not talk about those unfortunate ones who couldn’t have, as it would be another very long topic.

Since Education plays an integral part of one’s life, it’s very important for us adults to provide our children with FUN EDUCATION.





Okay, many would wonder what Fun Education is? Well it’s the same education we have but in a different and effective way for today’s child. Education is a must for everyone and no one should try to escape from it.

But we all know, there are some who escape, in fact a lot of children escape from studies and most parents are just too pre occupied with their work that they don’t bother asking their kids the reason for that and instead tries to ignore the child’s continuous negligence in his studies.

The most common reasons that your child can become very fussy about studies is, heavy bag, boring teachers, strict Principal, strict teachers, boring subjects, school is bad. These are the reasons that your child will give you. But there are actually different meanings of these reasons which your child himself won’t even know, and as a parent you should know so you can find solution to all these issues.

The following will help you understand more about the problems:

• Heavy bag           ----->     your child actually dislikes the books he is  having either because he finds it boring or he can’t understand it.


• Boring teachers -------->   it’s not actually the teacher that is boring but her method of teaching  which makes her look boring. Go talk to the teacher please.


• Boring subjects  -------->  He doesn’t understand what is being taught to him or he just doesn’t  have interest in understanding it.


• Strict Principal/Teachers --------->  This means he has been scolded or punished about something and trust me you need to know that ‘something’ because of  two reasons which are :


• Somebody is bullying him which makes the school bad. 

OR

• He himself has done something mischievous due to lack of interest in studies.

 

I would sum up the above issues with the fact that kids love “play”, they love fun so why not make studies fun for them?  Here, both parents and teachers has important role to play.

Teachers should make their lessons interesting and change their method of teaching from the typical one to “learn through play” In this way, the child will be learning while doing something fun, all he knows is he is playing, having fun but in fact he is learning a great deal.

Search the libraries for some good ideas, internet is the best source of latest method of teaching. Please be resourceful and you’ll not only teach but will also learn yourself. For parents, search good and colorful books depends on the age of your child but mind you even adults appreciate colors so choose something really lively, search internet as well and check what interests your child most while you’re doing homework with him, ask him questions.

For kids who are too young to express what they want, ‘learn through play’ is the best method for teachers and parents because this is the age when the child finds it difficult to sit and do some work. So you better have plenty of ‘fun equipment’ to entertain him. e.g Buy him a very good set of coloring materials in a very nice box which will urge him to pick the colors and use it, instead of giving rough paper give his homework and in this way you are making him do his work and for him, it’s fun!

One thing is to be kept in mind while handling kids of this age- Do not pressurize the child to study. If you have set a time for his homework and he is not in mood to do it yet, don’t worry and don’t be angry, give your child the time and space he needs. Try to find out what he wants to do instead and tell him he can finish his homework later on after doing that. In case the child is not ready or willing to do the work at all, leave the matter there, and inform the school the next day.

I’m sure, if your child is in a good school, the teacher or Head would advise you the same not to pressurize the child at all and let him work when he feels like or is ready to.

 

Note: Age 2.5- 6 yrs is the most important years of your child’s life. You can build his whole personality in these years and teach him as many words as you want at this age. Even this is the right time to make your child learn the languages you want him to learn as a child’s mind at this age is like a SPONGE which can absorb what he sees and hears in his environment.

So GOOD NEWS for parents who want their children to learn English, this is the right time to speak to him in English or provide him with an English environment like, most of the members, if not all, of the family speaks the language, put some English Educational DVD’s , English rhymes etc.

Don’t worry this is not going to be too much for your child, as he would be speaking his mother tongue no matter what. Not only in speaking but the best age to build the habit you want to develop in your child, like reading, namaz, afternoon nap, table manners etc etc.

 

These are few points only that parents and teachers should keep in mind when handling a child. We can go for detailed stuff whenever necessary. Good Luck!

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Learning the correct Phonic Sound

Learning the correct Phonic Sound

In my nine years experience as a Montessori Directress, the major problem I faced while handling kids of age 2.5- 6 years is the phonic sound. We introduce the alphabets using its sounds at the very initial stage and parents at home teach the “name” of alphabets which results to great confusion for the children.

Parents, this is a serious problem which you should consider when your child starts going to school. First of all, you should be aware of what system does your child’s school follow. Most of the schools in Pakistan follow the phonic system in introducing the alphabets so it’s always good for parents to learn the phonic sounds themselves as it would be easier for you to help your child with his homework and not confusing him. Always keep track of their syllabus and you should know when they are introducing the names of alphabets.

