Improvement of Student Performance in Examinations: A Study on Effective Academic Interventions

 

Student performance in examinations has long been a key indicator of learning outcomes in schools. This paper presents an analysis of academic strategies—namely the introduction of worksheets, in-depth curricular insights, and written assignments—that significantly contributed to improving exam results. The findings indicate that approximately 70% of students demonstrated marked improvement in written exam scores. Additionally, the process facilitated early identification of student learning disabilities, while regular parental interaction through slip tests ensured continuous tracking of performance.

Introduction

Academic performance is influenced by multiple factors, including teaching strategies, assessment methods, and student engagement. Traditional classroom teaching, while essential, often fails to fully capture individual learning gaps. To address this, structured interventions such as worksheets, detailed curricular reinforcement, and written assignments were introduced. These methods not only helped improve student exam preparedness but also encouraged active learning and consistent evaluation.

Methodology

The improvement process was carried out through three primary strategies:

1. Worksheets – Regularly designed worksheets provided students with additional practice beyond the classroom, reinforcing concepts through repetition and application.
2. Curricular Insights – Teachers offered detailed explanations and extended learning opportunities for core topics, ensuring deeper understanding rather than surface-level memorization.
3. Written Assignments – Assignments encouraged independent thinking and structured expression, which directly reflected in improved writing skills and exam performance.

Parental engagement was ensured through slip tests, short periodic assessments that were shared with parents. These tests acted as progress trackers, allowing parents to support and monitor their ward’s learning journey.

Data Analysis: Class IV (Strength – 40 Students)

The interventions were implemented in Class IV with a total of 40 students. The outcomes are summarized below:

Observations

• Improved Group (24 students): Demonstrated better conceptual clarity, improved writing skills, and higher confidence levels in exams.
• Consistent Group (8 students): Maintained steady scores with minor variations, indicating stable learning but room for further enrichment.
• Minimal/No Improvement (5 students): Required additional remedial sessions and personalized attention.
• Learning Disabilities (5 students): Challenges such as writing delays, reading difficulties, and comprehension gaps were detected early, enabling targeted support.

• Findings

  1. Improvement in Exam Performance
  • Nearly 60% of students showed a substantial increase in their written exam scores.
  • The practice-oriented approach through worksheets reduced exam-related anxiety and increased confidence.
  2. Identification of Learning Disabilities
  • Regular written assignments and close monitoring enabled teachers to identify students with specific learning difficulties.
  • Early detection led to timely interventions and individualized support.
  3. Parental Involvement
  • Slip tests served as a reliable communication tool between school and parents.
  • Parents became active participants in academic tracking, leading to more consistent support at home.

  Discussion

  The combined approach of reinforcement, practice, and evaluation created a cycle of continuous learning. Worksheets offered immediate reinforcement, insights into curricular topics ensured deeper comprehension, and written assignments fostered independent application. Parental involvement strengthened accountability and support systems. The overall strategy shifted learning from exam-centric cramming to skill-based, consistent improvement.

  Conclusion

  This study highlights that structured academic interventions significantly enhance student exam performance. With 60% of Class IV students showing measurable improvement, the approach underscores the importance of diverse teaching methods, consistent monitoring, and collaborative involvement of parents. Furthermore, the incidental identification of learning disabilities adds value to the process by ensuring inclusive education and targeted support.

  Recommendations

  • Expand the use of diagnostic worksheets to further personalize learning.
  • Continue parental engagement through digital progress reports alongside slip tests.
  • Provide teacher training on recognizing early signs of learning disabilities.
  • Integrate technology-based tools for more interactive worksheets and performance tracking.

   

Should meticulous learning check happen in Primary classes.

My personal experience as a school Principal, I encounter many parents who for obvious reasons related to family functions or family get together's ignore classes and learning of their child during the formative years. Sometimes, it can be a tragedy that strikes the family that causes learning loss in primary classes. Sometimes, it is also as 'it is not serious learning' in the primary classes the absenteeism is on the high.  However, my outlook has totally changed after the 'learning gap' I personally saw, among the learners.

The confusion starts with recognition of '+' and 'x' to why use these operations.  This simple gap from the formative level has crept to the level where learner is not able to apply in their secondary level examination.  Reading is complicated as the learner was unable to blend and read or ignored in classrooms for reading during the formative years.

