Jaipuria School Ghaziabad Blog

PRINT-RICH CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENT

The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.

Healthy environment is the key to healthy learning. It is important to create and provide print-rich environment to the Pre-primary children. They learn as they explore, interact and have meaningful discussion about the written words. It helps the children with countless opportunities to learn about letters and letter sounds. A print-rich environment is one in which children interact with many forms of print and it helps foster skills needed for reading.

Classrooms of Seth Anandram Jaipuria School have all the quality indicators that relate to literacy and in developing pre-reading skills. It includes flash cards, word cards, teacher made books, word walls, printed word labels, cozy book areas, theme display, bulletin boards showing students work, picture book and attendance chart. Students learn best through hands-on, meaningful play experiences within this prepared environment.

Children begin to discover cues that help them figure out words they see which lays the foundation of reading. They want to model what they see around them. Our school provides an environment that has labels, signs, charts, name tags to help so children learn letters, words, numbers easily and are able to make connections between the letters and the functions they serve. Students are able to learn concepts in a way which is both meaningful and fun for them – instead of rote learning or by being forced to sit and write. Learning for them in Seth Anandram Jaipuria School is spontaneous and fun.

EDUCATION 4.0

Every child is a born genius. He is gifted with potential in certain areas. He comes with a “right to earn a successful life” and the education system must enable him to do so. In today’s new world of fast changing technology and information overload, students need to be trained and not taught. Information needs to be made accessible and students need to learn how to find it rather than the teacher offering it to them in a rigid structure. Giving the workforce of tomorrow the tools to become active lifelong learners can create a diverse and pluralistic society where every person understands and plays to their strengths, building a fair and self-sustaining model for education rather than knowledge

We at Jaipuria understand that students are not alike, do not have the same starting point, can learn and absorb different areas of focus differently and need to be guided to develop their skills rather than taught a set of predefined data points. Today education needs to align with and prepare students for the next industrial revolution which will happen in their lifetime. Therefore we as an institute have always explored and implemented what is best for our students.

Lauded for its impressive Board results and academic excellence in the entire region, the school, has opened its doors to diverse forms of learning to secure a sound education for its students. State -of-the-art infrastructural facilities include an impressive multi-purpose auditorium, well equipped Science labs, Resource Rooms, Social Science, Computer and Maths Labs which provide opportunities for ‘Learning by Doing’ enabling the students to keep abreast of the challenges of the modern technological age and global needs.

We all know how helpful it is to remember something that is taught visually to us rather than the one that is read through pages after pages. It is really beneficial for students to understand a chapter visually in class. The concept of smart class education is indeed a blessing to the students of the 21st Century, keeping this in account we at Jaipuria School are turning our all classrooms into a smart class. Along with this, it is equally important that teachers can identify gaps in their student’s understanding, tailor instruction and meet the needs for every student, thus we at Jaipuria are working closely with Khan Academy to explore ways how instruction is organized, delivered and experienced by both students and teachers. We firmly believe that technology is changing the way life functions and if it’s for the good, then why not go for it!

Our school has always believed that no nation can grow or change for better till the educational institutes work in hand with the new vision of the government .Therefore when the NITI Aayog launched the Atal Innovation Mission, we at Jaipuria also started with this flagship initiative which aims at fostering innovation and entrepreneurship among the youth. With a vision to ‘Cultivate one Million children in India as Neoter ic Innovators’, Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) is establishing Atal Tinkering Laboratories (ATLs),one of which is functioning in our school. This laboratory is a promising attempt to inculcate creative prowess, adaptive learning and design process along with promoting curiosity among students.

IMMERSE IN NATURE

Humans are the product of nature. They are a part and parcel of it. In recent years, many researches have revealed that fewer children are experiencing nature directly, while the majority of them are playing indoors. Most of young people are spending great amount of time of their daily life in the virtual world and are far removed from nature, resulting in a lack of knowledge of biodiversity. It is found that the children who disconnect from nature and stay indoors are less healthy and have low quality of life.

It has also been noticed that major causes of this disconnection are-

• urbanisation and loss of green space parental fears and control
• perceived risk of nature modern lifestyles
• increased screen time with television, computers, tabs etc.

As a teacher at Seth Anandram Jaipuria School, I feel that school is the best place to train students to be benefited by the goodness of nature. This is the reason, I keep advising them to show love for their natural surroundings. They have immense impact on human mind. Our closeness with nature creates restorative and introspective skills, which means to love your environment and to commit to protect nature in the present context. I believe that outdoor activities can be a way to help children to fight with natural deficit disorders, depression, anxiety, decision making issues, loneliness, anorexia,commitment issues, obesity etc. To enhance thinking on these basic necessities, nature friendly camps and activities related to nature are organised in our school campus from time to time.

