Biology Lab-Skills Workshop
/0 Comments/in 21st Century Skills, AVM Updates, Thinking Skills /by AVM TeachersScience has uncovered quite a few complicated phenomena but life still remains the most complicated yet simple creation of GOD. One of the purposes of studying science is to create curiosity amongst the young minds by helping them make sense of things around them. Science is supposed to be a hands on subject where students should be able to do different things and have fun. To create that enthusiasm amongst students, the Biology Department at AVM organized a basic lab skills workshop which allowed the students to learn some of the basic laboratory skills at an early age.
The secondary school Biology curriculum only allows students to observe different specimens and slides. It is only in high school that they get to prepare slides and do other activities on their own. To give a head start to the students of AVM, such a workshop was organized for the students of standard 10. Around 42 students took part in this week long workshop.
Mrs. Archana Patankar (M.Sc. Botany) – HOD Biology, explained the students how to prepare the slides of a plant and animal cell. She also explained the importance of materials used and showed them how to use different apparatus. Since the arrangement was such that each student would get their own microscope and other apparatus to perform the activity, the excitement in the biology lab was very visible. Mr. Sarvajeet Parsaniya (M.Sc. Biotech) was also there to guide and help the students. One of the heartening things to observe was the way such students who had found the theory class challenging, excelled in the lab. They prepared some wonderful slides with the correct techniques and proper methodology.
The principal of AVM, Dr. Vijay Patel, a keen science enthusiast himself, visited the Biology lab to observe the proceedings and more importantly to encourage students. At the end of the workshop, each student was given a questionnaire to fill. The idea was to see if they understood and learnt the basic skill set required, which they passed with flying colors.
Robo Camp and Hindi Week
/0 Comments/in 21st Century Skills, AVM Updates, Creativity /by AVM TeachersRobo Camp 2011
Great Explorations!
/0 Comments/in 21st Century Skills, AVM Updates /by AVM TeachersAtmiya Vidya Mandir School believes the only way in which we can equip a new generation to cope with a rapidly changing environment is, to teach them How and Why behind natural and non made phenomenon.
On August 27, 2011, the Science Department of AVM presented an exciting event of Inter House Science Competition.
Opportunities for learning exist everywhere! This Science Competition was an attempt of showing some ways, in which these opportunities can be made use of.
Science Competition highlighted the following events:
· Visual Quiz for Standard I and II
· Live video demonstration Quiz for standard III and IV
· Poster making and presentation for standard V and VI
· Team challenge for standard VII and VIII
· Group presentation for standard IX and X
From Junior group, each participant was engaged in joyful exploration of the scientific world around and harmonizing with it.
During the team challenge activity, the team participants were asked to design a bridge from the given sheets of paper and resource material. Surprisingly the paper bridges were found sturdy enough after the verification of their strength!
Participants of standard IX and X were allotted the topics a week earlier and they were allowed to proceed with their scientific views, keeping presentation outline in mind.
The topics chosen by Science team was
· Satyam House: Sound and its applications/ dispersion and scattering of light
· Shivam House: Chemical Reactions
· Sundaram House: Nervous System (Control and coordination)
· Suhradam House: Exploring Universe
This event was the combination of several scientific skills. The teacher’s role in all activities was not of transforming information but rather one of being a facilitator, a leader and a resource person in a learning process.
The activities were designed to encourage students to observe and explore their environment; to understand relationship in nature and between human and nature; and to learn better how humans are an integral part of the intricate web of life.
Learning Science can be more fun, both for the student and teachers, when it’s based on real experience. We hope that these activities will lead to Joy of understanding, a process in which both students and adults enjoy exploring their environment together.
The entire events were meticulously judged by Honorable Principal Dr. Vijay Patel along with Dr. Rupashree Madam. Vijay Sir announced Satyam House as the overall winner and enlightened the students to promote the analytical ability to develop scientific approach towards the life.
Written by: Archana Madam and Kshitij Sir
Failure is an event, NEVER an Individual.
