Simplicity and Trust - Shalini Solanki

Simplicity is beautiful as it is away from all complications, complexities, distractions and confusion. Simplicity and Trust go hand in hand. It is difficult to achieve simplicity ultimately. But regular practice makes one closer to it.

Activity: We recently conducted an exercise on simplicity and Trust. The name of the activity was 'Scavenger Hunt', where students were asked to draw clues on A4 sheets like walls of mirrors, beds, many books, computers, flowers and bushes, water, a smart board etc. They were asked to leave some space to write after each image. The children were very excited and curious about the next step. They were informed that they would be going for a school round, where they were asked to observe their surroundings and find out the room or place matching the images drawn by them and tick the same. They were discussing with their peers, excited to find something resembling their drawing, listening to the teacher and each other, using each other's back to tick, disciplined, happy and trusting each other for their ideas.

We returned to the classroom, and the children wrote the room names or places where they saw the things drawn by them. We discussed the entire activity, and without opening any book or smart board, we were done with the topic of 'Different Places in School'. I was pleased and satisfied with my students' clarity of concept and responses. It is fantastic that we can simply make little ones understand anything with clear and simple ideas.

Initial responses from students: They were curious, excited, happy and eager.

My role: Facilitator 

Impact on students: They were more observant and calculative (e.g. they found 5 rooms of mirrors, where I was expecting one) 

My Learning: By being simple or making things simple, we can build Trust and make anyone understand, even the most challenging problems/ situations.

Shalini Solanki

Gyanshree School
JOL Cohort 2022

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Simplicity And Trust - Preeti Mahajan

Simplicity is the ultimate form of sophistication. It is a state of mind, not a lifestyle.

Trust is the bedrock of all strong relationships. Without it, chaos and coercion dominate.

Activity conducted: Role Play.

Number of participants: 20
(4 teams, 5 in each group)

The children enacted a one-act play on Simplicity and Trust. They highlighted these virtues with the help of a story. They also made slogans and posters on it.

Initial response:

In the beginning, the children were quite apprehensive about the activity. They were hesitant to perform. They also did not know how to write the script.

My role/ Contribution

I guided the children to take up any daily incident where they have observed the importance of Simplicity.

For example, wearing a school uniform, the Simplicity of village life, and the life of famous people like Sh. Abdul Kalam, Sh. Narendra Modi etc. They were told how Trust is the base of all relationships, for example, family bonding, friendship, student-teacher relationship etc.

Impact on students :

They came up with beautiful ideas and narrated many such incidents from their daily life. They wrote the script and dialogues and presented the one-act play enthusiastically.

Take away /learning for me: The students learn better by experience learning; they showcased the value of Simplicity and Trust in front of the class.

Preeti Mahajan
Happy Teachers JOL Cohort 2022

My School

Simplicity and Trust - Laxmi Kant Bhatt

 Simplicity and Trust 

What is trust? Is trust essential for the way we live our everyday life? Trust is a quality or condition of being trustworthy, loyal, and reliable. I think trust is an essential way of life because you cannot make a relationship, friendship, business, or organization if there is no foundation. Part of that foundation is trust and loyalty because you should be able to depend on and trust others that they will do precisely what is right for them and you. 

I'm a fan of simplicity. When I tackle a topic, I don't think I'm done until I've found the simplest way to look at it. I think of simplicity as a process. You can't always start there, but you can find it or create more of it as you go. I also think of simplicity as a by-product.

The most important thing I've learned about simplicity is that simplicity wins in the long run. Simple is stickier than complexity, and it survives. I think nature teaches us that, and we learn it repeatedly in work and life. I am here sharing one of my experiences on simplicity and trust.

It has been a long time since I taught lower classes like 5th or 6th grade. I was deployed to teach grade 5. I was a little unprepared to teach the kids. I went with a mentality of teaching them the same way I used to teach the higher classes. At that point, I did not realize they were growing kids who could not handle a fast-running course. I taught for 1 week, completely forgetting about them being kids. Being a senior teacher, the students were a little petrified to ask or say something in my class. After a week, the class teacher of grade 5 came to me and told me about her children's problems in my subject. She told me the children could not follow up with my speed. They were lacking and could not understand my subject's whole concept. At that moment, I realized my mistake of not thinking correctly before reaching the lower grade. The next day I interacted with the students to develop a friendly relationship between us and started teaching them slowly and giving them enough time to cope with my subject. Slowly and steadily, the children began warming up to me. They told me about their feelings at first, how they were frightened to ask me questions or tell me to stop and go slowly, but now they feel comfortable. In this way, with simplicity, I gained their trust. Laxmi Bhatt Happy Teachers JOL Cohort 2022

My School

Simplicity and Trust - Welham Boys' School

Simplicity

What is Simplicity: Simplicity is a state of being simple (Uncomplicated or Uncompounded) *. 

