Naupang Lai Lam Kivat Loute (Children with Learning Difficulty)

Dr. David Vumlallian Zou

Nu-le-paten atate uh abawn ua skul kai a laisiam ding un a dei ua, zong a lamen uhi. Hinanleh naupang zousia lam lam ah kivat lou a, khenkhat bang in laisim hamsatna (learning difficulty) chi tuamtuam nei uhi. Tamite hamsatnate Sapham in chi ni in kikhen hi. Khatna ah, specific learning difficulty kichi, hamsatna bihiah nei um hi. Anina ah, general learning difficulty – hamsatna vantang zong um thei hi.

Naupang khenkhat pilmo lou, a khangualte bang a zong navah thou, ahivang lai siam thei lou mi um hi. Hichibang mite lai lam a akivat louna ziah uh hamsatna bihiah (specific learning difficulty) anei ziah uh hithei hi. Tun tami hamsatna bihiah chite i tahlang ding hi.

Laisim leh Laigelh Hamsatna – “Dyslexia” – Nei Naupang

Sapham a dyslexia pen Zokam in lehkhiat lei, “laisim hamsa sahna” chi thei ahi. Hinanleh laigelh hamsa sahna zong akoh pha thou hi. Naupang dyslexia nei-te a khangualte sang un zong ham kisin ha zoh uhi. Atangpi in numei sang in pasal naupang dyslexia nei tam zaw hi. Skul kai zong aneu ua pat kiphin ut deu ding ua, laimal A B C zong a gelh theina din hun sawt luut deu sese ding hi. A khangualte uh thei teng thei nan uleh, dyslexia neu naupang-ten sil khat poupou a theisiamna ding un hun luut hi. Asim tho ding leh gelh tho ding khat poupou a huphul uhi. Lai thei hamsa kawm a azilte uh zong, azat gige lou uleh, bailam tah in a manghil paipai uhi. Exam-na ah zong a theina bang in lai a gelh thei sih ua, a result uh midang a sang in hoi lou zaw gige ding hi. Tami bang hamsatna nei naupang-te aneu apat a nu-le-pate ban ah oja ten teaching method tuam deu a lai ahil lou uleh, a khangual teng un makhel ding ua, atawp ah naupang in kingaisiatna lianpi nei thei ding uhi. Dyslexia nei naupang-ten a veilam huahbu (brain) zang siam lou ua, a pianken ua a siltan uh ahi. Hinanleh a ziat lam huahbu uh – khovel a siltha leh ngaidan tha teng kipatna – pen midang asang in hoizaw hi. Tami ziah tah a khovel a scientist minthang Albert Einstein leh Thomas Edison chite lawi in zong aneu lai ua dyslexia ana nei uh ahi.

Dyslexia nei naupang-ten a khangual nua aphah lou vang un, a “talent” kiphual uh ahing kihon khah vanglah leh mi tung ah leeng zel uhi. Tami mite anaupang lai sang un a pichin nua chiang un alungsim uh kihong nuam zaw hi. Tualeh dyslexia neu naupangte’n laiteng leh laimal sang in aw-ging leh milim apat sil thei nop sa zoh uhi. Thu aban ban a, aneng neng a i gen leh theisiam lou ua, hinanleh a pumpi a tangthu pumpi kizopna i gen masat leh khat vei thu in thei pai ngal uhi. Laiteng leh laimal apat bang ma hisapna anei thei sih ua, hinanleh laibu sung a thu umte milim leh diagram dan a kikhen thei leh theisiam pai uhi. Tami ziah in dyslexia nei naupangte pen Visual Spatial Learner (VSL) zong kichi thei zel hi. Thuteng leh laimal apat VSL ten bang ma athei lou ziah un, map, diagram, milim, clay model, audio-visual leh hilchetna (illustration) tuamtuam toh tambang a dyslexia nei naupangte laihil ding ahi zaw uhi.

