Episodic Memory (refabricated/confabulated) & Mnemonics

A Dialogue

Smith (nephew): I have to remember something in order to remember what I have to remember.

Uncle Tom: First of all, will you remember what I would like you to remember?

Smith: That is exactly what I am trying to say!

Uncle Tom: Listen! Remember the last time we went fishing? (Smith nods his head in agreement) Ah! You must remember that at least…

Smith: Do you mean the day we came back empty-handed? The day we were so embarrassed in front of Aunt Suzan?

Uncle Tom: That’s not important. I am trying to make a point here. Do you remember the day I shared my last wishes with you?

Smith: Ah! Yes! I remember the thundering storm because of which we caught nothing that day. Oh! Now, this reminds me how we talked about life and how it could be stormy and dark… How our bones will one day become too brittle and muscles too rigid to follow what we want. We also collected pebbles which looked just like ladybugs! Oh! Those pebbles…

Uncle Tom: Smith, that’s not the day we talked about my last wishes! True, the thundering storm had given us an empty catch. But it was the dry river bed and not the dark clouds which made us talk about death and dying.

Smith: Do you mean I can’t exactly remember the day we collected those pebbles stored in my cardboard? But those pebbles remind me of us talking about your last wishes!

Uncle Tom: All I am trying to say is, yes, we had come home empty-handed due to the storm. But that’s not the day we had collected those pebbles.

Smith: But Aunt Suzan was so annoyed with us for coming home with a bucketful of pebbles instead of fish! We were equally embarrassed too!

Uncle Tom: Oh! Surely she was annoyed with us, but not for the pebbles but for my childish behaviour!

Smith: (Nods his head in slight confusion)

Uncle Tom: The day we collected those ladybug-like pebbles was hot and sunny. Most of the good fishing areas were almost dry. That is the day we talked about my last wishes…

Smith: Oh! Now I remember! The stormy day, empty catch, and annoyed Aunt Suzan happened just before summers! The dried up river beds, the conversation about your last wishes, and the collection of pebbles happened in late winter! That day, Aunt Suzan was off visiting her ailing elder sister! She wasn’t even home! Hahahaha…!

Uncle Tom: Thank god you could pull apart those two distinct memories! I thought I was the one going crazy!

Smith: Don’t worry Uncle! I have preserved the pebbles carefully. In fact, the hymn ‘Rock of Ages’ which we sing regularly in our Sunday service also keeps reminding me of your last wishes…

Uncle Tom: (Humming) Rock of ages, cleft for me.... Let me hide myself in thee…

The Theoretical Plot in Brief:

            In the above dialogue, Uncle Tom tries to reflect what unique situation triggered him to talk about his last wishes with Smith, his nephew. However, Smith starts constructing the memory by associating it with similar memories. This leads him to construct false memories (also called confabulated or refabricated memory). He tries to recombine bits and pieces of different (perhaps similar) memories into a single, cohesive memory. That is how he tries to fit his annoying Aunt Suzan in both the cases even though she was only present in one, because she always got annoyed when they returned empty-handed. Smith has the whole scheme of what his Uncle is trying to say but in a confabulated manner, where some details are vague or misplaced. Since it has been encrypted in his memory like reality, Uncle Tom has to make extra efforts to separate the two episodic memories. Throughout the dialogue, Smith uses mnemonics to remember one incident in relation to another. He has the inclination to connect a memory, an object (the ladybug-like pebbles), and hymns to construct the entire episode and also keeps his Uncle’s last wishes in his long-term memory.

Fiction Today and Forever

Fiction has thrilled humanity inspiring us in to improbable adventures. Every ethnic group has fictional tales and stories that captivate the imagination of their past, present and future. The cultural fabric of our tribe is also interwoven with tales filled with mystical characters plotted by our ancestors. They are equally unique, intriguing and thrilling. Today, our generation is mystified by characters such as the wizards of Harry Potter; Andrew of Bicentennial Man (1999), a sentient and emotional robot educating and upgrading himself and finally convincing the World Congress to recognize him as human; and Dr. Will Caster of Transcendental (2014) who uploads his consciousness into the quantum computer where he goes on to disobey death. All these characters are potent of future realities.

When neuroscience and artificial intelligence advance, transhumanism could become a reality. When we could experience more than three dimensions, a round square or virtual reality swaps our very reality. When all A Priori conditions are turned upside down. When education, cultivation, driving, and all sorts of activities would be sourced to sentient machines. Will our tales and narratives stand the test of such a possible future or will these factors be a detrimental force? Will it even matter at all, I wonder?

Yesterday’s fiction is today’s reality and today’s fiction would be our reality tomorrow. There is nothing fictional but fictional realities, and the immortal human seems to be in the making however nascent it may appear now. The future could be weird and strange too. So, it concerns the very indemnity of our existence and survival of our unique culture, the inevitable adaptation we cannot escape. The role of this generation is to create a confluence of our ancestral tales with our present fictional schemes. We should fortify a carrier which would revive our fictions from generation to generation. We would have to recreate our ancestral fiction’s keeping the spirit of the tale intake. Hope our grandfather Madungkashii and grandmother Samutingdangpui are talked about by immortal beings.

Who will take a higher moral ground?

Probably you are from a broken family or have a kin or a neighbour who endure the same trouble times. Probably you have overcome a grudge or a guilt feeling in recent past or perhaps going through the burden right now or at least anticipating in the near future. Looking around there simply no perfect family or a perfect and pristine person. To be human is to come along with imperfection as a priori attributes whether we like it or not. The genesis or the origins of this gosh is simply a rhetoric because hardly any tangible progress had been made since Plato’s era. Human error like any other concept is also a relative term which means any specific behaviour or action might be wrong in one social culture milieu but an excellent performance in other society. Civilization that have flourish in might and power have never fail to detect and impose the wrongness of anything that is right among the so called primitive or barbarians.

