It is intriguing how traditional classrooms are designed. The teacher seems to be the center of the universe. She can view everyone and all the children can look and receive learning from her. It comes from a few basic assumptions. Firstly, that the teacher is the only one who can contribute to the learning process. It inhibits participative and peer learning, for what learning do children have to offer to their peers? It is amazing how much have we done in our system to ensure there is no collaboration in learning; we deny any opportunity to let children learn for themselves or from each other. There is so space for curiosity, applying learning, learning from the thoughts and ideas of each other.

But that was what it used to be. We need not follow the same tradition because it exists.

How might we create our classroom that revolves around the learning of the child and not the knowledge bank of the teacher? A classroom that helps children have a more participatory, fun and exploratory approach to learning. How might we create a classroom that leaves children excited about concepts than bored of them?

Classroom is not the Teacher’s den. It should be the Child’s Treasure Island. It is high time we build a learning space for children than the teacher. It is high time we opt for learning over convenience.

This is why we at Sparkling Mindz continually look at making spaces, curriculum and delivery child centric. We truly believe that the child can be trusted with their learning. We constantly work on giving them an environment that develops their natural curiosity than the one that shuns it. 

Quest for a personality development programs for my child

 A year ago, I was the distraught parent of a shy and timid child groping for answers to my questions. My five year old was not the exuberant, confident and outgoing child that I wanted her to be.  My quest for a sound personality development programme in the neighborhood was unfruitful. The prospect of sending my child to an activity center where children are herded in droves did not appeal to me.  About eight months ago I saw an ad for Sparkling Minds and it changed everything. Here was a fresh and innovative approach to a child’s development using an activity based approach centred around NLP and MI. It was very evident from their website and brochures that a lot of sound research had gone into the design of these programmes. Working in groups of ten meant individual attention to each child. Finally, the impressive credentials of the founders reassured me that my child would be in safe hands.

First exposure to 21st Century Skills - becoming greedier!

The first interaction with the coordinator opened a world of possibilities beyond personality development. They were offering to groom my child to become a 21st century citizen with attributes like interpersonal skills, independent thinking, sound decisions making, leadership etc. This was more comprehensive than any generic personality development program. The holistic feedback system would ensure that I would know the best way to work with my daughter. From being confused and worried, I became optimistic and maybe even a little greedy about this whole new world of possibilities.

New Learning Experiences & Lovin’ It!

It has been four months since I started this relationship with SM and I have loved every minute of it! My daughter loved going to Sparkling Mindz right from the word go. The facilitators, the activities and the carefully designed rooms made her very happy. In the first few days itself, I saw a never before eagerness in her to be a part of everything.  Even at home and at school, her social interactions and confidence improved.  She became enthusiastic to participate and perform without any inhibitions.

There is way more, if you look carefully…

While these changes were noticeable in the initial couple of months, imbibing attributes like self-confidence, not buckling to peer pressure, learning smartly, listening and observation, structured thinking etc. happened later.  About three or four months into the program, my daughter started displaying the above attributes in her own small ways. 

• She started becoming curious about learning the process behind any activity or product
  
• She subconsciously breaks down any given task into steps for better execution
  
• She figured out on her own that if 5+5=10, diving 10 by 2 would be 5 without any prior exposure to the principles of division
  
• She started using rhyming words to remember spellings better
  

This morning she stumped me again. We were watching a show called Mr.Maker on Discovery Kids, which was previously aired on CeeBeeBees. The final credits alluded to ceebeebees.com. Pat came the question as to why should ceebeebees be a part of the credits if the programme has already transitioned to Discovery Kids, why are they still referring to CeeBeeBees. That was a home run for listening and observation!

My child will stand out from the crowd – thanks to Sparkling Mindz!

My daughter has embarked on a journey of self-discovery and loves it. She is acquiring critical life skills which are essential to survive and succeed in today’s dynamic environment.  The children of today are all smart and intelligent. But the Sparkling Mindz programme will help to differentiate her from the rest.

The right program at the right age

I too have attended sessions on team play, structured thinking and interpersonal skills at work. However I have observed that these initiatives do not always generate the desired results because adult personalities are pretty much set and transformation is difficult and time consuming. By starting early, my daughter will have these traits and would not have to be tutored as an adult.  I am glad that she is developing an edge without even realizing it! 

Contributed by Roopa Balakrishna (Dhriti's mother), she is an equity analyst by profession and currently a full time doting mother,

You can imagine your child hunched up over his math sums. He seems to be stuck. I think you will agree with me that most often than not, he knows the operation but is unable to apply it in the word problem. Somehow, the connect is missing.

Recent research shows that your hunch as a parent is right. There are three reasons why a child may not be able to crack a math problem:

1. Does not know/makes a mistake in the arithmetic

2. Is unable to comprehend the word problem

3. Unable to interpret the word problem numerically

Majority of the cases it was #3 - inability to interpret the word problem numerically -that was identified as the problem. However we spend enormous amount of time & effort on getting them to be really fast and accurate at arithmetic calculations!

