CBSE India introduces a common syllabus for Maths & Science!

The Union Ministry of Human Resource and CBSE India are leaving no stone unturned to make lives easy for school students across the various boards in India! The latest stride towards this endeavor is the introduction of a common syllabus for Maths and Science for the students of classes XI and XII across all the educational boards. Therefore, from the academic year starting 2011-12, students from all the boards in the country can look forward to a uniform syllabus!

An initiative like this by CBSE India will ensure a level playing field for all the students while they prepare for their engineering and medical entrance examinations. Hence, while all you students studying in classes XI & XII, preparing for your national level engineering and medical entrance exams from the year 2012, need no longer worry about the extensive syllabi covered by your friend in CBSE or other national/ state board.

A common syllabus is just the first step by the Human Resource Ministry and CBSE India towards a flexible pattern of education that is comparable to the education systems existing in the West. CBSE India also has plans in the pipeline to conduct a common entrance exam for Medical and Engineering courses in India by 2013. If such a plan by CBSE India gains acceptance from all the academic corners in the country, life after class XII is only set to get easier for students.

However, implementation of a common syllabus by CBSE India has also garnered a lot of criticism by NCERT. NCERT is of the view that Council of School Board of Education (COBSE) has no right to push the common syllabus agenda. NCERT believes that the decision to undertake any curriculum revision exercise should rightfully rest with itself as NCERT has been instrumental in all such changes over the past years. It also believes that COBSE is just a coordinating body between the various school boards in the country.

Amidst all this controversy, major stakes are now on successful implementation of this common syllabus scheme for Maths and Science. Success of a common syllabus like this could also spread cheer in the lives of students studying in the Commerce and Humanities streams. Talks are around for a uniform syllabus for various subjects in these streams as well. What more could have students asked for to ensure a smooth and stress-free studying experience!

There are various websites that provide CBSE-aligned learning resources for students studying in classes V-XII. A common syllabus for Maths and Science will also ensure that more students can now seek help from such websites and reap benefits of quality and extensive learning resources.

All students studying under CBSE India can expect a lot of good news in the near future as well.

All the best for the future!

CBSE Biology

Do you find studying CBSE Biology from textbooks bland and monotonous? If yes, then I have an interesting piece of information that might cheer you up! Now all you students out there need not study CBSE Biology just from your not-so-interesting textbooks as multimedia enriched study content is here to jazz up your studies. Multimedia enriched learning solutions can not only make studying CBSE Biology interesting for students, but can also simplify complex processes and concepts for effective understanding.

Here are a few interesting points that has made multimedia enriched learning solutions an instant hit amongst CBSE Biology students.

• Animations can be fun! Want to learn CBSE Biology by being a live witness to various biological processes instead of just reading about it in textbooks and are you exploring ways of doing the same? CBSE Biology animation can make your wish come true! Through various CBSE biology animations you can not only view various complex biological processes but can also discover some not-so-known interesting facts about the flora and fauna involved. Did you know that a frog has to go through seven stages before he becomes an adult frog? Through a click you can view all these eight stages of the life cycle of Frog from an egg to a tadpole and lastly to an adult frog. So the next time you find studying any concept in CBSE Biology difficult just look out for these animations online and add of the much required zing to your studies.
• Learn better through videos! One interesting feature of multimedia enriched studies is the availability of different types of subject-aligned videos. How about viewing a real-life video of blossoming of Ocotillo flowers? For all CBSE Biology students, real-life videos like this can be a true blessing. Apart from these real-life videos, there are other video that explains concepts in the same manner as the teacher does in a class. Students can go through these videos as many times as they desire in order ensure thorough understanding of the same.
• A boon for auditory learners! How about listening to an audio file of chirping of all the popular birds while studying about ‘Animal Kingdom’ in your school? Sounds interesting! I am confident that through an exercise like this, the interest levels of students for such topics are bound to raise manifolds. Study material supported with audio-video files like this is one of the USPs of multimedia enriched learning solutions. While studying CBSE Biology, students can choose to support their study material with such audio-video files and make learning a lot interesting and fun.
• Low cost! Unlike other mediums like live experiments, researches etc that can also make studies interesting and fun but with a relatively high price tag attached, this medium of studies is available to the students 24x7 at very low cost. There are various websites that make available multimedia enriched CBSE Biology study content at very low prices. Students can subscribe to these websites and make studying complex processes and concepts in CBSE Biology very interesting.

Students can indulge into these multimedia enriched learning solutions and see their marks go up!

