A Teacher and a Guru : What is the Difference?शिक्षक और गुरू :क्या अंतर है ?

Dear Readers,
The teachers are becoming a laughing stock due to their opportunistic behaviour; pre-occupation with salary paid , position-promotion-politics, manipulation to pull their colleagues down, disconcern about the students, indifference towards their field of knowledge, plagiarism,unethical transactions bordering on the immoral if not actually so, passing the buck about problems in education... the list is endless!

The breaking point comes when the same employee is expected to attain the stature of a GURU. The patterns just do not match. Nor do the times in which the two proponents of knowledge and learning exist. Or is it that we still have saved some Gurus for the benefit of our society? Otherwise who wants to become a teacher?

Do take a poll! Vote for a Guru.
We'll be back here soon, laughing ...
_______________________________________________________________

Stories about the Sayings! कहावतों की कहानीयां

There have been many goings-on to which the trees have been a witness। For example, the gatherings around a tree at the village crossroads (Chaupal- Hindi) germinated many a twist in the local language. Women being the keepers of this heritage of proverbs and sayings, almost developed a vibrant code language which symbolized a lot in a few words!
They are the vibrant rural women to whom this book "stories about sayings" is dedicated to. Written in Hindi- "Kahavaton ki Kahanian', The author, Mr. Radhakant Bharati researched stories that detailed instances in an anecdotal mode to bring alive the true meaning of the proverbs and sayings.
An earthy flavour was added to this book launch by the Cabinet Minster for Rural Development, India, Prof. Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, on the evening of 24th April 2007, Tuesday. Prof. Raghuvansh Prasad Singh been a Professor of Mathematics presented a very lived , connected-to-the roots account of the proverbs and sayings popular in day-to-day village life.
Dr. GauriShanker Rajhans, who has represented the people in the parliament and the state as ambassador to other cultures, summarized the impact in key words that essentially underlined the necessity to evolve a fine expression by being in touch with the grassroots.

This effort at collating the stories behind the sayings in everyday conversations , is just a beginning. It was observed that whoever opened the book was immediately imersed in its content only to re-surface with some gems of sayings of their own experience and mother tongue! If only all that too could be documented...

In this spirit , an open invitation is extended to you to share your own treasure of sayings... translations may not be easy but it is sure going to be a lot of fun reading, every now and then, from your pool of sayings!! Your ideas can be published directly by witing to this e-mail address:
laughingtree.budhha@blogger.com ; alternately it may be posted through the "comments" link on this blogsite http://the-laughingtree.blogspot.com/... see you soon there!

For Reference: Bharati, Radhakant, (2007), Kahavaton Ki KAhanian, New Delhi: Granth Academi

Who am I ? मैं कौन ?

“…to encourage that sharing is the only commodity by which everything multiplies while dividing with others. Therefore, we should share this planet together with all other living beings. And if we are on this earth to live in peace - it will be together or not at all.” Soham Baba

Dear Laughing Trees,
Today I share with you some thoughts from Soham Baba, Swami Sudeepananda Giriji. What follows are the words from him that helped me look at every new day as the first day of my life...

" I am born not to tell the story of the Almighty,
His omnipresence, His omnipotence...
I am here neither to teach a dogma nor to hand over a philosophy,
People are dying on Earth for a kiss of His lips
at the moment of the misery in their life.

I am here to stand next to them to be strong together
especially when they feel lost.
I am born to be present everywhere to offer my Niscam Seva:
selfless service to the humanity.
My mission is not religion but realisation.

Wish to whisper into ears that the biggest obstacle in our life
is not our ignorance but the fear of recognizing
the enormous strength and wisdom within us.

I pray to the almighty:" I care neither for my bondage nor for my
liberation. Place me in the Hell or in the Heaven as it pleases You,
but before this, grant me another thousand incarnations to be born
again and again among the millions of hearts, to serve the suffering
mankind - the "God" that I worship, the "God" I believe in."

I see my Almighty in the forgotten, the poor, the ill, the depressed, the
disturbed, the helpless and the lost. Neglecting these manifestations
of the Divinity, how can I worship the clay statue of "Him"?

May be criticised and named a stranger or a stupid one,
May not be recognised, may not be remembered either....

Yet, such a person I am happy to be!

