ROLE OF TEXT BOOKS IN SCHOOLS

A few telephone calls in the last few days from some professional friends on the context and the content of the textbooks in schools provoked me to pen a few of my thoughts. The context in which they asked this question appears irrelevant to me, but the real issues need to be addressed.

1. How does learning take place?

Learning is a unique individualistic experience. The engagement of different nodal centers of the brain in articulating the process of learning, the extent of learning, the styles of learning and the retention of learning makes it as complex and unique as possible, though all these could synergize in nano-seconds.  Learning could be both formal and informal. The recent researches indicate that nearly ninety percent of all learning is informal and the rest is formal. Further oftentimes learning is emotional and hence the kind and types of emotions impact the process and extent of learning, leave alone the quantum of learning.

2. What is the relationship between teaching and learning?

Though we have lived with the idea of "teaching" for centuries, Aurobindo observed "The first true principle of teaching is that nothing can be taught." This view has further been supported by recent researches in cognitive sciences wherein the argument that " there is nothing called teaching, it is all learning" appears to be the main stay of the advocacy. The idea of teaching supports the flow of knowledge and a top-down approach as against "learning" a self-designed or self-directed process. The role of the teacher, thus gets, redefined as a facilitator.

3. What is the role of text books?

I have always felt that the role of text books is like "the runway for an aircraft" to enable the flight to take off to scale greater heights. It is to empower discovery, exploration, research and understanding. Teachers need to use the content of the books to enable the students to learn, research and discover. Restricting learning to the textbooks is like killing the intellectual curiosity of the young learner and should be avoided. Systems and schools using the textbooks as an end product of a learning process do a great harm to the learning generation. The concept of Minimum Levels of Learning has no doubt a social objective but has a limiting value of producing a generation with mediocre knowledge, leave alone competencies. Any argument that the questions for examinations should be designed based on the textbook is regrettable as it defeats the very value of learning and the brain competencies.  As such the concept of Board examinations, be it any board, needs to be taken cognizance of, only at the secondary level, certainly not at the formative, primary or middle level. The focus here has to be assessing the diversity of knowledge and skills and the individual learning experiences of each learner.

4. What kind of textbooks need to be used?

It matters not from where a learner seeks knowledge. With global access to knowledge, where learning, unlearning and re-learning, is the call of the day, the thrust has to be to encourage the learners to seek knowledge from different gateways so long the knowledge is valid, reliable and authentic. With technology in place, there is a decreasing emphasis on the print knowledge and the young learners tend to acquire and seek knowledge depending on their styles of learning. Such experiences should not be curbed if we need to look for a generation that is competent, confident and creative.

I am sure, I have been able to respond meaningfully to some of the questions raised by my professional friends. ..

Love,

Bala