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EdBrainstorm: Indian School of the Future, this April. Let the change begin!
Educators, save the date! Come April 2018, we will combine forces to ideate, envisage and help create the Indian School of the Future (iSoF).
Educators, save the date! Come April 2018, we will combine forces to ideate, envisage and help create the Indian School of the Future (iSoF).
Schools have looked and worked the same way since the past 100 years or more. There might be more technology in the classroom now but the basic premise is the same – rows of desks with students and a teacher standing at the front.
I think of what every student needs to know, and it probably ends at about third or fourth grade in terms of our traditional curriculum. From there… We would help kids pursue their passions… We would help them follow things that they are really interested in learning about and really go in depth and go crazy on it ~ Karl Fisch
While there will always be students whose goals and educational needs are best met through a more traditional educational model,it is increasingly felt that the current education system and assessment models constrain ambition and the pursuit of passion, and that school limits students’ understanding of the realities of the world.
The harsh truth is, education needs to change right now. Technology and expanded knowledge of the learning process have already resulted in a metamorphosis of the classroom and of teaching methods. However, education is yet to focus on skills development, entrepreneurship and growth, hacking beyond the current curriculum which concentrates on jobs, employability and rote learning.
In order to crank the engine of change, ScooNews announces EdBrainstorm: The Indian School of the Future (iSoF). Progressive educators will come together to discuss two key issues and emerge with answers and solutions:
· What should the Indian School of the Future look like to improve the learning environment for our children?
· How will we build this Indian School of the Future?
We also believe that several solutions and innovations already exist, which must be showcased and integrated in a model school construct which can be replicated worldwide to solve the issue of quality education, equity and excellence. The Indian School of the Future must focus on the teaching of basic skills combined with creative problem-solving and respect for individual values as well as diversity. And it is to build this iSoF, that all stakeholders must come together to construct a practical framework.
According to Professor Sugata Mitra, “You don’t need a ‘just-in-case’ education. Why were you taught Trigonometry? Just in case you were stuck on a ship going nowhere. First of all, you know you’re never going to be stuck on a ship going nowhere. And secondly, even if you were, you could figure it out. You can type into your phone ‘Teach me some Trigonometry’ and it will teach you in 10 minutes. So the shift is from ‘just in case’ to ‘just in time’.”
EdBrainstorm: Indian School of the Future is an initiative by ScooNews to collate, validate and disseminate existing and new ideas for a progressive model of future schools, and to predict and document implementations needed. This will be the school that is efficient, effective, and equal to the challenges of the 21st century.
The right mix of technology, culture and pedagogy that will optimize the true impact of education on a student’s learning outcomes and life path… The scaling up of ICT and open educational resources (OER) in all learning contexts… The need for teachers to update their own skills through regular training… The incorporation of world-class vocational education and training systems into this model… These are some of the topics that will be pondered, debated and validated.
You see, we’ll never be able to compete in the 21st century unless we have an education system that doesn’t quit on children, an education system that raises standards, an education that makes sure there’s excellence in every classroom. ~ George W. Bush, 43rd President of U.S.A.
For change to happen, a partnership approach is critical. Both public and private participation and funding are necessary to boost innovation and increase cross-fertilisation of ideas and ideologies between academia and business. ScooNews will share the framework and implementation guidelines which are derived as a result of EdBrainstorm: iSoF for the use of interested schools as a Toolkit under the Open Source license.
On the cusp of the New Year, change beckons. A change we can bring about together. Let’s do it!
EdBrainstorm: Indian School of the Future, this April. Let the change begin!
PS: You can register your interest at http://www.edbrainstorm.com/