Mistakes are to learn ...

Recently while browsing internet, and skipping through YouTube, I came across a video of TED where Brian Goldman, a doctor by profession was talking about his mistakes. Very sincerely and emotionally, he was sharing his experiences with the audience where he described some costly emergency room mistakes, and then talked about how admitting these mistakes can change the way medical professionals work. According to him, if doctors will accept and discuss their mistakes without judgment, medicines will improve, as doctors will learn from each others. Further he commented that as mistakes are doctors’ enemy, so they get scared to discuss mistakes, and continue with blaming each others.

We are human being, and somehow, according to me, we abide to commit mistakes. I personally believe that one learns in a better way when he or she commits mistakes. I have committed a lot of mistakes in my life, and so does everyone. If I have to classify mistakes, I would classify them in:

1.    The mistakes that I hid

2.    The mistakes I learnt nothing from

3.    The mistakes I learnt from

4.    The mistakes I learnt from and shared my knowledge with others (which I usually do with my students)

According to me, last two classes have a great potential when it comes to life-time learning.

In an era, where parents pay hefty amount to schools to get good education for their children, teachers are expected to be ‘mistake free’. Parents, Principals, their colleagues, the management, everyone looks at them very negatively for making mistakes. Yet, when a teacher forms a good rapport with other teachers or his or her colleagues, he or she shares his or her problems, asks for advice, give advice, and thus, learn from each other. In schools, generally it happens, where a mentor teacher shares ideas with the new teachers. But what would happen when not only mentor teacher but everyone (including Principal, Management, Administrators, and other teachers) shares ideas with each others?

The entire concept of sharing mistakes, discussing them, is to change the perception of the mistakes. This is not the change only in teachers’ but also students’ perception. When teachers make students aware about teachers’ own mistakes and how they learn from them, they set a true and genuine example before children. Students might learn from their own mistakes after that.

Mistakes can improve learning. In almost every part of the world, in education scenario, mistakes are evaluated as poor performance. Students are told not to make mistakes as it may affect their grades. For me, as a new age world teacher, this is an absurd belief. Because if I look at my own journey, at those all mistakes I made, I have learnt everything from them. The bigger the mistake, the more the learning. I learnt less from my success but more from my mistakes, from my failures.

With students, problem doesn’t lie in making mistakes. The real problem lies is teachers not using the mistakes to promote learning. The word SHAME is attached with mistakes, so no student takes chance to explore and think beyond the box. If done the survey, again it my opinion, and not a fact, it will be seen that most of the brilliant students in the schools are not risk-takers, not unique thinkers, not creative in their expressions. They are the ones who scored maximum in standardized tests or assessments. Thus, we label them as gifted students (who commit fewer mistakes). I think that it is a mistake to think of a mistake as a mistake in learning. Everything changes when mistakes becomes learning opportunities. Mistakes and their acceptance lead to students taking more risks, thinking in new ways, cheating less in the examinations, etc.

We should stop marking errors on exam answer sheet without explaining why the answers are wrong. We should give enough explanation, and for that matter, enough time, to understand what went wrong and how to fix it.

We should give them a chance to correct their mistakes and redo their work. This will create learning opportunities for them.

Grades shouldn’t be given or marked on the basis of exam performance, but on the rate of students’ improvement of their mistakes. The more the student improves, the higher his or her grades.

Never say in front of students, “No, your answer is wrong. Can anyone please help him/her with this?” Instead of that, ask questions like: Why do you think so? Can you elaborate it a bit?

There should be a concept of HELPER. A helper is a student who helps the one who commit mistakes. The helper works as a personal consultant. If a student commits a mistake, let him/her chose his/her helper.

Instead of a wall displaying students’ achievements, an ideal classroom should have a wall where students should talk about their mistakes and what they learnt from their mistakes.

A school should have a sign at the very entrance, which says: Everyone who enters here will learn.

Class VIII: Television

Introduction:

This poem focuses on the concerns about the ill-effects of television on the young minds of young children. He says it numbs their brain and kills their imagination. It also distracts them from the joy of reading. The poem is written not from a child but from an adult’s point of view.

