With the summer holidays looming ahead, it is time teachers took that long awaited break to do the things they want to do but could not. Some of them can bring out their books to read, others can spend time watching their favourite movies. A relaxed atmosphere will help trigger fresh ideas that teachers can take back to their classrooms once the vacation is over.
Category: April 2016
A moot point
Ratna Rao
Learning to debate is a skill that can benefit primary school children. They learn to express themselves verbally and in front of groups. This builds their confidence apart from sharpening their listening and speaking skills. Debates are also useful assessment tools to gain insights into students’ understanding of various topics. Here are a few ways in which teachers can help children develop their debating skills.
Digestion in a test tube!
Yasmin Jayathirtha
Food tests are commonly done in a biology classroom. However, some experiments cannot be done because of the complexity of chemicals and the processes . This article highlights an experiment that can be done in a test tube to understand how digestion takes place.
Looking inwards through drama
Lamia Bagasrawala
A Mumbai- based school has come up with a novel initiative to create a space for teachers to introspect, share their teaching experiences, celebrate their success stories, explore, learn and grow individually and as a cohesive group. And all this is done through creative movement and drama exercises! Read on to get an idea of these reflection meetings as they are called.
Teaching for a resilient tomorrow
Deborah Dutta
How are teachers helping children to face an increasingly unpredictable world? What kind of education is necessary to keep up with the rapid changes taking place? The writer talks about how it is not enough just to be physically prepared to face crisis, but to foster interconnections and networks among people, reach out and empathise and try and build societies anew.
Kaling’s dream, a bike, and a bottle of rum
Rejum Potom
Children’s development happens through observation, imitation and the environment in which they grow up. So, how can teachers and parents ensure that children grow up appreciating gender differences and equality? These are some questions raised in this simple article.
Inclusion – a way of life!
Sonia Kapoor
Inclusive education is about helping all learners to learn at their pace and together with others. Teachers need to structure their teaching strategies in response to student needs so that the learner has the advantage. Here are some tips on how to be a more inclusive teacher.
The power of action research
Arun Elassery
Here is a book for the reflective teacher offering several helpful insights into how children learn coupled with strategies that teachers can use in their classrooms.
Sarvodaya Samaj: the link between social justice and mathematics
Pooja Keshavan Singh
Mathematics, in the eyes of many learners, continues to remain on the pedestal creating a feeling of inadequacy in everyone. This article tries to establish a link between how teaching of mathematics can help us move towards a more equitable society. Social justice maths tries to integrate social justice issues into math classes. Take a look at this interesting article.
Dissect three-dimensional models
Anveshna Srivastava
Dissection , in the past, has proved to be a very powerful device to understand biological systems but with the UGC banning animal dissections, most educationists have suggested that the virtual media can fill the gap. However, the author recommends that 3-dimensional models can be manipulated to play the role of non- functional systems that can be easily dissected in the classroom.