THE MEETING POINT
Dear Reader,
Seeing the title, one
may be tempted to assume that a new topic has its beginning here. Honestly
nothing of that kind is in the offing. At best, it is the logical end point of
an interaction constituting ‘education/ teaching-learning’ –a key determinant
of certain prospects in life.
I perceive that quite a
few are angered over my persistent efforts to bring out the critical facets in
Education, just to make it clear that it is well within anyone’s reach to learn
things just by adhering to a set of approaches. Essentially, the interacting
minds ought to understand that learning is a two-way process, where the teacher
is a perpetual learner and at a later stage the learner dons the role of
teacher [=turns another perpetual learner].
Put in plain terms,
cessation of learning signals the end of teaching. This is the functional code on which the
edifice of education is gloriously surviving since times immemorial, for
education is a legacy of handing down message and strategy of delivery together
as an intertwined ensemble.
It [the legacy] is much
like a family tree suggesting the donor and the beneficiary and the
ramifications of the mental synapses that have bridged the learners of the past
and of the present with not even a perceptible whisper. Look at the glory of
the legacy with an unwritten history.
Any dispassionate
recall of our fathers and forefathers in the larger canvas of learning a
specific discipline reveals that message has percolated down generations much
like the genes among those biologically related.
The ever-changing form
and format of knowledge stands parallel to environmental influence conferring
adaptive changes in a living system much the same way as amendments to
understanding of information for the resultant knowledge.
I think we are at the right juncture, fit to gather our wits and realize the
‘meeting point’. Ultimately, it is interactive influence that eradicates
misconceptions and puts the record straight by removing the cobweb of
confusion.
In the first place
confusion originates from ‘discontinuity’. Discontinuity has its roots in
‘digression’. Digression is the logical child of lacuna in understanding. This
is the precise spot where the synapse between the teacher and the taught snaps,
as one or both them fail to keep track of the ‘on going’ to ensure that the
message is imbibed. No point in trying to fix the blame on someone.
The teachers need to be
closely monitoring the wards to assess by their responsive facial
manifestations –both negative and positive. Likewise, learners need to closely
follow the statements. Every unclear spot should be taken up with the teacher
–not in a confrontational attitude but by politely registering the requirement
–saying ‘I have not picked it right’.
Any sensible teacher
would not allow the occasion to slip by, as [s]he has an occasion given on a
platter to make things absolutely clear. Such mental proximity helps to reach
the ‘meeting point’. Any unfounded ego
can lead to a melting pot of anger and hatred instead of coming to a meeting
point that helps delightful learning.