About Roald Dahl:

Roald Dahl was a British short-story writer and novelist. Some of his most popular works for children include James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and The Chocolate Factory and Matilda.

Text-book Exercise:

Answer the following questions:

1. What is the most important thing that the poet has learnt?

Answer: The most important thing that the poet has learnt is that children should be kept away from the television set or not to install the television set at all.

2. How does television keep the children still?

Answer: Children do weird things like climbing a window, jumping over it, etc. they may accidently hurt themselves. So, it is better to switch on the television and let them watch it to keep them still.

3. What should parents do for the entertainment of their children?

Answer: Parent, instead of making their children watch TV so that they would be busy, should provide their kids with story books. When children will develop the habit of reading books, they will not feel like watching TV. They will enjoy reading books as it will help them imagining and entertaining.

4. Name some of the things that the poet has seen in house which have televisions.

Ans: Children always are gaping at the TV screen. They loll, slop and lounge about while watching the television. They sit in front of the TV and stare it continuously.

5. Describe the effects of television on children’s mind.

Ans: Watching television, according to the poet, is not good for younger minds. According to the poet, it kills their imagination; it blocks their minds, and makes them dull.

6. According to the poet, what should be done to save children from the hypnotism of television?

Ans: According to the poet, children should be given different story books to read in order to save children from the hypnotism of television.

7. How, according to the poet, can children benefit from reading books?

Ans: According to the poet, children should read book. It will help in developing their imagination and creative thinking skills. It will awaken their senses. It will give them enough opportunity to imagine and visualize a scene explain in the story.

Class VIII: Report Writing Assignment

Report Writing

Ice-breaking Activity:

Read the following report of an incident published in a school magazine and answer the following questions:

HUNGAMA WITNESSED 4500 FOOTFALLS

November 23, 2014

Pune

Our school had organized ‘Hungama’, the school’s annual fun festival, on Saturday, November 22, 2014. Many schools all over the city participated in this event.

Our school organizes ‘Hungama’ every year with different themes. This year, the theme was Eclectica : The Spice of Life’. This time Hungama was bigger and more entertaining. The event featured many fun-filled activities like dance, school choir, and singing, performed in Talent Show. The crowd witnessed ‘Ethnic Dress competition’ followed by Lucky Draw.

‘Hungama’ was a success as witnessed and told by many parents. Mrs. Anupama Sagdeo, the Principal of our School, and Mrs. Meera Nair, the Vice-Principal organized and carried out the event successfully.

1.    What is the passage about?

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2.    When had the event taken place?

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3.    Where had the event taken place?

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4.    What is so special about this event?

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5.    What happened during the events?

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6.    Who were responsible for bringing out the event?

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Analyzing the construction:

Observe the passage carefully and answer the questions given below:

1.    What is given in the first paragraph?

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2.    How is second paragraph different from the third paragraph?

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3.    How have the report been concluded?

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Important aspects of report writing:

The word report is used as a noun and also as a verb. The meaning of the word report (the verb) is to tell someone about something. It is similar to the reported speech that we learnt. To report means to tell someone about something or someone.

The dictionary meaning of the word report is:

As verb:

-        To give a description of something to someone

-        To make a complain to an authority about something or someone

As noun:

-        An account of details of an event, situation which usually are the result of observation, inquiry, etc

-        An announcement

-        An account of speech, debate, etc.

Thus, a report is a detailed account of an event that has an effect on an individual or a society which is outcome of observation or an inquiry. Thus writing a report requires observation and inquiry of the eye witnesses. 

Types of reports:

Report writing is done for different audiences. Depending upon these audiences, there are different types of reports.

-        Report to be published in the newspaper

-        Report to be published in the magazine

Content of report writing:

-        Give a title to the report. Title should be short, in phrase, and not in complete sentence. It should be attractive and catchy. It should be written in bold letters.

Write the name of the person who is writing the report. Also mention his or her post/ designation.

-        Write date and place.

-        In the first paragraph, write in simple sentences, the answers of 4Ws (what, where, when)

-        In the second paragraph, write in simple sentences, the answers of How and Why.

