The Pathashala Times

Have you ever thought why most students find math so scary? Many a times, I have wondered what is so scary about this most ancient subject. I came to a conclusion that it may be the very nature of the subject itself. Math means systematic steps, set of rules and abstract study.  Even though math is part of our daily life, the process of practicing or studying it is too cut off from reality. Students find it difficult to directly relate it to real life and most of the concepts are left to imagination. This very abstract and complex composition of math as a subject makes it difficult. The difficulty level of the subject along with the compulsion to follow a systematic methodology makes math a nightmare, especially for school kids. Here, we also need to understand the basic psychology of kids. Kids are more spontaneous and less methodical. They are curious about things around them. They rely more on their cognitive skills. In general, children take more interest in tasks tha...

I was having a virtual communication with one of my school friend in the USA. During our conversation, she voiced out a concern about the modern education technique in her kids’ schools. She revealed her kids’ were asked to carry only iPad to the school. They never wrote but only browsed their lessons and typed their classwork and homework. All submissions were online; there was no use of paper and pen in the school. She feared her kids may not properly learn to write using pen and paper, and the whole day typing and use of iPad may also lead to related health issues. Post this conversation, I analyze the issue as a learning consultant. The first thought that came to my mind was “blending traditional and digital learning” so that a child gets the best of both worlds. Traditional schooling methodology too has some significant benefits, which are essential for building strong foundation for a child’s education. Basic skills, such as writing, reading, social behavior wit...

The blog post gets the tag 'True Story' because it is pulled from one of my own memories of school days. In the 8th class (or grade 8), we got upgraded from learning general science (till grade 7) to specific branches of science--physics, biology and chemistry. It was the first time we had three different textbooks in our science curriculum, and hence three different teachers to teach them with three different styles. Our chemistry teacher had completely different way of teaching. Probably, he was the first one to introduce me to the exploratory learning concept. Our syllabus primarily focused on introduction to the elements and covered their physical/chemical properties, uses, so on and so forth. Our teacher hardly spent time with us in the classroom, may be he didn't believe in reading out information in the class and making it a dull and boring lecture. Instead, he use to take us to the laboratory, show us the elements and actually allow us to experiment and test ...

What is the first thing your child learns in a school? Aren’t they the Alphabets? Since learning alphabets is the first major step in a child’s academic process, it is essential that your child learns these alphabets properly. And it is important to teach using easy to understand examples.   One of the traditional ways of teaching alphabets is associating each alphabet with a real life thing and let the child know what the alphabet stands for. Hence, we introduce the alphabets as ‘A’ for ‘Apple’, ‘B’ for ‘Ball’ and so on. In this short article, we will discuss this traditional method of teaching the alphabets. The prime aim of the article is to give you an idea about good examples and bad examples of associating a real life object with an alphabet. Let me explain this point with a scenario. Ravi and Roma are husband and wife. They have a three year old son. When this enthusiastic couple tried teaching their son his first alphabets, they landed up in a tricky situation. ...

Teaching is a profession with great social and moral responsibility. Teachers directly facilitate the formation of future society and so they should handle this crucial responsibility with poise and care. But teachers themselves should be matured enough to understand this responsibility. Imagine a class where a teacher walks into the class goes on rambling about a topic with the sole intention of finishing the syllabus for the mid-term tests without bothering a bit about the dozing students, blank faces, and clueless minds. Is this what is expected of a teacher? The students might as well sit at home and gulp the subject matter scribbled in the textbooks. Definitely, here I am talking about students who have fair reading and writing skills and a sound grasping power. I guess each child needs something more from a teacher—may be a role model, may be a guide, may be a friendly philosopher who’ll simplify the code of life for them. But to do all this, first the teacher has to reach a...

There comes a time in parents’ life, when they have to send their child to a school. Going to school is almost a norm for a child, but selecting the right school is a parent’s responsibility. A school plays a major role in the formative years of a child and it can totally break or make a child’s personality. So, it is essential to make a conscientious decision in choosing a school for your child. You can follow these simple steps while selecting the right school for your child: Explore the available options Find out the schools in the vicinity and make a list of them. Research and see if you have covered all the options in your list. Check the internet and talk to your neighbours and acquaintances to add good options to your list. Set the priorities for your child’s development It is very essential that you decide in advance the kind of development you are expecting for your child. That decision will aid you in choosing the school relatively good in meeting your expectation. Y...

A child's journey from highschool to college is a major transition in his/her life. This transitional phase is epochal in a child's academic as well as personal growth. Till highschool, a child is exposed to a constrained world--less complex and posing fewer challenges. But the child is exposed to a more complex world in the college life. And so, it is essential to prepare your child to face this complex world outside the confinements of the house and the highschool. The first step in preparing the child is to help him/her explore the academic interest. A child, especially a teenager, is very vulnerable in making a decision under pressure. Peer and parental pressure plays a key role at this stage. Many a times, a child’s decision is influenced by the choices of his/her friends and expectations from parents. Not many kids can actually identify their natural skills and interests, and further, very few amongst them can harp enough strength to chase their interests or to flow ag...