President Harry S. Truman said, “Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers.” Time and again it has been proved that successful people in business or important personnel of Government organizations who run the world, have something in common, that it their love for reading. The mastermind behind SpaceX and Tesla, CEO Elon Musk expresses that he has learnt a great deal from reading. Another business guru Warrant Buffet- chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, spends days and nights tugged into a book.

Now that we have realized just how important it is to read and want to follow our role model’s footsteps, let us learn what effective reading means and how to start right away!

Students have no option but to read, because adults & class teachers have always summoned them of how important it is to read a text book inside-out in order to score better grades in school. That means, most part of growing-up years goes in reading and remembering facts from school books, to gain marks. However, with the IB Culture picking up pace in developed nations like; UAE and GCC Countries, emphasis is now shifting to practical, hands-on knowledge based on STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) curriculum.

Having an inclination towards reading and setting a goal is great. Some readers want to read as many as ’12’ books per year, so that is ‘1’ book per month, which is awesome, but is there any take-away from all these books? How much of the story or biography would you remember, if someone where to ask you about it, 6 months down the line. Ask yourself how much you read, and how much is actually retained.

Some wise people attribute their success in life to reading, because they have found a way to truly extract the meaning and learnings from the novel and apply it to their daily lives. The best leaders know how to put the words read, into action.

Where else would you discover age-old wisdom, or secrets of mother nature? It is all there documented in some text or the other, you only need to open the cover and understand the true essence of it.

So here are some tips to help you be a better reader:

What’s Motivating You to Read the Book:

Did you randomly pick up a book you spotted on the bookshelf of a book store? Or did you actually do some research and then buy a book of interest to you? The question is ‘why did you choose to read the book’. The purpose of reading will drive you to derive the meaning from the book and not just read it mindlessly. The story should be relatable to your life and motivate the reader to achieve his goals, whether it is to ‘save more money’ or ‘enhance cooking skills’. For example, if you want to expand your business and earn wealth, then books such as ‘Rich Dad, Poor Dad’ would be your go-to. Alternatively, if you seek spiritual upliftment then books such as; ‘The Alchemist’ and ‘The Art Of Happiness’ would be most suitable.

Take Your Time To Read:

In today’s digital savvy world, one liner quotes and sayings on Instagram and WhatsApp forwards are a new thing! Unlike these quick motivational starters, books need to be read from cover to cover. Don’t expect to find the meaning of the novel in the first chapter itself. Be patient, let the story unfold, find the true meaning, and absorb every bit of emotion that it eludes in you. The aim is not to check off the book from the ‘reading list’. The ultimate idea is to enjoy the book, spend time with it, learn as much as you can, and share it with your friends & family.

Throw Yourself Into Reading

Engage with the paragraphs as you read. Pause every now & then and ponder upon the thoughts by having an internal dialogue with yourself. You could even share your opining with others who have read the same book and debate over it. Make notes of important ‘sayings’ or ‘verses’ in your diary and revisit it when you need to. Highlight sentences from the book and search-up meanings of words from a dictionary, such that you can add more words to your vocabulary.

Choose The Correct Format

There are so many mediums available in the market today with e-books, kindle, audiobooks, and the ever-popular paperback versions, for readers to choose. It depends on your preference which one would you like to go for. Print books create a connection as you can feel, touch and highlight content from the chapters. You can display the physical copy of the book in your home’s showcase and serve yourself as a reminder to the learnings you gained, versus the e-books, where there is no such option. For those who are comfortable with the digital version, Highlights Library is an excellent example of an e-book reader. The brand usually caters to reading books for school going students and teenagers, and has become a popular option for many in the Middle East nations, including Dubai.

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For centuries humans have communicated through anecdotes and stories. There’s a very strong reason for this. One of the primary ones being that storytelling enables us to introduce complex concepts while still being able to keep the topics relatable. Effective storytelling is how we share information, and quite frankly, most of how humans communicate today is still in stories. It’s our native way of sharing our learnings and understandings. And therefore, it’s only natural for young learners to learn best with stories. Smithsonian Science stories harps on this very teaching method for effective learning experiences for young learners. Here’s how Smithsonian uses stories to teach young students:

Survival Stories

Learning about nature and their surroundings is pretty important and outright necessary for young students. Developing a basic understanding of how things work is primary for children in their developing stages. Survival stories are a collection of lessons and anecdotes that help the child learn easily and simply about nature, their surroundings and safety. The topics covered in the stories include, plants and botany, animals and their biology, parenting in animals, and the similar parallels drawn for parenting in humans. The students also learn about the various ways in which animals and plants defend themselves from the elements and other factors that could harm them. It is also explained in this story as to why people and animals are similar and have similar body parts that all have a role to play.

