School education is the most important period in the life of a person. The age group represents rapid changes in the physiology of body including brain size. This might be causing simultaneous increase in memory capacity of brain to its maximum. There is intense vigor to learn providing best opportunity and ability to build intelligence.
Present formal education system has a focus on teaching or so called `spoon feeding’ and seems appropriate at this age group as self learning ability is not developed. The system engages the student in learning activity for major time of the day during this period.
This helps in understanding physical and social environment and introduces basic laws of science and cause-effect relationships developed by human knowledge. Study of languages, history, geography, science and mathematics develop the tools for building knowledge base. Examination also is based to test memory retention and naturally, memorization of subject content helps in automating fast response to questions without intervention of intelligence.
However, mind is inquisitive and starts comparing new knowledge with the stored rules of scientific reasoning . Grasping of any new knowledge now does not remain a simple process but child uses acquired new tools to examine its concurrence with stored information.
Child asks many weird questions which baffle grownups. What is gravity? Why we can’t fall down when earth rotates? How the plant grows? What is fire? And so on… Generally, elders don’t take trouble to explain the things and many a times even they do not know answers to many questions and try to pacify the child by implanting concept of god, who can do anything as he is the creator of universe. But the answer does not satisfy the child as it soon realizes that it is contrary to cause-effect theory. How one cause can be origin of many diverse effects?
One common remedy used is to nurture belief in all events whose reasons cannot be explored. But religion goes one step further. It advises that we should pray the almighty god for satisfaction of our wishes and devotion can raise capability of our consciousness to super-natural power and enable us to understand and change the universe. Devotion needs repetition of actions in the form of rituals which engage mind in emotional pleasure. This works well if students have built their memory through memorization. One biggest disadvantage of belief is that it thwarts the growth of intelligence and emotion becomes the sole guide of future actions.
But the students who are encouraged to find answers by further study or experimentation resist the acceptance of facts as acts of god and struggle to discover cause of effects. This mental struggle builds intelligence which attains power to control natural emotions.
Generally, the human behavior is greatly influenced by emotion rather than intelligence. But control of emotion by intelligence is necessary for proper and ethical personal behaviour.
Present formal education system has a focus on teaching or so called `spoon feeding’ and seems appropriate at this age group as self learning ability is not developed. The system engages the student in learning activity for major time of the day during this period.
This helps in understanding physical and social environment and introduces basic laws of science and cause-effect relationships developed by human knowledge. Study of languages, history, geography, science and mathematics develop the tools for building knowledge base. Examination also is based to test memory retention and naturally, memorization of subject content helps in automating fast response to questions without intervention of intelligence.
However, mind is inquisitive and starts comparing new knowledge with the stored rules of scientific reasoning . Grasping of any new knowledge now does not remain a simple process but child uses acquired new tools to examine its concurrence with stored information.
Child asks many weird questions which baffle grownups. What is gravity? Why we can’t fall down when earth rotates? How the plant grows? What is fire? And so on… Generally, elders don’t take trouble to explain the things and many a times even they do not know answers to many questions and try to pacify the child by implanting concept of god, who can do anything as he is the creator of universe. But the answer does not satisfy the child as it soon realizes that it is contrary to cause-effect theory. How one cause can be origin of many diverse effects?
One common remedy used is to nurture belief in all events whose reasons cannot be explored. But religion goes one step further. It advises that we should pray the almighty god for satisfaction of our wishes and devotion can raise capability of our consciousness to super-natural power and enable us to understand and change the universe. Devotion needs repetition of actions in the form of rituals which engage mind in emotional pleasure. This works well if students have built their memory through memorization. One biggest disadvantage of belief is that it thwarts the growth of intelligence and emotion becomes the sole guide of future actions.
Generally, the human behavior is greatly influenced by emotion rather than intelligence. But control of emotion by intelligence is necessary for proper and ethical personal behaviour.
No comments:
Post a Comment