What exactly is a good diet?

Going by the books, “A good diet is naturally a proper proportion of all kinds of vegetables, fruits, cereals, proteins and dairy products”. Such a diet helps in the intake of important nutrients and roughage which are very crucial for the body and mind to function. Rising standard of living has surely given us more purchasing power and a well-balanced meal is not a luxury anymore. But, there is a problem it has posed. The super markets are loaded with “super foods” packed in glamorous wraps with a comprehensive description of the ingredients, so small that even with magnifying glasses, they are difficult to decipher. Never mind, these processed food are a life saver. Starting from mayonnaise and peanut butter, to ginger-garlic paste and now, peeled and cut vegetables, money can buy anything. Yes, everything, the carcinogenic preservatives, the brewing bacteria and the loads of calories. 

We all know the benefits of a healthy meal. In fact, in all the gyms mushrooming in every aisle of our neighbourhood, the trainers relentlessly tell us “it is 70 % diet and 30 % exercise” that helps us get the perfect BMI. Our mothers were very generous to cook us wholesome meals and often, became the antagonists when they discovered that we had “the humble maggi” in our neighbours’ house.

In this age, making your kids eat healthy is no less than an irksome challenge! Today, it’s every mother’s nightmare.

A few tips from our side will certainly help reduce your struggles and worries.
Encourage your kids to eat slowly: A child can detect hunger and fullness better when they eat slowly. Ask them to eat their food slowly so that they are able to chew it properly. Doing so, allows them to mix the right quantity of saliva to initiate the digestion process and absorb more nutrients from their food, helps them maintain a healthy weight, allows for easier digestion leading to fewer digestive issues like bloating.
Cut back on junk: You are in charge of the food that enters your house. By having fewer junks around the house, one can encourage the kids to eat more fruits, vegetables, whole grain and dairy products. Remember, the packaged fruit juice is devoid of fibre, necessary to clean up our digestive system. It is not only fried food which is considered junk, but also all processed food with preservatives such as ‘ready to eat mix’, pureed fruits and vegetables, bread spreads, confectioneries etc.
Be a role model: Be honest with yourself about the kinds of food messages you're sending. Trust your body to tell you when you're hungry and when you're full, and your kids will learn to do the same.
Offer choices: Provide your kids with an array of healthy food choices to pick from instead of forcing them to eat only specific foods. Give them the option of choosing what they’d like to eat (with given limits) before you cook for them. Restricting the foods the kids like from their diets will only make them crave for the forbidden foods more.
Indigenous food: Restrict the use of white sugar, use jaggery instead. Reduce the use of cooking oil and add a couple of teaspoon of “ghee” instead. Ayurveda says “ghee” is the food for the brain. Have more high fibre carbs such as millets rather than wheat.

Apart from these tips, it also helps to form a strict meal-time (and snack-time) routine and stick to it. Doing this will bring about discipline and prevent the kids from grazing pointlessly. Realize that what the kids eat over time is what matters. As long as you balance these times with indigenous food choices and physical activity, your children will be healthy citizens tomorrow.

How common are learning disabilities?

In India, around 13-14 percent of all school children suffer from learning disorders. The past decade has witnessed a sudden increase in the recognition of learning disabilities in India. This sensitivity has benefited some children who have to cope with the invisible learning disability. Discovering your child’s special needs is often a confusing and painful process for parents. Learning difficulties can be subtle, multiple, and difficult to pinpoint, it can be hard for parents to know whether things are normal or not.

DIFFICULTY VS DISABILITY:

Identifying the type of struggle your child may have with learning is also imperative to future success. There is a distinction between a difficulty and a learning disability. The two terms are sometimes used interchangeably but there is a distinct difference between the two. Everyone experiences some difficulty when learning something. We are not adept at every skill. A learning disability, on the other hand, refers to a disorder manifested by significant difficulties in acquisition and use of listening, speaking, reading, writing, reasoning or mathematical abilities. 

Types of Learning Disorders:
- Dyslexia: It is a reading disability that causes a child to reverse letters (mirror image).

- Dyscalculia: It is a lesser known disability that affects mathematical calculations.

