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All About Dussehra and The Stories Behind The Festival

Vijayadashami/Dussehra/Dasara/Dashain is a one of the major festivals celebrated primarily by Hindus in India and Nepal and falls on the tenth day which marks the end of the 9 day Navratri period. It is celebrated for various reasons across various parts of the country but the festival largely commemorates the victory of Good over Evil. On the occasion on Dussehra 2021, let us learn some of the major folklore based on which this auspicious day is celebrated by Indians everywhere!

Ramayana: According to the story of Ramayana, Ravana kidnaps Sita and takes her to his kingdom in Lanka (present day Sri Lanka). Rama asks Ravana to release her, but Ravana refuses. After performing severe penance for ten thousand years, Ravana receives a boon from the creator-god Brahma; he could henceforth not be killed by gods, demons, or spirits. Lord Vishnu incarnates as the human Rama to defeat and kill him, thus circumventing the boon given by Lord Brahma. A deadly and fierce battle takes place between Rama and Ravana in which Rama kills Ravana. Ravana has ten heads; the killing of one who has ten heads is called Dusshera. Finally, Dharma was established on the Earth because of Rama's victory over Ravana.

Vijayadashami: also marks the end of Durga Puja, remembering goddess Durga's victory over the buffalo demon Mahishasura to restore and protect religious and moral duties which is widely celebrated in the Eastern part of India.

In the West, especially in Gujarat, people gather and perform every evening of Navaratri period to music with the local ’Garba’ dance and lots of food and sweets. People dress in traditional and colorful attire and celebrate into the night.

In the East, Durga Pujo is the most awaited festival of the year and is marked by dancing, food, pandal hopping and revelry. It is also a ten day festival in which there are thousands of clay scultptures of Durga and other Gods that are placed across cities and towns on stages called pandals.

Source: Wikipedia

In the South, the Gombe Habba or Golu sees miniatures of Gods and other objects placed on steps at homes of people as a way to celebrate the event. The Mysore Dasara event is considered the most sought after event in the country celebrated amidst the royalty of the Mysore palace with guns, horses and elephants that people throng from across the world to see!

While the festival varies in the way it is commemorated across the country, there is significant relation to education and learning on the occasion. A notable tradition of several South Indian regions has been the dedication of this festival to Saraswati, the Hindu goddess of knowledge, learning, music and arts. She is worshipped, along with instruments of one's trade during this festival. In South India, people maintain, clean and worship their instruments, tools of work, books and implements of their livelihood during this festival, remembering Goddess Saraswati and Durga. Kids who are starting school are admitted to their new school on Vijayadashami day as the day is considered an auspicious day for new beginnings including buying a new house or vehicle.

Although the celebrations this year will remain muted on the backdrop of the COVID pandemic and precautions required in its wake, we wish that the spirit of the festival is remembered and practiced with utmost fervor in the safety of our homes with family and friends.

Practically wishes all of you a happy Dussehra!

#Dussehra2021 #dussehracelebration #dussehra #bringlearningalive, #practicallyapp, #learningapp, #learnpractically

Upskilling for Success Practically!

Skill means the ability to do a particular work with perfection. Learning new skills gives you fulfillment in life whether at school or work or even for no reason at all! Acquiring and perfecting new skills bring us joy and enables self growth. This makes us more confident and sets us up for success.

New skills give you new chances and expose you to new possibilities. It gives you a sense of accomplishment. Some common yet essential skills one needs to learn are- interpersonal communication including listening skills, time management, personality development, decision making, leadership etc.

Practically brings you the opportunity to master new skills with three recently launched live courses for free! These courses are specially designed to help young minds bring out their creative side and enhance their analytical abilities. Let’s find out what they are?

Mind, Intelligence and Success

Most teachers realize that if kids spend time thinking about how they learn, they become better students. With more self awareness of how they procure and process information, kids figure out how to control their attitude towards learning and maximize their qualities to better their performance. The Mind, Intelligence and Success course aims to make students think about why they adopt various behaviors. Children gain a deeper understanding of how they think, feel, and act which can help improve their interactions and develop meaningful relationships. After taking this course, a student would be able to reflect on their own habits and actions as well as those of the people around them, to make greater sense of their life experiences and start achieving success.

Vedic Maths

Vedic Maths is a shorter, quicker and with easy to remember techniques to enable any student to do calculations faster than they would with conventional methods.

Practically’s Vedic Maths course is a vedic maths for beginners course which will help you understand the essential elements of Vedic mathematics, improve mental math abilities and introduce word problems and see mathematics in practice.

Some of the topics which will be covered in the course are:

Addition Using Completion,

Number Systems,

Mental Math,

Doubling And Halving,

Making Multiplication Table Easier,

Finger Maths,

Subtraction And Bar Numbers,

Digit Sums

It is important to make children learn some Vedic math tricks and understand the importance of vedic maths concepts at an early stage to build a strong foundation.

Story Telling

This course explains the importance of Storytelling and how it becomes a great learning activity for children. Storytelling is a medium that helps understanding the human life better. It throws light on our thought process. Storytelling for kids builds ethics, helps differentiate between the right and wrong with diplomacy, helps improve listening skills, boosts creativity creating alternative career paths. This course also teaches effective Storytelling techniques and methods helping children to improve their listening, literacy, imagination and thinking skills.

Life is all about learning and experiencing new things. In addition to that, our life’s success also depends on discovering new skills perhaps through a learning app. It opens doors to new opportunities and hence gives us a sense of accomplishment. You can improve yourself for the better.

Don’t miss the chance to upskill and learn Practically! Enrol for free today!

#Storytelling #LiveLearning #LearnFromHome #CreativeLearning #LearnPractically #PracticallyApp #BringLearningAlive #LearningApp #NewSkills #PersonalityDevelopment #OnlineLearning #VedicMath #LearnFromHome #mathematics

Preparing for Another Year of School-from-Home Practically

With the second wave of the COVID-19 virus still in full force and lockdowns in effect across the country, students are likely to see another year of online learning. While this peak may be behind us, schools are unlikely to open soon. Vaccines for children are still in development and with the third wave looming ahead, we need to brace ourselves for another year of virtual classrooms. As parents have been flooding the internet with virtual learning tips for parents, remote learning tips for parents and tips for online learning for elementary students, we are here with the answers for, “How can parents and children prepare for this?”

Here are five suggestions experts recommend parents and kids to take to prepare for the upcoming school year and set up for success —especially since remote and hybrid learning are facts of life now

1. Reflect on the last academic year together

Set up a time and go over what the last year was like from an academic point of view. Which subjects did online classes address well enough and which subjects need more attention outside of regular school hours? Choose the right supplemental live classes with Practically to support with after-school courses.

Reflection during this period, which is a less stressful time like summer break, can help you think clearly. By taking a step back from last school year, kids will have an easier time preparing for and addressing issues they previously faced while wrapping their heads around expectations and challenges on the horizon.

2. Set up digital detox time

Consider limiting your children’s time on cell phones and tablets until their schoolwork is done satisfactorily so that it can receive their undivided attention. Apps, games, and messaging are fun and engaging, but they can also be distracting and lead to kids being unproductive. Create time for using devices in a day and ensure physical activity outside of these hours.

3. Create a designated space

Children will achieve their best work in a quiet, comfortable, safe and dedicated space to learning. Ideally, this will be a different area than where they play or watch television. Keep in mind that children will be in this space for many hours each day and sometimes alone, parents should watch out for any orthopaedic issues that may arise related to comfort and posture and ensure it is a safe space.

