A Critique of the Proposed National Education Policy Reform
Current issues and challenges in education
1. Program on Educational Entrepreneurship
Current issues and Challenges
……..in education
By Prof. M.M. Pant
For more details, visit: www.mmpant.net
2. Technological advances and the
knowledge economy
• The world of atoms
• The world of bits
• Convergences leading to new frontiers
• in nano-technology,
• in biology,
• in space,
• in cognition,
• in consciousness etc.
3. A snap-shot of the above process
• They were all a series of technological shocks
• But were delivered slowly, often over different
generations
• Now the same generation experiences several
changes
• The expected pace of such shocks in future is too
fast for comfort and our ability to cope with
changes
4. Characteristics of a Knowledge
Economy
• The distinction between ’useful’ and
‘useless’ knowledge is very thin
• What you know is more important than what
you have
• Knowledge moving from the edge to core of
business and economics
• Whom you know is even more important;
the power of networks
5. Rapid growth of information
• In the 1930’s the world-wide information
quantity doubled in 70 years
• In the 1970’s this became 30 years
• It is projected that by 2015 this doubling
would happen every 11 hours
• Every morning you could wake up obsolete
6. Why new set of skills is required in the
knowledge economy?
• Our object is to create winners
• People who will be able to flourish and thrive
in the knowledge economy
• People who will be able to participate in a
democracy and through building global
consensus
• The skills and competencies as well as
attitudes and beliefs cannot be the same as
that of earlier ages
7. Measures of success in the knowledge
economy
• Massification (reaching out to larger numbers)
• More knowledge (transacted within the same
time)
• Higher quality experience ( by technology
mediation)
• Manifold enhancement of knowledge
8. Who flourishes and thrives..?
• Poor struggling people work for the economy
(try to get money for the work that they put
in)
• Flourishers have the economy working for
them.(the intellectual capital they create gets
them the money)
9. The shift
• In the earlier economies,because of the
importance of financial capital,naturally the
rich would get richer
• In the knowledge economy,those who are
good in creating,packaging and distributing
knowledge will get richer and there are almost
equal opportunities for all
10. Some Challenging Problems:
• All terrain vehicle movement without wheels
• Baggage handling in flights
• Simulation of businesses and Global economy
• Prediction of Tsunami, Cyclones and Earthquakes
• Ray Kurzweil believes that the technological
advances made throughout the 21st century will
provide means to reverse the aging process, cure
any disease, and repair presently unrepairable
injuries
11. But most important: EDUCATION
• Transformational
• Disruptive
• Measurable
• Scalable
• Personalized
• Especially education for behavioral change
12. Ingredients of the new model
• Educational Informatics
• Learner kinetics
• Learning metrics
• Mastery Learning
• Nano-learning
13. Goals/objectives of education:
• Helping the learner to be able to rise to the
full height as a human being.
• Making the learner a “well educated person”
for the latter half of the 21st century.
• “ Awakening the learner within”
• Remove learning phobias
• When the student(learner) is ready, the
teacher will appear
14. Mathematics…
• Mathematics is called the Queen of Sciences;
sometimes also called the servant of science
• But many children acquire a great fear of
Mathematics
• This fear ranges from anxiety, nervousness to
extreme fear
• Such extreme fear is called phobia
15. What does it mean to know
Mathematics?
• Thinking mathematically’ is something that everyone
does. It involves:
• problem-solving and decision-making;
• logical reasoning;
• communication (including using diagrams, charts,
graphs and symbols);
• making connections and recognising common
characteristics;
• using mathematical tools, including calculations and
measures.
