Nivedita Mukerjee
Education consultancy for parents and schools
3-2-1 TUESDAYS WITH MS NIV
Issue #106, 19th July 2022
When you think of a classroom, what image comes to your mind? do you recall your own school? if you ask your grandparent about how their classroom looked, what would they describe? How much do you think learning has changed in the last 100 years and how much does a seating arrangement in a classroom reflect that? here are some images and thoughts of a modern classroom. Let me know what you think of that.
In the showcase section, you will find the link to register for my self-paced course on re-imagining the seating arrangement in your existing classroom that will have an impact on student learning and engagement in the class.
Three Images of the Week
Two Thoughts of the Week
To sit in the shade on a fine day and look upon verdure is the perfect refreshment. Jane Austen
“Would you rather have your child in a room with the best equipment in the world with an average teacher or an empty room with Socrates?”
― Rafe Esquith
One Video of the Week
If schools were to be reimagined for the future, what would they look like? Modern Classroom explores learning environments where textbooks, seating rows, and classes segregated by age, ability, and subject matter have been rethought to foster an education that equips students for the 21st century.
Showcase of the Week
Want to take a small step towards re-imagining your classroom? you can start by rearranging how the students sit in the school.
Join me in this self-paced course on the impact of seating arrangement and what you can do in your existing setup to make a difference. Here’s the link to registering for this fully online 4-hour course :
https://m.centa.org/pwa/courses/package/ind/selfpaced/301
Dear reader,
I have been a research scientist, a journalist, and an educator for over 3 decades. I read and, I write. With this weekly newsletter, I share what I read, learn, and, experience. At the same time, I engage with students, parents, and teams of teachers across K-12 schools, higher education institutions, and ed-tech organizations.
3-2-1 Tuesdays with Ms. Niv is a newsletter for you to subscribe to and enjoy your learning journey with me.
3-2-1 TUESDAYS WITH MS NIV
Issue #105, 12th July 2022
Have you ever been shamed by your teacher, friend, colleague, or parent? Have you ever unintentionally or inadvertently shamed anyone you know? What constitutes shaming? What does the emotion of shaming do to the one who is the recipient of it – your child, your student, yourself? Yes, putting up behavior charts in your classroom is public shaming. Yes, propounding one way of leading life as best in front of another who is different is shaming. Calling out body types is body shaming, calling out roles by gender is gender shaming… When we know what shaming does to the other person’s psychology, we become acutely aware of our self-talk as well. Sometimes we shame ourselves in our minds, leading to anger, sadness, depression, and anxiety. Here are some pointers that would help in recognizing this powerful emotion and being mindful of our words and action towards ourselves and one another.
Three Images of the Week
Two Thoughts of the Week
“Heaven knows we need never be ashamed of our tears, for they are rain upon the blinding dust of earth, overlying our hard hearts. I was better after I had cried than before–more sorry, more aware of my own ingratitude, more gentle.”
― Charles Dickens, Great Expectations
“Shame is a soul-eating emotion.”
― Carl Gustav Jung
One Video of the Week
Shame is an unspoken epidemic, the secret behind many forms of broken behavior. Brené Brown, whose talk on vulnerability became a viral hit, explores what can happen when people confront their shame head-on. Her own humor, humanity, and vulnerability shine through every word.
Dear reader,
I have been a research scientist, a journalist, and an educator for over 3 decades. I read and, I write. With this weekly newsletter, I share what I read, learn, and, experience. At the same time, I engage with students, parents, and teams of teachers across K-12 schools, higher education institutions, and ed-tech organizations.
3-2-1 Tuesdays with Ms. Niv is a newsletter for you to subscribe to and enjoy your learning journey with me.
This newsletter is supported by:
3-2-1 TUESDAYS WITH MS NIV
Issue #104, 5th July 2022
Working very hard? Well done! results not showing improvement? what could be missing! You might need to spend some time in the learning zone and then come back to the practice zone. You might need an expert coach or mentor or a workshop to learn a new skill or a different method or even good feedback to help you improve. Then go back to your arena to perform at a higher level. This could be teaching, learning, parenting, or pretty much any activity that you think you are stagnating despite putting in consistent efforts. Time on task is important but the performance plateaus after a while if not enough time is invested in the learning zone. When was your last read or workshop or feedback on your practice? Do you know if it was imperfect practice or deliberate practice? Do we give our students and children adequate time in the learning zone where they are able to hone their practice and make mistakes, then move to the performance zone with goals and expectations? Do we role model as educators and parents to them how learning is a part of improving performance on a continuous basis? Check out some practical ideas here and let me know what you think about them.
