Current issue
In this issue
We imagine, therefore, we invent
Usha Raman
With the dark clouds of Covid 19 still hanging over us, life seems to have come to a full stop. Each day brings with it several demands and expectations and people cope in the only way they know - by taking things one at a time. Even so, our thoughts never seem to leave us, and we try and plan for a future that we cannot see. In all this however, there are opportunities to rethink and reimagine, and schoo
A new beginning
Anand Krishnaswamy
How will learning and education be in the coming days, especially against the backdrop of Covid 19? While imagining such a situation, the author questions some of the assumptions of the education structure. He asks: What if every child, every student is thoroughly capable of ascertaining what he or she wishes to learn, what if every child can extract learning from anything and everything he or she
Screen time panic
Neerja Singh
How much of screen time is good or not good for children? With digital devices everywhere and for everything, is it time to put the brakes on their use? Can the present generation of children do without them? Though these devices can improve learning, excess use can also be harmful and interfere with everything from sleep to creativity. How can teachers and parents help within these technological contex
The anatomy of an “aha!” moment
Prakash Iyer
Are emotions involved in the learning process? Do children have to like, desire or express wonder while learning a concept? Does learning have a strong element of subjectivity? Is there an ‘aha’ moment when a child grasps a concept? This article unravels the process of learning.
August 2020
August 2020 | Nature Watch
Salt pans – a human-made wetland of significance
Geetha Iyer
It is not always that human activity destroys nature. Once in a while, they also contribute to its biodiversity. Man-made salt pans not only produce a nutrient that humans most need to survive, but they have also become places for several birds and mirco-organisms to flourish. These habitats too are under threat and we need to conserve them.
A Step Ahead | August 2020
Arresting the downward tumble
Neerja Singh
Life for young adults is not what it used to be. Today we are living in the age of information and the popularity of social networking sites has only exacerbated the problems of living like an open book all the time. Teenage used to be called ‘the spring of life’; people were happy. But now, it is a dark phase in life and unless we take proper measures, we will lose o
August 2020 | Cover Story
Reshaping education during the pandemic
Sanjhee Gianchandani
It seems like the ant and the elephant story playing out in real life. A microscopic virus has wrecked havoc in the lives of human beings worldwide. Like everything else, education systems across the globe have been disrupted. How are the various stakeholders in education coping with this crisis? Have we found ways to adapt? Is online education the solution to our
Read more articles from this issue
July 2020
July 2020 | Project.
The Pyramids – a cross-curricular trip
Sunita Biswas
For centuries, the pyramids of Egypt have been a source of wonder because of their size, the complexities in the construction process and about the men who created these enduring marvels. So, in the school curriculum, how can this topic be dealt across all disciplines and not just history? Here is a fascinating insight.
July 2020 | Off The Library Shelves.
Emotional literacy through picture books
Lakshmi Karunakaran
The role of a library educator is not merely to give access to books, but also to nurture children's socio-emotional and cognitive growth. The article highlights the author’s experiences of how a library can address the emotional needs of all children, including those who are ‘at risk’ or/and are from marginalized communities.
Cover Story | July 2020.
When students’ voices take centre-stage
Fiona Vaz
Active Learning engages students in two ways - doing things and thinking about the things they are doing. In order to learn, students must do more than just listen. They need to read, write, discuss or be engaged in solving problems. But why do most schools and teachers resist adopting Active Learning methods in their classrooms? The reasons are many, ranging from a vast syl
Read more articles from this issue
May-June 2020
Cover Story | May-June 2020 | Pedagogy.
Exploring explorations
Vinusha Venkatesh
A typical classroom, teacher-centric and bound by the shackles of time and syllabus gives its students absolutely nothing. Try and transform your classroom into one where students are given a free rein to explore questions that interest them and where teachers stay on the sidelines and then see how learning blossoms.
May-June 2020 | Policy And Perspectives.
Can we use our participation in PISA to improve our maths learning levels?
Sridhar Rajagopalan and Nishchal Shukla
Only once has India ever participated in a PISA test and so badly did we perform that it has taken us more than a decade to muster the courage to participate again in 2021. Even locally designed tests like ASSET and ASER have time and again shown the dismal standards of the Indian education system. While these assessment tools show us how terrib
May-June 2020 | Practice.
Folk mathematics
S N Gananath
The beauty of math lies in the variety of methods one can employ to teach it. If you are a creative and passionate teacher, you would have realized the potential of folk puzzles to teach several aspects of mathematics - problem solving, spatial thinking, computation, pattern identification to name just a few.
