A Small Step Toward Productive Failure - Gurdeep Kaur

Like many of us, I’ve always leaned on direct instruction. It feels efficient, structured, and safe. But after last Saturday’s Masterclass session, I felt compelled to step out of that comfort zone and try something new.

I was about to teach the business entity principle in Accountancy—something I’ve always explained directly. This time, I didn’t. I gave my students a case study—“Aarav and His Design Shop”—with various transactions, and asked them to make decisions. No definitions. No instructions. Just space to explore and think.

They discussed, debated, questioned, and gradually arrived at the understanding that personal and business finances should not be mixed. They didn’t just learn the principle—they experienced why it matters.

I don’t yet know how much of the concept has stuck. And I’ll admit—I’m still figuring out what productive failure truly means (we’re not through the book yet!). But what I do know is this:

My students were alive in that moment—curious, engaged, and confident in their ability to make sense of something new.

I believe our job isn’t to deliver perfect lessons, but to create imperfect moments where learning can emerge on its own— messy, real, and meaningful.

Gurdeep Kaur is The Teachers Centre Ambassador and co-hosts the Saturday Masterclass with Sandeep Dutt, you may connect with her via email GK@LearningForward.org.in

What Makes a School! - Aakash Agrawal

A school is more than just bricks and books. It's a vibrant ecosystem where young minds blossom under the guidance of dedicated educators. At the heart of this ecosystem lies the teacher-student relationship, a dynamic bond that shapes not only academic success but also the overall well-being of students

The Power of Connection:
Imagine a classroom where students feel seen, heard, and understood. Where their curiosity is nurtured, their questions are valued, and their struggles are met with empathy. This is the power of a positive teacher-student relationship. It creates a safe and supportive learning environment where students feel comfortable taking risks, asking questions, and actively participating in their education.

Beyond Academics :
The impact of this relationship extends far beyond grades and test scores. Teachers who build strong connections with their students become mentors, role models, and trusted confidantes. They help students develop essential social-emotional skills, build confidence, and navigate the challenges of adolescence. Sharing my personal experience it actually contributes to the holistic development of each child.

Aakash Agrawal
Sunbeam Varuna, Varanasi

Simplicity and Trust - Shalini Solanki

Simplicity is beautiful as it is away from all complications, complexities, distractions and confusion. Simplicity and Trust go hand in hand. It is difficult to achieve simplicity ultimately. But regular practice makes one closer to it.

Activity: We recently conducted an exercise on simplicity and Trust. The name of the activity was 'Scavenger Hunt', where students were asked to draw clues on A4 sheets like walls of mirrors, beds, many books, computers, flowers and bushes, water, a smart board etc. They were asked to leave some space to write after each image. The children were very excited and curious about the next step. They were informed that they would be going for a school round, where they were asked to observe their surroundings and find out the room or place matching the images drawn by them and tick the same. They were discussing with their peers, excited to find something resembling their drawing, listening to the teacher and each other, using each other's back to tick, disciplined, happy and trusting each other for their ideas.

We returned to the classroom, and the children wrote the room names or places where they saw the things drawn by them. We discussed the entire activity, and without opening any book or smart board, we were done with the topic of 'Different Places in School'. I was pleased and satisfied with my students' clarity of concept and responses. It is fantastic that we can simply make little ones understand anything with clear and simple ideas.

Initial responses from students: They were curious, excited, happy and eager.

My role: Facilitator 

Impact on students: They were more observant and calculative (e.g. they found 5 rooms of mirrors, where I was expecting one) 

My Learning: By being simple or making things simple, we can build Trust and make anyone understand, even the most challenging problems/ situations.

Shalini Solanki

Gyanshree School
JOL Cohort 2022

Unity and Caring - Bloom BHIS

A caring heart will never stray                      
even when its owner has to go away.
It will think of its happy home
dismissing thoughts of wanting to roam.   
No pastures are ever greener                                  
then the ones in your backyard.
A home is the hearth of the family
and love will always keep it warm.
A caring heart will always
consider this as it goes on its way.
When temptation is near
a caring heart will steer clear
and use the loving star
to guide it safely back home.

There was a farm, where lived farmer John with his wife Molly. They hold pigs, cows and many animals on their farm. Also, there lived a little mouse.

One day the mouse looked through a small crack in the wall and accidentally saw how the farmer was opening some package. The mouse was curious about what food may it contain and discovered that it was a mousetrap.

The mouse was determined to run around the farmyard and warn all the animals regarding the danger.

First of all, he met the chicken. „There is a mousetrap in the house!“ - the mouse declared with despair. But the chicken answered with indifference: It doesn't concern me, as this is a danger for you, but not for me. It cannot bother me“.

Then the mouse raced to the pig and the cow and told them about the mousetrap. But the pig and the cow were not impressed too. They said that there is nothing to about this and promised to pray about the mouse.

Sad and depressed, the little mouse returned to the house.