Human and Gods are the only sentient being which accounts free will. The free will of the former is too illusive and the latter is just too delusive. We have not yet defy dead and intrinsic desire to live nor yet seduce in to suicide. Immortal man is the species in waiting to be a mortal God. Natural evolution has brought us to where we are today and artificial intelligence is taking as ahead where our heart lies. In this count and current advancement in computer technology, neuro science and bioengineering we are exponentially improving our artificial intelligence. Transhumanism has capture the imagination of higher form of super human being. The interim is that our machine are becoming smarter almost in to perfection.

Today, gadgets and machines are very reliable and the same expectation from human being on specific areas such as accurate calculation or recording are just too futile. We would rather bank on alarm clock than your most trusted lover to remind us of unimportant events or even taking life warranting medicine. Learning is getting more electronic and down the path where one day we would have a very compassionate robotic teacher with the right trait of ideal teacher. When google drive us to office with higher safety assurance and a robotic lawyer defending our case in the court we would have so much time to worry about trivial things. But, at the backdoor our machine or technology will get smarter and smarter.

However progressive or advance we can’t imagine a sentient computer or technology in the near future. Even then hypothetically that’s the era where the machine can take a higher moral ground against human species and over our Gods. They would make our behaviour or capacities worthless and obsolete. Any external agents (may be other species form other universe) who happen to observe the realities would surely find the reference of moral judgement in artificial entity. Few technical nerds would continue to design smarter machine. This only implies that their reliability would simply increase and so their moral standard. Yesterday fiction is today reality and who dare bat that our fictions and imagination would not be tomorrow reality? The moral standard or moral ground as we understand today would be tomorrow occupy by our gadgets. We might have to evolved for ourselves a different form of morality, a more abstract or ironic concept of morality. It is still for us to wait and watch and not judge. 

Know thy wolf among the sheep

There are war mongers and blood thirsty vampires sneaking around in human forms and having a gala time discussing and instigating violence. Vehement conflict is the only state that makes them feel aroused and alive. They are nothing but neurotic and sick monsters on all counts whose lives' miseries do not end in this life. Any dispute is just a pretext; they can manufacture any idiotic case just to keep their venom active.

These parasites survive in the silence of some perfect hypocrisies who sometime camouflage under the title of the educated, teachers, priests, leaders or well-meaning persons who supply abundant fuel of hatred. The hard reality is that some of them are dear fathers or bothers or sisters to us.

Sense, reason, and logic are their greatest enemies. They constantly confront and try to overcome these attributes with bitter pills of hatred and lies. They can convince themselves of any height of craziness and notoriety. They would die trembling and fettering if they are to be deprived of violence and hatred. They spend long nights and feast on bitter fruits as the blood boils high within them with all the enzymes produced in abnormal disproportion. They prowl like the hungry predator ready to pounce with the friction of commotion or disagreement. They crawl like zombies and penetrate through the thoughts of others and create exasperation and despair.

These zombies think they have the sole rights to threaten or troll others. They think there is no one righteous to counter them. Their truth is a delusion and they profess all lies in a convoluted manner. Seeing fear in others makes their eyes gleam. They think they can have their impunity and satisfy their impulses.

They are slaves to their emotions and undesirable desires. Rape, murder, and other atrocities are more than justifiable for them. They think they have their narratives right but that is another lie that can be easily punctured with a few pinches of facts and truth. It is just a matter of time before these hate mongers and bigotries would devour themselves. There is no ending to their thirst until they vanished off like a fart in the air.

Silence and disinterest in them is their greatest weapon. We should take great interest in them and tried to decode their vicious schemes. They should be identified and described exactly the way they are. A befitting respond should be given. Exposing them and knocking some sense in their heads ought to be romantic. The need of an alternative voice of upright men and women is the need of the hour. The enemy is from within and so we need an alternative voice from within us.

Today, these predators might be your friends but tomorrow you will be their prey. We need to reason with them and for that we need to understand their USP and their very character. They come in all forms of ideas and intentions and sometime they could be our very own so-called guardians. But their only motive is to cause our destruction. Let us lash out our belt of scrutiny to high and low lands. Ignoring the rise of bigotries and hate mongers in our midst would mean condemning ourselves to generations of insecurity and conflicts.

Preserving Nature Is Preserving Ourselves

How many guns and bullets will it take to extinguish the wild animals in our forest?
How many more axes and contractors would it take to sweep away our green trees?
How many more dynamites and batteries would it take to fish out all the tiny fish in our river?
How many more picnics would we organise to degrade our environment?
How many more leaders would we elect to ensure that our land turns into desert?
How many more prayers and poems will it take for us to realise the destruction we are doing?
How many more questions will it take to change our mindset?
How many more educated people will we need to say "enough is enough"?
What is our joy when forests are deprived of rain and left thirsty?
Will we mourn when sweet and natural water tastes like poison?
Will we regret when our forest blooms no more orchids and flowers?
Will we rather take pride when we walk around with oxygen bottles?
Are we prepare for life when we enjoy no more spring nor autumn?
What will you tell your children when they ask why there are no more melodious songs of birds in our forest?
What will you tell your children about the droughts they are about to face?
What will you tell your children about our age-old traditional songs and tales dedicated to hills and mountains?
What shall we take of all those locations named after nature’s wonders and beauty by our ancestors?
What will you do when the wind blows like the hot wind from the furnace? More destruction obviously…
How many tears should one shed and how many broken hearts will it take for us to listen to our provider?
When will we open our eyes and see that our ecosystem is depleting slowly and steadily, dying a slow and depressing death?
All nature wants is for us to leave it alone. It would shower you abundantly with beauty, fresh air, water, seasons and much more…
When will we make "sustainable living" our holy grail?
Above all, tell me, how many dollars’ bribe will you take to be even a little sensitive to our mother nature?

Is the hole in the polo part of it? if yes why? if not why? 

A refection of experience on attributes (critical thinking) of teachers and challenges as a teacher’s educator.