- Dysgraphia: It is a learning disability resulting from the difficulty in expressing thoughts in writing and graphing. 

- Dyspraxia: It refers to difficulties with fine motor skills such as hand-eye co-ordination, etc.

What are some ‘early warning signs’?

[1] Communication problems: The communication of your child delays, such as the pace of his/her language development slows down with the difficulty in speech. They face problems understanding what is being said and might not be able to communicate their thoughts and have a tough time processing information in one or more several areas of learning.

[2] Memory problems: These might include your child not remembering specifics of daily activities and not understanding or remembering multiple instructions. For example, despite of memorizing a set of words repeatedly, the child might still not remember what he has studied and learnt.

[3] Arithmetic problems: The child might face difficulty with mathematics while computing, remembering and learning time and money concepts. Very young children may struggle with learning to count; school-aged children may reverse numbers and misalign columns. This disability might affect the functional skills of a child such as playing board games, counting money, or measuring things.

[4] Writing problems: Handwriting is a complex process that involves processing information and putting thoughts on paper by coordinating vision and pencil movements to form letters and words. The child might struggle to organise letters, words and organise numbers on a page.

All children need love, encouragement, and support, and for kids with learning disabilities, such positive reinforcement can help ensure that they emerge with a strong sense of self-worth, confidence, and the determination to keep going even when things are tough.

In searching for ways to help your children with learning disabilities, remember that you are looking for ways to help them help themselves. Your job as a parent is not to “cure” the learning disability, but to give your child the social and emotional tools he or she needs to work through challenges. Parents should identify and immediately bring it to the notice of educators and should not hesitate or shy away which in turn affects the student's learning abilities. In the long run, facing and overcoming a challenge such as a learning disability can help your child grow stronger and more resilient.

Motor Skills are actions/activities that involves your child’s muscular movements. These skills are broadly divided into two types: Gross Motor Skills and Fine Motor Skills. Gross Motor Skills are the larger movements that a child makes with their arms, legs, feet or the entire body. For example, running, jumping, dancing, etc. which we popularly name as ‘physical exercise’. Whereas, Fine Motor Skills are the ones that involve precision movements of smaller muscles in the fingers, hands and forearms. For example, drawing within a confined space, lacing shoes, buttoning shirts etc.

Motor Skills and Academic Development:

In the process of child’s holistic development, Motor Skills are of prime importance. Gross Motor Skills help a child in strengthening of the heart and lungs, preventing weight gain, healthy bones, good posture which pump more oxygen to the brain and improve actual brain function by helping nerve cells to multiply, creating more connections for learning (Cotman, 2002; Ferris, 2007). On the other side, development of Fine Motor Skills help improve eye-hand coordination crucial for developing reaching and grasping, moving objects and using tools like crayons, pencils and scissors. These skills help the child to strengthen pincher grip which helps in drawing, writing and all activities that require using of fingers. Children with issues such as dysgraphia or dyspraxia have trouble with their Fine Motor Skills. 

How PICT ensures Motor Skills development in its learners:

At PICT, we understand the importance of development of Motor Skills in our young learners which is why we practice “learning by doing’. The time table has a perfect blend of “hands – on activities” in the classrooms along with gross physical activities in the playground. Throughout the instructional time at school, we challenge the large and small motor movements by reaching, grasping, rolling, sitting, crawling, standing, walking, climbing, throwing, catching, kicking, cooing and talking; whichever developmental stage your child happens to be.

Although the traditional forms of media such as television, newspapers, posters and snail mail continue to be popular forms of mass communication, email, social online media have replaced expensive print media production such as magazines and photographic paper.

Media’s presence in every child’s life is totally ubiquitous. As screens become omnipresent in our lives, especially smart phones and tablets, the new generation is spending a considerable period of time browsing the internet and playing digital games. The result is that children, today, are completely pervaded in media experiences from a very young age. Just like every cloud has a silver lining, social media can be used in ways that promote positive and productive ideas in society. The online dangers and negative fallouts from social media such as cyber bullying notwithstanding the positive behaviors, make social media an invaluable tool to young people if used correctly.

