Online education

How about studying the most difficult concepts in Physics of the luxury of sitting in your cozy room? Sounds interesting! If this entices you enough to try your hand at online education, hold on! You will be happy to know that this is only one of the several benefits of online education. There is a lot that online education has to offer to school students in terms of the quality and quantity of subject specific study content and a host of other related benefits. 

To elucidate on the benefits of online education to all you students in school out there studying under various boards such as CBSE, ICSE, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu Matriculation Board, here are a few points.

• The anywhere, anytime factor! Unlike tuition classes which have fixed hours, students can study online anytime, as per their own convenience. All that a student needs is a computer and an internet connection. Once the necessary hardware components are in place, students can start surfing their way through the plethora of information available online. The advantage of round-the-clock availability of interesting study content has indeed made more students get inclined towards this medium in addition to using other conventional study mediums and methods such as books.
• A Student-centric teaching approach! Unlink the regular classroom teaching at schools and tuition centres, the online education follows an approach that is more student-centric rather than being teacher- oriented. Students not only have a say in the timing of their study schedules but are also equipped with the power to decide their own pace of learning. While studying online, students are under no pressure whatsoever to complete their studies within a stipulated time period. Online education is especially a boon for students tend to learn at a pace slower than most others in the class, as they can take as much time to understand and learn a concept well as they wish to. While studying online students need not feel shy in asking questions and wanting to read the said study material over and over again.
• Involvement of multiple media! Studying from simple black and white text is no more a compulsion for students studying under CBSE, ICSE, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu Matriculation board. Online education offers a lot of interesting and innovative methods in teaching concepts to these school students. Apart from the regular study material, students can study using videos, animations, multimedia enriched puzzles etc. There are various websites that provide curriculum aligned study content for these boards using multiple media that can make studies very interesting and learning easy.
• Low cost! With very low cost involved, online education will not burn a hole in the pockets of students. Unlike study courses at tuition centers that involve a hefty monthly or a yearly fee, online education is a comparatively low cost affair. Apart from the subscription costs, there is no significant cost involved in studying online. Studying using online education, students can save a lot of money and time that is saved in doing away with unnecessary commuting to and fro schools, colleges, tuition centers etc.

I am positive that all these benefits of online education will help you understand and use this medium better and will also help you with your studies in school.

Online NCERT textbooks

Online NCERT textbooks! Even imagining something like this about 10 years back would have been difficult. This must surely be the best thing that has happened for students, parents and teachers in a while! The NCERT textbooks online are available for classes I through XII for almost all the subjects. These textbooks available in both Hindi and English languages are in downloadable PDF format.

These online NCERT textbooks come in very handy for students of classes X and XII who wish to start reading the books, during the summer vacations and are sometimes unable to do so due to non-availability of these NCERT books in the stores before the month of July. Further, with online NCERT textbooks the teachers too can refer to textbooks of higher or lower grades for any clarifications, with ease without having to physically scout around for the textbooks. Then, there are those students who are more inquisitive than their peers and are on the constant search for more information on a given topic. It is for such students that the online NCERT textbooks can be a real boon. Now they can readily access NCERT textbooks of a higher grade and read up more on a topic that they may be currently studying. One of the objectives that the NCERT had in mind in making NCERT textbooks available online is to make the teaching-learning process organize itself around meaningfully structured units or sections (of topics) rather than treating the topics in a sequential approach. Doing so, it is hoped, would encourage students to try and comprehend a given topic/subject in its totality and see the inter-linkages within subjects and the interconnectedness of their entire syllabus as a whole.

Online NCERT textbooks have also proved to be very valuable for parents who take a keen interest in their child’s lessons and progress in school as they can now easily access their child’s prescribed NCERT textbooks online from anywhere and read the chapters therein. Parents can thus be better equipped to help them with homework or simply supervise their studies.

The online NCERT textbooks are available on the NCERT website and can be viewed by anyone. Once on the website, you simply have to select the class, the subject and the title of the book and Viola! - the cover of your online NCERT textbook gets displayed on your screen! You have to click on the cover and you get to view the contents page of your online NCERT textbook. From there on, you can view any chapter by simply clicking on it. However, all you students be warned! As you read through the pages of your online NCERT textbook in all its colours on the computer, you may fail notice the time, as reading anything online can be a differently engaging experience after all.

Meritnation.com launches General Knowledge Pack

Studying General Knowledge could not have got more fun! Meritnation.com launches a G.K. Pack for classes IV-X. Now discover interesting facts about the world of science, technology, sports, literature & more as you study with the help of interactive flash-based content for G.K.

Meritnation’s General Knowledge Pack is organized into sections that cover areas such as Natural World, Science & Technology, Sports & Entertainment etc. The content within each module is further divided into two levels – level I and level II – to cater to the primary and middle school years respectively. Presented in the form of interactive tests, these modules cover thousands of questions in various fun and engaging game formats, such as match the following, crossword, hidden grid & more. Instant feedback in the form of score and correct answers for all the questions makes learning fun and easy. And the best part of it all- you can take these tests as many times as you wish till you get the feeling-‘I know it all’ 

So wait no longer! Subscribe now and show-off your G.K. as you study with the help of Meritnation.com’s G.K. Pack.

