Most children who underperform in Reading or Math do so because they have learning gaps from prior years. These gaps exist within the 6 sub-domains of Reading and 4 sub-domains of Math. This is shown in the accompanying graphic. Because of gaps, children have weaker...

In a classroom of 30 odd students, is it probable that each child, although learning the same lesson from the same teacher, is acquiring the same level of knowledge as his/her neighbor? Now let’s look at a household with two children. Are both children performing the...

Amongst the plethora of decisions parents make for their children, a critical and paramount one is what school would be best suited to their child. An important factor to consider when choosing a school is the curriculum that is offered in that school. ‘Curriculum’ does not only refer to textbooks and courses, those are integral parts of a whole. A curriculum is a complete solution with suitable instructional strategies and relevant approaches to testing and assessments along with choice of textbooks and variety of courses.

‘I just don’t get it!’, ‘I’m not a Math person!’ ‘Can we do something else, please.’ These are exasperating statements we hear often as parents or as teachers.

Our children sometimes have an unswerving conviction that a certain subject is not meant for them! No matter what our counter argument is, they have almost assured themselves that it’s not their cup of tea.

Is it fair to let our children firm up their beliefs in their self-diagnosed shortcoming or, as parents, should we intervene?

For most parents, the answer is to to intervene but the solution is usually not as simple as fixing the obvious gaps that parents / teachers may notice. The situation is not too dissimilar from when your child complains of a consistent tummy ache; parents intervene, consult a medical professional who may run medical tests that dig deep to determine root cause(s) of the problem. Medical science, in this case, gives answers that may not be obvious, even to a doctor.

Schools across the world are shut down. Every day comes with new revelations and predictions on when the world will go back to how we know it. While governments, medical experts and scientists struggle to find answers, parents and children grapple with a new reality…remote learning. An innovative alternative approach to regular schooling. Even though this is a diligent move and perhaps the best alternative in the given circumstances, it has created quite an overwhelming challenge for parents of younger children in particular.