The River Runs Through

Shalini Balagopal
Yet another World Water Day went by on March 22, with politicians making the usual statements on the need to conserve this irreplaceable natural resource.

Behind the Dumb Act

S. Upendran Hey, why are you reading this article, you dunce? Don’t you have anything better to do, you blockhead? Listen, if you don’t like what I’m saying, just turn the page, idiot. Did the words ‘dunce’, ‘idiot’ and ‘blockhead’ Read More …

Are You ‘Sinistral’?

S. Upendran explores the quirks of language and of teaching in this monthly column. What is it that we have against left-handed people? Why is it when a student writes with his left hand, some teachers order him to use Read More …

Concepts and Skills

S. Sundaram The most difficult subject at school can actually be made interesting if presented in a visual form with activity materials. Mathematics is universally considered as “the most difficult” subject at the school level, both by students and teachers Read More …

The Rules of Silence

Srijaya Char Silent reading helps in easy comprehension. The technique also reinforces the eye-mind relationship. Speed readings coupled with good comprehension are markers of proficient reading. This can be taught to children when they are very young. One effective method Read More …

Break the Ice

Shalini B It is your first day back at school, you enter your class and see a lot of old faces smiling at you and a few new ones looking a little lost. You don’t want to launch into a Read More …

The A to Zee of a class magazine

Cheryl Rao Teachers and schools are well-acquainted with the intricacies, difficulties and rewards of bringing out the annual school magazine. But what about the sheer joy of a handmade, informal class magazine on a quarterly or monthly basis? This could Read More …

The Ramanujan museum for math

S Sundaram and Nirmala Raman PK Srinivasan, or PKS as he was known, was a dreamer with his head in the world of mathematics but feet fi rmly on the ground. He was an ardent admirer and practically a devotee Read More …

A close look at snakes

Romulus Whitaker
India is a land of many awe-inspiring and fascinating reptiles and amphibians – from king cobras that can stand up and look you in the eye, to frogs that glide from tree to tree.

Class room to learn

Sneha Reddy Classroom – the word conjures up an image of desks in pencil-straight lines, with aisles just wide enough to hold a supervising adult. A blackboard at the far end, the sharp answer-ready front benchers in the front rows Read More …