A question I’m asked constantly: Ma’am, how do I improve my word collection?

Collecting words is no big deal. What is a dictionary for? The rub is remembering them, remembering what they mean. To a group that remembers the names of a million songs, the 10-digit phone numbers of a million friends, the bios of a million stars and starlets, this should be a breeze. But I don’t have the heart to tell them the truth: Guys, you are not interested. You’re looking for a quick fix to pass an exam.

I tell them: anyone who is on a mission to add to his active/passive vocabulary is expected to read. Newspaper editorials, for instance. Or a James Joyce novel. When you come across a new word in a novel, guess its meaning in the context. If it fits, continue to read. If in doubt, check with a dictionary. Among the meanings given, pick one that is most appropriate. Read again and see how well it sits in the sentence. The next opportunity you have, use the word in conversation or writing. Show off. Feel good about it. And keep reading.

Sadly, this looks like a long haul. READ? Ohhhhhh, yawn… Any tips, ma’am?

Here they are:
[1] Make a list of at least 10 unfamiliar words per day – you will come across these words in papers, books or in a dictionary.Put them down on a piece of paper. Read once in the morning, with meanings. Tuck it in your sleeve or pocket. Every hour or so, peek into it. After about 5 times, recall the words with meanings.

[2] Write a set of words with meanings on a paper. Memorise. Get someone at home to ask you the meaning of randomly selected words.

[3] Memorise 5 words at a time. Put them in sentences of your own. This is the best way to remember them. Use them in your conversation. Put them in your writing. I’ve been reading Sherlock Holmes. You know the number of words you will learn there?

[4] Take 20 words at a time. In two columns, write the words on one side and the jumbled meanings on the other. Match.

[5]Take 20 new words. Write the words and write a definition for each.

Ex: jibe – to make fun of someone in a friendly way. After writing, check with a dictionary.

[6] Play “ask-answer” with friends. Instead of names of film stars, use new words for this quiz.

[7] The plain old Indian method – just learn them by rote and trust your memory to recall when needed.

Hope this helps.

While Eiden is hooting happy about being enrolled into an online school, his mom isn’t so sure. The fact that he is likely to be in the AP classes doesn’t completely quell her doubts.
“Online schooling does not allow regular peer interaction,” she points out. “Kids miss out on an important life lesson. When you create an atmosphere at home to study in the most comfortable way, you deprive the kid of learning how to manage difficult situations. Will he be able to cope with the atmosphere in college?”

There are other drawbacks as well. While a regular classroom exposes a shy kid to ridicule and loss of self-esteem, it also provides opportunities to be praised in public. A home-schooler loses the invaluable prize of being praised in front of his peers for a gem of an answer or a brilliant presentation. Will the words “That’s an awesome answer, Sammy!” ring in his ears?

Well, online schools are not for all kids. Here a lot of personal responsibility is expected when the student chooses his own pace. When both parents go to work, it is not possible for them the amount of supervision needed to keep the kid on on even keel.

Also, will he get to meet friends periodically? Won’t he miss seeing them? How about PE, an absolute necessity for an adolescent?

Most of the material sent online is in text form. What if the kid prefers learning through listening? Is that choice available though it is technically feasible? And if at some point he decides to return to a physical school, can such a transition be made easily?

Eiden just pooh-poohs these objections. He says he’s happy he doesn’t need to meet the bullies in school again. And there are home-schoolers’ associations that meet regularly. “Think of the things I can do in my spare time!” he says. “Not socialising is a small price to pay for it.”

Coming fall, Eiden has to move on to Junior High. With his good academic record, he has a wide choice of schools open to him – a well-known private school close by, a Catholic school with a reputation for strict standards of discipline (his mom has been eyeing it), the public school a lot of his friends will be moving into. Eiden, however, has found a fourth option: he wants to go to school online.

