3. Educating children through Primary Years

Learning is never-ending progress. It is an exploration of the self. 

Robert M. Hutchins had said, “The object of education is to prepare the young to educate themselves throughout their lives.” Thus, it enables the person to learn and assimilate knowledge. The only requirement is that it should be in a proper and positive direction.

In my first blog, titled, "What is education" I have referred to the disastrous effect of education in the absence of morality. There, I had given an example of Osama Bin Laden who was well-educated but his negative application of knowledge brought devastation in the world and changed it drastically post 9/11.

 

What is Primary Education all about?

 

In India, Primary Education marks the beginning of the child on the path of education and refers to Classes 1 to 5. This is the level at which academic subjects enter into the curriculum of the child. One can compare it with the beginning, construction of a building after laying down the foundation.

 

Our late President, great scientist, and visionary, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam had a very clear understanding of the requirements of this segment. He had said, “Creativity is the key to success in the future, and primary education is where teachers can bring creativity in children at that level.”

 

For a better understanding of the topic, we take up the case of a small girl, Bhoomika. She is a student of class One in a very good school in her city. Her father, Subhash is a businessman while mother Geeta is a homemaker. Both of them dote on their daughter. They are very keen that she should be good at academics, co-curricular, and extra-curricular activities.

 

Geeta is completely devoted to her daughter’s proper development. Since the day, Bhoomika was promoted from Kindergarten to the Primary Section, Geeta has been a bit concerned about her education because of the introduction of academics in the curriculum. She felt that Bhoomika would be very much under pressure.

 

Geeta’s friend Neera, is a teacher. Her daughter is studying in class III. She is very good at studies and Neera takes full care of her education. When Geeta sought her advice regarding Bhoomika’s education, Neera explained to her the details of this sector of education.

 

Like Dr. Kalam, she also underlined the important role of creativity in the child’s education, especially at the Primary level of education and suggested her to develop it in Bhoomika, may it be writing, art, composition, craft, music, poetry. She opined that the child should be taught in a cheerful atmosphere so as to lead to conducive learning of the subject matter.  She also emphasized that as she ascends the stairs of Primary Education, the girl should be encouraged to participate in different competitions; Debates; Skits; Group Discussions; Speeches and more of such outgoing activities. Sports and Games play a crucial role in physical as well as mental growth of the child.

 

It would help the child to not only get a basic understanding of academics, learn the useful skills and flower her into a holistic person. 

Main Subjects  

She gave a brief background of the main academic subjects that make their entry into the curriculum. The entire objective is that the basic conceptual knowledge of the subjects grows at every level from Classes 1 to 5.

§ LANGUAGES AND LITERATURE

§  MATHEMATICS

§  SCIENCE

§  HISTORY

§  GEOGRAPHY

§  CIVICS

§  COMPUTER SCIENCE

§  GENERAL KNOWLEDGE

§  MORAL SCIENCE

§  ARTS

 

Languages and Literature

This comprises of  English and Hindi/ Regional languages. It has to be appreciated that language forms the medium of communication. Its proper knowledge is very important for understanding all the academic subjects. It includes adeptness in verbal as well as written areas.

It includes building up a vocabulary of the child; a proper knowledge of grammatical rules; composition; comprehension; writing exercises; Extracts from classics; stories; poems; informative articles etc. The children are required to learn the same and answer the subjective as well as objective questions from their lessons; various grammatical exercises; vocabulary exercises, etc. It builds the capacity to understand other subjects also. It also improves their overall knowledge as they are able to read newspapers, books, magazines, etc.

Mathematics

Mathematics forms the basis of all the sciences. As the child climbs up the ladder, he or she develops the skill of problem-solving. It starts with the knowledge and problems relating to the numbers; going through the Basic Operations; LCMs and HCFs; Ratio; Average; Simple Interest; Profit & Loss; Elementary Knowledge of Algebra & Geometry. It requires the practice of accuracy and speed.

Science

As already explained, the basic thrust remains on the students gaining conceptual knowledge. Science teaches fundamentals of Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Astronomy. The student gets to know General principles of the subject with the help of the text, diagrams, and Practical Demonstration of the Science Experiments. The purpose is for them to develop analytical skills. They answer questions given at the end of the lessons and solve exercises. The emphasis should be on a thorough understanding of the basic principles of the subject and develop a scientific temperament of the student.

History

History teaches the students about the heritage and details of past events as these took place. The purpose is for them to develop not only knowledge of past events but also analyze the good as well as bad points of the same.

Geography

Geography is a very important subject for students of the day. It helps the students understand the entire world properly. The world is getting smaller with vastly improved communication and transportation. All the countries are becoming inter-dependent in Trade & Commerce. Requirements of Higher Education or Career may take the students to any part of the world. Then they need to be conversant with Geography of the place, beforehand, in order to adjust there.

Civics

This subject helps them understand the basic structure of the Government; its administration at various levels; Constitution and laws related to it. Although the study is not in great detail the student gets the basic knowledge about Public Administration & Governance.

