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| EDUCATION TRIBUNE |
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Striking the right note
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Striking the right note
MUSIC is a part of everyday life. It is an activity which is lifelong and enjoyed by all ages. It transcends all religious and cultural barriers. Though music forms an important part of the school curriculum, its importance has been undermined. An infant is exposed to music since the very beginning as his mother sings a lullaby while rocking him to sleep. With the television bombarding every household, children grow up listening to songs as they hum the latest melodies. In play school, music is incorporated by the teacher in everyday lessons as the little ones sing their nursery rhymes and stomp their feet. In our educational institutions, morning assembly is an essential part of daily routine. It normally includes a hymn followed by the National Anthem. The school choir plays an important part in the school, and its members are the life and soul of cultural activities performed. Students bloom if put in the hands of a qualified and dedicated music teacher. All classes have students from diverse backgrounds. A music class is one period which helps to break the ice among new students. Music as an activity breaks the mundane school routine. It also introduces fun and frolic in everyday teaching. While the maths or the science period may instil fear in some students, the music period is much awaited. The young learners are often seen running toward the music room to learn the nuances of singing. It is one class which elicits an exciting response from the students rather than bored expressions. Music may not be offered as a formal subject in school, but it is an essential part of the curriculum. The field of education is an innovative one where the holistic approach is being stressed upon. Today educationists and academicians stress on going beyond the textbooks. Music in the school year is an attempt to tap the best in the learner. Therefore, the CBSE has introduced the Continuous Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE) system at school level, where apart from the cognitive skills, co-scholastic activities are also given their due. They are not anything new but with the changes introduced by the CBSE, these activities have been formalised now and have to be graded. Music as a co-scholastic activity will be taken seriously now and not be put aside as a ‘side subject’. The field of music is very vast as it includes playing instruments, composing, singing, etc. Singing is an aspect which can be easily taught to a group. In addition to formal teaching, something extra has to be taught to children. It is not that everyone will sing like a canary, but the class will have something new and useful to do. While attending a music class, children not only learn how to sing but also improve their social skills. They interact with each other and work as a group, thus coordinating with each other. They learn to follow instructions. A music class gives a sense of belonging and also inculcates pro-social behaviour. Interpersonal skills are improved through group performances and the performers develop life skills, too. Students who have excess energy can channelise their energy usefully. Some schools have community singing where often-hummed melodies and hymns are taught to students. Inter-house and intra-class competitions are an important feature of the school year. Students learn to compete in a healthy manner. Music instills confidence and boosts the self-esteem of children. An over-energetic learner may give vent to the pent-up energy by exercising his vocal chords during singing. Music contributes to the development of aesthetic skills. Often folksongs which have long been forgotten gain eminence. Music leads to the development of self-growth and cultural sensitivity. Kinaesthetic activity is involved in music through singing action songs. An enterprising language teacher often uses music to teach idioms, vowels and consonant sounds. Children who stammer are sometimes asked to sing as it decreases the stammering. Music has a common language. In a priviledged school, children may sing Doe-a-deer while the music teacher plays the piano or in a government school, children may hum Eh Maalik tere bande hum while another student plays the humble harmonium. Though children may not excel in academics or may be mediocre where their grades are concerned, an activity like singing may make them outstanding. Let not music take a back seat in school. It should be utilised properly, so that the overall personality is enhanced and the learning experience of the young individual is indeed holistic. |
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School students to design Android mobile apps
BANGALORE: School students in the age group of 10-13 years will design mobile applications on Android platform in a countrywide contest. “Students from schools across the country will participate in the first all-India Android mobile applications (app) design competition,” Global Discovery Academy’s chief product officer Vipul Redey said. “The contest has been designed to develop the thought process of students by exploring and generating their own unique concepts,” Redey said. The students will also compete in creating problem-solving applications in the areas of social concerns like environment, education, health, nutrition and civic amenities. The criterion to participate is knowledge of computers and Internet applications. The academy will provide training on mobile phone programming. In the three-stage contest, a participant has to describe to the academy by September 1 the app he/she will design and develop to serve a specific social cause, its functionality and user engagement. In the second stage, a student has to submit a prototype of the mobile app to the academy for programme. “Selected finalists will present the app idea and prototype at a special event in New Delhi and winners will be decided by a panel of judges on basis of creativity, effectiveness of the app and ease of its use,” Redey added.
