Goooal!⚽🖤

The discussions to organize a shootout competition as part of the World Cup was already in the air and it finally happened. The programme was titled Goooal! The whole class was divided into 9 groups of 4-5 members and the fixture was prepared by Rosh Kumar sir. The competition was decided to begin by 2 30. In the meantime we painted our faces. My face had red and green colors and the Argentinian fans painted their faces with sky blue color. The air was full of applause, laughter and cheers. The portugal fans including Sibana, Roshan and Rakesh did Cristiano Ronaldo's new celebration when Messi fans were chanting Vamos Argentina. Even though I wasn't expecting the competition to be so vibrant, it turned out to be so good. I really had a great time.

My team had 3 participants; just me, Sruthi and Ancila. We made it to the final and won the competition defeating all the 8 teams. We were declared champions of the Goooal and everybody congratulated us. Rosh Kumar sir had a tough time controlling the whole thing. Praveena ma'am and Roshna ma'an joined us and took penalty kicks. However, Sandhya chechi, whose every single kick embraced the goal net, was undoubtedly the player of the day. The organizers announced that she won the golden boot.

 

Samvidhan Divas

The Constitution Day - or 'Samvidhan Divas' - is celebrated on November 26 to commemorate the adoption of the Constitution of India. On this day, the Constituent Assembly of India adopted the Constitution of India, which came into effect on 26th January 1950. The Indian government’s written principles and precedents are contained in the Constitution. It outlines the fundamental political procedures, rights, guiding principles, constraints, and obligations of both the government and its population. According to the Indian Constitution, it is a democratic, socialist, secular, and democratic republic. It guarantees justice, equality, and liberty to its citizens.

Social Science Association of GCTE Thycaud celebrated the Samwidhan Divas eventfully. Ancila Merlin MG gave a brief account of the day, the history and the timeline of Indian Constitution. She also mentioned about the eminent personalities including Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar who had a key role in the Constituent assembly and the formulation of India's constitution.

Vande Mataram was sung by the student teachers which really took us back to the school days. Sandhya A read the preamble of Indian constitution, which I believe, is the greatest document an Indian citizen can rely upon in times of injustice and discrimination.The programme provided information regarding fundamental rights, fundamental duties and DPSP. The presentation regarding the fundamental rights were done by Sandhya A, Sudeera S, Remya VM, Mariya George, Sini SS and Arsha SS. Mary Antony gave a description about the fundamental duties and Ancila Merlin MG talked about DPSP.

At the end of the session, a quiz was conducted among us by Praveen Kumar S. He asked a set of questions which were to be answered by us and Jessy M won the first prize. Charts were prepared in association with the programme which added to the significance of the day. The day was a reminder during the chaotic time to think and reflect upon India's history and the legacy of its constitution.

 

Who will be the Champions?

 

World Cup finals were less than a month away. A prediction contest was organized for the students of GCTE as part of the Qatar World Cup 2022. It was our humble attempt to be a part of this festival of the world and showcase or excitement. The students were asked to predict the semi finalists, finalists and the champions of the 2022 WC. The winners were to be revealed after the final on December 18.

Charts announcing the arrival of the WC and our urge to celebrate the same were displayed on the notice board that really gave out the vibrant vibes of the world cup.

UNiTE! Activism to end Violence against Women and Girls! 🧡

The United Nations General Assembly has designated November 25 as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. The premise of the day is to raise awareness around the world that women are subjected to rape, domestic violence and other forms of violence; furthermore, one of the aims of the day is to highlight that the scale and true nature of the issue is often hidden. Women Cell of GCTE Thycaud decided to observe the day, offer an insight into the issue and initiate a discussion amongst the student teachers regarding the same.

All the student teachers and teachers were given orange ribbons and badges with various quotes, thoughts and slogans written on them as part of the programme. Some of them were 'feminism is the radical notion that women are equal', 'enough is enough', 'and here you are living despite it all' etc.On the International day for the elimination of violence against women, the color orange is used to represent a brighter future, free from violence against women and girls.

Bhagya Murali presented the theme of the day, details of the #OrangetheWorld campaign and the significance of observing such a day. Sibana S recited a poem written by herself that revolved around a situation we all had encountered in our life in our households, how the boy child always has the superior say through the analogy of a fight over the remote. Revathy B.R presented the statistical data regarding the violence against women which justified the graveness of the situation.

I delivered my thoughts on rape culture which I felt was a necessary topic to be talked about. Rape Culture is an environment in which rape is prevalent and in which sexual violence against women is normalized and excused in the media and popular culture. Rape culture is perpetuated through the use of misogynistic language, the objectification of women’s bodies, and the glamorization of sexual violence, thereby creating a society that disregards women’s rights and safety. Through examples drawn from popular culture and our daily life, I conveyed how deep rooted this patriarchal construct is in our society.

