Let’s get moving

Shruti Shankar
The pandemic has given us the opportunity to rethink several aspects of education. Can healthy behaviours be incorporated into and taught through the education system? Despite several states permitting schools to operate in offline mode, many schools continue in the online and hybrid modes. While the online mode presents its own set of challenges, it is especially vital that movement and exercise are incorporated into the routine of online schooling.

Are we ready for ‘hybrid education’?

Kiran Sangeeta Murali
With schools reopening across the country, will students be able to adapt to the new routine? Reorganizing and restructuring a student’s day bit by bit, a small step at a time will help them deal with their offline time-table gradually.

The marvellous world of chemical compounds

Hanza George, Mursaleen Shaikh and Savita Ladage
Chemistry is one subject that is delinked from everyday life when it is taught in formal schools. Most textbooks are abstract in nature and students have very few opportunities to explore experimental activities and materials. As a solution, here are some resources in the form of leaflets about some interesting chemical compounds and highlighting their connections to our lives.

A mirror to education in our times

Jayapadma R.V.
The pandemic has catapulted teaching learning processes into the online world. During such a time it would be good to remind ourselves of some of the concerns Tagore and Krishnamurti had about education. For in them we may find ideas for the way forward.

The power of storytelling

Shaveta Azad
Teachers and educators are great storytellers. When a teacher tells a story, a child begins to create visuals in her mind and makes her own interpretations in order to understand the story better. Children also tend to grasp difficult concepts when stitched into stories. But it is also up to the teacher to engage in reflective activities after storytelling to keep track of what the children have learnt.

Literature circles in libraries

Sonia Deshpande
Reading together as a group can help deepen children’s engagement with books and also bring them together as a reading community. It is also about the group finding value in thinking together and discovering different perspectives. A look at how literature circles enable better understanding of a book.

Learning online: a student’s perspective

R Aishwarya
A student writes about her learning challenges online after the initial excitement wears off. Here she enlists the challenges that she faced – lack of engagement in the classes, no active interaction or structured routine leading to less energy and no motivation.

From tech averse to tech savvy!

P Ajitha
In this article, a teacher talks about her tryst with virtual teaching without any scaffolding or training, at first a nightmare, but later something that turned out to be very rewarding. Read it for more insights.

Pause for a moment – or half

Vaishnavi Bhat and Venkata Krishna Bayineni
Question time is an important part of any teaching – learning session in the classroom. But how often does this always bring the desired result? Do teachers wait long enough for a student to respond, or as is the practice, do teachers end up answering their own questions? This interesting article gives a rundown on how important it is to give the student ‘pause’ or ‘wait’ time to respond in order to stimulate reflective thinking and increase student participation.

Making space for grief

Vandana Aggarwal
Death is final and difficult to face for anyone, especially children. Yet it is an experience that affects a child’s social and emotional development. It is important for schools, teachers and counsellors to have an open dialogue about this subject, listen to students and provide a supportive environment.