A MATTER OF TEXTS AND TESTS

                       A  MATTER OF TEXTS AND TESTS

English is  a  funny language that does not follow any logic when it comes to pronunciation and spelling yet it is one language that has truly conquered the world. However much we denigrate the British for suppressing us and ruling over us for 200 years, this legacy that they left behind has given us a firm foothold in our foray  into world affairs. As  national boundaries  become obscure and ever widening thought and action take us into a global village, it is imperative for our ‘generationext’ to imbibe the nuances and intricacies of this world  language that unites  us. The thrust on English education has spread from the boundaries of schools to colleges and universities. Many professional institutes have included English for communication in the curriculum. So let us delve deep into this matter and analyze the merits and drawbacks of English language learning in our system.

                         No doubt,  the CBSE syllabus which  is graded and age appropriate is  the end product of much painstaking effort and revision  The lessons included in the literature reader of classes VIII, IX and X relate to the lives of our children and have much relevance and significance for them. The activities are also eminently  suitable. But when it comes to Classes XI and XII the same insight into the psyche of the growing child seems to be lacking in the selection of prose and poetry . The textbooks Hornbill and Snapshots of Class XI and Flamingo of Class XII have only a few lessons which may appeal to the imagination of teenagers. Fortunately a few uninspiring lessons such as The Landscape of the Soul, The Adventure, Silk Road, The Ghat of the Only World and Poets and Pancakes were deleted last year. While teaching these lessons I used to wonder whether they were picked and chosen to bore the learner. The old world philosophy that pedagogy is meant  to  instruct and not please the learner has  lost its relevance in the present world.  The aim of teaching literature should be to acquaint the students with the gems of literature, to bring them in contact with the masters who knew how to use the best words in the best order. Literature can humanize you, so the lessons should convey a message powerful enough to inspire students and contain words and language which may prompt them to read further and to experiment with language.

We have numerous poets and authors who are considered to be shining examples and geniuses of literature .For any recitation competition, our students hunt for  poems written by the  masters. When there is no dearth of marvellous poems written by famous poets, why do we prescribe insipid poems such as Childhood and The Voice of the Rain for Class XI students, as if they are the best samples of English literature ?. Instead of a small excerpt from Keats’s Endymion, why not include one of the odes? Should we not initiate  our students to the intricacies of language as in  Browning’s ‘ My Last Duchess’ or Tennyson’s  ‘Ulysses’? When their counterparts in ISC are learning original Shakespeare, Wordsworth, Shelley and Keats, shouldn’t we introduce a few specimens of classical English prose and poetry to our students in CBSE?

We could find a much better selection in the textbooks prescribed by CBSE many years back, namely, The Web of my Life and Guided Reading. The poignancy of the story of The Foghorn , the humour  in  The Judgement of Paris and the shock and heart break of Hiroshima appealed to the imagination of  young minds. But lessons  like Going Places or the Third Level ,can  only leave the students bewildered  and confused. Only in the supplementary Reader, ‘ Vistas’ could we find a few lessons  of a higher standard in keeping with the age of the learners.

Last year the CBSE introduced a long reading text in Class XII.  The choice of ‘The Hound of the Baskervilles’ was most laudable as the  story had all the ingredients which could immediately captivate the attention of young readers .Keeping in mind the stress and strain experienced by the students of Class XII who are plagued by various entrance tests  and coaching classes, we had  advised  the students of Class XI to buy the book during the vacation and read  thoroughly before classes begin for  the next session. Then like a bolt from the blue came the circular stating that the Long reading text has been changed. Instead of The Hound of the Baskervilles , we have to choose between The Invisible Man and Silas Marner. If the aim behind the introduction of  long reading text was to inculcate reading habit in children, ‘The Hound of the Baskervilles ‘was the best choice. But the decision to replace  such a gripping tale by  uninspiring ones after just one year smacks of a hasty decision taken  without much thought. Sufficient   time should have been given for the students and the teachers to air their views and   the decision to change the text book could have come after a couple of years.