/0 Comments/in 21st Century Skills, AVM Updates, Value Based Education /by AVM TeachersThe Cultural Committee at Atmiya Vidya Mandir seems to be ahead of Harvard University in that respect as they decided to celebrate a unique value at Atmiya Vidya Mandir “Failing Forward”. Shivam House got the opportunity to celebrate such a unique value recently.
The original idea came from a book written by John Maxwell: “Failing forward – turning mistakes into stepping stones of success.” The book itself is one of the best sellers from the author and more importantly an inspiration to the readers.
Shivam House started the week with a presentation on Monday. The idea was to introduce the value to all the students with simplicity. Through various videos and examples it was made clear that if one can learn from a mistake then it is no longer a failure but a success. It was conveyed in the presentation that failure is a part of life, no one can avoid failure. More importantly it is about how to face the failure and bounce back from it. Students from Std 10 (Pranshu Savani and Hemal Gadhiya) gave a very meaningful presentation on 7 steps to fail forward. They cited different examples with videos which made the students and teachers want more. On Wednesday, Kishan G (Std 10) gave a speech on the importance of not to fail backward. He mentioned some criteria to help to see if one is failing backward or forward when they meet with failures.
On Thursday, Prajval Sir gave a presentation on the need to learn from mistakes and be prepared to face the failures in life as it is inevitable. He stressed the fact that failure is not fatal if we are ready to learn from it and not repeat the same mistake. Shivam House brought a new perspective to the value on Friday with a speech from Sarthak Jariwala (Std 12). Sarthak talked about the need of divine intervention when we cannot overcome the failures in life. He gave some good examples from different fields of life to make a very good point. He also explained Gunatitanand Swami’s vaat “Dosh rahe che ne tali jata nathi…” and explained the importance of setbacks in life.
Every week, students look forward to the creative assembly as it brings a lot of excitement and new ways to learn about a life value. Shivam House increased the excitement of students by multi-fold through a video sneak preview of the Saturday creative assembly. Pujeetbhai prepared two very well made sneak previews for the Saturday’s event which caught the imagination of the whole school including the teachers.
Shivam House did not disappoint the students by showcasing the assembly in a very innovative and refreshing form of a talk show. Vaishvik Patel (Std 8), the House Vice Captain, was the host of “The Saturday Morning Show with Vaishvik Patel”. Vaishvik impressed everyone with his humour and his casual but friendly attitude. He was equally intelligent and respectful towards his guests on the show. In the show, the students of Shivam House presented a scintillating and inspirational dance performance on the song ‘Chale chalo’ from the movie LAGAAN. Suhradam Sir choreographed the dance very meaningfully and told a story of failing forward through the dance. The dance (lead by Vinay Rathi) showcased the spirit and enthusiasm which lifted everyone in the hall. Then it was a time to call upon the guest played by Bhavik Parekh (Std 9). Bhavik confidently played the part of a motivational speaker and put across his points successfully with videos of Isiah Thomas (basket ball player) and America’s 16th president Abraham Lincoln. Bhavik explained that Lincoln was a very ordinary man and faced plenty of failures in his life but what made the difference was his attitude towards those problems. He also answered some questions from the audience.
One of the features of the show was its commercial breaks. The adverts were selected very carefully so that they were relevant to the value and also motivational for the students. The show ended with thanking the participants and key members of the staff who made the show possible through end credits. Shivam House also prepared a small ‘The making of Failing Forward’ video showing the efforts put by all the students and teachers with some funny moments.
Softboard presentation is a unique feature at Atmiya Vidya Mandir, as students and teachers prepare them week in week out with such creativity to convey some important life values.
Every success story is also a story of failure. All the successful and famous people overcame the hurdles and then became successful. Shivam House chose a similar theme of depicting the ‘famous failures’. They included the lives of Michael Jordan to Albert Einstein who all were told they could not succeed in life. But their courage and perseverance brought them unprecedented success. Such examples also included Amitabh Bachchan, Abraham Lincoln, Steve Jobs to name a few others. The message on the soft board was loud and clear “Achievers reject rejects, they never give up, and they redefine the failures”.
