62.In Memoriam… Flowers

 

In the time line of the existence of our Universe, the lives  of  human beings   on  planet  earth, is likely to be  only a tiny dot. In that  single  existence some  become  ‘emperors’  conquering  vast  territories   decimating  all those  who oppose  them physically, intellectually or materially. Some others   pile up wealth more than what one needs this life time  and some  after growing  up  to  a ripe old age, cease to exist! They would  all  have  in their  childhood  brought   joy to  own parents; in  ones  youth   made  a  sweetheart  miss a heartbeat and  in  ones old  age,   if  lucky  enough  to have caring  children, made them feel  proud of  having  an adoring parent. And finally  when  it’s  time to  take ones  last breath,  whether  consciously or by some misfortune through  a freak accident  wrung out of one’s  body…so long as one  brims with life, if  one  lives  spreading   joy for   a  few  people,  one should  consider one’s  life  fulfilling!

Why such  philosophical musings?...Well, I  adore  flowers  which  have a  miniscule  life span when compared to humans. They  don’t eliminate  other flowers nor  hoard honey and  fragrance  as  humans  pile up  wealth. And while they  exist  ...they spread infinite  joy to those  willing to  receive their  enthralling beauty,  sublime fragrance  or succulent honey…and at the end of a day  when a gentle breeze  knocks  them down, they  fall in silence and  in  a  day or  two merge with the soil.

This comparison with human beings have often made me wonder  why humans  don’t learn anything from flowers…There will be  tombstones  for  humans  big and small  but  nothing  for  a  flower  which gave everything  without  receiving…This prompted me to  capture  the  images  of  flowers  which  drew my attention  wherever I go,  with my mobile camera….I have been liberally uploading  them on Blog posts  as  a memoriam  for  their  gracious existence….

Would you like  to see  a  sample…Please view Edufruit  Blog

 http://edufruit.blogspot.com/?view=flipcard       which has a template that displays  over a hundred flowers  which I uploaded one at a time…As  you gaze….do   ask yourself : Am  I  spreading joy  too, like flowers?

61.A State of Equilibrium

Equilibrium:  the state   of a chemical reaction in which its forward and reverse reactions occur at equal rates so that the concentration of the reactants and products does not change with time.

                                                                  -www.dictionary.com

Atrocities against women is  increasingly becoming a regular news item  in  local Malayalam dailies…

“What we need   is  a   healthy dialogue  between the sexes… Outright  denunciation of  one  sex  for  crimes  against the weaker sex  does  not  get us anywhere…”  said           Dr. Divya S.Iyer  IAS, Deputy Collector, Thiruvananthapuram, inaugurating ‘Chaya-2017’, the  Women’s  Day  programme of the Govt. College of Teacher Education, Thiruvananthapuram. Ms. Divya  went  to  add : “ when there is  a   sharing   of ideas  on  an equal   level…similar to the one  seen in  a  state of equilibrium of  a chemical reaction … there is  greater  harmony….”

To  a query posed by a student  on why with a  MBBS degree  she opted for joining  the Civil Services,  Ms.Divya  said she “likes to face challenges…”

60. Seminar excerpts –Education at the Crossroads

As a member of the Executive Committee of  the Council for Teacher Education, Kerala State Centre, I was assigned the task of documenting the proceedings of the International Seminar on Education at the Crossroads: Tilting Social Equations (edu@tse-17) and XV annual convention of  CTE, Kerala Centre  organized by St. Thomas Training College, Thiruvananthapuram  held from 02 to 04 February 2017.

Here are a few excerpts from the  speeches made by invited guests and Resource Persons:

In Dr.C.P.Sreekantan Nair, President of CTE, State Centre, in his presidential address of the inaugural function, lamented the current social scenario in India and opined that teachers have failed in their duty to instil proper values in students. It is a pity he said that we are being led by ‘intellectual dwarfs’ and ‘academic pygmies’ leading to the fall in educational standards. Dr.Nair expressed his hope that seminars of the kind organized  by CTE would  help improve teacher education in the State.

Mr. TP. Sreenivasan, former ambassador of India commenced his inaugural address with a note of caution...   “Education, today is the most dangerous thing to talk about”.  He pointed out that  during his tenure as Vice Chairman of the Higher Education Council of Kerala State, he had an opportunity to study the  educational  system in the country and  realized that several Commissions of Education and great  men from Swami Vivekananda to Sam Pitroda have spoken about strategies and solutions for addressing the educational  problems, but pitifully enough failed to pursue the ideas suggested.  It is as if we have diagnosed the patient, prescribed the medicine but failed to administer the medicine.