Due to endless exposure from being online, teens hone various skills that enable them to evaluate and interpret situations contextually which prepares them mentally for the real world. Popular YouTube sites have an unending stream of educational videos that can give anyone the ability to sharpen and develop their various skills and talents, for example, playing musical instruments, dancing, swimming or cooking.

The journey to make an impact and be socially accepted turns out to be an adventure on the social networking sites for young people since it is like exploring a new place where different skills are needed which then drives them to think out of the box resulting in new applications that express creativity and individuality.

There is a wealth of information on coping with the vast resources of the Media, both good and bad. We cannot whisk away the impact of social media on our lives. Educational institutes have to work in collaboration with parents to create positive impact while nurturing and molding young minds. Parents play an important role in their child’s social learning, but if a parent’s point of view is not discussed explicitly with children, the medium may teach and influence by default. PICT Model School has adopted strategies that encourage developing skills by using social media. For e.g. If you are watching a show about animals and your child seems excited about it, you can go online with them and look up the websites with pictures and facts, followed by an insightful discussion which will help the child recall, comprehend, analyze and evaluate this information.

Above all, parents should appreciate that there is potential for more good than bad, as long as one has the knowledge to tell the difference. In order to make Media have a positive effect on the children, parents should assist them and follow their activities and be their collaborators at every step of their life.

In the last blog we have seen how the selection of school matters as the maximum amount of impactful time that children spend is in school. That is the place where they understand different concepts, have intellectual conversations and thought provoking discussions, helping them grow and understand things!

But then, how to select the best school in Pune? Pune being the educational hub and proudly known as “Oxford of the East”, houses many schools that offer different educational boards. Ample schools in Pune offer quality education to children but how to select the best from the hundreds of option available to us.

Let us look at some of the factors we should consider before making that decision:

Depending upon the age of the child, one has to decide if they need the pre primary school in Pune, primary school in Pune or nursery school in Pune. Also, one has to keep an eye on the websites of best schools in Pune to know when the school admissions forms are out. The nursery admissions and pre-school admissions open early whereas the pre-primary school’s and primary school’s admissions open later.

PICT Model School is one of the best schools in Balewadi area, providing quality education to the children. In Fact, it is not only the best school in Chinchwad or Wakad but it is the Best school in Pune that has a backing of PICT Institute’s legacy of 33 years! It is not only one of the best schools in Pune but also the finest when it comes to crafting students to the best version of themselves.The teaching methodology is ‘LEARNING By DOING’ where children learn things and concepts while actually doing them. This unique methodology is well suited to the child’s innate quest to learn by doing. The school provides an array of valuable experiences from which children create their knowledge.

FACILITIES AT PICT SCHOOL:

It believes that, “A good teacher never stops learning" and hence the same zeal for learning gets incorporated in the students.

It is said that, “It is not what you learn but what you truly imbibe and apply that leads you to a better life” and PICT is here to lead your children to a better life! So if you still bear the thought of how to choose a good school, then come visit the campus to know more.

We believe in “Inspiring Tomorrow”, do you?

PICT’s Nestling Day-care and Enrichment center is situated in Balewadi, Behind Holiday Inn, on Mumbai Bangalore NH-7 and is OPEN FOR ADMISSIONS! Day Care Contact No.: 020 66806304/ 305 Visiting hours: 9.00 am to 6.00 pm E-mail: deanadmin@pictmodelschool.com Website: www.pictmodelschool.com

Education is what survives when what has been learned has been forgotten.

-B. F. Skinner

Education is a phenomenon that requires contemplation, evaluation and practical application! It also requires a great deal of thought to understand how the child can grasp better. But this quote by B. F. Skinner induces many thoughts in our heads and makes it a tad bit difficult to comprehend its true meaning and application.

Somebody has said, “Education is filled with our greatest hope in this world - Our Kids!”

The quality of education they receive, the thoughts that shape their minds and the feelings they develop are all results of what, how and where they learn!

Children spend considerable amount of time in school where they actually come in contact with different concepts, intellectual conversations and thought provoking discussions, helping them grow and understand things! But then, how to select a perfect school? Let us look at some of the factors we should consider before making that life altering decision: The educational board, teaching methodology, the output, the principal, teachers, infrastructure and the general conduct at school.