If you have not subscribed yet to my weekly newsletter, please put your email here and you will get the newsletter every week in your mailbox, free.
Three Images of the Week
Two Thoughts of the Week
“It is a mistake to think that the practice of my art has become easy to me. I assure you, dear friend, no one has given so much care to the study of composition as I. There is scarcely a famous master in music whose works I have not frequently and diligently studied.”
― Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
“Basketball is an intricate, high-speed game filled with split-second, spontaneous decisions. But that spontaneity is possible only when everyone first engages in hours of highly repetitive and structured practice–perfecting their shooting, dribbling, and passing and running plays over and over again–and agrees to play a carefully defined role on the court. . . . spontaneity isn’t random.”
― Malcolm Gladwell
One Video of the Week
Working hard but not improving? You’re not alone. Eduardo Briceño reveals a simple way to think about getting better at the things you do, whether that’s work, parenting, or creative hobbies. And he shares some practical techniques so you can keep learning and always feel like you’re moving forward.
Dear reader,
I have been a research scientist, a journalist, and an educator for over 3 decades. I read and, I write. With this weekly newsletter, I share what I read, learn, and, experience. At the same time, I engage with students, parents, and teams of teachers across K-12 schools, higher education institutions, and ed-tech organizations.
3-2-1 Tuesdays with Ms. Niv is a newsletter for you to subscribe to and enjoy your learning journey with me.
This Newsletter is supported by:
3-2-1 TUESDAYS WITH MS NIV
Issue #103, 28th June 2022
Are you comfortable asking for help? I am not and definitely not always. But I need help all the time. I am a confident teacher, speaker, trainer, and mentor but asking for help? I need it and most times, feel quite hesitant to ask for it. What about your students? Do they need help now? Will they need help in future? Are they okay to ask for help? Are you teaching them how to seek help? We learn and teach that helping others is good and that we should help those who need but what about ourselves? Asking for help for oneself is also a skill that can be taught and learned. Nobody succeeds alone. Everyone needs help. We might as well learn how to ask for it and get better at it. Here are some tips. Try them. I found them helpful for myself, and my students. Hope these help you to help yourself and your students as well.
If you have not subscribed to my weekly newsletter, please put your email here and you will get the newsletter every week in your mailbox, free.
Three Images of the Week
Two Thoughts of the Week
“Nothing makes one feel so strong as a call for help.” – Pope Paul VI
“Asking for help isn’t weak, its a great example of how to take care of yourself.” – Charlie Brown
One Video of the Week
Asking for help is tough. But to get through life, you have to do it all the time. So how do you get comfortable asking? In this actionable talk, social psychologist Heidi Grant shares four simple rules for asking for help and getting it — while making the process more rewarding for your helper, too.
Dear reader,
I have been a research scientist, a journalist, and an educator for over 3 decades. I read and, I write. With this weekly newsletter, I share what I read, learn and, experience while I engage with students, parents, and teams of teachers across K-12 schools, higher education institutions and, ed-tech organizations.
3-2-1 Tuesdays with Ms. Niv is a newsletter for you to subscribe to and enjoy your learning journey with me.
This Newsletter is supported by:
3-2-1 TUESDAYS WITH MS NIV
Issue #102, 21st June 2022
Differentiated instruction is difficult. Differentiated instruction is time-consuming. Differentiated instruction is putting different abilities children in separate groups. Differentiated instruction is necessary. Differentiated instruction ensures success for every student. Differentiated instruction… What is? and what it is not. Here are some ideas. If you are a teacher and find implementing differentiated instruction challenging to plan, join me this Friday for a workshop. You will find the details in the Showcase section of this newsletter.
