Excellence is derived from the Latin word excellentia.
And the Wikipedia meaning tells -- is the state or quality of excelling. This blog will be hovering around the word for a while and then slightly giving you an indication of what it is – an in-depth analysis and what it can be for you in your Life.
I abhor grades - If a child does his best, that's all that should be asked. ~ Richard Dawson
Teachers and speakers always tell students that grades are not everything, but few kids listen. These wise speakers never stress the importance of initiative and leadership to the point where it is drilled into student’s heads.
Interestingly enough, students still fail to learn from their own and from others’ experiences as their education progresses. The students who attempted to achieve perfection in high school continue to attempt to achieve it in college, and many of whom did not attempt it earlier attempt it later in college. They simply fail to realize that perfection is impossible, and we actually lose when we try to achieve it.
Let me explain you one of my experiences in School. I was pretty new to a Language called – Sanskrit and never enjoyed the idea of learning that subject, even then I scored good marks in the subject. Au contraire, I had a greater interest in Geography (even today I do), used to love the idea of getting involved in many things which were relevantly newer to me, but the problem here was I was always scoring less marks in Geography. Now, this tells me no matter how affluent or perfect you are in one subject; it’s not the marks which really let you know that you have been the better-off in the subject mastering the art of perfection and vice-versa.
If you have scored 100/100 in one particular subject it really doesn’t mean that you have the optimum knowledge of it irrespective of whatever credits have been allocated for the subject. Experience is by far more important. You can read all you want about anything, but it will not make sense until you actually apply it to something.
In most cases, lessons go in one ear and out the other. People learn but they forget, they don't put it in their memory. So in the end, they never really learned anything at all. They just memorized some few things for a few weeks and when it wasn't covered anymore, they forget it all. There's no point in learning things if you can't make them stick in your mind, you know? Grades aren't the only thing in one's education. Think about the knowledge you gain, the friends you make in the class, and the influence your teacher makes on your life. It's about the experience, if not anything else.
I think, from past experience, that students have so much pressure to fill the columns up with 90, 90, 90 or above……..You get the point. Not to mention, keeping the percentile UP, UP, UP and UP!
As a result, students are just "rush learning" as I'll call it so they get that instant A on their report card. Perhaps, if there's anyway, the Marking/Grading system could be differently arranged to have kids wanting to learn, rather than wanting to earn. Overall, the experience is definitely more important, though, grades can determine many things other than actually learning, unfortunately.
Applying “3 Idiots”
Rancho cum Phunsuk Wangdu (Aamir Khan, brilliant and superlative as always) A do-gooder in the world that has forgotten the meaning of the word 'good', a man of rebellious spirit in a world that is ruled by conventions, a guy who believes that excellence is the be-all-and-end-all of life and that success is only one of the many faces of excellence, that one should study to know the subject and not to get the grade; A man who talks of the heart and preaches about the heart to a world that has lost relevance of the word, 'heart'!
And then there are people like us, people like Raju (Sharman Joshi) and Farhan (R Madhavan) who are forever running in a race, a race that will take them somewhere, but where none have an idea . One (Raju) is so bogged down by the pressures of being the next bread-earner of the family that he has forgotten what it feels to be young and happy - the other (Farhan) unable or the better word would be unready to tell his father that engineering is not his cup of tea. Does this ring a bell somewhere? I do not know about you, but it does ring a strong bell somewhere in MY heart!
And who has not seen the results of such pressures, people turning into nervous wrecks, leading unproductive and frustrating lives, caught in careers that they did not want to be a part of, and all the time wasting their own talents and those of others. And then there are others like Joy Lobo (I wish I could remember the actor, he was really superb) who prefer to end their lives rather than live it as stooges of a society that does not recognize their personal identity and considers them only as parts to a mosaic rather than a whole mosaic itself. A mosaic where the contributing colors lose their own identities, an ocean wherein the contributing rivers lose all traces of their own separate identities. It is a strange world, this world of mosaics wherein people as talented as Millimeter (well portrayed by another brilliant actor of whom we know very little) let go of their desires and end up becoming the fix-it guys of guys who should have been able to fix by themselves.
The idea of financial success has become so well entrenched that the very purpose of education has been defeated, so as Rancho(Aamir’s role) time and again points out, we have all become machines and machines have become the only ones to do what they are meant to do ..... In a memorable quote, Rancho asks rhetorically "Pehle Engineering Ki, Phir MBA Kar Liya Aur Phir Banking Join Kar Li! Agar Banking Hi Karne Thi, To Engineering Kyoon Ki?" - Can anybody from IIT answer this simple question?
As Rancho observes, in yet another telling comment, "Chaabuk Ke Darr Se To Circus Ka Sher Bhi Stool Par Kudkar Baitthna Seekh Jaata Hai .... Lekin Ussey well-trained Kehte Hain, well-educated Nahin"
As the narrator, Farhan(R Madhavan) observes,"Hum Sab To Yahan Certificate Lene Aaye Thhey; Woh Akayla Yahaan Paddne Aaya Tha" (we had all come here to obtain Certificates, he was the only one who had come here to learn!)
