From research in action to action research

Devika Nadig and Vijay Gupta
How can teachers plan, observe, intervene and assess their own teaching so that it leads to better and more effective interventions? The authors propose this idea of Action Research where teachers themselves become researchers in the classroom and also give three reasons why teachers should be doing this research. From becoming more reflective and thereby enhancing their own learning to transforming the school into a learning organisation, teachers end up finding thier own answers to the problems they face. What can be more empowering than this?

Making them emotion-able

Aditi Mathur and Ratnesh Mathur
Emotions are part of our basic operating system and often determine our happiness and health as well as our thoughts and actions.Emotional empowerment should therefore become an integral part of a child’s development and learning.

The case of the struggling “new” teacher

Gopal Midha
Here is an instance of an educational ‘case’. These cases are usually problems or dilemmas that are not resolved. They however help practitioners to think deeply about the context of the problem, and engage in discussions at staffroom meetings.

Writing up to the challenge

Parul Parihar
Improving English writing skills of students is a challenge all teachers encounter. I discovered this challenge while teaching the students of grade 3. I observed that students were having a tough time expressing themselves through the written form of English. Though some of them could speak quite well in English, they faced problems in putting down their thoughts in the written form.

When words confuse the numbers

Garima Goswami
Most of us have dreaded solving word problems in math. Word problems, arguably, are the prime reason why many children develop math phobia. As National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Standards advocates, problem solving is an integral part of all mathematics learning and therefore we cannot wish away word problems in math.

It’s all connected!

T M Srikanth
“Acceleration is the rate of change of velocity.” This was the definition of acceleration that I had just taught students of class 8. The response was blank looks. So I thought I would make it easier by using word associations. I asked the class what they understood by the word “rate”. Pat came the answers: ‘cost’, ‘money’, ‘price’… No matter how hard I pushed, I never got the answer for this context: time.

Here the real and the virtual meet!

Smitha Prasad

As a computer science teacher, one of my most joyous moments is watching my students eagerly looking for me in the morning assembly, especially on the days their timetable has computer science. The happy and eager faces as I enter their class and say “Line up…!! Let’s go to the lab…!” says it all.

Bringing mistakes into the curriculum

Neeraja Raghavan
This month, I would like to bring to you one of my favourite research papers. I never tire of reading it. Each time I go back to it, I get something more from it. But unlike the previous research papers that I have shared here, this paper is not freely downloadable. After you read this piece, and participate in the NOW BRING IT INTO THE CLASSROOM section, you may email me if you want to read the original paper. I can help you with that, by sending you a soft copy.

Connections and convergences

Sunita Biswas
True learning happens when you can see the big picture. No knowledge, to paraphrase John Donne, is an island, entire of itself. Every little fact connects with another and then another. Educators are well aware of this and the framers of curricula generally follow this aphorism.

Embrace the exam…like it was your best friend!

Manaswini Sridhar
As parents, we don’t blink even once to admit a three-and-a-half year old infant to Lower Kindergarten. Sometimes, we banish our children to school even at the age of three because we do not want our child to ‘waste’ an academic year and stay back at home, playing and getting better acquainted with the family and the rest of the world.