* * *

Om Shantih!
Babaji
December 2006, Waalwijk, The Netherlands
+++++++++++++++++++++

His Holiness Shri Shri Soham Baba Mahamandaleshwara of Juna-Akhara is a living legend, a distinguished doctor, a great educationist, a noble hearted social reformer, a famous musician, photographer and film director and an emblem of Indian mysticism to the whole world.
For more information please visit: http://www.sohambabamission.com/

Respond instead of रेअक्टिंग

RESPOND INSTEAD OF REACTING
By Azim Premji, Chairman, Wipro, 03/20/2004, 11:21 PM NOTE: This is a very thought provoking article which we hope every One would like. RESPOND INSTEAD OF REACTING Address by Azim Premji, Chairman, Wipro Corporation, in The "Shaping Young Minds Program" (SYMP) organized by the All India Management Association (AIMA) in collaboration with the Bombay Management Association (BMA) on February 9, 2004 at NCPA in Mumbai on
“My Lessons in Life" .

““I am very happy to be here with you. It is always wonderful to be with young people. The funny thing about life is that you realize the value of something only when it begins to leave you. As my hair turned from black, to salt and pepper and finally salt without the pepper, I have begun to realize the importance of youth. At the same time, I have begun to truly appreciate some of the lessons I have learnt along the way. I hope you will find them useful when you plan your own career and life.

The first thing I have learnt is that we must always begin with ourstrengths. While it is important for us to know what we are not good at, we must also cherish what is good in us. That is because it is only our strengths that can give us the energy to correct our weaknesses. From the earliest years of our schooling, everyone focuses on what is wrong with us.
> >There is an imaginary story of a rabbit. The rabbit was enrolled in a rabbit school. Like all rabbits, it could hop very well but could not swim.
>>At the end of the year, the rabbit got high marks in hopping but failed in swimming.
>>The parents were concerned. They said, "Forget about hopping. You are anyway good at it. Concentrate on swimming."
>>They sent the rabbit for tuitions in swimming. And guess what happened? The rabbit forgot how to hop! As for swimming, have you ever seen a rabbit swim?

The second lesson I have learnt is that a rupee earned is of far More value than five found.
>>My friend was sharing me the story of his eight year-old niece. She would always complain about the breakfast. The cook tried everything possible, but the child remained unhappy. Finally, my friend took the child to a supermarket and brought one of those ready-to-cook packets. The child had to cut the packet and pour water in the dish.
>>After that, it took two minutes in the microwave to be ready. The child Found the food to be absolutely delicious? The difference was that she has Cooked it!
In my own life, I have found that nothing gives as much satisfaction As learning our rewards. In fact, what is gifted or inherited follows the old rule of come easy - go easy. I guess we only know the value of what we have if we have struggled to earn it.

The third lesson I have learnt is no one bats a hundred every time. Life has many challenges. You win some and lose some. You must enjoy winning. But do not let it go to the head. The moment it does, you are already on your way to failure. And if you do encounter failure along the way, treat it as an equally natural phenomenon. Don't beat yourself for it or any one else for that matter! Accept it, look at your own share in the problem, learn from it and move on. The important thing is, when you lose, do not lose the lesson.

The fourth lesson I have learnt is the importance of humility. Sometimes, when you get so much in life, you really start wondering whether you deserve all of it. This brings me to the value of gratitude. We have so much to be grateful for. Our parents, our teachers and our seniors have done so much for us that we can never repay them. Many people focus on the shortcomings, because obviously no one can be perfect. But it is important to first acknowledge what we have received. Nothing in life is permanent but when a relationship ends, rather than becoming bitter, we must learn to savour the memory of the good things while they lasted.

The fifth lesson I learnt is that we must always strive for excellence. One way of achieving excellence is by looking at those better than ourselves. Keep learning what they do differently. Emulate it. But excellence cannot be imposed from the outside. We must also feel the need from within. It must become an obsession. It must involve not only our mind but also Our heart and soul. Excellence is not an act but a habit. I remember the inspiring lines of a poem, which says that your reach must always exceed your grasp. That is heaven on earth. Ultimately, your only competition is yourself.

The sixth lesson I have learnt is never give up in the face of adversity. It comes on you suddenly without warning. One can either succumb to self-pity, wring your hands in despair or decide to deal with the situation with courage and dignity. Always keep in mind that it is only the test of fire that makes fine steel.
>>A friend of mine shared this incident with me. His eight-year old daughter was struggling away at a jigsaw puzzle. She kept at it for hours but could not succeed. Finally, it went beyond her bedtime.
>>My friend told her, "Look, why don't you just give up? I don't think you will complete it tonight. Look at it another day."
>>The daughter looked with a strange look in her eyes, "But, dad, why should I give up? All the pieces are there! I have just got to put them together!" If we persevere long enough, we can put any problem into its perspective.

