WHO CAN LEARN

Shakkeer

'Every child can learn' should be the magic mantra of every teacher in this post-crisis academic year. This statement has to be repeatedly recited and accordingly chanted and reiterated as a holy glimpse. Because this very statement can shape our pedagogy, it can sharpen our practices influence our approach and prioritise our targets, hence a better learning atmosphere can be created and reasonable learning outcomes can be achieved.

The moment we consider education as a fundamental right, the question of who will learn makes no sense. Because in essence theoretically, this visualisation contains the fact that every child can learn, hence every child should be taught meaningfully. our mindset and outlook immensely affect our actions, So until and unless we believe that every child can learn, we won't be able to put our optimal efforts on every child, hence we will fail to ensure the learning of every child which is nothing but apparent denial of achievable as well as aspirational right of our younger generation.

One of the major hindrances or obstacles in front of the learning is the belief of the teachers that every child can't learn. This belief leads them to classification and categorisation of students into a smart-dull dichotomy. This categorisation determine can ignore, whom to teach. Asper this mindset teachers give more care, support, attention and affection to those students who are coming under the category of Smart. They get more chances to participate and engage to develop more conceptual clarity, while the dull category is getting left behind.

The mere belief in every child can learn itself will help teachers to come out of conventional pedagogical practices which are meant to just for smart and bright students only. The teacher who firmly believes in this moto will easily escape from ghisvtrap and will try his or her best to devise, design and develop all alternative new strategies and possiblesofistkcated teaching practices to cater every child in order to prove his of her conviction, hence to ensure better learning of every child.

Interestingly, very often teachers belief like only some children can learn/all children can not learn comes from their biases and prejudices, which looses both rational and moral ground to support and substantiate. For instance, while an informal conversation with a primary school teacher on ensuring grade wise learning outcomes of the students, teacher made a startling statement" we don't have Patidar Students, so we are not able to achieve grade level learning out comes. Under lying assumption behind this statement is crystal clear. All children can't equally learn and those students who belong to Patidar community have more potential hence they can easily learn and achieve expected learning outcomes just because of they fall under the category of Patidar caste.

Once a teacher said in a lucid and lipid way that "I don't teach these kids, because there is no sense in it. These kids are from mohammadan community, who can't lean". studies after studies shows how teachers continuously trying to prove and actualize their prior notions and perceptions about their kids by ignoring, neglecting and paying poor attention to the labelled category of students. In other words, those students who are lagging are not actually lacking potential to learn, but they are the victims of biasenes and prejudices

Even those who are sceptical about the certitude of this statement - Every child can learn - contain two values aspirational and anticipatory. let me clarify both these values. Former one stands for a value which seems impossible or difficult to achieve, still we can't give it up. Like equality, one can ask is it possible to achieve full and maximum degree of equality? Even those who think it's impossible to attain it should have to keep try and trying to achieve it hence gradually we will be nearing towards it. Like this, if we hold firm faith in this Every child can learn mantra we will keep trying and trying to this direction irrespective of asking the question whether it possible or not.

Later one is emanicipstery value. If we negate this mantra every chi can learn, which means we think only some children can learn. In this case we are denying rmanicipatery options and opportunities for a set of students. In other words, the belief everyone cant learn itself is enslaving because in this case we are letting some students to the hands of ignorance hence their chances to live full and free life gets curtailed.

So the faith in this moto can work wonders. Because in this case, there is nothing to loose, but everything is to gain.

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