Dare to be unconventional!

Monica Kochar

Is there only one single rule to multiplying numbers? Does one always have to start with the number on the right and keep going left? Well here’s news. If you know your place values well, no rules need apply. Try multiplying from the top to the bottom, from left to right and see if you get the correct answer.

Breaking the isolation

Pramod Maithil

If a teacher has to stay focused, passionate and interested in his/her job the school should play a good supporting role and not leave the teacher to carry on alone. So in what way can schools support their teachers? Find out how here.

Beyond the crowning glory

Sujata C

A part of our body we are always concerned about is the hair. We love it. We despise it. We worry over it. So let’s take this constant attention a little beyond and see what we can learn about and from hair. Get your students to work on this very interesting topic and you will be amazed at the wide scope of learning that hair has to offer.

Syllabus – Textus – Nexus

Bubla Basu

How are textbooks designed or developed? Does any thought go behind the way a textbook is produced? Are textbooks made for the market or the children? The author answers these questions from her knowledge of how English language textbooks are made.

From the twists in the tales

Deepa Kiran

Stories are exciting, stories one remembers, stories can even teach. How? Follow our new column Story Time and find tips on storytelling and what you can teach through them.

Making formulae concrete

Sarita Suryadevra

A change from the regular is always exciting. Set aside your chalks and textbooks one day and see how differently you can teach in your next class and see the surprise and enthusiasm your students show. This economics teacher did exactly that. Read to find out how she taught marginal productivity.

Can you hear me?

Shefali Shah

India has been talking about inclusive education for some time, but how many schools are truly inclusive? Yes the number of schools taking in differently-abled children is on the rise but do they provide the environment necessary for these children to learn? For instance, how does classroom noise affect children, especially those with hearing loss? Here are some ideas on what a school can do to improve its acoustics and provide children who hear normally or otherwise a better environment to learn.

Viewing the big picture

Teachers have the difficult yet important task of readying their students for the world tomorrow. While we are fulfilling our responsibilities by making them literate, our teaching practices are yet to train them in applying their knowledge for the society’s growth. We are yet to train our students to become sensitive to the situations in the world today, identify its problems and find practical solutions. Reading and writing is important but they alone don’t make the word ‘education’.

Have you seen the ammonia fountain?

Yasmin Jayathirtha

Ammonia is soluble in water. But most chemistry teachers will agree that demonstrating this experiment is a tedious task. Young minds, however, learn best when they can see whether what they have been told is true or not. So here is a much simpler and more spectacular way of proving the above statement.

Grannies in the cloud

Milan Kaur

With the Internet at their disposal and a facilitator to guide them if necessary, can children become their own teachers? Are self-organized learning environments (SOLE) as proposed by Dr. Sugata Mitra really possible? Teacher Plus participated in a SOLE session at Gocharan in West Bengal to see how a SOLE Lab works, how children learn there, what the role of the grannies who provide the stimulating environment is and it turned out to be quite an interesting experience.