The seventh lesson I have learnt is that while you must be open tochange,do not compromise on your values.
>>Mahatma Gandhiji often said that you must open the windows of your mind, but you must not be swept off your feet by the breeze.
You must define what your core values are and what you stand for. And these values are not so difficult to define. Values like honesty,integrity, consideration and humility have survived for generations. Values are not in the words used to describe them as much as in the simple acts. At the end of the day, it is values that define a person more than the achievements. Because it is the means of achievement that decide how long the achievements will sustain. Do not be tempted by short cuts. The short cut can make you lose your way and end up becoming the longest way to the destination.

And the final lesson I learnt is that we must have faith in our own Ideas even if everyone tells us that we are wrong.
>>There was once a Newspaper vendor who had a rude customer. Every morning, the Customer would Walk by, refuse to return the greeting, grab the paper off the shelf and throw the money at the vendor. The vendor would pick up the money, smile politely and say, "Thank you, Sir."
>>One day, the vendor's assistant asked him, "Why are you always so polite with him when he is so rude to you? Why don't you throw the newspaper at him when he comes back tomorrow?"
>>The vendor smiled and replied, "He can't help being rude and I can't help being polite. Why should I let his rude behavior dictate my politeness?”

In my youth, I thought of myself as a rebel and was many times, a rebel without a cause. Today, I realize that my rebellion was another kind Of conformity. We defied our elders to fall in line with our peersUltimately; we must learn to respond instead of reacting. When we respond, we evaluate with a calm mind and do whatever is most appropriate. We are in control of our actions. When we react, we are still doing what the other person wants us to do.I wish you all the best in your life and career. I hope you achieveSuccess in whatever way you define it and what gives you the maximum happiness in life. Remember, those who win are those who believe they can.
Sent with Sai love - saidevotees_worldnet'””

Thanx for reading

Butterflies: Empowering the most मर्गीनालिज़द

Hello again!
This was a touching moment to find Arman with us who graduated from the streets to be able to run a community-catering service and gave us a taste of elegance through the lunch packs they served! Thanks butterflies!!
Yet, Ruchira's presentation on "Butterflies: Empowering the most marginalized" made us shake our inertia as we understood how the very young citizens of our modern society have to fight the winters bare-bodied with some concoction that'll keep them going at work and at life. Not to be put down, the butterflies live with respect by managing their accounts through a self -run Children's Development Bank. Plan_of_Action_for_Working_Children_in_Delhi_-_Final.pdf
The butterflies also make the best of their busy schedule through:

1. Alternative Journalism: Newsletters like South Asian Children's Times & National Children's Times and Radio Jamia Broadcasts.
   
2. Bal Samities - Children's Council : To follow democratic approach where Children's Rights and their economic self dependence have been the main concerns. In order to keep the economics of livelihood realistic, it has been important for them to distinguish between "child labour" and "child work" .
   
3. Alternative education includes mobile teachers with their teaching kits packed in a trunk holding classes in parks, by the roadside, at street corners, market places, railway stations and bus terminals.
   
4. Facilities for Physical protection :Butterflies support a non-institutional approach unless they have to use the night shelters to protect themselves from various kinds of physical abuse. Participative decision making by the street children on Child Right issues taken up by the Govt. has been illuminating.
   
5. Many of the efforts have been designed by the children for the children.
   

By the age of six, they have seen it all... Just in case you see a street child in distress contact Child line toll free number: 1098.

We definitely need to do more, may be through partnerships in sharing skills and avenues of generating meaningful employment. The laughing trees are already moving. Just in case, you wish to be a stakeholder, try and please get in touch with Ruchira. Also, do write in your comments to help us plan more action in the future.

University Networks

Dear Laughing Tree,
It has been a regular feature that whenever there is a connectivity or hardware problem, the users at our end blame the entire ICT/IT/Digital world in one go even before we could blink or say alpha! There had to be much love lost...after all, it was a "compliment in disguise" - the better we grew the better facilities they demanded! Always one up!! So, on Valentine Day, a smiling talk on " University Networks" was organized to benefit as many as possible in this love-hate relationship.
Dr. Shobhit Mahajan shared a crisp, informative and interactive presentation with faculty members, students and research scholars. Through a busy routine, the team at the Delhi University Computer Centre has been able to add marvelous functions to the University Website:
1. E-mail IDs for all faculty and Students
2. Soft pool to be shared with the Univ. server; http://www.du.ac.in/ducc/application.htm
3. Conference site: http://www.du.ac.in/conf.html
4. Access to prepaid full text journals within the campus: UGC Infonet E-Journals Consortium; ERNET Digital Library ; http://csl.du.ac.in/;
5. On campus training: http://www.du.ac.in/ducc/training.htm
6. E-Books http://ebooks.du.ac.in/ server to be able to download full text of books out of copyright
7. In-house software development
8. E-learning portal for content dissemination- http://e-learn.du.ac.in/index.php?module=splashscreen
9. Free access to BA programme course material - http://www.du.ac.in/coursematerial/ba/index.html
10. EPrint Archive http://eprints.du.ac.in/ server for faculty member to be able to freely upload documents, published or unpublished papers, reviews etc. to be shared with the rest of the world