Observation on development of such a gap in the learning process led me to understand that the process of learning was unchecked during the formative years and combined with COVID - loss of learning due to online classes, this gap has widened.

A systematic check on learning should be mandated at all levels to see the learning outcomes has reached minimum learning levels.  These checks should not be ignored at the learning level and the next level where the outcome serves for prior knowledge.  Ignoring such gaps at the primary level accumulates and brings the locus on 'missing information build up'.  

Teaching should emphasize on this gap and permit absence only when such gaps can be overcome.  The year 1 gap develops to year 2 and so forth.  Moving forward the learner misses crucial information which helps build further learning.  A practical example that I have observed when one of my learner losses the clarity on basic mathematical operation is that the learner losses confidence in furthering the concept to addition and multiplication of fractions which then moves on to lack of competency in calculation of HCF and LCM which leads to the lacuna in solving algebra, trigonometry and further into deriving logical conclusions.

When and where should the check happen?

The learning gap formed during the academic year should be overcome during the year as it is less burdensome for the learner.  Imagine carrying a book and standing for 5 - 6 hours, it is sure painful!  However, if it is shortened by right intervention then the gap is overcome.  If it is extended the pain becomes frustrating which then turns fearful leading to other complications further if neglected.  Teachers are well aware of the curricular outcomes when the calendar is fixed, this can allow them to set 'minimal learning levels' which should be mandatory checked by the year end.  Schools as such should focus on training teachers in enhancing these MLLs for every year of learning which will develop learning to an enjoyable season rather than a certificate reason.

This June onwards when our new academic session begins, let us promise 'no child will be left behind' in attaining the minimum learning required in their class.  Looking forward to see every child being a champion as in the words of Rita Pearson, Let's educate!

ARE WE RIGHT ABOUT LEARNING?

Learning was always confusing from Pavlov to Vygotsky to  Hattie.  Theories have stated that learning happens in multiple ways, however, what if we are looking learning through the wrong lens?  

An age old custom in the Telugu speaking states, of India, which tests the choice of the new born during their 'Annaprasanam' reminds me the choice that we never give our learners.  The parents allow the child, during the event, to crawl and pick the items of their choice which ranges from money to gold to books to tools etc.,  Where are these choices as we move to the real school.  I as a teacher mandate students to learn basic Math, Science or EVS and English as fundamentals.  What if a student is not interested in all this?  What options does the school provide?  A teacher asks a lot of questions.  Well! I am a teacher, that can be the reason for my asking these questions too.   However,  I felt like I really need to ponder on these questions. 

Schooling and learning now looks like contradictory terms to me.  Opposite ends of the same rod.  We are indeed still in the process of making photocopies be it through Behaviourism or Constructivism or Visible learning.  We are not providing scope for individual-independent growth since 'every learner is unique'.   An open environment to suffice their needs, grow to pick their passion is rarely observed in today's buildings.  The learning, we speak about for the future, requires much open environment rather than closed blocks of buildings.  If, as a student, I love farming, I should be trained on the nitty gritty of farming.  The scope for developing such proficiency in the selected area of study is difficult in the current learning system.  Experts talk about education as a system rather than a self defining proficiency building process.  Education should become a process rather than a system.  Systems are susceptible to testing.  Process is more evolving and dynamic which accepts and adapts changes.  

To build such process oriented dynamics the outlook of education as standards needs to be changed.  Competition should be avoided at all costs.   Competition leads to all the negative traits which make us inhuman.  Industrialisation, has improved economical condition along with less empathetic society.  We look forward to build a more collaborating and self sustaining society as one of the important goals in UNDP 2030.  However, possibility of attaining such a status is only when everyone is a winner.  We cannot 'teach a fish to climb a tree' but we are still applying learning theories to reach standardisation.  Ironic as it is, we are molding all the interesting theories to the current system without changing the process.