Cheers!

Team Meritnation

CCE & CBSE class 10th

CBSE 10th class students of the current academic year are among the early beneficiaries of the Continuous & Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE) system introduced by Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). Unlike the students in the previous batches, the students studying in CBSE 10th class have the option of not appearing for the board exams. They can do so by opting for CCE – an assessment system that is based on round-the-year, inclusive evaluation. Under CCE, students are required to take two summative and four formative assessments that may include paper-pencil tests along with other formative assessments tools such as classroom quizzes, projects etc. However, the students who wish to appear for board exams have to send in their requisition to their respective schools stating that they want to appear for Summative Assessment-II conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education.

Grading Pattern & Assessment System under CCE

As mentioned above, students who have opted for CCE have to appear for summative & formative assessments on the basis of which students will be graded for their performance. The entire academic year of CBSE 10th class is divided into two semesters. For the current academic year, a weightage of 40% is being attached to the first semester where as the second semester carries a 60% weightage. However, from next academic year both semesters will carry equal weightage i.e. 50% each. The grading system adopted by CBSE is based on a 9 point scale. Students who score between 91-100 marks will be awarded grade A1, where as students who score between 81-90, 71-80, 61-70, 51-60, 41-50, 33-40, 21-32 & 20 and below will be awarded grades A2, B1, B2, C1, C2, D, E1 & E2 respectively. With each grade certain grade points are also awarded, for example students who score an A1 grade will be awarded 10 grade points, a student with A2 grade will get 9 grade points so on and so forth. No grade points shall be awarded for grades E1 & E2. Grade points in each subject will be accumulated and a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) will be arrived at.

Exam time-table under CCE

Through the introduction of CCE attempts have been made to engage the students throughout the year in activities that will help strengthen their learning, facilitate better understanding of concepts and will make the entire experience enriching. CBSE 10th class students will appear for Summative Assessment-I in the month of September and Summative Assessment-II in months of February-March.

With Summative Assessment-II a few months away, it is time that CBSE 10th & 9th class students brace up for these final exams. Students who are facing any difficulty in coping with subjects like Maths, Science, English etc and are looking for CCE aligned tests to help them prepare better can seek help from online educational websites. These websites provide CBSE & CCE aligned study content with videos, tests, revision notes etc for CBSE 10th & 9th that can help students understand concepts better and excel in exams.

So just surf through these websites and be sure of a stress-free study ride!

All the best for your exams!

Quality NCERT Solutions for an excellent performance

Studying from the right kind of NCERT book solutions and rigorous practice sessions can guarantee students a great performance in their final examinations. Students often commit a common mistake of referring to poorly drafted solutions to NCERT book questions that usually results in their poor performance in school exams. Therefore, students who wish to do well in their school exams and want to be sure of complete conceptual clarity should only refer to good quality NCERT book solutions. These end-of-chapter solutions to NCERT book questions not only test students understanding of important concepts in the chapter but also help them build on techniques related to answering different types of questions. 

How to write solutions to NCERT book questions?

While planning to attempt end-of-chapter NCERT questions it is of utter importance for students to first give the chapter a thorough read. After getting acquainted with the concepts that have been covered in the chapter, students should then tackle all the concepts one-by-one. While going through the concepts, students can then choose to highlight important information and/ or make their own notes for quick revision. After doing so, now comes the time to tackle end-of-chapter NCERT questions. While arriving at NCERT book solutions, students should make a mental note of all the important instructions that have been mentioned. Instructions related to word limit for the answers and marks allotted are important instructions that need to be kept in mind while writing the answers. Students should customize their answer as per the requirements of the question. While writing a solution for NCERT book question, students should make sure that all important points related to the question have been covered in the answer. 

This will not only help students arrive at a complete answer but will also help them fetch good marks. Students should support their NCERT book solutions with explanatory diagrams wherever required.

Free solutions for NCERT book questions!

If students choose not to invest so much time and effort in preparing solutions to NCERT book questions and want to seek help from readymade solutions, the following information might cheer them up. There are a few websites that offer NCERT solutions to end-of-chapter questions absolutely free of cost! These websites offer solutions for Maths, Science, English, Hindi, Social Sciences and Sanskrit. These detailed end-of-chapter solutions are accompanied by explanatory videos that use audio and visual cues to help students understand the concept easily. Apart from the quality NCERT solutions, students can also seek help from other learning and assessment resources available at such websites. The learning and assessment solutions available at such website include study material, interactive puzzles, chapter-wise tests, full-course tests, revision notes and lots more. 

After reading this article, I hope that arriving at good quality NCERT book solutions will not be very difficult. Take cues from the article and try your hand at end-of-chapter questions.

Good luck!