Mr. Sreenivasan pointed out that autonomous educational institutions  though few in number is needed  to improve  the standard of education but  in Kerala State it is  perceived as unsuitable. The use of technology for educational purposes, the change of the University Grants Commission from a  funding agency to a real Education Commission,  the pursuit of educational research,  the equipping of  children to meet the demands of the 21^st century are things that should happen if educational standards are to improve in the country.   Sri Sreenivasan was  rather  saddened by the fact that Higher  education in the state is politicized.  He said that a new mind set is essential without which seminars of this kind  cannot make real change.

Dr. Sukumaran Nair, the former Vice Chancellor of Mahatma Gandhi University, in his key note address recalled the long educational tradition in India with world class universities  centuries ago. He said that we have had great teachers like Dr. Radhakrishnan and several Commissions  of Education have advocated the changes to be implemented in India. But unfortunately,  education has failed to progress along proper channels resulting in our Universities maintaining a low level in world ranking.  It is a pity that though new ideas have been suggested in education, what we see is the strengthening of outmoded educational practices.    Dr. Sukumaran Nair concluded his speech by  pointing out  that we should  move  from peripheral levels to deeper levels and  force quality into  educational practices whereby knowledge will be created. Such meaningful implementation, Dr. Sukumaran Nair opined  has to be  followed up by social auditing. 

Dr. A. Abraham, Director, Neurolinguistic Programming and Life Coach, delivered a talk on Neurolinguistic  Programming.  In his talk, Dr.Abraham sensitized teachers to the need for familiarizing themselves with learning styles, learning preferences, learner attitude and the necessity of adjusting and adapting ones own teaching to suit  individual learner need.  The importance of  providing activities for brain gymnastics and states of mind that  affect learning was also referred to in his talk.

Dr.D.Babu Paul IAS (Rtd)  a former Additional Secretary of the Govt. of Kerala delivered a talk on the theme ‘Teacher as Mentor’. Dr. Paul began his talk recalling the special role once  teachers  had namely that of a worker of God, but, today  this has been replaced by  the birth of teachers who  like industrial workers  fight for their rights. Teachers  rarely become an experienced and trusted advisor and guide. 

Dr. Paul pointed out that as a mentor, the teacher has several roles to play: Identify special skill of each child, help them choose an appropriate career, help children find a worthy  purpose in life  and  also help  them  acquire the skills necessary to achieve that purpose.  More importantly teachers have to help learners imbibe  an appropriate value system. Given the fact that we live in a knowledge society,  the changed role of a teacher as mentor would be: Guiding children how to learn, how to unlearn and how to re-learn and for this,  in the modern age technological resources can come to the aid. It is only when a teacher becomes a mentor  he will  be performing his real role and will be remembered with gratitude by  ones own students.

Dr. Achuthsankar S. Nair,  Professor and Head of Bioinformatics, University of Kerala,  delivered a talk on Teaching in the Google Age. He began  by pointing out that  teaching and learning  has become very exciting with the growth of technology. This is particularly evident in the teaching of Mathematics which students in schools usually approach  with a sense of fear. The multitasking habit of children today and the reduced attention span Dr. Achuthsankar  said can to a large extent be addressed through  modern learning gadgets including the smart phone. He concluded by affirming  the use of technology which has become the prime parameter for teaching in the Google Age.

During the  Valedictory address of the seminar the chief guest, Dr.Kuncheria P. Isaac, Vice Chancellor, Dr.APJ Abdul Kalam  Technological University referred to the ability of great teachers who could  teach complex topics in an easy manner. He stated that his philosophy of teaching is : “Teach very little, stop teaching and learn a lot”. He also pointed out that  creativity is not  fostered in our schools  and went on to ask a thought provoking question: “Why don’t we teach Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) in a creative way... perhaps using drama or theatre?” Before concluding he hoped that teachers will try to properly prepare school children before they  enter  Higher Education institutions. He reiterated the need to foster among  school children Critical thinking skills and Problem solving skills.

Over sixty papers were presented  by teacher educators, research scholars and students of Education.  Here is a   PPT slide shot of a paper entitled Morality at the Crossroads: The necessity of addressing changing cultural equations  through teacher education:

59.Do we develop the olfactory perception in our children?

 “Smell is a potent wizard that transports you across thousands of miles and all the years you have lived. The odors of fruits waft me to my southern home, to my childhood frolics in the peach orchard. Other odors, instantaneous and fleeting, cause my heart to dilate joyously or contract with remembered grief. Even as I think of smells, my nose is full of scents that start awake sweet memories of summers gone and ripening fields far away.”

                                                                               -Helen Keller

Helen Keller wrote that half a century ago and interestingly  enough, the 2004 Nobel Prize for  Medicine was won by   Richard Axel  and  Linda B. Buck for their “discoveries of odorant receptors and their organization of the olfactory system”. 

