Teach the students learn to learn

This is a common problem with many teachers that though they work very hard with the students but  the students neither learn it well nor perform up to the mark in the test/examination.There is other side of the coin where the students say they had tried their level best but could not do that well as expected. Now the question is why is it so, that despite the efforts of the teachers as well as students the learning is not taking place? If the students were learning, then they should have performed better than what they did.This brings in focus a very important point and that is, are we teaching our students learn to learn or they are just being flooded with a lot of information in the name of teaching -learning?

Every one should understand that learning is not the storage of the information in the brain but it is the churning of information that makes the learning happen. The more children think and analyse and try to apply the knowledge gained, more they will be able to learn. One child asked me a question, why is it so that in one class they enjoy the most whereas in the other class they feel bored? This question needs an answer from all the teachers, parents and the people responsible for the education of the children of the country. Framing curriculum and talking of instructional directions will not make children learn necessarily but we all should understand how to make a child learn to learn.

The teachers and parents know it very well that all the children are not alike and they have their individual identity and unique qualities. Despite knowing this, why do we try to teach all in the same way? Why do not we differentiate not only in our teaching methodology but also the curriculum? Why we do not give them the freedom of learning in their own way? These are difficult questions but must be addressed at the earliest because if not done so the children and the nation, both will suffer.We must also understand that the learning does not take place in the classroom only but it is an ongoing process and the children learn every time from every one and in every situation.It is not that the teachers teaching in the class is the most important but the learning of the students is more important.The child learns from parents,teachers,neighbours,books,magazines,newspapers,television and most importantly from self.Group learning is important but self learning is equally important and the child learns more when alone because that time he/she is able to concentrate and churn the knowledge /information received from every where. The child must be able to learn even without somebody teaching him/her.

For this environment in which the child is supposed to learn  must be as healthy as possible. Another child asked me a question ,who is responsible for that environment and the answer to this is all of us including the learner, but in the class major part is to be played by the teachers and at home by the parents.If a teacher is able to draw the attention of all the students in the first five minutes in the class then half of the battle is won in preparing them to learn.Here it is the responsibility of the teacher to make the child understand why should they  learn and how they can learn to learn.Until the attention of the children is focused on what is being discussed no effective learning will take place and for that blaming children is not the right approach. The mere presence of some of the teachers is enough for that environment of learning whereas in the other case even shouting of the teacher does not make any sense.

If the students are given an opportunity to think, learning is sure to take place so if they have to be taught how to learn to learn then thinking critically is very important. Just filling them with the information will not let real learning take place.As I mentioned, the teachers and the parents should act as the facilitators and not as the masters only to dominate the students.Friendly and congenial environment is the key to success and same applies for the learning to take place. If we can motivate the children to learn that will create interest in the subject and the child will be able to learn even the most difficult topics/subjects easily.

I am sorry to say that our students are not being allowed to learn but to store the information and that is detrimental to the growth of the child and has negative impact on the learning of the child.We must give them the space to learn self also. If they will be surrounded by the tutors and the teachers all the time then they will never be able to learn though the exception are always there and some people might achieve so called success(not really the learning) in securing good marks and give an opportunity to the parents and the teachers to celebrate what the child might not have learnt. This topic seems to be unending but  I have to stop it somewhere with a hope and request to the teachers and the parents to teach the children learn to learn and  allow them to learn from different sources and let them decide what is good which should be retained and drop the remaining information. The children also should be guided to distinguish between the significant and the insignificant.Certainly,while sieving the acquired knowledge,the most significant must be retrived thereby enhancing learning . It is one of the most important issues for me, so I will be eagerly waiting for your valuable feedback and  suggestions and also the ideas how can we make our children learn to learn.