…by understanding the brain. Hello all. Welcome to the 142nd edition of TEPS Weekly ! The Concept of ‘Discipline’ For a long time in Indian schools, the word ‘discipline’ was almost the same as ‘punishment’. Many of us grew up in classrooms where fear was used to keep order, and this shaped what we later expected from students. When the RTE Act (2009) banned corporal punishment, it was an important step forward. But it also created an immediate gap – teachers were suddenly to

…in the foundational years. Hello all. Welcome to the 141st edition of TEPS Weekly ! As per the NEP 2020, the Foundational Stage spans five years, from Pre-K to Grade 2. It specifies that during this period, the pedagogy must be flexible, multilevel, play based and activity based. The NCF for the Foundational Stage (NCF-FS) emphasises holistic development, stating clearly that learning in the foundational years spans multiple domains – including physical-motor, cognitive, lan

… an MCQ . Hello all. Welcome to the 140th edition of TEPS Weekly ! Multiple-choice questions or MCQs are the workhorse of the ‘assessments’ part of teaching and learning. MCQs are omnipresent – whether it is a teacher checking student understanding just after they have finished a topic or a school conducting unit tests or an educational board doing diagnostics of how well students are learning or even in high-pressure and high-stakes entrance tests and qualifying tests. Give

…starts with ‘Essential Ideas’. Hello all. Welcome to the 139th edition of TEPS Weekly ! A recent newspaper article  about competency-based assessments brought back into focus the CBSE’s shift from rote learning – it has increased the percentage of competency-based questions in Class X Board Exams to 80%. (We dug deeper and found that the CBSE circular about this  is actually more than a year old, published on 3 April 2024.) The circular states that 50% (not 80%) of the quest

...and the role they play. Hello all. Welcome to the 138th edition of TEPS Weekly ! When we think of teaching, we think of a teacher standing in front of a classroom and explaining concepts to students. But is that all there is to teaching? Let’s take a look at what all a teacher is actually required to do on a daily basis. A main part of their job is going into classrooms, explaining concepts to students, facilitating active learning, engaging them and building relationships

...need attention. Hello all. Welcome to the 137th edition of TEPS Weekly !   Last week, we wrote a little about whether teachers are leaving their profession in India, and if they were leaving, what the potential reasons for this could be. This week, we focus on teacher salaries and working conditions. Just as in the previous edition, we will try to dive into available data and make inferences.  No salary? Teachers’ salaries are high and competitive.  Teachers’ are paid too

…or staying and teaching? Hello all. Welcome to the 136th edition of TEPS Weekly !   A few days ago, we came across a newspaper article asking why teachers are leaving their profession. The article started by asserting that teachers are moving away from teaching for various reasons, which included school tasks and social issues. It cited a report jointly written by UNESCO and the ILO. This article did a few rounds on the professional circles in public (LinkedIn) and also in m

…are important for learning. Hello all. Welcome to the 135th edition of TEPS Weekly !   If we think back to our school days, we can...

... the process, not the product . Hello all. Welcome to the 134th edition of TEPS Weekly !   In classrooms, learning can sometimes look...