Three Images of the Week
Two Thoughts of the Week
- “Differentiation is simply a teacher attending to the learning needs of a particular student or small groups of students, rather than teaching a class as though all individuals in it were basically alike.” – Carol Ann Tomlinson
- The biggest mistake of past centuries in teaching has been to treat all children as if they were variants of the same individual and thus to feel justified in teaching them all the same subjects in the same way. – Howard Gardner
One Video of the Week
Effective Differentiation: Where a growth mindset meets the ZPD.
Originally a Scottish research scientist, Yvonne started work as a teacher of mathematics and science at Sunshine College in 2007. She and fellow teacher Jodie Parsons started to develop and trial various ways to improve student outcomes in mathematics. They experimented with a variety of curriculum styles and listened to the advice (but didn’t often take it) from teachers wide and far, crediting most of their professional learning to the students themselves.
At Sunshine College, they revolutionized the mathematics curriculum by doing away with the textbooks and developing lessons that were fully inclusive and differentiated.
Both Yvonne and Jodie have co‐authored several papers and have presented at many conferences in Australia and around the world, conferences in the US and New Zealand, and picked up an award at the ACER Excellence in Professional Practice Conference for an outstanding conference presentation.
Showcase of the Week
Here is the registration link:
https://m.centa.org/pwa/masterclasses/package/ind/285
- Why do we need to understand Differentiated Instruction?
- What is Differentiated Instruction, and What is not?
- How to transact DI in your class?
Get a good understanding of DI and practical strategies for implementing it in your classrooms of all ages. Join me next Friday, 24th June at 5.00 pm
(you can send in your advertorial/advertisement for the showcase segment to niveditamukerjee10@gmail.com. This newsletter is free for subscription and reaches a community of nearly 15,000 educators, parents and students)
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Dear reader,
I have been a research scientist, a journalist, and an educator for over 3 decades. I read and, I write. With this weekly newsletter, I share what I read, learn and, experience while I engage with students, parents, and teams of teachers across K-12 schools, higher education institutions and, ed-tech organizations.
3-2-1 Tuesdays with Ms. Niv is a newsletter for you to subscribe to and enjoy your learning journey with me.
This Newsletter is supported by:
3-2-1 TUESDAYS WITH MS NIV
Issue #101, 14th June 2022
Good job! Well done! Super! How smart! That’s clever! said and heard that? how did it make you feel? how did it impact your efforts? How do you think praise impacts your student or your child? Does the vocabulary of praise matter? Sharing here some thoughts on praise, let me know if any of it resonates with you.
Three Images of the Week
Two Thoughts of the Week
“So far as I can remember, there is not one word in the Gospels in praise of intelligence. ” Bertrand Russell
“Undeserved praise causes more pangs of conscience later than undeserved blame, but probably only because our power of judgment is more entirely exposed by being over-praised than by being unjustly underestimated.” Friedrich Nietzsche
One Video of the Week
Praise and compliments are familiar features of speech, especially in schools where positive motivation is valued. But few of us give much thought to the vocabulary we use when complimenting others. A careful analysis of the language of compliments can help ensure that our words achieve maximum positive impact. Bety has lived in and around Prague her whole life, attending various Czech schools before coming to the International School of Prague in 10th grade.
The ideas in this talk were inspired by Bety’s applied linguistics project from 2018. Praise and compliments are familiar features of speech, especially in schools where positive motivation is valued. But few of us give much thought to the vocabulary we use when complimenting others. A careful analysis of the language of compliments can help ensure that our words achieve maximum positive impact. Bety has lived in and around Prague her whole life, attending various Czech schools before coming to the International School of Prague in 10th grade.
Dear reader,
I have been a research scientist, a journalist, and an educator for over 3 decades. I read and, I write. With this weekly newsletter, I share what I read, learn and, experience while I engage with students, parents, and teams of teachers across K-12 schools, higher education institutions and, ed-tech organizations.
3-2-1 Tuesdays with Ms. Niv is a newsletter for you to subscribe to and enjoy your learning journey with me.
