Enhancing Your Child’s Learning With Technology

Technology has become of paramount importance in today’s fast moving world. Parents have also come to understand that technology has become an integral part of their child’s education and it’s their responsibility to  take a comprehensive approach to education by incorporating it seamlessly into the learning process of their child.

Learning methods have evolved considerably in the past decade. Now children have multitude of ways to enhance their learning experiences with the use of the internet or gadgets and have fun at the same time.

Children these days are usually exposed to electronics at younger and younger ages. By their teens, most kids have been fully engaged in the digital world for a long time. There is no clear rule on when a child is ready for his own laptop, cellphone, or tablet.

You could start by giving your child his own account on the shared family computer. They need to show you that they are responsible before you get them their own gadgets. You can install parenting control apps on the family computer or block certain websites.

It is important to explore your child’s curiosity and show them that technology can be used for practical learning. Here are some tips that will help them combine their digital skills and real-world learning:

 

• Make a set of rules that that he has to follow to keep him safe when he’s online. For e.g. he should only interact with people he knows.
• Involve your child in the shopping process when you think they are ready for their own PC or phone so they learn about the specifications of the device. Make sure they read all the reviews of the product and compare it to others.
• Don’t buy a very expensive phone or laptopimmediately. Start with a basic model and ask them to show you that they can take care of it.
• Encourage them to watch educational videosor read blogs about innovations in technology.
• Teach them how to take videos. They can record their friends or family members and edit the videos.
• Ask your child to create and print posters or greeting cards using design software.
• Photography is a fun hobby. Teach them how to use a DSLR.
• Ask your child to help you create a database for weekly household expenses or your recipes.
• Have them research online on a place to visit for the next family vacation.
• Find a fun, educational website that helpswith homework and lets your child play games.
• Download dictionary and vocabulary builder apps for your child.
• Learning a new language has become so much easier with websites providing audio and video content.
• Ask them to use online tools to make their projects more attractive.
• They can create art online and share it on websites like Pinterest.
• Making a new website has become so much easier now. Help them start one with their name which they can update it every week. They can upload all their work or add things they are interested in.

Raising tech-savvy kids is important if they want to keep up with the competition. Technology can be fun and a very useful tool to score better grades.

Children, now, have access to much more information than what their parents did when they were young. Let them explore the internet and you’ll be surprised at what they can achieve.

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7 Ways To Help Your Child Develop Self-Discipline

Self-control is the first step to self-discipline. It’s important for those who want to become successful in life. Children need to be taught the value of self-discipline from an early age. Every time your child accepts a limit that set by you, they are practicing self-control.

Developing self-control can be a lifelong process for some. By learning self-control at a young age, children can respond to stressful situations in ways that yield positive outcomes. To help your child develop self-control, follow these 7 steps:

1. Practice what you preach. Managing your emotions in front of your children is very important. Remember that your actions send a clear message to your children about how to deal with various situations in life. If you are calm during stressful situations your child will also learn to be calm. Compassion is another thing children learn from their parents.

2. The foundation of any relationship is trust. Parents need to be responsive to their children’s needs to foster trust. When a baby is fed it understands that food will come. Soothing your child will help him regulate his emotions. You will also teach him how to soothe himself, and give him a feeling of safety and acceptance.

3. Developing the brain is an important step. Children cannot resist grabbing whatever comes in front of them. They also have very little idea about what is good or bad. Parents have to develop that understanding in them. This is a long process that takes a lot of practice. The brain’s development takes place in many ways. Reading a wide variety of books, sports, art, etc. are excellent ways to develop a child’s mind.

4. Keep practicing. A child needs to understand how to prioritize. They will want one thing, but there will be another thing that they want more. They need to understand that they cannot always get what they want. Giving them a choice between two things will help them understand the importance of making decisions. They will be able to associate it with self-discipline. Remember that it has to be the child’s decision. When they are forced to give something up, they are not practicing self-discipline. If they are not given the chance to choose between two alternatives, they cannot practice controlling themselves.

5. Punishment doesn’t encourage self-discipline. The right kind of limits give children practice in self-discipline. If the child isn’t choosing to stop what they were doing; they are being forced. In this case the child doesn’t feel the need to stop himself. The point is to motivate them to discipline themselves, and not punishing them.

6. Patience is an essential step. Patience is a virtue, and most find it very difficult to be patient in difficult situations. Every time we exercise self-control, we build our ability to draw on it to meet our goals. You cannot expect your child to be patient when he is young. It’s something that they develop gradually. If you’re asking them to be patient, then make sure that the amount of time they have to wait coincides with their ability to wait patiently or they would resort to screaming to get what they want instead of learning self-control. Don’t be impatient, and yell at your child to wait. They will see it as punishment.

