Category: school blog

There are multiple paths that lead to understanding. Students should be encouraged to seek out these paths and experiment with new ideas. They do their best when students are encouraged to ask questions and explore things deeper. This is what inculcating the skill of creativity does for students. It gives them a perspective that allows them to view mistakes as opportunities for growth and learning rather than failures in learning. It empowers them to become more open and receptive to new and different ideas so they can use it to build upon their own existing knowledge.  

A great way for educators to promote creativity in the classroom is to give students choice and options with regards to assignments and projects. All students have different ways in which they can be creative, so the projects they work on should accept and embrace those differences and help students develop this quality of creative thinking.  

Let us explore some ways the best international schools in Bangalore recommend harnessing the creativity of students:  

1. Embrace creativity as part of learning

Your classroom should be designed to recognize creativity. This could be in the form of bulletin boards that showcase the different and original ways to solve a problem, or even demonstrate examples of creative solutions to real-world problems.

2. Be aware during discussions

When students ask questions that are beyond or diverging from the scope of a lesson, engage them once in a while rather than dismissing these queries as not related to the syllabus. You can devote a certain time slot in the week to take up such questions so save important class time. A good way to keep track of these queries is to note them down on a board where the whole class can see them so that everyone can collectively build their skills of creative thinking. This is also a useful way of getting all students in the class in on how their peers think.  

3. Rewards & recognition are important to keep students motivated

Setting goals and having achievements is a vital important part of the creative learning process. When student achievements are rewarded in the classroom, it gives them an incentive to keep doing good work as well as instils a sense of pride and faith in the work they have been doing.

4. Keep it colourful

Colourful classrooms aren’t only meant for primary school. Use colour in creative and unconventional ways in the class in the form of daily inspiration posters and colour-coded corners. Colour is a powerful tool to help students absorb and retain new content. Even while taking notes colour helps in comprehension and retention of new information.

Now that you know how some of the top international schools in Bangalore are building the essential skills of creativity in students, feel free to imbibe these in your schools as well; the results will be astonishing.

Educators want nothing more than for students to make reading a regular habit. Reading helps students improve their skills of communication, enhance their vocabulary, and even reduce stress.  However, getting students to read might be tougher than it used to be in this age of digitisation.

Here are some strategies that have been tried and tested by the best international schools in Bangalore that can get even the most reluctant students to read more:

1. Assign regular reading time in class

Devote the first ten to fifteen minutes for students to read each day. While this might seem like a short time, over a week, it adds up to about an hour, which is a big jump for students who don’t read at all.

2. Set reading expectations during unplanned free time

Students work at different speeds, and some may finish their classwork and assignments earlier than expected. Ensure to clearly communicate that this time is to be spent reading, so they utilise the entire duration of the study period. You can let them choose their reading material or prepare a list they can choose from.

3. Invite students to socialize around reading

Students often enjoy activities if it involves some element of socialising. You can set up book clubs, reading groups, and literature circles where students can interact with each other around texts.  This will also aid in enhancing their comprehension and make reading a much more enjoyable activity.

4. Teach students reading strategies

For students who haven’t been encouraged to read at home, it might be hard to get started with reading. They often avoid doing something because they struggle with it. You can help such students cultivate a reading habit by introducing them to some basic reading strategies so they can gradually develop confident and begin reading fluently.

5. Introduce students to a book series

Once students get started with reading daily for ten to fifteen minutes, introduce them to an adventure or fiction series. This will help them understand and explore different genres and fall in love with reading. Once they are hooked to one set, they will want to keep exploring other series and read more.  

6. Let students choose their own books

Studies show that giving students the choice to pick the books they want to read boosts their reading ability. A school that has a rich library with an abundance of different genres and themes has higher chances of students developing reading habits early on. APWS, one of the top ICSE schools in Bangalore is a prime example of one such school.

We hope these tips help you get your class started on the beautiful and lifelong habit of reading.

The days where students were expected to come up with one ‘right’ answer in class are long gone. Students today are active learners who are more subjective than objective in their thinking and perceiving information. This is a skill that schools can help cultivate in students so as to help them grow into independent thinkers.  

The skill of thinking independently is at the forefront of learning and is a highly desired leadership quality. When students can think independently, they can make sense of the world based on experience and observation, and are better placed to make critical decisions. They also have higher confidence and develop the ability to learn from their mistakes to become successful in everything they do.

Independent thinking can be developed by activating and engaging habits of mind which include like persistence, questioning, and posing problems, thinking flexibly, and taking responsible risks. This empowers students to become better problem solvers.

Let us explore what this looks like in the classroom. Here are some ways teachers can support the development of independent thinking in students:

1.    Create an open environment

Students come into class expecting to sit and listen to teachers passively. To encourage independent thinking teachers can make clear at the beginning of the school year that they expect students to be active participants in the class. This means more opportunities for students to speak up and share their ideas on what they are learning. This is also an excellent way to increase student alertness in class as they will be more sensitive and tuned into what is happening around them.

2.    Encourage open-ended questions

Students can be put in small discussion groups to come up with answers that require them to share and exchange ideas on open-ended questions. This is a good activity to get them to actively use their minds as well as develop the habit of carefully and attentively listening to their peers. At the end of the discussion, students can be asked to share highlights from each group with the rest of the class. The same questions can be repeated in a cycle for students to see how their independent thinking skills have improved over time.

3.     Focus on the positive and reward initiative

When students take risks make it a point to acknowledge and encourage that initiative. Once a student feels that they did the right thing by taking a risk, then you can move to analysing the validity of their ideas. This keeps students involved in the learning process and deepens their learning.