Feature-cum-benefits of E-learning

E-learning is the buzz word among school students these days. High speed broadband connectivity at affordable rates and easy accessibility to high quality curriculum aligned e-learning content has led to this increasing popularity of internet-based learning. Today there are a variety of websites that provide online learning and assessment solutions for CBSE, ICSE, Maharashtra State SSC Board, Karnataka State SSLC Board and Tamil Nadu Matriculation Board. Learning content ranging from study material enriched with animations, interactive puzzles, a variety of tests, dynamic formative assessments to crisp revision notes; you name it and e-learning websites have it all. However, there are a many students who are still not completely aware of all that internet-based learning or e-learning has to offer.

To elucidate on features cum benefits of internet based learning or e-learning to all you students studying under CBSE, ICSE, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu Matriculation Board, here are a few points. 

• Customized content as per learning styles:- Internet based learning imparts education using a variety of mediums. As a result, e-learning is well-equipped to accommodate different types of learners and makes available to them unique learning content in the manner that suits them the best. 
• Collaborative learning:- E-learning also allows students to study together, share their experiences, ask questions, share knowledge with their peers etc on the virtual world. As a result, students can use the online learning experience as a powerful tool for learning and problem-solving and also ensure that they excel academically.
• Self-paced learning:- E-learning also provides opportunity to the students to choose their pace while learning. Learners who are slow can repeat their study sessions as many times as they wish, whereas fast learners can sail through their lessons and ensure that they stay ahead of their peers.
• Cost effective:- By subscribing to online study sessions, students get the opportunity to study from quality and experienced teachers without having to incur those high tuition costs. Apart from lower costs, students can also get to save the time and effort spent on travelling to and from tuition centres, schools etc.
• Time saving:- E-learning allows students to study as per their own convenience. Students can log on to their favorite online learning website whenever they get time or in-between their other study/activity sessions and be sure of a stress-free and enriching study experience.
• Stay in control:- Online learning not only allows students to stay in control of their study schedules and the pace with which they choose to study, but also helps them manage other activities besides studies. As a result students are not only in control of their studies, but in effect start feeling to be in control of their life as a whole. 

Apart from all the above features cum benefits of e-learning, the privilege of studying in the comforts of your home makes it an instant hit amongst students. So all you CBSE, ICSE, Maharashtra State Board, Karnataka State SSLC board and Tamil Nadu Matriculation Board students, just surf your way through these e-learning websites and be sure of a smooth and stress-free learning experience.

Happy browsing!

Making ICSE Maths Easy!

The very mention of the word ICSE Maths usually leaves students preparing for the ICSE papers in jitters. This phenomenon of extreme fear of Maths or Arithmophobia is common not only amongst students in India but is prevalent amid students around the globe. It has been observed that due to this fear of Maths, students studying at various levels try to evade studying ICSE Maths for as long as they can. However, keeping in mind the utility of Maths in everyday life students should be encouraged to practice Maths and learn it the fun way.

Here are a few tips making studying ICSE Maths easy and helping students overcome their fear of Maths.

• Regular Practice- Practicing ICSE Maths regularly is the only way out for students to get rid of their fear of Maths. Students should regularly practice concepts by way of exercises that are available at the end of each chapter. These exercises in the ICSE Maths books aim to promote not only conceptual understanding but also help in improving the memory for concepts and formulae that is possible only through extensive practice. To solidify weak areas and score good marks in the ICSE Maths exam, students should be on the regular look out for more avenues that give them the opportunity to practice concepts thoroughly. Apart from the prescribed books, students should also practice from the curriculum-aligned ICSE Maths books by various other authors. There are also various websites that provide elaborate practice material in a variety of formats. Such resources help to promote conceptual understanding by way of rigorous practice through test papers and model tests. Practicing using such material will immensely help students get rid of their fear of Maths ‘coz the only way to beat fear is to face it hard!
• Stress on conceptual clarity- For a subject like ICSE Maths, students just cannot leave concepts in the middle and hop on to newer topics and assume that they can still excel in the subject. In order to excel in ICSE Maths it is imperative to systematically build on concepts from the simpler to the more complex. It is only after strengthening their understanding of the concept and related concepts at all levels that the student should proceed to newer topics. It is important for students to understand that one of the most crucial and inherent feature of a subject like Maths is the interconnectivity of basic concepts at various levels. Therefore, scoring good marks in ICSE Maths is only possible when the understanding of concepts is clear at all levels.
• Maths can also be fun!- Students who find practicing from mundane books tedious can add a lot of zing to their studying routine by practicing using ICSE Maths puzzles, quizzes and animations. Through animated videos concepts are explained in an enticing manner using real-life instances. For example, various animated videos while explaining fractions actually show an object being divided into pieces and through voice-overs the logic is explained in simple language. Students also have the liberty to play these videos as many times as they wish for a complete and thorough understanding of the concept. Once through with the understanding of the concepts, students can test their knowledge by way of ICSE Maths puzzles. Students can even search for ICSE Maths puzzles and videos online, as various websites are dedicated to developing quality educational content for ICSE students to make learning easy for them.

I am positive that after reading this article, you must have identified your own ways to make the understanding and practicing ICSE Maths easy and effective. So go ahead and practice hard!