-        In the third paragraph, write down the details given by the eye witness, and conclude the report with the details of further inquiry or programme that was planned after the event.

Construct a report:

Task 1:

Imagine the Independence Day event that has taken place in your school. Complete the following table by filling in the blank columns:

Event name
Place
Day and date
Time
People present
Guests/ special mentioned if any
Eye witness and details
Conclusion

With the help of the details given in the table, and with the help of following points, write a report of the Independent Day celebrated at your school.

Task 2:

Collect two to three reports that are published in the newspaper or a magazine which gives information of an event that has taken place somewhere. Read, observe and analyze, and then comment whether the reports that you have collected follow the format of the report that you have learnt. Take the help of the following questions:

• Is the title written in the same way as taught to you?
• Is the first paragraph written in the same way as taught to you? If not, what is the difference?
• Does the second paragraph follow the same format? If not, what is the difference?
• Does the last paragraph follow the same format? If not, what is the difference?

Class IX: The Seven Ages

The Seven Ages

About the poet:

William Shakespeare though is known for his plays, he is also one of the greatest poets of all he times with 154 sonnets in his credits. Some of his poems are not written separately but are the long narration features in his plays. He has also written two long narrative poems.

About the poem:

The poem ‘The Seven Ages’ is an extract from Shakespeare’s play ‘As You Like It’. The poem focuses on different stages of line. The poet compares the different stages of life with different images. Here, Shakespeare has used poetic and dramatic means to create unified aesthetic effects.

Summary:

The poet compares the life with the stage because in our life we have to play various roles. It is similar to playing various characters on the stage. The birth and the death of an individual are compared with the entrance and the exit of the character on the stage. The life, as compared by Shakespeare, consists of seven acts.

Textbook Exercise:

1. What does Shakespeare compare the world with?

Ans: Shakespeare, in ‘The Seven Ages’, compares the world with on the stage.

2. How does Shakespeare carry out the comparison between the stage and the world?

Ans: The poet says that to live in the world is like to perform a play on the stage. People born and die, and during their lifetime, they perform various roles at different stages of their lives. Similarly, during a play, an artist has to play various roles. Every artist has his own entrances and exits. These entries and exits are like birth and death.

3. What is the first stage? How does the poet describe the first stage?

Ans: The first stage is of an infant. The infant cries a lot and pukes on the nurse’s arm. Here, the poet is trying to show the stage of infancy where the child is completely dependent on others. The child cannot do anything but eat, puke, and cry.

4. What role do people play in the life according to the poet?

Ans: According to the poet, people play the role of a school-going child who is not willing to go to school. As the child has spent his earlier years with his family and friends in fun and frolics, he is not willing to go to the school away from his closer friends. Till now he was dependent on others, but now he has to go to school and be independent. Here, the awareness of responsibility is making his cry.

5. Which is the third stage of life according to the poet? What does a person do in this stage?

Ans: The third stage of life is of a lover. A lover always thinks of his beloved. In this stage, he thinks of nothing else but of his love. He doesn’t feel any responsibility; on the other hand, he is always busy in praising his lover’s eyebrows (her physical features) in the form of a ballad. To face the world, and ready

6. What does the ‘soldier’ in the poem ‘The Seven Ages’ symbolize?

Ans: The soldier is the role to be performed on the stage as described by the poet. In reality, the poet wants to focus upon the stage of life where one is young, enthusiastic and energetic. After the lover’s stage is over, one becomes serious about his life. He is ready to take responsibilities, ready to compete with others for the glory. One is always ready to fight over trivial matter. In this stage one cares more about the reputation and does anything to be famous.

7. What does the phrase ‘bubble reputation’ mean?

Ans: The phrase ‘bubble reputation’ means the reputation which does not last long. In youth, people always crave to get popularity, to be famous. But whatever they do, in this age, to be popular, is not so great, that their achievement doesn’t last for long. So, it is called as ‘bubble reputation’.

8. How does the poet describe the stage of maturity in this poem?

Ans: The poet calls the stage of maturity as justice. It means that in this stage people get enough mature to take their own decision and to understand the difference between the right and the wrong. The phrase ‘round belly’ symbolizes the settled life of a person where he is happy with whatever he has. ‘The formal cut beard’ represents the socially accepted behavior of that person.

