kedarmhaswade

MINDSTORMS

That is the main title of a life-changing book, at least for some. The subtitle is Children, Computers, and Powerful Ideas. Its author is Seymour Papert, who was a mathematician and educator. I am still reading the book and will shortly do a longer post. But if you can’t wait to experience some powerful writing,Continue reading “MINDSTORMS”

Calculus: Of the Students, By the Students, and For the Students

We are happy to announce that we are doing a calculus group discussion on the Internet! I have not seriously researched if this the first ever such attempt, but it looks like an uncommon one. Apoorv and I have written about it in detail here. Please take a look and let people know. We expectContinue reading “Calculus: Of the Students, By the Students, and For the Students”

Bertrand Russell’s Gem

The functions of a Teacher compared to that of the Propagandist No one can be a good teacher unless they have feelings of warm affection toward their pupils and a genuine desire to impart to them what they believe to be of value. This is not the attitude of the propagandist. To the propagandist theContinue reading “Bertrand Russell’s Gem”

When Daddy Was a Little Boy …

Children’s literature has a special place in our hearts. In a way, recognizing it as a separate genre and branding a book as a children’s book is not right because many adults are just grown-up children. The true passion, the apparent silliness, alleged lack of knowledge and timelessness, the adults’ perception of having already experiencedContinue reading “When Daddy Was a Little Boy …”

It’s Giving Time!

When the ambience triggers a certain action in us, we say, “It’s in the air.” End of a year on the English calendar (and the Diwali time on the Indian calendar) is one such time when the ambience triggers a sense of giving in you. We are not physically up in the northern hemisphere rightContinue reading “It’s Giving Time!”

Gelfand’s Algebra and an Application of the Greedy Algorithm

One of the joys of working with children learning mathematics (that means all of us) is to witness the accidental discoveries that they make. Let me narrate my experience of that in this rather long post. The only way to learn mathematics is to do it. And doing mathematics is solving problems. In a delightfulContinue reading “Gelfand’s Algebra and an Application of the Greedy Algorithm”

A (Not-so-) New Steacher

Yes, steacher is not an English word. I just defined it: steach·er| ˈstēCHər noun: a person who teaches with an intention to learn, especially in an environment where freedom of expression is valued (past tense, past participle: steached) Such a person believes in a socratic style of teaching. I have accepted the job of a full-time steacherContinue reading “A (Not-so-) New Steacher”

The Start

This sticky post is done in a hurry, but it tells you about the kind of posts that we will write here. We may occasionally deviate from this “plan”, but we hope to stay true to it in spirit. Experiments about homeschooling our children. Don’t worry, we are not religious people. Thoughts about education, formalContinue reading “The Start”

My First Blog Post

Be yourself; Everyone else is already taken. — Oscar Wilde. This is the first post on my new blog. I’m just getting this new blog going, so stay tuned for more. Subscribe below to get notified when I post new updates.