Education as a value system is one that is built on the ideal of effective communication. Right from the time of the Indian Gurukul system, where oral tradition of passing on knowledge from one generation to another occurred, to modern times, where content is delivered on online platforms for students to access worldwide, talking and delivering as well as listening and receiving, form imperative parts of the process of learning.  The only way forward is to channel this communication to make the process most effective and useful.

Feedback is a relatively new concept, being used by teachers and students alike in order to identify and keep best practices and strengthen areas of development. While teachers/mentors/parents need to keep in mind that feedback must be constructive, specific and action oriented, the same applies for the approach of the person on the receiving end.

Following are a few tips that will help you make the finest use of feedback and create the best version of yourself.

• Trust the process and people

Understand that the person giving you feedback are ones with experience and learning in the field. There are no vested interests or partiality here, all is said and done for your betterment. Keeping this in mind, and trusting that you are being helped, will allow you to open your mind and thus facilitate learning and progress.

• Communicate and resolve any doubts

If you have been given feedback you don’t seem to understand, or feel is misplaced, take the time out to resolve this with your teacher/mentor/parent. Approach them with an open mind, so as to understand the context of the feedback and the reason behind them making a statement. When you do this, you will better know the place from which this feedback comes from and will allow you to change your mind. Incase you feel the feedback is not constructive, communicate this.

• Create an action plan

There is an effect of feedback only if an action to act upon that feedback is taken. Analyze the feedback given to you, and perhaps discuss it with your mentor in terms of next steps. If you have been given appreciation for a particular area, identify how you can keep your successes. Similarly if you are given suggestions on areas of development, try to plan a way to strengthen them. An easy and effective method for the same is backward planning. Look at the feedback, and set a goal with a timeline. Then break it down into small goals, and targets with smaller timelines.

• One step at a time

Set achievable and realistic goals. Talk to someone if you don’t feel prepared to set these goals. Remember, things don’t turn around in a day, nor can everything be fixed in one go. Take one thing at a time, and focus on your current priority. Even if feedback is given for various things to be worked on, choose what you think is most important and go for it!

• Review your feedback after a while

Somewhere down your timeline and action plan, go back to feedback. Check for progress. Approach the person who gave you feedback, and look for change. If you are still stuck with the same feedback, you need to tweak your plan.

• Celebrate yourself

When you receive feedback, human tendency often makes us stress on the things not in our favor and we tend to forget the successes. Don’t compare yourself to anyone else, their life, context, strengths and weaknesses are vastly different. Look at all the progress you have made. Applaud your successes, however small they may be to motivate yourself and keep going.

Together, we can be better!

We often have an existential crisis not knowing about what’s going on or what’s going to happen, or even if the decisions we’ve taken are the correct ones or not. Have I chosen the right subject? Have I opted for the right stream? What if I change my mind? What if I can’t do this in a few months? Pause. Take a break, and allow us to tell you that you are ABSOLUTELY FINE! The good thing about this feeling is that it is completely normal and it’s in fact natural to second guess your choices and doubt the direction you’re heading in. We’re bringing you 4 tips that will help you realise that you’re doing alright! –

1. It’s been a learning process – Whatever you’ve done, whatever choices you’ve made, it’s been a learning process that has helped you become what you are today. You have made mistakes and learnt from them, and never repeated them again. You have been a part of some successful venutres, and the confidence has helped you learn a lot more about yourself. The most important thing in life is to be grateful for what you have or what you’ve become, because only when you do that can you truly move forward and realise your potential.
2. You’ve always bounced back – To err is human, they say. And you’re no exception! So don’t worry about the mistakes you’ve made, or the ones you’re going to make because you’ve always bounced back and kept fighting through it. ‘Grow through what you go through’ is something that’s more relevant now than ever, and the most important thing to remember is never to stop trying simply because of the fear of failure!
3. You are ready to Forgive – You’ve gotten past whatever’s happened and you’re mature enough to move on, forgiving all those that have wronged you. You may not realise it now, but in the long run the lesser baggage you carry, the freer you are to explore new horizons with nothing holding you back! Breathe in, forgive and forget!
4. You can make your own choices – Now that you’re mature enough to understand what works and what doesn’t, you can make your own choices. Right or wrong, only time will tell but what matters is that you possess the courage to take that call of making a choice for yourself and not thrusting that responsibility onto others! You are able to make your own choices, and that’s a big deal in itself. You’re fine!

