46% of Teenagers Admit to Text Messaging While Driving

According to AAA, 46% percent of all teenage drivers admit to text messaging while driving, and that says nothing of the teens who won’t own up to the practice. 51% admit to talking on the cell phone while driving, though most of us who know teens would probably estimate that figure to be closer to 99%.

Unfortunately, both practices are quite dangerous, especially for young and inexperienced drivers. In many states, it’s actually illegal to do either, and more and more states are moving toward similar laws.

A study by the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and State Farm Insurance has pointed out that while alcohol-related teen auto fatalities are down, the overall death toll hasn’t changed. Their theory is that modern technology and distracted driving have balanced out the decrease.

Texting while driving is the act of composing, sending, reading text messages, email, or making other similar use of the web on a mobile phone while operating a motor vehicle. Texting while driving has come to be considered dangerous by many people, including authorities, and in some places has either been outlawed or restricted. A survey of more than 90 teens from more than 26 high schools nationwide conducted nationwide by Liberty Mutual Insurance Group in 2006 showed that 37% of students consider texting to be either "very" or "extremely" distracting.

Texting has become a social norm fairly quickly since the year 2000, as most cell phone plans include a text messaging package. The popularity of smartphones that allow people to communicate in even more ways, which increases the likelihood of usage. There have been many studies that have linked texting while driving to be the cause of life-threatening accidents due to driver distraction. The International Telecommunication Union states that “texting, making calls, and other interaction with in-vehicle information and communication systems while driving is a serious source of driver distraction and increases the risk of traffic accidents”.
A 2010 experiment with Car and Driver magazine editor Eddie Alterman that took place at a deserted air strip showed that texting while driving had a worse impact on safety than if you were driving while intoxicated. While legally drunk, Alterman's stopping distance from 70 mph increased by 4 feet; by contrast, reading an e-mail added 36 feet, and sending a text added 70 feet. While celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey have campaigned against texting while driving, there are reports that the message has not been getting through to teenagers.

If you’re a parent, that means that you need to be especially clear with your teen about the dangers of engaging in cell phone use while driving, whether it be making a call or sending a text message. To do that, there are a couple of basic steps you can take:
Set a Good Example: When you pick up the cell phone to make a call as you drive down a deserted stretch of interstate, your teen isn’t thinking, “Well, this is a relatively low-risk driving situation and Mom has a lot more driving experience than me.” He’s thinking, “I guess it’s okay to talk on the phone if you’re a good driver, and I’m getting pretty good…”
No matter how hard it is, you need to resist the temptation to use your cell phone while driving if you want your teen believe it’s a rule worth following.
Set Rules & Enforce Consequences: You can’t always watch your teen, but you can definitely let trusted friends and relatives know that you would like to be notified if they spot your teen using his phone to talk or text message while driving.
If your parenting style is a little more James Bond than that, you could even go so far as to match up your teen’s usual driving times with cell phone call and text message records. If your teen is a habitual offender, you’ll know pretty quickly.
Restrict Temptation: If your teen spends a lot of time text messaging, it might be wise to reduce his messaging package and hold him accountable for any extra text message fees. With fewer messages to work with, it’s less likely that he’ll develop the kind of text-addiction that leads so many teens to risk their safety by texting while driving.
Of course, if that doesn’t help, you may want to disable your teen’s text messaging capabilities entirely. Your cellular provider’s Customer Service department should be able to help you if you decide to take that step.

Ultimately, though, you’ll have to trust your own parenting skills and your teen’s common sense. You definitely can’t be present in the car at all times to make sure that he or she isn’t talking on the phone or sending text messages while driving. It’s scary, but all you can do is work hard to help your teen form the right habits and hope that most, if not all, of them stick.

Drive Safely.
TXT L8R

Deconstructing Dyslexia

Understanding Dyslexia
Dyslexia is a type of learning disability. A person with a learning disability has trouble processing words or numbers. There are several kinds of learning disabilities; dyslexia is the term used when people have difficulty learning to read, even though they are smart enough and are motivated to learn. The word dyslexia comes from two Greek words: dys, which means abnormal or impaired, and lexis, which refers to language or words.

Dyslexia is not a disease. It's a condition that you are born with, and it often runs in families. People with dyslexia are not stupid or lazy. Most have average or above-average intelligence, and they work very hard to overcome their learning problems.

Educators have not been able to agree on what dyslexia really is. Some authorities believe that is strictly a language processing problem that involves the distinguishing of sounds of letters—this is why the struggling reader cannot remember phonics sounds to decode a word. Others believe that it is a visual/perceptual problem since these children reverse words laterally (b/d) and vertically (m/w) as well as scrambling letters (“the” = “het”) when they read and write. They are both correct.

Dyslexia is an auditory/language problem, visual/perceptual problem, and often also a visual/motor (eye/hand) problem. My 30 years of experience working with these bright, yet struggling learners has taught me that it is essentially a midline problem. Our brain is divided into two main hemispheres: the right, our “automatic” hemisphere, and the left, our “thinking” hemisphere. When children are suffering from dyslexia the processes that should have been taken over by the right hemisphere (such as eye tracking, writing, and letter identification) are still in the left brain. This means that the child has to think about the processes. The learning processes can be likened to the driving process. If you had to think about how to turn the signals and when to brake and accelerate while you were driving, it would be a very difficult procedure. While reading, recognition of letters, sight words, and letter combinations need to be retrieved from the right hemisphere where our long-term memory is stored. This is not happening with dyslexics.

