G. Gautama
The emergence of new technologies has seen schools taking to them without batting an eyelid. However the core systems have not changed simultaneously. The schools, classrooms and pedagogies have remained untouched and there is an urgent need for a redefinition. The author outlines some relevant and important changes that can be adopted to invigorate the entire school system.
Joyita Ambett and Neha Pradhan Arora
What is resilience and how can it be built in children, to help them prevent, respond to and tackle abuse, violence and exploitation? Low self-esteem, helplessness, depression are some of the life-long effects of abuse in children. All this in turn affects overall development and learning. Resilience is a critical skill that will help children cope with trauma or negative life events and bounce back from difficult situations. This article outlines a framework and approach that schools can adopt to build safer spaces.
Aruna Sankaranarayanan
Why Don’t Students Like School? is an interesting book that most teachers must read since it gives insights into how teachers can create conducive conditions in the classroom to propel children to love school. What is the content or knowledge that schools should focus on to help children engage more with their subjects? Schools need to allow students to choose smaller subset of topics which they can pursue more deeply.
S. Mundayoor
A heart-warming tale about a young man who owed all his education to his library mentor who allowed him to borrow books and complete his education.
Guncha Mehta
Why is a language class looked down upon by students who feel that there is no need to master a language when their goals or aspirations are inclined towards the sciences? How can students be made to realise the value of a language and its importance in the larger scheme of things? One way is for teachers to bring a global perspective to the language class so that this ‘irrelevant subject’ can get its worth.
Suhail Abdul Hameed
Libraries usually serve as a memorable space for avid book lovers who love to just browse and perhaps even read the books that they choose. Everyone has their own experience of engaging with libraries as a space. This article throws light on efforts to create such a space for students in a government primary school in Chhattisgarh.
Usha Raman
Over the last few months, life has almost returned to normalcy and the virus that threatened to consume us all is no longer being seen as a killer. The effects of the pandemic, however, continue to linger, both in terms of physical health and mental. Now more than ever, empathy and emotional support are important. Social and emotional learning can aid us in rebuilding our classrooms and societies.
Neerja Singh
Death is one of life’s realities. By keeping children away from this reality we are not doing them any good. When children that have been shielded from this fact are suddenly confronted with the death of a loved one, they won’t know how to process all the feelings they are experiencing. This is why teachers should not avoid opportunities to talk about death and dying in the classroom.
Sheela Ramakrishnan
Once upon a time, it was the role of the home to nurture social and emotional skills in children. Today schools are offering curriculums to teach these skills. Are societies and homes no longer places to imbibe these qualities? Won’t adding these curriculums increase the school’s workload? We take a closer look at SEL, why we need it and how teachers can incorporate it in their classrooms.
Fiona Vaz In one of my classes, a few years ago, a professor of mine who taught educators how to teach controversial issues to school students, mentioned that patriotism can never be taught. My professor had taught history in primary schools for several years before becoming a teacher educator and knew what he was talking about. I reflected deeply about what he said especially as patriotism curriculum was being introduced in Delhi. Patriotism, like happiness, cannot be taught and must be felt. These are natural outcomes of several factors that cannot be controlled. Several complex factors might influence a person’s feelings of oneness towards one’s country or even what constitutes happiness for someone. If these cannot be taught, then what does the patriotism or happiness curriculum in Delhi, for example offer? The answer to this question lies in the fact that these curriculums are created on principles of social and emotional learning (SEL) skills. In fact, the Happiness Curriculum being implemented in government schools of Delhi is the largest public SEL programme in the world. The aim of SEL programmes is to foster skills in children that will allow them to be more empathetic towards others and also be more aware of their own emotions thus helping them regulate their emotions better. Investing in SEL means that students gain in other areas of their lives too. They might have bigger academic gains, or make healthier choices and be able to regulate their emotions more effectively. However, some questions still remain: do we need to burden teachers who already have a heavy workload with another curriculum? Does everything need to be taught at school? Are homes and communities no longer places that can take on the role of nurturing skills in children? And finally, can we teach children emotional regulation and how to relate to others? These questions prompt a closer look at SEL. Social Emotional Learning: A practitioner’s definitionAccording to Joseph E Zins, who in 1995 wrote about the importance of emotional intelligence in academic and learning spaces, SEL is an extension of building emotional intelligence in children. Typically, SEL might be used to address another problem that a school or community might be facing such as drug abuse, bullying, increased mental health conditions, or even drop-outs. Misbah Shahid, who worked with the Teacher Foundation to develop their framework on SEL, mentions that schools could use SEL to curb bullying among students, for example. According to Zins, no matter what its overarching objectives, effective SEL
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