Deepanam school children learning electronics in STEMland(Udavi)

~Saranya

One of our intern his name is Abilash he is taking electronics class for Deepanam school children. Children come weekly once which is on thursday. Before they are coming Abilash will prepare for the circuit which he is going to take on that day. It was quiet prepared class. He took classes on how to make inverter and how to make charger etc…

I remember  we conducted course on basic electronics for in and around auroville youngster. He came for that course and whatever he learnt through that course he is spreading(by teaching).

Electronic class

~saranya

Reflection:

I was attending electronics class with sanjeev friend sanjay. I felt that the electronics class is for my growth. I am recollecting all my keywords(that I have learnt it during my college) and doing it in practical. I got a such a wonderful place to grow for my self and for others.

I did a basic circuit experiment on diode. I assumed that I knew about diode but when sanjay gave a small circuit I couldn’t find how much current and voltage is flowing in the diode circuit. He gave me everyday assignment. It was a same diode circuit. During my college days when I do experiment at that time only I measure the values(voltage and current) but with sanjay first I do calculation(estimation) then only I do experiment to check with my calculation. I felt happy when my calculation and measured values were very closer. Some snapshots(of my calculation) are here.

Fraction piece – 3D printer

~saranya & Naveen

In our STEM land we have lost 1/8 of fraction piece. We wanted to have permanent solution instaed of having temporary solution so we discussed with our team then we came up with an idea of printing through 3D printer. Naveen taught us how to make the fraction piece by using blender software and also he taught how to print it with 3D printer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We did the fraction piece together and we printed out by using 3D printer. It was very nice experience and it gave us permanent solution for the issue that we had faced.

Back to Kapla, Mindstrom and 3D printer

~saranya

During activity period children worked on mindstrom. Children again started using mindstrom also they were back to kapla game. 8th grade children few of them build strong building by using kapla. It was quiet interesting also amazing. They built motor bike.(image is coming soon)

Peer learning:

During activity period 7th grade wanted to work on their scratch projects(They were creating projects according to their plan) so 8th grade wanted to help them.

Also children were back to kapla. They worked individually also in group. They built one nice building by using kapla. I was able to see peer learning was happening with our children.

 

Curious to learn new things

~saranya

During Math and activity period children suddenly picked up instruments and they came and asked how it works and it is  used for what? The instrument that they picked was BP(Blood Pressure)  instrument, temperature instrument  and ph meter……..Then we started explaining how to use also why it is used for. Children wanted measure the  BP also wanted to measure for their friends. They did it  and they were very happy.

 

 

 

 

 

Nirmal started working on waste batteries and he built one beautiful pen stand. It was not completed so agalya want to work on the waste batteries with poovizhi support. Finally they built one nice well shape. Now the well is using for breadboard stand.

 

Development through drama course

~Saranya

Three of us went for this workshop. It was happening past two weeks. Through this workshop I know to take class with only the instruction. There were few new activities I learnt from this workshop. It was really good. It help children to concentrate.

We can use the body to stimulate imagination and the imagination to stimulate movement.

It’s my treasure/ Stolen Treasure – change the name to suit group

Set up a semi circle of ‘treasure’ around the person who is ‘on’. This person closes their eyes or wears a blind fold if they are younger. The class are invited one at a time to have a go to ‘steal’ the treasure (with some groups ask them to put hands up if they want a go and teacher makes sure everyone gets a go – in silence). They creep forward, take one piece of treasure and return to their place without making a sound. The person who owns the treasure must try to hear where they are and if they point in that exact direction then the person must finish their go/ return their treasure.

Traffic Light – using the colours to move/slow down and freeze. Variations include swapping the meaning of colours eg Red= Go- this demands more concentration; or adding in further instructions as people are moving in one mode, eg Amber means walking on tiptoes, Green means walking like a gorilla etc.

