Skill is developed by practice. Knowledge is gained from books. Wisdom is acquired by experience. Some good qualities are in-born traits.
The first and foremost level of learning is Skill. Unfortunately the present system of education does not give much weightage to the basic skill set among students whether it is soft skill set or hard skill set!! There is a serious problem among students, nowadays. They have good books, good additional reference materials, internet resources, mobile apps, efficient teachers, schools with best infrastructure, etc. However, if you approach any school student and ask some basic question in Maths or Science or Social science, or ask to quote any poem or proverb from their mother tongue, you will be surprised with their inappropriate answers! Major schools are keen on branding their images through extracurricular activities and have ignored the paracurricular skill set. Most of the students are very poor in memory retention and reproducing the learned stuff in an efficient manner in both writing and speaking, even though they are smart enough in learning anything quickly and evaporating everything at the same speed!! The reason behind this is that they have filled up their mind with so many transient, unwanted web engagements and whatsapp wastes!!
Oh, dear parents! Disengage your wards from these web and mobile activities and encage or engage them in a restricted atmosphere under the vigilence of a good mentor!
Saitech Paracurricular Brain Workout
One cannot think about a technical course or job without the proficiency in certain skill sets mentioned below. Most of the parents and students plan their career wrongly without undergoing some self-assessments and dream about big jobs or joining in premier Engineering and Medical Institutes.
There is some misunderstanding among students and parents that there is no need for Mathematics in preparing for Medical Entrance Examinations like NEET, AIIMS, JIPMER etc.
Such parents and students are in a great illusion. They should go through the contents of Physics and Chemistry in higher secondary level where they will definitely understand the need for some basic and advanced Mathematics. One may get confused whether it is Maths or Physics by looking at the CBSE Higher secondary Physics question paper.
Without knowing the basic concepts of vector algebra and calculus one cannot solve major problems in Physics. Taking a group of Maths, Physics, Chemistry, Computer Science / Biology is much recommended if you have decided to go for Engineering / Medical profession.
Like a physical fitness, the above skill set should be constantly practiced besides the regular academic stream.
Nowadays, regular schools have lot of other priorities and misuse their students to market their brands by participating in some activities. As a private mentor with more than 35 years experience in academics and research, the author has come across several students from such popular schools lagging in basic arithmetics. Some samples are displayed below without mentioning the names of the students. We cannot blame the students. It is the responsibility of every parent to monitor the academic performance on daily basis. Most of the parents open their eyes only when they are called for school open day to discuss about the performance of the ward. The concerned teachers will blame the student and parents for lack of cooperation of the candidate and neither parties will discuss on the corrective measures.
Dear parents, the entire world is a platform where your wards are going to perform in future. Everyone will look at his or her performance. Be ready to tune them now itself. We need to worry about the skill set performance rather than expecting great marks in school tests. Most of the families have single child and that is why their wards do not know how to be a team player. In those days our brothers and sisters were used to mock and scold at us when we went wrong in fundamentals in Maths or English. Being a single child and totally isolated from grand parents and sometimes parents too, such lonely guys are unable to work as a team at school or at coaching centres and cause bullying, immoral activities, restlessness, agitation etc. Such students do not accept their ignorance when their mistakes are exposed. Some lonely children come to school and study centres, only for fun and such day dreamers come and spoil everyone in the classroom.
If Wealth is lost, nothing is lost!
If Health is lost something is lost!!
If Character is lost Everything is lost!!!
Character is the crown of Education!
Today’s Education is only Agitation!
The true Education is focussed on Life and not only for Living!!
Sri Sathya Sai Baba
Early morning session is the best time to work out mathematics and physical science problems. Encourage your children to practice the brain work out in the early morning either at your home or at mentor’s home.
Drawing skill
One should understand that science drawing is not an artistic drawing. It represents a sketch or model or idear or real object. It is just a visual representation. It is useful to understand the concept and memorize the same easily. Many students are lazy and claim that they cannot draw nicely as given in the book. But, truey, an artistic work is not expeceted in a science drawing. Practice makes one perfect. Start with a rough sketch using pencil, and slowy anyone can achieve perfection. Following things can be drawn for different purposes.