4. Physical activity time

Make sure that children take a break every few hours to get some movement and time away from screens. Set alarms similar to those they would have at school and encourage them to get up, get some fresh air, go for a walk or bike ride so that they are not sedentary for the entire day.

5. Come up with a project

Overuse of screen time can have adverse impacts on young brains, so it’s essential in these circumstances to be extra careful when it comes to the little ones. As much as possible, parents should encourage reading physical books. Since regular school is not in effect, take the opportunity to enrol them for online learning platforms like Practically’s Summer Workshop to help them pick up skills in robotics, YouTube, chess etc. Parents can also encourage DIY projects or makeover of their study space in preparation for the new academic year. This is a great opportunity to introduce them to life skills and futuristic topics like financial planning and 3D printing.

6. Ensure daily facetime for communication

In-person interaction is ideal and essential for kids until it’s safe for them to return to school, encourage your children to video chat or text message with friends rather than simply scrolling through social media. You don’t want your child to feel socially isolated, but at the same time, you don’t want them to become reliant upon their devices. Sit down with your children for face-to-face conversations, at least during meal times. Stimulate self-expression by discussing with your children about their day, and encourage joint activities such as creative writing and storytelling.

Practically offers the best free online courses for kids through practical learning using 3D videos, simulations and augmented reality content to break the monotony of passive learning and to encourage learning by doing. It not only has live coding classes for children but also provides live classes for interaction with mentors and doubt resolution in preparation for the commencement of school.

Download the Practically app now and don’t just learn, learn Practically!

#PracticallyApp #LearnPractically #BringLearningAlive #Pandemic #Covid19 #CovidSymptoms #CovidKids #StayHome #StaySafe

Busting COVID Myths About Kids Practically - Curiosity is the very basis of education – Arnold Edinborough

One of the most remarkable traits in kids is their curiosity. Their constant need to question helps them make sense of the world that they are new to. As we are in the thick of another wave of the covid 19 pandemic, it has been observed that younger people are being affected more than last year. Given the unspecified nature of the virus, there is a lot of false information about covid 19 in kids. Why don’t we approach the understanding of the effects of covid on kids with the same curiosity and bust some of the perceptions around it? Before we read on about the facts, what we need to be aware of is that kids, as always, recover faster from illnesses! Understanding that some of these are only myths and ensuring precautions are taken can help overcome it practically!

Myth: Kids cannot get COVID

Fact: While everyone is susceptible to covid, kids show different symptoms from adults hence it is important to monitor them differently and look out for certain symptoms that most likely appear in kids. The good news, however, is that coronavirus risk in kids is low. Following regular covid appropriate behaviour by all members of a family at home can ensure that kids are safe.

Myth: Kids are only contagious if they show symptoms

Fact: Any asymptomatic individual, whether child or adult, can spread the virus to others. It is important to practice habits like good hand hygiene and avoid sharing food/drinks. No matter who or what you touch, if you wash your hands before you touch your face, the chances of catching the virus will be reduced. The risk of getting infected by coronavirus is lower in kids.

Myth: Drinking hot water and taking hot water showers can prevent COVID in kids

Fact: There is no proof that consumption of hot liquids and taking hot showers will prevent anyone from catching the virus. It is important to maintain hygiene by bathing daily, washing hands with soap/hand wash in regular intervals, maintaining social distancing and wearing a mask to avoid falling ill.

Myth: Pneumonia vaccines protect kids against COVID

Fact: Vaccines against pneumonia do not protect kids from covid. There are many vaccines in development for kids and parents must wait and vaccinate their kids as soon as they are available. Speak to your paediatrician for more information and immunity-boosting snacks for kids.

Myth: There are side effects to using alcohol-based sanitisers in kids

Fact: Alcohols in the sanitisers have not been shown to create any severe health issues. A small amount of alcohol is absorbed into the skin, and most products contain moisturizer to reduce skin dryness. Parents must administer small quantities and ensure kids do not consume them accidentally.

Myth: My child will catch the virus from our pet

Fact: There is no proof of human to animal or animal to human transmission of the virus yet. We have learned that pets may be infected with the virus, but they may show no symptoms. Because animals can spread other diseases to people, it's always a good idea to wash your hands after handling your pets before you eat or touch your face.

Myth: Wearing a mask makes it harder for a child to breathe.

Fact: Cloth face masks are made of breathable material that will not block the oxygen your child needs. Additionally, cloth face coverings do not interfere with a child’s lung development, nor do they trap the carbon dioxide that we breathe out. It is safe and important for kids to wear masks when a family member at home is tested positive or while stepping outside the home.

Myth: It is difficult to manage kids who test positive.

Fact: The same precautions and treatments as adults are to give for kids who test positive. These are home isolation, treating fever above 100F with Paracetamol, good hydration, normal diet, and symptomatic treatment if mild symptoms appear. It is important to monitor coronavirus symptoms in kids closely as they may differ from those in adults.

Myth: COVID cannot be detected in kids with an RT PCR test

Fact: RT PCR is effective in kids and can be used to test them. Even if the test is negative but the covid symptoms in kids begin to show, we need to treat it as positive if there is a contact history.

Whether it is COVID or a broken bone, kids bounce back faster than adults. While their bodies physiologically heal much faster, it is also their outlook that helps with their speedy recovery. Awareness of the above myths can help everyone prepare, manage and treat COVID in kids and even in adults with positivity and the attitude required to recover stronger!

If you have more questions on COVID, use the Seek Help feature and ask your study buddy - Proton on the Practically app to apply answers to real-life and Bring Learning Alive!

#PracticallyApp #LearnPractically #BringLearningAlive #Pandemic #Covid19 #CovidSymptoms #CovidKids #StayHome #StaySafe

Relevance of Robotics for Kids

Most of us have watched or heard of popular movies like Terminator, Wall-E, Robocop and Transformers. These are only some of the most famous movies with robots in them. But outside of fiction, our daily lives are filled with robots too. Don’t believe it? How does a new-age vacuum cleaner change direction when it’s about to hit a wall? Surgical robots are already being used to perform precise and accurate medical procedures not possible by humans. Autonomous vehicles such as self-driving cars and drones are being developed widely and will soon become a reality. Robots are only growing in relevance in our lives and with time, will become more sophisticated and important for everyone to understand as we live with them.

With growing demand for STEM talent for development of robots, it’s important that the next generation can pick up skills required to be relevant in the future. That’s why Practically offers a variety of classes and workshops that kids can enjoy and use to build a solid foundation for their careers.

The exclusive Robotics course starting 4th May 2021, in association with Robotics club, IIT Guwahati gives students the opportunity to dive deep into the world of robotics and automation engineering. Explore how computer programming and robot design can be interesting and solve problems in the real world. But first, let’s understand what Robotics is.

What is Robotics?

Robotics is a STEM subject that includes constructing, operating, designing, developing and applying codes that will make a robot function. In simple language, it is a method of control over machines to help substitute for (or replicate) human actions.

Benefits of learning robotics

Not only do robotics courses help to establish science, technology, engineering, and math concepts, they also work to build on students’ team-building skills as they work to complete fun challenges together. These collaborative skills are essential for success, no matter what subject they choose to pursue in the future.