In the night the farmer‘s wife Molly heard a sound of a mousetrap. She hurried to see what was in it, but due to the darkness, she did not see that it was a poisonous snake, whose tail was caught by the trap. Suddenly the snake bit Molly.

The farmer rushed with her to the hospital. Later, when they returned home, Molly still had a fever. John remembered that it is good to treat a fever with chicken soup, so he went to his farmyard to bring the main ingredient, the chicken.

Whereas Molly‘s sickness continued and many friends came to visit her, the farmer butchered the pig so he could feed all the visitors.

Unfortunately, As time went by Molly became weaker and weaker and one day she died. Many neighbours, relatives and friends have arrived at the funeral. John had to slaughter the cow to feed all of them.

The mouse has been watching all that was happening with great sorrow.

Remember, when we learn that someone is facing difficulties or danger, we all are at risk. It is better to help and encourage one another and don‘t leave anyone alone with his problems.

Bloom@Billabong High International School, Thane

-Priya Wagle, Manisha Joshi, Rinku Lapasia, Savita Rane, Ranjana Solanki, Sharanjeet Kaur, Manjit Kaur

Responsibility and Cooperation - Nikita Rajpurohit

Responsibility is a duty or obligation to do something. Responsible people are the ones that many look up to. They are the people who are considered role models for others to follow and are even known for their examples of responsibility followed by others. They are always the ones who help out. This quality helps people to find a fondness and trustworthiness in them towards those who are responsible.  Whether you are working, going to school, doing housework, or babysitting, being responsible is something that cannot be avoided in your day to day life. Some see the most responsible people as the first ones to call when emergencies happen while others know that a responsible person can be counted without having to be asked to be responsible.

Cooperation refers to the action or process of working together for the same goal. We cannot have cooperation without the development of sympathy. Sympathy depends upon the capacity of an individual to imagine himself in the place of another, particularly when the other person is in difficulties.  Cooperation is possible only when there is like-mindedness, the similarity of purpose, mutual understanding, mutual helpfulness and selfless attitude.

Both are two different terms, for sure, but they play a major role between a student-teacher life. So that student could be responsible for his task, be disciplined and cooperate with everyone in his surrounding. Responsibility of a student is to utilize the time he is spending in the school, gain knowledge, maintain discipline and follow what he is instructed by a teacher. At the same time, a teacher is responsible for giving the best clarification to the students about academics and their life as well. Students are curious because these are the growing years of life and they want to know everything they are still not familiar with. Here comes the role of responsibility of a teacher.

If a student is responsible, it makes it easy for a teacher to give the new- forming brain a good shape. And when a teacher is responsible, it automatically makes it easier for students to shape themselves into a better person every day. Besides responsibility, teachers and students must cooperate with each other or else difficulties might arise for both of them. If a teacher is non- cooperative, students might not feel so comfortable to share their questions/ opinions with him/her. On the other hand, if a student doesn't cooperate with the teacher, it might be difficult for a teacher to bring him on track. Therefore, responsibility and cooperation both are necessary terms in a student-teacher life.

Nikita Rajpurohit

The Fabindia School

Respect and Honesty: Kusum Sharma

Respect and Honesty both the values are very important for keeping a healthy relationship

with anyone. Honesty creates peace of mind and promotes trust... It is not only about telling the truth but to care for someone without thinking about the profits. A girl who is studying in my class always sits quietly and I observed that she is more comfortable in school rather than at home. But she was not at all interested in studies.

She always brought a tiffin box without any vegetables. I don't know but I felt some special attachment with the girl and was curious to know about her.  One day those class students were asked for notebooks corrections, as usual, the girl refused to submit the notebook. I got a chance to talk to her. I called and asked her about her problem.  

Firstly she could not speak a single word but when she felt affectionate to me she burst out and told her story that she was living with her mother and paternal uncle, who was a drunkard and used to abuse her for small mistakes. She didn't get respect from anyone at home, so she was not honest with anyone. When she felt good, respected, then started trusting others and now the girl has completely changed in behaviour and studies as well.

Kusum Sharma

The Fabindia School

Happiness and Tolerance: Manisha Deora

Happiness is a feeling or showing pleasure or contentment. This is what the children say

happiness is playing with friends, fun on holidays, listening to people and laughing, when someone smiles at you, playing with baby siblings, freedom to choose, being the star of the day, etc....

Every school must provide an environment to keep their students in a happy mind always. This mainly depends on the teachers who handle those students. We must appreciate their hard work. A student may be unhappy because of the following reasons, like a boring method of teaching or they did not get time to play.

‌‌We might  have noticed a thing with students where they feel very happy when the school bell rings at 3 or 4 p.m in the evening. They run like they have participated in any race to reach home. But when they come to school in the early morning, it is totally opposite. It is in the hands of the teachers to do the changes which they need in their students.

