Fun in Learning & Learning is Fun

Brewing Knowledge Friday, April 25th 2025

Quick recap

Sandeep led a Friday evening session focused on book reading, introducing "My Good School" and discussing its content with various schools. The session covered topics such as the importance of incorporating fun elements in education, maintaining enthusiasm in teaching, parental involvement, and creative learning strategies. Sandeep also introduced resources, such as the "Brewing Knowledge" Google sheet and the Learning Forward India Foundation, encouraging participants to engage with these materials and share their thoughts on educational blogs.

Next steps

• Nidhi requested us to read the chapter "Why teachers are averse to change" for the next session on May 2nd. We have read the chapter, and details are there in the Friday Book Reading sheet; you will find a video and reference point.

• All participants are to access and review the Google Sheet containing the reading schedule and covered chapters.

• Suman to continue encouraging teachers at her school to discuss the book and participate in the reading sessions.

• All participants to explore the Learning Forward India Foundation blog (learningforward.in) and the Happy Teacher blog (happyteacher.in) for additional resources and discussions.

• Participants are asked to leave comments on the blog posts related to the reading sessions they attend.

• Reena and other Hindi-speaking participants to attempt reading "My Good School" in English, focusing on understanding the key concepts chapter by chapter.

• All participants are to reflect on the three core elements discussed —reading, reflection, and relationships —in their teaching practice.

Summary

Fostering Love for Reading Through Stories

Sandeep led a Friday evening session focused on book reading, introducing the book "My Good School" and emphasising the importance of stories in our lives. The session was attended by various schools, including Ashwani's from Varanasi. The group discussed the book's content, with Manisha and Sandeep guiding the discussion. The session aimed to foster a love for books and reading, to cherish the art of reading.

Incorporating Fun Elements in Education

Sandeep discussed the importance of incorporating fun elements in education to make learning effective. He highlighted the need for teachers to go beyond the five senses and use colour, sound, touch, smell, and taste to engage students. Sandeep also emphasised the significance of creativity and innovation in teaching, particularly at the kindergarten level, where the teacher's role is crucial in introducing students to the learning process. He suggested that teachers should strive to make learning fun and exciting, as this can have a lasting impact on students' educational journey.

Maintaining Enthusiasm in Teaching and Parenting

In the meeting, Sandeep discussed the importance of maintaining enthusiasm throughout one's teaching career, emphasising the need for continuous zeal and passion. He also highlighted the significance of parental involvement in a child's upbringing, stating that what parents do at home has a greater impact than what happens at school. Sandeep stressed the importance of routines and consistency in parenting, as well as the need for parents to be actively involved in their children's lives. He also mentioned the role of teachers as caring adults in children's lives. The conversation ended with Sandeep reading another chapter from the book and inviting questions.

Encouraging Enthusiasm in Teaching

Sandeep discussed the importance of enthusiasm and passion in teaching, emphasising that a teacher's enjoyment of their work can create a positive classroom environment. He suggested that teachers should be patient and encouraging, building relationships with students and using activities to motivate them. Sandeep also highlighted the need for creative learning and the role of fun in education, suggesting that teachers should engage with students and not rely solely on traditional methods. He concluded by encouraging teachers to be eager and industrious, which leads to a great learning experience for students.

Tracking Chapters in "Brewing Knowledge

Sandeep discusses using a shared Google sheet called "Brewing Knowledge" to track the chapters read during their sessions. He updates the sheet with the chapters covered in the current session and mentions that the link to this sheet is available in the WhatsApp group. Sandeep encourages participants to read the chapters at their own comfort, either with teachers, students, or by themselves. Suman confirms that teachers are engaged with the book, discussing it and asking about reading sessions in advance.

Implementing Change in Educational Practices

Sandeep discussed the challenges of implementing changes in educational practices and policies, particularly among teachers. He suggested that resistance to change could stem from a lack of skills, fear of failure, or a need for more support. Sandeep also introduced the Learning Forward India Foundation, which aims to improve schools through governance, training, and learning. He encouraged participants to read more about these topics and to engage with the foundation's resources.

Brewing Knowledge Sessions and Blogs

Sandeep concludes the session by discussing the blog that inspired the book they've been reading, highlighting its reach and practical content. He explains the concept of "brewing knowledge" sessions, which combine books and participants' knowledge to build a collective knowledge system. Sandeep encourages participants to share their thoughts about the session on the Happy Teacher blog (happyteacher.in) and mentions Learning Forward (learningforward.in) as a valuable resource for educators.

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Thoughtfulness and Understanding - Welham Boys' School

A. An important component of thoughtfulness is showing concern. Elaborate on 3 tools you would like to use in your classroom to inculcate thoughtfulness about the right things among your students. 

