The Assam government has taken progressive steps towards implementing the National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020) that aims to bring out holistic qualitative improvements in academic education. By 2022, the state hopes to implement 75 percent of the guidelines outlined NEP 2020, with total compliance to be achieved by 2023.

The government has already directed schools and colleges to merge the State Education Board of Assam (SEBA) and the Assam Higher Secondary Education Council by next year. More than 1000 high schools will be converted into higher secondary schools under the first phase of reforms announced by the government, which has also decided to merge lower primary and middle levels of education to prevent students from dropping out.

The policy aims primarily to bridge the gap between enrollment, attendance, and quality of education in formal schooling. It also aims to improve basic literacy, enhance uptake of non-formal education, and promote both equivalence and equity in learning outcomes for all children regardless of the types of schools they are enrolled in. 

Square Panda’s foundational learning programs and educator empowerment programs perfectly align with the NEP 2020’s vision, and the efforts of the Assam government to improve education outcomes. Let’s have a look at some of them:

Formative Assessment

Currently, no conclusive data is available in India for elementary and middle schools to assess learning levels at crucial transition points, such as those from primary to middle school and then to senior grades. Without such information, teachers cannot identify students who fall behind, leading to learning gaps later in life.

NEP 2020 focuses on regular formative assessment rather than summative assessment and how it is essential as a foundational principle of the curriculum. Additionally, the policy mentions assessments as one of its foundational principles that encourage practical learning strategies.

Square Panda India offers programs that provide a formative assessment of student comprehension, learning needs, and academic progress using various methods, including quizzes, conversations, and activities. Our programs have integrated assessment tools that allow educators and parents insight into each child’s learning process. It tracks progress with detailed graphs, task completion logs, real-time assessments, and sophisticated personalization algorithms based on the individual student’s profile. It also gives a complete report on each skill in an easy-to-read format.

Developing New-Age Methodologies Of Teaching

NEP 2020 describes a whole new way of teaching beyond rote learning. Instead, it emphasises experiential learning via gamification and apps. It’s more than just memorizing textbooks – it encourages holistic learning using the web to discover new things every day. 

We believe that education should be an experience that goes beyond the classroom. By incorporating new-age skills into our existing teaching framework, we provide young learners with a fun and exciting environment to explore their cognitive, social, and emotional potential. Our mission is to create future innovators ready for the globalized world through holistic learning, and we aim for them to realize their potential by equipping them with the requisite skill sets. Our programs are made to suit practically any demographic and have been carefully curated based on years of research, client feedback, interactions with kids & parents, and formal training.

Inclusivity and equality

NEP 2020 aims to provide equitable access to education for all types of learners, across social strata, demographics, and geographies. It is primarily focusing on delivering early education for all in order to tackle the learning crisis. 

We believe that inclusive classrooms where students with diverse learning needs and backgrounds interact can help eradicate systemic inequalities. At Square Panda, we focus on delivering multisensory and inclusive foundational learning programs to meet teachers’ diverse teaching needs. Our adaptive platform uses AI to personalize lesson plans to individual learners based on the requirements of each student, thus delivering curricula tailored to their specific needs or knowledge state.

Placing an emphasis on world-class technology, modern teaching pedagogies, and future-ready curriculum is the need of the hour. Our programs are designed to help educators understand how children learn, thus giving them the necessary insights needed to teach children effectively. In addition to this unique curriculum, educators will also have access to professional development courses, which will provide them with a complete understanding of English pronunciation, grammar, reading comprehension, filing skills, and writing proficiency. 

With NEP 2020’s policy principles and Square Panda India’s array of programs founded in scientific principles of the 21^st century, we believe its implementation can equip educators with vital skills and concepts, and help them effectively share their wisdom with eager young minds. In doing so, we can leverage strong curriculum and state-of-the-art resources to reimagine education across all levels, and in doing so create a brighter future for the nation.