You can suspect dyslexia in your child if all three of these processing areas are impacted and your child is past the first grade. If your child has only a minor problem in the areas it can be considered a learning glitch. If the problem presents itself more frequently and your child is older, it would be considered a dysfunction. If the symptoms are much more frequent, your child is above first grade, and two years behind in reading or writing, it would be considered dyslexia. The degree of the problem and age of the child are major considerations in the determination of dyslexia. Many times these children are not reading or reading at least two years behind grade level. They write almost no sentences from memory since their right, visual hemisphere is not storing words efficiently (copying a sentence is not considered writing). Transposing numbers (19/91) is not considered dyslexia. When a child reverses letters or numbers, even if only once in a while, you know that there is stress in the writing system—the child has to think about the direction of the letters rather than the content of the writing. I always take reversals (reading and writing) seriously past the first grade. One way to eliminate them is with Brain Integration Therapy exercises.

 
The following items should provide useful guidelines for teachers and parents to follow and support:

In the class:

• Of value to all children in the class is an outline of what is going to be taught in the lesson, ending the lesson with a resume of what has been taught. In this way information is more likely to go from short term memory to long term memory.
• When homework is set, it is important to check that the child correctly writes down exactly what is required. Try to ensure that the appropriate worksheets and books are with the child to take home.
• In the front of the pupils' homework book get them to write down the telephone numbers of a couple of friends. Then, if there is any doubt over homework, they can ring up and check, rather than worry or spend time doing the wrong work.
• Make sure that messages and day to day classroom activities are written down, and never sent verbally. i.e. music, P. E. swimming etc.
• Make a daily check list for the pupil to refer to each evening. Encourage a daily routine to help develop the child's own self-reliance and responsibilities.
• Encourage good organizational skills by the use of folders and dividers to keep work easily accessible and in an orderly fashion.
• Break tasks down into small easily remembered pieces of information.
• If visual memory is poor, copying must be kept to a minimum. Notes or handouts are far more useful.
• Seat the child fairly near the class teacher so that the teacher is available to help if necessary, or he can be supported by a well-motivated and sympathetic classmate.

Copying from the blackboard:

• Use different colour chalks for each line if there is a lot of written information on the board, or underline every second line with a different coloured chalk.
• Ensure that the writing is well spaced.
• Leave the writing on the blackboard long enough to ensure the child doesn't rush, or that the work is not erased from the board before the child has finished copying.

Reading:

• A structured reading scheme that involves repetition and introduces new words slowly is extremely important. This allows the child to develop confidence and self esteem when reading.
• Don't ask pupils to read a book at a level beyond their current skills, this will instantly demotivate them. Motivation is far better when demands are not too high, and the child can actually enjoy the book. If he has to labour over every word he will forget the meaning of what he is reading.
• Save the dyslexic child the ordeal of having to 'read aloud in class'. Reserve this for a quiet time with the class teacher. Alternatively, perhaps give the child advanced time to read pre-selected reading material, to be practiced at home the day before. This will help ensure that the child is seen to be able to read out loud, along with other children
• Real books should also be available for paired reading with an adult, which will often generate enthusiasm for books. Story tapes can be of great benefit for the enjoyment and enhancement of vocabulary. No child should be denied the pleasure of gaining access to the meaning of print even if he cannot decode it fully.
• Remember reading should be fun.

Spelling:

• Many of the normal classroom techniques used to teach spellings do not help the dyslexic child. All pupils in the class can benefit from structured and systematic exposure to rules and patterns that underpin a language.
• Spelling rules can be given to the whole class. Words for class spelling tests are often topic based rather than grouped for structure. If there are one or two dyslexics in the class, a short list of structure-based words for their weekly spelling test, will be far more helpful than random words. Three or four irregular words can be included each week, eventually this should be seen to improve their free-writing skills.
• All children should be encouraged to proof read, which can be useful for initial correction of spellings. Dyslexics seem to be unable to correct their spellings spontaneously as they write, but they can be trained to look out for errors that are particular to them.
• Remember, poor spelling is not an indication of low intelligence.

Maths:

• Maths has its own language, and this can be the root of many problems. Whilst some dyslexic students are good at maths, it has been estimated that around 90% of dyslexic children have problems in at least some areas of maths. General mathematical terminology words need to be clearly understood before they can be used in calculations, e.g. add, plus, sum of, increase and total, all describe a single mathematical process. Other related difficulties could be with visual/perceptual skills, directional confusion, sequencing, word skills and memory. Dyslexic students may have special difficulties with aspects of maths that require many steps or place a heavy load on the short-term memory, e.g. long division or algebra.
• The value of learning the skills of estimation cannot be too strongly stressed for the dyslexic child. Use and encourage the use of estimation. The child should be taught to form the habit of checking his answers against the question when he has finished the calculation, i.e. is the answer possible, sensible or ludicrous?
• When using mental arithmetic allow the dyslexic child to jot down the key number and the appropriate mathematical sign from the question.
• Encourage pupils to verbalize and to talk their way through each step of the problem. Many children find this very helpful.
• Teach the pupil how to use the times table square and encourage him to say his workings out as he uses it.
• Encourage a dyslexic child to use a calculator. Make sure he fully understand how to use it. Ensure that he has been taught to estimate to check his calculations. This is a way of 'proof reading' what he does.
• Put key words on a card index system or on the inside cover of the pupils maths book so it can be used for reference and revision.
• Rehearse mathematical vocabulary constantly, using multi sensory/kinesthetic methods.
• Put the decimal point in red ink. It helps visual perception with the dyslexic child.

