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Assessment is an integral part of any teaching learning process. Assessment has large number of functions to perform, whether it is formative or summative. This paper analyse the issues involved and the areas of concern in the classroom assessment practice and discusses the recent reforms take place. [This paper was published in Edutracks v20 n8 p20-23 Apr 2021 (ISSN 0972-9844).]

School internship is one of the most important phases of any teacher education programme. This is the stage where the student teachers apply the theoretical knowledge and skills they had acquired from the institute of teacher education in real life situations. School internship can be termed as a litmus test for a student teacher. National Curriculum Framework for Teacher Education - NCFTE (2009) envisioned school internship as one of the three major aspects of a teacher education programme. National Council of Teacher Education (NCTE) of India revised the course structure of Bachelor of Education (B Ed) and Master of Education (M Ed) degree programmes in the year 2014 by incorporating the major recommendations of NCFTE-2009. However the NCFTE-2009 document as well as the revised course structures of B Ed and M Ed degree programmes did not give much emphasis to the inclusion of the differentially abled student teachers and the ways and means in which they have to be included, even if both the documents gave due emphasis for the inclusion of the differentially children with disabilities at the school level. This paper analyses the school internship experiences of two visually challenged student teachers who completed their B Ed programme from institute of teacher education under Kannur University in Kerala. Phenomenological research design has been adopted for the study. First hand descriptions of the experiences were elicited from the participants through semi structured interviews. The interview data were analysed to derive categories and themes with the help of VanManen's (1990) phenomenological data analysis framework. These themes were combined to explain the school internship experiences of the two visually challenged student teachers. The major themes identified were (i) Lack of freedom, (ii) Limited mentoring, (iii) Adaptive instructional and assessment strategies, (iv) Technological experiences (v) Relationship dynamics. [This paper was published in "Journal of Studies in Teacher Education" v13 n1 p30-45 Jun 2020.]

This study analyses the attitude of under graduate students in Kerala towards knowledge sharing. Sharing of knowledge is of significant importance among academics as it leads to generation of new knowledge. The pertinent research question addressed in the study is what is the nature of attitude toward knowledge sharing among the under graduate students in Kerala and whether it is influenced by personal and academic variables like gender, stream of study and types of institution. The research design is cross sectional in nature and is positivistic. The study has been carried out on a representative sample of 400 under graduate students studying in different colleges in Kerala state of India. The data has been collected by employing attitude towards knowledge sharing scale developed by the investigator. The study reveals that there is positive attitude towards knowledge sharing among under graduate students in Kerala. It also reveals that the attitude towards knowledge sharing has been differing significantly with respect to gender, stream of study and type of institution. [This paper was published in "Edutracks" v18 n7 p25-31 2019.]

The present study has been carried out with the objective of identifying the various factors determining the knowledge sharing practices of graduate students. The study is an empirical one and employed cross-sectional study design. The data required for the study has been collected from a representative sample of 400 graduate students studying in various higher education institutions in the state of Kerala by administering the knowledge sharing practices scale. The study identifies the various factors determining their knowledge sharing practices by employing factor analysis. [This paper was published in "Journal of Extension and Research" v19 n1&2 p75-89 2019.]

Assessment is an integral part of any teaching learning process. Assessment practices have a large number of functions to perform in the context of the teaching learning process. Do contemporary assessment practices perform these function is a critical question to be analysed. In this paper, an attempt has been made to analyse the myths and realities of the assessment practice in the higher education sector. [This paper was published in "University News" v57 n11 p18-20 2019.]

Disciplines have contrasting substance and syntax, ways of organizing themselves and of defining rules for making arguments and claims that others will warrant. They have different ways of talking about themselves and about the problems, topics, and issues that constitute their subject matters. The evolution of a discipline begins with knowledge which develops through social experience or interaction between human beings and the environment in the form of a personalized experience of a particular cultural milieu which might have typical connotations and gets translated into universally applicable terms. The knowledge that a society possessed has been developed into the status of disciplines and its diversification and specialisation results in further fragmentation of knowledge in to new disciplines. [This paper was published in "Edutracks" v17 n4 p20-22 Dec 2017.]

Education is an instrument to replicate the social system. The social practices are reflected in the classrooms and it is the classrooms that create tomorrow's society. People are excluded by institutions and behavior that reflect, enforce and reproduce prevailing social attitudes and values, particularly those of powerful groups in society. Classroom experiences, especially during the initial years of education can have lasting impact on the psychological and sociological identity formation of the learners. The objective of the study is to identify the emotional and social exclusion that occur in educational contexts. Study identifies the exclusion practices occurring in classrooms and teaching learning process. [This paper was published in "Edutracks" v17 n3 p33-35 Nov 2017.]

