I teach English for the primary classes. Although my students can read (and enjoy being read to!), they are totally indifferent to my efforts in getting them to write. Students chew on their pencils endlessly and say, “Ma’am, I haven’t finished,” when asked for their work. I have motivated and encouraged them; I have even threatened to cut down on their breaks, but to no avail! Other subject teachers are of the opinion that their students are unable to write the answers correctly and within the stipulated time because I have not measured up as a teacher! Could you suggest some simple techniques to get at least half my class to write?

Never allow your students to get the impression that writing is a chore or an insurmountable task. Encourage Class 1 students to write on the board. You may comment on their handwriting in their notebooks, but never remark on the handwriting when it is written on the board. It is indeed difficult for a child to write with a chalk on the vast expanse of space with at least 30 pairs of hawk-like eyes watching critically, and to gleefully pronounce: ‘The handwriting is so tiny!’ or “Hey, that’s not how ant is spelled!” or “We can’t read your handwriting!” Make it amply clear to the other children that they will not pass any kind of judgment and that they are there to help one another out.

Allow children to choose their chalk or marker colour. Studies have shown that the use of colors helps children retain information. So, if a child is writing a sentence such as:

I like blue, allow the child to write the word blue using a blue chalk. Not only is it aesthetically appealing to children, but the teacher will also understand that the child has grasped the meaning of the word. It may take longer, but it makes learning, especially writing, more enjoyable. The observers will also pay attention to the colours used on the board.

Similarly, children don’t enjoy writing in their notebook because there is no visual appeal. All they see are black marks spread on white paper. Allow children to write on coloured paper. On occasion, let them use crayons, sketch pens or colour pens to write. This makes the task more stimulating for them and hence they will also submit good quality work. Colours spark the creative talents of children.

Encourage children to copy a short story, a song or a poem that they love. If a child resorts to the use of various colours while copying the story, encourage him to do so. At this stage it is important that the interest of the child remains undiminished. Ask them to draw a picture that will go with the story. Put these up on the classroom walls. Make sure that every child’s writing is exhibited. Give the children a positive feedback. Invite parents to inspect the writing during a break in the company of their child.

The following week, take down the stories and have each child read out their story. If a child has difficulty in reading, help and support him. If legibility is the problem, point out to the child how important it is to write in such a way that it can be read without any difficulty. Such practical feedback helps children appreciate what the teacher is trying to say, rather than the usual feedback like, “Can’t you write neatly? Who do you think can read this?”

Choose a story that the class likes best. Ask each child to narrate a part of the story. Help them with their grammar and use of words, but make sure that you are not constantly correcting them. This could undermine their confidence. Next, ask for volunteers who will draw some of the objects from the story on the board, again using different colours. Ask another group of students to label these objects. Finally, have each child narrate a sentence.

In spite of all this hand-holding, many children continue to stare dolefully and blankly at the sheet of paper placed in front of them because the task seems to be so foreboding. Many a smart teacher has adopted a clever strategy for this. She marks a line with a dot, indicating that, that is where the student concludes. Weaker writers can write fewer lines. The ones who have mastered the art of writing can continue to write longer essays. The child heaves a sigh of relief because he can see where he has to stop! As children start to enjoy writing, the teacher can move the dots further below, informing the child at the same time that he is now capable of writing more lines.

While correcting the writing, don’t focus on all aspects of the writing at the same time. If you do this, then the child sees only red or blue lines all over his paper. Focus on one aspect for every piece of writing. For example, one day focus on grammar, then spelling, punctuation, etc. This makes it possible for the child and the parent to understand the nature of the mistakes and corrections. Too many lines across the page can scare the child; it also makes wading through the corrections very dreary. Moreover, children also feel unappreciated and hence stop attempting to write!

Suggest that the children make birthday cards for one another and write something inside. It could even be a favourite song that they all share. Getting the children to write a to do list can also be fun. Remember, even adults fear writing, so why not help your students overcome their fear by making the process of writing creative and entertaining?

The author is a teacher educator and language trainer based in Chennai. She can be reached at manaswinisridhar@gmail.com.

In one of your issues you had given a detailed account of how to conduct workshops for teachers. Many of us who read the magazine are still teachers and not trainers. How do we conduct ourselves as participants? What are the dos and don’ts? We may be the ringmasters in the classroom but are rather confused and sometimes intimidated in workshops, where we are on the other side.