Education is a normative pursuit. Its understanding needs serious philosophical examination and discourse. Aims of education; meaning and concept of education; being educated; educating; relationship between teacher and pupil; teaching-learning relationship; attributes of teacher etc., all need clear philosophical analyses. Thinkers like RS Peters define education as the achievement of something worthwhile and desirable (valuable). Various documents like the National Curriculum Framework, 2005 state that education should aim to bring about commitment to democracy and its values of equality, justice, freedom, concern for others’ well-being, secularism, respect for human dignity and rights. It is said that education should aim to build a commitment to these values, which are based on reason and understanding. However, the notorious regime of the Nazis shook humanity when their education, in the words of Wiesel, ‘…emphasized theories instead of values, concepts rather than human beings, abstraction rather than consciousness, answers instead of questions, ideology and efficiency rather than conscience’. The above two views indicate the possibilities of education becoming a means to either virtuous or vicious ends, despite the claim that education is a normative pursuit. Determining factors in stopping education used as instrument for creating a chauvinist and undemocratic society is to promote all qualities antagonistic to irrationalism, bigotry, injustice, ignorance and atrocities. How is this possible? The deciding factors of this possibilities heavily shoulder on many attributes of teacher in general and in particular the attribute of being a critical individual. However this attribute does not thrive in isolation but depend on many other factors. How is it possible to realize aims of education without these attributes imbedded in teacher and then cultivated by student? How is it possible to bring about critical and autonomous individuals through education when the teacher is himself not a critical individual? Can we teach or train someone to be critical?
A visionary document like the National Curriculum Framework for Teachers Education (NCFTE), 2010 regards teachers as individuals who critically examine curriculum and textbooks, do not treat knowledge as a ‘given’, are embedded in the curriculum and accept it without questioning, a reflective practitioner who questions one’s own practice and thoughts, who view learning as a search for meaning out of personal experiences and knowledge generation as a continuously evolving process of reflective learning. According to this document, all these attributes can be realized if both students and teachers get the opportunity to inculcate understanding the self and others, one’s beliefs, assumptions, emotions and aspirations. Develop habits and the capacity for self-directed learning, have time to think, reflect, assimilate and articulate new ideas. But, this vision is far from being realized. The realities in the school are steeply different from the vision. It is a matter of grave concern. Various researches and publications regarding the learning level of students and the quality of B.Ed. institutes confirms these concerns.
The characteristics that aggravate these concerns are played out in rhetoric manner as well as in subtle ways. Both rhetoric and subtle spectacle are shared and understand as a majority views in teacher’s community. Many of the teachers’ views about students, education, learning, and teachers are very much
the same. The similarity is not just limited to conceptual understanding but the exactness of language used by the teacher community as well. For example –
Regarding students – Bacche teen prakar ke hote hain – hoshiyar , saamanya aur bhondu; Sab bacche alag-alag hote hain/paachon ungliyan barabar nahin hoti hain; Humare paas jo bacche aate hain, unka base kharab hai…
Regarding education – Pehle toh sab kuch bahut accha tha/hum toh aise hi padhe hain; Acchi shiksha ka matlab hai – pratiyogi-pariksha pass karna aur naukri lagna; Sarkari school mein wo bacche aate hain jinme shiksha ki bhuk nahin hoti/MDM ke liye aate hain…
Regarding learning – Bacche tabhi seekhenge jab hum unhe sikhaenge; Jab tak maa-baap padhe-likhe nahin hote, bacche nahin seekh sakte; Jab tak bacchon par pareeksha/fail/dandit hone ka darr nahin hoga, tab tak wo nahin seekhenge; Seekhna hamesha anushaasan ke maahaul mein hota hai; Baar-baar dohraane se aatmsaad ho jaata hai…
Regarding teacher – Humko toh madari/bawarchi bana diya hai, Shikshak ke haath bandhe hue hote hain, Non-academic work hata dijiye toh gunvatta apne aap aa jayegi, Bacche tabhi seekhenge jab hum unhe sikhaenge.
The claim that most of the teachers share the same view might be an exaggeration but, the weightage lays in the fact that these are the views shared clearly and loudly in any teachers’ platform, be it teachers training, voluntary forums or one-to-one interaction. Counter-views hardly find space for deliberation. The manner in which the above views are shared is also quite inert. Teachers with years of experience and even newly appointed share the same views and same language.
Lack of coherence in the argument of the views is another intriguing character. For example, the same group of teachers which shares the view that ‘Bacche tabhi seekhenge jab hum unhe sikhaaenge’ also share the view that ‘Jab tak maa-baap padhe-likhe nahin hote, bacche nahin seekh sakte’. The former statement is spoken to convey the message that children cannot learn themselves and they would only learn when teachers taught them. There are two more underlying assumptions in this statement – that is child is not a natural learner and the teacher is the giver of knowledge, while the student the receiver. On the other hand, the latter statement stands by the opinion that the efforts by the teacher to make students learn do not matter unless the parents are not educated. Both the statements directly defeat one other. Why are so many teachers asking the wrong questions? Why are they not asking the necessary questions? For example, teachers who say ‘Abhi sab kharaab hai aur pehle toh sab kuch bahut accha tha’ would never care to ask and inquire which time period they mean as ‘the past’ and what is their definition of ‘accha’. If these notions are probed even a little, their vagueness is revealed. The ‘past’ and ‘accha’ traces back to mythology or a time period when education was not available for all it was merely an imperial objective.
However, disquieting the situation reveals that there are teachers who have unique and personalized, well-articulated views about children, education, learning and teachers. The vocabulary used by them reflects their emphatic view about children and a critical view about themselves. Their inquiries have a logical flow and are not arbitrary in nature. A dialectic conversation could be done with
them. The differences between these two groups of teachers can be identified from the way they frame their questions even though they work in the same system and face the same challenges and limitations. To be emphatic, their existential challenges are huge and so possibilities of clouding the concern of what ought to be, a perspective and abstract thought. The former group often ignores the right questions. A second order of questions is never asked. There is no difference seen in doing the right things right and doing the right things wrong. No difference is seen between education and indoctrination, schooling and educating, teaching and learning, instrumental and intrinsic value of education etc. The difficulty with encouraging critical thinking among teachers is succinctly pointed out by John Passmore. First, teachers have many beliefs which he is not prepared to submit to criticism. Second, even if the teacher is herself critical, there may be social pressure upon him not to admit that certain beliefs, practices and authorities can probably be examine in a critical spirit. The third arises from the problem that teacher training is very often not the kind which encourages in him the willingness to participate in critical discussion. But, to think critically is not possible unless we have sufficient knowledge and understanding about the content of the issue. Thus, these add another point to what Passmore has pointed out. The teacher’s lack of criticality could be due to lack of understanding about the aims of education, meaning and concept of education, children, teaching, learning and nature of knowledge.
Cognitivists understand critical thinking as a subset of three types of thinking: reasoning, making judgments and decisions, and problem solving. The faculty of reasoning, making judgments and problem solving are inherent human potentials that most teachers can nourish profoundly. These faculties are at odds with the factors that make it difficult for teachers to think critically (as mentioned above). These conflicts have however shaped some teachers’ perceptions in very precarious ways. Their opinions or arguments are far from being logical and their reasoning often falls prey to fallacies. There are cases where the relationship between premises and conclusions are hard to even draw up. Personal experiences are often generalized and further premises are built on this generalization. For example, teachers who are of the opinion that punishment is necessary say that they were punished in their school days and that is the reason they are where they are today. To this statement I would simple implore what A.S. Neil mentions in his book ‘Summerhill’ to respond to one of his audience – “My father used his slipper on me, and I don’t regret it, sir! I would not have been what I am today if I had not been beaten.” I never have the temerity to ask, “By the way, what exactly are you today.”
To qualify as a teacher is to possess respectable knowledge and understanding about subject content and pedagogy. Does having good understanding in pedagogy and subject content guarantee an individual to be a rational or logical thinker? The design and intervention of teacher education needs a new outlook. Significant understanding about andragogy is another area teacher educators should well-versed with. Logic, research and experience which are often considered as the tools for critical thinking should be an integral part of teacher professional development intervention plan. Also important are develop certain core understandings – Understanding if critical thinking can actually be taught; if critical thinking is a set of skills, imparting of facts, or cultivation of habits; how every domain be it Science, Language, History or Mathematic by nature is strongly imbedded and thrives in the landscape of argument and reason. Teacher educators should also know the importance of critical-thinking in improving the pedagogy of teachers – Understanding the vital role of being critical as a persona of an educated person; how aims of education is not attainable until this faculty is not an intrinsic quality of teacher; student and at large a means of discourse in the society. Need analysis or research to find the reasons why teachers are incapable of critical thinking is the right string to begin with. One has to break-down and understand the meaning of critical thinking because critical is often misrepresented as merely questioning everything.
Pre-service institutes have to take a transitional shift in educating student-teachers. Progress on teacher development in critical-thinking could be built as conscientization among teachers regarding the odds between the obstacle and the importance of critical thinking is done. Creating an environment where one is heard and transition from non-dialectic to dialectic conversation. The stakes are high and the teaching community cannot effort to dwell in this dilemma but have to implement an effective professional development plan for teachers to overcome the sorry state that we see today in our public education.

