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Recently my readers have become very active and are interacting through the blog very enthusiastically. I sometimes feel like the blog is owned by the readers rather than me because most of the comments are longer than the post itself. Also many readers are posting a lot more quality content also.
So I decide to create a section, The Readers Opinion in which Ill initiate a topic of discussion and the readers can contribute their ideas. In the end we will make a post out of all the ideas and discussion created by the readers.
So today’s topic of discussion is Education upto class 10. What all skills are expected from a 16 yr old when he passes his 10th standard. We can talk about formal academics, life skills, personality and physical or sporting skills.
Are we giving enough importance to social skills like meeting new people and getting to know them. Hoe much of importance we giving to team skills, leadership skills and public speaking abilities.
Are we promoting an inquisitive mentality, or are we suppressing questions ? Sometimes kids come up with the most difficult of questions. They are not afraid to questions the roots of our belief until we put restrictions on them and make some people/concepts unquestionable.
Are we promoting a healthy relationship with members of opposite sex in educational institutions ? A friend of mine who studied in a prestigious college in Chennai told me that they were not allowed to talk to girls. The situation is worse in some entrance coaching institutions in Pala.
How equipped are the students to accept criticism and failure.
And finally, why are we not worried about the physical health of students. Why is physical health and ability not a parameter in the examination system. Are we undermining the importance of physical health.
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13 comments ↓
Well I often have offbeat ideas which I personally feel, often cannot be many others, because of being termed as craze etc…… But some of my ideas about education in Indian system is really crap and heavily relies on the memory part of the child, rather than his other capabilities….. Today in Indian system, we compare all children based on a single trait called their Memory……How good is each child in their memory, is tested thro’ all our exams….. Rather no means of testing their understanding and their capabilities are seen……..
I suggest, the system of Public examination must be abolished……. Its a simple means making a child tense and comparing one’s memory merit with others…….
I suggest a radical reforms in education
A child should be admitted to formal education when he/she is at 3 years old…. However from age 3 to 6, which is a crucial age, the focus should be on exploration mentality of a child…. By which the school should equip with various play equipment, buliding blocks, access to natural surroundings, flora and fauna etc, to make understand….. The under-primary class should never be class room oriented….. Rather it should be PLAY-CLASS…… Show them apple and make them have it, when one wish to teach A for Apple……. Make them experience in seeing an apple and its taste…… Likewise show them the actual hen or duck, rather showing in pictures…… Show then Sun-Stars-moon in real, rather than telling sun is shining star etc……..
This age is so tender, hence the focus should be in language part, for communication…. There is no need of Maths or science…… Only 3 subjects is enough- English, Malayalam and General……. Make students to play each other, speak languages as well as bring out exploration of creativity…..
A child at 6, enters into 1st standard…. From 1st- 3rd, its should be primary class, where focus is on Languages + Basic Maths+ General science inclusive of social studies…… There should be no tests, rather apprasial should be done thro’ general understanding about the child’s level of understanding and how his response etc…… Again more scope should be given in all other areas of talents, thro’ individual identification of talents and promotion of it, like dance/music/crafts/sports/fine arts etc…… Complusory Learning of mother tongue should be enforced, because unless they are strong in their mother tongue, they will fail to understand many valuable things around us….
Class 4 and 5 is the turning point, where slowly class tests are carried out, but based on a comprehensive model comprising of activity tests, memory test, objective test, open book tests as well as understanding tests…….Here at this age, elementary Maths should be taught, with general science with focus on elementary physics/chemistry/biology/nutrition etc as well as elementary social sciences like history/geography/civics etc and moral science + languages…….
Ater 5th, based on a 360o degree aprasial along with a expert psychologist/social counsellor’s opinion, students are diverted to various streams like Science stream, Social Stream, Arts stream etc…….
Why should a student not interested in science, should learn unnessecary chemical forumales till 10th….. So those who have a good aptitude in science, may go to science stream where 2 Languages+ 4 Science subjects should learn…. In addition, he should learn basic maths and one general social studies paper, for which no exams will be there……. Those students, who have good aptitude in Maths, should can drop any one paper in science and take maths instead…. But all these process should be based on a Scientific aptitude test, not on parent’s option……
Those students who move to social stream will have to learn 2 Languages + any 4 social papers of their choice. In addition to NON-TEST subjects like Basic Maths and General Science paper.
