The RoI of Digital Transformation in Schools!

Subashini Srikumar Leave a comment

Digitalization has become common, it has been widespread that digitalization is not affordable. In simple works obviously, it cannot go afford less, when it is feature-rich and you consider the result and it is undeniably the need of the hour. Have you wondered why firms are investing millions in this digital transformation which is to help the industry, the brand, and the company grow multifold?  The education industry is not an exception.

When your school gets into Digital Transformation there are key takeaways which would surprise you as in management and this article is all about this.
  • Becomes the major and the best investment

It is true that this significant investment would certainly function better than the regular planning and the pushed implementations.

  • Work it out

Certainly, it would become a ‘BiG Win’ when worked out to improve competence and experience the all-new way which has proven success.

  • Efficiency experienced

Analysis of the key metrics which includes the revenues, flexibility in cost reduction and instant collaboration.

Although we are pretty sure what the School Management Software offers and how much of experience has been possessed, we tend to be with less portfolio. The substantial benefits mean the readiness to stay in trend to the digital growth of varied industries that includes education.

Paths to Digitalization

As a school, you need to nail to two prime concepts of transformation which most of them realize when they fail in the traditional methods. Keeping the school goal in line and remembering the value to be created for the stakeholders, it must be measured and implemented.

Point 1:

This is nothing but an effective school management software which would take care of the complete admin stuffs related to schools and it is a good one to keep all the stakeholders integrated into the same page. Relatively, it is these activities which consumes much more time. Here you may become parallax but try to overcome reality. Right from the attendance management to the payroll-management spread across a single software which you get to realize.

Here is the costing:

When you employ a team of admin staffs for the assortment of activity to the lead title and at the same time much works can be handled by a single person.

Point 2:

As the world turns mobile, nothing can be out without a Mobile App, the teachers and the parents are at much convenient to interconnect and communicate. The matrix of communication is possible and hence experiencing no delays or mislaid.  The handy and user-friendly Application allows the teachers to instantly instruct and communicate to the parents. This does not get limited to the academics but also goes a long way in the tracking the child schedule, fees payments and much more.

Researched proof:

The proof of concept dwells in each of the schools with digitalization. As the stakeholders are well engaged, they can see the best is been experienced at the schools.

The children are provided with the required guidance instantly based on their performance chart. The results are seen to improve in each phase and ultimately, the parents are contented. While the teachers do not have to hang around to intimate each student of the class over the updates, they can simply post in the application which again goes to the satisfaction of the teachers.

Decision Makers be fortunate – Revenue up and costs down

As the concept stands to be the foundation with the highest level of performance increase, students’ performance and parents satisfaction. There can be nothing to stop the growth of the school. Ultimately, the development would see amplifying and provides you the new path of growth. The digital maturity is the process of scaling up which would certainly be simple with this high engagement.

Building Value Education and Character Education at Schools!

Subashini Srikumar Leave a comment

PPE value education

The achievements at schools would certainly be linked to the later outcomes experienced in life. Character strength should be substantially built-in with the academics and the school achievement would be assessed along with the conduct certification. The grades and the marks are not the ultimate while the primary strength learned and earned should be the character.

Most schools have the system of self-report to measure the level of the 24 character strengths and along with the acknowledgment of their teacher and tutor, it would proceed. So much to discuss over the positive character traits and one thing stormed out and cleared is the initiation to build the positive character building and the efforts to inherit these qualities with the support of the qualified mentors and psychologist.

The character building and positive psychology mean a long way that is been carried in live and they are closely linked to the aspiration and intelligence as well.

The strategies should inline to the development of the character strengths and the components.

The core strength on which these 24-character traits are categorized.
Wisdom:

This directly relates to the knowledge and the cognitive strength which helps in the acquisition of the knowledge and the skill development. The components of character which comes into this category are:

Creativity

Curiosity

Judgement

Love for Learning

Perspective

The strategy and building these skills should rightly start at the early childhood and keep the pace of learning to step up as the child grows. More of living examples and specific skill enhancement have to be inculcated in children.

Courage:

This paves a good establishment to the emotional strengths and it involves ample exercising over the goal accomplishments and meeting the challenges both internal and external to an individual. The components of character which underlies in this category are:

Bravery

Perseverance

Honesty

Zest

Courage can be taught as a foundation which is underlying in most of the stories and handling situations the best manner should be the lesson. This cannot be an emotion but is broadly the reciprocation of all the virtues.

Humanity:

The interpersonal strengths which seek to be empathic and supportive make the most for this category. The various categories in character are:

Empathy

Kindness

Social Intelligence

Humanity is the one essential value to be cultivated in all children. It is the methodical effort and the tendency to be empathetic makes the most. Serving the society can be amplified with the virtue of this value.

