TRC News

Dear Readers, Please check out our new Opinion Poll on whether children should be praised frequently or not, and cast your vote by the end of November 2015. As you know …

your opinion counts

Our October 2015 poll was about whether grades reflect a student’s intelligence:

Grades reflect a student’s intelligence; because they are the most reasonable way of differentiating between those who made the effort to study, understand and apply knowledge and those who didn’t.

• I agree. Grades reflect a student’s mastery of a subject. Grades may not reflect someone’s intelligence perfectly, but they are the closest marker of true assessment. (22%, 11 Votes)

• I disagree. Intelligence is too multifaceted to be determined by grades. Grades merely reflect a student’s level of interest in a topic, his test-taking skills and his memory. (78%, 39 votes)

The majority of those who responded to this poll (78%) think that grades do not reflect a student’s intelligence. These respondents believe that grades mainly reflect a student’s interest in a subject and his proficiency in taking tests. On the other hand, a minority (22%) of those who responded believe that grades are a reliable indicator of intelligence, because they come very close to measuring learning.

TRC strongly made it’s presence felt in the public sphere with three back to back events with support from Open Society Foundations. Two seminars and a research workshop saw an overwhelming response from both public and private sectors and dynamic representation. The events went a long way to reinforce our commitment for discourse and advocacy to promote empowerment of teachers and children as learners and for transforming learning environments through research, training and academic enrichment. TRC-IECE also entered into it’s milestone decade year with the ushering in of the 10th batch.

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Dear Readers, Please check out our new Opinion Poll on whether grades reflect a student’s intelligence, and cast your vote by the end of October 2015. As you know …

your opinion counts

Our September 2015 poll was about whether Physical Education should be competitive or not:

Physical Education classes in school should not be competitive as children who are not good at sports get discouraged and put off from exercise for life.

• I agree. When schools encourage competition, it can be demoralising for children who fail. The emphasis in Physical Education classes should be on physical fitness and improving one’s own performance. (69%, 31 Votes)

• I disagree. Physical education should be about competition, because life is competitive. Students should be ambitious enough to want to win, and those who lose should learn to be gracious. (31%, 14 Votes)

The majority of respondents (69%) feel that the element of competition in physical education classes can be demoralising for those who fail. They feel that PE classes should be focussed on building physical fitness and improving one’s own performance. The remaining 31% of the respondents feel that competition should be an integral part of PE classes, because it helps students face competition and deal with it in the real world.

Dear Readers, Please check out our new Opinion Poll on whether Physical Education should be competitive or not, and cast your vote by the end of September 2015. As you know …

your opinion counts

Our August 2015 poll was about focusing on improving handwriting and teaching students to write in cursive:

Teachers should not focus on improving handwriting and teaching children to write in cursive, because these have become irrelevant in the age of computers and mobile phones.

• I agree. Handwriting will not be used much in the future, as people are mostly typing to communicate. Instead teachers should focus on teaching more useful skills. (15%, 8 Votes)

• I disagree. Handwriting stimulates parts of the brain and this has many learning benefits. Writing by hand not only affects early literacy, but also improves children’s creative writing skills. (85%, 46 Votes)

The majority of those who responded to this poll (85%) think that handwriting is important and should be taught because it has many learning benefits. These respondents feel that when teachers focus on handwriting and children are taught to write cursive, it affects early literacy and improves their creative writing skills. On the other hand, a small percentage of the respondents (15%) believe that handwriting will lose its importance over time (due to technological advances), hence it is not necessary to focus on it or to teach it in schools.

Dear Readers, Please check out our new Opinion Poll on making students improve their handwriting, and cast your vote by the end of August 2015. As you know …

your opinion counts

Our July 2015 poll was about whether schools should penalise students for how they interact and what they share on social media:

Schools should penalise students for how they interact and what they share on social media, because it can lead to adverse consequences in real life.

• I agree. Schools should be able to monitor students’ social media activities and penalise involvement in activities such as cyber bullying and other antisocial behaviour. (32%, 16 Votes)

• I disagree. Student’s social media activities have nothing to do with their schools and monitoring them is an invasion of privacy. (68%, 34 Votes)

The majority of those who responded to this poll (68%) do not think that schools should monitor or penalise students for their interaction on social media. These respondents feel that a school that monitors a student’s behaviour on social media is essentially invading his or her privacy. On the other hand, a sizeable minority (32%) of the respondents believe that schools should be monitoring and, (where required) penalising, students’ social media activities to watch for issues such as cyber bullying.

