Learning by self

In the present age when you have large number of TV channels and other mode of information which are so fast that anything becomes obsolete in no time. There are two TV programmes which have come as a whiff of fresh air. Though the topics selected or the issues taken up are the old ones which have been raised and discussed before also, but the importance of talking about them is more now. Also the overwhelming response to these programmes has answered those people who say that public is not interested in listening or watching such issues. Yes, you got it right. I am talking about Aamir Khan`s Satyamev Jayayte telecast on Doordarshan and Star Plus and  Ravish Kumar`s Hum Log on NDTV (hindi). Mr. Aamir Khan has taken up very important issues in all his episodes telecast till now and the people strongly feel that the government and the citizens of the country should join hands and work together with sincerity to make things better for all. Though each one of them is worth discussing but I was impressed the most by a few of them. For example, the one which discussed about the negative effect of the pesticides and negative impact of alcohol by Aamir Khan and also the episode on water problem and the toys of Mr. Gupta by Ravish Kumar. As I teach in a school, I get influenced more by the issues concerning our school going children. The surveys show that the intake of alcohol has increased manifold in the last decade which has done no good to our youth and the society. The need of the hour is to nip this evil in the bud, that we talk and discuss with our children the negative and ill effect of the consumption of alcohol. I do not understand why are we shy of talking such issues with our children and in a way leave them vulnerable to the influence of the market forces.To our surprise,the recent news report also stated that the item which was sold to the maximum on duty free shops of the metropolitan cities was ‘liquor’.Also, the children are intelligent enough to understand what is being advertised under the name of branded soda. Anyway this topic may be discussed separately but the other important topic is related to the science teaching in the schools and colleges. We come across the school prospectus in which the promoters of the schools proudly talk about the exquisite infrastructure, five star facilities including air-conditioned building and computer labs etc. Nowadays another term is tossed around and that is smart classes. The bigger is the brand,the greater the attraction of parents towards such schools. I always say that proper and balanced use of technology is good but overdependence is equally harmful. Now look at the other side. Have we come across any schools prospectus in which there is a mention of the children and the teachers of the school learning science by the making toys and models from the waste available to us in plenty all around? The episode telecast on 1^st July was so apt for all of us because it was based on the topic related to the learning of science by fun. The person I focus, explained the simple and also the complicated principles of science so easily with the help of the toys and the models made by the waste available to us. The very important lesson learnt by all was that science is not at all difficult to understand if we allow our children to learn it the way Mr. Gupta and many other teachers have taught us. Professor Yashpal, a great educationist, has been so popular among the children because he explained the scientific principles with the help of simple experiments that the children were never stressed to cram them. In the episode I am referring to, the teacher told us about the concept of the working of water pump specially the hand pump used in our villages. He talked about the centrifugal force and showed it to the people with a lot of ease because I remember many of the children have difficulty in understanding this concept. The other model was related to the production of electricity based on the concept of electromagnetic induction (though this heavy term was not at all used by him). If we let our children do these experiments themselves and then ask them to learn the definitions on their own,I believe that  they will never forget the same throughout their lives. The interesting and important thing is that these models do not cost us much and even if the child is not able to do it well for the first time, it can be tried again and again and in that process also the child will be learning. My advice and request to all concerned including the teachers and parents would be to let our children experiment themselves and learn in the process. The costly and fascinating toys and models would not necessarily make them learn better. I am sure all understand this better than me, but the glitter and glamour of the market driven advertisements has drifted us away from  learning from the things which are naturally available to us.

The science teaching and scientific concepts can be better understood by the children in their own context and environment. Not only the science subject but also the other subjects can be learnt by them so easily if the same are discussed keeping the surroundings in mind. The children possess creative skills and want to do things themselves. If discouraged by the teachers or the parents then they lose the interest and the studies become a stress for them and that is what is happening to many of our children in today`s time. What I personally feel is that we do not really need to change lot many things but the method of letting our children how to learn. The assessment and examinations are important but the most important aspect is the learning by self and with joy, without any stress of performing very well in the exams. Examination result should not be taken as the product but the real product is the learning which can help the child to learn to live life happily and let others also live it in the same way.Learning by self will not only enlighten the child but also give him the satisfaction of experiencing his own creativity.