About kavitasanghvi

A STEM teacher for the past 18 years, STEM and Core skills trainer and Head of school for 10 years.

THE WORLD IS OUR CANVAS

Posted on 03/05/2022 by kavitasanghvi

To comprehend and apply STEM principles in making and utilizing wall paints. Students explore the history of paints and the type of paint used in their homes and the reason for using it. They measure the length, breadth and height of their classroom in group and home living room [individual] and determine the amount of paint they would require for 2 coats. They will decide upon the choice and colour for the walls and ceilings and share their scientific and aesthetic reasons for the same.

Structure of the Lesson

Introduction of the Lesson

Teacher asks students to study the class walls and share their knowledge on the type of wall
paint used and how it was manufactured.
Teacher shares the following links with students to understand the history of paints.
https://www.earthdate.org/colorful-history-of-paint
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Domenico-Ghirlandaio
https://lobopopart.com.br/en/the-history-of-painting/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OLaNtKoJFk&t=72s

Tasks designed for the students [Individual]

Teachers asks students to research on the wall paints used in their own home and share the following:

1. Type of paint used:

2. Gallons of paint used:

3. Cost of painting:

4. Properties of the paint used in their homes

5. Living Room dimensions in terms of length, breadth and height

Students present their findings to their peers through peer –peer interaction.
Teachers with students create a bar chart to know the various types of paints used by students in their home and the frequency. Students will analyze the findings.

Group Tasks for students

Students are divided into groups of 5 and they are asked to research on the varieties of paints available in the market and share the composition, utilities and process of making and present their findings through a table or presentation with pictures.
Resource: https://www.nerolac.com/blog/types-of-wall-paint-and-finishes
https://www.asianpaints.com/products/paints-and-textures/interior-walls/plain-finishes.html
https://www.ny-engineers.com/blog/types-of-paint-used-in-construction
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lykiE7UJ01o – A walk through the paint making process
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f39o4EVqx9U

Type of paint	Composition	Utility [Where is it used]	Cost of the paint	Advantage of the paint	Process of making

Students explore ways to paint a wall

Students will study how to paint a wall.

https://www.lceted.com/2020/02/the-standard-procedure-for-painting.html

https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/how-to-paint-a-room-10-steps

Class Assignment – House projects/Group

Students will now measure the length, breadth and height of their classroom in group/home living room [individual] and determine the amount of paint they would require for 2 coats. They present their mathematical evaluations to the peer groups and the teacher supports them to arrive at approximations.

Students will decide upon the choice of paint and the colour for the walls and ceilings and share their scientific and aesthetic reasons for the same.

Assessment

Teachers will design a rubric to evaluate their tasks. Students will solve the quiz on paints and write a 100 words reflection report on the experience.

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=SEPx0bXxCUqsmX6_ITy8gYu-kpThOBJFjqAvxW4oy9dUMTg2TkkwNUJWU0NBM1c1UU1HWFEzT1NXWi4u

As a teacher, the experience for me was overwhelming. The students were constantly engaged, they were curious to learn the wall paint used by their peers in their homes and the costing. They were critically evaluating the gallons of paints to be used for their classroom. They were contemplating the colour for classroom walls and the debating between the groups was interesting. some wanted images and some wanted plain walls. Finally, they have now connected the classroom concepts of area, perimeter, mathematical operations, pigments and dyes and much more to wall paints used all around them and appreciating the STEM principles.

Explore the wild frontiers of our Solar system – Space is your next holiday destination

Posted on 30/04/2021 by kavitasanghvi

The Earth with a population of 9.9 billion is overpopulated with no space or privacy in 2050 so the Universe is the next holiday destination for all desiring peace and solitude. Space Tourism is the next big thing showcasing all the wonders and pleasures you will experience. So, sit tight and get ready for your space adventure. Our students have created an E -book to help you pack and be ready for your next trip.

The lesson scenario: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1N9psaxPmtDWs0yB4W3ing_UuUHgkCPSr/view?usp=sharing was aimed at students of age 14 – 15 years. We integrated varied subjects like Physics, Geography, Maths, Chemistry, and Biology for the project work. The aim of the lesson:

Incorporate design thinking to map space travel for the future
Design the roadmap for humans to survive in Space
Create an e-book to guide travelers on their journey to space

The lesson outcomes was to have students be able to:

Critically evaluate space travel vis-a-vis earth travel
Analyze the roadblocks to space travel and create prototypes and test them
Build 21st-century skills on creating the e-book which helps travelers survive a journey to space.

The lesson commenced with me showing clips of the Movie, ‘The Martian’, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ej3ioOneTy8, and asking students if people could travel to space for a holiday. Questions pertinent to the movie on ‘Google Form’ was put across to students. [https://forms.gle/cxwKCtk2jQpvbN4n8] to gauge their understanding of space. Students have a discussion on the movie where the teacher asks the students to list their perspectives on the padlet and has the class analyze it for its validity. The conversation was stirred for students to imagine space travel within a few years and have students note down their thoughts in the padlet [https://padlet.com/kavitasanghvi2013/mcx3tdzej2ol7tji?utm_campaign=transactional&utm_content=padlet_url&utm_medium=email&utm_source=started_a_padlet] to the possible roadblocks to travel.

