In educating a child we face many choices and dilemmas. Is CBSE better or SSC, Is English medium better or Marathi. Should there be Sanskrit or Hindi ? How much home work is enough, is good handwriting required, should we arrange for tuitions ? How many marks are enough ? Is the school worth the cost ? How much of the money actually goes into learning and teaching ? So many questions and options.
Naturally most of us think that better education can be arranged if only we can make the correct choice or resolve conflicts. When push comes to shove, we change schools, start tutorial classes, put pressure on teachers or worse, put pressure on the child. We split hair on these things and yet remain dissatisfied. The whole affair is very stressful, come to think of it.
So let us step-back for a while and ask the original Question. What is a good education and how do we know we are getting one ? If we have a 'litmus test' for this , then that is exactly what we should look for. We can use such a test to resolve all our seemingly difficult questions.
There is a simple answer to this very fundamental question. What is a good education ? If learning is a fun-experience for a child then that is a good education. You need not look any further. Any school, any school-board, any teacher, any text-book or any medium of instruction can be tested against this criteria. Mind you, I did not say learning should be entertaining, I say it should be a fun.
The principle also works in the reverse. What is good fun ? The 'litmus test' is again very simple. If the fun is a learning-experience for a child then that is a good fun. It doesn't matter if its TV, reading books, talking or singing. The important question is, is fun a learning-experience.
Unfortunately, we have convinced ourselves that good education is a matter of making correct choice, or pay right amount of fees, or have certain facilities, or choose the right medium of instruction. Media, schools, government, educators and money has scared-us into thinking this way. I believe all of this is completely irrelevant to our primary goal- the need of good education.
That education is the best which makes 'learning a fun-experience and fun a learning-experience for a child'. Such education must be sought after.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Monday, October 18, 2010
Unfair reputation...
Today in the school, I was called for an emergency. As I walked I thought of short-circuits or some kid's broken arm or a snake. As it turned out there was a large, rare-looking insect which was causing all this panic.I caught and put it in the box.
I am amazed at the amount of fear and animosity insects generate in the grown-ups. And its rubbing-off onto children, which is sad. I find many children are repelled by insects now a days. And no one seems to be making the case for insects. Movies like Antz and Bugs Life haven't really dispelled the fear of insects from our children.
Its grossly unfair that insects should have such a bad reputation. Insects are one of the most ancient species still living on the Earth and they live in such large numbers. Insects (like amphibian) are sensitive to the environmental changes and so we should prey that they don't disappear but thrive. Yet society at large seem to have written them off.
What impresses me most is the sheer variety of insects that we see. Just turn-on the terrace-light one evening and wait'n watch. They will gather in a wide variety on your terrace. Each is like an exquisitely carved jewel with shiny colours and symmetric patterns.
The insect that we found in the school was most likely a beetle called 'Stromatium barbatum'. Its also known as wood borer - a rather dangerous insect if you happen to be in the timber business. I got to know this from an interesting site on Indian Insects run by zoology people from a local college !
I showed the insect to the 8-9 year-olds, and after initial screams they were willing to take a look. The beautiful patterns on the back of the insect must have attracted them. Some of them also held him in the hand - which was a minor victory for the insect kingdom. During the lunch time two girls took the box out and let him loose into the trees. We hope he isn't drilling into some ones furniture now.
I am amazed at the amount of fear and animosity insects generate in the grown-ups. And its rubbing-off onto children, which is sad. I find many children are repelled by insects now a days. And no one seems to be making the case for insects. Movies like Antz and Bugs Life haven't really dispelled the fear of insects from our children.
Its grossly unfair that insects should have such a bad reputation. Insects are one of the most ancient species still living on the Earth and they live in such large numbers. Insects (like amphibian) are sensitive to the environmental changes and so we should prey that they don't disappear but thrive. Yet society at large seem to have written them off.
What impresses me most is the sheer variety of insects that we see. Just turn-on the terrace-light one evening and wait'n watch. They will gather in a wide variety on your terrace. Each is like an exquisitely carved jewel with shiny colours and symmetric patterns.