Everyday Energy

Energy is quite an abstract topic to teach children, and sometimes even to adults. This is the case because energy is not tangible like the other things children experience in their lives of limited exposure. The Everyday Energy book enables them to develop an understanding of this fundamental natural phenomena that we refer to as energy. In this book with the help of stories students learn how energy is used in homes, how power plants that produce energy works, and they also learn about the different resources used to create this energy. With a basic understanding of energy, the young students are also taught about the various roadblocks we face as a civilization to create sustainable energy and the various steps that we take to make our consumption energy efficient.

Changing Earth

Change itself is a new concept to children while also being uncomfortable to learn. Children in their lives of limited exposure learn very little about the changing world. The Changing Earth book highlights how the earth changes in slow and fast ways. With the help of stories children understand how the earth is shaped. How land and water interact with each other. The young students learn about stability and change in earth, their stories also help them learn about the role engineers and scientists play in changing the earth in very different ways. Erosion as a concept is introduced to the young students, where they also learn the very real problems created by it.

With several such diverse stories and anecdotes, students learn real usable information that sets their basics for science.

Smithsonian Science by Carolina is an online classroom platform. The platform provides an opportunity to all the students to learn and explore with ease from the comfort of their homes. Being adopted with great results in Dubai, GCC, Middle East and UAE, the Smithsonian Science Stories, set a great fundamental base for the students’ understanding of science and the world at large.

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Technology was and will always be an inevitable part of our lives. We have seen it evolve from the oldest centuries to the present day. The human race has incredibly outdone itself and has made tremendous progress. You name it and there has been advancement in technology in several areas be it aerospace, agriculture, architecture, artificial intelligence, business, communication, construction, education, electronics, energy, entertainment, manufacturing, medicine, nuclear power, space, transport, etc. Take Dubai for example, it was predominantly desert land and in the 21st century, it has remarkably become a top-notch Emirate of the United Arab Emirates. Like the West, Dubai has opportunities galore and it too has surpassed supreme levels of technology and indeed has the crème de la crème in terms of its affluent offerings for its residents. The other Middle East and GCC countries are also attracting people from over the globe to live and succeed here, in such places that reciprocate to technological growth in multi sectors.

Hence, in this fast-paced world, we have to be abreast at all times and keep moving along. One has to embrace innovation and every day is a work in progress in the littlest of each person’s capacity to contribute to the wellbeing of society where technology only goes uphill. There are still a few of us who prefer to be old school but the better obviously, would be to ace up our game and be tech savvy in all aspects of life to flourish collectively into even a brighter future that belongs to mankind. It is extremely imperative to utilize this technology wisely and to not misuse it for ulterior motives that are devastating, bringing doom to the very society that we wish truly prospers. Children are precious jewels to be smartly moulded. In fact, today’s gen-next kids are organically inclined towards technology from a small age and the ones who are not can be made to gravitate towards it by consciously getting them interested in ideas and things related to technology. The initial steps can be taken by introducing them to simple concepts through play, art, and craft. These will enlighten them with the current and the past technologies that were invented, will retain their interest while them being curious to learn more. You may have future astronauts, doctors, engineers, scientists, and plenty more in the making. Below mentioned are some easy technology projects for your kids at home.

Remembering Alexander Graham Bell

Neither we adults nor children can do without cellular technology. This great man invented the telephone in the 18th century and there has been revolution in the area of communication since then. This basic art and craft activity requires home items to make a string telephone with the help of paper cups and strings. Through this, children would learn how sound waves were first transferred. To demonstrate it, a tiny hole would have to be poked at the bottom of each cup. The approx. 20 meters string would have to be thread through each cup tying knots at each end of the cups. Then the parent and child can be positioned at a slight distance holding cups at either ends so that the string doesn’t touch anything. Now one person talks into the cup and the other listens while placing their cup on their ear and that is how the science behind it would be known to the child.

Secret Games

This is an absolute fun activity wherein the child will learn another science-based concept. Children love to play secret games and pass on notes to their friends all in good light. The child would write any message or draw any picture on a piece of white paper. With the aid of an adult, they would use a cotton swab and dip it in a solution of squeezed lemon juice mixed with water. That swab would be rubbed over the paper which would make the message or picture invisible. Then they would share the secret paper with their sibling and the other person would reveal the message for themselves by placing the paper under sunlight or by holding it close to a light bulb again being careful and being monitored by an adult. The learning aspect is that the water dilution to the lemon juice made it invisible and the lemon juice being a natural substance oxidizes and turns brown when it gets heat and thus the secret message or picture is revealed.