9. How does the poet describe the sixth stage?

Ans: The sixth stage is of an old age. In this age, the man bends due to illness. His health, his vision slowly gets weaker. His skin gets folds doe to old age. He spends most of his time in remembering his youth. He cannot walk for a long. His manly voice turns weaker and weaker day-by-day.

Poetic devices:

Metaphor is the mostly used poetic device in this poem.

• The world is compared with the stage
• Birth is compared with the entrance on the stage
• Death is compared with the exit from the stage

Simile is also used in this poem at various instances:

• Creeping like snail
• Sighing like furnace
• Bearded like the pard

Repetition:

• Sans teeth, sans eyes …
• Their exits and their entrances

Alliteration:

• His shrunk shank
• Turning again towards childish treble

• Sans teeth, sans eyes …

Class IX: The Man Who Knew Too Much

1.      What is a 'nickname'? Can you suggest another one for Private Quelch?

Answer: A nickname is not one’s real name. It is name people call you or know you by. One nickname I would like to suggest for Private Quelch is ‘Scientist’.

2.      Private Quelch looked like a 'Professor' when the author first met him at the training depot. Why?

Answer: Private Quelch was a lanky, stoop person who used to wear horn-rimmed spectacles. From his appearance anybody would guess that he was an intelligent person. That is why it is said that Private Quelch looked like a 'Professor' when the author first met him at the training depot.

3.      What does the dark, sun-dried appearance of the Sergeant suggest about him?

Answer: The dark, sun-dried appearance of the Sergeant suggests that he was a very strict and egoistic person who would not listen to anyone’s comments about him. It suggests that he is a seasoned and hardened person.  He can’t be subdued or overcome easily.  We can’t take him lightly. 

4.      How was Private Quelch's knowledge exposed even further as the Sergeant's classes went on?

Answer: The Sergeant had felt insulted and small when Private Quelch showed off his superior knowledge about the speed of the rifle bullet. In order to take his revenge, he asked Private Quencl a number of questions, but to this surprise, Private Qulech answered all the questions with wonderful precision. Thus Private Quelch's knowledge exposed even further as the Sergeant's classes went on.

5.      What did the Professor mean by "intelligent reading"?

Answer: By “intelligent reading”, Private Quelch meant reading with understanding, reading more reference materials. It makes no sense if we do not understand intelligently what is written in the books. We should be able to comprehend, analyze the text.

6.      What were the Professor's ambitions in the army?

Answer: As a first step in the army, the Professor wanted to earn a stripe for himself.  And then his ambition was to get a commission.

7.      Did Private Quelch's day to day practices take him closer towards his goal? How can you make out?

Answer: His day to day physical and academic related practice was taking Private Quelch towards his goal but his habit of showing off his knowledge was making it difficult for him to achieve his goals. Because later, people started getting annoyed and feeling insulted because of his nature rather.

8.      Describe Corporal Turnbull.

Answer: Corporal Turnbull was a young man.  He had come back from Dunkirk(France).  He was a tough and seasoned person.  He was not a man to be trifled with.  Only he was able to outwit Private Quelch and show him his place.

9.      How did Private Quelch manage to anger the Corporal?

Answer: One day Corporal Turnbull was giving a lecture on hand grenades.  He said that the outside of a grenade is divided up into a large number of fragments to assist segmentation.  At once Private Quelch showed off his superior knowledge by saying that the outside had forty-four segments.  And then he further irritated Corporal by saying that he should have started his lecture with the five characteristics of the grenade.  Thus Private Quelch managed to anger Corporal.

10.  Do you think Private Quelch learnt a lesson when he was chosen for cookhouse duties? Give reasons for your answer.

Answer: No. I don’t think that Private Quelch learnt a lesson when he was punished by Corporal Turnbull. Because while doing the cookhouse duties, he kept lecturing the cooks on such petty things as peeling potatoes.  In fact, it was impossible for him to stop showing off his knowledge to others.

