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Whether
you are a parent, student or a teacher, if you have a question
related to any problem related to education, ask
Mr
Steven Rudolph.
Just fill out this form to ask a question.
Q: Dear Steve, I have a 9 year old son who is very
intelligent. But his problem is lack of concentration. In
maths he takes a lot of time to understand concepts and he
tends to forget. Also, he makes spelling mistakes and is
poor in sentence construction. What should I do? Should I
send him for coaching?
Pooja, Bangalore
A: Hi Pooja, I'm sure your son is smart, but you need
to know in what way he is smart. There are multiple
intelligences--musical, bodily, interpersonal, visual,
logical, linguistic, intrapersonal and naturalistic. You can
take the Jiva Self-Discovery Test to find out which are his
dominant intelligences (contact our Educational Hotline to
get the test: 0129-4292888). After that, you need to apply
my Chak De Brain technique--use his stronger intelligences
to help his weaker intelligences. For instance, if he is
strong in visual intelligence, you can use his visual
abilities to strengthen his maths or linguistic skills. For
instance, he can use imagery for learning words and
spellings. That is, when he goes to learn a word, he can
visualise the word in a particular scene. He can also draw
the word in different colours. Or if he is strong in bodily
intelligence, he can use manipulatives (physical objects
like beans, flashcards, etc.) to learn the concepts. By
engaging his body in the learning process, his brain will
give a boost to the other intelligences. Give it a try, and
I'm sure you'll see his concentration improve, as well as
his academic skills.
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Q: How can I improve my bodily intelligence?
Prerita, Student, Chandigarh
A: Hi Prerita, Your body is an incredible organism,
made up of dozens of ingredients, all moving about in their
own special way. It's less like a machine, and more like a
biological, chemical and physical rock band that makes its
own unique style of music. Most people have a problem
because they are trying to dance to the wrong tune. What you
need to do is to 'listen to your inner beat!' Understand
the rhythms of your own body and get in tune with it. Then
you can truly 'rock your body!'
How to start? Begin by doing an Ayurvedic body type test
(you can get one from Jiva by calling 0129-4294888). You
need to figure out if your body type is vata, pitta, or
kapha (air, fire, or water). You will then be clear about
how to keep your body balanced with the right foods. You
will then be able to identify the type of exercises that are
most appropriate for your physical type. I suggest
experimenting with different types of things like Yoga and
other sports. Go with the ones that you are most attracted
to and that you personally enjoy doing (not the ones that
other people tell you to do). You can also try other
activities such as dance and drama, which foster bodily
intelligence.
The problem that most people face is that they have one body
type, but they try to follow the diet or lifestyle of people
with another body type. It is like taking sitar, tabla and
harmonium players and asking them to play a disco song. Such
a combination just won't work! Just remember my bodily
intelligence mantra: 'listen to your inner beat'. Try to
engage your body in different activities, and listen to what
it tells you. Focus less on what others say, and more on the
personal relationship between you and your own body.
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Q: Dear Sir, I am very
intelligent in understanding concepts. However, I do not
secure a good position in my class. What should I do?
Prateek, Class VI,
Hisar
A:
Dear Prateek, I have three bits of advice. The
first is that there is a science to scoring well on exams.
You can read about it in my book, "Beat the Exam in 7 Days."
If you follow the tips in that book, you will definitely
improve your scores. Second, learn to become genuinely
interested in your subject matter. Even if the textbooks or
teachers don't make the content interesting, each one of
your subjects is fascinating. But it's up to you to discover
how amazing they are. Find people, books, websites, etc.,
that demonstrate how learning can be fun. When you enjoy
what you're learning, you'll learn more and will learn
faster. Lastly, you should also understand more about
yourself. It is very important to figure out which of your
intelligences are stronger, and which are weaker. Then work
to develop the strong ones and improve the weak ones. (In
March, Jiva is making a special learning kit that has a
multiple intelligence test that will help you identify your
intelligences.) When you figure this out, you should then
find a way to make your stronger intelligence help the
weaker intelligence. So, if you have strong bodily
intelligence and weak linguistic intelligence, use role
plays, acting, dance, tapping, and movement to help you
learn languages. For instance, if you need to memorise some
sentences and are finding it hard to remember them, try
saying them while mimicking Amitabh Bachchan or Shah Rukh
Khan. Give these things a try, and I'm sure you'll not only
score higher on the test, but you'll also enjoy learning a
lot more!
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Q: Dear Sir, I have a very big problem of lack of
concentration. Please suggest some methods to improve
myself.
Harsimran,
Class V Student,
Chandigarh
A: Dear Harsimran,
Concentration deals with three main aspects--the body, the
mind, and the soul. At the level of the body, it is
important that you keep your physical being in a healthy
state. For that you should start by determining your
Ayurvedic body type (dosha), and eating the right foods.
Visit www.jiva.com to take a dosha test and get the
appropriate diet menu for your type. You should also ensure
you are drinking plenty of water and exercising to oxygenate
the brain. At the level of the mind, it is important to
bring the mind into a state of "sattva" ( i.e., a state of
goodness, peacefulness, and readiness). When the mind is in
this state, you can concentrate and learn more easily. To do
so, create a peaceful atmosphere where you are studying.
Remove distractions or move to a place where there are few
distractions. Distractions can refer to people, noise, the
TV, computers, etc. You can also do some breathing exercises
(pranayam) for a minute or two before you start to study.
This calms the mind, relaxing and energising it, making it
ready to concentrate on new things. At the level of the
soul, you must find a way to become interested in the topic
you are studying. That is, your inner being must find some
kind of purpose or interest in the matter. Sometimes, a
subject might seem boring to you. Talk with someone who
might be able to turn you on to it. Or find an angle of that
topic that is of interest to you personally. When you have a
natural attraction toward something, you will automatically
concentrate on it.
