Ayushi Sharma

This article offers a valuable take on using teacher-made picture storybooks to engage students. I appreciate how it highlights the importance of contextual learning through materials rooted in students' experiences. A key point is that storybooks shouldn't be limited to younger classes—they can spark interest and critical thinking at any level. As a final-year education student, I’ve seen how storytelling boosts engagement and learning. The article rightly notes that storybooks can introduce diverse concepts—like religion, global cultures, and inclusion—not just academics. They encourage students to think, not just absorb answers. Storybooks should offer space to interpret visuals, not be filled with just text. Teacher-made ones are especially powerful, as no one knows students better than their own teacher.

This article highlights a crucial issue, how schools fail to accommodate linguistic and cultural diversity, leaving students feeling disconnected from their own identities. As a student-teacher, I have encountered many students like Birbala and Porishmita, struggling to find space for their mother tongues in the classroom. And it’s not just about the students I teach—it’s personal. I have felt this too. My own mother tongue, Punjabi, has slowly faded into the background of my thoughts. At home, it is the language of my family, my roots, and my earliest memories, but in school, it was replaced by the dominance of Hindi and English. Over time, I felt the disconnect growing, I could understand my mother tongue, but I stopped thinking in it, stopped reading it, and eventually, stopped feeling it the way I used to. Schools often prioritize being “English-medium” over meaningful learning, leading to rote memorization rather than true understanding. Students who struggle with English are seen as weak, even though they possess deep knowledge in their native languages. Instead of treating multilingualism as a barrier, education should celebrate it—allowing students to bring their languages into the classroom and connect with their learning in a way that feels like home.

This article brilliantly highlights the value of peer learning, which I’ve actively incorporated during my teaching internship. In almost every subject, I planned group tasks—like solving math problems together or reviewing each other’s writing in language classes. I stayed close by to guide them if needed and noticed how much they learned from explaining ideas to each other. It also helped students who might usually hesitate to participate in class often shine in smaller peer groups, building confidence along with their knowledge. They feel more confident and involved. Peer learning has such potential to make classrooms more inclusive and engaging. Thank you for sharing these insightful ideas!

As a teaching intern, I found the article to be both relevant and insightful. The emphasis on student-centered and open-ended teaching strategies in primary classrooms closely aligns with my own experiences. I've observed how providing students with the opportunity to freely express themselves, particularly in their native languages, significantly boosts their confidence and enhances learning. The focus on experiential learning and interactive activities, such as the use of the Naseeruddin story or Helen Keller's example, demonstrates how effective teaching can become when it ignites students' curiosity and encourages imagination. This approach reinforces my belief that education should be both meaningful and engaging.