16. Common Misunderstandings
Maths requires a good memory
Maths is not creative
Maths is always right or wrong
There is a best way to do a maths
problem
Men are better than women
18. Symptoms of Maths Phobia in
children:
• breathlessness, • feeling sick,
• dizziness, • shaking,
• excessive sweating, • heart palpitations,
• nausea, • inability to speak or
• dry mouth, think clearly,
• a fear of losing control,
19. Sources of misunderstandings
and anxiety
• Teachers
– don’t like maths
• Pass on their own attitudes
– teach it as they learnt it, badly
• As a closed, cold and uncreative subject
– fail to distinguish different learning styles
• Grasshoppers and inchworms
⇒ belief that failure to understand is the result of a
lack of effort or attention
• punish this ‘bad behaviour’.
21. The noble act of teaching…once a
calling
• Teachers are always a boon to society.
• They not only hone the learner's intellect and
aptitude but also, create a well-rounded
personality.
• Teaching influences the mind and character
and gives the satisfaction of sparking the light
of knowledge and dispelling the clouds of
ignorance.
22. Challenging and satisfying as well
• Teaching is an interesting and challenging activity. It
is not for the meek or faint of heart.
• You can choose to teach very young children from
pre-school through the elementary grades;
• You can work with middle and high school students
and specialize in the arts, sciences, math, or special
education.
23. A teacher vs. a mere expert
• An expert can do it;
• A teacher can do it but also knows what it
takes to progress from novice to expert
• Those who can do, do.
• Those who understand, teach.
24. OS for the human brain?
• “There are hundreds of companies and
thousands of people writing software for
computers. What about the human
computer? What about the human brain?
….We have got so used to our existing mental
software that we see no fault or limitation in
it….”. Edward de bono in ‘New thinking for the
new millennium’
25. What is teaching’s main virtue?
• The main virtue of the teaching profession is not its
scientific basis
• Rather it is the intense relationship between teacher
and student
• The practice of teaching is therefore traditional
(tribal) art based on human relationships with only
sporadic borrowing of science to bolster existing
practice
26. Some present day challenges
• Inclusive education: imparting quality education to
increasing numbers…developing learning metrics
• Moving from the art of teaching to the science of
learning
• Building in the students the capacity ‘to learn how
to learn’
• Adopting 21st century communication tools for
enhanced learning experience
27. Criticality of educational research
• Without a science base to support existing
practice, the future of teaching as a profession
may be in jeopardy
• We need to conduct research that will directly
improve teaching and learning
• Document the effectiveness of our strategies
28. Goals of learning
• Knowing the syllabus
• Mainly recalling information
• Application in predictable areas
• Some laboratory work
• Exams of several hours with a variety of
question types
• All paper and pen/pencil type
29. Examination performance
• Mainly a Bell curve
• Debate on whether we evaluate using marks
or grade them
• The examination can find out some of the
things the child does not know, but not all of
the things that the child knows
30. Potential for improvement
• A student can demonstrate what he knows
and where he stands on the developmental
scale
• He can attain the desired goals (Grade A)
given a longer time to learn and ways and
means to achieve mastery
• The Bell curve can be History
31. Creating an engaged technology-enhanced
learning experience
• We are moving away from a mere (chalk and
talk) and (spray and pray) lecture format to
the creation of an interactive learning event
32. Managing a learning event
• A properly managed learning event comprises
a series of learning moments
33.
34.
35. Personalisation of the learning
experience
• Each such learning moment is unique to each
learner and ICT enables its realisation
36. Multiple roles of a teacher
• must be content expert,
• a diagnostician,
• a rescuer,
• a patient communicator,
• a manager and leader,
• a student of human behavior.
