Santhosh Padmanabhan
Why is physical education not seen as a priority area by most school managements? Why is it viewed as a luxury and a wasteful exercise that does not add value to a child’s mental development? A schooling system that sees sports and physical activity as an integral part of the classroom and the life of its students and staff creates a healthy community that learns joyfully. Our cover theme this time explores the idea of how the pursuit of sport can impart some of the greatest life lessons that there are to learn and calls for integrating sports into the curriculum.
Category: Cover Story
The Uncounted tasks of a teacher
Kanupriya Jhunjhunwala
When a person joins the teaching profession, is he/she ever given a job description? Apart from a vague mention of the responsibilities the school expects from the new teacher, there is nothing concrete said or written. Does the state have rules and guidelines about the teachers in its schools? Are there stipulated work hours for teachers? What is a teacher actually meant to do and what does he/she end up doing in the course of his/her work as a teacher?
Multiple roles, many responsibilities
Simran Luthra and Mounik Shankar Lahiri
Are schools assuming a more corporate-like structure with teachers taking on newer roles and responsibilities? Why is this so and is this a way to create more opportunities for teachers to complement classroom pedagogy? Is this an ‘additional’ responsibility or is there huge value in being inspired from these corporate-like practices?
Branding education
Divya Choudary
Once upon a time education was considered a service but today it is a business like any other; started to make a profit. With more and more schools opening up, marketing them to parents and kids is becoming necessary. With many schools concentrating on the razzle-dazzle, is the quality of education taking a beating?
Uniforms down the ages
Vandana Aggarwal
School uniforms or dress codes remain the preferred manner of clothing in many nations around the world, many of which base their school system on the Western model. Different countries and communities have different approaches to uniforms. The uniform as it is worn today has seen a lot of change over the centuries. What remains constant is that it was present then and it is present now and it is still following its primary principle which is to promote team spirit, discipline and equality among all students. A look at the history of uniforms.
Texts and the context of learning
Hriday Ranjan
In the era of technology in education, how relevant are textbooks? As against the visual graphics of the multimedia, can the textbook still hold its own? How much have the textbooks changed and how dependent are we on them now? Find the answers in this times cover story.
Can reflective practice be taught?
Rohit Dhankar
Can reflective practice be taught to student teachers? How can this be done? One way would be to ensure that teacher educators are also reflective practitioners who have a clear idea of reflective practice. Another pre-requisite would be to have a curriculum and pedagogy that is suitable to develop reflection and mastery over the practice.
Posts from the past
Over the years, education has undergone a lot of transformation. Today it is more open, allows for a more varied experience and is considered more child-friendly. But what about one of the main pillars of education – the teachers? What Read More …
Is there a place for religion?
Mini Krishnan
Is there a place for religion in schools? How will children benefit if introduced and explained fairly in classrooms? The ideal way to go about it would be to focus on peace education. But without value education, there can be no peace, so they have to be integrated into mainstream classroom study. Children need a space to express their emotions and talk about things that trouble them.
Inclusive education
Jayanthi Narayan
What is inclusive education? Who are the stakeholders involved? What is the status of inclusive education in India and what do we need to do? Find answers to these questions in this times cover story.