WALK THE TALK
WALK THE TALK
THIRD SESSION With Col.(Retd.) Gopal Karunakaran
Where he talks about career possibilities in Indian Armed Forces. So how’s the josh!
The session started on a high note with Col. Gopal meeting the children after a long time. Students were really excited to see him. He introduced NDA (National Defense Academy) as one of the most prestigious & respected careers in the country and the first tri-service academy in the world where all the three forces (Army, Air-force and Navy) are trained. He talked about his training and learning in NDA stating his real life stories which were exciting and relatable for the students to understand the expectations one should have if he/she chooses to be a part of NDA.
There was also a video showcase which brought alive ‘Life as a Cadet’. The video elaborated on the reasons on why one should choose Indian Armed Forces as a career and how youngsters can fulfill all their professional expectations by choosing a career of challenges, excitement, adventure as an officer in defense. He also mentioned that NDA is 3 years bachelors degree post which one chooses his/her specialization in either of the three streams (Army, Air-force and Navy).
The video also talked about the ways to enroll for NDA i.e. UPSC exams and there was a mention about The Service Selection Board (SSB), set up by the Ministry of Defense, SSB Interview to evaluate prospective candidates for recruitment in the Army, Navy and Air Force. The benchmarks on which the candidates are assessed include intelligence, personality, compatibility and potential. Hence, mental preparation holds prominence over physical preparation, although physical fitness will be an added advantage. A small demo of the same was given to the students. For more information they were asked to visit www.joinindianarmy.nic.in/
ABOUT THE SESSION
Post the video introduction Col. Gopal talked about the fact that one should choose career as per ones interest in a particular field and said that there are two major factors that define life, 1) Habits 2) Choices and We are who we are because of 3 things a) Environment b) Genes c) But most of all your free Will. Overall it was an informative and interactive session with 100% engagement and participation.
Art of Persuasion
One of the most powerful skill to create an impactful communication is PERSUASION. We influence each other all the time whether we like it or not. Communication through persuasion is like a thread that runs through every area of ones life. it’s a situation that arises almost every day, whether it’s getting your friends agree on the same point, or getting your teachers to give you less homework, or your parents to agree on sending you on a school trip, PERSUASION is a part of day to day happenings. Few seem to be able to do it effortlessly whereas others find it immensely difficult to convince people and their peer groups.
In such a scenario it’s essential that one knows how to get his/her point across succinctly and effectively with ease. Todays session was to bring alive some easy and great techniques of convincing and persuading people around for better and effective communication.
We initiated our second session of our second topic of Education for Life – Art of Persuasion for grade 9 students, curated and orated by Ms. Anju Wal.
Session was divided into two parts
Part 1: Case Study in a video format
The session started with talking about one of the historic movies of late 1957 ‘12 Angary Men’ and its main protagonist ‘Henry Fonda’. The plot of the movie was described in detail to set the context of the upcoming techniques for relatability and easy comprehension.
Short clippings of the movie which showcased the ability of questioning, reasoning, arguing, convincing were shown to the students to give them a live demo of ‘Power of Persuasion’.
Post the movie clips 3 unique and easy to adapt techniques were share with the students
- Unfreeze or mobilise the group!
- Influence opinion & drive the momentum of persuasion!
- Freeze the change, consolidate the momentum created, opinion generated!
Part 2: Real Life Situations
Post the presentation, students were divided into groups of 5 and 6 each and each group was asked to chose a chit from the bowl of chits which had some real life relatable situations. Each Group had to present the case and persuade other groups on the thought process.
Sharing a glimpse of the session:
https://youtu.be/7kiQvuLVipA
EVS Culmination of Grade 5 - Government Systems
Students of grade 5 as a part of their current EVS theme of Government Systems studied about various forms of government and their advantages and disadvantages. As a part of their culmination, a debate competition was held to share their take on the motion - India adopts a Presidential form of government or continue with the Parliamentary form of governance. This also helped them build a global connect and helped them understand the various forms of governance across the world.
Our judging panel included a student, Neeyati Saini of Grade 7 Corbett, Teacher Ms. Yamini and Parent Ms. Nupur Amarnath.
Inter-House Debate Competition
An Inter-house debate competition was organised in the middle school in Shiv Nadar School, Faridabad as the culmination event for the ongoing Literary week. The students battled with their wits on 29 August 2019, where there were two categories: Grade 6 and 7, and Grade 8 and 9. The theme for Grade 6 and 7 was ‘Social media is manipulating young minds,’ while Grade 8 and 9 had to express their opinion on the motion ‘Article 370 was revoked in a just manner.’ Since both the topics require rigorous research and preparation, the contestants were seen in deep discussions with their mentors, or working and reworking on their speeches. With so much intensity in the air, the competition began with a three panel jury.
The judges included a teacher Mrs. Surbhi Maini, a parent Mrs. Kundu, and also the literary in-charge of the junior council Sana Bose. Grade 6 and 7 began first, with each student trying to put up strong arguments with clever perspectives being wielded, where the points ranged from how much our decisions are influenced by social media to how social media is like any other tool we have, whether we use it for good or bad is for us to decide.
