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Ways to Enhance Critical-Thinking Skills in Your Child

In today’s ever-changing and rapidly growing world, it is essential that children can do more than a repetitive list of tasks. As a result of technological advancements, best CBSE schools in Bangalore and other cities have started following an all-inclusive curriculum that focuses not only on academic growth but also on the holistic development of students. Children need to have sharp critical-thinking skills that will help them analyze information, compare it, and create opinions. As we continue to progress into a technology-driven world, critical-thinking stands as one of the most vital skills that determine the child’s future. But what exactly are critical-thinking skills? Well, it merely means having the ability to imagine, execute, analyze, integrate, and assess the information gathered from observation, experience, or reasoning.

To develop strong critical-thinking skills, children should believe that thinking is fun and want to be good at it. As parents, your primary duty may sometimes be to ask open-ended questions and guide their thinking process. You can also encourage your child to experiment and refine theories on what causes things to happen. Parents can make this learning process fun and beneficial in a lot of ways. Let us look at some of the methods by which you can enhance critical-thinking skills in your child-

Develop reading comprehension skills in them- Reading comprehension skills is one of the most crucial skills children need to develop in order to build critical-thinking skills. You can encourage your kid to become capable and enthusiastic readers by making reading sessions a fun activity. This will help children to improve their ability to differentiate between various forms of information, understand each topic clearly, and analyze the same.

Ask questions- Enabling your kid to ask and answer questions frequently about what they have read is an excellent way to help them think actively as they study. It also allows children to concentrate on what they are learning about, and they can master the ability to understand and interpret better. As parents, this will help you to identify areas of trouble and find solutions to improve their comprehension abilities. 

Metacognition- Understanding one’s thought process and having awareness and knowledge about the same is known as metacognition. You can encourage your child to think about strategies that they can apply to understand a given paragraph or story. This will help to practice various ways to improve their understanding of the subject and eventually enhance their reading comprehension skills. You can sit with them and ask them questions about the why, where, who, when, and how of any given story or paragraph. 

Connecting the dots and summarizing- Children should be able to make connections while reading. By asking relevant questions, you can allow your child to practice critical-thinking skills and let them understand how one paragraph is associated with the other. You can also ask your child to summarize a story or chapter and determine what is essential in the same. This helps your child in remembering and make a critical analysis of potential outcomes, thus improving their critical-thinking abilities.

Developing critical thinking skills early in life helps kids to analyze the world around them with a better view. In an overloaded world of information and technology, top CBSE schools in Bangalore or elsewhere and parents need to promote fun and engaging activities in the child’s learning process that will help them to develop essential skills. These skills add value to the child’s education process and make them ready to compete in the future industry.

Sports day 2019

Asia Pacific world school hosted its much-awaited event of the year, the Annual Sports Day with great zeal and excitement. This day was marked as a day of discovering the inner talent of students in the field of sports and games. The spirit of sportsmanship, leadership, unity and friendly competitions came alive as the children participated in a wide range of sports event from walkpast to drills and various races. Our School sports day gave an opportunity to our students  to show, ” Winners win, winners lose, but winners play

Know All About the Importance of Environmental Education in Schools

The importance of environmental education is explained in the words of Mollie Beattie, “In the long term, the economy and the environment are the same things. If it is unenvironmental, it is uneconomical. That is the rule of nature”.

What is Environmental Education?

In today’s world, education forms the basis for everything, including the environment. Environmental education is a process that allows students to explore the current environmental issues, involve themselves in problem-solving and to act upon to improve the environment. Some of the top IGCSE schools in Bangalore have taken the initiative to include environmental education into their curriculum. The curriculum brings nature into the classroom as well as take the students outside to learn. This helps the students to develop a better understanding of environmental issues and have the skills to make an informed and responsible decision.

Why Environmental Education?

Imaginations and enthusiasm are heightened- As it sparks imagination and unlocks creativity, it helps students get more enthusiastic and engaged in the learning, which leads to higher student achievement in the core academic areas.

Critical and creative thinking skills are enhanced- Students are encouraged to research, investigate how and why things happen and come up with their own solutions to tackle environmental problems.

Promotes Tolerance and Understanding- It encourages students to investigate varying sides of issues and helps them gain a different perspective of different cultures, thereby instilling a sense of cultural and social awareness in them.

Healthy lifestyles are encouraged- Environmental education gets students to go outside and address issues. This helps them become more proactive and aware of health issues like obesity, depression and ADD.

Helps in strengthening communities- This form of education promotes a sense of place and connection through community involvement. Students decide to learn more and take action to improve their surroundings. For the same, they reach out to community experts, volunteers and families and help to bring the community together and address environmental issues impacting their neighbourhood.