At Seth Anandram Jaipuria School, we take our children to garden for nature walk. They have established a herbal garden in the school campus thus interacting closely with nature. It is strongly believed at Seth Anandram Jaipuria School that children involved in such activities are more likely to be interested in the environment and will show a responsible environmental behaviour in the future too.

At Seth Anandram Jaipuria School different programmes like nature club, outdoor excursion trips, visiting wildlife sanctuaries, conducting debate and discussions on environmental issues, tree plantation drives, outdoor classes, environment day celebrations have been put in place to help children relate more deeply with nature. These experiential activities at Seth Anandram Jaipuria School bring children closer to nature.

To summarize, I would love to quote Alfred Billings Street:

“Nature is man’s teacher. She unfolds her treasures to his search, unseals his eye, illumes his mind, and purifies his heart; an influence breathes from all the sights and sounds of her existence.”

Rubi Choudhary

India is a proud nation with a rich history replete with famous personalities and the field of Mathematics is no exception. Great mathematicians like Ramanujan, Aryabhatta, Shakuntala Devi and others have played an integral role in transforming the history of mathematics in India. However, to ignite the young minds for a brighter future, maths ought to be taught in a smarter manner, where it is no longer seen as a monster that terrorizes the students. Research conducted by various agencies depict Maths as a complex subject, leading to higher levels of anxiety amongst students. Thus, to thoroughly understand the diverse nature of the subject, one requires large amounts of patience and persistence.

Here at Seth Anandram Jaipuria School, the faculty actively strives to introduce methodologies that simplify the learning process and make the subject an engaging one for the learners. The primary aim of such methodologies is to dismantle the phobia of maths by explaining the practical use of the subject, as well as, through employing the subject in day to day experiences. Academic activities and games are the foundation of the curriculum delivery for primary years.

S.Gudder rightly says, “The essence of mathematics is not to make simple things complicated, but to make complicated things simple.”

To dispense the notion that math is a difficult subject to comprehend, we at Seth Anandram Jaipuria, have organised Math Mart, where students get to take part in role play of the market activity and imbibe the art of negotiation, that would help to broaden their grasp on numbers in a more definitive and realistic manner. This idea is the brain child of our Principal cum Director Mrs. Manju Rana.

Under the able guidance of the teachers, students get to buy commodities such as stationery, eatables, fashion accessories etc. from the wholesale market at a cheaper price and then sell them at a marginally higher cost. Students then put up various stalls to get a hands on experience of marketing and sales, how to maintain customer relations and learn the nuances of purchasing and selling. Not only this, students also learn to advertise their product on sale, by coming up with various attractive schemes.

The funds raised in the Mart are donated to a noble cause, which develops a sense of social responsibility amongst the students. It also brings a sense of satisfaction as it contributes to the holistic growth of a community and improves the overall socio-economic status of the society.

One cannot help but agree, mathematics pervades our life, like the air we breathe and thus the need to develop a mathematical approach towards life should be given utmost importance. It can only happen by making math interactive and interesting from the early stages of a student’s education, which will ultimately yield Success – for the child, the teacher, the institution, and the society.

HONING ENGLISH SKILLS

The world is a home to billions of people who differ from each other in various ways but are connected with each other through communication.It is the process of communication that truly makes a man a social animal as stated by Aristotle. For communication one needs a channel. That channel is often language. Having said so, one thinks about what is a language that connects the whole world? An immediate answer is English-the lingua franca of the present century. Realising this, it becomes imminent that Jaipurians who are the future of the world know how to understand English and to converse in it fluently.

With such a global vision, Jaipuria School Ghaziabad has always emphasized on honing the English language skills of its students and to do so, we have employed a number of ways both conventional and modern to make our children confident enough to use English as a language that is at par with the usage of their mother tongue.

Seth Anandram Jaipuria School gzb has its own ‘language lab’ dedicated for this where we conduct extemporaneous activities, debates, story writing events, word building games and many more such activities that keep the children engrossed and make them learn the nuances of English with a play-learn method. It’s in this language lab that we focus on their pronunciation, word formation, intonation and chronemics.

We know that Rap music culture has recently grasped momentum in our society, so we learnt a lesson from there too. Jaipuria incorporated a rap making activity in the school to enhance and encourage our young musicians as the benefits were double. They are learning English utilising their hobby and honing both the skills.

Teachers are guiding souls with a great mission to make the students self-dependent, confident and noble citizens of the nation. I strongly believe that a teacher’s job is not limited to just completing the syllabus according to the prescribed curriculum but to ignite the minds of the young generation.

The ignited minds of students are the best resource on this earth as described by Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam. If the energy produced by this resource is used in constructive ways, it would definitely bring about dynamic change in the history of this earth. A teacher is like a candle which consumes itself to light the path of students.