Learning should be foundational to move ahead with a life a peace.  Mentoring should be the process to take the learner to the stride of learning and improving his interest.  Imagine, when a learner loves design is trained under a designer while a learner who loves cooking is trained under a chef.  Unnecessary competition avoided in the Grade 10-12.  Less stress as there is no compulsion to perform in algebra, trigonometry or in Waves and Periodic table.  Learning becomes more fun as they live their dream from the very early age.  Proficiency based on the performance displayed among the 'fishes in the same water'.  Life becomes more exploratory and experiential with lot of natural intrinsic motivation.  Are we ready for such a change in the learning process?  Can we find new vistas of learning from the learning institutions?  Dreams become reality when one become many in this belief.

Pandemic Challenges for Professional Women in Teaching

 

https://www.freepik.com/free-vector/students-classroom-flat-vector-illustration_9176840.htm

'Challenges are what make life interesting, overcoming them is what makes life meaningful'.  Are you sure?

As I was going through this quote, I was wondering are we emphasizing the same through our education policies.  Every day is a challenge, is understood, but the mindset to face it and overcome is with few.  Today, we are in dearth of quality manpower.  In India, we are well aware quality of teachers is an area that we seriously need to focus on. Major cities still do not have much issues, however the other cities are facing this issue to the greatest level, now more than ever.  Is education going to be restricted to cities and are we going to go through a phase where we have a situation where our future generations lack quality education just because they cannot afford to live in capital cities?

Teaching has already become a profession of 'chance' rather than 'by choice'.  I had personally, once faced a fresh MBA candidate submitting the resume for 'Principal's' post.  When questioned about experience the answer was simple 'running a school does not require any separate experience, I have my MBA'.  Teaching profession has become even more easy choice as a transition job for graduates.  With acute scarcity of people, schools are forced to recruit candidates without exposure or an idea about pedagogy.  This situation is become more predominant during the pandemic.  Other jobs have a good graded scale of pay which builds the person bottom-up clearly.  Teaching has become more open with the judgmental eyes of parent from the day one during COVID times.  The period of  'in-profession training' has become nil or '0'. The very first day onwards parents start sending emails about the teacher's attire, speech, delivery and also subject proficiency.  In-fact, guidance is free  from the very first day of school in online scenario.  The schools have had their own experienced teachers before the pandemic.  What do you think has happened to them?

The new challenges of the pandemic are even more crucial to maintain the quality in education.  The orthodoxy feeling and practice that the salary of women is a secondary source of income and is not a major contributor is major culprit for this thought process.  Many a women who are successful professionals not only in teaching but in other areas too are restricted to their homes due to this dogma that is prevalent from times, more specifically during pandemic.  Teaching is the area that is most affected under this belief.  Women are asked take are of home and temporarily stop their profession as the 'home demands their services'.  Consequence lack of experienced teaching staff within schools. With men also working from home the family needs more attention.  Online classes of children has also added an extra burden on these women to monitor them when at home. Definitely, the pandemic has caused both job loss and job opportunities. Unfortunately, it is our reluctance to accept this change and allow balance at home that has created this artificial pressure in institutions.  

Countries like Finland, NewZealand have already set examples of parental partnership in child growth.  This partnership is on the basis that both parents are equally responsible for their kids growth.  Taking care is not a limited forte of the mother.  This attitude is though new to this part of Asia, needs to be promoted and emphasized as the society and economies of countries grow.  The thought process that a women also has passion in her work and would like to succeed should be rooted from the school education.  However, though we have accepted higher education for women but still the practices of homecare taking predominance is still highly prevalent in our society.  

Home ground becomes a field of trust and balance after marriages.  It is very important that outlook of our society changes in bringing both equality and equity among relations.  Until this is sorted, we may not be developed or open-minded to approach solutions of problems that are prevalent today.   'We don't grow when things are easy, we grow only when we face challenges'.  Till our society is ready to change their mindset, pandemic challenges can handicap us. Leaving with a thought into an alternatives as pandemic in our society should not become an economic endemic in our lives.

Online Prodigies -Beware!!! YouTubing Puts Your Reading At Stake.

" I prefer to watch YouTube rather than reading the same as text".  Who has the time and patience to read, listening is easy.  This was my opinion till I started analysing the consequences.

1. Do you find it difficult to hold the book and sit?

2. Do you feel that nothing is entering your head?

3. Do you start searching for images?

Welcome to the aftermath of 'YouTubing'. 

Videos quickly capture our attention, moving images and intense speech captivates our senses. True, books do not but remember we are naturally bound to the thought process of the Video maker rather than independent thinking.  

