Great books summer program - STANFORD

How a summer at Stanford taught me to think differently …

By Ramya Chaturvedi

I never teach my pupils, I only provide the conditions in which they can learn.

 – Albert Einstein

As students, we are taught day-in and day-out about subjects such as languages, mathematics, science, social sciences and the arts. A large part of our schooling lives are filled with attending classes, listening to the teacher, taking down notes and solving tests (chasing marks!). This ‘oh so same’ mundane routine was broken for me when I attended the Great Books Summer Program at Stanford University this summer past.

I distinctly remember that day when I walked into my Stanford classroom, the atmosphere was so positive and lively. It was full of students from all over America and the world and I just loved being there. Professor’s Illan Stevens, Rob Reich and Noah Rosenblum helped break the ice by introducing themselves and giving each of us a chance to talk about who we were and where we came from. They were so friendly and made us feel comfortable and at ease before embarking on the ‘teaching’. Their teaching style was one that I rarely came across back in India. Everything was taught using what I later learnt to be called an ‘inquiry based mothodology’ and ‘The Socratic Method’. The Professor’s encouraged us to read a book every evening and in class the following morning we held discussions about the meaning of the written words in an energetic and open minded environment. Every point raised by a students or a teacher led to a buzzy discussion. Somehow magically, I felt completely in my zone and as if I was the part of every discussion - this style of learning really caught my attention.

As other students presented their honest thoughts and perspectives, I began appreciating how people think about different things, even when looking at the same thing. This experience dawned on me how their personalities, backgrounds and attitudes led them to say different things, even when we were talking about the same sentence. I also felt that having such open-minded discussions bought all of us together, as we lost our inhibitions and spoke our minds. It taught me that a good conversation is integral to having a good relationship. Interestingly, even though we were encouraged to talk all the time, I think the three weeks made me a better listener, than a better speaker!

GBSP has helped me evolve into a more confident person, someone who is more vocal about my ideas and is comfortable putting my thoughts ‘out there’ for others to discuss. I feel more chirpy, bubbly, smart, charismatic and energetic at school too! During my three weeks on the lovely Stanford campus, I felt that I graduated from the old-school spoon-fed student to someone who was happily applying their learning. The three weeks of discussion-oriented exercises completely changed my perspective towards schooling and perhaps even college life.

A piece of advice for Indians parents – ‘discuss more, teach less’