How will all the speed and accuracy in the world save your child if she can't interpret which operation to use or worse still understand that math is a language that enables her to interpret the world around her numerically and not the other way round!

Dear Team,

I would like to thank the entire team for the attention you have been giving to the students and appreciate your efforts in passing on the knowledge.

 Sparkling Mindz has given special touch to my children (Zaida and Numa) and has definitely improved them from what they were about 8 months back.

You truly are a standout team because of your sheer dedication to your students. My children enjoy every moment and all the fun activities you included in your class to enhance learning at Sparkling Mindz. I especially appreciate how you always relate the activities to real-life examples that would allow the students to make more logical sense.

Thank you again for the great concept and for always going the extra mile as a mentor to my child.

Best Regards, 
-----------------------------------
N K Shaik Shavali (father)

It was a cold Sunday morning and I was finding it difficult to get up and prepare my mind to get ready to go for work. I had to go to another center and it would take quite some time for me reach there. I somehow got out of the refuge of my blanket and got ready to leave.

I go upstairs (I live as a paying guest) and find out that Aunty hasn't prepared breakfast till now. She seems to have just got up. I must have forgotten to tell her that I am leaving early. I say it is alright. I will manage

I put the ear plugs and switch on the radio and start walking. For people who don’t listen to Radio on Sunday morning. Here is a fun fact. They always play old Hindi songs, mostly the early 90’s period. And for me that was not the best period of Indian Cinema and they are really not my taste. I flip the channels then switch to my own playlist. I am feeling hungry and a few biscuits I had in the bag, didn't fill my tummy.

I went and had breakfast and enter the place. All the children were standing for some activity that they were doing. The moment I got inside the bunch of little kids looked and called out my name. They had charming smiles on their face and any other feeling of my lazy Sunday was lost. The thrill and excitement made me forget about everything else, the warm blanket, the empty stomach, the bad music, everything!

I realized yet again, why am I really here and why I love what I do. 

Contributed by Nikita Kayal, Designer Experiential Products with Sparkling Mindz. She is an NIFT alumnus and loves designing products for children.

With a lot of festivals coming up till year end, its holiday season!

While some take this situation with a smile on the face and peace in the mind, for many it seems to be a question of - What do we do now? So much free time!!!!

If one ponders over why such reactions to holidays, it raises more questions. Are we too busy being busy to be able to enjoy the free time we get? Do we get "bored" with the free time because we are habituated to our lives being run by a schedule?Are we unable to enjoy the holiday time unless there is a to-do list?


Lets leave the adults aside for a minute. Have any of us tried asking our children how do they feel about holidays? What is it that they want to do with the free time?
 
If their response is anywhere close to the points listed above, we know where its coming from and need to do some serious thinking.
 
If not, its a great opportunity to help them/guide them/lead them to manage their free time to make the most of life! 

• Try a new game/class together that you have never attempted before
• Try to reverse roles at home - you can make your day's calendar together and take their 2 cents in terms of managing time
  
• Have them read you a story book before you go to sleep

We have a lot more creative and whacky ideas to share in terms of engaging the children during holidays and quite a few engaging games to offer. Contact us at +91 8095267849 if you are interested to find out :)

By Anubha Jain - a Learning Facilitator with Sparkling Mindz

There are lots and lots of exams and tests that children take all throughout schools. But we are not talking about that here. We are talking about what we as parents do with our children.  A test need not always be in the written form or in a formal set-up. So then what is a test? Is it a way to find out what a child doesn't know or what he knows? 

We often test our children when we ask, "Do you know the names of all the continents in the world?"  instead of saying " Let us talk about continents!".
 
Would a child be happy and eager to be tested if the tests only exposed their ignorance or shortcomings? Would the child see the test as a fun activity or a stressful one? In fact, they begin to associate the 'whole' act of asking questions with the 'act' of testing rather than a 'fun' way to learn and explore. Which is the sad part :(.
 
While a certain amount of testing is definitely needed to evaluate, motivate and challenge the child, if we want them to learn more - there other ways to do so:

• Provide opportunities for the child to showcase what he/she already knows
• Engage him/her with new challenges in a positive environment to make learning fun
• Be encouraging and supportive in both cases

Do share with us other ways to make learning enjoyable for children.

Contributed by Anubha Jain, currently a learning facilitator with Sparkling Mindz. She is an MBA graduate from a premier institute and an Engineer prior to that. She also has several years of corporate experience under her belt. She has chosen to shift her career to work with children.

I was at a children's book library recently when i glanced upon a book with an intriguing title and cover page.
Thought of giving it a shot and little did i know i would stumble upon something so entertaining yet full of learning for children in the 8-13 years age group.
 