The writing skills are the most appropriate and useful part of the CBSE syllabus. Mastery of writing items such as letters, speech, debate, notice, advertisement, report and the like would surely give the students the much needed practice and preparation for their future life. But with all other aspects of the syllabus such as ASL, PSA , the long reading text, the main and the supplementary readers, only limited time can be spared for the practice of these items in class. The decision to introduce ASL in Class XI and IX was a wise one, even though the exercise is time consuming. But PSA is a cause for anxiety for parents and students. It would be advisable to base the questions  in  Language Conventions on the exercises taught and done in  these class .Some kind of coaching should be given for PSA in order to alleviate the anxiety of parents and children. Open text Book Assessment is also a laudable step but it prolongs the exam by another half an hour. This has given rise to much criticism and resentment  as  young children  are made to sit and write for nearly four hours at a stretch  resulting in  much  physical discomfort and mental  fatigue. Why not delete comprehension passage and include OTBA? Limiting the question paper to 3 hours would certainly reduce the burden of our students.

Let me be pardoned for digression when I state that one aspect of the ICSE-ISC syllabus has appealed to me much. Needless to say ISC English is tough- original Shakespeare and the classics in poetry and prose are taught at the High school and Higher secondary levels. But the syllabus is stretched over a period of 2 years  and there are plenty of choices in the question paper so that not much strain is felt by the teacher or the learner.

Another matter of grave concern for the teacher of English is that the short forms used in SMS and e mails have crept into the literary language. No one can deny that short forms are necessary to express matters in limited space. But the same short forms tend to creep into the note books and exam papers since the younger generation is adept at taking such liberties with language. Besides many of them feel that it is prudish to insist upon writing ‘ you’ and ‘ between’ when u and b/w can do the trick .As evolution takes place over the years we can expect many such changes in the world language . Recently I read that the comma which has become obsolete in its use may disappear from the language. The humble apostrophe was culled from street signs in Britain much to the chagrin of the Apostrophe Protection Society  there.  The age is not far when we may do away with capital letters and punctuations altogether. Perhaps many languages will merge to evolve a world language which may be easy to use and learn and may appeal to all nations and all people. Let us forge ahead into that heaven of unity and liberty, of one world and one language.

Submitted by

Shailaja Chandran, Vice Principal, St. Thomas Cent

REBECCA

                   REBECCA BY DAPHNE DU MAURIER-  A REVIEW

Rebecca, the classical novel written by Daphne du Maurier has been hailed as a brilliant novel of an unforgettable wife. Written before the second world war, Rebecca  has been in the best seller list  ever since it was published in September 1938 by Doubleday and Company Inc. The simple cover page depicting a red carpeted staircase and two characters does not give us an inkling of  the world of paranoia that opens up before us as we turn the pages.

     The Rebecca of the title is dead, presumably killed in a sailing accident . Her millionaire husband, Maxmillian de Winter , the debonair, courteous gentleman  with perfect manners makes a deep impression upon the naïve young girl who is the narrator of the tale. Everything is seen and reported from the point of view of  this girl, the diffident, nervous and unusually sensitive second wife of Maxim, whose name is not revealed till the end, much to the chagrin of the reader.

    After a hasty marriage, the de Winters return to Maxim’s country estate, Manderley. ‘We came to Manderley in early May’, says the narrator, ‘arriving ,so Maxim said, with the first swallows and  the bluebells’. The powerful language of Daphne de Maurier gives us an entrancing description of the wonders of the picturesque countryside villa with the valley of azaleas and the blood red rhododendrons in full bloom. Manderley is described as  a thing of grace and beauty, exquisite and faultless, built in its hollow of smooth grassland and mossy lawns, with its terraces sloping to the garden and the garden to the sea. Manderley is  flanked by a wall of blood red rhododendrons which  startles the narrator by their crimson faces, massed one upon the other in incredible profusion, showing no leaf, no twig, nothing but the slaughterous red, luscious and fantastic.

