THE MEETING POINT

 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.