How to study from CBSE books

Books that are prescribed by Central Board of Secondary Education for students studying under this board are referred to as CBSE books. To perform well in CBSE examinations or for that matter any other school exam, it is very important for students to thoroughly go through the CBSE books. The questions asked in the final CBSE examinations are either directly picked from the end-of-chapter exercises in these books or are based on the NCERT questions with minor modifications. To score top marks and gain the maximum from the learning activity, it is essential for students to prepare quality notes from the CBSE books.

Students can follow this simple five-step process to learn how to prepare quality notes from CBSE books. These steps will help students approach their studies and related activities in the correct manner and will also enable them to score great marks in the final examinations; thereby making their learning activity a thoroughly enriching one.

• The first and foremost step is to thoroughly go through the entire chapter in the CBSE book. This will acquaint students with the concepts, processes and other important information in the chapter. It will also help students to obtain a fair idea of the efforts required to proficiently complete the chapter and related topics.
• After going through the chapter, the next step is to then assess knowledge levels with respect to understanding of key concepts, retention of important information etc. Such an assessment at this level will enable students to work efficiently towards completing their syllabus within the stipulated time period. It will also ensure that students do undertake other important activities related to studies.
• After making an assessment of the knowledge levels, comes the time to prepare notes from the CBSE books. While preparing notes from the CBSE books, students should make sure that they are reproducing word-by-word from it. Ideally, such notes should be based on students’ understanding of concepts. Students should first try to understand the concepts in CBSE books then prepare a list of all important concepts and finally prepare notes for all these concepts in their own language. While preparing such notes students should keep the following points in mind.

• Students should try to keep these notes crisp and to-the-point. It will not only promote effective understanding but will also be useful for quick revision.
• While making notes from CBSE books students should make sure that they are as per their learning styles. Notes according to the preferred learning style will help students learn and process information quickly and efficiently.
• Students should try to support their notes with value-adding illustrations and videos. It will promote comprehensive learning and will also help students score extra marks in exams.

• Once through with preparing notes from CBSE books, students should try to solve questions available in end-of-chapter exercises. A practice session like this will help students identify their knowledge gaps, clear all their doubts and fill those gaps to solidify learning.

Students can also seek help from a variety of websites that provide CBSE-aligned learning and assessment solutions. The learning solutions by such websites include free NCERT solutions, study material, formative assessments, interactive puzzles, tests, revision notes etc. Referring to such content can make learning a thoroughly enriching experience.

All the best!

CBSE board papers

Still not over with preparing for your CBSE board papers? Do not get cowed down by the quantum of syllabus that still remains uncovered. Keep a positive attitude and take the impending CBSE board papers head on! In order to score well in the CBSE board papers adopt the ‘Ready-Aim-and-Fire’ approach. Do not while away the remaining time by pondering over negative thoughts like “I wish I had started preparing early” or “I should have given more attention during my classes” etc. Let bygones be bygones. With a few weeks still in hand, start preparing now and let your marks do the talking!

To excel in CBSE board papers follow this simple three-step process that will help you plan and structure your studies well and make your entire learning activity flow effortlessly.

Step I - Setting Goals! Set short-term goals in the form of daily targets and work towards achieving those goals. In order to achieve your targets in time and make your studying activity more structured, start by preparing your own study schedule. But remember, to not spend excessive amount of time on setting goals and preparing your schedules as you will be left with very little time to actually study for your CBSE board papers. You can also save some precious time spent regularly on preparing daily study schedule, by following a ‘schedule template’. With minor changes in the template, you can use it on a regular basis. To make your schedule template an ideal one for you, remember to prepare it yourself and do incorporate the following points in it.

• Your schedule template should be flexible. Ample scope should be provided for accommodating unexpected activities so as to avoid end minute hassles.
• Your study targets in the schedule should be realistic. Study targets should be such that they can be achieved in the allocated time within the study schedule.
• While preparing your study schedule template try to be specific. Clearly list down what you intend to achieve and in what time.
• Your study schedule template should incorporate essential breaks after regular intervals. Time for sleeping, essential relaxation and leisure activity should be clearly earmarked.

Students who do not wish to use study templates can use the Study Planner. These Study planners are exclusively available online for CBSE, ICSE, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu State Boards. The Study Planner is a tool that helps students organize their studies better so that they can be in control.

Step II - Studying! Once through with setting broad goals, comes the time to actually start working towards achieving those goals. Preparing study notes, revision notes, memorizing etc. are the primary activities that need to be undertaken to achieve the daily targets and score well in CBSE board papers. While studying keep the following tips in mind to make this activity a thoroughly enriching Experience.

• Study according to your learning style. Do not force yourself to study using methods that will anyways slow down your pace of learning and make the over all activity taxing.
• Do not stress on cramming. Lay emphasis on understanding and memorizing the concept and not on brainlessly cramming the study text.
• Incorporate small breaks in your study regime. These small breaks will help your mind to stay fresh and will also help you ward off monotony that is usually a result of long study sessions.
• Practice memory enhancing activities. Try to eat healthy food, exercise both your body and mind regularly and study in ways that will help you boost memory and lead to better concentration levels.

