Tag: Student Development

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What Is the Scariest Thought Student Might Have During the Whole School Term?

Posted on by Ahmad Amirali

What Is the Scariest Thought Student Might Have During the Whole Term?
By Ahmad Amirali

The summer vacations are over, and students are all setting their new aspirations for the new journey which is about to start or for some already started at the beginning of August. Besides the usual term classes and assessments, some things that motivate students to work hard and perform well such as new classmates, favourite teachers, reasonable classrooms compare to last years (in most cases) etc. similarly there are things that slow down students’ performance engine. In the majority of schools in Pakistan, the term started in August and most probably every school has their midterm examinations in December. The question that almost every student asks in these four months is ‘how much time left for me in this semester to improve my grades?’ Continue reading “What Is the Scariest Thought Student Might Have During the Whole School Term?” →

Do Our Positive Words Negatively Affect Students?

Posted on by Ahmad Amirali

Do Our Positive Words Negatively Affect Students?
By Ahmad Amirali

This morning, while working on my lesson plans, I reviewed an article on Power of Words that mentions the importance of using positive and encouraging language and its impacts on adolescent’s mental and personality development. I still remember, my mum used to say ‘Go on, champ!’ or ‘don’t worry! You’re a smart kid’. Similarly, my teacher used to cheer me and encourage me by using similar kind of words. Our words play an essential role in the cognitive development of our student more than anything else. One line of appreciation, one word of praise during the class, even the word ‘excellent’ meant a lot to a student who finished presenting his/her project. We all know the power of positive and affirming words, and I agree with the article. Still, the question that is puzzling my mind since this morning can positive words have a damaging effect on student development? Continue reading “Do Our Positive Words Negatively Affect Students?” →

What Does Student “Engagement” Look Like in The Classroom?

Posted on by Ahmad Amirali

What Does Student “Engagement” Look Like in The Classroom?
By Ahmad Amirali

As the summer break is almost over, I am assuming all the teachers around the world must be getting ready to become part of the new batch of awesomeness which will be going to commences soon. As a teacher, we all know that the most important thing for every teacher, for which he/she work really hard throughout the academic year, is how well their students will be going to engage with their taught lessons? What strategies they will use in their lesson plans to make their students engage and well participated in the classroom? However, today, while reviewing my last year lesson plans, a thought struck my mind that ‘does my students engaged with the lesson which I taught last year to them? What does “engagement with the lesson” really meant and how does it look like in the classroom?

The GER (Glossary of Education Reform) refer to student engagement as ‘the degree of attention, curiosity, interest, optimism and passion’ that students normally showed when they’ve been in the learning state.  According to GER, there are three types of engagements which students normally experienced. Continue reading “What Does Student “Engagement” Look Like in The Classroom?” →

Help Children to See Good Side of Making Mistakes

Posted on by Ahmad Amirali

Help Children to See Good Side of Making Mistakes

Recently, three parents complained about their kids being naughty and taking a keen interest in home-related chores. I ask them how they handled the situation when their kids made mistakes? Two out of three parents confess that they use force by scolding their children or using rough language; even one parent stated that she even swears them while scolding them. First of all, it is essential to know that children learn from their mistakes during their adolescence period. Most adults understand this concept. We have failed to teach our children that there is a positive side to getting things wrong.

Nowadays, parents and teachers struggled to make children perfect in every discipline, from high test scores to get into the best university with prestigious scholarships. Amongst all these struggles of becoming the ideal citizen of the society, children’s focus on learning somewhere lost or ignored or maybe misunderstood. An article published in Scientific American Journal highlights that if we drill children repeatedly with the same math or science problem, they will eventually remember the answer. And if they are lucky, they will remember the response on a standardised test. Continue reading “Help Children to See Good Side of Making Mistakes” →

From the Heart of The Students’ Curious Mind

Posted on by Ahmad Amirali

From the Heart of The Students’ Curious Mind
By Ahmad Amirali

While working on my assignment, I analysed my previous year student classwork task (I usually take snaps of my classroom activities and students’ performance to later show them to parents in PTMs). I found a student note in which he asked me a series of questions about the question I asked during the session on Crusades. I smile for a moment because suddenly, the whole school term just flashed into my eyes, reminding me how different and curious today’s generation is. I wonder, what makes them question the question or even question the reason?  Is it a student’s way to explore reasons for the reason, or is it just a time-killing strategy? Continue reading “From the Heart of The Students’ Curious Mind” →