All this besides multifold administrative applications!! Feels good! Do share your ideas with director@ducc.du.ac.in

Parents' Forum for Meaningful Education

It was a cold, rainy, gloomy saturday morning, it must have been very difficult for the laughing trees to rise and shine! Yet, a gathering of fifteen, inclusive of faculty members and students was very interactive and enlightening! Dr. Manjari Gopal and Mr. Rajeev Chhabra from the
Parents’ Forum, shared special instances when parents' intervention helped change some routine oversights in the goings-on at Delhi schools.
There were incessant ideas about what happens to child's rights, citizen rights, citizen concerns etc. inside the classroom- About some schools where the " blackboard remains black" throughout the year with no teacher teaching, yet, pressurizing the child to take tuitions to be able to clear exams and then to be able to find a "respectable" job and hence a respectable position in the civilized society; -About parents of the privileged class becoming the "volunteer -guardians" of the underprivileged children as those parents have no voice in the power structure of the education system; about PTAs being collaborative rather than confrontation-ist in their profile;-about parents' orientation by the school community about child's right;-About Mother Teacher Association Movement in Kerala(http://macroscan.org/anl/jun03/pdf/Education_Kerala_Paper.pdf) ;-And also about a child's right to speak at home being reflected in his/her right to speak at school!
Please do add you comments at the blogsite: http://the-laughingtree.blogspot.com
The Session on "University Networks" is so much awaited that we wonder if we could start at 1:30 instead of 2:00 on wednesday,14th february!
Do join us with a smile!
The laughing tree

A historic walk with butterflies!

Where have you been all laughing trees?
Oh! it was great walking along with the street children from Butterflies organization. It was the first time they had come out on a walk through the green ridge, identifying stones, trees, birds and the old monuments! Their time otherwise is spent earning a living for survival working at roadside dhaba, public cleaning projects , repair shops and so on. Seventeen children, four personnel from the Butterflies, six B.Ed. history students and two faculty from CIE were out on a march five kilometers and three hours in all. The age group ranged from six to forty!
The walk meandered through The Ashokan pillar ( 3rd century B.C.), Peer Ghaib and Chauburza Mausoleum constructed during the time of Ferozshah Tughlaq (14th century A.D.), Mutiny Memorial and Flagstaff Tower (19th century A.D.) and the Khooni Jheel tucked in the ridge. It sure was a kaleiodoscopic view of the Local History in the northern - most stretches of the ancient Aravalli Hills!
The significance of this peep into the heritage was to explore our sense of identity and the need to conserve and preserve the living history. This experience helped to build a continuum to the present through the children from the street. Interestingly, some more children from the street who joined us on the way, identified themselves as Amir Khan, Shahrukh khan and Kumar Shanu... (all from the hindi cinemaa!)
We thank immensely Mr. Ashish Ranjan and Ruchira for adding a new view to our perspective towards life around us! We'll mail photographs in the next posting! Do share similar experiences with us. Till then keep laughing :-)

Long Time No Laugh!

Long Time No Laugh!
Yes! The treadmill routine of work on paper schedules has been such that laughing almost became illegal!! Those were the long, dark, dreary winter times...
Thankfully, it is spring season now, Nature is at its creative best again! Its time to smile, time to take note of subtle changes, time to listen to the gentle hum of life's promises...
Its time for all trees to laugh.
Here we present a new schedule for The Laughing Trees:

Saturday, 3rd February 2007
A walk through the Historical Ridge
Mr. Ashish Ranjan, Faculty- Teaching of History, CIE
To collect at CIE Front Lawns 11:00 am
Mr. Ashish Ranjan plans to walk through the Mutiny Memorial, Ashoka Pillar & Flagstaff Tower. The North Delhi ridge is supposed to possess some neolothic evidence too... let us discover it together! Have a look at the historical landmarks of the North campus http://www.du.ac.in/maps/historic.htm


Saturday,10th February 2007
An interactive session about Parents Forum for meaningful education
Dr. Manjari Gopal, Faculty- Psychology of Education, College of Education, University of Delhi
11:00 am, CIE Computer Centre (Room No. 107, FF) Delhi University

Wednesday, 14th February 2007

University Networks

Dr. Shobhit Mahajan, Director, Delhi University Computer Centre

14:00 hrs at the CIE Computer Centre (Room No. 107, FF) Delhi University

Saturday,17th February 2007

Film show and Discussion- Rang De Basanti

Vidha- the CIE Movie Club

11:00 am, CIE Computer Centre (Room No. 107, FF) Delhi University

Saturday,24th February 2007,
Its E-learning workshop support time- We take a break!

