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In this issue
A crucible for a new culture
Usha Raman
The staff room is often a good barometer of the culture of the school. A friendly and open staff room can be an indicator of an open and friendly school, where cooperation and collaboration trump competition. But it can also be a space from which change, innovation and excitement spring, where friendships are made and nurtured, where both successes and failures are discussed without judgment.
A room where no one hears the bell
Sunita Biswas
Staff rooms in schools are spaces with endless possibilities for fascinating journeys. While they can mean different things to different people ---- either a sanctum for communication and collaboration or just simply a place to unwind, or a breeding ground for gossip and discord, there is no denying that staff room dynamics reflect the attitudes, values and work ethics of the school as a whole. What i
Blogs as a tool for reflective teaching
Jennifer Thomas
When teachers try out new methods or engage in experimenting with a particular lesson plan in the classroom, how do they get to share their experience with other teachers? Do they reflect on whether their new ideas found favour with the children or not? Here is a story of how teachers turned reflective by writing blogs and how the experience helped them get an insight into the various teaching- lear
Why bother being disturbed by disturbing art!
Prakash Iyer
Why are humans drawn to art that generates negative emotions like sadness, melancholy, horror, fear, disgust? Shouldn’t we avoid art that depicts behaviors and attitudes that we find reprehensible, or abhorrent? Beginning a new column.
July 2019
Cover Story | July 2019
Beyond the culture of fear
Lakshmi Karunakaran
When you arrive at your school every morning, does it welcome you with a smile and open arms? Or are you overwhelmed by it? Discipline, punishment, rules and authority are words usually associated with schools. But how do teachers teach freely when bound by rules? Can children learn when gripped by fear? Learning environments must be happy and safe places, if any le
July 2019 | Teaching Practice
What are you thankful for?
Deepali Barapatre
In a world that is growing increasingly selfish and where everybody is creating little islands for themselves, it is becoming increasingly necessary to train our children to practice gratitude. Let us help our children realize that they don’t live alone in this world and that they have a lot of people to be thankful to in their lives.
July 2019 | Things To Think About
Is this how you teach history?
Chintan Girish Modi
History is one of the more difficult subjects to teach. As an individual with a conscience do you teach your students to conform to the history textbooks (which are usually politically-driven) or do you teach them to confront the ideas presented in there? As an expert in the subject, do you put forth the whole picture for your students to see, or do you just show t
Read more articles from this issueJune 2019
Cover Story | May-June 2019 | Shaping Up Schools.
Playing outside school spaces
Anirban Ghosh
Physical Education needs to be redefined from its present idea of regimented drills, marching and annual sports days. Children must have access to proper play spaces to engage in rigorous physical activity either through games, free play or any other sport. A look at how sports can be taken out of the confines of school spaces.
Classroom Connect | May-June 2019.
From the console to the playground
Aditya Deshbandhu
In this age of technology, e-sport is catching up and may soon be included as part of curricula in high schools and universities in the West. Against this context, it is important for educators to acknowledge the popularity of video games as a platform. This article explains the possibilities of students engaged with video games to seek physical activity as a consequ
Do, Think, Decide | May-June 2019.
Is the ball rolling in government schools?
Aditi Mutatkar and Hemanta Mahanta
Can we ensure quality output by making PE compulsory? In the government system, PE is near dysfunctional and the immediate need would be to look at PE as a learning opportunity, thereby thinking about having specific curricula, assessments and in- service teacher training models.
Read more articles from this issueApril 2019
April 2019 | Thinkers And Educators.
An educator’s legacy
Kavita Anand
There are some people who have left a deeper impact on the way education is perceived than others. Kabir Jaithirtha’s ideas of sharing and generating knowledge have helped not just his students imbibe a new culture of learning but also several of his fellow educators.
April 2019 | Focus.
Nurturing the creative gene
Surekha Nayani
The problems facing the world today are not simple or small. Therefore, the solutions to these problems have to be creative and out-of-the-box. Apart from producing literate and knowledgeable young people, schools should also cultivate their students’ creativity.
April 2019 | Cover Story.
How do we handle holiday homework?