Snake Lines

Starting with one long line, give each child a number from 1. Explain you would like them to move around the room like a snake, staying together in one long line. Practice this.

Then explain that when you call a number you want that number person to be at the front of the snake. Anyone whose number is lower, must walk quietly to the back of the line. Practice this.

Once the group have mastered these first stages, then make 2 lines, standing shoulder to shoulder. Give each pair a number and repeat the exercise as above. When the pairs are going to the back of the line they should separate in different directions – person on left goes left, person on right goes right.

Once all of this has been mastered add one further challenge, when you say ‘Split’ the 2 lines separate out and follow their own path. When you call ‘unite’ then they must try to come back together again without stopping if possible.

Paired film-making

In pairs label yourselves A & B. A’s must think of an activity they can act out- something from everyday living, eg washing, eating, cleaning, gardening. Staying where they are (not moving around the room), A’s begin their action.

B’s are the film-makers and they are filming the action. They can choose long shots, medium shots or close-ups. Let this run for a couple of minutes while everyone is absorbed. Then swap roles.

Afterwards give pairs a couple fo minutes to chat about what shots they would keep in their films.

Mirrors

Standing opposite your partner one person begins to move their hands slowly and the other follows. The aim is to move slowly enough so that the action is perfectly mirrored. Swap roles so that the other person leads for a while.

Developments:

  • Have no leader- try to co-lead it
  • Lose the strained staring at each other- aim for a soft gaze
  • Add music for a longer, more sustained actionAsk the pairs to Freeze at certain moments and decide if they were in a story right now who might they be and what might the story be?
    1. You can keep changing partners for this exercise so pupils get used to working with each other 
      1. Moving in different ways

      In this exercise the class is moving around the room responding to instructions and narration given by the teacher. Begin form normal walking and then introduce:

      • Medium: in sea, on land, in air
      • Purpose: searching for food/treasure, escaping, moving from one place to another eg out of the sea, out of a hole
      • Surfaces: dry earth, into mud, onto hot rock, thick undergrowth, marbles, wet tar, sharp stones, on ice
      • Conditions: light, darkness, hot, cold, windy, stormy
      • Physical condition: strong becoming weak, determined then giving up, disappointed then hopeful.
      • Adverbs: happily, sadly, excitedly, lazily, determinedly, nervously

      It is best to alter the energy of the types of walking to maintain interest. If a group are engaging in one well then perhaps you can add more detail to allow a story to build around it.

       

    2. Group movement journeys

    In small groups, ask the class to choose scenarios (or give them scenarios if they are younger) for a journey that requires them to be in silence. Remind them to use other imagined senses including imagined touch, smell, vision, listening etc. This can all be done at the same time using some music, or individually.

    1. Body as Objects

    Walk around the room. When a number is called get into groups of that number. Call out an object and then tell the groups to make this object suing all of their bodies together. Countdown 10-1 and then FREEZE. Repeat as long as the class are absorbed in the task. Explore everyday objects, but also include difficult or even ‘impossible’ objects eg helicopter, Eiffel tower, wind turbine.

    This can be developed from objects that do not move to electrical objects, or objects with switches etc to add some movement.

    1. Estate Agent

    Using the Body as Objects exercise the teacher becomes the estate agent. Ask one other child to be the house buyer. Show them around the house explaining what objects are there and asking the other children in the class to make the objects spontaneously.

    With older children this can be done in groups, and the teacher becomes the buyer. Give the groups time to practise and then share each one with the class.

    1. Pop-Up Stories

    Tell a story with the class in a circle. Explain that when you mention an object, you would like some children to come into the centre of the circle to make that object. When that part of the story is finished they can sit down again. With younger children who might want to be in the picture all the time, you could use a story with full settings- eg gardens with many trees, flowers, creatures or a bedroom with a bed, wardrobes, lights and beautiful silk curtains. This way they can all be in each picture.