The winners in this category were Saiansh from 7 Gir Lion House for the motion, and Neeyati from 7 Corbett Panther House against the motion. The second position was bagged by Harjas from 7 Gir for the motion, and Ivanna from 6 Sariska who was against the motion. The debate between the students of Grade 8 and 9 was on such a politically charged and sensitive topic, that the atmosphere was tense with anticipation. They deliberated on the motion, contested each others’ points of view, and finally presented some astute points from all sides of the spectrum.
The ideas put forward ranged from a Constitutional explanation of how this action was completely democratic hence just, to grave questions being asked on whether the end can justify the means, to the matter of the importance of free speech. The speeches were so enthralling that the result felt almost like an after-thought. Ria Singh of 9 Gir Panthers house beat the competition and stood first for the motion, and Lakshita of Grade 8 Leopard house stood 2nd. Against the motion some strong points were put forward, laced with emotions; and among these students Gurnoor Kaur of 9 Gir Panthers house overcame the contention to stand first, while Mansi of 9 Gir Leopard House bagged the 2nd prize. The day was impactful, and left not just the students but also the teachers with much to think about. It was hailed a success, and has set the bar high for the students in the upcoming events.
Sharing a glipmse of the same.
Visit to Parliament
Students of grade 5 got a once in a lifetime opportunity to visit the Parliament house in Delhi on 3rd September 2019. They were in awe of the supreme legislative body of India. They were able to observe and correlate their classroom learning to the whole trip. They saw the Lok sabha, Rajya sabha and the central hall and learnt about their respective seating plan.
Students also got to know about Democratic Heritage in India . Thereafter, they actively participated in the session conducted for them. Overall, this was an educational visit which would propel the students to become the next responsible and dedicated citizen of our country.
Author on Campus -Ms. Deepa Agarwal
Well known children's writer Ms. Deepa Agarwal visited the school for a session with the students of Grade 6-8. The session started with Ms. Aggarwal talking to the students about her childhood in mussoorie, and how it inspired her to write her book Friendship stories.
She read some stories from her book and this was followed by a Question and answer session with the children. The children asked some very interesting questions about her childhood and who inspired her to write.
It was an enlightening session for all.
Author's Meet
Author's meet-27th August
It is said that “a child who reads will be an adult who thinks”.
We realize that reading is fundamental to functioning in today’s society. It stimulates our imagination and expands our understanding of the world. To enhance the learning of our students, we invited author Supriya Sehgal, the writer of a famous book, A Tigress called, Machhli for Grades 4 and 5 on 27th August.
It was an interactive session full of questions soaring the curiosity levels of our students. The students saw a presentation given by the author. Thereafter all of them enthusiastically participated in the quiz. Our library incharge, SK Riajuddin, presented a token of respect to her.
Session for Parents with Dr. Aruna Broota
An interactive session on contemporary parenting was conducted for our Middle School parents on Saturday, 31st August with Dr. Aruna Broota.
Dr Aruna Broota is a well known pclinical sychologist, who shared her experiences and spoke about the need is to change the parenting technique for the betterment of bringing up a child.
She has over 4 decades of work experience. Her numerous scientific research breakthroughs, ongoing popular publications, well attended group motivation/ training sessions, regular public counselling over radio, TV and print media and successful individual counselling practice makes her a uniquely experienced expert.
She discussed teenage’ affairs, their learning experiences and diversity. She highlighted a number of experiences to show how a child‘s brain gets affected with the behaviour of parents. She stressed on the need for a positive partnership between school and parental body. 'Being respectful and choosing words carefully' infront of children is very important. She urged the parents to set certain rules at home and adhere to the same.
Principal, Ms. Anju Wal in her vote of thanks, mentioned that it is very important to have mutual respect for each other and positive attitude towards all and life in general.
Grandparents' Day Celebration
“What children need most are the essentials that grandparents provide in abundance. They give unconditional love, kindness, patience, humour, comfort, lessons in life and most importantly, cookies.” -- Rudy Giuliani
The Pre-primary students at Shiv Nadar School celebrated Grandparents’ Day with great enthusiasm. The celebration was held on 6th September 2019.
The day began with the special performances by our kids for their grandparents, followed by breakfast in dining area. The children were eagerly waiting to spend some time with their grandparents in the Homeroom. They played the game passing the parcel wherein all the grandparents enthusiastically participated and enjoyed playing games with their grandchildren, shared heartwarming stories and sang cheerful melodies.
The day ended with craft co-creation by students and their grandparents. They created beautiful pieces of art using their fingerprints and handprints. In all it was a delight to see the grandparents and children enjoying their time together.
1:1 Digital Program: Second Live Demo for Parents
We conducted second live demonstration of our Digital Program for parents on 31st August, 2019. Demonstration were given on two subjects i.e. Math and Science. Each session. In this demo, the parents were given an individual device each and the session lasted for 20 min in each subject.
Parents felt that Digital Program has fostered 'Joy of learning' in the students. It builds logical skills in child, children can apply the knowledge gained to give concrete answers and are always excited to learn new concepts.
Parents also shared that Apps for quizzes/self-study modules/presentations have encouraged students to build digital skills that will lead to lifelong learning. Around 80% parents trust their child. Some of them also mentioned that students are becoming responsible, smart and Knowledgeable. Parents also stated that School plays an important role in it.