True, it can be difficult to suddenly find yourself in a different role where you need to be the “listener” or “taker” and someone else is delivering the material! To begin with, just as you want your students to be in time for class, be in time for the workshop. Present yourself at least ten minutes prior to the session so that you can soak in the atmosphere (in case it is not happening in your own school) and you can collect your thoughts before the trainer commences the session. Most trainers arrive early to set up the projectors or to go over the seating arrangements. If you catch the eye of the trainer, greet him/her confidently with a smile and then seat yourself in the front row, without reserving chairs for your friend/colleague. As teachers we insist that best friends do not sit together because they distract one another. This is true also of adults, unless we hold the reins tightly in our hands. Moreover, it is beneficial to introduce oneself to other teachers and get to know them because there will be a give-and-take of newer ideas. Many teachers say that they feel shy or nervous to talk to others of their clan. You need to try to overcome this inhibition. You may cite nervousness, but remember the trainer and the other teacher may be equally apprehensive.

Make sure to bring a notebook and a pen to the workshop. Not all workshops distribute complimentary stationery. Teachers should not be seen tearing sheets of paper from someone else’s notebook since this is what they normally reprimand their own students for!

If you are attending a workshop for teachers from different schools, interact with them during the breaks. Do not ‘stick’ to only your colleagues. Just as you encourage your students to intermingle with people other than their immediate friends, you too should induce yourself to do the same. Remember to smile, nod and look interested, just as you would want your students to respond to your teaching. Don’t yawn unabashedly or keep looking at your watch.

A well-prepared trainer comes totally ready to take you on a learning journey. Most trainers are given only a rough indication about the number of participants and the classes they teach. A veteran trainer thereby begins the program by announcing what she intends to do, adding, “If there is anything else that you would like me to do, please tell me and I will make sure that we address those issues. The workshop is for you and we need to focus on what you need to understand or learn. Do you have any suggestions?”

This is an open invitation for teachers to express what they would like to have dealt with in the workshop. This is not the time to remain politely silent. You will find that when one teacher is ‘brave’ enough to make suggestions, a few others also pitch in. This makes the trainer’s work easier and most importantly, you fully benefit from the program.

When the trainer arranges for activities to be done, don’t stay put in the same group. Move around and work with as many different groups as possible. Some teachers will help you see the issue you are dealing with in an amazingly innovative way. Get excited about the activity, but don’t let it become chaotic because the trainer can hardly reprimand adult teachers for the din they are making. When you have your own students do an activity in groups, you would still like some semblance of order, wouldn’t you? Well, the same rule applies here.

When a teacher is discussing a point or offering to read or enact a passage, listen, rather than turn to the person next to you or behind you to chat. Listening is a skill that we all need to develop for our own good. We are constantly preaching listening skills to our students.

As the trainer concludes, she always asks, “Any questions? Any doubts?” Have your doubts cleared at that point of time rather than make a beeline for an exhausted trainer at the end of the session and bombard her with questions that you could have very well asked in class. In fact, the other teachers could benefit from your questions too.

Fill up the feedback forms neatly. After all, you are a teacher! Write clearly and to the point. Don’t make vague statements such as: We could have had more activities. Specify what kind of activities you require. Ask yourself also whether your group responded positively to the activities. Maybe the lack of enthusiasm shown by your group dampened the spirits of the trainer and therefore she didn’t dwell on more activities.

Last but not least, someone from the group should take the responsibility of thanking the trainer and expressing in what way the training was beneficial. Thanking the management and the principal of the school would also be a smart move since they have provided you the opportunity of furthering your knowledge.

Conduct yourself in training the way you expect your students to conduct themselves in your class – with responsibility and interest.

The author is a teacher educator and language trainer based in Chennai. She can be reached at manaswinisridhar@gmail.com.

I recently joined the teacher fraternity after completing my post graduation. Being the youngest staff member, I was asked to be in charge of the Teachers’ Day celebration in school this year. In spite of all the planning, I ran into quite a few embarrassing situations during the course of the program I had organized with the help of the senior students. I would like to do a better job next year. Any suggestions?

For any program to be successful, detailed planning is mandatory. Given the fact that Teachers’ Day is celebrated year after year, it is not one of those surprise programs where one can complain about lack of time or being caught off guard! Since Teachers’ Day is celebrated to honour the selfless, untiring service offered by teachers day after day, and year after year, it must be a genuine tribute to the teachers not only by the students, but also by the Principal and the management of the school! The institution should also acknowledge the loyalty shown by the teachers towards them. It is not enough just to entertain the teachers and present them with bouquets, certificates, and gifts. The teachers should witness a program containing the very elements of the kind of education imparted by them such as discipline, right conduct and public speaking abilities and most importantly, punctuality!

