Evolution Of Learning
Human beings have always been seekers of knowledge. When we discover something new we share it with others and move ahead for the next achievement. This is Evolution.
We will now talk about building Indian schools. future. When we talk about a school – the basic concept will always be the same – the student, teacher and classroom – to renovate this to enhance the changes of the world today is challenging.
Technology today is an empowerment and to use this for the learning process is the change which is happening today. Indian schools of the future need to focus on teaching basic skills combining problem solving creative routes for all the students. The goal is to learn through different kinds of resources that real life offers.
We talk about the purpose of schools today and tomorrow – to develop citizens and humans beings, to inculcate social and moral responsibilities, personal growth and self improvement and lastly occupational preparation.
Way back it was, and today and tomorrow it will always be the same.
Now, we look into the new skills to be acquired in terms of comprehension, communication and computing. Reading, is a complex, cognitive process, it is a means of language acquisition, communication and sharing information and ideas. Reading is a very creative art form of a student’s learning process. The school and the parents too need to join hands to help students develop this positive habit.
Communication skills include reading, writing and listening.
Good communication skills build confidence in a student to step up and speak. In today’s modern world, a student’s speaking skills serve as the corner stone for any programme preparing young people. These skills should start with the collaborative efforts of parents and the school to motivate students.
When we talk of computing skills – well, these are the basics in today’s tech savvy world – presentations, PPT’s for the students and in general gathering knowledge with the help of computers. Adaption of technology at an early stage will be helpful for an easy in flow of knowledge to the students.
Professor in Education, Sugata Mitra’s, ‘Hole In The Wall’ project demonstrates that even in the absence of any direct input from a teacher, an environment that stimulates curiosity can cause learning through self–instruction and peer shared knowledge. For all this, self organized learning environments have to be encouraged and brought forward by the teachers.
All these ideas, changes for the betterment of the school, students and parents need to be revisited by the parents.
All of these need to be collaborated with portfolios and project work.
Alternative assessments determine what students can and cannot do, in contrast to what they do or don’t know. These assessments help the students to demonstrate their ability, perform a meaningful task and receive feedback by a qualified person. All this focuses on the students’ performance and the quality of work performed by the students.
To conclude – change, an evolution is the essence of life and learning is an integral part of life. To prepare learners for the new world of work, the dynamics in the classrooms need to be more reflective of the real world. Interestingly, evolution is not only about bringing technological changes into the classroom but also about embracing the social shift – the way we think about and relate to the world and each other.