Conflict in the curriculum

Sunanda Ali

Krishna Kumar’s new book, Education, conflict, and peace points out that conflict seems to be conspicuous by its absence in the Indian curriculum. Why are we afraid to talk about and discuss conflict with our children when it is, in fact, all around us? By keeping them away from conflict we are not protecting them from it. Unless children understand what conflict is and why it arises we cannot expect them to avoid conflicts.

A space for questioning

Arun Elassery

Aman Sethu, a school in Pune, has taken the best out of the various learning philosophies to carve its own learning journey.

Let’s play a little game

Brendan MacCarthaigh

Teach children about values and rules and why they need to follow some and break others through a small game called Psycho Dynamic Exercise.

The case for emotional literacy

Dominica Ireland

Schools exist not just to teach math and science to children. Let us work towards our children’s emotional well-being and wholesome development as well by incorporating Social and Emotional Learning programmes into our curriculum.

A matter of location

Monica Kochar

What is GPS or the Global Positioning System? How does it work? How and why is it useful? Find out how a little bit of math helps the GPS work.

Discipline through punishment?

Neeraja Raghavan

This month Teacher Plus introduces a new column that looks to bring research in the educational sector to the classroom. In this first article, the author looks at how a teacher’s disciplining strategies can affect the students’ motivational levels and their impression of the teacher.

Ethics in education – a student’s perspective

Arjun Mirani

Whenever there is talk of morals, and values and ethics it is always best to involve the people they are meant to benefit instead of just imposing a bunch of rules hoping that values will be imbibed by following them. Here’s how students in a school in Mumbai worked towards an ethics committee and learnt a great deal in the bargain.

Lessons for life

Gita Krenek

Rules are important for no society can function without them. But insistence on blind obedience of rules only encourages passive acceptance. As responsible influential adults in the lives of children, teachers have to ensure that they nurture critically thinking children who understand and imbibe the values behind those rules. And perhaps the best way to do this is perhaps to become role models they can emulate.

Going beyond the rule book

Chintan Girish Modi

Rules are made in the hope that their followers will learn certain values. But rules are often made by an authority and forced upon its people. And since what is right for me may not be right for you, it is necessary that rules are discussed and the values they promote be understood. Only if this happens will you realize whether a certain rule is just and challenge one that is unjust. If people had blindly followed rules women would still not have the right to vote, or the dalits wouldn’t be able to enter a temple.