       The fabulous country and the palatial mansion leads  the young bride  to believe that she has married above her station. She is unnerved by the belief that she is no match to Maxim’s first wife, the seemingly perfect former mistress of the house. The spirit of the capricious, vivacious Rebecca seems to haunt the house. Soon we are plunged into the mystery of the mansion, ridden by intrigue. A gallery of characters opens before our eyes, the most prominent of them being Mrs. Danvers, the governess, tall and gaunt, dressed in deep black, with prominent cheek bones and  hollow eyes which gives her parchment white face, the look of a skull.  She keeps the house and the staff under her thumb with meticulous care. There is instant hostility between the governess and the new Mrs. De Winter. Gradually, through the frightful eyes of the narrator, who explores and unravels the mystery of Manderley, we come to know of Rebecca as she really was. We realize with horror the power she holds over Manderley even in death. As the diffident, shy second wife explores the new house and the surroundings, we discover, along with her, a tale of deceit, disloyalty, adultery and murder.

    Rebecca is not the tale of the eponymous first wife, it is the tale of Maxim’s second wife who gains courage and grace and rises in esteem and stature  before our eyes . It is the story of Manderley. It is an unforgettable experience set in a mysterious . palatial mansion which ultimately goes up in flames .

     Daphne de Maurier enchants us with the power of her language and holds us spell bound from the beginning to the end. Rebecca is a revelation, it is a shattering experience , it is a magical spell that binds us in mystery and suspense from the very first word. It is a must read for every book lover. Don’t miss it.

            

future ready schools

FUTURE READY SCHOOLS

Introduction

       Technology has brought about a quantum change in the way people think, perceive and live. In the twenty first century most of the activities of our everyday lives are centred on the computer. Technology has invaded every aspect of our lives. The computer or the lap top is a must in every house hold and every establishment and is considered to be a pre requisite to improve the quality of life of the modern man. The pace of life has also changed tremendously. We are grappling with the age of speed. Methods and techniques which are considered new today may be considered outdated tomorrow. Technology has eliminated distance so that we are all citizens of a global village now. ‘Narrow domestic walls’ may have relevance today but may not be the case in future. The younger generation may need skills and competence to adapt to world conditions  and should stay ahead of the changes taking place in the world if it does not want to be left behind. Under these circumstances, future ready schools which impart training and skills suitable for the twenty first century will help the students adapt themselves  to the modern situation.

The schools of the past, the present and the future

            Most of the schools in India still have the traditional-model classroom with a black board and benches and desks arranged in front of it for the students to sit. The teacher stands in front of the class, lecturing and illustrating with the help of the black board and chalk. Traditional methods of teaching and learning cannot ensure the participation of every student. In a class of forty, if thirty are attentive, at least ten may be distracted, uninterested or bored. Besides, much depends upon the teacher. A lively, active teacher with a sense of humour may be able to capture the attention of most of the students but all teachers may not be equally good and competent. Lack of good communication skills, lack of knowledge, inadequate voice modulation and lack of resources may hamper teaching, rendering the class monotonous and boring. The student may feel disoriented and distracted, paving the way for poor performance in the exam and poor self esteem in life. Besides, the exam system of the day is  geared to test the student’s capacity to mug up lessons. In the absence of application type questions, the student who spends long hours to memorize lessons is found to fare well in exams while his counterpart who is adept at applying his knowledge to practical life situations may not score well. We know from the example of Albert Einstein that brain power cannot be measured by the way a person memorizes lessons.