Saturday, 3rd March 2007
It is time to play with colors!! Holi hai! We all take a break!

Saturday,10th March 2007

Representation of the adolescents and the young adults in contemporary Hindi cinema,

Dr. Namita Ranganathan, Reader- Psychology, CIE , University of Delhi

11:00 hrs. , CIE Computer Centre (Room No. 107, FF) Delhi University

The Laughing Tree-calendar of events

All laughing tree meetings are scheduled for alternate Saturdays, starting 11:00 am sharp at the CIE old seminar room, ground floor. Kindly block your dates for the forthcoming lectures!

23rd September 2006
Panchabhaga Darshan,
Dr. Rajni Tandon, Convener, Temple of Understanding, Delhi Centre

7th October 2006-Autumn break – have a laugh !!

21st October 2006
Nomadic Culture of the World- A context of women and learning,
Dr. Shyam Singh Shashi, Formerly the Director General, Publication Division, Min. of I&B, GOI

4th November 2006,
Representation of the adolescents and the young adults in contemporary Hindi cinema,
Dr. Namita Ranganathan, Reader, CIE , Department of Education, University of Delhi

18th November 2006
Film show and Discussion,
Vidha- the CIE Movie Club


The Laughing Tree is non-hierarchical, informal forum to share ideas across disciplines.
All are welcome to join in with a smile!

“Education of the hearing impaired- are the deaf doomed to be dumb?”

If we were hearing, we’ll be able to listen to the subtle laughter of the creation around us; the idea is to be present to the existence of the other!

Hello again!
It was immensely moving and enlightening to listen to the so far ignored (unheard) needs of the hearing impaired. I wonder how could we be so dumb for so long…
Dr. Sailaja Chennat’s presentation “Education of the hearing impaired- are the deaf doomed to be dumb?” was an interactive dialogue on this lesser known area awaiting sensitization. She shared a discussion brief encompassing causes, problems of deafness, focus on language development, special needs with reference to schooling, handicap as a social construct and the realities. Dr. Chennat shared her dream to start a specialized centre to address the needs of the hearing impaired. All participants expressed their commitment to support action in realizing this dream.

Learning of Science by Visually Impaired Children + Future presentations

Hello Dear laughing trees!
The laughing tree inherits from the Laughing Budhha and the Bodhi Tree.
A deep observational meditation leading to of reality/non-reality and then the sudden joy at the knowing of meaningless-ness of all phenomena, the nothing-ness in all things, the ever present vacuum- takes all the burden away in a single sweep of lighted awareness. There is a relief giving way to a laughter not at something ... the tree is laughing by itself... laughing a Bodhi laughter!!
The presentation "Learning of Science and Mathematics by Visually Impaired Children” on Saturday 26th August 2006, by Mr. Rumesh Chander was well attended by a close group representing college of education, students and teachers from cie and Dr. Rajni Tandon, Convener, Temple of Understanding, Delhi Centre. Dr. Tandon has also agreed to make a presentation on "Panchabhaga Darshan" later in September.

Prof. Shyam Menon and Mr. Ashish Ranjan had informed their inability to attend due to prior engagements.
This write-up is followed by a copy of the presentation. Mr. Rumesh Chander's commitment to make the presentation happen on 26th August, despite his health conditions is really appreciated. Many heartfelt thanks to him.
The presentation was interesting in the proposed fact that the visually impaired students could “see” and make observations about the experiments on light while learning Physics using a low cost set up designed by the presenter! The participants, though, would have been much happier witnessing the working set- up mentioned above rather than just learning school physics about pendulum movements and reflection of light. Anyways, the tree is laughing ...May be, the set-up will be displayed during later meetings.
Advance copy of the presentations shared over this blog site and e-mails at least two days ahead will help reflection, enhance listening quality and enable discussions during the meetings.
The participants suggested that fortnight meetings might give us much required weekend breathers to engage in reflective exercises. Therefore we organize ourselves for alternate Saturday mornings unless otherwise informed.
The next presentation “ “Education of the hearing Impaired – Are the deaf doomed to be dumb?” by Dr. Sailaja Chennat, CIE, Department of Education is scheduled for the 9th September 2006, Saturday, 11:00 am- 12:00 am, at the Seminar Room, GF, CIE, 33 Chhatra Marg, University of Delhi. India. Readers not present at the location may make comments and suggestions through this blogsite. Their ideas will be shared when the group meets face to face.
The other areas of forthcoming presentations are as follows, information about time and venue will be shared as & when the presenter is ready. All interested persons are welcome to join in the discussions.