  • Images: Will be coming soon

 

Technology in Mathematics-MTA-2019

~Saranya

I went for Mathematics Teachers’ Association (MTA) conference @Mumbai. There I was curious to attend the workshop about technology in mathematics. Initially they asked us to install geogebra classic 5. They taught us to use all the options which was available inthe geogebra.  We started with polygon then we kept on working on that.  One thing I learnt new that is trace on and annimation on. We have to plot two points in the geogebra then we have to turn on trace on(to draw in mannual). After that we turned on annimation on(It will automatically take the radius of that two point and then it will draw). This was interestion for to indicate something with the colour.

In our STEM land already children were familer about the geogebra software. They did lot of projects by using geogebra. I was proud to say our children were familer with these things.

Also they taught excel formula’s for sum, random etc…

Children solving puzzles

~Saranya

Children from 7th grade his name is Hariharan. During his activity period he picked up a set of puzzles to solve and he practicied it. After two weeks he is able to solve the same set of puzzles in 3 minutes.

And also he is showing everyone to solve the puzzles. I felt instead of giving instruction sheet we could use his video to solve the puzzles.

STEM Land Newsletter-July-Oct 2018

STEM Land Newsletter

Volume-4, July-Oct 2018

About STEM(Science Technology Engineering Mathematics) land

STEMLand is located in two outreach schools of
Auroville (Isai Ambalam and Udavi school). Children come to STEM Land for their Mathematics, EVS and science classes. They learn Mathematics, Electronics,
3D Printing, Programming, Mindstorms (Robotics) and learn to play strategic games that enhance logical thinking. The children take responsibility of their learning and plan their goals. They work individually, in pairs or peer groups and ask for support from facilitators when they need it. This self-directed learning is based on Sri Aurobindo’s first True principle of education (Aurobindo, 1910); “Nothing can be taught”. With younger children we work on real life projects that impact their surroundings. We believe a nurturing environment can support a child’s learning.

Isai Ambalam Shop EBD
In Isai Ambalam school the 7th and 8th graders had difficulty understanding profit and loss. On looking at the prices of stationary in the shops around they found that the price varied and the local shops in the village were charging too much. They also noted that it was not always easy for the younger children to have access to shops for small items they needed like pencils, erasers, scales, notebooks and their parents were not always able to get it for them. They started a small shop of needful things at the school during recess 
Read more.

Medicinal Garden
The children were keen on starting a medicinal garden at the school, when asked, the children said they were inspired by a session they had with a Siddha doctor in August. Children felt that a medicinal garden in the school can be used to cure minor diseases and discomforts and they could create an inventory of their own medicine. They also said that the garden would be useful for them as well as the future generations. Then children planned the location and chose it next to the washbasin so that the water used for washing hands could be reused to grow the plants 
Read more.

Elixir Course
Shanker (a web developer) who had attended the
python Django course offered at the iSMART
classroom, wanted to offer a course of his own on
Elixir. It was designed for 6 sessions in the month of September, across three weeks. Technically, it was a lighter course when compared to the Python Django. We learnt to design and create a simple phoenix project with the terminal, IEX commands, arithmetic operations and string functions. Feedback from the course indicated that the participants found it interesting and joyful.
8th Inspirational Festival (Mind Mingle)
Sanjeev and Arun were invited as guest speakers to the 8 th Inspirational Festival organized by Mind Mingle Helix and Rotary in Salem.The duo gave a brief introduction on STEMland. Then held a small workshop on Stewardship for all the speakers and participants. They received a good response from everybody Read more.
Learning about Indigenous cotton
 In Isai Ambalam school Deoyani Sarkhot and Pratap were working with the 7th and 8th graders on the importance of cultivating Indian cotton.They firsttalked about where cotton has been grown in India. They told the children that in West Bengal the best cotton is grown. Historically, muslin (a lightweight cotton cloth) was made from the best cotton in India Read more.
Scratch Course
A t Udavi school the 7 th graders had stepped in for
their Mathematics class for the first time in STEM
land this year. They saw their seniors work on
projects and some of them took the effort to work
with them, but we felt the need for a more rigorous
course for them. We used the first term holidays to
host a week long course on Scratch along with the
children at Udavi school 
Read more.
Independence Day Celebration This year we celebrated Sri Aurobindo’s Birthday and Independence day differently. Early in morning, 5 th to 8 th grade students went to see the birthday bonfire at
Matrimandir and spent some time in silence and meditation.The children then symbolically took the flame and ran from Town Hall, passed Solar Kitchen,Edyanchavadi, Kottakari, Alankuppam and reached Isai Ambalam School, and lit the firewood which was kept ready
 Read more.

