In this series of articles, we aim to discuss GIIS pedagogy, 9GEM and to share with you with some examples on how GIIS has ingrained each GEM into the students life across all campuses, worldwide. The 9th GEM is "Skill Development".
SINGAPORE
International Peace Day assembly
Heartfulness Institute conducted International Peace Day as a part of Gandhi Jayanti celebrations held at GIIS East Coast Campus. The simple and effective experiential heart-based meditation that was introduced to our students by members of the institute was meant to “calm the mind and purify the heart”, thereby bringing inner wellness and a balanced lifestyle.
Kindergarten science day out
Kindergarten students and parents teamed up together and demonstrated simple science experiments in the school auditorium. An array of visually appealing experiments was conducted and our students got the opportunity to learn and participate.
Think Quest21 competition
The core concept of Think Quest21 is directly aligned with MOE’s 21st Century Competencies model of critical thinking skills. This new competition is aimed at inculcating a greater appreciation of critical thinking, holistic learning and soft skills development in primary students. One of our teams was placed first amongst the 26 participating teams.
RWCC & Hi Quiz competition
RWCC 2016 is an interschool series of competition between the various GIIS campuses. Our students participated in the category “Lil Mavericks” and the topic was Recycle Product Promotion. Each team of five kids had to create a product using only recycled material and demonstrated their skills in promoting the product to an audience for purchase.
Activistar Town Planning competition
The Activistar Competition, a town planning competition that focuses on a different Southeast Asian city every year, was an opportunity for students to display their talent and learn about the nuances of town planning and architecture. This year the theme was renovation of Jakarta. Six teams from our school participated in the competition. Students were guided through the processes of what makes a township habitable and the challenges faced when planning a town. It was a notable accomplishment for the school when all six teams progressed to the international level finals.
Rise & Shine competition
The students of GIIS Balestier participated in the Sony Creative Toy Awards 2016 launched by Sony and the Science Centre, Singapore. The theme of the competition was Rise & Shine.
This experiential learning has helped students to develop a strong understanding of the scientific principles used while creating their dream toys.
Interactive session on peer pressure
An interactive session on peer pressure was held for the parents. The session covered topics such as peer pressure and bullying, and its effects on the psycho-emotional development of children. In the interactive session, parents shared their experiences making it a unique learning-sharing session for all.
Leader in me camp
Two days and two nights away from TV, gadgets, family and home, sounds like quite an ordeal. But for students who participated in the “Leader in Me” camp, it was just the opposite. In fact, it was a pleasant and exciting experience. Students went back home enriched and enlightened. Friends, activities, fun-filled shows and tours enabled the students to get into a new level of experiential learning.
Little Chef
Cooking with kids is a great way to connect and spend quality time together as a family and at the same time teaches the little ones healthy eating habits. GIIS organised an exciting and interactive session called “Little Chef” where students got an opportunity to showcase their culinary and oratory skills in school. Our little chefs, along with their fathers, prepared innovative, healthy and delicious dishes, demonstrated their culinary skills and spoke about the delicious breakfast they had prepared for their mothers. Our students had a wonderful bonding time with their respective parents.
Weave-A-Tale
GIIS Inter-School Weave-A-Tale Storytelling Contest is an attempt to instill the art of storytelling amongst the students, and revive the tradition of storytelling and listening. The objective of the competition is to encourage students to use their linguistic and musical skills, imagination and creativity to bring out the storyteller in them. The students presented their stories in various narrative styles that included singing and recitation of shlokas to enhance the story. It was a visual delight looking at the students in their costumes using eye-catching props.
INDIA
Scholastic book fair
Reading is habit which needs to be cultivated in children at a tender age. To encourage reading, the school organised the “Scholastic Book Fair”. A huge variety of books were showcased and the response from both students and parents was heartening, indicating the growing level of interest in reading. Reading improves a child’s imagination, visualizing skills, speech, vocabulary, language and character.
Enthralling storytelling competition
Stories are a medium of communication of thoughts, knowledge, and personality with the rich heritage that we pass on to future generations. Students participated in the English Story-telling Competition. The little storytellers weaved intriguing stories of the topics they had selected and held the audience captivated. The students told their stories with detailed expressions, pauses, diction and a little enactment.
Agricultural farming experience
GIIS follows a project-based approach to learning. Most topics from the textbooks are taken up and carried out in practice, to ensure clarity in concepts. Students of GIIS Noida were taken to a farm to experience the process of crop production. They were taught about various aspects that allow farmers to produce good crops throughout the year. Students got a chance to interact with farmers who educated them on the process of sowing, and how to use different machines to obtain optimum results.