FUTURE READY SCHOOLS
Introduction
Technology has brought about a quantum
change in the way people think, perceive and live. In the twenty first century
most of the activities of our everyday lives are centred on the computer.
Technology has invaded every aspect of our lives. The computer or the lap top
is a must in every house hold and every establishment and is considered to be a
pre requisite to improve the quality of life of the modern man. The pace of
life has also changed tremendously. We are grappling with the age of speed.
Methods and techniques which are considered new today may be considered
outdated tomorrow. Technology has eliminated distance so that we are all
citizens of a global village now. ‘Narrow domestic walls’ may have relevance today
but may not be the case in future. The younger generation may need skills and competence
to adapt to world conditions and should
stay ahead of the changes taking place in the world if it does not want to be left
behind. Under these circumstances, future ready schools which impart training
and skills suitable for the twenty first century will help the students adapt themselves
to the modern situation.
The schools of the
past, the present and the future
Most of the schools in India
still have the traditional-model classroom with a black board and benches and
desks arranged in front of it for the students to sit. The teacher stands in
front of the class, lecturing and illustrating with the help of the black board
and chalk. Traditional methods of teaching and learning cannot ensure the
participation of every student. In a class of forty, if thirty are attentive,
at least ten may be distracted, uninterested or bored. Besides, much depends upon
the teacher. A lively, active teacher with a sense of humour may be able to
capture the attention of most of the students but all teachers may not be
equally good and competent. Lack of good communication skills, lack of
knowledge, inadequate voice modulation and lack of resources may hamper
teaching, rendering the class monotonous and boring. The student may feel
disoriented and distracted, paving the way for poor performance in the exam and
poor self esteem in life. Besides, the exam system of the day is geared to test the student’s capacity to mug
up lessons. In the absence of application type questions, the student who
spends long hours to memorize lessons is found to fare well in exams while his
counterpart who is adept at applying his knowledge to practical life situations
may not score well. We know from the example of Albert Einstein that brain
power cannot be measured by the way a person memorizes lessons.
New times call for new methods. The
current model of education was designed for an age that has passed by. What was
good for the past may not be good enough for the future. Of course school life
has much that is nostalgic and endearing for most of us. The pleasure of learning ,enhanced by the bonding with the teachers, the loyalty of
friends and the thrill of competitions are
aspects of school life which every student cherishes for life. But apart from
these positive characteristics, the student of the new age also needs education
that prepares him to face the challenges of the modern age in terms of its
working conditions, competitive nature, fulfilment of targets, time bound
deadlines etc. The thinking individuals
of the world have understood the need to make the younger generation ready to
face the challenges of the world. That is why we have future ready schools
functioning in different parts of the world and growing in popularity rapidly as
the days go by. That is why this topic has come up for discussion and debate
today.
The present age is
fuelled by innovation and creativity. Everywhere technology is modifying our
way of thinking. In railway stations and bus stands, we check the schedules and
book tickets on line. We do e- banking and on line shopping. Accordingly the education practices also
should change to cater to the needs of the times. The modern school of the
twenty first century should sport a new look with technology holding centre
stage and techno savvy teachers and students transforming the teaching-
learning process. Every classroom should have a computer, projector and LCD screen,MP3
player and such other gadgets which can make teaching and learning easier and
more interesting. There are new age schools which have gone to the extent of
procuring i pads, i pods and e books for the students to work with. While in India ,
we have banned mobile phones in many schools, we should realize how much more
advanced the students in other countries are bound to be when they get
opportunities to use modern gadgets on a daily basis in their schools. It is
imperative for us to create a new digital learning environment using new learning
methods and assessment methods so as to bring about an organizational
transformation in our schools.
Such a sea
change cannot take place over night. It should take place in a phased manner.
Teachers should be trained to handle technology and also innovate new methods
to incorporate technology into their teaching. Trainers and technology experts
should be employed to assist the teachers in their work. Training sessions
should be organized to keep the teachers up to date in technology use and in
the methodology of disseminating knowledge.
It should be
kept in mind that there is bound to be resistance to the introduction of
technology on a daily basis in the school environment at least from some
quarters. Parents and teachers are bound to be apprehensive of the misuse and
abuse of modern gadgets by the youngsters. The young mind looks for pleasure
first. There is a chance for the explosion of technical know how to be misused.
It was the misuse of electronic gadgets by a few students that forced some
schools and the government to ban the use of mobiles and other electronic
gadgets in schools. So there should be constant supervision and alertness on
the part of the teacher to ensure that the exposure to sophisticated gadgets is
not misused by the students.
