Educationists all over the world are constantly trying to come up with the most effective ways to make children learn and use knowledge. Many who believe in rote learning, argue that what was good for us and our forefathers is good for our children. Another school of thought, which strongly believes in activity based learning, wants a definite shift in paradigm as far as the learning process is concerned. So teachers and parents are often confused and wonder how to make children learn for life.

In order to come up with the best solution one needs to delve into the merits and demerits of rote learning and activity based learning. The advantages of both systems need to be adopted and the disadvantages eschewed.

Recognising Rote learning

Rote learning is one type of cognitive development. It's about getting the facts right. To some extent, it is important because facts and figures which are memorised help one to support or defend an argument and debate on issues. If you don't know the country, the person or the date when something took place, how can you defend your argument? In language learning too, rote learning is the only way to learn vocabulary of a foreign language or the conjugation of irregular verbs as there is no inner structure and their inner complexity is too subtle to be learnt explicitly in a short time. Learning poems by rote is also important as quoting suitable lines in an essay, speech or debate enhances the quality of the piece. Of course one needs to understand the lines but memorization is of great consequence.

When Bill Gates was asked about the supposed American education advantage -- an education that stresses creativity, not rote learning -- he was utterly dismissive. In his view, those who think that the mere rote learning systems of India, China and Japan can't turn out innovators who can compete with Americans are sadly mistaken. Said Gates, "I have never met the guy who doesn't know how to multiply who created software ... Who has the most creative video games in the world? Japan! I never met these 'rote people' ... Some of my best software developers are Easterners! You need to understand things in order to invent beyond them."

Activities develop creativity

Rote learning is more prevalent in India, Pakistan, China, Singapore and the Eastern countries and there are some advantages which cannot be ignored. At the same time I do not subscribe to the idea that it is the best method of learning. It plays a role but the fact is that activity based learning, critical thinking and creativity are more important in today’s educational scenario, which help children understand concepts rather than just store information. The advantages are many as it helps the child to analyse, synthesise and indulge in out of the box thinking. George Bernard Shaw said “What we want is to see the child in pursuit of knowledge, and not knowledge in pursuit of the child.” Activity based learning does exactly this.

Our "Tell'em-and-test'em" way of teaching or “jug-mug” theory leaves most students increasingly confused, aware that their academic success rests on shaky foundations, and convinced that school is mainly a place where you follow meaningless procedures to get meaningless answers to meaningless questions. This is where HOTS or higher order thinking skills developed through activity based learning makes education more meaningful. As Som Vishwakarma says “It’s great to see that finally Indians are waking up and realizing that 'totas' (parrots) can't become 'real' scientists, engineers, writers and leaders. By real I mean a 'tota' can score top notch marks in an IIT/REC entrance exam, get a 'position' as a scientist in say ISRO/BHEL/BARC based on 'merit' but they will do almost zero original research. A 'tota' can recite all knowledge in the world but he or she cannot be creative and build over that knowledge.”

I completely agree with Clay P.Bedford when he says ´You can teach a student a lesson for a day; but if you can teach him to learn by creating curiosity, he will continue the learning process as long as he lives.”

• Children learn at their own pace
• Provision of more time for self-directed learning and so teacher directed learning is reduced considerably
• Group learning, mutual learning and self learning are promoted
• Teachers teaching time is judiciously distributed among children. Only needy children are addressed by teachers
• Children's participation in every step is ensured in the process of learning
• Evaluation is inbuilt in the system; it is done without the child knowing it
• Classroom transaction is based on child's needs and interests
• Sense of achievement boosts child's confidence and morale
• Attractive cards and activity create interest among children
• There is more scope for the child's development in creative and communicative skills
• Children will have a feeling of security as they sit in groups
• Children are allowed to move in the classroom as they choose their activity
• Moreover the distance between the teacher and the child is largely reduced and the teacher acts as a facilitator rather than a teacher
• Children learn concepts which helps build a strong foundation

Striking a balance

Rote learning or the system of learning by heart may not help in understanding but is needed in respect of some facts, since they may not have access to reference materials. It may be a methodology students adopt just to pass exams; but there is no real learning or understanding. It is better if the student applies himself/herself to understanding the subject properly through activities so that he can answer even an out of turn or tricky question. For sure, you need to carry a lot of facts and figures in your head to be able to make sense of the world and this is not in contradiction to honing a good analytical mind.

