School News

How to Study for Exams and Tips for Homework

Exams can be a daunting prospect, but with careful preparation, focus, and discipline, you can approach them with confidence. Here are some tips to help you make the most of your study time:

1. Create a Study Schedule: Planning your study time is essential. Break your revision into manageable chunks, allocating specific topics or subjects to each session. This way, you can ensure that all subjects are covered without feeling overwhelmed.
2. Use Active Learning Techniques: Passive reading is not the most effective way to retain information. Instead, try techniques such as summarizing key points, creating mind maps, or teaching the material to someone else. Engaging with the content actively will help you recall information more effectively.
3. Seek a Quiet and Distraction-free Environment: Find a calm space where you can study without distractions. Turn off your mobile phone or put it on silent to avoid interruptions. Clear your study area of any unnecessary clutter, ensuring you have all the materials you need.
4. Take Regular Breaks: It might seem counterintuitive, but taking short breaks during study sessions can enhance overall productivity. Divide your study time into manageable chunks, and take short breaks to recharge your mind. Get some fresh air, stretch or have a healthy snack to maintain focus.
5. Practice Past Exam Papers: Familiarize yourself with the format and style of the exam questions by practicing past papers. This will help you become more comfortable with the structure, timing, and requirements of the exams.

 

Now, let us discuss some valuable tips for completing homework assignments effectively:

 

1. Establish a Routine: Establish a consistent routine for completing homework. Find a time and place where you can concentrate fully. Ensure that you have all the necessary materials at hand to avoid unnecessary interruptions during your work.
2. Break It Down: If a task appears overwhelming, break it down into smaller, manageable sections. This will make it more achievable and help you stay focused and motivated.
3. Seek Help: If you encounter difficulties or have questions regarding your homework tasks, don't hesitate to seek help. Reach out to your teachers during class or after school, and they will be happy to provide guidance and support.
4. Review and Proofread: Take the time to review and proofread your completed homework before submission. Checking for errors and making necessary improvements ensures that your work is of the highest standard.

By following these strategies, you will be well-prepared for exams and effectively complete your homework assignments. Remember, effective studying and completing homework are essential skills that will serve you well beyond your academic journey.

 

by Marius Harmse

‘Chaotic’ STEAM events foster ingenuity

By Jeanelle Greyling

 

Last Thursday, CIS Gorki celebrated a milestone by hosting the first inter-school STEAM event for international schools in Moscow.

More than 100 students (years 5 to 9) from international schools across Moscow joined our campus to collectively solve ecological problems using Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM).

Mr. Christopher Kingshott, deputy head at CIS Gorki, said he involved other schools in this event, “because we are all part of a broader community of learners and educators striving for excellence”.

CIS Festivalnaya, CIS Skolkovo, the International School of Moscow (ISM) and Brookes Moscow collaborated with CIS Gorki to solve unique ecological problems.

The students were divided into small groups. Mr. Kingshott randomly identified a member from each group to poke around in a hat with flashcards of the 12 unique ecosystems. Soon afterwards, the crowd dispersed and joined their groups in their respective classrooms. They watched introductory videos and started following the conceptual instructions.

Quite surprisingly, this event proved that the occasional “controlled chaos” like a STEAM event enables an optimal learning environment.

 

What is controlled chaos?

 

The term “controlled chaos” sounds like an oxymoron – absurd even. Yet, there has been growing interest in this classroom management style to better prepare students for the 4^th industrial revolution.

Believe it or not, this approach of occasionally embracing chaos is included in the tertiary courses in education of leading universities in the United Kingdom. In fact, even the revered children's education program Sesame Street has added the dynamic STEAM approach to its program. 

To boot, scholars like Dr. Stephen Kellert and Dr. Margaret Wheatley developed the controlled chaos theory in the 90s. To summarize Kellert’s argument: In the educational environment, the term chaos translates into dynamic; meaning everything changes all the time. In his many published books and scholarly articles, Kellert argued the younger generation should be taught to adapt to dynamic situations.

On her website, Wheatley stated that society has been planning, predicting and analysing the world for three centuries. Yet, in the 21^st century, these coping mechanisms are crumbling: “Our world grows more disturbing and mysterious. If our world is not predictable, then our approaches cannot work.”

This welcoming approach to chaos in the classroom receives growing interest to this day: “Educators are faced with preparing a generation of students for many jobs that don’t even exist yet”, wrote Bernard Marr, a world-renowned influencer in business and technology, for Forbes.com.

According to Marr, “students who receive a STEAM education engage in experiential learning, collaborate with others, and persist in problem-solving as they take thoughtful risks and work through the creative process”.