To know more about our programs, please visit https://ecce.squarepanda.in/ or email us at marketing@squarepanda.in

Teaching Kindergarten children online is no small feat—so much to consider, so many challenges. First, there are few restrictions as with in-person classes, so teachers must be on their toes at all times. Second, children can be distracted by far more things than physical teachers are used to. Add video calls, various methods of communication and chatting, or simply spending too much time trying to figure out the technology involved, and it can be quite a difficult task to keep students’ attention focused on classwork. An online survey revealed that 84% of teachers experienced challenges during online classes, such as maintaining discipline, keeping parents from interfering, and figuring out online etiquette.

Many factors come into play with an online class, and teachers must be prepared to change how they teach. As an educator, you must be aware of how these factors affect your teaching style and how you can make the best adjustments to serve your students best. Aside from being creative in your teaching style, it’s also vital that you establish a good rapport with the students and their parents. That said, here are three challenges virtual learners may face and suggestions on how to overcome them.
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🤔 Challenge: Students Passiveness

Anyone who teaches has faced the challenge of converting passive learners, or students that are disengaged, into a state of active learning. They are present only physically, with their mind elsewhere. They don’t read the materials or do the homework, and don’t ask questions or engage in discussion. They just watch or listen and let knowledge wash over them. The challenge of teaching passive learners is especially apparent for kindergarteners, who have not yet developed independent problem-solving skills or exhibit autonomy over their own study habits.

💡 Solution: Formative Assessment

There are a variety of ways this can be beneficial, such as allowing students to receive ongoing feedback throughout the learning process. Classroom assessment practices should be designed to enable students to practice the course material under low-stakes conditions before the final assessment. It also helps educators gain insight into whether their students understand the content. Rather than testing what students think they know about the topic, formative assessments allow you to determine how well students comprehend content and guide instruction based on that information.
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🤔 Challenge: Limited Interaction

The lack of interaction between teachers and students impacts learning in many ways. If a child is struggling with a particular concept or activity, a face-to-face interaction would help quickly identify and remedy the problem. An online instructor cannot see when students are confused and cannot provide help individually; this hinders progress in learning. Additionally, some children may feel reluctant to ask questions or admit they are struggling with a concept, because they will be embarrassed to ask questions in front of their peers.

💡 Solution: Constructive Feedback

Since online coursework is self-paced, it raises questions of how to give effective feedback quickly yet reasonably. By explaining the reasons behind the evaluation and suggesting ways to improve, you can encourage students to think about their current progress and what they can do to move forward positively. Effective feedback loops are crucial to helping impactful learning happen, no matter which platform you teach on. Without them, distance learning either goes nowhere or runs the risk of being a students’ least favourite class. To get your point across in an online course, sometimes you may need to use examples and stories or react to a student’s assignment.
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🤔 Challenge: Lack of Collaboration

The need to communicate successfully is another essential element of successful online education. Unfortunately, one of the pitfalls of teaching kindergarteners online is that collaboration may be challenging to achieve when children are not physically present together. Children may have issues communicating with other children because of their young age and inability to express themselves properly.

💡 Solution: Frequent Communication

Give your students a chance to give each other feedback and receive feedback from their peers – it’ll help improve classroom participation. You’ll also be helping them build their communication skills, which will pay off throughout their school years and beyond. Model good feedback techniques during mini-lessons before students practice assessing each other’s work.

Encourage your students to share their ideas with each other and then get back in the loop with you. If you notice that feedback from peers is conflicting, or if you hear something from one student that makes you think of something new to try in class, use that opportunity to get feedback from all of your students. You’ll be amazed at how much information you can gather by doing this.
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In an effort to aid teachers in teaching online courses, various technologies have been designed to help improve the student experience and effectiveness of online learning. At Square Panda India, we are committed to creating a learner-centric education ecosystem. We understand both challenges and possibilities of technology in classrooms. Our experts collaborate with educators, parents and children to build online solutions that use the power of technology to improve learning outcomes.