Justice:

This shows the civic strength and perfect go for the community. An individual should certainly be well equipped with this character trait. The following are the categories of this segment:

Teamwork

Fair play

Leadership

The unbiased and the judgmental ability makes it most for the life skills in children. This will keep them grow as a good team player, fair enough in all aspects and well bound with the leadership skills.

Temperance:

The extremes need to be handled and the strength to protect comes in the category. The various components that include here are as follows.

Mercy

Modesty

Prudence

Self-regulation

Temperance is much to be trained in the situational behavior and it should clearly be with the modesty in the thoughts and actions. With much self-regulation and being mercy for others which cannot be made in a day but to be taught with role models.

Transcendence:

It shows the strength to connect with the larger universe and to find oneself in it. The components included here are:

Appreciation

Gratitude

Hope

Humour

Religious

Spirituality

The transcendence is the virtue which keeps the individual going far and wide, they would be inherited from the mentors when trained to think with great appreciation and admiration. It also defines to build better hope and zest.

Schools along with the family and the communities are much responsible for building the virtues in the children. Prominently, the most of it to be taught in schools and should be modified and amplified when with families and the community. This is something which cannot be assessed or evaluated but should be observed practically. This is something once learnt is ever learnt and will be possessed with the child as an excellent credit.

Why adopt to Visual Notes and Mind Mapping?

PPE DESK Leave a comment

The categorization is seen up front in all aspects and it is one that drives the human mind as well. As should be the case this article would throw some light on the tuning the minds to achievements.

Most of the learned are seen to follow the general rule and the standardization of ‘More Memory; More Marks’.

How far can it go?

Will it provide significant learning?

Can you analyze what you learned last week and its impact?

The reflection of the learning process is much important and without the element of reflection, the learning would just be an expensive time killing.

The reflection of the learning process is much important and without the element of reflection, the learning would just be an expensive time killing.

Teachers and mentors should encourage the reflective practice to their students in learning and if this reflective practice is missing the purpose of education is not met and what is most missing would be the time invested.

Right in the classroom, the reflection should be imposed on students, in a manner of providing tips to absorb the information and the content with passion, dedication and ultimate retention. Although the teacher takes many measures to structure the lessons and provide the right teaching with examples and sometimes encourage hands-on learning and much more with the activity-based learning. All of these are best methods and yet there is something which is much more effective and essential.

Visual Notes Taking -Absorption of Content

This is the profound way and known as mind mapping which is seen in practice with the intellectuals and this practice helps in reflective learning and knowledge with retention. This is related to art and drawing might be in the mindset of general people but this technique belongs to education. This comes in practice and it is most importantly an encouraging behavior to doodle in the classroom in the sketchbook.

To bridge the clarification let me give an experience of a high school student who owned a sketch handbook and his style of notes taking would be drawings and I did wonder how it helps but it did wonders. This is the good method to re-cap and it helps to memorize the concepts in a better way.

The complete content-based information is visualized in drawings and it helps to remember not just simple learning but also the high level of understanding. Especially noted is during the time of examination and with the adequate adrenaline rush coupled with the visual notes the quick revision of the content can be obtained in a much shorter span.

Irrespective of the student grades, a shift to the visual learning would help achievement in the long run. Let this serve as an awareness and more of practical observation will be the right strategy to conclude the actual benefits.

Teach kids to overcome procrastination!

Subashini Srikumar Leave a comment

teach_kids

Before we proceed, I am sure you could be a parent or a mentor reading this article. Let us first understand procrastination. It is in each of us and it is a part of human tendency. The underlying reason why we procrastinate the tasks, as we hear from kids saying,

"It has time till next week…so not doing it now"
"Let me shower after an hour or later"
"No…no… I will not do it now, why the hurry"
"So what? let me do it later"

Hmm… the list is on-going and the killing reason of such procrastination is that they are not interested in the tasks, they are not enthusiastic and procure carelessness, avoidance, waiting to get it done by others, sometimes the ignorance too.

Most of them define it to be handled psychologically, yes… that is true but would the self-realization and helping kids realize their potential and providing them a concrete solution would certainly help and it is powerful too.

So, let me present another point that it all depends on the parenting and the skills of the parents to present the task. In simple words, if the child has to do Mathematics, then say do your sums now… instead of complete your homework. The burden of homework sounds huge compared to when you just say complete sums. Well again we expect the fullest from the children but even if the child reaches the above average the child has to be rewarded.

The maturity and the regulations should come from the parents and the monitoring of the parents’ behavior towards the children is far more important than setting to correct the child. If you wish to set out being supportive to overcome procrastination then think of doing the following.

