Why Pebbles Why Not Straw Or Other Alternate?

(Salma Ali, Islamabad)

Once Upon A Time There Was A Thirsty Crow. He Flew Here And There In Search Of Water And At Last He Saw A Pot In The Garden. The Crow Flew Down To Drink Some Water But Unluckily The Water Was Very Low. To Raise The Water, He Saw Here And There And At Last Found Some Pebbles. He Put Pebbles One By One. His Efforts Paid And The Water Rose Up. He Drunk The Water And Flew Away. This Is A Story That My Mother Read, Memorized And Wrote In School Life And The Same Story My Child Is Reading, Memorizing And Writing. If Again The Education Sector Showed Ignorance My Grandchildren Will Read The Same Story And So Forth.


Still The Crow In Twenty-First Century Use Pebble To Raise Water In Pakistan. Resultantly, He Is Unable To Use His Mind And Find Alternates To Raise The Water And Fulfil His Need. He Still Fails To Nurture His Inner Potential And Unleash His Abilities.


If We Put Student In Place Of Crow We Will See The Clear Picture Of Our Education System. The Students In Our Schools Are Still Engaged In Memorizing The Facts Without Reflecting On. Schools With Such Attitude Block The Learning Process And Produce Confused Educated People Who Till End Does Not Know Who They Are, Why They Are, Where They Are, Where They Want To Go And How Can. Every Year Our Education System Produces A Huge Number Of Graduates Who Fails To Contribute In The Development Of This Country. The Main Reason Behind That Is The Provided Environment. We Do Not Encourage The Students To Reflect, Solve And Contribute. We Still Do Not Know The Meaning Of Intelligence. Still We Measure The Student Intelligence With IQ Tests And Loose Thousands Of Contributors Every Year With Such Mind Set.


The Scenario Of Pakistan In 21st Century Is Same Since Its Inception. According To UN Annual Report Published In 2016, Pakistan In Education Is Moving 50 Years Back Which Is Alarming And Needs Join Hands For Change.


The Research Findings Show That 1 Out Of 3 Out Of School Children In Asia Lives In Pakistan And Have Children Retention Issues. Still Schools Fail To Provide A Favorable Teaching Learning Environment. We Waste Our Students’ Curiosity And Hinder The Self-Exploration And Development Process.
John Dewy Says, Students Do Not Learn From Experiences But Reflecting On Experiences. Through Reflecting On Experiences Students Assimilate, Associate, Accommodate And Build On Their Learning (Piaget 1958). I Believe And My Personal Experiences As A Teacher Depicts That Learners Driven Learning Always Give A Promising Result. As It Not Only Develops Autonomy In Students But Enhance Their Problem Solving And Life Skills.


Teaching Is A Psychological Game Played With Minds. Therefore, The Teacher Should Know The Rules Before Starting The Game. I Believe The Role Of Teacher Is Critical In Developing Students Into Productive Human Being. To Play A Positive Role The Teachers And Management Needs To Change Their Approach And Find Ways To Engage Students Actively In Their Learning Process. To Do That Teachers Will Have To Change Their Lenses Of Teacher Into Reflective Practitioner In Order To Create A Conducive Learning Environment And Foster Autonomy And Self-Reflection And Exploration. They Should Find Ways To Challenge The Students Think Critically And Logically.


Creating Such Environment Is A Challenge For The Teachers. Hence Proper Planning Is The Key. Planning Provides Teachers’ Opportunity To Think Out Of The Box And Find Different Teaching Strategies That Can Ignite Students Critical Thinking And Help Them Learn Best.


Jean Ruddock At All (1995) Suggested The Practitioners And Policy Makers To Convalesce The Taking For Granted Perceptions And Practices And Change It With A Reflective Practitioner Who Reflect On His/Her Own Practices, Attitude And Modify Them For The Benefit Of The Students.


There Is A Dire Need To Change The Organizational Structure, Teaching Practices And Provide The Students With An Opportunity To Explore Their Sense Of Self And Sense Of Purpose In Learning By Challenging The Learners Intellectually In A Fair And Encouraging Setup Jean Ruddock At All (1995). To Do So Teachers Has To Change Their Practices And Enter In Class With Full Preparation. That Will Help Them To Focus On School Work, Environment And Encourage The Students To Achieve The Milestones Without Hurting Their Self-Esteem And Confidence.


Twenty-First Century Demands Innovation In Education System And Put Heavy Responsibility On Teachers’ Shoulders. To Fulfil The Demand The Teacher Will Have To Transform The Classrooms From Passive To Active Learning As A Change Agent. They Should Find Methods That Inspires And Inculcate Critical Thinking, Problem Solving And Improve Life Skills.

Salma Ali
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