11.  At first, Private Quelch was a hero in the eyes of his fellow soilders. Support this observation with suitable examples from the story in about 100 words.

Answer: Private Quelch was undoubtedly a man of knowledge.  He knew almost everything about anything.  Even after talking to him for five minutes, one became impressed with his knowledge.  He knew much more than his instructors even.  Thus very soon he became a hero in the eyes of his fellow soldiers.  While giving a lecture on musketry, the instructor said that the muzzle velocity of a rifle bullet is over two thousand feet per second.  Private Quelch at once demonstrated his superior knowledge by saying that it was two thousand, four hundred and forty feet per second. The surprised instructor asked, “You had any training before?”  Private Quelch proudly replied, “No, Sergeant.  It’s all a matter of intelligent reading.”  Thus there was nothing surprising that Private Quelch was a hero in the eyes of his fellow soldiers. 

12.  Private Quelch knew 'too much'. Give reasons to prove that he was unable to win the admiration of his superior officers or his colleagues in about 100 words.

Answer: There can be no doubt that Private Quelch was a well of knowledge.  But the trouble with him was that he wanted to show off his knowledge too much. He made others feel small in his presence.  He irritated everyone by showing off his superior knowledge. Even his fellow soldiers lived in terror of his approach.  He would keep pointing out their faults and mistakes and giving non-stop lectures.  His instructors felt insulted when he tried to improve upon their statements. Thus, in spite of his deep and wide knowledge, Private Quelch failed to win the admiration of his superior officers or his colleagues.   

13.  You are the 'Professor'. Write a diary entry after your first day at the cookhouse, describing the events that led to this assignment, also express your thoughts and feelings about the events of the day in about 175 words.

Answer:

13^th November, 2014

11:00 A.M.

Dear Diary,

It was one of the happiest moments of my life. Our trainer Corporal Turnbull has chosen me for permanent cookhouse duties. Others feel that it is a punishment but I don’t find it as a punishment. I am enjoying my work even in the cookhouse.

I am not happy with the way people work in the kitchen. They don’t even know how to peel a potato. I have read in my Class VI Science book that peeling a potato loses its nutritional value. It is high time that I should teach them how to peel potato otherwise soon the entire military training camp would turn malnutrition.

Private Quelch 

Class X: Ozymandias

About the poem:

‘Ozymandias’ is a sonnet (A fourteen line poem) by P.B. Shelly. In this poem, P.B. Shelly focuses on the uselessness of power and materialistic things in the world. It gives us a message that time is the real ruler. No king or emperor can rule time.

Background information:

Once, P.B. Shelly and his friend visited a museum. There they saw the statue of Ramsesse II (the king of Egypt).  The statue was headless and trunk less. It only had legs, and the face was lying down. They both bet to write a poem on the statue, and come up with the same name poem ‘Ozymandias’.

‘Ozy’ means air, and ‘mandias’ means ruler. Thus, Ozymandias means ruler of air, the one who rules everything.

Summary:

Once a traveller from an ancient land comes and tells the narrator that there in the desert, two trunkless legs are standing. The head of the statue was half-sunk in the sand. The expressions on the face are still visible and clear. From the expression, one can guess that he was a tyrant. Also, the expressions are so real; one can say that the sculptor has studied a lot about Ozymandias. On the pedestal of the statue, there was written the following words:

I am Ozymandias; King of Kings

Look at my works; ye might but despair.

The poem ends with a conclusion that nothing leaves for a long whether it is power, strength or wealth.

Text-book Exercise:

1. "The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed." Whose hand and heart has the poet referred to in this line?

Answer: The poet referred to the hands of the sculptor who made the statue of Ozymandias. The poet refers to the heart of Ozymandias.

2. "My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:" Why does Ozymandias refer to himself as King of Kings? What quality of the king is revealed through this statement?

Answer: Ozymandias is the mighty king who has defeated almost all the kings and their empires around him. He is proud of his glory and power. So, he calls himself ‘King of Kings’. From this we come to know that Ozymandias was a powerful but a proud king. He is an arrogant king and contemptuous of others lesser than him.

3. "Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!" Who is Ozymandias referring to when he speaks of ye Mighty? Why should they despair?