To know more, visit ecce.squarepanda.in

With the vast proliferation of digital tools and the growth of online learning platforms, blended learning has gained traction as the go-to instructional strategy for teachers and students in early classrooms. Today’s digital-age learners have grown up amidst technology that would have been almost unimaginable a decade ago, which is why they have found it much easier to transition to a blended learning class as opposed to a classroom in which they do not use any form of technology. 

A study has suggested that when blended with face-to-face instruction, online learning can help preschoolers develop a deeper understanding of course material, promote creativity and collaboration, and result in a greater sense of student engagement.

Blended Learning: A Modern Imperative

Although most early childhood professionals would agree that blended learning is the ideal teaching method for pre-K, it can also be one of the hardest to implement. Finding ways to foster creativity in your classroom will help you build a thriving blended learning environment that will be better than ever before.

Connecting with your students is a vital part of the blended learning framework. By getting to know each student one-on-one, you better understand their personal needs and interests. When you know your students, you can then decide how to bring that learning into the classroom. Creating a dynamic classroom where individual learners are challenged according to their strengths and weaknesses is the foundation for blended learning. As preschool teachers, you can introduce a few concepts of blended learning throughout the year. It’s crucial to constantly break new material down into smaller bits before teaching 4-year-olds who learn new material faster.

Blended learning integrates various learning styles and strategies—such as digital learning, independent study, and project-based instruction. The use of technology enables teachers to assess each student’s skill level and align lessons around their specific interests, needs, and abilities. A teacher can use these methods to determine how well a student is progressing throughout the course, then offer further lessons that target differing needs for each student.

One of the most popular blended learning models, the station rotation model, requires teachers to split their classes into smaller subgroups. Students are given a schedule that prioritizes learning activities, including an online or digital component, which are rotated through on a timed schedule. Another way to implement blended learning in a preschool setting is by a flipped classroom. It is educational training that allows students to go home and review the coursework online. Teachers then meet with individual students to further develop an understanding of the course content. The class time is spent applying material by working through simulations or other hands-on activities. Research has shown that using these modes provide better opportunities for individual instruction and more frequent feedback to the student.

The Impact of Student Engagement in Early Childhood Classrooms

With the pressure to meet academic standards implemented in early grades, such as preschool, teachers need to help their students focus on the tasks at hand. One strategy to help promote engagement is blended learning. This type of learning combines face-to-face instruction with digital tools to provide personalization and differentiated instruction based on student needs, encourage technology integration, and motivate students toward desired ends. It combines the individualized attention of traditional brick-and-mortar classrooms with the adaptability and flexibility of digital tools to facilitate lively, engaging learning sessions. Through blended learning, teachers will meet each student wherever they might be, students will be able to learn what they need outside the classroom setting, and students will have more opportunities to collaborate with their peers.

Screen time in the form of technology and interactive media has provided opportunities for our students to grow in ways we could never have imagined. This, however, raises concerns due to the ever-growing concern of overuse and misuse. This has brought on the need to switch up teaching style in an effort to understand how to use blended learning effectively and what dangers might arise from its use. 

However, when students and teachers embrace technology in the classroom, everyone wins. Students gain access to a more diverse curriculum, and teachers are able to reach more students. With a comprehensive learning platform, teachers can help students bridge educational gaps and set individualized learning goals. Blended learning provides educators with the tools they need to engage students so they are empowered to create an inclusive learning experience, and through it, begin a hopefully lifelong love for learning that stands one in good stead.

Square Panda encourages the use of blended learning in classrooms and beyond, giving students access to the personalized learning they need to succeed. Children learn at their own pace using interactive programs, giving them the self-confidence to realize their full potential. 

To know more, visit ecce.squarepanda.in 

An understanding of language is the foundation of literacy, with vocabulary development impacting all aspects of communication. Building a stronger vocabulary in preschool will improve reading comprehension and prepare a child to learn and grow. A child’s vocabulary can have a profound effect on their future success in school, so the child must be surrounded with reading material that is varied, interesting, and stimulating. By expanding their vocabularies before entering school, young children are better prepared to understand the classroom literature they are about to read.

