Can You Teach A Zebra Some Algebra? Quotes

“Learning is not about accumulation but about accommodation of knowledge. Learning is the art of creating space so that the learner can see the movement of knowledge in space and time. Knowledge of yesterday may not be relevant today. Knowledge of the past may not be relevant to the future. Knowledge used properly and appropriately, is learning. Knowledge should never be hoarded. It should rather be used like a disposable tissue. The movement of open source learning across the world today tells us that learning like love cannot be divided. Learning can only be multiplied and shared.”
― Debashis Chatterjee, Can You Teach A Zebra Some Algebra?

“Great teaching is the ability to distinguish between what can and needs to be explained and what cannot be explained. The working of a computer needs to be explained as it is made by the human mind. But a butterfly need not always be explained. A butterfly has to be seen with gleaming eyes of wonder as it is a natural expression of life and not of the mind. Great teaching is more like a craft than a technique. To evoke the curiosity in the learner, to care for the learner and to take the learner on a journey of discovery are some of the most critical elements of this craft.”
― Debashis Chatterjee, Can You Teach A Zebra Some Algebra?

“Our basic instinct is something that is innate to us. It is not something we pursue or learn. A bird does not learn to sing. A bird is instinctively ‘songful’. Similarly a human being does not have to learn to be joyful. We are instinctively joyful. The reason we do not experience joy is that we have learnt its exact opposite – to be sorrowful. Sorrow is mental suffering or pain caused by injury, loss of despair. While pain is physical, sorrow and misery are mental states. Sometimes pain cannot be avoided, however, sorrow can be unlearnt. This is simply because sorrow is not real, sorrow is a mental make-up.”
― Debashis Chatterjee, Can You Teach A Zebra Some Algebra?

“Expertise is about qualification and experience. Excellence is about quality of mind and awareness. Where expertise fails, the quest for excellence begins. Excellence often begins with examination of our own minds. Professional excellence is a result of developing a quality mind through constant awareness. Experts tend to think of themselves as those who have finally reached their goal. Those in pursuit of excellence are always beginners. Excellence is a journey without a finish line. It begins every day with a new awakening and a new insight that enriches the mind. Come, let’s begin!”
― Debashis Chatterjee, Can You Teach A Zebra Some Algebra?

“There is a difference between a learned man and a man of learning. A learned man is tied to the knowledge of the past. A man of learning is curious about the present. A learned man is bent over with dead wood of knowledge, like an aging tree. A man of learning is vibrant and inquisitive, like a green twig breaking out of the soil after the rains”
― Debashis Chatterjee, Can You Teach A Zebra Some Algebra?

“Technology does not create learning just as a hammer does not make a house. Technology simplifies or amplifies our learning capacity. A microscope enables us to see the micro world. A telescope helps us see the macro world. It is not the microscope or telescope that sees. The two instruments are just accessories for our eyes. It is we who see through our human capacity of visual perception. Too much obsession with technology is like trying to design a house with a hammer in hand.”
― Debashis Chatterjee, Can You Teach A Zebra Some Algebra?