How is Simplicity of things Identified: In essence, anything that is plain, natural and easy to understand is simple. Like everything in life, Simplicity is relative and depends on the recipient's views or perceptions of the recipient(s).  

The following six key attributes help in generalising criteria to identify Simplicity in any creation. 

1. Reduction (Should not contain any non-essential clutter) 

2. Organization (Should be very well organized, in appropriate sequence) 

3. Affordances (Should meet expectations of target audience) 

4. Tangibility (Should be useful/helpful) 

5. Intuitiveness (Should be self-explanatory, easy to navigate or understand) 

6. Familiarity (Should be familiar/relatable) 

Why is Simplicity Important: Simplicity focuses on what is essential and eliminates clutter. That gives time and energy back to focus on other vital things in life. In today's world, simple living has become a social responsibility. Less consumption helps eliminate waste, improves the sustainability of our planet and helps divert resources toward those who need them most. 

"Live simply so that others may simply live" - Mahatma Gandhi. 

Why is it challenging to create Simplicity:  

"I did not have time to write a short letter, so I ended up writing a long one ☺" – Mark Twain. 

All natural beings are made simple at the core. Our experiences, perceptions and environmental factors create a clutter of mind that obscures Simplicity.  

Striving for Simplicity is ultimately a matter of focus; focus on what is essential to the subject (a process being established, a topic being taught in the classroom, a product being manufactured, a software program being developed) and clearing clutter.  

Eliminating any type of clutter (Physical or Mental) requires focus and practice. Simplification involves a lot of hard work, patience and thinking. In general, the following steps help in simplifying any problem or situation:

1. Write down the problem in a language that is easy to understand 

2. Break the problem into smaller parts 

3. Engage with experts to understand complexities and eliminate them 

4. Re-Imagine the situation / Rearrange / Reorganize 

"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication" - Leonardo da Vinci. 

Things I will carry out in a class. 

1. Understand children's definition and perspective of Simplicity 

2. Carry out an exercise to pick a topic (e.g. How a computer works?). 

a. Explain it simplistically. Have children come up with their explanation of the topic 

b. Conduct feedback sessions.

c. Summarize learning from the exercise

Trust

What is Trust: Trust is the willingness of one party (the trustor) to become vulnerable to another party  (the trustee) on the presumption that the trustee will act in ways that benefit the trustor.  

"Trust is the new currency of our interdependent, collaborative world." - Stephen Covey. 

Why do we need Trust: Trust is the glue of life. It's the most essential ingredient in effective communication. It's the foundational principle that holds all relationships. We have survived and progressed as species because we can trust and reciprocate.  

By nature, every human is born trusting. As we mature, we learn to build and identify trustworthiness through our experiences and instincts.  

In all our relationships, integrity plays an essential part in trust building. Operating with integrity fosters mutual goodwill and support, which leads to an improved sense of spirit, mutual loyalty, cooperativeness, shared responsibility and resilience. All these qualities lead to more mutually satisfying and enduring relationships. 

"Real integrity is doing the right thing, knowing that nobody's going to know whether you did it or not" – Oprah Winfrey. 

How to build Student-Teacher Trust: Trust and mutual respect are crucial elements in creating a positive classroom environment. Students trusting in the ability and intent of teachers can outperform their ability and progress well in studies and life in general. At the same time, teachers who believe in students' sincerity feel rewarded and are inspired to go out of their way to provide better education. 

Trust is earned by honesty, positive intent, strong competencies, and a track record of results. 

Building trust is a process which requires consistency and practice. Some of the tips to build this mutual trust and  respect are 

1. Honor each other's time, be open in giving / receiving feedback 

2. Engage students at their levels, respect their talents and interests 

3. Always accept student differences, and listen to them actively 

4. Remember to complete your commitments consistently 

"Trust is built on telling the truth, not telling people what they want to hear" – Simon Sinek. 

Classroom Trust Building Exercise: 

1. Build class bonding – Talk about each person's family, areas of interest and hopes for the future. 

2. Make a calendar of important dates for class (including students and teachers). Celebrate important milestones/dates. Appreciate each other's company and accomplishments as a group. 

3. Conduct periodic meetings with students to review progress and provide & receive feedback 4. Conduct one or more team-building exercises with the class. **

Vandana Sahay, Monika Gupta & Neelima Parmar 

Welham Boys' School

JOL Cohort 2022

*Simplicity - as defined in Miriam Webster Dictionary
https://simpleacresblog.com/how-to-model-simplicity-for-our-kids/ 

**Classroom Trust building exercises.

Simplicity and Trust - Roopa Bhattacharyya & Mridula Renjit

SIMPLICITY
Simplicity is the state of being simple, uncomplicated or uncompounded. It is the directness of
expression and clarity. The truth is that simplicity is always best because when focusing on
simplicity, your creative work becomes easier to understand, recognize, and use; in other words,
it makes things easy.

