See the video of Vijnan Dal, we prepared for Pratyakshike 2009.
HERE
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Experimentation with Gradual Selection
Inspired by Richard Dawkin's video on the net about Gradual evolution (Check out the entire lecture "Growing in the Universe" on YouTube: The links: Click Here Just go on exploring the other lectures), I for once carried out a very interesting experiment on the Class 7 students of Jnana Prabodhini Prashala.
The Experiment runs as follows:
1. I first decided a ten-lettered word "PRABODHINI".
2. Each student gets any random book from his sack (much better if taken randomly)
3. Then he opens a notebook and writes the letter he observes in the left corner of blindly opened book in front of him and writes in his notebook.
4. Since I was conducting the experiment with a pre-determined word, I asked each student to write only 10 letters in a row.
5. Eleventh letter would be the first letter of 2nd "word".
6. I asked the students to prepare such fifteen sequences.
7. Then I went serially asking each student to read the sequence with number congruent to his number in the class modulo 15. (That is, 1st student would read 1st sequence, 2nd student the 2nd, and so on, and again 16th student would read 1st sequence")
8. Nowhere even couple of alphabets got together that were identical to my word.
9. As students called out the sequence, I would see my word and check it. If and only if the right letter would come in right place, then only I would make a tickmark.
10. Sample sequences were toooooooo unmatching with the word "PRABODHINI"
11. But, within One iteration of class consisting 38 students 7 letters of word "PRABODHINI" were there in the right place.
12. Second iteration did not take any long. Also, a point to be noted was that some letters such as "I"(in the 8th place) came four - five times in the right place.
Students were surprised to see the word coming off so quickly. Then I could discuss with them about Randomness and "Selection". They could understand that if simply one word could form in one-two iterations, then many such 10-lettered words could have formed easily. This essentially means that the best combination that got closer to the purpose of doing some work got "Selected".
I of course fo not propose that they have understood the "Selection Forces" and other such concepts fully. But I have prepared for myself a ground on which I can make them play and discover the processes of Evolution themselves.
I myself learned that such things are easily provable and it increased my respect for fact of Evolution. It strengthened me to accept even bizarre facts of life that resulted in a cover of magazine "Chhatra Prabodhan" that states the problems evolutionary biologists face today, prepared for the February issue of Chhatra Prabodhan dedicated to Charles Darwin as 12th February 2009 is his 200th birthday!!!
The Experiment runs as follows:
1. I first decided a ten-lettered word "PRABODHINI".
2. Each student gets any random book from his sack (much better if taken randomly)
3. Then he opens a notebook and writes the letter he observes in the left corner of blindly opened book in front of him and writes in his notebook.
4. Since I was conducting the experiment with a pre-determined word, I asked each student to write only 10 letters in a row.
5. Eleventh letter would be the first letter of 2nd "word".
6. I asked the students to prepare such fifteen sequences.
7. Then I went serially asking each student to read the sequence with number congruent to his number in the class modulo 15. (That is, 1st student would read 1st sequence, 2nd student the 2nd, and so on, and again 16th student would read 1st sequence")
8. Nowhere even couple of alphabets got together that were identical to my word.
9. As students called out the sequence, I would see my word and check it. If and only if the right letter would come in right place, then only I would make a tickmark.
10. Sample sequences were toooooooo unmatching with the word "PRABODHINI"
11. But, within One iteration of class consisting 38 students 7 letters of word "PRABODHINI" were there in the right place.
12. Second iteration did not take any long. Also, a point to be noted was that some letters such as "I"(in the 8th place) came four - five times in the right place.
Students were surprised to see the word coming off so quickly. Then I could discuss with them about Randomness and "Selection". They could understand that if simply one word could form in one-two iterations, then many such 10-lettered words could have formed easily. This essentially means that the best combination that got closer to the purpose of doing some work got "Selected".
I of course fo not propose that they have understood the "Selection Forces" and other such concepts fully. But I have prepared for myself a ground on which I can make them play and discover the processes of Evolution themselves.
I myself learned that such things are easily provable and it increased my respect for fact of Evolution. It strengthened me to accept even bizarre facts of life that resulted in a cover of magazine "Chhatra Prabodhan" that states the problems evolutionary biologists face today, prepared for the February issue of Chhatra Prabodhan dedicated to Charles Darwin as 12th February 2009 is his 200th birthday!!!
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Activity Two: Some Interesting Chemistry: Go on Use It
Crystallization
Aim: To observe the crystals of given crystalline solidsApparatus: Beaker, Stirrer, Watch Glass, Tripod stand, Wire gauge, Burner, Hand lens.