CBSE answers for CBSE students

The one thing that can fetch students a great score in their final CBSE examination is quality CBSE answers. It is important for students to understand that the effort to score great marks in the final examinations does not just end with effective learning but should actually spill over into writing quality and complete CBSE answers in the exams. Therefore, it is important for students to also master the art of writing quality CBSE answers so as to achieve their dream score.

Here are a few tips that will help all you students out there to frame quality CBSE answers that can be considered ‘ideal’ and that too with ease!

• The first step towards writing quality CBSE answer starts with a thorough reading of the NCERT chapter. After giving the chapter a close read, the next important step is to highlight or underline all the important points in the chapter. This will help students identify and understand the gist of the chapter along with all the key concepts in it.
• The next important step is to then turn to the end-of-chapter questions and accordingly write their CBSE answers. In order to write quality CBSE answers, it is important for students to closely study the requirements of each question. While analyzing the NCERT questions it is very important for students to read the instruction, subject and other significant information in the question carefully. Doing so will help them write quality CBSE answers for an excellent score in the final examination. While trying to write CBSE answers it is also very important for students to customize their answers for each subject. For example, while attempting CBSE answer for Science, students are advised to write to-the-point answers along with neatly drawn and clearly labeled diagrams. Where as for language subjects like Hindi and English, students have the liberty to expand on the topic and for some questions even use metaphors to explain their thoughts and impressions etc. While writing CBSE answers for Maths, it is however important for the students remember to write all the in-between steps and support it with appropriate diagrams wherever necessary.
• If students are facing a dearth of time and do not wish to spend so much time in framing CBSE answers, they can seek help from the free NCERT solutions available online. These free NCERT answers are aligned as per the guidelines of the NCERT and are supported by relevant illustrations that can make understanding easy. These free solutions not only enable students to write quality CBSE answers but also help them score great marking in the final CBSE papers.

So what are all you CBSE students waiting for, go ahead and use these tips to frame quality CBSE answers for top results in your CBSE exams.

Overcome the "Fear Factor" with CBSE Model Papers

CBSE Papers are generally a reason for growing anxiety and examination pressure among the students. These bring sleepless nights for most of the students. Before CBSE 10th and 12th board examinations, students and their parents experience intense levels of anxiety. The condition was same decades ago and it is still very much prevalent. In comparison to a couple of years ago, stress and pressure today has increased a number of times due to increased competition amidst the students.

CBSE papers require a little more than classroom study including a scheduled method of learning and revision on a daily basis. Sometimes, the students fail to perform well and get good percentage in exams. On other occasions they may get confused and forget the answers. Some students do not attempt all the questions due to lack of time. CBSE model papers are a single solution to all these problems.

CBSE model papers are designed as per the latest CBSE curriculum which can give the students a clear idea about the types of questions and marking scheme. Students should wrap up their final revision for CBSE papers with CBSE model papers. These model papers are available for all the subjects which can help students to improve their answering skills and can also teach them the skill of completing CBSE papers within the allocated time.

Solving model papers before the CBSE papers can help the students analyze their knowledge level, understand concepts and gradually boost their confidence. It also assists them in exploring their strengths and weaknesses. CBSE Model Papers can give the students a much-needed opportunity to work upon the weak links and solidify their concepts.

Occasionally students miss out on answering a few questions as they don’t keep a track of time. Time management problems can be simply taken care of during revision by solving ample number of model papers. Time based model papers are available for various subjects which can help the students in allocating time for each question and answer them accordingly.

When the syllabus is completed, students should practice more and more with CBSE model papers. This would not only help the students to judge their preparation levels but also prepare them to face the CBSE papers confidently. Students can find both solved and unsolved CBSE curriculum aligned model papers on a number of websites for a complete revision session. These online model papers are available anytime anywhere. Further, these websites have query sections where students can discuss their problems related to the subject. These online forums are maintained and administered by experienced and knowledgeable professionals round-the-clock. Attempting ample model papers would assure a complete revision and a great report card in CBSE papers.

How to prepare for the board papers?

Board papers are usually geared to test the knowledge and preparation levels of students after year long rigorous studies. The board papers not only check a student’s conceptual understanding of key concepts but also test their mettle to stand extreme situations. Students should not get cowed down at any point and take on their board papers with a single minded focus of giving it their best shot.

In order to ensure that students excel in their board papers they should follow this simple three-step process. Doing so will not only help students to effectively plan and structure their studies but will also make their learning smooth and effortless.

