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The Hue and Cry Surrounding the Afghan Government Collapse – How Can I Be Wrong?

The Hue and Cry Surrounding the Afghan Government Collapse – How Can I Be Wrong?

by anu | Sep 21, 2021 | LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT

As evacuation picked up pace in Afghanistan amidst scenes of chaos, bomb blasts and misery, with security outside the airport falling apart and the future of Afghan allies increasingly blurred, torrential questions came (and continue to come) lashing out at President... Read more
A Kerkuffle around Teaching the Critical Race Theory

A Kerkuffle around Teaching the Critical Race Theory

by anu | Aug 12, 2021 | LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT

In an apparent attempt to restrict the teaching of Critical Race Theory (CRT), the new Texas law (June 2021) prevents a teacher from exploring any topic (not just the state’s history of enslavement) in a way that makes a student “feel discomfort, guilt, (or) anguish.”... Read more
The Responsibility of Schools to Create a Culture of Critical Thinking for Life-long Learning

The Responsibility of Schools to Create a Culture of Critical Thinking for Life-long Learning

by Anu Bhatia | Nov 1, 2020 | LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT

The newly formed education ministry in India has outlined significant changes and conceived new directions in the curriculum and education policy with a focus on (i) overhauling the curriculum, (ii) “easier” Board exams, (iii) a reduction in the syllabus... Read more
How Museum Education Cultivates Critical Thinking – Part II

How Museum Education Cultivates Critical Thinking – Part II

by Anu Bhatia | Apr 13, 2020 | LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT

Encourage Multiple Perspectives In his investment theory of creativity, Sternberg (2006) identifies three intellectual skills that constitute the intellectual abilities crucial for creativity: the ability to see problems in a new way; to recognize which ideas are... Read more
Teaching to Think Scientifically (What we Teach)

Teaching to Think Scientifically (What we Teach)

by Anu Bhatia | Apr 26, 2019 | LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT

On a chilly winter morning, a thick fog enshrouding the town, an 8th grader whom I teach English online on weekends, messaged me saying her school is closed for a couple of days due to bad weather and she would like to catch up on her English Literature and Social... Read more
Learning Empathy in the National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. (Is Empathy a virtue, or a critical thinking skill?)

Learning Empathy in the National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. (Is Empathy a virtue, or a critical thinking skill?)

by Anu Bhatia | Aug 22, 2018 | LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT

Empathy and Art Observation: Last week in the National Gallery of Art, an institution that allows individuals to make sense of art objects through their own subjective experiences, beliefs, and inclinations, I participated in a workshop that was focused on using the... Read more
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  • The Hue and Cry Surrounding the Afghan Government Collapse – How Can I Be Wrong?
  • A Kerkuffle around Teaching the Critical Race Theory
  • The Responsibility of Schools to Create a Culture of Critical Thinking for Life-long Learning
  • Respecting Identities
  • How Museum Education Cultivates Critical Thinking – Part II

Copyright © 2021 STEP LEARN. All Rights Reserved.

P stands for persistence – persistence in the face of ambiguity.

Learning ceases when kids get disengaged. Unfortunately, what’s valued and rewarded in classrooms is retention capacity- how much a child knows/has learned from textbooks. Our approach of getting the “single right answer” deters kids away from persisting unless they know the “right answer.”

ABOUT ME

Most of us have heard the parable of the three blind men who come across an elephant, an animal that none of them had encountered before. Each of them touch a different part of the elephant and describe what they stumble upon or “notice” based on their limited experience. They all have valid knowledge based on their experience but without hearing what the other two men know, their knowledge is incomplete. By the same token, complex issues lend themselves to multiple perspectives and we cannot ignore the role of perspectives in solving  problems as well as fostering social harmony.

https://teachheart.org/2019/08/21/understanding-multiple-perspectives/

 

I earned a Master’s in Educational Psychology from George Mason University where I learned to apply principles of learning, cognition, and motivation to vital problems in the area of education in a variety of formal as well as informal settings. For my capstone project titled ‘Learning and Cognition in the Visual Arts’ I utilized my skills accrued while pursuing the Master’s degree to investigate the kind of learning that takes place in and through the visual arts.

 

I worked as a middle-high school teacher in a covent of Jesus and Mary in India. One of the highlights of my experience was how group activities and collaborative learning encourage intellectual skills like decision making, envisioning, exploring options, developing perspectives, and so forth.

ABOUT STEP LEARN

Our system of education, especially in schools, needs a sizeable change. But until we envision what we want to accomplish through education, aligned with innate abilities and potential of humans and particularly children, the change is far from happening. The ‘what’ has sadly been compressed to getting “good grades” in lieu of nurturing intellectual skills like being curious, seeking evidence, considering perspectives and open-mindedly exploring ideas as individuals engage in multifaceted contexts throughout life.

E stands for explore – perspectives, options.

What do kids learn when they explore? How can educators create an environment that supports the tendency to explore, wonder and probe? When kids explore topics like gravity, planets, forests, etc, they begin to lay the groundwork for independent inquiry that steers them to new understandings.

In STEP, T stands for think – creatively & critically.

What are good thinking skills? How can educators make students better thinkers? Why in the first place should one need to ‘think’ to learn what Einstein theorized, or what Galileo formulated? Research educators at PZ think these skills can be taught by providing opportunities that allow kids to be curious, explore, consider options and perspectives, be flexible and so forth.

In STEP, S stands for SEE

What is it about ‘looking’ at art in museums that’s drawing the attention of researchers in the educational field? Is there any link between looking and cognition? In what ways can art observation promote broader thinking skills that facilitate learning? Why do developmental psychologists and academics in the field of education like Howard Gardner contend art to be a matter of the mind?