| On Galvanometers and Exams |  |
OK, answer this without consulting Google: Explain the principle of operation of the galvanometer.
That is part of the standard syllabus for our public exams in Physics for 12th standard students. I saw that question in a newspaper supplement, which provides sample question papers to prepare students for the all-important public exams.
I definitely should have studied this. In fact, I did well in the exam too. Except that I remember absolutely nothing. I could almost swear I had never heard of galvanometer, whatever it is, until I came across it in the sample question paper today. I am supposed to have an Electrical Engineering degree too, which makes it, well, more interesting.
Let's agree that the purpose of education is teaching students how to learn, rather than fill their heads with facts and figures. Especially in the post-Google era, filling the head with such facts and figures does one absolutely no good.
Let's also agree that the best way to learn how to learn is by actually learning something concrete. So that explains trying to teach galvanometer, which is a pretty concrete device. Except that it is impossible to explain a galvanometer (or object oriented programming or thermodynamics) in a high school setting well without really good faculty that understands these subjects, and such faculty is exceptionally rare. Galvanometer, which sounds like a fun device that I have to really learn about some day
, becomes another water torture routine for kids as they face those dreaded exams. It would be a different matter if they were actually taught how to build such a device, use it to measure something, and so on. And it would help if they are not asked such dumb questions in exams, because then teachers would "teach to the test", and no one will actually focus on learning how to build or use that device.
We are better off teaching kids bicycle repair, because that is a subject that can be taught well, and it also teaches kids how to learn. At least a question like "Explain how you would repair a bicycle" in an exam would be more obviously idiotic than a question like "Explain how a galvanometer works", so at least it won't get asked.
The point is not that everyone needs to know bicycle repair, but that they won't remember anything about the galvanometer the way it is currently taught, while they will remember repairing a bicycle. And for those theoretically minded, bicycle repair can naturally lead to gear ratios and such. Of course the fastest way to kill any interest for kids in bicycles is to ask about gear ratios in exams.
Coming to the galvanometer, kids memorize something like (thanks Wikipedia!)
A galvanometer is an instrument for detecting and measuring electric current. It is an electromechanical transducer that produces a rotary deflection, through a limited arc, in response to electric current flowing through its coil. The name galvanometer has been applied to devices used in measuring, recording, and positioning equipment.
That is merely an empty collection of words, with no particular feeling or experience associated with it, to a kid in school who is facing that all important exam. All that the kids get tested on is how well they can memorize that definition. I must have memorized something like that, and that was promptly flushed out of the system when those exams were mercifully over.
And the tragedy of it is that based on how they do in such exams, important decisions like which college, and what branch of study and so on get decided, and that in turn, plays a crucial role in the kind of jobs that are open.
Millions of kids in India are memorizing the galvanometer as you read this. I feel sorry for them. It is not just a monumental waste of time, it is much worse than that - kids that don't do well in these exams are deemed unfit to hold any interesting job, because pretty much all such jobs will have stringent credential requirements.
That is part of the standard syllabus for our public exams in Physics for 12th standard students. I saw that question in a newspaper supplement, which provides sample question papers to prepare students for the all-important public exams.
I definitely should have studied this. In fact, I did well in the exam too. Except that I remember absolutely nothing. I could almost swear I had never heard of galvanometer, whatever it is, until I came across it in the sample question paper today. I am supposed to have an Electrical Engineering degree too, which makes it, well, more interesting.
Let's agree that the purpose of education is teaching students how to learn, rather than fill their heads with facts and figures. Especially in the post-Google era, filling the head with such facts and figures does one absolutely no good.
Let's also agree that the best way to learn how to learn is by actually learning something concrete. So that explains trying to teach galvanometer, which is a pretty concrete device. Except that it is impossible to explain a galvanometer (or object oriented programming or thermodynamics) in a high school setting well without really good faculty that understands these subjects, and such faculty is exceptionally rare. Galvanometer, which sounds like a fun device that I have to really learn about some day
, becomes another water torture routine for kids as they face those dreaded exams. It would be a different matter if they were actually taught how to build such a device, use it to measure something, and so on. And it would help if they are not asked such dumb questions in exams, because then teachers would "teach to the test", and no one will actually focus on learning how to build or use that device.We are better off teaching kids bicycle repair, because that is a subject that can be taught well, and it also teaches kids how to learn. At least a question like "Explain how you would repair a bicycle" in an exam would be more obviously idiotic than a question like "Explain how a galvanometer works", so at least it won't get asked.