7. Children learn self-control on their own too. Do not underestimate your child. They can develop self-control when they’re motivated by something important to them. Playing with other children requires them to manage their emotions. Cooking or baking teaches them to wait till the food is ready and not put it in their mouth when it is hot. Playing their favorite game helps them understand that they need to practice in order to get good at it.

Every time children have to manage themselves, they learn a strategy that helps them in the future. Teaching children self-control is about teaching them to regulate their emotions, which allows them to regulate their thoughts and behaviour.

How To Make A Career In Market Research

Research has always been an integral part of Marketing-it helps companies stay competitive and avoid the high costs of poor decisions based on unsound information.

There are many different roles that you can assume within the field of Market Research. To secure a job, you must have knowledge or experience in the field, and know how to demonstrate that knowledge to employers. As a market researcher, you gather information about the competition or the market and then analyze it to find the best ways to gain an advantage over the competitors.

Remember that a job in Market Research involves a lot of fieldwork. So, be prepared for the run-around. Here are some tips that will help you prepare for a career in Market Research:

1. The main task of a market researcher is to gather and analyse the market so take all the Marketing courses you can.

2. Take courses in Statistics and Quantitative Methods.

3. Acquire internet and computer skills. Knowledge of programming languages is an added asset.

4. Take courses in Psychology and Consumer Behaviour.

5. Acquire effective written and verbal communications skills.

6. Learn to think creatively.

7. You can get a job in Market Research with a Bachelor’s degree, like BBA. You don’t always need an MBA, but many employers prefer it.

8. The most common entry-level position is of an Operational Supervisor or a Junior Research Analyst.

9. There is a lot of scope to learn on-the-job. The field requires a lot of people from a variety of backgrounds.

10. Technical posts like statisticians require a strong background in statistics.

11. Some of the positions available include Vice President of Marketing Research, Research Director, Assistant Director of Research, Project Manager, Statistician, Data Processing Specialist, Analysts, Fieldwork Director, etc.

12. Some research jobs require you to study the effects of a product’s package or advertisements on consumers. Or you may have to analyse market statistics or even asked to develop completely new products.

13. Getting some related skills and experience will help you stand out in interviews. Try and get an internship that helps you learn about the field.

For the best preparation for a career in Marketing Research refer to “Careers in Marketing Research by Naresh K Malhotra and Satyabhushan Dash”: bit.ly/1Cf5QD6.

This book helps to master skills related to Marketing Research, from assessing information needs to providing the company with relevant, accurate, reliable and current information, and assisting marketing decision-making in a very effective way. The research process discussed in the book is not limited to just marketing, but applies to any area of management.

How To Make Maths Fun For Your Child

Maths! You either love it or you hate it, but you can’t live without it. Most children, like their parents when they were kids, see Maths as their enemy. Maths is the one subject that evokes emotions ranging from dislike, to fear in children. The fear of the subject has been one of the major causes of anxiety in students, and it stops them from studying tougher subjects that involve maths.Unfortunately, a bad score in mathematics affects the rest of the subject grades too. Child psychologists have determined that a child’s confidence level fall if they’re not getting good grades in maths. Thus, their overall score starts falling.

Maths anxiety is a type of fear; a fear that isn’t impossible to be conquered. So, how can parents help their children with a subject that still gives them nightmares? Here are a few steps that will help your child face his fear of numbers:–

1. Ignore mathematical myths. There is no such thing as a mathematical brain. It’s true that there are different brain types, but that simply means we all have different approaches to problem-solving. Everyone has a different way to deal with problems, but that doesn’t mean your child’s way is wrong. Give them time.

2. Motivate them. Your child may come to you one day and say “I will never be able to understand Maths”. Don’t let them believe that. Simply encouraging them to think positively can help improve Maths scores.

3. Ignore the myths. It’s believed that good mathematical ability means higher levels of intelligence. In reality, Maths isn’t only for the brightest students and there’s no one gender that’s better at the subject. We need to get past these timeworn ideas.

4. Don’t transfer your fear/anxiety to your child. Some parents unintentionally put their own personal fear of Maths in their children. Focus on using positive language when talking about the subject with your child.

5. Make it entertaining. There are many ways to get your child excited about Maths. You could get him/her Maths related computer games or introduce them to educational TV shows that teach basic Maths. There are many books, video games, and websites that can help your child learn in an engaging way.

