Monday, February 19, 2007

THE WEAKEST LINK- abt education


i think we all have experianced a phenomenon in high school that usually, since teachers try to get the lesson across to everybody, even the weakest student, the bright ones usually get bored, feel left out and in extreme conditions try to gain attention by resorting to violent acts. have you even felt that the presence of mediocre students in a class hamper the class development, especially at the cost of those who are brighter and smarter. there was recently a legislation in the united states of america addressing the teachers that they will have to ensure that even the weakest students in a class understand the topic at hand and every resource possible must be employed for the same. it is true that in education, like in everything else, the weakest link plays a huge part. many a times, this causes the smarter kids attention to be dverted. on top of that, it also puts tremendous stress on the weaker students to perform, for all the efforts are being taken for them. we especially see this in India, where in the life of someone who might not be as good academically is made hell by people around them. i mean even for a second it isnt considered if these students actually are interestde in academics. they are also looked down upon to a certain extent. also, the smarter kinds, who have usually understood the topic, get distracted, and usually never take the academic path later on. they either sleep in class or just chatter away or basically create ruckus, feeling that they deserve attention.


while this may or may not change their future paths, it does ensure that all the latent potential in these kids remains just that; latent. i am not trying to say that this system is a monster and is killing intellect. many people will champion going according to the stringest factor rather than the weakest link, i.e, instead of designing a paper that an average student can attempt, design and prepare a curriculum with the assumption of an intelligent student, and not the average or dumbest student, so that the best minds get conditioned in what they were meant for. also, for the evangelists, it makes sense too, as the weaker students wont be pressurized to study extra hard, or to ignore their other interests for a depressing issue of studies. they wont have to wait to graduate high school so that they get enough head space to understand that they might be mediocre academically and might not be the fastest thinkers, but they might have other capabilities which are equally useful. also, Darwin'd principle, which is stated when there is no nice way to explain things. we live in a world where the fittest survive. period.


the current education system, isnt doing much good. we all can agree on that. in a curriculum designed for the average, too much emphasis is placed on understanding and remembering the facts, little emphasis on applying them, and no exphasis on creating your own ideas based on them. when we grow up, we realize that creativity is everything. and remembering is a task a PC can do better than you, so why the hell will anyone bother. also, the people we call good students are basically just dedicated students. it doesnt take brains to ace examinations, for they are not lookign for how much brains you have. no, they designed this exam so that average students could sit it, average being someone who can understand and remember but not apply and create. in such a system, the very weak students get pressurized and the very strong wasted. all that remains is the average.


then again, these are children. shouldnt any educational system, especially one that is going to be judgemental, be executed after they cross a certain age???? for at least in the beginning, the position of equivalence must be there as kids dont know what their true talents are that early. one thing i am extremely sure about though, a society that judges children by their marksheets must collectively be put in an asylum, under the therapy for terminally dumb.


the tone of this topic will offend some people. most people dabble in philosophy thinking that it is just a mental exercise for the wordsmiths. but it is actually the nervous system of the world we live in. your opinions are invited. my sole purpose, as always, is to incite thought, and ask ourselves questions we rarely do. enjoy.

5 comments:

distant_dreams said...

ah, you know... i really don't believe theres such a thing as a bright student and a dull student. I believe a bright student is someone who has a good skill set such as language, exposure, interest in the topic, these are things inculcated in childhood by good parents, you expose and nurture open the eyes of the children during childhood and they are "aware" enough so to speak to understand and grasp the world easily... thats pretty much it, a dull student can become really smart if exposed to the right situations...

Apart from that, mediocrity's everywhere because there are more people for it, and the objective is to get the widest reach no...

And as far as "bright" students in U.S are concerned i hear that they do give special attention to kids who are above the rest by putting them in different and special schools to cater to their "intelligence"..

And you know, as far as the education system is concerned... i really think its crapped up too.... one of my dreams is to build a school which has no classrooms, just open air greenery all around and all the lessons are taught through practical methods and lesser attention is given to actual notes...

So tell me.. otherwise tho... were you one of those who slept in class? :D

Shruti said...

ha ha! actually i was one of those who talked in class, diverted ppls attention and then basically lost interest in all that stoopid school politics.... school and me have had a very varied very looong relationship.

i myself am not comfortable with the concept of intelliegnt and dull being based on academic performance.... but there are people more suitable for certain things than other. intelligence we can ignore, but we cant do the same with aptitude...

the idea of the school sounds great. i hope u realize it some day....it would be great if kids could actually be given the freedom and importance to grow in an environment devoid of adult insecurities....

distant_dreams said...

hmmm.... yeah, that does sound good, maybe... someday... it will happen...

and actually come to think of it, school and i have also had a well... intriguing relationship or at least me and my school mates... XD

yang said...

this is what i feel
industries today require people with various skills.. it is easy to say everyone has some talent but reality is not quite so.. what we learn in school is way too general and something one is supposed to know about the world around to not get lost.. entrance exams for UG courses serve the purpose of sorting minds into different colleges..
as far as applying thought comes progress can never be made if everyone starts from ground bottom.. he needs to understand and remember what happened before him to know what to do next..
with ten smart kids in a class of 50 do u think it is a good idea to set the paper so high?

Shruti said...

it isnt something that should be done just for examination purposes. and you said it, education it seems, is more like a general knowledge bombardment session, only an extended one. but the most important thing that we need is not general bombardment, but developing analytical skill. in a way, its like depriving students of opportunities to learn, and while theyu do learn eventually, education may or may not form a huge part of it. this might actually be because there are too many people to pay personal attention on each and every student and teach them accordingly, and maybe this is the start and end of a vicious cycle.