The students were shown the following videos:

1. Airbus Foundation Discovery Space: Launching into space

2. Airbus Foundation Discovery Space: Launching into space

3. Airbus Foundation Discovery Space Water on the moon

4. Airbus Foundation Discovery Space Food on the moon

5. Airbus Foundation Discovery Space Air on the moon

Link to all the videos is https://www.airbus.com/company/sustainability/airbus-foundation/discovery-space/kids/mission-to-the-moon.html#medialist-video-video-all_ml_0-2

After piquing their interest, I proceeded to share the project work. I ask students that they would work in groups of 6 where they would design space travel to the future. Each group will work on one aspect shared below. They will present the prototype through either physical representation like chart/posters/experiments or E- presentation. I also assign roles to each student in the group: Facilitator, recorder, reporter, Material manager, checker, and timekeeper.

Mode of Travel
Food and accommodation
Climate and human biological adjustments
Personal waste management
Leisure activities in space
Health and safety

Every group comes together and shares their plan of action and the peers assess each other to offer more constructive feedback. The list of digital resources was shared to create an E-book with students and asks them to compile their learning and share it with future space tourists. The rubric to assess each other is shared below:

RUBRIC – Peer to Peer evaluation

Note: Student will tick the appropriate box

Name of student: __________________ Roll No _______

Criteria	Expert (4)	Master (3)	Apprentice (2)	Novice (1)
Implementation of design thinking	Has very effectively used the steps of design thinking to create a prototype to test it.	Has effectively used the steps of design thinking to create a prototype to test it.	Has fairly used the steps of design thinking to create a prototype to test it.	Is struggling to use the steps of design thinking to create a prototype to test it.
Elements and Principles of design	Planned carefully and showed advances awareness of elements and principles of design. Student went above and beyond expectations.	Student applied the principles of design while using one or more elements effectively. Student met expectations.	Student did the assignment adequately, yet shows a lack of planning and little evidence that an overall composition was planned	Student showed little evidence of any understanding of the elements & principles of design. No evidence of planning. Student did the minimum of work required.
Problem solving	The students have detailed the roadblocks to space travel critically and arrived at sound sustainable solutions.	The students have detailed the roadblocks to space travel critically and arrived at sustainable solutions.	The students have attempted to detail the roadblocks to space travel critically and arrived at fair sustainable solutions.	The students have struggled to detail the roadblocks to space travel critically and arrived at questionable sustainable solutions.
Collaboration	The students collaborated with high effectiveness and displayed strong team work	The students collaborated with moderately high effectiveness and displayed high team work	The students collaborated with fair effectiveness and displayed good team work	The students collaborated with low effectiveness and displayed poor team work

Rubric as provided by the Author

The students did phenomenal work and the links below showcase their work.

https://svkmmumbai-my.sharepoint.com/:b:/g/personal/jayam_mehta_svkmmumbai_onmicrosoft_com/ERXQFYFX4jFArnQCIwmROtkBH6LI3Z_-K3IubRXtCrDsow

https://svkmmumbai-my.sharepoint.com/:p:/g/personal/richa_rajpara_svkmmumbai_onmicrosoft_com/EU-tqyyOdRVPqWRwkcK3wCYBnSIBs6cQkwTUuKAmI3FtyQ?e=OP9dxV

https://www.flipsnack.com/moon3catalogue/space-research.html

https://s.amsu.ng/4JKKhUQkkt1N

All the pictures belong to the Author – Attribute CC-BY

Let’s drape our fabrics

Posted on 14/04/2020 by kavitasanghvi

Author: Kavita Sanghvi

Have you ever wondered how we select our clothes? Well, most often we step inside a showroom, observe the mannequin, try the particular outfit and voilà it is in our shopping bag if it complements us but have we ever checked the fabric first? Have we ever questioned its physical and chemical properties? How many of us can name all the fabrics around us and list the purpose of its usage? Do we know if it’s chiffon, Georgette, brocade, nylon, silk, Terrycloth, flannel or muslin?

I asked a simple question to my students, “What is material used to make your uniform?” Most of them said cotton but was it only cotton? No, it had polyester in a particular ratio. So, thus began the process of ‘Let’s Drape our fabrics’.

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STEMAGIC

Posted on 12/04/2019 by kavitasanghvi

It’s a regular day in a school with defined timetable where subjects are taught in isolation by different subject teachers. You attend a biology class, a chemistry class or a math class and the content seems disconnected to the students. They are studying the topics, attempt an assessment on the same and eventually forget the learning. How do you show to the students that all the content is integrated?

You brainstorm with your teachers who feel the same. They want learning to be deep and long lasting and ‘STEMAGIC‘ is born inspired by the STEM Discovery Week. An attempt to connect topics with each other through meaningful projects chosen by students. We discuss technology, discoveries around us with the students and ask them to research and create it. In the process, they understand the STEM principles around it and connect it to their regular school curriculum.