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.

Blogs as a tool for reflective teaching

Jennifer Thomas
When teachers try out new methods or engage in experimenting with a particular lesson plan in the classroom, how do they get to share their experience with other teachers? Do they reflect on whether their new ideas found favour with the children or not? Here is a story of how teachers turned reflective by writing blogs and how the experience helped them get an insight into the various teaching- learning moments.

A room where no one hears the bell

Sunita Biswas
Staff rooms in schools are spaces with endless possibilities for fascinating journeys. While they can mean different things to different people —- either a sanctum for communication and collaboration or just simply a place to unwind, or a breeding ground for gossip and discord, there is no denying that staff room dynamics reflect the attitudes, values and work ethics of the school as a whole. What is important however is that the dynamics can also generate a synergy that is both productive and creative.

A crucible for a new culture

Usha Raman
The staff room is often a good barometer of the culture of the school. A friendly and open staff room can be an indicator of an open and friendly school, where cooperation and collaboration trump competition. But it can also be a space from which change, innovation and excitement spring, where friendships are made and nurtured, where both successes and failures are discussed without judgment.

Dismantling colourism in kindergarten

Sangeeta Zombade and Priyanka Shrivastav
Dark skin has been a matter of ridicule for a long time. Be it home and neighbourhood or media and public spaces, young people are bombarded with messages that put darker shades of skin down and equate being fair to higher standards of beauty. This, in turn, is often used to bully and put people down. Read how some children and their facilitators helped process some of these messages and beliefs underlying them.

Everyone must read this book

Venkatesh Onkar
How do children learn? The answer to this question can be found in Kamala Mukunda’s second book titled, What did you learn at school today? This book is particularly addictive reading for teachers and parents as well and can provide deep insights into how children need to be brought up.

Getting inside the atom

Yasmin Jayathirtha
Children always learn better by doing. So, in order to understand how scientists came up with certain explanations for their theories, they need to work on some experiments which will help them visualize and also come up with deductions.

Question of the Week

B R Sitaram Here are the answers to last month’s questions! Q 1. The great Isaac Newton was born on Christmas day 1642 and the great Galileo Galilee died on Christmas day 1642. But the two events actually took place Read More …

Tackling substance abuse

Shivani Mathur Gaiha and Spandana Kommuri
How can teachers address the issue of substance and drug use that not only have a psychological effect but can also impact the students physiologically?

Simple inclusive strategies

J. S. Sudhir Markham
Learning in the classroom can be quite a challenge for students with an intellectual disability. It is up to the teachers to ensure that certain changes are made to accommodate the child’s learning needs. Here are a few tips to help the teacher make the necessary changes.