Tolerance is about appreciating that we all have different views and opinions. It is the ability, willingness or capacity to tolerate something. Sometimes, this makes children uncomfortable but through understanding tolerance, we can learn how to accept others even if we don't agree. An intolerant child may not accept the views, beliefs or behaviour which differs from their own. Ignorance and fear of other cultures, nature  and religions can lead to children developing poor attitudes towards accepting and celebrating an individual's self-worth.

 So, we should teach children about tolerance and human rights. We should encourage children to be open-minded individuals who are curious and want to learn from others apart from themselves only.  We should try asking our children about various cultures, nature and religions, so that they can understand and appreciate the different views and opinions of other cultures and religions also.

Manisha Deora

The Fabindia School

Caring For Others - Kusum Sharma

Hello Everyone

Today I am going to share my views on caring for others, so I am sharing a story related to the topic. There was a farm, where lived farmer John with his wife Molly. They had pigs, cows and many animals on their farm. Also, there lived a little mouse.

One day the mouse looked through a small crack in the wall and accidentally saw the farmer opening some package. The mouse was curious about what food may it contain and discovered that it was a mousetrap. The mouse was determined to run around the farmyard and warned all the animals regarding the danger. First of all, he met the chicken. “There is a mousetrap in the house! “, the mouse declared with despair. But the chicken answered with indifference, “It doesn't concern me, as this is a danger for you, but not for me. It cannot bother me“.

Then the mouse raced towards the pig and the goat and told them about the mousetrap. But the pig and the goat were not impressed too. They said that there is nothing to worry about this and promised to pray about the mouse. Sad and depressed, the little mouse returned to the house. In the night the farmer‘s wife Molly heard a sound of a mousetrap. She hurried to see what was in it, but due to the darkness, she did not see that it was a poisonous snake, whose tail was caught in the trap. Suddenly the snake bit Molly.

The farmer rushed with her to the hospital. Later, when they returned home, Molly still had a fever. John remembered that it is good to treat the fever with chicken soup, so he went to his farmyard to bring the main ingredient, the chicken.

Whereas Molly‘s sickness continued and many friends came to visit her, the farmer butchered the pig so he could feed all the visitors. Unfortunately, as time went by Molly became weaker and weaker and one day she died. Many neighbours, relatives and friends arrived for the funeral. John had to slaughter the goat to feed all of them. The mouse watched all this with great sorrow. Remember, when we learn that someone is facing difficulties or dangers, we all are at risk. It is better to help and encourage one another and don‘t leave anyone alone with his problems.

Kusum Sharma

The Fabindia School

Play, Curiosity and Enthusiasm: Kusum Sharma

Play is not only physical activity but also the mental development of any child. when we think of play, it is very easy to think of sports programs that help children develop they're fine motor skills. Play is a very essential activity for each individual to keep fit and happy. play teachers how to lose with good Grace and how to work with and against others. Nowadays children are very much engaged in social media, so they are lacking in outdoor games and physical activities which reduces their mental growth and physical fitness.

It is been noticed, that the child who is involved in sports is more confident in comparison to other children.

Along with sports activity if a child is curious to know about the things around him. Then he will gain extra knowledge of the things around him/her. Curiosity is often described as a natural desire to build knowledge. Curious people win more and more often because they never stop looking for ways to improve.

curiosity and enthusiasm means showing interest in the things that you do and get pleasure from them. It helps a child to engage in more productive activities.  An enthusiastic teacher also spices the class with excitement, enjoyment and engages students to participate and explore.

Kusum Sharma

The Fabindia School, Bali <kde4fab@gmail.com>

Curious Icons: A 21st century education

Growing up with an immense level of technology means growing up with a completely unprecedented amount of information at your fingertips. There are kids who have never been more than a few seconds away from the answers to their questions, with everything just a quick search away.

A 21st-century education is about giving students the skills they need to succeed in this new world and helping them grow the confidence to practice those skills. With so much information readily available to them, 21st-century skills focus more on making sense of that information, sharing and using it in smart ways.

A 21st-century educator needs to put the focus on life skills rather than textbook knowledge. Life skills include creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving, decision-making, the ability to communicate and collaborate, along with personal and social responsibility that contribute to good citizenship – all essential skills for success in the 21st century, both for healthy societies and for successful and employable individuals.

If students who are the citizens of tomorrow are to become genuinely involved in public affairs, then a more systematic approach towards citizenship education is essential. It enables them to make a positive contribution by developing the expertise and experience they need to assert their rights and understand their responsibilities while preparing them for the challenges and opportunities of adult and working.

- Curious Icons, The Iconic School Bhopal
The Educators at The Iconic School are reading Kavita Ghosh’s Book for the Level II of the Learning Forward India three-year Professional Learning Program.

Curious Icons: Caring, the value of values

#22 immutable Values

The Value Of Values 
Curious Icons - The Caring Palm Tree, 

#How much do we care for others and for our loved ones? 

PLP @The Iconic School, Bhopal 
29th April 2019