3-2-1 TUESDAYS WITH MS NIV

Issue #243, 4th March 2025

Am I focused? Or am I always distracted? ask this one question to yourself to get more clarity as a student, parent and/or teacher.

1. For Students:
   • Question: “Am I consistently able to complete my assignments and study for exams without significant distractions or procrastination?”
2. For Parents:
   • Question: “Do I find myself regularly prioritizing and managing my time effectively to support my child’s needs and my own responsibilities?”
3. For Teachers:
   • Question: “Can I maintain a clear and organized lesson plan, and do I stay on track during class sessions without getting sidetracked?”

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Three Images of the Week

Two Thoughts of the Week

“Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work in hand. The sun’s rays do not burn until brought to a focus.” – Alexander Graham Bell

“The ability to focus is a defining characteristic of successful individuals.” – Brian Tracy

One Video of the Week

The latest research is clear: the state of our attention determines the state of our lives. So how do we harness our attention to focus deeper, get distracted less, and even become more creative? Chris Bailey, author of the recent book Hyperfocus, talks about how our ability to focus is the key to productivity, creativity, and living a meaningful life. Follow Chris on @chris_bailey Chris Bailey was recently described by TED as possibly “the most productive man you’d ever hope to meet”.

He is the international bestselling author of Hyperfocus and The Productivity Project, which have been published in sixteen languages. Chris works with organisations around the globe on how they can become more productive without hating the process.

To date, Chris has written hundreds of articles on the subject of productivity, and has garnered coverage in media as diverse as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, New York magazine, The Huffington Post, Harvard Business Review, TED, Fortune, Fast Company, and Lifehacker.

Reading with Ms. Meenu: Tip of the week

Books on Tape

If you have a heterogeneous or mixed ability classroom, you will need books on tape as one accommodation (along with properly leveled book choices) for students who read slowly or struggle. 

Happily, almost all the popular books for teenage readers, both classics and young adult (YA) literature, are now available on inexpensive literacy platforms. The same tool that many adult readers enjoy, can be the tool that allows a student with reading problems to join fully in a higher order conversation about the ideas in a book. Even kids with learning disabilities in reading accessing the story as an audio book allows them a rare opportunity to shine in the classroom, showing that they can respond to questions, connect, speculate, interpret and judge the same as anyone else in the classroom. For many teachers this is another reason for providing in class reading time for literature circle books to make sure that kids who are using books in any version are getting to the listening mode, keeping up and getting the support they need.

Books on tape aren’t just for struggling readers; they can add a new dimension for everyone, especially when the books are read by a strong reader or by its original author. For example, choose a favorite book as an audio book that’s read by a great author i.e. Hatchet by Gary Paulsen, read by Peter Coyote. 

Now try this on your students, a little section to read quietly.

Let them think about how the passage might be read out loud. Next ask for a volunteer to read aloud a paragraph or two. Have other students with a different interpretation.

Then play the professional version of the story read by an author and assess on:

·         Did the reader sound like you expected?

·         What was alike and different?

·         Did the reading aloud change your picture of or thinking about the story?

At this point let everyone enjoy it and then conduct some discussions.

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

Career assessment, guidance, and placement strategies:

A Career Restart: Guiding a Mother-Daughter duo to their True Calling

Ms Meena approached us seeking guidance for her daughter, who was interested in media and acting. After undergoing our career assessment and counseling process, she decided to join Whistling Woods International College for her undergraduate program.

Interestingly, our engagement with the family did not end there. Ms. Meena later returned to seek career guidance for herself. Having put her career on hold after marriage to focus on family responsibilities, she was now looking to restart her professional journey.  Through our career counseling sessions, we discovered that she had strong skills in stock trading and a natural aptitude for it, having learned the skill from her father at a very young age.

 When our career counselors lead such mature career counseling discussions, the approach is always customized to the client’s needs, ensuring meaningful and valuable outcomes. 

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

Building an ant colony with carton boxes, cardboard, paper plates, soil, and clay helped kids learn about how ants live and work together. They explored the structure of a colony, including tunnels and chambers, and understood the roles of worker ants, soldiers, and the queen. This activity also taught problem-solving and engineering skills as they designed stable tunnels and experimented with materials. It encouraged creativity in building and decorating the colony while fostering curiosity about nature.
Neev,Mayra,Havishka& Tashi :6.7 years old, Arnav & Tara:5.7 years old

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.