by bsharan12 | Fri.Apr.2024 | Classroom Behavior
Co-Curricular or Extracurricular Activities:
School activities can be bifurcated into two different entities. They are academic and extracurricular activities.
Academics relate to studying languages, arts, sciences, and other subjects to gain mental knowledge and growth.
The second part relates to extracurricular or co-curricular activities. These help in nurturing and building mental and physical growth that is necessary for the complete development of children.
Extracurricular activities in itself have two parts. The first is school-based while the second is field trips and tours. Both parts are of immense value in the education system.
Importance of Clubs in Schools:
Clubs give students a great platform to hone their social and interpersonal skills.
They fine-tune their interactions with other students and teachers and help them in gaining self-confidence while mingling in society.
All schools give greater importance to having different kinds of clubs in their system. These clubs are of different kinds.
They mainly comprise the following types:
1. Academic club
2. Writers club
3. Dance & Drama club
4. Music & Vocal club
5. Science & Robotics club
6. Drawing & Painting club
7. Sports & Fitness club
8. Field Trips & Tours club
9. STEM Club
9. Journalism & News Reporting Club
10. Nutrition & Wellness Club
11. Students’ Parliament
12. Junior students Fancy dress
13. Junior students Subject-based Activities
14. Junior students Sports
15. Discipline & Mannerism Club
16. Teachers-Students-Parents-Principals Activities Club
Major Skills Enhancing Tips:
Skills help in shaping and developing the students’ horizons.
They also help in polishing their basics which makes them decide their careers in life.
It makes them better time managers.
Discussions with peers hone their communication skills.
They learn the important technique of becoming skilled administrators.
By partaking in different activities, they learn to focus on their goals.
They learn to develop healthy friendships with others.
Democratic Methods of Students Selection for Clubs And Houses:
Multiple activities are done at school. All the activities are done through different clubs which are managed by students.
But different teachers are allocated charges of different clubs. The clubs and its members function under their supervision.
Then the school’s ‘Head Boy’ and ‘Head Girl’ along with their deputies are selected through students’ voting. After that, the other teachers are allocated duties of managing the four houses.
These teachers supervise all activities of the houses and clubs and help students managing them to gain managerial skills.
First, students of all the classes are divided into four different houses.
The houses are named after some historical figure or personalities of national importance.
It is taken care that students are equally divided into different houses as per their qualities without any prejudice.
The next step is selecting the prefects of all the houses. They have to manage the activities and participation of students properly.
They have a complete record of the members of their houses from each class and section.
The final step in house formation is organizing house meetings. The duties, responsibilities, and etiquette of the members of the house are specified clearly.
Then, all members are advised to maintain discipline during school and activity hours.
Lastly, the annual activity calendar, which was prepared before the commencement of the session, is distributed among the members.
The members are told to submit their names for the activities in which they would like to participate. Then they are advised to prepare for their events.
The Benefits of School Activities:
The activities being done by students throughout the year are numerous. It helps in preparation for healthy competition.
It instills in them a competitive spirit that is beneficial later in life. It also nurtures them into mentally and physically strong individuals.
On the basis of the activities, points are given to the houses and their participants along with the trophies. At the end of the session, the houses are ranked as per the accumulated points.
Then the champion and runners-up houses are awarded along with the participants during the school’s annual function.
Different Inter-House Activities.
These different types of inter-house activities can be classified below:
1. Poetry, rhyme and story recitation
2. Declamation, Debate, and speech competition
3. Story, poetry, and content writing for school magazine
4. Dance and drama competition and preparation for a school function
5. Folk, classical and other kinds of dances
6. Vocal and instrumental music competition of all kinds
7. Science quizzes and Robotics lab work
8. School Students’ Parliament
9. On the spot drawing and painting competition
10. Athletics, Indoor, and Outdoor games, Gymnastics
11. Wrestling, Tennis, Football, Hockey, Martial arts and Cricket
12. Society based specific work, picnics, project works, and educational tours
Conclusion:
It has to be borne in mind that clubs and extracurricular activities are very important for the holistic and all-round development of children.
A healthy body is necessary for a healthy mind. They are the two sides of the same coin.
The proverb to be remembered is, “A healthy mind lives in a healthy body.”
Neglect of any of the above by parents, school authorities and the management is not only a crime against children but also a crime against society and humanity.
__________________________________________
by bsharan12 | Fri.Apr.2024 | Classroom Behavior
Introduction:
Speech and debate are of utmost importance for children’s development. Students from an early age are ground through it.
These activities are part of every school’s academic calendar.
They are two separate activities but practiced as one. It is an event derived for middle and high school children.
Participants present a speech as persuasive information and speak both for and against the topic. They can highlight the pros and cons of both sides.
Elocution, declamation and extempore are some important speeches. The presentation method for all three is important.
The speech is judged on the mode in which students present it.
A debate is a structured contest about a given issue. It involves two teams comprising two or three members each who argue current issues skillfully with knowledge and clarity.
One team speaks in favor of the motion while the other argues against it. Interpretations and arguments with quick repertoire are assets in this form of speech.
