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Whether
you are a parent, student or a teacher, if you have a question
related to any problem related to education, ask
Mr
Steven Rudolph.
Just fill out this form to ask a question.
Q: Hi Steve, I have attended one of your workshops in
Delhi and my son is studying in nursery. I want suggestion
abt my son problem. He is good in all the activities but the
problem is that he is not extrovert and independently not
participate in the activities and very difficult to adjust
in groups. He has shy nature also and introvert child. I
want that my child should be extrovert. How I will change my
child's behaviors otherwise he is very intelligent and catch
the things very frequently and his observation skills are
also good. Kindly suggest me.
Sunita Bajaja
New Delhi
A: Hello Sunita, The
first thing you must realise is that your son doesn't have a
problem. By nature, some people are more introverted and
more extroverted, and it is a myth that being more
extroverted makes one happier or more successful. Here's how
I look at the two.
Think of Introvert/Extrovert as a ratio, for example 80/20,
where a person with a more introverted nature tends
to spend 80% of his time alone and 20% with others. This
basically means that when the person gets 80% of his time
alone, he feels his batteries are charged. However, he will
also feel a need to be with others 20% of the time to get
the rest of his charge. If he spends 100% of his time alone,
he will feel 20% less charged. If he spends 50% of his time
alone, he will feel an energy deficit of 30%. According to
scientists, the natural ratio of each person is genetic and
fixed, and that ratio differs from person to person (10/90,
30/70, 50/50, 12/88, etc. The challenge is for people to
determine their natural ratio, and ensure they get their
'daily introvert/extrovert diet'.
So, my first suggestion for you is this: try to determine
how much time your son needs to be alone vs. how much time
he needs being with others. Provide him with the sufficient
time for him to be by himself. Then need to ensure he is
sufficiently "hungry" when he socialises. Otherwise, he will
feel turned off by those group interactions. As he gets
older, he will learn to regulate his own social activities
in order to keep his balance, knowing when he should spend
time alone, and when he should spend time with others. It is
important that you don't label your son as an introvert
negatively. Instead, simply try to find out his ratio, and
help him find his balance.
At the same time, keep in mind that socialising well
requires good socialisation skills. And these skills must be
learned. It is likely that people who are extroverted will
have better socialisation skills than their introverted
peers--but that is simply because they spend more time
socialising. At the same time, this does not mean that an
introvert can't have good socialisation skills. Such skills
include asking probing questions to others, taking interest
in what they have to say and offering them help. As your son
is in nursery class, he's probably too young to be focusing
explicitly on these skills. However you may wish to
encourage him to share his things with other children and to
help others when they are in need. Be sure to praise him
when he does so.
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Q: Dear Steve, How should I maintain a correct balance of
discipline and friendliness in the classroom?
Nisha, Teacher, Varanasi
A: Dear Nisha, In my
Laws of Learning, I have three special laws for parents and
teachers. One of them is "Encourage Self-Discipline". The
first thing you need to do with your students is establish
the rules of your classroom. Its best to do this at the
beginning of the year in the first class itself. Start by
talking about the goals of your classroom--what you want to
achieve with your students. Then explain to them that in
order for everyone to succeed in the class, that it is
important for there to be certain rules. You can have a
brief discussion about the need for rules, asking them
questions like "What would happen if there were no rules in
classrooms, sports, games, etc.?" Then invite them to
participate in making some rules for the class. You can of
course contribute some of your own in case they miss out on
any points.
After you've made your rules, make a single fair copy, and
paste the classroom rules at the front of the room. Then in
the future, if someone breaks a rule, you don't need to get
worked up about it. Simply remind them of the rules "they
created"! Because the rules were made by them, they will
feel greater ownership in them, and they will respond more
quickly in correcting their own behavior. Other things you
can do: a) let them decide the punishments or rewards if
rules are followed or broken (of course with your
discretion), and b) leave space on the rules charge to add
new rules as the year progresses. Also don't be afraid to go
back and amend rules as circumstances dictate.
When you have a classroom policy like this, it objectively
clarifies the boundaries for the learners. This makes it
easier for everyone to get on with the enjoyment and fun of
learning.
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Q: Dear Steve, I m
teaching Computers in an engineering college. My students
from a nearby villages don't understand things as they are
below average students from an arts background. What should
I do?
Harsha Batra,
Faridabad
A: Hi Harsha, Follow
my Law of Learning that says, "Make Meaning". The problem
might very well be that the students don't see the reason
why they are learning programming. If they are from
villages, you need to customize your lessons and use
language, terms and examples that relate to village life.
For instance, if you are discussing variables, you can
explain that a "Sarpanch" is a variable that gets occupied
by different people. Or that certain crops are variables (as
they rotate in the fields). If you ask them to program
something, give them a project that connects to rural needs.
For instance, have them make a program for voting,
micro-finance, calculating profit based on crop sales, etc.
Somehow, I feel that it is less of a problem of
intelligence, and more of an issue related to relevance. It
is probable that the textbook you are studying from was
written for students from the city, and that in addition to
the language, the concepts are alien to them. When you help
them "Make Meaning", you will see how quickly they catch on,
and I guarantee that they will surprise you with what they
can do! You can also get some of Jiva's computer textbooks
for all kinds of creative ideas. For more details,
call 0129-4294888.
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Q: Dear Steve, I have a 9 year old son who is very
intelligent. But his problem is lack of concentration. In
maths he takes a lot of time to understand concepts and he
tends to forget. Also, he makes spelling mistakes and is
poor in sentence construction. What should I do? Should I
send him for coaching?