6. Incorporate it in their day-to-day lives. Ask your child to help you with the house budget. Ask for their help when shopping. Integrate Maths in activities your child enjoys. If your child likes candy then use that to teach them arithmetic.

7. Make it a game. Play games with your children that require Maths. There are many digital or non-digital games that use Maths. Monopoly, Snakes and Ladders, Lego, Blocks etc. are fun games you can play with the family. Challenge them. Ask them how quickly they can calculate something. When they start doing easy sums fast, increase the level of difficulty. For e.g. Ask them to calculate the amount of time to reach a particular destination at a certain speed. Sudoku is probably the most effective game to play to improve mathematical ability.

8. Practice. It cannot be stressed enough. Maths requires a lot of practice. Make them spend a minimum of 30 minutes on the subject daily. Use exercise books that have fun logic questions.

9. Get help if they need it. If your child is struggling a lot, get them a tuition teacher. The extra help will always come in handy. Make sure the teacher is making your child comfortable with the subject.

It’s important that your child doesn’t give up on Maths. Tell them about the many applications of Maths in various careers, and how it will help them no matter what path they choose in life. To help students with Maths, we at Pearson Schools make use of a special program called the ‘Maths Navigator’. The ‘Maths Navigator’ helps improve the conceptual understanding of the subject by means of commonly available material around us, providing students a better understanding of the subject through unique techniques. We have noted that this leads to improved interest and participation in the learning process.

Your child just needs a little push from you, but don’t put too much pressure on them. Following the aforementioned steps for a hands-on learning experience propels kids to think divergently as well as understand and solve mathematical problems from an early age. Positive reinforcement is very important to encourage them. And before you know it, they’ll soon get over their fear of Mathematics! 🙂

How To Improve Your Child’s Vocabulary

“Communication – the human connection – is the key to personal and career success.”

– Paul J. Meyer

From the moment they utter their first word, parents experience the unmatched joy of watching the incredible growth in their child’s expression of themselves. Vocabulary is the most helpful tool for communication. This is why one of the greatest gifts you can give to your child is to help them build their vocabulary. The key is a commitment to regularly learning new words.

You can help your child cultivate a good vocabulary at a young age. Here’s how:
1. Children start developing a vocabulary during infancy. They imitate words that they hear from adults, and associate those words with objects or actions. Talk to them, but remember to remove empty fillers from your speech by reducing the use of word’s like “um” and “ah.”

2. No matter how difficult, parents should work on giving up baby talk, while asking friends and family to do the same. Baby-talk confuses children. Talk to them the way that you’d speak to anybody else.

3. When the child is young, and can’t read, parents should read aloud to them.

4. Try and play word games with them. For example, play a game called “word of the day”, in which you teach them a new word every day. If they remember the seven new words at the end of the week, take them to their favourite place or give them something they like. Games like Scrabble, Word Search, Word Jumble have been designed to help children improve their vocabulary.

5. When they are able to memorise seven words easily start upping the ante. Try teaching them 10 words next week.

6. The way you teach your child is also critical to your child’s ability to learn. Show them books with pictures and words to help them learn through association. Use words that might interest or fascinate them while talking to them–they’ll ask you for the meaning themselves!

7. Teach your child to look up words they don’t recognize. As your child grows up, it’ll become easier for you to help them build their vocabulary. Encourage them to ask questions, use a dictionary every time they don’t understand a word and pick up a thesaurus when they are working on writing assignments such as essays.

8. Reading is imperative to improving language skills. It’s typically easier for children to learn more words when they are growing up. Children who make reading a habit, tend to learn more words than those who do not. This is true for all languages.

9. Comic books are a great way to learn new words and develop an early interest in reading. Ask them to articulate and share their opinion about their current reads.

10. Get them a library membership or urge them to bring home new books from the school library. Encourage them to listen to podcasts like NPR.

11. Once the child starts reading and writing they learn more words, ask them to start a journal or write letters. It’s a great practice, and it will also help them be more organized.

12. Do the crossword with your children. Help them at first, and eventually you would find that they would be doing it themselves.

13. Keep a vocabulary notepad for extremely difficult words.

14. Remember that they should practice putting your new words into their writing and speaking. It’s very difficult to retain a word if we are not using it regularly.

