Those who reached late to the lesson will have to pay a fine, the lecturer asked. And the settlement is that they will buy samosas (traditional Pakistani lunch eats) as a treat for the entire class. Afterward, the treat-winners chose to have a brief span sitting in a wooden hut in the pastures of the learning place – CHEP. However, it was the first wink in the academic history of the previous two years that learners came out from the four walls of the classroom and sat on the green pastures of the department.
Besides eating a samosa, I dipped into my in-depth but fascinating thought horizons. Firstly, I was delighted to see learners unite, chitchatting while sitting on a pasture in the Center. Secondly, I questioned my consciousness about which motive urged or persuaded them to come out from the well of the classroom. There were samosas in that circumstance. If samosas have so much energy to orient pupils at a crossroads, why not study circles or fascinating talks on Astronomy, Physics, or Cosmology can tie them?
Fascinating talks on scientific theories can engage pupils in out-of-the-classroom learning, but first, we should diagnose ills that are scattering the learners.
One, Pupils don’t bother to think outside of the curriculum packet. My daily play-by-play can testify that learners come into well of a classroom, follow dictations, and even don’t like to talk scientifically on any national or international matter. Instead, they remain ready to exist from class’s well while lecturing over.
A curriculum can’t be trustworthy knowledge. It is a fixed nature and a tool to provide light toward enlightenment. Farahat Abbas Sha writes: Stagnant learning may provide information but cannot deliver knowledge. Knowledge comes from your surrounding observations that you see, hear and analyze. Dr. Shahzeb khan says in the philosophical context of Mulana Ubaid Ullah Sindhi: Knowledge is a logical connection between diverse or abstract information. That logical connection comes when learners follow the path of self-discovery and knowledge of human friendship.
The second cause due to pupils being scattered and far from collectivism is the pathetic look of science prevailing in the academic atmosphere. Dr. Shahzeb khan suggests that: We have to introduce popular science to develop student curiousness. Likewise, science should come out of the locked room of observatories and develop rational or scientific attitudes among investigators. Professor Bilal Masud pens in his Philosophy class notes that: Science is an attitude and a daily life activity. Interested readers can read my previous columns in this respect: Why is Science so pathetic in our Society? There, I built a case to show the beautiful face of science and highlighted factors that are indigenizing its unattractive look.
Science is a subject of Society; it arises as a social as the social aspect of civilizations. John Ziman, Professor at Cambridge University, argues in his masterpiece, Introduction to Science Studies: In the last 20 years, the whole field of science studies has transformed by the realization that science can apprehend if it is treated as a social institution, both within its sphere of activity and in its relationships with the world at large. (Introduction to Science Studies by Cambridge University Press; page#03)
Science is a subject of attractiveness that steers human curiosity. Carl Sagan articulates: It is famous that scientists are unromantic, that their fascination to extrapolate robs the world of loveliness and puzzle. But is it not locomoting to understand how the world works — that white light is made of colors, that color is the way we sense the wavelengths of sunlight, that transparent air reflects light, that in so doing? It discriminates among the waves, and the sky is blue in the same sense that sundown is red. It does not harm the romance of the dusk to know smallish about it. (From Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space)
In light of observation, I suggest two on-ground recommendations for this matter:
We need an effective student body to unite learners on the green lands of the department. Noam Chomsky says: The organization has its effects. It means that you discover that you are not alone. Others have the same thoughts that you do. You can reinforce your ideas and learn more about what you believe. These are very informal movements, not like membership organizations, just a mood that involves interaction among people. (Cited by Shahid Siddique; Language, Gender, and Power)
True, We have a Scientific Society for visionary matters like organizing seminars for invited nationwide and global guest speakers. Last month, I chaperoned a philosophical talk on the Latest Cosmic discoveries by Prof. Nidhal Guessoum from the University of Sharjah from Dubai at CHEP. It was a worthwhile pursuit for spreading a culture of knowledge-human friendship.
Alternatively, I am emphasizing to broad the working zone of the Scientific Society. Authority should develop a new framework that must include an agenda to unite learners on green pastures. It is possible by organizing study circles on various science readings like Seven lessons on Physics. Study circles on popular science theories can engage pupils toward a purposeful life more than abstract lectures on the highest level of research matters.
A workable model already exists to follow on the shell of Punjab University to amass learners on the pastures of the department. Lately, I attended a philosophic talk on the Ideology of Dr. Ali Shariati organized by the Progressive Science Society of Sociology Department, PU. Students came out by following the model of out-of-class learning and debated nationwide matters in the context of Dr. Ali Shariati’s philosophy. We ended up sitting on this quote by Dr. Ali Shariati:
كلما حدثت ثورة في العالم ، تبدأ بالكتابة
(دنیا میں جب بھی کوئی انقلاب آتا ہے اس کی ابتدا تحریر سے ہوتی ہے)
(Whenever there is a revolution in the world, it starts with writing)
In conclusion, the green pastures of CHEP have the potential to be a hub for out-of-class learning and scientific curiosity. By addressing the underlying issues of stagnant curriculum and lack of popular science in the academic atmosphere, we can foster a culture of knowledge-human friendship and engage pupils in consequential debates and study circles on various scientific theories. The key is to establish an effective student body and broaden the working zone of the Scientific Society to include an agenda for uniting learners on the green pastures of the department. By following the successful model of the Progressive Science Society of Sociology Department at PU, we can create a dynamic and stimulating learning environment that encourages self-discovery and logical connections between diverse information. It is time for us to break free from the four walls of the classroom and embrace the beauty and wonder of science on the green pastures of CHEP.
