Competence-building is one of the biggest challenges facing education providers today. The need of the hour is to equip school-goers with the skills that will enable them to deal with the challenges of tomorrow, some of which may not even exist today! The world is making such rapid advances that the technology that is currently defined as cutting-edge may become redundant in a week’s time. In such a world, with myriad learning channels available to students, the major objective of education providers should be to make learning more meaningful, effective and interactive.
Third pillar The foundational pillars of a classroom are content and pedagogy. The third pillar strengthening the foundation today is technology. As the world has advanced technologically, teachers have the advantage of a variety of media through which they can deliver learning. The collaboration of technology in education has added a new dimension of interest in the classroom. Children today are digital natives, who can adapt to new technology and gadgets at mind-blowing speeds. The introduction of technology in education makes learning more interactive and interesting for young minds and also helps hone life skills that will be invaluable in a rapidly changing world.
Education has an inspirational value that cannot be underestimated. Parents, today, take greater interest in their child’s education than ever before. They want frequent updates on what is being taught in schools and how much their children have learnt. To keep pace with the growing demands of parents, many schools have started introducing innovative methods of educating students. There are ICT-enabled classrooms such as DigiClass, blending learning programmes such as ActiveTeach and integrated solutions such as MyPedia that enable schools to offer a perfect blend of traditional pedagogical approaches and cutting-edge technology in education.
Integrated learning The best educational systems worldwide focus on the process of delivering integrated learning. What we learn in a particular grade forms the base of some critical and complicated problem which we might face in the future. So, it is of utmost importance to ensure that the base is strong and concepts are understood thoroughly. This will enable learners to solve complex problems later with ease.
The primary goal of delivering integrated learning is to create a common platform where teachers, students and parents can connect. This is the best way to ensure that the day-to-day learning of an individual continues beyond classroom hours. By creating a common forum where teachers, students and parents can discuss matters related to the syllabus and classroom teaching, a solid ‘layer’ of concepts and skills can be developed and enhanced over time.
In today’s world, the need is to create a platform where the child’s performance can be analysed and assessed on the basis of his classroom activities. Such a platform should integrate textbooks, practice workbooks, digital resources and assessment reports to provide an in-depth analysis and the remedial measures that will help improve a child’s learning curve. The convergence of all the media for delivering quality education as well as the opening up of lines of communication between teachers, students and parents may well bring in some positive changes in the current education system, with the focus on developing learners to meet the challenges of tomorrow.
The writer is vice-president and business head, Inside Services, Pearson India.