In my own experience, I feel the inclination to watch a detective series than read the same as a book.  This serious, all of sudden behaviour, prompted me to think where I lack my attention.  After a lot of curious brainstorming within me, I came to this conclusion. I am not aware if anyone else suffers with similar symptoms. The similarity to an ADD(attention deficit disorder) is much visible in my way of reading.

In-depth thought into my lacking has led to the discovery of the following facts between book reading and a video of the same content.

1. Connecting words without expression 

2. Distraction during reading 

3. Concentration towards the subject in the text 

Reading is a habit that develops not only thinking  but also expand creative thoughts and imagination.  It does not fix a character to the story but empowers the reader to stretch the notion beyond the boundaries of the context.  

Challenges are opportunities to excel has always been my motto and I believe that reading is a challenge.  Being an educator, myself, I understand the difficulty in developing this skill among learners.  It is a step wise progression, of the ability that is considered in education as the child grows into an adult.  The advent of Videos is now striving to abolish the practice of reading which thrives in the young minds.  So, Should we provide  videos in the learning process?

The answer is debatable but my consideration would be to limit Videos in areas of hard core concepts like grammar, experimental set ups etc.  While teaching stories, problems-solutions YouTube should be strictly avoided to so that conclusions can be brought through insight and in-depth reading. 

My encounter in this arena has taught me not to browse for books or stories in the YouTube or Vimeo.  As I look into the new area of audio books also, I feel there is only lack of images, but the effect is same. When we are blessed with a wonderful eyesight, reading allows us to have focus with all our senses.  Reading a good book is worth more than watching ten videos on the same subject.  Today's Online world has proven it easy to search everything in Google.  However, if we could pause, take a step back and look at 'how to read to find better solutions' we will be definitely ten times more successful than a 'YouTubing' reader. 

https://www.creativebloq.com/news/youtube-launches-a-new-logo-design

 

Happy Reading!!!

Reading promotes innate peace and immense understanding of lot many versions of the same text.  It does brings us to a trans when the focus is priortised and visual thinking happens at the background.  Language and its use develops among young when reading happens.  We need to understand that our process that is imbibed in our genes is what we have to expand.  Reading has been an internal process for generation and the trait of the intellect, following this brings us close to liberation of challenges which also guides us to a better future.   Eternal readers, read, bask and glow in the wider arena of books.

Are we looking beyond traditional classrooms now?

 

Teaching with the pandemic tuned teachers to master learners.  Equipment's and technology are play things to experiment.  As we step out of the post-COVID era, we need to look at the possibilities of incorporating what was learned and adapted to during the COVID times. Preluding of the new learning strategy has been fast and without a preamble.  Erasing almost a year of online work and the process change is not worth neglecting. Adapting this into the new classrooms will be definitely wise.   

National's goal to a new education policy, NEP 2020, has been in discussion before, during and now after the pandemic.  Setting its goal with clear indication on 'skill development', which is very different from yesteryears, needs thinking and planning in new dimension. 

Ref: https://www.education.gov.in/sites/upload_files/mhrd/files/NEP_Final_English_0.pdf

The clear focus on developing appropriate skills from the age 3 upwards is specific with the educational policy.  Narrowing down the funnel to the schools the ideology stands with the approach with which schools focus on building such an approach in their delivery of the curriculum.  Short term goals to long term goals change is to be incorporated into the learning philosophy.  Pandemic being a blessing in disguise has readied our teachers to approach the new curriculum with the Web 3.0 tools.  

The potential skill level to approach the curriculum stands with

• Creativity
• Critical thinking and problem solving
• Conflict resolution and
• Communication

Steering schools into this direction is where the look beyond traditional classrooms is required. Pandemic gave us the opportunity of working from homes.  Though converting homes to office spaces was quite a cumbersome task.  Looking beyond the walls with the open space of internet was well within our reach.  When schools reopen and regular work starts the repository of our experiences should enable build better classrooms using both physical as well as virtual spaces.  Skill building is not on a one time creativity but on repeating the same level at every juncture of learning and teaching. 

