Category: Teaching Practices

  • One Simple Classroom Moment: A Lesson in Curiosity

    The Teacher Didn’t Teach the Meanings. He Taught Something Far More Valuable.

    While channel surfing recently, I stumbled across a simple YouTube video that stayed on my mind long after.

    A teacher was interacting with a small group of children. He asked each child two simple questions:

    ❝What is your name?❞
    ❝Do you know what your name means?❞

    One by one, the children answered. Everyone knew their names, of course, but very few knew what those names actually meant.

    What impressed me was the teacher’s response. No comments, no judgements, just a smile and he moved on to the next child. When everyone had answered, it turned out that only two students out of fifteen knew the meanings of their names.

    He told the children to find out the meaning of their names. Not immediately. Not as homework due the next day. “Take two days, four days, even a week, if you have to”.

    Then the teacher said something beautiful.

    Then he explained why he had asked the question in the first place.

    ❝It is not the meaning that is important. What matters is your curiosity. I want you to be curious to know—to ask questions, to understand the meanings behind things, and to want to know about the world around you.❞

    That was the real lesson. In just a few minutes, he shifted the focus from knowing the right answer to developing the desire to seek answers.

    And that, to me, is what distinguishes a great teacher from an ordinary one. An ordinary teacher may focus on delivering information. A great teacher awakens curiosity.

    Curious children don’t stop learning when the lesson ends. They ask “why,” “how,” and “what if.” They observe, explore, question, and discover. They become lifelong learners because they have developed the habit of seeking understanding rather than simply collecting information. That lesson extends far beyond the classroom.

    Whether it’s the story behind their own name, the reason the sky changes color at sunset, why leaves fall in autumn, or how kindness changes relationships—every question is an opportunity to nurture curiosity.

    Over to you🎤. Drop your thoughts in the comments. ⋆✴︎˚｡⋆

  • Music in Education: A Teacher-friendly Takeaway Box

    🗝️Three key areas where music can be used as an educational tool: ‣Classroom management; ‣Memory, retention and ‣concentration; Community building.

    ✧My previous post recounted some moments that revealed the magical effect of music on mind, on mood. If music can regulate emotions, reduce anxiety, build bonds, improve focus, then it definitely is a powerful tool for the social emotional development of children which in turn will sharpen their cognitive abilities and boost academic performance.

    👉Here I share strategies for making intentional use of music in classrooms for better teaching learning experiences. These strategies are drawn from my personal reflections and practical insights based on my own teaching experience, my experience as a teacher trainer and from observing other colleagues:

    ⚡Classroom management- Morning assembly prayer and songs is a common routine in most schools that makes the students and teachers fresh, energetic to start the day with positive vibes. ⬩However, teachers would agree that the transition from one period to another, when one teacher leaves and the other enters or students move from one classroom to another, is always full of chaos and commotion.

    ⬩ In one of the schools I observed, instead of ringing piercing bell they play a Mozart Symphony or some instrumental music, to signal the end of one subject period. This, I realized, minimized  the noise and chaos during transitions effectively.

    ⬩Tasks can be timed with music. Students work on the task till soft music continues and stop activity/exercise the as the music stops.

    ⬩For signalling- for better management some sound signals can be created to signify instructions like tidying up the room, filing out or for being quiet. Rainstick or some chime also is useful.

    ⚡For memorizing- Music strengthens memory. For younger children, it is effective way of acquiring linguistic skills, and a very potent tool for memorizing as they repeat the same songs, poems often.

    ⬩Improving focus – Soft music helps concentrate so can be used in the classroom while students are at a writing task or drawing or reading silently. Teachers will have to check the volume which should be very soft and low so it does not itself become a distraction.

    To improve focus if the students come back to their classroom after recess or sports period make them sit for two minutes with eyes closed while some soft music plays and they open eyes when th e music stops.🌱

    ⬩Music can come handy as a brain break activity. It has now been established through studies that brain breaks boost attention spans. Introduce 5 minutes activities  every 25 minutes to refresh minds. And after breaks students returned ready to learn. 👩🏻‍💻📓✍🏻💡

    ⚡For Community building- Having a chant for their group or some group musical activities produce  neurochemicals that energise (endorphins) and release social bonding hormone (oxytocin), thus fostering feelings of trust, connectedness among children. This community feeling is crucial for the children to feel safe and supported which is a prerequisite for better learning.

    ⚠️What is important is to choose music or songs keeping the age of the students in mind. Ensure that the music does not distract students from their task. Keep the music low unless the students are feeling dull and need to be energized and other classes are not disturbed.

    ▸Choose the strategies discreetly, overdoing reduces impact.

    ▸Also know your students. Through a little experimentation a teacher can find out what works with their class. Different groups have different preferences. One class I taught loved short stories over songs and I used to be on the look out for stories that I could squeeze into the lesson plan. But that’s the story for another day 😊

    Have thoughts?  just leave them in the comments!

    🌸Let‘s connect on👇

    Instagram

    Facebook