Handwriting:

• Reasons for poor handwriting at any age can be poor motor control, tension, badly formed letters, speed etc. A cursive joined style is most helpful to children with dyslexic problems. Encourage the children to study their writing and be self-critical. Get them to decide for themselves where faults lie and what improvements can be made, so that no resentment is built up at yet another person complaining about their written work.
• Discuss the advantages of good handwriting and the goals to be achieved with the class. Analyze common faults in writing, by writing a few well chosen words on the board for class comment.
• Make sure a small reference chart is available to serve as a constant reminder for the cursive script in upper and lower case.
• If handwriting practice is needed it is essential to use words that present no problem to the dyslexic child in terms of meaning or spelling.
• Improvement in handwriting skills can improve self confidence, which in turn reflects favorably throughout a pupil's work.

Marking of work:

• Credit for effort as well as achievement are both essential. This gives the pupil a better chance of getting a balanced mark. Creative writing should be marked on context.
• Spelling mistakes pinpointed should be those appropriate to the child's level of spelling. Marking should be done in pencil and have positive comments.
• Try not to use red pens to mark the dyslexic child's work. There's nothing more disheartening for the child than to have work returned covered in red ink, when they've inevitably tried harder than their peers to produce the work.
• Only ask a pupil to rewrite a piece of work that is going to be displayed. Rewriting pages for no reason at all is soul destroying as usually much effort will have already been put into the original piece of work.

Homework:

• By the end of a school day a dyslexic child is generally more tired than his peers because everything requires more thought, tasks take longer and nothing comes easily. More errors are likely to be made. Only set homework that will be of real benefit to the child.
• In allocating homework and exercises that may be a little different or less demanding, it is important to use tact. Self-esteem is rapidly undermined if a teacher is underlining the differences between those with difficulties and their peers. However, it should also be remembered that far more effort may be needed for a dyslexic child to complete the assignment than for their peers.
• Set a limit on time spent on homework, as often a dyslexic child will take a lot longer to produce the same work that another child with good literacy skills may produce easily.

Integration:

• A dyslexic child's ability to write down thoughts and ideas will be quite different from the level of information the child can give verbally. For successful integration, the pupil must be able to demonstrate to the teacher that he knows the information and where he is in each subject. Be prepared to accept verbal descriptions as an alternative to written descriptions if appropriate.
  
  Alternative ways of recording should be looked at, such as :
  • The use of computers for word processing.
  • Audio tapes for recording lessons that can then be written up at a later stage.
  • Written record of the pupil's verbal account, or voice activated software can be used.
• More time should be allocated for completion of work because of the extra time a dyslexic child needs for reading, planning, rewriting and proofreading their work.
• For a dyslexic child the feeling of being 'different' can be acute when faced with the obvious and very important need of 'specialist' help for his literacy and possibly mathematical skills. Some specialist methods can be incorporated into the classroom so all children can benefit from them, thus reducing the feeling of 'difference'.

This school teaches students how to fail

Schools are stepping stones to success. But this school teaches you to fail in order to succeed in life.

This may come as a surprise for many. But in this school, many high scoring students who join class XI are often made to face failure. "Students are taught to accept failure and then they are taught how to succeed. Our school's philosophy is that failure is part of success and students must learn to accept both as part of life," said Mohan Kumar, principal, senior secondary, The School of the Good Shepherd, Thiruvananthapuram.

"They score high marks and have never seen failure. We have many students who can't accept failure, rejection or defeat. In most cases, even parents find it difficult to accept a situation when their child scores less, though they are not really bothered about how little they gain in terms of knowledge", added Kumar.

To test the student's true potential and knowledge, the school sets a question paper focusing on the prescribed textbooks. Not a single question is taken from the previous years' question papers. "Often students who have grown up reading reference books and tuition material find it difficult to answer until they read the textbook thoroughly. Due to this, initially lots of students fail," said Kumar.

According to the school authorities, the textbooks prepared by NCERT is complete and a student who reads, grasps and understands the content in the textbooks can not only score high marks in the Board exams but easily clear entrance exams for medicine and engineering without any extra coaching. So the school asks students to reading their textbooks thoroughly from standard VIII.

"Preparing for competitive exams is not different from what you learn in the Board exams. Time and again it has been proved that 90% of the questions asked in competitive exams are from textbooks," said Kumar. However, to achieve this each student has to strictly follow the timetable and revise whatever they learn in the class within 24 hours.

The school has a master-timetable from Monday to Saturday for senior students, according to which the students should sleep for seven hours, watch TV or read newspaper for an hour, take care of personal matters within two hours, attend seven hours of school and study from the textbooks for eight hours.

"We also encourage the students to scribble on the textbooks itself so that they don't feel the need to refer to any other book or material," added Kumar.

TIPS to beat EXAM Stress

Sleep well. A good sleep of six to seven hours will consolidate memory and will enhance it automatically

Proper diet and workout on a daily basis can work wonders. A balanced diet is essential

Get rid of anxiety and frustration

Meditation is a sure-shot way to improve concentration levels and thus memory

Get outdoors. Students must have at least 15 minutes of outdoor activity even during exams. It helps relax

If stress really gets to you, talk to your parents or teachers.

Never forget that there is life after exams.