Keerthana Anil, Abhirami S, Mary Antony and Sheena Elizabeth expressed their reflections and experiences related to the topics discussed and the programme ended on an optimistic note that we need to resist the violence against women and work towards ensuring their rights. An oath declaring the same was taken.

ഒരു കുട്ട കളിപ്പാട്ടവും ഒരു വട്ടി പെന്‍സിലും..🖤

The visit to Govt. Model HS LPS Thycaud was fascinating. It was titled Experimental Learning Practices in Elementary School Space : A True Roadmap for Framing New Pedagogical Vision. It filled me with a blend of emotions and reinforced my trust in this profession. Just as we entered the school we were pretty convinced that the 'Model' in the school's name was in fact accurate. The school was a literal wonderland.

The story of how a bunch of teachers transformed a school this much felt like a fairy tale. The present school was the culmination of the massive physical, intellectual and financial efforts made by them. The school had reading corners for parents and students which were named as 'Poomukha Vayana' and 'Pusthaka Idanazhi'. There were student squads in charge of maintaining the books named as 'Pusthaka Police' and repairing the torn pages in the weekly organized 'Pusthaka Clinic'.The classrooms were thematically painted. The front cover of the coursebooks were drawn on the walls in an attempt to make the primary level learners feel closer to the content and characters they are about to learn. The teachers said how the students had responded as they saw those pictures for the first time when the school had reopened after the pandemic. There was a 'Bhoopada Idanazhi' which consisted of the maps of Kerala and India. The monuments of our country were also painted. The benches and desks were cut short and painted by the teachers to ensure that the whole environment of the school was age-appropriate and ideal for the learning process.

The activities we had planned for the students were performed at the pre primary classroom which according to me is the focal point of the school. The classroom was renamed as 'Activity Room' as it was devised as part of the activity based curriculum the school was following. The entrance to the room was structured like a cave with steps and a slide to provide an initial impression of the playfulness of the learning process.The roof of the activity room depicted the changing colors of the sky from dawn to dusk that began with a representation of the sun and ended with that of the moon and stars.Each walls were named as activity corner, science corner, number corner, music corner etc. that aimed at the development of specific skills and intelligence of the learners such as motor skills, musical intelligence etc. and basic knowledge regarding their surroundings.

A modern shooting floor is arranged at the more than a century-old school for the youtube channel called Kalivandi and the Facebook page, Mathrukam. This was an attempt by the school authorities to promote the lower primary students’ innate talents in a fun and interesting manner through stories, poetry, craft, and magic by bringing together the most prominent people in these areas under one umbrella in the wake of school closure.

We had prepared action song, magic tricks, word games, stories and simple experiments for the students and gifted them baskets of pencils and toys, a Christmas tree and decoration items for it and books for their library. We also presented a token of love for the teachers whose efforts in revamping the school were priceless.

The day spent at the school left us with insights and revelations regarding the profession we are about to step into and filled our baskets of experience.

Meditation and Relaxation through Yoga

Department of Physical Education and IQAC of Government College of Teacher Education, Thycaud in collaboration with Heartfulness organized a programme titled Meditation and Relaxation through Yoga. The motto of the programme was 

''Find happiness within nature and yourself.

For a healthy and peaceful life, make yoga a habit''.

The first session was presided over by the Principal, Dr VK Santhosh Kumar who formally inaugurated the programme. Mariya George offered a pleasant start to the programme with a beautiful prayer, Devika PS delivered the welcome speech and Sandhya A expressed the vote of thanks.

Yoga is a way of living that aims towards a healthy mind in a healthy body. Man is a physical, mental and spiritual being; Yoga helps in developing the balance between all the three as stated in  Ayurveda in India. Other forms of exercise, like aerobics, only assure physical wellbeing. These exercises have very little to do with the improvement of spiritual or astral body. It is not just about bending or twisting the body and holding the breath. It is a technique to bring you into a state where you see and experience reality simply the way it is. If you enable your energies to become exuberant and ecstatic, your sensory body expands. This enables you to experience the whole universe as a part of yourself, making everything one, this is the union that yoga creates.

Meditation trainers Shibu Saifudeen, Jayasree D.K and Yoga instructor Vishnu B led the three sessions which were specifically named as Meditation, Intuition and Prayer. They explained to us the significance of yoga and its increasing popularity. We were asked to perform simple meditation techniques as per the instruction of them which aimed at helping us tackle the stress and pressure and get to know our inner self better.

Inauguration of the ICT Cell

ICT is an umbrella term that includes any communication device, encompassing radio, television, cell phones, computer and network hardware, satellite systems and so on, as well as the various services and appliances with them such as video conferencing and distance learning. ICT based Teaching and Learning process plays a vital role in improving the quality of the process and ensuring the universal access of resources thereby enhancing the value of the same. Due to the advancements in ICT, it is proved that an increase in students exposure to an ICT based education system through curriculum integration has a significant and positive impact on students' achievements as well. ICT cell of any Educational institution work towards the fulfilment of these objectives.

