Namaste and welcome back to Learning Paths, a community for teachers to share lived experiences, embrace AI, and lift each other as we climb. In today’s episode,  I'll share a classroom story and three ways to amplify your guidance.

In this episode of Learning Paths, I speak to software professional Bhavani Ravi, whose love for teaching led her to start a co-learning initiative called “thelearning.dev.”

Listen in, as she talks in detail about

1. Teaching latest technologies through bootcamps and cohort based classes.

2. The effectiveness of 'Co-learning and peer to peer learning'.

3. How she designs a 'Table of Contents' for Corporate trainings.

4. The difference in teaching an 'In- person bootcamp' Versus 'a Linkedin course'.

5. How teachers should use AI to amplify our course content and delivery methods

and more.

I got to share our learnings and work around online teaching and learning at Grace Hopper Conference India 2025, Asia’s biggest conference for women in technology.

I spoke on the topic “AI as a learning partner : Equity, Ethics and Empowerment” and am still buzzing with excitement of having met many teachers and learners and technocrats interested in online teaching and learning, who could relate with this topic.
At the conference, I emphasised on 3 major points

1. AI as a learning partner

Online or offline, a TEACHER should be at the centre of every learning experience. And they should always have a CHOICE whether to use AI or not in their pedagogy.

If we observe closely, AI’s role is slowly changing in the classroom, from being a mere tool to being a stakeholder or a partner in the teaching learning space. 

Let me explain.

Unlike traditional tools that always give the same output, AI offers different responses to the same question — and that’s its real beauty and usefulness. It’s time we stop seeing AI as just a tool and start acknowledging it as a partner in the classroom, one that helps teachers and learners amplify their efforts.

For example AI can help teachers by being a Teaching Assistant and even an Admin Assistant in the classroom. 

Teacher can use AI as an admin assistant, to get help around all the admin aspects they have to take care around the classroom. from test taking, attendence, checking assignments and tracking drop outs to repeated explanations in different words, imagine how much time is saved for the teacher.                                                                                                                                    

Likewise AI can be a Learning Buddy to the learner amongst other things. What if it comes to the learners rescue helping them in note taking, simplifies explanations and reminds last dates of submission, just like our best buddy at school. 

2. Responsible AI in education

Information without guidance is just NOISE.

Today there is so much information available all over the internet if you want to learn something.

Why are there still a lot of dissatisfied learners?

Because the challenge NOW is not about information, but having someone who can GUIDE us through all the noise to the right resources.

There is a need for that human in the loop, and in education that HUMAN is the teacher. 

Responsible AI in education is one that amplifies the teachers efforts, NOT replaces them. PERIOD.

3. AI and the future of learning,

Online medium holds a lot of promise, to enable the teachers do the one thing tech can’t—ignite a mind.

Future of learning will have deep AI integration into the classroom, where AI joins the class, is enrolled in it and knows the content, the videos and assignments teachers and learners are talking about.

It intervenes to help both the teachers and learners when asked.

Teachers also get to set the persona of their Teaching Assistant prompting it to give it characteristics like ‘friendly’, ‘homourous’, ‘witty’, ‘emphathetic’ and even give it a name.

And learners, they will be able to learn well, reach their goals, all while choosing courses and teachers they want to learn from, depending on their need and their pocket size. They get to choose a self paced course to joining a cohort to booking a 1:1 course from their favourite teacher. How exciting are the possibilities, isnt it ??

Finally, I want to reiterate that Online is a very powerful medium whose power we are not leveraging enough YET.

What if we could bring online those remarkable teachers who infused the love for the subject in us ? what if they could teach our siblings and kids today.

What if we could make it easier for them to earn well and with dignity from the comfort of their homes?

What if we can improve the reach and scale of such teachers ??

AI can make it possible.

Thats what the future holds for us, I’m super excited for that future.