37. Higher Order Thinking Skills
• Problem Solving
• Learning skills strategies
• Creative innovative thinking
• Decision making
38. Affective Skills and traits
• Dependability/ Responsibility
• Positive attitude towards work
• Conscientiousness, Punctuality, efficiency
• Interpersonal communication skills, co-
operation, working as a team member
39. Affective skills and traits…
• Self confidence, positive self image
• Adaptability, flexibility
• Enthusiasm, self motivation
• Self-discipline self management
• Honesty, integrity
• Ability to work without supervision
• Grooming, appropriate dress
40. Desired Soft Skills:
• ICT Skills
• Problem Solving Skills
• Thinking Skills
• Decision Making Skills
• Leadership Skills
• Entrepreneurship Skills
• Time management
41. Some more desirable Skills:
• Money Management
• Working in Teams
• Cross-cultural collaboration
• Life-long Learning Skills
• Visual Communication Skills
• Information analysis skills (Analytics)
• Building Confidence and self-esteem
42. Teachers as leaders in the knowledge
economy…
• Teachers will play the central role.. following
the earlier success of the shopkeepers,
traders, contractors, lawyers…
• We need to be owners and creators of
knowledge products not a mass market
• Needs creativity, innovation on a continuous
basis and not conformity and repetition
43. Need for a new education model
• It makes sense, therefore, to assume that the
graduates of today's schooling will need a
different set of cognitive and learning skills
reflecting the profound change that they will
encounter.
44. The wow e-learning experience
• Engagement: How will we get the learner fully
engaged?
• Curiosity: How will we harness the power of curiosity
and exploration?
• Simulation and Practice:How will we create
opportunities?
• Remediation: How can we provide remedial and
extended learning content?
• Coaching: Providing human & digital coaching.
45. The emergence of e-books and e-
book readers and the future of text-
books
46. E-book
• something you read on screen instead of on
paper
With E-books,
• you can load books onto small computers like
PDAs to read while you're on the move.
47. E-book pluses
An e-book can give you lots more than a paper book,
like you can
• read an e-book on your desktop or laptop computer.
• mark your page with an electronic bookmark and
jump straight to it when you open the book
• click on a word and find out what it means using e-
books that have built in dictionaries.
48. Drawbacks of print media
Drawbacks of print media include:
i. linear presentation
ii. limitation on amount of material
iii. inability to demonstrate motion or time
iv. not adaptable to different learning styles
v. does not respond to user input
vi. limited interactivity
49. Advantage of using e-books
The limitations of using printed books can be overcome with
an electronic textbook.
With an electronic media, learners can:
• interact with graphs
• manipulate equations
• browse extensive photo galleries
• use videos and animations to explore motion and temporal
change
• get immediate feedback on quizzes and review activities
• electronically search the document
50. A few more advantages
In addition, a variety of activities can also be incorporated:
• review modules
• remedial lessons
• pre-lab assignments
• lab activities
• post-lab lessons
• in-depth follow-up sessions
• extra credit activities
• study-aids
51. What a Student Needs to Use an
eTextbook?
To use an eTextbook, students must have
access to:
• a computer with CD-ROM / DVD;
• a Web browser;
• QuickTime player;
• the Flash plug-in; and
• Acrobat Reader
52. The Future of E-Textbooks
• textbooks available on CD-ROM
• students start using their laptops to read interactive Web-based textbooks
enhanced with multimedia content surrounded by tools for
communication and study.
• a student reading an e-textbook on a computer screen can do more than
just click on a word and get a dictionary definition.
• audio and video plug-ins allow for pronunciation guides and clips of
lectures.
• other functions enable students to highlight, type notes in the margin of
the text, take quizzes, and interact with their professors.
54. Definitions
• “M-Learning is the intersection of mobile computing and e-
learning: accessible resources wherever you are, strong
search capabilities, rich interaction, powerful support for
effective learning, and performance-based assessment.
• “A new m-learning architecture will support creation,
brokerage, delivery and tracking of learning and information
contents, using ambient intelligence, location-dependence,
personalisation, multi-media, instant messaging (text,
video) and distributed databases”.
• “Three ways learning can be considered mobile “learning” it
is mobile in terms of space; it is mobile in different areas of
life; it is mobile with respect of time”.
55. Mobile learning: the emerging paradigm
• PDA’s and mobile phones are merging, so one
possibility for the m-learning device is the “Smart
Phone” that is both a mobile phone and mobile
personal computer.
