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How to improve memory and retention of students?

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Parents and teachers are always searching for solutions that will help their children and students improve their memory power. This article is for all those parents and teachers. If you are not aware of the Learning curve or rather the forgetting curve, you should quickly read about it here. Then continue reading this article.

 

So as the forgetting curve depicts that in general we start forgetting things 80 to 90 percent of the rest within 24 hours. If revised within 24 hours we retain the content for one more week. If we revise after one week, we retain for around 90 days. And finally if we revise after 90 days, the content is stored permanently.

 

Taking this as the basis parents and teachers including tuition teachers must start the following steps.

 

  1. Ask the students to read and come to the class. Assign 10 Marks to this effort so that it becomes a habit. Less marks will not motivate them to pre read. Reading will basically familiarize the student with terms and a gist of the topic. Let them mug up words with meanings that are new or difficult. Ask them to read the questions before reading the chapter.
  2. The first step will be reinforced by the teacher or parent taking the chapter next day. They should start by ensuring that the students have read the chapter. Ask words and their meanings.
  3. Start with asking questions pertaining to the topic and their real life usage. Explain the concept. Finish by again a short quiz on concept learned. It can be part of the classwork the same day.
  4. Now starts the forgetting curve. To prevent forgetting all that was learnt in the class, a short home work asking the definitions and gist of the concept must be given. Not more than 5 questions or one page homework. A quick reading is must for the student to complete the homework. Revision within 24 hours done.
  5. The next revision has to be within the next seven days. Giving a project or a class test on the same topic next week will take care of the same.
  6. Now you are left with the third revision after or within 90 days. The quarterly tests or revisions will ensure that final step of the memory and forgetting curve is also handled by you.

May be the idea behind the homework, unit tests, quarterly tests was to ensure that follow the memory and forgetting curve. Time to allow schools to conduct these for the good retention and recall that your child deserves.

The only trick is to follow it diligently by planning the entire curriculum and time table a year in advance.

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This is how my son started saving money instead of spending it!

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An idea can change habits and attitude. A few years back my son started getting his pocket money. He would be eager to spend the entire money asap. I was worried that he will not value money and the hard work. So one day I told him that the day his pocket money saved becomes 10000 I will double it for him.
Suddenly his spending stopped. He stopped going to his friends for useless outings. He stopped travelling by auto to his friends. Movies and parties stopped.
All money gifted by relatives were saved by him!
I thought this was due to pressure of board exams.
But there is no pressure in my family about board exam, then what could be the change?

Last month he told me that he has saved 10K and now I have to double it up!

I am pleasantly surprise and filled with immense pride for this young man.

He has agreed to get his account instead of cash which he plans to invest in stocks!
My younger son is motivated too that when he starts getting his pocket money, he too will start investing. Fingers crossed.

Parenting can not be a one blanket solution for all. We all have to keep on trying ways to find solutions for our own children.

Can short videos replace printed story books ?

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How many of you have read and still have fond memories of Amar Chitra Katha?
Those were the thin illustrated books that imparted good values slowly and silently. They were spaced out as weekly or monthly editions, giving us ample of time to digest the story, replay and dream over.

Now we have videos that are so short that before our children have time to ponder over the story, next video is already playing!
How do we expect our kids to soak in the values imparted by these videos?

How to teach values to your children

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We all want our kids to have moral values yet somehow it’s the most difficult to inculcate.
Mostly kids will observe parents and imbibe their parents actions. So whatever are the intentions behind your actions, kids only see the act. As parents we have to explain the intent to them so that kids know the real reason behind your actions.
My son seemed to be very compassionate when he was young. Of late in the teens I felt slight decrease in the compassion for others.
Obviously the time spent with me now, incomparison to the past had also reduced. Teens have their own friends who become their world for 4 to 5 years. (A hormone during teenage is the culprit which takes 4 to 5 yrs to be overpowered by another good hormone. It’s a normal process.) During this period, teaching values and morality is quite a task as teenagers don’t seem to pay attention.

