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Teacher Plus, the magazine for school teachers, brings you thought-provoking features about education and ideas for your classroom month after month.

Teacher Plus, created in 1989, is a magazine for the practicing teacher who wants to keep up with trends in education and find ways to energize his or her classroom with new ideas and approaches. Teacher Plus is published monthly from Hyderabad. It draws from a large pool of contributors from across India, persons with experience in varied aspects of education, from primary school teaching to tack

ling board exams to the place of art and craft in learning, to child development and classroom management. Each month brings the reader a mix of thought-provoking features and hands-on activities that can be adapted for use in most classrooms. It is a forum within which teachers can raise their concerns, discuss ideas, and share and update their knowledge. Teacher Plus discusses alternative ways of thinking and doing within the context of the Indian classroom, while recognizing the constraints that most teachers face, day to day. The magazine contains all your favourite subjects, as well as an attractive centre spread illustrating a project theme which alternates with a set of worksheets.

26/07/2024

Mamata Pandya writes about Iran-born mathematician Maryam Mirzakhani, a trailblazer who made history as the first woman to win the Fields Medal, the most prestigious award in mathematics.

Mirzakhani’s groundbreaking work in the dynamics and geometry of Riemann surfaces and their moduli spaces has left an indelible mark on the field. Her journey from Iran to becoming a professor at Stanford University is a testament to her determination.

Maryam’s story is not just about her incredible achievements but also about how she inspired young mathematicians around the world.

Read here: https://shorturl.at/CXJJi

25/07/2024

Mrinmayi Vaishampayan’s school celebrates festivals with dynamic activities that stimulate students’ diverse faculties. This year, the school introduced letter writing as a self-expression activity, giving children the freedom to write on open-ended letter.

The results were astounding, says Mrinmayi. The students expressed themselves truthfully, without fear of judgment. The teachers even gained valuable insights into their lives beyond school, strengthening the teacher-student relationship.

Read more to discover what the students wrote and learn how this activity can be a powerful tool for understanding adolescents’ socio-emotional realms.

Read here: https://shorturl.at/ZbgWQ

22/07/2024

Did you know rotten food emits greenhouse gases and accounts for almost 8-10% of total greenhouse emissions? In India, up to 40% of produced food goes to waste.

Subhadip Senapati and Narayan Barman emphasize the urgent need to spread awareness about how food waste contributes to climate change. We must educate kids as well as adults on the negative impacts of wasting food and encourage better waste management practices.

The authors suggest fun and engaging projects like growing vegetables from waste, using food waste as fertilizers, and creating cleaning products or air fresheners.

Read the article to know more here: https://bit.ly/3S7UM6c

20/07/2024

Timira addresses the importance of connecting learning to the world outside our classrooms, the curiosities within the minds of students, and the dialogical relationship this approach fosters between teacher and student.

As someone who encourages educators to have conversations with children about ‘difficult or hush-hush topics,’ Timira often gets asked whether it is ‘age-appropriate,’ a term that gives her immediate indigestion.

This idea ties back into the banking notion of education where the educator’s role is to regulate how the world enters a child’s life, by making deposits of information they consider true (and ‘appropriate’) knowledge.

This is why topics like war, violence, social justice, social and economic disparity, gender identity, politics, etc., stay out of the classroom. Adults deem them ‘inappropriate,’ even though children experience these issues in some form by simply co-existing in society.

Read here: https://shorturl.at/8IULK

20/07/2024

19/07/2024

Who doesn’t love chocolates? They are soft, creamy, smooth, and bitter-sweet.

But why do we love chocolate so much? Research shows that four chemicals—endorphins, serotonin, dopamine, and oxytocin—are released by the brain when eating chocolate, all associated with reward and pleasure.

Sujata C says engaging school children in a project about chocolate can be a fun, easy, and mouth-watering experience! This project can connect various subjects like science, history, geography, math, social science, and art.

Read more here: https://shorturl.at/zUJKu

18/07/2024

In a conversation with Rini and her mother Sujatha, Nandini Dholepat busts myths and discusses lesser-known facts about mushrooms. Here’s an excerpt from the conversation:

“I know these are oyster mushrooms. Rini’s father likes them. He says they are rich in proteins, but my parents do not eat them,” Sujatha said.

“Yes, generally older people hesitate to eat them as they grow on dead and decaying matter. What we buy commercially are cultivated on hay though and mushrooms are commonly used with other vegetables nowadays,” I replied.

“How to know which fungi are good and which bad?” Rini asked.

