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Leading Educators debate Future trends in teaching and learning at BCG School Leaders Convention
On January 12-13 Bombay Cambridge Gurukul hosted the ‘BCG School Leaders Convention 2018’ led by Chief Development Officer Savita Venkat.
Photo: Panel Discussion: How AI and online learning tools are reshaping education forever.
L-R: Suchindra Kumar, Ernst and Young, Siddharth Shahani, ISDI/ISME, Bharati Thakore, New Millennium Education Partners, Abhinav Agarwal, Fluid AI and Vipul Redey, Khan Academy
On January 12-13 Bombay Cambridge Gurukul hosted the ‘BCG School Leaders Convention 2018’ led by Chief Development Officer Savita Venkat. Acknowledging the growing significance of social and digital media and the consequent dramatic changes taking place in the nature of classrooms, along with the impact of artificial intelligence, a galaxy of educationists and researchers discussed and debated the implications for educators and institutions for equipping themselves to respond to the new trends in teaching and learning.
The inaugural speaker at this high-caliber event was erudite scholar and author Sudheendra Kulkarni, Chairman Observer Research Foundation who spoke on ‘Leading India’s Schools into the Future’ emphasized the important responsibility of schools in current times , in developing amongst students and teachers a liberal bent of mind, religious harmony and respect for differences to build a peaceful society, citing the ideals of the 800 year-old Cambridge University and teachings of Swami Vivekananda.
Sudheendra Kulkarni, Observer Research Foundation Key Note Speaker on Leading India’s schools into the future with Mrs Savita Venkat, Bombay Cambridge Gurukul
Vipul Redey, Head, School Enablement, Khan Academy shed light on the question of how artificial intelligence and online learning tools are reshaping education and discussing the role of teachers with Bharati Thakore, Founder and CEO New Millennium Education Partners, Redey busted doomsday prophecies of teachers being replaced by robots. Technology will take the grunge work off the table for teachers and has the ability to aid teachers in personalizing their teaching according to students individual talents.
Citing Stanford professor of Psychology Dr Carol Dweck’s theory of the Growth Mindset panelists including Abhinav Aggarwal CEO & Founder Fluid AI and Suchinder Kumar, Ernst & Young pointed out that the teacher’s role would be to help shift fixed attitudes and habits of learners towards the growth mindset by guiding them to ask the right questions leading to successful endeavour rather then merely imparting information. Siddharth Shahani, Indian School of Design and Innovation brought out the benefits of technology for both students and teachers to upskill and keep an open mind in preparing for the new developments such as Internet of things, coding, 3 D printing, Augmented reality (AR) and AI and creative thinking on how to “ make” things.
Ruchira Ghosh, Cambridge Assessments International and Shailesh Shirali, Krishnamurti Foundation brought out the need among both teachers and learners for introspection, listening skills, self awareness and feeling inspired to inspire. Shekhar Bhattacharjee, Founder, Great Place to Study informed the audience on the importance for schools to track students satisfaction and their happiness quotient. Aditya Patil, CEO, Ascend International School debated how schools can be made fit to face the 21st century with Avnita Bir,Director, RN Podar School, Bipin Bhadran,Director, EDA, and other educationists who felt that schools would need to adapt their classrooms to the new trends of collaborative peer to peer learning and teachers would need to design blended online and offline learning methods.
Dr. Sumer Singh former principal of Lawrence Sanawar and The Daly College, Indore speaking on Raising inspiring leaders and citizens of tomorrow outlined from his own experience as a student of the Doon School Dehradun, the vision and accomplishment of that school, one of the greatest institutions in our country that has spawned great leaders across many fields.