Where Virtual Will Trend..

A while ago, I had visited the Nehru Planetarium and I was enthralled with it. Yet again. It is amazing how every visit extends fresh perspectives --- one that you are sure you couldn’t have missed earlier! I fondly reminisce the visits with my children. Their small eyes would expand with wonder, especially during the ‘shows’. Why! Even adults gasp at the spectacular presentation. The audio-visuals are simply outstanding and take us on a realistic space tour. I would often wonder if there will ever come a time when we could utilise technology to transform the dreary walls of our classrooms and liberate students from the verbose texts they need to mug without being able to experience or understand the concept.

Well, at long last, with the dawn of the digital age we are surely moving a step towards that direction!  Virtual classrooms, virtual field trips are being increasingly encompassed within the curriculum framework. Virtual learning as an industry itself is booming and has significantly changed learning outcome metrics. Now, it isn’t to say that traditional classroom teaching is outdated; that is required too! Similarly, virtual learning has dawned with its own sets of benefits and challenges. In the long run though, most academicians believe without a doubt, that it is set to revolutionise the way quality education is disseminated and accessed by millions of students across the world, from schools to high schools and colleges.

Imagine sophisticated computer terminals streaming some of the most engaging and curated lessons, demarcated to suit every learner profile, mapped to suitable learning outcomes! A student could choose his course session and set the pace as he would like to! Likewise virtual field trips, which could take you inside volcanoes, or on the International Space Station or visit Anne Frank’s home or go to Antartica, are a reality now with an increasing number of American schools weaving this into the curriculum. In India, we have a long way of course, to really integrate technology into our curriculum for challenges in terms of resources, training and curriculum integration. However, many leading private schools have embarked on this journey, even if they remain a handful.

The benefits are enormous for students – sessions are more interactive, flexibly suited to learner profiles, enables more eclectic options for choosing electives, integrates children with learning or physical disabilities enabling inclusion and challenges learners through a medium they are instinctively inclined to use. Our biggest challenge though will be to integrate the public education system and with it the thousands of government schools, which will stand to benefit magnanimously in terms of quality education being disseminated, cost effectively. However, we need governments to realise the importance of investing in the vision from the primary level, along with the will and intent to committing to it.

Quality education continues to be an elusive, aspirational term since Independence for over 90% schools and the millions of students that study in the country. Virtual classrooms give us that ideal platform to get all the students on a single page, giving them the reigns to proceed through the session at a pace comfortable to them. Yes, there will be challenges in terms of curriculum rehaul, developing the new-role of session facilitators vs. teachers, resources in setting up infrastructure and training, calibration of learning outcomes and alignment of vision with curriculum dissemination. However the benefits make it worth wading through some initial choppiness for our children, who will take to this like fish to water; it’s the mindset change among the education community, parents and the government that needs a paradigm shift.

Reflecting What We Choose to Reflect

There is hardly any school event that matches the splendour of annual concerts for the multitude of emotions it evokes. In both - parents and academicians. . It is difficult to articulate the feeling of getting to watch each one of your students work as a team while expressing themselves individually on the stage. It is also an immensely proud moment experiencing the moments crafted tirelessly by your teams with the minutest of planning and attention to detail. To watch your teachers and students transform magically into directors, choreographers, light & sound technicians, videographers, digital engineers, script and dialogue writers AND turning an auditorium lobby into a business studies zone with marketing, branding & accounting and so on..

 I was enraptured by the performances put up by my students of Billabong High International School (BHIS) Santacruz recently. This year’s theme was ‘Reflections’. It entailed the journey of the story’s protagonist, an extraordinary boy Johnny, who is thrown head first into a land he has no desire to be. Johnny is one of a kind but doesn’t realise his potential. He is plagued by his insecurities and doesn’t believe in himself even though other characters in the play consider him as their saviour. He encounters the story’s antagonist the wicked witch Elphaba who feeds on negativity and fear and uses Johnny’s negative opinion of himself as the source of her power. At the end, we reflect the essence of a true ‘hero’ – how actions and intent override physical strength as the pre-requisite.

I believe this story has a powerful message. Its theme presupposes empathy and understanding of people and events in their life, which lies at the core of great performances impacting them not only as a person but also preparing them for the real world tomorrow. 

Undoubtedly, the paradigm shift in skills required for the success in 21st century warrants a change in how we educators, facilitate learning. We strive to provide a stimulating culture to our children; aspiring to foster a sense of reasoning, a desire to learn, grow & evolve. We must acknowledge though that while as educators and parents we remain the facilitators, ultimately it is children who are the makers of their own lives.

We need to have them believe in themselves right from when they are children. And at time it may also mean believing in them first before they get to believe in themselves. However, it wouldn’t mean pushing one to be a replica of the other. We need to understand what our child loves, what he is all about. Both parents and educators,  we accept all their little individualities, the embarrassments, and all the wonderful and magnificent things they do so well and a few that they may not do so well, accepting the whole package of our children with love - Unconditionally.

