An Encounter With Metacognition - Nibbrati Rathore

 “I cannot teach anyone anything. I can only make them think.” - Socrates.

If you could trigger thinking in children, you have introduced them to the first step of metacognition. Mostly the thinking process is concealed because people have little understanding of how they think. Concisely we can say - thinking is an internal conversation weighing up different viewpoints. And learning is just a consequence of thinking.

Here is a little story on how metacognition can help and how we are already using it in our classroom. Certainly, we can refine and improve our strategies.

CHAPTER: SHIVA

A student named Shiva took admission in grade 3 under the mentorship of Ms Priya. Shiva was a quiet and shy child. He was a loner, and to make him sit at a place was a nightmare for Ms Priya. He used to score low in almost all the subjects. But could solve grade 7 algebraic expressions on the board.

Does he remind you of Einstein?

Ms Priya thought and devised a roadmap to bring change in Shiva.

1. Connect with the Parent:  Despite her repeated efforts, Ms Priya could not make Shiva gain any interest in studies or sports. Sensing some family problems, Ms Priya invited his father, Mr Raman, for an interaction. Mr Raman came with his bullets ready, to which Ms Priya chose simply to listen and observe. She sensed a disruption in the family which led Shiva caged into his thought bubble.
2. Name it to tame it- Ms Priya started spending time with Shiva during lunch breaks, talking and sharing. When she felt Shiva has started opening, she took his storytelling sessions. Shiva used to set a narrative to which Ms Priya gave names, slowly Shiva started naming his feelings and emotions. And then he started illustrating the incidences which made him upset. Ms Priya knew that Shiva was running away from his feelings to stay normal, but this eventually made him rigid. The whole-brain approach of Ms Priya helped Shiva to connect with his inner unknown feelings and develop horizontal integration between the right and left brain. - By term 2, Shiva started becoming friends with his classmates.
3. Ringa Ringa Roses:  As Ms Priya could not get enough help from Shiva’s parents, she took other subject teachers and the H.M into confidence and shared about Shiva, H.M and all the subject mentors held each other’s hands, sat, and discussed ways to help Shiva. Keeping an account of Shiva’s work, his illustrations, his behaviour with peers and every minute detail was penned by the teachers as anecdotes. This gave teachers enough to support planning their strategies. And now it worked better. - A team is always stronger than an individual.
4. Responsibility – The day Shiva heard his name as “The Word Wall Monitor”, his face lit with joy. This was the first time Ms Priya could see all his teeth and a spark in his eyes. She understood, children need encouragement and validation. By now, Shiva has understood how he can make friends, why sharing lunch is so much fun, how to ask for help, and how to help someone with his homework. Also, by now, he could analyse that he could not understand few topics because of how they were taught.  - She learned that he understands best by writing. So he started taking notes, and that helped.
5. Budding scientist – Shiva made a model on the flow of electricity using conductors in grade 3. This amazed every teacher, and he was lauded for his work. Slowly Shiva realised that he can understand everything which has logic. - He started connecting even grammar topics with examples and logic. 

And slowly, we saw a bud unfurling and blooming.

Now Shiva is in grade 5, and the genius is scoring satisfactory grades but doesn’t leave a chance to amaze the audience with his writings and models. He loves to write now and can express and manage his emotions well. 

Our HM, Ms Priya, the subject mentors, didi - bhaiyya, and even Shiva’s classmates have contributed. 

Reflection
The way that we learn information is determined by the processes that we put in place, and if you are analysing how you are learning the information or how you are thinking about it, you are there. Here if Ms Priya had employed her strategies in any random fashion, it wouldn’t have worked. So for every child, there is a unique formula, which either he knows, or you may know, decoding the formula by the child is metacognition.

- Nibbrati Rathore is an educator at the Gyanshree School, Noida

Happiness And Tolerance - Aspiration JMMS

The first thing one observes in the playground; a boy aged six dancing obliviously to his surroundings. At times boys would kick him to stop him from dancing or pull his shirt, but he does not get bothered.

As one enters class 1, he comes jumping, “Good morning ma’am. My Name is Siddharth Sharma”.

While taking the class, Siddharth was everywhere. Jumping on the bench, drawing on the blackboard, talking non- stop and disrupting the class. 

His energy could not be contained in the class. Siddharth’s classmates also got irritated with him. He was frequently hit and bullied by them. Teachers and his peers were constantly complaining and blamed him if anything went wrong and he was excluded from their games.

We created an action plan along with the parents. Principal ma’am arranged counselling session for Siddharth and for his parents. She along with the specialist helped the parents to understand the ‘Down syndrome’ disorder. A workshop was organized for the teachers on special needs to build up their understanding. In the class, extra help was provided; to support the teacher.

Siddharth’s mother was advised to come to the school, so she can observe the class and help him in the class and then follow it up at home.  

In the class children were told stories on friends, environment, animals, accepting differences and problem-solving etc. they were asked open-ended questions such as, (a) what would you have done in his place, (b) how can you make a difference, (c) what other things can happen. These open-ended statements allowed the children to think and come up with suggestions. More probing questions were asked and they came up with more answers. We related their responses to the classroom situation. Sometimes a child would narrate a specific incident that had occurred with Siddharth and him/ her. It was then discussed in the class and they came up with positive suggestions on, ‘how their responses can be positive and help him’. 

