LEARNING

 

LEARNING

PREAMBLE:

 

     One of the most relevant requirements for humans is learning. Perhaps it begins almost from the stage of infancy and never “ends” in the true sense. Despite learning being the longest associate of life, none can comfortably relax with the notion that “I have learnt most of the things if not everything”. On the contrary it would be more real if we say “I have learnt something of something and it appears incomplete”. It is not an attempt to denigrate the values of knowledge but a dispassionate feeling that for a near total knowledge of everything, our life span is inadequate. Therefore, at some stage in one’s life, deviation into a specific domain is logical and relevant. This is the basis on which the practical approaches to education are designed. But, the mere format of education can not provide the real attribute required in learning. What is the attribute required? In simple expression it is the ability to grasp. It need not be always that, only some persons can grasp. Any average person can grasp, provided the right ambience and attempt prevail. The immediate response would be that no one is personally responsible for the ambience. Although broadly referred to as ambience, a set of intricately intertwined features hold the key to the process of learning. Let us look at the aspects that help learning. These perceptions may help to identify the critical nuances in learning.

     The Beginning:   It is important to know that a good foundation is essential for long term success. Therefore, a lot depends on how the fundamentals are understood. The focus to learning in childhood provides the advantage of attitude-building for learning. Extra care is essential for shaping the academic profile of every child. Though many children learn in a class, the variation among them may be largely from their domestic / parental back- ground.

     It is not a repeat of the popular notion that children of educated parents fare better. The issue here is slightly different. Parents who are themselves “educated” do not pamper the child for mere recitation of rhymes or alphabets. When the parents are not ‘all that educated’, they tend to accord ‘more than ideal ’importance to the child in the formative stages. The child loses balance and tries to crave for greater importance. Unwittingly the ambience ruins the child. Always we must appreciate every effort of the child without giving the impression that the child can get anything for the asking. From observation, I believe that children behave / dominate according to situation. Their potential is immense. Without keeping them in want we should feed them and provide all essentials. We need not shower lavish praise on the child. Ego amplification does not help the child or its life. The child’s real growth has to come from systematic effort. It conditions the child’s mind for work and achieving by effort. The right start is essential in any competition and life is a form of race. Through the race one has to sustain well-deserved supremacy. That comes by mastering the basics at the early age. One should strive to get ‘educated’ and not merely ‘qualified’; the latter type is more common. As laid out earlier, the process of learning is life-long; but acquiring a certain level of proficiency has defined limits. Every kind of learning can be made easier by knowing the right strategies of learning. The right basics and appropriate blending of expressive ability must be cultivated as integral components of daily life. Parents have a greater role to play, while the teachers / institutions can help creating the base / foundation.

 

INTERVIEW DETAILS -IV

 

INTERVIEW DETAILS -IV

    Sometimes as a part of the selection process, Group discussions are held. It is a strategy to assess your ability to interact among equals, cogently co-ordinate with others and in office manners. All your attainments come under a scan by a well organized interview.                                                                           

     Interviews for Lectureship

    Aspirants for lectureship are on the rise every year despite the rigid recruitment policies of various state governments, the UGC and Universities. Indeed it makes a sad reading if we analyze the employment potential of the job seekers to this category.  I may have to dwell at length on some of the crucial requirements for the position of a lecturer.  

     By the very conceptual nomenclature recruitments are for positions of lecturers. They are believed [expected] to have a wholesome command over the entire gamut of subject domains entrusted to them for teaching. Even by the wildest stretch of imagination, a lecturer is not a person intended to dictate ‘notes’ in a class room. Honestly, dictating notes is a betrayal of lectureship. All the recruiting agencies fervently hope to locate some ideal candidates and call for applications. One thing that may be advanced in favour of a majority of aspirants is that, they may not have themselves come under the penumbra of real lectures / lecturers. Having been in the care of mediocrity, they feel that they have the equipment to be lecturers. My humble submission is being qualified is not equal to being equipped. Equipping one’s self is a long and endless process. It should be a part of every one’s learning. It is a vital component for acquiring competence. An interview tries to locate persons who show attitudes of equipping. So, a selection for lectureship demands a few essential qualities.

                                                                                                                                                                            These are:    excellent communication skills, clear voice, clarity in thought and an ability to make others comprehend. Systematic approaches alone can hone these faculties. But one should at least have these promising qualities to convince the selectors. A quick assessment is done by requesting the candidate to deliver a lecture to the members of the committee. A selection committee is generally mixed / heterogeneous with experts from different fields. They can understand your abilities, if not your technical subject. Several aspects of your personality reveal themselves when you try a lecture. “Face” the people and say what you wish to. Enact the type of lecture you would like to sit through and listen. All humans like a good stuff. Call in to play all your skills and be a composed person, polite and pleasant-mannered.                                                                                                      GOOD LUCK.                                  Prof. K. Raman

 

 

 

INTERVIEW DETAILS - III

                      INTERVIEW DETAILS - III

                       Another domain that needs humble approach is the presentation of documents for scrutiny. Do not try to point out to records that suggest your excellence, by arching over the desk. Candidates desire that the selectors “see” the best aspects. If you are afraid that the limited time available may not help your cause, follow a simpler strategy. Hand over a set of photocopies of your documents for a leisurely study by the committee.. The marginal cost incurred can transform the situation to your advantage. So, do not hurriedly pull out your file. By leaving a copy with proper intimation, you can impress the selectors as a worthy candidate. Never create the impression that you would grab the job. 