Today, Axel’s research continues to focus on olfactory perception…how the sense of smell is established during development, how it may change over time, and ultimately how certain smells can elicit appropriate thoughts and behaviours…

During a recent  International Symposium on Science Education and Sustainable Development held at Trivandrum, I came across a gentleman who had stayed  in my home town  twenty years ago. He  nostalgically  recalled  the smell of  the city… of  copra being crushed to oil…of  jasmine  which  the  women folk adorn…  He lamented … in its place  today  all you  inhale  as you take an early morning stroll  is the  smell of burning  garbage and plastic!

The  change in consumption pattern in the last twenty  years and the preference for plastic bags which is ultimately  burnt, made  me recall a  news report  which appeared a fortnight ago… of  plastic bottles piling up  in Sabirimala, a  popular  Pilgrim  centre. 

Then,  the gentleman, Mr  Paul Calvert of EcoSolutions, Yorkshire posed a question to the participants of the Symposium…why don’t  you carry aluminum bottles?

Easily said than done…Which traveller would drink water made available in costly  containers when sealed plastic bottles are cheaper?

Some of those piled up plastic bottles are likely to be recycled… but some others  burnt….And if  our children have a  refined  olfactory perception will    they at least protest?....

58.When a musician thinks…

Yet  even today  Copernicus’ are born questioning  traditional beliefs…We  may oust  Galileos but   as long as civilization exists the inner conscience of a society will continue  to  question our acts  and   time the great healer will  ensure  that  we  people who  commit mistakes  atone  for  their  mistakes …if  societies are to thrive.

…A  philosopher  making  a lot of noise?  No  those  are  elegant thoughts  from a  carnatic  vocalist….Can’t  believe it? …Me too...

A couple of weeks ago,  I had taken special permission from the Principal of my college to attend the inaugural-cum-plenary session of a Multi- disciplinary research conference organized by the University of Kerala. I particularly wanted to attend the talk entitled Music, Science and Society  which was to be delivered by  Sri TM.Krishna.

Prior to  the  talk,  I have had occasions to listen to   vocal renderings of  his music  which  has an ability to enthrall.  Initially,  I  was unsure  whether  the carnatic music vocalist would be capable of  illuminating my thoughts too… But I was wrong, in fact  the words  quoted  above   are  food for thought  from TM.Krishna’s talk.

Here are  a  few more  from my  scribbling  pad  which I am still trying to make sense of …

Have you ever asked yourself  whether there is any relationship between  music, science and society?

Let me begin by identifying   similarities if any between music and science:

*Both the musician and the scientist is  engaged in a  form of investigation-  The scientist tries to use tools to invent new things; The musician tries to  invent new music  by  handling  melody, rhythm and text.

*Both the  musician and the scientist  are driven  by  a human desire to express… to contribute  something to the  society.

So  what  can the musician draw from science? In composition of  a  musical piece, the  musician is   working on the acoustics of  science.  He/ she  in trying  to find out  why a  combination of  sound works   or  why it  enthralls  the listener. This  is  in a way  related  to  the application of logic  commonly found in  science. Good music has a logic of its own and  a  musician  in composing  good  music is in a constant struggle to  discover   a  structural enigma… a  beauty  detached from ones own self. 

A scientist   in an attempt to understand  something   as for  instance  when he/ she tries to   establish the relationship between  the    cause and effect of something, the effort  he/ she is engaged in is a struggle! But  the moment of discovery of the cause and effect of what  one was trying to find out, would  naturally  bring out  a  shriek of joy…. as it happened in the case of  the cry  ‘EUREKA’!!!  Now  ask yourself,  was the  cry ‘emotional’  or ‘intellectual’  …. Did  not  the  scientist  experience  something? Did he/she   not  employ  a  technique  for finding  the solution?....Was it  not similar  to the struggle of the  musician to find the right combination of rhythm, melody and text  to produce  an experience of  joy..

So  you  see  what the  musician produces and what the  scientist discovers   ultimately  turns out to be useful  to  society… 

‘Musical’  thoughts indeed!!

57.Any takers for Children’s Film?

In 2008,  inaugurating the Kerala State Children’s Educational Film Festival organized by the State Institute of Educational Technology (SIET), the then Minister for  Law and Parliamentary Affairs,   Sri.  M. Vijayakumar opined:  children should be taught film-making and film appreciation at the school level.

Years have passed  and  some schools  did  encourage their  students to make short films.

Now its  Film Festival fever in the capital city of Kerala!

Two film reviews caught my attention  this year:

1. Sebastian  Schipper ’s   thriller- Victoria, made in a single take.  Schipper is reported to have quoted a diary entry of Kafka that says: ‘Went to a cinema, cried’ believes that a film should be watched by the nervous system not the heart or brain.