It isn’t just about academics or topping an exam, it is the values we exhibit and that they derive from. We have a huge responsibility as academia, as parents, as policy makers. We need to be at par – ideologically, purposefully - to be an indomitable community. The main pillar of this community being Inclusion. One that safeguards the interests and future of every child regardless of the community s/he may belong to. That each child believes in self and is able to charter his/her course even if he may have to challenge a few status-quos. So that through strife, we progress much further than we would have. So that we create, share, live fearlessly with joy. So that no negative forces may derive power from the insecurities of a young mind, battered by societal inadequacies and inequalities and use it as ammunition to burn any university,  community, society or nation.

It will do much good if we take some time to reflect upon what and how we choose to reflect what defines us – our ideology, our values, our actions, our intent – to the world around us.

Celebrating Vis-à-Vis ‘Tolerating’ Differences

It isn’t every day that you have the honour of watching your students marching in a republic day parade alongside 4000 other students from 25 city schools in the esteemed presence of a Vice Admiral, Commanding Officer and  other high ranking officials from the Indian Army, Navy and the AirForce;  And that is the reason this Republic Day shall remain one of my most spectacular experiences as a Principal and an Educator. One hundred students from grade 3 to 9 of Billabong High International School (BHIS), Santacruz marched from Bandstand towards Taj Lands End at 7 a.m. The entire parade was cheered on by parents, teachers and onlookers; the atmosphere, rife with patriotic fervour reminiscent of the Delhi Republic Day parade. (Read more here)

The entire concept captivated me when it was first presented by BIRD (Brihanmumbai Inter-school Republic Day) Committee, which has been organising the parade since the past two years. This year, the floats made by schools, represented the Indian culture, Unity In diversity, Save the Environment, Make in India theme and Compassion towards Animals. There were spectacular displays of Fire Brigade equipment, Natural Disaster Response Force Equipment and kiosks with Defence artillery. It was the first time that BHIS had participated. Singling out any particular standout moment will be difficult but I was mesmerised with the display of missiles by air defence unit of army, the fire brigade display, truck floats which carried messages of animals and habitats and not being cruel to animal. There were horse riders, cyclists, marchers, bands and cultural float teams spreading eco-friendly messages as a synchronised team. Stalls from army, navy, air forces, were set up to showcase armed forces of the country.

Along with army and other series the NCC boys and girls inspired our students. For the first time, they were reviewed by a 3 star admiral. They went to INS Hamla for watching their parade, arranged by the BIRD committee to inspire them and one man, the convenor, Mr. Peter D'souza, needs a special mention, who was tireless and on the move, bringing this mammoth event its grand finale! Our students had one of the most enriching experiences with the long marching practices by Army (NCC wing) officers collaborating with other school children from 24 schools and playing the band. We showcased unity in diversity through our cultural float. Varied dance forms from diverse regions of the wonderful kaleidoscope of colours that is India were showcased with fusion of Kashmiri, Marathi, Punjabi, Rajasthani, Manipuri, Bengali and Mohini Aattam dances, culminating in joyous tribute to motherland.

The objective of this parade was to create a sense of patriotism amongst all students and to create an awareness of our Armed Forces, the ultimate protectors of our Nation.

This year’s focus was also on being resolute citizens standing up to evil forces that intend to disrupt the progress and peace of our country. 

The theme of the parade was aptly coined ‘Proud to be an awakened Indian’. Never before has it been so imperative to stress the importance of being an ‘awakened citizen’. To acknowledge our shortfalls, work together at resolving them and to strive together in raising a generation that celebrates differences as much as it tolerates them! That is when we will truly bring about Unity in Diversity – when each is groomed to lead conscientiously across communities. We need to start young and use as many such opportunities to celebrate aberrations, our peculiarities to not only give the confidence to our youth to stay true to themselves but also reciprocate empathetically when they go on to lead in the future.

NEARLY ALL MEN CAN STAND ADVERSITY, BUT IF YOU WANT TO TEST A MAN"S CHARACTER, GIVE HIM POWER - Abraham Lincoln

Poaching Lives in Coaching Factories!

Year's end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us.

~ Hal Borland

Couldn’t find a better way of summating my thoughts for the beginning of 2016. Especially, when 2015 ended with an unfortunate lesson that we refuse to learn as a society. The suicide of a 14-year old boy Bhanu Singh just days before the year ended, the thirtieth such in Kota, known as the coaching hub for aspirational students pursuing engineering and medicine, highlights the shocking apathy that society has come to accepting this as a norm. As per reports, he was the third such student to commit suicide over just seven days in Kota – where annually over 1.25 lakh students join coaching institutes with dreams of cracking highly competitive entrance tests.