Siddharth was given small responsibilities in the class with supervision. His positive qualities such as friendly nature, sharing ability, dancing, and singing were brought to the attention of the class. Gradually, we started feeling the difference in the class, as the children accepted him as he was.

They started to display acceptance towards Siddharth and gave him space to be himself. 

The teachers’ positive tolerant attitude towards inclusive practice reflected in the teachers’ behaviours and it was passed on to the children. The results suggest that tolerant inclusiveness in the classroom practice influenced happiness of the class as a whole, and as an individual. The children picked up additional values such as to be patient, helpful, problem-solving, understanding, caring and to think differently. It was the collective learning of both teachers and the students in the class. By bringing in inclusiveness in the classroom, the parents, students and teachers learnt to work together.  They participated in the design, delivery and monitoring of education; and inclusive education happened as a shared responsibility.

To be tolerant is a great quality, but to pass this value one needs to set an example.  It has to be a choice made and not a compulsion. It is a teachers’ attitude, which helps children to imbibe this quality. By bringing intolerance; it paved a way for inner happiness and contentment in our class. 

Our journey of making ‘inclusive classroom’ led to instilling patience and generating happiness in us and around us. 

अगर हम  सहन करना सीखे तो अंत में खुशी  पा जाते हैं।

मौन मन की वाणी सीख कर हम खुशी का संसार पा जाते हैं।  खामोशी है जीवन का आईना, जुबा मौन है तो अपनों को साथ खड़े पाते हैं।जीवन में सहन किया कुछ तो, अपने दामन में खुशियां पाते हैं, खुद भी हर्षित होते हैं औरों को भी  हर्षाते है।

एक बार हमारे स्कूल में एक बच्चा दाखिले के लिए आया।वह 9 साल का था। उम्र के हिसाब से उसका दाखिला कक्षा चार में हुआ। वह बच्चा यूपी केकिसी  गांव से आया था, इसलिए उसको ठीक से हिंदी लिखनी और बोलनी नहीं आती थी बच्चा अक्सर खुद को असहेज महसूस करता था, और किसी नाकिसी बहाने से कक्षा से बाहर निकल जाता था। सभी शिक्षक इस बात से परेशान थे, फिर शिक्षकों ने जब उसके पास बैठकर उसका पिछला काम देखातो, पता चला कि बच्चा कक्षा 4 की पढ़ाई के लिए असमर्थ था।

उसकी इस कमजोरी को ध्यान में रखते हुए, हमने कक्षा एक से शुरू किया सबसे पहलेउसको अक्षर ज्ञान दिया फिर, मात्राएं और शब्दका ज्ञान दिया। इस काम से बच्चे को बहुत हिम्मत मिली और पढ़ाई के  प्रति  उसका रुझान बड़ा और धीरे धीरे वह वाक्य बनाने लगा।अब वह बच्चा सभी बच्चों से दोस्ती करने लगा, और बच्चे भी उसकी पढ़ाई में मदद करने लगे। उसकी इस सफलता कोदेखकर बच्चे के  माता पिता बहुत खुश हुए उन्होंने बच्चे पर घर पर भी ध्यान देना शुरू किया। बच्चे में यह बदलता बर्ताव देखकर सभी शिक्षकों और बच्चेके मित्रों को बहुत खुशी हुई। उस बच्चे की सफलता को देखकर शिक्षकों को इतनी खुशी मिली जिसका शब्दों में वर्णन करना मुश्किल है। इसे केवलशिक्षक ही महसूस कर सकते थे। शिक्षक की खुशी का अनुभव जिसका शब्दों में वर्णन करना मुश्किल है। इसे केवल शिक्षक ही महसूस कर सकते थे।शिक्षक की खुशी का अनुभव कोई दूसरा नहीं कर सकता था।

Photos from Madhuban हिन्दी व्याकरण संबोध and use of Google Search. Our story of a child with special needs is original.  We built-up our understanding by reading some articles on the net.

- Aspiration JMMS @ John Martyn Memorial School, Salan Gaon, Dehradun - Renu Raturi, Sandhya Thadani, Sonali Sharma and Asha Bhandari

Happiness and Tolerance - Flyers DGS

A happy Child is a happy Adult, A happy Adult is a happy Citizen, A happy Citizen is a Contributor to a happy Society, which ultimately brings peace to the world.

Are happy people more tolerant or tolerant people happier? This is a debatable topic. So, let's dig more into the topic.

Happiness is a feeling of satisfaction and a feeling that leads to inner peace. We can find happiness in minute things like in the smile of a baby, also in big things like when one achieves something or even in helping someone without any reason or expectation.

Tolerance helps us to live peacefully with others. It is forgiveness and willingness to accept others and their beliefs. We become tolerant when we start accepting the people as they are and start behaving and treating everyone as equal. Tolerance is needed in all spheres of life. It leads us to less stress and greater happiness in the overall community.