Tuaziah in dyslexia nei naupang-te i panpi theina dia tambang naupang-te suikhiat masat a, theikhiat masat poimo hi. Oja-ten zong tam bang naupang-te a theisiam deu ngai ding hi. Tualeh Sapgam ah dyslexia nei naupang-te adin exam chiang in Reader-Writer Assistance kibawl sah hi. Tami umdan pen, dyslexia nei naupang-te adin exam atuam deu in kibawl a, a laigelh Writing Assistant ding uh midang khat kiguang zel hi.

Kelthan Vei Bang a Umhelna – Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)

- a high level of physical activity

- restlessness and fidgetiness when made to sit still

- difficulty remaining seated for any length of time

- a short attention span for most classroom activities

- difficulty persisting with written tasks independently

- distractibility

- impulsively disruptive classroom behavior, eg. calling out or being silly

- low boredom threshold

It is likely that a child who consistently and persistently manifests such behaviors has a particular personal style which has come to be known as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). It's a moot point whether this particular pattern of behaviors should be called a "disorder", but there can be no doubt that children with ADHD cause problems for themselves and their teachers in the classroom.

It is obvious that children who are restless, fidgety, inattentive, distractible, and fail to complete tasks, are unlikely to be working to their potential, and will require appropriate behavior management techniques in order to do so. However, it is an unfortunate fact that a significant number of ADHD children suffer the double blow of also being dyslexic, which makes it very difficult for them to meet the behavioral and learning expectations of their teachers.

Stimulant medication (e.g. ritalin) has been shown to be very effective in treating the behavioral symptoms of ADHD such as restlessness, distractibility, and impulsiveness, but it cannot help with associated dyslexia, other than to provide children with the opportunity to focus better on their learning.

The terms ADHD and ADD are often used interchangeably, but they are in fact two recognizably different conditions. Children who have attention deficit disorder without hyperactivity, i.e. ADD, tend to be vague, daydreamy, distractible, forgetful, somewhat restless, and have difficulty following instructions. They are not hyperactive and not intrusively disruptive like children with ADHD, but require extra input and patience from their teachers to help them follow instructions and remain on task. Children with ADD need monitoring to ensure that they have taken instructions on board accurately, may also need written prompts and reminders, and can benefit from having tasks broken into chunks to help with task completion.

References

Carr, A. (ed.) (2000) 'What Works with Children and Adolescents?', A Critical Review of Psychological Interventions with Children, Adolescents and their Families. London: Brunner-Routledge.

Rutter, M. & Taylor, E. (eds) (2002) Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (4th edn). London: Blackwell.

Scott, A., Shaw, M. & Joughin, C. (2001) 'Finding the Evidence' - A Gateway to the Literature in Child and Adolescent Mental Health (2nd edn). London: Gaskell.

Buddy Reading (Gual toh Laisim)

Naupang in naupang laihil thei

“Teaching is mostly listening and learning is mostly telling” - Deborah Meier

David Vumlallian Zou

Queen’s University Belfast, UK

Abstract: Lai zildan lampi hoi pen ahileh midante hil sawn ahi. Tuaziah in sangnaupangte zong naupang laihih (peer teaching) a zat ding poimo hi. Lai hiltu ading mai hilou in, a ngaikhe-tu adin zong phatuamna tampi tun hi. Training gina tah a kipiahleh, pichingte sang in naupang leh naupang laikihil loching zaw hi. Tami naupang upa deu ten amau sang a neu zawte lai ahilna pen Buddy Reading (peer teaching) kichi hi. Tami lai hildan a lochinna din kisahkholna leh etzuina nasep tampi kisam hi. Skul oja, Sunde Skul oja, naupang enkol nu-le-pate leh naupang psychology a lunglutna nei mite sim din tami laigelh ka hing luikhia hi.