Research suggests that for young children, language does not just talk. It is a primary vehicle for formulating new concept. A child’s language abilities are directly correlated with their cognitive growth, with words representing increasingly sophisticated ideas. And the more words children use, the more new words are available to them, and the better they can make sense of the world around them. They can talk with their parents about new topics, follow along with stories on television, and follow directions from teachers. 

Why does vocabulary instruction need to be in preschool?

The preschool years are crucial for laying a good foundation for language development. Children grow and learn about words through experiences with their environment. In addition to gaining knowledge of meaning from everyday interactions, preschoolers can enjoy building their vocabulary by learning new words from books and rhyming with silly songs. The failure to develop a rich vocabulary in the preschool years has a cascading effect on later reading skills that often hampers academic progress in school. 

Comprehension is a critical component of reading, but comprehension can be nearly impossible for a child without a solid vocabulary base. A study shows that vocabulary instruction should begin in preschool. This will benefit students by building a professionally prepared vocabulary and tone with teachers and peers in an organized setting. The ideal preschool setting provides various opportunities to explore and play with new objects and materials not commonly available in a home. It also allows children to learn from one another as they build relationships and facilitate communication skills. 

Ways to build a child’s vocabulary in preschool

Good teachers have a specific style in which they unleash their knowledge on students in a way that they can grasp. Teachers who have a good understanding of how to use words, especially when discussing themes or subjects, ensure that their students receive a more cultural understanding of the world and its meanings. While there is no one way to teach vocabulary to preschool-age learners directly, there are several methods teachers can use to encourage their students to learn new words and practice them outside the classroom.

📍 Verbal Storytelling

Verbal storytelling provides children with a way to think about the language that is far removed from the formal written word. It enhances children’s sense of audience and their ability to edit what they say, focus on the point they wish to convey, and respond to feedback from others. Children can improve their actual speech abilities using this approach.

Good storytelling begins with an engaging opening. Young listeners are more apt to be drawn into a story if you grab their interest early. Children are also more attuned to your voice, the pitch, the pattern of stress, and even your breathing pattern as you tell them a story. By recounting real-life incidents or telling familiar fairy tales, you can weave information about the world around little ones by using familiar vocabulary.

📍 Share Rhymes and Songs

Songs, rhymes, and poems are familiar features of the classroom in every preschool. Songs help children remember things. They can also help children express feelings and ideas. Rhymes and humorous poems encourage children to talk in sentence patterns that are more complex than they might use when speaking informally or in single words or short phrases. You can use songs, rhymes, and poems to stimulate language growth in young children and help them become increasingly confident using language for their own purposes.

Children can reap tremendous benefits when they hear, say, and learn nursery rhymes. These catchy rhymes can build literary language skills and enhance sound-symbol relationships that lay the foundation for later reading success. As early as one-year-old, children benefit by hearing classroom songs and nursery rhymes. These joyous tunes teach basic language skills and general animal sounds, which lay the foundation for reading. Include at least one nursery rhyme daily in your classroom instruction.

📍 Use Synonyms

Another way to help your children better their vocabulary is to model the appropriate use of new words in daily conversation. The most powerful tool in this regard is a simple substitution of synonyms in place of common words. For example, when referring to a large living space, avoid using the word “big” and try calling it spacious or enormous instead. A child’s mind absorbs and retains more detailed and descriptive information, and they are more likely to remember words, such as spacious and enormous.

Each child is unique and has their own potential, which should be identified and channelized at the right time. Preschoolers are at a unique place where they can readily learn previously encountered concepts, thus creating opportunities to open learning horizons. At Square Panda India, we create research-based programs that aim at making children ready for school. 

