Understanding the global shift in education
K. A. MARTIN
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There is a global shift in emphasis towards building capacity than delivering content in school education, says Central Board of Secondary Education chairman Ashok Ganguly.
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Photo: vipin chandran
Making a point: Ashok Ganguly, chairman, CBSE.
Surrounded by so many ‘adult fielders’, how can the child bat, score runs and enjoy the game, asks Ashok Ganguly, chairman of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), in his presentation on the shift in education from ‘instructionism’ to ‘constructivism.’
There is so much pressure of expectations on the child, he says, presenting a cartoon where a child with a bat in hand before a wicket is surrounded by parents and teachers, among others, as the ‘adult fielders’.
He was speaking at the inauguration of the induction course for the principals of newly-affiliated schools at Chinmaya Vidyalaya, Vaduthala, in Kochi recently.
At the social level, “unrealistic and premature” ambitions of parents and other adults stifle creativity and curiosity of the child. There is also a lot of hype about examinations, top scores, entrance tests, careers and coaching that confound the child. And, at the school level, “curriculum transaction is predominantly information-oriented and memory-based.”
The situation calls for “reinventing school education.”
And it has to begin at schools and the concept of schooling is undergoing a great transformation with the focus shifting to content, people, process and technology.
The global shift in school education is from delivering content to building capacity where “learning to learn” is more important than content delivery. This leads to learner autonomy and creates anywhere, anytime and life-time learning.
On another front, there is a shift from standalone institutions to value-adding networks where schools work closely with parents, with the community and other schools. This networking leads to value-addition and enrichment of curriculum design and curriculum transaction. He warns that students would bypass a school if it does not add value to learning.
There is also the shift from top-down, prescriptive model of curriculum to constructive, non-linear approach where teachers are encouraged to enrich the curriculum by going beyond the prescribed textbooks.
A shift is also taking place from standard operating procedures to creative adaptations, from MOTS – Most Of The Same, to HOTS – Higher Order Thinking Skills, and continuous improvement in all aspects of schooling.
Current practice
The current practice of ‘instructionism’ leads to confining learning to prescribed texts and to considering course materials as disconnected bits of knowledge. As a result, knowledge is considered static and learners are unable to relate new knowledge to what they already know.
In place of this, the child should be brought to the centre of the learning process.
Respect the learner as nobody is a ‘clean slate’ or an ‘empty vessel’ that needs to be filled. De-emphasise memorisation. Encourage thinking, understanding, exploration, problem-solving and creativity.
The shift in focus in education calls for redefining the role of the teacher from a ‘giver’ or ‘instructor’ to ‘facilitator’ and ‘co-learner’. And, the “productive pedagogy” involves the teacher facilitating the learners to reflect, analyse and interpret in the process of knowledge construction.
Questions assume great significant as questioning is basic to all learning and a non-questioning mind is sterile. And he asks, “Can we allot some marks in our tests to questioning skills?”
New concept
The new curriculum and the new National Council for Educational Research and Training textbooks are written based on this approach and schools should encourage teachers to acquaint themselves with these concepts and pedagogy through workshops and discussions, he adds.
The CBSE has provided several facilities to help teachers follow constructivist approach in the classroom including mathematics laboratory, learning and doing in science (Class VI) and now in Class VII, alternatives to home-works, communicative approach in language and school-based internal assessment in social science, mathematics and science at the secondary stage.
He ended his presentation with a call to make children take responsibility for their own continuous, life-long learning.
“Focus on the process, take risks, end the era of routines…,” he says.
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