Keywords: Peer tutor, mini-lesson, debriefing, logbook, observer, master tutor

AMERICAN PASAL NAUPANG Gregory kichi class V sim khat a um a, ama’n a khangualte pha zou lou a, class ah thumang lou in buaina a bawl gige hi. A class pumpi in lai bailam tah a asim theite na ngawn Gregory in a sim thei sih hi. Class V ahivang in, a theina leh “reading level” pen class II te a toh kibang giap hi. A oja-pi Gail in tami naupang a lungkham pi mama a, class II a pawl niamkiah suh ding lah sil hamsa ahia, Gregory kimuanna (self-respect) nahpi a suse zel ding hi. Tuaziah in a oja-pi in tami naupang Gregory panpina ding in laihildan method tha khat ahing pan khia a, tami pen “Buddy Reading”, ahilouleh khangualte toh laisim khawm, china ahi. Oja-pi Grail in naupangpa class II ah Tutor din a chial a, amau gel in class II naupang neute laisimdan ding a hil khawm uhi. Hapta kaal ni sung tan in, naupang Gregory pen class II te Tutor (oja) a pan ding athanuam mama a, laisim zong a lunglut deu hi. Hinanleh tomkhat zou in, tami Tutor dia a kichialna pen a laisiam lou ziah a gawtna chi khat hidin ahing ginglel ta a, ahing kiphin kia ta hi. Tuaziah in a oja-pi Gail in class V naupang Gregory khangual dangte zong class II te Tutor din a kopkop in a guanggal ta hi. Tami class V naupang upa zaw ten class II naupang neute lai simdan a hil pen “cross-age teaching”, ahilouleh Buddy Reading kichi hi.

Tami laihildan method pen nasatah in ahing loching a, class V leh class II naupangte adia theina kipiahsawmna (exchange) thupi tah ahing suah hi. Class II naupang neu ten a Tutor (oja) te uh zong amau bang a laisim dan leh gelhdan siam nai lou ahilam thei lou in, a tung ua mi chin a zatat ua, a muang mama bilbel uhi. Tualeh class V naupangte zong a tamzaw laisim thasia ngen hinanleh, Tutor a apan ua pat, amau theina kihawmtho in, Buddy Reading adin laisim ahing ngaikho mama uhi. Kal teng in Buddy Reading khat vei a um zel a, class II naupang neu leh class V Tutor ten tami ni hing tun ding a ngahla thei mama uhi. Tualeh oja-pi Gail leh class II te oja-pi Mary adin zong tami Buddy Reading pen laihildan method tha leh khutlai poimo pen ahing suah uhi. Nidang in aw sang pipi a kikou in naupangte lai a hil uh, koima a mimal in a buaipi man sih uhi. Buddy Reading apat ua pat, oja-pi Gail leh Mary ten laihilna lam a mopuahna (role) tha ahing nei uhi. Oja maimai ahi non sih ua, naupangte laisimna a panpitu leh tawldan tah a enkaitu (observer) ahing suah uhi. Hinanleh tami Buddy Reading lochinna enton skul tampi in a pichin sua zel sih uhi. Tuaziah in tami laihildan method kichian sem in sui lei dei huai hi.

1. Laihil Masang a Kisahkholna (Before Buddy Reading)

Jesu in mipi gilkial 5000 vahna din van apat tanghou hing kesuh din a ngen sih a, naupang khat in a neisa nga leh sangpheng tawm nou khat khu a supung hi. Buddy Reading in zong a um lou pi khat ngen lou a, a umsa naupangte talent suhpung sawm zaw hi. Tami method in naupangte nga leh tanghou suhpung sawm hi. Dennie Broggs in hichin agen a, “Every community has people and resources untapped for learning” (1998: 85). Mihing teen khawmna mun teng ah, zat lou a kidap koi mi manpha leh siamna-pilna um gige hi.

