“Did you understand…?”

“Did you understand?”, is the most asked question in classrooms and the answer is always a “yes”. Often we are satisfied with this answer and move on.
Jyotsna Vijapurkar
But if we probe a little more we realize that in most cases children haven’t really understood what we are telling them. So how do we actually find out whether children understood? Here are a few ways.

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On my own bookshelf

T Vijayendra
An important exercise that teachers must engage in is reading. Find in this article a list of books that every teacher must read. And this list is not too tight on your purse either.

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The cubic centimeter of chance

Steven Rudolph
One of the main purposes of education is to ensure that children can gain entry into best possible careers and careers of their choice. But when children and parents too are unaware of the options available to them then education doesn’t achieve its purpose. This is why career education is important right from school.

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Time to raise the fig leaf?

Neerja Singh
Sex is no longer something that is hidden from view. Kids as young as six or seven gyrate vigorously to Bollywood tunes copying the actors on screen during school competions and we adults applaud the raunch choreography as cute. Have we as a society become desensitized?

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Making education more meaningful

Simran Luthra
The word ‘education’ means a lot more than just learning math and science. A more basic purpose of education is to instill in children an ethical way of life. And instead of having boring lectures on moral values, a project called School Cinema hopes to do this in a fun and interesting way.

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What my students taught me

Chintan Girish Modi
If a teacher accepts that he or she too is a learner, he or she will realize that there are so many opportunities to learn from. A teacher shares with us how his students teach him simple and profound truths about life.

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Home is where school is

Sangeetha Sriram and Manasi Karthik
More and more parents are taking the courageous decision of not sending their kids to school and instead finding learning spaces in their own homes and surroundings for their kids. Why are parents choosing to walk this bold new path? Find the answers in this times cover story.

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Entering the debate

The recent debate on whether political cartoons should be allowed in textbooks grabbed a lot of media attention, but in all this hullaballoo, the voice of teachers was found missing. Teachers’ opinions on the debate would have certainly been an eye-opener. It is time teachers acknowledged that the classroom is an equally important political space and begin to use it in a way that will make students think beyond their textbooks and build a culture of debate and discussion.

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Unlock the writer within!

Sushree Mishra

Getting children to write in class is a task that many teachers have had to encounter. Children usually have many stories to share and teachers must create the space for them to put down their stories in writing. This article gives some tips on how teachers can get their children to write.

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