  • You should reward the child, not always rewards should also mean punishments and so henceforth, forget the punishments.
  • Keep your expectation realistic and do not set expectations based on the peer child.
  • Keep changing the strategies based on the age of the child.
  • Train kids to handle independently
  • Teach them to achieve on their own
  • Rescue your child when experiencing failure
  • Set yourself as a model

It does not end here as you may have to teach them with much of realization and it is proved the habit of procrastination is nothing to do with gene while it is purely a habit that comes out of practice.

Teach the children to foresee literally the time traveling to future and make them wonder the anxiety experienced for not completing and on the other hand, the happiness cherished on the completion. This will keep them changing to the betterment.

Teach them how to get started and make them realize they need not worry about the complete staircase but only take one step at a time. This will encourage them to initiate and move towards the goals and completions.

The handling of children should be different for different age groups. For older children, few other tips may help. For example teach them to eat the frog first, which means the toughest task to be completed at first. Attach each of their tasks to a goal setting, make them accountable for their performance.

It would also work if you try to make them understand the 2-minutes rule which is the quick task when handled instantly can provide more completions and hence would motivate. Help them in reviewing and target setting which could be an anchor for long-term performance. Let’s eradicate the procrastination and move the new generation brighter and successful.

 

 

Teaching effectively with limited resources!

Idlhaj Said Leave a comment

Teaching                              

Thousands of teachers across the globe teach in very humble classrooms that have nothing except blackboards, chalks, and tables, sometimes nothing at all. Obviously it is, difficult to teach with enthusiasm in such classrooms in this modern age; however, there are teachers who know how to cope with this situation as they have no other option but to devise their own ways and methods to adapt to the situation. Today there are various skills and techniques that can help teachers work effectively without all those materials that “modern classrooms” are equipped with. In this article, we are going to explore some useful tips and ideas that teachers can follow in order to teach well in very traditional settings.

Have friendly rapport with your students

When the teacher is liked and admired by his students’ chances are, his overall teaching practices will effectively work. in a friendly atmosphere, students will surely try their best to interact actively with their teacher and will compete between each other to respond and show their talents; the teacher in this atmosphere is required to give chance to every student to participate without forgetting to respond to their answers with positive feedbacks to encourage them. This will certainly smooth the process of teaching and learning and it can all be done through simple activities like mini-talks and discussions that will enable students to improve their communicative skills.

Among other things that can help teachers create this friendly rapport, we can cite:

  • Warm greetings at the beginning of every session.
  • Eye contact with a smile makes students feel more relaxed and comfortable.
  • An audible clear voice that captures the attention of all the attendants.
  • Addressing pupils by their names and never ever call someone by a name that he/she dislikes.
  • Reward students who excel in tasks, projects, and tests with prizes or extra marks.

These above tips should all be adopted by teachers regardless of what type of classrooms they teach in, but are strongly needed in teachers who lack basic school materials in order to shift the focus of all the class to the teacher’s talk and explanations and to each student’s contributions.

Exploit what’s available in your classroom, maybe just blackboard and chalk!

The truth is that there are students who love to go to the blackboard and write, I have witnessed this type of students myself, whenever I enter the classroom I find them there standing in front of the board writing whatever pops up into their minds, words, sentences, their favorite team clubs…etc. this clearly shows that students are still deeply connected with chalk and the board, teachers should exploit this by integrating “writing in the blackboard by students” in all activities; by doing so, students will become more confident and less stressed and will definitely improve their handwriting. It is also advisable for teachers to use colors to help students differentiate between new vocabulary, structures, quotes and so on.

Conducting contests in the classroom

Teachers can organize small contests of public speaking, writing, and reading in the classroom, these activities do not require any materials and are easy to conduct, they help break the routine of lessons and are much enjoyed by students especially if the winner is rewarded at the end. If time doesn’t allow for extra activities these contests can be integrated within the lessons. When planning these contests teachers should prepare the activities, questions with the same degree of difficulty or simplicity to provide equal opportunity for all the participants and not to be seen as favoring one group or one student over the other.

No photocopiers!

Many schools today lack photocopiers especially in the so-called “third world”; therefore teachers are required to look for other ways to solve this problem, and the best thing to do is to prepare large flip charts and tape them on the blackboard for the whole class to see, students then can copy the exercises or whatever is in the flipchart in their notebooks, It’s like having a worksheet in one’s table and copying from it.

Group work

Teaching-small

This technique can help students interact well with each other with common school materials. But when doing activities with group work teachers should make sure that each individual has an exact role to play in order to prevent the excellent students from doing or dominating all the work and to make it more effective each Group shouldn’t exceed more than five or six students.

To sum up, when facing new environment and tough situations most teachers find ways out to adapt and excel, the reality always defines what approaches and techniques we should follow. The fact is that it’s not all about having internet, library, projectors … in the class, most of all it’s about being willing and determined to work and help students discover and reach new horizons with whatever you have in your hands.