The insect that we found in the school was most likely a beetle called 'Stromatium barbatum'. Its also known as wood borer - a rather dangerous insect if you happen to be in the timber business. I got to know this from an interesting site on Indian Insects run by zoology people from a local college !
I showed the insect to the 8-9 year-olds, and after initial screams they were willing to take a look. The beautiful patterns on the back of the insect must have attracted them. Some of them also held him in the hand - which was a minor victory for the insect kingdom. During the lunch time two girls took the box out and let him loose into the trees. We hope he isn't drilling into some ones furniture now.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Mirror, mirror, who is the fairest one of all
In the fairy tale 'Snow white and the seven little dwarfs' the magic mirror informs the Queen that she is the fairest one of all, until one day the mirrors says otherwise. All of us know what happens afterwards. A similar, but much more powerful, mirror is being created and used today - its the social networking sites like FaceBook.
Increasingly a lot of youngsters are using these sites to interact with their real and virtual friends, many of them are clearly bellow the legal age. Parents often find it cool that their kids have taken to networking. A parent told me proudly that he didn't know his young daughter had an account till he ran into her on the internet.
For over a year now, I am looking at the interaction of youngsters on the social networking sites just out of curiosity. I notice two things that have great implications to the future of our children.
Most often a post from a child gets out-of-proportion praises. U r sooo kool, U look gr8, I wish I could do that, sooo lucky, ooh you saw a ferrari ?. Youngsters get addicted to such feel-good feedback. A student once told me after a bad exam that she doesn't feel bad that she has done poorly, she said she recently reached highest number of friends on the site.
But if you happen to post even mildly disagreeable post, the reprehensions are quick and violent. It becomes a game - who can insult with the best wise-crack. This sends some children into depression while others retaliate with more verbal violence.
I think psychologists/anthropologists will find great differences in the way ego (or the sense of self) is built in the pre-facebook and post-facebook era. We are going to create even more self-centred and a less tolerant society on the net. And it will surely reflect in the real physical world.
The magic mirror is no longer telling the whole truth, its selectively distorting your image. Its picking-up things that only you like to hear. If you leave this comfort zone, then you will be damned. Its not a good environment for a child to grow.
Increasingly a lot of youngsters are using these sites to interact with their real and virtual friends, many of them are clearly bellow the legal age. Parents often find it cool that their kids have taken to networking. A parent told me proudly that he didn't know his young daughter had an account till he ran into her on the internet.
For over a year now, I am looking at the interaction of youngsters on the social networking sites just out of curiosity. I notice two things that have great implications to the future of our children.
Most often a post from a child gets out-of-proportion praises. U r sooo kool, U look gr8, I wish I could do that, sooo lucky, ooh you saw a ferrari ?. Youngsters get addicted to such feel-good feedback. A student once told me after a bad exam that she doesn't feel bad that she has done poorly, she said she recently reached highest number of friends on the site.
But if you happen to post even mildly disagreeable post, the reprehensions are quick and violent. It becomes a game - who can insult with the best wise-crack. This sends some children into depression while others retaliate with more verbal violence.
I think psychologists/anthropologists will find great differences in the way ego (or the sense of self) is built in the pre-facebook and post-facebook era. We are going to create even more self-centred and a less tolerant society on the net. And it will surely reflect in the real physical world.
The magic mirror is no longer telling the whole truth, its selectively distorting your image. Its picking-up things that only you like to hear. If you leave this comfort zone, then you will be damned. Its not a good environment for a child to grow.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Purposeful entertainment
How much TV watching is enough for a child ? this is a common question these days. The answer may lie in asking - if the entertainment is purposeful or purposeless.
Typically, the child starts watching a program on TV (say Tom & Jerry). Every 15 minutes there are very compulsive ads targeted for children. After a while the child is mainly watching the Ads and not the story. When the Ads get repetitive, the child changes channels to something else. What was the original purpose of watching Tom & Jerry ? What happened to the story ? How did it end ? The purpose of watching TV is lost after a while.