To know what Nandini answers, read the full article: https://bit.ly/3WrCGys

17/07/2024

Sheel reviews ‘Rogues and Rajas: Dark Tales for Tumultuous Times’ by S V Iyer, a gripping collection of tales from Indian history that uncover the passions and schemes driving historical events.

This book brings vivid stories from before 700 CE, shedding light on the impact of individual desires and political machinations. From the surprising end of Chanakya to Emperor Asoka’s dark side, these tales from across the Indian subcontinent reveal the sinister harvest of powerful emotions.

Sheel says teachers should use the tales to discuss how greed, jealousy, fear, and other emotions shape actions and history. Further, they can encourage students to ponder ‘What if?’ scenarios, think about current situations, and understand the dynamics of power and politics.

Read here: https://bit.ly/4d5YrcI

16/07/2024

Aruna Sankaranarayanan explores ‘creativity’ and writes about how teachers can nurture it across all disciplines. Creativity isn't limited to the arts; it spans physics, history, economics, and more, she says.

Aruna cites psychologist Csikszentmihalyi who highlighted that creativity emerges from the interaction between a person’s thoughts and their sociocultural context. For creativity to flourish, three facets are crucial: the domain, a field of experts, and the individual's novel contribution.

By fostering creativity, educators can help students generate and choose original ideas that are valued across disciplines, she adds.

Read here: https://bit.ly/4cVbWfm

15/07/2024

E-techno schools have the potential to revolutionize STEM education in India, equipping students with essential skills for the future, writes Anuradha C. However, to realize these benefits, we must address key challenges like equitable access to technology, teacher training, and maintaining a balanced use of tech in classrooms.

Anuradha lists what works and what doesn’t for these e-techno schools.

Read here: https://bit.ly/4bISEZD

13/07/2024

For almost a decade, Sushmita Aripirala has worked with various government schools, encountering poor infrastructure and inadequate resources. Determined to make a difference, she reached out to organizations for support. Despite rejections, she finally found a breakthrough with Round Table India.

With their help and the support of a corporate sponsor, a new school building project began in April. A new school building for 200 students is now a reality. This effort may be just a drop in the ocean, but it brings immense happiness and drives her forward.

If you know a school that needs support, reach out to Sushmita.
sripaada

Read about her challenging and rewarding journey here: https://bit.ly/3zJKJOf

13/07/2024

Meera Bhuvanesh from DPS, Coimbatore, writes about the transformative 'Outclass' program. Students often see camps as a break from routine, but this adventure camp for class XI students, aptly called the Self Learning Camp (SLC), proves that learning can happen anywhere.

The camp's goals include teamwork, trust-building, prompt action, problem-solving, and daily reflection. Beyond the classroom, students gained life skills, navigation abilities, and team-building experiences—all without their phones, for five days!

The students growth and self-discovery were apparent on their faces, a transformation that textbooks alone can't provide, says Meera.

Read here: https://bit.ly/3WodA3T

12/07/2024

Neerja Singh emphasizes the three Cs of modern education: critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration. These indispensable skills empower students to thrive in the complex and interconnected world of the 21st century.

Education today goes beyond imparting knowledge to cultivating essential skills for lifelong success. Through inquiry-based learning, project-based experiences, and collaborative initiatives, educators can create dynamic environments where students develop the mindset to navigate ambiguity, innovate boldly, and collaborate effectively.

Neerja Singh

Read here: https://bit.ly/4cT8S3f

11/07/2024

On a Sunday, Nupur Hukmani felt like a curious child and an excited educator with a new idea for the classroom.

Museums are magical spaces where art, history, social justice, science, and more come to life, sharing knowledge across generations. They ignite curiosity and wonder in everyone, from wide-eyed children to adults.

And the virtual 3D tour that she recently took of the Little Museum of the World was quite the immersive experience! She highly recommends this firsthand tour of the museum’s wonders.

Read here: https://bit.ly/4bCtQT3

11/07/2024

When Sowmya Ravindranath asked middle graders what they thought of a museum and how similar or different it is to a library, she got an eclectic set of responses – from functional similarities of both operating under visiting hours to deeper perspectives on both being keepers of memories and histories.

Inspired by this, she set up the ‘Museum of Bookish Things’. The central idea of this museum, in an exhibition format, was to host a platform to showcase objects that are inspired by books.

The result?

Students began to find inspiration from their most memorable books and create objects that reflected characters, scenes, and items from these stories.

Read about this immersive experience and how it facilitated a deeper connection to the literature here: https://bit.ly/3zzZ6Vx

11/07/2024

10/07/2024

In the West, museums thrive as vibrant learning spaces, thanks to a culture of volunteering and educational outreach. In India, however, we often miss out on this potential, with uninspiring school trips and a lack of engagement.

