The other day, I was explaining to a parent that while we pride ourselves in being a progressive school (some even think we are avant garde), we also adhere to some old practices which are actually timeless. I gave him the example of teaching students to calculate mentally, read maps and deduce through simple observation. Fortunately, the parent understood immediately and agreed that indeed there were some perennial principles of teaching and learning that we should recognise. He referred to Morgan Housel’s widely acclaimed book Same as Ever, which deals with some universal truths that never change. The book’s key lesson is that to tackle a fast-changing world, we must start with “what stays the same”.
It’s a reality that in recent years the onslaught of changes which affect us have been so rapid and revolutionary that we have hardly had any time to assimilate them. Barely had we got used to computers and mobile phones encroaching almost every aspect of our lives, when Artificial Intelligence came to unsettle us afresh. It’s beyond my imagination to work out what comes next. Even science fiction can’t help us prepare for the future.
At this point, Housel offers a simple guiding principle: It is the hindsight of history that will provide us an insight, and therefore a compass, to the future.
“Our life is indeed the same as ever… The same physiological and psychological processes (over) hundreds of thousands of years still endure”, remarked Carl Jung. Arthur Schopenhauer adds: “The wise in all ages have always said the same, and the fools, who at all times form the immense majority, have in their own way, too, acted alike, and done just the opposite.” The challenge is to be sensitive to the principles of life that should be regarded as axioms that are perennial.
At school, we are constantly thinking of the changing curriculum and the urgent need to keep reviewing and revising it to suit the changing times. We acknowledge we can’t afford to remain content with the same courses and subjects year after year. Changing trends on the work front and job requirements dictate the ways in which courses must be revamped and new subjects are accordingly introduced. The names of the subjects are indicative of current changes in view of career choices as well as of interdisciplinary trends. For example, the Cambridge Board includes Global Perspectives at the secondary level and it is purported “to encourage learners to think about and explore solutions to significant global issues”. This involves a bit of the old subject geography, and an understanding of international relations and the usual element of problem solving. Then there is Social and Emotional Learning in the International Baccalaureate curriculum. Its objective is “to help students develop empathy, emotional intelligence, and strong interpersonal skills” which will result in creating a supportive learning environment. Again, the basics of psychology or behavioural science are involved. Thus, it is clearly seen core subjects can’t be wholly discarded. Perhaps the practical aspect of each subject is given more emphasis today, but we can’t ignore learning about the past, about the world, space and environment and, most important, the twin pillars of literacy and numeracy have been intact.
When we trace the growth and development of education, we see that exactly the same goals are pursued, and surprisingly, notwithstanding the different methods adopted, the same principles of learning are also unchanged. Let us see what we have retained over the ages in school education. There was much speculation, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, that the whole concept of going to school physically would disappear and learning would take place “virtually” from anywhere and everywhere. But the concrete brick and mortar school buildings with playgrounds remained, just as theatres and cinema halls did. Moreover, human teachers have steadfastly remained even after the advent of AI. We still carry on with the age-old tools of practice and drill after mastering a new concept and have not done away completely with chalk and talk even in a hi-tech classroom. No matter how progressive an institution is, it still has a physical library, printed books and manuscripts, along with virtual resources.
Turning to the other important aspects of education, how do we go about developing character, instilling discipline and encouraging good behaviour? The answer: the good old formula of the carrot and the stick in different and acceptable forms.
Reward and punishment are terms that are understood by all; no matter how many subtle variations and nuances are in use, such as “negative and positive reinforcement”, it all boils down to the same. Experts urge us to make learning fun, but can we do away with “boring” repetition for the purpose of reinforcement? Many students (and their parents too, on their children’s behalf) claim that they dislike what they term as “mugging up”, so they prefer “thinking” subjects. What they fail to realise — or perhaps teachers don’t make it clear to them — that all subjects require thinking, and memorisation is necessary in multiple areas. Memorisation also requires cognitive skills, and when used judiciously, it comes in very handy, say in the case of formulae in chemistry or mathematics and of course when someone wishes to quote.
So far as values are concerned, it is an indisputable truth that certain values are not culture or time specific. We old-timers do get startled at the absence of ethics today and the confused understanding of right and wrong. However, if we wish to ensure a happy world for future generations, we should hold on to one golden value, and that is being kind to each other as human beings.
Indeed, it is a comforting feeling to know that some things don’t change.
The writer is a veteran school educator based in Kolkata
