‘Blending’ learning

Bindu Subramaniam
Today we are still in the midst of a global pandemic but we are also ready to slowly start living our lives. Schools across the country have slowly started to reopen, testing the waters. But we are not yet ready to return to the pre-COVID times. In this situation blended learning is the best way forward.

Making health a habit

Usha Raman
Health and hygiene have never been so in the limelight as in these past 20 months. While our “new found knowledge” about keeping ourselves and our environments clean and healthy is not really new, it is time that we actually start putting into practice what we know and create environments that not only educate but also promote wellbeing.

The power of read-aloud

Yasin Khan
Reading aloud is an art that people working with children need to learn and learn well. Not only does it help develop the reading habit in children, but it also facilitates the overall wellbeing of the child even while improving their cognitive skills.

The plus and minus of fractions

Suma Vivekanandan
There are many concepts of study where the scope for confusion is large. One such is fractions in mathematics. A teacher shares how she taught her students addition and subtraction of fractions in a simple manner, leaving no room for confusion.

Paper-start reading – a joyful experience

Nabanita Deshmukh
Getting children into the habit of reading and helping them sustain it is an extremely difficult task these days. The benefits of reading are immense and that is why we share with you a few simple games to help you and your children get started on the reading path.

Re-imagining schools after a catastrophe

Lakshmi Karunakaran
Schools across the country are preparing to welcome children back to classrooms after almost a year and a half of remaining closed. While there are many things that need to be focused upon as schools reopen their gates, there is one most critical and hitherto overlooked aspect that cannot be ignored anymore — the overall health and wellbeing of the child. The pandemic has brought health and hygiene into focus albeit more from the need for prevention of infection, it is time that schools realized that building safe and hygienic environments is linked to healthy and happy children who are ready to learn.

Redefining ‘new normal’, one phone call at a time

Richa Pandey
As a community we have now experienced both “normal” and “new normal” education. And while the “new normal” falls drastically short of including the entire student population, the “normal” wasn’t ideal either. Based on her experience of working with students in rural areas over the last year and a half, the author shares how it is time for us to redefine teaching and learning by bringing together the good from all our different experiences.

Ocean’s deep dark zone – Benthos

Geetha Iyer
Even as man’s knowledge of outer space increases by the day and his search for extra-terrestrial life continues unabated, he remains ignorant of the myriad life forms flourishing right in his backyard. Our knowledge of the deepest parts of our oceans is still nascent but let us share it widely, especially with our children, so that we can help conserve oceans.

Growing is fun

Nandini D
Starting with this month, Teacher Plus, brings you a new column on gardening. Gardening is therapeutic, improves cognitive skills and helps one appreciate nature. With the green cover reducing significantly over the years and children growing up less sensitive and away from nature, we hope that teachers will use the articles in this column to get their students’ hands dirty and their minds and hearts grow.