Many other advantages include:

Improved creative thinking skills

Improved social skills

Improved problem-solving skills

Improved computer programming skills

Sophia: the most famous robot

Robots are classified into five categories:

Pre-Programmed Robots: Pre-programmed robots operate in a controlled environment where they do simple, monotonous tasks.

Humanoid Robots: Humanoid robots are robots that look like and/or mimic human behavior. Sophia, one of the most famous social humanoid robots in the world was developed by a Hong Kong-based company, Sophia was activated on February 14, 2016. In October 2017, Sophia "became" a Saudi Arabian citizen, the first robot to receive citizenship of any country. In November 2017, Sophia was named the United Nations Development Programme's first ever ‘Innovation Champion’ and is the first non-human to be given any United Nation title.

Autonomous Robots: Autonomous robots operate independently of human operators.

Teleoperated Robots: Teleoperated robots are semi-autonomous bots that use a wireless network to enable human control from a safe distance.

Augmenting Robots: Augmenting robots either enhance current human capabilities or replace the capabilities a human may have lost.

Practically Summer Workshop

The exclusive course from Robotics Club, IIT Guwahati will train students in how to build a smart bulb, which can be operated using a mobile application. This robotics workshop for school includes modules on home automation using IoT, hardware components, circuit design, assembly and voice control using Google. The main focus of this course is to understand the architecture of IoT applications and make a working bot. By the end of this course, students will be able to build a smart bulb and understand its applications in various other similar products like a fan, water tap etc. Join this robotics workshop online free of cost to get hands-on knowledge in Robotics, and receive a participation certificate from Robotics Club, IIT Guwahati.

Though relatively young, the robotics industry is filled with promises of progress that were only written about in science fiction stories previously! Robotics courses for kids are a great idea for those parents who want to make their children future-ready. It is a rapidly expanding field that can offer many career paths in the future for beginners in robotics. So enroll now for the Practically Summer Workshop’s Robotics course! Limited seats! Hurry! Bring learning (and machines) alive!

#PracticallyApp #BringLearningAlive #LearnPractically #Robotics #RoboticsWorkshop #RoboticsWorkshopOnline #OnlineWorkshop #FreeWorkshop #SummerWorkshop

All About Chess and Why It’s Good For Kids

Chess has enthralled the world as no other board game has. Originating in India 1500 years ago in the seventh century A.D. and called chaturanga (or chatrang), it has since spread worldwide, drawing in players, fascinated by a game easy to play but hard to dominate. Learn chess online free with pieces like rooks, knights, bishops, and pawns, each with their exceptional capacities, the game challenges one to beat their opponents as much as themselves.

In a chess game, two opponents go head-to-head with 16 playing pieces each. These pieces include eight pawns, two rooks, two knights, two bishops, one queen and one king in each colour. Their main objective is to capture the opponent's king via a series of strategic moves.

The worldwide pandemic has led to a significant online chess boom. Learn chess online free with most of the world in lockdown with Practically. Online chess classes for kids have become a famous pastime and way of dealing with stress. According to a survey by AGON and YouGov of the top chess-playing countries, the US, UK, Germany, Russia, India - 605 million adults play chess regularly, and 70% of the adult population in these countries has played chess at some point during their lives.

Chess has grown in popularity in India over the last two decades because of the first chess Grandmaster from India and 5-time World Champion Viswanathan Anand. As of September 2020, India has 66 Grand Masters. Currently, India stands at rank #4 globally.

Playing chess has been broadly acknowledged to help academic performance. A study suggests that children who play chess perform better in math, develop their IQ, improves critical thinking/spatial abilities, memory, creativity and concentration. It also enhances problem-solving skills, exercises both sides of the brain and aids brain development.

Here are some interesting facts about chess:

There are 318,979,564,000 likely methods of playing the initial four moves for the two sides in a chess game. American mathematician Claude Shannon determined that 10120 chess games can be played.

While chess can be played in essentially unlimited manners, the longest game hypothetically conceivable is 5,900 moves. At any point, the longest competition game happened in 1989, enduring 269 moves and requiring 24 to finish. The most limited game is two moves, finishing off with what's known as the "Bonehead's mate".

In 1988, the computer Deep Thought became the first computer to defeat a Grand Master. Magnus Carlsen, the reigning world chess champion, has an Elo rating (a mathematical way to measure chess skill) of 2847, more than 700 points lower than the leading computer.

Intrigued yet by these interesting facts about chess and want your child to learn how to play chess? Try Practically Summer Workshop’s free Chess course starting April 26th 2021, on the Practically app.

Online chess training will help beginners will understand the rules of chess, and those who already know how to play will help improve their game through interactive online lessons. Students will learn all of this from International Chess players and have the chance to play against them! With online chess training, all students will stand a chance to win exciting prizes and will receive participation certificates. So sign your kids up NOW for Practically Summer Workshop! Learn Practically and Bring Learning Alive this summer!

#PracticallyApp #LearnPractically #BringLearningAlive #OnlineWorkshops #SummerWorkshops #OnlineCourses #Chess #ChessOnline

Imagine, Create, Innovate - By Charu Noheria, Co-Founder and COO, Practically

The traditional education system has long been criticised for curbing a student’s natural creative ability. What do we mean by creativity? Creativity is an active process and requires skill as well as a specific understanding of the context. It develops critical thinking, collaboration, problem-solving, imagination, communication, agility, and empathy in us, all vital traits to survive and succeed. The traditional education system has long been criticized for not producing these results and even curbing our natural ability to be creative. Enter Technology Enhanced Learning.

The usage of technology in education has been practiced for some time but the pandemic has accelerated its growth multi fold. Technology has become an interface between learners and their environment. In the era of the pandemic, engaged and authentic learning through technology has resulted in higher retention and comprehension rates has dramatically increased learner satisfaction and introduced creativity to an age-old process. Technologies such as 3D videos, Simulations and Augmented Reality transformed online learning by creating an immersive experience for learners, drastically different from the traditional classroom methods. These enabled the sharing of knowledge and information in creative and dynamic ways – fun animations and effective videos.

With the usage of new tools, online learning is constantly innovating its application to make it more user-friendly. It is providing more space for experimentation which was earlier unimaginable, exposing learners to new ideas and thereby fueling creative application in local contexts. Internet penetration along with the development of newer technologies is further helping this cause. Technology makes on-site teaching more effective by enabling an active form of learning. Thus, the introduction of Technology Enhanced Learning brings a revolutionary change in the teaching methodologies that were followed by educators and practitioners for so long. It also assists educators to become more effective in teaching by utilizing new-age teaching tools.

Technology is evolving rapidly and setting new trends regularly. But this is not the only resource for knowledge dissemination. Notably, there is creativity not only in the learning process by way of modern tools, but also in the mere application of complicated technology otherwise alien to a traditional sector like education.

This has given birth to the e-learning ecosystem. In response to the significant demand in the past couple of years, many online learning platforms are offering free access to their services and providing a one-stop-shop for teachers and students. Learning online may be effective in several ways. According to reports and studies as published by World Economic Forum, students learning through online modules retain anywhere between 25-60% as compared to regular classrooms. One can attribute this success of online learning to being user-friendly while integrating technology as compared to traditional classroom settings.

Students find interactive learning activities more engaging and the resultant retention is significantly enhanced. When information involves a fun element, the delivery process becomes more efficient as technology and creativity go hand in hand. Also, doing, seeing and hearing helps comprehension as demonstrated by Edgar Dale’s Cone of Learning.

