How to know the effectiveness of what is being taught or learnt in the present learning & teaching environment❓

Leena Rai Karla, Principal, Leader of UN Volunteers - India

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How to know the effectiveness of what is being taught or learnt in the present learning & teaching environment❓

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The effectiveness of our educational activities reflect in productivities.

To All Educators, Teachers

If you want to really know the effectiveness of what is being taught or learnt in the present learning & teaching environment:

Just go and ask :

1)  an industrialist or

2) a manufacturer or 

3) a businessman or 

4) an Entrepreneur or

5) a Chartered Accountant or

6) an attorney

Specially

7) a Promoter of a school

Ask them if they are getting employees who are:

1) well read

2) with good conceptual clarity

3) good reading & writing skills

4) right attitude

5) commitment

6) desire to give the best

7) focus on customer delight

8) conviction to complete the task in time

9) doing it right the first time

Go to school areas, industrial and  manufacturing units, have an interview with  the school promoters and Industry directory. You will know the truth. You will know the reality.

Are The above stated last 9 point scales  met by us through our efforts through our products?

Generally

The effectiveness of what is being taught and learnt at school levels is on

•Results

•Pursuing higher education

In other reflection @ school levels:

•Detection of skills already within the children

•Nurturing/ sharpening of skills

At higher education levels:

•Sharpening of skills

•Sharing of it for development

•Skill dynamics-Use of skills for placements

•Productivity

All these are interconnected. If there is a break in this chain, the effectiveness of what is being taught is lost.

A teacher at all levels  primary, secondary, senior secondary and teachers of varied designation at higher studies do not require any training about how to teach. Rather they should know the requirement of a child at the next level as a college professor should know the requirement of an industry of the field related.

When I went one day , I realized that the requirements of industry were very different . I realized there was a huge -" Industry Academia Gap".

A teacher should enter the industry, work  on multiple domains, understand the challenges at field and operational level, and then only I must come back into the field of Education as a teacher.

For our information - "Industry dislikes the Academia" and industry does NOT and will NOT be willing to put it's time into Education.

Industry has a far greater pressure on a daily basis related to output, production, Sales, profitability, logistics & supply chain, the killing competition, the dynamic international affairs that effect prices of raw materials and finished goods, attrition, lack of good talent etc etc

We Teachers and Educators must understand all this. Teachers must be exposed to this harsh reality that might seem very cruel at times.  But that's the fact.

Are u Happy?

Are u Happy?

PERMA is an acronym for a model of well-being put forth by a pioneer in the field of positive psychology, Martin Seligman. According to Seligman, PERMA makes up five important building blocks of well-being and happiness:

Positive emotions – feeling good
Engagement – being completely absorbed in activities
Relationships – being authentically connected to others
Meaning – purposeful existence
Achievement – a sense of accomplishment and success.

P E R M A stands for ..

• P for positive emotions

Firstly, positive emotions refer to pleasant feelings like love, joy, gratitude, serenity, interest, hope, pride, amusement, inspiration, and awe. Positive emotions do not only feel good but also have some instrumental value: According to Barbara Fredrickson’s broaden-and-build theory, positive emotions both BROADEN our awareness (and thereby encourage creative thinking and divergent problem solving) and BUILD our social and psychological resources over time, making us more resilient in the process. 

• E for engagement

When you do a challenging task that you enjoy and really care about, you can become fully engaged and enter a so-called ‘flow’ state. When you are in flow, you are completely absorbed in the task at hand and lose all sense of time and space. Flow states often occur during activities like climbing, dancing, or crafting, but they can also be triggered by engaging tasks at work.

 

• R for relationships

It probably won’t surprise you that positive relationships form a core building block of wellbeing. I think we can all agree that everybody needs someone. Research has long confirmed that enriching, energizing relationships are important in all areas of life, be it at home, at work, or in your free time. They have been found to increase not only your happiness and life satisfaction, but even your physical health.



• M for meaning

According to Seligman, we are at our best when we use our strengths “to belong to and serve something you believe is larger than the self”. In other words, a meaningful life has a purpose beyond that of the individual, be it in the form of abstract values, a long-term goal, a charity, a religion, a political party, or one’s family.