Reforms in curriculum and instructional practices demand the wholehearted cooperation and support of the teachers. The steps taken by the authorities to enhance and improve the quality of higher education in the state have to be accepted by the teachers in their true spirit. The purpose of the present study is to analyze the perception of teachers toward the restructured curriculum and its practice at the under graduate level in Kerala. The study uses primary data collected from the teachers working at the under graduate level in various colleges in the state. The study reveals that the teachers have a positive attitude towards the restructured curriculum at under graduate level in Kerala. But with respect to evaluation practices there are different opinion. The study indicates that the curriculum reforms must be a continuous and dynamic process. The authorities must take steps to eliminate even the minor limitations in the restructured curriculum at under graduate level. Then only the higher education of the state can withstand the challenges of the globalised era. [This article was published in: "Journal of Research, Extension and Development" v2 n5 Jan 2014.]

The study aims to explore the various factors that influence the organizational stress of teachers working in higher education sector in the state of Kerala. The data required for the study has been conveniently collected from 200 teachers working in higher education sector. Exploratory factor analysis revealed nine factors, which significantly influence the organizational stress: Interpersonal relationship in the organization, professional and competence development, recognition in the organization, work environment, autonomy in work, work family interaction, role conflict, job security and remuneration, and non-academic. It is therefore suggested that when attempting to draft policies and programmes for teachers working in higher education sector in the stae, these nine factors to be given due consideration. [This paper was published in "Research and Pedagogic Interventions" v2 n2 Jan 2014.]

Background: Quality faculty members is a must for any higher education institution aspiring for Quality. Organisational stress one of the most important factors influencing the quality and efficiency of the faculty. Hence, the Organisational stress has to be managed in such a way that it should contribute to the quality of higher education. Hence the study is designed as an attempt to analyse the organizational stress and quality of work life of faculty members of higher educational institutions. Purpose: (1) To identify the level of organizational stress among the teachers in higher education sector; (2) To compare the level of organizational stress among teachers belongs to different groups based on gender, experience, and type of management of institution; and (3) To Identify the different aspects and their relative role in the organizational stress among the teachers in higher education sector. Study Sample: 160 faculty members from higher educational institutions. Research Design: Cross-Sectional; Data Collection and Analysis: The primary data required for the study has been collected by using Organizational Stress Scale developed by the investigator. Statistical tools used are percentage analysis and test of significance of difference between means. Findings: (1) The mean Organizational Stress scores of male teachers (106.12) are higher than the mean Organizational Stress scores of female teachers (100.63). The difference is statistically significant at 0.05 level. (2) The less experienced teachers have less mean Organisational Stress scores (95.67) than the medium experienced category (102.93) and more experienced category (101.69) of teachers. This difference is statistically significant at 0.05 level. (3) The teachers belonging to aided institutions have less organizational stress scores (97.5) than teachers of self financing sector (105.07) and government sector (104.33). This difference is statistically significant at 0.05 level. (4) Among the various factors contributing organizational Stress of teachers in higher education Sector Reward & Recognition System (22.26 %), Organisational Process (21.2 %), and Organisational Culture (20.54 %) together occupies a major share (64 %). Conclusion: The study reveals that the organizational stress level is comparatively high among faculty members in higher education sector. The organizational stress level of faculty members of higher education sector depend on gender, type organization, and length of experience. Reward & Recognition System, Organisational Process, and Organisational Culture etc are the important elements contributing to the organizational stress of faculty members of higher education sector. Citation: Areekkuzhiyil, Santhosh. (2011) Approaches to Instruction: A Manual for Professional Practitioners. New Delhi: Neelkamal Publications Pvt. Ltd. Cooper, C.L. et al (1988) Living with Stress. London: Penguin. University Grants Commission. (2003) Higher Education in India: Issues, Concerns and New Directions. New Delhi: UGC. Van Houtte, M. (2006). Tracking and Teacher Satisfaction: Role of Study Culture and Trust. The Journal of Educational Research, 247-254. Zembylas, M. (2007). Five pedagogies, A thousand possibilities: Struggling for Hope and Transformation in Education. Rotterdam, Netherlands: Sense Publishers.