KUARK National Science Olimpiade 2013 Semifinalist

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Published on Tuesday, 30 April 2013 02:30

Some students attended Kuark Science Olympiad at Ma Chung University on February 23, 2013. Previously, students had been practicing with Teacher Stefanus. Although they were nervous, but all students did well. Announcements about the semifinal conducted on March 25, 2013 and the following are the names of students who qualified for the next round:

Jonathan Ariel, Grade 1
Jose Putra Perdana, Grade 2
Kezia R Tnauli, Grade 2
Pieter Nathanael S, Grade 2
Evan Surya, Grade 2
Noel Anthony, Grade 3
Hans Samuel T, Grade 3
Maria Zora Keyanna, Grade 4
Cheryl Areta P, Grade 4
Mutiara Wahyu N, Grade 5
Xavier Reyhan H, Grade 5
Alicia Angel S, Grade 5
Natan Wahyudianto, Grade 6
Gregorius Kevin S, Grade 6

National English Olimpiade

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Published on Tuesday, 30 April 2013 02:29

The National English Olympiad is an annual competition held by the American Corner Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang (UMM). All Charis students who participated in this competition were coached by Teacher Fetty and Teacher Indra.

With great support from the Charis family, Maria Zora Keyanna (Keya) won first place in the final round on January 31, 2013. Keya will go to Singapore to visit some schools there.

Congratulations Keya! We are all so proud of you!

GASING Math Competition

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Published on Tuesday, 30 April 2013 02:29

Sunday, March 10, 2013 was a pretty historic day for students who competed at Mathematics Gasing semifinal competition at SDN Polowijen 1. During this competition, the students looked so relaxed. While waiting for further announcements, the students were playing or singing with no shades of tension.

Finally, eight Charis’ students went to the final. The result is:

Level B:

• Heilin Rahma S. (3A) second place

Level C:

• Vito Nathaniel (6A) first place
• Deborah Engelia (5A) second place
• James Abdiel (6A) third place.

This four children won the trophy, but for us as teachers; seeing the joy and the courage of the students who struggle in tight competition is a matter of pride. Even those who did not won any trophy congratulated the winners with smiles and big hearts. They are the true champions, indeed.

Teaching With Puzzles

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Published on Tuesday, 30 April 2013 03:44

Did you know that puzzles increase the following abilities?

• Vocabulary
• Small muscle development
• Hand to eye coordination
• Memory skills
• Problem solving creativity
• Spatial perception

At Charis, our teachers are learning about the effectiveness of puzzles in teaching children skills and concepts.

The skills acquired while completing puzzles are a foundational part of successful learning. Solving puzzles develops several functions of the brain simultaneously while children learn and have fun.  Puzzles nurture children’s abilities to reason, deduce, analyze, and sequence. Puzzles develop logical thought and problem solving skills.  Puzzles nurture skills like visual perception and analysis, fine-motor control, project completion and patience.  Puzzles are engaging. They can be played alone or in a group, and they cover a wide variety of subjects and skill areas.  What some adults may see as just a “toy” is actually a valuable teaching tool.

At Charis we recognize that children have various learning styles, and puzzles require our students to use more than one type of learning aptitude in the process of solving them. The most obvious learning style for solving a puzzle is visual.  Puzzles are also good for the kinesthetic tendencies of learners.  Kinesthetic learners grow through practical hands-on activities.  For children with an auditory preference in learning, conversation about the correlations in a puzzle needs to happen at the same time as the puzzle is being done.

FIVE Tips for Teaching puzzle skills to children

1. Start with simple puzzles with few pieces.
2. When the child is successful, introduce her to a more difficult puzzle.
3. Resist the temptation to point out where pieces fit, and assist only when asked.   
4. Allow plenty of time to figure it out.
5. Increase a child’s vocabulary by using words such as straight, curved, edge, inside, outside, above, below, and beside