Most schools either have an entertainment program for the teachers or else have the students act as substitute teachers. Sometimes the teachers sit in these classes and become the students. Then there is a speech in the school auditorium, followed by a cultural program by the students, a thank you speech by a teacher and then distribution of certificates or mementos to the teachers. Trying to do too much always results in a lot of glitches and stumbling blocks. Let the focus of the program be to honour the teachers. If your staff consists of 30 teachers, have 30 different students speak for one minute about that teacher… how and why that teacher is special. Make sure that all the teachers are talked about, including the art/music, and PT teacher. No one should be forgotten! Once the student finishes talking about the teacher, allow that student to give the certificate/memento to the teacher. It need not necessarily be the principal or the person from the management. Make sure that the name is spelt correctly! This clarification should be sought before putting down the name on the certificate.

Do not ask your teachers to stand in line to collect their certificates. Instead, ask them to come on stage as their names are called. Encourage the audience to clap for every teacher, and not single out the favourites. Teachers can be seated in alphabetical order so that it is easier to call out their names and there is no confusion. It is their day …allow them to relish every moment of it and not hurry them through a charade.

Make sure the audience maintains absolute silence throughout the program. Make the teachers proud to see a disciplined crowd… that is the tribute they crave for. Once the students have spoken about the teachers and given them the certificates, a single group of students can perform a song or a dance to entertain the teachers. The Principal can conclude the program by thanking the staff for their support. Elaborate speeches leave little or no impact on the audience. Make sure that the function starts on time and ends on time. That is the way to respect your teachers.

Once the program is over, have the students give a standing ovation to the teachers. Allow the teachers to leave the auditorium first and then have the students disperse with as little noise as possible. Good manners, good spelling, good behaviour and adulation from the students – what more can teachers ask for? Perhaps a hot cup of coffee and cakes in the staffroom with the banner, “Thank you Teachers! What would we do without you?”

So next year, make sure that your Teachers’ Day celebration is meant just for the teachers…rather than for others gathered on stage to air their own self-importance!

The author is a teacher educator and language trainer based in Chennai. She can be reached at manaswinisridhar@gmail.com.

The recent furore in some of the states over ‘non-availability’ of textbooks triggered a panic attack in the teacher fraternity. If faced with a similar predicament next year, what are the possibilities that are perhaps staring at us in the face but we are oblivious to?

It is both astounding and unbelievable that a country that has prided itself in knowledge generation based almost entirely on the oral tradition should be stumped by the non-availability of textbooks! Is this how narrow our take on education has become? Textbooks, syllabus and examination-oriented education have acquired a monster-like grip on our lives; so much so, we have a tunnel vision of learning.

When there are no textbooks, teachers can exercise all their innovative talent that had hitherto been dormant on account of the great importance attributed to textbooks, the exercises, and the compulsion to complete the portions within the stipulated time.

Let’s take an example. Let’s say that you want to teach class 5 the history of Egypt. Isn’t it possible to do so without the current year’s textbook? Pick up any history textbook of last year or the year before last. Go through the details and then talk about the civilization, their art, literature, culture, and what happened to the civilization. Make colourful presentations explaining their dress and the kinds of houses they lived in. If someone in class has already been to Egypt, have them bring in the currency of Egypt. Compare it to the Indian currency or any other currency that you may have available. Talk about what the currency is called, and how powerful/weak the currency is in the international market. What are the languages that are spoken in Egypt? Ask some of the students to browse the Internet to pick up phrases for saying, ‘thank you’, ‘please’, and ‘sorry’. Display the script for the students to understand how different it is from English. Talk about the social status of women in Egypt and how educated the people of the country are. What kind of government do they have? What is the head of the government called? When did queens and kings stop reigning over the country? Who are some of the famous kings and queens of the country? Display pictures of pyramids and the sphinx and talk about their belief systems and why they created mummies. This kind of history fascinates students. Ask each of the students to do a presentation on any aspect of the history that appeals to them. Tell them that they are allowed to draw on references and the Internet, but they must speak and not read out from their notes. Have them support their speech with PowerPoint presentations, pictures, or posters.

What does the geography teacher do in the meantime? She pulls down the world map and asks the students to point out where Egypt is, name the capital, talk about the surrounding countries and also talks about the weather conditions of the country and what is grown there. The students can be asked to look up the different airlines that take one from India to Egypt; they could also discuss the various routes that could be taken to get there. Have the students outline the travel route, and find out which airlines takes longer and why. What route does the other airline take to reach the place in a shorter duration? This is what contemporary history and geography are all about. Students need to relate history and geography to their lives because the world has become so much smaller and people are travelling all over the world. Today, it is not so much the dates that matter, but the culture of the people of a country because travelling to foreign countries has become an almost everyday affair.

