19 EDUCATION: THE RIGHT APPROACH
The
value of education is empowerment of the ‘educated’. It is opportune to draw a
line between the qualified and the educated in India. Such a distinction owes
itself to the process by which our students ‘learn’ their lessons or subjects.
Some have learnt the mechanism of learning while many have mastered the
mechanics of clearing examination. The former is brain-related and the latter
mind –related. These are respectively the grasp and the memory. Grasp is an
asset in that it recognizes the basic ramifications and interrelationships of
components to information. Memory on the other hand tries to retain information
without ‘understanding’ the innate relationships. Anything understood is clear;
things memorized are not clear and have to be brushed up now and then. Unlike
understanding, memory is saturable and can turn taxing. Memorized data do not
help logical deduction or cohesive argument. It is useful to take advantage of
memory and understanding as mutually inclusive strategies of knowledge
acquisition. In fact, ‘understanding’ promotes memory; the converse need not
happen.
Learning
is a process of clearly understanding any idea. Memorizing does not mean
learning. The line of distinction between these seems to have been ignored in
an overzealous effort of scoring marks. So, appropriate learning begins with
proper understanding. In plain terms, grasp begins from correct gathering of
meanings. At this point, avoidance of
error needs emphasis. Errors in understanding can arise from ‘assumed’
meanings, while authentic meanings are far different. The issue is complicated
for languages like English, as we tend to draw meaning by relating new words
with those already known. This is how we slip into errors and persist with
them, as we do not verify facts. Use of standard Dictionaries and facilities of
Thesaurus must be taught in the formative stages. These sources must also be
utilized for learning syllables and pronunciation of words. Once we get into
the habit of clear usages, our grasp improves. There is no burden of holding
things in memory; understanding helps better retention and encourages any
effort of learning. Comprehension is a
delightful experience and it helps to learn with delight as it does not burden
the mind with confusion, fear and contempt to the process of education.
20 MEMORY
Memory
is integral to higher living systems, though varying in degree as a part of the
species. This faculty is crucial for analysis, evaluation, assessment and
judgment. Memory comes to play rather effortlessly and keeps track of varied
happenings that had gone by and related to the present event. In this act of
supreme alacrity, no computer can ever stand a scope of comparison with the
human brain. What makes the human brain an admirable asset is its ability to
operate several channels and coordinate all the inputs even as the person is
engaged in conversation. So to say, evaluation and assessment begin
spontaneously without our having to consciously call for these processes to
begin. Equally, blocking their operation looks beyond one’s decision. Memory is
an excellent protector from fallible commitments. Truly remarkable facility is –‘memory’ which
needs only some well-deserved rest at the end of the day. Many other
expressions – ecstasy, joy, anger, calmness of mind are derivatives of
memory-related response. But, memory
needs grooming, in the sense that one has to involve self with matters in
understanding completely or at least the crux. How well a matter is understood
determines the extent to which the item stays in memory for ready retrieval.
Therefore grooming the memory is a process by which one has to condition the
mind to be receptive to items of importance to our activity. Necessarily,
trying to recall items frequently, helps to remember better in place of vague
or shady memory. Memory is also a silent trigger of confidence, as it enhances
the freedom of interaction- official or social, any time.