 

Controlled chaos in latest STEAM event

 

At CIS Gorki’s STEAM event, the inter-school groups were challenged with various ecological challenges, including math problems. For instance, the groups assigned with caves were tasked to calculate how many years it would take for stalactites to reach twice its current length of 100 cm, “knowing that stalactites grow at an approximate rate of 0.13 cm a year”, the challenge read. Promptly, many of them calculated that it would take 769 years to double in length.

Additionally, the groups were challenged to design devices with limited resources. To the teachers’ disbelief, these challenges posed no problem. Namely, one of the groups assigned with shallow seas designed a device that can monitor water temperature and the health of corals. It was astonishing to see what they engineered using only cardboard boxes, plasticine, tape, glue and popsicle sticks.

As if the other members’ contributions weren’t enough, we witnessed the ingenuity of the technological whizz-kids. These techies immediately grabbed the laptops and started developing 3D-models of vehicles that could help cast some light on some of the ecological mysteries. One tech-whizz in the Ocean Deep group designed a model of a vehicle that translates the creatures’ bioluminescent communication into Morse code.

 

Result

 

“Since we don’t yet know what jobs will look like as we progress further into the 21^st century, it makes sense to educate our children with the skills and capacity to think outside the box with creative solution,” writes Marr.

Educators are generally closed-minded in their approach to teaching. We are guided by lesson objectives, rubrics, written examinations and standardised testing. Yet, the world around us is dynamic; chaotic. How could we expect of our students to adhere to the traditional learning methods, when we live in a world characterised by unpredictability, by chaos?

“Problem-solvers in the future will have to look beyond what first feels like a limitation and approach challenges with inquiry, wonder, and innovation,” writes Marr.

Admittedly, the teachers (like myself) who participated in CIS Gorki’s STEAM event, were initially doubtful about the outcome. We owned up to the fact that the challenges intimidated us: “If we don’t know what to do, how will the students ever be able to solve these problems?” Yet, in the end, we were left dumbfounded: The students rose to the occasion!

As for Kingshott, he predicted that the chaos would lead to innovation: “This event was designed to foster collaboration over competition, encouraging creativity, innovation, and problem-solving in STEAM fields.

 

 

The Inclusive Classroom teaching model

Inclusive classroom teaching is an approach to education that aims to include all students, regardless of their academic abilities or disabilities, in regular classrooms. Inclusive education is the practice where all children learn in schools in classes with children their own age. Inclusive education is one of today's educational "hot" topics, and there are a variety of positions on Inclusive Education. This is not simply about placing all students in classrooms without attending to their individual strengths, needs, and individual learning requirements. It does not demand that all students learn the same thing at the same time, in the same way. And it is definitely not the sole responsibility of the classroom teacher.

 

Benefits of Inclusive Classroom Teaching:

- Social Interaction: Inclusive education increases social

interactions among students irrespective of their differences.

Being involved in a regular classroom can help students with

special needs to fit in the society more easily. Inclusion

facilitates the development of vital socialization skills,

independence, and autonomy.

- Self-awareness: Inclusive education enables students to

understand their capabilities and limits. Students get to

recognize their differences, strengths, and weaknesses. Moreover, inclusivity enables the regular students to comprehend the challenges faced by students with a disability, which increases their empathy.

- Community Integration: Inclusive settings allow students with special needs and their families to become part of the community. Families having their children in inclusive schools feel more integrated and accepted in their community as they begin to interact with other parents from different backgrounds.

- Professional Development: Since an inclusive learning environment implies the presence of a drastic difference in students’ abilities and needs, it allows teachers to obtain greater professional experience and achieve a higher level of expertise. Through interaction with diverse students, educators learn about children’s development and raise awareness of their specific needs.

 

Challenges of Inclusive Classroom Teaching:

- Teacher Training: Inadequate teacher training lowers the probability to implement Inclusive Teaching. Regular education teachers find it difficult or challenging to teach students with disability.

- Resources and Support: Inadequate resources and support lower a teacher’s confidence in facilitating teaching in inclusive classrooms. The whole "problem" of inclusion has been exacerbated by the fact that inclusion has not brought with it expanded support staff.

- Role Confusion: Inclusion has generated a number of questions for teachers, who are faced with new and confusingly difficult roles and responsibilities.

 

In conclusion, inclusive classroom teaching is an approach to education that aims to include all students, regardless of their academic abilities or disabilities, in regular classrooms. Inclusive Education is the belief and practice where all children learn in their local schools amongst children of their own age. It has some challenges, including teacher training, resources, and role confusion. However, the benefits far outshine the challenges, including social interaction, self-awareness, community integration, and professional development.

Great would be the school where the norms of inclusion result in happy, well-balanced children who are able to show both empathy and brilliance!

 

by Marna Greyling