                Caution:                                                                                                                                                                                                              

                        On some occasions, you may have to inform of your experience in specific organizations.  Never hesitate to recall the names of personnel from whom you gained. It reflects your loyalty and  memory. If you have had to leave the earlier employment, do not accuse the then employer, but politely suggest the inconvenience in continuing with them. Every utterance carries more meaning than what we try to convey. While facing questions, pay full attention to the member raising the question. You reply to that person –as if in a one to –one conversation. Kindly ensure that you stick to formal expressions.

                      Body language:

                      Conveying an opinion without saying is body language. The most effective impressions can conveniently be done by eye / eyebrows, lip and facial expressions. Like-wise contorted looks imply confusion. All movements – hands, shoulders, nods of approval / disapproval have to be gentle and soft. Violent movements [even for disagreement] suggest impolite approach. While speaking, be clear in voice, pronunciation and intonation. Raising the voice has to be only if required and to lay emphasis on a point. After conveying an idea, look up to that member in anticipation of further question[s]. It implies comfort. After you have completed an answer express your thanks.

                      Ticklish situations:          An interview can offer occasions of discomfort. Sometimes, we may not know the answer. The best approach is an honest submission-“I do not know”. It is not a crime if you are unable to answer. Impulsive outbursts should be avoided. For instance, I have seen people saying “they are asking questions from school level information”. Often they fail to answer these questions. It indicates poor grasp of the subject.                                                                                                     

  

INTERVIEW DETAILS II

 

INTERVIEW DETAILS II

Basic disposition:

Many candidates believe that an interview begins when they are invited to a chamber. Several organizations have arrangements to observe the candidates when they wait in the lobby / ante room. It provides the right ambience for character study of how a person stays composed or otherwise; besides, it is an occasion to assess the candidates’ general behaviour and attitudes. Some candidates try to elicit information about the top brass and their close acquaintances by indulging in conversation with employees of lower cadres. This habit must be scrupulously avoided. It amounts to your being inadequate for the position you are aspiring for. It is not wrong to understand the suitability for us; but to do it from a discussion with the lower cadres is wrong. Such important / relevant information about the organization can be had from the Public relations officer or a similar official.

                  Please avoid gathering information from the staff on the scope of bringing in “influence                                                                                                                 

     Interactive phase:

The most crucial part of the interview is the interactive phase. Enormous scope occurs for the candidate to make the best of the situation, by a careful participation. What I mean by this is, receive the question to its last syllable before attempting a reply. If the question is not clear, do not presume meanings convenient to you. Instead, be frank to get the actual meaning. Avoid protracted statements, even if you feel comfortable. Seldom the panelists ‘fully’receive what you say. Only technical experts can follow the details in depth. Elaborate expositions might trigger probing by experts. Please do not invite unwanted evaluations by trying to impress people. The best strategy is to answer to the point and confine to the issues raised. Under-statements are safer and do not suggest any arrogance. Any attempt to display preeminence by a candidate induces incisive analysis to the point of the candidate conceding inadequacy.

EGO

 

                                                                                  EGO

 

                           The term ego has attracted human attention for quite long. Human attitude to the term has been an outward repulsion. Why the prefix “outward” is used? All individuals do harbour this trait. With almost no exception, Ego is an omnipresent malady in humans. To realize the dimensions of this phenomenon a great hurdle is ego itself as it exercises a strong stranglehold and suffocates the faculty called rational thinking. Slowly it expands in to a syndrome.

                          Origin:

                          Ego seems to grow with age. Truly, to fix the onset of ego in an individual is very difficult. But, it can be seen that certain environmental influences do ignite, nurture and amplify the egoistic behaviour. Obviously, a sense of belief that others would not tow our line of thought influences one to somehow develop a social acceptance for self. In the process, the person drifts to this greater evil than to patiently assess why [s]he is unable to convince even the people around. A very strong contributor to ego is an unfounded prejudice that ‘I am more neglected’. Such sufferers in trying to exercise their pre -eminence, get in to the habit of rigid suggestions indicative of ego. In another way too ego gets planted. The sycophancy of lesser mortals makes one believe that others are inferior / irrelevant. So, people succumb to the malady more from extraneous factors than by any personal effort. Another aspect that adds to the complexity is the silent domination of one’s mind by his / her ego. But its effect is finely eloquent. To weigh the situation and to draw the most plausible inference one has to develop a keen sense of judgment – of persons, statements and intentions. Inadequacy in this sphere enhances the susceptibility to depression or sycophancy          

                            Is ego a condemnable entity?