Shivam House thanks everyone who made this week possible and made it a huge success.
Building active communities through sport and games
/0 Comments/in 21st Century Skills, AVM Updates, Sports /by Seema JoshiFootball is a very popular game among the school children. Part of its popularity may be its simple rules and the large field and for AVM students….part of its popularity may stem from the fact that a slight drizzle adds fun to the game and an excuse to get wet. Students display amazing ball control, dexterity and other skills with the ball, during this Annual Inter-School Competition termed as The Subrato Cup Interschool Football Tournament. In which five schools of Surat region participated, two revolutionary teams going head to head on the football pitch, just days after creative uprisings topple rain-bound passivity.
Subrato Cup Football Competition
The football event was in two categories, Under 14 and Under 17
Under 14:
8 teams participated.
1ST .SEMIFINAL:-SWAMINARYAN MISSION V/S VALMIKI VIDYALAYA
2ND SEMIFINAL: – ESSAR INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL V/S P.P SAVANI
WINNER TEAM:- ESSAR INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL
Under 17:
10 Teams participated.
1ST .SEMIFINAL:-ESSAR INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL V/S VALMIKI VIDYALAYA
2ND SEMIFINAL: – ATMIYA VIDYA MANDIR V/S P.P SAVANI
FINAL: – P.P SAVANI V/S ESSAR INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL
WINNER TEAM:- P.P SAVANI
AVM won the first knock out round against Ryan International School but lost against PP Savani School in the second round who were the eventual winners of the tournament. It ended with unprecedented excitement and many learning experiences. The match — between VALMIKI VIDYALAYA and ESSAR INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL kicked off in a festive atmosphere.
The thrilling game has promised to return stability to the academics, but in the aftermath of this tournament students are believed to win the other tournament too ….which was Inter House Table Tennis Tournament…..There were more than three groups in the Table Tennis set, junior and senior group but in house wise team.. Junior group for classes 6 and 7, and senior group for classes 8 to11. The school Table Tennis set practiced and played on four tables at the old hostel building. The inter-house Table Tennis trophy is awarded each year to the winner of the inter house Table Tennis Championship.
But as the game entered stoppage time with Satyam and Suhradam house students trailing 5-4 on aggregate and facing elimination from the competition, supporters of the house began pouring on to the place in droves, supporting their respective house player.
Watching children at play sometimes, one can see that teamwork does act as a natural condition . Teamwork must be learnt, and to be learnt, teamwork is stressed from the very first day of practice of games and Sports at Atmiya Vidya Mandir. Discipline is even more important. Participation in all athletic endeavors demand a lot of discipline, and this is something for which many young players are well prepared.The free event saw approximately 50 children – aged between 14 to 17 years old – entering a mini league.
May not be the winning but the importance of sports and games in school encompasses more than just the benefit of physical activity. Increases in self-esteem and mental alertness make school sports and games necessary for every school age child.
The evidence supporting sports participation for AVM students is overwhelming.
Thematic Display Board Activity
/0 Comments/in 21st Century Skills, AVM Updates, Students' Creations /by AVM TeachersKeeping in mind the above mentioned secret of English Language Improvement ‘Thematic Display Board Activity’ has been successfully conducted by the English Teachers of Std. 1st to 5th as a part of English week celebration. (4th July to 9thJuly)
The very first day of the week, different riddles and crossword puzzles were displayed along with pieces of papers to write answers as well as the boxes to drop their answers in. That day the board was looking like a bee hive surrounded by several honeybees.
The next day, the five boards were allotted to respective classes for a given theme. All the boards were entitled by different themes namely; My Family (Std 1), My Classroom (Std 2), My School (Std 3) My Library (Std 4) and Parts of Speech (Std 5).
All the students were given colourful papers of attractive shapes. They were asked to write words related to the given theme in those papers and stick on the respective display boards. All the students participated in the activity with a great spirit. The students were allowed to make errors and learn from them. We would rather say the boards were full of efforts of little “bhoolkus” of Std.1st to 5th. Of course, Renuka Madam and Ruma Madam were the teachers behind the scene. They boosted their enthusiasm.
