Category: Pop Culture

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How Does Listening Music Benefit Your Classroom and Student Engagement?

Posted on by Ahmad Amirali

Chill Realms – The Latest Addition to My Readables That Helps Teachers to Boost Student Engagement and Participation During the Lessons

One of the post-covid effects on students these days is that they become too busy in their daily hybrid learning schedules that they hardly get any time to relax or even do something that reduces their exam anxiety. Studies suggest that to minimise stress during studies, one needs to engage in an activity that helps concentrate on their task and listening to music is one such activity. Researchers believe that exposure to music can improve classroom learning and increase a positive classroom atmosphere. I realised the importance of listening to music during my extended summer vacation. Continue reading “How Does Listening Music Benefit Your Classroom and Student Engagement?” →

How Important Is Family Involvement for Teenagers’ Growth and Development?

Posted on by Ahmad Amirali

The 2009 Hollywood Movie Blind Side Revolves Around a Struggling Teenager Who Was Desperately Waiting for a Miracle in His Life.

Last week, I watched the movie Blind Side, starring Sandra Bullock and Quinton Aaron. This movie is the real-life story of NFL player Michael Oher and his rise out of the depths of poverty, neglect, and homelessness to become one of the NFL’s greatest athletes. The movie is all about inclusion, the benefits of hard work, and the importance of family. Sometimes, the viewer feels it shines over many of the challenges that Oher and his rescuer Leigh Anne Tuohy (played by Sandra Bullock) must have faced. I asked myself how significant family involvement is for teens to grow, develop, and strive hard to make their dreams come true?

The Story Line

Before becoming an All-American college football star, Michael Oher was a brawny-but-tender teen attending a Christian school in Memphis with no roof over his head or family to support him. In the movie, he’s soon befriended by S.J. and Collins Tuohy, children of wealthy fast-food franchise owner Sean Tuohy and his decorator wife, Leigh Anne. Continue reading “How Important Is Family Involvement for Teenagers’ Growth and Development?” →

Why Do Teenagers Cyberbully Themselves?

Posted on by Ahmad Amirali

Bullying has existed even before the internet, its impact has increased with the emergence of online communities

Over the past few years, where the internet makes distance learning and connectivity possible during catastrophic times like the present pandemic. However, the other side of the coin has a potentially harmful effect especially on teenagers, from the proliferation of fake news to online harassment. We have seen a massive increase in cyber abuse cases in India and Pakistan since the COVID-19 closure. Alone Pakistan has a tremendous 189% increase in cyber-harassment cases since April 2020. But these numbers are related to the victims who are virtually harassed by someone else, who might be known or unknown to them. What if the victim and the abuser would be the same?

Studies show that 13 percent to 18 percent of distressed teens physically injure themselves via cutting, burning or other forms of self-harm to cope with their pain. However, recent researches suggest that teenagers are now engaging in a newer form of self-aggression – Self-Cyberbullying. Digital Self-Harm is not a recent phenomenon, over the years the tendency of sending rude comments to themselves by teenagers over social media sites have increased rapidly. Continue reading “Why Do Teenagers Cyberbully Themselves?” →

5 More Ways to Use Social Media in Classrooms (Session 2)

Posted on by Ahmad Amirali

5 More Ways to Use Social Media in Classrooms (Session 2)
By Ahmad Amirali

In my previous post, 5 Ways to Use Social Media in Classrooms (Session 1), I shared 5 ways through which I used social media to involve and engage my students with the lesson. In this post, I will share 5 more ideas of creative use of social media in the classroom. However, before discussing these ideas, I would like to share and answer some of the concerns my colleagues asked me about using social media in the classroom. Their queries helped me to understand better why some teachers feel reluctant to use technologies in their classrooms and believe me, this behaviour shows the level of vigilance and cautiousness teachers follow while planning their lessons.

Question 1: How the use of social media helped student’s participation?

Nowadays, social media now become an essential tool/activity for every individual, including our students. These platforms encourage students who do not usually participate actively in the classroom to participate in their own way. Continue reading “5 More Ways to Use Social Media in Classrooms (Session 2)” →

Bitmojis: Creative Way to add Popular Culture in Classrooms

Posted on by Ahmad Amirali

Bitmojis: Creative Way to add Popular Culture in Classrooms
By Ahmad Amirali

As technology is flourishing, the traditional classrooms are now taking new shape. School classes now become more dynamic, and the use of smart ICT (Information Communication Technology) resources are now standard. From Smart Board to Holographic projectors, students are now engaging more in experiential learning virtually than before. Developing countries like Pakistan, classrooms are still a long way to go in terms of such high-profile smart ICT classroom tools. However, teachers like me, actively use user-friendly smart apps and ICT integrated pedagogies that may create some definite differences in students’ classroom learning experiences. Continue reading “Bitmojis: Creative Way to add Popular Culture in Classrooms” →