The Kinetic Verticals Of Education

‘Education is not preparation of life it’s the life itself- John Dewy’

The world around us is changing at a much faster pace than anyone could have ever anticipated. With changing times, imparting education has become not only imperative, but also challenging in sundry ways. Teachers worldwide have been compelled to change their outlook towards  education Changing political, social-economic scenario across the globe has always influenced the way  education is imparted to young learners. The What, Why and How, have always been guided by such factors from time immemorial. From Macaulay’s time to the present era, education has always been the first to be looked into to meet the need of the times.

Troubled times across the world have ruthlessly revealed the flaws and limitations of the present education system and has forced educationists to think of ways to overcome them. It is universally accepted now that the age old practice of transmitting information cannot be the education that one should seek. Education has to be seen in a much broader perspective than just feeding young minds with information. With technological advancements and its invasion in all possible ways into people’s lives it’s important that this invader is used effectively to make the exercise of imparting education more meaningful. Most educationists have risen to the occasion and as designers of educational environments and learning spaces, have used technology and its easy accessibility to their advantage. Incorporation of ICT in education is a welcome change.

Times are uncertain and preparing children for such unforeseen times and unpredictable future requires utmost sincerity on the part of policy makers. Skill development, instilling ethical, moral and social values in learners will have significant impact on the very existence of life on the planet. Awareness of the interaction of elements of environment, self-discipline, respect for life in general and of the nature around, being sensible and sensitive of available resources, practicing equality with all fairness etc are now integral and essential part of education. Using technology to empower learners to face such challenges is therefore advocated. Education system should be designed to meet the needs of all students while challenging them to enhance existing skills, interests and understanding, as it is also important to meaningfully build in the new ones.  It`s imperative to restore and upgrade what is relevant and is advisable to abolish the ones which have lost their relevance. A dynamic learning environment is driven by change, activity and progress and the same should be brought in its true essence.

Shifting interest towards skill and character development and incorporation of artificial intelligence and ICT will have enduring impact on the outcome of teaching learning exercise and far more endearing one on the life of a pupil in general.

Climate change, growing population, overzealous exploitation of natural resources, the rush to look for alternative sources of energy and the vagaries and the after effect of experiments gone wrong has starkly revealed the inability of people to foresee the ill effects of misinformation and education bereaved of values and accountability.

All are the consequences of flawed education. No education is ever complete without instilling moral, ethical and social values into the learner. The emerging trend of dynamic learning proves how personalized, educational content has become, focusing on the needs of the learner, rather than the teacher. Embracing change and accepting individuality, incorporating technology in a way that one achieves the desired learning outcome i.e the successful transfer of knowledge and skill. Interaction and absolute engagement of learner in the endeavor, Intelligent use of multiple learning mediums, taking the focus away from marks and grades and focusing on to acquiring and upgrading skills. Personalized learning will set the student for success as it takes into account their strength and weaknesses into account.

Change in the approach of imparting education to young learners will pave way to greater stability, sanity and order to the present world.

‘Education is not just about going to school and getting a degree. It’s about widening your knowledge and absorbing the truth about life.’