Technology has the potential to provide quick results and accelerate the speed of innovation. When education involves experiment, we learn something new! Experiential learning which involves learning by doing’ is one such example. Coding and creating applications became extremely popular in recent times and are believed to reinforce creativity and significant thinking.

One primary barrier to creativity in education institutes is the heavily charged curriculum and traditional pedagogy. Keeping in mind the ever-changing landscape of education, we need to re-design the traditional function of education institutes and method of learning. Aligning with the need of the hour, we also need to develop a more flexible, balanced and skill-based curriculum which will not only be less extensive but also at the same time enriching for students. We need to inclusion of diverse and cross-curricular activities to ensure more participation. The technology-led advancements which are increasingly being used in education can transfer these benefits to improve the quality of education.

To move from latent utilization to dynamic advancement, we need to further extend our definition of creativity. As parents, educators, and leaders of the next generation, it is important to appreciate and emphasize the joy of creativity. This promotes feelings of self-confidence and self-esteem that are the key to emotional well-being and healthy social development. Moreover, creativity provides a platform to improvise old ideas and create breakthroughs in the world of art, science and technology.

The article first appeared in The Hindu newspaper and website on 11 April 2021

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Need for Early Exposure to STEM Learning By Charu Noheria, Co-Founder and COO, Practically

With the National Education Policy, the education sector is set to undergo a paradigm shift to prepare students with skills and abilities to face the future following global regulations and policies.

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) subjects for school students have become dry and educators have limited strategies to retain students’ attention. Students learn foundational concepts mostly following passive and rote learning sources. It is shown that such methods lead to a less than 30% retention rate, which also creates disinterest in these key subjects. Science and Math have always been the focus of students and parents in India. These subjects can be viewed as high scoring subjects, as there is little room for error once you understand the concepts and can apply them. With experiential and interactive learning, STEM becomes a very interesting area to learn as it helps us make sense of the world around us.

Nearly 80% of the jobs which will be created in the upcoming decade will necessitate usage of math and science skills as reported by National Science Foundation. These skills are popularly regarded as 21st century skills or STEM skills. STEM helps in boosting the holistic learning process of children by nurturing the power of deduction and reasoning while improving the pattern of recognition. Developing a culture of application-based learning and innovation among the schools, students, colleges, and teachers is critical for exploiting opportunities that will present themselves in the next decade or so. Continuous upskilling and remaining relevant would be key to professional survival. Experiential learning develops a key skill “learning to self-learn” with higher retention rate.

But some challenges need to be addressed to develop STEM skills for the Indian student population before tapping into the benefits of these global opportunities. Inadequate infrastructure, outdated curriculum and insufficient training to guide aspirants pose a major challenge. We need to upgrade our marks- focused, exam-oriented education system and need to bring in an advanced teaching, learning and evaluation process. Also, the implementation of STEM-based learning needs upgraded facilities such as high-speed internet, classroom hardware, equipped labs, etc. required to adopt cutting-edge technologies. STEM education also emphasizes the need for quality teachers who are well-versed in the latest know-how in their respective fields.

The solution requires coherent efforts from all stakeholders, including government, corporates, society and general public. Realizing the potential of STEM education, several countries have started introducing advanced courses like robotics, IoT, Artificial Intelligence in the school curriculum to promote creativity, critical thinking amongst students. Now with the Government of India focusing on initiatives such as ‘Make in India’, ‘Skill India’, a well-designed STEM program should be included and implemented from an early age keeping in mind the needs of the workforce of the future.

While the growth of STEM education has picked up significantly in the past few years, studies have shown that children develop an interest in STEM fields at an average age of eight years. Promoting teamwork, the ability to look beyond smart classrooms, development of engaging learning tools is the need of the hour to help students push boundaries and not fear failure.

A country’s economy can develop only when all sections of society contribute to it. Fancy college degrees are becoming obsolete with every passing day. Big, forward-thinking corporates are focusing on hiring talent that can lend a fresh approach towards tackling day to day issues. The education and training of the workforce will play a crucial role in carving a niche in the global market. To develop students as strategic thinkers, resilient contributors to workforce while being global citizens, STEM learning should be introduced early on thus exposing students to an interdisciplinary approach and integrated knowledge.

The article first appeared in India Didactics Association’s vol - 5 | issue - 3 | April 2021 Newsletter

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‘Practically School Solution’: A Need-Of-The-Hour Free App for Schools And Teachers

As we mark a year since the lockdown and reflect on its impact on the education system, we applaud the massive steps taken by all parties towards ensuring continued learning. However, it should be noted that many areas of the system are still facing gaps that are yet to be filled. One such problem has been a comprehensive and robust tool to address the needs of principals, teachers, students, and parents, which is also cost-effective. With blended learning here for the long haul, even post-pandemic, schools and educators must be receptive to and prepared with innovation and instruments that empower them to deliver and supplement teaching to enhance the learning experience. Practically School solution empowers teachers to closely monitor the progress of each student while using immersive learning tools to engage them better. It is currently being used by 15,000 teachers across 200 schools in India and the Middle East to teach over 330,000 students. But what exactly is Practically School Solution?

It is the best free app for online teaching. It enables teachers to take unlimited virtual online classes from anywhere. The solution offers teaching material streamlined by topic and with course material online across STEM subjects for grades 6-12. Here are the key features of the Practically School Solution:

Virtual Classroom Management System is an essential feature of the app. It allows for ease of scheduling and conduct, bringing convenience for teachers and educators and saving on operational time. It grants unlimited Zoom and Google Meet licenses ( be it for it zoom app for online classes, zoom app for teaching, or google meet online classes) so you don’t have to worry about running out of free minutes and being interrupted in the middle of lessons! Teachers and students can also go back and refer to recordings if they have missed out on sessions or to revisit concepts. The app enables teachers to connect with students as they would in a real classroom.

With the Practically School Solution, you can get free access to the Exhaustive Content Library and Course Material of 3,000+ videos and 1,000+ simulations & Augmented Reality (AR) covering a universal curriculum and providing experiential learning so that every student benefits from Practically with distraction-free classes that enable over 90% retention of concepts! The Practically School Solution is a self-learning app that includes features such as reports, test-preps, polls, analytics, assigning homework, etc. it empowers the teacher to closely monitor the progress of each student.

Exam prep is the most crucial part of any learning journey. Test preparation online can be a difficult task. Fortunately, our Test Prep And Reports give teachers the freedom to conduct tests chapter or subject-wise with automated test papers and report card generation to help keep track of each student’s performance.

The solution with its Don’t Just Learn, Learn Practically approach enhances student engagement in a physical classroom or online. Designed to Bring learning Alive, Practically is the only such app in the world that combines game engine, immersive learning assets, and AI-assisted study buddy in one compact cross-platform app.

Leading schools across the country and abroad have benefited dramatically from Practically’s unique experience of School-from-Home. This is what some of the top schools in the country have to say about Practically School Solution:

Mr. Avinash Kosaraju, Director, Dr. KKR Gowtham Group of Schools - “Practically School Solution is absolutely a one-stop-shop. When we started using Practically for Virtual Classroom Management System, our teachers were extremely satisfied with the experience thanks to a number of useful features. Later on, we realized that students were performing better as they found the gamification and AR videos to be so fascinating that they were better able to retain and apply what they studied. Many of them have also gone on to use Practically outside of school hours because parents have found them to be beneficial for after-school learning as well.”

