Opinion
Evolution of Learning Environments – How Educationists would build Indian School of Future Part 3
Read on for amazing insights into the vision of building the school of the future…
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We were keen to feature views of School Leaders and Educators on 'The Evolution of Learning Environments: Building the Indian School of the Future'. The excitement was palpable. Educationists across the country were preparing to gather at the ScooNews EdBrainstorm with Professor Sugata Mitra on April 2 in Mumbai. In preparation for this exercise to discuss the building the Indian School of the Future, ScooNews invited key delegates at the EdBrainstorm to share their vision on the Evolution of Learning Environments. The result was a smorgasbord of ideas and beliefs, a melange of thoughts and concepts, lively agreements and livelier arguments!
The complete story featured in our April 2018 issue, we are reproducing this online as a series of articles to make it comfortable and easier for our online readers, read the 3rd episode for some more amazing insights into the vision of building the school of the future…
Preparing the child holistically for the future world
Let me start with the definition of schooling. It started with Gurukul system of education in India, now we are in the British system which was established for the Industrial Revolution. According to me, school is the reflection of society. School should prepare the younger generation for the future. It is the platform to create leaders of the tomorrow. There are various goals of school in the society, who have their own vision to give education. In my experience, schools can be classified into three categories.
- Parent driven education.
- Teacher driven education.
- Student/child-driven education.
Parent-driven education:
In this category of schooling, parents are the focal point of any decision. The expectations of parent are taken utmost care and fulfilled. The school will decide their each and every part of the child based on the parents’ expectations and demands. This school performs based on the profile of the parents. For example, if parents demand only doctors, engineers, marks etc. then school will focus on marks and their success lies on marks, etc. School’s ultimate aim is to produce good marks irrespective of whether child has learnt and understood. On the other hand, if the parents’ expectations are different from normal expectations then outcomes can also be different. Running a school based on parent’s expectation is highly volatile and in the long term for the child, it is very divisive. Most of the schools in India – at least 70% to 80% – belong to this category.
Teacher-driven education:
In this category of schooling, teachers are the focal point of any decision. The expectations of teachers are taken utmost care of and they are the primary boss of the student. This system can be compared to the Gurukul where the teacher or guru has the say in every part of life of the child. In this system, the child will stay with guru/ teacher and guru will develop him holistically. This school will be successful based on the teacher. If the teacher is not up to the expected expectations then life of the child will be in danger. Boarding schools come into this category provided students stay with child and develop them holistically. This category constitutes only 10% of schools in the country. Over a period of time, this category of school is becoming extinct due to various factors of the modern world.
Student-driven education:
In this category of schooling, students are the focal point of any decision. The expectations of students are taken utmost care of and they are the boss of their own learning. This system is still in the primary incubating stage in India, due to various challenges. In this category of schooling, the focus is on preparing the child for the VUCA world (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity) and making them leaders of the world. These schools are otherwise known as 21st Century schools. A school with no classrooms, the child has the autonomy to choose what they like to study, stress-free learning environment, flexible assessments etc. The goal is learning that happens according to the pace of the child. Here the teacher is a mere facilitator for the child’s learning. The child is prepared holistically for the future world.
About the author:
Mohammed Azhar is the Principal, Knowledge Academy School, Chennai.
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