        New times call for new methods. The current model of education was designed for an age that has passed by. What was good for the past may not be good enough for the future. Of course school life has much that is nostalgic and endearing for most of us. The pleasure  of learning ,enhanced by  the bonding with the teachers, the loyalty of friends and the  thrill of competitions are aspects of school life which every student cherishes for life. But apart from these positive characteristics, the student of the new age also needs education that prepares him to face the challenges of the modern age in terms of its working conditions, competitive nature, fulfilment of targets, time bound deadlines  etc. The thinking individuals of the world have understood the need to make the younger generation ready to face the challenges of the world. That is why we have future ready schools functioning in different parts of the world and growing in popularity rapidly as the days go by. That is why this topic has come up for discussion and debate today.

  The present age is fuelled by innovation and creativity. Everywhere technology is modifying our way of thinking. In railway stations and bus stands, we check the schedules and book tickets on line. We do e- banking and on line shopping.  Accordingly the education practices also should change to cater to the needs of the times. The modern school of the twenty first century should sport a new look with technology holding centre stage and techno savvy teachers and students transforming the teaching- learning process. Every classroom should have  a computer, projector and LCD screen,MP3 player and such other gadgets which can make teaching and learning easier and more interesting. There are new age schools which have gone to the extent of procuring i pads, i pods and e books for the students to work with. While in India, we have banned mobile phones in many schools, we should realize how much more advanced the students in other countries are bound to be when they get opportunities to use modern gadgets on a daily basis in their schools. It is imperative for us to create a new digital learning environment using new learning methods and  assessment methods  so as to bring about an organizational transformation in our schools.

       Such a sea change cannot take place over night. It should take place in a phased manner. Teachers should be trained to handle technology and also innovate new methods to incorporate technology into their teaching. Trainers and technology experts should be employed to assist the teachers in their work. Training sessions should be organized to keep the teachers up to date in technology use and in the methodology of disseminating knowledge.

       It should be kept in mind that there is bound to be resistance to the introduction of technology on a daily basis in the school environment at least from some quarters. Parents and teachers are bound to be apprehensive of the misuse and abuse of modern gadgets by the youngsters. The young mind looks for pleasure first. There is a chance for the explosion of technical know how to be misused. It was the misuse of electronic gadgets by a few students that forced some schools and the government to ban the use of mobiles and other electronic gadgets in schools. So there should be constant supervision and alertness on the part of the teacher to ensure that the exposure to sophisticated gadgets is not misused by the students.

Future Ready Schools of the world

v     A search for Future Ready Schools in the search engine Google brought some interesting news about the mind boggling transformation taking place in the schools in some parts of the world .Coppell New Tech High School, Texas, regarded as model school, is a case in point. In the words of Jeff Turner, the Superintendent from Coppell ISD, the brain behind this transformation, ‘Change takes courage. We must find that courage.’  This man with a vision spent money wisely to buy i pads, i pods, Mac books and Smart boards. In his school, children sit in pairs around i pads using free app discovered by the school’s own teacher. As Turner observes, ‘They take learning to a different level.. It all ties back to real life learning.’

      ( Ref: Student Centred Schools, Future Ready Schools- Amazon S3)

v     Cynthia Alaniz of Denton Creek Elementary School uses the blog to build a classroom community. She communicates with parents, promotes literacy, develops writing skills and enhances content knowledge. Here students compose songs, add tunes and even effects using various apps available in their I pod touch . Needless to say that learning is fun for the students of this school.( Ref: Student Centred Schools, Future Ready Schools- Amazon S3)

v     The guiding mission of North Carolina State Board of Education is that every Public School student will graduate from high school, globally competitive for work and post secondary education and prepared for life in the 21^st century.( Ref: Biennial Report, State Board of Education, North Carolina)

The right ground for learning

      It is clear that when children are given a chance to apply knowledge and use technology to create and innovate, interest is kindled and excitement is generated. This is the right ground for  learning to  take place. In such a context, learning will not be something thrust upon the student but something that he takes up because he finds it interesting and exciting. For such a transformation to take place, we need immense resources. We need good teachers who are willing to work hard , take up new challenges and learn new methods. Learning will be more personalized and the student has to take up the responsibility for his own learning.