Buddy Reading patna din amasa in naupangte kung ah tami ngaidan (concept) hilchet masat ngai hi. Atangpi in naupangte kilawp zel ua, pat pai ding hing ut maithei uhi. Hinanleh kisahkholna hoitah um lou a Buddy Reading kipan ten sawt dai lou uhi. Naupang oja (peer tutor) ding te training nasa tah a piah masat poimo hi. Tualeh Tutor in lai a hil ding naupangte (tutees) adin zong kisahkholna hun bang tan ama um leh hoi sese hi. Etsahna din Tutor ding class VI naupangte kung ah, “Class II na hilai uh hisap kia un, na student ding te uh buaina hilchet sawm un” chia theisiamna leh thuahzawna aneina ding a hanthawn poimo hi. Tami pen Sensitivity Training zong kichi hi. Naupang class kinai seng (eg. class IV leh class VI) Buddy Reading a kop khawm (pairing) lou ding ahi. A theina uh a kinai seng leh kidemna (competition) um thei a, tami pen dei huai lou hi.

Tutor training hun sung ah, Buddy Reading chiang a hamsatna a tuah dingte uh maleep (anticipate) ngai a, tualeh a suhveng ding dan zong a mavang a kikup thei pai ahi. Atangpi in a student (tutee) ding te un, Tutor-te laisim ngaisah lou thei uhi. Tami ziah in a student-te lunglutna laibu teel (select) ding kisam hi. Buddy Reading pen skul text-bu sese sim ding china hilou a, naupangte lunglutna zil a text-bu suh lamdang ding ahi zaw hi. Apoimo pen ahileh a text-bu uh thei ding hilou in, ham-le-pau zatdan leh gelhdan (adiah a English) a thei ding uleh, lunglutna huaplian zawsem ahing nei ding uh deina ahi pen hi. Atangpi in milim tuang tangthu bute khel a naupang laihilna dia vanzat hoi um lou hi.

Kisahkholna training teng zaw siang ahi chiang in, Buddy Reading class masa pen kipan thei ta ding hi. Tami class kipatma deu in, minute 15 vel Tutor te toukhawmna um zual ding a, tami pen “Mini-lesson” kichi hi. Class kipatna deu in oja (adult teacher) ten hanthawnna thu sau lou gen in, class sung a tutor in a student (tutee) lai a hildan ding limchiin (role play) a bawl ding uhi. Limchiin a et zou chiang un, tami pansan in tutor ten a ngaidan uh a sung khawm ding uhi. Etsahna din, Lucy, Thangpu leh Chingnu chite class VI sim, Peer Tutor dia ha khat training bawl zou ahi ta uhi. Tuni class II te kung a Buddy Reading a oja ding ahi uhi. Class kipat masang deu in, Sir James in amau teng minute 15 a kimupi zual a, Mini-lesson anei pi hi. Lucy pen class II naupang neu dan a kingai sun in, Chingnu a tutor dan deu in limchiin (role play) na anei uhi. Chingnu in English tangthu milim bu a kisun, The Tempest a tawi a, Lucy ngai din a sim hi.

Chingnu: Tami The Tempest ahileh Shakespeare tangthu apat atheinop dia hing kigelh sawn ahia, tangthu ngai nuam huai mama ahi.

Lucy: Laibu kawm tuam a dawi lim [Caliban] tuang pen bang china ahiai?

Chingnu: Dawi lim chi sih ve, Caliban lim a ve le.

Lucy: Caliban bang china lah?

Chingnu: Ngai aw, a tangthu hing sim vang e … ngai ve!

Lucy: Caiban bang china ahiai, maw?

Chingnu: A violent storm was raging over the island … Over a beach not far from the mouth of his cave, stood Prospero the magician, his black robes flapping in the wind …

Lucy: Tami puanvom silpa koi ahiai?

Chingnu: Hoitah in ngai ve!

[Lucy in a pencil muh a keitan a, a laibu khat tual ah a kesah a, tuami tawm din a kuun suh hi].

Chingnu: Kichai vawt chia, lawm! Nang tangthu ngai nuam lou maw?

Lucy: Ka lutang na, tawp tai.

Tami role play zou in, Sir James in, “Bang dia Chingnu leh Lucy in Buddy Reading thasiat huai asah uh ahiai?” chin a dong hi.