Step I- Set goals! While planning for the academic year, students should set their long-term and short-term goals. A long-term goal is what student aspire to achieve after their year-long (or more) hard work. Short-term goals on the other hand can be defined as small steps taken by students towards achieving their ultimate goals. Both the short-term and long-term goals are important for achieving success in board papers. The first step towards formulating short-term goals is to prepare a schedule. Instead of preparing a fresh schedule everytime, students can also choose to follow a schedule template. With minor changes in the template, students can use it on a regular basis. Students preparing for the board paper can make their schedule template an ideal one by incorporating the following points in it.

• The study schedule template should aim to be specific by clearly listing down what to achieve and by what time.
• The schedule template should be flexible with ample scope for accommodating unexpected and unforeseen events.
• The study targets should be realistic that can be achieved within the allocated time.
• The schedule template should incorporate essential breaks for sleeping, relaxation and leisure activities.

Step II- Study Effectively! Setting goals should ideally be followed up with preparing study notes, revision notes, studying etc. These are some essential activities that students are required to undertake, in order to achieve their short-term goals and also score well in board papers. To make the studying activity effective for the final board papers, students should keep the following tips in mind.

• Students should study according to their learning styles and not force themselves to adopt a path that could slow down their pace of learning.
• Students should try to include small breaks while studying as it will help both the mind and the body to stay fresh.
• Students should not stress on cramming and lay emphasis only on understanding the concepts thoroughly.

Students can also seek help from websites that provide curriculum-aligned study material and other study content that can make understanding and studying easy.

Step III- Revise! Students preparing for the board papers should sum up their studies with robust revision sessions. It will not only help students to assess their preparation levels before the examinations but will also allow them to take requisite corrective actions so as to score well in final board papers. Students can follow these following tips to make their revision activity effective.

• Students can choose to revise using self-made or readymade revision notes that will help them obtain a quick overview of the entire chapter.
• Students can also practice concepts using previous year board papers or sample papers and get acquainted with the overall pattern, marking scheme etc.
• Students can also prepare flash cards for an easy recall of difficult points in the chapter.

Students can also surf their way through a few websites that provide a variety of curriculum-aligned revision aids for effective revision before the final board papers.

Now all you students out there preparing for your board papers can go ahead and seek help from these steps for a great score in your exams.

All the best!

Learning through Biology Animations

Biology Animations are certainly a boon for all biology lovers. Understanding the complex biological processes that take place inside and around the flora and fauna of a region and inside human beings becomes comparatively easy to understand. Now, you no longer need to make all those mental maps and strain your brain by trying to visualize how various biological processes such as photosynthesis work. You have Biology animations that you can turn to. 2D and 3D Biology animations make these processes come alive for you. Welcome to the world of animations!

Biology animations make it possible for all to view the dynamic processes through naked eyes. How the brain processes information, the working of different kinds of muscles in the human body, the process of metamorphosis of a butterfly, you name it and biology animations can bring to life any complicated and intriguing process through the use of graphics and animations. Thus, through Biology animations you can fast forward the growth process, rewind the development of plants, zoom-in to the deepest pores on animal skin and witness in-motion, a depiction of all that you have always read in those biology text books. 

Biology animations have been successful in re-infusing the element of practicality to the subject that was earlier missing sometimes due to infrastructural inadequacies and mostly due to the growing protests of animal lovers against the use of animals for research and scientific experiments. Now, you biology lovers need not hunt for  a microscope each time you want to study how tissues look , or have to go through those ‘not-too-pleasant’ dissection lab practices! Just play on the Biology Animations and you can view the entire process in detail.

The online medium is an interactive medium unlike the traditional print medium. Online biology animations thus make the whole process of studying Biology far more interactive. A mere click of a mouse can take you deeper into an image; animations rendered in 3-D also allow the user to view the same structure from different angles. Learning thus becomes more exploratory and therefore highly effective.

Biology as a subject requires a student to remember a multitude of names and a host of unique nomenclatures.  Students are also expected to remember concepts and processes over a period of time as most concepts taught in the higher classes are based on previously learnt concepts. Biology animations, through graphical representations, supporting audio and value-adding titles help simplify difficult concepts. Students are thus able to retain a particular biology concept for a longer period of time. 

So the next time you need to understand a complex process in biology, don’t worry! Just log on to the internet and browse through the whole new world of Biology animations. Happy Browsing!

How to prepare for ICSE Board Papers

ICSE Board papers are considered to be difficult papers in comparison to the papers set by the other board papers across India. The ICSE Board offers students an extensive variety of subjects to choose from. More emphasis is on literature than any other aspect of learning in ICSE Board curriculum. The ICSE Board is also the generally preferred board by students who wish to pursue their undergrad studies from foreign countries. One of the major reasons for the same is that the curriculum for ICSE Board Papers is more compatible with the syllabus of other Common Wealth countries.