• A for accomplishment

Finally, we all need a sense of accomplishment in our lives. Wellbeing seems to be most promoted by goals that you have set for yourself and that are meaningful to you. Furthermore, research has found that the pursuit of intrinsic aspirations (e.g. personal growth or affiliation) is much more predictive of wellbeing than that of extrinsic aspirations (e.g. material goods, wealth, fame or appearance). Lastly and perhaps surprisingly, the link between achievement and wellbeing goes both ways: success does not only spark momentary happiness, but higher wellbeing also seems to lead to more success in areas such as school, work, and relationships.

What is Success?

What is Success?

1 year old ...Success is.
Can walk without support

4 years old...Success is.
Do not urinate in your pants,

8 years old...Success is..
To know the way back home.

12 years old, success is..
To have friends.

18 years old , success is.
To get a driving license.

23 years, success is.
To graduate from a university.

25 years old, success is.
To get an earning.

30 years old, success is.
To be a family Man.

35 years old, success is.
To make money.

45 years old, success is.
To maintain the appearance of a young man.

50 years old, success is.
To provide good education for your children.

55 years old, success is.
To still be able to perform your duties well.

60 years old, success.
To still be able to keep driving license.

65 years old, success is.
To live without disease.

70 years old, success is.
Not to be a burden on any one.

75 years old, success is.
To have old friends.

81 years old, success is.
To know the way back home.

86 years old, success is.
Not to urinate in your pants again.

90 years old...Success is.
That you can walk without support again

One of the best messages I have ever read.

Life is a cycle.! Dont expect too much from it. Be simple, cool and happy always.

Have a wonderful day ahead!

SIGNIFICANCE OF DIGITAL LITERACY

SIGNIFICANCE OF DIGITAL LITERACY – AN ENDURABLE SKILL FOR THE EMINENT TEACHER ON INNOVATIVE TEACHING DURING CHANGING TIMES
PART - 1

DR.SEKAR SRINIVASAN, EDUCATIONIST, UNV, TAMIL NADU, INDIA

Digital literacy refers to an individual’s ability to find, evaluate and compose clear information through writing and other mediums on various digital platforms.  It requires some level of computer competency further requiring both cognitive and technical skills.

Appreciation of digital literacy expects the ability to operate digital devices, send and receive emails and browse internet for information and undertake digital payments etc., Creativity and innovation, communication and collaboration, research and information, fluency, critical thinking, problem solving, decision making for digital citizenship.

Four principles which are emphasising a digital literacy assessment tool for teachers:
Comprehension : the ability to extract implicit and explicit ideas from a media.
• Interdependance
• Social Factors
• Curation
For usage, understanding and to create digital literacy the following are essential.
• Digital media are networked
• They are persistent, searchable and sharable
• They have unknown and unexpected audiences
• Their experiences are real
• Digital citizenship is character education in a network world.
One of the mission statements and theme of any school will be building character today, for communities of tomorrow , so we are always trying things back in to good character and how we want to be perceived by others, how we want to treat others, and how we want others to treat us.

Technology provides one more way to teach it.  One more way to make it relevant to students.
Fostering Digital Literacy in the class room becomes a vital role of a contemporary teacher in the changing and challenging times.
Many teachers are using technology in their class rooms to support different learning styles and to engage students.  Ways that promotes innovative thinking and collaborative work, promotion or ethical practices and strengthen their own professional development. Also in the following beneficial lines:
• Authentic learning opportunities enhanced through technological tools
• Teachers become facilitators and co-learner rather than drilling experts
• Teacher-training made purposeful, economical and work at site conserving men material and motion.
• Reasonable policies created with less restrictive filters for exercising good judgement.
[ This is the first part of my lecture notes on digital literacy and its significance on modern day teacher’s effective teaching methodologies.Dr.S.S]

Values of life

1 A beautiful reputation is more to be desired than great riches,

2 and to be esteemed by others is more honorable
than to own immense investments.

3 The rich and the poor have one thing in common:
The God created each one.

4  A prudent person with insight foresees danger coming and prepares himself for it. But the senseless rush blindly forward and suffer the consequences.

5 Laying your life down in tender surrender before the Lord will bring life, prosperity, and honor as your reward.

6 Twisted and perverse lives are surrounded by demonic influence.
If you value your soul, stay far away from them.

7 Dedicate your children to God and point them in the way that they should go, and the values they’ve learned from you will be with them for life.

8 If you borrow money with interest, you’ll end up serving the interests of your creditors, for the rich rule over the poor.

9 Sin is a seed that brings a harvest;
you’ll reap a heap of trouble with every seed you plant. For your investment in sins pays a full return the full punishment you deserve.