A number of schools all over India and including the top CBSE schools in Bangalore have experienced tremendous success using the above techniques to build independent thinking in students.

 

The notion of creativity and innovation in schools is gaining more importance in today’s times. What does this look like in practice? Is it about getting students to a destination or guiding them so they can find their own way?

In this article, we look at some tested and acclaimed ways educators influence the conditions for innovation in schools and classrooms. These ways are based on intentional innovation. It is a process where actions and attitude are moulded to lead to innovative work. Some of the top CBSE schools in Bangalore have had success using these methods.

The focus of this kind of innovation is not on having ideas but empowering ideas; it isn’t about executing plans; it emphasizes on supporting the work and execution of others. Schools that practice the following steps report forming habits that lead to innovative work and a creative mindset.

1. Praise and Assess

To build a culture of innovation, teachers must direct their appreciation towards the efforts put in by students rather than the results or outcome. When efforts of students are appreciated, they learn the value of being punctual with their work, being compliant, and gaining clarity on an assignment or task given to them. Another important aspect of praising efforts is to praise failure. This is vital for removing the fear of failure from the minds of students, so they can view failure to be a necessary part of success. Praising effort which has persisted after failure promotes qualities of grit and determination, which are desirable qualities in students to influence their success as adults.

2.Support

To foster a mindset of innovation and entrepreneurship, teachers need support from the administration of a school along with other departments. If the focus of a school is merely on standardised assessments, they cannot fully support students in bringing in new ideas and creativity to the classroom. For students to be able to explore and try something outside of the box, they need all the support they can get from the school structure, inside and outside the classroom.

3. Make time  

Like anything that is worth doing, innovative work requires time. Teachers and students are often crunched for time which leads to driving up levels of stress and impedes creativity. To avoid such a situation it is essential that time slots are allocated for reflection, self-assessment, sharing, and tinkering with students, so they can continue trying new things.

An increasing adoption of these methods is seen all over the best schools in the country, particularly the best international schools in Bangalore and the other metros.

 

When teachers and students have positive and supportive relationships, it impacts the learning levels of students. Stronger relationships lead to effective learning.

Here are some useful ways to gain the trust of students and learn what is meaningful to them that have been shared by some esteemed and venerated international schools in Bangalore:

• Better decision making by collecting data on students.

In this digital age, collecting data has become very accessible and straightforward to do. By collecting data on students, educators have a ready bank to refer to throughout the year to base making decisions about class projects and assessments on. This allows teachers to build on the strengths and interests of individual students and increases confidence and interest levels in students.

• Ask students what they expect from you and make sure you meet their expectations.

When teachers take real interest in what students are doing and working towards, they are likely to respect them, When students respect teachers they will also want to earn their teachers’ respect.  Clear and open communication regarding what teachers and students expect from each other enables both parties to work towards fulfilling these expectations and enhancing the overall learning experience.

• Give the students choices whenever possible.

A sense of autonomy is a major factor in developing motivation. There are a number of requirements that teachers have to fulfil in relation to skill development for various levels of learning. But there are also a number of opportunities where students can be offered choices. Students can be given choices on what they want to learn. Students can be given a set time period every week where they work on projects of their own choice with the teacher only facilitating or supervising this process. Another way to encourage student choice in learning is to allow them to choose how they want to learn. A number of activities can be provided by the teacher from which students can pick and modify learning activities based on their preferences. In situations you cant give students choices, make what they are learning as relevant as possible.

The most significant benefit of getting students intrinsically motivated is that they begin to care more about learning beyond getting the highest grade or prize. Their focus shifts to measuring their own learning and progress which makes learning much more meaningful and impactful. Owing to the undeniable advantages of these practices, the best IGCSE Schools in Bangalore are implementing these and seeing increasing student success as a result.

The concept of creativity has existed in education for a while, but it is only now that educators, particularly in international schools are making solid efforts to integrate creativity into everyday classroom practices. Cultivating a climate of curiosity and creativity is something educators can work on from the very beginning of every school year. Doing so gets students into the habit of working in collaboration early on with each other to solve problems and arrive at unique solutions.

Here are some strategies that are employed for creating a community of creative and independent thinkers and that the top international Schools in Bangalore follow:
1. Encourage voice and choice
This involves allowing students to determine their own strategies to make decisions early on. Teachers usually ease into doing this by starting out with giving students less choice and gradually granting them more creative autonomy. Creating opportunities for students to work in collaboration on an activity, choosing their strategies collectively, and sharing their work is a good way to focus on enabling student agency.

2. Expand the definition of creativity
Creativity is more than only making new things. It also requires problem-solving, inquiry, ideation, and divergent thinking. When teachers use various creative structures, they expand the meaning of creativity in the minds of students to a broader one while simultaneously taking stock of the creative approaches students have been using so far.

3. Make room for mistakes
Creativity cannot be cultivated without creative-risk taking and when there is creative risk-taking it is almost always accompanied by revisions and modifications. Allowing for mistakes and failures in the classroom teaches students the skill of ‘failing forward’, as each revision is treated like a chance for learning, improving, and growing.

4. Involve everyone
Every student brings with them a set of unique strengths and expertise. A community of creative-thinkers flourishes when everyone participates and contributes to create something epic together, which may not have been possible by working independently.

International schools that have put in use these strategies find success in being able to foster a spirit of inquiry and curiosity. This has also influenced a large number of the top CBSE schools in Bangalore to integrate these tools of teaching to develop young minds into creative-thinkers.