The book i am talking about is called "The Diary of Amos Lee - I Sit, I Write, i Flush" - written by Adeline Foo.
 
The bold title may turn some parents off due to its apparent setting, but in reality it offers a lot of lessons to pre-teens without being preachy. It is written as the diary of a 9 year old boy; Amos and is set in Singapore. The book has gained huge popularity among the Asian audience and here is the author's summary of the book for those unfamiliar with it: http://www.amoslee.com.sg/home.html

In simple but engrossing language, the book shows that the everyday life of child like Amos is laced with opportunities and challenges and how he uses various thinking skills to tackle them. Amos helps his mother with her writing assignments and demonstrates creativity and communication skills in his own writing. He is faced with challenges at school in the form of a bully and trouble with best friend and after some hiccups, he resolves them by using interpersonal skills and making the right decisions in line with his values. Throughout the book he takes up interesting assignments and even tries his hand at entrepreneurship - all of which require him to be resourceful, apply critical thinking and work in teams.
 
The creative illustrations help keep up the entertainment quotient of the book and its a delightful read for the young and adults alike.

As the Junior Masterchef's end drew closer and competition intensified, lots of clarity in 'thinking' and 'strategies' began to emerge.

Jack, every time he faced a challenge, put on a 'creative hat', decided to do a twist on a recipe like 'snail porridge' that had taken the original chef himself over 10 years to perfect and came out in flying colors! It was because of his creative thinking capability that he was able to score 3 times 11/10 in the final challenge, a feat that not even someone in Masterchef has achieved, so far!

Isabella, on the other hand, every time she was faced with a challenge used her 'critical thinking' abilities. She fell back on the time-tested recipe's of her grandmother. Something that she knew she could execute to perfection, something that she knew that only she knew, something that would stand her out. It stood her too in good stead. However, for the final challenge, she was able to win it only when she combined her 'critical thinking' ability with a more open-ended 'creative thinking' process to achieve a perfect '10' from 5 of the judges and become the first ever 'Junior Masterchef' in history!

If you ask me, even Jack had to use his 'critical thinking' abilities to approach his 'creative problem' and execute it to perfection but his lead system was always 'creative' and Isabella's was always 'critical'! It stood them apart in style and brought their individuality out, so well! 

It was not just this, in the final moment when the results were announced, Jack showed such a unique interpersonal skill that not even adults show! He told Isabella, "You deserve it, Izzy. Friends going in, friends going out!" What better sportsmanship can a child, all of 13 years, aspire to show? 

Shows like this help create good role models for our children in India and don't miss the next show as it rolls in the next season!

We have been watching Junior Masterchef with a lot of glee. First, it validates the age group we work with 8-13 years. Next, aren't the kids doing an exemplary job? It is all about trust and preparation and children never cease to amaze us. We know it and we have seen it, the show exemplifies it to such a degree that I could not prevent myself from posting here!

Not sure, how many of you are fans of the show yourself. But, I've watched Masterchef previously and when I started watching Junior Masterchef, I noticed how differently they were handling the children and it once again, proved our approach with them. This is exactly how we approach the children in our sessions, trusting them, guiding them where required, letting them be creative with resources, appreciating their unique talents and moving them forward positively. Parents ask us, what will you do when a child gets stuck, what do you do when a child does not perform. We don't have such issues, in our sessions - the child comes up with an idea, the child presents and they know how much effort to put in to make it happen too!

Anyway, coming back to the point, the major differences I noticed with the way Junior Masterchef was handled is a lesson for all adults and parents who deal with children, so here goes:

1. Every single child's dish was appreciated for something good they had in it, not even in the expression did the chefs given out what they really felt about the dishes! If they didn't like it, the praise was on the low side, that's all, but it was praised and their expressions were amazing. For children, your expressions and body language hurts more than your words itself, so you know where to create the change first! All those who have attended our communication parent workshop know this for a fact now and are implementing it. Now, you know it too.

2. When they did a MasterClass with the children, they didn't just gather them around and show them how it is done. They got them to do it along. Exactly how children learn new things well. By Doing It! It is simple: Don't Preach. Don't Teach. Guide, just show them how. Let Them Do. 

3. When it came to selecting a team, in MasterChef generally, the team leaders choose the team. Knowing very well that the children may not be ready for it, they created a random team selection game for them. No fighting, no complaining, no politics. Simple, effective way of dividing the children into groups! Wow!

4. Next, the taste test. They brought in a HUGE, GIANT 8.5m pizza for the children to dig in and taste at the same time. Children love to do work, when it is done in a fun way. They love to apply thought and learn, when the fun is not taken out of it. Loved this test!

Overall, at every point, they took so much care of the children's feelings and how to not hurt them or show them that they were inferior in anyway. Every single elimination, children got mementos and takeaways. Kudos to a show well done! Do observe and let us know if you found any other nuances of how they dealt differently with children than adults and how we can apply it in our day to day lives!