Read more articles from this issue
We imagine, therefore, we invent
Usha Raman
With the dark clouds of Covid 19 still hanging over us, life seems to have come to a full stop. Each day brings with it several demands and expectations and people cope in the only way they know - by taking things one at a time. Even so, our thoughts never seem to leave us, and we try and plan for a future that we cannot see. In all this however, there are opportunities to rethink and reimagine, and schoo
A new beginning
Anand Krishnaswamy
How will learning and education be in the coming days, especially against the backdrop of Covid 19? While imagining such a situation, the author questions some of the assumptions of the education structure. He asks: What if every child, every student is thoroughly capable of ascertaining what he or she wishes to learn, what if every child can extract learning from anything and everything he or she
Screen time panic
Neerja Singh
How much of screen time is good or not good for children? With digital devices everywhere and for everything, is it time to put the brakes on their use? Can the present generation of children do without them? Though these devices can improve learning, excess use can also be harmful and interfere with everything from sleep to creativity. How can teachers and parents help within these technological contex
The anatomy of an “aha!” moment
Prakash Iyer
Are emotions involved in the learning process? Do children have to like, desire or express wonder while learning a concept? Does learning have a strong element of subjectivity? Is there an ‘aha’ moment when a child grasps a concept? This article unravels the process of learning.
August 2020
August 2020 | Nature Watch
Salt pans – a human-made wetland of significance
Geetha Iyer
It is not always that human activity destroys nature. Once in a while, they also contribute to its biodiversity. Man-made salt pans not only produce a nutrient that humans most need to survive, but they have also become places for several birds and mirco-organisms to flourish. These habitats too are under threat and we need to conserve them.
A Step Ahead | August 2020
Arresting the downward tumble
Neerja Singh
Life for young adults is not what it used to be. Today we are living in the age of information and the popularity of social networking sites has only exacerbated the problems of living like an open book all the time. Teenage used to be called ‘the spring of life’; people were happy. But now, it is a dark phase in life and unless we take proper measures, we will lose o
August 2020 | Cover Story
Reshaping education during the pandemic
Sanjhee Gianchandani
It seems like the ant and the elephant story playing out in real life. A microscopic virus has wrecked havoc in the lives of human beings worldwide. Like everything else, education systems across the globe have been disrupted. How are the various stakeholders in education coping with this crisis? Have we found ways to adapt? Is online education the solution to our
Read more articles from this issue
July 2020
July 2020 | Project.
The Pyramids – a cross-curricular trip
Sunita Biswas
For centuries, the pyramids of Egypt have been a source of wonder because of their size, the complexities in the construction process and about the men who created these enduring marvels. So, in the school curriculum, how can this topic be dealt across all disciplines and not just history? Here is a fascinating insight.
July 2020 | Off The Library Shelves.
Emotional literacy through picture books
Lakshmi Karunakaran
The role of a library educator is not merely to give access to books, but also to nurture children's socio-emotional and cognitive growth. The article highlights the author’s experiences of how a library can address the emotional needs of all children, including those who are ‘at risk’ or/and are from marginalized communities.
Cover Story | July 2020.
When students’ voices take centre-stage
Fiona Vaz
Active Learning engages students in two ways - doing things and thinking about the things they are doing. In order to learn, students must do more than just listen. They need to read, write, discuss or be engaged in solving problems. But why do most schools and teachers resist adopting Active Learning methods in their classrooms? The reasons are many, ranging from a vast syl
Read more articles from this issue
May-June 2020
Cover Story | May-June 2020 | Pedagogy.
Exploring explorations
Vinusha Venkatesh
A typical classroom, teacher-centric and bound by the shackles of time and syllabus gives its students absolutely nothing. Try and transform your classroom into one where students are given a free rein to explore questions that interest them and where teachers stay on the sidelines and then see how learning blossoms.
May-June 2020 | Policy And Perspectives.
Can we use our participation in PISA to improve our maths learning levels?
Sridhar Rajagopalan and Nishchal Shukla
Only once has India ever participated in a PISA test and so badly did we perform that it has taken us more than a decade to muster the courage to participate again in 2021. Even locally designed tests like ASSET and ASER have time and again shown the dismal standards of the Indian education system. While these assessment tools show us how terrib
May-June 2020 | Practice.
Folk mathematics
S N Gananath
The beauty of math lies in the variety of methods one can employ to teach it. If you are a creative and passionate teacher, you would have realized the potential of folk puzzles to teach several aspects of mathematics - problem solving, spatial thinking, computation, pattern identification to name just a few.
Read more articles from this issue