Playful fight starts amongst the boys. They are running around, chasing and challenging each other. Its all part of growing-up and sizing-up each others strength. But more often these days this play-thing ends up in bitter arguments or fist-fights. No doubt our children have become more individualistic these days. They have less tolerance for others and a low threshold. However with boys, things are quickly forgotten. In couple of hours you can see them playing some other physical game.
Not so with girls. Girls have gossip-circles from which you can be excluded if you go cross with the group. And this is so devastating to the excluded girl. It affects her for many days. It is long time before another coalition is formed. Girls use this trick to marginalise an individual very effectively. More often the girl being excluded never get back her original comfort level with the group.
Somehow not being included in the gossip-circle is much more hurtful to a girl than boys getting into fist-fights. May be girls give lot more importance to the perceived status than boys do. Boys may be paying more attention to the intrinsic worth rather than perceived status.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Friday, August 20, 2010
Learning is also a responsibility
In general, Maths needs lot more participation from students than any other subject. Understanding of a concept, even at a face-level, requires immediate involvement from the student. More involvement from a student will earn him even deeper insight into how maths works.
If students are not willing to think (as is often the case with maths) they are less likely to understand the working of the Maths. Understanding can happen when there is both, teaching efforts and learning efforts. While there is a lot of focus on teaching efforts today, we don't seem to pay much attention to the need of learning efforts.
I have observed that students who are unwilling to do the maths work are most likely to claim that they haven't understood the sum - when the time comes to check the sums. This is almost a sure sign of an excuse. This distracts teachers into thinking that better explanation would lead to the understanding. However for these students 'not understanding' is an excuse to avoid work and a way to put the ball in teacher's court.
This has resulted in commonly seen attitude amongst students (and parents as well) that teacher is whole and sole of education. We all understand that teaching is teacher's responsibility. But do we understand that learning is equally serious and demanding responsibility on the students ? Good understanding of a concept can happen only when both, teachers and students, are making efforts to meet their responsibility.
PS: I was made aware of this parity by a teacher friend of mine. I was making a feedback form for the course I had just taught. I asked my students, "What contributions did you make to make this course successful and useful to you ?" and got back equivalent of a blank-look saying, "us ? do we have to do something as well ?".
If students are not willing to think (as is often the case with maths) they are less likely to understand the working of the Maths. Understanding can happen when there is both, teaching efforts and learning efforts. While there is a lot of focus on teaching efforts today, we don't seem to pay much attention to the need of learning efforts.
I have observed that students who are unwilling to do the maths work are most likely to claim that they haven't understood the sum - when the time comes to check the sums. This is almost a sure sign of an excuse. This distracts teachers into thinking that better explanation would lead to the understanding. However for these students 'not understanding' is an excuse to avoid work and a way to put the ball in teacher's court.
This has resulted in commonly seen attitude amongst students (and parents as well) that teacher is whole and sole of education. We all understand that teaching is teacher's responsibility. But do we understand that learning is equally serious and demanding responsibility on the students ? Good understanding of a concept can happen only when both, teachers and students, are making efforts to meet their responsibility.
PS: I was made aware of this parity by a teacher friend of mine. I was making a feedback form for the course I had just taught. I asked my students, "What contributions did you make to make this course successful and useful to you ?" and got back equivalent of a blank-look saying, "us ? do we have to do something as well ?".
Sunday, August 8, 2010
End of Innocence
These days we often talk about how smart the kids have become. They know how to manage cell-phones, they are up-to-date with the kid's movies, they know the prices of cars, they even know the cool places to eat in town. When kids talk, grown-ups often have a look on their face which is somewhere between amazement and admiration. Children are certainly smarter today if you compare with kids of same age from a generation back.
What is not talked about or realized is the early loss of certain innocence in these kids. What is not talked about enough is that kids are becoming wiser, as in cleverer, rather than being world-wise.
There is another draw-back to knowing lot more at an earlier age (even more dangerous is to know that you are admired for it). Children tend to think that just because they know things they understand things. The over exposure of information creates a barrier in many kids to learning. The smart-type kids have a mental block in learning something, which they know, from a new perspective.
There is a certain benefit in letting children be children for some more years. These additional years expose children to diverse experiences. At a later age their ability to see the inter-relations and consequences is better developed. They can infer things with better judgement and sensitivity. Questions and concepts, especially those in the Social Sciences, can be posed, debated and answered with far greater depth.
This is not to say that delaying learning process is better - children should learn at all ages. But we should let children stay innocent till the age when they can compose the bigger picture themselves.
What is not talked about or realized is the early loss of certain innocence in these kids. What is not talked about enough is that kids are becoming wiser, as in cleverer, rather than being world-wise.
There is another draw-back to knowing lot more at an earlier age (even more dangerous is to know that you are admired for it). Children tend to think that just because they know things they understand things. The over exposure of information creates a barrier in many kids to learning. The smart-type kids have a mental block in learning something, which they know, from a new perspective.
There is a certain benefit in letting children be children for some more years. These additional years expose children to diverse experiences. At a later age their ability to see the inter-relations and consequences is better developed. They can infer things with better judgement and sensitivity. Questions and concepts, especially those in the Social Sciences, can be posed, debated and answered with far greater depth.
This is not to say that delaying learning process is better - children should learn at all ages. But we should let children stay innocent till the age when they can compose the bigger picture themselves.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
I can't give you no money...
Once you understand something, you tend to look at it in a completely different light. And you wipe out the memory of how it used to be before. I came across a curious case of this while teaching negative numbers.
The negative numbers carry sign of, - , in front. The sign's job is to suggest the value of the number. The value may be compared to zero, such as -30 or it could be a relative value such as -15 km from my house. The negative sign here is like an adjective.
Unfortunately, the exact same sign, -, is also there for the subtraction operation. Here it represents an operation between two numbers. Namely, the operation of taking difference between the values of two numbers. It is like a verb here. If you can't guess which role the, -, sign is playing then that leads to a great confusion.
Soon things get more complicated. The numbers whose difference is to be taken by subtraction could themselves be positive, +, or negative ,- . Many are unable to recognize the dual role played by, -. This may be one reason why so many children find concept of negative numbers baffling.
It is less confusing if its put in words, such as, "Subtract minus four from three". Here the two jobs played by our friend are clearer. Once you learn to recognize it as an operation or a value, then you see negative numbers in a more generic light.
PS: From another angle, subtraction operation is like finding the value of second number with respect to the first number. But that's even deeper to realize.
The negative numbers carry sign of, - , in front. The sign's job is to suggest the value of the number. The value may be compared to zero, such as -30 or it could be a relative value such as -15 km from my house. The negative sign here is like an adjective.
Unfortunately, the exact same sign, -, is also there for the subtraction operation. Here it represents an operation between two numbers. Namely, the operation of taking difference between the values of two numbers. It is like a verb here. If you can't guess which role the, -, sign is playing then that leads to a great confusion.
Soon things get more complicated. The numbers whose difference is to be taken by subtraction could themselves be positive, +, or negative ,- . Many are unable to recognize the dual role played by, -. This may be one reason why so many children find concept of negative numbers baffling.
It is less confusing if its put in words, such as, "Subtract minus four from three". Here the two jobs played by our friend are clearer. Once you learn to recognize it as an operation or a value, then you see negative numbers in a more generic light.
PS: From another angle, subtraction operation is like finding the value of second number with respect to the first number. But that's even deeper to realize.
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