Why Joy in Learning Matters to Me — I was in second standard when I was hit by my teacher in front of the entire class for securing a zero score on a surprise test. I remember that she was distributing answer sheets one-at-a-time and asking students collect them from her as she stood right at the front…

That it is so fulfilling, empowering, and unending. — For most of my life, I misunderstood what learning meant. At first, I limited it to the knowledge of facts and information. The more you “know”, the more you have learned. I confused learning with memorization — most of my classmates also did. I was one of those who struggled…

Drill-it-down. Even today? Really? — As I was scrolling through one of my social media feeds, I came across a video post by my schoolmate, Anna (name changed), about her kindergartner. The child was presenting a project of different seasons through a marvelously-built diorama. Through her well-rehearsed speech the kid, most likely 5 years old…

Life-long, life-wide, and life-deep — Over the past few years, I have played various roles as someone who is passionate about impacting the education system. Through these engagements, I have experimented with learning theories, products, experiences and people. The closer I look, the deeper the definitions of ‘education’ and ‘learning’ become for me. While I…

The role of deliberate practice in becoming an expert teacher — Mr. James, a middle school math teacher, used the same fractions lesson he developed last year despite having the awareness of certain points of student confusion. He wondered, why did the new students not perform well on a recent test. Although common practice (i.e., simply participating in an activity repeated…

True Teachers Empower us to Think for Ourselves — S. Radhakrishnan — September 5th is celebrated as Teachers’ Day in India to mark the birthday of the great Indian teacher and philosopher, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. I remember, as a child, putting up a huge show for teachers through dance and drama, giving them a break from teaching, celebrating the person they were, acting…

Moving from “instructor-led” to “learner-focused” experiences — Most courses are created using the design thinking process (empathize — define — ideate — prototype — test). Amongst others, “empathizing” or understanding learner needs is a necessary but often neglected stage. It becomes challenging for instructors to dismiss what they think is important to the learners and make choices…

Useful criteria to design effective tech-infused lessons — After 20 years of service, Mr. James was perplexed with the announcement of integrating lessons with technology, marking a sudden shift away from traditional blackboard teaching. He has won a lot of accolades for teaching but now the pressure of becoming a tech-savvy teacher was affecting his lessons. …

Those who know, do. Those that understand, teach. –Aristotle — Teaching is the most underrated profession and teachers, the most undervalued humans. Teaching is not limited to verbalizing concepts and giving grades. It is about keeping authentic learning at the center. It is creative, yet sequential. It is concrete, yet abstract. It is strict, yet fun. It is about compassion…

Strategies that can help build growth mindset — I was eleven years old when my English language teacher, Mr. Pawar, selected me to compère the annual showcase of our school. I was scared. Not due to stage fright, but because I thought I just can’t do it. It seemed to be a highly challenging task for me to…

Search for personal meaning — Just like most average Indian engineering students, I was confused about what must I do with my life after my undergrad. People around me were pursuing engineering masters route (international and national universities), or management, or mass IT jobs. This conundrum of “where do you see yourself five years from…

Fulfilling, Empowering, Gratifying, and Rewarding. — Over the last few weeks, I got the opportunity to connect with 15 people in my network, 1:1 for 30 minutes, to offer safe sharing spaces. The motive of creating this space was to be 100% present for the people who sign up. I was open to catching up for…

Did learning actually happen? — Online learning remains one of the most talked-about phenomena during the pandemic. It was showcased as a magic wand that will solve the majority of the problems of our country. Many relevant stakeholders are marketing tall claims of how they are utilizing it to make India prosperous — be it…

One of the biggest benefits of tech-based education is the opportunity for self-paced learning that allows students to focus on things that they find challenging and deepen their prior understandings. In line with this advantage, online courses offer pathways to further learning experiences, study concepts of one’s liking, advance in…

The pandemic has changed our world in ways inexplicable. Just like everything else around us, it has redefined the field of teaching and learning. Overnight, the world “zoom”ed in, and even toddlers started to attend online classes. We un-learned the conventional design of education and moved from the chalkboard to…

Overcoming the effects that can otherwise last a lifetime — Prolonged exposure to adverse experiences such as abuse, violence, neglect, etc. early in childhood can give rise to toxic stresses in an individual. These stresses have a negative impact on the individual’s neurological, behavioral, hormonal, and genetic makeup that can last for a lifetime. More exposure to adverse experiences in…