“I’ll keep my own hours,” he said in defense. “There are some great schools that give you one-on-one attention. You talk to your teachers on Skype and chat with them in print. The faculty are well qualified. These schools will not withdraw a teacher citing budget cuts. I do my lessons at my own pace.”

He is right about that. If you study online, you get to choose the schedule of lessons. You need to complete studying a set of lessons and do assignments in them over a period of time, say four lessons in history in four weeks. You could do this all at once and move on to the next subject. In other words, if you are absorbed in a subject, you can continue to study it.

“Students with other interests like tennis, guitar, etc. have found online schools very convenient,” said Eiden. “They practise their special interest and do their school work at night. Online schooling allows you to travel, all you need to do is carry your computer with net connection.” He reeled off a list of popular names whose owners had been educated online.

“Students waste a lot of time attending classes where nothing really goes on,” he said. “My day is not subject to the vagaries of weather.”

His mom is not so sure.

CONTINUED…

The 1990s “Math wars” are back in school admin offices. The question now is “How do California’s students learn Math?”
The spat is over adopting “common core standards” of education to be eligible for stimulus funds. Math teachers have strong ideas on how Math will be taught and these do not agree with what educators in general want.

Educators feel common standards will give the solid grounding kids need to understand the subject before moving on to the next level. In California, the opinion is, this will set the state backward in standards, something I had stated in a previous post.
Under the new rules, primary students would delve deep into concepts in Math and only then will move on to acquiring new skills. For example, Eiden’s sister will now learn multiplication in Grade IV and not in Grade III. She is not happy about the idea. She says she will get bored doing the same things over and over again.

The overall curriculum is some two and a half years behind those in Asia and Europe. In CA, it is one and a half years behind. CA mathematicians want their standards to be compared to the best in the world. They want Asian syllabi as their standards. We need to compete with Asians and Europeans to be competitive, they say, echoing the President’s words.

Californian mathematicians think the “common standard” dishes out a weak syllabus. Some hi-tech executives in the Silicon Valley feel the same way. They give this as example:
Since 1997, California standard has included Algebra in the 8^th grade syllabus. Parent shave made their wards take Algebra in the 8^th grade where it is not mandatory. Parents are sure this will help them in their readiness for college. Silicon Valley Education Foundation completely endorses this view.

But Hung-His Wu, Professor at UC Berkeley does not agree. He believes implementing the common standards is a sure way to approach math education, going step by step.
I think the problem should be looked at this way:

Those who are weak in Math must get remedial teaching, either through the school or through private online coaching. But the brighter ones should not be restricted by standards that do not challenge them sufficiently.
The idea should be to pull those who lag behind to international math standards in schools. Are we talking about innovative methods of teaching here?

So, now it is decided. Not really a surprise, though. Kansas is now the overall top seed in NCAA, 2010 tournament.

The four top teams are Kansas, Kentucky, Duke and Syracuse. All No. 1 seeds for the NCAA tournament Sunday. Of course, Jayhawks have been named the top seed overall for this March Madness.

The conference tournaments are over, and the NCAA selection committee has rolled out its 65-team list. It is now for us, the fans to start taking our picks. Play starts tomorrow – Tuesday – with an opening-round game between Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Winthrop, and the tournament goes into full swing Thursday.

The committee votes for Kansas (32-2) as favorite to win its second national title in three years. Kansas opens against No. 16 Lehigh in the Midwest regional on Thursday. No. 1 seeds have remained undefeated in the first round since 1985, when the field first was expanded to 64 teams.

But you can’t discount Kentucky, can you? Kentucky has a major chance because it has John Wall. Check out this résumé.
John Wall is a freshman, true. But he was ranked No.1 high school player in the country by Rivals.com He is 6-foot-4, and the buzz is he is so talented – in his guard position – that this may be the only season he plays outside before turning pro. He has said that he needs that national championship ring. Let’s wish him luck.