The blank face

Everyone has one, in fact everyone had to had one

When two parallel thoughts run or no thought run by

Some can hide and some had to quite hiding

It may not be an obvious face but a sure face

Nothings written yet still a messenger

It is a question or a warning

Asking why or against why

To express sarcasm and perplex

Of innocence and pertinence 

Of opportunities or pessimist

A face of agreement in disagreement

Unpredictable is when two blank face encounter

Surely everyone owns one, some just deny and some harness it

Epitome of 'I'

‘I am’ a Proclamation

‘I shall’ an Assurance

‘I will’ an Obligation

‘I want’ a Desire

‘I do’ a Subjugation

‘I had’ a Memory

‘I knew’ a Knowledge

‘I can’ a Declaration

‘I’ an Attitude

‘I’ an Ego

‘I’ a Definition

‘I’ an Identity

‘I’ a Question

‘I’ an Answer

‘I’ a Notion
'I' a Concept 

‘I’ a Destiny

The juncture

If I begin from the last breath

If I could steal the last moment

Still it will be insignificant, insignificant

All that has begun shall end

And the end shall be a new beginning

At the snap of second, all gone by

The virtuous nature still continue

But the one who like to thinks owns the nature will be soon gone.

Nature treat’s nothing fair unfairly

Randomity is uniformity for nature

In snap of time wonder architect vanish in vanity

The intertwine juncture between the new and the old

The gay days break down at the exact juncture and continues to fade faint

It matter the most but seemingly mean the least

After all what we have is what we have already destroyed

Make a choice but we still parish at a juncture

The point is, that’s the point.

To be asked

What is that magnify our memoirs?

Whose memocide one should wait?

Which imagination we continue to endure?

Whose horizon expands and contract?

Whose narrative flows forged?

Who’s picturesque is feed in witty design?

Whose felony is the felonious of all?

Whose massager and agency are worth hearing ears?

The walk to the pathless venture of valor.

Valor lost and sacrifice for the wretched cause?

Whose prose brings back my freedom and liberty, Is a rare found?

The considerate and the virtuous shall stand numb?

Let us pen down the answer. But how is that possible?

Because we are still due to catch the right source, the right path and the right calling.

Are you educated?

I just want to ask a very simple question that we as a student community cannot just skip and turn away. Now Education is our birth right with the implementation of RtE (Right to Education) ACT 2009.  All parents strive for their child’s education and want them to become educated individuals. Irony is that the term ‘Education’ and ‘Educated’ has been so rampantly used with the presupposition we know so much about it or it does not need much consideration. The truth is, ‘education’ or ‘educated’ words are not valued neutral but it comes with a baggage of its own normative meanings. So, it compels me to say that we are indulging education like a drug addict indulges in his/her kicks. Let me try a jargon free writing as far as possible to score the point clear and loud.

