Words of Wisdom-9:

A teacher is one who awakens sleeping spirits, quickens the indolent, encourages the eager and steadies the unstable. The teacher who communicates his own joy in learning and shares with students the best treasures of his mind, lights many candles which, in later years, will shine back to cheer him - Henry Wandyke

True Education

True Education is not a knowledge of facts, but of values. True education leads us to the reality of life, peace, nature and survival of the human race. During my 25 years of experience in education, I have studied my school students and ex-students very deeply and I have found that the “values” inculcated by the school, the society or the home by the age of 18 to 20 years become more or less permanent. Therefore, schools are the only institutions to provide true education to the child.

- Dr.R.K.Sharma, Principal, Ahlcon Public School, New Delhi

- Courtesy: The Hindu, New Delhi, January 8, 2000

Meaningful Education

In the 50 years after Independence, through the various schemes of the Government, we have made tremendous strides in the field of education. But, have we fulfilled the fundamental goal of education, i.e. character building? Character is built through values, which forms the foundation for any harmonious society.

Gone are the days when the social and education systems provided an environment wherein the individual could imbibe values through examples set by the teachers and elders. Today the pressures of materialism have pushed us into a situation wherein the teachers, parents and the students are racing against time to watch their resources with the constantly-changing demands of the environment.

This calls for a paradigm shift in our perception of the goals of education. We need to impart the skills and attitudes needed to achieve success within the framework of time-tested values. We need to help the youngsters to understand the underlying links between freedom and discipline, independence and interdependence, commitment to self and commitment to others, material success and moral values.

Do we have any right to comment about the problems unless we take some responsibility to find solutions?

We expect someone else to solve the problems. It is the attitude of the educated Indian, rather than the ignorance of the uneducated, which is acting as the main constraint in achieving a feasible solution.

By changing this attitude we can achieve wonders in revamping our educational system. If all of us join hands and focus on this one cause, within 10 years there will be a perceptible change in the quality of life in India. After all, was not through people’s participation that we won our freedom?

Radha Raju, The Hindu, New Delhi, January 25, 2000 (My grateful thanks to the writer and the newspaper)

Efficient Reading and Critical Reading

What is efficient reading? Reading a text with full comprehension within the time limit and being able to reproduce the content of the text either orally or in writing is efficient reading.

It is good to have a clear reason for reading. Before you decide to read a text you should ask yourself a set of questions: Why do I want to read a particular text? What is the purpose? What am I going to get out of it? In what way will the text be useful to me? Am I reading it just for pleasure or for information or for examination? After deciding what your purpose is, you should choose an appropriate strategy.

What is skimming? We read some texts just to get the main idea. Using a quick survey of the text to get the gist is called skimming. When skimming you should try to read groups of words, not one word at a time; concentrate on finding the main ideas and consciously ignore details; read the introductory and concluding paragraphs in detail; read other paragraphs in order to find the main idea.

What is scanning? Reading for specific pieces of information is called scanning.

What is critical reading? A critical reader interacts with the text and asks the following questions: What is the text about? What does the author try to say? Is the author objective? What impact will it have on the reader? What is the aim of the author? Can you agree or disagree with the author? Are there emotional words? Is there any ambiguity? Is there a clear separation between facts and interpretation? Is the argument logical? What are the main points that the writer want to make? What is the attitude of the writer? What is the tone of the whole article?

Excerpt from 'Reading Efficiently' by Albert P.Rayan, rayanal@yahoo.uk The New Indian Express, Madurai, Oct.12, 2007

Further study:

http://iws.ohiolink.edu/~sg-ysu/critread.html

http://www.studygs.net/crtread.htm

http://occawlonline.pearsoned.com/bookbind/pubbooks/lardner_awl/chapter1/custom5/deluxe-content.html

http://www.csuohio.edu/writingcenter/critread.html

(Critical reading means that a reader applies certain processes, models, questions, and theories that result in enhanced clarity and comprehension. There is more involved, both in effort and understanding....)

How to get started in Astronomy?

You don't need a telescope, amateur astronomer Joel Goodman says. A pair of binoculars, a star chart and a flashlight with a red filter will do. The filter is important because if you see bright white light (like that from a flashlight) after your eyes have adjusted to the dark, it can take up to 30 minutes for them to readjust.

An astronomy book for beginners is also a good idea. Goodman recommends, 'The Stars: A New Way to See Them' by 'Curious George' author H.A.Rey - LATWP

Courtesy: 'World', The New Indian Express, Madurai, October 5, 2007