The point is not that everyone needs to know bicycle repair, but that they won't remember anything about the galvanometer the way it is currently taught, while they will remember repairing a bicycle. And for those theoretically minded, bicycle repair can naturally lead to gear ratios and such. Of course the fastest way to kill any interest for kids in bicycles is to ask about gear ratios in exams.
Coming to the galvanometer, kids memorize something like (thanks Wikipedia!)
A galvanometer is an instrument for detecting and measuring electric current. It is an electromechanical transducer that produces a rotary deflection, through a limited arc, in response to electric current flowing through its coil. The name galvanometer has been applied to devices used in measuring, recording, and positioning equipment.
That is merely an empty collection of words, with no particular feeling or experience associated with it, to a kid in school who is facing that all important exam. All that the kids get tested on is how well they can memorize that definition. I must have memorized something like that, and that was promptly flushed out of the system when those exams were mercifully over.
And the tragedy of it is that based on how they do in such exams, important decisions like which college, and what branch of study and so on get decided, and that in turn, plays a crucial role in the kind of jobs that are open.
Millions of kids in India are memorizing the galvanometer as you read this. I feel sorry for them. It is not just a monumental waste of time, it is much worse than that - kids that don't do well in these exams are deemed unfit to hold any interesting job, because pretty much all such jobs will have stringent credential requirements.
Comments:
Comment from:
Arthi [Member]
So, what is the solution? How many of us will it take to change the system? How can I do something to change it? I do my bit when my daughter learns concepts as young as seven. We 'do" things to get the hang of it. When she is older, what happens? I am not skilled to handle all the experimental learning that she requires.
19 Dec 2006 @ 19:41
Comment from:
svembu [Member]
Arthi,
I am not competent to propose grand solutions, and I don't believe in grand solutions either. Grand solutions tend to be government-imposed, and almost always lead to coercion of one kind or another. In the US, the "No Child Left Behind Act" - grandiloquence is all the education politicians seem to need - is leading to more and more India-like "teach to the test" methodologies.
Solutions (there could be many) have to start at the grass-roots, with individuals, families, small organizations and businesses. So let me tell you what I am doing as an individual and as a businessman.
In our business, I have instituted some simple rules. First, we do not look at formal credentials while hiring. We have hired, and we continue to hire great people who other companies routinely overlook because they lack the paper credentials.
Second, we have an invested in an internal education system where we take kids right after high school, and teach them fundamentals of software and computer science. We are expanding that effort, to include English and more Mathematics. We don't charge for the program, and as soon as they are ready, we combine their continuing learning with paid employment. The results have been very positive (some of the code behind Jambav is now written by graduates of this program!).
I am committing our company resources to expanding this program significantly over the next few years.
For my son, if not for his autism, my wife and I have thought of home schooling him and exposing him to a variety of truly educational experiences. But that dream is on hold as we help him recover from autism.
Sridhar
I am not competent to propose grand solutions, and I don't believe in grand solutions either. Grand solutions tend to be government-imposed, and almost always lead to coercion of one kind or another. In the US, the "No Child Left Behind Act" - grandiloquence is all the education politicians seem to need - is leading to more and more India-like "teach to the test" methodologies.
Solutions (there could be many) have to start at the grass-roots, with individuals, families, small organizations and businesses. So let me tell you what I am doing as an individual and as a businessman.
In our business, I have instituted some simple rules. First, we do not look at formal credentials while hiring. We have hired, and we continue to hire great people who other companies routinely overlook because they lack the paper credentials.
Second, we have an invested in an internal education system where we take kids right after high school, and teach them fundamentals of software and computer science. We are expanding that effort, to include English and more Mathematics. We don't charge for the program, and as soon as they are ready, we combine their continuing learning with paid employment. The results have been very positive (some of the code behind Jambav is now written by graduates of this program!).