1. + Ethnographic approach- a case study
   
2. + Mental Health in the Context of Teacher Educators
   
3. + Workshops on Listening, Reading and Writing
   
4. + Philosophy of Education– Relevance of Ethics
   
5. + Panchabhaga Darshan
   
6. + Language Teaching
   
7. + Education of the urban deprived learners
   
8. + ICT and Teacher preparation
   
9. + Comparative Studies in History Education
   

*******WA086 Regn.No 316- Learning of Science by Visually Impaired Children.
Theme
Human Resource Development
Focus Area
Access to Curricular and Extra-curricular areas

Rumesh Chander
Reader, Department of Education (CIE)
University of Delhi,
Delhi 110007
India.
Science and Mathematics are considered to be significant not only significant but also basic to learning a number of other disciplines besides they have technological implications. Learning these disciplines involves capturing those basic ideas around which ideas around which a number of explanations and implications are organized as this is how they are structured. This is also the very strength of these two areas. Unfortunately in a majority of states of our country visually impaired children (VIC) are traditionally exempted from learning these two areas even at the elementary level. This results in major lacunae in their education as also limiting their vocational opportunities an ability to cope with a number of life situations.

The education of Science and Mathematics in general is also problematic due to an improper conceptualization as also an over-emphasis on the use aspect of them. As a result it is mostly felt that if one fails to do a large number of activities one can’t appreciates Science and Mathematics. Since most of these activities can’t be done by VIC in the given circumstances it is considered that they don’t have the provisions of learning Science and Mathematics.

Most of the developments even internationally in the area of Science and Mathematics are towards daily living skills or application, these results into only limited understanding of Science and Mathematics. We need to appreciate the fact





That learning both of these disciplines involves understanding their organization and it is only some crucial experimental activities that are important to be organized for VIC, a greater deal of effort need to be devoted to analysis and interpretation. One needs to make a distinction between those activities which lead to understanding of the principles involved from those which are largely application of the principles. It is the former kind, which are much smaller in number and need to be adopted for the VIC. But unfortunately it is the latter kind that are being emphasized and on which most of the developments for VIC are happening. To cite an example there is a light probe developed for detecting presence or absence of light even for announcing some of the colours.But to understand the nature of light we need to work on capturing the principle that light can travel without any medium it travels differently in different mediums, light has definite laws of travel when it meets different mediums. The same light probe can be used but we need to have prior discussion, organize the set up and show how these phenomena suggest laws which explain a number of phenomena. The discussions that follow the experience are equally important as also may be revisit to the experiment. One need not be discouraged that light has limited use for VIC but be enthused by scientific curiosity of how events occur.

The nature of Mathematics on the other hand is such that its scope is limited only by intellectual possibility and not empirical occurrence, therefore it is much wider. It is guided by logical precise structure but has freedom from experimental verification or refutation to which Science is always subjected. The strength of Mathematics is to create a consistent world of ideas. But unfortunately here also the emphasis is on its practical applications .One need to always remember that no empirical evidence can ever confirm or refute a mathematical proposition. This error is prevalent generally. So, one can’t simply adopt learning of the two disciplines by merely picking activities of application nature.

One may think that learning of Science and Mathematics for VIC is being advocated to be more difficult for VIC than it is for other children. But the purpose is here is to both highlight the true nature of the two disciplines as also the strengths of VIC in learning them. I hope most of us share the belief that VIC can comprehend analyze and interpret the basic ideas of Science and Mathematics instead of merely a passive recipients of them and users of the applications.

Presented below are some ideas and activity setup by way of illustration in school Science and Mathematics at the elementary level. It is believed that whole of the elementary Science and Mathematics at least can be so organized for VIC.