Speak to your child about your day. Tell them about the things you did and the people you encountered. Don’t miss any funny details. This will help them understand storytelling outside the realms of a book. Ask them to do the same and tell you about their day using the new words they’ve learnt. A good vocabulary will help your children at all stages in life. We use language to express ourselves every day. It may be difficult to memorize large words daily, but there are many ways to make it fun. You’ll start enjoying watching your child grow one word at a time. 🙂

Pearson Schools Ranked 1st & 2nd amongst Top Schools In India

In a recent survey, conducted by EducationWorld, 8 of our Pearson Schools were ranked 1st and 2nd in various cities across India. EducationWorld has been publishing the “Annual EducationWorld India School Rankings” with C fore (the well-known Delhi-based market research and opinion polls agency) for six years.

Schools were judged on academic reputation, faculty competence, leadership quality, sports education, etc. Our schools ranked high in not one, but each of these parameters!

Pearson Schools were ranked out of 1000 of India’s most high-profile schools, on 14 parameters- academic reputation, faculty competence, leadership quality, sports education, etc. Our schools ranked high in each of these parameters. We are a young family that has already left a mark on the country. This survey has also helped us improve the quality of education.

Pearson in India brings a wide range of leading products and services to the Indian education system and has changed the way we see education in the country. We are committed to bring enabled learning in India.

Pearson Schools seek to provide the best of academic standards with international teaching methodology, qualified and trained teaching staff and multimedia-based interactive content, creating a learning environment that is innovative, challenging and enterprising.

Here’s a detailed look at the rankings:

Pearson Voice Of Teacher Survey, 2014

 ‘‘Indian education needs greater thrust on skill and personality development”- says Pearson Voice of Teacher Survey, 2014.

Released on the occasion of Teachers’ Day, Voice of Teacher Survey is an annual initiative of Pearson, the world’s leading learning company. The survey focuses on topical issues facing Indian education sector and shares teachers’ perspective on the changing dynamics of the ecosystem. The 2014 edition of the survey focuses on the education system’s ability to drive learner outcomes and the challenges faced in achieving the same. 

Check out the video message from  Mr. Deepak Mehrotra, Managing Director, Pearson India, announcing the release of Pearson Voice of Teacher 2014 Survey findings – 

Indian teachers have voiced their opinions on the current state of India’s learning environment through ‘Pearson Voice of Teacher Survey 2014’.

Here are some of the key findings of the survey –

• In India, 50% of the students entering any class lack the required skills. School teachers perceive a greater proportion of their students possess the skills (57%) vis-à-vis counterparts at higher education institutions (46%).

 

Teachers (94%) consider skill and personality development as the most critical benchmark for measuring learner success – much higher than exam results (57%).

• In driving the desired ‘learner outcomes’, teachers are least satisfied with support received from Parents (54%). Teachers are most satisfied with students (83%) for support on driving learner outcomes; least satisfied with
  parents (54%). Satisfaction is lower among higher education vis-à-vis school teachers.
  

• 79% of Teachers believe that the learning environment has improved over the past decade.  The perception varies by segment/ level – school teachers view the changes more favorably (93%) vis-à-vis their counterparts in higher education (71%).
  

• Teacher perspective at the state-level:
  o Improvement in learning environment
  • Highest – Karnataka (91%)
  • Lowest- Telengana (64%)

  o Students with skills adequate for their class/level
  • Highest – Karnataka (58%)
  • Lowest -Andhra Pradesh (43%)

  o Technology perceived as an enabler of learner outcomes
  • Highest – Jharkhand (61%)
  • Lowest – Delhi (45%)

  o Perceived mismatch between syllabus and learner needs
  • Highest % of teachers perceiving this a challenge – Telengana (77%)
  • Lowest – Jharkhand (48%)

  o Focus of students and parents on exam results
  • Highest – Madhya Pradesh (72%)
  • Lowest – Kerala (61%)

  (% figure indicates the response of teachers at state level)

  This year’s survey represents the views of 5145 teachers from schools and higher education institutes across 247 cities and towns in India.

  Download the complete Pearson Voice of Teacher 2014 Survey findings here – www.pearson.co.in/vot

5 Ways To Help Your Child Develop Good Communication Skills

 

“Communication–the human connection–is the key to personal and career success.”

It’s extremely important for young children, students to talk, share & communicate. As individuals it makes them stronger and more confident. A two months old infant’s smile is one of the first signs of communication from a child. As they grow older, children might find the task a bit difficult.

Does your child feel extremely shy talking to new people? Does he/she also hesitate participating in fun activities? Don’t fret. It’s not unusual for a growing child to have average or even poor communication skills. But with a good balance of effort and love, you can help your child develop the art of communicating well.

