Teaching & Learning

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

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…

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

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…

First published in The Hindu, 1 September 2024 That a number of excellent liberal arts colleges have mushroomed in different parts of the country signifies that the need for a rounded education is finally being recognized and met within India….

First published in The Hindu, 4 Aug 2024 When ChatGPT debuted in November 2022, it created a brouhaha. How were educators to make out if a student wrote a term paper or whether ChaptGPT spewed it out? Banning its use…