If there is a parent who has travelled extensively, invite the parent to talk about the country and the kind of culture shocks or surprises that await most Indians when they visit the country.

What about the science teacher? She can talk about some of the scientific discoveries made in Egypt and compare them to some of the modern inventions. The English teacher has a lot of literature about Egypt that she can dip into. With this kind of coordination on the part of teachers, students can soak for nearly a week in the history, literature, art, and architecture of a country. This is the kind of education that will spur students on to maintain an interest in the subjects.

But does evaluation become a big question? No, it shouldn’t! Students will be able to give presentations on any aspect of a country using visual aids and with only a cursory glance at notes. They will automatically become confident and good speakers. The other students (the audience) should be allowed to ask questions based on the presentation to show that they have been listening! To round it up, the teachers can have a quiz in the form of a written test on all that they have done.

So, is life that impossible without textbooks? When you keep off textbooks, you become more creative and every class becomes a fresh challenge. As teachers, are we ready to let go of our security blanket and instead take a good look at our students and teach them what they need to know?

The author is a teacher educator and language trainer based in Chennai. She can be reached at manaswinisridhar@gmail.com.

We are planning to have a general workshop for the English language teachers in our school. I know the sky is the limit, but we have just one day with the usual delay in starting, and the tea and lunch breaks, we have exactly five hours. Not an ideal situation, I know, but as a school, we would like to do our best. Any suggestions?

It is not the number of hours but the learning outcome, that determines the meaning of a workshop. Do the teachers leave the workshop motivated and raring to go, or are they burdened with a sense of ‘Oh my God! There is so much that I still don’t know. How will I get through the year, with the overwhelming number of students, and pressure from the parents, the principal and the management?’

Workshops can be very stressful for teachers if they are going to land up with a resource person who treats them not as students, but as pillars of knowledge who have to be pooh-poohed if they display any signs of ignorance. Most teachers go through a workshop with a sense of dread for many reasons: The principal or the vice-principal is ever pervading, a member of the management flits in and out to make sure that the resource person is delivering what has been promised or envisaged, and sometimes the resource person unfortunately, scares the wits out of the teachers, leaving them too numb to take in any kind of input. The result is a group that goes into a shell for fear of being ‘exposed’ in an unfavourable light.

Students and parents may think that teachers are erudite and possess a wealth of knowledge that is just waiting to be shared. But only those in the teaching fraternity can really comprehend the apprehension, the tension, and the language difficulties that teachers may face. In addition to this is the constant questioning of their choice of profession every single morning as they face the restless or the uninterested student. So why not begin a workshop with some inspirational and motivational quotes on the teaching profession? Teachers yearn to be recognized and there is nothing like motivational quotes highlighting the herculean task of teachers to give them a glimpse of how much a section of society appreciates them. Quotes like A good teacher is like a candle – it consumes itself to light the way for others is noted down by teachers, probably to cheer themselves up on days when they don’t feel too good about doing their jobs.

Instead of focusing on what they don’t know (and we all don’t know quite a bit!), taking them through the various levels of language and instilling in them a sense of confidence is what is going to benefit the students. Teachers don’t need to be taught; they have enough experience to study on their own. What they need is to be led through certain difficult areas where they are in doubt. What teachers need today is to be able to speak with confidence. So don’t just focus on grammar and vocabulary, but focus on pronunciation. Teachers of English want to sound different from the other teachers. Unfortunately, some of them have not had early exposure to the language and hence the slight diffidence. Guiding them in this area by introducing tongue twisters or dealing with commonly mispronounced words is a quick and effective method of bringing in awareness. No doubt grammar rules are important, but the teacher needs to feel confident when talking to a class of 40 and 50. It is this confidence that will help improve the listening and speaking skills of the students.

If your school can afford it, avoid having an in-house resource person for the workshop. Teachers keep their mouths sealed for reasons ranging from embarrassment to feeling threatened or mortified. A resource person from the outside world is likely to be less judgmental and more impersonal, and therefore the audience too will be more relaxed.

Allow the workshop be a fun session for your teachers. They in turn will make things fun for their students. Teachers need to understand how pleasantly they can handle the students in class. Have the workshop focus on how to handle the classroom bullies or restless students effectively and quietly. Teach them the language skills to handle these situations that sometimes get out of hand.

Encourage teachers to participate in as many activities as possible so that they too understand how they can use what they have learned. At the end of the day, if the teachers have enjoyed the session, have taken something in, and leave with the feeling of ‘It’s not so bad being a teacher after all,’ then your school has done its bit towards the teachers.