Future Ready Schools
of the world
v
A search for Future Ready Schools in the search
engine Google brought some interesting news about the mind boggling
transformation taking place in the schools in some parts of the world .Coppell New
Tech High School , Texas
( Ref: Student Centred Schools, Future
Ready Schools- Amazon S3)
v
Cynthia Alaniz of Denton
Creek Elementary School Student Centred
Schools
v
The guiding mission of North Carolina State
Board of Education is that every Public School student will graduate from high
school, globally competitive for work and post secondary education and prepared
for life in the 21st century.( Ref: Biennial Report, State Board of
Education, North Carolina)
The right ground for
learning
It is clear that
when children are given a chance to apply knowledge and use technology to
create and innovate, interest is kindled and excitement is generated. This is
the right ground for learning to take place. In such a context, learning will
not be something thrust upon the student but something that he takes up because
he finds it interesting and exciting. For such a transformation to take place,
we need immense resources. We need good teachers who are willing to work hard ,
take up new challenges and learn new methods. Learning will be more
personalized and the student has to take up the responsibility for his own
learning.
The CBSE initiative
It is heartening to see that the CBSE has taken the
initiative to bring about many reforms and improvement in the system of
education. There is constant revision in the syllabus to ensure that the
students are kept in touch with the latest issues and trends prevailing in the world. The CCE
system, work centred education,
introduction of long reading text to inculcate reading habit, PSA ,
deletion of chapters which have no relevance to the modern context,
competitions and exhibitions are some of the methods by which CBSE is keeping
abreast of the times. The emphasis on gender sensitization goes to prove that
the powers that be are aware of the key areas in society which lie steeped in
dogma and bias. Accreditation is introduced to ensure quality in the schools
affiliated to CBSE. The establishment of International schools will ensure
international standards in education.
Yet there is much
more to be done. The Indian society has many grey areas which need complete
renovation. The caste system that plagues our society is one of the major
reasons for its backwardness. However much we progress and modernise our
system, vast sections of our society lie submerged in age old practices that
speak volumes for our ignorance, prejudices and narrow mindedness. It is the
duty of the educationists to bring about reforms that can produce winds of
change in society. While we boast of being a secular state how far do we
practise secularism? Even though the reservation system had started for a good
cause, it is high time to put an end to this evil practice that is splitting
our society and people into different segments and compartments. Our leaders and netas nurture separatist
tendencies that divide society, merely for personal gains. It is the duty of
the educational reformers to take bold strides and put an end to practices that
are pulling the nation backwards. How can we envisage a global village when in
our own country we are erecting walls rather than demolishing them? More than
modern gadgets and sophisticated machinery, reforms to bring about a change in
the vision of the people should be the priority of the future ready schools in
our country.
Conclusion- The dream of a perfect world.
Just like
Martin Luther King, I too have a dream. I have a dream in which every Indian
will stand shoulder to shoulder with his/her counterparts in the world to find
solutions to the problems that plague the world. I have a dream in which the
Indian society , devoid of superstition, dogma and bias will be one of the
finest work places in the world. I have a dream in which the application forms
for admission and jobs do not contain columns that state community, caste or
creed. In my dream, the leaders , educationists and scientists will work with
‘one aim and one business’ for the betterment of the society. In my dream, the
world leaders will put their hearts and heads together to find solutions to
pollution and global warming rather than
to devise ways to enlarge the weapon stockpiles of their nations.
If all our dreams
are to come true, we need intellectuals who can rise above silly dogma and
stigma and work for the common good. We need future ready schools in the Indian
context which can mould individuals with civic sense and social responsibility.
Sophisticated gadgets and new age techniques alone cannot guarantee quality in
the future generation. We need a mechanism which can weed out all these evil
practices and modernise our society . Let our younger generation grow up
without the bias of caste and creed. Let our future ready schools carve out
youngsters who are willing to utilize their time and energy to renovate and
reform society. At present we have
political parties that are waiting to organize rallies and hartals whether
there is a cause or not. They strike work and force educational institutions to
shut down, abusing the powerful tool
invented by our Mahatma to win freedom by non violent means. Apart from
the havoc caused by nature which force
schools to close, we have such man made disasters preventing our younger generation
from doing honest hard work and transforming them into a pack of holiday lovers
willing to shirk work. A powerful educational body alone can extricate the
present generation from the clutches of such harmful elements. Instead of rallies,
bandhs and strikes, let our younger generation practise the ideals of hard
work, commitment and dedication to make our country a better place to live in.
Let our future ready schools mould not only scientists and engineers but also
leaders and statesmen with vision who can lift the country up from the abyss of
poverty , superstition and communalism and lead it forward to a bright future. Let
us hope that the young Indians of tomorrow will have the pleasure of
living in a modern society where they can use modern equipment to imbibe knowledge the
modern way. Into that modern heaven of learning, let my country awake..
-Shailaja Chandran, Vice Principal, St.
Thomas Central School Trivandrum
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