Teaching & Learning

Students should move beyond rote memorisation to “higher-order thinking”. This is a concept recognised by most school boards. Most Indian boards make it a point to include “higher-order thinking” questions in exams, while the IGCSE schools tend to fo…

Does your professor like you? Does he/she think you’re capable? Or, treat you as if you are incompetent? Does your lecturer appreciate your diligence or disapprove of your lackadaisical attitude? Does he/she believe that your tardiness is a personal character…

When Classes 9 and 10 enacted The Merchant of Venice, Tarun received a standing ovation. His authentic and nuanced portrayal of Shylock stunned the audience, who believed the kid was indeed gifted. But a week later, Tarun’s academic report told…

Though we generally believe that teachers teach and students learn, the two fundamental processes that constitute education — teaching and learning — are actually deeply interwoven. The best teachers are those who keep learning and stretching themselves by engaging and…

Does it make sense to ask students questions about a concept they haven’t yet been introduced to? Does it matter if questions are posed at the beginning, middle or end of a unit? In his book, Small Teaching, English professor…

When students read a piece of text, silently, on their own, teachers hope that their pupils understand the content. To assess their comprehension, teachers usually ask students to answer a variety of questions, which include multiple choice, fill-in-the-blanks, short and…

Teachers exhort students to read for pleasure as reading can transport people across space and time, and can transform and enrich their lives. While they appreciate the invaluable benefits of reading, unfortunately, teachers don’t necessarily have the luxury of time…

Though technology has invaded practically every nook of our lives, one aspect of education remains largely unchanged. Even as students are encouraged to do research, online and offline, the textbook continues to hold sway as the arbiter of truth. Across…

We seldom hear people in positions of power or authority declare that they are unsure or doubtful when asked a question in their area of expertise. In fact, if an expert confesses to not knowing, we often assume that they…