The Pathways to School Success project entered into its third and last year. Upon completion of the second year, extensive field activities were carried out for reporting progress. Interim surveys and feedback sessions were organised for stakeholders in Sehwan where the schools are located. The second phase of The Thinking Classroom project also commenced and the team took to the drawing board for conceptualising a 5 day training module for master trainers. A long sought after linkage with Karachi University began to take shape with TRC team carrying out two sessions at KU for students and faculty. “Stanley ka Dubba” was screened as part of TRC Film Club which was attended by public sector school teachers. Admissions to TRC’s ECE-CP are currently open. Interested candidates are encouraged to call or email us for registration details.

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Dear Readers, Please check out our new Opinion Poll on whether schools should penalise students for how they interact and what they share on social media, and cast your vote by the end of July 2015. As you know …

your opinion counts

Our June 2015 poll was about whether parents are solely responsible for who their children become:

There are only bad parents, no bad children. Children learn by example and parents are their most influential role models. So they are solely responsible for who their children become.

• I agree. Parents are the most influential role models. Children spend the most amount of time with them and they are responsible for shaping children’s values, attitudes and behavior. (37%, 21 Votes)

• I disagree. Parents don’t have absolute control over who their children become. There are several other variables such as, temperament and environmental influences that also shape a child. (63%, 36 Votes)

The majority (63%) of the respondents feel that parents are not solely responsible for who their children become, because many other variables, such as environmental and temperamental, shape a child’s personality. On the contrary, a sizable minority (37%) of the respondents feel parents are the only ones responsible for who their children become. They feel that since children spend most of their time with their parents (who are their primary and most influential role models) they take most of their cues from them.

Dear Readers, Please check out our new Opinion Poll on whether parents are solely responsible for who their children become, and cast your vote by the end of June 2015.
As you know …

your opinion counts

Our May 2015 poll was about whether writing letters is an outdated mode of communication:

Since emails and text messages are a much faster and more efficient way of communicating, there is little use for teaching children to write letters in school.

• I agree. Writing letters is an outdated mode of communication, because most people need quick replies and the process of writing formatted letters takes too long. (26%, 9 Votes)

• I disagree. Letter writing is essential for job applications and lodging complaints. Writing formal letters improves communication and also teaches students to structure their writing. (74%, 26 Votes)

The majority (74%) of the respondents believe that writing letters continues to be a relevant way to communicate, because it is useful for tasks such as writing formal job applications and lodging complaints. They also believe that writing formal letters should be taught in schools because it improves writing skills. On the other hand a little over a quarter (26%) of the respondents felt that writing letters is redundant because emails and text messages are a much faster way to communicate.

Dear Readers, Please check out our new Opinion Poll on whether writing letters is an outdated mode of communication, and cast your vote by the end of May 2015.
As you know …

your opinion counts

Our April 2015 poll was about teaching ‘both sides’ of historical events:

It is important to teach ‘both sides’ of historical events, even when it shows your country in a negative light, in order to have thoughtful and productive discussions about complex issues.

• I agree. A balanced look at the country’s history may make many uncomfortable. However, discomfort and cognitive conflict is key to developing critical thinking skills in future generations. (96%, 45 Votes)

• I disagree. Discussing complex issues may bring accusations against teachers of promoting a political agenda, which they may not be able or ready to handle. (4%, 2 Votes)

The overwhelming majority of those who responded to this poll (96%) think that it is important to present and teach a balanced view of the country’s history. These respondents feel that this is important, even if one’s country is seen in a negative light and it causes discomfort and cognitive conflict amongst the students. On the other hand, only a very small minority of the respondents (4%) believe that teachers should not be discussing complex historical issues in the classroom, as neither the teacher nor the students may be equipped to handle them.

During the quarter, TRC successfully completed the training of 400 teachers from 16 districts of Sindh on ECE. Two TRC staff members presented the Thinking Classroom project at the CIES Conference in Washington DC. This was made possible through support from Open Society Foundations. Our work in Sehwan schools via PSSP marked its 2nd year into implementation. Back to back annual data collection exercises were carried out by the team for gathering feedback from beneficiaries. An interactive session on school safety issues was organised for member and non member schools and was well received. TRC held its 28th Annual General Meeting and elected a new Governing Body for the next three years. An Open Day was organised for interested and prospective students to help them understand the IECE programme better and get enrolled.

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