Have a look at the table below for better understanding between phonic sounds (alphabet sounds) and alphabet names:

Alphabet	Name	Sound
A	ay	‘a’ as in apple
B	bee	‘bu’ as in ball
C	see	‘kha’ as in cat
D	dee	‘du’ as in dog
E	ee	‘eh’ as in elephant
F	eff	‘fff’ as in fish
G	jee	‘gu’ as in goat
H	ech	‘hhhhh’ as in house
I	ai	‘ee’ as in igloo
J	jay	‘ju’ as in jug
K	kay	‘ku’ as in kitten
L	el	‘lll’ as in ladder
M	em	‘mmm’ as in monkey
N	en	‘nnn’ as in nest
O	ow	‘oa’ as in orange
P	pi	‘pu’ as in pencil
Q	kyu	‘qua’ as in quilt
R	arr	‘rrr’ as in rat
S	ess	‘sss’ as in sun
T	tee	‘tu’ as in tent
U	yuu	‘uhh’ as in umbrella
V	vee	‘vu’ as in van
W	doubleyu	‘wu’as in watch
X	ex	‘x’ as in x-ray
Y	wai	‘ya’ as in yo-yo
Z	zee	‘zzz’ as in zebra

Note that, Uttering the names of any object repeatedly will help you learn its first sound more. The alphabet ‘X’ has no sound but x itself. While learning, make a list of different words which begins with the sound you are learning and read them aloud repeatedly. e.g apple, axe, ant etc When the alphabet is in capital, you are supposed to just say its name but when it is in small letter, it means you have to say its sound, since small letters represents the sounds of the capital letters.

Also, I plan to add the audio clip for each sound, so - stay tuned! (0:

Remember: Practice makes man perfect.

Advice: Introduce these sounds when your child starts speaking since phonic sounds will help your child read.

In this blog, I’ve tried my best to help parents and teachers proper sounds of the alphabets. This is a genuine effort to help you teach your kids or even learn what you haven’t learnt in your school life. Who knows, you will also improve your reading.

Best of Luck!

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Preparing your Toddler for schooling

Preparing your Toddler for schooling

Congratulations!! You are now a proud parent of a toddler, ready to take his first step to school.But not all kids would be very happy with the idea, so this task can sometimes be very hectic and stressful for parents. You need not worry much though,  since the task will be easier and exciting if you do the following at home when you see your child has started understanding instructions already.



Preparing your house environment:

The very first place where the child learns is from his environment so it's very important the parents should provide him with the environment that they want their child to grow up in and learn from.

1. Start displaying children's books in you shelves if you do not have library or if you have one at home, take your child there and talk about the place, like this is the library, it has lots of interesting books and show him/her colourful posters or pictures.

2. Buy your child a study table and tell him/her its purpose. For this to be effective you yourself should have one where your child sees you doing your paper work.

                                                  

3. Give him/her a paper and crayon and encourage scribbling.(All the written work should be done on the study table)

4. Encourage tracing in the air of alphabets and numbers with two fingers, in this way your child will learn the correct formation of the letters and numbers which will prepare him/her for writing.

5.Make your child sit with other children at home who are going to school while they study and give him/her some writing materials too.

6. Set a proper study time for your child.

7. Take your child with you when you shop for study materials for him/her and involver him/her as much as you can like asking which colour book would he/she like to have, which eraser he/she would like to keep etc etc.

8. Buy a very attractive school bag and lunch box for you little one. Tell your little one that thse are what he/she will take to school. In this way, you will build more interest in your child for schooling.

9.Last but not the least, talk to you child about his/her school and that he/she will have a very nice and kind teacher there.and that he/she would be drop and picked by you soon so it won't scare him/her.
The above points are just some tips which are proven quite helpful to mothers, but please keep in mind "study" here doesn't mean the reall study we adults do. It is just familiarizing your child with the study materials like pencil,paper,eraser, ruler, colour pencils, crayons, notebook, books etc etc.

Note: Please note children of this age should not be pressurised at all to study and learn but instead encouraged to work at his own space and freewill with your 100% guidance. Encourage "Learning Through Play" which would be in my next post.