This Newsletter is supported by:
3-2-1 TUESDAYS WITH MS NIV
Issue #100, 7th June 2022
Congratulations dear students, parents, and educators who have read my weekly newsletter. Commented, and contributed to it. I started this weekly newsletter for students, parents, and educators in July 2020. In the raging pandemic, when schools shut down. There was no sight of the light at the end of the tunnel. I am not a very religious person but the power of hope and wish is not lost on me. These are as close to prayer as prayer is for a deeply religious person. The newsletter was my hope and wish for continuing learning despite and in spite of it all. This is the 100th issue of the newsletter that has been published every Tuesday without a break. Throughout this journey, I have learned much myself, shared my learning journey, and sought new ideas.
While the pandemic is ebbing, thank goodness, there is much for us as educators, parents, and students to recover and revive as the school year begins. We have seen the power of collaboration in how a vaccine that would have taken several years to produce, could be done in about a year. We have seen care by ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. We have worked through the digital divide to digital infrastructure and, learned how to manage technology to reach out to our students and loved ones.
There is destruction and despair but there is hope and wish and, prayer as well. There is action to care and share wherever and whenever, whatever is needed.
Through these newsletters, I have shared many thoughts and, tips besides some unresolved and confounding matters as well. Please share what you like about it and, what would you like me to add or remove from it. I would love to hear your thoughts, see your comments and, publish your writings as well. I have had students as young as 4 contributing their writings and, parents and educators with decades of experience contributing as well.
Sharing here some 100 days ideas. Wishing you all many 100 days of learning over the years. Here’s to a great new academic year to each one of you. Enjoy your learning journey and subscribe here to share my learning journey.
Three Images of the Week
Two Thoughts of the Week
“Courage is the most important of all the virtues because, without courage, you can’t practice any other virtue consistently.”
― Maya Angelou
“Unless commitment is made, there are only promises and hopes; but no plans.”
― Peter F. Drucker
One Video of the Week
Like others, Chloe has gone through tough times in her life where she has questioned how to move forward. She talks about the importance of movement to find success along the way.
Chloe Freund is a 7thgrade student at Clinton Central School who is concerned with helping people see their potential.
Showcase of the week:
Here’s the link to register :
https://m.centa.org/pwa/masterclasses/package/ind/283
Managing ‘Teen’ Classrooms
This session is a handbook for a high school teacher, whether new or experienced to understand what should be the guiding philosophy of managing high school students, understanding the common problems faced and the source of these problems, and strategies to work through these problems with the aim to empower the students.
Key Takeaways:
1. Understanding the four fundamentals of managing students
2. Implementing ten practical strategies of classroom management
3. Tackling four common problems at the root of classroom management.
The masterclass will be facilitated by Ms. Nivedita Mukerjee. Nivedita is an education advisor for schools, higher education institutions, and ed-tech companies. Over the last 3 decades, she has taught life sciences, genetics, and communication in high school and college, co-founded a Post Graduate Institute of Media studies, an IB world school, and helped set up a private University in Bengaluru.
Dear reader,
I have been a research scientist, a journalist, and an educator for over 3 decades. I read and, I write. With this weekly newsletter, I share what I read, learn and, experience while I engage with students, parents, and teams of teachers across K-12 schools, higher education institutions and, ed-tech organizations.
3-2-1 Tuesdays with Ms. Niv is a newsletter for you to subscribe to and enjoy your learning journey with me.
This Newsletter is supported by:
3-2-1 TUESDAYS WITH MS NIV
Issue #99, 31st May 2022
You are not promoted to the next class. You have a learning gap. You are not up to class standards.
OR
You need to work more on this area. You are not completely competent as yet. You need to try this in a different way.
What do you think should be our approach with the students coming back to school after a pandemic in any grade? what will help them succeed? what could be our communication to help them to cope and thrive? Here are a few tips for helping them develop a mindset so as to help themselves with a little nudge from us as educators and parents.
Three Images of the Week
Two Thoughts of the Week
Live as if you were to die tomorrow; learn as if you were to live forever. Mahatma Gandhi
It’s not that I’m so smart. It’s just that I stay with problems longer. Albert Einstein
One Video of the Week
Should you tell your kids they are smart or talented? Professor Carol Dweck answers this question as she talks about her groundbreaking work on developing mindsets. She emphasizes the power of “yet” in helping students succeed in and out of the classroom.