Those students who move to Arts stream will have to learn 2 Languages + one foreign language+one art paper (dance, music, crafts, poetry, fine arts)+ one social paper+ one activity paper (leadership/training etc)………
Here till grade 10, various means of testing, rather than simple paper tests should be the means of apprasial. Apart from these papers, computer training should be done independent, as an external course or diploma etc……. After 10th , again choice of streams can be taken for each streams, for which a pre-qualifying series of test- activity, objective, subjective, aptitude as well as counselling must be done.
After 10th, there are again 5 streams
1. Engineering stream:- 2 Maths Papers + 3 science papers+ 2 Language papers and Non test papers = One leadership paper and choice of any general paper
2. Science stream:- 5 Choice Science papers + 2 language paper and Non Test Paper = Psychology/Moral science and choice of any general paper
3. Commerce stream:- 2 Main Commerce Paper + 3 Commerce choice paper + 2 Languages and Non Test papers = 2 any choice papers
4. Social stream:- 5 choice social papers + 2 languages and Non test paper- One foreign language and one paper of general paper
5. Arts Stream:- 2 Art papers + 3 social/activity papers and 2 Languages and Non Test paper- 2 language papers
For entrance to engineering, medicine, management, law, it should be a computer aided software, where onjective, subjective questions as well as online interview on phone/conferencing etc must be used, to filter that right aptitude candidates sit for higher professional courses…………..
These are my ideas abt education……
But in all process, I believe, that activity based learning and activity based appraisal is the best means to evaluate the real potential of a child
A really good one Mohan. A few changes recommended
1. No Language - instead make it communication skills - cause when learning a language more stress is given to the language itself, instead of communication.
2. Once the kids are moving into higher education, I would not really stress on Language. Again I would say Communication skills instead of Language is better.
3. Organizational Skills and Leadership Skills should be compulsory from Class 5 onwards. each and every student should be given a chance to lead a team…to do some extra-curricular activity of his interest.
4. This practice of seating girls and boys separately should be stopped - students should be able to sit as they like. Of course for the sake of maintaining discipline - the final decision should be left to the teacher.
5. This marking system should be scraped instead they should bring in the grading system - each and every aspect of the students life/character should be graded. general discipline, Punctuality, Attendance, Extra curricular activity, Sports,oral skills, written skills etc. and this should be made a part of the criteria for passing out to the next level.
6. When a student fails in one of his activities/subjects/skills - Instead of making him study in the same class again, he should be given a chance to go to the next level for the subjects that he has not failed. He must only have to study the subject he failed in.
7. The minimum mark for passing in a subject should be more than 75%. I know this is though. But if you split up the 100% into different types of testing - Understanding, Practical skills, Oratory skills, memorizing etc… it should not be too hard to score 75% in the subject
8. Aptitude testing should be there at the end of each class - to make sure the child is going the right path from the start. Then there will be no need for entrance exams…
Well that is all I can think of for now…
i will post later.. exams now
I think the comments are worth but you people forgot to mention at which class computer science education should be introduced.
Infact, the school where i did my schooling till 8th, was Chinmaya Vidyalaya-Ernakulam….. Chinmaya Cochin was a special kind of school in co-education, where in a bench where there was either one boy in middle and two girls on side or one girl in middle and two boys on sides……. Its this kind of co-education happening in Chinmaya Cochin, that makes Chinmaya girls very bold and so open to boys……. Infact, When my friend JMJ said is right……. Around 99% of schools in kerala, make girls to sit separte from boys….. This creates a Girls’s Zone and Boy’s zone and openess between girls and boys are less………..
It would be so suprising to know, in Chinmaya, both Girls and Boys do have swimming class times in common, though its complusory for girls to wear covered swimsuits………. There is very little segregation between boys and girls there…… It really make them so bold………
I even suggest, our current uniforms styles should change……. Most of girls, feel extra-secured when they wear fully covered churidars……… Whereas those girls, who wear wrap-arounds or suit-skirts or knee-down skirts feel some sense of insecurity…… to cover up the insecurity, they make a good rapport with boys, as they feel its a security matter……… This is too one of the principle at Chinmaya, where girls till 12th have to wear knee length Wraps-rounds or skirts…….. I felt, often this sense of insecurity, pull them down to make good friendship with some boys, as a security…….
@Arun Mohan
Dont worry, if people call you crazy cos every person who has changed the world was once called crazy. Normal life wont bring about changes, only extra ordinary ones does.