Here’s some trivia on him: He has this “tradition” about wearing a pair of Hanes socks under his game socks. He listens to two songs for inspiration before the game-starting hooter: R. Kelly’s The World’s Greatest and I Wish. John loves crab legs and shrimp. Hi favorite actors are Mike Epps and Chris Tucker. He digs rap Lil Wayne.

John is from Raleigh, North Carolina. He has talked to President Obama on the phone and would like nothing better than to be invited to the White House for a “pick-up” game with the Prez.

Right now he is raring to go into the Big Dance.

I have been talking to friends in the banking industry and for the first time in two years they are smiling.
”We are taking interns and we are hiring,” said a guy from a major bank. “We’ll be looking for biz school students and graduates.”
A report in NYT says much the same thing. After a whole year of resume-mailing and cold calls to banks, business school students are hearing the good words: “When can you join?” One such reply came from Wells Fargo, the report says. The student who received it said, “The banks this year kept saying, ‘It’s a good year,’ ‘We just approved a lot of hiring,’ ‘The market is clearing up.’ ”
Banks seem to be climbing out of the recession. The report adds “more business students across the country are finding banking jobs and internships, enrolling in finance clubs and going on class trips to Wall Street, universities say.”
Yes, we all know of the definite stigma attached to bank jobs after the crash, bail-out and the unrepentant bonus takings. Families are angry and rightly so. But my friends said, “It is still a job and a good one for our biz school pop outs.” They view bank jobs as intellectually challenging and done the right way, can contribute positively to the economy. After prodding, they admit bank jobs are “financially rewarding”. And banks will spring out of any recession. It is cyclical.
The good news anyway is Universities and business schools are welcoming HR executives for campus interviews. Banks are taking in interns cautiously though the percentage increase looks healthy. You can expect stiff competition for the positions available both as interns and for postings.

The silver lining is, banks under-hired for several quarters gone by and may be the execs will open doors to welcome more aspirants. More bank jobs at this point in the country’s economic history? That’s rich!
But for students entering Wall Street with a job it’s a dream come true. They talk of quickly moving up to managerial positions and getting access to the best financial minds in the world.

How successful you are in the interview depends on several things. You need to be prepared, brushed-up on interview skills. Be able to answer questions well on your field of knowledge. And have loads of patience.

I have been hearing of this on and off for two years now. So far I refused to believe it. In a country that puts a lot of its thinking and energy into free market, innovative businesses and entrepreneurship, it is a shock to know there is a disconnect between what is taught and learned in college and what is needed in the workplace. I have been in denial.
First, the facts.
A study released last year shows that among 2009 US college graduates 80% moved back home with their parents after receiving their graduation certificates. Another study around that time said that more than one-third of men and women under 35 are living with parents.
Your first thought is about the state of the economy and the job losses. And you would be right. But now there is proof for the sad fact that many of our college graduates do not have the skills needed for the workplace.
Our young do not get hired even where jobs are available. Business owners and recruiters complain that the applicants’ classroom experiences are not relevant to the reality outside.
Business and education must get together to bridge this gap. Business leaders can visit educational institutions periodically to show the students pathways to business. Students can intern with them regularly, go on field-trips to factories and offices. Job-shadowing can be a part of the curriculum.
It all boils down to this. Students must be clear about what is expected of them at the workplace. Are they being trained specifically for jobs? Once they feel they are, do they know how to highlight their capabilities to potential employers? Do they know where to start for training? In other words, can they communicate well?

Can their educational institutions help? And how can large corporations and small and medium businesses get involved in the preparation process?
What is needed is a partnership between educational centers and industry to make our young totally employable.

