Prof. Jayashree Ramadas is the centre director of Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education. She did her M.Sc from IIT Kanpur and her Ph. D. from HBCSE. Pulled into the role of teacher-educator as a graduate student, at HBCSE, she got interested in students’ ways of thinking about science concepts […]
Yearly Archives: 2014
30 posts
Dr. Anandan has been working in the area of language education, especially English-language education in India, for close to two decades. He did his PhD from CIEFL, Hyderabad and then went on to develop a number of language teaching-learning programs such as Second Language Acquisition Program and Rapid Acquisition of […]
Did you know: Prolific comes from French prolifique, which is in turn derived from Latin proles (progeny or offspring) + root of facere (to make). A prolific artist, thus, is one who makes/produces many works of art and prolific growth signifies abundant growth. From the same root we also get the word proliferate (multiply, grow fast), […]
The story of humankind and its progression through the ages is a fascinating one; and language, one of humankind’s ‘bosom friends’, has been a constant witness to the unfolding of this tale – in fact, not merely has it witnessed the story, but it has played a key role in […]
A day-long workshop on setting up and using libraries effectively was facilitated by Usha Mukunda and her team on day II of Kathavana, 2013, . The workshop adopted a question-answer format for discussions (eliciting and building on the attendees’ responses and current knowledge); and spent significant time on hands-on activities, which, […]
As someone interested in ancient history, I have often noticed – and marveled – at the similarities and differences between the many ancient civilizations. The Maya Civilization, ancient Egyptian Civilization, ancient Indian Civilization, ancient Chinese Civilization, as well as the ancient Greek and Roman Civilizations (though similar at some basic […]
KathaVana is a Children’s Literature Festival organised annually by the Azim Premji University, Bangalore since 2012. This year, in 2014, it is being held between September 10th and 13th. As the event brochure notes: The emergence of contemporary children’s literature in India as a genre of significance to publishers, authors and […]
While pictures and videos can sometimes over-simplify and fail to capture the nuances, this simplicity can at times convey a point more effectively and be more hard-hitting than dozens of belaboring books on the subject. This short animation tries to present the absurdity of humans and their lives, in relation […]
Vir, in Latin, refers to a man and virilis to being manly or worthy of a man. This root later evolved into virile and virility in English, which has come to refer to ‘masculine characteristics’ such as strength and vigour (esp sexual) and is now also sometimes used in expressions such as a […]
Astronomy is one of the oldest sciences concerned with the study of planets, stars, galaxies & other celestial objects and phenomena. From time immemorial the night sky has fascinated many cultures in the past including the Indians, Babylonians, Egyptians, Chinese & the Greeks and it continues to fascinate us even […]
Some words, as a friend recently remarked, are delicately descriptive – they do not merely carry a ‘meaning’ but a lot more. Unfortunately, it becomes nigh impossible for someone who has not grown-up in the particular cultural milieu in which those words originated and were originally used, to understand them […]
Some parents really struggle. Like, “All the other kids have the terrible thing. So my kid has to have…No, let your kid go and be a better example to the other %^$# kids. Just because other stupid kids have phone doesn’t mean – “Well okay my kid has to be stupid otherwise she […]
The Living Corporation Reflections on a new corporate philosophy Azim Premji Last week, there was debate on whether for-profit businesses should be allowed to establish schools. During the debate, I was surprised by the strongly negative view that many people in the social sector have of corporates. Since these opinions […]
Elizabeth Rata is an Associate Professor in the School of Critical Studies in Education, University of Auckland. She was invited earlier this year, by the Azim Premji Foundation and University to present a paper titled Epistemic Knowledge and Democratic Politics in the 2nd International Seminar on Philosophy of Education, as well as to […]
The two years that I spent at the Azim Premji University were challenging and satisfying – and are fondly remembered. I was asked to speak to the batch of 2013 on their first day; and continue to receive queries about the university from prospective and new students. Below is the […]