The author is a teacher educator and language trainer based in Chennai. She can be reached at manaswinisridhar@gmail.com.

My child is in Class 3. The teacher complains that she doesn’t know her spellings and that she constantly has to be told to learn them. But that is the way my child is! She is rather playful and does not listen to me. I have tried explaining this to the teacher, but the teacher refuses to see my point of view. Does the problem lie with my child, the teacher, or me as a parent?

The teacher that you are talking about is probably handling a class of 30 or 40, if not more. You are dealing with a single child and yet finding it rather tedious and uncomfortable to enforce certain rules, even when you have the luxury of spending more time with her, and are entitled to scold, cajole, or reward her as and when the situation demands.

Today, most parents want their children to remain children. They believe that they should be free to choose what they want to do. Hence, parents fuss when their child feels even a wee bit stressed out. They complain to the principal or at least to the teacher that the child is being pressurized. In all this, the child does not benefit at all. Those children who are motivated, and perhaps more disciplined, go through the motions of the class and the homework, and do well for themselves without feeling any kind of pressure or even an impingement on their freedom. Perhaps, these children have parents, who understand that while the school and the home are both a protected environment, the world outside will not treat their children very kindly if they do not measure up to its standards.

So what are we protesting about? Can’t an eight-year child sit at a table for half an hour working on spelling? Isn’t this the most elementary feature of writing? When we talk of writing, whether creative or not, what we mean first of all is legible handwriting. Children need to understand that just as they dress well, they should also make sure that their name is written well because the handwriting represents them when they are not there physically to present themselves. A teacher who is correcting 40 answer scripts or more every week surely deserves that respect. When anyone picks up a sheet of paper, what they notice is the handwriting. When a teacher corrects an answer script, she would naturally like the student to have taken the minimal effort of writing neatly. If spellings have been taught in class, they must come into place automatically with or without the help of parents. The teacher can only guide the student in class. She cannot devote all her time to getting the spellings in place. No doubt, she uses strategies such as marking the wrong spellings and giving the student an imposition of writing the wrong spellings two times or five times in the hope that the students will get them by heart. However, most students (and some parents) look on this as punishment and hence the end is not accomplished. Students either write the spellings with reluctance or do not write at all, knowing fully well that the parents will step in to protect their rights.

What does the teacher deal with then in higher classes? Bad handwriting, followed by bad spelling along with the inability to understand grammar, because ‘Mommy or Daddy will step in’ when things get rough. Is it humanly possible for a teacher to deal with 40 such answer scripts every week? Does she wade through them, plough through them, or just give them a cursory glance? It is more likely to be the latter, given the pressure of work and lack of interest on the part of the student and parent!

I have been training students in the age group of 9-11 for an examination-oriented program for the past two months. It relates to the skills of reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Since it is a 30-hour program, we had informed parents in advance that we would make sure that the child did well, PROVIDED they supported us by helping the child have all his spellings in place. The number of words was approximately 300 and we had divided them into 50 words per week. This is not much, considering that these are words that students are expected to know by class 2 or 3. Since it was a small group, I had the time to meet some of the parents whose children just did not get their spellings right, not even the spelling of a word like kicking!

Parents don’t want to upset their children. They would rather control and deter the efforts of teachers who understand that the child is capable, and also know that life outside school is no cakewalk. With more handholding from parents, the present generation could become a more disciplined lot and be more ready to face the world instead of shying away from reality by resorting to words such as depression and tension.

Before rushing to blame the teacher or take education with the shrug of a shoulder, why don’t we as parents shoulder some responsibility as well? Education is the broadening of the mind-of the teacher, the parent and the student!

The author is a teacher educator and language trainer based in Chennai. She can be reached at manaswinisridhar@gmail.com.

I teach grammar in school for Class III. Students have ideally had two years of exposure to grammar before they step into my class. They should have nouns and verbs in place to a very large extent so that I can go into details of kinds of nouns and tenses. In a class of 40, only 10 students know that boy is a noun and run is a verb! The others take a lucky guess. Can you suggest any activities to help me and other teachers instruct students in a fun way, so that we as teachers are not helpless, and students ‘try’ to understand?

Yes, your ordeal is by no means an exaggeration. This kind of situation has exploded in my face even when handling Class IV! Let me describe a game that I devised for Class I and II. I got the students to run around in class while doing grammar. This could also have been the primary reason for their having picked up the concepts quickly. Students normally associate grammar with unfamiliarity, writing, and an answer script with dreaded red markings!