I am committing our company resources to expanding this program significantly over the next few years.
For my son, if not for his autism, my wife and I have thought of home schooling him and exposing him to a variety of truly educational experiences. But that dream is on hold as we help him recover from autism.
Sridhar
19 Dec 2006 @ 21:45
Comment from:
Ramesh [Visitor]
Very true. I don't remember many of the concepts that I studied in mechanical engineering.
19 Dec 2006 @ 23:40
Comment from:
Arthi [Member]
Sridhar, I am familiar with the Adventnet University and how it works:-) I have had the pleasure of meeting some of the 'graduates' who work with Rajendran.It is a pleasure being able to exchange notes with you.
20 Dec 2006 @ 00:29
Comment from:
pramila [Member]
Sridhar,
The way I look at it: exams, memorizing facts etc all train you to do things that you are not necessarily excited about, and do them well, because they serve some purpose: like getting marks in an exam. This is definitely a useful skill in life. At different stages in life we are all forced to do things we dont necessarily love to do. This is true whether you are an entrepreneur or an engineer. I believe this is why there is high correlation between certain entrance exams and future success. These exams teach you perseverence, hard work, diligence, etc., so they serve some purpose. With just those skills you can do reasonably well even if you cannot be too inventive or creative.
However it is a tragedy if kids lose interest and fundamental excitement about learning because they are bogged down by these exams. For example I saw kids learning elements of probability by designing a board game of chance and attempting to estimate probability of winning. It is those kinds of exercises that involve investigative thinking, reasoning, estimation etc that make the learning experience enjoyable and memorable. It requires a lot of creativity and personal interaction on the part of teachers to be able to afford this level of creative teaching. That may or may not be possible in a mass-education system. As long as the school system doesnt hurt our kids, Id say, its we, as parents, who should step in to create unique learning opportunities for our children, and create fun projects for them. It enhances our parenting experience too.
Raising a kid with autism is no different. The school provides the opportunity to learn aspects that the kid does not particularly enjoy: socialisation, collaboration etc. We still have to complement that, and do our part to create interesting learning opportunities at home.
Pramila
The way I look at it: exams, memorizing facts etc all train you to do things that you are not necessarily excited about, and do them well, because they serve some purpose: like getting marks in an exam. This is definitely a useful skill in life. At different stages in life we are all forced to do things we dont necessarily love to do. This is true whether you are an entrepreneur or an engineer. I believe this is why there is high correlation between certain entrance exams and future success. These exams teach you perseverence, hard work, diligence, etc., so they serve some purpose. With just those skills you can do reasonably well even if you cannot be too inventive or creative.
However it is a tragedy if kids lose interest and fundamental excitement about learning because they are bogged down by these exams. For example I saw kids learning elements of probability by designing a board game of chance and attempting to estimate probability of winning. It is those kinds of exercises that involve investigative thinking, reasoning, estimation etc that make the learning experience enjoyable and memorable. It requires a lot of creativity and personal interaction on the part of teachers to be able to afford this level of creative teaching. That may or may not be possible in a mass-education system. As long as the school system doesnt hurt our kids, Id say, its we, as parents, who should step in to create unique learning opportunities for our children, and create fun projects for them. It enhances our parenting experience too.
Raising a kid with autism is no different. The school provides the opportunity to learn aspects that the kid does not particularly enjoy: socialisation, collaboration etc. We still have to complement that, and do our part to create interesting learning opportunities at home.
Pramila
21 Dec 2006 @ 23:57
Comment from:
Rajendran [Member]
Hi Sridhar,
On the same day that I was to make a presentation to school principals and a few education policy makers from Tamil Nadu, you had made this blog post.
I grabbed parts of it, and used it to good effect, there. In fact, a teacher from your own school, by name Jayalakshmi, seems to remember you, probably from your Dad who frequents there on philanthropic matters, and probably from your name being listed in the Roll of Honour. :-)
The presentation was about how Information Technology could be used to reach the unreached. You can see the presentation here:- http://www.slideshare.net/rajendran/it-reaching-the-unreached.
Rajendran.
On the same day that I was to make a presentation to school principals and a few education policy makers from Tamil Nadu, you had made this blog post.