Dreams, that are rarely one’s own and often borrowed through societal validation or at its worst, thrust upon as per familial legacy or perhaps as an inheritance of aborted parental aspirations. I wonder what Bhanu’s dreams were that got plundered amid the gruelling high-pressured environment. But it doesn’t matter now, does it? In all probability his parents too didn’t know or understand. It isn’t surprising when reports paint a picture of shell shocked parents who couldn’t believe that their child would take such a drastic step. And yet, there are such incidences by the dime. Unsurprisingly.

Three things form the base for predicting the ‘success’ of any educational programme – 1. Learner aptitude and engagement; 2. The overarching goals of the programme and its fit with student aspirations; 3. Inclusivity – taking into consideration every learner’s needs and the corresponding environments’ 4. Partnership based model – where the programme dually, borrows through derivation while also contributing to societal solutions. Programmes designed to achieve stereotypical outcomes by standardising processes, therein alienating minds and disregarding the sanctity of varied environments are counterproductive. The term ‘rat race’ was conjured so for a reason!

If we look at engineering for example. Even with the numerous coaching classes, and institutions sprucing up, as per a survey in August 2015, around 2 lac engineers are unemployed in India. To make it worse, studies have also stated that 90% Indian engineering students are not employable! Of course, things are changing slowly. We have playschools and schools speaking of learner-based education that is fun and outcome based, wherein the outcome isn’t gauged typically. We have parents who act as the main support system in a child’s education and institutions realising the integral part they play, along with society. But it changes when a child crosses say the eighth grade; wherein s/he is supposed to buckle up overnight and choose among the same prestigious vocations. In comes the market of the million coaching institutes and substandard professional degree colleges in far flung areas just to cater to this frenzy. Our higher education system is crumbling. And evidently, it hasn’t happened overnight.

What is most shocking though is that we accept student suicides as ‘normal’. That even if children have to take the extreme step of ending their lives over something as trivial as marks scored in a subject, the presumption remains that the fault lies with them, their ineptitude. No one questions the veracity of a system that alienates a child from his environment, his inner self.  Bhanu will go on to be yet another unfortunate statistic among countless other youths, who chose an unceremonious exit rather than live and start afresh. Gives us much to think as a society when we rob our young the promise of a beginning.

Why Should Preschools Have All the Fun!

There is an unparalleled privilege in being surrounded with children and young minds - always bubbling with ideas, raring to go every moment, looking forward to the next moment while being fully engaged in the present one. Merely keeping them company motivates me and presents me with perspectives I had either long forgotten or never paid attention to. In fact I won’t be exaggerating when I say that I learn the most when I am with them. Perhaps the one thing they reinforce in our lives the most is doing what you love to do – having FUN!

We critically undermine the importance of having fun in establishing and applying ourselves not just in workspaces but in our personal lives as well. And it shows. This, even after studies after studies, have reiterated how critical FUN is when it comes to achieving outcomes across spheres, including the workspace. How can anyone thrive in a career that isn’t their idea of ‘fun’?

Yet we have not only templatized our lives but have unfortunately infiltrated the spaces of our children, believing it will help in tailoring achievements wherein it is fun that should be the driving element for reaching potential. Shantanu (name changed), a special kid with autism in our preschool, only learns, when having fun or take the case of another at risk child, Rahul (name changed) who has been a success case with our school, and has only learnt through play. All schools had rejected the child. These cases prove that we cannot ‘teach’ children; we at best simply create an environment they like to learn and learning happens...

With the advent of international boards, there has been a marked change of course especially with the preschool segment across boards being revolutionised too. However, we leave fun there at the convocation ceremony of the senior kindergartener.  At preschool we treat children as their unique selves, giving them time to bloom and then woosh.. time is up. Suddenly, they have to grow up. No more imaginative plays, creativity is seldom bolstered, and there seems to be this rush into rushing children into adulthood. There are a handful of schools that try to extend the commitment to the learner and dedicate their energies in developing the child beyond preschool. Committing to fun is a tough decision. To have fun you must be engaged, your level of involvement is much more and it is customised -  it cannot have a one size fits all approach.

Interestingly, it’s parents too that keep up that pressure and expect a level of ‘seriousness’ to creep in after a certain grade; they worry their child will lose out in the race. Even if it is a rat race. The entire education system if realigned with the concept of having fun and learning what you love rather than what works could do wonders for not just our workforce but our nation. Gradually, perhaps a shift is taking place with disruptive innovations due to technology. Increasing number of start ups, government encouraging entrepreneurship, companies (not just the creative ones) incorporating fun into their culture, more courses for vocational training set up, new age education chains revolutionising K-12 space… We have some hope even if distant that coming generations won’t be deprived of having fun upon graduating kindergarten!

         

               Oh and forgive me for not asking as yet – ‘So, when was the last time you had FUN?’