All the participants were highly appreciated in the morning assembly for their active participation. It is rightly said that any learning coupled with fun and play is always accepted wholeheartedly.
Written by: Saumya Madam
Investiture Ceremony 2011 – 2012
/0 Comments/in 21st Century Skills, AVM Updates /by Seema JoshiLeaders are not born they are made, in Atmiya Vidya Mandir, the students storing the treasures of childhood are also growing up as compassionate, caring and committed individuals. Here, while enjoying the freedom students learn to be responsible and disciplined. Responsibility is something that has to grow from within the child and in Atmiya Vidya Mandir it finds direction in the values absorbed by the children by participating in various activities outside the class room. Student Council is a platform where representative of student-body shoulder and share responsibilities in conducting various activities within the school. As discharging their duties in their particular role, the active members of Student Council learn to develop pride in their competence, experiencing challenges and their own way of doing things. These are all essential if our students are to grow up to become independent responsible adults
The Investiture ceremony of our school was a solemn occasion, where the elected members of the student Council took the oath of confidence to uphold the honour of our school. The occasion was held on the 25th of June, 2011.
As per Atmiya Vidya Mandir’s tradition, the respected guests Haresh Sir, Vijay Sir and previous year’s Head Boy Sarthak Jariwala were requested to light the auspicious lamp and do the pujan of Thakorji to begin the ceremony. The oath-taking ceremony commenced after declaration of the roles, for which the principal of the school Dr. Vijay Patel was invited on the stage. He administered the oath of honor and dedication to the members of student council. This was followed by an inspiring speech by him in which he insisted to be active and enthusiastic in academic, extra-curricular and sports activities. He also inspired the office bearers to be role models and take up responsibilities in the right perspective.
Then, Dr. Rupashree Ma’am briefed the designated role and responsibilities of Head Boy, Vice Head Boy, Sports Captain and Class Prefects. She also motivated them to perform their duties in accordance to the laws of the school. The chief guest of the occasion was our honorable Principal Sir Dr. Vijay Patel. School Head Boy Sarthak Jariwala gave the welcome address. The function was in a very befitting manner, the badges were pinned by the respective House Conveners to their House Captains. Donning the mantle of responsibility, they also pledge to dispense their duties sincerely and abide by the rules and regulations of the school.
It was followed by flag receiving ceremony, the Head boy, sports captain, and house captains received school flag, sports flag and house flags respectively. The program concluded with the school song. The list of newly elected office bearers is as follows:
Head Boy: Aditya Patel (Class 11 Science)
Vice Head Boy: Parth Amipara (Class 9B)
Sports Captain: Abhishek D Patel (Class 10B)
Satyam House
Captain: Harsh Sarda (Class 9A)
Vice Captain: Anand Pandya (Class 8A)
Shivam House
Captain: Sagar K Patel (Class 10B)
Vice Captain: Vaishvik M Patel (Class 8B)
Sundaram House
Captain: Anmol Kagrecha (Class 9A)
Vice Captain: Rushi Patel (Class 8B)
Suhradam House
Captain: Harsh Ambalia (Class 10B)
Vice Captain: Yogin Patel (Class 8B)
Assemblies are Special here..…
/0 Comments/in 21st Century Skills, AVM Updates /by Seema JoshiMath Mania Mesmerized Many at Atmiya Vidya Mandir
/0 Comments/in 21st Century Skills, AVM Updates /by AVM TeachersFamous essayist Francis Bacon says “If a man’s wit be wandering, let him study the mathematics.” Is Bacon’s recommendation accurate? Does the study of math sharpen the critical thinking and reasoning skills? For an enjoyable experience of Maths we must necessarily be able to relate the subject to the head and heart and focus on the development of thinking and reasoning skills. Keeping this in mind…..the Maths Department of Atmiya Vidya Mandir had organized Maths Competition and even celebrated the Math Week organizing many activities.