In life, simplicity is appreciating the small things. Simplicity is freedom from material
desires and emotional desires. Simplicity avoids waste, teaches economy, and avoids value
clashes complicated by greed, peer pressure and a false sense of identity.

Exercise on Simplicity
In class 3 SST, while teaching the lesson Food, a straightforward activity was carried out in class.
Children were asked to bring plain rice, dal (lentils) and potato sabji (vegetarian side dish).

Impact on students
The whole class brought rice, dal and potato sabji, enjoyed having it with their friends and
also learned about cereals, pulses and vegetables. They discovered the pleasures of a simple meal.

TRUST
Trust is a two-way street. There are two basic approaches to trust.

1. Start with trust and see what happens; trust the other till the other person disproves
your trust.

2. A person has to prove he/she is trustworthy. Only after the other person has demonstrated,
their trustworthiness will that person be trusted.

In the classroom, the first approach will be successful. We have to give trust and earn the
the trust of the children.

Exercise on Trust
I made each child stand on the desk and fall backwards. The other children were positioned to catch the falling child. What great fun it was! The children caught the falling child; of course, I was there to catch the child in case the children missed the falling child. Trust was earned and learned.

- Roopa Bhattacharyya & Mridula Renjit

Ahlcon Public School
JOL Cohort 2022

Simplicity and Trust - Jaspreet Kaur

                                            Simplicity and Trust

Simplicity is living a life that is less hectic and shallow. When you understand Simplicity, you begin to have an appreciation for things you may not have noticed in the past. The little things in life become significant because they create some of the biggest joys.

By living a simple life and focusing on the things that matter, you're almost guaranteed to be happier. Without the distractions, noise, and stress brought upon us by cluttered surroundings, too much technology, processed foods, and endless noise, it's easier to feel happy.

Exercise on Simplicity – 

I showed the students a picture of a garden and asked them to write a short paragraph with five senses on it.

Impact on students- 

Students imagine themselves in a garden. They also showed their creativity by making drawings along with the paragraph.

Teacher's Role- Facilitator

Trust: - assured reliance on the character

"To trust means to rely on another person because you feel safe with them and have confidence that they will not hurt or violate you". 

Exercise on Trust – 

In the English period, I taught Commands with blindfolds. One of the students came in front of the class to give commands to the blindfolded students to reach the Library from Grade IV. Although the Library was not so far, the students had trust in each other, so they got to the destination only because of trust in their classmates.

Teacher's Role-   facilitator and guide.

Impact- Each student learnt Team spirit, unity, communication skills and cooperation.

Jaspreet Kaur

Kamla Nehru Public School

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Simplicity and Trust - Nitin Sharma

“Simplicity is the Ultimate Sophistication”

                                     - Leonardo da Vinci

Discover more...

Simplicity in life can be beautiful because it stops us from overthinking and overspending. A Simple life puts everything in order and harmony, which is essential for effective teaching.

One significant gain when you decide to simplify your life is the ease in recognizing the best path. The beauty of life as a whole grows through simple things. Similarly, teaching flows better when you have a simple and straightforward purpose. Simple solutions always take less time to finish than complex ones. In our classrooms, a teacher’s sincerity and humility should shine through in everything he says and does. Today’s scenario discusses new ideas in the education environment and focuses more on content. Indeed, some modifications are required to promote continuous growth, and it is best to keep it simple, so our classroom should be simple without distractions. 

Exercise on Simplicity

Garden visit to show the difference between Tap root and Fibrous root.

Students will be shown different types of plants in the garden; they will observe the pattern on the surface of the leaves and will be able to predict the types of roots.

Impact on Students: Better understanding (Learning by doing)

TRUST: Firm Belief 
Teachers who foster positive relationships with their students create a classroom environment conducive to learning. Moreover, a student who feels a strong personal connection with his teachers receives more guidance and praise. When the teacher-student relationship is vital, improvements are seen. Listen to your students what their needs are. Empathizing with your students goes a long way in building a trustworthy relationship.

Exercise on Trust :
Conducted one activity on the topic of Artificial Intelligence. Students were mentioned to do research work on different aspects of Artificial Intelligence. Groups were formed; each group was supposed to prepare one presentation and some charts, and a deadline was given.

Teacher’s Role: Facilitator
Each group was guided well regarding their sub-topic, and tasks were allotted.
Impact: Each group did an excellent job in their presentation and spoke well.
Learning: Teamwork, Trust, Creative Thinking and Critical Thinking.

