3-2-1 TUESDAYS WITH MS NIV

Issue #244, 11th March 2025

Am I consistently modeling equitable behavior? examine your own actions: Are household chores divided fairly? Do I respect and value the opinions of all family members equally? Am I displaying healthy relationships?

Am I actively encouraging my daughter’s independence and decision-making? Do I provide opportunities for her to take on age-appropriate responsibilities and make choices? Do I support her in pursuing her own interests, even if they differ from traditional expectations?

Am I nurturing her self-esteem based on her character and abilities? Do I focus on her strengths, talents, and efforts, rather than solely on appearance? Do I engage in open conversations about healthy body image and the influence of media?

Happy women’s day!

This is a free newsletter. If you like my content, please subscribe by entering your email ID here.

Three Images of the Week

Two Thoughts of the Week

“I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels. Life’s a bitch. You’ve got to go out and kick ass.” Maya Angelou, poet & activist

“What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” 
Jane Goodall, primatologist & anthropologist

One Video of the Week

Education activist (and recent Oxford graduate) Malala Yousafzai reflects on the defining moments of her life, how she balances passion with personhood and where the world finds itself during the COVID-19 crisis. With humor and humility, she shares her dreams of seeing social progress in her lifetime, explains why girls education advocacy must not relent during the pandemic and champions youth activists worldwide leading the fight for a fairer future for all. (This virtual conversation, hosted by TED’s current affairs curator Whitney Pennington Rodgers, was recorded July 8, 2020.)

The TED Talks channel features the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world’s leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less). Look for talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design — plus science, business, global issues, the arts and more. You’re welcome to link to or embed these videos, forward them to others and share these ideas with people you know.

Reading with Ms. Meenu: Tip of the week

Extending Discussion When You’ve Run Out of Stuff on Your Notes but the Clock is still Running:

If you notice that most of your groups are finishing five or ten minutes before the end of the designated discussion time, you may need to repeat some of the earlier lessons on questioning or preparing good notes. However, if a different group finishes early each time, setting up a discussion-stretching back up plan is in order. That way, when the kids complete their conversations more quickly than usual, they’ll still be able to talk about the book for the allotted time.

Before the literature circles meet, explain that you’ve noticed that groups sometimes finish early and then have nothing to talk about. Have the students pull out their journals and brainstorm some answers to this question: When a group finishes early, what are some topics students could discuss in order to keep talking about the book?

1.     What’s your favorite part from the story so far?

2.    Based on what we’ve read so far, how do you think it’s going to end?

3.    Who is your favorite character? Why?

4.    Everyone rereads a page and finds a new passage or vocabulary word to share or discuss.

5.    What do you think the author thought about or experienced in order to write this story?

6.    How do you feel about the story now compared to when we first started reading it?

7.    Look through the text for literary devices: simile, metaphor, irony, symbolism, alliteration. After everyone finds one, discuss them.

Once in a while you’re going to run into a truly dysfunctional group. No lesson is going to improve their discussion performance. Rather than trying to nag and cajole them into better performance, settle for civil behaviour and figure out the reasons why they work together so poorly. A shift of turning your student to a reader is not a simple task. So, keep trying over and over again.

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

Career assessment, guidance, and placement strategies:

Choosing a Unique Research Topic

Ideating and finalising a research topic is a journey in itself. When Aaryan embarked on this process, his research guide facilitated it by assessing Aaryan on different problem statements and global issues. However, Aaryan had a clear objective in mind. 

 As a teenager, he is frequently exposed to discussions about mental health, particularly among his peers. While he recognizes that many researchers were already exploring this area,  his keen interest lay in an overlooked group – cab drivers in Bangalore. Determined to make a meaningful contribution, Aaryan chose to focus on the mental health challenges faced by cab drivers, a topic that resonated deeply with him. 

Now passionately working on this aspirational research, Aaryan is committed to conducting primary research by interviewing 50 cab drivers. His enthusiasm and dedication remind us why we do what we do – guiding students who are eager to create a positive impact on their communities through research. Working with students like Aaryan is both an honor and an inspiration. 

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

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.