Hello Arya Ji:
I am sure you've got a lot of suggestions from a lot many people. There are a lot of very accomplished people here, with some in the educational field as well. So I am sure you've already got some very valuable and practically implementable feedback.
The educational experience has been very dear to my heart, so I'd like to give some of my feedback here as well, if I may. Perhaps some of what I say might be difficult to translate into action items, but I think these are important things to ponder over.
There are two important aspects to learning:
o The acquistion of knowledge as well as the skill set usually associated with such knowledge (skills related to expression (written and verbal), skills of analysis and deduction ... and so on). This is the most important and ultimate goal of education.
o The second aspect is the recognition of the
successful acquisition of the aforementioned
knowledge and skills. This means rewarding of degrees and certificates that attest that an individual meets acceptable standards...and to what level such standards are met. Of course, this is done through examinations.
In addition to the above there are the other well
understood aspects such as: physical fitness,
vocational guidance, social/moral/ethical guidance and such other aspects that lead to a productive and prosperous life. I'll not attempt to discuss these.
Now, the issue with the two aspects highlighted
above is that the latter (examinations) affects
the former (mode and method of acquisition of
knowledge).And that I feel is the biggest hurdle
in developing a truly effective and versatile
approach to education. What knowledge is tested and how the knowledge is tested in examinations directly affects what knowledge is acquired and how it is acquired.
Let me briefly discuss some approaches to study
different subjects to illustrate what I am saying:
Science in High School
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Imagine a chemistry class in session in UK
(for instance). There are about 20 students in
class. They walk in and sit at their desks.
It is a Chemistry lab. That is THE classroom.
In front of them the materials for the class
are already layed out (the flasks, bunsen burners, tubes, the chemicals). Everything set to go.
There is one piece of paper that outlines steps
to perform in the experiment.
Then there is a sheet of paper that has blank lines for observations, deductions and so on.
Teacher comes in, gives a quick overview of what is do be done and some things to focus on and think about, maybe some informal discussion of some required concepts. There are no definitions, no regurgitated
facts at all.
The students perform the experiment, and note their observations, make their own deductions/conclusions and fill all that in and hand this in.
Then in the last 20-30 minutes of class, the class is opened up to open discussion. The teacher searchingly interrogates/questions the students. With each response he/she comes up with more questions, all the while steadily directly them to DISCOVER the
answers.
A quick summary at the end of class to summarize important points, maybe point out some formulas, problems to look at when at home, things to read at home for the next class and so on.
End of class. No heavy books to carry. A single
folder (one used for all classes, that has take
out paper sheets that can later be organized
classwise at home).
Imagine this for Physics, Chemistry, Biology.
The whole year. Same routine.
And compare this with what you'd find in an
Indian school. We are all aware of that and
can make the comparisons ourselves.
English Class
----------------------
How would the Brits teach English ?
Imagine a method where there is very little
of explicit teaching of grammer rules, and
almost nil testing of such rules.
Bulk of student time goes into reading
novels/dramas/plays, play acting some of the
material, openly and freely discussing the material in a very free and informal environment. The class is completely open to critique and bulk of class time goes into discussing...perhaps quoting relevant paragraphs from the material read.
This is further enhanced by watching dramas/movies that are based on the material.
Now let us come to the exams. The exams have no mention of any material that you have read. They are full of generic questions, that require the student to take a stand, and then support it based on material read during the year.
A sample question might be as follows:
"It is often said that the true character of
a human being comes out in times of extreme
adversity.
Discuss this statement using two novels/plays/
poems that you have read. Please use quotations to illustrate your views."
Again, compare this with how you may have studied a language in an Indian school, and how you were tested.
Of course, supplement this with reading comprehension, short essay writing, story writing, poems (i.e all forms of creative writing)...and you have one solid method of teaching a language.
----------------------
I can go on here. But I think I have illustrated
what I am trying to get at. Basically the
emphasis is on:
o Discovering rather than being force fed.
o Written and verbal expression.
o Use of own words and language to express
concepts and ideas...even definitions.
regurgitating directly from texts (yes, even
when it comes to definitions) is a big NO NO !
o Very little emphasis on texts especially in the
classroom. Basically, read on your own time.
In class...lets, talk, ask, discover !
o Exams that are based more on analysis/deductions, rather memorised facts.
Well this post is getting too long....let me try
to wrap up.
The methods described are a great way to learn, as long as the methods to test the knowledge are in accordance with the style of learning. And here is the catch !
An Indian school that comes under the Haryana
education or CBSE has to taylor it teaching
methods and content according to how the students will get tested (8, 10, 12th grades are very relevant here).
So it becomes difficult to implement novel and
more effective strategies of learning that
have proved very effective in other countries.
One approach is to try to have the school under
some foreign board...like they do for international schools (IB, G.C.E 'O'/'A' levels and so on).
In one closing, the two most important skills
according to my experience are:
1. Language skills (written and oral).
2. Mathematical/Analytical skills.
Any education system must seek to develop
these in the students at the cost of all else.
Domain specific/subject specific are secondary
and can easily be picked up one these two are
well developed.