If you are a student of ICSE Board and you are nervous about your Board Papers after reading the above mentioned facts, you don’t need to worry! Here are some snap tips on how to manage your time and excel in your ICSE Board Papers.

• The first and most important step for any student of class X intending to appear for ICSE Board Papers is to choose their elective subjects wisely. The subjects chosen by the student should be aligned with the individual career choice and as per the individual caliber. Students should not choose subjects under peer, school or parental pressure. Once subjects are chosen, try sticking to it.
• The next important step is to prepare a customized time schedule. The schedule should be such that it clearly lists down all the activities you perform in a day against the time available. Try to include some variety, as it will help keep away monotony. It is important to clearly demarcate your personal study hours in a day from the time allocated for completing your homework.
• Build in flexibility into your time schedule. Try to adjust your missed study hours during the weekend as a fresh mind allows learning to be fast and effective. 
• Prepare a fresh time schedule for exam time. Schedule the difficult subjects first and the easy ones for a later. Schedule your time in such a manner that you complete the syllabus before the exam commences and are able to judiciously use the time available in between the exams for revision.
• While revising, try your hand at ICSE Sample Papers. It provides students appearing for ICSE Board Papers with an idea of the question pattern, instructions, marking scheme etc. In the process these ICSE sample papers equip students with the confidence that is required to perform well in these exams.

In addition to your external assessment exams take your internal assessment seriously, as it carries a twenty percent weightage. A good performance in the internal exams is the key to a good overall score.

How can CBSE class X students improve their reading skills?

A vast syllabus and poor reading skills are two main reasons that make CBSE class X students take to cramming while they prepare for their final exams. Right from the start, students are discouraged both by parents and school teachers from ‘mindless’ cramming and are advised to understand the meaning of the text before they actually try to memorize it. The intention is to improve their reading skills. Good ‘reading skills’ can help students read quickly and grasp the meaning from the written text. Good reading skills also helps develop a good command over the language which makes it easy for students to re-write in their own words. However, very little is actually done to improve the reading skills of students in school. Essentially, a focus towards developing sound reading skills should be maintained from the early years of primary schooling. However, it is never too late for students of CBSE class X to build on their reading skills and score great marks in final examinations.

Now that all you CBSE class X students out there understand the importance of good reading skills, here are a few tips that will help you improve your reading skills.

• Have clear reading goals! Before starting to read, students should set their reading goals clearly. CBSE class X students should first assess their reading objective/s and then should start reading the text. For example, while reading a novel, one is expected to read the entire sentence carefully so as to understand the story as a whole and ensure that he/she is not missing out on any important link. Where as in case of a newspaper report the objective usually is to gather a gist of the event. Likewise, the CBSE class 10 students should keep in mind the objective of the reading exercise and accordingly set their reading goals. The reading goals for a student could possibly range from quickly completing the syllabus to trying to understand the various aspects of a given topic or problem in detail.
• Choose the reading text carefully! While preparing for your CBSE class X board papers, students should practice caution while choosing the book that they are planning to study from. To improve reading skills students should first give the prescribed NCERT book a thorough read. Since the concepts in NCERT books are explained in a very simplified manner, it can be of immense help to students with relatively weak reading skills to make a framework for the concepts. After going through the NCERT book, CBSE class X students may then follow it up with books by publishers on the topic to gain further understanding of the topic.
• Choose your reading technique! While giving the chapter a read, student can choose the reading technique as per their reading goals. If a student needs to pick up details from the text then he/she may read through the entire text using scanning -a process wherein a student scans through the text in detail and then selects the information to study. Skimming, on the other hand is technique that can be employed when one has to read through quickly and efficiently. Under this technique, the CBSE class X student glances through all the text and obtains a quick overview of the topic. In order to improve reading skills, students should choose the reading technique according to the available time and proficiency level that he/she intends to achieve.
• Take notes!  CBSE class X students, who wish to improve their reading skills, should follow up a thorough read of the chapter with preparing personalized notes of the chapter in their own words. Preparing notebook in own words will not only help the student improve his/her understanding of the topic but will also help them learn how to express their thoughts in their own words.  Students can prepare their own revision notes and compare their notes for any inaccuracies with those made available online by a variety of websites.

Now that all you CBSE class X students know how to improve your reading skills, take a go at these tips for a great score.

How to study effectively from free NCERT Solutions?