I grabbed parts of it, and used it to good effect, there. In fact, a teacher from your own school, by name Jayalakshmi, seems to remember you, probably from your Dad who frequents there on philanthropic matters, and probably from your name being listed in the Roll of Honour. :-)
The presentation was about how Information Technology could be used to reach the unreached. You can see the presentation here:- http://www.slideshare.net/rajendran/it-reaching-the-unreached.
Rajendran.
22 Dec 2006 @ 00:10
Comment from:
Damodharan [Visitor]
Good stuff, you have put together a lot of stuff into a neat slideshow, almost makes it seem very easy. I guess thats the Idea of a presentation :)
Cant agree more with the point raised by Sridhar Vembu, I personally have a rock bottom academic record, I was unable to "Study" without a valid reason, atleast the ones I got that I need to "Get into an Engineering course", "Get a good job " or that "I would end up herding cows "(Typical) did not motivate me, but over the last 8 years I have learned much more over the web on sites like how stuff works, on discovery channel and now the wiki, a need based learning which makes sense and is more interesting. I guess the competetion and the frenzy to secure an education has setup a factory line A to B to C, on the other hand when I look at children in the slum nearby to my house in Kottivakkam I sit back and think their only hope is to educate themselves and get into the mainstream if they have to get out of the cycle of being generations of house maids and labourers. There are two worlds out there Raj, no make it three and then there is the world of the differently enabled kids. Long way to go.
Damodharan.
Cant agree more with the point raised by Sridhar Vembu, I personally have a rock bottom academic record, I was unable to "Study" without a valid reason, atleast the ones I got that I need to "Get into an Engineering course", "Get a good job " or that "I would end up herding cows "(Typical) did not motivate me, but over the last 8 years I have learned much more over the web on sites like how stuff works, on discovery channel and now the wiki, a need based learning which makes sense and is more interesting. I guess the competetion and the frenzy to secure an education has setup a factory line A to B to C, on the other hand when I look at children in the slum nearby to my house in Kottivakkam I sit back and think their only hope is to educate themselves and get into the mainstream if they have to get out of the cycle of being generations of house maids and labourers. There are two worlds out there Raj, no make it three and then there is the world of the differently enabled kids. Long way to go.
Damodharan.
22 Dec 2006 @ 00:20
Comment from:
svembu [Member]
Pramila,
Re schooling teaching the value of hard work and the virtue of achieving *something*, I agree.
So the value of schooling is not primarily the learning of facts and figures (which is what is most emphasized by exams), but to teach the virtue of working hard for something. It is that *working hard* aspect that correlates with success in life. That is a kind of meta-value of conventional education. There are many different ways of getting that meta-value, something I will elaborate in a later post.
Damodharan,
Yes, indeed there are many different worlds. I often tell Raj that I feel like an interplanetory explorer, as I navigate the different worlds I inhabit - the world of a software company and now an internet company, my background as a middle-class Indian, my roots in my village and the exposure that brings to the other India (actually in some ways the "real" India, at least in terms of sheer numbers), and then the world of autism due to my son.
Sridhar
Re schooling teaching the value of hard work and the virtue of achieving *something*, I agree.
So the value of schooling is not primarily the learning of facts and figures (which is what is most emphasized by exams), but to teach the virtue of working hard for something. It is that *working hard* aspect that correlates with success in life. That is a kind of meta-value of conventional education. There are many different ways of getting that meta-value, something I will elaborate in a later post.
Damodharan,
Yes, indeed there are many different worlds. I often tell Raj that I feel like an interplanetory explorer, as I navigate the different worlds I inhabit - the world of a software company and now an internet company, my background as a middle-class Indian, my roots in my village and the exposure that brings to the other India (actually in some ways the "real" India, at least in terms of sheer numbers), and then the world of autism due to my son.
