How does the fear of making mistakes and being laughed at affect the way you learn?

Fear is an emotion that always hinders learning.
Teachers who create fear in the teaching-learning process will not be able to induce learning. The mind gets clogged in fear. The fear of making mistakes while learning needs to be erradicated from the minds of children.
Teachers have to create an environment where it is OK to commit mistakes in the process of learning. We need to create conditions for participatory learning and hence going wrong is natural and is acceptable for ensuring learning.

We need to celebrate learning at every step. We can not allow anyone being laughed at while the person is making a sincere effort to learn. This can be discouraging and become an obstacle to learning. We have no right to laugh at the mistakes of others.
Learning has to be fun, an enjoyable activity and we need to support it through reinforcement-praise and encouragement.

Please offer a short description of favourite works of literature

“Shakespeare's "Othello" is the tragedy of a Husband who wrongly suspects his wife and that too on being cajoled by others. He repents. Thank God! We do not need to be convinced by others, nor do we repent. For us it is a comic relief.

Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" is the story of a single man of fortune and hence in need of a wife to spend that fortune. Pride and Prejudice do fall along the road in times of recession and who cares who elopes with whom.

" David Copperfield" by Charles Dickens is the story of "A Slum Dog" in old England.

Mathew Arnold in "Prospice" said:
"I have ever been a fighter,
one fight more,
the last and the best"

My professor taught me that Arnold was talking of struggles and his fight with death.
Wrong. Who fights death.
It is distributed as a gift in every street, Hotel and now in Schools.
This can go on. But I have some more to read and understand. So Bye for today.

What can I do to improve my presentation skills?

If Presentation is a Skill, then it has to be learnt through PRACTICE. Practice, practice and practice is my first advice.
You have no problems. These are fears. Perhaps on one or two occasions the 'Murphy Monkey' jumped on to your back as soon as you started your presentation. The next time throw him off. Be confident. Tell yourself that you can do it.
Practice in front of a large looking glass.
Carry some Note Cards with you.
Write the beginning, the Main Points and the ending.
Use a Power Point Show with notes for you.
Build up your confidence.
Watch some good presenters on allied themes and topics.
Observe their body language, their voice modulations and also Read some Books on Presentation Skills.
Search for Video Clips on Presentation Skills. Some good ones are available on the YouTube also.

What did they not teach you that you wish they would've taught you?

I was taught a little of every subject as per regulations of the Board or University at School and College. This was done at purely memory level and with the sole objective of passing examinations.
I was never taught about life, how to live it and how to face its complexities and enjoy it.
It came from experience, peer group and from the examples of others.

No one ever taught me to Think Critically, Creatively, Laterally and Divergently.
No one taught me Life Skills, Communication, Public Speaking, Problem Solving, Decision Making...the list is endless.

I wish I would have been taught all this. Much of it is taught now in Good Schools, Colleges and Universities.

Who Taught You?

This question made me relive my past and think of those people who shaped my life. It mad me realise that this way teachers will be remembered, and I myself am a teacher.

My Mom and Dad were my first Teachers. Both had a profound influence on me, in spite of our living in a large joint family. My Mom taught me to love, to care and to be patient. My Dad taught me the need for discipline, good habits, moral courage and perseverance.

Out of my Teachers at the School: I vividly recall Mr. Kotha, who taught us English at Class V. He made me Read from Books, Text and Story Books to the whole class and even made me speak extempore at the School Assembly. The other was Mr.N.J.Miya; a gem of a person, loved and feared by all. He was multifaceted and multi-skilled. He was my Social Science Teacher at the High School. He taught me how to swim, how to row a boat, how to face difficult situations, how to tie knots as a Boy Scout. He played Hockey with us and made me represent my school, when I was only 12. He was instrumental in developing my Map Reading Skills and Spatial concepts. His Lessons have been my lessons for life.

My memories of College fade into the mist and hazy recollections of my adolescence; when I played Cricket and watched movies. But I must make mention of our Principal, Mr.Madan, who sometimes taught us English Literature. His recitation of Poetry, his subtle ways of romanticising minor details and his dramatic delivery of the dialogues of each character in Shakespearean plays... My God! How I wished I could imitate him and be a teacher like him. He left all of us spell bound and time seemed to flee. We wished he could have taught us more often. He was instrumental in creating in me a burning desire to be a teacher and my love for English Literature.

At the University, we had great luminaries and scholarly Professors. I can not forget Prof. Woodrou Wilson and the way he taught us American Literature. He was a realist, a pragmatic person and had lived and taught at Tagore's “Shanti Niketan University”, for six years. He taught me how nature could be used to teach us and he built my strength of character and conviction. In every situation, he wanted my views, my opinion and not of the critics. He was the one who taught me to think and think critically. Prof Apurab Soomnath was the one who taught us the Growth and History of Novels in English Literature. He was a man who loved his glass of wine and playing contract Bridge. He would speak for hours on end. He built in me whatever little of creative thinking there is.