Eiden’s mom is planning to join Mandarin Chinese classes. “Why?” I asked. “A lot of people I know are learning Chinese,” she said. “When I make my trip to China, it will come in useful.” She said that as if she was going on a pilgrimage.
Chinese-language instruction is spreading in American schools, according to newspaper reports. The program is funded by the Chinese government. We have had language fads before – remember people buying Learn Arabic books immediately after 9/11? Will interest in Chinese language instruction last?
Agreed, learning a new language is a welcome move to keep your intellect sharp. It may give you a better understanding of a country that is occupying increasingly larger space in world affairs. But when our own educational standards are in dire need of repair and upgradation, where do our kids find the time for a difficult tongue?
Again, what are we aiming at? Knowledge of a particular language or knowledge of Chinese alone? Is Chinese necessary for us to compete in global economy successfully? I mean “learn the language of the chief competitor”? Don’t forget these classes are taught by teacher-ambassadors and are paid for by the Chinese government.
If it is all about markets, isn’t India too a rising country? And this country attributes its economic success to British rule and a strong grounding in the English language.
Then is it cultural sophistication? Then what should be the allocation percentage for, say, Arabic-Middle East studies in our beleaguered budget?
Americans are not naturally inclined (9%) to learning a foreign language. The one alien language that now interests us is Hispanic, for obvious reasons. Yes, we should make foreign language learning opportunities available for our future diplomats, spies and business people. It’s bad that states have had to drop foreign language requirements for high school graduation.

But you know what tight ed budgets have done for our regular elementary, middle and high school education. Eiden’s sister comes home crying that she has no science teacher. Eiden’s friend Kush complains of poor computer equipment in school.

I am all for learning a second language from elementary level. Our kids can only benefit from it. But thinking about a foreign language is to miss the basic building blocks of the educational structure – our science, math and English standards are pretty wobbly now. And that is where the international competition lies. Let us strengthen those areas. Let us prepare more kids for international Math, Biology and Geography Olympiads, ensure their success.

Let foreign cultural academies promote language learning (French, German, Japanese, Korean) and organize the time and the place for informed learning. There is no point in exposing our kids to a foreign language in school and not make proficiency mandatory.
Let us first improve the standards of our dumbed-down education.

While we go gaga over friends who say “I love you” in Chinese, let’s remember that many non-English-speaking countries are spending big money to teach their citizens to interpret and speak idiomatic English.

Eiden may enroll in an online private high school after the next summer break. I asked him why. I asked him in what way this would be better than going to a ground school.
This is what he told me.
He  doesn’t know exactly what it will be like, but is still excited. According to him, there are several benefits of being in an online academy.
For instance, because a student will be getting educated from home, he will not have to worry about missing a day of school due to sickness.
Learning on his own with just a little help from teachers will give him independence and good problem-solving skills.
As for social issues, most of the time in the academy will revolve around learning and interaction between students will be through instant messaging. This makes the social life of a student less stressful and less interfering with academics.
Regarding extracurricular activities, online schooling leaves a student plenty of time to do important things after school, such as practicing music, which  Eiden loves to do.
But most importantly, the schoolwork and learning material is important and interesting instead of unnecessary and boring. While he is still anxious to find out what learning online will be like, Eiden is quite excited to start.

Facebook is getting old. In other words, its population is aging. In May of 2008, the median age for Facebook was 26. Today, it’s 33. Interesting, when you consider it was built for the exclusive use of college students.
So where are today’s college students hanging out now? Playing tennis, inspired by Mr. Federer’s fluidity in footwork?
Not really. It’s more like fluidity of fingertips. A lot of them have migrated to Twitter, leaving the Facebook space to moms, dads, aunts, uncles, bosses and grandparents. After answering “Where are you now?” a million times on the cellphone, it is only natural GenY wants to key in the answer for posterity.

Strangely, GenY had, not long ago, dismissed tweeting as “Narcissistic” and “pointless”. We will assume the ones that are tweeting now belong to a different set of young people.

Twitter is now the second-youngest of the top four social networking sites. Its median age is 31. MySpace’s is 26, LinkedIn is 39, and of course, Facebook is 33. In December 2008, 19% in the age group 18-24 were keying in tweets. Now it is 37%. Even in the 25-34 group, the percentage is up touching 31.

Maybe we should introduce Twitter to kids who refuse to write. But will tweeting help you to write well? Maybe…