2.Sean Baker’s  comedy drama Tangerine,  shot on an iPhone 5.

The film Festival   advisory committee Chairman Shaji N.Karun who  handpicked the films  for this year had this to say:  Films like Tangerine trigger an  eruption of technology in film making: “They do it with so much technical expertise and elevate the levels of film-making”.

Will  teachers  in Kerala take the cue   and consider  assisting  their  students  in  making  films with  their mobile phones?

56. From Equality to Quality

Hello All,

Most of the topics  on which  I have written  in this Blog are the direct outcome of  encounters with  unique thoughts either  triggered or suggested  through encounters with individuals, incidents  or  by watching TV or while reading. For the last couple of days I was busy getting  write-ups ready  for  posting in  a Blog  created exclusively for an International Conference  on Standards and Benchmarks for Excellence in Learning, Teaching and Research.

Please view     http://aiaerconference2015.blogspot.in/

One of the  invited  Plenary Speakers  for  the Conference, was      Dr. Achuth Sankar S. Nair, Professor and Head (in charge), Department of Bioinformatics, University of Kerala. The talk mode in which Dr.Sankar delivered his lecture  prompted me to post the notes  which I prepared while listening,  in this Blog…

Incidentally, I have had the opportunity of listening  to this  erudite but thoroughly unassuming gentleman-scholar, Dr. Achuth Sankar,  speak on several occasions. His unique ability to put across ideas which make us ponder on them,   I must admit, is simply superb! 

Dr. Sankar began his theme talk  lamenting our urge for ‘casual judgment’  when it comes to  assessing  Quality…. For instance,  there is great window dressing when the NAAC Peer Team visits  educational institutions  for  assessment.  It can  sometimes  reduce itself  to  our competing   with  a  neighbouring  institution. This was illustrated with a fine  local metaphor:

Sometimes  the coconut tree in your backyard may be  yielding  a crop of  five coconuts once in two months, while your  neighbour’s may be yielding only  three coconuts. You may be feeling elated at the fact  that  yours is a superior coconut tree compared to your neighbours… But throughout your life you would be oblivious of the fact that hardly 25 Kilometres away  from the place you live,  coconut trees  are yielding  25 coconuts  every two months!

Once Dr.Sankar had  asked the Principal of  the College of Engineering, Thiruvananthapuram, how good is the college? Well … the Principal stated…Its doing quite well….Last year the placement was 90% and this year it is 95%....  But Dr.Sankar knew for certain  that numbers do not reflect  Quality….because almost one  hundred percent of the Civil Engineering graduates of the college were recruited by  the IT industry where  the knowledge and expertise  they gained in the course about construction  of bridges and  skyscrapers  are never ever utilized!

Yet another  conveniently  ignored  aspect relates  to  campus   politics… Neither the University nor our  highly politically conscious student population have ever noticed the  following statistics of the University of Kerala :

85% of the  students studying  for different courses are women.

52% of the PhD’s   produced by the University are by women.

45% of the faculty of the University are women.

A vast majority of the staff of the Office of the University are women.

And 100% of the librarians  are women…

Yet for both College Union and University Union elections the Vice Chairperson seat is reserved exclusively for women!!

Dr.Sankar also pointed out the rather  primitive approach to treating cases of malpractice  in examinations…An erring student is  always perceived as a criminal while  proper counseling  would have been a more meaningful   option…

Spiced with humour, the  great Indian tradition  and the ‘Gurukula system’ came up  for scrutiny too,   during the talk:

*’Professor Sandipini’ used to take a noon nap,  resting his head on the thighs of his endearing student, Krishna while yet another amiable  student,  Kuchela would  be pressing the feet of the guru.

*’Professor Parusurama’  is reported to have  dismissed his exemplary  student  Karna for producing a false ‘upper caste’ certificate.

*’Professor Dronacharya’ had demanded the thumb of his brightest pupil, Ekalavya, because he had already decided  to award the first rank to his favourite   upper caste  student, Arjuna.

Imagine a modern day teacher emulating the great gurus of ancient times!...We  have to draw the best from our great tradition and adapt it to suit the present age…

In Kerala,  caste-based schools were started  decades ago, such that every community now  has  a school.  And today we have  58 lakh seats  for  a student population of 38 lakh…Yet the policy of  reservation of seats  continue….

It took  over three hundred years for a Black man to become the president of the United States….but in Kerala University,  it took only 40 years to give an opportunity  for representatives from different communities to hold several high level posts in the University. It is indeed admirable,  opined  Dr.Sankar…so shall we not  focus on Quality henceforth , instead of Equality!

Please feel free to offer your comments…