These lines beautifully depict happiness and tolerance –
धैर्य है धर्म की जननी, इससे पनपते गुण सारे, इसे अपनाने वाले बनते हैं सबके प्यारे।
धैर्यवान बनकर समाज का करो तुम कल्याण, ऐसे लोगों को करते हैं सब, शत-शत प्रणाम।
धन को जब खुशी के तराजू में तोला जाता है, खुशियां बटोरने का ताज इसे ही बनाया जाता,तब
खुशी का मायना ही बदल कर रख दिया जाता है।
खुशी जब खुशी को बढ़ाती है, तब हर चेहरे की मुस्कान खिलखिलाती है।
तब सत्य -संसार रचता है।
धैर्य -खुशी का दामन बुनता है।
तब यह कहानी सत्य कहानी कहता है ।

One of our team members shares her story, how happiness and tolerance is intertwined.

The little boy in one of the class was an average student academically. He was very quiet and was unable to make friends. He appeared to be a sensitive child with a lot of aggression as well. He missed his mother a lot.  In his free time, he used to draw guns and tanks. He wanted to become a policeman as his father was a policeman.

The classmates, dorm mates and even the matron complained about his behaviour. Thus, close observation in and out of the classroom resulted in doubt of something unusual and professional guidance would be beneficial. Thereafter in the class to calm him down, a little help from his classmates was considered, which ultimately instilled tolerance in the rest of the class.

During the Parents’-Teachers’ Meet, the parents of the child were informed about the observation and behaviour of the child. They patiently heard the teacher and thanked her for her concern about their child. However, the parents thereafter, got the boy tested and checked in Delhi, which revealed the child suffered from Autism - mild stage. He had social, behavioural issues which could be encountered with the guidelines given by the doctor.

Thereafter through stories and roleplays other children in the class were made to understand about Autism and other learning disabilities, but to our surprise children showed tolerance and created an extremely happy environment in class. The students of that class performed a skit on the stage in the Assembly, based on learning disabilities, including the boy with Autism resulting in an inclusive classroom. This ultimately made the boy feel comfortable, accepted and HAPPY!

Tolerance is the real antidote of happiness which is the ultimate goal of human development. Happiness increases the probability of sustainable world peace and all-round global growth. Every tiny step towards the creation of happiness and removal of misery helps emanate powerful positive vibrations in the universe. Each grain of joy one sows in the bosom of fellow human being and every resentful thought one can pull out from another’s heart shall definitely emanate peace and joy in one’s own soul. 

So, it is clear that happiness and tolerance go hand in hand.

Written happily by – Flyers DGS @ The Doon Girls' School, Dehradun - Vijaya Jugran, Vandana Goel, Urvashi Uniyal, Nandini Arora, Bhumika Vyas & Ritika Tyagi.

Thoughtfulness and Understanding - Innovators BHIS

Thoughtfulness is the beginning of great sanctity. If you learn this art of being thoughtful, you will become more and more Christ-like, for his heart was meek and he always thought of others. Our vocation, to be beautiful, must be full of thought for others..... Mother Teresa

In a class of 25, there was a very quiet and timid boy, 12 years of age. His name was, Arnav. He was really shy and did not like to interact with anybody. The other boys of his class were always jumping about and playing, and having the time of their lives, whereas he used to sit in a corner quietly, and sometimes read a book or just did nothing. He never spoke to anyone neither did he try to interact. His classmates had tried at the beginning to make him their friend but could not succeed. Since he was a new student in the school, he himself did not know anyone, nor did he know whom to rely on. He had tried his level best but could not blend in with his surroundings. This behaviour of the child was eventually noticed after some time, by his class teacher, Miss Rogers.he used to intensely observe the child, day after day to see if any change had come about him.

She vowed to herself, that she would take the initiative, and make Arnav, the proper boy for his age. It was Arnav’s birthday. Nobody knew that of course, and Arnav hadn’t expected anyone to know. But, Miss Rogers, the class teacher understood what was going on in his mind. She knew this because she had planned a surprise party for Arnav along with his classmates on that day. She was just waiting for the right time.

Arnav had just come from the washroom during recess when he saw that his classroom was entirely empty. Neither his class teacher nor his classmates were there. He was feeling lost, but quietly went and sat in his place. Just as he was about to begin eating his lunch, the light went off and then, from behind the benches, his classmates popped out and among them was Miss Rogers. They all had planned to have a cake cutting and so they did. They also sang songs for him. For that period of time, Arnav had forgotten, to be shy. He was just another normal, carefree schoolboy, having the best birthday ever.

After the party, Miss Rogers called him aside and explained to him, that being shy, never helped anyone. He had to open up if he wanted to enjoy all the fun that life had in store for him. Arnav completely understood what his teacher meant, and became friendly to all. He made a large number of friends and started to enjoy his school life. His teacher had achieved this miracle by showing thoughtfulness and understanding the mentality of Arnav.

- Innovators @ Billabong High International School, Thane

Vaishali Phatak, Krishnakshi RaviShankor, Bhumi Punjabi, Smita Bobhate