Globetrotters

Much as children enjoy secret games, they love to be navigators and search experts. This easy yet interesting activity would lead them to become travel enthusiasts and they could be happily globetrotting the world in the future. Parents can play quizzes and search games and help children navigate different places around the world on a digital world map or on digital maps of individual countries available on a computer. That way they would learn to read maps and get to know countries and their capitals and popular cities in every country. They would then be made to search for similar places on the corresponding physical world map or individual maps of countries. This is great learning for them and a good amalgam, combining digital technology and physical charts thereby strengthening Geography as well.

Coding

It is the in-thing with the children world over. Coding is known as the language of the future. These are technology based online lessons they can learn through any web-based learning platform. All the child needs at home is a computer or a laptop and an internet connection. Coding can be learnt easily without the child having any prior background with the same. It can begin as early as from eight years of age, going upwards. Coding teaches real text-based programming in a game-like manner. In simple terms, our computer functions when we give it a particular command or an order, that language here is known as a Code.

Bubble Fun

This is a most loved activity. It just gives one unimaginable joy blowing air bubbles and watching them glide in the air. There is a fun factor involved but it is excellent for building children’s oral motor skills and also helps them develop small muscles in their mouths. They are then able to eat and swallow easily and speak with clear sounds. In order to execute this task, a small hole would have to be made at the bottom base of a plastic or a paper cup. A straw would be made to pass through the hole halfway into the cup. Then the child has to dip the mouth of the cup into a bowl of bubble solution made with dish soap and water and then blow. They will gleefully see bubbles blowing in the air.

Movie time

Who doesn’t like watching movies and wouldn’t it be lovely to convert a room into a mini theatre at home? That is what this activity is all about. It is for slightly older children who can with the help of a shoebox and few other items build a smartphone projector for movie watching on a screen slide or an empty wall at home. The child would need a shoebox of which he or she would use one side to cut out a circle as per the diameter of the magnifying lens. The handle of any magnifying lens needs to be cut off and the round portion of the lens needs to be attached to one side of the shoe box. Prior to that the shoe box would have to be covered with black paper. Then once the lens is placed, the smartphone screen has to be positioned near the lens. The phone has to be supported by another cardboard for it to stay static and project the movie on the lens. The technology is that the lens will invert the video and that will be projected on the empty wall at home. The family can grab a bowl of popcorn and have an amazing time. Children can be made to feel so empowered by achieving such tiny feats.

‘TechnoKids’ brings to you computer-based lessons for schools, learning centers and home school. They have computer lesson plans for kids from primary to junior to intermediate to senior level. They integrate technology into the curriculum with project-based learning. ‘Techno Kids Computer Curriculum’ is a collection of technology projects that include engaging computer activities for children of all ages. Computer lessons have students apply knowledge to analyse information, collaborate, solve problems, and make decisions.

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Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) are the most fundamental questions included in the assessment sheet where the student has to choose the correct answer from the multiple options, to be able to answer the question. MCQs usually have a single correct ‘option’, however in few cases the student is asked to select ‘more than one’ options to justify the answer. Every subject has a section in the examination paper which is devoted to MCQs. Be it Math, GK, Science, or English, multiple choice format questions are popular means of evaluation.

Many competitive entrance exams in fields such as banking, MBA, and even UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) follow this format to admit the best of the best candidates to undertake the course.

Advantages of MCQs

One of the most prominent reason is that the answer is a part of the ‘four’ choices and students who struggle to remember facts, may recollect it by looking at the options. Other than this, the following are its advantages;

Easy to Create

Once you have a bank of important questions, the examiner can easily form the MCQs and also include different variations of the same question. In the digital age that we live in, there are tools that assist the educator in promoting important MCQs from the syllabus, thereby making the job of the teacher even easier. Markezy is one such easy to use platform that provides an online question bank across numerous subjects and also suggestions newer questions, as the syllabus is covered through the course of the sessions. Markezy has gained popularity in schools across Dubai and UAE, and is slowly gaining popularity in other regions across the globe.

