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First published in The Hindu, 30 Nov 2025 Even before digital devices fragmented attention spans, teachers exhorted students to “Pay attention.” When I was in school, in the seventies and eighties, teachers would use this phrase, sometimes banging on a…
As I transitioned from kindergarten to first grade, I remember being very excited by my Hindi textbook at the end of the summer vacation as my mother covered each book with brown paper. Though I could not decipher a single…
So far, in this column, I have covered curiosity, creativity, compassion, composure, communication, ecological consciousness, and responsible citizenship. That’s a total of seven skills or competencies that are not given adequate emphasis by most mainstream schools. Though this column is…
First published in The Hindu, 5 July 2025 You wince at the set of differential equations you need to solve. You barely understand the topic, and you have to plough through a whole page of them. You are tempted to…
First published in Deccan Herald, 17 June 2025 Though teachers interact with children daily, there are many aspects of a child’s universe that teachers aren’t privy to. The home context of children is an elemental force that shapes them in…
That we are the world’s largest democracy is indeed significant. Just as caring for the planet requires an ecological consciousness, a healthy democracy hinges on responsible citizenship. For many, being a good citizen involves being honest in their day-to-day lives…
Vinay, an eight-year-old, is a sparkly child with an impish grin. Though his class teacher recognizes that he has a keen intellect, she’s often overwhelmed by his behaviour.
Our planet’s crying out. Each day, as we toxify the atmosphere with greenhouse gases, Earth’s cries are getting shriller and more strident. From heatwaves to floods to droughts to forest fires, practically every continent is feeling the impact of climate…
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…
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
Aruna Sankaranarayanan is the author of Zero Limits: Things Every 20 Something Should Know. She was the Founder & Director of PRAYATNA, a centre for children with learning difficulties in Bengaluru & Chennai for 22 years.