School students are perpetually battered with the burden of ‘syllabus completion’ right from the ‘ripe’ age of 6-7 years. This ‘syllabus-gospel’ that schools and teachers stick to is hugely driven by the content in textbooks. There is no dearth of the number and variety of textbooks available in the market…
View More Conceptual clarity – why it is important in primary education?
I came across this video for the first time about two years ago. Since then, I have found it multiple times in the contexts of life lessons, children’s educational videos, leadership training and most recently on a reality show in a Marathi TV channel. The summary of the video is…
View More Life lessons from the kitchen
Habit – the bit that remains As the current year approaches the end and a New Year begins with great hopes, it also brings along with it a shortened deadline (45 to 60 days) for the Final Exam. The beauty of life is in balance, on one hand we want…
View More Studying effectively for exams with the right habits
I have been teaching my student for more than a year now, I still see confusion and fear in her eyes when I ask her a question and she doesn’t know the answer. I tell her repeatedly that it is okay if her answer is wrong, she needs to speak…
View More Why do we stigmatise mistakes?
Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration – Thomas Alva Edison I have always wondered why I like the things that I like or why am I the way I am? When I meditate on this idea in solitude, I hit upon the thought that I am what I am…
View More Life – a wellspring of inspiration
“I don’t read, I proofread” – this is a boon and bane I live with every day. Little details pop out to me and I feel compelled to correct or change them – not always a pleasant experience, in fact, quite the contrary. Everyone around me – family, friends, colleagues…
View More To spoon-feed or to allow flexibility?
Movie buff that I am, I always look for inspirational stories that make me think about my life choices. Be it Marvel’s Avengers for technology that could change class room teaching in the near future, or great biographies that tell us how holding on to what you believe makes all…
View More Am I mad enough?
Today learning is more challenging than ever. As the world becomes more digitally connected, we do not get to hear these so often. E.g.: Hey! how do yellow and blue make green? or how to build a tree house? Also, summer does not mean playing endless hours of old-school outdoor games…
View More Let them play: strategies to motivate your child to learn
‘My son/daughter doesn’t listen to me’ I hear this complaint from parents all the time. This is irrespective of whether the son/daughter is 2 years old or 42 years old. At least in the Indian setting, ‘listening to’ and ‘obeying’ parents is seen as a virtue of the highest order.…
View More Is obedience a virtue?
I clearly remember my maths class, as a kid. My teacher would come one fine morning and ask us- “so students, what is 5 x 2?”. After a pause of about two seconds, we all would yell in unison- “taaann (10)!” She would then say- “vaaarry goood”. Little surprise, in…
View More Are you asking the right questions?