Are you educated? What it means to be educated? Are student/learners by default educated? These question could be logically answered as we answer questions such as what is education and what are the aims of education which make us educated persons. To decode the term ‘education’ let me echo R.S. Peter’s definition of education- ‘Education means achievement of something worthwhile and desirable (valuable)’. By this count, if you are educated you ought to be a reformed person. Valuable achievement in education is intrinsically valuable, meaning valued in itself and for its own sake. The knowledge and understanding obtained becomes the features of oneself and shapes the outlook of the person. But, treating education as a mere instrument of obtaining a job or attaining certain skills demeans the true aim of education. The critic of highly educated German society during Nazis tyranny could sum up in Wiesel's words on education: ‘It emphasized theories instead of values, concepts rather than human beings, abstraction rather than consciousness, answers instead of questions, ideology and efficiency rather than conscience.’ Introspecting into our present society, I think the barbarity is increasing and will only escalate in days to come. So we hinge in a very crucial position as we would not like our society to go rampage in barbarity. The ferocity of the problems looks like uncontrollable but the solution is yet simple. Has our education empowered us to uphold the fabric of Equality, Liberty and Justice which are at the core of our democratic society? Identifying ourselves as educated person, are we liberated from the dogmas of bigotry? Through education are we becoming a more peaceful and self-actualized individual or more distressed, ever ambitious, self-righteous, self-centered people? Has the education system that aims at making us more Rational, Autonomous and Conscious rather made us capable of manipulating, violent, corrupted, and siphoning public welfare for personal gain? Has our guilt feelings and consciences stopped pricking us for any wrong deed? Not to mention of blind submission to a status or an ideology without any critical analysis. There is nothing such as ‘one day’ or ‘someday’ where we will manifest the quality of being educated but there is ‘today’: we as learners/students should uphold the values in all sphere of our life. 

There is lapse in what we see in our society and what ought to be, where education prevails. Where is the problem? Is something wrong in the way we are educated? Have our school, institution and educators successfully educated us? Has the increment in individual education increased the education of our society? These questions brings us to another criteria of education, the criteria of procedure. Again let me echo R.S. Peter, ‘Education should be brought about in a morally acceptable manner and should not infringe the willingness and voluntariness of the learner’. Let’s introspect and see if we are conditioned, indoctrinated and brainwashed more than being educated? Rote learning of rhymes, national anthem, definitions and theories (without a clue about the concept of the subject) by screaming at the top of the voice has taken the hell out of our childhood. The institutions and teachers which were supposed to bring us up as responsible, peace loving, non-violent individuals were just the opposite for many. For average students it was not less than a slaughter house where our ingenuity and childhood had died every day and fear had ingrained in us since then and our emotional being hijacked. Please don’t acknowledge the beating we received in our school time. Many may credit saying that it is because of those smacking they are here today. Don’t fool yourself and don’t give me that dame naïve explanation because without that you could be a total transcendental person. The truth is, this practice is the mother of all violence in our society. Just look around and see how many of our class-mates have pursued higher education. Consciously or unconsciously we have detested school and teachers somehow.  

When our physic and psychic are forming at best, when an average child smiles more than 100 times (some studies claim 300 times) in a day, when curiosity and wonders struck us every second we suddenly find ourselves cramped into a small room called ‘class room’. Your knees are folded, backbone curved and finger on the lips; we become all time successful passive listener and a ‘blank slate’ to all-knowing figure (teacher). Each one is pushed into ugly competition with the help of examination system. The joy of learning something worthwhile will always be poisoned by the fear of passing the exam. Children are categorized into ‘caste system’ where some are destined to success while others are doomed to remain untouchable forever. How on earth does this education system promise equality in our society?

Call me an alarmist or an extremist but I least care your emotion because even today, thousands of children are dying every day, they are injected with dead facts and information’s in the name of knowledge, and they are cramped in small rooms supervised by fear of teachers with cane stick. Schools have to stop this atrocities, they have to open up a physical and emotional space for children to learn and grow. Learning with joy is possible. Furious teacher and her Cane stick (symbol of oppression) should be replaced by humane facilitator and reasoning and dialogue should be her tool. Teachers and schools should stop behaving like a law giver. Dirty competition should be replaced by healthy co-operation. We should turns towards comprehensive development of children. Consuming indigestible facts and information should be replaced by meaning making and understanding. Activity based learning should replace passive receiving and children should be allowed to construct knowledge. Radical transformation is calling out. We have to pay head to it for heaven sake, our future is at stake. I could only scratch the tip of the revolution required in our education. But, I hope it draws the attention of those who have a heart of conscience and mind of reasoning because for the rest George Gordon Byron  says “Those who will not reason, are bigots, those who cannot, are fools, and those who dare not, are slaves.”  

Narrative on an old adage

Miracle they quote but miracle they have hardly seen.

Folks gather to hear it out. Beer sold off as they hear.
The messenger’s reputation among the folks are high.
Words spread put like wild fire.
The cold winter fade unknown and unnoticed as folks cramp close to each other mumbling miraculous story keeping both body and mind warm. Warm coffee are there part as they sip in momentum sync with the high and low of the story. They whisper softly as the night falls deep.
They are the secret society bonded by the soft words of miracle.
The better days, better life and deeper thoughts follows from their deep night whisper.
With glad heart they lay back to sleep someday.
Someday wondering mind won't let them sleep.
Someday distorted and broken heart pulls up so much tears.
The fabric of each miracle stands out.
So, another day it’s another miraculous story and another new beginning.
Call them the far off ignorant country man. But they will thrive in their own pond for, so far they are left alone by the so called civilization. The destitute and more pitied concept of the day.

Introducing myself to Philosophy-II

After a brief introduction of myself to the idea of philosophy I would like to dig deeper in to what it is really composed of and what and choose the component which is our first choice (epistemology). Philosophy is its board sense is divided in to five branches. Logic: also known as sematic which is to do with meaning and concepts. Ethics: also known as moral or political dealing with how we ought to live. Epistemology: which to do what we can be known (knowledge). Metaphysics:  to do with what is ultimately real. Esthetic: to do with what art. This branches are also studied as philosophy of mind, philosophy of science, philosophy of law, and philosophy of art (aesthetics). The term Epistemology which is derive from Greek word episteme epistēmē (“knowledge”) and logos (“reason”), and is also refer to as the theory of knowledge.

Pritchard in his book ‘What is this thing called knowledge?’ begin by talking about types of knowledge as his main interest in the book is on a particular type of knowledge (prepositional knowledge). 

Types of Knowledge:

There are three types of knowledge, Knowledge by Acquaintance, Ability Knowledge, and Propositional Knowledge. Needless to explain with example here as we all seems to be too frequented by it.