Let me tell you how I began. I went back to basic grammar, and started with nouns. I asked each student to give me an example of a noun. That was easy enough because they understand that a noun is something that you can see and in many cases, touch. I then divided nouns into proper and common nouns. Getting them to understand this took longer, because this is what a child understands:

1. Animal is a common noun. The names of specific animals are proper nouns. Hence, students write Giraffe, Snake, Lion, etc.
2. Family is a common noun. The specific members of the family are proper nouns. Hence, students write Mother, Father, Grandmother, Grandfather, etc.

Good analysis actually, but that is not the way grammar works. So, students have to understand that if the animal is given a name (like they do for their pet cat or pet dog), then it is a proper noun, and it begins with a capital letter. A friend is not a proper noun (but he/she is a different kind of person is the argument!) unless the friend is given a particular name like Raja, Mary, Sheela, Shyam, etc.

From the point of view of composition and correction, students lose fewer marks if they get the common and proper nouns in place. They see less red (figuratively and literally!) when they get back their test papers. Students who used to write, Today my Grandfather and Sister came with me to School (school is the name of a building!) understood that all the above nouns are common and they need not be written with a capital letter.

Let me tell you how I went about the game with my class, and you can accordingly fine-tune it for your class. I had a class of 14 students.

I made 140 cards the size of playing cards. I took a print out on an A4 size paper, cut it to size and pasted the paper on to a cardboard sheet. You could even write it out on chart paper and cut it to size.

Some other words that I included were table, chocolate, christmas, diwali, pencil, paper, monday, april, birthday (normally written Birthday by students because it is a special day!), car, etc. I did not capitalize the proper nouns, because that would have been stating the obvious!

After a thorough explanation and one or two worksheets done in class, we played a game. I divided the class into two teams, A and B. There were 7 students on each team. Here’s what I did:

1. I divided the cards into two packs and gave each team 70 cards.
2. The cards were placed on a chair facedown at one end of the room.
3. Two boxes were placed at the other end of the room. Each box had a tag. One read: common nouns, and the other read: proper nouns.
4. Team A stood in a line, one behind the other next to the chair.
5. Each student picked up a card from the pile, looked at it, ran across to the boxes and dropped the card into the appropriate box.
6. Having dropped the card, the student would take his place at the end of the line behind his own team.
7. Each student thus had ten chances to think as quickly as possible and do the needful.
8. Students were also timed! This is what made it more exciting and got them to do some swift thinking.
9. At the end of the round, we had a look to see if the cards had been dropped in the correct box, and points were awarded accordingly.
10. Team B then did the same, with much more excitement because they were under pressure to finish more quickly (if possible!) and more correctly!
11. At the end of their round, the cards were again checked. The team that had the maximum number of correct cards in the right box and within the minimum amount of time was deemed the winner.

Children learned much more quickly than normally because it was played more like a game. There was also physical movement. Students, who normally did not care about performance, were put under friendly pressure by the other students. They were warned ‘not to mess up’ or they would lose the game!

There was always a chorus of “Ma’am, once more!” So, why can’t we have fun with grammar?

The author is a teacher educator and language trainer based in Chennai. She can be reached at manaswinisridhar@gmail.com.

My child attends an English medium school. We chose this medium of education because we want our child to speak good English. We understand how important English is. But my daughter makes so many mistakes! What’s more, she doesn’t enjoy speaking the language! I have tried shifting her to different schools, but it just doesn’t seem to be working! Help!

Children spend most of their time in school, so most parents assume that learning takes place either in school or at the tuition centre. What parents don’t understand is that the learning that takes place in school must be supported at home for it to be a sustained experience.

Alas, most parents (and educational institutions!) also believe that language cannot be learned sans paper-pencil, and therefore it has to be learned only in the study room! However, language learning can take place even when you are performing mundane tasks such as cooking! If you are cutting vegetables, ask the child to identify the vegetables and to also spell them. Let your child handle the vegetables as she speaks because there is nothing more powerful than physical contact with objects, especially for children. Move now to the colour of the vegetables. If you are cutting an orange carrot, ask your child what other vegetables are orange or red. Elicit answers on whether the carrot is a root vegetable or a stem vegetable. Ask your child to give you more examples of these vegetables. Go on to the parts of the plant and how the plant produces flowers, then fruits and vegetables. Do all this in English, occasionally substituting words in the vernacular if the child does not understand, or else resort to illustrations. This activity will probably take you only ten effortless minutes. It will be a question and answer session, just like any other natural conversation.

On other days, when the child is not disposed to having a conversation, play a pictionary game of sorts. Ask your child to draw a book on a bed, a cat sitting near a mat, a flowerpot behind the house, a man sitting between the sofa and the TV. The child is learning to use prepositions in concrete situations. Isn’t this a wonderful way of learning grammar?