Chemicals: Potassium Permanganate (KMnO4), Potassium Dichromate (K2Cr2O7), Oxalic Acid
Procedure:
Take 50 ml of water in a beaker.
Dissolve KMnO4 in it until no more can be dissolved.
Heat the solution, simultaneously dissolving more of KMnO4.
Stop heating when no more KMnO4 can dissolved
Put a drop of this saturated solution on the watch-glass and let it cool.
Observe the crystals using a hand-lens.
Follow steps 1 to 6 for other two chemicals.
It is important that not only these three chemicals should be studied but a lot other chemicals should be used. (Try and bugger with any other thing you can find in your/ our lab. Mostly School labs do not contain any Exploding Chemicals!!!)
Activity One: Observation Through Microscope: Basic Things
Stomata
Aim: To observe stomata of leaves and describe them.Apparatus: Compound leaves, forceps, slides, watch-glass, compound microscope, Methylene Blue stain.
Procedure:
Hold a leaf firmly and tear it apart leaving a peeling of bright side of leaf that lies underneath. This peeling contains stomata.
Take 14-15 drops of water in a watch glass and add three drops of Methylene Blue Stain. Insert the peel into this mixture and let it stand for 10 minutes.
Put one drop of water on slide and insert stained peeling into this drop.
Put cover-slip on the slide without letting air-bubble appear on it.
Observe first under 10X magnification and then 45X.
Cheek Cells
Aim: To observe cheek cells of man and describe them.Apparatus: Forceps, slides, watch-glass, compound microscope, Methylene Blue stain.
Procedure:
Hold a cheek firmly apart and scratch the inner part of it to get a peeling of the inner cheek. This part contains cheek cells.
Take 14-15 drops of water in a watch glass and add three drops of Methylene Blue Stain. Insert the peel into this mixture and let it stand for 10 minutes.
Put one drop of water on slide and insert stained peeling into this drop.
Put cover-slip on the slide without letting air-bubble appear on it.
Observe first under 10X magnification and then 45X.
Friday, January 16, 2009
A little thinking that got us into this business
Vijñān Dal will aim at the learning of Science at the age group of 14 –21. That is to say, learning will start in Vijñān Dal after completion of 8th standard. Three groups of students form thereafter: Junior group (JG) of students supposed to be studying in standards 9 through 12. Middle group (MG) of students learning for graduation and senior group (SG) learning for post-graduation.
First aim of the Vijñān Dal is to reduce the role of classroom teaching and of the teacher itself.
For this aim to be satisfied, the role of elder teaching or the teaching as in classroom has to be substituted by peer-group learning.
The present 10 + 2 + 3 pattern does not cater well to the needs of students. The substitute pattern of 8 + 4 + 3 pattern will be helpful as demonstrated further.
Students will learn not through classroom learning but by doing a short course of experiments.
These experiments will be designed such that all of them linked to each
other in the means of concept or a law, but take different variables to be dependent or independent in each variation. All experiments need not be done. Nor, there should be rigidity in the design of the experiments.
A set of exams will be created that in itself will be exhaustive of topic and will test for the full understanding of the subject. A subject, when started will be completed by continuity for a substantial amount of time.
Attendance meanwhile will not be compulsory.
While doing these experiments, not teachers but the students of higher group that is of Middle group will be helping. The number of these students need not be very high: 3 students per 40 students of junior group are more than enough.
There will be supervising teachers who will design the course for the each level: independent design for individual student. However, there must be a Minimum common course for all students. After designing such course, no student may come again to teacher but give final examination that is equivalent of 12th grade.
Such student may opt to study on his own, from text-books, with the help of fellow JG students or a MG student helping them.
Training of the MG students so that can look over JG students has to be carried over by past MG or SG students. In case of first training of MG students, such model is already present in the form of various krida- dalas (Special Interest Groups created to form a powerful Organisation that can manoeuvre for entrepreneurship, confidence-building and general Leadership.) When we form such SIGs with a MG/ SG student who has lot of command over Science in general or that particular branch of Science, the Vijñān Dal is generated.
Such Vijñān Dal will have a process of learning and teaching and doing, through which each Individual will have to pass irrespective of him being a JG or MG. After all, as Richard Bach says it in Illusion “Learning is finding out what we know, Teaching is to demonstrate to others that they know it, and Doing is to demonstrate before the World that you CAN do it.” He further says, “Everyone is Learner, Teacher and Doer.” We in Vijñān Dal have to undergo each and every role.
