Two Videos : Sugata Mitra & Ken Robinson - New Paradigms in education

I thought of sharing these videos which question the way we have been viewing teaching till now, and help us question things which are normally taken for granted.....

Sugata Mitra : Hole in the wall experience

Ken Robinson on Schools Killing Creativity

The tale of two gardeners - A Story of Passion

'Passion' is a topic on which I have written earlier also, but then whenever I see an example , which reinforces my belief I am forced to reflect back on the issue. I get straight to the example which I came across recently.

We use to have a gardener for the last two years who was like any typical gardener working for more than a dozen houses in the vicinity and would do as little as possible to get his monthly payment out of us. It use to be a struggle getting any meaningful work out of him. Then one fine day we said enough is enough and threw him out....

We struggled for a few weeks and then got a new guy for the job. From day one we could see that this guy was different and the results could be seen in a matter of the first two weeks itself. The upkeep and look of the garden improved and he started sharing tips with us on how the garden should be maintained. By the end of the first month the garden was transformed and we could see the difference for ourself.

This made me think what was different in the two gardener. The difference boiled down to 'Passion' that one had for the job. The first gardener was a person who had picked up the skills of gardening overtime for an evening job. Versus the second gardener who was full-time involved in maintaining a mango orchard, and thus loved his job and when he saw the condition of our garden we did not have to tell what to do, but he himself decided on the course of action and took the task upon him to improve the garden. This urge was something which was there in him because of his inherent interest in gardening , which was missing in our earlier gardener....

The example shows us that if one gets an employee who is passionate about his work then the job of motivating him is very easy, but life becomes difficult the other way round..

This reinforces my belief that one needs to find a match between passion and job, and once that is achieved then the results would flow....

Entertainment Quotient of a Session

This is an issue many of are confronted with while teaching - how 'entertaining' should your session be? Maybe one also needs to define what one means with entertainment, because in my experience I found a very thin line dividing what is pure entertainment and what adds value to the content of a session. And it is very easy to err on the side of being just an entertainer.

The setting is post-graduate teaching, with the expectation that the students are more mature and experienced. And are there for serious learning..

I think at the fundamental level all of us would agree that class room learning has to improve especially the lecture format , where the role of the teacher is to deliver a lecture and in the context of ready availability of multimedia and other technologies it is easier to bring more life into them.

The problem with making a class more 'entertaining' is that the message might get lost in the clutter of entertainment , and though the students might find it good in the short run, but in retrospect, would feel short-changed in the overall perspective. But how do we decide how much is too much?

Three idiots the movie : Learning for teachers & Students

Because I am a teacher many people have asked how if feel about the movie and Aamir Khan. Some of my colleagues have taken a little serious note of the movie and have been critical of the way in which they have shown the education system and some of the pranks played.

Though i agree the movie could have been moderated in the way it has portrayed some incidents, and especially towards the end of the college life part, the story seems to have stretched a little too far, but then that is the way of a typical Bollywood movie and the 3 idiots has followed it to the hilt.

But then overall I found that the message being sent out , "Follow your Passion and stay way from the rat race" very relevant and timely . The way we are churning out Engineers who are being fed into the IT industry is something which has always made me uncomfortable. Young bright people getting very good starting salaries and as a result getting too comfortable too soon with their lives (coding and partying). But do not get me wrong here, I acknowledge the role IT industry has played in the growth of the economy and employment, but I still find it hard to explain when I find a electrical engineer from possibly the best institutions in India (if not the world) working at the back office of retailer, writing codes to manage their customer base ?????

And the fate of the those who do not make in the rat race is something which is even worse. And as they say even if you win in the rat race you remain a rat :).

Among the other takeaways from the movie , the questioning of the way teaching is being currently done and the evaluation system (emphasizing rote) are somethings which we as teachers need to look into very seriously. A radical rethinking on these two things should form the center of the much needed reforms in the education system in the country....

Tom Peters on Start Something Dull !!!!!!!

Finding the "Motivation Trigger"

Learning is a life long quest and the role of a teacher is to initiate his students into that journey. But the teacher should also realize that he will not be besides his student for ever, and need to inspire students to develop an interest in the subject which goes beyond the class and love for learning itself...

There could many ways that this can be done, a select few teachers use their own personality to motivate students to seek beyond the obvious and seek out for more knowledge on a continuous basis, but then I feel that such teachers are far and between. For lesser mortals I feel one needs to put extra effort into understand the "triggers" that motivate his or her students to learn more....