ASSIGNMENT SESSION 4: SIMPLICITY AND TRUST, JOL Program by Learning Forward India.

Ms Nitin Sharma

Kamla Nehru Public School, Phagwara

JOL Cohort 2022

सरलता और विश्वास - ज्योति तड़ियाल

सरलता

भूमिका – मनुष्य को अपना व्यवहार इतना सरल रखना चाहिए कि जरूरत के समय वह सबकी पहुंच में हो। 

एक अध्यापिका के रूप में व्यवहार की सरलता उतनी ही आवश्यक है जितनी श्यामपट्ट के लिए चाक। विद्यार्थी तभी बिना किसी भय व झिझक के अपनी समस्या साझा करे पाते हैं। उनके मन में यह दुविधा नहीं रहती – कहें या ना कहें।

व्यवहार की सरलता व सादगी का ज्वलंत उदाहरण रहे हैं राष्ट्रपति अब्दुल कलाम। उनसे बातें करना अपनत्व का अनुभव कराता था। यही अपनत्व विद्यार्थी शिक्षक अनुभव करे तो ही अध्यापन काल सार्थक व सफल है।

विद्यार्थियों की प्रतिक्रिया

जब कक्षा कक्ष में सरलता का व्यवहार किया गया, सादगी को अपनाया गया तो निश्चित रूप से सकारात्मक परिवर्तन दृष्टिगत हुआ। वे विद्यार्थी जो मुखर थे उनसे घनिष्ठता बढ़ी, साथ ही वह विद्यार्थी जो अंतिम पंक्ति पर बैठा था अपनी बात व विचार रख पाया। व्यवहार की सरलता का प्रभाव दूरगामी होता है और कब यह किसके मन को कितना प्रभावित कर देती है यह कहना सरल तो नहीं है परंतु निश्चित ही इसके परिणाम सकारात्मक मिलते हैं।

विश्वास

विश्वास पर ही दुनिया कायम है। विश्वास की नींव पर ही सफलता का भवन  खड़ा है। इस विश्वास की शुरुआत परिवार से होती है, जहां माता पिता व बच्चे इस विश्वास की बेल को पोषित करते हैं और फिर इस विश्वास की परिणीति उस वट वृक्ष के रूप में होती है जिसे हम समाज के रूप में देखते हैं, घनिष्ट मित्रता के रूप में देखते हैं।

विश्वास की कसौटी पर विद्यार्थी

मुझे विश्वास है कि मेरे विद्यार्थी उस ज्ञान को ग्रहण कर रहे हैं जो मैं उन्हें दे रही हूं। उस कला को सीख रहे हैं जो मैं उन्हें सिखाना चाहती हूं।

यही विश्वास होता है जब किसी प्रतियोगिता के लिए हम प्रतिभागियों का चयन करते हैं। यह हमारा विश्वास होता है कि चयनित प्रतिभागी श्रेष्ठ है, और इस विश्वास पर खरा उतरने के लिए वह भी जी जान से जुट जाता है। और जब वह सफल होता है तो निःसंदेह उस विश्वास की जीत होती है जो दोनों का एक दूसरी पर  था।

विश्वास की इसी जीत पर राष्ट्रकवि की कुछ पंक्तियां लिखना चाहूंगी –

सौ – सौ निराशाए रहें, विश्वास यह दृढ़ मूल है,

इस आत्मलीला – भूमि के, वह विभु न सकता भूल है।

अनुकूल अवसर पर दयामय, फिर दया दिखलाएंगे,

वे दिन यहां फिर आयेंगे, फिर आयेंगे, फिर आयेंगे।

( कविता – हमारी सभ्यता और कवि – मैथिलीशरण गुप्त)

प्रेषक – ज्योति तड़ियाल
विद्यालय – द दून गर्ल्स स्कूल  JOL परियोजना ४ सरलता और विश्वास LFIN 2022 के हैप्पी टीचर्स प्रोग्राम

Transforming School Curriculum: Empowering Learning for Life

 

Why you should attend?

Transforming School Curriculum: Empowering Learning for Life

ScooNews Global Educators Fest 2022 #SGEF2022

The 4th edition of ScooNews Global Educators Fest shall revolve around the theme ‘Transforming School Curriculum: Empowering Learning for Life’, where we shall brainstorm on new priorities, pedagogies, technologies, spaces, and assessment strategies.

We think the most significant step the Indian education ecosystem needs to take today is to leap from a textbook setting to the real world. Only then the students will be able to see practical applications of classroom concepts and retain their learning for life.

ScooNews Global Educators Fest 2022 #SGEF2022 will be held at:

Jaipur Marriott Hotel, Ashram Marg, Near Jawahar Circle, Jaipur.

https://globaledfest.com/

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