APPROACH / MEMORY

                               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.