LOFTY IDEAS WORTHY TO PONDER BEFORE NEW LUNAR CALENDAR

Dear students,

A day short before the looming of the new lunar calendar that marks 'the pilgrimage'.Attached herewith is an article worthy for reflection. We may agree or disagree,or agree to disagree, take a thing or two for self kaizen though. And we are free to choose the way we live ,wander,love, hate,learn, teach which is not to our amazement but not die. And die we and everyone must, and ironically we prepare the least for the surest of all.Interestingly it may, to lose hope is part of a premature death. It seems many especially teachers like me will have died many times before the final bell tolls. Dr Theva seemingly gives countless yet plausible reasons why we must reason our reasonable doubts to churn reasonable beings.

Sunday December 5, 2010

Learning evolution
COURTING CHANGES
By DR THEVA NITHY

Information is freely available, but students must know how to turn meaningless data into knowledge and wisdom.

IN Malaysia, the advocacy movement for new curriculums and standards remains in the rhetorical stages, and this is jeopardising the future and potential of the diverse talents of our learners.

They are becoming irrelevant even as they climb the educational ladder to greater heights of knowledge – knowledge that is already irrelevant as they “learn” it.

Outdated approaches to learning and knowing are taking us backward instead of forward.

A major part of the problem is that education systems are preparing students only for higher education, when they should actually be preparing students for higher education, life and the workplace – which together, constitute the real world.

There remains the old problem of there being no clear link between educational content in schools, with workplace skills and requirements.

The big question is, what is the vital component of intelligence? Is it the core content of knowledge, or is it the ways of knowing content?

Outdated core subjects

The traditional way of doing things in schools globally is to provide “core” subjects – which are based on skills required in the industrial age – that provide a fixed quantum of knowledge.

These are: languages, the sciences, math, accounting, commerce subjects, religion even, history (or rather, a version of it, based on the country’s agenda), geography, general knowledge (decided, of course, by the powers-that-be), with some music and the arts thrown in.

I would propose that no student in any country anywhere needs to be told about general knowledge, religion, morals, and personal histories. Students should not be made to memorise science and ways of doing math — which should be based upon understanding, but are more usually based on memory. They should also not be brainwashed into believing one-sided perspectives of history and geography.

One of the big objectives for me as far as a learner’s life is concerned, is that it should be full of “Eureka” moments, when all the learning and knowing he has been exposed to come together and he goes into high gear, ready to take on the world. Therefore it is important that educators understand how learning occurs for their students, so that every student will experience that moment.

In a world where information and knowledge is changing every second, we must educate students to know how to know, to know how to learn, and to know how to turn freely accessible data into wisdom.

Thus, every learner must come to be ingrained with the following attributes:

·independent enquirers who are able to make wise, fully-informed and real-time decisions, and the willingness to participate not just in lifelong learning, but also the creation of new knowledge;

·creative thinkers with a view of global dimensions and sustainable development;

·reflective learners who apply creativity, critical thinking, ethics and morals to constantly self-evaluate and self-correct;

·teachers of fellow students and their own teachers, as teaching represents the highest order of understanding meaning behind facts;

·effective, action-oriented participators in national and international events and issues;

·team workers who believe in community participation and service;

·self-managers who create healthy lifestyles for themselves, and have real acceptance and understanding of diversity in religion, race, culture and beliefs, with none advocating supremacy over another; and

·expert communicators in the global language, that will enable them to present, discuss, and debate ideas and thoughts.

The important dimensions that would contribute to the above would then be woven into the whole curriculum, and would then guide the creation of items that make up a learning environment.

The educating and learning environment would stimulate and demonstrate the development of the following:

·a clear division between the political and educational systems;

·new ways of thinking and knowing based on new knowledge and technologies that are constantly evolving;

·programmes of professional development that help educators and administrators cope with and master new ways of knowing, and the ability to facilitate learner’s autonomy, purpose and mastery;

·revolutionary approaches to content knowledge mastery that exist to provide learners stepping stones to thinking and knowing, and the mastery of which is not the expected final outcome;

·brand new content that mirror the workings and demands of the real world, and not compartmentalised, subject-based curricula that are the norm now;

·acceptable and measurable ways to collect evidence of students’ relevant knowledge, skills and understanding; and

·inclusive, individually stimulating environments (classrooms) that cater to the creation of a thinker and a knower.

The learning environment of a proposed ideal field of interaction is represented by the triangle in the diagram above (see pic). The diagram shows the Evolution of Knowing – from meaningless data to wise, informed decision-making. A³ Knowledge is Anytime and Anywhere Access to Knowledge.

> Dr Theva Nithy is a senior lecturer at the School of Educational Studies, Universiti Sains Malaysia. Through this column and through the Engage Programme – Education for Sustainable Global Futures – USM has started, he and his colleagues hope to help transform the landscapes of Malaysian education systems. He can be contacted at theva@usm.my.