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.
Category: Cogitations
Reflections of an intolerant teacher
Prakash Iyer
We are living in a pluralist society and if, unlike us, we want our children to live in harmony in such a society we need to train them. But will merely talking about unity and diversity in the classroom do the trick? What should a teacher do before embarking on contentious topics? Here’s what this teacher concluded after an intense reflective session.
Curriculum, and Forms of knowledge
Prakash Iyer
Is all knowledge of the same kind? Are there different forms of knowledge? And how can the school curriculum include the different forms of knowledge? What do we mean when we refer to multiple disciplines? Here are answers to all these questions and more.
Controversies in disciplines are useful!
Prakash Iyer
School curriculum is organized by subjects, and subject content is decided by subject area experts. In that sense, we teachers become dependent on experts. If experts change their mind or disagree with each other, it leaves us in a dilemma. Who do we agree with? This leads to even more vexatious important questions: What do we teach? Why? This is a fictional conversation between two teachers trying to answer these questions.
“I am like this only” vs “I would like to be like that”
Prakash Iyer
Is one born with a certain type of character? Are we stuck with what we believe is our character? Do we have any say in shaping our characters? As teachers we have to help our students, especially the struggling ones, believe that they can break free of a fixed mindset so as to be able to learn better.
Carrying meaning through language
Prakash Iyer
Is experience essential for children to learn concepts or trigger fresh ideas? Can teachers create appropriate experiences that can act as stimuli for children? How does language contribute to this process? This interesting article tackles this topic in the form of a fictional conversation between two teachers.
Freeing up the learning mind
Prakash Iyer
Student misconceptions should not be seen as hurdles but boons in the path of learning. Our tendency, as teachers, to correct our students when they are wrong causes more harm than help in their learning journey. It is time that we learnt to use their misconceptions to help our students unravel the concepts they are to learn themselves.
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.
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.