Try Getting Better

MARKS CAN NEVER EQUATE LEARNING

I hope all are well and finding ways to fight this unprecedented time and situation which forced all of us to change our approach towards many things in life. There are many people who are finding it difficult to cope up but majority of us have been able to face this challenge successfully. The word successfully does not mean we are through this pandemic but finding different ways and solutions to either live with the virus or avoid the virus till vaccines are available. This sort of problem was not at all thought or predicted by anybody hence we did not know how to solve it. However, this period has given opportunity to people to learn from books, movies and webinars etc. While reading a book titled “Get better at getting better” by Sh. Chandramoli Venkatesan, I came across an analogy related to the education system of our country. As the results of many public examinations conduced by different examination bodies have been declared in the last few days, so this made me to think yet again of the marks scored by the students. Till last year the target of 100 percent marks was missed but this year that barrier has also been broken. The children, parents and the schools celebrated the “success” of these students. Media highlighted those who achieved more than 90 or 95 percent marks. In this process every year majority of the students are left feeling what was wrong with them. Why no one talks about them and their efforts.

In this book Mr Chandramoli talks about how one can get into the mode of getting better. While talking what and how he says that to become better you need to focus on learning the method of finding answers instead of knowing the answers. Our education system is such that it focuses more on finding the answer than learning the method of finding answer. Though the book is meant for adults who might be working in different organisations particularly in corporate sector, but this applies to every aspect of the life and as I am a teacher hence, I interpreted in that context.

In get better journey, the most important is to learn method of finding answer than just getting the answers. As I mentioned above, in today`s time children are scoring 100 percent marks in their board examination which makes us feel that they have mastered everything. I am not taking away the hard work put in by those students and their achievement. But if we see things with this perspective it is observed as they had been trained to achieve that feet. Most of the educational boards convey to the schools and the students the pattern of the question paper, marking scheme and the way answer is to be presented. There are students who focus only on scoring maximum marks and perhaps lose the track of real learning to be achieved. The teachers focus mostly on those topics which fetch them more marks and there the problem starts. They are made to learn the answers in spite learning the method of finding answers. The school is one place where the children should be allowed to try themselves and not necessarily follow one particular pattern of remembering the facts. I was asked by my Chairman about children not being much interested in Maths and Science. My simple answer was that it was because most of the children read these subjects and do not explore them. In fact, all subjects need focus on doing than reading.

The concept of get better at getting better must be emphasised at school level itself. This will require leaving children to try to find answers themselves than being dictated by the teacher, parent or the tutors. I firmly believe that we do not, but children learn, hence they should be given ample opportunity to do that. But then what we do is bind them in limits and patterns. The children must be given opportunity to try, retry and find their own methods of finding the answers to the problems. Self-evaluation by the kids, reviewing and reflecting upon their actions will help them develop faster and get better. They have tremendous potential and inquisitiveness which should not be killed under the burden of the marks and grades.

I do not say that marks and grades are not important but the process to reach there is more important. The destination without fruitful journey is not really worth because this is the journey which makes one wiser and not the end result.

Those students who feel themselves ignored during the time of result declaration should go back and think of the journey of reaching to this result. In most of the cases they would realise that they had done fairly well and would definitely come out of the stress created by the marks and grades. Somebody might say that as a teacher I also appreciate the ones who get outstanding marks. Yes, I do. There are two reasons for that; one in our country the schools` educational standard is judged by the toppers from that school, and two, these kids deserve it for their hard work. But that does not mean the other kids do not deserve appreciation but unfortunately that is not done and that is my worry. The children who learn methods of finding the answers would not have been studying only to score marks but to know, understand and apply the learning in their lives and they would definitely do exceedingly well in future. I have been sharing that those countries and people who knew method of finding answers in any unknown situation could fight any calamity. The recent example is fight against Covid-19.

Marks have been given too much of importance in our system and we need to change this mindset not only in our statements but also in reality. In school events like annual functions or others, you would hear from learned people stating that schools should strive for overall development of children and not just academics but at the end of the year, questions are always asked about the results in terms of marks and toppers.

My question has always been, what about the social, emotional, and mental development of the child which these marks fail to measure? Aren’t they important? Why their importance is fading?

I think I have the answers to these questions which point to our education system that often cites marks as a prerequisite for a fulfilling life. With this understanding of the importance of education, many students get wrapped up in their grades and marks, not just this; they often take them as value statements on their self-worth. When this happens, grades become the foundation for the child’s future which is honestly just way too much pressure. This credence becomes stronger at the time when the results are declared. 

In my view, education is about better knowing yourself, better knowing the world around you, and attempting to figure out your place in the world. “Knowing thyself,” as the ancient Greeks put it, understanding reality and your role in it, which is infinitely more valuable than anything. Education is about self-improvement, not about the marks. When we view it in this way, I think, marks will eventually lose the prominence we give them. 

This is the time to recognize your power and resourcefulness. Be so resilient from the inside that you can face any situation in life and make it sparkle. There will be laughter and tears, endings and beginnings, adventures and misadventures, regret and acceptance, the world will fall apart many times and come together again. None of this will be dependent on your marks or what/where you studied. Nothing is worth letting your self-worth be determined by external forces. You are wonderful. You are bright. You are courageous.

Let me quote what Bill Gates once said, “I failed in some subjects in exam, but my friend passed in all. Now he is an engineer in Microsoft and I am the owner of Microsoft”. 

Today, he is an inspiration for many.

My words of advice to all the young aspirants:

• Enjoy the process of learning and do not focus only on the result.
• Knowledge gained will stay with you till eternity.
• Be open-minded, learn new things even if it does not seem to be relevant today.
• Knowledge gained is not useful unless it is appropriately applied.

To complement the dosage of motivation here’s an inspiring story. Although I cannot authenticate it, I believe in the message it conveys. It is the story of Mr Nitin Sangwan, IAS. He says, ‘In my 12th exams, I got 24 marks in Chemistry - just 1 mark above passing marks. But that didn't decide what I wanted from my life. Life is much more than board results. Let results be an opportunity for introspection & not for criticism.’ He tweets, ‘It is not a big deal if you fall in life.You can always get up and run.’ To the core of this story lies a message if life ever gets you down, and you do not feel like you can succeed at what you are currently doing, remember that this can be a turning point in your eventful success story.

Summing up my views, I would earnestly request everyone, not to snatch away the self-confidence and esteem of the children if they fail to score well, because a bad score will eventually allow them to introspect what they can flourish in. Grades have their place. They are a necessary part of education. What they are not a necessary part of; is self-esteem. They do not matter because they do not define us: what defines us is the change education makes within us. Make it a point in your life that you can get better at getting better. Parents must love and not judge their children irrespective of what they score and while you do this, "watch your children conquer the world."

I shall share few more important issues related to get better model and ways described in this book in my next article.