Real object drawing in Biology
Molecular shape and structural formulae in Chemistry
Circuits in physics
Concept map to take down notes in any subject
Flow chart to explain a process
Sketch note to summarise a chapter
Mind map for creating new ideas or during brain storming session
Use good pencils. After finalising the drawing one can redraw with black gel pen and use selective colours.
Our educational system insists on exploring knowledge through psychomotor domain, in other words, we need to learn by brain and physical excercises. Whereas our guys reads even Maths problems like daily news paper without taking an effort to solve the problems by working out on a paper. Now, comes the downloads of notes from the mobile apps and internet pdfs!
You may download tons of notes and visuals like sand load, from an app, but all of them become useless, if they are not imbibed, not retained, not reproduced and not applied !!
ER
NATA aspriants can practice perspective drawings.
Language Skill
One can learn any language like English, Tamil, Hindi, Sanskrit, French, etc. There are four essential steps in developing one’s language skill.
Friendship, compassion and generosity are not excelled with habbit; they are in born traits!!
Most of the school students study Tamil or English just for the sake of scoring good marks in examination. Parent should encourage the children to study the mother tongue for life!! They should also sit and study with them because they will agree that some great words, proverbs and poems studied in their school life can be truely realized in their real life now.
IELTS (International English Language Testing System) tests listenting, reading, speaking and writing skills of students and issue certificate. This certificate is insisted in overseas education in several western Universities.
Reasoning Skill
Logical reasoning is another skill set required for every student for taking important decisions, predictions etc. This improves in reasoning, justifying or solving logical problems.
If your answer is A, your reasoning skill is perfect!
Saitech Para-curricular Brain Workout
In order to bridge the gap between the required skill set in a regular curriculum and the current status of skill set of the student Saitech has introduced Skill Building Drills, called Saitech Paracurricular Brain Workout Sessions. Students who are struggling in basic skill set should compulsory undergo these skill building drills and obtain Saitech Skill Eligibility Certificate in the respective domains prescribed by the faculty. These skill building sessions impact great changes in the regular academic courses and improve better understanding of the concepts in any subject.
Most of the students blame themselves for their poor marks in school inspite of their routine hard work and additional coaching classes. The reason is that they do not focus on certain skill sets required for academic perfomance. They just believe that just by understanding they can face the examination. But, when they sit in the examination hall, they are unable to recollect what they have studied and they finally score low marks.
Courtesy: Economic times
Skill Sets
Everyone can understand any concept.
The problem is the retention of the concepts in our memory.
Presentation of answer is also very important in fetching marks.
How quickly the answer is given is very important.
Most of the students are lagging in the following skill sets.
They need to undergo some special training under the supervision of their parents or a mentor.
S.No.
Skill Set
How to improve?
1
Listening
Take down notes whil listening to lectures.
2
Note taking
Prepare LISN notes in Cornell Notes template.
3
Writing
Assignment improves presentation of descriptive answers.
4
Spelling
Write impositions
5
Drawing
Practice infographics
6
Problem solving
Practice worksheets, Create model problem mapping
7
Reasoning
Attempt MCQ
8
Understanding
Prepare Concept map while studying the text book.
9
Memory Retention
Practice sketch note, concept map, develop mnemonics and teach others.
10
Speedy writing
Practice speed tests. Try to get 1 mark for every 1.5 minutes.
Prepare secondary notes in nut in shell form based on the primary notes.
Preferably secondary notes should be handy in such way that those books can be used anywhere except in the exam hall!!
Maintain a separate notebook for target tests that can be reviewed by yourself.
Write unit level tests in three phases. One set is based on text book only. Second set is based on the previous year exam question bank. The third set should have tough and challenging questions. Appoint a mentor to coordinate these tasks such as unit test preparation, assessment and doubt clarification.
Try to achieve centum at least in 3 levels with the marks: minute ratio 2:3. It means that you have to score 1 mark in 1.5 minute.
Revise primary notes once or twice before the examination.
Revise secondary notes more than 3 times before the examination.
Start preparing the notes early. Drive slowly. Reach safely.
On the Eve of Exam day
Never attempt any any concept or question.
Never use text books and reference books.
Scan completely primary notes.
Scan thoroughly secondary notes.
Check yourself your memory retention of some key terms, definitions, theorems, formulae, equations, infographics, derivations, problem steps etc.
Get ready with your stationery items and hall ticket.