To know more, visit https://ecce.squarepanda.in/

Nowadays, most parents are keen to give their children the best they can, especially regarding education. The challenge lies in the fact that most of us are taught by someone with a performance mindset, which believes students learn best when motivated by punishment and reward. Now, this may work for some, but more than likely will result in extrinsic motivation that will create stress, anxiety, and fear. However, just understanding what a growth mindset is and how it can help your child could bring about noticeable transformations at home and school.

So, what does a growth mindset mean?

A growth mindset is a psychological concept born from developmental psychology. It was primarily developed by Carol Dweck, and is mainly inspired by work on cognitive development and self-perception in the 1960s and 1970s. A growth mindset hypothesizes that you can develop your intelligence and abilities through hard work and dedication. 

A person with a growth mindset believes that with effort and determination, you can continuously transform your capacities. It views abilities as malleable rather than static. Research suggests that people can change their capabilities through learning and effort, which will positively impact classroom behaviour and academic achievement. 

Fixed Mindset vs. Growth Mindset 

Students believe their basic qualities, like their intelligence or talent, are simply fixed traits in the fixed mindset. They spend their time documenting their intelligence or talent instead of developing them. They also believe that talent alone creates success — without effort. But the effort is where the growth mindset of students really shines.

In a growth mindset, students understand that intellect and talent are just the starting point. This allows them to follow a healthy mix of passion and perseverance to achieve more than they thought possible. A student with a growth mindset will know that mistakes are typical and there is always room for improvement. The key to success lies in learning from such errors and using them as a platform to grow.

How do you foster a growth mindset in your child?

It’s no secret that today’s educational environment is more focused on students meeting grade-level proficiency on standardized tests than embracing a passion for lifelong learning. In fact, the current emphasis on testing has negative implications for children’s development and subsequent achievements. Here’s how you can change this and develop a growth mindset for your child. 

📌 Reward the Process

Rewarding the effort and strategies they put forth during their assignments rather than praising the outcome or final grade will teach them to focus on getting better at tackling different kinds of problems, not just trying harder. Encourage your child to celebrate their ability to persist and improve. A study suggests that rewarding even small steps toward a significant achievement helps develop the mindset needed to reach any goal. It’s essential to be clear about your expectations, so your child knows how to achieve success. This way, if they struggle with a concept or aren’t quite there yet, you can identify the issue, and find the solution together.

📌 Mind Your Language

The way we talk about children’s accomplishments and challenges can impact how they view themselves. Schools tend to employ language that makes children feel like failures when it comes to the grade system. For example, teachers use terms like “see me” or “remedial reading.” These phrases can sound scary to kids, even though the assignments are not particularly difficult. The language schools use tells students that they are failing instead of needing some extra focus or skills work. This creates an impossible standard for kids to live up to. It reinforces negative thoughts that can lead to further issues down the road.

Language and the words we choose to use in talking about intelligence and ability can significantly impact how children view themselves and their future life opportunities. If you talk to kids in this way, they’ll feel more self-confident about themselves. You can ask them, “What strategies are you using when you study?” Also, discuss current events your child is passionate about. They’ll be glad that someone is interested in their hobbies and interests. Showing that you care will encourage kids to stay connected to the ones they love.

📌 Show Them What a Growth Mindset Is

The best way to teach a child a growth mindset is by example. Children learn visually, and they also learn from the behaviour of their parents. Parents who practice fixed mindset behaviour can inadvertently teach their children fixed mindset thinking.

If you want to raise a child who believes they can master challenging tasks and reach their goals, you need to model the right kind of thinking and behaviour. Hard work and perseverance are crucial. If you’re able to develop a “growth mindset” along with your child, he or she will be more likely to maintain it throughout her life, regardless of the challenges faced.

Generate opportunities to model behaviours related to a growth mindset in both learning and non-learning situations. As you model a growth mindset, be specific about working through mistakes to approach challenges with a growth mindset. This helps children learn how they can use their own thinking in similar ways.