Thangpu: Chingnu in a laibu teel (select) pen class II te adia sang seng ahi. Tualeh Chingnu in Lucy dotnate a ngaisah sih a, class II level adin a thuteng maimai sim sang a, milim apat naupang lunglutna suhkuang ding poimo zaw hi.

Tami Mini-lesson zou in St. James in Buddy Reading hun chiangta chi’n agen hi. Chingnu, Lucy, Tangpu leh tutor dangte zong class II te kung a laisim dan hil din a kuan ta uhi. Lucy leh Chingnu in class II naupangte umdan ding hisapna kichian nei ua, role play a bawl ziah un, naupang lungsim theisiamna lian zaw anei uhi.

2. Laihil Sung a Zil Belapna (During Buddy Reading)

Buddy Reading hun sung in class VI-te oja Sir James in tutor leh class II naupang a kopkop a lai kihilte umdan a ensuah a, hamsatna neite a mun ah apanpi hi. Sir James pen naupang enkol (controller) ahi non sih a, naupangte umdan enkhetu (observer) ahing suah ta hi. Aman Note bu khat ah a sil mute awl a kikup ding in a chiamte a, naupang umdan leh lungsim a theina a kibelap deudeu hi. Tualeh Sir Sharma zong class II te oja ahia, Sir James toh a kithuzah zing uhi.

Tutor khenkhat in milim bu zang in class II naupangte lunglutna minute 30 tan bang bailam tah in capture zou uhi. Tangthu a mi tuamtuam (character) aw-suah ding zong a tuamtuam in bawl thei uhi. Tuaziah in naupangte ihmut suah lou a, a mit uh bem kilkel hi. Hinanleh a ning a tutor khat in ama zah khop in tangthu bu a kisim a, a student pen in zong window pulam a enen hi. Buddy Reading hun sung a sil um tengteng Sir James leh Sir Sharma in Observers ahi dung zui un a chiamte ua, a poimo dung zui in tutor-te panpina apia uhi.

Tualeh tutor ten zong Buddy Reading a zoh chiang un, a experience te uh “Logbook” kichi note book sung khat ah a gelh lut zel uhi. Tami “Logbook” te pen Sir James leh Sir Sharma in kaal teng in a sim gige uhi. Tami ahileh Lucy in Buddy Reading a bawl masat nia a “Log entry” ahi:

“Buddy Reading nop kasa mama hi. Ka student nu zong ka tangthu gen pen milim toh kituah ahiziah in lunglut huai asa hi. Minute 30 sung maimai hun ka nei ziah un, aban ah sutzom din ka koi uhi. Ka student nu’n English thuteng khatkhat a thei pan a, ama ngen in tangthu a sim thei nai sih hi”.

Atangpi in “Logbook” ten abul a tutor te thanopdan a gen ua, ha ni ha thum ahizou chiang in buaina khenkhat a hing nei uhi. Hinanleh tutor ten buaina a tuahte uh “Mini-lesson” ban ah, laihil zou chiang a kimutuahna “Debriefing” tungtawn in kisuveng zel hi. Kaal ni zou in Lucy in a “Logbook” ah hichin a gelh hi:

“Tuni ka Buddy Reading uh nidang abang sih hi. Ka student nu’n a mit a nuainuai a, lunglutna nei non lou hileh a kilawm hi. Bang laibu kisim sah leh a hoi diai chi ngaidan bangma ka nei het sih”.

Tutor te abul in kilawp ua, tomkhat zou chiang in a kilawpna uh hing bei hi. Tami hun chiang in a student-te mona ngen a mu uhi. Hinanleh kum khat vel experience anei zou chiang in tutor-te “Logbook” leh Sir James observation Notes gelhdan hing kibang deudeu hi. Asawt chiang in, tutor-te “Logbook” in naupang lungsim leh psychology theina thuh sem a tahlang hi.

