Question Discussion & Solution

The role of the textbook and the teacher, the NCF 2005 emphasizes that learners formulate their own knowledge by connecting new ideas to existing ones on the basis of material/activities (experiences).

Key PointsThe section on ‘Do this and find out is included in different topics in the EVS textbook to -

• In NCF 2005, the teaching-learning of EVS is visualized as including children’s interaction with real-life situations.
• Through, Do this and find out, children get actual engagement, hands-on experience, and reflections on day-to-day activities.
• This approach of learning is referred to as ‘Learning by doing’ which suggests that children actively construct their understanding or knowledge while directly interacting with their environment.
• In this approach children learn (construct new knowledge) by fitting new information together with what they already know, this helps build learning on what is known developing positive attitudes, values, and practices such as respect and care for all life on earth, compassion, caring for self and others, conservation of natural resources, appreciation of cooperative learning, sense of belonging, social responsibility, valuing culture, etc.

Hence, the section on ‘Do this and find out’ included in different topics in EVS textbooks aims at providing direct hands-on experiences.

The generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) was earlier known by the name anxiety neurosis or anxiety states. The disorder is more commonly seen in primary care settings or in internal medicine clinics rather than in psychiatric practice.

• GAD is characterized by unrealistic and/ or excessive anxiety which is generalized and persistent, present all the time and is not restricted to certain situations or exposure to certain objects. The disorder has a prevalence of 2-5 per cent and is twice more common in females as compared with males. Onset is usually in the 20s, although persons of any age can be affected.
• Only one-third of patients who have GAD seek psychiatric help. Many go to the general practitioners, internists and cardiologists.
• Symptoms in GAD may sometimes occur in the background of chronic environmental stress. Many times, the illness runs a chronic and fluctuating course, but the response to treatment is good. Mild depressive symptoms are often an associated feature.

Hence, it is clear that GAD stands for Generalized Anxiety Disorder.

Motivation is the encouragement that drives a person to work for a specific cause. It allows a person to put efforts in a focused manner to achieve a goal.

• For example, Athletes are motivated to win the competition to earn the gold medal and the glory that comes with it. Corporate companies are motivated to develop new products to earn more profits.
• Motivation is also linked with learning. A motivated person enables himself/herself to learn new skills to overcome the challenges faced to achieve the goal. 

Key Points

• Motivation controls and directs/channelizes the focus of a person towards the work. E.g. an athlete is always conscious about the diet and calorie intake and eats strictly according to the diet plan. It helps an athlete learn about the significance of nutrition. 
• Motivation is objective and can be defined. An objective idea is one that does not change with persons. Motivation to win a gold medal speaks for the objective and is indifferent to the person who sets the target. A definite objective also defines the learning requirements as it clearly enlightens the skills required to complete the objective. 
• Motivation is concerned with reinforcement and rewards as the objective of the motivation always encourages a person to work for the reward. Reinforcement occurs through motivation as on the path of achieving something, a person undergoes skill development which bolsters a person and boosts the morale to achieve the desired results.

Thus, it is concluded that all the above options are correct in the context of motivation and learning.

Inclusive Education means education for all children in school. It refers to the inclusion of all children in the education system, regardless of their differences and disabilities.

• Hearing impairment refers to hearing loss that prevents a person from totally receiving sounds through the ear. If the loss is mild, the person has difficulty hearing faint or distant speech.

Key Points

If a teacher has a 'hearing impaired' child in her middle school class. She needs to make the child sit at a place from where she can see the teacher's lips and facial expressions clearly. 

Strategies for teaching Hearing Impaired child

• It is not possible to establish enough special schools to accommodate every hearing impaired\child. The other alternative is to use the already existing infrastructure in the general stream and integrate the hearing impaired children into the mainstream of education.
• Generally, hearing impaired children are as intelligent as children with normal hearing. Given timely help, these children can get successfully integrated into the educational system. 
• Children with hearing impairment find it difficult to have focussed listening for every word which is spoken. Children with hearing impairment find it difficult to have focussed listening for every word which is spoken. 
• Children are often comfortable with signs, and to facilitate them to understand the message, one may use signs freely. Once the child has understood the word or sentence, you may not need to use signs. Do encourage your child to speak words. You may repeat the word.

We can conclude that teacher can make the child sit at a place from where she can see the teacher's lips and facial expressions clearly.

Mind-mapping: A mind map is a graphical way to represent non-linear ideas and concepts.

• It is a visual thinking tool that helps to structure information, helping you to better analyze, comprehend, synthesize, recall, and generate new ideas. Just as in every great idea, its power lies in its simplicity.

Key Points

‘Mind mapping’ refers to a technique to enhance comprehension as:

• It involves putting brainstormed ideas in the form of a visual map or picture that shows the relationships among these ideas.
• One starts with a central idea or topic, then draws branches of the main topic which represent different parts or aspects of the main topic. 

Additional Information

Mind mapping in education is perfect for:

• Visualizing concepts
• Brainstorming sessions
• Improving critical thinking
• Outlining written documents
• Storyboarding presentations
• Improving reading and writing skills
• Advanced research papers or graduate projects

Hence, it could be concluded that ‘Mind mapping’ refers to a technique to enhance comprehension.