Students can also seek help from websites that provide CBSE aligned study material and other study content so as to make understanding and memorizing of concepts easy.

Step III - Revising! After you are done with memorizing, now is the time to assess your preparation levels before the final CBSE board paper. Come what may, do not skip this essential step if you wish to score well in the CBSE board papers. Here are a few ways on how to make the revision activity interesting.

• Revise using previous year CBSE board papers or sample papers. Practicing from these mock papers will help you get acquainted with the overall paper pattern, marking scheme etc.
• Once through with studying test your recall and write down the important points on a piece of paper. This will help you reinforce learning and will also lead to identification of conceptual gaps.
• Revise using revision notes. This will help you get a quick overview of the entire chapter by highlighting the important points.
• Prepare flash cards that stresses on key points, formulae etc. Flash cards like these will result in an easy recall of difficult points in the chapter.

Students can browse their way through some websites that provide practice tests, model tests and revision notes as per the CBSE curriculum.

Now that all you students know how to go about with studying in the remaining time period before the final CBSE board papers, do not waste anymore time. Just get going!

All the best!

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.

NCERT Revision Notes

With NCERT revision notes in place, scoring great marks in final CBSE exams will not be that difficult! Preparing NCERT revision notes that are in sync with the ideal revision notes can not only make the act of revising easy but can also help in speeding up the pace of revision. However, it is very important for students to be cautious while preparing NCERT revision notes. Students should not only make sure that their NCERT revision notes are in the desired pattern but also ensure that are only referred to after the completion of the entire course.

Here are a few tips for all you students out there to help you arrive at NCERT revision notes that can be considered ‘ideal’.

• Keep it crisp! While preparing the NCERT revision notes, students should make sure that they are crisp and brief. The NCERT revision notes should include all the important points in the chapter in a very crisp manner. While preparing NCERT revision notes, students usually commit a common mistake of preparing lengthy and elaborate notes. NCERT revision notes like these won’t suffice the purpose for which these notes are actually made.  Essentially, these revision notes are prepared for a quick glance before the final examination. Preparing notes that are lengthy won’t help students with a quick look at the entire chapter. Therefore, while preparing the NCERT revision notes students should make sure that are brief highlights of the chapter only.
• Bulleted format works! NCERT revision notes that are in bulleted format will any day score over the revision notes in paragraph format. Students should practice enough care to make sure that these NCERT revision notes facilitate an easy read for quick understanding. The NCERT revision notes in bulleted format essentially lends an ‘any-time read’ feel to this written document, as a result one can glance through all the important points in the chapter even while on they are on a move.
• Keep it organized! Students should prepare NCERT revision notes on loose sheets rather than hard-bound thick note books. It will not only help make the activity of managing and organizing the NCERT revision notes easy for the students but will also enable them to refer to these notes quite often. Instead of carrying the entire notebook of NCERT revision notes, students can choose the chapters they wish to revise and only carry notes for the same.
• Seek help from online curriculum aligned notes! For students who have a lot of other academic activities to perform and are facing dearth of time can refer to the NCERT revision notes available online. There are a variety of websites that provide curriculum aligned NCERT revision notes. These NCERT revision notes are supported by videos and illustrations that can be easily downloaded as they are available in PDF format. Apart from these notes, these websites also provide CBSE aligned study material, practice tests, model tests, formative assessments, puzzles etc.

Ideally, students should only refer these NCERT revision notes once they are through with their studies. Students should seek help from these notes solely for revision purposes.

NCERT Questions

A study guide can give answers to the NCERT questions but seldom can it do justice to the length and breadth of the syllabus for a given subject! Students often consider writing the solutions to the NCERT questions as wasteful time-consuming and futile activity. However, a thorough understanding of the various aspects of the NCERT questions and its utility can change their existing notions.

NCERT questions are typically the questions printed at the end of the chapters in the NCERT text books. Sometimes, questions by other private publishers based on the content in the NCERT text books may also be referred to as the NCERT questions. The end-of-chapter NCERT questions are made available in array of formats with the purpose to accelerate students’ pace of conceptual understanding. Therefore, while writing answers to the NCERT questions students should try to attempt all the questions since doing so will help them gain a thorough understanding of all the concepts present in the NCERT textbooks and give them the opportunity to assess their understanding of the said topics.

Apart from the overall understanding of concepts in the chapter, most of the problems that are asked in the CBSE board papers too are either from these end-of-chapter NCERT questions or are based on the topics addressed in them. For subjects such as Social Sciences and for some topics in Science these NCERT questions are hot favourites for the examination paper setters. It has been further observed that for application oriented subjects such as Maths and Physics the questions posed in the CBSE board papers may be loosely based on the NCERT questions–often the core concept being tested remaining the same, with variations in the values therein.. Therefore, all the students out there who are preparing for their class X and class XII CBSE board papers better take these NCERT questions seriously!

