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E = MC2 IN EDUCATION
Students try to learn every day but do they
remember what they learn?
If they can’t remember what they study, then why
are they studying every day?
Probably by following E
= MC2 in Education, they may derive benefits from their study!
We are not talking about
E = Energy. We are concerned here about something that happens in the field of
education. Here E refers to Examination, M indicates Memory and finally, C
signifies Concentration. The concentration has to be doubled up along with
memory for it to be effective in facing the examination.
Let us consider each of
them in detail.
EXAMINATION
Whatever you do
throughout the semester, the only way you are judged is through the
examination. All your entry into higher studies or jobs is through an entrance
examination.
So, passing an exam
becomes crucial in today’s modern world. This is why students are more bothered
about how to answer correctly rather than analyzing the question and logically
arriving at the answer.
Coaching centers are
everywhere mocking the system of education. Regular schools and colleges are
meant to allocate certificates only. Your future is decided by your performance
in the examination or the entrance tests.
Hence, let us delineate the
examination to make it easier for the students.
If you know how to ask the
right kind of questions, you can pass any examination. Irrespective of how threatening
exams appear to be you can overcome the exam
anxiety. Irrespective of the
quantity of information, you can learn to prepare for the examination.
An examination is not an
end in itself but a means to an end.
However, facing the
examination has become the only goal for students and other applicants.
Examinations are mainly measuring the knowledge part of the examinees rather
than the acquisition and manifestation of the skills.
For instance, students
do not know how to understand Mathematics when it is so complicated. Nor do they know how
to study Mathematics when the subject feels so difficult. They are unaware of how thinking in Mathematics differs from other subjects when
all thinking appears similar.
This has led them to
attend coaching centers that give them a load of sums to solve without
bothering about the changes that should be introduced in the thought processes
of the students. There is mere repetition going on consistently rather than
systematically training the participants through practice. Surprisingly,
many people do not know the difference between repetition and practice though
they are considerably distinct from one another.
MEMORY
The letter M in the
equation stands for Memory. Unfortunately, memory is a process that has been
largely misunderstood. You can go through ten major myths about memory and concentration to understand to what extent we know about
memory. These myths have become the guiding factor rather than their opposing real
aspects.
Memory and concentration
are subconscious processes that are regulated by the sub-cortical regions of
the brain.
The moment these are
brought into the consciousness they lose their natural capability to process
information. How consciousness interferes with the inherent processing of
information will be discussed in the article on “Conscious Capture”.
Let us emphasize the ‘subconscious’
nature of memory and concentration with the following examples.
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| Remembering Events |
Remembering a conversation
We never make notes
during a conversation as to what we said and what the other person said. We
still remember the conversation (at least most of it) throughout our lives!
Remembering a movie
We see a movie only once
in our lives and yet we remember most scenes from the movie forever. How come despite
studying a textbook several times a year and making detailed notes every day,
we keep forgetting most of the information? Once the examination is over, we
don’t remember anything from that year.
Remembering a trip
Let us say you go on a
trip along with your classmates when you are studying in 5th
Standard! You will remember this trip throughout your life. On the other hand,
what you studied in the 5th Standard, though you have studied
several times, is completely gone out of your memory.
Try to make notes during
a conversation, a movie, or a trip and you will know how difficult for the
brain to remember them afterward. It takes out the enjoyment you would have had
during such interactions.
When taking down notes
is not beneficial, we still use this method in classrooms and elsewhere
thinking that somehow it will strengthen our memory and concentration.
These three instances
tell us that the more you control your memory and concentration process, the
more difficult it becomes for you to remember. Instead of voluntarily trying to
control these automatic forces, you must know how to improve your retention.
Rather than us
controlling our memory, others have control over it. In such a case, we need to
choose to remember.
There is a method to
receive such information. This is outlined in my eBook, "How to study a difficult subject?" The method explained
here is based on my research. This is explained in the article, "Regulation of Consciousness in Information Processing".
CONCENTRATION SQUARED
Memory does not happen
without concentration. The examination cannot be taken without memory. Hence,
concentration is the most important part of this equation.
What is concentration?
Concentration is sustained
attention. The greater the focus of attention better is the concentration.
Hence,
focusing along with sustained attention is the concentration.
However, focusing attention is not as easy as focusing on light. You have a torch with you, and you can shine the light wherever you want!
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| Photo by Marek Piwnicki: https://www.pexels.com/photo/sea-road-dawn-landscape-14082640/ |
You see the spot that
is lighted up and people believe that the concentration is as simple as that!
Physically, it
is very easy to do two things simultaneously. Shine the torch and see where the
light falls. However, try to shine the torchlight into space; you will not know
where the light is falling.
Similarly, we don't
even know where the torchlight is focused. Our thoughts, perceptions, and
emotions might be elsewhere from the focus. But psychologically you are in
total darkness and there is no front or back or any direction.
Just like space, our
mind is directionless. And shining a torch in space is useless because the
light does not fall on an opaque object and there is no reflection coming from
any object
Imagine a driver
riding at night when the headlight shines on the road. But if s/he is looking
out the side window, s/he may prolong for a while. But s/he will end up in a
loss.
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| Photo by Nvid Daar: https://www.pexels.com/photo/car-on-road-during-snow-weather-10825826/ |
Hence, if we do
not know how to focus, which no textbook will tell us, then we may prolong for
a while but we will end up at a loss.
In reality, it is more
complicated. The focus is to reduce noise. I have explained this in detail in
my eBook "IntentFocusing". We must learn to reduce both physical and mental noises
to concentrate rather than trying to focus.
"The paradox of trying
to concentrate is that the harder you try the more difficult it will be" (page
14, Intent Focusing). Concentration is more of an internal function,
though we blame external factors.
Reducing such
distractions or noises should be done from within (page 15, Intent
Focusing)
Concentration
is not merely focusing. It is bringing into awareness what is being focused on!
For example, the light
from the torch may shine on a spot. But if we are looking elsewhere and not in
the lighted area, there is no use in using a torch and focusing.
Thus, focusing
has to go simultaneously with gathering information. This gathering of
information must be the intention behind focusing.
It is only then that
the concentration will work effectively.
So, one part of
concentration is to increase focus on what we are studying by reducing noise. The
second part of concentration is to be intending to receive what is being
focused on.
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| Targeting Concentration |
If you would like to find out how well you know about memory and concentration, you can take a test and find out.
To guide your
consciousness specifically for learning new material, you can SAVE AND SCORE.
Thus,
E = mc2 in Education
Examination = memory x
concentration2
The examination is
equal to memory times concentration squared
MEMORY CLINIC
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