Strong Opening Lines of Action
The debate starts with a note of greeting and then progresses as:
1. Good morning…Good afternoon
2. Honorable Chairperson Sir/Madame
3. Members of the Adjudicators, Principal Sir/Madame
4. Members of the opposing team and audience
5. Could you all kindly ‘Lend me your ears’
Then the debate sets off in full motion, with the best speaker in the team. He or she should start the motion with a bold rhetoric question. That sets the ball rolling.
A relevant narration of some current, hot issue will catch the audiences’ attention. Once they are attentively glued towards the stage you have made your mark.
After one has grabbed and attracted everyone’s attention one should highlight the key terms and summarize the points while arguing the other teams’ credibility.
Reliable Quote:
“If you can’t explain it simply,
you don’t understand it well enough.”
(Albert Einstein)
Keep Counter-Intuitive Measures In Mind
Each member of the team has usually seven minutes for the argument. You start with a proposition and then continue with opposing the other team.
You should have an intuition about what arguments the other will put forth.
Then you can charge your opposing speaker with having inadequate and shallow knowledge. But it should be polished and respectable language.
You should be able to premeditate the other person’s thoughts and points of arguments to pinpoint precision.
You should keep your opposing team and the audience on their toes with your clear and witty speech and absolute knowledge.
Taking permission:
We can hold no debates without the permission of the principal. It is also a part of the school club activity.
The Arguments Should have Utter Conviction:
The arguments presented should be utterly convincing. There should not be any kind of confusion or doubt.
The slightest wave of doubt will have the opposing team at your throat. And once you are cornered you are virtually a dying duck.
Every point of an argument should be noted and its opposition premeditated. You should be thoroughly prepared for all eventualities.
What qualities would debaters build through debate participation?
1. It builds confidence, improves communication, and increases critical thinking in them.
2. It helps them mature as sensible youths in future.
3. Will be able to Keep a check on Opposing Speakers and critics in their future lives.
Excellent debaters work as a team and chalk out their strategies properly. They should have several team meetings.
Every point of discussion should be clarified and worked out to the hilt.
Similarly, arguments by the opposing speakers should be worked out beforehand. All the opponents’ details should be derived to the minutest detail.
The quality and firing power of all the opponents should be at your fingertips.
Wrong information and slackness will send you to kite flying or on a wild goose chase. In cricketing terms you will be sent on a wild leather hunt.
A debate can and should be termed as war, so watch out and be extremely cautious.
Build A Rapport with Your Audience.
A good debater must link with his audience and build a good rapport. The audience comes to see a vibrant and fiery discussion from participants.
They know the issue being highlighted. So the debater must be able to give the listeners what they expect.
If the participant cannot deliver arguments properly, the expectations built on them would wither. Also, the audience and jury members would turn deaf ears to them.
The students who can ably share a rapport with audiences must have the following qualities:
1. They should be able to analyze listeners’ feelings on the issue being discussed.
2. They should be critical thinkers.
3. They should have the tact to choose words wisely.
4. To choose the right words, phrases, and proverbs one must have an excellent vocabulary.
5. One should have well thought out arguments in his favor.
6. One should be extremely skilled to question pieces of evidence being put forth.
7. They should vehemently prove their own points and pieces of evidence.
8. The orator must be a skilled actor on the stage.
It is a well-known reality that the best performer wins the day for his team.
Valuable Quote
“Debate is life,
the rest is just prep-time.”
Stories Make Your Issues Memorable:
In speech delivery, debate, or all forms of writing and speaking the role of stories are immensely important.
Any speaker or debater must be able to touch the listener’s heart and mind with an excellent story. The stage can be school, college or election meets.
The story must make the audience feel that it is their story being narrated.
Once that chord is touched upon the major work is done. In simple words half the war is won.
Emotionally charged voice with solid information ought to be the speaker’s ‘Moto’:
Debtors or orators are supposed to give information about the issue of argument.
But that should be the secondary focus of speakers. If they want to romp home in a blaze of glory they require another quality.
The facts and shreds of evidence being presented must be emotionally charged.
If the orator delivers information in an emotionally charged platter to his audience he grabs their focus of attention.
Emotions can be garnered if the debater narrates anecdotes from his armory. It could be cooked up on the spot. But it should hit the bullseye.
An excellent speaker is such a person who has roving-eye on the faces of his listeners.
Then one can visualize the impact his/her words are creating on the spectators. This is an important knack all speakers should cultivate.
Conclusion:
Speech and debate is a very Important faculty of expression. This must be an inexcusable part of the school curriculum.
It must be made compulsory for all students. This activity is a very fast path that leads to success in life and even celebrity status.
The following points should be always kept in mind:
1. Debate is a combination of the different skills of public speaking, acting, and arguing.
2. Students learn to work as a team.
3. They learn the importance of teamwork for achieving success.
4. They must prove their point of argument against the opposition.
Debates can be held at class level, inter-house level, inter-school level.
Different types of debate competitions are held in different countries.
One must have a thorough knowledge of all the types.
Speech and debates change the lives of students. They achieve self-confidence and trust in their capabilities.
It is a feather in their caps when they become youths.
