The western world has a high regard for Indian students on account of their ability to excel in certain areas of education.\u00a0 India has always been known for strong culture of learning. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0However, the \u00a0Indian method of learning is truly a mixed bag.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
It is quite interesting to trace the historical process to this present ethos.\u00a0 It begins with the ancient <\/span>guru-shishya\u00a0 <\/strong>(the Teacher- Disciple relationship) that borders on almost the disciple worshipping the Teacher.\u00a0 Knowledge and skills are passed down in a \u201ctradition of spiritual relationship and mentoring\u201d on the premise that the teacher is wise, learned, experienced, genuine and worthy of respect.\u00a0 On the part of the student the expectation is total devotion, total respect, total obedience, and total commitment.\u00a0\u00a0 It was through this\u00a0 teaching-learning process that advanced knowledge was passed on.\u00a0 The wisdom, knowledge gained through learning and experience was lived out by the Guru and acquired through life by the student.\u00a0 In this system of learning, there was very little space for questioning and critical thinking.\u00a0<\/p>\n Into this framework and context entered the missionaries and the introduction of the Western mind.\u00a0 In came the spirit of the explorer changing the patterns and systems of education and learning. \u00a0The first modern university was set up in Serampore by William Carey, Marshman and Ward.\u00a0 That started to change the educational system and usherd in a new learning process. \u00a0But it is certainly evident that a good \u00a0amount of the former trait is still very prevalent.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/span>At the same time I can also trace within my culture a bit of what Paul and Elder refer to as \u201cEgocentric thinking and socio centric thinking\u201d.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>The book <\/span>The Miniature Guide to Critical Thinking Concepts and Tools<\/em> was simple and quick reading, it was powerful and very challenging for me.\u00a0 My cultural background and upbringing leaves little room for critical thinking. \u00a0Having been brought up in an environment that seldom encouraged critical thinking and questioning, this little book challenges my way of thinking and the manner in which I process information.\u00a0 Further, the charts and visiuals that the authors have laid out so vividly make the principles they describe easy to understand, remember and use. \u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>The authors point out that people possess an unrealistic but mistakenly confident sense of having all the answers and solution and think they may have even achieved all of this in an objective manner. \u00a0I was particularly drawn to the point emphasising that the whole purpose of critical thinking \u00a0is directed \u00a0inward rather than outward and that critical thinking seeks to discipline the thinker and monitors itself.\u00a0 \u201cIntellectual humility\u201d to me is the crown of all intellectual traits. \u00a0\u00a0Consistently following the steps outlined and suggested by Paul and Elder will shape my ongoing learning as well as communicating skills.\u00a0 This book is definitely not a onetime read.\u00a0 It becomes a handbook for the rest of my life.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>Finally for me a very important question arises relating to my faith.\u00a0 Does the Bible encourage critical thinking?\u00a0 The answer is yes.\u00a0 It does not call for a blind belief and following but to test its truths and thoroughly think through what it means to place one\u2019s faith in a God who cannot be seen and One who stands on behalf of the oppressed, the marginalized and the hapless.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>While reading the book, I was reminded of a beautiful poem (actually a prayer) I learnt in school.\u00a0 It is written by Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore one of India\u2019s great poets and writers of modern Indian literature. It is a classic reflection of the Indian mind to be liberated from the bondages of tradition, and for the mind to be set free and to think freely:<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>\u201cWHERE the mind is without fear and the head is held high<\/p>\n Where knowledge is free<\/span><\/p>\n Where the world has not been broken up into fragments<\/span><\/p>\n By narrow domestic walls<\/span><\/p>\n Where words come out from the depth of truth<\/span><\/p>\n Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection<\/span><\/p>\n Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way<\/span><\/p>\n Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit<\/span><\/p>\n Where the mind is led forward by thee<\/span><\/p>\n Into ever-widening thought and action<\/span><\/p>\n Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n “Poets’ Corner – Rabindranath Tagore – Where The Mind Is Without Fear.”\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Poets’ Corner – Rabindranath Tagore – Where The Mind Is Without Fear<\/em>. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Sept. 2012. <http:\/\/www.theotherpages.org\/poems\/2000\/t\/tagore01.html>.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The western world has a high regard for Indian students on account of their ability to excel in certain areas of education.\u00a0 India has always been known for strong culture of learning. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0However, the \u00a0Indian method of learning is truly a mixed bag.\u00a0\u00a0 It is quite interesting to trace the historical process to this present […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":47,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[2,290],"class_list":["post-1155","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-dminlgp","tag-elder","cohort-lgp3"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1155","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/47"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1155"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1155\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1155"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1155"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1155"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}