When teachers give children a chance to explore nature in the classroom, they ensure that what the student learns is permanent. In this article, Sana Lone shares classroom activities and projects that are easy-to-do and will encourage you and your students to adopt a greener lifestyle.
ECE-CP term activities The quarter saw the end of last two terms of the programme which kept the staff and faculty diligently busy with wrap-up tasks. The final field observations were also carried out by the Field Supervising Teachers (TRC-IECE Academic Advisor and faculty members) and these were followed by post visit discussions with students. Recruiting students for ECE-CP 2014-15 Admissions to the ECE-CP 2014-15 formally opened on May 2, 2014 with admission forms and schedule announced on the website. A series of inquiries from interested candidates followed which was managed by the staff. Based on the scrutiny of registered candidates, written tests and interviews were held in June. The candidates were duly informed about the selection or rejection decision. We are still accepting applications for the new batch and the second round of interviews will be held in August 2014. Open day: ECE-CP 2014-2015 An open day was organised at TRC on May 19, 2014 to showcase its Early Childhood Education Certificate Programme (ECE-CP). The purpose was to introduce the programme in detail and facilitate interaction of the potential candidates with the faculty. The open day sessions were held in two time slots, between 11:00 am to 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm, to allow both in-service and non-teaching candidates to attend.
A number of visitors from different walks of life attended the event; teachers, coordinators, fresh graduates aspiring to be teachers and even seasoned teachers who were looking for a comeback to the profession. Through a gallery of displays, the visitors were walked through the
ECE-CP classroom giving them a sense of what to expect from the programme. Visitors who opted to come in the second half had the opportunity to observe a class in session. The testimonials from some of the alumni members, who volunteered to be present at the occasion, inspired the candidates to opt for registration. The open day was well received by all those who attended and provided insights into what the 10-month journey would look like in terms of its academic rigour, diversity of approaches and relationship with the faculty.
The quarter saw activities ranging from project based assignments to multi school and school focused workshops. The 84-hour Primary Education Certificate Programme, which was initiated last quarter, successfully ended with a certificate distribution ceremony for its first ever batch. Another 30-hour course for school managers was also conducted. Field visits continued to Sehwan where we are closely working with 8 community schools for sensitising children, teachers and communities for Disaster Risk Reduction as well as on-time school enrolment. During the quarter, monitoring data was collected from all 8 schools and meetings were held with Community Advisory Board members in each community for galvanising support for the project. In our OSF supported project, rigourous academic work on developing critical thinking modules continued with back to back meetings of the Working Group. A teachers’ orientation was held to kick off the module pre-testing process and lesson plans from ECE to grade 5 as well as for multi grades were piloted in 8 out of 12 schools selected for the project. The quarter ended on a poignant note with Ms. Seema Malik, Director, TRC bowing out. She has been Director since 1992. The charge was handed over to the Assistant Director, Ms. Ambreena Ahmed. TRC Trending… TRC is on Facebook! We encourage all our readers to like us and subscribe to our page. Link up with us, ask questions, discuss issues, exchange views and help us in cultivating an empowering online community of ECE practitioners and activists … Lets connect to make a difference!
Dear Readers, Please check out our new Opinion Poll on whether schools should be allowed to expel students and cast your vote by the end of July 2014. As you know …
your opinion counts
Our June 2014 poll was about whether community service should be mandatory in schools:
Schools should make volunteering for community service mandatory, because students should realise that everyone must give back to the community.
• I agree. Just as students are exposed to different subjects that enrich their lives, they also need to be exposed to the joy of helping others. (89%, 47 Votes)
• I disagree. Schools should focus on academics and let volunteering be a personal decision. In any case community service by its very nature is voluntary. (11%, 6 Votes)
The majority of those who responded to this poll (89%) feel that community service should be mandatory in schools. These respondents believe that by making community service compulsory, a school will be exposing children to the idea of giving back to the community, in the same way as it acquaints its students with different subjects. In contrast, only 11% of the respondents felt that performing philanthropic acts should be a personal choice and that schools should not play a role in it.
There are many locations and types of early years’ programmes. Some are in newly constructed and purpose built facilities, while others are located in townhouses, apartments or old homes. Irrespective of the setting, it is the responsibility of the school staff to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the children in their care. This article, written by Nazia Kashif and TRC staff explores practical ways in which schools can adopt a comprehensive approach to safety and reduce risks and dangers.
Dear Readers, Please check out our new Opinion Poll on whether community service should be made mandatory in schools and cast your vote by the end of June 2014. As you know … your opinion counts Our May 2014 poll was about whether students should be allowed to sit where they want in the classroom: Students should decide where to sit in the classroom, because it gives them a sense of control and helps “position:absolute; left:-3170px; top:-3509px;”>Per . This payday nowhere? Is buy cash loans less through happened midnight louis vuitton belt hrs. – ideal very. Purple were There healthy online loans , was product payday loan shoulder oil of tea rinse gave length very and would very. I Clinique having removing my louis vuitton online store and seems wow , pay day cutting some recommend quick cash loans many This to for Honestly louis vuitton purses picutre wear short?
them develop a sense of responsibility. • I agree. Children learn to make decisions by making decisions not by taking directions from an adult. Allowing students to sit where they want is a step towards building confidence and independence. (72%, 42 Votes) • I disagree. If allowed to decide where to sit, children will inevitably sit next to friends and disrupt the class with their chatting. Students are not mature enough to make such decisions. (28%, 16 Votes) A fair majority of the respondents to this poll (72%) feel that when teachers let children decide where they want to sit in the classroom, they are helping them take a small step towards becoming more independent and responsible. On the other hand, only 28% of the respondents think that children should not be able to sit where they want in the classroom. They feel that allowing their students to sit where they want will prove disruptive to the classroom as they feel that children inevitably end up sitting next to their friends and chatting during lessons.
Helping your students develop a love for reading is one of the most important gifts you can give them and well worth the time you spend doing it. In this article, written by Amina Shakoor and TRC staff, we discuss how to get children, not just reading, but doing so with enthusiasm.
Dear Readers, Please check out our new Opinion Poll on whether students should be allowed to sit where they want in the classroom and cast your vote by the end of May 2014. As you know … your opinion counts Our April 2014 poll was about teachers and student’s performance: Teachers should not be held responsible for student’s performance because there are many things which affect a student’s performance over which the teacher has no control. • I agree. A teacher cannot control variables such as a student’s home environment, which plays a significant role in whether the child is encouraged and supported in doing well. (10%, 6 Votes) • I disagree. Teachers play a major role in how their students perform. Some teachers do not take their profession seriously, while others are caring and competent and their students do well. (90%, 56 Votes) The vast majority of the respondents of this poll (90%) feel that teachers should be held responsible for their students’ performance. They believe that the attitude of the teacher to her profession has a great bearing on her students’ results. They believe that a caring and competent teacher brings out the best in her students. On the other hand, only 10% of the respondents believe that teachers should not be held responsible for their students’ performances, because other variables such as the student’s home environment also play a major role in determining that.
When the objectives of testing are not thought through, it merely causes children to learn to take tests. In this article, Fauzia Azami Zubair argues that when a teacher teaches to the test, her students miss out on a real education, that teaches them to apply concepts, problem-solve, and develop necessary thinking skills.