10 When you are generous to the poor,
you are enriched with blessings in return.

11 Say goodbye to a troublemaker and you’ll say goodbye to quarrels, strife, tension, and arguments, for a troublemaker traffics in shame.

12 The Lord loves those whose hearts are holy,
and he is the friend of those whose ways are pure.

13 God passionately watches over his deep reservoir of revelation-knowledge, but he subverts the lies of those who pervert the truth.

14 A slacker always has an excuse for not working— like “I can’t go to work. There’s a lion outside! And murderers too!”

15  Sex with an adulteress is like falling into the abyss. Those under God’s curse jump right in to their own destruction.

16 Although rebellion is woven into a young man’s heart, tough discipline can make him into a man.

17 There are two kinds of people headed toward poverty:
those who exploit the poor and those who bribe the rich

Concept if God - In Upanishads and Vedas

The Prayer

"From the unreal lead me to the real!
From darkness lead me to light!
From death lead me to immortality"

The form of God is formless.
“Na tasya pratima asti”

1 “There is no likeness of Him.”
[Svetasvatara Upanishad 4:19, Yajurveda 32:3]

2 There is no Form of Nirguna Brahma or God as Supreme Consciousness.
“His formless form is not to be seen; no one sees Him with the eye.”
[Svetasvatara Upanishad 4:20]

3 His Formless Form can’t be seen. Though He manifests Himself as Sakar Saguna Brahman, no one can see Him with present eyes or material eyes.
To see His Supreme and Original Form one needs spiritual perfection. “No one can understand the transcendental nature of the name, form, quality, and pastimes of God through his materially contaminated senses. Only when one becomes spiritually saturated by transcendental service to the Lord are the transcendental name, form, quality and pastimes of the Lord revealed to him.” (Bhakti-Rasamrta-Sindhu 1.2.234).

4 God says: “You cannot see me with your present eyes. Therefore I give you divine eyes so that you can behold my mystic opulence” (Bhagavad-Gita 11.8)

5 “Shudhama papviddham”
“He is body less (Here Body means the physical structure, including the bones, flesh, and organ. Brahman has unique transcendental formless spirit body which is infinite like space) & pure.” (Yajurveda 40:8)

6 “He (Brahman/Paramatma) does not possess bodily form like that of an ordinary living entity. There is no difference between His body and His soul. He has a unique transcendental spiritual/spirit body which is infinite and omnipresent like space. Brahman is omnipresent soul and Soul “itself” is his spiritual body. He is absolute. All His senses are transcendental. Any of His senses can perform the action of any other sense. Therefore, no one is greater than Him or equal to Him. His potencies are multifarious, and thus His deeds are automatically performed as a natural sequence.”
(Shvetashvatara Upanishad 6.7-8)

God is experienced in two aspects as _Nirakar and sakar_

Nirakar....
Nirakar Nirguna is the eternal all-pervading and omnipresent divine consciousness.

The Absolute without qualities, is impersonal, without Guna or
attributes, Nirakara (formless), Nirvisesha (without special characteristics), immutable and eternal.

This “Formless” form of God is called Sat-Chit-Ananda Rupa (Eternal-Truth-Consciousness-Bliss-Form)

Sakar....
Saguna Sakar is the manifestation of God in form. Qualified absolute, came from the Sanskrit Saguna (सगुण) “with qualities” and Brahman (ब्रह्मन्) “the Absolute.” The personal aspect of the Ultimate Reality. This Saguna Brahman is eternal, undecaying and non-differentiated from Nirguna Brahman.

7 “The Lord of the universe, Lives inside the universe, And without being born, Appears in many forms, And only the wise realize his real form” - (Rig Veda Purusha Suktam 2.3)

8 Although I (Supreme transcendental Brahman) am unborn, imperishable, unchangeable and God of all living entities I do incarnate (Sambhavami –cause to be born or produced) by using my Maya/Illusive energy. (Maya:- the combination of material and mental elements e.g. five elements, five internal senses, five organs of action, five external sense base also called sense objects, One vital breath, mind, intelligence ) - (Bhagavad Gita 4:6)

Meaning– Even though I am unborn I appear (unreal appearance different from original) to be born & embodied because of my Prakriti/Maya/Illusive energy of which I am the controller. I never get influenced by three modes of nature. 

My transcendental infinite/formless space like form never cease to exist when I incarnate. My birth & death in personal form are just empirical reality similar to the mirage in desert or reflection of an object in the water.

