Ranjani Ramnath

Behind the Screens?

Impact of Family Engagement in Education during a Pandemic

During the crucial time of this pandemic, we have suddenly been forced to shift to a new lifestyle with more engagement digitally, through ‘modern technology’. This raises the question, if it is so difficult for an adult to adapt to this scenario, would such an adjustment be suitable for a child who is under the process of learning; new definitions, concepts and ideas? One must understand that their main source of engagement with technology is usually for entertainment, but asking them to go to school on a mobile device is a complete shift in their paradigm. What about millions of children who do not have access to such fast paced technology and related resources? EduTech markets is growing at light-speed. Is the society ready for this? Or are we knowingly creating more inequality?

As a researcher, I strongly feel we have not even understood the process of engagement within the classroom space and the sociological factors involved in the child’s upbringing with their interaction in a school environment. But, we have all been placed behind a glass screen, due to our own actions. So, where has it brought us?

Well, I am one of those people who is trying to involve herself in MOOCs. One such course I am a part of, revolves around the topic of family engagement. I hope to achieve more understanding into the idea and activities involved in family engagement as the term ‘Parental Involvement’ is no longer in use. As a researcher, my area of interest lies in the nature of resources that is involved in the teaching and learning processes utilised for better knowledge and educational experience for the child in school and at home.

Within just 15 years of a child’s life there are many people who are majorly involved directly or indirectly which may shape what person they may end up being. When we look at the term, ‘engagement’, I visualise it as a web connecting a variety stakeholders at different timelines, different lengths, different speeds of interaction, and so on, with the child placed at the centre. How is an innocent child to know how the environment affects them drastically when they have the least role to play within this web?

It is a very interesting process, the engagement is dependent on many other factors; the socio- economic status of the family and the school, the philosophy of the school, the other members of the society that are not even directly associated with the child affect his/her life. I have heard stories of hi-flyer students, whose parents are very economically poor or fall below the poverty line, are provided scholarships at very reputed schools by multiple CSR initiatives. Some of these parents/guardians are abusive, violent, alcoholics or even drug addicts that have no involvement or severely negative involvement in the child’s life once they return home. Being home could probably nothing short of horrific, creating a counter- balance in the motive of from-home-engagement of schools during a the pandemic where they are compelled to be at home even with the availability of material resources and technology. It is not the same lifestyle, experience or feeling that a child from comparatively well- off families encounter. It makes me wonder, whether a child who is academically brilliant and potential, can succumb and succeed under such pressurised circumstances, as these experiences shapes them to be the future of a global society we are all a part of.

Ranjani Ramnath

Snowflakes when it comes to Learning

An ongoing debate has always existed when it comes to teaching and learning, whether conceptual understanding of a topic is more important or understanding the procedure is. Let us first try to differentiate the two with the help of a very simple example.

“Which direction does water flow?”

A conceptual understanding gives us the ‘why?’ or the reason behind the direction in which the water flows. Whereas, procedural knowledge would present the ‘how?’. If you were to explain this to a child between 5-7 years, how would you do it? (Share it in the comments section below this article).

Howard Gardner in his book, ‘Frames of Mind’ written in 1983 described the various characteristics of learners. The combination of styles that each has individual varies from one another. For instance, when we talk about music, have you ever been asked if you are a ‘lyrics person’ or a ‘beat/tune person’? In the same manner, learning styles too differ between individuals. One individual may grasp a theory better when it is explained to them with a working model, another may just by reading a paragraph explaining it and another just needs to look at a diagram. Have you ever thought what your learning style is? You may end up saving a lot more time by recognizing that. But, if you are a parent or a teacher reading this, remember, that your learning need not be what your own child or student follows. Genes need not necessarily attribute to such cognitive functions.

School textbooks only provide a standardized curriculum, it is dependent on the teaching and learning process on how that can be initiated differently among students. Enabling this form of learning is important but one must agree that conceptual and procedural knowledge exist on a learning continuum and cannot be separated. The relations and intersections formed between learning styles can only strengthen this process of teaching and learning.

Ranjani Ramnath

Encouraging Scientific Beauty

When we think about our initial experiences with the discipline of science, schools are the first medium that one can connect this learning with. How much consideration or self-direct thought do we give ourselves or our children to relate to things apart from what the textbooks provide?

Our textbooks act merely as a repository of information. The activities, tasks or even images that are provided in the form of examples are judiciously contemplated and planned to be added by the curriculum and textbook designers. This is where the next question arises, how often are these experiments and tests given in the textbooks actually played out in the pedagogical practices that take place each day within the schools?

A child’s mind as tabula rasa is always inquisitive to identify the world around them. This curious nature is what I would like to call, the journey through and towards science. ‘Why?’- being a heavy word, is taken to very casually at times. ‘Why is the moon following me?’, ‘Why does the ball fall back on the ground?’ It is this probing nature that gives rise to the famous 5W’s and 1H in the important process of communication as well.

5Ws and 1H

Every time a child looks at an object unknown, there is learning that takes place each time thereafter when the same object is looked at. Let us take a very simple example of even holding a glass. The inquisitive nature within the child holds it upside-down, feels it, analyses the shape and structure. It is later, when the same glass is dropped and is broken, does the child learn and realise the nature of the material of the given object. The next step could possibly be with the careful and gradual mimicking of an adult, the child further learns how to hold the object. As mentioned by Vygotsky, explaining a child’s ability to learn with the help of a ‘More Knowledgeable Other’ (MKO), referring to the stages of elementary mental functions- starting from; attention, sensation, perception and finally, memory. The classic difference between Vygotsky and Piaget, is that the learning and mnemonic nature in learning takes places culturally, whereas the latter believes that this ability towards the progression of learning is universal.

Thus, these cognitive functions begin developing very early within children. It is us, adults, who tend to occasionally ignore and oversee this curiosity and gambit ourselves out of answering something that could possible awaken the interest towards scientific beauty. Let us not stop looking at science just as an academic book each year, but notice and observe it in each phenomenon around us.

Ranjani Ramnath

Melting the Ice

Hello!

I am a Research Scholar pursuing my Master of Philosophy in Education.

As a researcher, an individual receives the opportunity to come across an array of literature. Seldom does one get to initiate and probe on topics that are not necessarily within their area of study. I hope this blog helps me share these ideas with you.

Well, am eager to hear your thoughts too! 🙂