Pooja, Bangalore
A: Hi Pooja, I'm sure your son is smart, but you need
to know in what way he is smart. There are multiple
intelligences--musical, bodily, interpersonal, visual,
logical, linguistic, intrapersonal and naturalistic. You can
take the Jiva Self-Discovery Test to find out which are his
dominant intelligences (contact our Educational Hotline to
get the test: 0129-4292888). After that, you need to apply
my Chak De Brain technique--use his stronger intelligences
to help his weaker intelligences. For instance, if he is
strong in visual intelligence, you can use his visual
abilities to strengthen his maths or linguistic skills. For
instance, he can use imagery for learning words and
spellings. That is, when he goes to learn a word, he can
visualise the word in a particular scene. He can also draw
the word in different colours. Or if he is strong in bodily
intelligence, he can use manipulatives (physical objects
like beans, flashcards, etc.) to learn the concepts. By
engaging his body in the learning process, his brain will
give a boost to the other intelligences. Give it a try, and
I'm sure you'll see his concentration improve, as well as
his academic skills.
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Q: How can I improve my bodily intelligence?
Prerita, Student, Chandigarh
A: Hi Prerita, Your body is an incredible organism,
made up of dozens of ingredients, all moving about in their
own special way. It's less like a machine, and more like a
biological, chemical and physical rock band that makes its
own unique style of music. Most people have a problem
because they are trying to dance to the wrong tune. What you
need to do is to 'listen to your inner beat!' Understand
the rhythms of your own body and get in tune with it. Then
you can truly 'rock your body!'
How to start? Begin by doing an Ayurvedic body type test
(you can get one from Jiva by calling 0129-4294888). You
need to figure out if your body type is vata, pitta, or
kapha (air, fire, or water). You will then be clear about
how to keep your body balanced with the right foods. You
will then be able to identify the type of exercises that are
most appropriate for your physical type. I suggest
experimenting with different types of things like Yoga and
other sports. Go with the ones that you are most attracted
to and that you personally enjoy doing (not the ones that
other people tell you to do). You can also try other
activities such as dance and drama, which foster bodily
intelligence.
The problem that most people face is that they have one body
type, but they try to follow the diet or lifestyle of people
with another body type. It is like taking sitar, tabla and
harmonium players and asking them to play a disco song. Such
a combination just won't work! Just remember my bodily
intelligence mantra: 'listen to your inner beat'. Try to
engage your body in different activities, and listen to what
it tells you. Focus less on what others say, and more on the
personal relationship between you and your own body.
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Q: Dear Sir, I am very
intelligent in understanding concepts. However, I do not
secure a good position in my class. What should I do?
Prateek, Class VI,
Hisar
A:
Dear Prateek, I have three bits of advice. The
first is that there is a science to scoring well on exams.
You can read about it in my book, "Beat the Exam in 7 Days."
If you follow the tips in that book, you will definitely
improve your scores. Second, learn to become genuinely
interested in your subject matter. Even if the textbooks or
teachers don't make the content interesting, each one of
your subjects is fascinating. But it's up to you to discover
how amazing they are. Find people, books, websites, etc.,
that demonstrate how learning can be fun. When you enjoy
what you're learning, you'll learn more and will learn
faster. Lastly, you should also understand more about
yourself. It is very important to figure out which of your
intelligences are stronger, and which are weaker. Then work
to develop the strong ones and improve the weak ones. (In
March, Jiva is making a special learning kit that has a
multiple intelligence test that will help you identify your
intelligences.) When you figure this out, you should then
find a way to make your stronger intelligence help the
weaker intelligence. So, if you have strong bodily
intelligence and weak linguistic intelligence, use role
plays, acting, dance, tapping, and movement to help you
learn languages. For instance, if you need to memorise some
sentences and are finding it hard to remember them, try
saying them while mimicking Amitabh Bachchan or Shah Rukh
Khan. Give these things a try, and I'm sure you'll not only
score higher on the test, but you'll also enjoy learning a
lot more!
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Q: Dear Sir, I have a very big problem of lack of
concentration. Please suggest some methods to improve
myself.
Harsimran,
Class V Student,
Chandigarh
A: Dear Harsimran,
Concentration deals with three main aspects--the body, the
mind, and the soul. At the level of the body, it is
important that you keep your physical being in a healthy
state. For that you should start by determining your
Ayurvedic body type (dosha), and eating the right foods.
Visit www.jiva.com to take a dosha test and get the
appropriate diet menu for your type. You should also ensure
you are drinking plenty of water and exercising to oxygenate
the brain. At the level of the mind, it is important to
bring the mind into a state of "sattva" ( i.e., a state of
goodness, peacefulness, and readiness). When the mind is in
this state, you can concentrate and learn more easily. To do
so, create a peaceful atmosphere where you are studying.
Remove distractions or move to a place where there are few
distractions. Distractions can refer to people, noise, the
TV, computers, etc. You can also do some breathing exercises
(pranayam) for a minute or two before you start to study.
This calms the mind, relaxing and energising it, making it
ready to concentrate on new things. At the level of the
soul, you must find a way to become interested in the topic
you are studying. That is, your inner being must find some
kind of purpose or interest in the matter. Sometimes, a
subject might seem boring to you. Talk with someone who
might be able to turn you on to it. Or find an angle of that
topic that is of interest to you personally. When you have a
natural attraction toward something, you will automatically
concentrate on it.
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