Sridhar
22 Dec 2006 @ 00:48
Comment from:
Sukeshini [Visitor]
I have toiled with these issues in my head many a time. I have often felt the education system needs to be revamped to create more value adding experience for life. While Sridhar’s school of thought raises the right issues, I can’t agree more with Pramila regarding the correlation with between “doing well at school” and qualities such as perseverance hard work and diligence. However 1) it is not fool proof and 2) mostly definitely one way in the sense that better the chances of one being perseverant and hardworking if they have done well at school. There is truth in this observation and just because we see exceptions, it doesn’t mean it doesn’t work. That’s kind of the essence of statistical inference. However, that this correlation exists is TRUE. But is this cause and effect? Most definitely not true. There can be zillion covariates that may in reality explain the true cause this correlation and its these true causes that we need to identify and harness and enhance if we can – either by changing the system or supplement the system which is what most sensible parents do today. Changing the system -easily said that done. Which is why I frankly haven’t done a thing about it- I get overwhelmed and get discouraged very easily - often hiding behind my own petty life issues! Kudos to all of you for your efforts towards making a change!
26 Dec 2006 @ 08:37
Comment from:
swaminathan [Visitor]
Hi Sridhar
An old cliche : Nothing that is worth learning can ever be taught
Swaminathan
An old cliche : Nothing that is worth learning can ever be taught
Swaminathan
09 Jan 2007 @ 22:33
Comment from:
ajai [Visitor]
Hi Sridhar
just read your blog. While I agree with you about the educational system - in my opinion there may be much that is wrong with the content ( for one they would increase the poetry appreciation classes), but the way it is presented to the children and the expectations from them are completely unrealistic.
I was fortunate to have very good, or dare i say excellent teachers right from my school days and even during my engineering . In fact my Applied Math teacher was a philosopher and believed the the "applied" was more important than the "math",so nothing went without him explaining the need to learn that operation, and where it can be applied in our lives or at work, from calculus to Fast Fourier Transforms. And our thermodynamics teacher bulit a complete steam turbine with auxillaries, pumps etc by starting with a simple water kettle... and as we went further, the teacher who taught us rocket science started with a sling shot.
And i remember galvanometer :-) we had to make an elementary prototype of it in school ( for detecting current.) we were all so excited - Faradays laws were all the rage then... Faraday, Bernoulli, Fourier, Schrödinger ... sigh; life was so uncomplicated then
ajai
just read your blog. While I agree with you about the educational system - in my opinion there may be much that is wrong with the content ( for one they would increase the poetry appreciation classes), but the way it is presented to the children and the expectations from them are completely unrealistic.
I was fortunate to have very good, or dare i say excellent teachers right from my school days and even during my engineering . In fact my Applied Math teacher was a philosopher and believed the the "applied" was more important than the "math",so nothing went without him explaining the need to learn that operation, and where it can be applied in our lives or at work, from calculus to Fast Fourier Transforms. And our thermodynamics teacher bulit a complete steam turbine with auxillaries, pumps etc by starting with a simple water kettle... and as we went further, the teacher who taught us rocket science started with a sling shot.
And i remember galvanometer :-) we had to make an elementary prototype of it in school ( for detecting current.) we were all so excited - Faradays laws were all the rage then... Faraday, Bernoulli, Fourier, Schrödinger ... sigh; life was so uncomplicated then
ajai
10 Jan 2007 @ 07:29
Comment from:
Ajeet [Visitor]
· http://www.learningplaying.com/
I think you hit the nail on its head when you talked about the need for good teachers. But it is starting to look like a chicken and egg situation to me.
16 Nov 2007 @ 00:58
Comment from:
Raj [Visitor]
I know of people who go out to help others leaving behind their children with the maid or with the neighbours.
Charity begins at home!
To facilitate any form of teaching and for being effective people should have practiced what they want to teach other kids. Let people not learn teaching by trying to experiment on these tinytots.
Parents freinds and time are the best teachers.
There are three parts as i see
1)Whats to be taught and who decides it
2)How to teach
3)Whats the output/whats the scale of measurement
Charity begins at home!
To facilitate any form of teaching and for being effective people should have practiced what they want to teach other kids. Let people not learn teaching by trying to experiment on these tinytots.
Parents freinds and time are the best teachers.
There are three parts as i see
1)Whats to be taught and who decides it
2)How to teach
3)Whats the output/whats the scale of measurement
03 Dec 2007 @ 09:11
Comment from:
fddf [Visitor]
· http://ddd.com
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08 Dec 2007 @ 10:59
Comment from:
Anand [Visitor]
Hi Sridhar,
I read the article in Rediff about you and googled to land on this blog!:-) Firstly, congratulations on such an attempt, where you are thinking out of the box!