The one thing that can help students score great marks in the final CBSE examinations is quality NCERT solutions. Students usually find the exercise of writing end-of-chapter NCERT solutions mundane and often try to keep away from it. Writing NCERT solutions with low interest levels can not only hamper the quality of NCERT answers but can also have an adverse effect on the marks obtained by the student in the final CBSE examinations. Therefore, it is very important for the students studying under the CBSE board to practice caution while attempting their NCERT solutions.  To make their NCERT solutions apt for the final examinations, students can also seek help from the free NCERT solutions available online by a variety of websites. These free NCERT solutions will not only help students frame complete and correct answers, but will also help them score great marks in the final CBSE examinations.

However, while referring to these free NCERT solutions it is very important for students to check their NCERT solutions against the ideal NCERT solutions for any inaccuracies. Students should also make sure that their free NCERT solutions have all these essential features to help make their solutions perfectly apt for the final CBSE examinations.

Here is a checklist of the essential features that all you students out there can refer to and ensure that your free NCERT solutions are complete and comprehensive.

• To make the activity of referring to free NCERT solutions quick and smooth, it is very important to first organize the solution sheets chapter-wise and within that page number-wise. To save time and effort, students should only seek help from those websites that provide free NCERT solutions in an organized and systematic manner. This will not only speed-up the process of referring to these NCERT solutions but will also make learning effective.
• While referring to free NCERT solutions available online, students should make sure that each answer is tailored as per the requirements of the question. Studying from NCERT solutions that are not customized as per the instructions in the question can not only hamper students learning process but often can have an adverse impact on their final marks. Therefore, it is very important for students to look out for ‘quality’ NCERT solutions that will make scoring great marks in exams easy.
• For your NCERT solutions to be ‘ideal’ it is very important that the solutions are supported with explanatory videos and value-adding graphics and illustrations, wherever necessary. Neatly drawn and appropriately labeled illustrations and graphics can further promote effective understanding that will enable students write quality answers to score great marks in final examinations.
• Grammatical and language accuracy is a pre-requisite for these solutions to be ideal. While referring to the free NCERT solutions, students should make it a point to check these solutions with respect to the grammar and language used. If students come across any error with respect to the above mentioned fields, it is advisable that students should suspect the accuracy of the solutions in general.

Having listed all the essential points to be kept in mind while referring to the free NCERT solutions, it is advisable that the next time students seek help from any free NCERT solution available online they look for these features and ensure a great score in the final examinations.

NCERT Science Books- Stressing on Sequential Growth

The driving philosophy of NCERT while drafting the NCERT Science curriculum and books has always been to provide students with education material that is ‘true to life, true to child and true to science’. The NCERT has been publishing NCERT Science text books with content that reflects this philosophy.

To make the process of conceptual understanding and learning systematic, NCERT has divided the entire NCERT Science curriculum from grade 1 to XII into various levels. These levels focus on the progressively incremental nature of the knowledge acquiring process that emphasizes a sequential building of concepts. A learning process that is sequential in nature helps students  understand the concepts easily and also leads to a better retention of the studied material as it fits into the knowledge schema that already exists with the child. This helps  students to efficiently master all important concepts particularly in the in sciences and maths.

At the first level, that is the primary level, the focus is on ‘exploration’. Here the students are encouraged to explore the world. Through the various activities and practical exercises in the NCERT Science books, the students are encouraged to gain knowledge through hands-on experience. For example in the primary classes while teaching about trees, the students are asked to collect different type of leaves and prepare a scrap book with the names of each of the leaves.

Once a student passes through the first level the next is the upper primary level. Here the stress is on learning by involving the students in group discussions with peers, performing simple experiments etc. Under the ‘Extended Learning’ activities in NCERT Science books, the students are guided to explore more information about the topics already studied. Once the required information is gathered a classroom discussion following it helps to concretizing the learning and fills the gaps. A group discussion facilitates easy exchange of information. For example, in the NCERT Science book for Class VII an activity in the Chapter ‘Nutrition in Plants’, asks students to visit a greenhouse and observe how plants are raised. They are also asked to collect additional information on the regulation of light, water and CO2 and discuss the same with the classmates.

The next level is the secondary level. Under this level the onus is on learning through advanced modules of learning in NCERT Science books. Various initiatives such as the National Talent Search Exam, National Science Exhibitions etc are also organized to assess the grasp of theoretical principles and their practical applications. For competitions like these, the entire syllabus is based on the NCERT Science curriculum.

Fourth and the last level is the higher secondary level. In this level, Science is promoted and taught as a discipline. Under this last level, Science as a composite subject is bifurcated into three to four different subjects like Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Biotechnology. Students studying NCERT Science take up their respective streams and combinations. The NCERT Science Books for these classes focuses on helping students master each subject individually so that students pursue higher studies in Science and may even take up the field of Science professionally.