HumaneMaths

  The psychological impact of delayed puberty. How can we detect? Caregivers can detect delayed puberty in few ways. In boys it would be absence of facial hair and voice. It can also be gleaned by noticing the absence of fat distribution and a lack of sense of smell, for the neurons for those is close to the neurons for building testosterone in the brain ( Vasectomy Reversal USA, 2016). I would not feel that a lack of sexual drive can be an indicator for that could be a personal preference. In girls it would be the body, breasts not growing or absence of periods. What can we do? In our school, we are recommended to give a heads up to the school head or counsellor or parents to get further tests done. There is a team that looks after physical and mental health of children and it takes action very soon when we give a heads up. It would be best not to be an expert but be a conduit for the experts. I feel that I would need to be very sensitive to the child by (a) not insisting...

  (Ritchart, 2015, p.1) writes, “It is our expectations for students, ourselves, and the learning process itself that form the foundation for the culture of the group”. For me, one of the core values associated with teaching is to promote independence in the students. I would like to become a ‘redundant’ person in the classroom, such is the independent engagement I would prefer the students to have in their work. This is middle school Maths. But this is not done overnight. It has a number of steps on the way.   Here I list 3 of my favourite teaching strategies , with examples, that helped my students become independent learners. Collaborative Learning Years ago, in grade 9 Maths class, I divided the class into groups of 6 and handed each group a set of problems to solve together. They were onto it and all I heard were intense discussions in the class. Such was the focus that they didn’t hear the bell or notice me quietly slipping out for my next class. Come down the time...

  “As a starting point, teachers need to ask themselves, “ What is my goal in teaching ?” and, “ What is my teaching philosophy ?””, ( Models of DisciplineLow Approach , n.d.). Everything else stems out of this, including the philosophy of classroom management. For me, my focus as a teacher is to create a positive classroom environment. The objective of that is to be able to have an atmosphere where everyone can learn in a space of safety and harmony. Once I am clear about the focus, that gives the benchmark rubric to assess if classroom management system has worked or not. In my opinion, the rubric should contain the following: ·        Are the students engaged and learning? ·        Is everyone focused on the task? ·        Is there a pleasant vibe in the classroom? ·        Can the teacher (me) be attentive in a relaxed manner, without requiring “hi...

Sui Ming, a bright student in Miss Lee’s class, has suddenly lost interest in learning. Miss Lee, a form tutor, is concerned and would like to intervene with a set of strategies in order to help the student. In this paper.  ‘What kind of strategies and interventions can Miss Lee use’?            When Miss Lee asked Sui Ming about his disinterest in learning, the answer Miss Lee got from is that he is playing video games late at night. This tells me two things: (a) He has lost the sense of “connect” ( Shelja, 2016) with Miss Lee. Else he would have spoken in detail. And (b) If he is playing video games late night, then it could be an escapism from something that bothers him. Since Miss Lee is unable to reach out to him, she definitely needs some interventions. Telling Sui Ming that she is involving the parents might escalate the situation. I think she is wise in understanding that she needs to request parent intervention. I would like to first diff...

  The 9 events (Gagne, Briggs and Wager, 1992) - That we can use to create or design a classroom.  1.      Gain attention of the students Behaviourist This is the time to ‘Stimulate students with novelty, uncertainty and surprise’, ( Gagne, Briggs and Wager, 1992 ), in order to incite them towards the learning. I am calling this B for I would like to have a visible clear response to the stimulation provided. I require proof that I have their attention and motivation in a positive manner. I have to start the topic Quadrilaterals with a group of students who are borderline SEN, especially dyslexic. This is a tough word to pronounce for the 7 th graders and I am afraid that they might not get into the lesson at all without a beginning that motivates them. To stimulate them I use the syntax method to break the word into pieces Qua-Dri-Late-Ral and ask the class to chant it with claps. Although t...

  I share some of the ways to support creative and personal forms of expression and diversity in my classrooms which includes Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CLD) learners. It has my pedagogical perspective and my own tool box of best practices that I have used and can use again. I have also shared some personal experiences. I imagine a classroom for myself where I have students from 7 Indian states, all with extremely different dialect and 4 different countries, non-native English speaking. I wonder how I will design my lessons! Considering maths is a universal language, so much of learning maths happens through English language in my country for all private schools, that I wonder how I will map the English speaking with the non-English speaking students. These are culturally and linguistically diverse [CLD] students, henceforth addressed in this paper as CLD. While cultural diversity can be managed with immersive experiences including various cultures, language diversi...

  Introduction I am using here a lesson that I experienced as a student. This is in grade 9 Maths class in a CBSE school, ( Central Board of Secondary Education . (n.d.) )   in New Delhi, India. The teacher, a short lady with polite voice, taught using the board, chalk and textbook. She would explain a concept using the board, solve few examples and then assign problems to us that we were to solve individually. In case of a doubt we could call upon her. We were not encouraged to talk to each other as that created noise and the head of school did not appreciate it. Since she was a calm person, we were also calm and did not feel threatened by her or the subject. It was slow and steady work in a pleasant atmosphere. Concept of Maths-Problems-Assessment: This was the cycle that repeated. Main text The classroom elicits a positive “emotional response” because of the warm temperament of the teacher; but there is no “meaning” (Sun Protection Outreach by Students, p7) for the ...