Usha Raman
This issue on libraries brings together some varied and rich experiences of librarians, library educators and book lovers. It gives us a bit of history and also hope that learning, knowledge seeking and escape can really all come together in a space where books and resources are available aplenty and where people are able to connect with people.
Category: Editorial
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.
Up close and far away
Usha Raman
Educational technology is more than just online classroom Instruction. It is also about school structure, digitization, organization etc. It can provide solutions for the entire system too, if educators choose to take it on. But there is the other side in all this celebration of technology. We need to care for what is in the present and the immediate and learn from our surroundings.
Making memories, celebrating life
Usha Raman
This Teacher’s Day we decided to take a look at the beginnings and endings and all there is in between. We bring you memories and stories that teachers and students have shared with us of how felt that first day entering a classroom, the first time they went to school, the day someone passed out, the day a teacher retired. We hope you enjoy reading their stories as much as we enjoyed putting them together. Happy Teacher’s Day.
Rethinking the context of teaching
Usha Raman
A recent webinar co- hosted by Teacher Plus in association with Wishwa brought to the fore several concerns that parents and teachers had about online learning and about the aims and objectives of education. Parents were concerned about screen time and teachers about keeping the children engaged and motivated. It was however an opportunity for teachers and parents to come together and build on their collaboration.
Showing the soft side
Usha Raman
In the pre-pandemic days life was always rushed. We never stopped to think about anyone or anything. Today, the pandemic has consumed all our lives and changed the way we do things. Amidst all the adversities, it has also provided us with opportunities to learn new things about ourselves; it has shown us that in many ways we are all the same. Hopefully our new realizations will help us create more empathetic and understanding living and learning spaces.
A crucible of ideas
Usha Raman
Home Science as a subject has for long been on the backburner in the practice of school education. The low numbers of students opting for this subject, since itis largely perceived as a course for girls,has not helped either. Be that as it may, sincehome science is an optional subject at the high school level in most boards, this issue of Teacher Plus looks at the theme broadly, both from the viewpoint of home science as a curricular subject and as a tool for overall development.
There but not yet there
Usha Raman
It has been a year since our world turned upside down. And now slowly but surely we seem to be trudging towards what we used to know as ‘normal’. But with every new situation, the one thing that remains constant is anxiety, which somehow seems heightned these days. From the adult world, anxiety is now spilling into the lives of children as well and as we tackle our own worries we must look out for our children as well.
Can we listen to the young?
Usha Raman
Stories of injustice, neglect and outright condemnation abound in newspapers and the social media. The older generation has lived with this lopsided world but today’s younger generation is beginning to raise its voice and fight for what is right. Instead of shushing them down, as their caretakes let us help them find constructive ways to intervene at instances of injustice.
Small steps can make a big difference
Usha Raman
According to the World Bank, India is among the top few waste generating countries in the world. Unless we take drastic measures, it is believed that India will soon produce double the amount of waste it is now producing. This month we bring you the stories of a few schools that have taken up the challenge of going zero waste, in the hope that they inspire many more to follow suit.