I think the anecdote of teaching to fish versus giving a fish might fit in here with a slight modification, As teacher one needs to find what motivates the students to look for fish and then work on it so that the students themselves start looking for fish and develop newer ways and means of catching more fish.

And one also must realize that this driving force keeps changing with time , so the teacher also needs to keep his antennas up at all times to both identify as well as update his understanding of these triggers...

Teacher's Day

I have not written on the blog for two months, today being Teacher's day thought will write a small post to remember our teachers.

I don't think there would be anyone who would not acknowledge the role teachers have played in their lives. Dr Abdul Kalam in his book 'Wings of fire' remembers the explanation on how birds fly given to him in his school days by his teacher inspiring him to pursue further studies in the area. Manyof us have such small stories and memories relating to our teacher...

Today's editorial in Economic times, also talks about the role of teachers (5 million teaching 220 million children) especially in the context of the passing of right to education bill. The article also talks about how one needs to look at teachers as change agents and not just resources....

GRE vs GMAT for entry into business schools

I recently read an article in the business week on how GRE is slowly gaining acceptance as an alternate exam for gaining entry into business schools, starting from Harvard business school. The article also mentions how it means that the monopoly which was held by GMAT is slowly being broken. But apart from those issues it also reminded me of an issue which has been lingering in my mind for quite some time now, on how valid are these tests from the perspective of attracting the right pool of students. We test them of basic Maths and their reading and written English and some interviews and group discussions to identify students who will go on to become successful managers. I think the sentence itself makes my the point quite clear ...

But then people might say that these exams have been quite successful till now, which is partially true, but the reasons may not be the test, but actually may be in spite of it. First, because of the fact that these tests are the known gateways, students may self-select themselves, (nothing to do with the test) and in the process we end up getting a pool of students who do well in business. And, we never know the results of an alternate way as we do not have one to compare with.

In fact at times i feel if it is the case of "Emperor's New Clothes" and all of us are happy with the way things are progressing. But maybe it is time that the larger issue of the need to identify newer ways of identifying students students who will do well in business be developed especially in the larger context of what is happening in the business world currently...

25 Incredible TED talks for educators

This is a link from the post learn-gasm blog, as the title itself says it is a list of 25 TED talks. I found the list very good, though I should accept that i have seen only the first and last in the list. And thus the post here also would serve as a reminder for me to watch all of them. Hope my readers would also find the list to be useful,

List of the 25 TED talks

In pursuit of "freshness" in teaching

As a teacher who is new to the craft of teaching I was worrying on how a teacher needs to keep himself "fresh". Once someone has taught the same course a couple of times, sets in a tendency to relax a bit , hoping that the preparation which he or she had done the last time around would be enough to carry him through. But the need to keep oneself "fresh" cannot be overemphasised, not just for the students but firstly for himself. Because the first person who has to be interested in the course is the teacher himself and I feel if the same examples and cases have been used over a period of time there is a high chance that he himself might have lost of the enthu of going into the class and sharing it.

In today's era of ppts it is both easy as well as difficult to keep one's material fresh, because as easy as it is to update the ppt, more is the inertia not wanting to change the presentation. Paradoxically though the imperative to change and update is higher in the information era, reasons being two-fold. Firstly owing to fast paced change and the wider availability of information. And the second reason why the ppts need to be updated if not changed, is because in the computer-era chances are that what you shared with the students last year is anyway there with students of this year.

There are some teachers whom I have heard tend to tear-off the notes that they have prepared for their class as soon as the class is over so that he has prepare afresh the next time he has to teach the same course, though might seem a extreme , but then we all tend to prepare the best when we have very little to fall back on.

I watch with envy the spring in walk of teachers walking towards the teaching block ready for their class after doing the same for 15-20 years, maybe all teachers more so the ones who are new to teaching should also access that elixir of freshness in teaching...............

Ken Robinson on Finding your passion

Have been reading his new book 'The Element' and I would say the book should be put on the must read list of books for teachers. He questions the way we quantify and measure intelligence, forcing us to question the standard measures of assessing the worth of a child. He reinforces the point which some of us do believe in at some point in time that every child has something which he is good and it is our job to identify it and nurture it. When I say 'our job' it would mean both as a parent and more so as a teacher.