Exam blues are here

It's that time of the year when stress levels are heightened in families with school-going kids. Stress during exams is common. But the key is to see that it does not spiral out of control. Students preparing for SSLC and PU exams have started consulting psychiatrists and counsellors unable to cope with the stress. Sleeplessness, headaches, anxiety and poor memory are some of the symptoms associated with exam stress students as final examinations near. To beat the stress, many students in this education hub in the state, have started approaching psychiatrists here. The practice of students consulting psychiatrists on the eve of examinations has increased over the years in this region.

Increasing pressure to score good marks in exams, parental and peer pressure to excel has increased stress levels among students, says Anil Kakunje, associate professor in psychiatry, Yenepoya Medical College. Anil, also the secretary of Mangalore Psychiatrists Society, says five years ago on an average around two students would approach him between January and March, the exam time. "But for the past few years, I have been counselling at least six students every day, during January-March," he adds. Most students today, he explains, are unable to concentrate on studies due to mobiles, computers and their obsession with social networking sites,

There are nearly around 30 psychiatrists in the city. PUC and SSLC students are so much involved in preparing for exams and many a times they are not seen out on play grounds, like undergraduate and postgraduate students.

Children today don't have time for extracurricular activities which decreases stress levels tremendously, said Dr Safeek AT, professor in psychiatrics of Father Muller Medical College.

On Monday, Dr KS Madhava Rao, a psychiatrist, got a call informing him of a II PU science student attempting suicide unable to cope with exam pressure. Madhava, also the president of Karnataka State Psychiatrists Association, said that the student had consumed tablets in a bid to end her life.

He says most PU students who approach him are from science stream. "Parents fail to gauge the aptitude of their children. The pressure to perform well weighs heavily on them. During counselling many science students who are depressed tell me that they will not take the exams. The next year, they will shift to arts or commerce," he adds.

During exam period, Rao has at least three students who consult him every week. The rest of the year, he sees just about two students a month.

Psychiatrists have another piece of advice for troubled students. Consult them at the earliest. Don't leave it for the nth hour. "Many students approach us just a few days prior to the exams," says Dr Satheesh Rao, Department of Psychiatry, KS Hegde Medical Academy. "We provide medication to them as they come very late. It's not easy to cure their disorders within a short period of time. If students come earlier, instead of medication, we can do psychotherapy and counselling," he explains.

Shrinivasa Bhat, another psychiatrist, says his clients approach him to enhance their memory and concentration. "Most students, who consult me are academically good. They want to improve their memory. But most students suffer from insomnia and headaches during exam," he adds.

Indian Red Cross Society organized 3 days training program for Youth Red Cross Counselors

Youth Red Cross wing of Indian Red Cross Society, Odisha State Branch (IRCS-OSB) has organized a 03 (three) days State level training program for untrained Youth Red Cross Counselors’ from 12.12.12 to 14.12.12 at Red Cross Bhavan, Bhubaneswar.
The objective of this three days program was to acquaint the counselors with various activities and objectives of Youth Red Cross with the view to strengthen YRC movement in our State.

The program was inaugurated on 12.12.12 by the Srijukta Amar Prasad Satpathy, M.L.A & Former Minister, Govt of Odisha along with Director Higher Education Prof.(Dr.) Satyakam Mishra and Honorary Secretary, Indian Red Cross Society, Odisha State Branch (IRCS-OSB) Dr.Mangala Prasad Mohanty.

In this program around 50 Youth Red Cross Counselors from 17 districts across Odisha have participated.

During these three days training camp the counselors were imparted training on Disaster Preparedness and Disaster Risk Reduction, First Aid, Road safety, Blood Science, Motivation for organizing blood grouping and blood donation, HIV/AIDS, Youth leadership Volunteerism along with the history of Red Cross Movement, Development, Fundamental Principles of Youth Red Cross, etc.
The Valedictory function of the training program was organized on 14.12.12. at 3.30 P.M. at Red Cross Bhavan, Bhubaneswar, S.L.O.-cum-Deputy Secretary to Govt. Department , Department of Higher Education, Govt.of Odisha , Dr.U.N.Sahoo, noted Journalist Mr.Prasanta Pattnaik had joined as Guests of Honor along with an Honorary Secretary, Indian Red Cross Society, Odisha State Branch (IRCS-OSB) Dr.Mangala Prasad Mohanty.

Dr.M.P.Mohanty, Honorary Secretary, Indian Red Cross Society, Odisha State Branch (IRCS-OSB) extended a warm welcome to all the guest & participants. He highlighted on the vital role played by YRC Counselors’ on grooming the volunteers as good human beings. Dr.U.N.Sahoo, S.L.O-cum-Deputy Secretary to Govt., Department of Higher Education, and Govt.of Odisha stressed on the importance of volunteerism in the current society. Noted Journalist Mr.Prasanta Pattnaik, appreciated the activities of Youth Red Cross and advised the Counselors to motivate the volunteers to be dedicated & determined to serve the nation.

Dr.Sarita Supkar Youth Red Cross Officer coordinated the 03(three) days’ training program & offered a vote of thanks to the guests & participates.

Education must be more goal-oriented

What do Indian parents want? Indian parents want their children to get a ‘good’ education. Given their resources and their understanding of education, they look for the best school their money can buy. They send their children to tuition or coaching classes and they buy other school materials.

The assumption is that ‘more is better’ — more years of schooling, more supplemental inputs into schooling and more expenditure. For most parents, whether rural or urban, high income or low income, ‘success’ means doing well in exams. Exam performance is the only way to get to the next stage, whether it is to further education or into the workplace.

