“So, dear students, shall we start with our lessons?” Oh, Teacher! Can we start a day with a different phrase, please?” “Not the same phrase, every day, over and over again!”‘Lessons, Lessons, and more Lessons’! “As students, this is what we hear day in and day out, at school and at home!” “We need a respite from having to do lessons regularly! We wish to go less on theoretical lessons and more on real life experiences related to our lessons.” Yes, ‘real life experiences’, that’s what learning is all about. Learning goes way beyond textbooks! Innovative, and creative learning techniques to enhance and spruce up students’ learning experiences. It is all about creating that ‘interest’ in learning, taking it beyond the textbooks, interactive teaching with reduced dependency on textbook learning through a variety of interesting teaching and learning strategies. The word ‘interesting’ is quite interesting! Even a textbook lesson can be made interesting in the way the lesson is delivered. It is all in the hands of the teacher. The teacher is the magical catalyst that enhances students’ learning experiences. Be it a KG child or a Grade 12 student, that ‘interest’ for learning needs to be created, awakened, harnessed, and retained.
Here is a quote which you might have come across: “Tell me and I will listen. Teach me and I will remember. Involve me and I will learn.” – Benjamin Franklin – Question: What does this imply? The answer is not going to be served on a platter! No spoon feeding here! Crack your brain and find out. Here comes another one; “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” A quote by the Chinese philosopher, Lao Tzu. Brain cracking time, once again!
Remember, NO spoon feeding. That’s the clue! Do not count on ‘Spoon Feeding’, instead challenge your own learning style, with the aid of your teacher as your facilitator. It takes a strong mind to detach from the traditional method of teaching, to take on the more practical and approachable method. There is plenty being taught, through textbook lessons, but a question persists, how far is it being beneficial to students in the practical fast developing world? Learning does not mean lapping up the contents from a textbook and then putting it down on answer sheets during exams! It takes a Constructivist Teacher to engage students effectively in active learning. Here, the Teacher creates a collaborative problem-solving environment where students become active participants in their own learning. In this perspective, the teacher acts as the facilitator of learning, rather than an instructor.
LESSONS stand for ‘Learn Engagingly, Solve Strategically, Observe Naturally and Succeed’. In the modern-day job market, it is not the knowledgeable one that has the rating, it is the practical person who gets lapped into companies and offices. USE what you have learnt and APPLY them in your daily life situations. It is the application of your learning that will make you a practical person. Do not harp over how much you know, rather test yourself in how much you are able to put this learning to use. Be involved in active learning. Get engaged in effective doing. Enjoy the result in real life and be successful individuals of the future world. It’s going to be a tough competition. The survival of brain crackers and the trackers of life’s opportunities. So, remember, take up your ‘LESSONS’ in its practical sense!