I have always made an attempt to observe my own students outside the classroom context - in college events, plays, games .... because many a times one would see a student who would not be willing to interact in the class to be very active in these places, and you as a teacher see a dimension which you would not have you not seen him outside the classroom context. Enough from my end , Ken Robinson's TED talk

Those that can, do. Others Teach

Teaching as a profession is considered by many as a last resort, a choice one exercises when nothing else seems possible. But recently I have been spurt in the interest among many to join the teaching profession. This urge to join the profession is being driven by the recession and slowdown and teaching is being seen as a safe option.

I see it as both as an opportunity as well as a threat, because we do need people who have spent time in the industry to come and teach (especially true in Management education), but then is it true that someone who has been doing well in the industry (assumption) would do well in teaching too. The skill sets needed are quite different. Apart from that is the issue of how long would these people be committed to the profession , and once the economy rebounds , what would happen????

It is an opportunity if we are able to get some of these good people to remain and contribute in the long run also. Provided they are the right fit into teaching..

But then one needs to move out of the mindset that teaching is an option one explores when other things are difficult. Though there might be a few who might have accepted teaching as a last resort, but we all have met many others for whom the profession is a clear decision.

Because as with everything else in life if one wants to excel in a sphere of activity , commitment and passion is needed and without that one would end up vegetating in any profession , including teaching....

The 'I Know it' Attitude

I have observed this attitude among even the brightest students - ' I Know It', which maybe a necessity in the harsh corporate world, but I have felt that curtain of I Know all would prevent many of us from learning many things. I will just narrate one story to emphasise the importance of openness to listen.

Many years back I was sitting with my sales guy in a wholesalers shop in the city. We were having a general discussion with the old wholesaler who had been in the business for the last forty years about the general market conditions, when a travelling salesman entered the shop with some Chinese cigarette lighters to sell. He started with his usual sales pitch and the old man patiently listened him out, then asked him a series of questions about the price , quality and all other details about the product................

After the lighter sales man had left my sales person asked the old man why did you ask all the details when every detail about the lighter market was know to him. The old man said yes I do know everything  but even then there might be some thing new which I might listen through this man. He said one has to keep his eyes and ears open always.

Even though I appreciated the old man's perspective at that I find it even more relevant as a teacher to help students inculcate that willingness to listen and be open to ideas from all possible avenues, whether a customer, a sales person or even the receptionist in the office. It would make them more receptive to new ideas and opportunities.....

Teaching Ethics

We have been grappling with the issue related to ethics and corporate governance for quite some time now.  Till now we had the luxury of examining incidences of major corporate frauds from a distance and commenting on them in a relatively dispassionate manner, but the Satyam fiasco has brought the severity and urgency of the issue into forefront in our own home ground.

The question is can ethics be taught to students, especially in a business school. Psychologists are of the opinion that moral development of an individual is more or less through by the time he or she is about twelve year old, then on the environment either reinforces of discourages these tendencies. So basically trying to put these 23 plus year old into a class room a trying to teach them morality or even ethics may not be a very fruitful exercise. 

But then should we sit idle and as teacher absolve ourselves from the responsibility and role we have . Some people who have headed institutions which have been known in the country for their high ethical stand rads felt that these ethical values can only be inculcated in them with the help of setting examples which the young people can see and emulate. Examples being set by people around them. And then maybe including some interaction with the world outside through some community development activities, so that young minds get sensitised to issues beyond business.

The issue of ethics and how can it be taught to students is something which has a issue for which there are no easy solution , but then we need to keep thinking and discussing on the issue with the hope that we would reach to the optimal solution  ....

Students beyond Classes

Many a time I have felt that as a teacher one needs to interact and see students outside the classroom environment. Because as a teacher what happens in the classroom is only one dimension of the personality of the student. And many a time one would find the student who remains silent in the class to be very active in activities outside the class. And that helps us break the impression that the teacher might hold about the student. This is especially true in the case of a business school set-up where apart from class room one also needs to be active in other sphere of activities apart from classroom. Though there would be a large section which would be active in both classroom and extra curricular, but then when one sees those who prefer not to speak much in the class to be active outside....Maybe more important for teacher who are just starting off with their careers than experienced ones

What makes a good teacher???

I think this a question which has been bothering people for a long time , even for those who are not in the teaching profession. And it is a question which has no quick easy answers. Inspite of the progress which has been made in pedagogy and training of teachers, we still believe that good teaching still more of an art.

I read a very good article written by Malcom Gladwell of the tipping point and blink repute on teaching. The article came in his column in the new yorker, and for the follow-up comments by the author one can also visit his regular blog. The title of the article is "Most Likely to Succeed". In the article gladwell draws an analogy between the selection of a football player with that of selecting a teacher. I will highlight a few points of the article which I found interesting and for people more interested can access his whole article, link.

