The Pedagogy Puzzle

My post on happiness  was inspired by a cover story published in The Week  - a magazine that I've subscribed to for years now. This post owes its origins to The Week cover story on Dr. S. Somanath, the chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Authored by correspondent Mr. Nirmal Jovial, it paints a nuanced picture of how Somanath became one of ISRO's most influential leaders and drove the creation of some of India's path-breaking rockets and missions. Here, I will examine how two aspects - upbringing and community - influenced his journey. (Note: This article is not available online so I have picked out relevant extracts from the physical copy of the magazine.)

This post is inspired by a magazine's cover story on happiness  (The Week; April 23, 2023 edition) . I have been a subscriber of The Week for years now and must commend them on their balanced journalism and the great lengths to which they go to bring readers enriching content!

These 7 seemingly innocuous words come together 12 times as starred footnotes in a popular class 10 mathematics textbook. A textbook that is likely to have been consulted by around 21,50,000 students (perhaps more) during the 2020-21 academic year. When do these notes appear? Is there a pattern to the excluded content? What is the subliminal message that it might send to children? Is the note subtly symptomatic of bigger issues that plague the Indian education system?

As a token of appreciation for our participation in  this workshop , we were given a copy of  The Smartest Kids in the World: And How They Got That Way  by Amanda Ripley. In the book, the author analyses educational systems in Finland, Poland and South Korea through the eyes of students, teachers, parents and administrators to try and understand what makes kids in these countries perform exceptionally well on the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) test. I had written posts related to the power of expectations ( here's the first one ) in the South Korean context.  In this piece, I'll look at aspects of the teacher education system in Finland that stood out to me. While a comparison with India's teacher education system is not the focus of this post, I firmly believe that we (India) can improve in this sphere by adopting some of Finland's practices.

From some of the posts on this blog (examples: one , two , three and four ), it is evident that I have vivid and fond memories of my years in Pune. This led me to wonder: what are the lasting memories that my children have about me and our time together - both inside and outside the classroom? To answer this question, I carried out a single-question survey, coded my children's responses and came up with some interesting findings. What did I ask? Below, in italics, are the exact words that I wrote in a personal message to each child. The text in purple varied depending on the child.

In part 1 , I wrote about a day in the life of Ha-joon Pak to get a sense of the kind of expectations that adults and the education system in South Korea set for children. In  part 2 , I built on the idea of expectations by connecting what I had read in Ripley's book to my childhood experiences. I tried to gauge the impact that my parents' and teachers'  expectations had on the way I think and approach life to this date. How did I see the role of  expectations  shape the mindsets and behaviours of the students that I taught? Was there a connection between expectations and how children approached school and learning?

Please read part 1 before continuing... ~ o ~ x ~ o ~ So, what are some of the instances in which my parents and teachers set  high expectations for me? For starters, I wasn't praised by my parents for studying or doing well on a school test or exam; I was expected to study and do well. Closer to home, my father taught me chess and carrom. He did not lower his level when we played and made it clear, through words of encouragement, that I would have to practice consistently if I wanted to beat him. I vividly remember the look of simultaneous shock and pleasure on his face when I defeated him at carrom for the first time! 😂

As a token of appreciation for our participation in  this workshop , we were given a copy of  The Smartest Kids in the World: And How They Got That Way  by Amanda Ripley. In the book, the author analyses educational systems in Finland, Poland and South Korea through the eyes of students, teachers, parents and administrators to try and understand what makes kids in these countries perform exceptionally well on the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) test. Names/characters are fictional; contexts are real and grounded in the text of the book. ~ o ~ x ~ o ~ Ha-joon Pak stumbled out of bed and made his way to the bathroom. The sky was coloured with the hues of dawn and the pure, crisp morning air was serenely silent. The only soft sounds were of his mother cooking breakfast. It was a shade past 6 AM...

I recently had the opportunity to represent Educational Initiatives at an academic consultation workshop hosted jointly by Bodh Shiksha Samiti, Sattva Consulting and the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation (MSDF) in Delhi. The goal of the workshop was to review content for a project that the three companies are piloting in government schools of Rajasthan and Haryana. In this post, I would like to share my experiences and takeaways from the six-hour long workshop.

Random uncle: So, now that you have completed your degree, where are you going to work? Me: I'm joining the Teach For India fellowship in Pune. I'll be teaching a set of children studying in low-income schools for two years. Random aunt (joining in the conversation with an expression that simultaneously showed consternation and condescension): Teach? Why? Did your campus placements not go well? Me: No, aunty. It's not like that. I want to teach and work with children. Random uncle (struggling to digest this):  Why did you work so hard all these years just to become a teacher? Your parents didn't spend on your education for you to do this! Back in 2013, conversations that resembled this one were quite the norm. Once I decided to explore teaching and the education sector as a serious career option, I was met with looks of sympathy tinged with the implicit assumption that I had settled for something 'less' due to my inability to secure a 'better...

There is a body of research that suggests that children desire to obtain information via testimony to aid their understanding of the world (Harris, 2015; Frazier, Gelman & Wellman, 2009; Harris, 2012a). Morals pertain to acceptable standards of behaviours and beliefs in society and are sometimes rather intangible when compared to information that can be obtained directly by observation. In this light, it stands to reason that young children rely on adults for their moral education. In this essay, I shall define my understanding of ‘moral education’ and explain how other people’s testimony plays a key role in shaping children’s moral education in different spheres of life using research, real-world examples and personal anecdotes.

I was a rather lonely child up until the age of six and found it easier to mingle with adults than other children my age. At that point, my little sister was born and I began spending every free moment with her. I used to look forward to playing with her when I returned from school and, as we grew up, I taught her many board games and set her assignments on various subjects too. I even correct them like a real teacher! In turn, she soaked up information like a sponge and was the first consistent example that I saw of the limitless ability and curiosity within each child. Over time, I worked with underprivileged children on life-skill programs with a company called Dream A Dream which cemented my realisation about how much I enjoy being around children and helping them realise their potential. I became a teacher because of these sentiments and these beliefs are what drive me to continue working in the education sector. Children fill me with optimism and hope – their inquisitivenes...

In this paper, I will elaborate on the central issue in the debate between Washington and Du Bois. I will explain why Du Bois’ approach to advocating for education, equality and rights for blacks would have been more effective in the long run while Washington’s methods produced apparent short-term gains. I will use a historical example from India, references from the essays and our classroom discussions to present my arguments. I shall conclude the paper with the implications of the debate in the light of the times that these two men lived in.

In this paper, I will oppose Socrates’ claim that he is not a teacher by referencing subtle contradictions and hidden meanings in statements made by him during his trial and views of teaching prevalent in Athens at the time. The paper will also bring out elements of his actions that can be construed as teaching and will deliberate on the importance of discussing whether Socrates is a teacher or not in the context of the Apology .