Clear and structured approach from schools through their implementation of their curriculum can develop skills for the future.  Traditional classrooms were set for the era of industrialization, however, today the look-out is for people who can think differently within short spans and come out with solution.  Covid vaccine is one such example, it is a race out there to develop within the set time frame.  Teaching and learning also needs to be converted to such scales to stump upon individual abilities which cater to upscaling inherent abilities and fostering new practices which are adaptable.  Curiosity spices up creativity. Nurturing such beautiful congenital abilities should become the prima facie of  post-COVID schools. 

Hybrid schools – New Challenges and new outlook

 

A true blended approach.  Part of the teaching going online and part offline(in-person), Covid has prepared us for the new normal.  A year passed away without much individual significance.  Locked doors and stay home showed us the importance of greeting and meeting children every day. Today, we are approaching a post-Covid time where we need to think on how to proceed further into education with the uncertainty always looming around us. Flipped and blended classrooms provided the idea of using technology in classrooms but the change was drastic for many Practioner’ s.    Hybrid classrooms plan on having classes online few days and offline the other days. Hybrid is meant to bring more thought process into classrooms and promote independent working among students.  Research suggests that such classrooms are beneficial for students.

Covid not completely out of our lives parents are still hesitant to send kids to school.  The situation looms over the educational institutions to start both offline and online together.  It seems simple as we have handled online, the new norm with ease, but is it truly simple?  Well! Those who have had the classes can tell the difference.  Keeping the teacher live and online and concentrate on the student has become a tremendous task for the teaching community.  Until the fear of Covid is eradicated and parents start sending their kids, the offline and online teaching process will continue.

The new challenges the teaching scenario faces are

• Versatility of students in class
• Parental monitoring online for teachers as the student are present in class
• Mask and other Covid mandatory essentials monitoring by online parental community
• Differentiating activities for both online and offline students based on their interest
• Collaborating groups scattered both online and offline
• Continuing parental apprehensions on Online classes

The concept of BYOD, brings results, but again the teacher in class, monitoring every child with their device is another challenge we need to think about.  New age classrooms ought to build responsibility and accountability among students.  As the era changes, new versions and new outlook brings not only new challenges but also scope to overcome situational crisis through new technologies.

Teachers who are now more facilitators are to think and bring diversity into the classroom space.  Hybrid classrooms will be a success only when facilitators and stakeholders recognise diversity and plan their lessons accordingly.  With technology, as backbone and theories of flipped and blended classrooms, it is true we may not involve 100% of our student community.  However, when we design classroom functionalities based on the behaviour patterns of our students, we can overcome these challenges. 

Parental apprehensions have led to the consideration for ‘Home-schooling’ in many cases. In the long run, such parents have to realise that this new normal is here to stay and focus on the minimalistic effort in bringing education to their children.  Avoiding technology, in learning may not fetch results for the students as today schooling is not about unidimensional subject preferences, it is more about multidimensional subject analysis. Technology is the framework through which the thought process can be revoked and kindled.  Though challenging this brings new beginning for the 21^st century educational framework.  With more ahead, let us hope technology only offers solution rather than pollution. Moving forward to the 22^nd century should not be to ‘going back to ages’, sustainability and self-regulation should go ahead and make the new paradigm shift.

My thanks to…

1. https://www.codlearningtech.org/PDF/hybridteachingworkbook.pdf
2. https://sites.psu.edu/hybridlearning/what-is-hybrid/
3. https://onlinelearningconsortium.org/updated-e-learning-definitions-2/
4. https://www.commonsense.org/education/articles/how-to-plan-for-hybrid-teaching-and-learning

 

Core competency 'SELF CONTROL' - Needed during Covid times.

Covid times has led us to rethink on the competencies we are teaching our children for the new era.  The beginning of the lockdown saw crowing and massive purchasing by people.  When we look at this from an educationist perspective, we need to reflect on what went wrong in our system for people to behave in an anxious manner.  The education system nor our 21st century skills have exposed such weakness in our society.  Redesign to build a new system to accept new situations with confidence is to be imbibed among the young.

'Time changes and we have to change with time'

World Economic forum has stipulated 16 skills under the heading of 'foundational literacies, Core competencies and Character qualities' for life long learning.  Among the 16, the only one missing and essential one I see during these times is that of 'SELF CONTROL'.  In a situation where going out could cause harm to self and family, one needs to understand the need of self control.  The beginning of lockdown in India saw hoarding of essentials from food to medicine by different sections of the society.  As lockdown is being pulled over, the string of purchases is heavy.  The key question being

• Are these essentially needed?