Language can also be learned at the dining table, provided the TV is not on! Parents can talk about their day in English and children can listen to vocabulary related to work and the office. Constant listening to the usage of words in context will enable the child to use language automatically and effortlessly. Beginners find it difficult to follow a string of sentences, so make sure your conversation is in the question-answer format.

You: So, what did you do in school today?
Child: We did Math….
You: Did you find it interesting?
Child: It was ok…
You: What did you do?
Child: Addition.
You: Shall we do some addition, then?

Here, instead of asking the child what is 2 plus 2 (which the child must have done umpteen times in school!), reel out a small situation.

Mother and father decide to go to Dinosaur Island. They take you and your sister. Just as they are leaving, Grandfather calls and asks if he and Granny can come. So, we take two cars and go. When we reach the picnic spot, we find that Aunt Prithi has also come with Granny and Grandfather. Now, how many of us are on the island?

The child learns to listen, acquires vocabulary and does his problem solving all at the same time. Now ask your child to spin you a word problem in the form of a story, using animals and his imagination! Children love to play around with words if you only have the patience to listen to them and egg them on, making sure that it is fun all the way!

Play games of analogy with them. Ask them to explain in complete sentences the relationship between an artist and a brush, the tooth and the toothbrush, the comb and the hairbrush.

Example: An artist uses a brush to paint pictures.

Make English a special time for your children. You needn’t spend more than ten minutes at a time with your child to speak English. If you have a large family, each one of you can focus on different activities. Father can talk about the workplace, ask questions about the school, friends, etc. Grandmother or Grandfather can show the child photographs of the family and talk about them in English. Big Brother or Sister can teach the child rhymes and songs.

While playing a board game such as Snakes and Ladders, resort to English by saying things like, “Oh, no! Down I go! I have reached the tail of the snake!” or “Good for you! You have thrown a six. You go up the ladder!” or “Six is what I need!” “I need a two!” Learning and fun always go hand in glove. Children will not get vexed or irritated when language is fun. They will be so involved in the game that they will be quite unaware of the language they are using. A child who is normally averse to English, will triumphantly say, “I win!” at the end of the game.

Parents forget that they taught their young ones to speak the mother tongue by constantly repeating words and making the child utter them. Second language needs the same kind of tutoring. Unfortunately, most parents become impatient and hope that the school will do the job for them this time round.

The author is a teacher educator and language trainer based in Chennai. She can be reached at manaswinisridhar@gmail.com

As a teacher and also a parent, I am a little perplexed by the new assessment methods that the boards are introducing. My child (as well as other children) is working on more projects than ever. I do understand that this is meant to facilitate self-learning; however I find that it is not always the case. Schools continue to conduct their tests and assignments, leaving the child very little time to do the projects. I find myself unwillingly lending a helping hand. Could you suggest ways to make projects more student-oriented where the child actually LEARNS!

The assessment system is meant to promote self-learning. However, many children buckle under the pressure because they either have tuition classes to attend, homework to do, or tests to study for. Most of the time, parents devote hours making a creative project, taking printouts or even outsourcing the project! The end in view is naturally not accomplished, thereby making the exercise rather futile and frustrating for all concerned.

If we linked the projects directly or indirectly to the lessons, it would perhaps be more meaningful and would help children appreciate the relevance of the project. For example, if the students are reading about the world wars, then it would be interesting and relevant for them to find out not just about the countries involved, the countries that emerged successful, the defeated countries and the outcome of the war, but also the present state of those countries involved in the wars. Students could make presentations on the following topics:

1. Germany: how the division of the country took place and its repercussions on the people.
2. The construction of the Berlin wall; how and why people attempted to escape to West Germany.
3. The tearing down of the Wall in 1989.

A question that will naturally surface from the topic of the World Wars would be the importance of freedom to a nation and to the people. Students could talk about the concept of freedom, the writers and orators who used their language skills to defend the freedom of their nation, and the present day organizations that have been founded to safeguard freedom. These are thought-provoking issues that could trigger a lot of discussion and generation of ideas, taking the student beyond the subject matter to developing a concern for society, the country, and the world at large.

Students could make PowerPoint presentations on such stimulating topics. A print out would mean unnecessary correction work for the teacher. A teacher is already burdened with homework correction, weekly tests correction and in some cases, the correction of the notes dictated in class. A print out in most cases is merely a copy/paste routine and is of little or no value. In most cases, parents or technically savvy grandparents shoulder this responsibility. Not many families have printers, so they have to spend money on getting it printed, since some schools insist on a print out. For those who feel that students ought to handwrite it…I have heard it from the horse’s mouth that parents have been ‘trained’ to write like the child. One enterprising and rather bold student admitted that she submitted a handwritten project where only the first few lines and the last few lines were related to the subject. She was awarded a grade because naturally the teacher had no time to read what lay in between! A teacher is a human being and can only do so much in the 24 hours that she has.