In Hindu Vedic religion there is only one Supreme God which exist at two different levels of reality. Vedas call it by the name of “Brahman”, “Parabrahma”,” Paramatma” Hindus worship this Supreme God both in personal & impersonal form. 

Trinity..
[Imp Note: - In Western religions, absolute reality is known as Holy spirit/Supersoul and when it is applied individually it is known as soul while in Vedic culture Absolute reality is called as Brahman/Paramatma/Parabrahma and when it is applied individually it is called as Atman. In Western religions personification of absolute reality is called God in heaven and in Vedic religion it is called  Ishwar or Bhagavan.]

Trinity..... Trimurti
Brahman is ever present root/real consciousness of Trimurtis and by using infinite Brahman consciousness Trimurti create, sustain and destroy the world of illusion.

Brahman is real, root and source consciousness of all the existence and non-existence as well as all that is manifest and hidden.

The Trinity (Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva) & their avatars are the manifestation of one Supreme Brahman. 

Even though Trinity & their Avatars have different divine bodies but they have same single Atman/Soul (innermost core/root and essence ) that is Supreme Brahman.

Trinity and their Avatars are not different from each other. They are one but have manifested in different divine bodies.

Normal human being considers divine bodies as Supreme God because they wrongly identify divine bodies of Trinity and their avatars with spiritual body/space consciousness of Supreme Brahman which pervades & resides in (not diametrically but as a level of reality and real consciousness) divine body of Trinity as Atman/Soul.

9 “The Lord of the universe, Lives inside the universe, And without being born, Appears in many forms, And only the wise realize his real form” - (Rig Veda Purusha Suktam 2.3)

10 Although I (Supreme transcendental Brahman) am unborn, imperishable, unchangeable and God of all living entities I do incarnate (Sambhavami –cause to be born or produced) by using my Maya/Illusive energy. (Maya:- the combination of material and mental elements e.g. five elements, five internal senses, five organs of action, five external sense base also called sense objects, One vital breath, mind, intelligence ) - (Bhagavad Gita 4:6)

Meaning:
Even though I am unborn I appear (unreal appearance different from original) to be born & embodied because of my Prakriti/Maya/Illusive energy of which I am the controller. I never get influenced by three modes of nature. My transcendental infinite/formless space like form never cease to exist when I incarnate. My birth & death in personal form are just empirical reality similar to the mirage in desert or reflection of an object in the water.

Whenever & wherever there is a decline in Dharma/righteousness & religious practice, O descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion-at that time I descend (Sruja-send myself forth/Descend/take visible form) myself (aham-I/Me, atmanam-self). (Bhagavad Gita 4:7)

Though unborn, it appears to be born in diverse ways. (Yajurveda 31.19)

The Lord takes on the manifold form. (It) transformed Himself in accordance with each form; that form of His was for the sake of making Him known. (e.g.:- just like the presence of unmanifest electric energy can be recognized by lightened bulb) (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 2.5.19)

"God appears in both ways as the formless Brahman and as the personal God". They are both dimensions of his personality. (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 2.3.1)

He has an eternal blissful spiritual body. He is the origin of all. He has no other origin and he is the prime cause of all causes.”(Brahma Samhita 5.1)

16 There are two forms of Brahman, the material & the immaterial, the mortal and the immortal, the solid and the fluid, sat (being) and tya (that), (i.e. sat-tya, true). (The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 2.3.1)

Therefore it can be understood now that God has two forms  Nirakar Nirguna & Sakar Saguna. These two form Characteristics of God like all-powerful, all-knowing, all-merciful, pure, infinite etc. remains the same. Just like water has three forms – liquid, solid & vapor, though it appears in different forms the core substance the constituents of water remains the same in all forms.

In the same way, the Brahman/God is one without second & has the ability to manifests in different forms at the same time anywhere on the earth & still remaining present everywhere. 

Its formless feature is omnipresent & infinite like space and it is able to manifest in many numbers of forms at different places at the same time without ceasing the existence of its ultimate omnipresent nature. God is Supreme Soul which itself is a Spiritual body. 

One should have the idea about Atman/soul, Brahman/super soul, and divine bodies within which Atman/Brahman is residing as reality in order to understand all the scriptures and basic concepts. Brahman and Atman are same from the absolute perspective but when Brahman is referred individually it is called Atman.

