December 18, 2022

CO-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES - ITS IMPORTANCE AND IMPLEMENTATION | HOLISTIC EDUCATION FOR A PASSIONATE LIFE!! | A Manual for Teachers, Parents, Educators and Self-Educators

UNIT – 4

CO-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES - ITS IMPORTANCE AND IMPLEMENTATION

A school should be a lively place. Children cannot always listen to lectures and do writing tasks. They need holistic activities. In the following we have covered these activities and under each heading we have explained its importance and the way it should be implemented in the school.

Assembly

The daily assembly is a wonderful opportunity to gain confidence in public speaking, learn the importance of team work and organizing things, be in touch with the daily news, express himself through song, dance and drama. These are no ordinary skills and very much a part of vibrant school curriculum.

But it is very important that the presentations during the assembly should be done not as rote but with spontaneity and originality. To bring this about, one of the most important things to understand is that a child is to learn from mistakes only. Hence it should be deeply understood that the process is greater than the product.

If you look within you will find that the fear of failure is a dominant attribute of our psychology that has inhibited us from trying out things and growing out of our fears.

Does this not inhibit our character? A deep understanding of this issue will liberate all of us - teachers and learners. Life is nothing but a continuous process of growth, blooming, discovery and learning. Process is Progressive.....

Music and Dance

Music and Dance are the things that children love to do and also do it spontaneously. The untouched innocent minds and hearts of children can express very well in music and dance. So the teacher should always try for expression in children as a primary thing and be gentle in the way, he teach us music and dance.

Field Trips

There is a huge difference between abstract and the concrete. To read about mountains and rivers, for example, is a lot different from actually seeing mountains and rivers.

There is so much to see in the world!!

With a proper selection ,children must be SHOWN places, industries and all the things that he doesn't see around him like great monuments, rivers, beaches, hills,places with a different climate and culture..etc.,

It is obvious a child should also see industries with his own eyes. For example, he should also see how a ship is made in the ship yard or the how the rockets are constructed. It is such through such sights that a child discovers the thrill in science and technology, But in field trips, care should be taken to make it truly an educational trip. A resource person should be a good guide bringing out all the information and knowledge. He could talk about the History, Geography, Science.

Art and Craft

A picture is worth a thousand words. This quotation is really true in many ways. Art develops visual imagination, sharpens one’s power of observing things around us, develops a sense of beauty and wonder actually. A child should do art not just to become a painter but to express his inner world.

Craft is a hand skill which sharpens the mind and hand coordination which as Gandhi once said is a very basic skill to acquire. A developed motor skills is a kind of intelligence. Also craft concretizes many Maths concepts like geometry, area and volume. The various kinds of craft also help in developing a feeling of beauty and design.

Computer technology

Any job today requires specific computer skills like Microsoft Office, Creating videos, blogs, designs, websites and basics of program.

Those who lack the skills find life to be limited. In a good school, children should have hands-on- activities, doing projects effectively and beautifully using computers. This high comfort level with respect to computers will go a long way to help the students ascend in his career and life

Games

Games could be one of the most important activities for a a growing child. Games help in keeping the mind fit and healthy, develops team spirit, getting used to winning or losing, provides enjoyment and provides the satisfaction of deep need for physical activity to the growing child. Games are absolutely an integral part of a school curriculum.