FAQ
What is real education? What are the seven skills we need for the future?
Here are a few questions received from teachers about assigning tasks to different colour students:
1. I wish toknow more about how to categorise children of diff colours. I have a feeling that can this categorisation cause a stigma on that child? will u pl clarify?
We should not label any child as belonging to one colour or the other. There will always be a combination and the degrees may vary.
What we can think of is
- in what way does a student learn better?
- what kind of appreciation motivates them to learn?
In the classroom we can add variety to the activities keeping in mind the requirements of the specific colours. All colour children do all the activities but they may learn more from one rather than the other.
I will send you more information on this soon. Here are a couple of docs you might find useful.
http://campusrec.unc.edu/sites/campusrec.unc.edu/files/Personality%20Test.pdf
http://www.uen.org/Lessonplan/preview.cgi?LPid=12851
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2. I have a doubt. Sir had asked us to decide the F. A. activities according to the colours u mentioned. Is it possible to give four different activities for one F. A.? What is the solution for this?
Ans: I would like to know more about the way you give marks for FA.
Plan One
We can have Group Discussion, Oral Quiz, Project Work, ClassWork/HomeWork and One Paper-Pencil Test.
20 marks are given for each of these, the total comes to 100 and we take 10% for one FA.
Plan 2
We can have one paper-pencil test and one project work and take 10% of the total
Plan 3
We can have one paper-pencil test, classwork / homework and take 10% of the total.
Plan 4
We can have one paper-pencil test and take 10% of the test marks.
If you tell me which plan you like, I can tell you how to integrate activities for each colour.
Response: I guess plan one is more like our pattern.
Suggestion: If you mean this by plan 1
Plan One
In our school we have Group Discussion, Oral Quiz, Project Work, ClassWork/HomeWork and One Paper-Pencil Test.
Here is my answer:
1. In group discussion you can give four topics suitable for each colour. The students can choose any one topic, individually, as per their wish. Those who choose topic no. 1 will be one group to discuss that topic. We don't have to label them as belonging to one group or the other, the topics appeal to them and through participation they will learn.
2. In oral quizzes, again we can tell the students to come to class with their own questions, the questions are pooled, students are divided into groups and participate in an oral quiz competition. They earn marks by helping each other.
3. In Homework you can give homework options - example - on a given topic in that textbook lesson they can draw something related to it and give a title to their picture and write a slogan (blue), they can complete a worksheet or do an exercise in the CD that goes with the book (gold), they can create a new thing related to the topic and share with the class (orange) or they can explore and find out answers for some more questions raised by themselves. (green) Expect the children to do all these though you are ok with it if they do only one. Whatever instruction you give to the children is given to everyone without worrying about which colour they belong to. If a gold child does not draw anything we do not penalize it by deducting marks.Instead we give him marks for the worksheet or cd work. Your best children will complete all four options, average ones will do two or three and beginner level students will do only one. They need to complete one to fulfill the requirement for FA, if they do 2,3, or all 4 they get extra marks.
4. In project work, they can use their drawing notebook and have similar options like the hw assignment.
5. In Paper-Pencil Test, we can have a question based on creativity and imagination (for blue)
we can have some basic grammar or formula or remembering fact type questions (for gold), we can have a practical implication question (for orange) and we can have a question that goes a bit beyond the lesson and leads to innovation (for green)
Let us take Thirsty Crow Story as an example
Suppose this is a lesson included for FA test
Q. 1. The thirsty crow finds a pot with very little water and is able to find a way to drink the water.
How do you think the crow did this?
Draw a picture. Label the part. Explain your idea in a few words.
Q 2. What was the problem of the thirsty crow? What solution did he find?
The thirsty crow ................... (found / did not find) water anywhere.
The crow wanted to drink water. He was ................. (thirsty / hungry).
Q 3. When you are thirsty and if you cannot find water near you what will you do?
Q 4. A crow becomes the king of a country. He orders that all pots should be redesigned. Think of at least three ways of redesigning the pot and explain their use from the point of view of the crow.
In FA English papers it is useful to have Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing, Grammar & Vocabulary questions.
In other subjects there are concept based questions, practical questions & draw and label questions.
With a little bit of thinking we can include questions to suit all types of learners.
All colour questions are attempted by everyone. It is not that blue learners answer only blue questions.
Everyone answers every question, they may score better in one and less in another - but gradually everyone gets a chance to develop the area they lack initially.
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3. I am science to Iv & V std students. Please guide me in giving projects to four different colours of children in the topic dispersal of seeds and vegetative reproduction .
We can give projects only for Science or an integrated project that covers all the subjects.
We can give a group project where each one will work according to their colour and complement each other.
For example, all the students will collect information about the project then divide the work among themselves in such a way that they will take up the task they can do best. One student of the group may be good at drawing and decorating, another may be able to explore and collect information related to the project, another student may be able to explore and apply the information and yet another may be able to innovate and create something completely new.
Provide options to the students and allow them to choose how they want to do the project. If the project work has to be a group task, you need to allow them time in class to discuss with each other and prepare plans as to who will do what. If this is not possible you can give them the project as individual work and have choices to suit different colours.
Example
Topic: Dispersal of Seeds & Vegetative Reproduction
Option 1: Draw plants, seeds, label them and compare the way they are dispersed. Draw an imaginary plant and imagine a new way it is spread.
Option 2: Mount the seeds on a poster board, label the names of the seeds, and compare the way they are spread.
[Teaching point: Some seeds are dispersed by wind (maple seeds, dandelion seeds), some float and are moved by water (apples, coconuts), some are spread by sticking to animal fur (burrs, thistles, etc.) and some are eaten by other animals, digested, and dropped out the other end (berries, fruits, etc).]
Option 3: Grow two plants in boxes, make a presentation comparing their development.
Option 4: Find a video, a presentation or create one to show how seeds are dispersed.
Sample Presentation: http://www.slideshare.net/yuchen0628/seed-dispersal-2721790
Sample Video: http://youtu.be/hzBAVUAIHqA
Find information about unusual plants that disperse their seeds in entirely new ways.
The options are numbered just for our convenience to ensure that we have covered all the colours. Options 1 to 4 may appeal to the blue, gold, orange and blue colours, respectively. However, in the class we need not tell the students they have to choose one of the options only. We can allow the students to choose what all they want to do in this project. They can choose from different options and make a combination of their own.
Marks are given for
1. Lay out & Presentation
2. Oral Presentation
3. Gathering of Information
4. Uniqueness of the project - they may select unusual seeds or come out with unusual ideas.
Resources
The Great Bean Race Intel Plan
Social Science Projects Class IX