Ms. Supriya Jadhav, Vice Principal, Vishwanath Karad, Pune, Latur, and Indore - “Covid hit us hard just like the rest of the world. We had to shut down our campus, and only recently did we reopen. Practically School Solution helped us tide over the challenges we faced in keeping classes going while we all worked and studied from home. The virtual classrooms, with videos and simulations, quizzes, and assessments, encouraged teachers and students alike. Practically’s exhaustive content library, scheduling and test prep, etc., were all ready when we started using it, helping us derive value from day one and ensure continuity of lessons.”

Sekhar V Das, Chairman, International Delhi Public School, Rajahmundry - “When we shut down our campus in March last year, it was a very challenging time for our staff. Among the many solutions we saw, Practically School Solution immediately caught our attention, and we have now been using it for nine months. The pace with which we were able to onboard and replicate classrooms virtually during the pandemic helped us keep classes going even from home. As students were excited by the videos and simulations, we noticed that they were keen on taking quizzes and assessments to put their learnings to the test! Our teachers were also able to use their exhaustive content library, scheduling, and test prep features with ease. Practically has made our lives a lot easier during this tough time.”

With the Practically School Solution, we are aiming to equip teachers with a new-age e-learning solution full of hi-tech, hi-touch features. Learning intertwined with immersive storytelling and real-life examples increase the retention of concepts by over 90 percent after two weeks of learning as compared to about 30 percent using traditional methods of teaching. Virtual classrooms cannot get more appealing; we provide the best learning apps for students.

Thanks to Practically School Solution, teachers have been able to overcome the challenges posed by the pandemic and teach in a more exciting and controlled manner.

#PracticallyApp #PracticallySchoolSolution #LearnPractically #LearningApp #BringLearningAlive #VirtualLearning #VirtualClassrooms #ZoomClasses #ExperientialLearning #OnlineClasses #StudyMaterial #ExamPreparation #Teaching #Teachers

Experience Education Differently By Charu Noheria, Co-Founder and COO, Practically

India’s education segment is rapidly changing, and online learning has become an indispensable part of it in the post-Covid world, thanks to technological advancements, marking a new chapter for the sector. While other fields struggled in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, educational start-ups and teachers found a common platform of e-learning to engage with learners. And EdTech startups are mushrooming at a rapid pace to address the demand in the market.

While work-from-home was not entirely a new concept in the pre-Covid days, school-from-home certainly is! Educational institutions were among the first to shut down and the country was faced with a serious predicament – academic discontinuity for millions of students. Enter, e-learning! The pandemic exponentially accelerated adoption of e-learning. The forecast for technological adoption in e-learning was brought forward by several years. EdTech companies that were agile, adapted quickly to the new circumstances and started to offer more than just online tutoring that existed before the pandemic struck.

With students sequestered at home due to social distancing norms and health concerns, educators had to find efficient and interesting ways to engage them. It became important for solution providers to design products to keep the curious learner engaged especially during the pandemic-induced lockdown.

One reason EdTech companies were able to allow these students to gain access to best-in-class remote learning is technology. With internet proliferation and 95%(1) reduction in data prices since 2014 leading to increased usage of smartphones, e-learning more accessible than ever. About 97%(2) of users now access the internet through their phones. Schools have shifted to online learning and teachers are encouraging students to adopt online learning methods since they are convenient and effective. The future of education is set to be teacher-centric as well, with the advent of online teaching tools which can empower them to deliver high quality content that resonates with students using gamification for example.

Experiential learning

EdTech companies are facilitating live classes, automated attendance, personalized assignments, ready-to-use presentations, adaptive practice and even instant doubt-clearing creating a unified learning solution bringing value to all stakeholders. These advances in e-learning further helps India make the transition to high quality digital education from physical classrooms. Hands-on learning, immersive storytelling, gamification, simulations and videos are the best way for students to absorb, retain and apply concepts.

Experiential learning allows learners to develop knowledge and skills from their own experience rather than from textbooks. This is understandable. When you learn to ride a bicycle or to swim, you never forget because you learnt the skills practically. When you use your body to take apart a bicycle and reassemble it, you learn a skill for life. Similarly, when you watch movies, you retain more – the concepts come to life before your eyes and ears – creating greater retention. How many of us have sat through boring classes and lost interest in subjects because of lack of engagement in the traditional teaching learning process? Experiential learning is interactive, participative and multi-dimensional and therefore increasingly sought after. It is only through experiential learning woven into the curriculum, that students will be better prepared to face the complexities of the modern world. This is where augmented reality (AR) comes into the picture. A recent report said that schools and colleges in India are eager to reopen campuses so that lab work can be completed in time for exams. But amidst the ongoing pandemic, AR is a great solution for virtual lab work as blended learning is here to stay. It also solves for the investment that institutions put into upgrading equipment every few years which translates to just a few lines of code online!

Experiential learning is effective because it closely mimics real-world experiences, structures and monitors those experiences and provides ample opportunities for “learning by doing” and experimenting using AR simulations. AR also helps simplify concepts and increase engagement. Using all these elements produces a powerful learning experience that cannot be replicated by older learning methods. This not only builds deeper conceptual understanding but also enriches exploration within the subject.

Educators are increasingly using technologies such as gamification, augmented reality (AR) to increase the level of interest in students and ensure maximum retention. As blended learning takes over, virtual classrooms with the help of technology, can ensure continuity of augmented learnings experiences. Moreover, data-driven technology can be used to assess the understanding of students and identify gaps in learning through content analytics for personalised teaching and interventions. Features like reports, test-preps, polls, analytics, assigning homework, etc. which empower the teacher to closely monitor the progress of each student is equally important in the monitoring and evaluation process. AI assistants and 24x7 doubt resolution can help students learn at their own pace and encourage asking the simplest of questions to cement their understanding.

Online learning in India has taken a whole new form in the last 12 months propelled by the use of immersive technologies. The advent of technology has paved the way for better, more evolved academic school solutions and the education landscape as we know it, is changing right in front of us.

The article first appeared in The Pioneer newspaper and website on 31 March 2021

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Learn A-Z of Immunisation & Vaccinations Practically!

A pandemic is an outbreak of an infectious disease that spreads through a vast area, such as several continents or the entire world, and has affected many people.

History of pandemics

Pandemics have been around for over 10,000 years. The earliest known and worst pandemic in history was recorded in 430 B.C. in Athens, killing two-thirds of the affected population. It is now believed to be typhoid. Different types of pandemics were recorded every 100 years or so, from smallpox to the Bubonic plague, called the black death, Leprosy, a, measles, Spanish Flu, AIDS SARS most recently.

The ongoing COVID 19 pandemic first came to light in December 2019 and has infected 121 million people worldwide to date. As the world came to a standstill amid global lockdown, a host of related words and phrases have occupied our memories. Asymptomatic, community spread, contact tracing, COVID appropriate behaviour, flatten the curve, hand wash, herd immunity, isolation, quarantine, masks, outbreak, cluster, super spreader, and PCR. PPE, social distancing, transmission, and the most ‘positive’ one of all – vaccine!

It is widely accepted that Englishman Edward Jenner’s use of cowpox pustules was used against smallpox, leading to the invention of vaccines. However, evidence exists that the Chinese used this form of vaccination as early as 1000 BC. It was practiced in Africa and Turkey before it was adopted in Europe and the Americas.

