Responsibility & Co-operation - Harmony BHIS

We can lead the world

                     “Never help a child with a task at which he feels he can succeed”

                                                                                                                     - Maria Montessori

Children learn to do basic things at an early age and these learning experiences provide them with an enormous boost to their self-esteem. They learn the art of becoming independent, day by day.  It is important to raise responsible, capable adults much sooner than we think. Giving responsibility to the children for their actions, their belongings and the environment that they stay in helps them to fight the plentiful crawls of entitlement so evident in much of today's society. 

A group activity is the finest way to inculcate values such as responsibility and cooperation among children at a very young age.

Like every day the class was engaged in their usual routine when the teacher came up with an announcement, "Children, today is a day to do an activity on our national animal." 

"Tiger" was the shout echoed among the tiny toddlers. 

"Perfect!!!" exclaimed the teacher, "We shall make charts for the project 'Save Tiger' wherein you have to colour the picture of a Tiger and stick it on the chart paper. Each of you will be responsible for making the chart by working in a group. ”

The teacher asked, after a pause, “Children, what will you do to save your endangered national animal?"

The little children came up with creative ideas to express their love and care for ‘Tigers’. The teacher engaged her students in a brainstorming session and encouraged them to bring out their ideas on charts to save Tigers. Every child shared ideas about the same.                                                                The teacher then announced, “The class will now be divided into two groups and each group express their creativity on the chart paper.”

At once, the children were absorbed in bringing out their ideas on the chart paper in collaboration with each other.

The teacher observed their enthusiasm delighted. They performed their tasks while co-operating with each other in order to complete the task. She felt that she had attained her goal by involving all the kids and making them work together. She noticed that two groups were drawing forests to show the need for afforestation. Some of them drew food items for tigers, logos that displayed love and care for their national animal and so on. The charts of the groups revealed the ingenious ideas to exhibit a sense of responsibility towards the project 'Save the Tigers'. 

Eventually, the teacher called out a student from each group to explain the work done. The little child could comfortably illustrate the effort that manifested cooperation between the children of each group. The keenness and satisfaction that the children derived while working on the project together - was a noticeable bonus.

 Cooperative learning results in remarkable growth in the social well being of preschool children. It refers to learning to work in collaboration with their peers to achieve a common goal, rather than doing activities that emphasize competition. It results in remarkable growth in the social well being of teeny weenies. When children begin to learn in cooperation, it provides opportunities for sharing ideas, they learn how others think and react to problems. While working with others in small groups a child also enhances linguistic skills.

     
Cooperative learning in early childhood can promote a positive attitude towards school, teachers and peers.

'What works in the real the world is the responsibility towards cooperation'. Consequently, we can give-

Two Gifts to Our Children: The Roots of Responsibility & the Fruits of Co-operation.

Harmony @ Billabong High International School, Thane 

- Abira Chakraborty, Pooja Khona, Bhumika Ailsinghani, Rajshri Rane, Soniya Kuril, Poonam Choudhary, Kavita Shetty