Prof. Dr. Rameshwar Jaju, a seasoned food safety expert and educator with over 16 years of rich experience bridging academia and industry. Holding a PhD and having served as an Assistant Professor at MGM College of Food Technology in Sambhaji nagar and running his company in the name of Raj Peculiar to provide FoSTaC Training, Auditing, Tutorship for NET, UPSC, CFSO, FSO courses.

Prof. Jaju has certified thousands of learners across diverse food safety domains and has become a trusted mentor for both niche training and competitive exam preparation.

In this episode, he shares his secrets for managing large online cohorts with about 50 engaged students per group—all while maintaining that personal connection every learner craves. You’ll hear how building a unique identity and brand before launching your course can set you apart in niche markets.

Prof. Jaju also breaks down the small, progressive steps that help you build a robust online teaching business, drawing from candid experiences of what has and hasn’t worked in his digital classrooms.

If you’re a trainer looking to grow your impact in specialized fields, or if you’re curious about cohort-based teaching and leveraging tech to connect with learners, this episode is packed with practical wisdom and inspiration.

Prof Rameshwar Jaju's courses can be found here : https://courses.foodyaari.co.in/s/store

You can connect with Prof Rameshwar Jaju on LinkedIn here : https://www.linkedin.com/in/ft-dr-rameshwar-jaju-289b4110?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=android_app

Prof Rameshwar Jaju's Youtube channel :https://youtube.com/@rameshwarjaju?si=eXzscmRjtbyzO2VP

Happy Dusherra!

On this auspicious occasion of Vijayadasami, meet a power woman who is transforming art education through personalised online classes.

Kalpana Yuvarraj guides everyone—from professional designers to hobbyists—to experience nature mindfully and create their own masterpieces.

Not only that she also added sloka and pranayamam classes to help her learners.

This episode is packed with a ton of tips and best practices that art teachers can learn from.

I hope Kalpana’s story about blending art, mindfulness, and online teaching has sparked fresh ideas and inspiration for your own online course journey.

From her experience, we can learn the power of personalization—how prsonalised teaching to individual learners creates deeper engagement. We see how integrating mindfulness and holistic practices nurtures the whole person, not just skills. Kalpana’s journey reminds us that building emotional connection and fostering a mindset shift can turn a hobby into a lifelong passion. Her diverse background shows us how to leverage unique experiences to make courses stand out.

Listen now!

In our very first interview episode, I talk to Abhishek Kumar, a young Maths an Physics tutor who shares his strategies, his unique experiments of using AI to amplify his classroom sessions

Tune into his thoughts and ideas for making his tutoring sessions ENGAGING and SUPER helpful for his learners success.

To all the teachers listening—whether you're in your first year or your thirtieth, whether you teach kindergarteners or graduate students, whether your classroom has four walls or exists in the digital space—celebrate your irreplaceable role.

You are the gardener of curiosity. You plant questions, tend to wonder, and watch as understanding blooms in ways no algorithm could predict. That's not just your job—that's your superpower.

So today, and every day, embrace this truth: invoking curiosity is a raw human emotion that cannot be delegated to a machine. As teachers, this is where we shine brightest, and this is why the world will always need us.

Happy Teacher's Day. Keep nurturing curiosity—it's the greatest gift you can give your learners, and yourself.

Picture this: You've just delivered what you think was an amazing lesson on market segmentation to your business students. You covered all the key concepts, used great examples, and even got some good discussion going. But as the clock hits the end time, you realize you have about 30 seconds left and you panic.

"Okay, so... um... any questions? No? Alright, see you next week!"

And just like that, all the momentum you built over the past hour evaporates. Your students pack up confused about what they were supposed to take away, and you're left wondering if anything actually stuck.

[Reframing the Challenge ]
If this sounds familiar, here's what's actually happening: you're not failing as a teacher—you're just missing the most crucial 5 minutes of your entire lesson. Here's the truth most of us don't want to admit: how we end our classes matters more than how we start them. Students remember the last thing they experienced, which means those final moments are your greatest opportunity to cement learning.

The good news? There's a simple, repeatable system that can transform your class endings from forgettable fade-outs into powerful learning moments.

