Teachers’ Day Musings Part 2 – Teaching is all about “Vibes”

TEACHERS’ DAY MUSINGS – Part 2 – TEACHING IS A SOFT SKILL

TEACHING IS ALL ABOUT “VIBES”

Musings

By

VIKRAM KARVE

The day after tomorrow, the 5th of September, is Teachers Day.

Well, once upon a time, I used to be a Teacher. 

So, on Teachers Day, here are some thoughts I would like to share with you. 

So, let me delve into my creative writing archives and re-post for you a few articles I had written and posted on my blog a few years ago on the occasion of Teachers Day.

I have already posted the first TEACHERS DAY article:

TEACHERS’ DAY MUSINGS – Part 1 –Food for Thought on “The Art of Teaching” or “How to Teach”

(If you want to read that article first, you may click the link above and the blog post will open in a new window for you to read. But remember to come back to this page and read this post too)

Here is the second article (I wrote this as a farewell letter to my students and to my trainees on completion of their induction training): 

TEACHERS’ DAY MUSINGS – Part 2 – TEACHING IS A SOFT SKILL – TEACHING IS ALL ABOUT “VIBES”  

I wrote this article long back, around 20 years ago, and posted in on my blog on the request of some students sometime in 2008, I think.

Here is the article, once more, on the occasion of Teachers Day

TEACHING IS A SOFT SKILL

A teacher is a trustee.

It is just like looking after birds. 

You take a flock of young students under your wings, nurture them, teach them to “fly”, and when they are ready, you release them into the world.

Like birds, you set your students free, watch them with pride as they fly into the sky, soar high above you, knowing that they will never come back.

You wish that your students reach great heights which you could never reach.

It makes teachers most happy when their students excel and surpass their teachers.

TEACHING IS ALL ABOUT “VIBES”

I have learned from experience that teaching has got less to do with knowledge and more to do with communication.

Teaching is about relationships as well as pedagogy.

Teaching is more about feeling than facts.

It is all a question of vibes. 

Yes, effective teaching and learning depends on vibes.

Once you establish positive vibes with your students, you can feel the delightful chemistry being generated between you and your students. 

In the parlance of Electrical Engineering, it is like perfect impedance matching, the maximum power transfer theorem, and you can experience the classroom rocking with resonance, when all the resistance to the flow of knowledge disappears, the intellectual friction vanishes, the barriers to communication melt away and seamless effortless learning is achieved.

It is not important how much a teacher knows

What is important is how much the student learns

Yes, to achieve student learning is the sine qua non of teaching.

Like I said, communication skills are far more important than qualifications.

Teaching is about relationships as well as pedagogy – it is more about feeling than facts.

Soft Skills outweigh Hard Skills as far as the art of teaching is concerned.

A highly qualified Ph.D. who does not know the art of teaching and fails to establish good vibes with his students cannot make his lectures engrossing.

This may result in students losing interest in the subject and in some cases an insensitive teacher who lacks the soft interpersonal and communication skills may even end up making his students hate and despise that subject. 

It is easy to make simple things difficult but difficult to make complicated things easy. 

It requires good teaching style, effective communication skills and appropriate soft skills to make difficult things easy and enjoyable to learn. 

Yes, learning must be enjoyable.

Learning must not be dry, didactic, boring and painful.

LEARNING PROCESS

It is important for a teacher to remember that learning comprises two pedagogic processes: 

1. Getting knowledge that is inside to move out

2. Getting knowledge that is outside to move in

The second part of imparting knowledge from outside into the student is comparatively easier, once you have got the students interested and eager to learn.

This is easy if the teacher is proficient in teaching skills and knowledgeable in the subject and domain specialization.

It is the first aspect, getting knowledge that is inside the student to move out, facilitating inward discovery on one’s self and help unlock the treasure within the student that is more challenging.

This is the true test and indeed the hallmark of a good teacher. 

I trust I have succeeded in achieving this.

Today I feel a sense of pride tinged with nostalgic sadness as my protégés “fly” off to conquer great heights of success in their careers. 

It was a delightful experience to mentor young bright minds, to see them flower, blossom, bloom and flourish before your own eyes, observe them metamorphose from students into professionals.

I love being in the company of young talented people, full of zeal and enthusiasm, with a zest for living and a passion for learning. 

It makes me feel good and youthful, and as always, I “learn” more than I “teach”.

I feel sad, wanting to hold them back, not wanting to part, but I know I have to let them go to their destinies.

My dear students, as I watch you with pride in my heart, swiftly fly away, soaring high above me in the sky, vanish into the distance, to all my dear students, I sincerely wish you from the bottom of my heart: GODSPEED.

Godspeed – a wish for a prosperous journey and good fortune, my dear young friends, as you embark upon your first career, a new phase of your life.

Wish You a Happy Teachers Day

VIKRAM KARVE

Copyright © Vikram Karve 
1. If you share this post, please give due credit to the author Vikram Karve
2. Please DO NOT PLAGIARIZE. Please DO NOT Cut/Copy/Paste this post
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

Disclaimer:

All stories in this blog are a work of fiction. Events, Places, Settings and Incidents narrated in the stories are a figment of my imagination. The characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Copyright Notice:

No part of this Blog may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Blog Author Vikram Karve who holds the copyright.

Copyright © Vikram Karve (All Rights Reserved)

     

© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

 

This is a repost of my article TEACHING IS ALL ABOUT “VIBES” posted by online earlier at url: http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2014/09/teachers-day-musings-part-2-teaching-is.html

Difference between SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY and ENGINEERING ?

This morning – a young IT Techie asked me: “What is the difference between Engineering and Technology?” 