During this Math week, Maths was treated as more than just study of formulae and calculation techniques. It aimed at building real life skills in children who are taught to think, deduce and reason rather than just deal with mechanical procedures. These activities were all about of “figures and numbers” concerned with knowledge of measurement, properties and relations, quantities, which can include theoretical or applied studies of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, statistics, and calculus. In the formalist view, students were at the investigation of defined abstract structures using symbolic logic and mathematical notation.
The competition was named as Hari Ankan and students were divided into three groups.
1st: Jr section – Std 1st to 5th
2nd: Sr section – Std 6th and 7th
3rd: Sr. section – Std 8th and 9th
Round 1 – ASSET Based question – They have to solve given question in a minute. It was a hilarious ice-breaker for all the students to determine their conceptual clarity.
Round 3 – Buzzer Round – Students of each house were to solve given question within 1 minute and one who solves quick and buzz first, will get highest points.
Round 5 – Puzzle Round Group B – Class 4 to 5 – Teamwork round – Class 4 to 5 together solve a puzzle of 10 pieces within 5 minutes.
Flashes of insight, intuition, speculation, and reasonable guesses were at peak as students found something different and innovative – a break from the normal pen paper routine.
Among the senior group as if Ramanujam and Aryabhatta were in the making, students turned their head and toe to prove themselves during various competitive activities.
Mathematical enterprise – Round 1 – based on ASSET questions. Students were to solve given question in a minute. Clarity of thought and pursuing assumptions to logical conclusions was central to this activity.
Computer based round – Round 2 – Computer based quiz was created with about questions. Students were to solve them with great speed. Type of questions used in computer based round were objectives, true/false, fill in the blank, match the column.
Mental Aptitude Test – Round 3, MAT round: Questions were based on logical reasoning. Again their finest combination of accuracy and speed was on the move. They were to sort objects by shape, color, and size and by recognizing groups and patterns.
Applied Reasoning – Round 4, Puzzle round. It was all about learning, verifying and visualizing mathematical concepts in a ‘fun’ way. It inculcated learning through imagination. This learner centered approach to math helps every child imagine, investigate and interact effectively.
Thus the multiple ways of quiz comprised technology, applications, videos, manipulative and measuring instruments, tables, charts and so much more.
Puzzling puzzles
The flashcards and number drills, the students just loved numbers and through puzzles they were shown how math is part of everyday life and they were eager to learn more. The brain teasers were not only fun to deal with but also worked as an educational tool. These puzzles tested the logical reasoning of students, as a useful instrument for improving ones mental agility.
Puzzle for Std 6: Form a shape (triangle, hexagon, pentagon, octagon) using different shapes of pieces.
Puzzle for Std 7 and 8: Tangram Puzzle: It was an exciting game which stimulated creativity with in student group. The oldest known mechanical puzzle, it is Chinese in origin, but has gained popularity the world over. The Tangram is essentially a dissection of a square.
Puzzle for Std 9: Balancing 5 books on the edge of the table, such that the top most book extends over the edge of the table.
Wall Of Math-
The new building corridor wall wore a different look as Math department initiated an activity through Wall Of Maths which gave them an opportunity to write their views and feelings about Math. They enjoyed themselves making swirly-whirly designs on the wall.
Question A Day – Every day a question had been displayed on the Math Lab soft board which was based on mental ability and logical reasoning. The corridors at old and new cluster were converted into display stalls and stations. Students were enthusiastic giving answers of the questions. During break time the new building cluster was looking like math mela where students were reading, discussing and answering questions.
The glorious winners-
1st Position– Satyam House
2nd Position – Shivam House
3rd Position – Suhradam House
4th Position – Sundaram House
Thus, it was an amazing time learning together a fun way. A few heads shook in disbelief, a few solved things on their own, a few put up a bold front and attempted, a few smartly, prodded for answers, the not so mathematically inclined stayed a few metres away from the front for good reason, but all their smiles and moods were intact throughout the grand celebration. Many students and teachers bustled around excitedly, lending a festive air to the event.
Long live the Math department, Longer stay their work!!!!
Written by: Seema Madam