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Preparing your Toddler for Schooling

Congratulations!! You are now a proud parent of a toddler, ready to take his first step to school.But not all kids would be very happy with the idea, so this task can sometimes be very hectic and stressful for parents. You need not worry much though,  since the task will be easier and exciting if you do the following at home when you see your child has started understanding instructions already.
                                              

Preparing your house environment:

The very first place where the child learns is from his environment so it's very important the parents should provide him with the environment that they want their child to grow up in and learn from.
1. Start displaying children's books in you shelves if you do not have library or if you have one at home, take your child there and talk about the place, like this is the library, it has lots of interesting books and show him/her colourful posters or pictures.

2. Buy your child a study table and tell him/her its purpose. For this to be effective you yourself should have one where your child sees you doing your paper work.

                                                   

3. Give him/her a paper and crayon and encourage scribbling.(All the            written work should be done on the study table)

4. Encourage tracing in the air of alphabets and numbers with two fingers, in this way your child will learn the correct formation of the letters and numbers which will prepare him/her for writing.

5.Make your child sit with other children at home who are going to school while they study and give him/her some writing materials too.

6. Set a proper study time for your child.

7. Take your child with you when you shop for study materials for him/her and involver him/her as much as you can like asking which colour book would he/she like to have, which eraser he/she would like to keep etc etc.

8. Buy a very attractive school bag and lunch box for you little one. Tell your little one that these are what he/she will take to school. In this way, you will build more interest in your child for schooling.

9.Last but not the least, talk to you child about his/her school and that he/she will have a very nice and kind teacher there, and that he/she would be dropped and picked by you soon so it won't scare him/her.
The above points are just some tips which are proven quite helpful to mothers, but please keep in mind "study" here doesn't mean the reall study we adults do. It is just familiarizing your child with the study materials like pencil,paper,eraser, ruler, colour pencils, crayons, notebook, books etc etc.

Note: Please note children of this age should not be pressurised at all to study and learn but instead encouraged to work at his own space and freewill with your 100% guidance. Encourage "Learning Through Play" which would be in my next post.

Read More...

Quality Education

QUALITY EDUCATION...

That's what we want for our kids, for them to have the best education available.

But what is really Quality Education?[gallery]

Is it buying our children the most expensive books and bags? or is it seeing what are the contents of those books, or is it having our children get admissions in the most costly and prestigious schools in town? YES!! That's exactly what's quality education for us. Getting education in one of those big named schools in the city! And what made us think that's quality education, That's because children coming from rich and well off family are getting admissions there, plus its costly,so we assume that they pay good to their teachers and thus their teachers will teach our kids very well. Above all when we sit in a gathering and someone asks the name of the school where our children are studying ,we feel proud when we mention the name of a renowned school.

But my friends that's not what quality education is, quality education is when your child comes home repeating what his/her teacher has taught, quality education is when you sit and open your child's book during study time ,he/she will tell you why 2+2 is 4 and not just justify it saying because my teacher said so. Quality education is when you see your child has reasons for everything he has learnt and when you see that his concepts are clear about just everything irrespective of the school he is studying in or how much his teacher is paid or how much his books cost.

So let's change our point of views and try searching for this golden education instead of the amount to paid.

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My Shocking Visits To Schools

As a Vice Principal, I had to accompany our school Principal to different Pre-primary schools in North Nazimabad to give invitations for our school’s Open House.

We 1st visited Fatima Child Development Centre. I was completely disappointed to see the school. From the outside, it looked just like other schools I’m familiar with. But I was completely disappointed to see the inside when I saw dirt everywhere. They had dustbins which was very dirty, uncovered and was placed just besides the canteen table where eatables were placed. The walls were also very dirty with all kinds of stains and empty wrappers were all around the place and above all the school was stinking!! Since I have seen parents dying to have their children admitted in that school, I was expecting something else which was quite opposite to what I just witnessed. I was also expecting an impressive Principal’s Office with an impressive Principal but all in vain. The Principal’s Office counts a lot as you expect all kinds of people visiting you so it should be presented well. As our Principal started speaking to him (FCDC’s Principal/Owner), I discovered he wasn’t even impressive in speaking. Overall there was a lack of public dealing quality.

