3-2-1 TUESDAYS WITH MS NIV

Issue #242, 25th Feb 2025

Have you ever made a major purchasing decision where research significantly changed what you ultimately bought? What’s one topic you’ve researched recently in your personal life? Do you have any specific research techniques or trusted sources you regularly rely on?

Learning research skills as a student becomes a life skill over time. Would you agree?

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Three Images of the Week

Two Thoughts of the Week

“Research is seeing what everybody else has seen and thinking what nobody else has thought.”

– Albert Szent-Györgyi 

“Research is formalized curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose.”

– Zora Neale Hurston

One Video of the Week

How does research prepare us with real world skills of the future? In this talk, high school researcher Alex Kroumov demonstrates the importance of research in developing problem-solving skills for the real world. He addresses the issue that most people graduate high school unprepared with important life skills, and then describes how research forces them to grow their abilities. His past projects, which have been featured on the news and at Regeneron’s International Science and Engineering Fair, have taught him important lessons about adaptation and critical thinking. He is here to share how research can be used to accelerate a person into a mindset primed to critical thinking, allowing them to effectively achieve their own goals.

Alex Kroumov is an Arizona College Prep High School senior with a passion for biomedical engineering. Particularly interested in projects related to neuroscience, he has worked with Arizona State University to investigate the effects of music on neuroelectric patterns.

Additionally, he works with fellow students to develop technology that addresses issues ranging from heat stress to termites. Projects to which he has contributed have been presented in front of Chandler’s city council, featured on the news, and shown at Regeneron’s International Science and Engineering Fair. In the future, he seeks to use his experience with research and development to advance the connection between computers and the brain.

Reading with Ms. Meenu: Tip of the week

Getting More Mileage Out of Drawings

It’s been always suggested that drawing in response to a book often brings new topics, questions and visions to the table.  First the “left brained” kids typically blow off this part of the literature circle preparation, coming up with a good illustration is just as important as the written responses because drawing requires the brain to work in a different way. For many students doing an illustration stretches their thinking in new directions. Second, when students have put a lot of effort into their illustrations, it is disappointing to see these masterpieces get such short shrift. The kids hold them up, someone says, “Oh that’s when….,” the other kids nod in agreement and the discussion of that illustration is over. Here’s a lesson for helping students extend the discussion of their illustrations.

Getting more mileage out of illustrations requires critical thinking and questioning. For example:

·         Explain how this picture relates back to something that happened earlier in the story.

·         Imagine a change of story events and then explain how the picture would change.

·         Describe how you imagined this scene as you read. What did you see differently than the artist?

·         Why did you choose that character to draw?

·         What interested you about this part of the story?

·         Where was this in the story? What passage would you use as a caption?

·         What details would you have added if you had more time?

·         What feelings does this scene show?

Start an illustration galley. Display drawings from the different book titles together and encourage the class to take a look at what’s going on in the other literature circles. Hopefully the illustrations will muster interest in reading some of the other books. And that’s the way to take out more mileage out of illustrations and promote literacy on the side.

Happy Reading!
Meenu Gera, Consulting home and school librarian and reading guide.

Career assessment, guidance, and placement strategies:

Research Skill Development Training Program for School Students. 

Alma Mater School, Jodhpur is an A-level school committed the holistic development of its students. During our interactions with the school’s decision-makers, we helped them understand how universities in India and abroad evaluate college applications.  This discussion led to our collaboration, where we have been doing career assessments and counseling for students from grade 8 onwards. In 2023, we also conducted a 12-hour research skill development training program for Grade 11 & 12 students. The program introduced them to key aspects of research, including how to develop a research topic, conduct a literature review, collect primary data, use analytical tools, and ultimately write a research paper. 

At Fermata, we take a highly customized approach to profile building, enabling students to align their interests and academic goals with their personal brand. Research work is a key component of skill development, and we emphasize and specialize in guiding students through this process. 

Case study provided by: Team Fermata, www.fermataco.com

Showcase:

Thrive Beyond School – A unique project for very young children in STEAM education, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh

Students of Thrive center, explored how sound is created through vibrations. They discovered that plucking a string made it vibrate, producing sound.
Using a carton box and rubber bands, they built simple guitars and observed how different materials affected sound. They also learned how real instruments like guitars and violins work.
This hands-on activity made learning about sound fun and exciting!
Neev & Mayra :6.7 years Tara:5.7 years

Dear reader,
I work with the school leadership team as an advisor and collaborate with teachers as a pedagogical trainer. I also help parents as a parenting counselor and regularly engage one-on-one with students as a personal guide and mentor. This weekly newsletter shares what I read, learn, and experience.

3-2-1 Tuesdays with Ms. Niv is a newsletter you can subscribe to and enjoy your learning journey with me.