The play may be a loose adaption of the story and there may be many changes incorporated in the story, still the spirit of the story remains unchanged. The manner in which the internal dynamics of the engineering college has been brought to the fore reflects the director's intimate knowledge of the dynamics pervading the world of Engineering Colleges and also the director's growing disenchantment with a system that confirms to conforming to tradition rather than allowing fresh thought. The pint is made time and again that man must follow his heart for that's where real satisfaction lies, the key of the success of the film lies in the fact that the film makes it's point “without becoming preachy”.
The Best Ways for Assessment!
What is the purpose of grading? When assigning a project, a teacher must decide what he or she wants the students to learn. In deciding on learning objectives, the teacher must then also decide how the objectives will be measured. Measuring the extent to which students meet learning objectives seems to be what grading is about. However, it can easily go from black and white; multiple-choice, for example to gray (sketchbook assignments, exploration activities, working with students with special needs)
Teachers grade a lot of papers. But not all assignments fit a standard 100-point grading system. Moreover, because teachers record many grades and calculate many averages, having a simpler grading system can make the whole process easier. Although any grading system will be imperfect, in the end, grading is a necessary part of evaluating student performance. It lets the student know how he is performing in a given class
Point Systems
Instead of making all assignments worth 100 points each, group complimentary assignments into 100-point blocks. For example, if there are two tests in the term, make each worth 50 points. If there are four quizzes, make each worth 25 points. The final grade could be calculated as a straight average of each point block. Or teachers could weigh each block differently--tests might account for 50 percent of the final grade while homework and quizzes might account for 25 percent each.
Account for Mistakes
Everyone makes mistakes. Design a grading system to allow for that. A truly fair assessment takes into account that one bad grade might not reflect accurately on a student's typical performance. Toss out the lowest quiz grade or homework grade. If using a point system, give five quizzes at 25 points each and only count the top four grades. Or perhaps keep the best 10 out of 11 assignment grades. Typically, students will not use this as an excuse to skip work. Rather, students will work with less stress knowing that one bad grade will not ruin their final average.
Extra Credit
Offer additional, optional assignments that go beyond the course requirements. In return, the student earns extra points. Those can be points earned to boost a test score, to help raise an average grade on homework assignments, or even as points to be added directly to the final grade. Make sure the additional work merits the points it earns. For many students, the opportunity to earn extra points means the difference between a B+ and an A-.
Completion
For some students, simply completing of project is a major accomplishment. While all students need to know what they did right and what they did wrong, sometimes a grade based on the percent of a project completed will encourage effort. Give students both grades (one for quality of the work, and one for the amount completed).
Likewise, in some settings (particularly schools where truancy is a problem), attendance can be grade-worthy. The purpose of going to school is to learn more than the subjects taught in class, but also life skills. In the work world, attendance is often a factor in an employee's review; teaching students the value of regular attendance can help prepare them for that reality.
Partial Grades
Some projects have stages or simply take a long time to complete. For those, consider giving partial grades on individual portions of the project. Grading a project in its early stage should correct a student's misdirection, leading to improvements that will be reflected in the project's following stages. In the end, "staged grading" helps the student produce a better final project.
These systems would not come in picture, but enlightenment is always important to procure it to the masses and too much of them who really believe that a change is possible and can seize onto the opportunity.
Till then,
Master something:
It may be an instrument, a sport or even parkour (basically insane acrobatics while running – Thanks Ashish Rajan – for explaining it in his mind-blowing presentation). The more obscure the better.
You want to find a niche, and then become the best at what you do. This is what colleges want to see: something different and someone who is damn good at what they do differently.
Colleges read tens of thousands of essays about how a student has struggled through some obstacle and learned perseverance in the process. This is not a unique essay topic. College admissions officers could really care less… I’m on a serious tangent. So yeah, master something, and something unique, if possible. But mastering something unique is not where to process ends. A college admissions officer will never know of your proficiency unless you demonstrate it by earning awards and winning competitions. They need a way to gauge your talents, and this can only be done if you if prove your talents through successes. The element of Passion should always be there so as to make sure you do not lose out in attaining the process. Passion claims anything and everything make sure you master the endless possibilities with passion.
As you read this blog, sit in class, at a café and even when you’re doing homework, I want you to constantly remind yourself of what you have just learned. Look for CONNECTIONS. Try to apply your new understanding to what you are learning in class. I want you to continually ask yourself, “How can I relate this to something that I already understand?” Be creative. Remember, initially, you will have difficulty relating your knowledge-base to obscure ideas, but, with practice, the technique will become natural.
“Life is full of experiences. Never forget them.”
Pratik
0 comments:
Post a Comment