COMMUNITY SERVICE – I MPCL B

Biweekly Report No.: 2

Name of the student: Muskan

Name of the Organization: Vara Foundations

Name of site supervisor and role: Ms. Mounika- Guides, trains and monitors the volunteers.

Date and Day of work: 04th August 2025, Monday

No. of Hours & time- 3 hours (4:30pm- 7:30pm)

S.No. Names of other members in the group Register No. Present on site (Insert
who volunteered with you on site for “Yes” if present. Or
this week. else insert “No”)

1. Evana Pradhan 2537522 Yes

2. Gowri Raghuprakash Menon 2537523 Yes

3. Adhiraj Jandu 2537504 No

Activity Done on the Site

During our second visit to the organisation, we conducted interactive sessions with the children
enrolled in their after-school program. The primary objective was to build rapport with the
students while assessing their academic levels and personal interests through engaging activities.

We began with icebreaker games that helped the children feel comfortable with us. Simple
activities like "Two Truths and a Lie" and "Name & Motion" effectively broke down initial
hesitations. Following this, we divided into small groups based on age (6-9 years and 10-13
years) to conduct more targeted interactions.

With younger children, we focused on foundational literacy and numeracy through story-telling
sessions and math games using visual aids. For older students, we organized group discussions
about their career aspirations and conducted basic science experiments to make learning more
practical. The session concluded with an art therapy activity where children expressed their
thoughts through drawings, giving us insights into their personalities.

Evaluation of the Activity

The interactive format proved highly effective in understanding the children's needs beyond their
academic performance. While most students responded enthusiastically to the games and
activities, we observed varying confidence levels some children participated actively while others
needed gentle encouragement.
The age-appropriate grouping allowed us to tailor our approach effectively. Younger children
particularly enjoyed the hands-on activities, while older students engaged more with discussions
about their future goals. However, we noted that attention spans varied significantly, reminding
us of the importance of flexible session planning. From an impact perspective, these personal
interactions helped identify specific learning challenges that might not be evident in formal
assessments. For instance, we discovered that several children struggled with basic concepts not
because of ability limitations, but due to gaps in foundational knowledge.

Personal Reflection

This teaching experience served as a profound lesson in adaptability and observation. Despite our
carefully prepared lesson plans, we frequently needed to modify activities in real-time based on
the children's responses and energy levels. I discovered the importance of reading subtle non-
verbal cues, distinguishing between genuine confusion, shyness, or simple disinterest and
adjusting my approach accordingly. This sensitivity to individual differences represents a crucial
skill I hope to develop further through continued volunteering.

The session revealed several areas where I need personal improvement, particularly in
simplifying complex concepts without losing their essential meaning. I also recognized the need
to become more comfortable with improvisation when planned activities don't resonate as
expected. Perhaps most importantly, I gained new appreciation for how establishing personal
connections creates the trust necessary for effective learning a lesson with applications far beyond
this volunteer context.

From a professional development perspective, this experience significantly enhanced my

Group Learning

As a team, we emerged from this session with several key realizations about effective educational
support. We learned the critical importance of thorough preparation, including having backup
activities ready when initial plans prove less effective than anticipated. Through trial and error,
we developed an unspoken system for dividing our attention among students to ensure everyone
received appropriate support without creating dependencies.

Our post-session debriefing revealed consistent patterns in the learning challenges we observed,
helping us identify potential areas for focused intervention in future visits. We also gained
sobering insights into how socioeconomic disadvantages manifest in educational settings from
limited exposure to basic concepts to subtle differences in confidence and self-expression. These
observations have motivated us to research more inclusive teaching strategies before our next
session.
Curricular Connect

The session provided practical demonstrations of several psychological principles we've studied
theoretically. We observed the concept of scaffolding in action as we unconsciously adjusted our
support levels based on each child's demonstrated capabilities. The dramatic effect of positive
reinforcement became evident when shy students gradually increased their participation after
receiving specific, genuine praise.

Our varied activities inadvertently catered to the theory of multiple intelligences, with different
children excelling in visual, kinesthetic, or interpersonal tasks. We also noticed behaviors that
mirrored attachment theory, as some children's initial hesitation gave way to warm engagement
once they felt secure in the environment. These real world applications enriched our
understanding of how psychological theories translate into practical teaching methodologies.

Challenges Experienced

Several practical challenges emerged during our session that provided valuable learning
opportunities. Language barriers created occasional communication difficulties, as some children
were more comfortable expressing themselves in Kannada than English. This required us to adapt
our instructions and sometimes rely on bilingual students to help bridge the gap. Managing
varying attention spans across different age groups simultaneously tested our classroom
management skills, forcing us to develop on-the-spot solutions to maintain engagement.

Resource limitations presented another hurdle, as the lack of sufficient teaching aids required
creative improvisation with available materials. We found ourselves repurposing everyday
objects as learning tools and creating visual aids from scratch. Perhaps most challenging was
accurately assessing true understanding versus memorized responses, which required developing
more nuanced questioning techniques as the session progressed.

Conclusion

This interactive session proved far more revealing than passive observation could ever be. Direct
engagement with the children provided insights that go beyond academic performance metrics,
helping us understand the whole child within their social and environmental context. The
experience has motivated us to enhance our preparation for future sessions, with plans to
incorporate more local language elements and develop additional hands-on learning tools. We've
gained tremendous respect for the daily challenges and rewards of teaching in resource-
constrained environments. Most significantly, we've witnessed firsthand how personalized
attention and creative teaching methods can unlock engagement and confidence in young
learners.

Moving forward, we aim to use these insights to design more targeted interventions that address
the specific needs and interests we've identified. The session has reinforced both the value of our
volunteer contributions and the personal growth opportunities this experience provides. We look
forward to building on these foundations in our continued work with the organization’s children.
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