What does the government want? The Right to Education law requires government to ensure that every school in the country has a specified set of inputs and processes.

Here the belief is that once these are in place, ‘education’ will be guaranteed. Underlying the government’s push to provide inputs is the assumption that more is better but appropriate number of qualified teachers, classrooms, days of teaching are needed. Going by what is stated in the RTE document, ‘success’ means that all schools have all the mandated inputs and processes, all children in India in the age group 6 to 14 are enrolled in school and all children complete eight years of schooling.

What does the evidence say? Data from all sources in India point to enrollment levels that are well above 96%. Putting both centre and state together, expenditures on elementary education in India have risen from Rs. 62,000 crores in 2006-7 to an estimated figure of Rs. 112,000 crores in 2010-11.

While there are still input gaps, the number of teachers and basic facilities is rising consistently each year.

What is stuck is what children are learning in school. Regardless of what you feel about learning outcome measurements done by Assessment Survey Evaluation Research (ASER) or by Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), the evidence points to the fact that the value added for every year spent in school in India, is low and unchanging.

ASER uses basic reading and arithmetic tasks for assessment; the same set of tasks are given to all surveyed children from age 5 to 16. The exercise is carried out in every rural district in India every year.

While there could be discussion on the measures and methods, the fact remains that without basic reading, and arithmetic skills, children will not go far in school or in life. PISA is a more sophisticated international effort which measures what 15 year-olds can do. Again, there can be debate on how or what PISA does but the message from both exercises (as well as from any recent empirical evidence on student outcomes in India) is clear.

There is a crisis. The crisis is about the capabilities that every child in India should have by the time she or he finishes each stage of schooling. This crisis cannot be tackled simply by believing that more is better or proceeding as if it is business as usual. Concrete, clear, new pathways connecting inputs and processes to outcomes have to be built.

These pathways must be understood and must be implementable by schools, parents and teachers.

Clarity is key
Both in policy and in practice, our education system needs at least three fundamental and urgent shifts. First, capabilities and learning goals need to be articulated for each stage of the education system. These goals need to be clearly stated and be understood by ordinary people. Goals need to be such that most children can achieve them at each stage.

Clear articulation of goals will help everyone to understand that simply knowing textbook content or doing well in exams is not the objective of the education system. Parents and communities must understand what the school system is supposed to achieve. This understanding can lead to local accountability and also to support for schools.

Second, all elements in the school system need to be aligned in both design and implementation to maximise the possibility of reaching the goals.

These elements include appropriate allocation of funds, teacher preparation, curriculum, textbooks, methods of teaching, materials, organisation of schools and monitoring. A continuous system of field support and review will allow refinements and changes to be made to figure out what works.

Third, in a country with a weak culture and appetite for measurement, simple methods have to be used on scale to gauge the progress being made every year. Such measurements need to be carried out by both the government and citizens.

The measurements should help school systems internally to refine and review their procedures and enable parents to pressurise schools to do better.

Measurement also means engagement — in understanding the situation and figuring out what to do next.

India has almost reached universal enrollment. This is an impressive achievement. This happened because everyone understood the goal. Policymakers, planners, practitioners and parents all understood what had to be done: get every child in school. To have every child in school and learning well, we need a similar clarity, priority and alignment for a new set of goals and figure out new effective pathways for achieving them soon.

Upto 7-yr jail proposed for teachers committing corporal punishment

Taking a tough stand on corporal punishment and ragging, the government has proposed changes in the law that would send offenders to up to seven years in jail. The changes will be made to the Juvenile Justice Act, which is being renamed as the Child Justice (Care, Protection and Rehabilitation of Children) Act.

This is the first time the government has defined corporal punishment and ragging in the proposed changes. For corporal punishment, a jail term of up to a year is being proposed in cases of simple injury and emotional distress to the child. For subsequent offences, it would be three years. A second conviction would also mean dismissal from service.

A five-year imprisonment has been proposed if a child is grievously hurt or subjected to severe mental trauma. A repeat of such an offence would invite a seven-year term.

There have been many cases of Corporal punishment in the country. To put things in perspective, a 2009-10 survey by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights among 6,700 students in seven states saw around 99% of them confirming punishment at the hands of their teachers.

Tough measures have also been proposed to check severe ragging — up to two years’ imprisonment, a fine of Rs. 10,000 or both. Ragging by an institution’s staff would put them at the risk of dismissal and a bar on working with children in the future.

The jail terms proposed are higher than those under the Indian Penal Code.

[Source: Hindustan Times]

5 Reasons why students fail exams

Your son or daughter has just got a mock exam/test result and has failed miserably. He/she did lots of revision, but said he/she had a complete blank when faced with the paper. So what went wrong? Here are the top reasons why students fail.

1. Not Enough Revision
First things first, revision does not = reading. Revising is an active process. Students really don’t understand what they are reading. They should know what every word means, be able to analyse every diagram, bullet point, graph and date. Mind maps, mnemonics, highlighting key point and notes summaries on cards are all useful ways of doing active revision.

2. Starting Revision Too Late
The path to success lies in good planning. Start revision early. Little and often is better than a mad panic at the end. Revision should be started so that there is enough time to understand, learn, memorise and to practice past papers. Students should create a revision timetable and stick to it. This will ensure that all the topics are covered and not just the ones the student likes. They should go over work a day later and then a week later.