In my opinion, the role of a teacher is just like that of the proverbial ‘ladder’. A ladder is used by everyone to climb up in life; but the ladder stays in its place and feels proud to take others to the top by staying at its original place. It is the teacher only who can bring unlimited fortunes in the lives of the students. We, the teachers at Seth Anandram Jaipuria School, give our heart and soul to be the ladders for our students to reach the greater heights.

I believe that there is no other profession which is more important to society than teaching. Doctors earn when there are more patients, a lawyer earns when there are more disputes, an engineer earns when there are more breakdowns but a teacher earns more and more when the students are successful and rise in their lives with the guidance. We, the school teachers have a tremendous responsibility in shaping the life of a student. If the foundation of a building is strong, the building will be strong and will sustain for a long time. In the same way childhood is the time for laying the foundation which is the base for the whole life structure. When seeds are sown with proper care, they blossom into healthy and disease free trees which bear flowers and fruit. The aim of all the teachers at Seth Anandram Jaipuria School is to build character and inculcate moral values in the children to enhance their learning capacities. We facilitate better understanding and learning in those students who need extra attention as according to me, we are the actual guiding stars in society.

I strongly believe that the young generation should love to enter the teaching profession. Like any other profession, teaching should be their dream profession. The mission of all of us is to create nation building capabilities in students so that on completion of their education, they have leadership qualities and are ready to lead and guide the nation in the right direction.

THE IMPORTANCE OF CELEBRATING FESTIVALS IN SCHOOL

A festival is an occasion of enjoyment and celebration which promotes social interaction and harmony

Children will remember an important day only if they are told what the occasion signifies. So a celebration makes them aware of the world in a more fun way. Celebrating events and festivals in our school has become an integral part of learning and building a strong cultural belief. Such celebrations bring the students closer to each other’s traditions and cultural beliefs and develop respect and understanding for each other’s customs and traditions. Some of the days celebrated in our school are Independence Day, Janmashtami, Mother’s day, Grandparent’s day etc. Other famous festivals of India include Lohri, Raksha Bandhan, Holi, Diwali , etc. With so many festivals to celebrate, Indians surely have millions of reasons to rejoice!Furthermore, when students from different regions experience this joy of festivals, it truly enhances the Indian culture.

So apart from classroom learning, Seth Anandram Jaipuria encourages students to celebrate each and every festival and event with great zeal and enthusiasm. Children are exposed to the essence of festivals in various ways like they tap their feet on peppy songs followed by cheerful rhymes and melodious songs. Each and every performance turns out to be innovative and unique in its own way. At the end of the day the boundless joy of celebrating the event is visible on the faces of all. The Pre-primary wing of our school celebrates most of the events in the presence of their parents and our honourable Principal cum Director Ma’am which illuminates the celebration.

For students, it is a great way to understand the rich heritage of India and learn about the importance of various festivals. Along with enthusiasm and fun for the activities, qualities like sensitivity, creativity and togetherness are also inculcated in the students. Keeping its values intact, our school wishes to offer the right kind of educational system which is based on moral ethics. The school also believes that education will allow the child to bloom, blossom and thrive, giving them the right platform where they will work towards becoming a responsible citizen.

THEME BASED LEARNING

“Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school”.

As stated by DFES 2003, “Children learn better when they are excited and engaged.” Such is the approach sought by the teachers nowadays, i.e Theme based learning.

Now the question is what exactly theme based learning is?? The Theme Based Approach is a way of teaching and learning, whereby many areas of the curriculum are connected together and integrated within a theme and that is what we do in the pre-primary wing of Jaipuria. Using themes while working with young children has been popular since John Dewey, an American philosopher, psychologist, and educational reformer

who first proposed that the curriculum should be related to real-life experiences.

Thematic units are common in preschool classes since preschool children learn through interactive, hands-on activities. Children are able to relate to real-world experiences and build on prior knowledge of a topic.

A thematic way to deal with instructing includes incorporating every single branch of knowledge together under one subject. It enables kids to relate essential scholarly abilities to true thoughts. Themes help us to weave the design that brings in the structure to the whole of our approach. They intertwine the different methodologies which make learning experience meaningful for the child.

Through theme, children get to understand their own unique strengths, explore multiple ways of learning and also use the skills that they have been acquiring through Montessori methodology.

Through skillful planning the curriculum integrates into a framework that helps children to be introduced to life skills, academic skills, understanding one’s own unique skills, critical thinking and ample of opportunities are provided for children to learn social, cognitive, emotional and physical development which are recognized as equally valuable assets which are reflected in our curriculum.

And we at Seth Anandram Jaipuria School use different teaching strategies such as the circle time, compare and contrast, reading, learning for writing and inductive learning. Teachers create opportunities for the Common Core Standards to be met in an organic way while encouraging critical thinking, deep reflections and hands on activities that back up students’’ hypothesis and predictions.