EAGLE TRACTS
CORNERSTONE INTERNATIONAL ACADEMY
TO THE EAGLE FAMILY
Dear C.I.A. Community,
It is with immense pleasure I welcome you to the exciting month of November.
Albert Einstein once said, “Education is not about the learning of facts, but training young minds to think.” Truly, there is a big difference between cramming up facts and learning them so they can be applied in productive ways. At Cornerstone International Academy, we work towards the holistic development of our students by providing them with the tools and resources that encourage thinking and inquiry. The aim is to create empowered minds that are able to decide what is good, differentiate right from wrong, choose opportunities wisely and enable them to live in harmony with all.
In line with our monthly celebration of the IB Learner Profile, we will be focusing on the attribute ‘Inquirer’. With this in mind, our staff and students will be using this Learner Profile attribute in targeted social interactions to support efforts to improve the school community, and to encourage us to nurture our curiosity. Striving to exhibit the Learner Profile attribute “Inquirer” shoots us towards the goal of becoming lifelong learners.
Indeed the month of October was a great month, I must admit. However, I am positive that this month of November will be a very invigorating one. We will be having our third virtual Unit Preview with Parents (UPP) for first to fifth grade and second for kindergarten. UPP, as we know, is a school conference which gives parents and guardians the platform to know more about what their wards will be learning for the next units. It also gives a highlight of the topics that were covered in the previous units and gives parents the opportunities to ask questions and share their ideas.
I am personally excited about this month and I look forward to a unique collaboration. Please take a moment and visit our school’s website.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Ms. Esther Osei-Nkansah
Vice Principal, Elementary School
TIPS ON HOW PARENTS CAN NURTURE CURIOSITY IN THEIR CHILDREN.
Nurturing a child’s curiosity is one of the most important ways you can help him/her become a lifelong learner. Children are born learners, with a natural curiosity to figure out how the world works. Curiosity is the desire to learn. It is an eagerness to explore, discover and figure things out. Here are some tips on how to nurture curiosity in children and students:
TIPS ON NURTURING CURIOSITY
- Follow your child’s lead.
Encourage natural interests. Children learn so much more through activities that capture their attention and imaginations. If he likes music, play it for him often, make and play instruments together, dance together. If bugs are her thing, give her a shovel and a net. Find books on bugs and read to her.
- Use the library!
Take this field trip together often. Find out when your local branch has its story time. Books are windows into all kinds of worlds to delight the curious mind. Young children who are exposed to books become better readers. Let your child choose his own books. Studies show that it doesn’t matter whether children are reading books about rockets or comic books, the key is that their interest is captured and that they like to read.
- Stimulate your child with open-ended questions.
These are questions that don’t have a right or wrong response, and can’t be answered with only one word like “yes” or “no”. “How do you feel about…..”, “What was (such and such experience) like for you….”, “Tell me about what happened in school today.” These kinds of questions encourage your child to develop his thoughts and ideas, shows love and interest, and will give you a window into his inner life.
- Redirect, don’t discourage.
Try to figure out what is capturing her interest, or what skill she is trying to master and create a safe and acceptable way for her to explore. For example, if your toddler is exploring the houseplants, put them out of reach but offer a close alternative. Put some dirt in a plastic container for your child to play with and inspect. If she likes to pour the water from her cup onto the high chair or floor, move her to the kitchen floor, bathtub or backyard after the meal so she can explore and experiment with water without driving you crazy. This will also teach children problem-solving skills, creative and acceptable ways to do and get what they want.
C.I.A for the month of November, is throwing more light on the IB learner profile ‘INQUIRER’ and in view of this, all members of the school community will be exhibiting their curiosity in every aspect of their lives.
Source: zerotothree.org
THIS IS MY HEART
A pantoum is a poetic form consisting of any number of rhyming quatrains (four-line stanzas). The first two lines do not have a straightforward narrative connection with the third and fourth lines but are connected through rhyming, repeated sounds, or metaphor.
Here is a beautiful pantoum poem written by a third grade student of Dr. Shirley Jackson.
STRENGTH IN UNITY
STRENGTH IN UNITY
It is possible for everybody to go their full length
When we all together synergize, we get stronger
Making teams is a better way
We call this, “Strength in unity”
Work hard for your muscle to prepare on time
Make better friends for a plan and stick together
While getting more information, your brain gets more exercise
Never be afraid to get danger
Have a great plan to fight any scary things that come to mind
And make a poster for the team to see
When you get this information, remember,
STRENGTH IN UNITY
IS BETTER
WHEN YOU SYNERGIZE.
Elijah Nyamekye Acheampong Appiah
NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES OF LABELING IN CHILD’S TRAINING
Labeling children typically entails using an adjective to describe a child's character, behavior, or appearance. These adjectives (labels) could either be positive or negative. Some examples include a confident child, good child, shy child, stubborn child, disruptive child among others. Labelling children have consequences be it positive or negative. Positive labels increase the self-esteem levels of the child, whilst negative labels do the opposite. Unfortunately, the negative labels seem to be more rampant in our societies which impinge on the emotional, psychological, and to an extent the physical growth of the child in his/her upbringing.
According to John Locke, a philosopher in the 17th century, a child is born a "blank slate" without rules for processing data in his or her head. John Locke termed this as ‘Tabula Rasa’ (Anstey, 2011). He posits that, “the experiences of the child, the words he/she hears constantly, and the behaviors of the people around the child imprint knowledge and ideas in the child”. These experiences program the mind of the child which in turn impact the self-image or self-worth of the child. Children tend to devalue themselves when they constantly hear these negative labels. It becomes a part of their self-identity which impacts negatively on their academic work in school and their mental health.
Some parents and teachers are fond of labeling their children or students to a particular interest, activity, career, or profession in the future. This tends to confuse and confine the children in question and limit their potential to explore. Children in their early stages explore to understand themselves. Unfortunately, certain labels make them rigid and narrow in their thinking and imagination.
Adults are encouraged to rather guide children to explore instead of labelling and confining. This will encourage them to be risk-takers and be more willing to work harder to achieve what is expected of them. The following will be helpful to anyone who strives to understand children:
Good communications – Always keep in mind that children are basically nice people so strive to recognize that in them. Instead of defining children negatively, try to understand why they behave the way they do.
Being conscious about the choice of language - Make an effort to avoid limiting language and address the behavior rather than labelling the child with the behavior. For example, saying to a child “I am not proud of what you just did, please do not repeat it” is encouraged rather than saying, you are stubborn. Phrases as such will help the child not to associate himself or herself with negative labels.
Ms. Georogina O.B. Bediako
School Counselor.
Reference
Anstey, P. (2011). John Locke & Natural Philosophy. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
As part of the measures of Cornerstone International Academy (C.I.A.) to educate its staff on the consequences of labeling a child, the school’s counseling department organized an Inclusion Education Training Program for the Facilitators and other staff members on the 21st October 2021. Some significant areas that were discussed included the facilitators' roles in the management of students with challenges, the significance of inclusion education at C.I.A., the importance of creating an accommodating learning environment for all diversities of students, and some teaching strategies to help all diverse students in the homeroom. The counseling department and the academic team, in addition to our Continuous Professional Development (CPD) meetings have planned to periodically organize Focused-Group Inclusive Education Training for all facilitators.
GET IN TOUCH
Email: correspondence@mail.cia.edu.gh
Website: https://www.cia.edu.gh
Phone: 0265055439 0202068221
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cornerstoneinternationalacademy/
Twitter: @CIA_Ghana