                           A dispassionate review would reveal that no human trait is condemnable outright. Ego is not consciously cultivated by any one. At best, the individual is only guilty of succumbing to it or failing to assess people around. Ego held under clutches would do a world of good. My observation is ego is integral to the mind.  Indeed it works up one’s flair / ambition to outclass others. It is not a crime if one desires excellence, so long as the person adheres to ethical standards. I strongly perceive that a spirit of sustaining the effort can be kept alive by the healthy ego that “I can do it” but not letting it expand to “I alone can do it”. Containing the ego to the limits of decency is every individual’s duty. It is well with in our means if we always remember that nothing can be “done” individually, except that of “thinking”. Materializing a thought always needs participation from every other quarter. An arrested ego not on display is what carries the game of living better than the one displayed, which unfailingly ruins. I am sure no one strives for a defeat.

                            In conclusion it may be suggested that ego is not a trait that can be totally dispensed with. It is wiser to learn the tricks of sustaining the lowest levels of essential ego than fall a prey to the unscheduled praise from sycophants.              Prof.. K. Raman

 

 

  

 

INTERVIEW [Details]

 

                                             INTERVIEW   [details]

 

                             PREAMBLE:                                                                    

                             An interview is an important strategy for any organization to primarily locate a few candidates who can be thought of for higher level screening. A lot depends on how the aspirants present themselves on the first occasion. It is a choice from among the available. So, one has to make the best presentation possible. Presentation under this category has a set of criteria that can determine the prospects of a candidate on that day. Of the parameters that determine a selection, the most important are the physical form,  one’s disposition to the new people around [including the fellow competitors / Panelists and the members of the organization] and above all, one’s  ability to convince the panelists that [s]he can deliver the goods.  I personally deem it a pity that now-a- days candidates need thorough and vivid counseling for every thing. Even those with the highest academic attainments make a dismal display of themselves in an interview. Please remember that you may have achieved a good qualification; but as a candidate you alone should speak and your paper degree would not help you a bit. The panelists provide an excellent forum for portraying your abilities as a desirable candidate. Often the panelists are persons with ripe experience and know what and how to look for. These are applicable to all interviews and need to be kept in mind always.  

                           Physical presentation:

                             Despite one’s personal preferences, it is imperative to have a formal dress relevant for the occasion. It is not necessary that lavish / rich attire be put on. Please make it clear that you are humble by dress and serious in attitude. This combination of your physical presentation serves the message that you can be considered.                            Seriousness comes from the way the dress material is     neatly kept and worn. When any information is sought of you kindly provide only that information as called for. Please do not try to create lofty impressions by telling all rosy things in your academic life. Once you create an impression of your being a great person, people look for greater things and you would be scanned in and out. Besides, you would be put through rigorous assessment where a small inadequacy may heavily boomerang as a greater failure. The first level judgment is crucial.

Facing a selection : INTERVIEW

 

:                                                                              INTERVIEW  

 

PR    

PREAMBLE:

Even those with the highest academic attainments make a dismal display of themselves in an interview. Please remember that you may have achieved a good qualification; but as a candidate you alone should speak and your paper degree would not help you a bit.  Often the panelists are persons with ripe experience and know what and how to look for. These are applicable to all interviews and need to be kept in mind always. 

Physical presentation: Seriousness comes from the way the dress material is neatly kept and worn. When any information is sought of you kindly provide only that information as called for. Please do not try to create lofty impressions by telling all rosy things in your academic life

Basic disposition:  Many candidates believe that an interview begins when they are invited to a chamber. Several organizations have arrangements to observe the candidates when they wait in the lobby / ante room. It provides the right ambience for character study of persons. Such important / relevant information about the organization can be had from the Public relations officer or a similar official. Please avoid gathering information from the class IV staff on the scope of bringing in “influence”

Interactive phase: The most crucial part of the interview is the interactive phase. What is advised is, receive the question to its last syllable before attempting a reply

Presentation of documents for scrutiny

By leaving a copy with proper intimation, you can impress the selectors as a worthy candidate.

Body language: Conveying an opinion without saying is body language; can conveniently be done by eye / eyebrows, lip and facial expressions. Like-wise contorted looks imply confusion

Ticklish situations:  Honest submission-“I do not know”.  Impulsive outbursts should be avoided. Out bursts indicate poor grasp of the subject.

Interviews for Lectureship: They are believed [expected] to have a wholesome command over the entire gamut of subject domains entrusted to them for teaching. Even by the wildest stretch of imagination, a lecturer is not a person intended to dictate ‘notes’ in a class room. Honestly, dictating notes is a betrayal of lectureship. The job demands a few essential qualities.                                                                                                                           

These are:  excellent communication skills, clarity in voice, thought and an ability to make others comprehend. The panelists may request the candidate to deliver a lecture. . Enact the type of lecture you would like to sit through and listen. Call in to play all your skills and be a composed person, polite and pleasant-mannered. Never suggest that you know much. Be docile and dignified.                                                                                          Prof. K, Raman.