Students should essentially start tackling these NCERT questions once they are through with the entire chapter. A thorough understanding of the concepts in the chapter will help students frame conceptually correct and complete answers. If possible students should try to support their answers to these NCERT questions with neat and well labeled illustrations. While writing answers to the NCERT questions, students should also stick to the prescribed word limit.

While attempting these questions, students can seek help from the readymade NCERT solutions booklet. However, students should be cautioned to use the solution booklet as a reference book only. Complete dependence on such readymade material could be detrimental for students learning as it could hinder the ability of students to comprehend text and write answers in their own words. While seeking help from these readymade solutions booklets for NCERT questions, students should look for the following factors: clarity in language, , relevance to the chapter, word limit etc. There are various websites that provide free NCERT solutions to the NCERT questions for classes VI- XII.

So go ahead and use these free NCERT solutions to improve your grades.

Wishing you all the very best for exams!

NCERT Online

NCERT goes online! The NCERT textbooks can now be viewed online. Even a decade back something like this would have been difficult to imagine.

The NCERT was set up way back in 1961 by the Government of India as an autonomous organization to assist and advise the centre and state on policies related to education and help in the implementation of the same. Over the years, the council has increasingly taken on the role of the introducing innovations in the field of education in areas of reforms and curriculum framework.

The NCERT online textbooks have made life easier for a lot of students. The availability of online NCERT textbooks has taken the student-focussed educational initiatives of NCERT to new heights. The NCERT as an organization is not new to initiatives in the area of educational technology.  The Central Institute of Educational Technology set up in 1984 is a constituent organization under NCERT that undertakes several technology-based educational initiatives. The knowledge explosion of the last decade has enabled a situation where the knowledge-base doubles every 2-3 years (source: UNESCO “ICT in Teacher Education”). The Council’s decision to introduce NCERT online textbooks can also be rightfully viewed as a first step towards weaving knowledge in a multi-disciplinary fashion.

With the introduction of online NCERT textbooks the Council has made an effort to make the source of learning more flexible than the traditional ones. The driving force behind a move like this may well be the increasing awareness that knowledge does not come from a central source, but that it actually emanates from all around us. The move to make available online NCERT textbooks is a step that recognizes the huge potential of the internet.

As expected, the NCERT online textbooks are a huge hit with both students and teachers. The students can now easily access the textbooks for all classes from class I to class XII. They are free to read these NCERT textbooks online or download them for free, as they are available in PDF format. Each chapter is available as a separate PDF file and can be opened by clicking on the chapter title in the table of contents. With the textbooks going online, students who were previously likely to use ‘non-availability of textbooks’ as an excuse for their poor performance in schools, now had no one to blame but themselves! So, it was time to dig in their heels and study. That is a good job done by NCERT online textbooks!

Cheers!

NCERT Maths Solution

If calculating and arriving at the NCERT Maths solutions is an uphill task for you then this article could make your life easy!  Students studying under the CBSE or for that matter any other board usually find practicing Maths problems a strenuous and challenging exercise. They may even often try to keep away from practicing Maths and calculating NCERT Maths solutions for the end-of-chapter questions for as long as they can. 

Here are a few tips for all you students out there on how to enjoy doing NCERT Maths by learning some fun and innovative ways that can help make the process of obtaining NCERT Maths solutions easy.

• Short-cuts can make your life easy! Students who have still not been introduced to the world of mathematical short-cuts have no idea what they are missing out on. These mathematical short-cuts are nothing less than magic that can do wonders with your ability of doing mental calculations. Within seconds you can perform complex divisional and multiplication calculations and leave your class and teachers awestruck. These short-cuts use some basic and not much popular principles that help in speedy and accurate calculation of questions to arrive at NCERT Maths solution. 
• Vedic mathematics can also help! Vedic mathematics is actually an ancient system of mathematical calculations, where functions are performed on the basis of sutras as propagated in this ancient system. While arriving at the NCERT Maths solutions, students can make use of the short-cuts available in this Vedic system of calculations. Once through with understanding the system of sutras students are also equipped to start inventing and devising their own new ways of simplifying complex calculations. This activity of learning and experimenting with simpler ways of performing complex calculations and arriving at NCERT Maths solution can make understanding and learning activity extremely fun. Apart from simplifying calculations, the interest level of students for a subject like Maths is likely to go increase manifolds.
• Music can make a difference for some! While tackling the Maths problems and arriving at the NCERT Maths solutions, some students choose to play some soft music in the background. Researches have suggested that listening to music before or while studying can considerably improve the pace of processing of information in the brain. Listening to music without lyrics i.e. ambience music while studying helps soothe and relax the mind and thereby enhancing learning. However, be warned! While listening to music works for some, it may not work for others. So do exercise your own honest judgement. 
• Surf for free NCERT Maths solutions! Students studying under the CBSE board can refer to a few websites that provide free NCERT Maths solutions. These free NCERT Maths solutions tackle all the end-of-chapter problems. The free NCERT Maths solutions by these websites not only explain the answer in textual format but are also occasionally accompanied with videos explaining the various steps involved in detail.