Computer Science

Is it possible to imagine a life without computers in these times? It can be said that a person without computer knowledge may treat himself or herself as illiterate. Everywhere that we go, be it Airport, Railway Station, Banks, Hotels, Offices, Hospitals or even our homes, computers play a big role. Their role in Education, Commerce, Entertainment, Sports, Record Keeping, and myriad fields cannot be undermined. Therefore, the students are given this knowledge from Pre-primary classes. They get to know about Software, Hardware, and applications. Gradually, they also learn computer languages. They study the subject from their books; answer questions related to the subject and are given practical knowledge in the well-equipped computer labs in an interesting manner.

General Knowledge

It is a very important subject. It has to be appreciated that in view of growing competition in the academics, general awareness of a person plays a vital role. It gives knowledge about Discoveries & Inventions; Arts and Artistes; Famous Buildings; Renowned People of various fields; Symbols; Traffic signals; important happenings; Current Affairs and many more topics.

Moral Science

Spiritual Education is very important because if the person develops a good moral character, his or her application of the knowledge gained will always be in a positive direction. Moral Education plays a vital role in bringing out the Human and Divine qualities of a person. It brings a vast change in the person’s perspective of looking at the world and finding the solution to its manifold problems and makes the student not to discriminate on the basis of caste, creed, or religion which is normally at the root of violent catastrophe all around the globe.

Art & Craft

Art caters to the finer side of our personality. It is also a form of creation. When the child draws and paints, he or she develops imagination and eye-hand coordination. Craftwork also brings out their creative faculty. It pleases the students when they are able to make some models.

 

The entire thrust should be on the student to understand the concept of the subject so that it stays with them for a long time rather than mugging it up. 

 

Neera also told Geeta about Life Skills and Education Tools of this field of Education:

 

Life skills

 

Primary school years also teach life skills to the children.

Social Skills- The first thing they learn is coordination with each other. Coming from different backgrounds, they learn to adjust to each other. Some of them also come across differently-abled children. They learn to help and support them. They get to know friendship, competition, respect, and tolerance.

Interpersonal Communication- This is a very important skill picked up by the children at this level. It includes verbal and written communication. It helps them in proper expression and also supports them in academics. It is useful for them throughout life.

Time management- Time is a very essential component of our lives. If the student learns to respect time, success is bound to follow him or her. We may regain everything but not the time. Punctuality of time and its management is an essential skill learned at this level.

Multi-tasking- In this competitive age, when the future is bound to pose one after the other challenges before the children, they need to learn the skill of managing many tasks simultaneously with equanimity. Gradually, they don’t get baffled with a multiplicity of the tasks and maintain their composure.

Planning- It is said that well-begun is half-done. The children are taught to plan for not only their studies but co-curricular and extra-curricular activities as well at this level.

Preparation for examinations- Class tests and examinations provide the children an opportunity to develop the spirit of competition as they work hard to prepare for their tests and competition. In fact, it is a life-time skill that prepares them for tough times ahead in life.

 

Education tools 

Besides the books, modern schools make use of many other tools to impart teaching. The entire purpose of using these tools is to grab their attention span in the academics as also to make it interesting.

Outdoor Games- The teachers teach them many games that help them learn their lessons in a playful manner.

Indoor Games- Some indoor games are also used for instilling the academics in the students in a smooth manner. These also include computer and video games.

Art Forms- Through sketching and painting; music; dance and other art forms, the children learn about their heritage, surroundings, environment, animals, plants, and other important subjects in a joyful manner.

 

Qualities required in a Primary Teacher 

They need to have the following qualities:

Edification is a loving atmosphere- Famous Thinker, Philosopher, and Educationist Jiddu Krishnamurty had opined that the teachers’ role is not limited to passing on their knowledge to the students by following the curriculum. They must train the students in a loving atmosphere so as to help them cultivate their memory and be able to employ this memory in the latter part of their lives.

Reaching out to the students- it is very important for a teacher to reach out to his or her students. This requires excellent communication skills, understanding the psychology of the children, and explaining in a lucid manner to make the students grasp the lesson thoroughly.

Physical and Mental Strength- The primary teachers have to be physically and mentally tough. It is not an easy task to manage a class of primary children. They are agile and active. Mental strength is required to make them observe discipline, attend to their classwork, and follow the guidance obediently.

Patience- It is the most important virtue of a teacher. He or she must be patient with the children. The children may act in a naughty manner or may not be able to understand despite repeated attempts but the teacher has to keep the smile on and explain repeatedly until the lesson becomes clear.

Small Home tasks- Although the students need to learn and practice the lessons taught in the school but putting them under strain in the name of the home task is inhuman. The child should be allowed to blossom in a free atmosphere. However, the total absence of home study is also bad. The focus should be on regular follow-ups so that it is not a cumulative burden at the time of the tests and the examinations.

 

Geeta was much relieved and thanked Neera for enlightening her with this important knowledge. She was now fully equipped to take care of Bhoomika’s education in a holistic manner.

The author has referred to the following website for developing part of the content.

https://learn.org/articles/What_is_Primary_Education.html

#PrimaryEducation #LifeSkills #EducationTools #QualitiesOfPrimaryTeacher #HolisticEducation #SubjectsOfPrimaryEducation

 

 

The author is trying to share his experience in the field of education through these articles. Please enter your valuable comments in the box given below or send it on the email id: vermarajesh55@gmail.com