But, here the question that came to my mind is can these knowledge exist independently of one another? Can we have prepositional knowledge independently without directly or indirectly having related knowledge of acquaintance or ability knowledge and Vis-versa? Our pursuit in education are mainly focus on prepositional knowledge. What are some major problem this concentrated pursuit creates in our society (if any)? Have our educational endeavor focus too much on prepositional knowledge that we have a highly specialized professionals who have no clue of any co-relation of his action to the larger environmental or societal implication? If aim of education is at all liberating and empowering individual and all ultimately for the larger good of the society. Does the hierarchy we assume (or perceive) divided the society? Look at the disparity in our society? The unequal payment or the returns of different profession? Is it the problem related to this notion of hierarchy or is it something else? If, so what could be that?

Are approaches like CCE which focus on scholastic excellence and co-scholastic (honesty, team spirit, etc.), extra-curricular activities, physical-education practice in our education system sufficient to dealt with this mammoth problem we have (consider this question if you agree to the problem I have highlighted above)? 

Definition of Knowledge:

There are in-built dilemma in knowledge regarding where to begin. That is either to begin by definition of knowledge or criteria of knowledge. This problem is call the problem of criterion. This problem say one can only identify instances of knowledge provided she already know what the criteria for knowledge are. Or one can only know what the criteria for knowledge are provided she is already able to identify instances of knowledge. The Methodism and Particularism are two way out of this dilemma. Methodism proceeds from the criteria for knowledge and Particularism begin from instances of knowledge. I face another problem, if I should begin by defining both ‘knowledge’ and ‘criteria of knowledge’ or ‘the problem of criteria’. For now I begin with the problem but I don’t know how efficient will it be if looked at facilitation point of view.

Prepositional knowledge:  A prepositional knowledge is a knowledge of preposition. A preposition is what is asserted by the sentence which says that something is the case. Like, all husband are married or two plus two is four. But, it is quite obvious possible one can assert on anything. So, if the definition of prepositional knowledge is just asserting that something is the case than everything can go haywire. So the precondition of considering any preposition as prepositional knowledge is that one have to belief on which she is asserting and that assertion should be true. This assertion should in turn be justifiable. Thus, the famous Justified True Belief as the criteria of knowledge. These three criteria’s made the pursuit of knowledge in various field (like science) possible for objective studies and hence its advance. But, where these scope are impossible (like religion) no objective studies is possible and hence its own problem.

The three criteria’s are individually necessary and jointly sufficient to call any preposition a prepositional knowledge.

Before talking in detail about criteria of knowledge I would like to talk about the dilemma related to it in education. What is the difference between knowledge and information? Is it knowledge place in class room in the form of information? Or is it at all possible to place knowledge in the form of information? Is this the problem of Knowledge in our education system? Do we have the luxury of analyzing every knowledge we claim in education via tripartite criteria. Is it because JTB criteria is not applied in acquiring knowledge? Is education system the delivery of the ‘produced knowledge’ where the process of production is not given important but only where the end product is given important?

*Problematization on the definition of knowledge, each criteria of knowledge, and further contents in knowledge would be done in next writings. 

For, of love

In existing cosmos of love stories I plead one more

Because this learned heart of mine won’t let go

Hope this pledge fits your way

For I wish to perish as an old happy man

Yet you are the reason I am still young

Oh thee see the Truth in me, craving for you

Be it simple don’t complicated and make this a possibility

For all this runs down to a point ‘LOVE’
Had emptied myself more than days lived, just to feel you all over again

For this is not just another love song but the love I live

You have transcend all other purpose of my life! Yes you do

Words are liberated and I awaits you for mine

There is more than just crying and praying

A reason which will never invite ‘why’ again

You are my dilemma, yet you still bring clarity

Indoctrinated to love you even in my best consciousness

Be this an epitome of love, inspiring loveless

Looking for positive loop hole?

Some grey zone:

We are trap in the paradox. If problem lies in the system or the people constituting the system? We are also trap strategically by the traditional approach and we are struggling to find the lock and break ourselves free from this maze.

Definitive areas of concerns:

Professional development for teachers is one least invested domain or least functional in our education system. A large scale change would never be realize without addressing these shortcoming. But waiting for the giant to wake up is neither an option we could opt for. So how do, outsider organization like us get imprinted in to the system? There could be three ways of strategic route we have been exploring. First, facilitating efficiently the development program for teachers in the system (like SSA summer training). Second, using available option which are not functional in the system (like block level workshops). Third, establishing complimentary space for teacher’s professional development (like VTF). This way we could capitalized ourselves as a serious player in the system not taken for granted. Bargaining/negotiating/engagement with education functionaries at various level (from nodal, Block, district level, state level) would have to be done to facilitate our engagement.

Now the resources in term of human/knowledge resources or other resources w provide runs at the risks of replacing the non-functioning govt. Edu. System or keeping some unit dormant.  Balancing them and strategically working to strengthen the system should be our sole purpose. Replacement of govt. System or strengthening them has a narrow line of differentiation. So, this should be handle in great concern.  Coherence between our short terms objectives with long term goals should be reflect in every strategy we consider. Now, engaging them is not a life time process though learning and development is. So, where is the idea of sufficiency drawn?

Teachers in govt. education system are teachers who have good or well verse content knowledge. They clearing the teacher eligibility test itself speaks sufficiently. The understanding of where to begin engaging with teachers is very important for they did not come to us as a blank slate. Some of their prior knowledge and experience are to be encourage and facilitated and some to be question and destroyed. Looking at the reality of various universities, college and B.Ed. institute the content knowledge and pedagogy of teachers are still at stake. 

Why do we work with teacher to develop them as teacher’s educators? Assuming that they will one day go ahead and occupy a more responsible post which means it demand more in-depth understanding, qualified or experience teacher’s educator and functionaries.

Another assumption is that education is a dynamic process. Many new approach will come and go. Some may come instantly and some gradually according to the driving policy or need of the time.
When this come teachers with learning attitude would be needed. They would be the load who will make the transition possible. There is no one process or the process of teaching in education. The more the multiple pattern of teaching particular topic the more liberating and empowering it would be for teachers.

