A hands-on learning aid

Madhulika Sagaram
Courage is a trait that all children should develop. But can you grow courage? This unique workbook from Liv & Blue Publishing promises to build your courage through a series of fun activities that cut across subjects and intelligences. Children learn to become ‘even more courageous’ as they imbibe mathematical, language and scientific skills among many others.

Habitats under threat: Grasslands

Geetha Iyer
After a hiatus, we bring you Naturewatch, this time focusing on habitats under threat. With more knowledge about the different ecosystems, young minds will be in a better position to think about conserving them. In this first article, the author talks about grasslands, which we believe are ubiquitous in nature.

Protecting technological innovations

CIPAM team
Our students are always full of ideas, some quite brilliant actually. If built upon, these ideas can turn into solutions to problems like pollution, space management, depletion of natural resources, etc. As teachers/facilitators we must encourage our students to keep their ideas coming and tell them how they can patent their ideas and take them to fruition.

Question of the Week

B R Sitaram
Did you find out why the tanpura and not the harmonium maybe a better musical instrument to accompany Hindustani music? Why do you think peacocks dance in the rain? If you haven’t yet been able to figure out then we give you the answers here along with a few more questions to keep you thinking until next month.

A corner to read

Dhiraj Pratim Medhi
The reading that most children do is from textbooks, which they consider a chore. With little or no access to different books, children don’t develop a reading habit. Here is how the Azim Premji Foundation is taking up this challenge in government schools in Uttarakhand.

Do we need a national language?

Anuradha C
Hindi or English? The question on every Indian mind today. While what language we use to communicate in informal contexts is not much of a concern, it is the medium of instruction in schools that is the cause of this nationwide debate. But does the language used to teach really matter so much? As long as we know what really to teach and how to teach it, learning will happen no matter the language.

Language, consciousness and empathy

Prakash Iyer
The draft National Policy of Education 2019 was put to public scrutiny and suggestions were sought. What is the point of such an exercise? Will all the one lakh comments and more be incorporated in the final Policy? Such large scale public exercises often offer more than participation in a democratic process. They offer us a chance to reflect, empathize, and even learn to express ourselves—some things which we will do good to develop in our classrooms as well.

What’s appropriate?

Shivani Mathur Gaiha and Spandana Kommuri
Adolescence continues to remain a tricky stage in the lives of human beings. Apart from parents, teachers also have to be alert and prepared to handle several ‘teenage’ situations. One constant struggle teachers, especially in high school, go through is the growing attraction between boys and girls. Is there a sensible way of handling issues that arise out of adolescent love?

Write to heal

Chintan Girish Modi
The world is a shattered place today. Gruesome violence and terror are an everyday occurrence. The world needs to heal. Taking into account an experiment—Write to Reconcile—the author discusses why we should teach creative writing and how it can turn into a healing experience.

Know your pi and eat it too!

Sundaram S
The pie is a mysterious and fascinating number; the more you try to understand it the more surprises it throws up at you. Here are some interesting facts about this number.