Yet, it was a concern that was disturbing me. Should I let him be and wait for the teen phase to get over or should I intervene now, indirectly.

Then I got the opportunity on his birthday. He wanted a mobile phone. I gave it with a couple of strict tasks that he has to follow everyday.
Gave him a set of stories with moral values. (Did not buy any moral science book as the title would have given away my intention.) He had to memorize, write and then discuss the story with me everyday. Only after that the phone would be handed back each day. He was too eager to have the phone and quickly agreed to my rules. 😉

Everyday after school he has to take a story from me, memorise it, write it down and then discuss it with me.

It’s been only two months since we started this task. His teacher who used to constantly call about his naughtiness was full of praises. She said, “Mrs Singh, your son has changed! We are thinking of suggesting his name for school representatives!”

I know now that my activity and its desired result is validated. I also know that it should continue as long as possible for many other habits that need to be inculcated. That’s the power of reading, memorizing, discussing. They change the thoughts and inturn the actions.

Parents who are worried that their  children lack compassion or any other desires values can contact me via comments below.

Do like and share it with other parents whose kids seem naughty.

Children Teach Parents too

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Children teach parents how to be parents.
Last night my elder son shared something about my younger son. He was expecting me to get angry and fire the younger one but I just laughed. He was surprised. 
He tried again but to his surprise it did not evoke the reaction he was expecting of me.

Then he said, “When I did the same thing at his age, do you remember how much shoutings and lectures you had given? Why are you now not saying anything to him?”

I said, “Shourya, You are my first child. You taught me how to behave as a parent. In your time I was learning as everything was new. Now I am immuned and experienced. So thank you for making me a better parent.”

He is very happy and satisfied. 

Wishes are like sparks of fire 2019

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Wishes are like sparks of fire. If you wish something, like a spark to keep on burning into bigger flame, it will need a lot of fanning. The tiny spark of wish will ask for resources in the form of time, people and money. It will ask for planning to optimally use these resources. It will also demand your patience, grit and perseverance to see the spark of wish blow up into a lovely larg flame.

Wish you a Happy New Year 2019.

Do you know the secret behind Awards given to Schools?

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Yesterday once again someone messaged me to grace their occasion as a Chief Guest for an Award Ceremony. The awards were to be given to the best schools in various categories.

The venue of the award ceremony will be a high-end Hotel in Dubai!

Hain!

Dubai!

Indian Schools Awards?  In Dubai?

So just to get to know more about them, I accepted the invite.

Then came the much-expected email about the charges of the hotel stay, flight and media coverage expenses that I SHOULD PAY, if I ACCEPTED the OFFER to Be the Chief Guest!

Haila! What has the media and education industry conniving to I mean striving to achieve?

Then the same evening I received messages from two schools. They were verifying with me the authenticity of this organizing company for the same Award ceremony. Guess what? They were asked to pick the area of excellence in which they wanted to be AWARDED!  For them obviously, the charge is double and runs in a couple of Lakhs.

So the only winner is the organizing company who will be richer the moment they have received the registration fee from the several schools across South Asia.

The losers are the parents who will be lured to the shining AWARD Certificate

 

Summary of class 10,12 CBSE Board exam 2018-2019

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Here’s the complete list of all the major changes for Class 10 and 12 CBSE Board exam.

  • Examinations for vocational subjects would only be conducted in February. However, the examinations for the core subjects will be held in March.
  • CBSE has revised the question paper format for both the class 10 and 12. As per the circular released, the number of internal choices has been increased by about 33 percent. Almost all the core subjects will have 11 internal choices in various questions.
  • The board has decided to continue with the changed passing criteria for class 10 for the second year. The revised passing criteria require students to score combined 33 percent marks to pass which includes internal assessment (practical marks) and external (board exam) marks.
  • Sample papers for all subjects are now available on the official website www.cbseacademic.in. Students and teachers are advised to go through the sample papers to know about the revised question paper format for class 10.
  • The CBSE Class 10 Board Exam Date Sheet is expected to be released in December 2018.