[Introducing the Framework ]
Today, I'm sharing the 3-2-1 Rule—a framework that takes exactly 5 minutes and guarantees your students leave every class with clarity, confidence, and commitment.

Here's how it works:

3 minutes: The Consolidation Phase
2 minutes: The Connection Phase
1 minute: The Commitment Phase

[The System Breakdown ]

Phase 1: The 3-Minute Consolidation
This is where you help students organize the scattered pieces of information from your lesson into a coherent whole. But here's the key—you don't do this FOR them, you guide them to do it themselves.

Try one of these approaches:

• The Concept Map: Have students draw connections between today's main ideas and previous lessons

• The Teach-Back: Ask students to explain one key concept to a partner as if teaching a younger sibling

• The Priority Ranking: Have them rank the day's concepts by importance and justify their choices

Success Indicator: You should hear voices throughout the room, not just see heads nodding. Active consolidation is noisy.

Phase 2: The 2-Minute Connection
Now you bridge today's learning to something bigger—their future, their other courses, their real world. This is where abstract concepts become personally relevant.

Use these connection prompts:

• Future Application: "Where will you use this concept in your career/next course/daily life?"

• Cross-Pollination: "How does this relate to what you're learning in [other subject]?"

• Problem Solving: "What real-world problem could this concept help solve?"

Success Indicator: Students are making "aha" faces or asking follow-up questions about applications.

Phase 3: The 1-Minute Commitment
This final minute creates forward momentum. Students don't just leave understanding—they leave with intention.

Choose one commitment type:

• Practice Commitment: "What's one way you'll practice this before our next class?"

• Curiosity Commitment: "What's one question this lesson raised that you want to explore further?"

• Application Commitment: "What's one situation where you'll try applying this concept?"

Have them write it down or share with a partner—making the commitment concrete and witnessed.

Success Indicator: Students are writing, planning, or making specific statements about their next steps.

[Implementation Challenge - 45 seconds]
Here's your implementation challenge: For the next five classes, set a timer for 5 minutes before your planned end time. When it goes off, shift into 3-2-1 mode no matter where you are in your content. Yes, this might mean leaving some material for next time. But I guarantee the learning retention from a strong ending will be worth more than squeezing in those extra facts.

Try the 3-2-1 Rule this week, and watch your class endings transform from afterthoughts into the most impactful moments of your entire lesson.

Imagine you've wrapped up a lively classroom session and thought, "If only I had more time to tackle those tricky concepts and clear every doubt these students have." In higher education, especially in exam preparation coaching like IIT JEE, expert teachers often meet learners for just an hour or two each week.

So if you're listening and nodding along, what if your teaching power could extend beyond those brief sessions?

What if simple digital add-ons could free up your precious face-to-face time for what matters—deep teaching, meaningful connection, and real inspiration?

We all know exam preparation is a massive undertaking in India. Thousands of students are gearing up for IIT, NEET, CAT, bank exams, ICWA, IAS, and countless other competitive tests throughout the year. There's enormous demand for skilled teachers in this space. While coaching has become increasingly institutionalized, many outstanding trainers are also supporting their learners through online channels.If you're part of this ecosystem, you understand that physical presence is both limited and precious.

Core Strategies :

1. Flipped Classroom Approach: Record focused 5–7 minute videos explaining complex topics—proof techniques in mathematics, nomenclature systems in chemistry, or logical reasoning patterns. Assign these before class so students arrive prepared and engaged. Your precious in-person time transforms into an active laboratory: spirited debates, collaborative problem-solving, and laser-focused doubt clearing sessions.

2. Interactive Resource Hub: Curate high-quality multimedia—simulations, infographics, trusted articles—organized by topic and difficulty level. Upload concise recap videos, curated reading lists, or quick five-question quizzes after each lecture. Students engage with these resources asynchronously, making your classroom the space for deeper exploration and application.