Now that all you students out there know how to make arriving at the NCERT Maths solution fun, go ahead and try out these interesting ways.

All the best for your exams!

A Closer Look at NCERT Delhi

CBSE students everyday come across NCERT books for almost all subjects. The last thing that occurs to anyone while flipping through the pages of these text books is ‘to think about NCERT Delhi- as the organization behind the books’! In this article I attempt to take you through a ride that will introduce the various aspects of the organization and try to showcase the vastness of its services.

NCERT Delhi has been working for over for over 48 years in line with its endeavour to provide students with quality educational material. NCERT Delhi was set up by Government of India as an autonomous organization for advising and assisting Central and State Governments on policies and programme related matters in the field of school education.

At present the NCERT Delhi has a host of departments and units, each of which perform their specialized functions. There is a department each for areas such as Elementary Education, Teacher Education, Arts and Aesthetic, Science & Maths, Social Studies & Humanities. The department of Educational Psychology and Foundations of Education under NCERT Delhi conducts an international level counselor training course in addition to undertaking psychological testing and other activities.  Interestingly, the NCERT Delhi also has specialized departments that are dedicated to the Special Needs group and to Women’s Studies! As you can guess, the department responsible for your school textbooks—the Publication department—is only one of the several departments housed within the NCERT!

From the time that it was set up to the present, a period of over four decades, has witnessed NCERT Delhi diversifying into various areas within the field of education. Apart from formulating policies and publishing NCERT Text Books, NCERT Delhi also publishes other material like journals, recreational books for children and non-curriculum based educational books. The National Talent Search Exam conducted by NCERT Delhi is very popular amongst school students. NCERT Delhi also prepares the curriculum for CBSE schools across the world, conducts periodic educational surveys and teacher training workshops. So you see, NCERT really does a lot more than just publishing your text books!

As per the recommendations of the National Curriculum Framework 2005, NCERT Delhi has taken a paradigm shift from a ‘teacher-centric’ design to a ‘learner-centric’ flexible process. Under this shift, efforts are also made by NCERT Delhi to take learning beyond the four walls of the classroom into a wider social context. As a result a host of innovative changes have been introduced in the NCERT text books. Features like ‘Activity and Project’, ‘Did you knows’, quizzes etc are some initiatives in that direction. Changes like these have given a fresh lease of life to the previously ‘not so interesting’ NCERT text books.

So the next time you open your NCERT text books, it will probably be easier for you to appreciate the team effort by the various departments in the organization towards making your school years fruitful. 

Fun-to-learn NCERT Books

I still remember the times in school when I used to line up before the Book Shop to buy a copy of an NCERT textbook. Even in those days a lot of reference and other books were available, but the NCERT Book was a ‘must have’.  And it amuses me to see that the scenario has still not changed much! Even today students queue up before the book shops at the start of each session to be among the privileged early birds to own a copy of the NCERT (prescribed) Books.

A little background about the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) is in place. The NCERT provides academic and technical support to Central and State Governments for all matters related to school and education. Each year NCERT comes out with NCERT Text Books for classes I to XII, Educational CD’s, Non-Text Books, a multitude of Journals and Childrens’ Books on a range of topics. NCERT through its host of books, attempts to cover all the essential topics and subjects for students studying under CBSE. 

Time and again efforts are made by NCERT to introduce innovative features in its books that make learning fun and schooling a happy experience. Its recent initiative to make the NCERT (text) books available online is one such endeavour. The latest editions of the NCERT Books for all grades are based on the National Curriculum Framework, 2005. These NCERT Books introduce fun and interactive ways of learning. Many features like ‘Boojho and Paheli’, ‘Extensive Learning-Activities and Projects’, ‘What You Can Do?’, ‘Talk About It’ etc in these NCERT books are some of things that catch my attention as I glance through these textbooks .  Simple practical activities suggested in these textbooks help to weave the concepts into the learners’ everyday experiences and makes learning integral to the entire process. Such an approach makes learning trouble-free and goes a long way to infuse a fresh dose of fervour in the entire teaching-learning process. This is a good attempt is to do away with the practice of tedious bookish learning.  

Additionally, I would also like to point out that the language in the latest NCERT Books is simple to understand and the concepts are presented in a manner that makes for effortless comprehension. The text in the NCERT Books is supported by colourful photographs, cartoons, illustrations, and interesting blurbs that do not necessitate the rote method of learning.

This is not all! Students have yet another very important reason to study from these exciting and fun-to-learn NCERT books—apart from the attractive features in NCERT Books, all the questions in the CBSE board exams are based on NCERT Books, or are built around the concepts in NCERT Books!

Wishing happy studying to all!

How to Write Good NCERT Answers

While writing the NCERT answers, students sometimes adopt a casual approach to this important end-of-chapter exercise. Many also consider it a futile activity. Through their laid-back attitude students, thus undermine the advantages of writing quality NCERT answers.