IGNOU’s new booklet to clear doubts of applicants
NEW DELHI: To clear doubts over its courses and admission process, the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) has launched a booklet compiling frequently asked questions (FAQ). According to officials, of the 10 chapters in the booklet, the first eight chapters deal with issues like registration, practical examinations, assignments, etc. While Chapter 9 answers queries on courses being offered by the university, which are structured differently from conventional ones, Chapter 10 is on the open distance learning system of IGNOU. “It was observed that learners, including prospective applicants as well as alumni, guardians, teachers and other stakeholders, had many misgivings regarding the norms and procedures, rules and regulations followed in the university,” IGNOU said in a statement. “This booklet is going to provide useful compilation and act as a reference material for all the full-time and part-time functionaries of IGNOU,” it said, adding that “it contains questions sent by learners and varsity functionaries from all over the country, along with the answers”. The FAQ e-book is uploaded on the university’s websitewww.ignou.ac.in under the “Student Zone” tab on the home page.
— IANS |
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Punjab Agricultural
University, Ludhiana WITH the support of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) has taken a lead among the state agricultural universities by initiating research on the development of American cotton genotypes, suitable for the high-density plantation system (HDPS) and package of practices under the agro-climatic conditions of Punjab. Dr Baldev Singh Dhillon, Vice-Chancellor, PAU, highlighted that concerted efforts of the university have resulted in the development of American cotton genotype F2383, which is suitable for HDPS in the state. The added advantage of this genotype is amicable application of pesticides across the plant, he said. Dr S.S. Gosal, Director of Research, said the new technology has the potential to trigger another ‘cotton revolution” of the kind that was brought about by Bt cotton in the last decade. 4 Ph.D students get
Borlaug fellowship
A world-renowned rice breeder, popularly known as ‘Paddy Daddy’, Dr Gurdev Singh Khush, has eulogised students of PAU for the distinction of bagging the prestigious fellowship under Monsanto’s Beachell Borlaug International Scholars Programme for four consecutive years. In his message, Dr Khush wrote, “No other university in the world has bagged more than two awards.” Four Ph.D students of the university, including Amandeep K. Sandhu, Amandeep Kaur, Dharminder Bhatia (Plant Breeding and Genetics), and Mitaly Bansal (Biotechnology), bagged the fellowship under Monsanto’s Beachell Borlaug International Scholars Programme in the years 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013, respectively. Through these fellowships, the scholars gain education and learn leadership skills and tools to improve the future of agriculture.
College selected for
TEQIP project
The College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology (COAE&T) of PAU has been selected for participation in the Technical Education Quality Improvement Programme (TEQIP-Phase II) Project, Ministry of Human Resource Development. The college will be granted around Rs 10 crore for this project. TEQIP aims at transforming the technical education system in the country with assistance from the World Bank and Government of India/state governments. Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences
University, Ludhiana A one-day workshop for animal husbandry officers of the state was organised by Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (GADVASU) recently. Gulzar Singh Ranike, Cabinet Minister for Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development and Fisheries, was the chief guest on the occasion. He said in our new research policies, small and marginal farmers should not be ignored as they form 70 per cent of the farming community. Both the Animal Husbandry Department and GADVASU should come forward for joint research, he said.
1st round of counselling ends
The first round of counselling of the university for three undergraduate courses — Bachelor of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry (B.V.Sc and A.H) five-year programme, Bachelor of Fisheries (B.F.Sc ) four-year programme and B.Tech Dairy Technology four-year programme — ended at the Silver Jubilee Block Auditorium of the university recently. A total 2,245 students appeared for the common entrance test conducted by the university. As many as 60 seats of B.V.Sc & A.H, eight of B.F.Sc and 24 of B.Tech Dairy Technology were filled in the first counselling.
Students bring laurels
Three students of the second batch of the College of Fisheries have brought laurels to the university by securing M.F.Sc seats in the country’s most prestigious fisheries institute, Central Institute of Fisheries Education, Mumbai. The fisheries graduates, Poonam Rani, Prem Singh Prajapat and Sudhanshu Raman, got this opportunity after qualifying the All-India Entrance Examination for Agriculture - PG, 2013, conducted by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi.
International conference
Dr Raj Sukhbir Singh, Assistant Professor in the Department of Teaching Veterinary Clinical Complex, attended the “15th International Conference on Production Diseases in Farm Animals” held recently at Swedish Agricultural University, Uppsala, Sweden. Dr Singh presented part of his Ph.D research work entitled “The relationship of teat end hyperkeratosis with teat morphology and subclinical mastitis in Holstein Friesian, Sahiwal crossbred dairy cows” at the conference. — Contributed by Charanjit Singh Teja |