Carol Dweck is the Lewis and Virginia Eaton Professor of Psychology and, by courtesy, at the Graduate School of Education. A leading expert in the field of motivation, her research has demonstrated the role of mindsets in students’ achievement and has shown how praise for intelligence can undermine motivation and learning. She has lectured to education, business, and sports groups all over the world, and has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Sciences.
Her bestselling book Mindset has been widely acclaimed and translated into over 20 languages.
Dear reader,
I have been a research scientist, a journalist, and an educator for over 3 decades. I read and, I write. With this weekly newsletter, I share what I read, learn and, experience while I engage with students, parents, and teams of teachers across K-12 schools, higher education institutions and, ed-tech organizations.
3-2-1 Tuesdays with Ms. Niv is a newsletter for you to subscribe to and enjoy your learning journey with me.
This Newsletter is supported by:
3-2-1 TUESDAYS WITH MS NIV
Issue #98, 24th May 2022
Do you understand and then memorize content? Do you repeat to memorize? Do you visualize and memorize? Do you think memorizing is needed in today’s day and age? short term memory, long-term memory, memories of a lifetime, habit of memorization… what do you think of it as a teacher? as a parent? as a student?
Check out today’s issue and let me know what you think of memory and memorization.
Three Images of the Week
Two Thoughts of the Week
”One of the best ways to make yourself happy in the present is to recall happy times from the past. Photos are a great memory-prompt, and because we tend to take photos of happy occasions, they weight our memories to the good.” Gretchen Rubin
“No man has a good enough memory to be a successful liar.” Abraham Lincoln.
One Video of the Week
Do you recall studying for your exams? You probably do. But do you remember how you studied, how you memorized French words or the year of the American civil war? Now, that’s probably harder.
As a teenager, Ricardo Lieuw On was packing groceries when he knew what he wanted to study: he wanted to learn about learning. He picked up a study in psychology and learned how to reduce his learning time from 3 hours to 1 hour on the same piece of content. He gained the same knowledge in 200% less time.
Dear reader,
I have been a research scientist, a journalist, and an educator for over 3 decades. I read and, I write. With this weekly newsletter, I share what I read, learn and, experience while I engage with students, parents, and teams of teachers across K-12 schools, higher education institutions and, ed-tech organizations.
3-2-1 Tuesdays with Ms. Niv is a newsletter for you to subscribe to and enjoy your learning journey with me.
This Newsletter is supported by:
3-2-1 TUESDAYS WITH MS NIV
Issue #97, 10th May 2022
When should you talk about gender and sex with your children and students? What is the right age to be discussing? Who should be discussing it with them? Dear parents and teachers, you are the trusted adults in your children’s and students’ life. While “let kids be kids” has been the sentiment in the past, it is essential that it includes all kids, isn’t it? It is imperative that both parents and teachers, consistently and continuously talk, listen and share about gender and sexuality and do not leave it for them to discover it on the internet or their equally confused peers. It is also essential to teach them to love themselves and others for their differences and not in spite of them. Equity, diversity, and inclusion, let it be the core of our institutions, society, and family culture.
Here are some thoughts to help you with and don’t miss Lindsay Amer’s talk in today’s issue. Amer’s educational series Queer Kid Stuff is from kindergarteners to grandmothers.
Three Images of the Week
Two Thoughts of the Week
“How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes!”
― Maya Angelou
“We’ve begun to raise daughters more like sons… but few have the courage to raise our sons more like our daughters.”
― Gloria Steinem
One Video of the Week
Lindsay Amer is the creator of “Queer Kid Stuff,” an educational video series that breaks down complex ideas around gender and sexuality through songs and metaphors. By giving kids and their families a vocabulary to express themselves, Amer is helping to create more empathetic adults — and spreading a message of radical acceptance in a world where it’s sometimes dangerous to just be yourself. “I want kids to grow up and into themselves with pride for who they are and who they can be,” Amer say
Dear reader,
I have been a research scientist, a journalist, and an educator for over 3 decades. I read and, I write. With this weekly newsletter, I share what I read, learn and, experience while I engage with students, parents, and teams of teachers across K-12 schools, higher education institutions and, ed-tech organizations.
3-2-1 Tuesdays with Ms. Niv is a newsletter for you to subscribe to and enjoy your learning journey with me.
This Newsletter is supported by:
Nivedita Mukerjee 