3. Stressing Too Much
Students can put themselves under unnecessary pressure during exam season. Parents can relieve the burden by making sure that they are eating regularly and getting enough sleep. Tiredness makes revision ineffective and affects performance in exams. Revise for maximum 30 minute intervals and then have a 5 minute break.
The exam should be treated as a normal school or college day, other than that they are doing an exam. Follow your normal routine will help you relax.

4. Running out of time in the exam
Students should answer all the easy questions first and then go back to the ones they have missed out. They should spend more time on high mark questions and only answer questions they are asked to.

5. Misreading the question
It’s one of the first lessons our teachers teach us, but it is one of the most common reasons why students fail. They did not understand what was required from the examiners and therefore didn’t answer the question. Students should get hold of a stash of past papers and make sure they also have the answers to check their understanding. Then familiarise themselves with exam questions and the language used and always ask themselves “What do they want me to write?”. They will be less likely to misunderstand if they have come across similar questions before and being confronted with an exam paper won’t freak them out.

Spell it right

Spellings just became more fun for the young teens across the city as HDFC Life organised the final rounds of the Spell Bee contest on March 31 at Mahajati Sadan. HDFC Life Spell Bee-India Spells 2012, is an initiative undertaken by 360 Degree's Experience, and is the Indian counterpart of the much acclaimed Scripps Spell-Bee.

From several enthusiastic students who participated in the preliminary competition, ten were selected, and after a few challenging rounds, the winner was determined from amongst them. Soham Chowdhury, a Class VIII student of Don Bosco, Park Circus walked away with the winning medal.

Speaking on the occasion, Sanjay Tripathy, executive vice president and head, marketing and direct channels, HDFC Life said, "I am extremely satisfied with the overwhelming response received in Kolkata, for Spell Bee - India Spells 2012. This keenness clearly signifies the desire among young minds for improving their spelling, increasing their vocabularies, learn concepts, and develop the adequate use of correct English."

"The number of entries that we got for the competition has been phenomenal. The benefits of Spell Bee extends beyond language as children are required to spell words while on stage; kids also develop self-confidence, communication and public speaking skills, and the ability to thrive under pressure. The lessons learned by participating in Spell Bee can therefore last a lifetime, and can benefit even those who don't outlast all competitors," said Prashant Panday, executive director and CEO, Entertainment Network (India) Ltd.

Malini Bhagat, principal of Mahadevi Birla Girls' High School graced the occasion with her presence as the chief guest and handed over the certificate and the medal to the winner.

The winners from 31 other cities shall assemble at Mumbai to battle out the final round. Soham, who had won the city finals the previous year and had also secured the second position at the nationals, is all set to win it this time. He said, "I read anything that comes my way. Reading is a habit instilled in me from childhood, by both my parents."

All the winners of each of the participating cities will participate in the Grand Finale to be held in Mumbai. The winner of the Grand Finale, along with his or her parent will be sent by 360 Degree's Experience, to the Scripps National Spelling Bee at Washington DC.

Importance of Interdisciplinary Learning

In Conversation with  Mark Taylor, dean, Warwick Business School on importance of interdisciplinary learning in management education 


Q- Can you tell us about what changes you plan to introduce to strengthen Warwick in the eyes of students, academicians and the corporate world? 


Our ambition is to make WBS the leading university-based business school in Europe. The strategy we have developed in order to achieve this ambition involves designing and implementing a range of innovations which break new ground for business schools, as well as demanding excellence in all of the usual, more traditional business school areas. For example, the establishment at WBS of a new teaching and research group in behavioural science. This is an explicitly interdisciplinary area which brings together economics, finance, psychology, sociology, management science and neuroscience in an attempt to understand the hidden causes of human behaviour, and we believe this approach will lie at the centre of business school research and teaching for the next generation. Indeed, WBS has already made a number of high-level appointments to establish the first behavioural science group in a European Business School, although some US schools - notably Chicago Booth - have already gone down this route. Prior to becoming Dean at Warwick, I ran a large investment fund as a Managing Director atBarclays and it became clear to me then that we need to look across the academic silos if we are to understand the real world. 


Q- Give us your views on the global economic scenario and its effect on how students are considering MBA qualification? Have you noticed any change in the quality and the number of applications to the school's full-time MBA programme? 


Applications for the Warwick full-time MBA have been challenging over the past few years. To some extent, this is in line with previous experience over the business cycle as well as consistent with the current experience of other business schools. In particular, experience suggests that during times of high uncertainty, full-time MBA candidates postpone application until a later stage of the recruitment cycle (and possibly the business cycle) while their personal circumstances clarify. 


Interestingly, demand for other modes of the WBS MBA study (executive, corporate and distance learning) remains robust to the cycle, while applications for our specialist MSc programmes (such as the top-rated WBS MSc in Finance) and to the WBS MSc in Management can only be described as extremely buoyant. 


Q- Are there any new courses Warwick plans to introduce for the undergraduate programmes? 


There are no firm plans at present, but it is an area we will watch carefully. We're a market leader for undergraduate programmes in Europe, but at present UK institutions are restricted by the government on the number of students we can admit. So we could only launch a non-European Union course at present and we feel this would damage the diversity of the Warwick campus by not being able to admit any student from the UK/ EU. 


Q- Most premier institutes opening campuses across the world, do you plan to follow suit? 


It's an emerging area for Warwick and something we will continue to consider. Yes, I'm aware that many institutes have opened campuses, but it'll be interesting to see their relative success. For Warwick, it'd have to be the right fit with our commitment to academic excellence, be a research active operation and mirror our culture and values. 