Types of COVID vaccines

Today, over 380+ million people have already been vaccinated with several COVID 19 vaccines – Pfizer-BioNTech, Oxford-AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, Sputnik, Novavax, among others, have started to give us all hope of a post COVID world.

Innovative techniques have gone into vaccine analysis and manufacture, with DNA technology and new delivery techniques guiding scientists onto breakthroughs, including the record time in which these have been made available. Scientists around the world are developing many more potential vaccines for COVID-19. COVID-19 vaccination teaches the body’s immune system to safely recognize and block the virus that causes this potentially fatal disease.

To know more about diseases and how they spread, watch informative 3D simulations on Practically.

Infectious Diseases – Learn about different infectious agents and organ-tissue specific manifestations

Means of Diseases Spread – How does one catch a cold? Watch the video to know how infectious diseases spread through air, water, food

Harmful Microorganisms – Understand what microorganisms are and why they are harmful to the human body

Viral Diseases – Study about viruses and the types of viral diseases

Biotechnology Principles and Processes like Recombinant DNA Technology – Learn how these principles and modern techniques are used in vaccine research and production

And many more videos like Viruses’ Chemical Nature and Vaccination and Immunisation on the Practically app and learn about human health, viruses, disease, vaccination, and immunisation. The self-learning app also allows you to take IQ Tests at the end of the videos to test your knowledge. Do you have more questions on COVID-19 testing or COVID-19 vaccination in India? Just Ask Proton or use the Seek Help feature for doubt resolution 24x7 and Bring Learning Alive!

#PracticallyApp #LearnPractically #BringLearningAlive #ELearning #Pandemic #Covid19 #InfectiousDiseases #Vaccination #Immunisation

Tips to Prepare and Learn with Practically's Test Prep

With exam season just around the corner, millions of students are getting ready to take the most important exam this academic year. Ideally, preparation for the first test should begin on the first day of class; this includes paying attention during class, taking notes, studying, completing homework assignments, and regularly reviewing study materials. However, there is still time, and it is never too late to pass your exams with flying colours. In this post, we will take you through 8 exam preparation tips that can help you ace your exams!

If you are still attending class regularly, keep up with readings, and take notes conscientiously to not forget what you study now and save time during revisions.

If you complete a mock test 3 - 4 days before an exam, you'll know where to focus depending on which areas you feel you need to strengthen.

Once you have all your lecture notes, you may need to consolidate your notes under different categories to make the information more manageable.

Predict test questions - An excellent method for preparing for tests is to predict the questions that will be on the test. This allows you to study the more important chapters that are likely to come in your exams.

It is important to make a study plan that will give you plenty of time to review & revise the material before the exam.

Make an outline starting with higher-order concepts and filling in details of sub-concepts and relatable examples.

Put the main ideas/information/formulas onto a sheet for easy review. It also makes it easier to retain the key concepts that will be on the test.

At the start of a topic, challenge yourself to write down everything you already know about a topic and then highlight where the gaps lie.

The best way to prepare for exams is by using the Practically app. With the Practically app, you will receive an in-depth review of the exam materials, insight into strategies for succeeding on standardized tests and a comprehensive study plan. Check out the various ways in which succeeding on your exams is made easy when you choose to Learn Practically!

You can add chapters to your personalized Study Plan and complete it according to scheduled date to plan your preparations.

You have the option to select adaptive question papers – i.e. when you answer the questions correctly, you will get advanced questions & will drop to more straightforward questions when you answer incorrectly.

You can attempt the online mock test series (Full Mock Test/ Subject Wise Mock Test) from Mock Test Page based on the actual exam template.

You can attempt previous years’ question papers from the Question Papers page on the app.

You can attempt exams scheduled by teachers from the Scheduled Tests page to help revise and revisit lessons.

You can complete tests in offline mode with no dependence on the internet connection to ensure continuity.

If you close the test prep browser window while taking a test, you can log in again and resume without losing any time or data.

You can take any number of subject and scheduled tests.

You can take a certain number of mock and curated tests based on your subscription.

Question papers will be auto-submitted if the scheduled time of test is completed.

You can view completed/suspended / fresh tests from the Exam History page to track your preparation level

You can check answers submitted in tests and correct answers on the Exam Summary page or View Answers page to prepare the right answers.

You can see the details of all the standard tests taken till now with results to track your progress.

You can also postpone all practice tests and attempt them at your own learning pace

The Dashboard will show you an analysis of the tests taken across subjects and even subject wise on the number of tests taken, successful attempts, time taken, syllabus covered and marks attained

It will give you statistics at a glance about your performance and an indication of where you can improve

In addition to the above, Practically supports end-to-end test prep needs for all competitive exam aspirants, including test preparation for NEET exam, NEET mock test, JEE mock test, JEE mains/advanced, Olympiads and NTSE etc.

So what are you waiting for? Bring Learning Alive with Practically! Download the app now and you will be well on your way to Learn Practically and shine in your exams!

#PracticallyApp #LearnPractically #TestPrep #TestPreparation #ExamPreparation #HighSchool #NEET #JEE #Proton #SeekHelp

eLearning Transforming Education It is here to stay, so what can be done to improve it?

The COVID-19-induced shutdown affected schooling and learning, including teaching and assessment methodologies. However, this gap was rapidly filled by e-learning as schools, colleges and educational institutions were quick to shift teaching and learning online. According to the Praxis-IVCA Education Report 2020, the education market in India is ~US$ 117B in size, with school and supplementary education accounting for >75% of the total market. While eLearning had been growing rapidly in recent years, India is now witnessing an e-learning boom since the pandemic emerged.

With people spending more time at home than ever before, digital learning has emerged as a necessary resource for education. The pandemic has transformed the old chalk-talk teaching model to one driven by technology. The number of those enrolling for virtual classes has witnessed an exponential rise and the trend is likely to stay. Open courses and distance learning enrolments in India to rise to around 10 million in 2021 growing at a CAGR of around ten per cent according to a KPMG and Google report. Policymakers are now looking to drive engagement at scale while ensuring inclusive eLearning solutions.

Online learning tools and platforms, with their customised offering, are addressing the challenges of access, quality, and constrained budgets. They are offering millions of students living in urban and rural areas an easy, affordable, and reliable way to learn. Yet it would be simplistic to assume that online education is progressing seamlessly. There is a lot that can be done to improve virtual coaching platforms and online education in terms of the connection between students and teachers like in physical classrooms.

The eLearning experience so far has thrown up some issues and directions for the future of online education. With reduced attention spans due to the closure of schools, eLearning needs to get more creative, to create more engaging and immersive content. The effort should be to take out the best of the school environment and improve upon it using the power of technology.

Experiential learning

Visual aids have always been useful for better retention, hence, a greater application of concepts. Furthermore, when students learn through experiences, the learnings stay with them. Incorporating videos, simulations into the eLearning process bring an exciting flair to traditional education. This will bring about more personalized and agile learning. Learners would be able to hear and see the various concepts that are being taught and will process them in a similar way during everyday interactions. Further, they assist in the learning process, particularly the complex topics that demand a great level of understanding.

Technology is key

Technology brings an enormous opportunity to scale, automate, personalize, and innovate. It can be used to customise learning to learners’ level of interest, academic and social needs. Rich texts, images, videos, audios, and games bring fun, excitement, collaboration and a challenge to the learning experience. Learners who view online classes as education through edutainment continually set new learning goals for themselves. It also allows learners to learn at their own pace, revisiting the lesson as many times as they wish before moving on to the next stage.

