One of the pet peeves of employers is that individuals who are skilled in a field, be it computer science, accounting, or engineering, often lack “soft skills.” This is an umbrella term for a motley collection of skills relating to…
Do you aspire to lead your team and gradually climb the ranks to more senior positions? Do you have it in you to be a leader? How can you tell? As you’ve probably realized, effective leaders have different styles and…
Though technology has pervaded many aspects of our lives, including schooling, the practice of teaching hasn’t changed radically over the past half-century. Education is still largely adult-directed, with key decisions made using a top-down approach
First published in The Hindu, 4th November 2024 As you down your morning coffee, do you also solve Wordle? When you go for your morning run, do you take a slightly different route every day, soaking in the sights and…
In The Demon-haunted World, famed astronomer Carl Sagan observes that kindergartners and first-graders are eager and enthused about learning. “Provocative and insightful questions bubble out of them,” he notes. But much to his dismay, 12th graders don’t display the same curiosity or…
First published in The Hindu, 6th October 2024 Most readers will vouch that they read a book for the sheer joy of reading. But what about rereading a book? What propels some people to revisit pages to journey again with…
While climate change is in the news and children are being introduced to climate science in schools, another aspect of climate is very relevant to students. Just as our planet’s climate affects our everyday lives, the classroom climate also impacts
Ayub, known for his strong work ethic and affable demeanor, was always welcome on most teams at work. Easy to get on and work with, Ayub didn’t get on people’s wrong side. Until Keya entered the organization. She too found…
To be calm, composed, and centered is not a learning goal that is spelled out in most curricula. While a minority of schools in the country have socioemotional learning (SEL) programs and explicitly teach these skills, the emotional lives of…
Ashish, a young techie from Hyderabad, was thrilled to get a job offer from a start-up in Austin, Texas. This was the break he had long been dreaming of. He planned to work at the new job for four years…