The ICT cell inauguration of GCTE Thycaud was followed by a One day workshop for B.Ed students on Digital Resources in Education. The inaugural ceremony commenced with a prayer by Mariya George. Principal Dr. VK Santhosh Kumar formally inaugurated the ceremony and Dr. Rajashree K, Staff council secretary delivered felicitations for the initiative. Welcome address was given by Revathy B.R and Jessy M  shared the vote of thanks. The event was hosted by Kavya Dinesh and Mariya George sung the prayer.

The workshop began just  after the inaugural ceremony at 11 in the computer lab. It was divided into 2 sessions handled by the resource persons hired from our college itself.

The first session about E-resources and blog creation was led by Dr. Praveena Maheswari. The session was well organized and the content was transacted smoothly along with the powerpoint presentation. It was highly informative as it brushed up our knowledge regarding the e-resources and familiarized us to many e-books, e-journals and e-articles. Reflection of the first session was given by Abhijith T.

The second session led by Dr. Jayakrishna K, convenor of the ICT cell dealt with the effective use of Google Classroom, Google Docs, Google Forms etc. The session was engaging as it included the practicals of the same which made sure that we are fully equipped to use these in the classroom. Reflection of the session was given by Gayathri Mahima C.S.

National Toothbrushing Day😁🦷🪥

 

Every year on November 7th, the National Tooth brushing Day is observed in India under the aegis of Indian Association of Public Health Dentistry (IAPHD) to enforce the importance of educating every member of the society about the importance of oral health and maintaining good oral hygiene. GCTE Thycaud in collaboration with the NSS Unit of NIMS College of Dental Sciences observed National Toothbrushing Day in the college. 

The programme was inaugurated by Dr. V.K Santhosh Kumar. Felicitations were given by Dr. Syam Kumar, Head of the Department of Public Health Dentistry, NIMS Trivandrum and Dr. Joly. S. I delivered the Welcome speech and Kavya Sagar extended the vote of thanks.

It was visible that the group of BDS students and House surgeons from NIMS had worked really hard to organize such a programme. Everything including the skit, health talks and presentation were intact and well planned. Akshay AR and Alwin S Clement shared information regarding the day and dental health.

A Free Dental Camp was held by the house surgeons and we made use of it. We were given free dental screening and expert opinion afterwards. As part of sharing the importance of dental health, toothpaste packs and pamphlets were also distributed among us. Finally, the token of love from GCTE was presented to the team.

The day was a reminder to not only smile at people, but to smile healthy and confidently by taking care of our teeth and following healthy practices.

Unheard Voices🖤

The assembly organized by English association as part of the Classical language week turned out to be really good. We cut out malayalam letters from chart and hung it on the stage to really give out the ambience and sang a folk song in group to add to the same.

Later, a surprise was awaiting everybody which was revealed by Amal. Jessy's first book, Unheard Voices was released in the assembly and everybody was so happy. The book was formally released by Dr. V.K Santhosh Kumar and Sheena Teacher amidst the applause and cheer from us. Jessy was so touched by the whole setup that she was on the verge of tears as she spoke about her book.

'No to Drugs'

The human chain formed in the capital city on November 1, Kerala Piravi Day, marked the end of the first phase of the State government’s ‘No to drugs’ campaign to create a public defence against substance abuse. The human chain started by 4 in the evening and consisted of students and teachers from the schools and colleges of the city, Kudumbashree members, Officials and Ministers. There was an anti-drug pledge taken by everybody who were the links of the chain and a symbolic burning of the narcotic substances. Caps printed 'No To Drugs' on them were distributed by Kerala Road Safety Authority. We joined the chain at Palayam and did our first part in the declaration of State's war against drugs.

കേരളപ്പിറവി..♥

 

സ്വാതന്ത്ര്യാനന്തരം ഇന്ത്യ പോലെ ഭാഷാപരമായും സാംസ്കാരികമായും വൈവിദ്ധ്യങ്ങളുള്ള ഒരു രാജ്യത്തെ സംസ്ഥാനങ്ങളെ പുനസംഘടിപ്പിക്കുക എന്നത് അത്യന്തം ബുദ്ധിമുട്ടേറിയ ചുമതലയായിരുന്നു. ഭാഷാടിസ്ഥാനത്തിൽ സംസ്ഥാനങ്ങളെ പുനർസംഘടിപ്പിക്കാനുള്ള ഇന്ത്യാഗവൺമെന്റിന്റെ തീരുമാനപ്രകാരം തിരുവിതാംകൂർ, കൊച്ചി രാജ്യങ്ങൾ മദ്രാസ്‌ പ്രസിഡൻസിയുടെ മലബാർ പ്രദേശങ്ങൾ ഇങ്ങനെ മലയാളം പ്രധാനഭാഷയായ പ്രദേശങ്ങളെല്ലാം കൂട്ടിച്ചേർത്തുകൊണ്ട് 1956 നവംബർ ഒന്നിന്‌ കേരളം എന്ന സംസ്ഥാനം രൂപവത്കരിച്ചു. ഇതിന്റെ അടിസ്ഥാനത്തിൽ നവംബർ ഒന്ന് കേരളപ്പിറവിദിനമായി ആഘോഷിക്കപ്പെടുന്നു.