Reality technologies such as augmented reality (AR) enable this. With EdTech catching on, these new-age technologies can be widely adopted to increase stickiness. It has been noted that learning intertwined with immersive storytelling and real-life examples increases retention of concepts by 90 percent!

The key trend of eLearning would include the need for up-skilling courses with curated and user-generated content, which has been in-demand with people learning and working remotely. This shall determine the most effective content that would match the student’s needs efficiently, resulting in positive user engagement and therefore, an optimal outcome. As technology develops, these new trends will also develop, but the pillars around which it will advance would be customized learning, accessibility, engagement, and user-centric learning. Accessibility with approximately 409 million internet users which is expected to grow to approximately 735 million by 2021 is further propelling this trend according to the KPMG & Google report.

Overcoming challenges

The challenges of quality online learning will be overcome due to the inherent transparency of this medium and as eLearning makes further inroads into the education system, we can expect a blended learning model going forward with online live classes, doubt clearance assistance and test-prep becoming commonplace. Companies that enable teachers to be more efficient and engaging in the classroom rather than compete with them will be successful. With technology advancements and robust feedback mechanism, companies can establish self-paced and guided study experiences which can unlock the potential of students.

Virtual learning platforms must try to come as close as they can to the real-life experience of attending school to ensure continuity of students’ overall development. Ed-tech in India is a vast market which is growing every day; COVID-19 has only accelerated the adoption. So, the apt action for EdTech companies would be to not just prepare for the demands of the present, but also to gear up aggressively for that of the future by bringing learning alive.

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Women’s Day Special : Saluting Space Heroes

International Women's Day is observed on March 8th to recognize women’s prosperity and contribution to social, political, social and financial events. It is additionally recognized to make individuals mindful of women’s issues. Indian women have long been bringing laurels to the country, and most recently, one such accomplished Indian - American once again drew the attention of the world to Indians and specifically women’s contribution to deeper exploration of space. This Women’s Day 2021 we salute the women in space—The women who have been role models to a generation of scientists across the globe.

Dr. Swati Mohan, a scientist at NASA, played a central role in the Mars 2020 mission, which completed its first-ever mission to land on the surface of Mars on February 18th, 2021. Dr. Mohan, who heads the steering and navigation systems operations for NASA, played a key role as principal investigator and lead mission engineer and was responsible for the NASA Mars 2020 Perseverance Mission's leadership, navigation, and control.

Another famous Indian astronaut Kalpana Chawla is a pride for India as well as for NASA. She was the first Indian woman to go to space. She was one of the seven crew members who died in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster when the spacecraft disintegrated during its re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere in 2003.

Sunita Williams born to Indian-Slovenian guardians, is the second Indian lady to enter space. She has to her record two trips to the International Space Station (ISS). With 29 hours of the spacewalk and an aggregate of over 195 days in space, Williams has established precedents for both as a female aeronaut.

Like them, numerous other Indian women astronauts are going for the skies as influential space researchers, engineers, satellite launchers, rocket designers and undertaking heads of complex interstellar missions. Expanding the limits of science on Earth, they are breaking the glass ceiling to inspire millions.

Dr. Madhulika Guhathakurta, Astrophysicist and scientist with NASA's Heliophysics Science Division

Dr. Anita Sengupta, an aerospace engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Sharmila Bhattacharya is the Chief Scientist for Astrobionics and head of the Biomodel Performance and Behavior laboratory at NASA Ames Research Center

Tessy Thomas also known as the “missile woman” of India is director general of aeronautical systems and the former project director for the Agni-IV missile at the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). She is the first ever woman scientist to head a missile project in India.

Ritu Karidhal Srivastava, deputy operations director of India‘s Mars orbiter mission Mangalyaan in 2013 & mission director of the Chandrayaan-2 mission at the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). She has been referred to as a "Rocket Woman" of India.

Muthayya Vanitha, project director of Chandrayaan 2, she has also initiated satellite projects such as the Cartosat-1, Oceansat-2 and Megha-Tropiques.

We salute all these space heroes this Women’s Day 2021. Each one of them in an inspiration and have conquered space in their own way!

Doesn’t this make you curious about space and make you want to learn more about it? So how can we explore space right here on Earth? Practically offers you several lessons, simulations, AR experiences and 3D videos to ‘reach for the stars’!

So how can you start flying with Practically?

Explore 3D videos to see life-like content of planets in the solar system and Kepler’s Law of Planetary Momentum

Check out AR experiences on Gravitational potential

Simulations on Escape velocity can help to find the minimum velocity with which the object is thrown from the planet to escape its orbit

Experience objects like Earth, spaceships and telescopes in the Out of Book section

You can also ask Proton, your AI study buddy, about Mars, the moon, planets, galaxies and much more!

Don’t forget that coding is an integral part of space missions. Practically’s coding classes online can help with coding foundation for engineering roles at ISRO, NASA and other space agencies

Use our Test Prep section to take tests on the app to test your knowledge and see how far you have come!

Practically, the self-learning app, offers many more options for experiential learning and exploring outer space. So if you want to also aim for the moon (or Mars!), download Practically today and Don’t Just Learn, Learn Practically!

#PracticallyApp #Women #InternationalWomensDay #WomenPower #WomenEmpowerment #WomenInSpace #WomenInScience #WomenInEngineering #WomenInTech #Coding #ELearning

The Many Ways of Doubt Resolution

As Mahatma Gandhi once said, “Persistent questioning and healthy inquisitiveness are the prerequisites for acquiring learning of any kind”. Curiosity is one of the core tenets of gaining knowledge. And an unanswered question can curb the joy of the learning process. Thus, every problem needs a relevant, easy-to-understand response, i.e. elicited from a credible source. Practically prescribes to this philosophy and has seamlessly integrated it into the unique learning experience that it offers. It fuels curiosity among students by providing various avenues to ask questions and discover the right answers. The Practically app has many options for online doubt solving. Let’s look at the multiple ways in which one can have all their questions answered on the app:

1. Proton – our AI-assisted study buddy

Hey Proton, what is precipitation? Yes, it is that easy! Asking Proton, our AI-assisted study buddy, is the easiest way to get the answers to all your questions. Proton can give you your answer instantaneously!

In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapour that falls under gravitational pull from clouds. The primary forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, sleet, snow, ice pellets, graupel and hail. Precipitation occurs when a portion of the atmosphere becomes saturated with water vapour (reaching 100% relative humidity) so that water condenses and “precipitates” or falls.

You can also choose whether you want to know further about precipitation types, probability of precipitation, water cycle, protein precipitation etc. The quick, extensive nature of responses and the fun interactive interface can enable a seamless learning experience and solidify learnings. It helps apply the concepts we learn and understand as we put them into practice.

2. Seek Help Feature

Practically’s Seek Help feature allows students to ask their questions to online subject matter experts for math & physics via message and video call. Students can send messages to mentors on the Practically app and receive responses. Using the Video Seek Help feature, students can also book an appointment with their mentor and organise a video call and have interactive doubt resolving sessions. These ways to seek help from mentors give students precise, quick responses to clarify any doubts in their learning journey. They can avail of the ‘Seek Help’ feature in the app to fill in the gaps in learning, gain a new perspective towards topics and Bring Learning Alive.