The two things are complementary, not substitutes. So if teachers need to make a child learn they need to judiciously blend the two techniques and use them to advantage. Memorised information needs to act as a spring board for analytical thinking and understanding of concepts and children need to learn for life and not merely an exam. A definite paradigm shift is essential and parents and teachers need to encourage children to think for themselves through activity based learning.

The author can be contacted at manjugupta09@hotmail.com

Manju Gupta
Principal, Pallavi Model school, Secunderabad

We live in extraordinary times. Never before in the last decades have schools faced multitude of social, moral and Healthcare responsibilities as they are entrusted now.

One of the biggest challenges faced by schools today is to deal with Healthcare and related issues. Fundamentally let us acknowledge that Schools are not Hospitals. Yet as an evolving society, we have to accept, adapt and face the challenges of the new breed of health problems that are cropping and creeping into our lifestyles. Infrastructure, awareness amongst the staff and students and the ability to deal with critical and unforeseen health problems with children these days require professional expertise. As educators, we have to accept the challenges by addressing such issues and building awareness about them, by designing sessions that would help the children and staff cope with the situation.

In today’s scenario with the pandemic of H1N1 (SWINE FLU), HIV/AIDS, Dengue to list a few, children are at high risk as schools are the hubs or congregation/dissemination centres not only for knowledge but also for catching and spreading infections. Schools are therefore faced with challenges to provide for protective mechanisms. One way to enhance the standards of care and build a protective environment for children is to develop a standard protocol which lays down standards and procedures for effective child protection service delivery, including prevention and statutory care services for children.

The need of the hour is to incorporate emergency equipment and gadgets that can provide the initial first aid and help required to deal with emergencies in the school. But merely possessing these gadgets without the know-how of the operations is of no use. Hence training and preparedness and other cope up mechanisms need to be fostered.

We have arrived at a time in our history when we are equipped with the strength of knowledge, the power of globalization and the convenience of technology to accomplish seemingly impossible tasks and challenges that are being faced in schools. We need to face them with compassion and sensitization.

The author can be contacted at anjalirazdan@hotmail.com

Anjali Razdan
Principal, Indus world school, Hyderabad

A learned man who relies on books and different authoritative offices to give him an understanding of life is as dim-witted as a sheep in a flock. Understanding happens only through self knowledge, which is awareness of one’s total psycho-somatic process of growth. The whole of existence is gathered within us waiting to be revealed in pretence of a blooming bud.

The education that we are familiar with is a mere accumulation of information and a queer permutation and combination of knowledge recorded in books. It recommends and prescribes a subtle escape from ourselves to a world of illusion and begets misery for us in strange forms and configurations. All the conflicts and confusions that incessantly trouble us are due to our wrong relationships with people, things and ideas. And this is by far the greatest mistake of modern times to perpetually promote this through the existing popular system of ‘education’; where as the ancient Gurukul system had mastered the ways to resist this catastrophe. A key factor in the glory of Ancient Indian education system was the strong grounding in values that determined the nature and pattern of relationship that one needs to build with an object, idea or person. Value education was the pivot around which secular knowledge was imparted.

‘The moral uplift of a student was, however not an end in itself. It was but a preparation for a higher pursuit stated thus by a student in the Mundaka Upanishad: “What is that, O Blessed One, by knowing which one can know everything in this manifested universe?” The goal of this daring quest was the highest truth.’

The formal system is a phenomenal method to pass on the achievements attained over several centuries, to a large section of the younger generation within a short span of time. It is also the basic process to transmit the cultural heritage of a society. But with a lack of proper value education and cultural exploration the system has miserably failed and have created bread earners, economically secure, technically efficient persons with a major predicament at the emotional and psychological front.