3. Laihil Nua Et-thana (After Buddy Reading)

Tutor ten Buddy Reading abawl zou un, Sir James in a kimupi pai ngai a, tami pen “Debriefing Session” kichi hi. Lai kihil sung a sil a mute Sir James in tami Debriefing hun ah ahing pawlut hi. Tualeh laihil sung a tutor ten hamsatna atuah tengteng uh zong a kikum uhi. Atangpi in class II student ten laisim a ngaisah loudan uh tutor tampi in agen uhi. Amau ngei in zong Buddy Reading kipatma a laisim a ngaisah loudan uh a manghil man ta uhi. Etsahna din, Thangpu bang Buddy Reading kipatma in laisim thase pi khat ahia, hinanleh Tutor Training a lah apat a umdan ahing kiheng hi. Anu-le-pa ten zong lamdang asa zou hial uhi. Kholai avah chiang in, “Thai chiang a class II te tutor dia Sir James in hing sep in chin, ka ki prepare ngai ding hi ve aw, na pei phot vang e!” bang achi hi. Tutor ahina in ama leh ama ki-etdan tha leh kimuanna tha apia a, tami ziah tah in class VI a a-laibute zong nidang sang in a sim tam zaw hi.

Debriefing Session chiang in zong, Sir James in tutor ten hamsatna a tuahte uh limchiin (role play) a bawl sah a, tami tung tawn in kikupna leh a suhvengna din lampi a genkhawm uhi. Sir James in, “Ahileh tuni na class lah uh bang chi nasa uai, hing gen chiat di uleh, guai?” chin a dong hi. Ahithei liai leh, Buddy Reading hun sung a tape recorder ahilouleh video recording zat a, Debriefing hun chiang a tutor-ten etsah kia ding a dei huai hi.

Debriefing hun a tutor ten hamsatna agente Sir James in a chiamte a, Sir Sharma toh a kikum khawm zel uhi. Tami hamsatna suhveng na ding pen a Tutor te mama in zong Mini-lesson hun chiang in ngaidan tha hing pawlut thei zel uhi. Sil i experience sate nua-et kia theina leh maban a pandan tha ding hisap theina pen sil manpha mama ahi. Khatveivei a tutor te pen class II naupangte dinmun a kikoi chiang un, ngaidan tha anei thei zel uhi: tami pen “Role Reversal” kichi hi.

4. Laihildan Sutzomna (Maintaining Buddy Reading)

Kum khat kum ni zou in class II naupang neute zong hing piching deudeu ua,a tutor te utoh a theina uh hing kinai deudeu ta hi. Hunchih khat in tutor zong kisam non lou ua, Lucy, Thangpu leh Chingnu zong class II batch thate tutor a pan ding kilawp non lou uhi. Sir James in a naupang fel mama Tutor Training ana piahte bang dinmun a koi ding adiai chi lunggelna lianpi anei hi. Atawp ah, tami tutor luite adin mopuana tha khat ahing mudoh a, “Observer” din training a pe kia hi. Amau thatang in Tutor tha kiguang ta a, tami tutor leh student a kopkop a umte Lucy, Thangpu leh Chingnu in “Observer” dan in a en zel ua, Debriefing Session chiang in tutor thate toh a experience te uh a kikum khawm zel uhi. Tutor tha ten Observer-te thugente phatuam asa mama uhi.

Kum ni Tutor a pan hun sung in laihildan experience tampi Lucy, Thangpu leh Chingnu in a nei uhi. Amau theidan in, oja-pu sang a student-te hamtam sah zaw ding ahi. “Laihil umzia dihtah ahileh naupangte thugen ngaikhiat ahia, midang kung a gensawnna pen siamzilna lampi hoipen ahi zel hi”. Tualeh kumkia chiang a tutor tha dingte kisahkholna leh training bawlna ah Lucy, Thangpu leh Chingnu zong oja in pang ding ua, mau pen “Master Tutor” chi dinmun tung ta uhi. Amasa in class VI student nadan maimai ahi ua, St. James in Buddy Reading a training apiah zou apat Peer Tutor in a pang ua, tuazou kum ni in Observer a sem ua, tun midang traing pesawntu Master Tutor ahi ta uhi. HSLC ah zong a bawn un lochinna sang pipi ahing nei petma ua, khotang leh minam adin zong khangnou muanhuai pen ahing suah uhi. Tami Master Tutor khenkhat in class XII a zoh un zong lochinna tuamtuamte ahing nei belap ua, NDA, IIT leh medical entrance tuamtuam a ching zong a um uhi. Hun sawtpi nua in zong Buddy Reading a phattuampi dan uh agen nalai ua, amau lah a mi loching khat in khatvei hichin agen ngei hi:”Buddy Reading ah na pang lou hileng, tu’a ka phana tan tung zou lou ding ka hi”.