• the mobile phone approach has the advantage that
connectivity is passed from cell to cell. Even with
competing standards (CDMA, TDMA, GSM etc.) a
GSM mobile phone can effectively be used world
wide and can be used without significant
interruption while travelling from home to school or
to work.
56. Technical requirements
• Authoring tools for content capture and conversion
for mobile delivery;
• Mobile games and simulation templates;
• Mobile learning content management systems that
download and manage a repository of mobile
content;
• Mobile learning management systems to track
mobile learning use;
• Enterprise application integration tools such as CRM
and HRIS.
57. Business requirements
• The feasibility of delivery of learning materials
through mobile devices.
• The identification of learning contexts and activities
appropriate to mobile technologies.
• The development of pilots to explore how
technologies can best support life long learning.
• The identification of the means and methods for
delivery of mobile learning in a commercially
sustainable way.
58. Pedagogical considerations
1.Urgency of learning need
2.Initiative of knowledge acquisition
3.Mobility of learning setting
4.Interactivity of learning process
5.Situated ness of instructional activities
6.Integration of instructional content.
59. M-Learning: The paradigm shift
The new paradigm is more proactive in pushing
information to people in the following ways:
• From courseware to performance-ware
• From course management to business workflow
• From instructional design to performance-based
design
• From mouse-and-click to pen-and-voice interface
• From centralized server to peer-to-peer networks
60. What is meant by e-learning 1.0?
• eLearning 1.0, is actually the technologically supported
variant of traditional knowledge distribution, the virtual
extension of textbooks and classroom teaching.
• Even in this environment, learning remained a passive
process, managed from above or outside.
• The formalized, centralized, bureaucratic world of education
of industrialized societies was extended into a digital
environment.
61. Learning 1.0 - definition
• Learning 1.0 is delivering learning an educator
believes a student to need or requires a
student to have in a format that the educator
believes is effective. This in no way implies
that the student is getting the information
they actually need to do their job faster, easier
or effectively.
62. Common pieces of Learning 1.0
• Instructor Lead Training (ILT)
• E.Learning
• Learning Management System(LMS)
63. ILT
• ILT is classroom training on a chosen subject.
• Due to the web, ILT has taken on some changes.
• Now, these classes can be prepared and delivered
online.
• Major providers of such technology are, iLinc,
Webex, Centra, Microsoft and Interwise.
64. E-learning
• E-Learing is a generally interactive, computer based type of
training.
• Any topic can be converted into E.Learning from machine
repair to programming skills.
• E.Learning content designers use tools, ranging from Flash
and Java, to end user authoring tools such as Lectora and
Composica to create this content.
• Usually, the content is engineered to meet one of two
industry standards AICC or SCORM.
65. LMS
• The LMS serves as the tool for distributing,
tracking and reporting on training for the
company.
• This is the main tool of choice to facilitate
learning for most companies today.
• Major LMS providers are Saba,
KnowledgePlanet, Learn.com, SumTotal and
Plateau.
66. Web 2.0
Using web 2.0,
• Digital natives of web 2.0 have not only searched for
information on the web, but have also become content
providers themselves.
• The areas and tools of interactivity have become practically
unlimited.
• Personal and institutional information is freely available on
the World Wide Web and the technology exists to allow
individuals to harness collective knowledge and
entertainment portals for their own purposes.
67. Web 2.0
• Students can create and exchange content in a
cooperative way, within networks of their
contemporaries.
• Blogs, forums, chats, wikis, newsgroups, and
networks of friends and acquaintances
provide an immense communal information
production and exchange framework.
68. Affect of learning 2.0
• In the field of eLearning 2.0, knowledge chosen, organised,
distributed and controlled by the authorities has been
replaced by personal information management based on
immediate needs.
• The boundary between learning and teaching becomes less
distinct.
• For the “download generation”, the Internet is not a medium
for learning; it is the platform and the centre of personal
study.
