Today’s post is the first in a six-part series reviewing the historical and current context of education in Pakistan. These posts include: Introduction (this post) Ancient India – Hindu and Buddhist Influences Islamic Influences British Influences A Separate Nation Education in Present-Day Pakistan Some of the information in this series is drawn from the book, “Going … Continue reading
Noteworthy ECD resources (v4): Prenatal learning and brain development
[This post is part of my Noteworthy Early Childhood Development (ECD) Resources series, which rounds up and highlights key resources on particular topics.] Early childhood development is often defined as the period from birth to eight years of age (some define it as birth to six years of age). However, prenatal development – the development that … Continue reading
Noteworthy ECD resources (v3): Building resilience
[This post is part of my Noteworthy Early Childhood Development (ECD) Resources series, which rounds up and highlights key resources on particular topics.] Resilience – the capacity to adapt to and cope with change and stress – is fundamental to well-being. Building resilience in early childhood lays the foundation for long-term academic and social success. In … Continue reading
Children learning to stereotype and discriminate (racism experiment)
A friend and colleague recently shared this video – it is one of the most powerful videos I have seen in recent days. Background: In the late 1960s / early 1970s, Jane Elliot, a school teacher, set up an arbitrary social division among her third graders (blue eyes vs brown eyes) and had them experience … Continue reading
Noteworthy ECD resources (v2): Research and data
[This post is part of my Noteworthy Early Childhood Development (ECD) Resources series, which rounds up and highlights key resources on particular topics.] Research and data are important matters in the field of early childhood – enabling us to better understand contexts and perspectives, develop better-informed approaches and programmes, and assess impact and outcomes. In today’s edition, … Continue reading
Noteworthy ECD resources (v1): International resources
[This post is part of my Noteworthy Early Childhood Development (ECD) Resources series, which rounds up and highlights key resources on particular topics.] In today’s edition, I’d like to share with you four important international resources in early childhood development that I have come across in the last few weeks: a digital children’s library, two books, … Continue reading
Can educational videos help children’s language development?
In today’s world, children have unprecedented access to media and technology. As most parents will attest, young children are quite drawn to, adept at, and perhaps even addicted to the TV/videos, mobile/cell phones, and iPads and other tablets available to them in their homes and from the adults around them. This week, over two posts, I … Continue reading
Effects of television on young children’s learning and development
In today’s world, children have unprecedented access to media and technology. As most parents will attest, young children are drawn to, adept at, and perhaps even addicted to the TV/videos, mobile/cell phones, and iPads and other tablets available to them in their homes and from the adults around them. This week, over two posts, I am … Continue reading
Social work: What does it mean to me?
I completed my Masters in Social Work (MSW) degree at the University of Toronto almost eight years ago. Although since then I have had a range of academic, professional, and personal experiences that have affected me, I want to share a bit today about the influences of my training and background in social work on my … Continue reading
Learning about learning: What affects children’s learning in Sindh, Pakistan?
Recently, the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) released a publication summarizing and reflecting upon major research studies carried out alongside AKF’s education initiatives in ten countries (Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Mozambique, and Portugal). For each study, the publication provides a brief introduction to the programme, an overview of the study design, and a summary of … Continue reading