Sleep well in the night.
Get up early morning. Rescan the secondary notes.
Get ready for the exam.
In the Exam Hall
Report to the exam hall half an hour before the commencement of examination.
Do not take any paper except the hall ticket inside the exam hall.
If your preparations are stronger you need not look the examiners as villains, after all they do their duty.
Go through the question paper calmly.
Rate of scoring and budgeting of time are very important.
Select the familiar questions first.
Give priority to familiar big questions in Maths and Physical sciences.
Rate of scoring in one mark or MCQ is less, hence you may attempt the short answers finally.
Attempt objective type questions first in the case of knowlege based or theoretical subjects like biology and other non-problem solving types of subjects.
Never do rough work on the left margin. That place is left for question number and for awarding marks in school examinations.
You may use pencil for doing rough work.
Draw always using pencil.
A simple underline with pencil is enough to highlight the key points, titles and subtitles.
Write subtitles for descriptive answers.
Box out important equations and final answers using pencil only.
Mark page number on every page.
You may use tags for keeping the answer sheets in order and later you may remove and join the papers with the thread given by the exam supervisors.
Review all answers 15 minutes before handing over the answer script.
Make sure of writing the exam number, class, etc.
After the Exam
If it is school examination predict your marks and try to write the Level-2 exam after discussing with your mentor.
Wrie the wrong or unknown questions in Level-2 and add the level-2 marks with your school marks. If you get centum, your prediction about your performance in the school examination is perfect.
Otherwise, try to complete the third level to score centum.
You are writing the exam for your sake only.
Even if you have failed in the exam, do not worry. Try to attempt the second or third level to score centum.
All the best to score centum in the first level itself!!
Learning will be made self-paced. Classrooms will not be based on similar ages, rather, they will be based on similar achievements and skill sets. There will lot of worksheets. Above average students will get harder tasks and questions. Students will enjoy positive learning experience. Variety of study tools will be developed. Students will enjoy both elearning and conventional learning in a hybrid classroom. One can find both blackboard and digital TV in all classrooms.
The role of mentor
The family level mentor will greatly influence one’s career development. Parents will be influenced more by such local educationists and mentors. Like family doctor, every family will have family mentor (Kula Guru). Philanthropologists, educationists, subject matter experts, PhD degree holders will take active role in mentorships. Parents will believe schools, just for securing a certificate from the Government and will not encourage hereafter the so called hi-fi techno and branded schools who have heavily commercialized the schooling system currently. Parents will not believe in macro-learning process. They will give more weightage to micro-learning provided by the local private mentors. Individual transformations of their wards taking place in micro learning centres at the residence of their family mentor will be realized greatly by the parents.
Formal education helps students to explore higher studies and research. Those who are keen on securing job will be trained in the skill sets required for the chosen job. The selection criterion for a job will be based on skill set only and not on the degrees. Lot of skill schools will be developed to create employement opportunities. Professionals and experts will run such skill schools. Governments and companies will fund more on researches and conventional educations in Universities. The job seekers will not undergo Univeristy education. Most of the private Universities exploiting and misguiding the job seekers will vanish. People will not support such Universities. There will be three types of educational institutes in each country. One is School Boards to provide conventional education till STD 12. Second is University to promote researches. Third is Skill School to provide job opportunities.
Skill set based approach
More associations and certifiying systems will be introduced for developing skill sets among students irrespective of the age group. The skill sets will be matched with the nature of job and students will undergo flexible training in such skill schools. The vanishing skill sets such as carpentary, plumbing, wiring, tailoring, embroidery, housekeeping, painting, etch will be revived. Advanced techniquies and tools will be included in such basic skill set trainings. Onsite training, projects, practicals will be the major assessments to declare the competancy level of trainees. Skill set matrix will be implemented for rating the efficiency level achieved by a candidate.
Free choices
Free choices will be given to every learner viz., job or service opportunity, research opportunity and business opportunity. Only competent and interested candidates will undergo research. Job seekers should have skill school certificate with skill set rating or prove themselves with the required skill set to get a job. Pressures like entrance examinations for a particular course will be eliminated since only the interested candidates will explore higher education. Free choices based on the merit, skill set and interest will be given to students so that all present days’ illusion and misconcept of considering degrees as a bowl for job will get away.