There are many ways to make any entertainment purposeful. Ask a child to narrate the story at dinner time, discuss the reaction of characters. Ask them to play it out. Why was the program funny or sad ? Can you write about this in a letter to grand-mother ? Can you draw a picture on the story ? How would the story end if you change the plot ?
You are creating a purpose for that entertainment when you ask such questions or weave it into an activity. You make it a worth-while and learning experience for a child by doing so. By assigning some purpose we make it more enjoyable, not less. We make child an active part of that experience.
There is not much difference between watching TV this way and doing studies. We need to bring in purpose to our entertainment and some amount of entertainment in our studies. Both should be a 'purposeful enjoyment'.
So, how much TV is enough for a child depends on How much of it you can make purposeful.
Typically, the child starts watching a program on TV (say Tom & Jerry). Every 15 minutes there are very compulsive ads targeted for children. After a while the child is mainly watching the Ads and not the story. When the Ads get repetitive, the child changes channels to something else. What was the original purpose of watching Tom & Jerry ? What happened to the story ? How did it end ? The purpose of watching TV is lost after a while.
There are many ways to make any entertainment purposeful. Ask a child to narrate the story at dinner time, discuss the reaction of characters. Ask them to play it out. Why was the program funny or sad ? Can you write about this in a letter to grand-mother ? Can you draw a picture on the story ? How would the story end if you change the plot ?
You are creating a purpose for that entertainment when you ask such questions or weave it into an activity. You make it a worth-while and learning experience for a child by doing so. By assigning some purpose we make it more enjoyable, not less. We make child an active part of that experience.
There is not much difference between watching TV this way and doing studies. We need to bring in purpose to our entertainment and some amount of entertainment in our studies. Both should be a 'purposeful enjoyment'.
So, how much TV is enough for a child depends on How much of it you can make purposeful.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Growing citizens...
Nearly 70 % of India's population is said to be living villages. However if the current trend of development continues, by 2050 majority of people will come to live in cities. No doubt the present cities will grow into mega-cities and smaller villages will become towns.
Sleepy villages doing agriculture will be replaced by fast-paced towns running the service-sector. This is an enormous change to happen in one generation. And considering we are one billion people, this is not a small number of people either. This requires an enormous change in the life-style and attitude of people. So how are we training the next generation of urban dwellers ? We need to look at todays class-rooms to find the answer.
There is hardly any sign of this drastic forth-coming change in our class rooms. While children are increasingly becoming self-centred, there is not much done to teach them to live together. As expected teaching is focused on maths, science, languages and social sciences. The society and economy seem to be focused on promoting individuality and personal status. How do we make people care for each other because their well-being will depend on each other more so in future.
There is a desperate need for schools to focus on these issues. They need to know their locality, their place in community, the support systems. They need to be taught to talk, walk and behave when millions are packed together in smaller and smaller houses. While academic subjects can be taught or learnt in later years, behaviour is hard to learn at a later age. We need to train children for the good citizenship now.
Be a good team player, follow community rules, don't use bad language or physical violence. What are the very basic things that we need to teach to future urban citizens ? When and how shall we teach them ?
Sleepy villages doing agriculture will be replaced by fast-paced towns running the service-sector. This is an enormous change to happen in one generation. And considering we are one billion people, this is not a small number of people either. This requires an enormous change in the life-style and attitude of people. So how are we training the next generation of urban dwellers ? We need to look at todays class-rooms to find the answer.
There is hardly any sign of this drastic forth-coming change in our class rooms. While children are increasingly becoming self-centred, there is not much done to teach them to live together. As expected teaching is focused on maths, science, languages and social sciences. The society and economy seem to be focused on promoting individuality and personal status. How do we make people care for each other because their well-being will depend on each other more so in future.
There is a desperate need for schools to focus on these issues. They need to know their locality, their place in community, the support systems. They need to be taught to talk, walk and behave when millions are packed together in smaller and smaller houses. While academic subjects can be taught or learnt in later years, behaviour is hard to learn at a later age. We need to train children for the good citizenship now.
Be a good team player, follow community rules, don't use bad language or physical violence. What are the very basic things that we need to teach to future urban citizens ? When and how shall we teach them ?
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