Knowing the difference between ambitious living and minimalist living is essential during  pandemic times.  It is become obvious that our education system has not imbibed the know-how of 'need' and 'want'.  It is most important that we learn this during such times.  Let's take the example of migrants, who were either walking or cycling to reach their places.  Think about what they had and why did they take up such a risky journey, it was their need for survival.  If we were considerate enough and could live with the minimum then they would not have had such mad rush out of their workplaces.  Villages are self sufficient but agriculture needs a lot of support and how are we supporting them.  As educated members we are to think on these levels.

What we eat is not important.  Do we get to eat is important.

The need to incorporate 'SELF CONTROL' into our curriculum and plan  transfer of responsibility to individuals is important. To do this there must be a link on essentials of life rather than ambitions of life.  Working out of interest is different from working to earn or become rich.  When interest takes over we are satisfied with bare minimum and when earning becomes the keynote we strive towards unhealthy competition, feeling that this would satisfy us internally. 

How can we train our students to have 'SELF CONTROL'?

Concepts of  sharing, caring, concern and empathy for others will build values of compassion and self satisfaction.  

'Where the mind goes, the heart and stomach follows'

Education system should work on mind of young rather than talk about theories and achievement.  When minds talk the feelings develop and this creates opportunities to develop qualities of compassion. Covid - 19 has not only been a challenge to the great minds in research but also a challenge to the education system.  This pandemic has given us new lesson which we otherwise would not have cared for.  It is now important to realise and act upon rather than discuss and discuss on the behaviour norms of our society.  Thinking about 'what to change from the lesson of our past' will give us a better preparedness for our future because this his is just a beginning.

HARD TIMES, HARD LESSONS - The antagonist life

'Life never stops, it keeps changing'.  

No one could have imagined an immediate future before one month in India.  No one in the world would have imagined that world would come to a standstill within few months of the beginning of a new year.  We are tuned to adapt and experience changes throughout our life.  The emphasis here being to slow changes.  However, this change around the world was rapid and has given nobody a space to acclimatize to the change happening. The world we know has come to a sudden stop from 23rd March 2020.  What  lessons can we learn from this?

Definitely,

'Nothing is permanent. Respect what we have'

Look at the routine we followed before lockdown and the routine we follow now.  What has changed personally?

1. Our daily routine
2. Our workspace
3. Our family ties and bonding
4. Food habits
5. Expenditure control
6. Attitude towards travelling etc.,

Well, how many changes can we say is positive and how many has affected you socially, psychologically and financially? - It's individual perception.

As an educator, I feel this lockdown has been nothing but a blessing in disguise.  Let's reason out

1. Enabling learning new software's to build efficient classrooms

2. Working on online platforms for searching as well as securing practices

3. More opportunities for professional development

4. Venture into unexplored territories of learning.

Never stop learning

I know that time is of essence and with too many works pending from admissions to recruitment it becomes stressful to complete the said in too much of a hurry at a later date.  It is said that any process has two sides of a coin, how we view and our approach to the problem is what makes the difference.  Looking from this perspective.  I definitely have two options

1. To optimize and utilise the rare opportunity provided

2. To sulk and brood about the ways in which I could have spent the time.

I prefer option (1), not only because it gives a lot of mental peace but also allows me to venture into challenges which I can now convert into opportunities.

What I have learned with this experience?

Well, anything cannot be taken for granted.  What we have today is definitely a gift and we may not have it in the future.  We are able to survive without going to shopping malls, watching movies in the grand INOX.  Life has taught us to live with the limited freedom provided.  From the environment point of view, we are now breathing a much more cleaner air, no traffic pollution, and in a sense Covid -19 is able to teach us more about health and hygiene. This summer heat feels a little bit reduced due to the loss of artificial heat generated around us in our cities.   

The situation is opposite of our normal routine.  This is the time in India we plan trips to meet our parents, relatives and bond with them.  This situation has also brought to another side of life, which focuses on better self control in gearing up to the situation. It may be through social distancing, or controlled purchasing or keeping ourselves clean.