I salute these and other teachers who made a difference in my life and whatever I am today is purely because of their efforts.
May God bless them all? For those who are no longer on this earth. May God grant them peace in Heaven?

• How, where and when did structured schooling start?

We know that at the advent of human civilisation, the task of educating the younger generation was that of the family and especially of the parents. When we advanced to the agricultural stage, all education was imparted orally and it was experiential. Boys and girls helped their parents in their daily work and acquired the necessary skills through observation, apprenticeship and hands on learning. The family continued to be the source of folk -lore; tradition, myths, fables, legends and all this had an oral tradition; both in the east and the west.

Gradually, the parents felt that the task of educating the younger generation needed specialised skills and they were pressed for want of time. Hence the village priest- shaman- was assigned this task.

Eric Ashby regards this as the First Great Revolution in Social evolution. The responsibility of educating the young was hence passed on from the family to a so-called specialist within the community. Soon we had the invention of the written word and that brought a major shift in the process.

In ancient Vedic times, education in the ‘Patshalas’ and ‘Gurukuls’ was imparted orally. Even Buddhist education in ‘Mats’ and ‘Viharas’, and in the ‘Madrasas’ of the Muslims; continued to be given orally even after the written word was available.

The Society took upon itself the task of educating the younger generation and donated land, funds and resources to Gurus who dedicated themselves to the task of imparting education. These small centres soon grew and their fame spread far and wide. Lords, Kings and Landlords in the Feudal Society provided support. Soon the system became more and more organised and had controls, regulations and so on.

Hence it got loosely structured. Entry age was decided. Curriculum was formed. Assessment procedure was laid down. But all this had a variety of models as it varied from one tribe to another, one community to another and from one society to another. With the passage of time, the need for uniformity in certain basic practices and regulations was felt and ordered for by Kings or democratically elected Councils. It was just before the beginning of the Industrial Revolution and the invention of the Printing Press that we had a somewhat loosely structured form of Schooling existing throughout the world and each civilisation was at some stage of development.

The present day structure is one that has proved to be boring, monotonous and only helpful in establishing routine and curbing creativity. That is why, we have been trying with various models like: Non Formal Education, Open School, Home Schooling etc and even major changes are being initiated in the way the schools ought to function and the purposes for which they exist.

• What is the impact of hiring novice teachers while offering incentives for veteran teachers to retire?

Veteran teachers are ‘veterans’ and retiring them is not in the interests of our students. Veteran teachers are needed badly by children, parents, schools and the society. Their age should not be a consideration, as long as they are capable of teaching effectively and the students enjoy their teaching.

One learns to teach with time and experience. The time spent by these veteran teachers in honing their skills is what matters. Such teachers should not retire or be offered incentives to retire. This is callous and detrimental to the interests of students.

Our kids are not guinea pigs to be experimented upon by novice teachers. We can not undo the damage done by novices on young minds. Such damage may be irreparable. Novice teachers are yet to know and learn through experience as to 'What is teaching?', 'How to teach children with different abilities?', 'How to manage classes effectively?', "How to assess learning?' and so many other allied things. They need time and mentoring to mature and grow professionally. The veteran teachers could work as their Buddies, Mentors and Role-models. The novice teachers need to observe veteran teachers at work and learn from their experience.

I have found that Pre-service training of teachers is inadequate and does not equip a teacher with all that the teacher is required to do. Even In-service training and PD is not taken very seriously by all. Hence, there is dire need for continuing with veteran teachers to teach our kids and to help our new teachers to grow professionally.

How does Education empower you?

Education imparts knowledge, develops attitudes & dispositions and trains us in Skills.
Education transmits culture, promotes Social Progress and exercises Social Control.

Education trains the faculties of Reasoning, Imagination, Rationality, Critical Thinking and fosters Creativity.

Education enables us to discriminate between Right and Wrong and develops our values, strengthens our character and makes us socially efficient.

Education teaches us "to be", "to become", and "to live".

This is how it Empowers.

• What measures can be taken to motivate students?

The best form of motivation is self-motivation. Pupils need to connect with the teachers. Teachers can motivate their pupils by meeting their needs for the three ‘As’: affiliation, agency and autonomy. They do this through the energisers that create a motivating learning climate; the flip side of the energisers is the drainers – things that teachers need to avoid doing. The energisers provide the ingredients of the classroom climate that are needed to whet pupils’ appetites for learning. The energisers effectively engage most pupils and are accessible to most teachers:
Engagement – how teachers show they are interested in and value pupils.
Structure – provides clear pathways towards the learning goals and boundaries that let pupils know what is expected of them.
Stimulation – comes from a curriculum that highlights the relevance of activities and sets achievable goals.
Feedback – provides information that lets pupils know how they are doing, guiding them from where they are to where they need to be.
Drainers expose pupils to painful and unpleasant experiences that they will want to avoid:
Engagement – showing they are disinterested in their pupils by embarrassing them, threatening them or voicing comparisons between them.
Structure – dictating the agenda and denying pupil participation by, for example, setting too many rules and refusing any choice.
Stimulation – leaving pupils confused as to the purpose and relevance of activities, setting goals that are too easy or too difficult and generally failing to create enthusiasm.
Feedback – undermining confidence through personalised blame, judgemental criticism and feedback that is generally highly evaluative and emotion-laden.

