Life after 100 years - A Group Activity held in Class VIII

The students have a chapter in their Literature Reader where the protagonist goes forward in time. Taking a cue from this chapter the students were asked to write about what they think life will be like, a hundred years from now. The children were first divided into groups of five or six and asked to work as a team. The group identified students amongst themselves for various tasks such as writing the commentary, making illustrations while the brainstorming of the ideas took place. The noteworthy aspects of this activity are as follows:

• It taps the individual strength of the student as they are accomplishing a different task within a group.
• The group worked along the lines of the multiple intelligence theory where by it is said that every child has potential but finds expression in various forms. For example, some children may be musically inclined while others may have strong inter-personal skills. Traditional schooling favours verbal and logical mathematical intelligence. To make learning more interesting and to give the satisfaction of achievement to all the students who find expression in different ways is the core of this theory.
• The students learn more about team work and how to minimize conflict.
• There is sharing of ideas and opinions and a common platform is sought as they write their best ideas after a thorough discussion.

Here is what the students have to say about this project:

On Saturday, we were given a very interesting task by our teacher. Our classroom was converted into an activity room and all of my class friends were divided into four groups. We were given a topic related to one of the lessons - The Pedestrian from our English literature book and we were asked to make illustrations and write about life in the future. We divided the work amongst ourselves according to our talent, potential and capability. Tanveer are Vishal are good artists and they gave the entire project an artistic touch. Navreen has a good handwriting and she did the writing part. We worked together as a team and the resulting task turned out just the way we had expected. We enjoyed a lot and this activity allowed us to become more familiar with each other.
(Sidhartha, Navreen, Tanveer, Vishal, Sehajpreet, Simran)

I am writing this to share my experiences with my Principal mam, teachers and classmates. There were five of us in my group. Raman drew the margins, Vinayak and I completed the illustrations, Sahib made a flying car, Vinayak and Raman brought the drawings to life by colouring them. My group and I enjoyed a lot. I would like to thank my teachers for giving us this fun filled activity.
(Punnet, Vinayak, Ramanvir, Snigdha, Sahibpreet)

We enjoyed this activity thoroughly. Our topic was very exciting. Everyone in our group contributed bright ideas and our project turned out vibrant and colourful. Working together in a group was a wonderful experience.
(Fiza, Jashanveer, Deepak, Gagan, Bhoopesh)

We had an awesome experience during the making of this project. We learned that co-operation is necessary for great results. We also learned to work together as a team and manage our time well. We laughed a lot while making the project while remaining determined, optimistic and firm in the realization of our goal.
(Kanwarpal, Navjot, Manjot, Mukul, Karamvir)

Our Articulate Speakers - A Debate Activity in Class VII

The students have two chapters in their Main Course Book:

• The Case for Mobile Phones
• The Case against Mobile Phones

Taking a cue from these two chapters, the class was divided into two sections (each section had half the students speak against the use of mobile phones and the other half in favour of their use)

The debate was conducted in the Interactive Classroom. It was one of the most interactive activities we have done in recent times. The children raised some pertinent questions while putting forward their points. The children spoke about how important it is for them to have mobile phones so that they can remain in touch with the latest technology. They wanted mobile phones particularly for the fact that they can play games on them and remain in touch with their friends. The other team spoke about how mobile phones are harmful for them at their age. They also debated about the effects of radiation. It turned out to be an interesting debate. It was notable that a lot of students, who are usually very quiet in class were also participating and contributing to the discussion. The students will be given a grade based on their participation. The CBSE uses Formative Assessment as a valuable tool for assessment, extending beyond the classroom whereby assessment is not confined to the textbooks.

Here debates, group discussions, role play, presentation, dialogue, commentary and conversation come into play for judging a students performance in academics.