Page:SELECTED ESSAYS of Dr. S. S. KALBAG.pdf/55

 ﻿________________

still stuck to the dictation/rote-learning mode of education. It was difficult for me to do away with their dictation, because it was necessary that the students have something in their notebooks. The students have neither the habit nor the ability to make their own notes after hearing a lecture. We tried to provide charts giving the main points of the practicals or lectures. We wanted the students to elaborate these points in their own words and make their own notes. But the charts remained charts, and both the students and the instructors seemed more at ease with dictation. We now intend to try the practicals handbook. Another problem in teaching Rural Technology was the difficulty the students have even with simple arithmetic. A large proportion of the rural students, including many who had passed the 12th std. and even several "graduates" cannot do simple proportions (much less inverse proportions). Many cannot even do multiplication or division by 10 or multiples of ten. Teaching the number system and how to do these operations with multiples of ten, was tried but forgotten soon thereafter. Only after repeated use are they able to understand this method. One of the major problems was that the instructors, who were a product of the educational system we want to drastically change, could not be changed through just a one-year practical course. It is much easier to impart the technical training than to give a new outlook. What is hoped, and it is only a hope (there has been no study to check it), that the practical, real life work will bring them to use their natural logical method of thinking and that this will happen, with some persistent persuasion, not only in their technical work but also in their everyday life. Brief evaluation 1. The programme was implemented in 5 schools for varying periods; one school from 1985, three schools from 1988 and in Rural Development Through Education System > 50