Last Minute Tips

As engineering aspirants across the country gear up for IIT-JEE on April 8, We offer some last-minute tips on how to crack the test

With over five lakh students expected to appear for the IIT joint entrance exam this year, the competition is going to be tough. So how do you prepare yourself for a stellar performance?

Right Revision

Says Shubham Mehta, who secured a second rank at the IIT-JEE 2011, "Though you should try and keep in touch with every topic, the focus at this stage should be on organic and inorganic chemistry. Mathematics and physics are conceptual and devoting as less as an hour or two to these subjects every day should be fine. Make short notes and highlights of chapters, concepts and formulas." Mihir Patel, a fourth year electrical engineering student at IIT Bombay, adds that this is the time to revise the complete syllabus starting with concepts you understand relatively well. "Don't leave any topic. Compile your frequent errors; understand why they occur and come up with strategies to avoid them," he says. Additionally, solving a few problems from your notes, study material and last year's JEE paper will be of help. Pay equal attention to all the three subjects by devoting specific hours during the day or entire days for each of the subjects. Make mental clues of all your concepts so as to help you retrieve them quickly during the exam. You may also revise chapters from your class XI books to brush up on various concepts.

Exam Time

IIT-JEE is a competitive exam and includes both easy and tough questions. So if you find a question difficult, remember a majority of students would feel the same. Advises Mehta, "Keep the order of the subjects you are attempting the same as the one you are used to attempting at your coaching class/practice hours. This will ensure that your mind is at ease during the exam. Don't spend more than five minutes on any particular problem. Try to complete the chemistry section within 30-45 minutes, physics within 45 minutes to an hour and the mathematics section within an hour-and-a-half ."

Says Tejas Shyam, a fifth year metallurgical engineering and materials science student at IIT-B , "If you feel comfortable, solve the questions that carry more marks first (even among the problems you find easy). This will maximise your attempt. Do not try too much of guesswork, lest you garner negative marks."

Subject-Wise

Maths:

Draw diagrams especially in co-ordinate and Calculus related questions . Focus on quadratic equations and expressions, complex numbers, probability, vectors, matrices in algebra; circle, parabola, hyperbola in co-ordinate geometry, etc. Use method of substitution and elimination in trigonometry and conic sections if you don't know the correct way. Try deriving all the important properties of conic sections without consulting a reference and make a comparison table to refer to on the last day. Try deriving the derivatives and integrals without consulting the reference

Physics: 

Most of the concepts here are intuitive and difficult to forget. Follow the concept until the end. Revise modern physics, mechanics, fluids, heat and thermodynamics, waves and sound, capacitors and electrostatics, magnetics, electromagnetic induction and optics thoroughly. Avoid lengthy questions

Chemistry: 

Organic and inorganic chemistry: In inorganic chemistry, focus on qualitative analysis, co-ordination chemistry and chemical bonding. Make a mapping between name of the reaction, species/ functional groups that occur as reactants and those that occur as product , catalysts and reaction conditions. Understand the arrow mechanisms. In physical chemistry, pay attention to electro-chemistry , thermodynamics and chemical equilibrium. Beware of calculation errors Questions with no negative marking must be attempted. Mark the answers on the OMR sheet after every four to five attempted questions. Remember, JEE is about quality and not quantity. You can make the cut by performing well in at least two subjects and securing the minimum cut-off marks in one.

Mental Make-Up

You have done the best you could, now is the time to be confident and calm. Don't stress over what you don't know, but be sure of what you do.

Remember to go for regular walks or get at least an hourlong exercise each day to refresh your mind. Advises Gautam Barua, director, IIT-Guwahati : "Do not listen to anybody other than your inner self. Be confident of your abilities and don't get distracted by random advice about the pattern of questions or the likely questions. Give it your best shot and be satisfied with it."

How To Improve My Kid's Vocabulary?

If you ask an average parent what bothers them the most about their children, at least 7 out of 10 will say 'my kid's vocabulary'. With all the jargon that the kids of this generation are exposed to, it is a miracle that they are able to speak at all! What they are speaking is a mixed pidgin. The worst part is that their spoken English eventually creeps it's way into their written language too.

Teaching a language, even if it is through learning games for kids is one of the most difficult tasks that awaits a parent. But do not despair, these parenting tips will guide you. 

Tips To Improve Kid's Vocabulary:

1. The One Language Game: This is an interesting learning game for kids and you can play it along with them. The only rule is that they have to speak in a single language for ten minutes. They cannot use words from any other language during this time. Sounds too easy, does it? Try it, even you will be put in a tough spot.

2. Learn One Language At A Time: In a cosmopolitan environment where a dozen different languages are being spoken at once, the worst affected is your kid's vocabulary. While it is good for the child to know as many languages as he or she possibly can, you have to analyse how much of the language they are learning. Are they really proficient in all? It doesn't pay to be a jack of all trades and a master of none. Teaching one language at a time will help them pick up much better.

3. Queen's English: It sounds a bit post-colonial but to maintain the purity of your language (especially English because it is the language of knowledge) is very important. If you stay down South in India, you kids will pick up an accent where they call 'right' as 'righta' and 'left' as 'lefta'. Many variations of the same will be repeated in different parts of the country. As far as accents are concerned your child is under a lot peer pressure to pick it up. However, you have to insist on the neutral accent that is called Queen's English as it has maximum acceptability.