Mechanics : Pendulum
Basic Ideas: Pendulum takes a definite time to complete an oscillation (circle of movement) .The time period depends upon the length of the suspending thread. There is thus a balance between the gravity and tension of thread. So there is variation in time period with thread as also on different parts of earth. It is another proof of the fact that earth is oval in shape not spherical.
Discussion: The following issues are discussed; when the suspended bottle is allowed to oscillate what will happen to the time period? Will it remain same or change with change of length, weight of bottle etc.
With the help of a talking stop- watch number of oscillations in a definite time, say two minutes is noted. The length of thread is increased in steps and each time number of oscillations in same time period (two minutes) is noted.
Apparatus modification and procedure:
A bottle is filled with a small opening at the bottom is made; it is filled with small seeds .From the other end it is suspended. When the bottle is pulled to one side and let go the seeds drop down indicating the oscillation... Its completion can be noted by keeping a finger under the pendulum or sound of the falling seeds.
Observations. How the time period does vary? Is it affected by weight of the bottle etc?
Interpretation: Why the time period is same for a given length, why it changes with change in length? Why is it not affected by the change in weight of the bottle? What may happen at different places on earth, moon, and other planets?




Light
Basic Ideas: Light travels in straight line, it travels without medium, reflected or passes through mediums and the path is changed.
Discussion: The source of light and probe are given to the group of students, they are asked to bring the two near to each other to find that the source of light is detected each time it is turned on/off and brought near the probe. How far we can detect? What happens to sound? If we keep the source fixed and move the probe in different directions will we hear the sound?



Apparatus modification and procedure:
The apparatus is shown in the sketch. An aluminum tube is formed into a circle and its diameter is joined with wooden stick to fit mirror, glass slab, prism etc. The tube is marked as angles in gaps of ten degrees. A light sensitive probe and an LED source of light can be mounted and moved on the aluminum tube.

Observation:
Take a cardboard with a hole and fix probe on the circle and source on wooden stick in the middle along the stick. .Move the probe on the circle where do we detect the sound? When we put two cardboards with holes at same position and detect sound. Move one of the card boards sideways, do we still hear the sound?
Interpretation: The torch /probe can produce sound in the detector. Light is obstructed by objects like card-board, it travels in straight lines.

Reflection:
Basic Ideas: All solid objects don’t obstruct light passage. Some send it back (reflection) and some let it through (refraction)
Discussion:
Fix the source at some angle marked; say 30 and the mirror on the stick use probe detector if you can detect the sound in front, back of the mirror? Use any irregular surface like a rubber ball, what do you find? How does the sound intensity change? Move the source/torch, what do you find? Does light travel in any or some fixed direction when you move the torch?
Apparatus modification and procedure:
The same apparatus whose sketch is given below can be used. In addition, a shining surface like framed mirror or metallic surface can be used.
Observation: Fix the source at some angle marked; say 30 and the probe detector on the circle to find where the sound volume is maximum? Detect that angle. Change the angle of torch on the circle; say 60, what happens to volume of sound? Move the detector to locate it at maximum volume of sound. Is it near the torch or away from it? What is the angle? Repeat the experiment with a different angle setting of torch. What do you find?
Interpretation: Light is turned back from some surfaces, they are plane and shining. It changes its path so that the angle has a definite relation.









Refraction:
Basic Ideas: All solid objects don’t obstruct light passage. Some let it through (refraction) Discussion:
Fix the source at some angle marked; say 30 and the slab on the stick use probe detector if you can detect the sound in front, back of the slab? Use any irregular surface like a rubber ball, what do you find? How does the sound intensity change? Move the source/torch, what do you find? Does light travel in any or some fixed direction when you move the torch?
Apparatus modification and procedure: The apparatus whose sketch is given below, In addition, a glass or transparent plastic regular slab can be used.
Observation: Fix the source at some angle marked; say 30 and the probe detector on the circle to find where the sound volume is maximum? Detect that angle. Change the angle of torch on the circle; say 60, what happens to volume of sound? Move the detector to locate it at maximum volume of sound. Is it on the same side or opposite side of the torch or away from it? What is the angle? Repeat the experiment with a different angle setting of torch. What do you find?




Interpretation: Light passes through some objects. It changes its path so that the angle has a definite relation on the other side towards the torch.








Basic Ideas: Light consists of number of colors; they can be separated and combined.
Discussion: It is said that during rains people see rainbow in the sky. How does it happen? The water droplets act in such a way that light shows all the colors. How can the light separate?
Apparatus modification and procedure: The apparatus described above is used with a Prism of glass or plastic. The prism can be placed on the stick in the middle. The prism is shown to the children so that they can judge its shape size etc. Identify the two flat tops and three sides. Use the prism to check how the sound detection changes when torch is put on one side of the prism and detector on other side. There is a distinct difference when prism is placed with triangular side compared to when it is placed in rectangular side down.