No one is bound from learning for even MG when he is in JG.
We have this strategy as the more time we have before forties for research, the more outcomes we may give as demonstrated by the examples of Kurt Gödel, Alan Turing, Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, Carl Friedrich Gauss and so many others who have found many a new things in their prime education. Dr Vasant Gowariker supports this allowance of skipping years in Learning.
Such Vijñān Dal is given a full day of the School week so that finally Science Teachers do not have to limit themselves in the bindings of time limits of an hour. Other days stand for normal school or other Dalas if they are to be started.
Each individual student has to be able to communicate Science with lay men too at various opportunities presented at times such as various exhibitions centred on themes in Science, Science fairs and general public lectures.
Vijñān Dal will also aim at learning Science coupled with Social Science as it involves not only the issues of Ethics nut of the philosophy of Science and the place of Science amongst human Learning.
Doing investigatory projects will be a very important feature of such learning. Such projects may be carried over from the start of the junior years even unto the senior years.
With advance, we may apply these things to the Middle Group years and then with a natural extension until the end of post graduate years or even doctoral dissertations.
Ultimately such Vijñān Dalas will culminate into Vijñān ashramas centred on eminent Scientists!
First aim of the Vijñān Dal is to reduce the role of classroom teaching and of the teacher itself.
For this aim to be satisfied, the role of elder teaching or the teaching as in classroom has to be substituted by peer-group learning.
The present 10 + 2 + 3 pattern does not cater well to the needs of students. The substitute pattern of 8 + 4 + 3 pattern will be helpful as demonstrated further.
Students will learn not through classroom learning but by doing a short course of experiments.
These experiments will be designed such that all of them linked to each
other in the means of concept or a law, but take different variables to be dependent or independent in each variation. All experiments need not be done. Nor, there should be rigidity in the design of the experiments.
A set of exams will be created that in itself will be exhaustive of topic and will test for the full understanding of the subject. A subject, when started will be completed by continuity for a substantial amount of time.
Attendance meanwhile will not be compulsory.
While doing these experiments, not teachers but the students of higher group that is of Middle group will be helping. The number of these students need not be very high: 3 students per 40 students of junior group are more than enough.
There will be supervising teachers who will design the course for the each level: independent design for individual student. However, there must be a Minimum common course for all students. After designing such course, no student may come again to teacher but give final examination that is equivalent of 12th grade.
Such student may opt to study on his own, from text-books, with the help of fellow JG students or a MG student helping them.
Training of the MG students so that can look over JG students has to be carried over by past MG or SG students. In case of first training of MG students, such model is already present in the form of various krida- dalas (Special Interest Groups created to form a powerful Organisation that can manoeuvre for entrepreneurship, confidence-building and general Leadership.) When we form such SIGs with a MG/ SG student who has lot of command over Science in general or that particular branch of Science, the Vijñān Dal is generated.
Such Vijñān Dal will have a process of learning and teaching and doing, through which each Individual will have to pass irrespective of him being a JG or MG. After all, as Richard Bach says it in Illusion “Learning is finding out what we know, Teaching is to demonstrate to others that they know it, and Doing is to demonstrate before the World that you CAN do it.” He further says, “Everyone is Learner, Teacher and Doer.” We in Vijñān Dal have to undergo each and every role.
No one is bound from learning for even MG when he is in JG.
We have this strategy as the more time we have before forties for research, the more outcomes we may give as demonstrated by the examples of Kurt Gödel, Alan Turing, Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, Carl Friedrich Gauss and so many others who have found many a new things in their prime education. Dr Vasant Gowariker supports this allowance of skipping years in Learning.
Such Vijñān Dal is given a full day of the School week so that finally Science Teachers do not have to limit themselves in the bindings of time limits of an hour. Other days stand for normal school or other Dalas if they are to be started.
Each individual student has to be able to communicate Science with lay men too at various opportunities presented at times such as various exhibitions centred on themes in Science, Science fairs and general public lectures.
Vijñān Dal will also aim at learning Science coupled with Social Science as it involves not only the issues of Ethics nut of the philosophy of Science and the place of Science amongst human Learning.
Doing investigatory projects will be a very important feature of such learning. Such projects may be carried over from the start of the junior years even unto the senior years.
With advance, we may apply these things to the Middle Group years and then with a natural extension until the end of post graduate years or even doctoral dissertations.
Ultimately such Vijñān Dalas will culminate into Vijñān ashramas centred on eminent Scientists!
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