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Spur alternative thought
for excellence in research Multi-user
smart desks can boost pupils’ maths skills
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Spur alternative thought
for excellence in research It is a miracle that curiosity survives despite the formal education in our schools and universities. FOR a moment, let us do a little soul-searching on creative scholarship that will offer a perceptive analysis of the problems plaguing education and research from within the university. No lip-service is going to usher in any sizeable changes required for a spirited and rigorous system that stimulates quality research. In times when higher education is experiencing growing expectations, we need to begin serious discussion on restructuring initiatives, especially with a focus on creative research to meet global standards. The work done by academics and its impact will take us towards a redefinition of what a vigorous intellectual culture stands for. The slip-up lies not so much in the establishment but in the individual academic who does not labour enough to encourage research in far-reaching projects focusing, for instance, on eradication of poverty or contemporary issues in politics and ideology, or the role of the intellectual. More emphasis could be placed on cutting edge subjects in history, philosophy and social sciences that enable us to examine the wisdom behind the moral and ethical philosophy that underpins international law, foreign policy and human rights. Most important of all is the ability to handle alternative opinions that makes the university a dynamic social organ capable of perspectives from multiple directions that break fossilised ideological assumptions. It is this main characteristic of the centres of higher learning that need to be promoted and guarded against any lackadaisical attitude discernible in the academia. There is no visible sense of belonging to the workplace, because if it was, care would be taken to pay heed to the need for more attention and more rigorous input towards the intellectual field we belong to, and that demands radical directions in theory and practice. The university curricula have to be restructured to meet the growing domestic and international demand for human resources with world-class skills. You cannot allow the same old syllabi, annually tinkered, to continue for decades because of assertions of committee members who would prefer the continuation of the same old prescribed texts that would enable the complacent to fall back on their available preparation over years without any desire to broaden their courses. Moreover, an innovative and world-class curriculum is bound to inspire scholars towards more creative research. It is necessary to rescue our educational system from the inherent lethargy and the indifference to quality research by bringing in a spirit of inquiry and experimentation. Quality in research would be possible only if the university statutory bodies take concrete steps that disallow any sub-standard project to get the necessary approval. At the registration stage of a doctoral thesis, for instance, it becomes imperative to thoroughly examine the proposal laid out in the synopsis from the point of view of its originality as well as its contribution to knowledge. It is often observed that many turn up for committee meetings without having done the necessary home work on a research proposal. Owing to the lack of any critical scrutiny of the synopsis, it is often left to the strategies of lobbying for allowing the proposal through. Sadly, any sincere criticism of the synopsis results in a backlash of bitterness between colleagues, not realising the essentials of objective critical examination and the candidate’s ability to carry out research, an exercise that would enable us to push the boundaries of thinking. It is amply clear that quality of research is deteriorating only because we seem to be in a rush to enrol more students; quantity, not quality, seems to be the objective. Interviews for admission to M.Phil or Ph.D are only a formality. Populism seems to be the motive and casualness the temperament of many for, clearly, many of us have not gone through the research proposal meticulously enough to offer any convincing arguments to back their stand. Have the university authorities ever been serious about obtaining the periodic reports on the progress of research of a candidate? How often does the student meet the supervisor for a discussion? And, for heaven’s sake, why are so many extensions granted to students who are visibly not cut out for research? I do not agree with the so-called ‘golden’ chances which permit endless extensions. Interestingly, the rules disallow extension beyond a specific period and in contradiction to this, in the very next breath, the regulations permit extensions at the discretion of the Vice-Chancellor, regardless of the merit of the case or its intellectual consequences. Serious and deserving research, therefore, will prepare the next generation in bringing about an era of renewal and revision. What is essential at the university level is the imparting of training that introduces research scholars to the tools and the critical framework for training to reason and analyse with a creative temperament that would show the way forward towards a more critically-aware culture and rescue our education system from the assault of careerism and commodification. If academics begin to sincerely introspect on their contribution to the upholding of the spirit of inquiry and experiment, there is a possibility that the casual culture of research will give way to more rigorous standards. We cannot possibly allow one and all to tumble headlong into research just because academics desire self-promotion. Each one of us must have a moral commitment to quality and a return to what is fundamentally worthwhile. In this lies the active discharging of our responsibilities towards excellence as well as affirming the enterprise of learning and discovery which is at the heart of our occupation. |