In the article he emphasises that trying to identify people with the potential of becoming good teachers may be the most important thing, but the problem with this is the fact is that no one knows what to look for. And studies have shown that a good teacher can influence teaching more than a good school. And he goes on further to share the findings that good teaching or rather ingredients of a what makes a teacher good is far too complex to be listed and identified before hand. The solution is maybe to try out teachers before letting them start full time teaching.

Though the context of the paper is school teaching , but I think the implications are there for teaching at all levels. The article essentially brings out the points which every one has wounder ed about at some point or the other. And anyway the question is still unanswered, but the message seems to be that good teaching is some thing which is ingrained in a person so one has to to identify people with those traits. Infact one of our senior professors here was recalling his early teaching days in a university where they would confirm a lecturer after two years and he said it would be clear within two years if one could teach or not!!!!

Teaching as 'Give and Take' and Similarly with Sales Profession ....

Typically when one thinks about teaching it is seen more as a process of giving , usually 'gyan' being transferred from the teacher to the students. Though the case method would be different with the emphasis more on student to student transfer of knowledge...

But coming back to the older paradigm , I have felt that even in a typical lecture it is a two process. Two way in the sense that the participation level of students in the class both in terms of prior preparation as well as receptivity of the participants would influence the delivery. Participation need not necessarily be only verbal, it can be non-verbal cues that a teacher is looking for when he is teaching.

Though one factor which would influence the students willingness to participate in the class would be the rapport which the teacher has with the students..... 

I teach Sales Management , and feel that teaching and sales management are also closely related, one parallel would the fact that both of them sell for a living, as a teacher you are selling your course or yourself as a teacher, but other thing in common is that in both sales as well as teaching results are known immediately. As a salesman one need not be told through a review process whether he has done well, at the end of the day he would know on his own. Similarly a teacher would most of the times know how he has done in the class by the time it ends, though formal feedback system does help....

Most Difficult Job for a Teacher???

If one were to ask an instructor which is the most difficult part of his job...It would involve things like class control (especially for a new instructor), time management, preparation, mental effort and so on....

But I personally feel that the most difficult part of the job is evaluation, and when I am saying evaluation in mean not the physical aspect of checking and grading, but the mental aspect where you actually have to rank you students and say that one is better than the other. Maybe for some people the job might be easy, but for an average person this part is the one which would make him uncomfortable. This discomfort would increase with as the familiarity and time you have spent with the students increases, because then you have to be doubly sure that none of your biases are creeping in …. 

Maybe a quanty Prof might have an easier job evaluating  .....

Inspiring Others

It is a sort of continuation of my previous post on the ability of a teacher to influence . Most of us who watched the "Last Lecture" on youtube and or read his book would acknowledge the influence that Prof Randy Pausch has had on many of us.

I first heard about his last lecture through the a newspaper article written in the local newspaper where it said that a lecture by an unknown Prof was getting viewed times on the youtube. Yes, it is true that two years back he was a unknown Professor, but today through his lecture he has touched so many people across the world that .................

Unfortunately he lost his battle with cancer on the 25th of July. New links

But then he would go on to live through his last lecture and the influence he has had on so many of us..........

I don't know if one were given a choice of living two years in which one is able to influence the lives of so many versus staying on and living till 80 years ...........

Are Teachers Powerful ?

I for one have felt that we as teachers are very powerful, I have not qualified the word powerful but want to believe it is powerful in the positive sense, in our ability to influence the life of the students we teach. Most of us would be able to relate to this positive power of a teacher, more so in the early days of our schooling , at the school level ..........

This power has implications for a teacher, as it is a sort of double edged sword. It is because of the fact that students most of the times would put a lot of faith on our judgment and ability to evaluate, and even a stray remark from a teacher can lead to a lasting impression on the student.

To see how a teacher can positively influence a student I would recommend two movies for everyone aspiring to become a good teacher . One which I watched today is based on a true story " Freedom Writers" . The movie is about a new teacher who inspires her class to move beyond their differences based on races and learn to apply themselves, inspire them to pursue education beyond school.... There is a foundation which has been set so that the experince could be replicated, the Freedom writers foundation. It is worth a visit..

Another movie which inspired me was "pay it forward" (Was recommended by my friend with its linkage for a teacher). Though this movie is a work of fiction but still I could see that there were many take-aways for a teacher...........