3. Ask Subject Experts

Students also have access to teachers/subject experts during Practically live classes online. They can easily choose to have one-on-one interaction with the teachers and get their doubts cleared. This also allows the students to receive comprehensive coaching & mentoring from the subject experts. The after school support will enable students to get access to experts across subjects. Asking questions opens the door to communication with these teachers. It gives rise to debates and discussions, which allow students to discover a subject in more depth and in a different way than just reading material. This way, the learner is actively involved in the learning process.

Teachers have complete access to world-class content that uses real-life applications, 3000+ immersive & 3D content, 1000+ simulations, AR videos and 200K questions. Easy shareable reference material, test-prep with five-level question bank, detailed reporting and analytics makes it easy to teach the students anywhere, anytime on any device. This way, students can also better understand what they learn in school and retain & revise concepts.

It is widely acknowledged that application-based learning, rather than fact-based memorization, can aid in meaningful learning. Practically aims to build a community encouraged to resolve their curiosity with ease while engaging in independent and critical thinking. Students tend to ask questions when there is a gap in their understanding or when they are looking to expand their existing knowledge.

To learn more about these doubt resolution options, experience the app today and Don’t just learn, Learn Practically!

#PracticallyApp #LearnPractically #LearningApp #ELearning #OnlineLearning #OnlineDoubtSolving #SubjectMatterExperts #DoubtResolving #SubjectExperts

Learn Practically with Live Classes

After school tutorials have been a significant part of many students’ lives and an essential part of the education sector, albeit largely unorganised thus far. These tutorials have served as additional, revisions and in-depth exploration of the regular school curriculum. A lot of these have shifted to the virtual medium rather than in-person, post COVID-19.

Practically Live classes is a solution that has been helping students and parents bring the best of subject experts right into their homes. Timings are curated to ensure most students can attend from the comfort of their homes and the solution is reasonably priced. With school from home becoming a norm, and blended learning is here to stay, Live classes by Practically gives students the additional support they need after school hours with their academic needs.

Probably the most significant advantage of live classes is real-time doubt resolution. When students prepare before live classes online or even listen to the teacher and discuss a topic, there are bound to be doubts and questions. Live online classes allow students to get clear, factual explanations from experts. It will enable teachers to give visually stimulate examples and repeat it as many times as required in different ways until a student can fully grasp the concept and eliminate the gap between theory and practice.

With online classes, teachers can offer individual attention online. Teachers can work with students to adjust the classwork to suit their learning pace. Some children can absorb better by doing, some by seeing and others by hearing. Teachers can apply this information using the online tools to make the classes efficient, enjoyable and cater to their specific needs.

Students are spending a lot of time reading out of books which can get monotonous and exhausting. With live sessions by experts, no class is standard — they're remarkable thanks to this self-learning app. Practically offers close to 3000+ AR and 1000+ simulation videos which empower teachers to conduct engaging and interactive sessions! This makes students enthusiastic about the subjects they are learning and helps bring learning alive. From showing them how the food we eat moves in the digestive tract and turns into energy, to coding their own video game, live classes online supported by gamification will introduce them to a different way of learning and instil a sense of enjoyment in the learning process!

Virtual classrooms encourage group work and discussions with a new set of learners as we continue school from home for now with limited social interaction. Good discussions help introduce students to different points of view and give rise to new ideas. Students work with their companions to tackle issues and examine the material together, giving teacher-to-student instruction a refreshing twist. Students learn from each other with guidance and monitoring by teachers. This kind of interaction gives them the confidence to utilize their social abilities in real-life situations. For secondary school students, these abilities are essential in preparing them for jobs and creating leadership abilities useful for their future. Live classes by Practically are an incredible path for children to discover their voice!

Online classes are an extraordinary route for students to immerse themselves in subjects they will appreciate. With this, students have access to scheduled live sessions by experts on Practically. The self-learning app offers an instant doubt resolution and one-on-one guidance from dedicated mentors, all from the comfort and safety of their homes.

If you want your children to get all these benefits from our Live classes, join our classes on the Practically app, and don’t just learn, learn Practically!

#PracticallyApp #LearnPractically #BringLearningAlive #Elearning #LearningApp #OnlineClasses #LiveClasses #OnlineLearning

Experiential learning vs Textbook Orientation - By Charu Noheria, Co-Founder and COO, Practically

Educators know students learn quicker and retain more information when the subject matter pertains to them personally and when they do it, it sticks with them even more. Experiential Learning is the process of learning by doing. By engaging students in hands-on experiences and reflection, educators are better able to connect theories and knowledge taught in the classroom to real-world situations.

The pedagogical paradigm shift in education to learning environments composed of teaching delivery methods of online courses, blended/hybrid formats is increasing access to global, lifelong learning. The traditional Indian classroom is characterized by repetition and memorization of content of prescribed textbooks. Experiential Learning classroom stresses on not just learning but learning practically. It targets the acquisition of cognitive skills through critical thinking, problem-solving and decision making. This approach accelerates learning. Theories can be brought to life by doing tasks and projects that bridge the gap between rote and practical learning. ‘Learning by doing’ is effective and it has a positive effect on the cognitive, affective, and physical domains of learners.

Visual aids have always been useful for better retention and application of concepts. They help bring learning alive! Furthermore, when students learn through experiences, the learnings stay with them. Incorporating videos and simulations into the e-Learning process brings an exciting flair to traditional education. Learners can hear and see the various concepts that are being taught and will similarly process them during everyday interactions. Further, these aids assist in the teaching-learning process, particularly complex and demanding topics.

Some of the important aspects of experiential learning are:

Creates real-world relevance: Students may tune out during lectures if they think the material does not pertain to the real world. Experiential learning takes data and concepts and applies them to immediate tasks, yielding real results from which they can improvise. As students interact with the information, it becomes real to them. Of course, each student’s learning experience will be guided by their unique perspective, and thus each will interact with the information and the task in different ways—and may have different and even novel results. In this way, the experiential classroom emulates “real” society encouraging experimentation.

Provides an opportunity for creativity: Experiential learning enables students to engage the creative parts of their brain and seek out their solutions to the problem or task on their own. This creative problem-solving, and the variety of results produced, enriches the classroom experience as a whole. Opportunities or experimentation that are limited in a physical world can be encouraged in a virtual experiential world as it comes with zero cost. This is the beginning of limitless learning.

Teaches the value of mistakes: Experiential learning involves trial and error. As students engage in hands-on tasks, they find that some approaches work better than others. They discard the methods that do not work, but the act of trying something and then abandoning it becomes a valuable part of the learning process. Students learn not to fear mistakes, but to benefit from them thereby applying what they learn. There is never a failure in experiential learning, you either succeed or learn.

Accelerates learning: The act of practising a skill strengthens the neural connections in the brain, making us, in effect, better with time. As student engagement increases through these processes, learning accelerates, and retention improves. The holistic learning process is enriched with the application of concept learnt and students achieve mastery in topics learnt much more quickly than achieved through traditional learning.

Offers direction to develop interests/careers: Many experiential learning projects are career-oriented because they are grounded in real-world activities. Through these activities, students start to discover and develop their skills, aptitudes, and passions. This self-discovery sets them on a more defined path to what they want to pursue in the long run, including college and careers.

Thus, experiential learning engages students’ emotions by bringing learning alive and enhancing their knowledge and skills. Additionally, when students see the concrete fruits of their labour, they experience greater gratification and pride, enhancing their enthusiasm for continued learning and upskilling in this dynamic world.

This article was first published on 11 February 2021 on the BW Education (Business World) website

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