Training Young Minds for a Better World

Ology Hands-On Science Tournament (HOST) is a yearly tournament for school students. It is conducted by Infinity Engineers, an education start-up by engineers from multidisciplinary streams. The company was started with the aim of inculcating the concept of ‘hands-on learning’ based on experience and practicality.

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HOST, in collaboration with Psychology Department of Women’s Christian College in Chennai, has recruited students of the third year to intern with them. Pavithrakshmi KM, a final year B.Sc. Psychology student of WCC, interning as a lead coach for HOST, explains how this tournament enhances the overall development of students by focusing on their practical knowledge and personality enrichment through various activities and fun events.

Poster for one of the HOST sessions led by lead coach, Pavithrakshmi KM

What is the fundamental concept of Ology HOST?

Ology HOST aims at providing holistic education to children, focusing more on practical rather than theoretical knowledge. It includes problem solving skills, innovation, critical thinking, research skills and more. Moreover, it teaches students to adapt themselves to real-life settings through a range of fun tasks.

How did you get to be a part of HOST?

This is a part of our final year internship where Psychology students help the core team with psychological analysis for all the children, to identify their individual talents and to enhance their skills. We have a rubrics sheet for each student and they are graded based on their participation in class, characteristic traits and more.

How does this work? Is there any difference before and after lockdown?

There is definitely a lot of difference. Before lockdown, we had the opportunity to directly interact with students and assign physical tasks. For instance, we would give them four electrical components and they would have to make a working model out of it. Most importantly, we had a personal bond with them. However, with the new normal, the system has changed and we have had to adapt to the online mode. We use Flipgrid, a student-friendly application similar to WhatsApp Messenger; this enables students to record videos, attach documents and do much more.

Can all students apply for or join this course?

We require consent and cooperation from schools to enrol students in this tournament. Currently, we have tie-ups with a few CBSE schools. Students from classes 5 to 12 may apply and take the preliminary test. As we are not a large institution, we try to narrow down the student-teacher ratio by organising activity rounds.

What kind of activities are given to test them?

Since this is a yearly tournament, we come up with new ideas every year to help students use their skills in various ways. For instance, we give them illusionary picture sheets and ask them to write down what they understand from the picture. Each student identifies different aspects which reveals his/her personality. Most activities are designed based on their spontaneity which brings out their true selves.

How do you make the online sessions interactive?

Our concept is all about learning through games so we do not find much difficulty in managing the classes. To make it more interesting, we have created animated characters and have given a story to those characters. In order to rescue the protagonist from the villain, the students will have to complete the given tasks. Similarly, for attendance, we have an attendance question which the kids will have to answer. These methods kindle their enthusiasm and keep them attentive throughout the class.

Editors: Tenny Ann Thomas, Dainty W