• In the milieu of eLearning 2.0, the opportunity exists to
reconstruct an organic learning environment
69. Further changes due to e-learning 2.0
• High-speed broadband Internet (access) has become
accessible to large numbers of people, significantly increasing
the rate of data acquisition.
• Information has become ubiquitous and can be reached with
mobile tools.
• As open source software has spread, so content management
is very cheap and simple making possible the creation of
personalized e-portfolios .
• A wide range of new, free tools is at our disposal: blogs, wikis,
file exchange programs, forums and tools that make
collaborative content development possible.
70. Further changes due to e-learning 2.0
• Freely usable content has appeared (open
courseware, open content, CCL – Creative Common
License)
• New software supporting social networks is
spreading rapidly.
• The changeable, uncertain employment situation
and the rapid technological changes that school
curricula cannot follow have brought about the
political challenge of “lifelong learning”.
71. Use by digital native learners
Uses of e-learning 2.0 by Digital Native Learners
• Prefer receiving information quickly from multiple multimedia
sources.
• Prefer parallel processing and multitasking.
• Prefer processing pictures, sounds and video before text.
• Prefer random access to hyper linked multimedia information.
72. Use by digital native learners
Uses of e-learning 2.0 by Digital Native Learners (contd..)
• Prefer to interact/network simultaneously with many others.
• Prefer to learn “just-in-time.”
• Prefer instant gratification and instant rewards.
• Prefer learning that is relevant, instantly useful and fun.
74. Learning 3.0
• One of the most important realities of today’s
students is that they don’t see themselves as passive
recipients (consumers) of information.
• They are content and knowledge producers with a
plethora of outlets for self-publishing (e.g. YouTube,
MySpace, Facebook, Wikipedia, Blogger, etc.).
Whether we’re ready for it or not, whether we like it
or not, learning is increasingly situated in a
“participatory culture”
75. The heart of “Education 3.0
• Utilizing distributed computation and
knowledge resources in a learning network
that leverages both computation and human
power to maximize opportunities and
potential for learning.
76. Learning 3.0
Technology Implications on Pedagogy & Learning Styles
Education …“should be reversed to conform to the learner, rather than the
learner to the system.”
-UK based NESTA FutureLabs study
by
Supra Manohar, Executive VP-GBD
Emantras, www.emantras.com
77. Web 3.0 What does it mean?
We have not defined Web 2.0 and now there is talk of 3.0…
“The Dataweb”, semantic web – seamless interoperability and content
reading by software agents (RDF, OWL)
Collaboration and collaborative filtering – FaceBook, YouTube, and web
THE BEST tagging (Flickr, del.icio.us, etc)
WE CAN
Ubiquitous connectivity - PDA’s, handheld games, Wii, etc.
DESCRIBE
3D Environments – Second Life, there is even a Web3D Consortium…
Network computing – software as a service, “cloud” computing
… and much more it has not all been defined need to Google to see what happened today.
78. Learning Strategies & Pedagogy
Generally accepted learning modalities are classified below.
Behaviorism, feedback and reinforcement
Constructivism, rich media, simulations and
immersive environments
Informal or Situated learning, using education in
“context aware” environments (in the field)
Note: A good article addressing learning styles is “From
Collaborative learning, recording and sharing Learning Styles to Learning Skills: the executive skills
instantly profile”,
Journal of Managerial Psychology, Vol 10, Number 5,
1995.