Teachers need to understand their pupils as much as possible. The pupil drivers integrate the latest thinking on emotional intelligence, self-esteem and positive psychology into an account of what motivates students. Learner needs are at the core of the pupil driver model. Personality influences, in particular, how we think and feel about ourselves, our self-emotions. When our needs have been met we enjoy self-energising emotions. When they are blocked we experience self-draining emotions. Teachers don’t need to develop different motivational strategies for each individual: pupils have more similarities than they have differences. To engage all of their pupils, teachers need to adapt the energisers to pupils’ learning stances.

There are seven learning stances that reflect how students feel about themselves as learners. The learning stances describe the fit between the learner and the learning climate. Each of the stances illustrates how learners with similar attitudes engage with the learning climate. The learning stances framework offers teachers and pupils a language with which they can discuss and make sense of motivation. It helps teachers get to know their pupils better and find ways to engage them. Motivation to learn gradually evolves into an enduring disposition. For pupils it is shaped by and reflected in the learning stances they adopt towards a specific context or activity.

• What does it mean to be "educated" in today's world?

Every society educates its young as per its philosophy of life, its aspirations, needs and goals in view. Hence, education across societies and ages has undergone radical changes in its objectives and its content.
With rapid changes in society, there have been increasing demands on education and changes had to be made in its structure, transaction strategies, assessment and expectations of the society from the one’s educated. While all this changed, the perception, in an overall sense of an "Educated" person did not change much. It evolved to meet the growing needs of the times.

Being educated in any age would mean: being literate; having gone through the mill of schools etc and been certified; being capable of discriminating between right and wrong, good and evil; being creative & socially efficient; being able to communicate, empathise, contribute to social development; being capable of solving problems and taking decisions; being able to self-actualise.

We live in turbulent times. The pace of change has swept us off our feet and the explosion of knowledge, the stiffness of competition, the desire to acquire more of everything; the social demands upon individuals have made it imperative that the "Educated" person today is capable of dealing with all this with perseverance and equanimity. He has urgent need to manage his ‘Time and Resources’. He needs to understand and manage change. He has to have a vision and an understanding of Life and its purpose. He has to be a man of action and a man at peace with himself and the world. He should have a secular, humanitarian and global outlook. He should be free from prejudice and biases. He has to be pragmatic and utilitarian. He has to have Faith in God. His education ought to have taught him that ‘Character’ is ‘Destiny’.

With Love from one not so Educated.”

Do schools kill creativity?

I have watched the Video of Sir Ken Robinson speaking on 'Schools killing Creativity',time and again and even shared it with my fellow educators. Sir Ken Robinson explains it all very well.
Schools do curb and kill creativity. Schools only foster monotony, routine and make our children Information-mongers.
Academic Assessment in School Subjects is such as fosters only Lower Order Thinking. No School encourages Higher Order Thinking Skills of Application, Analysis, Synthesis and Evaluation.

Creativity is Dynamic while School Teaching –Learning Process lacks that. Creativity is Originality, Fluency, Spontaneity and Elaboration. It needs Divergent Thinking, Creative Thinking (OUT OF THE BOX) and Lateral Thinking. Schools have not been doing this. This has been the reason that some Educators have been advocating ‘Alternatives to Schooling.”
‘The School is Dead’, ‘Compulsory Miss-education’, ‘Pedagogy of the Oppressed’ are some wonderful Books that deal with the damage done and being done by Schools.

Creativity needs an environment of freedom, innovation, experimentation, resourcefulness, Challenges to think, Projects, Hypothesis Formulation and Hypothesis Testing, Inferences to be tested and verified, Inductive and Deductive Approach, Brainstorming and so on.
Where do the Schools cater to this? There may be a few teachers and a few good Schools attempting all this; but these are a few oases in a ‘desert of dead habit.’

Sorry to say the Schools are no longer fostering Creativity.”

• What makes a good teacher? Name at least three attributes of what you think makes a teacher excel?

A Good teacher is a 'Good Human Being' with a Passion for teaching.
He/she chooses teaching as a profession to serve and to learn.
A good teacher loves children and learning.
He/she is proactive, patient, understanding and effective in ensuring teaching.
A good teacher is resourceful and innovative, has strong moral foundations of Character and Values.

A teacher is bound to excel, if the teacher has:
1. Core Competencies of a teacher.
2. Love for the Child, and
3. Dignity coupled with Passion.

May God Bless us with many such Teachers!”