I am also of the opinion that no formal maths or science should be taught until 8 years of age. Like you said, exploration and language skills should be given importance. Writing can be avoided and drawing can be included.
Till that age, no judgements should be made and the child should never be compared with others. Games and group activities should be focus.
Class tests should be conducted to identify the child’s weaknesses and not to prepare a rank list.
Relationships with the opposite sex is a major problem, especially in Kerala. We have a lot of perverts cos we dont know whats the appropriate behaviour is. Many are not comfortable dealing with members of the other sex. If we must learn to respect the opposite sex, then its a must that we interact and socialise with them.
@ Lakshmi
Computers should not be thought as a science till the kid reaches 11th std where the students start specializing for their stream. Computers should be used as a learning aid and a communication tool in the primary school.
Regarding the social culture of keeping the girls separate from the boys in Kerala - that is the worst I have seen in Kerala. You talk to your opposite Sex - then the whole school talks about you having an affair with him/her. I have never been able to figure this formula out…
But end of the day - your social skills get affected big time. I am in no way advocating the other extreme here. There must be opportunity for the kids to develop a healthy pear relationship with their opposite sex.
I was watching this movie the day before yesterday ” Take the Lead”. It is a movie about how Dancing is used as a tool to bring together students and making them responsible by making them respect each other and every one. I think dancing should be made compulsory for the primary kids - not only will it keep them healthy - it will sharpen their minds also…
Man !!!! I was going to suggest that movie to everyone. Its a must watch.
From what should be taught can any one say what could be taught?Strictly keeping in mind the public education system?
And do anyone realize that the much critisized DPEP
had many of these suggestions as its goals and failed due to poor implementation?
Our experts well know what should be taught but i guess our system is still not ready to change..
With out a stick in his/her hand teachers are not confident to teach..
I hope any teacher teaching at any primary school post a comment and bring us back to the ground reality..
DPEP was good.Education is not mugging up..
There should not be any tests…Who are we to test a kid?. remember Albert Einstein failed in many exams…the exams judged him unfit..which he was not
For the first 12 years - The entire academic cirriculam would be projects and collecting and updating information from knowledge bases like wikipedia.
Writing journals ,reading and discovering books………….. no test no valuation etc
12 years is a very long time and any sane person would have developed a whole better lot of knowledge by that time
The problem is people dont trust..unless we put a test? how do we know if people learn?how do we choose someone for a job…?
Well God was not a fool…human beings have a natural instinct to learn and if a child can learn to walk in 2 months…i am sure he can master a lot in 12 years in a academic nvironment
I or anyone have learned something ..because i have came accross a lot of books visuals sounds etc about many things and NOT! because i wrote 1000+ exams
Just make a FREE world for a person to think!. - that must be the sole purpose of education
The master finally speaks !!!!!
You have made a great point. Who are we to test a childs knowledge ?
@ Anoop & Kenny
I would not really agree with you about testing. Only with testing will the teachers/parents know how far the child has reached and if the child is ready for the next step.
The problem with testing in India is that - it is made to look as something horrible - and if you dont pass the test you are good for nothing.
What do you do when a child tries to walk the first time and falls down? You curse the floor for making the child fall and encourage him to try again. Studies and Testing also should be like that.
I think test’s have taken a demons shape in our minds because of our over expecting - over egoistic parents & society who want to show off that my child is better than yours.
I was speaking to my cousin sister yesterday. She had got 80% marks in her 10th std. But She was really sad - cause instead of congratulating her, her parents were comparing her to the neighbors daughter who got 95%…
That is where the mistake lies - we compare, we degrade their self esteem…we destroy them…
I joine with JMJ’s comment………. Testing is now a social ego for society………. And we need to prepare our society that we should compare our child’s performance, only with his inputs and capabilities, not his neighbours………. But it takes time…… till then, the only means is to abolish testing itself………. Testing should be done to see the level of understanding….. But it should be on individualist parameters, not common……… In today’s circumstances it difficult to do
But need to understand that instead of testing, apprasial is better, as teachers and parents know what is potentiality of the student and his capabilities…… They can compare it with his performance, just like how in corporate world…….. Today in all sectors, we want smart performers, not performers………
I have computers to calculate for me, so i need smart people to operate it and do the task in the most smartest way……… I don’t need that guy to learn multiple tables of 12 or 14 byheart or because of byheart learning, he got good marks in exams
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