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Q: Dear Steve, I want to teach carrying over and borrowing to a
hyperactive but intelligent class of 28 kids? Any suggestions?
Nupur
B.,
Class I, Teacher,
Kolkata
A: Hi Nupur, The important thing for you to realise is that different children have strengths in different intelligences. Some students have a highly evolved "logical-mathematical" intelligence. They will pick up no matter what method you use to teach the concept. However, some children have strong bodily intelligence. Others have strong interpersonal or musical intelligence. You've said that children are "hyperactive". But that is an oversimplication of the the problem. The reality is that their other intelligences are highly active. It is also possible that some of those children might have lower "logical-mathematical" intelligence. As a result, they will not be easily able to concentrate on mathematical instruction.
The exact method you teach is less important than finding a way to engage the children's other active intelligences. Some possibilities include: 1) using cooperative learning methods, having students work in pairs or small groups (this caters to students with high interpersonal intelligence); 2) using poems or rhymes to explain the concepts (this caters to students with high linguistic intelligence); 3) using activities that get students to involve their body while learning (this caters to students with high bodily intelligence). Similarly, you can devise activities that address visual intelligence, musical intelligence, and so on. Have a look at Jiva's learning materials and website to find more and specific ideas on multiple intelligences. You'll suddenly find more students engaged and learning how to borrow and carry over with ease.
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Q: Dear Steve, I have some students who don't pay
attention in my class-even when my activities are
interesting. What should I do?
Nadya Javeri, Class 5
Teacher,
Hyderabad
A: Hi Nadya, Law #9
of the Laws of Learning says, 'Stimulate All Senses'. We
have five senses, but humans primarily use the eyes, ears
and skin for understanding the world around us.
Interestingly, people tend to favour one sense over the
other. So some people's sense of sight dominates, while for
others, it's their ears they rely on. Consider a teacher who
is visually-oriented. She tends to write more and speak
less. But this is a problem for a learner who is
auditory-oriented. In this case, the teacher needs to be
aware of her own sense preferences, and must also be sure to
emphasise the others. She must be sure not only to write
things on the board but to say them as well. And for
students who are kinesthetically oriented, she should engage
their bodies as well by getting them to use actions, perform
role plays, and so on.
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Q:
Dear Steve, My daughter is in Class V. Sometimes she gets
overwhelmed due to having to learn much information. What
can I do to help her?
Kanchan V., Delhi
A: Hi Kanchan, Interestingly, the brain can hold an incredible
amount of information—more than one billion pages worth of
data! The question is how to get that information in. One
technique you can use is “concept-mapping”. When your
daughter learns new information, instead of her just
rewriting the notes, have her draw the information in a
graphical way. She can use text, circles, squares, lines,
and pictures to show how concepts are related. Seeing things
visually brings in another part of the brain, which greatly
supports the memorisation process.
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Q:
Dear Steve, My daughter is 8 years old. She has a lot of
difficulty in memorising things. A lot of repetition is
required to make her understand and remember the topic. What
can I do to help her? Please advise.
Sangita, Bhopal
A: Dear Sangita, Here is one thing your daughter can try: quick
revision. Many students study something once, but then don't
revisit that information for days or longer. Ensure that
your daughter revises what she learned within 24 hours. Also
have her revise more frequently for short amounts of time,
e.g., in the morning after waking up, anytime during the
day, and in the evening just before going to bed. Give this
a try, and you will surely see results.
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Q: Dear Steve, My son is constantly eating junk food. I
know it’s not good for him, but it’s hard for me to control
it. What should I do?
Tarun S., Amritsar
A: Hi Tarun, In this modern age, our lives have become fast, and
hence the problem of “fast food”. Children usually eat junk food
because they get hungry between meals. Try packing natural snacks
for him like nuts cut or dried fruit that he can carry in his bag
or pockets. Encourage him to eat more fresh fruits, as they have
natural sugars and will give him instant energy and will curb his
appetite. You should not prohibit him from eating things like
chips, chocolates, etc. But do have a talk with him and see if you
can agree on a limit of those types of snacks (e.g., only three
packet of chips per week).
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Q: Dear Steve, My son is in Class IV. He sometimes gets violent with other
children, especially if they tease him or make him angry in any
way. Any suggestions?
Vandana A., Ranchi
A: Dear Vandana, It is important that you help your son learn to
manage his emotions. The first thing is to talk to him about what
makes him angry. Help him identify the causes of his anger. The
next thing is that when you see him starting to get angry about
something, tell him to express how he feels at that time. “How do
you feel right now? Why do you feel that way?” Then ask him “How
can we solve this problem without hitting?” By doing this
frequently, you will teach him to identify his emotions and
emotional triggers, to warn others in advance of his approaching
anger, and to identify solutions to the problems before they
escalate into an emotional, violent outburst.
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Q: Dear Steve, My son is very intelligent, but careless. In maths he gets 18 or 19 out of 20, but he loses marks only due to carelessness. Sometimes he is lost in his own world. What can I do?
Pooja, Panipat
A: Dear Pooja, Here are a few things you can do to help increase your son's concentration. Teach him the "Just Five More" technique. When he's doing his homework or reading a book and he wants to give up because he's tired, tell him "Just read five more pages," or "Just do five more problems." Great athletes use this technique to push themselves past their limits. Another thing you can do is to talk with your son, and have him identify the things distract him (e.g., hunger, tiredness, noises, etc.). When he can identify them, he can more easily block them when it is time for him to concentrate.
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