Project based education
Project report and presentation will be the key assessment for certifying a candidate’s proficiency besides the other modes of test and measurements. Collective projects will be given in the lower level and individual project will be encouraged in the higher level. Onsite learning, field or in-plant training will be the key factor to evaluate the project report.
Block chain digital certificates
Government and private institutes promote block chain digital certificates. The employers and other clients will register for obtaining and verifying the proficiency certificates. The hard copies of certificates may vanish one day!! Government of India has introduced Digilocker services. This is one of the best initiatives of Digital India Programme.
Avoid blame game and accept the fact that we are the problem and we are the solution!!
தீதும் நன்றும் பிறர் தர வாரா ( Good and bad are not brought to you by somebody!)
We are the problem and we are the solution. Never blame a person. You can blame a process. If any mistake or failure happens, ask what has gone wrong and never ask who has done it! Afterall, nobody accepts one’s own mistake readily and really. Try to negotiate with all owners of the process and find out a solution to solve the issue.
Process errors occur due to misconcept, wrong method, defective tools, inappropriate timing, lack of interest, non-cooperation, indiscipline, lack of motivation, carelessness, poor time management, poor skill etc. For every problem, there is one basic solution. Out of all reasons mentioned above, improving one’s skill set results better performance.
You become an expert when you do not depend on others for solving your own problems. When you can solve others’ problems too, you become a leader or a mentor.
Skill Set Matrix
Knowledge is acquired by books. Wisdom is acquired by experience. Skill is achieved by practice.
There are five levels of skill set. The rating is done as skill set matrix. Every candidate is expected to undergo a training and to succeed from Skill level – 1 to level – 5.
List of skill set
Students are expected to improve their skill set mentioned below irrespective of the subjects or the test marks.
S.No.
Skill Set
1
2
3
4
5
Training Tool
1
Language
Language lab
2
Writing
Assignment
3
2D Drawing
Infographics
4
Writing Presentation
Assignment
5
Arithmetic
Worksheets
6
Algebraic
Worksheets
7
Listening
Dictation
8
Note taking
Concept Map
9
Organising
5 S Score Board
10
Problem solving
Worksheets
11
Speedy writing
Speed Test
12
Oral Presentation
Seminar
13
Time Management
Learning Journal
14
Typing
Type tutor
15
3D Drawing
Perspective Sketches
16
Units
Worksheets
17
Measurements
Construction
18
Data interpretation
Data Analysis
19
Logical reasoning
MCQ
20
Listening
Lectures
21
Infererence
Problem solving
22
Presentation of data
Seminar
23
Programming
CSc Project
24
Reading
Library
25
Memory
Oral Test
26
Team work
Mentoring
Truely speaking, there is no separate training is required to develope one’s skill set. All the skills cited above can be earned by practising daily along with the regular studies. If there is a will, there is a way!!
One can choose a career based on the skill set they possess or can develop within an acceptable period of time.
மனிதனுக்குள்ள மறதி, மற்றும் நினைவாற்றல் இரண்டுமே பயனுள்ள திறன்கள். மறக்கும் சக்தி இன்னும் முக்கியமானது, இல்லையெனில் மனிதன் பல்லாயிரக்கணக்கான முந்தைய பிறப்புகளில் இருந்த பல்லாயிரக்கணக்கான பெற்றோர்களையும், உறவினர்களையும் இழந்ததைப் பற்றி புலம்ப வேண்டியிருக்கும்; மேலும், இந்த பிறப்பில் மனிதன் அனுபவித்த பல அவமானங்களை நினைவில் வைத்துக் கொள்வான். அதிர்ஷ்டவசமாக அவன் அதையெல்லாம் மறந்து விடுகிறான் . அவன் குறிப்பிடத்தக்க, அல்லது முக்கியமான, அதாவது அவனது திருமண தேதி, அவனுக்கு பணம் செலுத்த வேண்டியவர்களின் பெயர்கள் போன்றவற்றை மட்டுமே அவன் நினைவில் வைத்திருக்கிறான் . சோகம் என்னவென்றால், தான் இந்த உலகத்திற்கு எதற்காக வந்தோம் என்பதையே மறந்துவிட்டான். அவனது உண்மையான இயல்பு மற்றும் அடையாளத்தை மறந்தே போய்விட்டான்.