ജി.സി.റ്റി.ഇയില്‍ ഈ വര്‍ഷത്തെ കേരളപ്പിറവി ദിനാഘോഷങ്ങള്‍ക്കും മാതൃഭാഷ ദിനാചരണത്തിനും മലയാള വിഭാഗമാണ് നേതൃത്വം നല്‍കിയത്. 

'മറ്റുള്ള ഭാഷകള്‍ കേവലം ധാത്രിമാര്‍, 

മര്‍ത്ത്യന്നു പെറ്റമ്മ തന്‍ ഭാഷ താന്‍..'- ഈ വരികളുടെ അര്‍ത്ഥവും പ്രാധാന്യവും ഉള്‍ക്കൊണ്ടു തന്നെയായിരുന്നു പരിപാടിയില്‍ ഓരോരുത്തരും സംസാരിച്ചത്.

മുഖ്യപ്രഭാഷകയായ യൂണിവേഴ്സിറ്റി കോളേജ് തിരുവനന്തപുരം മലയാള വിഭാഗം അസോസിയേറ്റ് പ്രൊഫസര്‍, ഡോ. സുഷമകുമാരി. കെ. എസ് മലയാള ഭാഷയുടെ മനോഹാരിതയെ പറ്റിയും, മാതൃഭാഷയെന്ന നിലയില്‍ നിലവിലെ സാഹചര്യത്തില്‍ മലയാളം നേരിടുന്ന വെല്ലുവിളികളെ പറ്റിയും, മലയാളത്തെ മറന്നുപോകാതിരിക്കേണ്ടതിന്‍റെ ആവശ്യകതയെ പറ്റിയും സംസാരിച്ചു. മലയാറ്റൂര്‍ പറഞ്ഞുവച്ചതു പോലെ വേരുകളെ മറക്കരുതെന്ന് സാരം..! ഉപരിപഠന സാധ്യതകള്‍, ഗവേഷണം, കുടിയേറ്റം, കൊളോണിയലിസം തുടങ്ങിയ മേഖലകളെയൊക്കെ പരാമര്‍ശിക്കുന്നതായിരുന്നു മുഖ്യപ്രഭാഷണം.

സ്ഥാപന മേധാവി ഡോ. വി.കെ. സന്തോഷ് കുമാര്‍ തിരി തെളിച്ച് മലയാള ഭാഷ വാരാചരണം ഉദ്ഘാടനം ചെയ്തു. സിബാന മാതൃഭാഷ പ്രതിജ്ഞ ചൊല്ലിത്തന്നു. വള്ളത്തോളിന്‍റെ മാതൃവന്ദനം കവിത ആലപിച്ച കൃഷ്ണകുമാര്‍ ബി.റ്റി ചടങ്ങിന് മാറ്റുകൂട്ടി. ഐ.ക്യു.എ.സി കോ-ഓര്‍ഡിനേറ്റര്‍ ശ്രീ. രാഹുല്‍ വി.ആര്‍, ശ്രീമതി. ഷീന എന്നിവര്‍ ആശംസ അര്‍പ്പിച്ച ചടങ്ങിന്, കൃഷ്ണകുമാര്‍ ബി.റ്റി പറയുകയും, പാര്‍വതി നന്ദി പ്രകടിപ്പിക്കുകയും ചെയ്തു.

പരിപാടി അവസാനിച്ചപ്പോഴേക്ക് മാധവിക്കുട്ടിയുടെ വാക്കുകള്‍ മനസ്സില്‍ നിന്ന് പതിഞ്ഞ സ്വരത്തിലിങ്ങനെ കേള്‍ക്കാമായിരുന്നു,

''ഞാന്‍ മൂന്ന് ഭാഷകള്‍ സംസാരിക്കും,

രണ്ട് ഭാഷകളില്‍ എഴുതും,

പക്ഷേ, സ്വപ്നം കാണുന്നത് ഒരു ഭാഷയില്‍ മാത്രമാണ്.''

കേരളപ്പിറവിയോടനുബന്ധിച്ച് മിക്ക ആളുകളും സാരിയൊക്കെ ഉടുത്ത് എത്തിയത് പരിപാടി കൂടുതല്‍ കളറാക്കി.