I had been asked a similar question about the definition of Science, Engineering and Technology many years ago when I used to conduct an induction training program – and – in response – in addition to answering the question – I had written a blog post on the subject.

Let me delve into my academic writing journal archives and pull out this post which I had written 7 years ago – in the year 2008 – during my “Professorship” days...

SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY ENGINEERING
Meaning and Definition
By 
VIKRAM KARVE

From my Academic Writing Archives:

Here is an article I wrote during my teaching days, while conducting an induction training program, around 7 years ago, in the year 2008...

SCIENCE ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY –  SCIENTIST ENGINEER TECHNOLOGIST  -  What is the Difference?

Long back, during my teaching days, once when I was talking to some youngsters undergoing an induction training program, I realized that they did not know the difference between Science, Engineering and Technology. 

Some of the trainees had degrees in Technology (B.Tech. / M.Tech.), some had degrees in Engineering (B.E. / M.E.) and a few had degrees in Science (B.Sc., B.S., M.Sc., M.S).

I called two trainees.

One had a B.Tech. (Bachelor of Technology) degree in Electrical Engineering.

The other had a B.E. (Bachelor of Engineering) degree in the same discipline.

I asked then what was the difference between a B. Tech. degree and a B.E. degree?

They were clueless.

I asked all the trainees if they knew the difference between Science, Engineering and Technology?

No one seemed to know.

Tell me – do you know the difference between Science, Engineering and Technology? ?

In many research organizations – even Engineers and Technologists are designated as Scientists. 

Do you know what is the difference between Science, Technology and Engineering?

Can you tell me what is the difference between a Scientist, a Technologist and an Engineer? 

Let me try to elaborate – in as simple a way as possible.

SCIENCE and the SCIENTIST

Science is the reasoned investigation or study of natural phenomena with the objective of discovering new principles and knowledge of natural phenomena.

The principal goal of a Scientist is to publish a research paper. 

Now-a-days, the sheer manner in which so many papers are churned out it seems that many research papers are seen to be written and not written to be seen.

Of course, a genuine Scientist will try and ensure that a research paper must be written to be seen and not seen to be written. 

TECHNOLOGY and the TECHNOLOGIST

Technology is the practical application of science.

Technology includes the skill, technique and knowledge of the manipulation of nature for human purposes, using scientific results and knowledge.

The principal goal of a Technologist is to produce some physical change in the world. 

ENGINEERING and the ENGINEER 

Engineering is the professional art of using technology (the practical application of science) for achieving the optimum conversion of the resources of nature for the benefit of humankind.

In order to exploit technology, the engineer applies scientific principles to practical ends such as the design, manufacture, and operation of efficient and economical structures, machines, processes and systems. 

The principal goal of an Engineer is to design, create and produce new tools, machines and systems for practical human means by exploiting technology.

 

WHO IS MOST USEFUL TO SOCIETY – SCIENTIST TECHNOLOGIST or ENGINEER?

In a nutshell:

a Scientist studies nature

a Technologist manipulates nature 

an Engineer exploits technology for human purposes.

While Scientists may, at times, may conduct scientific studies for the sake of discovery, Engineers and Technologists always try to have in mind the ultimate benefit of humankind and results of their work are invariably beneficial for human purposes.

Engineering is the art of optimally using technology and is primarily concerned with how to direct to useful and economical ends the natural phenomena which scientists discover and formulate into acceptable. 

Engineering therefore requires the creative imagination to innovatively apply technology in order to obtain useful applications of natural phenomena. 

It seeks newer, cheaper, better technologies of using natural sources of energy and materials.
 

So it looks like the Engineer is the one who is most useful to society and humankind – isn't it?

Dear Reader – do you agree? 

Or do you feel that the Scientist is more important that the Engineer? 

Or do you think there is no difference between Science, Technology and Engineering? 

Please do give your views and comments.

ENGINEERING – Definition

A Gobbledygook Definition of ENGINEERING

Now I have tried to tell you in as simple a way as possible, but if you prefer Gobbledygook read on:

The American Engineers’ Council for Professional Development  has defined Engineering as follows: 

 

Engineering is:

“The creative application of scientific principles to design or develop structures, machines, apparatus, or manufacturing processes, or works utilizing them singly or in combination; or to construct or operate the same with full cognizance of their design; or to forecast their behavior under specific operating conditions; all as respects an intended function, economics of operation and safety to life and property”

WHY INDIA IS STILL TECHNOLOGICALLY BACKWARD DESPITE INVESTING SO MUCH MONEY AND HUMAN RESOURCE IN SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH

India could not capitalize on its Scientific Developments since our Engineering and Technology were weak. 

There is no use pursuing scientific research without strong engineering capability and robust technological base. 

There is no use inventing and discovering new things if you cannot utilize your inventions and discoveries for the benefit of mankind.

CONCLUSION

I think I will end with a quote:

“A good scientist is a person with original ideas. 
A good engineer is a person who makes a design that works with as few original ideas as possible. 
There are no prima donnas in engineering”
                                                                     ~ Freeman Dyson

VIKRAM KARVE

Copyright © Vikram Karve 
1. If you share this post, please give due credit to the author Vikram Karve
2. Please DO NOT PLAGIARIZE. Please DO NOT Cut/Copy/Paste this post
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

Disclaimer:

All Stories in this Blog are a work of fiction. Events, Places, Settings and Incidents narrated in the story are a figment of my imagination. The characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Copyright Notice:

No part of this Blog may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Blog Author Vikram Karve who holds the copyright.

Copyright © Vikram Karve (all rights reserved)