KEEPING IT (EDUCATION) RELEVANT

CARL LAURIE
Principal, Christ Church School

Very often have I told my students, “Forgive us our trespasses”, as we are the generation that have failed you. The generation before us gave us the Mahatma, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela & Mother Teresa, it’s the generation that gave us the great Sir Donald Bradman, the ‘black pearl’, Pele, the humble Corporal, but a wizard on the hockey field, Dhyan Chand.

All or any of them would be the perfect role model for any youngster. But what are we as the present generation of teachers and parents offering the young to emulate? A degenerate political class, a flawed genius in Maradona, steroid-tainted athletes like Marion Jones and Ben Johnson, or the now infamous match-fixing scandal that rocked the cricketing world.

But I am optimistic that in spite of this the young today seem to be more mature and wiser to avoid the pitfalls of the previous generation, and to fearlessly express their opinion, and make their voices heard.

But for this to happen, school systems will have to change, not because they see the light at the end of the tunnel, but because they will feel the heat, from a generation that wants education to be relevant.

In the 20th Century it was education of the mind, but in the 21st Century it will be education of the heart, the salient features being, motivation, empathy, decision-making, inter-personal awareness and self-esteem. Besides these, some other 21st Century skills include technology and media literacy, effective communication, critical thinking, problem solving and collaboration.

Our schools today are not just about giving out mark-sheets, but helping the young fulfill their dreams and aspirations. Knowledge is the new currency in today’s global economy. Our schools today have to focus on developing the intellect, not just the mind, as the mindset of the learners is changing. They are not satisfied with only theoretical learning.

Their thinking and perception takes them beyond the curriculum. That’s why it’s important for teachers and parents to be life-long learners. Belinda Charles of the Academy of Principals, Singapore talks of ‘Many peaks of excellence’ for schools of the future, vis-à-vis, the earlier belief of efficient schools that spoke of a ‘single peak of excellence’.

For schools to be relevant the emphasis has to be on learning, not teaching. The efficiency model of the 20th century has given way to the ability model, and to keep pace with that there has to be a paradigm shift in the mindset of adults, as parents and teachers belong to the industrial age, while students are in the knowledge-age. The paradigm shift has to be from the analytical mode to the synthesizing mode, from scriptural to pictorial, from critical to empathic, from ego-centric to eco-centric. We have to step out of our comfort zone.

We are guilty of using only five percent of our brain for creative and constructive purposes, while 95% is blocked by our mindset.

Schools need to create an enabling environment that encourages innovation and enterprise to make learning enjoyable. A child spends more than half of his or her waking hours in school, and that too at the most impressionable stage of their life.

Since our actions as educationists affect the wider community, it is our moral and societal obligation to create this enabling environment, even if it entails ‘un-learning the old, and learning the new’.

Intel’s programme on Information and Computer Technology emphasizes the importance of ‘e-learning’. Most progressive schools in the country have a ratio of 25:1 with the use of computers, some with better resources have reached a stage of 5:1, but the aim should be 1:1.

Governments and Corporates should work to facilitate such aims, after all it’s for the training of future citizens and workforce of nations, and as the old saying goes “It takes a village to raise a child”.

We are moving gradually to project-based learning, but the aim must be student-centred learning. This will provide access to a world of information and encourage learning anywhere, anytime. This is turn improves analytical, collaboration and writing skills.

It reduces drop-outs and absenteeism. The off-shoot of knowledge creation is greater awareness, appreciation of other cultures, social responsibility and self-esteem. It’s a win-win situation for all stake-holders.

We need to change, and in a hurry, the world is advancing at the rate of knots. We need to give teaching a holiday and learning a priority. If our students don’t learn the way we teach, then we must teach the way they learn. As Bertrand Russell says; “You may have millions of reasons, but no excuses”.

To remain relevant we have to reinvent our schools, not because they are broken, but because they were designed for another era. It’s very easy for our students to move into the ‘default mode’, it’s so boring.

Children have unbelievable potential and energy. All that we need to provide as facilitators is guidance for the positive use of this energy and a canvas (enabling environment) for them to paint their own master-piece.