However the diversity of education it should directly address the aims of education. Teachers are deprive of so many fundamental elements in education. They are deprive of the knowledge of pedagogy approach and perspective of the subject. Scholastic centric education and total denial of non-scholastic education is the concern of urgent. Their practices are hardly visualized in the light of the larger goal of education. These are the areas where our intervention should focus on.

The idea that about 20% teachers willing to work irrespective of all odds should be ponder further. This figure is not a static figure but a porous classification. One teachers may be not be willing to work someday but become a pioneer someday and vice versa. Thus attracting or pulling maximum load in to this group can be address by large scale intervention and reaching out to the maximum. Engagement in scale and intensity thus is both needed.

There are well-defined monitoring mechanism in the education system. But, banking on it to improve the system is not a choice for us. There are teachers who are not waiting for inspection to present their show to the functionaries. There are teachers who are waiting for genuine assistance, feedback and appreciation on their daily task. Thus, this spell our task of recognizing teachers and acknowledging them of their needs and efforts.

 The kind of class room and children available for teachers in the school is also of a particular case. It is not a class with set of situation or children waiting eagerly waiting wanted to be taught or learn. But children bind to numerous baggage of burden and disadvantages. Thus our component of school practice become very crucial and important in understanding the challenges of the teachers. This could be consider as the fourth strategic route.  

Our credentials required:

We can only justify our presence if we are serious, have in-depth understanding, and authentic in our approach.

Our intervention would only be meaningful if we ourselves could grab the essentiality of the public education and what it’s role in nation or society building.  

We can propel the motivation of teachers if we could approach them empathetically and less suspicion.

The curriculum framework of engaging with should be well design.

The understanding of Andragogy among our team member is also essential.

The tools and resources we used during our engagement should be in reach within the premises or the budget of the school.

Our block level intervention should be in terms with our large scale intervention.

Challenges and risk:

What could we do about modules or content which are not in context with our teachers or are to tough to grab? Do we try to find a middle path? Or are we still going ahead anyway? Example like English new text book.

Most of the teachers who are at primary level and who engage with us in a very meaningful manner often get promoted to secondary level. Creating a void in the primary level. How do we manage this?

Introducing myself to Philosophy-I

 

Philosophy has always been part of human being. It is philosophy or elements of philosophy that made human being evolve as human being from her ancestor (if we were to believe theory of evolution). In early period man would have philosophies things related directly to feeding stomach and survival. But, as civilization flourish and more leisure and free time are available men begin to philosophies regarding various dimension. More abstract and imaginary philosophy begins. Comparing to its existence the name ‘philosophy’ and ‘Greek philosophy’ could be a late development. But surely it was Greek philosophy which has shape the modern contemporary philosophy in great detail.

With the birth of every child a new philosopher is born unto this Earth. Like the historic progress of philosophy, I have evolve through different phase. I was ignorant of the study of philosophy though I might have applied in various part of my daily life. In my childhood I keep wondering if this world is a little landscape stuck in upper parts of giant sleeping snake. Which would make our Earth parish as the snake wake up and moves its way. I also grew wondering that somewhere in the corner of this world someone exactly looking like me and with same name might be living. As I went for hunting with my father a bird narrowly escape with injury from my father’s target. Up above me fly away the bird and that point of time I was thinking that all those birds or animal injured would meet up in a particular place on this world to recover and heal themselves. In my early elementary education I grew up as an orthodox believer that scientist knew everything and are equivalent to God. Now I wonder but in clueless where all those concepts or believes are form in my mind. Have I been wondering about the place where we live, wondering for the meaning of its existence or about the uniqueness or commonality of an individual?

Lately, as my profession encounter the ‘philosophy of education’ I begin to ponder upon the systematic study of philosophy. In the beginning I was overwhelm by the literal meaning of philosophy ‘the love of wisdom’ derive from Greek word “philosophia”. Because my idea of wisdom initially comes from the notion of wisdom in religious text (The Bible). Which means something like the endowment form God to man for obeying Him or younger ones obeying to elders. Something of supernatural or miraculous acts, words or thoughts.  But, this confusion still hardly cease even now for I hardly came across the term used in the systematic study of philosophy. I hope moving on I will be able to clear up this cloud of confusion. Reading the history of philosophers seems to confluence with philosophy. Initially I find it quite awkward but now I find more reasons why it is impossible to divide philosophy and philosophers.

 Before classifying or dissecting the components of philosophy I would like to deal with some general definition of philosophy as well. Some defined philosophy as the pursuit of truth like any other pursue or science. Philosophy is also defined as an activity of working out the right ways of thinking about things. Which makes philosophy a second order activity. I think the idea that philosophy is totally a mind activity is also exaggerated, knowing something (branch of philosophy-epistemology) is possible due to our capacity to receive representation by our senses. This gives us an object which makes possible mind activity to think about the object. Philosophy in contemporary may range from arm chair activity to argument to some complex integrated experiment example Milgram test.  One may come across good philosophy, bad philosophy and non-philosophy which are name on the basis of the road they took in their course. On the other hand some find it meaningless to question what philosophy is. There is nothing philosophical in asking the question. Or will gain any philosophical understanding by answering it. Philosophy is what philosopher do. Let, me try to explain this with an analogy. When someone asked who Guru Prasad Sharma is? I think we will begin by explaining what he is doing, where he belong to, what are admirable qualities about him etc. etc. obviously not by explaining the literal meaning of what Guru, Prasad and Sharma stands for. If I tried to explain the meaning of Guru translated as teacher then it may begin to dissociate from the person himself. For he may not have been a teacher in his life. Therefore, it could be rightly said that philosophy means what philosopher do.

These are some of my dilemma and wonders when it comes to the topic of philosophy. In the next write-up I will go further to explore inquires dissecting the components of philosophy and in particular ‘epistemology’.