I personally feel that we should acclaim this situation as these can be repetitive, with newer emergence of stronger viruses.  Over the past decade viruses were  many, each creating a mark of its own and now this virus is making itself well-known around the world.  Let's be prepared looking for alternative ways of engaging personally rather than getting frustrated at the lack of opportunities during lockdowns' ahead.

LEARNING PATTERNS

Classroom situations cater to multiple scenarios in learning.  It is passive for many and active for some.  Teachers find understanding and sorting towards student learning difficult.  

What makes learning difficult?

It is not a definite process.  Human brain has the capacity to modify and modulate.  Each individual’s learning pattern is different and unique.  What works and what does not work in learning is cannot be decided by the factor of teaching.  It depends on various other processing factors like

-          Interest

-          Confidence

-          Motivation

-          Language

-          Coordination etc.,

These factors are both internal as well as external.  Inculcating and developing internal learning factors must be given the top most priority in setting learning patterns.  Research has already proved that the intelligence and creativity of students reduce with age and the culprit for this decrease are the ways in which schooling has evolved.

Learning patterns – identifying learning order among individual students is the most challenging task for an educator.

Students learn only they feel and want but when do they feel and want?

Recognizing the change in the attitude towards learning is most important for the teaching community.  It is this attitude that helps grow a timid and non-involved student to a great performer.  These attitudinal changes do not happen regularly.  They are often random instances where the spark for learning gets ignited among students.  The occasion for such spark is also not always the same.  The learning pattern generally develops when it involves

• Play
• Challenges
• Research
• Thought process
• Ample time

In the fast-evolving education scale, these have become a rare commodity.  It is important for the learner that the educator is patient, provides clues not answers and guides when struck.  Frankly, no one has the time to wait for a learner to think and solve.  Many a time, the guiding person reveals the answer rather than providing the clue to guide the student team towards answers.  The students’ who are able to catch-up with the spin survive while others lag. 

Building a learning pattern includes a lot of frustration, anger and failures.  Support at each and every stage provides students with lots of confidence not only in facing the subject challenges but also the more complicated counter part called life.  Acceptance of larger failures in life as a stepping stone develops only when small failures are promoted as learning process.  Schools fail to demonstrate these aspects among their students. 

Developing lessons on patterns for learning takes time and collaborative thinking process. 

•  Do teacher organisations work towards achieving this? 
•  What fraction of time do these organisations have to design this?
•  What training do teachers have on designing such patterns for learning?

Can external support work in providing these towards learning?

The sane saying is that the learning process applicable for students is also applicable for teacher educators.  ‘Until we think and process, we will not be able to execute’.  This is the reason why many external organisations which support school are not successful in the long run.  Individual educators when they define learning change and accept them on their levels, teaching-learning process have become hugely successful.  To develop the pattern in learning, individual teacher becomes more responsible than the cumulative effort of schools. 

Learning patterns are crucial for most problems of 21^st century – be it sustainable development, or creative-innovative technology, or work-life balance.  Developing the attitude may look simple, but the process of building the habit is more complex than its design.  Together we can, Together we must…. walk towards a more ‘e-friendly’ future.

WHY IS DISTRIBUTED LEADERSHIP HARD?

The broad classification of leadership can be done on these three types wherein the scale of freedom can be measured between ‘Autocratic’ and ‘Laissez-faire’. Decisions are faster in both Autocratic and Laissez-faire types of leaderships, however, distributary leadership is about building a team and working together with shared values.  Obviously, this becomes difficult.  The major block is when we require all members of the team to work towards a committed and convicted job.  Human mind definitely searches the easy way out.  The main concept of distributary leadership thus, is a cyclic process of analysis, discussions and finalisations with guaranteed arguments and lots of conflicts.  Here is the cyclic process discussed.

This leadership values every individual in the team, the conviction of its team members leads to success.  The question then is – How to achieve this conviction and why is it so difficult?

Well the values behind such leadership are themselves, for and against the leadership.   They are

The leadership warrants respect among its members.  The members need to believe in the values of the organisation or the team.  They should mutually trust in building a positive culture and environment within the organisation.  Every argument, every conflict should be towards the value built for achieving the goal rather than individual interests.