So it’s okay to feel low and confused, take time off and answer these 4 points, and you will realise that you’re doing just fine. No matter what stage in life you are at, you;ll sail through. Just keep these 4 points in mind 🙂

When it comes to studying and exams, everyone seems to drown in chaos as time passes by swiftly, and the deadline edges close. But it doesn’t always have to be last minute study sessions and hasty, selective learning to pass! We’re bringing you 5 simple but proven study tips that work and get the job done, provided you utilize them!

1 – Take short study breaks and go for a walk – Sitting in one place and trying to absorb knowledge can get very irritating, especially if you’re someone with a short attention span ( which is the case with most millennials) or someone who fidgets a lot. Rather than forcing yourself to sit in one place while your mind wanders away, take short brisk study breaks. Walk a little to refresh your mind and get the blood flowing to all the parts of your body so both your body and mind can wake up, and get back into study mode!

2 – Teaching someone else – You might have noticed this, but nothing gets an idea or concept firmly planted in your head like when you’re explaining it to someone else! You can’t really teach someone else a concept  unless you completely imbibe it yourself, and in the process of brushing up to teach someone you end up revising and rehearsing it for yourself, which is basically a win-win!

3 – Shuffle Subjects – You should always make the best use of your surroundings and what you have at hand, and this couldn’t be more fitting than in the case of studying. When you get too saturated with Math you can switch over to English for a refreshing change and still keep the learning going, or when you’re too bored with Science you can switch over to the enthralling tales of Indian history and still keep the learning spirit up!

4 – Get Good Rest – This is probably the most important tip and pretty self-explanatory too! To stay in the best shape both physically and mentally you need to get at least 6-8 hours of sound sleep every night. Rest, sleep on time so that you can begin your day fresh and stay alert and attentive throughout.

5 – Take Tests – And last but definitely not the least, take more tests! The lesser the gap between each test, the fresher the content stays in your memory and you’re able to revise and remember what you learn again and again. When the big exam day comes, you merely need to peek back into your mind and the answers will flow involuntarily!

Try these the next time you are studying for an exam, and you’ll realize you don’t need to wait for a deadline to appear before you’re well versed with your syllabus!

At Vidya Mandir, students excel beyond expectations and go on to realise their true potential…but not without good reason.

We utilize a few fundamental techniques and concepts on which the basis of ‘teaching’ was founded and carried out but later on forgotten somewhere in the advancements and commercialism of modern times. We prefer keeping it simple, but highly effective!

Here are a few of the techniques we use to engage our students and keep them active –

1. Work together in Groups – Group learning and group assignments are a great way to foster team spirit, coordination and effective learning through the mistakes and experiences of team members. We encourage our students to participate in learning in groups and harbour this positive learning environment whenever the situation is ideal. The results speak for themselves.
2.  Using Practical Examples – Nothing gets information into a student’s head like a well thought practical example that he can relate to easily. The perfect example of what we mean is the “2 trains travelling at x and y km/hr” question in mathematics to explain to us the concept of Distance, Time and Speed!  Now imagine if every complicated question had a similar simple practical example to understand the basic concept and then apply that to the sum? Would make life much easier, wouldn’t it?
3. Regular Tests and Revisions – Tests and revisions are a great way to gauge a student’s progress, but at the same time should not be used as a weapon into threatening them to study. At Vidya Mandir, we use tests and revisions very often after the commencement of every topic to ensure that the student imbibes that which has been taught to him and doesn’t forget it the next day. We encourage revisions as a form of staying in touch with what you learn, so that exam preparations are more of a formality than a task!
4. When in doubt, ask! – We encourage our student’s to ask questions and doubts for their sake and for others! We believe that the more doubts you ask, the more effort you’re making to grasp the topic. With the intent there, it’s only a matter of time before you master the task at hand. For all the clarifications, our able teachers are more than happy to help with the doubts and queries!

Told you, we believe in keeping it simple, yet highly effective.