Colonial Hangover

The British Raj has left us long back. The old adage should have left us with the aged generation who has experience in the rule of injustice. But, it looks like the Raj have laid a never ending seed of weeds. They have ruled over our authority. Their superiority was expressed in every laws, acts or policy. Those were the days where force occupation had to be done to do unfair business with another country or nation. It is we who cracked our head, twisted our tongue to learn the master language. English has become anonymous with authority and superiority. It’s the master who brags out in English to their hearts content. Indian as meek as we could be are driven timidly by this language. The lower rung laborer or revolutionaries have tasted the bitterness of sledge, rob in the neck or bullets. Equally the educated secretaries and govt. functionaries were wiped with the sledge of English verbatim. They were ordered, disciplined with words in spoken and written.

Turning the page to current scenario I have observed quite a lot that this sense has not left us. As old habits often die hard, we have picked it up in fashion this language of authority and superiority. This stain has evolve and has remain relevance in our present society. Once I was flying in an economy class from Delhi to Bangalore; the occupants in opposite row were middle aged, discussing business in Hindi. Their voice sounded like the replica of worn out generator whose voice sometime roars out loud and sometimes die down which also annoyed the occupant behind them (not to mention the irritation that caused me). The gentlemen (I call gentlemen for no reasonJ) behind them requested them if they could reduce their tape. Initially the lady  (one among the three) responded what was the big deal but then heal broke loose as both the parties started throwing arrow sharp words, double edge knife like words at each other. The gentlemen made a consistence pitch while the other three took turn to pick up sharp words and sentences to hit back to the opinion. The battle started in Hindi and was fought in English in the language battle ground! Though I did not actively participate in the battle, almost dozens of creepy words had crossed my mind, which would have had come out of my mouth had I been involved in the battle. The solution to the situation interestingly was a soft spoken air hostess who meditated meekly in Hindi. Irony is that the flight was almost empty but both parties refused to shift their seat which would have had been possible through discussion or mediation. After all, it’s not about the discomfort it is about chilling out with former master’s words/language. 

Upper middle class, the urbanized class or the educated class of our society has accepted English as a part of everyday life. Sending children to English medium school was a craze even rural India. Though I am not interested in analysing the good or the vice of this phenomenon; I am here interested in understanding how it has played out with respect to the schemes I have expressed above. In malls, trains, cinema halls, at home, children as their nature tend to go wild and explore. So, in a population of millions and always over crowded public spaces, how do parents control their children? I have often heard parents initially explaining how to tame/teach to behave with their wards. Like the revolutionaries of our Independent Nation, children hardly grab their parent’s intention and their curiosities always drive them the test of freedom. That is when parents open their last and all-time powerful weapon which is rise their voce, stress on certain words (like nooooo…. Rahul.. Vicky etc..), enlarge their eyes wide and that’s when most children understand out of fear that their parents actually mean it. It is true, the lovely and always caring relationship between a parent and a child is fully expressed in mother tongue. It is also true children could be confuse how same language or words could be used either to express love and control. Thanks to the colonial power who has left this token to fill the gap and help millions of parents control their children and make millions of children feel that the same parent who scold them in videshi still love them in desi way.

I hope this kind of notion of language and power/authority relationship has open up interesting debate in various platform and will do the same in our institution.  

Dichotomic Being

Human being as we live together have created values, norms and standards which members of the society have to adhere to it. These innovation is the thread that holds the society together and gives meaning in living with one another. But through-out the history of mankind, human creativity has not only been used for creating viable environment but also have used for taking advantage of the prevailing situation. Some human being have created a very foxy (cunning) and deceiving way of scapegoating the existing status qua in a manner like adhering to it. Where many naïve citizens may hardly comprehend and in sire ignorance may assist the predator to hunt it well. All this values, norms and standard might have been evolve era after era with evolving necessity. Thus ‘necessity’ is the precedence of all this creation. Which means there already exist the problems where members of society could not live together in harmony like a society and common values, norms and standards are just an effort to restraint from society being consume up by those problems. So, in order to sustain society man has evolved like in the poem ‘the two face’ where we appear acceptable and meantime have our own wicked way. No wonder when the world is celebrating for match won, crying for match lost in World-Cup at the same time people of Iraq was haunted, murder and kidnap by some extremist. Cities around the world is a place for the richest and the poorest. We have adapted and are used to all this contradiction. So, here below are few dichotomic drama laid out in our society.

The best way to rob is to preach against it and you will be least suspected.

Go to war in the name of peace and you will be least condemn.  

Fight war in the name of the good against the evil and you will be assisted to become monster in the name of the former (goodness). But the fact is war is always fought between one from of evil against another form of evil.

Love two enemies and let them fight your own war.

Divide in the name of unification and you and you will be divided sooner.

Conquer in the name of liberation and you will find admirer.

To lead is to rule is to divide and rule, you can still called it a fare game. 

Be democratic if you want to control dissent and you will be least watch.

Strive for public good if you have ambition for private good and you will get opulent quick.

Try for your best smile if you are going to deceive someone for you are deceiving anyway.

Seek justice to conceal your unjust act and you will earn some sympathy.

Preach equality if you have intention of oppressing someone and you will find no Nemeses.

Taking opportunity by not taking opportunity in opportune time, you capitalize your stake at someone’s faith.

To insult Just praise more than necessary, a clear massage will be send as we already live in sarcasm. 

Practice austerity sometimes so that you live flamboyantly all the other time and you will be least envy of.  

Preach nobility and conceal your hedonism and you will find followers who will never leave you alone in your hedonist persuade.

Just get bold without any elements and you will earn some good critics.

Indoctrinate in the name of education and they will make sure they get blind with all their efforts and investment.

Strenuously voice for justice seekers overseas and for stranger thousand miles away so that you don’t have to move a toe for justice seeker in your own backyard.

Believe and practice charity and so your dominance will last and will be felt in dread.   

Discourse harmony and raise of GDP and that’s the best way to disguise/mislead the mammoth disparity within.  

Say you detest power and richness only when you occupy in power and dwelt in richness and your job is half done. Saying so you have conned many.

First disempower and promise empowerment and partially empowered them, in long run partial empowerment will be taken of real empowerment like promising a car and giving a bicycle and thrusting successfully into believing that bicycle is a car.     

Lastly and the least, like in the old story of ‘fox and grapes’ we may still claim grapes are sour if you cannot deceive anyone.