Learning Never Stops

 These moments should happen more often in my classroom. My students were busy creating  videos, powerpoints, booklets, and posters in order to show their learning. Their unit of Inquiry was about Health and Wellbeing.  Their task :   Identify someone in your environment who is not leading a balanced lifestyle. Based on your understanding of what you have learned in this unit, create a week's plan that your patient needs to follow. Some students were busy borrowing glitter paint and colourful tape (I admit I do get irritated when they rush for these things without a plan, but as they were focusing on time and self-management skills, I had to curb my instincts and hold my tongue...hard job this is!); other students were video taping each other. The class was abuzz. Students were busy. Well, except one. My eyes fell on a child who was doing nothing  apart from watching others at work. At times, he would rush to their aid...

I have been reading George Couros's post here and I felt I should write something about this. Creativity or what Maslow (1943) calls self-actualization is the highest form of human endevour. What a powerful video. We really get very unsettled when our kids are bored. Put an Ipod in their hands or a television set in front of them. And watch them slowly transform into zombies. Well this child shows us the power of creativity. Boredom is a state of mind and he chose not to be bored. He seized the opportunity. Though he did not have any customers, he never stopped being excited about his arcade because, to him, it was not about the final product or the money. To him the very act of creating was fun. Creativity needs time.   Observe how the children become creative when we give them more time! So the question we educators need to ask is "How can we encourage our students to be creative?" What if we had one period of the day where they are give...

This week, I have been walking around school and keenly observing the children. They all seem so different from one another. Along with the different socio-economic backgrounds, they also bring with them a plethora of personal experiences. How can I get to know them better and tweak the curriculum here and there to make learning more relevant to their lives?     My master's course is really making me think deeply about things nowadays. I know those who know me will smile right now. Naini? Think?!  I am really glad I took this course and would recommend it to any teacher. Because of it, last week, I found myself in a quaint little school situated in the middle of "somewhere in Hyderabad"(still new to this city!). My purpose was to conduct a study of how children's religion, language and social status affect their learning. My colleagues (who were so supportive and happy to accompany me) and I were greeted by bright eager little faces. Each child ...