The CBSE initiative

It is heartening to see that the CBSE has taken the initiative to bring about many reforms and improvement in the system of education. There is constant revision in the syllabus to ensure that the students are kept in touch with the latest issues and trends  prevailing  in the world. The CCE system,  work centred education, introduction of long reading text to inculcate reading habit, PSA, deletion of chapters which have no relevance to the modern context, competitions and exhibitions are some of the methods by which CBSE is keeping abreast of the times. The emphasis on gender sensitization goes to prove that the powers that be are aware of the key areas in society which lie steeped in dogma and bias. Accreditation is introduced to ensure quality in the schools affiliated to CBSE. The establishment of International schools will ensure international standards in education.

    Yet there is much more to be done. The Indian society has many grey areas which need complete renovation. The caste system that plagues our society is one of the major reasons for its backwardness. However much we progress and modernise our system, vast sections of our society lie submerged in age old practices that speak volumes for our ignorance, prejudices and narrow mindedness. It is the duty of the educationists to bring about reforms that can produce winds of change in society. While we boast of being a secular state how far do we practise secularism? Even though the reservation system had started for a good cause, it is high time to put an end to this evil practice that is splitting our society and people into different segments and compartments.  Our leaders and netas nurture separatist tendencies that divide society, merely for personal gains. It is the duty of the educational reformers to take bold strides and put an end to practices that are pulling the nation backwards. How can we envisage a global village when in our own country we are erecting walls rather than demolishing them? More than modern gadgets and sophisticated machinery, reforms to bring about a change in the vision of the people should be the priority of the future ready schools in our country.

Conclusion-  The dream of a perfect world.

       Just like Martin Luther King, I too have a dream. I have a dream in which every Indian will stand shoulder to shoulder with his/her counterparts in the world to find solutions to the problems that plague the world. I have a dream in which the Indian society , devoid of superstition, dogma and bias will be one of the finest work places in the world. I have a dream in which the application forms for admission and jobs do not contain columns that state community, caste or creed. In my dream, the leaders , educationists and scientists will work with ‘one aim and one business’ for the betterment of the society. In my dream, the world leaders will put their hearts and heads together to find solutions to pollution and global warming  rather than to devise ways to enlarge the weapon stockpiles of their nations.

    If all our dreams are to come true, we need intellectuals who can rise above silly dogma and stigma and work for the common good. We need future ready schools in the Indian context which can mould individuals with civic sense and social responsibility. Sophisticated gadgets and new age techniques alone cannot guarantee quality in the future generation. We need a mechanism which can weed out all these evil practices and modernise our society . Let our younger generation grow up without the bias of caste and creed. Let our future ready schools carve out youngsters who are willing to utilize their time and energy to renovate and reform society.  At present we have political parties that are waiting to organize rallies and hartals whether there is a cause or not. They strike work and force educational institutions to shut down, abusing the powerful tool  invented by our Mahatma to win freedom by non violent means. Apart from the havoc caused  by nature which force schools to close, we have such man made disasters preventing our younger generation from doing honest hard work and transforming them into a pack of holiday lovers willing to shirk work. A powerful educational body alone can extricate the present generation from the clutches of such harmful elements. Instead of rallies, bandhs and strikes, let our younger generation practise the ideals of hard work, commitment and dedication to make our country a better place to live in. Let our future ready schools mould not only scientists and engineers but also leaders and statesmen with vision who can lift the country up from the abyss of poverty , superstition and communalism and lead it forward to a bright future. Let us hope that the young Indians of tomorrow will have the pleasure of living  in a modern society  where they can  use modern equipment to imbibe knowledge the modern way. Into that modern heaven of learning, let my country awake..

-Shailaja Chandran, Vice Principal, St. Thomas Central School, Mukkolakkal, Trivandrum