At Square Panda India, we provide education and interactive learning programs that instill a growth mindset. Our learning programs are humanized and dynamic. Unlike a traditional school, we design lessons based on each student’s unique pace and requirements and monitor their progress through these metrics instead of giving them grades. To know more, visit https://ecce.squarepanda.in/

The last two years have been all about adapting to change, with schools closed across the globe and students staying at home as health and safety concerns took centerstage and learning was being conducted remotely. Teachers use digital tools to communicate with students and impart education. But with messy remote learning, parents are looking for ways to help their kids stay on track. At the elementary level, there is a strong correlation between parental involvement and student achievement. Research has shown that when parents are involved in their child’s education, children tend to feel better about school and perform better in class. Both at home and school, there are many things parents can do to help their children’s learning. Here are some ideas to get you started!

Demonstrate a Positive Attitude

One of the advantages parents have over teachers is that they spend a lot of time with their kids, and they get very good at reading the nuances in their words and actions. Parents can help support their children’s learning outside of school by offering them positive, relaxed, and fun learning environments at home. Although children naturally want to learn new things, they are often most successful when they are allowed to discover new concepts at their own pace, in their own time. 

Parents can demonstrate how to think about things (such as solving problems) rather than tell them what to think (or how to do something). Rather than instructing children with directives like ‘Don’t forget your homework,’ you might remind them that they will need their workbook for class tomorrow morning. A study has shown that parents and families can play a crucial role in boosting student achievement and sustaining the momentum needed to reinforce positive attitudes toward school.

Monitor the Screen Time

Remote learning has become a widely accepted trend across the globe.  While the internet has proven to be a valuable educational tool, several studies highlight just how dangerous it can be for young children. Students who spend an excessive amount of time surfing the web are less likely to perform well in the classroom.

Today’s children are immersed in the media. With remote learning, children are already spending a lot of time on their computers. And it’s not simply the TV shows, videogames, or internet they watch or play with—it’s all of them. One hour of television uses the same word-retrieval skills as two hours of homework. Media without parental guidance can become a detriment to learning by taking away time usually spent studying and completing schoolwork. 

Monitoring a child’s screen time is a way to help them develop their time management skills and avoid getting distracted. The first thing you should do as a parent is to inventory how much time your kids spend on screens. In particular, take note of what they’re doing on those screens. While there is no set rule on how much screen time is allowed, you can try to limit it, especially when your child does facetime and gives up physical activity and face-to-face communication with people.

Promote Active Learning

Active learning is significant for young children, who are still building their understanding of the world. It helps them learn not just new things but also how to learn. When children are constantly told what to do or simply left alone with an assignment or a book, they are not challenged to think for themselves. As a result, they miss opportunities to develop the skills required for higher-order thought, including critical thinking and problem-solving. 

Active learning involves guiding your child’s exploration and helping her develop her interests to acquire social skills. You can help build your child’s active learning by providing opportunities for him to play freely with other children. Also, teach functional problem-solving skills by asking your child questions about his activities and explaining your problems at work. With the use of technology in today’s classrooms, it’s no surprise that nowadays, there are many real-life applications for this theory. 

Active learning can be anything that encourages the brain to think, test ideas and take action. It can include doing art or playing musical instruments, reading nonfiction or opinion pieces in the newspaper, making models, building things with blocks and Legos, taking photos, watching videos, and playing with your smartphone.

Encourage Reading

Reading is an important skill, not just for schoolwork but for life. Having used digital tools for studying for the last 1.5 years, we have already moved from the printed word to the screen. Reading isn’t just about getting good grades or passing some tests. Having a reading habit is an essential element for children to enrich their knowledge, whether from newspapers or storybooks. In addition to practicing reading skills, it can enhance their imagination, widen their perspective and improve their language skills. 

You can’t rush a child’s reading development — but you can help your child along the way by establishing a love for reading from an early age. By being aware of your child’s readiness for learning how to read, you will be able to nurture a strong foundation of literacy that will serve your students well for decades.