Ankita Rajasekharan
Is holiday homework an oxymoron? Every child you know wants to be left free during the holidays. Most parents however believe that too much freedom will spoil their children. Therefore schools step in to give their students holiday homework that they believe is both fun and educative. But between reluctant children, distressed parents and anxious schools, does hol
Read more articles from this issue
A crucible for a new culture
Usha Raman
The staff room is often a good barometer of the culture of the school. A friendly and open staff room can be an indicator of an open and friendly school, where cooperation and collaboration trump competition. But it can also be a space from which change, innovation and excitement spring, where friendships are made and nurtured, where both successes and failures are discussed without judgment.
A room where no one hears the bell
Sunita Biswas
Staff rooms in schools are spaces with endless possibilities for fascinating journeys. While they can mean different things to different people ---- either a sanctum for communication and collaboration or just simply a place to unwind, or a breeding ground for gossip and discord, there is no denying that staff room dynamics reflect the attitudes, values and work ethics of the school as a whole. What i
Blogs as a tool for reflective teaching
Jennifer Thomas
When teachers try out new methods or engage in experimenting with a particular lesson plan in the classroom, how do they get to share their experience with other teachers? Do they reflect on whether their new ideas found favour with the children or not? Here is a story of how teachers turned reflective by writing blogs and how the experience helped them get an insight into the various teaching- lear
Why bother being disturbed by disturbing art!
Prakash Iyer
Why are humans drawn to art that generates negative emotions like sadness, melancholy, horror, fear, disgust? Shouldn’t we avoid art that depicts behaviors and attitudes that we find reprehensible, or abhorrent? Beginning a new column.
July 2019
Cover Story | July 2019
Beyond the culture of fear
Lakshmi Karunakaran
When you arrive at your school every morning, does it welcome you with a smile and open arms? Or are you overwhelmed by it? Discipline, punishment, rules and authority are words usually associated with schools. But how do teachers teach freely when bound by rules? Can children learn when gripped by fear? Learning environments must be happy and safe places, if any le
July 2019 | Teaching Practice
What are you thankful for?
Deepali Barapatre
In a world that is growing increasingly selfish and where everybody is creating little islands for themselves, it is becoming increasingly necessary to train our children to practice gratitude. Let us help our children realize that they don’t live alone in this world and that they have a lot of people to be thankful to in their lives.
July 2019 | Things To Think About
Is this how you teach history?
Chintan Girish Modi
History is one of the more difficult subjects to teach. As an individual with a conscience do you teach your students to conform to the history textbooks (which are usually politically-driven) or do you teach them to confront the ideas presented in there? As an expert in the subject, do you put forth the whole picture for your students to see, or do you just show t
Read more articles from this issueJune 2019
Cover Story | May-June 2019 | Shaping Up Schools.
Playing outside school spaces
Anirban Ghosh
Physical Education needs to be redefined from its present idea of regimented drills, marching and annual sports days. Children must have access to proper play spaces to engage in rigorous physical activity either through games, free play or any other sport. A look at how sports can be taken out of the confines of school spaces.
Classroom Connect | May-June 2019.
From the console to the playground
Aditya Deshbandhu
In this age of technology, e-sport is catching up and may soon be included as part of curricula in high schools and universities in the West. Against this context, it is important for educators to acknowledge the popularity of video games as a platform. This article explains the possibilities of students engaged with video games to seek physical activity as a consequ
Do, Think, Decide | May-June 2019.
Is the ball rolling in government schools?
Aditi Mutatkar and Hemanta Mahanta
Can we ensure quality output by making PE compulsory? In the government system, PE is near dysfunctional and the immediate need would be to look at PE as a learning opportunity, thereby thinking about having specific curricula, assessments and in- service teacher training models.
Read more articles from this issueApril 2019
April 2019 | Thinkers And Educators.
An educator’s legacy
Kavita Anand
There are some people who have left a deeper impact on the way education is perceived than others. Kabir Jaithirtha’s ideas of sharing and generating knowledge have helped not just his students imbibe a new culture of learning but also several of his fellow educators.
April 2019 | Focus.
Nurturing the creative gene
Surekha Nayani
The problems facing the world today are not simple or small. Therefore, the solutions to these problems have to be creative and out-of-the-box. Apart from producing literate and knowledgeable young people, schools should also cultivate their students’ creativity.
April 2019 | Cover Story.
How do we handle holiday homework?
Ankita Rajasekharan
Is holiday homework an oxymoron? Every child you know wants to be left free during the holidays. Most parents however believe that too much freedom will spoil their children. Therefore schools step in to give their students holiday homework that they believe is both fun and educative. But between reluctant children, distressed parents and anxious schools, does hol
Read more articles from this issue