Suggested Readings:

Allen, Vernon L. ed. (1976) Children as Teachers: Theory and Reserch on Tutoring, New York: Academic Press.

Briggs, Dennie (1976) “A Method of Peer Teaching for School Children” Prospects 6: 458 – 69 (Unesco).

Briggs, Dennie (1996) “A Bully Transformed by Trust: A 12-Year Old Discipline Problem Becomes a ‘Teacher’s Aide’ to Second Graders” Los Angeles Times, December 28.

Briggs, Dennie (1998) A Class of Their Own: When Children Teach Children, London, Connecticut: Bergin & Garvey.

De Rita, Carol, & Susan Weaver (1991) “Cross-Age Literacy Program” Reading Improvement 28: 244-48.

Gartner, Alan, Mary Kohler & Frank Reissman (1971) Children Teach Children: Learning by Teaching, New York: Harper and Row.

Reissman, Frank, & Audrey J. Gartner (1994) “Tutoring Helps Those Who Give, Those Who Receive” Educational Leadership 52: 58-60 (September).

Samway, Katharine Davies, et al. (1995) Buddy Reading, Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Exam-oriented education as a spirit-deadening machine

15 FEBRUARY 2007

DAVID VUMLALLIAN ZOU

Educational reform in all sectors in Manipur is a concern that desperately calls for serious public attention. Like many of us, I too survived the cramming schools of Manipur. As far as I remember, critical literacy was never part of the agenda in the schools I had attended. Teachers expected us to cram, but most even failed to cram. In one sense, I appreciate those who resist the oppressive education system by refusing to cram.

No wonder more than half of the candidates (58.75%) in the previous year's secondary school results were declared “failed”. Our young students are labelled as “failures” at a critical juncture of their academic career. It is frightening how such youngsters will cope with the negative tag received at such an impressionable age. This is a tragic waste of gifted human beings! This reminded me of Edward Shils’ characterization of Indian colleges as “a spirit-deadening machine”. Since Shils made this remark in 1961, things had improved a lot in mainstream Indian education. But not yet in Manipur.

Students depend on rote memory rather than critical understanding of problems and concepts. There is no opportunity to learn new problem-solving skills to meet the challenges posed by our modern complex society. Both teachers and students are oriented towards the end-term examination. Throughout the academic year, teachers and students are busy with non-academic pursuits or headline-seeking arsonist activities. Student unrest is a symptom of the educational system’s inability to engage our students in pursuits which are intellectually and socially profitable. Intensive academic activities are usually postponed till the very last month before the examinations. In this context, study means cramming class notes and bazaar notes. Many students often actually manage to graduate without ever reading a single authoritative textbook. Good luck to them!