Therefore, it is foolish to think of enhancement in education by mere inputs in techniques and knowledge; there should be a regeneration within, which I wish to term as Total Integral Growth. Let us marry Intuition with Intelligence to create a man of true Education beyond the heights of measure. This, I mean, is integration needed at all levels of learning. As T. S. Eliot said, ‘To know what we want in education we must know what we want in general.’ There is also a belief to have no special classes or sessions on Value education or cultural awareness in general; there should be a process to deliver the same through whatever we teach or share in the learning spaces. A class discussing Heidegger and Einstein can be loaded with questions and issues of morality and values.

Holistic development is nothing but a process of a Child becoming a conscientious, responsible and sensitive Man or a Woman on this earth.

Because - Wonders there are many – none more wonderful than man.

Reeta Chatterjee
The Administrator and Principal of Apeejay Schools

There cannot be any dispute over the contention that education is meant “to translate into holistic development of our students.” In fact, most schools pronounce “all-round development” to be their main educational goal. However, the means to this goal is often taken as delivery of the curricular programme combined with selected extra-curricular activities. This approach is unlikely to yield satisfactory results.

One way of ensuring holistic development is to see that education involves the body, mind, heart and soul. In other words, the teaching-learning process should attend to the following:

• physical development and awareness of health and fitness
• keeping the mind engaged in the pursuit of various disciplines
• aesthetic development –the ability to appreciate the arts
• the ability to communicate effectively, work and play in a team and establish  proper relationships
• the general development of emotional intelligence

In this context, the abstract concept of the “soul” implies the formation of a strong value system and the ability to reflect on the world and the universe. Students should be encouraged to dwell on concepts such as life, birth, death, change, time, space and creation.

Holistic development would involve all styles of learning as well as decision-making, problem-solving, creative work and exercise of the imagination, taking into account that all students will not develop in the same way or at the same pace. A “well-rounded” student is motivated to develop his/her potential to the fullest and readily gives of him/herself to others.

Education, at the end of the day, is a means to improve oneself as a human being. It would be dangerous to see education merely in terms of measurable outcomes – as is usually done in a market-driven context. The three guiding principles of learning for life, learning for livelihood and lifelong learning have therefore been wisely selected by IL&FS Education, as they reflect the main aims of education.

In conclusion it can be said that the above thoughts on the aims of education are unlikely to generate any controversy. It is the implementation and ground realities that present the real challenge.

Devi Kar
Principal, Modern High School, Kolkata

Two guns and eight bombs seized from six teenagers and two students of class VIII and IX arrested in West Bengal. A gang of young boys of a nearby village committed random gruesome murders while plying a taxi service.

In 2005, over 63% of criminals arrested were youngsters. Sounds scary…Doesn’t? The question is why? What is it that drives these young and impressionable minds to tread this path?

Is it because they have been given too much freedom or is it that they have been denied the same? The answer, I guess lies somewhere in between.

The generation today has been brought up in the lap of luxury (or at least with all that was considered luxurious generations ago). In this age of consumerism, “More the merrier” seems to be the buzzword. Our youth needs props to bolster their sense of self-worth. The access to desirable and undesirable information by virtue of the Internet, cable television has enabled (or should we say disabled) today’s youth to dare to venture where angels fear to tread. The youth today gets into crime also because it seems exciting. Somewhere, the media is responsible in making the world of crime appear full of excitement. Movies like DON, DHOOM:2 etc. glorify crime; the youth today, therefore, finds being wicked ‘cool’.

The scenario may be depressing but we needn’t lose heart. Things can be set right. We have to take steps in the right direction and not just wring our hands, lamenting the fact that today’s youth has a criminal bent. We have to realize that the world which the youth is exposed to is very alluring and enticing but what grounds one firmly are the values which have been imbibed from early childhood.

Parents are the first role models, followed soon after by teachers. They are put on pedestals and soon toppled over. So as role models we must realize that inspite of our ‘feet of clay’ we must continue to strive to be ideals worthy of emulation. Not an easy task I agree, but parenting and teaching have never been easy. Being fair in our dealings, extending a helping hand to those in need (anonymously too), being disciplined, moderate in our language, grateful for what we have, are just a few of the values which we must make part of ourselves so that the same is instilled effortlessly into our children. Let us develop a special bond with our children – a bond which will help and guide them to walk on the right ‘straight and narrow’ paths.

Ms. Anjali Aggarwal
Principal, St Mark’s Senior Secondary Public School, Meera Bagh