Opinion
Constant improvement is the only path for sustainability in learning throughout life
Learning happens in a continuum. Constant improvement is the only path for sustainability in learning throughout life and schooling years have the potential to lay an extremely strong foundation for the same.
Albert Einstein said, “Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think.” This statement has stood the test of times. It was true in the industrial revolution of the 20th century and even today when we are on the cusp of the 4th industrial revolution which is expected to change our lives and economies forever.
To succeed in such a world where the rate of change is increasing rapidly, students of today will have to develop into beings capable of constantly realigning themselves with the ever-emerging contours of the societies in the future. The economies of the future will require them to be at their creative best in finding solutions to the unique challenges they will continuously throw at them.
To equip our future generations with the wherewithal to shape the future, schools have to play an increasingly different role of ensuring that children not just acquire pre-determined skills and gain knowledge but also have the capacity to acquire new skills in the future. This is what we at The Infinity School call “Learning To Learn.” Right from early childhood, schools need to emphasize on the right mix of character-building, skill development, and knowledge delivery. These three dimensions of education would enable the students to lead successful and contended lives once they finish their formal education. Let me elaborate on each one of them:
Character Building: We need to guide students to identify their deeper purpose. Knowing one’s purpose of existence and acting on it leads to fulfillment and joy in life. It guides our plans and gives meaning to our actions. It anchors our goals amidst uncertainty and chaos. We need to also infuse in them a belief that they can achieve their purpose. This belief would remove their inertia in taking educated risks. Lastly, we also need to aid the development of a growth mindset so that whenever they underachieve, they try harder and not give up. The troika of purpose, belief, and mindset are required to build a strong character.
Skill Development: Independent & structured thinking skills; creative and critical thinking skills; comprehension & communication skills; reasoning, research & analytical skills; self-management; and socio-emotional skills are the foundational skills that we need to develop in the students. These skills will enable our future leaders to create new knowledge as and when the fast-changing world demands of them.
Knowledge Delivery: Classrooms need to move away from teaching to facilitating learning. Teachers need to invest in student relationships, expect more from their students, provide them the right balance of challenge and support, give students enough opportunities for deliberate practice, lead them to learn from their mistakes and finally provide individual feedback on areas of improvement for everything that they do.
Learning happens in a continuum. Constant improvement is the only path for sustainability in learning throughout life and schooling years have the potential to lay an extremely strong foundation for the same.
About the author:
Harinder Chhabra is Director, The Infinity School, Noida.