I want to use the following three tools in my classroom to inculcate thoughtfulness about the right things among my students:

1. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction: It has been demonstrated that practising mindfulness and deep breathing techniques help to lower stress, improve focus, and improve wellness in general. I aim to teach students how to control their emotions, be present at the moment, and create empathy for others. I do this by adding mindful breathing techniques. For instance, to assist the class in relaxing and tuning into their thoughts and feelings before a lesson or activity, I could lead them through a 3–5-minute breathing exercise.
2. Keep a thankfulness journal: Studies have shown that practising appreciation boosts good feelings, lowers stress, and enhances mental health. I want to include gratitude journaling to inspire kids to pay attention to the good things in their lives and develop empathy for others. Students could list three things they are glad for each day, share them with a partner, and talk about the qualities they value in one another.
3. Experiential Learning: Real-world examples can be used by teachers to assist their students in comprehending how their actions can affect others and the environment. They can demonstrate the adverse effects of careless behaviour and the advantages of being mindful via news articles, films, and case studies.

B. To understand the world around you, you need to develop empathy. Give examples of specific activities/exercises you'd like to conduct in your classroom to inculcate empathy among your students.

I would conduct the following activities/exercises in my classroom to foster empathy among my students:

1. Storytelling: Sharing personal narratives or experiences is a great technique to foster empathy and understanding for other people. Students may have a greater sense of empathy for others by being encouraged to tell their own stories and listen to those of their peers. For example, I would ask students to describe when they faced a problem or overcame a challenge.
2. One-Act Play: During one-act play, students can experience what it could be like to be in another person's shoes and be in a new position or have a different point of view. Students can start to gain a more profound knowledge of other people's thoughts, feelings, and experiences by participating in role-playing activities. For example, I might have them act out various situations like peer mediation, conflict resolution, or exercises to develop empathy.
3. Social Service Projects: Students get to learn about many cultures, viewpoints, and experiences by participating in social service initiatives. Students can learn empathy for others and a more profound knowledge of their community's problems and difficulties by participating in service projects.

- Neelima Parmar, Monika Gupta and Vandana Sahay

Welham Boys’ School

Dr Gargi Singh: Is Your Child Ready To Face The World?

My thoughts on reading the book by Dr Anupam Sibal.

Child...Ready...and world...these three words connected extremely well throughout the book. The connection with children in a childlike manner and not following the same theory always to connect is something very interesting. Dr Sibal has been able to listen to the voices of the children and talk on their  behalf to the community of adults who are around the child with a tag of a relationship.

I connected the most with Reassurance, Confidence in their abilities, compassionate in  circumstances... as in the rat race of achievements we are taking our children away from these key values and virtues. The importance of instilling these virtues has been simply woven through discussions and taking every single moment as an opportunity to discuss and discover these virtues.

Throughout the book the respect given to every individual whether he or she is a renowned personality or a child who visited the clinic is remarkable. We all keep on talking about children in some or the other context, but this book challenges me for many of my thought processes and at the same time as every chapter proceeded I was more thoughtful as a parent at home and in school.

My biggest experience after reading the book is the happiness and confidence gained on things can be changed and excuses are the last option that parents can opt for. So advance with your kids and walk with them through the technology world and take every experience to connect the most beautiful virtues that makes one a good human being.

Dr Gargi  Singh
Honest Icons
Dr Gargi is the Vice Principal at The Iconic School in Bhopal, she has been a part of the founding team.

Good Teacher Explain Great Teacher Enliven!

Each Teacher understands as per his / her own capacity and explains to the students to his best.

The lesson is explained as one has understood, it can be imagined as a focused source of light that exists and another light source with more wastage that gives more light and vice versa.

Students understand better if instead of being explained the topic is enlivened  for them, it can be understood by this illustration: To explain gravity, we can explain as the Earth being imagined as hanging in space, all objects including water and sea water should fall off in space, but some force is holding water and objects on earth and this is called gravity.

Our learning from “Can You Teach A Zebra some Algebra” by Debashis Chatterjee

Ajay Vijayvargi, Kusum Dangi, Tarun Mishra & Usman Gani - The Fabindia School

Students Define the Classroom Not the Walls

Why students are physically present but not mentally present in the classroom? We may think that some of the reasons for this may be:
1. The topic taught by the teacher was not interesting.
2. Students may not know about the importance of the topic in their life.
3. A teacher did not give the students chance to speak.
4. No proper eye contact between teacher and students.
5. The relationship between teacher and students.
6. Students were not able to connect the previous knowledge to new knowledge.
7. Fear of teacher.
   
For engaging each student in the classroom, display a strong interest in students’ learning and a faith in their abilities. Deliver your presentations with energy and enthusiasm.  Make the course personal, showing why you are interested in the material. Make tough and boring topic interesting by teaching aids like audiovisual. Create a safe, supportive environment for students, teachers must work for affirming their belief in a student’s abilities rather than laying out the consequences of not doing things are much more likely to get and stay motivated to do their work. 

 

To renew interest in the subject matter or just in learning in general, give your students a chance to get out of the classroom. Take field trips. Before teaching tell them the importance of the topic and explain the previous knowledge to the students. When the teacher asks a question, then give time to think and then a chance to answer to all the students. Check each student by moving in the class. Give a real-life example. Inform students about how your course prepares students for future opportunities. Add fun activities toward your school day that can help students who struggle to stay engaged and make the classroom a much friendlier place for all students.

Our learning from:  ‘Can you teach a Zebra some Algebra’ -by Debashis Chatterjee.
Aysha Tak, Prerna Rathod & Suresh Singh Negi - The Fabindia School