Volume 3 Issue 3:

Learning Curve decided to devote this issue to Inclusive Education as a theme. In this issue, readers will find articles on literature for children particularly emphasizing inclusion, on gender stereotyping and an article on RTE and inclusion in schooling, among others. The issue also has an article on teaching language to include, caste as a barrier to education and upward social mobility and, finally, teacher preparedness in curriculum development.

Volume 3 Issue 2:

This issue of the Learning Curve focuses on one of the most important periods in any individual’s life — early childhood. Whatever differences there may be on any other aspect of education, this is one area on which everyone agrees: that the years between birth and eight are the most significant and can make or break a life. So universal is this that it is equally true in all cultures. You will find focus articles by some of the most well-known and much respected educationists in the country, followed by very practical and hands-on approaches to Early Childhood Education (ECE).

Volume 3 Issue 1:

The dictionary defines the word ​“enable” as, to make able, to give power, means or ability; to make competent, authorise, to make possible or easy. The word ​“enabling” when used as an indicator in school education can be defined as a comprehensive, multi-faceted series of empowering activities required to address the needs of youngsters facing barriers in the acquisition of both academic and life skills. In this Issue, we have tried to bring together articles recounting the experiences of practicing teachers, educators and students across India even one from a school at an altitude of 12,000 feet from distant Leh! — who have all been part of this process. We have articles that enlarge on the theme of empowerment through responsible citizenry by involving the community in the process, of methods used to facilitate collaborative learning by getting students and teachers to jointly examine their problems and concerns, of attitudinal changes enabled through dialogue.

Volume 2 Issue 3:

In this issue, we have a range of articles recounting personal experiences of teaching with the goal of inclusive learning rather than a random attempt at throwing information at a mixed ability group, only some of whom could lick the system with others falling by the wayside. Readers will find that diverse aspects of assessment have been thoughtfully tried and objectivity is a key theme. Another important aspect of assessment, namely, reflectively constructed rubrics have been given a place in this issue.

Volume 2 Issue 2:

This issue of Learning Curve focuses on ​‘Innovative teaching-learning practices’ — recipes that have been tried and tested and found to be efficacious, not methods recommended by textbooks. They are practical and completely doable in the most ordinary circumstances, as most classrooms in India find themselves in. No special equipment is required to try out these ways of teaching and the common thread running through them is just the desire to make a difference.

Volume 2 Issue 1:

Volume 1 Issue 2:

The latest issue of Learning Curve focuses on ​‘arts in school education’. The burthen of the collective message of this issue is: in the life of our children, Art is as essential as any other subject. Art sharpens perceptions of the world around us, it increases awareness and sensitivity. It also enhances human relationships as we discover the similarities of the artistic experience. There is a general recognition of the fact that the word ​‘art’ encapsulates within itself a wealth of meaning, as witness phrases such as the art of writing, of communication, of social and political exchange.

Volume 1 Issue 1:

This issue of Learning Curve focuses on ​‘sports in education’ which explores topics ranging from the interpersonal and collaborative influences that sports have on children to the skills it develops, from the harsh realities about why people don’t take up sporting careers to the challenges parents face while bringing up sporting kids, from questioning notions of competition in sports to detailing the power of a sporting mind, from examining the contribution of the RTE to revealing the NCF’s take on sports education.

This issue of Learning Curve centres attention on the subject of ​‘school leadership’. It defines the construct and scope of educational leadership, ruminates on whether a school leader ought to be an academician or an administrator, reflects on the challenges of school leadership and explores the forms of school leadership in India.

This issue of Learning Curve deliberates on the the purpose of social science in society, what the National Curriculum Framework says about the subject, the many moral conflicts while teaching it, pedagogic dilemmas, and a look at social science education across the world. The effort has been to give our readers an honest and comprehensive view of the nature of social science as a subject.

This issue of Learning Curve is cantered on the subject of Mathematics. While one article discusses the very nature of Mathematics, the other traces the history of the subject; similarly while one describes the pedagogy of the subject the other shares insights and the practical perspective of the teacher.

This issue of Learning Curve is devoted to the theme of language learning. In it, students, teachers, field practitioners and academicians talk about what language means to them, its multiple benefits and the issues and challenges associated with its learning.

In this issue of the Learning Curve, practising scientists, professors, school teachers and innovators ruminate on the methods and merits of science education. A range of topics from ​‘why teach science’ to ​‘how to make science fun for children’ to ​‘how to encourage children to take up higher education in science’ and ​‘how critical it is that we have a strong stream of scientists emerging from our education system’ are addressed in this issue.

In this issue of the Learning Curve, read about how the Educational Development Index is calculated and what constitutes an effective education system. Krishna Kumar’s book ​‘The Political Agenda of Education’, a comprehensive account of the goals of the Indian Education system under British rule and its ramifications for independent India, is also reviewed.

In this issue of the Learning Curve, the pros and cons of the voucher system are discussed and the value of arts in the school curriculum is elaborated upon. The book ​‘Escape from Childhood’, in which author John Holt advocates for a broader definition of childhood, inclusive of political and economic rights for children, is also reviewed.

In this issue of the Learning Curve, the importance of community participation in education is explored and we read about Bindooben, a highly remarkable teacher in Gujarat. Paulo Freire’s ​‘Pedagogy of the Oppressed’, in which the author delineates the incredible potency of education as a tool for liberation (genuine revolution of the people) and its capacity to dominate people, is reviewed.

In this issue of the Learning Curve, we explore the various obstacles standing in the way of equity in the Indian Education system. Factors responsible for low access to schooling of disadvantaged groups like the Scheduled castes and the minorities are discussed.

In this issue of the Learning Curve, Jean Dreze talks about the beneficial aspects of the Mid-day Meal Scheme and the Spastics Society of Karnataka elaborates on the accommodations and modifications required to integrate children with special needs into mainstream schools.

In this issue of the Learning Curve, updates of the Foundation’s programs and research studies are detailed in some length. An article on School Development Planning explores the benefits of training head teachers in devising plans for their schools.

In this issue of the Learning Curve, the tricky exercise of measuring learning is addressed by experts in the field and the much neglected area of Mathematics Education Research is discussed for its utility in diagnosing the difficulties students face in assimilating Mathematics.

In this issue of the Learning Curve, teacher absence in India, one of the Education system’s most insistent problems, is discussed and observations from Chinese Mathematics Classrooms are documented for their potential to serve as lessons for India.