Many students may not have realized, but their approach to the NCERT answers can make a lot of difference in their final scores. These days, most of the questions in CBSE board exams are either a part of these NCERT questions list at the end of the chapter and/or are based on the concepts covered in these questions. This fact further reiterates the importance of quality NCERT answers.  Apart from the quality, it is important that while writing NCERT answers students learn to modify their answers keeping in mind the specific key words in the questions such as ‘Explain’,’ Classify’, ‘Differentiate’ etc. Certain subject-specific points should also be kept in mind as the student goes about writing the NCERT answers. Here are certain points that need to be kept in mind while drafting the answers for different subjects.

• Maths:- While working on any mathematical problems, accuracy is of utter importance. The answers calculated by the student during the practice sessions should be immediately checked with the available NCERT answer list at the end of all the chapters. Also as you work your way through the questions, your NCERT answers should incorporate all the necessary steps that are essential to arrive at the solution. Usually students miss out on writing the ‘in-between’ steps. This may sometimes result in the deduction of marks. Apart from the questions that are available in the exercises at the back of the NCERT textbooks, students should not miss out on the solved examples at the start of each chapter. An interesting observation is that these solved examples top in some of the examiners ‘must ask’ question list!
• English:- Readymade NCERT answers for end-of-chapter English questions are available by a lot of publishers. Publishers usually write these NCERT answers keeping in mind the learning outcomes a student is expected to achieve in a certain grade. However, it must be pointed out that by simply reproducing these NCERT answers verbatim on your answer sheets won’t fetch you great marks. Examiners look for original use of words and expressions and favour the attempt to explore new ideas. Therefore, while writing NCERT answers in the final examinations, try to be original. Read the chapter thoroughly and write the answers to the questions in your own words. Self-composed, grammatically correct answers will help a student obtain more marks than merely reproducing the readymade NCERT answers from the solution booklet.
• Science:- Before working on the NCERT answers for any of the subjects in Science, achieving a thorough conceptual understanding of the topic in question is very important. Students should lay emphasis on understanding the concept and only then move on to drafting the answers. The NCERT answers to the questions should be accompanied by correctly labeled and neatly drawn diagrams wherever necessary. This will fetch additional marks in comparison to an answer that is not accompanied by any supporting diagrams and illustrations. Sticking to the prescribed word limit while writing NCERT answers is another important point that needs to be kept in mind.
• Social Sciences:- While writing NCERT answers for a subject like History, students usually think that a lengthy and verbose answer is what the examiner is looking for.  However, this is not the case. Precise and complete answers within the prescribed word limits, that cover all relevant points is considered an ideal NCERT answer.

So the next time you write NCERT answers, keep in mind these points. I am positive that these tips will guide you to write better NCERT answers and will result in an improved overall performance in exams.

How to frame quality NCERT answers?

Students studying under the CBSE board often unable to frame quality NCERT answers to the end-of-chapter NCERT questions. They consider the exercise of framing NCERT answers as tedious, tiring and time consuming. A very thought like this, undermines the importance of this chapter-end exercise. It is imperative for students to understand that a majority of questions asked in the final CBSE examinations are in accordance to the question pattern prescribed in these NCERT books. Therefore, in order to score great marks in the final examination students should give the required emphasis while framing NCERT answers to the end-of-chapter exercise.

Here are a few tips for all the students who face difficulty in framing NCERT answers. These tips will help students frame quality answers and that too with ease.

• Before starting to write the NCERT answers, students should first thoroughly go through the chapter and highlight the important points under each topic. An exercise like this will help students get a hang of the chapter and will also equip them with key points that could make the task of writing NCERT answers easy!
• Once through with reading the chapter thoroughly and highlighting the key points, the next important step is to understand the question and accordingly write the answer. In order to write NCERT answers that can fetch students their dream score, students should first analyze various aspects in the question closely. Writing NCERT answers as per the requirements of the question can help students arrive at solutions that can make scoring in the final examinations very easy. To help students learn how to analyze a question here are a few pointers
• Before starting to write the NCERT answer, students should carefully read the instruction in the question and accordingly tailor their answer. The approach towards attempting to answers should ideally vary on the basis of the key word in the question such as ‘classify’, ‘compare and contrast’, ‘elucidate’ etc.
• While framing NCERT answers students should lay maximum emphasis on the main subject in the question. For example in a question like- ‘Enumerate the measures taken by the Ministry of Women and Child Development to curb the problem of female infanticide in Rajasthan?’ The main subject is ‘the problem of female infanticide’. Therefore, while answering, students should build the introduction to their answers and the main content around this subject.
• Students should also not miss out on the other significant information in the question. In the above example, all relevant measures taken should be pointed only in the context of Rajasthan and not any other state. Doing so will help them score good marks
• If students choose not to invest so much s NCERT answers, they can seek help from the free NCERT solutions available by a variety of websites. The free NCERT answers provided in these websites follow the guidelines prescribed by the NCERT and the CBSE. These NCERT answers are further supported by relevant illustrations that can make understanding easy.

So what are you waiting for! Go ahead with framing your NCERT answers and score top marks in your exams.