SCHOOL ASSIGNMENTS The cyber café`s are busy these days printing out pictures and supplimenting information to be presented ,as school assignments, Whether the students really learn and teachers go through them is a moot question. Anyway a new business activity seems to be flourishing to meet the requirements, Both teachers and students are happy to have participated in this annual ritual, called assignments. Marks are allotted to this activity, whether it is done by the student or someone else. It is a common site that parents are sweating with the completion of unrealistic assignments sometimes with no source materials made avaiable in the school library
The purpose is self learning by the students. refer to books and other sources, summarise, illustrate and be self dependent in the learning process. The teacher with limited time and compulsions cannot give a wider, broader knowledge on all aspects of the topic. These assignments need to be planned well in advance , possibly at the beginning of the academic year, so that there is no crowding of work in the end of the year, both for evaluation and satisfactory completion .. The topics may be related to school matter or student be given choice to choose their own topic of interest or an application, practical device.,on related topics, under guidance and supervision. The difficulties that are likely to be encountered need to be foreseen and acted upon. The assignments must create interests and motivate self learning arousing their interest and curiosity.The assignments be divided one in each term, month wise for subjects .The teachers need to guide students about availability of reference books and the topics and pages be catalogued for easy access. It means that the educators themselves must be prepared in advance about the type of assignments to be given and the topics, It is the bound ant duty of the teachers to make available source material , augument in the school library or direct to specific sources in the village or municipal library, with which the teacher himself is well familiar with.Gathering information, compiling on some specific projects, etc in the vicinity could also be interesting and meaningful , Too often the assignments are written materials only, which may not lead to creativity and innovations The evaluation of assignments need to be done orally about the insight gained as a process, sources used as a reference, abilities of selecting, comprehension and reporting and most of all whether it is independent work of the student .Merely copying from internet does not meet the specific objective designed .Many a times the unrealistic, impractical assignments are homework for the parents, who are anxiously fretting about, trying to beat the deadlines to help their wards The best assignments could also be displayed as a part of exhibition of assignments in the schools Nelson Lopes, Chinchinim