The Bottom Line

Children learn better when their parents are involved. As a parent, you can reinforce your child’s learning through routine activities at home. We believe that a child’s development is a direct product of home life and that an early childhood educator’s responsibility begins before the school day. 

At Square Panda India, we acknowledge the importance of parental involvement in early childhood education. We take special measures to create awareness amongst teachers about how important it is to share ideas and resources with families. This awareness helps our educators develop effective strategies to integrate family participation in learning activities.

When society makes failure synonymous with all things bad or something to avoid at all costs, children are learning at an early age that their worth is tied to the success of their actions. Failure can be scary. Failure is a part of life, whether it’s a 5-year-old finger-painting a masterpiece or a 55-year-old failing to use a new computer program. It doesn’t matter if the failure was avoidable or not, failure will happen to the best of us. 

But how do we help kids deal with these failures? How do we teach them that failing is okay and that they should try again?

It’s hard for most educators to cede control of their children. But allowing them to make mistakes and stay safe is vital in the learning process. Here are some ways you can help your child learn to fail safely:

Emphasize their growth mindset

A growth mindset changes the way the brain reacts to failure, and it helps children learn from their mistakes. They don’t interpret failure as a reflection of their self-worth, and quickly bounce back to recover from their mistakes. Failure is inevitable. That is why it’s so important to encourage your children to embrace a growth mindset. When kids feel empowered to improve, that’s when they’re most likely to succeed — and with a growth mindset, they’ll be more open to trying new things and embracing challenges.

Let them fail

Since the time our children were infants, we’ve offered them a safe, secure life. When they fall, we rush to their side and make sure they’re okay. We go to great lengths to avoid adversity and challenge because we want to protect them from experiencing hardship or failure. But shielding children from adversity isn’t the same as protecting them. It’s essential to allow your child to experience failure. Without difficult situations to navigate, kids won’t develop critical problem-solving skills—and nobody expects a baby to ride a bike without training wheels. Teach them how to cope with failure, so they don’t fear it — and make sure they earn prizes when they overcome a challenge.

Share your experience

Children like to emulate what they see. You can model positive ways to handle setbacks and challenges by being open about your struggles. You can point out that when we fail at something, we often learn from it and even get better for having tried. Likewise, when you learn to fail forward, your kids will learn from painful experiences and grow from mistakes.

Kids can be a little unrealistic in thinking their ideas and plans will always lead to a remarkable life. So you need to teach them that it’s okay if things don’t always work out the way they think.

Empathize with them

By meeting your children with empathy when they fail in front of their peers, you’re modeling that emotion for them. They can see what it looks like when someone is hurt or disappointed and find the words to express those feelings. This doesn’t mean they should be immune from all criticism. But it does mean that if they make a mistake, it’s okay, and the sooner you teach them that, the better!

Final Thoughts

Learning to fail can be painful at first, but it is an essential part of the learning experience, for children will only succeed in life if they can acquire the knowledge and skills needed to handle whatever life throws their way. Our young learners need to know that failure is an integral part of the learning experience. Else they may become afraid of trying anything new for fear of doing it wrong. 

Educators and parents can be a key part of bringing in this cultural change. Educators can design and build schools, pedagogy, and curriculum in a manner that encourages students to learn from failure. This can truly prepare students for transformative success.

Parents too are an essential cog of the learning experience. By providing a nurturing environment, they can be a much-needed guide to children. So that they learn that getting it right at the first time of asking isn’t essential, and that it is more important to do the right thing. The best education doesn’t necessarily come from the classroom. But from how adult role models teach kids to be resilient in the face of whatever life throws their way. 

Know of an inspiring educator or educational story that encourages life-long learning in students? Send us a message at marketing@squarepanda.in or comment below, and we’ll feature your story!