3. Micro-Courses for Precision Learning: Break broad subjects into bite-sized, focused modules: "Understanding Torque in 15 Minutes," "Mastering Organic Reactions," or "Logical Reasoning Shortcuts." These targeted micro-courses provide learners with pinpointed help exactly when they need it, perfectly complementing your classroom instruction.

4. Smart Assessments & Doubt Resolution: Deploy self-grading quizzes on Google Forms or your LMS to instantly identify struggling students. You can then celebrate strengths and tackle confusions together during class time. Set up organized Q&A forums or WhatsApp groups where students post doubts, and you respond with brief but comprehensive explanations within 24 hours.

5. Accountability & Peer Learning Networks: Create small online study cohorts via WhatsApp, Telegram, or dedicated platforms where learners set weekly goals, share progress, and peer-review each other's work. Here's a powerful addition: encourage your brightest students to explain concepts to others—this builds a collaborative spirit and reduces your individual mentoring load. Drop in weekly with targeted feedback and fresh challenges.

6. Inclusive Access Solutions: Remember, not all students have reliable high-speed internet. Offer lightweight alternatives: voice notes, downloadable PDFs, or USB drives loaded with essential content for offline access. Connection trumps perfection—simple, accessible methods often yield the most powerful engagement.

By weaving these strategies into your teaching practice, you'll witness:

• Dramatically richer classroom engagement as students arrive prepared to dive deep
• Accelerated mastery through targeted online modules and timely doubt resolution
• Dramatically more efficient use of your time by automating routine tasks and moving foundational content online
• Sustainable, ongoing support that extends far beyond classroom hours
• Exponentially broader reach as your digital resources serve current students, future batches, and learners beyond your physical location

In a sea of self-paced courses, completion rates often linger around 20–30%.

Why?

Because learning isn’t a transaction—it’s a journey. Students need more than content; they need a partner who checks in, clarifies doubts, and holds them accountable.

When you extend support beyond the sale, you transform one-time customers into engaged learners and community advocates. Consider higher education: professors who offer office hours see deeper student understanding and higher course engagement than those who don’t. The same principle applies online.

Your post-sale involvement—through community forums, live sessions, and personalized feedback—fuels progress, builds loyalty, and amplifies word-of-mouth referrals.

1. Structured Onboarding Sequence
• Send a welcome email series over the first week:– Day 1: Course roadmap and best practices– Day 3: Quick-start video to kick off Module 1– Day 5: Checklist for successful learning habits
• This reduces overwhelm, sets clear expectations, and shows you care about their success from day one.
2. Regular Check-Ins & Milestone Calls
• Schedule brief group Q&A calls at key milestones—after Module 2, halfway through, and before the final assessment.
• Use these sessions to celebrate wins, answer pressing questions, and preview upcoming content. These live touchpoints transform isolated learners into a motivated cohort.
3. Active Community Engagement
• Host a dedicated forum or chat group—on WhatsApp, Discord, or your LMS—and drop in daily or weekly to prompt discussions.
• Pose reflective questions, highlight outstanding work, and encourage peer support. Your visible presence signals that learning is a collaborative journey, not a solitary sprint.
4. Personalized Feedback Loops
• Offer targeted feedback on assignments or quizzes with voice notes or short video responses.
• When students see you reviewing their work and cheering on their progress, they’re far more likely to stay committed and apply your lessons.
5. Accountability Partnerships
• Pair learners for peer coaching—buddies who check progress, quiz each other, and celebrate milestones together.
• Provide a simple template for goal-setting and progress tracking. Your role shifts to facilitator, and students become co-creators of their success.
6. Resource Refreshers & Bonus Content
• Release “booster” videos or PDF summaries as bonus materials two weeks after course completion.
• Address common pitfalls, share advanced tips, or introduce new case studies to keep alumni engaged and eager for more.




This week, design a simple two-step follow-up plan for your current or next course:

1. Create a three-email onboarding sequence covering roadmap, quick-start, and habit tips.
2. Schedule your first group Q&A call at the end of Module 1.Implement these touches, and watch how learners respond when they know you’re there for them beyond the sale.