Learning grounds of the future

Future classrooms must be radically different in order to become relevant for new age-education for, technology will be at the centre of this metamorphosis

January 20, 2019 05:00 pm | Updated 05:00 pm IST

Centres of learning  Radically different.

Centres of learning Radically different.

When our parents recall their school days, they make no big deal about a makeshift class under a tree. They were used to jotting down notes from the blackboard on which teachers would write, using dusty chalk. With time, chalk and duster were replaced with touchscreens, audio visual facilities, and, the era of digital learning started. However, the journey will be much more exciting in the next decade. Here are five things that will be drastically different, in future classrooms:

Question papers and answer sheets: We have already seen some tests being conducted online. However, as technology becomes more accessible and affordable, it will largely replace pen-and-paper-based tests. The rational is simple — online tests need lesser logistical arrangements, can be customised for different batches, and evaluated quickly and accurately using artificial intelligence and algorithms. Imagine the time saved by future high school and class XII aspirants when they receive their board exam results within a week, thanks to online exams. Students can plan the course of their career and do not have to spend months in speculation.

Practice books: Practice makes perfect, a well-known fact. Technology will change the way students practice. For instance, Avocado, an app, enables students to practice questions from math and science. Using Avocado, student can get customised practice tests, detailed explanation for answers, and review their results, with just a few taps. What make a digital platform for practice like Avocado unique is the insights based on test results over a period of time. This helps students understand areas which require intervention from their teacher or parents.

Computer labs: Once upon a time, computers were a rarity for Indian students. The weekly computer lab class was their chance to touch, feel, and see this magic box. However, this is no more the case. With digital revolution, most middle-class families can afford a personal computer. Moreover, about 337 million smartphones make India, the world’s second largest smartphone-equipped population. Over the next five years, smartphones and tablets will completely transform the look and feel of computer labs in schools. These labs will follow the bring-your-own-device and do-it-yourself approach. Meanwhile, teachers can take on the role of mentors.

There will be many innovations that trigger self-learning in computer labs. For example, Cubetto is a friendly wooden robot that can teach early learners the basics of computer programming, through adventure and hands-on play. The Cubetto Playset consists of a friendly robot made of hard-wearing wood, a physical programming board, and a set of colourful coding blocks that make up a programming language you can touch.

Textbooks: Typically, textbooks are written under the assumption that ‘one-size-fits-all’. The need of the hour is to customise the learning journey for every student based on speed, understanding, and interests. E-books can fill this much needed gap. Powered by virtual learning, artificial intelligence, and machine learning, e-books are well suited for supplementing conventional textbooks. Students also appreciate the interactive nature of E-books. Having said that, textbooks are and will remain an important part of the education system, but there will be an amalgamation of both textbooks and e-books.

Benches and desks: The neat rows of benches are meant to seat students in a way that they focus on the teacher delivering a lecture and demonstrating concepts, on the board. But this approach will soon become obsolete. Future classrooms will have flexible seating arrangement suited for the task that students are working on. The design will also consider students’ comfort. Standing desks for those who find it hard to focus while sitting, accommodation for the physically-challenged, collaborative stations for group activities, and moving walls to make the space more adaptable, are some classroom design innovations that will become the new normal.

The writer is co-founder and managing director, Eupheus Learning

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