Memory plays a key role in building a solid foundation for learning, both inside and outside the classroom. Retaining what they are taught helps children excel academically, score well on tests, and stay cognitively engaged throughout their lives. However, remembering everything we have learnt is not an ingrained skill, and it is something ECCE educators and Anganwadi workers need to develop with certain teaching strategies.

Why does the brain find it hard to remember?

How The Brain Is Wired To Forget

How Memory Works

Think of your mind like a spiderweb, with multiple connected neurons. 

Each time we learn something new, like when a child is introduced to a sock puppet for the first time, the brain turns this experience into a memory. The same neurons involved in making a memory are the ones involved in forgetting it. Once we understand this process, we can devise simple strategies to help us retain important pieces of knowledge. Each time we revisit a particular memory, our synapses are strengthened. Think of it as painting. Apply one coat of paint, and the colour is light. Another coat of paint makes it darker, and stays longer too. This phenomenon is called synaptic plasticity and explains why some memories stay for a lifetime while some fade away. 

Different memories are created differently. For someone literate in English, the word ORANGE is more memorable that SMAPTFIN. That is because our brains connected oranges to the smell of the fruit, the colour, and perhaps some distant childhood memory. That means the more connection you have to an experience, and thus your neurons, the stronger is the memory you make.

The Research Into Memory And Forgetting

Rote memorisation leads to a superficial grasp of learning and is quickly forgotten. 

This is something psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus discovered in the 1880s. His studies showed that without reinforcement or connections to prior knowledge, information is quickly forgotten. He called this the forgetting curve, which was a measurement of how much we forget over time.

We lose roughly 56% of information in one hour, 66% after a day, and 75% after six days.

An article by neurobiologists Blake Richards and Paul Frankland counters Ebbinghaus’s theory. They purport that the goal of memory is to evaluate the purpose of each strand of memory, evaluating and potentially discarding information if it doesn’t promote our survival.

A scientific way to retain learning, then, is to increase children’s connections to as many things as possible. So, we are effectively widening the spiderweb in their minds. The following are the most effective learning strategies:

5 Teacher Strategies To Help Children Retain Learning

*can be repurposed for learning with parents too

• Regularly revisit learning: According to research (Carpenter et al., 2012; Kang, 2016), children perform better academically when they are given multiple opportunities to review learned material. Instead of moving on from a topic once your teaching is complete, recap the topic after periodic intervals. Another smart way to reinforce learning is to connect old topics with new ones. For example, the way Square Panda’s sequenced curriculum revisits key topics while adding layers of complexity to make sure learners are revising while learning.
• Break information down into bite-sized pieces: The shorter attention spans of your little learners means you have to space out the information you share with them. Teach them in small increments throughout the day, weaving learning with interactive games and active play. This way, children process the information much faster without having to sit still for longer periods, something that causes the dreaded ‘b’ word: boredom.
• Use multiple modes to deliver information: Use images to support the text you teach. Bring a plant to show colours of leaves, throw a ball to explain motion, collect pebbles to familiarise children with shapes and textures. It is easier to remember information when it is presented in different ways, and particularly so when visual aids are involved. Rather than rely on one mode of instruction, mix it up by adding multiple modes together.
• Use rhymes and songs: Human brains are wired to remember music, patterns, and sounds, and so, using music to teach can help increase recall in children. Create little songs and rhymes about the topic you are teaching, and encourage your students to do the same. For example, if you are talking about frogs, you can bring in an element of maths too by singing Five Little Speckled Frogs.
• Make learning fun: Using entertainment and games in learning has always been encouraged by early childhood education experts. Such instruction makes use of the child’s interest to teach them new concepts. Theoretical subjects are easier to follow, their creativity blooms, and they are actively engaged in learning. Educators and caregivers can take the aid of child-safe educational apps, finger puppets, musical instruments, stories, and more as they teach.

Even as we learn that children start to forget almost as soon as learning happens, there are certain evidence-based strategies to help reinforce learning and increase memory.

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