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Multi-user smart desks can boost pupils’ maths skills
BLACKBOARDS and books, which are the main elements of a present-day classroom,
could soon be a thing of the past. Experts at UK’s Durham University have
designed new multi-touch, multi-user smart desks, which have been nicknamed as
the ‘Star Trek classroom’. Results from a three-year project working with
over 400 pupils, mostly eight to 10 year olds, show that the desks and
software can significantly improve pupils’ maths. Researchers
suggested that this classroom could help teachers to use collaborative
learning to improve their pupils’ flexibility in maths. “Our aim
was to encourage far higher levels of active student engagement, where
knowledge is obtained by sharing, problem-solving and creating, rather
than by passive listening,” the Daily Mail quoted lead researcher,
Professor Liz Burd, School of Education, Durham University, as saying. “This
classroom enables both active engagement and equal access. We found
our tables encouraged students to collaborate more effectively. “We
were delighted to observe groups of students enhancing others’
understanding of mathematical concepts. Such collaboration just did
not happen when students used paper-based approaches,” Professor
Burd stated. The project called SynergyNet set out to integrate a
fully collaborative system of desks, building it into the ‘fabric
and furniture of the classroom’. The desks act like multi-touch whiteboards and several students can use any one desk at once. The technology allows all students to take part rather than one individual dominating. The teacher plays a key role in the classroom and can send tasks to different tables to individuals and groups. Professor
Steve Higgins said: “Technology like this has enormous potential for
teaching as it can help the teacher to manage and to orchestrate the
learning of individuals and groups of learners to ensure they are both
challenged and supported so that they can learn effectively.” The
findings published in the journal Learning and Instruction, show that
children who use a collaborative maths activity in the SynergyNet
classroom improve in both mathematical ‘flexibility and fluency’,
while children working on traditional paper-based activities only
improve in flexibility. “Cooperative learning works very well in
the new classroom because the pupils interact and learn in a different
way,” added Researcher, Emma Mercier, School of Education, Durham
University. — ANI |
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Campus
Notes THE university has constituted a grievance redressal cell to address the grievances of students, teachers and non-teaching staff. According to MDU Registrar Dr S.P. Vats, the Dean, Academic Affairs, will be the chairperson of the cell, while the Registrar will be the Member Secretary. Other members will be the Dean, Students' Welfare; Proctor; Chairperson, Women's Cell; Head, Department of Psychology; Head, Department of Law; president, MDU Teachers' Association; and president, MDU Non-Teaching Employees Association. Focus on research The quality of research is dependent upon appropriate research methodology and selection of accurate statistical tools. This was stated by Dr Radhey Shyam, Professor, Department of Psychology, in a special lecture programme organised at the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication here recently. In his lecture, Prof Shyam laid stress on research methodology, foundation of research, use of statistical tools in research, etc. New guest house The Governor of Haryana and Chancellor of Maharshi Dayanand University, Jagannath Pahadia, inaugurated the newly constructed University Guest House and Faculty Club of the university recently. He also laid the foundation stone of faculty flats meant for university faculty members on this occasion. The Vice-Chancellor, Registrar, senior university functionaries, Commissioner, Rohtak and several district-level officials were among those present. Indian Institute of Management, Rohtak Mini marathon A large number of students and local residents took part in the 'India for the Girl Child' mini marathon held recently by the Indian Institute of Management-Rohtak (IIM-R) here. The mini-marathon, symbolising the long and arduous journey that a girl child has to undertake in her life, was aimed at creating awareness about saving the girl child and the need to increase the child sex ratio in the country. The mini marathon was formally inaugurated by Rajesh Jain, CMD, LPS Bossard, and Prof. P. Rameshan, Director, IIM-R. Vikas Malik and Devender Singh emerged winners in the men's 10-km and 5-km runs, respectively, while Sakshi won the women's 5-km run. The runners-up in the men's 10-km and 5-km runs were Ankit Malik and Satish, while Adesh was the runner-up in the women's 5-km run. Master Vishal was the winner, while Amarjeet Hooda emerged the runner-up in the 3-km run which was held for the first time to sensitise schoolchildren against the social evils of female foeticide and gender discrimination. A total of Rs 50,000 was distributed in prize money for the various categories, sponsored by industrial and commercial institutions. |
FOR a moment, let us do a little soul-searching on creative scholarship that will offer a perceptive analysis of the problems plaguing education and research from within the university. No lip-service is going to usher in any sizeable changes required for a spirited and rigorous system that stimulates quality research.