A true devotee sees Brahman/Supreme soul situated as Atman/soul in all living beings & also in himself equally everywhere. (Bhagavad Gita 6:29)

God says....
Whoever sees (perceive) me everywhere and everything in me, for him I am never lost, nor is he ever lost to Me. (Bhagavad Gita 6:30)

Every thing is not God; Every thing is God's.

An apostrophe can give a big paradigmatic shift to the understanding the concept of God. Such a yogi, who serve me through devotional service by perceiving (knowing that) me as only one situated in all living beings he remains always remains in me in all circumstances. (Bhagavad Gita 6:31)

He is considered perfect yogi who compares his own atman/soul/self and sees it as equal everywhere in every living being both in happiness and distress. (Bhagavad Gita 6:32)

God says...
I am the atman/soul/self, established in the hearts of all beings, O Gudakesha.
I am the beginning, middle and also the end of all beings.– (Bhagavad Gita 10:20)

I am seated in the hearts of all living beings, and from me come memory, knowledge, as well as forgetfulness. I alone am to be known by all the Vedas, am the author of the Vedanta, & the knower of the meaning of the Vedas. (Bhagavad Gita 15:15)

Next...
What could be the nature of God......

Nature of the God.

Verse:-

Om Purnamadah Purnamidam
Purnat Purnamudachyate
Purnasya Purnamadaya
Purnameva Vashishyate
Om shanti, shanti, shanti
(Brihadaranyaka Upanishad and Isavasyopanishad)

The meaning:

‘That’ (The absolute spirit/Brahman) is infinite,

‘This’ (Soul/Atman) is infinite.

From ‘That’ ‘this’ raises and manifests itself.

From ‘that’ when ‘This’ is separated, what especially remains is ‘That’.

When infinity is separated from infinity the remaining is always infinity.

The self of God is like space - That which appears like space is God.

Whatever that exist is existing relative to empty/consciousness of space. 

Consciously Space is different from light, darkness and dark matter. The existence of light, darkness and dark matter are relative to a consciousness of space.

Scriptures mentions that self of God is like space.

Man is a creature of his Kratumaya (क्रतुमयः, will, purpose).

Let him, therefore, have for himself this will, this purpose: The intelligent, whose body is imbued with life-principle, whose form is light, whose thoughts are driven by truth, whose self is like space (invisible but ever-present), from whom all works, all desires, all sensory feelings encompassing this whole world, the silent, the unconcerned, this is me, my Self, my Soul within my heart.

Tips For Teachers on Internet Safety:

Tips For Teachers on Internet Safety:

Teachers have a key role to play as a digital citizenship role model for their class.

In years gone by, teachers might not have had much to do with what happens outside the classroom. That has changed. We now need to be mindful of our own behaviour outside the classroom, and willing to deal with issues that are thrust into our hands.
Some are ongoing considerations like how to create a positive digital footprint and think carefully about what you’re publishing online.

This applies to both your professional and personal life. Overall, technology is changing our world for the better. Be aware of guidelines and policies set by your employer.

Teach your students about internet safety regularly and authentically. This is not a one-off lesson. Teach your students basic internet safety tips and be a role model.

Along with internet safety, students also need to be taught about things like plagiarism, copyright, creative commons, search engines, and effective research techniques. These are important areas for teachers and students to know about if they want to use the internet effectively and legally.

If students or parents approach you with issues regarding cyberbullying or safe internet use, it’s important to deal with them. You don’t have to go it alone. Get advice and support from your school and possibly your education department.
Encourage your students to talk to you about any concerns they might be having with their internet use. All teachers know it can be easier to sort out small problems rather than let them escalate!
Consider your own digital identity and security. Protect your own digital reputation.

99% of teachers realise it’s not nice or appropriate to share complaints, interactions, or jokes about students or parents. Carefully consider whether you want to connect with students or parents on social media.

If your account is purely professional it might be fine to connect with members of your school community, but it generally wouldn’t be a good idea for personal accounts.

It’s important that internet safety is regularly discussed amongst staff in schools. Technology moves so quickly. Trends can change dramatically in the space of months.

Unfortunately, issues such as cyberbullying, sexting, and problematic internet use are not going away. It’s so important that teachers are equipped to teach about these issues as a preventative, and follow-up issues as they occur.

Most of all, don’t be afraid of these challenges. You’re in a unique position to really help empower young people to use technology safely, enjoyably, and purposefully.