Month: October 2013

Oktoberfest

S Upendran
Why is Oktoberfest observed in the month of October and how did it get its name? What are the other events that make this month special? Continuing our series on months and their names.

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Disappearing sand dunes?

Nina Subramani
What role do sand dunes play along the coast? How do they act as a natural barrier and protect the coast from strong winds? How are they formed and are there different types of sand dunes? This edition of Classroom Update takes us on a reading journey about sand dunes and their importance in our natural environments.

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Opening doors, creating pathways

Chintan Girish Modi
This month’s focus on people making a difference in education is on Ravi Gulati who runs an NGO called Manzil. Manzil serves the children of housemaids, electricians, drivers and servants. Read all about this inspiring effort.

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Reverse engineering

Reverse engineering is the thorough examination of a device or a product to understand its mechanism and the way it functions. It can be used in different fields. By using this principle in the classroom, children’s curiosity is increased and they learn to grow holistically. An important point to keep in mind is to ensure that teachers create working models of the curriculum and relate them to real life applications.

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Five must-teach values

Aditi Mathur and Ratnesh Mathur
Here are five different values that one needs to inculcate in a child. These are apart from the traditional values like honesty, humility, loyalty, respect etc.

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Trails to the past

Aravinda Pillalamarri
How is history experienced in school? Are teachers and students encouraged to criticize and enquire? It is this spirit of enquiry that nurtures an interest in history which has all the answers to Why, How or What? Here is an article that explains why the methods of teaching history needs to be changed.

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Curbing the ‘class clowns’

Manaswini Sridhar
Children can be shy, diffident or even chatterboxes. But children can also be clownish with a taste for constantly indulging in jokes, repartees and wisecracks. While this may lighten the mood occasionally in a classroom, too much of it can make the other children lose focus and may also prove to be an irritant for the teacher. So how can the teacher tame these class clowns ? This article gives you an insight into how this kind of behaviour can be changed.

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The eternal optimist

Anjali Noronha
Vinod Raina who passed away recently was an educationist with a heart. Well known in education circles, Dr.Raina will be remembered for his contribution to the formulation of the Right to Education Act and for his association with the Hoshanagabad Science teaching programme. A personal tribute.

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A place to dare and dream

Jaya Rangarajan
Are we making the world a safe place for our children? As concerned parents, teachers and citizens, it is the responsibility of adults to ensure that children can nurture their dreams, and for this, it is important that adults change the world into a place that respects the dignity of children.

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