Answer: Ozymandias is referring to the kings of his contemporary era. He is also referring to the ones who are watching this statue.

Other kings of his era should be despair to see his endless empire and his achievements as it wouldn’t be possible for them (as they are not as strong as him) to be like him.

He is referring also to the people watching his statue that they should despair as they couldn’t be like him.

4. Bring out the irony in the poem.

Answer: The meaning of the word ‘Ozymandias’ is ‘the ruler of the air. Ozymandias, the king, talks about his power, his empire and tries to show other down. Also, he gets the words written on the pedestal of his statue, ‘I am Ozymandias, King of kings. Look at my works, ye mighty and despair’. But now when we look at the statue and the empire around the statue, there is nothing left but the endless sand. Even his statue, which was made so that people would remember him for a long time, was lying broken and has mixed with the dust and sand. There lies the irony.

5. 'Nothing beside remains.' What does the narrator mean when he says these words?

Answer: The narrator reads the words written on the pedestal ‘Look at my works, ye mighty and despair’. But when he sees, there is nothing left but the endless sand. The narrator here means to say that nothing remains forever, and nobody can defeat time. The achievements and the empires won have all turned into sand.

6. What is your impression of Ozymandias as a king?

Answer: Ozymandias was a great powerful king as he had defeated almost every king in his empire. His achievements could be seen throughout the empire. But his boastful nature, his arrogance, and his nature of showing others down make him a weak person.

7. What message is conveyed through this poem?

Answer: Through this poem, S.T. Coleridge wants to convey the message that time is all powerful. No king or his power can defeat time. All the achievement, in the end, leads to grave as nothing lives in the world forever. So, the pride and the showcase of power are useless. The greatness of a man is known by his good deeds.

8. Imagine that Ozymandias comes back to life and as he sees the condition of his statue, realization dawns on him and he pens his thoughts in a diary. As Ozymandias, make this diary entry in about 150 words. You could begin like this: I thought I was the mightiest of all but...

Answer:

November 30, 2014

11:00 A.M.

Dear Diary

I thought that I was the mightiest of all but I was wrong. Today, when I look at my own statue lying half-broken in the desert, I repent on my deeds. Whatever I did in my life was just to prove that I was strong. I was so blind in the power that I did not even think of my subjects. I forced them to salute me and call me next to God. But I forgot that I was mere a human being who was neither respected by his subjects nor loved by his own people.

Looking at my statue, I feel that, if given me one more chance, I would like to work for my subject, and prove by my work, that I am actually a good king.

But time never comes back. Time never waits for anyone. Time is the actual powerful one.

Ozymandias (the loser king)

9. 'Ozymandias' and 'Not Marble, nor the Gilded Monuments' are on Time. Compare the two sonnets in terms of the way in which Time is treated by the poets. Write your answer in about 150 words.

Answer:

In both the sonnets, ‘Ozymandias’ and ‘Not Marble Not the Gilded Monuments’ time is presented in different way by the poets. In ‘Ozymandias’, S.T. Coleridge presents time more powerful than the most of the powerful king. On the other hand, in ‘Not Marble Not the Gilded Monuments’, Shakespeare present time as powerful but not as powerful and long lasting as his words for his friends. In ‘Ozymandias’ it is seen that even a great king is forgotten in the course of time if his deeds are bad. But if you love someone more than anything else in the world, as mention in ‘Not Marble Not the Gilded Monuments’, your love for that person lives forever. In such case, one doesn’t need to make a statue to make the memory live forever. Time can be won only by love not by hate. 

Figures of speech in Ozymandias:

Alliteration:

-        Cold command

-        Boundless and bare

-        Lone and level sand

-        Remains round

-        Stone stand

Metaphor:

The entire poem is a metaphor for the foolishness of a man who thinks that anyone can harness time.  Ozymandias boasted of his accomplishments, which now are nothing but fodder for the sand and the wind.

Synecdoche:

The hand that mocked and the heart that fed

Imagery:

-        Two vast and trunkless1 legs of stone

-        Half sunk, a shattered visage2 lies, whose frown, And wrinkled lip

-        Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare