Schooling is not the only source of learning. Parents who
leave the teaching to the teachers are really giving the child the short end of
the stick. You need to supplement the teaching t home. Basic concepts need to
be drilled in again and again for it to sink in. Like for example let’s take
the number line as the building black of mathematics. While doing some
subtractions the other day Jasmine was trying to teaching her mental math. She
was trying to tell her to go to the nearest ten and then jump tens and then add
the ones. Like 75 – 28 is from 28 go to 30, then go to 70 and then add 5. Jispa
just got a bit confused with the first 2 to reach 30. At which point I got in
and then I realized that Wait – she doesn’t understand the basic concept of
numbers.
I explained to her that numbers are in a number line. You
have to understand them as in one straight continuous never ending line. This
line does not curve. If it curves then suddenly after 100 you may find a zero
again. So that will confuse the whole math. So math assumes that numbers are
running straight. You have to get that right first. Now the basic building
block is adding. So if there is a 4 in a number line and to get to 9 – the distance
between them is 5. That simple. Minus is also nothing but adding in reverse.
What needs to be added to 28 to get 75 is 75-28. And multiplication is nothing
but doing addition again and again. And division is reverse of multiplication
(or repeated subtraction as she told me). So think of them in a straight line. This
way you will be able to understand and work with numbers better. I think that helped her understand the numbers
better in her brain. Then I spoke to Jasmine later. I told her that she doesn’t
have her basics right. Jasmine told me that the number line chapter was taught
to her. I said exactly – it was a chapter, it was not taught as the basic
building block of mathematics. Also basic building blacks can’t be taught like
this. I realize this when I teach in college. There is so much to be taught in school
and college that there isn’t enough time for building blacks. You quickly teach
a chapter and then you move on. Possibly the syllabus is designed properly –
the building block comes in first but then they are completely forgotten. They need
to come in again and again in the course of the years and that should help you
learn more. In marketing – research and consumer insights must come again and
again. What I find most stupid is that research lectures come in the semesters
following the marketing lectures. You can’t do anything of marketing if you don’t
understand research. It’s that simple. So you need to a bit of research and then
you need to do a bit of marketing and then again reinforce some research again.
That’s the way. Every year at the start some of the building blocks of math
must be taught again – in a little more advanced manner for it to make
sense. Therein lays a problem. Also the
teachers are tasked to complete the portion in a predetermined amount of time.
Where is the scope for dreaming? Who is tasked to encourage dreaming and
explain the practical applicability of the studies done? My solution is to have
one period per week where the objective is to ask and discuss the week, and the
lectures and the studies, without the pressure of marks or portion or anything
else. Surely there is time for this. There are enough free periods in any case.
But for Jispa it’s me for now. Talking about everything
else. She is also learning some pretty good stuff, Like doing experiments. They
do it the right way. They write a hypothesis and then they have to conduct the experiment
and then they are given the apparatus and are asked to do stuff on their own. Its
not like our days when we went to the lab just to see the teacher do the experiment
and then we had to replicate it. They are allowed to write their own
hypothesis. My teacher wrote that stuff on the board and we had to copy it
down. Then post the experiment if they get are unable to prove it then they
write ‘we learnt that – blah blah blah’. I was explaining to Jispa that this is
the perfect way to do things. Proper method is important to the madness. The discipline
to write down the objective is so critical to proper thinking. So while the
school is pretty cool you need the parent to reinforce the reason why its
important to do what they are doing.
But at the same time you have irritating teachers, like her
history teacher who on a good day will appreciate a question and on a bad day
will publicly flay you for your ideas. Jispa was doing well till her teacher
suddenly announced ‘this girl has bookish answers’. What was that for – the question
was on what is it that civilization invented? The standard answers that kids were
giving were pots and pans etc… Jispa thought a bit and said – religion. Wow. That’s
a brilliant thought according to me. I was floored by her thinking. But teacher
thought it was bookish. I asked Jispa about it and she said that wasn’t from
any book. It was her own mind. If we were to assume that religion helped code a
set of values that were necessary for order then religion is crucial to civilization.
I keep thinking about it and I keep thinking that it was a brilliant answer. Forget
a ten year old, most elders wouldn’t grasp this concept easily. Surely there
must have been a form of faith before man settled but both would feed off each
other and reach heights together. Good one kid.
Jispa was upset and I explained its ok. Most teachers wouldn’t
appreciate all this. “but they told us to share our knowledge at the start”. “yes
they did, but teachers are like that. I too get frustrated but still share but don’t
bother too much on the outcome”. Then I told her that she has a parent teacher
interaction coming up. I will raise this with her irritating teacher. Let’s see
where it leads us. I am planning to ask her teacher what was wrong with this
answer. And what’s bookish about it? And even if it is wrong or bookish – what’s
with the public snub? I am open for a bit of confrontation. Let’s see where
that leads us. Of course – all politely of course – as jasmine keeps reminding
me. I hope I keep my wits about me.