Here are 5 simple ways to jumpstart your efforts:

• Keep Your Ears Open: Let your children express their feelings, concerns and ideas and answer their questions. This will not only boost their confidence but will also increase their level of curiosity.

• Put That T.V. Off: Not only is it important to listen, it’s also extremely important for you to pay attention to each and every word they say. Encourage verbal communication and maintain eye contact. If you don’t take full interest, they might lose hope of getting anyone else’s attention in the future.

• Give Space: While you must try to talk to your child about everything, if he/she shows anger or stubbornness, give space. Let go and try again after some time. Don’t pester children or force them to share or express when they don’t want to.

• Encourage Participation: Encourage your children to take part in local contests and competitions. Don’t discourage them even if they lose. Let them get out and talk to people from various walks of life. That way, they will have a broader perspective about things and they might learn a thing or two by meeting people from different backgrounds & cultures.

• You Are Your Child’s Hero: If you talk to others with kindness and respect, he/she is likely to follow your lead. Be confident and have conversations with friends and relatives in front of your child. Try to use various words to communicate with everyone!

Sounds easy, doesn’t it? Remember, communication is a vital skill that all children need to learn. Your children could touch great heights with a little bit of your help. Develop a bond with them and help them build interpersonal relationships by communicating. Communication skills will help them soar both personally & professionally. It’ll be worth it 🙂

9 Ways To Build and Improve Your Child’s Reading Skills

Being a good reader is arguably the most important vehicle for academic excellence. And who knows children better than their parents? Children who are exposed to a large array of reading materials in their homes from a younger age are shown to score higher on standardized tests.

As a parent, you can provide the one-on-one time and attention that is imperative for success in reading. Here’s how you can plant, nurture and grow a keen interest in reading in your child:
1. Shower them with reading material
Encourage your child by surrounding him/her with things to read. Keeping novels, magazines, and comic books in the living room, bedrooms, bathrooms and cars can be a good start.

2. Set aside time to read to them
Reading out loud to kids regularly has shown to produce significant gains in reading comprehension, vocabulary, and the decoding of words.

3. Read as a family on days off
Put aside half an hour on weekends when everyone in the family reads together silently. Watching you will inspire your kids too.

4. Use context to find out a word’s meaning
Help build their vocabulary by figuring out the meaning of a word by seeing how the word was used in a sentence.

5. Track their progress
Be in the know of reading skills that your child is expected to have at each grade level.

6. Bring them to a local library
Make books appealing to your children by taking them to a local library every couple of weeks. Once their interest builds, offer to get them a membership at the library.

7. Ask them about the book they are currently reading
Starting a conversation about their present read will not only help them articulate their thoughts about the book at hand, but also give you an inlet into their imagination and personality.

8. Help them set reading goals
To build a clear focus on reading and develop reading speed, help them set reading goals for reading material at hand.

9. Praise them for their efforts
Children seek validation for their efforts. Your reaction to their reading will have a great influence on how hard they will work to become good readers. Shower them genuine praise.

Pearson Learning Centre hosts Bangalore’s largest CET Strategy Session

Aims at preparing CET/JEE/AIPMT aspirants for future career planning
Bangalore, 21st July, 2014: Pearson Learning Centre, a part of Pearson, the world’s leading learning company hosted a ‘Mega Strategy Session’ in Bangalore today for CET/JEE/AIPMT aspiring students. Mr. Venkat Phanikiran, an IIT Delhi alumni and a national level entrance expert led the session at which he provided counseling and guidance to the students on topics such as ‘how to fine-tune strategies’ to succeed in the entrance exams in the days ahead.

Mr. Venkat Phanikiran also shared information on various Engineering/Medical Entrance exams in India with the students and guided them on how to balance between preparing simultaneously for Board & Entrance exams.
Mr. Venkat Phanikiran also shared information on various Engineering/Medical Entrance exams in India with the students and guided them on how to balance between preparing simultaneously for Board & Entrance exams.

Strategy session shared methods and techniques which were successfully used by over thousands of students who have studied for the CET / AIEEE/ IIT-JEE at Pearson Learning Centre. The centre which is popular for teaching quick problem-solving and time-saving methods had helped students to reach their full potential.

“The mega strategy session is an initiative that is in line with our commitment of providing world-class education solutions to our students. This is the time of the year when students start planning for their future careers and seek information on the various choices they have. We believe this session will help them gain insights from experts in the field of education and help them make informed choices,” said Vinod Viswanathan, Head – Pearson Learning Centre.