On a video call last week, I asked a six-year-old boy who lives in Nigeria what he had learned in school that day. “We learnt about goods and services,” he said matter-of-factly. Next, a gentleman informs me that when he asked his pre-primary stage grandchild the same question, his reply was that he had learned about “conflict resolution”. Since he assumed that his grandfather needed clarification on the subject, he proceeded to explain what the term meant. “I had a terrible quarrel with a girl in my class and our teacher told the two of us to sit on the steps outside and sort things out quietly.” So we did just that and our teacher was pleased that we were able to resolve the conflict on our own. It is fascinating to see children grasping all kinds of concepts at such a young age.
Teachers these days get their students to put up research-based exhibits which indicate independent exploration and discovery. Over the years, I have seen innumerable exhibitions put up by different age groups to display what students had learnt in school — from the ubiquitous erupting volcano to models of landforms and underwater creatures. The exhibits would be laid out and arranged artistically and, yes, explained dramatically by their respective creators. We had to be very cautious as once a young ‘guide’ succeeded in catching hold of you, you would be compelled to complete the whole circuit while listening to their elaborate explanations. If you were lucky, you would be let off after you answered a few questions correctly and had also asked a couple for good measure.
Today’s children are conscious of the quality of the questions you ask them. And, you, the viewer, are expected to understand the exhibitor’s hypothesis, line of thought and reasoning, the end-product, idea or conclusion. They, on their part, would have made sure that the sources of information were clearly indicated. In other words, at a school exhibition, you dare not be a casual or superficial viewer.
Another effective way of learning is through conceptualising and implementing projects. A young friend’s daughter who is in Class X decided to present a working business plan for a small bakery as her end-of-term project. The sixteen-year-old carried out a detailed survey of ingredients, prices, and sources in the vicinity of her house, did costing for baking, decorating, storing and marketing and was prepared to see her project through for a short term. Her younger brother chose to make an economical ‘working computer’ from scratch. He scouted around for some second-hand parts and chose to buy a few brand-new components. He was delighted to see that after he had painstakingly put the pieces together — it involved long hours of work and several failed trials — it eventually worked. Theoretical knowledge and pure information are the building blocks of all learning but they must go hand in hand with practical experience.
Thankfully, two vital subjects which are approached differently today are history and geography. For decades, it was painful to watch students going through a sea of data and facts only to score in the exams. Even today, the general perception of what the study of history is all about is vastly misunderstood. Refreshingly, some children are made aware of contemporary issues through lessons from the past. Young students are shown that in order to understand any aspect of the present, one has to go back to the past. So far as geography is concerned, students no longer do only ‘map pointing’ and study the terrain and produce of different countries. They are made aware of the interconnectedness of the world and learn about urban planning, modern rural settings and, of course, the overarching topic of climate change.
History and geography, thus, can no longer be viewed as old subjects that have outlived their objectives. Actually, it is these basic subjects — approached differently — along with literature, although not valued by careerists, that will continue
to equip the young, emotionally and intellectually, to meet the evolving challenges of life.
Devi Kar is director, Modern High School for Girls, Calcutta