4. How Much Slang Is Acceptable: Teenagers these days think it is cool punctuate their sentences with abusive words. If this trend has been picked up by your kid then you will have to take a call on how much slang you will allow in your house. The connotation of words change from one generation to the next. 'Crap' in your time might have been a slang but that word for kids these days is just casual. Whether it is through learning games for kids or a mutual compromise you have come to a consensus on what is and isn't acceptable.  

Teen slaps Principle

A class IX student of St Elias High School in Khar (west) verbally abused and then slapped his principal on Monday after she scolded him for disturbing other students during a school examination. The incident occurred at 9:15am, when the 15-year-old schoolboy, who resides at Khar Danda, was asked to leave the class during the algebra exam.

"The school was conducting the final exams. The three-hour exam started at 7am. This student had finished answering the questions at 9.15am and started disturbing other students. I then asked him to leave the class. He called me some bad words and slapped me,'' the principal said. TOI has decided to withhold their identities.

Earlier in February, a class IX student in Chennai allegedly killed his teacher of St Mary's Anglo-Indian School after the school sent adverse reports to his parents.

The St Elias High School principal lodged a complaint with the Khar police station but said she did not wish to pursue it. "For my safety, I made a police complaint in Khar but I have told not to take action against the child.

He is under the influence of alcohol and drugs. We will have to counsel him. He hit me but I brought him back to school. But he did not appear for the exam on Wednesday," the principal said. She said the school was keen on reforming the boy.

"We do not want him to become a boisterous person later. He should be useful to society," the principal said. The student has a past record of being a wayward, problem child, but the school did not expel the boy as it wanted to provide him with a chance to reform . "I have been counselling him for about a year. He is short-tempered and did not regret his action," she said.

Get involved in child’s life to connect more

A little surprise, an evening in the park or a walk together can go a long way. You don't need expensive gifts to compensate for the time you haven't been able to spend with your child. All your ward needs from the day he/she is born is quality time with you. You may keep busy but make it a point to not miss their school programmes. Parents and psychologists feel, at a time when adolescence sets in early and children grow up faster and in the process also get distant from their parents, it is important for them to get involved in the little details of their child's life.

"There are multiple problems that a child is exposed to these days. The increasing trend of nuclear and double-income families makes them lonely and they start looking for companionship on social networking sites and outside the family. This leads to behavioural problems in the child," says city-based psychiatrist Tushar Jagawat.

Expensive gifts to hide one's guilt of not giving time to their child, is a way many well-off parents opt for making up to their children, but Jagawat strongly discourages the practice. Rakhi Rathore, manager
at Eye Bank Society of Rajasthan and a mother to two girls says, "My daughters don't want gifts from me, they just want my time. Even when I am busy at work, I call my elder daughter when she is back from
school." Rakhi, who also travels a lot in the course of her work, believes in getting involved with her children and also involving them in her life. "If they ask me to come home early on a particular day, I ensure
I do that.

Communication is a must, and I keep talking to them about what I did during the day and ask them the same. In the evenings, we often go to parks and spend time together," Rakhi adds. Communication gap is one big reason children drift away from parents, says child counsellor Meghna Bhagwati who practices at Durgapura. "Systems should be planned in such a way that you and your child spend some part of your day together. For example, you should make having one meal together in a day a must, and talk about your lives over the meal. Besides that, take your children out on weekends and also plan trips with them. A lot of bonding and catching up on the time lost is possible on trips," she suggests.

Savita Jagawat, who counsels parents and children at a well-known city hospital, says, "A child's personality is developed from day one. So, parents should connect with him/her from that time itself." A teenage girl once told Savita, in the course of her counselling session, that when she needed her parents the most, they weren't there. Now she doesn't need them anymore. Savita, who also conducts regular workshops at schools, says that owing to increasing exposure, adolescence now sets in from the age of 10 years, and if children won't get time from parents from the beginning, they will look for company outside home which isn't
advisable at an early age.

Working parents shouldn't feel guilty, say counsellors, as despite commitments, one can still be connected with their child's life. Banker Himanshu Pant, a resident of Sri Gopal Nagar, ensures he bonds with his son over what he learns in school everyday. "I ask him what he learnt at school and then show him related stuff
and images on the internet. This way, he gets an additional perspective and shares everything with me," he says. Himanshu and his son fly kites on weekends in winters and play football together. Counsellors say it is important for parents to give time to their children on a daily basis. Time management is the key word and it is important to plan your child's day in a way that when he/she needs you the most, you are there.

Jaishri Sidha, principal of Jaipur Public School says, "I try to find innovative and creative ways of getting involved with my sons. I am there when they wake up and try and adjust my time-table according to
their routine. I ensure my children have adequate interaction with their maternal and paternal grandparents so that they learn the right values from them." The joint family system is a great help, feel many parents, and the
city's cultural ethos still holds family values in the highest esteem. However, even in nuclear families, right efforts at the right time will keep your relationship intact.

Sangeeta Ranka, associated with a training institute, says, "Everyone in the family has a different schedule, but it is important to find a common time to spend together. We ask parents to ensure their child wakes up on time in the morning so that everyone starts their day together. Also, taking them for activities that interest them like dance classes is a great way to bond."

Sangeeta maintains that dialogue is important to nurture a parent-child relationship. "Tell them stories about your own childhood. Not only will they love listening to them but will relate to you even more. When you take them out to amusement parks or any other outings, switch off your phone. Give them your undivided
attention," she suggests.

Planning their children's weekends, making birthdays and festivals special for them adds value to a parent-child relationship. In this manner, the child will get enough space to bond with the parent and also feel more wanted.