Building respect, belief and trust among members is the most difficult task within organisations.  The major reason being ‘individual interest’ and ‘selfish attitude’.  Within a given work environment, the transparency of the nature of work, positives and profits are rarely discussed openly.  This leads to unequal distribution of workload, hidden agendas and unwarranted benefits for a few.  Once the ‘sense of doubt’ enters the mind automatically, the value and culture of the organisation moves towards its downfall.  Unfortunately, this is what predominates in todays organisations. 

This being a part of the difficulty of distributed leadership another major aspect is – it is easy to handle things when one dictates and others follow or to allow them to do on their own.

 

“When the boss says – we just follow, no questions asked.”

The easy part is, if, anything goes wrong, the boss should take the blame.  However, is this a perfect solution for problems or issues at hand - ‘NO’.  A single person will not be able to analyse the given problem/issue in all dimensions (or), in the other case of leadership: If each individual handles the problem or issue in their own way, the direction of organisational value is totally destroyed.  The multidimensional approach of handling issues as in Laissez-faire, may lead to engineering parts which do not connect perfectly with one another.   

Schools and organisations are partly to be blamed for this attitude developing among the members of the society.  Learning has always been competitive and the select few are provided with provisions unimaginable.  The rest discriminated on their learning potential.  Well, it is obvious that ‘we judge a fish by its ability to climb trees’.  The innocent minds are provided an opportunity to start differentiating ‘the awarded and not awarded conditions’ which stress them to insecure corners. Thus, begins the downfall of values like -Respect, trust and belief. 

Trust begins when we feel safe, when respect and security is not provided the leadership calculations for a better world is only a Utopian dream.

LEARNING - HOW AND WHEN?

`Learning is an achievement, when done by self it becomes an achievement.  Teachers, students and parents wonder about  learning.  The frequent questions asked are

• Is it achievable? 
• How is it achievable?
• Why is it difficult?

  

Learning is not a process to build talent.  Each and every one of us learn some things fast while others slow.  Some have the ability to read and remember words while others have ability to remember incidents better than words.  Some have more practical approach to learning. It is now understood better than ever that individual tastes differ when it comes to learning.  It is scientifically also understood that when learnt concepts’ move back and forth between working memory and long-term storage, the more is the ability to recall and, builds more divergent thought process. 

How can one throw their learning towards this swing to achieve long term learning?

Considering a typical slow learner of a class, it is astonishing sometimes that the learner, who is considered ‘slow’, surprises us now and then with their fast understanding.  It is observed that they learn certain aspects faster than others.  The label ‘slow learner’ does not indicate that they ‘do not learn’.  The very fact learning happens slowly can also be the fault of the instructor or the context of learning. Some other varied reasons that affect learning can be – interest, time, teaching or the abstractness of the curriculum.  Learner’s learning variation is not a constant with time.  The multi-fold variation in the learning curves as studied in researches validate the same.  

Then, what should be the strategy for a long-term learning?

Learning researches may have produced astonishing results.  The learning cycle to remember however follows a simple cyclic process.

Before looking into the details of the cycle we need to reflect on a basic query of 

‘why do we need learning?’

‘Learning is to remember’.  Facts without meaning are difficult to remember.  However, teaching students’ connection of facts may not be possible within set classroom scenarios.  Today, though many other possibilities to look into application of knowledge is available.  Learning happens only when the learner applies and analysis the learnt as required. Spaced learning is an emerging method for learning and remembering.

The site given below provides a step by step approach to remember forever also gives a graphical scenario on spaced learning – www.ncase.me/remember

This website also shows a progressive building of memory with the time required to recall and remember. The use of ‘flash cards’ to recall and recollect is also emphasized here.   The graph clearly shows small gaps between recall for a long-term learning.

Another research work on the spaced time approach which combines various strategies to remember is the ‘ANSWER’ method to recall and remember.  The video gives a clear explanation of the same:

Thus, the key to learning looks as simple as the given points to follow

1. Space learning
2. Maintain key notes
3. Build connections
4. Explain connections to oneself
5. Recall

Though the methods have been proven through long research studies, it is individual’s pace of learning which enable them to work out a schedule and a plan to learn.  The major difference between remembering and forgetting being ‘practice’.  It is the simplest of the terms which make the most difficult to practice. After all, ‘the process of learning is also the process which of habit forming. ‘