In this quandary, let us give you a space to breath and explain about a futuristic school; PICT Model school with 30 years of legacy backing it up! PICT Model school is a venture by the famous Pune Institute of Computer Technology which is known to have created leading professionals and successful students all these years! The institute remains one of the top engineering institutes in Pune and has been known to have oldest of faculty still being associated with it.

With that same positivity and passion to provide quality education to the students and to create a niche for the learners, PICT management has established PICT Model school and Nestling day care center! The campus is spread across 10 acres and has the largest daycare in Pune with innovative teaching methods, infrastructure, modern facilities like X-SEED classrooms, Swimming Pool, Golf, Athletics, Shooting, Tennis and more.

The school follows a unique methodology of “Learning by Doing” which helps the children to grasp better and faster! It believes that, “A good teacher never stops learning" and hence the same zeal for learning gets incorporated in the students.

It is said that, “It is not what you learn but what you truly imbibe and apply that leads you to a better life” and PICT is here to lead your children to a better life! So if you still bear the thought of how to choose a good school, then come visit the campus to know more.

In the previous BLOG we saw what the learning theories are, why to use them and how they are useful in the entire journey of the learner as well as the educator.

Here, we’ll talk about Cognitive Learning Theory which implies that the processes that are concerned with learning can be explained by studying the mental processes first. Theories have been used to explain mental processes as they are influenced by many factors which bring about learning in an individual.

A. Social Cognitive Theory: Social Cognitive Theory includes several basic concepts that can manifest not only in adults but also in infants, children and adolescents.

In the Social Cognitive Theory, generally 3 variables are considered at large:

These 3 variables are said to be interrelated that cause learning to occur in an individual. Behavior of an individual, environmental factors such as day to day surroundings, behavior of parents, atmosphere and even climate, play an important role in the growth and development.

B. Cognitive Behavioral Theory: The Cognitive Behavioral Theory says that individuals tend to form “self-concepts” which largely affect the behavior they display. These concepts can be positive or negative and may get affected by the environment.

Cognitive Behavioral Theory further explains human behavior and learning using the cognitive triad or 3 parts. This includes negative thoughts about:

Situated learning claims that learning is strongly associated with the context and the activity in which it occurs. In order to learn a concept in a better way, it must be learned in the environment in which is has been developed.

We all have seen, heard, and studied so many theories in our academics but do we know there are a lot of theories which explain how to teach and learn those theories? There are various  theories which establish the application, interpretation and purpose of education and learning. But, they vary according to different courses, topics, regions, scientists and educationalists and there are always new ones that get added to the list. There are some learning theories such as Cognitive Learning Theory, which are widely accepted and universally used. The Cognitive Learning Theory is divided into two specific sub-theories:

1. Social Cognitive Theory (SCT)

2. Cognitive Behavioral Theory (CBT)

Here, by learning, we do not mean to imply the behavioral changes of the body but the actual and persistent change in performance and potential of an individual as a result of experience and interaction with the world.

Changes for example, fine motor control, can be attributed to maturation whereas changes in the behavior for example, searching for food when hungry don’t imply learning.

But, why use theories?

Learning requires experience but what these experiences are, how they are used and how they bring about learning is the focus of every learning theory.The teaching and learning methods may vary but they are all based on the theories put forth by many educationalists. These theories are used for numerous reasons such as:

1. Help explain a complex issue: Learning is a variable which has no clear and universal way to explain. To help explain this process, therefore, theories based on different factors have been formulated.

2. Allow the transfer of information: The complex and comprehensive explanations provided within the framework of a theory can be applied in different forms. Theories provide different "lenses" through which one can look at complicated problems and social issues.

3. Theories provide greater opportunities for improvement: By providing information about the mechanisms underlying learning and performance, an awareness of theories can help us to create the environment that’ll improve the potential for learning.

Stay tuned to know more about the cognitive learning theory, its types and how they help in individual growth, development and learning.
Learning Theories - II coming up next week.

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