Responsible action is taken to better the environment- Through this form of education, students understand how their decisions and actions affect the environment. This helps them acquire the knowledge required to address complex environmental issues and keep our environment healthy and sustainable for the future generation.

Environmental education fosters sensitivity, appreciation, and respect for the environment- It increases the student’s interaction with their environment and makes them take decisions related to the same. Now that the students know how the environment is directly related to them, they become more sensitive and respectful towards the same, thus creating a habitable surrounding for society.

How Environmental Education Benefits Students?

Improves academic achievement- Students are engaged in exciting and practical lessons that teach them more about the natural world and provides them with an opportunity to enhance their scores in different subject areas and grades. This helps students to improve their test scores, thereby performing well in examinations and assessments.

Helps in breaking the indoor habit- Research has suggested that children who experience school grounds and play areas with diverse natural settings. This helps them to become more physically active and civil to each other.

Supports STEM- Environmental education offers an engaging platform for gaining and applying knowledge and skills in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. This helps students to comprehend each subject better and understand how each topic is linked to another.

Improves focus and cognition- Such forms of education increase the ability of students to focus and improves their cognitive skills. Since students are more exposed to nature and understand how each activity affects the environment, incorporating this subject in the curriculum encourages problem-solving and critical-thinking skills in students.

Environmental education cultivates leadership qualities- Students are expected to interact with community volunteers and guide their teams when they are assigned projects. All of this helps them to builds leadership skills and makes them more confident.

Environmental education helps students because they can see the relevance of their classroom learning to the complex environmental issues confronting our planet. In an effort to provide high-quality education to students, some of the best IGCSE schools in Bangalore or other cities have started integrating environmental studies into their curriculum. Students, therefore, now understand the importance of the environment and put in their best efforts to make the world a better place.

Education Trip at The Martin Farm, Bangalore

” Pre- primary & Grade 1  students had a valuable educational trip to the farm on 27th November, 2019. The Martin farm has a variety of domestic and farm animals including cows, goats, turkeys, geese, iguanas, guinea pigs and several other animals. The students were able to interact and feed some of these animals. The students also observed many ecological life cycles and enjoyed their time in nature at the working farm”

 

Are International Schools Really Worth the Fees?

As parents, it is common that you put in a lot of thought and deliberation while choosing the best school for your child. And your concerns are absolutely genuine. With so many schools offering different teaching methodologies and curricula, you are bound to be overwhelmed with the various schooling options. While each educational institute comes with its own set of unique learning methods, international schools in Bangalore or other cities provide a distinctive edge to students. 

Finding a school that aligns with your child’s abilities is usually difficult. Choosing an international school may be an excellent choice for students and can add many benefits to their future. However, global schools generally charge higher fees than normal schools. If you are in doubt that investing in an international school might not be worth the fees, then worry not because we have compiled a list of features that will help clear your uncertainties.

Exposure to a new culture-

Needless to say, international schools follow a global curriculum. The course is carefully designed to incorporate world cultures into the learning process, thereby providing education that is globally accepted. Studying in these schools will benefit students to learn about different cultural experiences from diverse backgrounds. Children will get an opportunity to gain insights and confidence to associate with people all around the globe in the future. 

Overall personality development-

International schools often include co-curricular activities as a part of their academic curriculum. These activities help in instilling life skills and social skills that last lifelong. International schools focus on practical learning rather than traditional blackboard-chalk education. Children who actively participate in activities, develop new skills that can help them excel in the future.

Low student to teacher ratio-

Unlike normal schools, international schools often keep the class size small. This helps teachers to focus on each child and give them the attention they deserve. Children who are lagging behind in specific subjects get more attention, and the teachers can notice these areas of improvement immediately. With a smaller class size, students get an opportunity to speak up and share their opinions confidently that helps in building their overall character.

All-rounded curriculum-

The curriculum adhered to, by international schools is frequently updated and revised to keep up with a continually evolving society. The programmes integrate a balance between academics, sports, and extracurricular activities. Schools focus more on the acquisition of skills rather than just memorizing content from textbooks. Most international schools offer various clubs like music, drama, debate, art, and many more with well-equipped facilities that help children to procure new skills.

Along with honing children with both academic and competent skills, international schools help children to gain more confidence in the competitive world. Since the curriculum exposes children to different world cultures, students can achieve global career opportunities in the future. However, it is essential that you check all the facilities provided by the institute like faculty, infrastructure, curriculum, and pedagogy. This will help you in choosing the perfect place for your child’s education from a long and confusing list of the best international schools in Bangalore or elsewhere.