The PPT would compel the student to go through the subject matter and sum it up in points. It would enable students to learn how to operate the computer effectively (other than merely play computer games!). Students will recognize that they need to have knowledge at their fingertips when they make a presentation … they cannot reel off from the slides. This will prevail upon them to really delve into the subject and talk about the interesting facets of their topic because they would not want to catch sight of their classmates yawning.

The teacher could look into aspects of pronunciation, body language and language skills of the student, in addition to the information shared. She could also comment on the listening skills of the other students. The listeners could be encouraged to ask questions. Here the teacher could focus on the language that is adopted for questioning and the tone adopted. For instance, is the student saying, “Hey, I didn’t understand that bit,” or is it more like, “Excuse me, could you repeat that part about the Berlin wall?”

It will be rewarding to see the confidence upsurge of the students by the middle of the year and the subject knowledge that they have accumulated. It will be an enriching experience for both teachers and students without much ado!

If the class is too large to allow individual presentations, have group presentations. Students will learn to share and divide the work and also work as a team and coordinate during the presentation. Each person will be doing a part of the presentation, but they will also be taking the questions from the class as a group. The team will have self-appointed leaders who will cull out the best in her colleagues. Working together towards a goal is what education is all about. Projects are not about mechanical grading, but the evaluation of learning that has taken place.

The author is a teacher educator and language trainer based in Chennai. She can be reached at manaswinisridhar@gmail.com.

Like all teachers, I too experience some days when I teach beyond the school bell because I haven’t completed what I had set out to. There are other days when I complete my task way ahead of time! These happen to be the days when my students have been focusing or perhaps they are days when I am doing a better job. Whatever the reason, I find that I have five precious minutes left and really don’t know what to do! I would like to utilize this time to the greatest extent too!

It would be ideal for all of us if we could finish five minutes before the scheduled time. This gives us the opportunity to interact with our students in a relaxed manner. There are many things that you could do here, and if you wish to, you could also relate it to the subject you are teaching, just so that you or others do not feel you are rambling…

If you are a language teacher, you could always read out a story. Or better still, read half the story and get the students to guess what the ending could be! This is a good way of exercising their imagination and improving their vocabulary. You could then tell them how the writer has ended it. Yes, for this, you would have to have a ready supply of short stories in class. But this should not be difficult to do!

You could also have a game related to the parts of speech. Have each student think of an adjective or a noun. Make it imperative that students do not repeat what has already been said. This is a good way of getting the grammar done orally and you will also be amazed by the fact that students understand and appreciate grammar better! For more advanced and keener students, you could combine grammar and pronunciation! For example, you could toss such questions as: a two-syllable adjective with the accent on the first syllable (lazy, happy) or a proper noun with three syllables (Maria, India).

If you are teaching mathematics, give them some mental arithmetic. You could also give them mathematical puzzles to solve. This is a sure way of stimulating children. Have them solve the puzzles in small groups so that it gets done faster and they are able to discuss with one another.

If you are a Geography teacher, pull down the map. Point out to a country, ask them the capital, the language spoken there, the famous places there, the currency and all the other facts that they have learned. You will be surprised that some of your students know much more than what you have taught them. Find out if someone has been to that country, what language they speak there, and what is peculiar about their culture. You will be learning yourself!

As a science teacher, you too could draw on your subject. Talk about the latest epidemic in the country or the town. Find out whether the students are aware of the causes and the methods of prevention. This is also a technique of creating health awareness among them.

If at the end of the day you are tired, and don’t want to have anything to do with your subject, well, the sky is the limit. Have students come up to the front of the class and tell jokes. This has the class in splits (either because the joke is funny or the class is unable to understand the joke!) and relaxes everyone. It is also a way of getting students exposed to presentation skills and overcoming the fear of speaking to an audience.

Encourage students to ask one another riddles. This gets the class thinking and also compels the questioner to select the correct words to pose the question. Encourage the non-talkers to open up and demonstrate what they know. Have the students tell a short story. If there is a writer in your class, encourage them to read out their latest story or poem.

There is no dearth of ideas once you decide to make every minute of your class productive. Students love talking, no matter what the subject is. You just have to encourage them and sit back and listen!

The author is a teacher educator and language trainer based in Chennai. She can be reached at manaswinisridhar@gmail.com.