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Child is Not Just a Roll Number

1/8/2021

I heard a parent in one of our Parenting as a Skill Workshops say, "My child at Sparkling Mindz is not just a roll number".

The moment that I captured there seemed to have awakened something within me and took me to remembering the days when I was perhaps just another number in my class all through the years of my school and college years.

This led me to wonder, does our education system look at children as just another roll number, another head to count in the attendance register? Or another business number?

I wondered some more. What about each child? What about their capabilities, curiosities, imagination, wonder, sense of belonging, identities? Are we raising children for them to be chiseled according to someone else's dreams/choices/perspectives? What about the individuality? The choices that they can make? Or truly hearing each of them out- their voice?

The more I wondered, the more suffocated I felt, like being wrapped up in a plastic bag.

Now imagine our children being wrapped in plastic bags until their formal education is complete. There then comes expectations higher than one's self of them ripping those bags open and flying high...expecting them to be independent, think for themselves, and be creative!

How would the child cope as an adult - having lived through someone else's realities and expectations? Where are they to develop the essential skills to live their lives from? A space where children are to be cherished, loved, nurtured and taught essential skills to manage themselves in every way, I asked myself, are we failing as a society? Is it not time for a change? A revolution, perhaps?

We at Sparkling Mindz believe that it is!

Contributed by Grace Veronica, Learning Facilitator at Sparkling Mindz Global School & Preschool.

#sparklingmindzglobalschool
#sparklingmindzglobalpreschool
#inspiringconfidentlearners
#youngachieversacademy
#parentingasaskill
#facilitatordiaries
#thinkingasaprocess

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This is how we played 'Interview-Interview'

21/7/2021

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How do we get to know more than just what we are thinking about an issue?

Children of Grades 1 to 3 had already watched videos introducing them to the Sparkling Mindz Changemaker Missions they are going to work on: Climate Change, Child Vulnerability, Health and Nutrition and Stories and Practices. They had written down questions that came to their mind after watching the videos.
It was then that we asked them this question.

Children wondered and shared that we can ask other people.

Asking other people is, in other words, conducting an interview - the facilitator told them.

What does the word interview mean? Can you see there are two smaller words in the bigger word?
Inter and View.
Have you heard of the words international or inter-school?

Yes!

Inter means ‘between or among’. So an interview is when we try to get a view that is shared between other people.

Now that the context of what an interview is and why we are going to interview other people was set, we were set to learn ‘how do we interview people’?

The first step was to prepare ourselves with questions. How do we do that?
We showed children the different ways of asking questions: we can ask the ‘5W and 1 H’ questions but we can also ask ‘do you, did you, are you, can you’ questions!

Over 2 sessions, children had been learning to ask and frame good interview questions. Then, it was time to put these skills into practice!
Through a role-play, children were shown how to interview someone.
Why role-play?
Well, children love to ‘pretend-play’ and when we asked them if they would like to ‘pretend’ they were interviewing, it brought out the joy and enthusiasm that they would bring to a pretend-play session to the learning experience.

The facilitator role-played a version of an interview and asked the children, what could have been better?

“You did not ask if the person is free?”

The facilitator enacted it again, this time checking if the person she wanted to interview was free and available.
As I dived into the interview, the interviewee was ‘confused’ and ‘lost’.
I asked the children again, “What could have I done differently?

“They don’t know why you are asking these questions!”

I role-played again, this time asking permission as well as setting context for the interview.

“Now what could I have done better?” I asked again

“You were not listening when she was answering!” said a child.

Okay

“You were also not writing down what she was saying!” said another.

Okay, so this time I role-played the interview - asking for permission, setting the context, listening keenly and taking notes.

After the role-play, I asked the children if they were ready to conduct their interviews. There was a resounding yes, and a reiteration from the children on what we need to keep in mind when we want to interview someone:
1. Ask for permission and check if the person is free before asking your questions
2. Tell them why you are interviewing them and what the Mission is all about. Also, remind them to answer as honestly as possible and do not judge the answers.
3. Listen to them when they are responding!
4. Note down the answers (Children were shown how to record the answers in columns)
5. Thank them once it is done

Once they were all set to practice these skills - children went to their respective Mission Breakout rooms and role-played (or, pretend-played, their interviews. The interview questions were given to children and they took turns acting out the role of the interviewer and interviewee.

Being immersed in the process made children think deeper about the Missions. "What are child rights, why do we pollute, how do we recycle" were some of the questions asked.

In one of the breakout rooms, children working on climate change were asking:

Do you recycle your waste?
What items do you recycle?

One child, A, mentioned that after they say what items they recycle, we can also ask them, “How do you recycle it?”
The children also figured out that if a person says ‘no’ to the first question, we cannot ask the second one.

In another break out room, one child noticed that while role playing all the children playing interviewees were responding 'I am free' and she said some should say 'I am not free' so we can practice what we will do when that happens.

This is what you get when you immerse the children in an experience that is playful and relevant: they take ownership of the process, think deeply about the outcome such that it is meaningful, engage with and bring themselves fully into the learning experience. Learning does not sit outside and embraces the playfulness, wonder and complexities of life!

Contributed by Poorva Agarwal, Learning Facilitator

#sparklingmindzglobal
#inspiringconfidentlearners
#21stcenturylearning
#experientiallearning

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A Melody of Colors in a Medley of Droplets!

17/7/2021

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When we think about painting with liquid paint, our thoughts normally go into paint brush, water, a palette with colors we need to create what we are about to paint.

Now let's imagine this, we are given lots of paint but no paint brush? Along with it, a big white canvas. And we are told, "Paint whatever you want!"

What will we do?

A similar situation happened at our Cubs' class today. Our 4 to 5 year olds were invited to paint today with a twist: dip only the palms and SPLASH!!!!!

And the result? A melody of droplets in a medley of colours (below).

ITP (Invitation To Play) at SM is the first few minutes of the beginning of their day where children are invited to simply let go and play!

From giving a specific set of materials to lots of different kinds of materials, to sometimes no materials, children are given the space to explore from ranges of semi- to unstructured play.

ITP, for facilitators, is also the time when they get to see so much more about their children than what they can see such as, how do they work together, how independently can someone play, what all happens in their imagination, what emotion are they carrying, and so much more.

Play being an important component in the development of young children (especially), in Reggio Emilia learning philosophy itself, the value of play is immeasurable indeed and ITPs are a space of celebration here at Sparkling Mindz!

On this particular day, this first 15 minutes of the starting of their day not only uplifted their spirits, bringing in joy, love, excitement, wonder, and more, but also developing a sense of camaraderie and collaboration between each other too, as there were just 5 bowls full of paint, and 12 children. And in this particular Cubs' classroom today, there were lots of laughter, wonder, awe, 'what else can I create', 'what does this look like', to a loooooooot more of 'Oh WOW, look at these colors!'

And merrily they went looking forward to begin day in unison, to learn and grow together.

Is play only for children though? When was the last time you simply...played? Do let us know in the comments below.

Contributed by Sruthy Krishna, Learning Facilitator, Sparkling Mindz Global School & Preschool.

#inspiringconfidentlearners
#sparklingmindzglobalschool
#playbasedlearning
#reggioemiliainspired
#21stcenturylearning
#socialemotionallearning
#everychildcancreate

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Child is Not Just a Roll Number

This is how we played 'Interview-Interview'

A Melody of Colors in a Medley of Droplets!

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Child is Not Just a Roll Number

This is how we played 'Interview-Interview'

A Melody of Colors in a Medley of Droplets!

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Archives

Categories

Company

Support

RSS Feed