While educational assessment is not only necessary, but highly desirable, I think our present system of end-term exam system is incompatible with our goal of democracy and social justice. The terminal exam system inevitably promotes the home tuition system, where the teacher becomes a money-making machine who can deposit some facts into the heads of students to clear the examination hurdle. If the outright abolition of this necessary evil is impracticable, we can at least reduce its weight by partly replacing with more imaginative assessment of students on the basis of group projects, open book examination, tutorial discussion and presentation, book review, literature review of select topics, etc. In other words, this would involved a deep reform of our present outdated pedagogic practice by shifting to the Module or Semester System. While TDC and 10+2 are ideal levels to introduce the reform, secondary schools may be incorporated into the new system as soon as they are ready. This will, of course, require some teacher training for its effective implementation. An intensive refresher course for teachers on such new assessment policy is not an impossible goal to achieve. Fortunately, there are abundant Internet resources today for teacher trainers and for practicing teachers. The publication of a Teachers Magazine may also go a long way in fruitful exchange of ideas and skills between educationists and enterprising teachers within and outside the state of Manipur. While the state can facilitate financially the formation of such a magazine, it is desirable that this should be initiated and managed by the teachers themselves.

Professional training of teachers was kept under the cold shade of neglect, especially in private institutions. Even if ITC literacy may be still beyond the means of most educational institutions in Manipur, it is certainly possible to impart teacher training in innovative and critical pedagogy. While syllabus and teaching badly needs to be student-oriented, we can go a step ahead by making them student-initiated. In order to integrate a critical component to student learning, both teachers and students should have some say in the formulation of their syllabus. Students should take the responsibility for their own learning. In other words, self-reflective learning is the watchword. In many Western educational institutions, this is encouraged by maintaining a Personal Development Profile (PDP) by each student and assessed by a tutor at the end of the Module.

At presents, many of our teachers are not just unqualified and untrained; they are overburdened with their work loads of teaching, or rather dictating “sacred” class notes to be memorized by passive learners. There is no place for any interactive and reflective learning like group discussion, project work, library tour, field work, presentation, demonstration, exhibition, open dialogue, role play, mock interview, poster workshop, budding reading, oral history project, etc. Though I graduated with a research degree in historical studies from Jawaharlal Nehru University, I still remember how I hated reading history when I was a high school student in Manipur. The history textbooks for class IX and X we read were unimaginative and densely factual narratives. It was a crammer’s paradise. It involved mind-boggling marshalling of chronological facts without a clear historical perspective! Besides the unreadable style and dry language of the text, the delivery method of the history teacher was also faulty. Teachers insisted on rote memorization of only the expected questions for the exams. (This largely applied for other subjects too). No wonder I never appreciated the value of history till I actually read, much later, the works of Romila Thapar and Bipan Chandra during my studies in Shillong.

At present, our education system promotes authoritarianism and patriarchal values. Corporal punishment is still followed in most schools. A good discipline should not turn against, but offer help and counselling, to difficult students. Both the syllabus and pedagogic methods actively discourage critical consciousness and creative thinking. This only perpetuates the status quo. Our ruling class is understandably no fan of critical literacy. Our education system has been manufacturing graduates with little or no critical consciousness, civic competence, innovative ideas and employable skills. We failed to produce enlightened citizens who can appreciate the complexities of living in a multi-ethnic society like ours. In a changing global order, our students are appalling ignorant, for instance, of the rise of China and India. So, we are yet to take advantage of the new opportunities offered by the new investment climate. Our inward-looking worldview and dependency mentality inhabit us from building an open and “intelligent society” which will attract investors! Though we are in the 21st century, we are still clinging to medieval and patriarchal values.

In short, we need to do something to our existing system of “banking education”, as Paulo Freire puts it in his classic book, Pedagogy of the Oppressed (1993). Banking education assumes that teachers can deposit facts into the heads of students like a bank deposit which can later be cashed in by the students. In the words of Freire himself, “Banking education treats students as objects of assistance; problem-posing education makes them critical thinkers … Any situation in which some individuals prevent others from engaging in the process of inquiry is one of violence”. We need to start opening our educational system to the most innovative ways of framing syllabus and pedagogic practices. The sooner the better! We need to impart news skills to our youth to meet the challenges facing the world today. It is a high time to give up our exam-oriented and bookish model for a new interactive and critical pedagogy. For this, the first step may be to start identifying and networking our most innovative and enterprising teachers, our “edu-preneurs”. The recent Seminar at JN Manipur Dance Academy, Imphal, was a move in the right direction.

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