It reminds me of my attempts to teach not by rote learning but by applying the principles one learns!
I was a school teacher for a brief period of about 6 months or so, teaching 6 & 7th class kids, Maths and Science. This was soon after my Masters Degree in Physics. In our M.Sc class, we learnt to apply the principles that we learnt, by solving the physics problems and not memorize the derivations of various formulae.
Anyways, in the Half-Yearly exam for these kids, I deviated from the normal process of asking only theory questions and asked 50% theory and 50% problems, in the Science exam. I tried to apply what I learnt. Kids who got 90% earlier, now got only 70% and so on. The Head Mistress called me and said that the Parents were upset that their kids got less Marks! I explained what I did. She said that the idea is Great, but in the interest of the school's name, I should go back to the usual process of asking only Theory questions.
This school teacher job was only a stop-gap, as I went on to do my M.Tech in Cryogenic Engg. Did research for 1.5 yrs in that field, before leaping into the Software field! :-)
I can never forget those days of my school teaching. Some day, I plan to go back to that. I don't know when. :-)
I read the article in Rediff about you and googled to land on this blog!:-) Firstly, congratulations on such an attempt, where you are thinking out of the box!
It reminds me of my attempts to teach not by rote learning but by applying the principles one learns!
I was a school teacher for a brief period of about 6 months or so, teaching 6 & 7th class kids, Maths and Science. This was soon after my Masters Degree in Physics. In our M.Sc class, we learnt to apply the principles that we learnt, by solving the physics problems and not memorize the derivations of various formulae.
Anyways, in the Half-Yearly exam for these kids, I deviated from the normal process of asking only theory questions and asked 50% theory and 50% problems, in the Science exam. I tried to apply what I learnt. Kids who got 90% earlier, now got only 70% and so on. The Head Mistress called me and said that the Parents were upset that their kids got less Marks! I explained what I did. She said that the idea is Great, but in the interest of the school's name, I should go back to the usual process of asking only Theory questions.
This school teacher job was only a stop-gap, as I went on to do my M.Tech in Cryogenic Engg. Did research for 1.5 yrs in that field, before leaping into the Software field! :-)
I can never forget those days of my school teaching. Some day, I plan to go back to that. I don't know when. :-)
25 Feb 2008 @ 07:52
Comment from:
Saptarshi [Visitor]
Hi Sridhar,
Just read ur article on rediff and believe me I am so so happy and proud to see an Indian going the right path. I have been using Adventnet for sometime and all this while I just didnt knew that this wonderful product is made in our own beautiful land. Hats off to you Sir.
Just read ur article on rediff and believe me I am so so happy and proud to see an Indian going the right path. I have been using Adventnet for sometime and all this while I just didnt knew that this wonderful product is made in our own beautiful land. Hats off to you Sir.
25 Feb 2008 @ 22:50
Comment from:
Ganesh [Visitor]
I grew up with the "study for the test" methodology. I remember in school, we used to take one exam after another and everyone in class used to crunch for the exam in the last month: memorizing. I probably spent time understanding one theory out of 10. The rest was pure memory work. And it worked for 12 years. It wasn't until college in the US, that I was exposed to problem based learning. It was tough getting used to it but it was a much more pleasant learning environment. Students asked why and how more often. I wasn't used to asking why or how. It was easier for me to write it down and ask questions later. Problem based learning makes life so much easier for me at work. Although occasionally it helps to know the value of pi to 10 decimal places. As for my kids, I'll probably start teaching them problem based learning from a young age with stuff around the house. Hopefully they can take it from there. I think you should give children the tools and let them decide what to use.
20 Apr 2008 @ 15:05
Comment from:
tanveer kasi [Visitor]
galvnometer works on the principal of conversion of electrical energy into mechanical energy.when a current flows in a magnetic field it experiences a magnetic torque if it is free to rotate under a controlling torque it rotates through an angle proportional to the current flowing through it.
21 Nov 2008 @ 08:37 Leave a comment: