The ‘Expected Answer Seeking’ Syndrome

Q1 - "You all enjoyed the previous blog right?"
Q2 - "So what are your comments on my previous blog?"


Q1 - "Is there a difference between the above two questions?"
Q2 - "What do you think about the above two questions?"

Now, are we able to see the difference between the Q1 questions and the Q2 questions? The answer that I am expecting from you is "YES". This is exactly what we are going to talk about – The expected answer seeking syndrome. J And the largest community that is suffering from this syndrome is the teaching community. And they religiously pass on this syndrome to generations after generations. Please don't mistake me that I am being very pessimistic about the teacher community. Are you getting me wrong? NO…? YES…? NO…? This is when we really get confused and the syndrome works out really well.

Tell me if you have not been put in such a situation, where you are been asked a question. You answer and the tone of the teacher would tell you that the answer that you gave was not the expected answer and if you are intelligent enough, you would take the clue and change your answer without even understanding the reason!

Tell me if you have not experienced a situation where you want to tell something but you KNOW somehow that the person who is asking the question will not be pleased by your answer and you just give out the answer that would please the questioner!

This syndrome is the greatest enemy of creativity. If I am suffering from this syndrome I rarely appreciate unique and creative answers. I would even say I don't understand what it means to be creativity or I would not be able to appreciate seeking unique answers. It is just not there in my dictionary.

Rewind a bit to the school days and recollect such incidents. A question in a 3^rd standard annual exam – "_______ adds beauty to face?" Without the context of a lesson you could answer smile, hair, makeup or whatever you want. But in the context of the lesson 'Teeth' the expected answer is – teeth. While the teacher was teaching this topic I remember a child got up and asked "Ma'am, a child is not having teeth but still it is so beautiful right?"

What a brilliant observation and question. But the question was lost in the syndrome. The teacher just smiled and asked the students to underline the word teeth in the sentence – Teeth adds beauty to the face.

Coming late – How many teachers would have got irritated even if we had genuine reasons? "Look at his audacity. Why can't you just say sorry?' So the expected answer is just sorry and the teacher would be satisfied with that.

Imagine the situation where a principal has a doubt that a particular teacher has not been teaching well and he wants to prove that her students know nothing. When the objective is to prove that the students are stupid the questions will be framed in a way that the students will be seen to be stupid. It is as simple as that. And even among them if some student is trying to make a mark he would not even be appreciated and even more tougher questions will be thrown.

The only solution for this problem is…

I am sorry. I don't know. J Please leave your comments on what you think on this topic.


"You enjoyed the blog right?" J
J
J

On a mission…

Mission teaching and mission parenting:


It is tiring, it is challenging, it is fettering, it is fretting. But what can make this mission a mission of joy, discovery and success is the mantra ‘Let the child Blossom’

It is a powerful statement that I have borrowed from EZ Vidya’s mission statement. The more I think about it, the more revelations I get.

Before judging, before instructing, before advising, before thrusting, before answering, before questioning just ask one simple question – ‘Am I letting the child blossom?’

One day my boss asked me “What do you think is the key word in the mission statement – Let the child blossom?’

I thought for some time and said ‘child’, somebody said ‘blossom’. She said according to her it is the verb ‘LET’. Think about it.

As I started observing I really understood how important that verb is.

A child sees a horse for the first time and says ‘Hey such a big DOG.’

Immediately we would laugh at the child, think he is dumb and say ‘It is not a dog. It is a horse!’

If we relook at this same situation with the mission statement in mind, then few questions that would pop up is –

‘Why is he saying it is a dog?’

‘If I am just going to let out that it is a horse what thought process would happen in the child’s mind?’

‘How can I make him understand that it is different from dog?’

These questions could possibly lead us to an other approach. We would rather ask the child to say why he said it is a dog and ask the child to state the difference between a dog and the animal that is in front and construct a thought process and finally tell out the new lingo ‘Horse’.

This way a child starts observing more.

With this mission –

A teacher would not just teach but facilitate

A parent would not just advise but add wise

A boss would not thrust but would allow

We would not Tell but we would ‘LET’



I am now going to stop telling and let you think more about it and share your thoughts. Join the mission ‘Let the child blossom’

Unwind

What comes to your mind when you think of -

'India'

'School'

'Government'

'Religion'

'Men'

'Women'

'Teachers'

'USA'

'Mathematics'



This fluency exercise is a great tool to capture the 'perception' of people. We see only what we want to see and perception plays a vital role in the mind to make us see what we want to see. List down your perception on the topics that are listed above and Analise how these perceptions were formed!



A powerful statement that I learnt in CHYK* was 'Man is limited by his beliefs.' What a statement! WE form certain perceptions, beliefs and assumptions and we are limited by them! Lot of us even fail to recognize this truth and continue to be limited by them.


Once a person forms a strong perception or belief it is really difficult look at things the other way. How difficult would be to convince about democracy to a communist or the vise verso! Its that difficult.

Imagine how difficult then is to influence the education scenario! How many stockholder's perceptions we need to influence...! Parent... Teacher....Principal...Decision maker....

Few of the many strong perceptions that are really challenging to break is -
'Text book is my curriculum' (In fact many a teachers and principals may not even be aware of what is a curriculum... Many wouldn't even be aware of a NCF

'I need to mould my children. I have to impart knowledge.' (This very assumption stems from the perception that children don't know anything. I will have to 'teach' them. )

'I have taught for 20 years. I 'know' how to teach.' (A very strong perception that blocks a teacher from learning and implementing new techniques and appreciate new concepts. )

'My child has to score good marks to be successful.' (A very powerful assumption, the side effect of which all of us are aware of. The other hidden assumption in this is that we think we will be happy if we are successful and 'success' itself varies according to each ones perception!')

These are just a few. There are many more such perceptions that act as strong force in education reformation.

As we gather more and more experiences perceptions, beliefs, assumptions are formed without even our knowledge. It is very important we INWIND, REWIND and UNWIND from time to time.

Leave your comments on this. Share some of the perceptions that you think are influencing the change in education.













*CHYK is the Global youth wing of Chinmaya Mission

Teach'errr...'

One poem that really touched my heart... that took me to my teaching days and that kept me pondering over for long, was this poem called 'Little Boy' by Helen Buckley. I would like to start this journey of blogging on education with this poem. (Scroll down... read the poem and then return back to this section.. :) )

Going back to when I was a teacher... I considered my self as a good teacher. I made my class interesting, Students could never expect my behaviour. I would always go with surprise elements. And also do a lot of activity based teaching. Yet, one thing that I have never thought of, before reading this poem, is about creating an atmosphere where students can express their own thoughts in their own way... I always thought my teaching was complete if I just finish presenting or rather telling what was there in my mind! I thought my teaching was complete if students could do what I expected!

I remember how I struggled to 'think' and express my 'own' thoght in EZVidya in my initial few days. It was so hard to think on my own. I wanted to yell out 'Just tell me what to do and I shall do! Plz dont ask me to think!' But now I enjoy thinking and enjoy making others think... :)

In our ICT curriculum we have a component that requires the students to think and express their own thoughts... What we observe is that initially teachers have a great block to implement that componenet. But once they do it they enjoy that component the most! But there are still few teachers who would rather dictate the answers to the students than trigger the creativity in students. Why do you think it is so? Leave your comments... :)

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Little Boy - By Helen Buckley

Once a little boy went to school.

He was quite a little boy And it was quite a big school.

But the little boy Found that he could go to his room By walking in from the door outside,

He was happy And school did not seem Quite so big any more.

One morning, When the little boy had been in school awhile,

The teacher said: Today we are going to make a picture.

Good, thought the little boy.

He liked to make pictures.

He could make all things;

Lions and tigers, Chickens and cows, Trains and boats -

And he took out his box of crayons And began to draw.

But the teacher said, Wait.

It is not time to begin.

And she waited until everyone looked ready.

Now, said the teacher, We are going to make flowers.

Good, thought the little boy.

He liked to make flowers, And he began to make beautiful flowers.

With his pink and orange and blue crayons.

But the teacher said, Wait! And I will show you how.

And it was red, with a green stem.

There, said the teacher, Now you may begin.

The little boy looked at the teacher's flower.

Then he looked at his own flower.

He liked his flower better than the teacher's.

But he did not say this.

He just turned his paper over And he made a flower like the teacher's.

It was red, with a green stem.

On another day, When the little boy had opened The door from outside all by himself,

The teacher said: Today we are going to make something with clay.

Good, thought the little boy.

He liked clay.

He could make all kinds of things with clay:

Snakes and snowmen, Elephants and mice, Cars and trucks -

And he began to pull and pinch His ball of clay.

But the teacher said: Wait, it is not time to begin.

And she waited until everyone looked ready.

Now, said the teacher, We are going to make a dish,

He liked to make dishes, And he began to make some

That were all shapes and sizes.

But the teacher said, Wait And I will show you how.

And she showed everyone how to make One deep dish. There, said the teacher.

Now you may begin.

The little boy looked at the teacher's dish, Then he looked at his own.

He liked his dishes better than the teacher's.

But he did not say this.

He just rolled his clay into a big ball again And he made a dish just like the teacher's.

It was a deep dish.

And pretty soon the little boy learned to wait, And to watch,

And to make things just like the teacher.

And pretty soon He didn't make anything of his own any more.

Then it happened That the little boy and his family

Moved into another house, In another city,

And the little boy had to go to another school.

This school was even bigger than the other one,

And there was no door from the outside into his room.

He had to go up some steps,

And walk down a long hall To get to his room.

And the very first day He was there,

The teacher said: Today we are going to make a picture.

Good, thought the little boy, And he waited for the teacher To tell him what to do.

But the teacher didn't say anything. She just walked around the room.

When she came to the little boy she said: Don't you want to make a picture?

Yes, said the little boy, What are we going to make?

I don't know until you make it, said the teacher.

How shall I make it? asked the little boy.

Why, anyway you like, said the teacher.

And any colour? asked the little boy.

Any colour, said the teacher.

If everyone made the same picture, And used the same colours,

How would I know who made what?

And which was which? I don't know, said the little boy,

And he began to make a red flower with a green stem.

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