Observation: Put the prism as shown on the stick with triangular side down. Place the torch on the circle at say 30 move the probe along the circle to find where the sound volume is maximum. Is it at affixed point or arrange of angle? How does it vary, is it in line with the torch or not?
Interpretation: The sound detection is in a range .This means the beam of light is split. A numbers of colours are generated, seven can be detected clearly. The place where the light is detected is not in line but lower towards the base of the prism.





Magnetism
Basic Ideas: Some objects called magnets can attract and repel each other. Earth is also a large magnet. Electricity has magnetic effects.
Discussion:
Magnets can attract iron pieces, two magnets attract or repel. This can be shown by taking two magnets and some small iron balls used in cycles. Strong ferrite magnets used in electronic speakers can also be used. Is magnetism only on the edges? What if we break the magnet, will the two poles be separated? For this we can take rubber magnet. Break it into two pieces and find that we have now two magnets. Can take a large sized magnetic needle, remove its glass lid. Children can explore it, move it around what happens to the direction of needle? Why is it so? Is earth a magnet? What will happen at different places on earth?



Apparatus modification and procedure:
Rubber magnets from refrigeration store can be obtained. They can be easily broken. A large sized magnetic needle (About 5cm.) can be used with lid being removed. Take care that the needle is securely fixed to the pivot. The dial can be modified with directions being indicated Braille .For the lines of force an apparatus as shown in the sketch be made. It consists of base made of thermo Cole and a thick paper frame with a window of rectangular shape where cello tape is pasted. The magnet is fixed in the thermo Cole and small sized iron balls are spread around the magnet. The iron balls will arrange as the magnetic field. Put the cut sheet with cello tape and press so that the balls pressed in to the thermo Cole sheet.
Observations:
What is the pattern of spread of iron balls around magnet? Where is it concentrated? When we break the magnets do the two pieces still repel? In which direction the magnetic needle point? What happens when you try to rotate its frame?
Interpretation:
The magnet attracts the iron pieces at the ends more than at the middle part. The poles of magnet can’t be separated by breaking. The smaller part of magnet must again be a complete magnet. Earth must also be acting as a magnet and its north must be in south direction. If so the suspended magnet must point downwards at the poles.

Basic Ideas: Electricity has magnetic behavior
Discussion:
What happens to the magnetic needle when we put the wire connected to the battery?
Apparatus modification and procedure:
The magnetic needle as described above can be used .A dry cell can be used along with some enamel wire. A small electromagnet can be made, which can attract small iron balls.
Observation:
How does the magnetic needle rotate when wire passing over it is connected /disconnected to the cell? Des the number of turns have an effect on the strength of the electro magnet?
Interpretation:
Electricity has magnetic effect. The magnet so made can be changed by connecting/disconnecting electricity. The tape recorders and motors must be making use of this principle.




Conclusions:
The learning of science by the visually impaired children will be helped if we identify the basic ideas in each field around which other scientific facts can be organized and explained. This also uses the power of imagination VIC. We need to distinguish between activities and experiments for reefing the ideas. A greater effort need to be devoted discussion of ideas and relevant experiences. The interpretation of findings is also of great value.Whereever possible the imagination should be stretched to its maximum

References:
Geeret J Vermeij, Science Blindness and Evolution (2004)
Mark A. Riccobono, Turning Dreams into Reality (2004)

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The first few laughs!
Hello there!
Yes! Trees do laugh!! Standing out there, weathering all seasons, watching us all getting so busy about life, they must be laughing, perhaps silently and at times clapping out loud! May be, during the moments when we stand still like trees watching life silently float by, the humour in all our actions must be evident in even more vivid colors...
This is an invitation to an informal group of persons representing various facets of life. We will be interested in listening, reading, writing, sharing, discussing and publishing across disciplines.
We plan to meet every saturday morning for an hour 11:00-12:00 hrs. at the CIE seminar room (we may change the venue depending upon how the group feels as we move on).
This Saturday 26th August 2006 we meet to share Mr. Rumesh Chander's experiences on " Learning of Science and Mathematics by Visually Impaired Children"presented at the "International Conference for Education Of Visually Impaired Children", 15-21 July 2006, KL .
The paper explores some of the problem areas and some curricular options. The needed teaching aids developed for the purpose are also discussed.
This conference, held internationally every four years, has interesting inputs for teacher educators too and some inputs on e-learning material which Mr. Rumesh Chander will be sharing with all of us.
Please do make it possible to join us.
Your views, ideas and suggestions will be very valuable for us to move forward!!
Best Regards
The Laughing Tree