http://www.learningfromexperience.com/images/upload
s/Excecutive-skills-profile.pdf
79. Learning 3.03.0 Technologies
Learning Technologies
LEARNING DESIGN Social Technologies
Blogs
Shareable environments
Peer networks
IM Collaborative Tools
Wikipedia
Google Docs
Tagging, del.icio.us
Ubiquitous Devices
PDAs
Wii
iPods
Etc.. Simulation, Visualization
& Gaming Environments
Wii for simulations
Educational gaming
Second Life
Gapminder
Access
Search tools
Desktop connectivity
80. Learning 3.0 Implications of Technology
BEHAVIOURISM & COLLABORATIVE LEARNING
Ability to create collaboratively (student & teacher) authored resources
Reinforcement when learners are receptive and in modes they may be
more open to (peer reinforcement)
Collective participation to tag and provide resources that may be
relevant
1. Allegheny College on MySpace, students and the college also has a MySpace page
ADOPTION 2. Mixxer is a site that allows language students to find and connect with voice-partners on
the net with VoIP
81. Learning 3.0 Implications of Technology
CONSTRUCTIVISM
Mobile devices allow content portability into “context
aware” environments
Multimedia delivers 20 times more “minutes on the
message”
Expanding cultural and societal experiences
1. University of Minnesota modified the game Neverwinter Nights to practice investigative reporting
2. Play2Train is a Second Life environment for bio-terrorism training
ADOPTION
3. Bradley University has a course on Second Life on field research methods
82. Learning 3.0 Implications of Technology
INFORMAL & SITUATED LEARNING
Mobile devices allow content portability into “context aware”
environments
Access to educative material via multiple devices without
barriers to access
Capturing learning moments and environments
1. SF Museum of Modern Art allows visitors to use their mobile phones to listen to podcasts
Adoption
of the audio tour
ADOPTION
Adoption 2. Montclair State University students with GPS and web-enabled phones receive various
academic, social, wellness, and security services
83. Learning 3.0 Implications of Technology
UBIQUITOUS & LIFELONG (INFORMAL) LEARNING
Driving content to the desktop (learning widgets)
The ability to search and access learning bits (the SCORM holy
grail) and text
New forms of publishing text (eBooks for access and
visualization tools like Gapminder bring statistical data to life)
Expanding the participatory environments (shared editorial
tools like Google Docs and Wikis)
Adoption is a widget platform driving learning to the desktop
1. HALO
ADOPTION 2. GAM3R 7H3ORY is a networked book with online prepublication format where readers can
add comments
84. Web 3.0 What does it mean?
Be aware of the tools being used it will help in designing your
learning material
Multimedia and innovative learning content is almost a
requirement not a luxury
No need to adopt all tools but adopt ones that are popular
HOW DOES ONE and get used a lot
ADOPT AND
Realize that the learning moments are no longer restricted,
IMPLEMENT knowledge inquiry is woven into our lifestyle
Access is very important, making it available ensures
consumption
Make it available in multiple formats (we can today) and
allow the learner to create the most appropriate and
conducive environment
86. References & Resources
“Are you ready for Mobile Learning?” Joseph Rene Corbeil and Maria Elena Valdes-Corbeil, Educause
Quarterly Number 2 2007
New Media Consortium, 2007 Horizon Report, January 23 2007
Web 3.0, Wikipedia article http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_3
Derek Baird, Musings on Social Media, Gen Y, Education Technology, Community & other Stuff (at
http://www.debaird.net/blendededunet/)
… and many more…
87. Clayton Christensen :Class
Disrupted
• Filled with fascinating case
studies, scientific findings, and
unprecedented insights on how
innovation must be managed,
Disrupting Class will open your
eyes to new possibilities,
unlock hidden potential, and
get you to think differently.
Professor Christensen and his
coauthors provide a bold new
lesson in innovation that will
help you make the grade for
years to come.
88. Jay Matthews :Work Hard Be nice
• Work Hard. Be Nice
provides a fast-paced,
engrossing and heartening
story of two
phenomenally dedicated
teachers who
demonstrate that low-
income students, if given
the right environment,
can thrive academically.
89. Guy Claxton: What’s the point of
school
• What's the Point of
School? takes the reader
beyond the sterile
debates about City
Academies and dumbed-
down exams in order to
reveal the key
responsibility of education
today: to create students
who enjoy learning.
90. Peter Senge: Schools that Learn
• Deep learning cycle
• Five learning
disciplines
• Shared vision process
• Virtuous spiral