Quicker Evaluation

Since the answer is pretty straightforward and pre-defined checking the answer sheets doesn’t take much time. Unlike essay type questions, one does not have to read two pages of lengthy answers and then assign marks. Markezy gives teachers the option to scan the exam paper and auto compute the score at just a click. This would mean eliminating errors in checking and reducing the hassle of carrying loads of paper home to check it in the wee hours of the night. If you wish to learn more about Markezy’s availability in GCC or other Middle East countries; visit Markezy

Elimination of Bias

Though exams are conducted and evaluated with utmost anonymity to avoid partiality while checking, there are instances where the teachers have slipped in extra mark for their favorite student and got them to pass the exam. With MCQs there is no chance for bias and the student’s knowledge is tested basis what he or she knows.

Covers Wider Range Of Topics

There is good scope of asking many MCQs in the paper since each one carries limited marks. Therefore, no important topic is left out and all of it can be included in MCQs. Also, if students think that they can take it lightly and not study for MCQs they might be mistaken. Many a times, the four choices are deliberately tweaked for difficulty such that all the answers seem like the right one. There is no scope to bluff and the selected choice is either ‘right’ or ‘wrong’.

Disadvantages of MCQs

The Guessing Game

Since there are defined options and one has to be the correct answer, students might resort to guessing or tic tac toe technique to tick the right answer. If the teacher propped further and maybe took a follow-up oral exam later, it would be rather shocking to find out that the student actually doesn’t know anything and was just good at guessing.

Creates More Confusion

Even though the students know the right answer, they may not be able to answer it correctly. What does that mean? When the examinee sees multiple options to the same question, he may be subject to confusion and suddenly the correct answer blanks out. Especially in Math, where there are many ways of solving a problem and calculation that the student might come to and the options that are enlisted, might be different and mislead one further.

Only a Part of The Concept is Tested

In subjective questions, the answer is written in sentences and explained by the learners in proper paragraphs. There is scope to express one’s thoughts freely and the teacher thus is able to gauge the level of understanding. This is amiss when it comes to MCQs. Often Historical events, scientific explanations, and math theorems are best tested when in subjective format.

To conclude, there are equal pros and cons to MCQs, however a balance of both subjective and MCQs is the best way to go forward while setting the exam paper.

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Does your mind wander about when you sit to study or just to pass time? Do you ever find yourself thinking about random things like “How long is my right hand?” or “How tall is the chair in my room?” While these general ponderings are especially common in growing children, they often find themselves befuddled with the task of actually measuring even small objects especially when it is normal not to have to carry a ruler around with you.

When you want to measure linear measurements, the measurements may be in the units – inches, feet, yards, meters or kilometers. Initially, to make exact measurements, as it can be difficult without experience to make spot-on or even close to real estimations, start measuring familiar objects with tools. These tools can vary from short to long and big to small. Let us look at some:

Ruler

A ruler is an object of measurement that is usually 12 inches long but can also be 30 centimeters long. You want to make sure that any measurement you make with a ruler of an object, that object must be smaller than or as long as the ruler itself for an accurate measurement.

Yardstick or a Meter Stick

A Yardstick or a Meter Stick is approximately 3 feet long since a yard is made up of 3 feet. We can use this to measure larger objects such as a table.

Plastic Tape Measure

This tool is really cool as it does not constrict you to measure only straight objects, it allows you to measure curved objects as well such as a football. This makes it a unique tool of measurement.

Metal Tape Measure

This is very different from a plastic tape measure as its length can go up to 50 to 200 feet. This is used to measure bedrooms, swimming pools and even entire houses.

Measuring Wheel

Known as Surveyor’s Tool or Distance Calculating Wheel, this device has a calibrated wheel attached to the handle. One must only roll it from a starting point to the end point and read the numbers on the counter to read the measurement of the distance covered by the wheel.

Laser Tape Machine

It is a new and accurate replacement to the commonly known measurement tools. It uses Optics and Laser Physics to give exact measurements. It uses Phase Shift Principle, in which the reflection of the outbound laser beam and the duration of time it takes to register the reflected pulse is used to measure the distance the laser beam has traversed.

Mathletics is the appealing online Math program for hybrid classrooms and home learning. Set up various challenges for your students no matter where they are. Challenges like practice and fluency activities, problem-solving and reasoning questions, and reward their learning with certificates and points. Mathletics’ motto is “To support school and home educators to bring the love of learning mathematics to their students.” With their work they mean to provide purpose driven-education while captivating learners of all ages and create moments that inspire learning. Mathletics has received great support from the GCC. With plans to incorporate it into the lives of their countries’ youth, Middle Eastern countries such as UAE have already begun plans for schools in Dubai.

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