“Any meaningful change in this status quo can only happen when as educators we are interested in answering the question – what can museums offer to the classroom? The starting point perhaps is to appreciate that any history cannot be told only through texts,” writes Ashwin Prabhu.

Ashwin explores how to navigate these challenges and suggests ways in which a museum trip can be full of learning.

Read here: https://bit.ly/3LhjH3A

09/07/2024

New faces, new methods, and new beginnings! At Teacher Plus, we embrace our digital transition. Stay tuned for our July stories.

“In the weeks to come, we will bring you, in small batches, our stories for July, starting later this week with the stories related to the cover theme: museums as spaces for learning,” says our editor, Usha Raman

Explore our new website and articles here: https://bit.ly/3LA4cE5

30/06/2024

As the world becomes more and more modern and digital, we find ourselves in newer and more unique situations, encountering problems never heard of before. To experience these never-seen-before, and really, to survive and thrive in this ever-changing world, we need a powerful and active .

And what better way than to build those imaginative skills, writes Cheryl Rao.

She shares, “Right from our earliest interaction with stories, when something clicks with us and we identify with a character or a situation, whichever way a reader is inveigled into this world of imagination, there is no holding back, no stopping: for the journey is a lifelong one. And thanks to all that we read we are better equipped to manoeuvre the unfamiliar at every step of our journey.”

Cheryl also writes about how children’s imagination can be cultivated and nurtured at different ages. Read more here: https://bit.ly/4cwiGQQ

30/06/2024

It is the world of Instagram and Twitter. Insta reels, Facebook posts, and YouTube shorts are how we communicate with the world. Should we then rethink writing exercises that are part of curriculums? Should diary entries and letter writing make way for and ?

Shruti Singhal writes, “By introducing children to digital literature, we encourage them to think and express themselves in different ways, fostering students’ creativity.

“However,” she adds, “I do realize that we must remember to balance the allure of technology or digital communication with the timeless value of classic literature. Because it’s not about abandoning the tried and true methods of writing education, but rather about expanding our toolkit to include the digital tools and techniques that are reshaping our literary landscape. It’s about striking a balance between embracing the latest trends and ensuring our pedagogical choices remain rooted in tradition. And finally, it’s about cultivating in children a deep and lasting appreciation for literature in all its forms.”

Read more about how we can rethink the literature and language classes for a more digitally-savvy generation here: https://bit.ly/4cGlf2I

30/06/2024

introduce us to masterpieces and great writers from other languages; they help us meet different people and cultures and thus they play an integrative role in society. Literary translations also enrich the existing literature in a .

So, what does translating a work from one language to another involve? How does a translator decide on the choice of words to convey the original meaning? Can knowledge of translation help a language teacher?

Here’s a from Tariq Khan, along with some of his suggestions on how to use translation in the classroom: https://bit.ly/4bmqbZs

29/06/2024

Translations are a good way to enhance and improve vernacular literature. How easy is the process? What are the hurdles? Is there still a market for translated literature?
Giridhar Rao speaks to Suresh Kosaraju, the 65-year-old publisher of Telugu children’s literature based in Hyderabad. “Our publishing house, Manchi Pustakam (“Good Book” in Telugu) turns 20 this year. So this is a good time to reflect on what we have been able to do,” says Suresh Kosaraju.

Bala Sahiti was the foundation of Manchi Pustakam. Set up in 1990, it published around 30 books, and ceased publication in 2002. Since 2002, first as an unregistered organization and then as a registered public trust from 2004, Manchi Pustakam has published 500 books.

Read about a publisher’s view on how children’s literature has changed over the years: https://bit.ly/3VKBrJb

29/06/2024

Reading and writing in a language are very different from speaking in that language. They require more focus and dedication. Can literature help us better understand the nuances of a language? What does it mean to learn to read in a new language or even in your own language?

“Well into my adulthood, I began to read Telugu,” writes Venkata Tejah Balantrapu, sharing his experiences of learning to read in his native tongue. He continues, “First, I had to teach myself the letters and words, and then learn to string them together to generate meaning. The near-instantaneous recognition that I have with English text was missing in Telugu. Despite years of speaking the language, I had to slow down and stitch word and word together to make meaning. In English, when I wish to convey an idea, words seem to pop up without effort.”

Read how Tejah went about it. He also shares his favorite translated works: https://bit.ly/45NStuD

29/06/2024

Literature first made its appearance in the form of the spoken word. As humans evolved, so did their curiosity and imagination. Stories soon became a medium to acquire, store, and retrieve information. While the oral literature tradition lives on today in modern day storytelling events, with the entry of AI into our lives, one doesn’t know what the future holds for this tradition.

