Today’s public educational system was designed during the Industrial revolution (1750 to 1850) to cater to the needs of the Industry. Earlier people used to get educated in Jesuits; in the case of India, we had the “Gurukul” system. Sir Ken Robinson a great creativity expert has called for a revolution in education. He says there is no point in reforming a broken system but instead the current educational system needs to be transformed.
If we take the example of James Watt, Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell who invented steam engine, Bulb and telephone respectively have invented it out of their passion to find something new or their inquisitiveness to acquire more knowledge. Universities and colleges have been producing great research papers. Often times the lack of funding becomes a hindrance in a study carried out by academicians.
The scenario for research and development in India; has remained sub standard for a long time. The fact that, they have little or no support from the Industry is one of the reasons for it. This calls for a need to have an Industry – Academic relationship to enable better research. The Gap between the campus and the corporate could be bridged by using the Flip Educational Concept.
It’s called “flip teaching” and; “reverse teaching” or a “backwards classroom” (who knew?), and “reverse instruction.” Here’s how it’s happening, for real:
- Kids watch lectures and videos through an online medium
- Class is for hands-on work and face-to-face interaction with teacher/peers
So why has this method become such a booming topic in education?
Creating a Social Learning Network where students and teachers can collaborate would enable one to learn by themselves; rather than being taught a subject; which is of not his or her interest. This could be an ideal scenario to identify and nurture talent in diversified sectors.
The online platform will enable students/researchers to ask questions and solve problems with the teacher or fellow students – instead of just sitting compliantly and listening in a class room. Here the teacher can spend more time addressing specific questions and give personalized attention, rather than just the one-sided lecture. This will enable us to customize education basis the needs of an Individual. Focusing on niche talent and nurturing; would enable creation of great leaders for our future.
Authors Note: At Wipro we have something called www.wipro-campusarena.com which is a social Learning Network created to engage and enable learning for all our fresher hires. This blog is an outcome of real-time experience as well as the extract taken from Sir Ken Robinson’s speech on “Changing Paradigms”. You may visit www.sirkenrobinson.com to learn more on his ideas.