Sanjhee Gianchandani
Multiple-choice questions can be assessed easily and make thinking visible. This is why they are a reliable method of conducting assessments. Since the questions are short and sharp, they can be used in a test situation and give test takers an intensive examination of how much they understand about a given subject. As most teachers struggle to create these type of questions, this article attempts to break down the process into simple steps and teach the skill using examples and non-examples.
Category: Things to Think About
Get ready…to pause
Aarthi Prem
Life today is always on the fast track. Too busy even to do our work properly, we rush through things. As teachers, in our rush to complete the syllabus, reach the next staff meeting, or finish correcting assignments, we don’t have the time to see whether what we are teaching is actually reaching our students. It is time that we learnt how to pause both in the classroom and outside it.
Design thinking as a teaching framework
Rupangi Sharma
What is design thinking and how can it be relevant for teachers? Design thinking is all about defining and solving tough problems. It focuses on creating prototype solutions and learning from mistakes. It can be very empowering tool for teachers to create a lasting impact. This article breaks down the possibilities that design thinking offers.
Building resilience
Joyita Ambett and Neha Pradhan Arora
What is resilience and how can it be built in children, to help them prevent, respond to and tackle abuse, violence and exploitation? Low self-esteem, helplessness, depression are some of the life-long effects of abuse in children. All this in turn affects overall development and learning. Resilience is a critical skill that will help children cope with trauma or negative life events and bounce back from difficult situations. This article outlines a framework and approach that schools can adopt to build safer spaces.
Lend me your ears
Riya Dominic
To be able to contribute to meaningful dialogue, what we need is not just knowledge of the topic in question but also the ability to listen to the other person and keep an open mind. Can schools and colleges create an atmosphere that fosters these skills in young people?
Learning that informs life
Sanjhee Gianchandani
The classroom is a space where students learn together, are encouraged to compete with another and are put together on an equal footing so that they can succeed in life. Social Emotional Learning (SEL) helps them deal with their emotions and provides a lens with which they can see the world with empathy and humanity. Here are a few ideas on how SEL can be implemented in everyday classroom routine.
NEP 2020 and learning outcomes
Anjali Sharma
While several surveys in the country indicate that there is a severe learning crisis with elementary school children lacking even the basic foundational literacy and numeracy skills, the NEP 2020 does little to address the real problem that lies at the heart of this crisis. So, what are the pathways listed by the NEP to find a solution and do they require a serious rethink?
Recipes to cook your mistakes (and eat them too)
Aditi Mathur and Ratnesh Mathur
From our childhood we are taught to avoid mistakes, be afraid of committing them, to do only the right thing. But don’t they also say failure is the stepping stone to success? If we are embarrassed by our mistakes, we won’t learn from them. Here are a few ‘mistake recipes’ that will lead you to successful learning.
Cognitive offloading and COVID learners
Pooja Birwatkar
Has corona impacted cognition? This is a question that all educators must ask themselves and act fast to take the next essential step. In today’s education space, the use of technological tools has greatly impacted cognitive processing. At one time memory was relied upon for all cognitive processing but now all processes have been externalized. When schools reopen, will this new breed of e-learners be able to go back to the old ways of, say, solving a mathematical problem relying on their memory? That remains to be seen.
Let’s get moving
Shruti Shankar
The pandemic has given us the opportunity to rethink several aspects of education. Can healthy behaviours be incorporated into and taught through the education system? Despite several states permitting schools to operate in offline mode, many schools continue in the online and hybrid modes. While the online mode presents its own set of challenges, it is especially vital that movement and exercise are incorporated into the routine of online schooling.