Geeta Ramanujam writes, “In the early years of the evolution of oral literature, few people were conscious of the complexity of the stories they told. They just spoke, almost entirely unaware of the subtleties of the word choice, of the grammar, of sentence structure, or emphasis. This gift of storytelling and the language they spoke was remarkable, considering that the average adult can pick and choose from a reservoir of some 50,000 words. When voice or vocabulary failed, they called on gestures to take the place of words. Such development of language was an extraordinary achievement. Over time, stories instilled not only a love for reading and language, but they also transmitted wisdom from diverse narrative styles, through the spoken word and written texts.”

Read more: https://bit.ly/4bpoafd

28/06/2024

Ups and downs are a part of all our lives. When we are experiencing the lows, we need boosters that will help us hang in there and let the tide roll over. Poems can offer us solace, courage, inspiration. Chintan Girish Modi writes about some poems that have comforted him through different life experiences—some that he may have sought but others that he chanced upon.

Although poems offer wisdom and comfort, he asks poses a poignant question: “How can teachers create the conditions for students to develop such an intimate relationship with poetry? Can it be taught at all? Is it perhaps enough to hint at its presence, and hope that students will find their way towards it when they are curious, thirsty, or looking to be rescued? The poetry that I feel mostly deeply connected to did not reach me through a textbook. I stumbled upon it. I imagine that it was looking for me just as I was seeking.”

What do you think? Do you have a favorite poem(s) or poet(s)?

Read more here: https://bit.ly/3L6g2FD

28/06/2024

When you come across children’s literature, if it is only stories that you see, you need to observe more keenly, writes Divya Choudary. Children’s literature is a powerful medium that can help in the emotional and psychological development of a child. These stories can become places where we find answers to questions we are afraid to ask, a friend who listens to us without judging, and meet people who are living similar lives as us. Children’s literature is not only for children, but for all of us who want to learn and grow.

She writes about how Oliver Jeffers’ The Heart and the Bottle, with its poignant exploration of loss, grief, and the protective shells we build around our hearts, helped her come to terms with losing her father at a young age.

“Characters in children’s books,” she adds, “often form unlikely friendships that cross boundaries of species, class, or even worlds, beautifully illustrating the universal value of friendship. These stories reveal how friends can differ significantly yet still offer care and support to one another. For example, in A.A Milne’s Winnie the Pooh, the endearing bonds of friendship between Christopher Robin and his animal friends are depicted through lessons in kindness and acceptance. Similarly, The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett explores these themes through Mary Lennox’s journey.”

Know any books characterized as “children’s literature” but which are truly universal? Let us know in the comments below. And read Divya’s list of beloved children’s books here: https://bit.ly/3XGQh66

28/06/2024

When we think of stories, we somehow just think of . Editor Usha Raman suggests that we broaden our view of and to include non-fiction writing.

She writes how journalism, history, biography, science, and nature—all have “real” stories that can inspire, encourage, and give children a different perspective of life.

Read here: https://bit.ly/3XDhWFf

27/06/2024

Indian mythology has become very popular in recent years. Come to think of it, the Greek, Egyptian, and Mayan tales of myth are still where they were, but Indian mythology finds new readers in every generation. We know the tales and the characters all too well, and yet, we cannot resist the lure of a new retelling.

In this piece, Anuja Chandramouli writes that part of this popularity of Indian mythology is because it has the courage to reinvent and re-present itself.

What do you think?

Read what Anuja says: bit.ly/45HVixi

27/06/2024

‘History’ and ‘boring’ are synonymous for most children. If history continues to be taught only in the chalk and talk mode, then surely with little or no engagement, children are going to question the relevance of learning the subject. Historical fiction and other art forms are a great way to inject some enthusiasm for the subject.

Author SV Iyer shares some thoughts here: https://bit.ly/4cuxAqC

She writes, “Introducing children to these wide-ranging narrative forms from across the globe are not just about studying the past – they are about sharpening those mental muscles for the challenges of tomorrow. Many of our present-day conflicts, whether on hereditary matters, land rights, or individual freedoms, are complicated by long-established perspectives and precedents. By delivering history to students in the form of questions, to explore, rather than as indisputable facts to memorize, we can hope to raise broad-minded and liberal individuals guided by reason and empathy. The best historical fiction can help create a tolerant society with free thinkers and freedom of expression.”

26/06/2024

Have you ever opened a children’s book and found yourself enthralled and captivated by the illustrations? Proiti Roy opens a window into the world of a children’s book illustrator.

Read her piece here: https://bit.ly/4bfevI1

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