[caption id="attachment_24" align="alignnone" width="111" caption="This is how it works!!"][/caption]

The 2nd school we visited was MCDC (Mariam Child Development Centre). Who doesn’t know about this school? But again I was disappointed with what I experienced in my short visit. We approached their male receptionist who at the time was dealing with a parent. Let me tell you, that wasn’t how I would talk to parents who want admission in my school. Again parents dealing …..ZERO! The receptionist showed his arrogance when he should be polite and welcoming. Anyway, our Principal introduced herself to him and after 3 minutes of thinking he asked us to sit and wait. We were made to sit outside in their open area. From there both of us could see just about everything except the inside of the classrooms. What I noticed first was the lists they posted on the walls. Those were lists of students who qualified for St.Pat’s, St. Paul’s ,Mama Parsi etc etc and one group of names was written on an ivory sheet, the other on printout sheets , the other on ordinary papers and all handwritten which showed how hurriedly the assigned person wrote the names. Wherever has presentation gone??? It’s good news for God’s sake!! The children got admission in those well know schools!!!At least it should have been written in a very good handwriting or printed out and pasted on very good sheets that would look uniform.

While looking at all these, I recalled interviewing a teacher from MCDC who had nothing good to say about the school and at that moment I was sure 70% of what she said was true!

These are just two of those schools where most of the parents dream to get their kids admitted there, but the points I’ve mentioned might not be of significant to most parents and they tend to ignore it. But please….. a school, who cannot welcome you or can’t be polite with you, can hardly teach your child to be polite as well. Every child wants importance, how can you expect such a school to value your child when they can’t even write your child’s name properly?? In the world of Pre-Primary presentation is very important. I’ll be discussing about presentations in my future posts.

Parents please be very observant as it’s a matter of your child’s learning process! :)

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Schools Everywhere

Okay my very first blog is about schools everywhere. Reason? Lots!

What I mean is I can see schools everywhere now, after every house or beside every pan-shop. You will find four to five(atleast 2) schools in almost every street of Karachi.

Now, the first question is, why am I so bothered?? Are you? Am I?

I am, and of course I am, and everyone should be as well. Now everyone and anyone can open their own school. All you need is some amount to be able to start a new school and that’s it !! NO OTHER REQUIREMENTS!! Whether you are qualified or not, capable or not. It seems like it’s the cheapest business on earth(well, atleast in Karachi, so it seems) which can be an earning machine once you are known to people around the school.

Due to non-requirement issue, you will end up having your child admitted in a school whose aim is not to give quality education but just to gather as many children as they can and earn. Why won’t they be able to have many children,when the monthly fees is very affordable(which is very good on the child’s part),some schools give discount on admission fees and some even have big banners mentioning “NO ADMISSION FEES, FREE UNIFORM AND FREE BOOKS”. A w0w-moment for the pre-school-ill-knowledged parents.



Now,because it’s just anyone who can open a school here, all they care about is to have a building where they can dump as many children as they can ,they don’t consider the salary they have to offer to teachers. No proper plan for the salary scale at all!! Most of the schools charge the students very high, but cannot pay the teacher the salary she deserves, for example, a school is taking Rs. 1500 from each student and they have min of 30 to 35 students in a class, they would start their negotiation with the teacher with the amount Rs. 3000!! there are even which starts with Rs.2000.

And it would be a shock for you who don’t know about this,but yeah there are some very needy women who agree to this scale just because “something is better than nothing” out of 3000,2000 would be for transport and at least they are able to take 1000 home(that’s what they think) and to my dismay I came to know that even the renowned and big schools here have teachers working for Rs.5000 with them and the fees per student ranges from Rs. 3500 to Rs. 7000. huh!!! That’s not fair at all!! I mean when you are well-known and people come to you for admissions you should have a lot to offer to students as well, and for that its the teachers who work hard to maintain the standard and fulfill all requirements. So that’s not what they really deserve.

The last but not the least reason to be bothered about schools everywhere and that is, decrease in quality education. As the number of schools increase, the quality of education decrease. Reasons are obvious. First, the reason to open a school now is not to educate children,or not because they love teaching kids but because they think it’s a very good business!! 2nd reason is since a masters degree holder won’t work for just Rs. 5000, they hire a 10th or a 12th grader who would agree to work for not more than 5000. So,how can you expect dedication, involvement and hard work from those teachers?? How can you expect them to be teaching up to the mark when they themselves are still into schooling and needs to learn. So where on earth has quality education gone????

But friends there are very rare exceptional cases which I have seen as per my experience , there are people who do not have money but are very willing to open a school for the love of educating others, there are undergrad teachers who can teach better than a B.Ed teacher , there are schools who pay less because that’s what they can afford as they do not take much fees from students.

But these are very few schools and yeah you will still find sincerity in some. I will write in detail about schools next time and regarding specific pre-primary experience that I have with several schools. Keep in touch!

Happy schooling! (0:

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