4th October 2010
`Experience has a structure'
We act in a particular way based on our thoughts and experiences. If our experiences are pleasant, we behave in a particular way. If our experiences are unpleasant, we behave in another way. There are two basic instincts which drive us into action. One is pain and the other is pleasure. When we go through a pleasurable experience the connected action is reinforced. On the other hand when we experience pain, the connected action is not reinforced. We call it the positive and negative reinforcements. The mind and body are part of the same system and we cannot bring about a body discipline without the accepting the same.
This presupposition is very relevant in a teaching and learning context. The process of learning should be a pleasant experience. You are aware that some children dislike a particular subject, and hence dislike the teacher teaching that subject? Similarly, a student does not like a teacher, and hence develops hatred towards the subject she teaches!
If the negatives feelings are not neutralized, the behaviours will not change. In order to replace the old behaviour, we have to replace the feeling associated with the concerned behaviour.
Here's an example I am not tired of quoting. A child who joined the second standard was avoiding the computer class from the day one of her school. Any amount of counseling could not help. The child was normal in all other classes, but when it comes to computer lab, she will run away. Over a period of time the child started malingering sickness.
The case was referred to me and I took several days to understand the reason for this negative attitude towards computer. The child told me that she was afraid of `mouse'! on a detailed enquiry, I came to know that when the child was two years old, she was bitten by a mouse! When I explained to the child that the computer mouse had nothing to do with the household mouse and neutralized all her old negative experience, the child became normal to the world of computers!
N C Sridharan and Radha Sridharan
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