 

Sets Game

A few girls from 10 th grade had built a physical game with a chart representing 3 venn diagrams (governed by 3 randomly selected rules by one team) and a set of 27 games pieces (3 shapes, 3 sizes and 3 colors). The other team players needs to place a piece on one of the areas and ask if it fits there. The goal is to figure out the original rules selected for each circle of the Venn Diagram and demonstrate the understanding of set theory Read more.

Bamboo Charkha

The children in 6th grade were not very sure of how the thread was made from cotton. In their textbook, they found a image of a Charkha. This got them enthusiastic and all the students wanted to make Charkhas.The class was split into two groups. Then they searched for resource materials in their school. Since our campus has many bamboo trees they came up with the idea to make charkhas using bamboos Read more.

Holiday EBD’s

During the 1 st term holiday children (5 th to 8 th grades) had come to school for half day sessions, to learn something new. There were different groups doing different projects. The EBD’s are Kitchen EBD(Read more), Automatic hacksaw(Read more) , Bi-directional People Counter (Read more) and Speed, Distance and Time (Read more)..

Papers accepted at MES 10

Two of our papers have been accepted at the international Mathematics Education and Society conference 10 to be held in Hyderabad end of Jan. Ganesan P., Patchaiyappan P.,et.al. (Jan 2019)
STEM Land (Science Technology Engineering Mathematics Land): Factors and Interventions Influencing Children’s Attitude Towards Mathematics, MES10 [Read..]Iyyanarappan A., Anand B., et.al. (Jan 2019) STEM Land (Science
Technology Engineering Mathematics Land): Deep Learning of Mathematical Concepts Through EBD and by Using Materials, MES10
[Read..]

Support a child

In partnership with Asha for Education we have set up a Support a Child  program for Isai Ambalam School the school we all volunteer in. The support will cover the needs of running high quality programs at the school including teachers salaries; nutrition; activities in sports, music, swimming and STEM land activities. The support for a child is Rs.11,000/year ($168/year). Please sign up to support a child here.

Our Team

We are a team of 12 engineers at STEM land. Our projects range from python programming and more recently to analog VLSI layout.

 

(Left to right) Sanjeev Ranganathan, Murali, Ranjith,
Poovizhi, Sundar, Saranya, Pratap, Arun, Sandhiya,
Naveen, Logeshwari, Abilash)

Meet the team

Support A Child Program II Phase

In partnership with Asha for Education we have set up a Support a Child program forIsai Ambalam School the school we all volunteer in. The support will cover the needs of running high quality programs at the school including teachers salaries; nutrition; activities in sports, music, swimming and STEM land activities.
The support for a child is Rs.11,000/year ($168/year). We have successfully completed Support A child program Phase I covering children from 3rd grade(68
children) onward. We are still looking to support 32 younger children in the second phase. Please sign up to support a child here.

Contributions can be directed towardsAuroville Unity Fund
(with a note for STEM land)
and mail to Dr.Sanjeev Ranganathan,
STEM land Udavi School, Auroville,
Edayanchavadi, Tamil Nadu – 605101
All donations are 100% tax deductible in India.
More optionsView more
Education system should go beyond examination

Our research work