One of the most inspiring moments in my lifetime as an educator was the unexpected opportunity of chatting with Prof. Sugata Mitra. Where I learned firsthand the future of learning.
This took place several years ago in June, 2015. My colleague Assoc. Prof. Dr. Lilis Surienty and I came very early into the hall at the Digital Education Show.
Only few souls were there.
We walked to the front rows and saw Prof. Mitra sitting alone. We started chatting with him about his work–the ‘Hole in the Wall’ experiments in Indian slums where kids had unsupervised access to the web.
Prof. Mitra observed that the kids learned how to operate a computer fixed to the wall (thus, Hole in the Wall). Then they went on teaching others.
Without a proper teacher.
Prof. Mitra thought this experiment could be a solution to those kids living in rural slum areas where few teachers were willing to work, since it’s miles away from Delhi. Find out more: Edutopia article.
“A School in the Cloud” concept is where children explore and learn on their own, teach one another, using resources from the internet. There is also the Granny Cloud project that is based on SOLE concept. According to Prof. Mitra, the Self-Organized Learning Environment (SOLE) concept would shape the future of education. Watch Prof. Mitra’s latest TEDx Talk here.
Cloud, competency and choices in the future of education
This meeting left a deep impression on me on the power and potential of online learning by reaching out to the underprivileged people in remote areas.
Requisite to learning in the 21st century, it seems, is good access to internet and/or teaching resources on a computer. Learning can then happen anytime, anywhere. With or without a formal institution e.g. college or university. To jump into the bandwagon, many institutions are offering MOOC or online courses–a fixed curriculum (an online duplicate of a traditional on-campus course) to flexible courses from ‘ala-carte menu’.
Yet competency seems more favoured over certificates. Google, Apple and IBM have started hiring staff without a four-year degree. Where “being able to do something well” is valued above “knowing something well”.
Additionally, having the choices (the free will) in an education system to determine one’s future, as opposed to the other way around, is critical for the development of self agency – the personal power. Where good, creative energy resides and flourishes.
Throughout 20-odd years of education, we are so used to learning about other things. We learn maths, sciences, languages, history and accountancy. Ironically, we are not taught to know thyself well.
In the 21st century, self-knowledge is ever critical to effect our own personal power than the power over others. With self-knowledge, we’d become more secure in learning and working alongside others collaboratively. And less so competitively.
In sum, I believe the 3Cs–cloud, competency and choices–are amongst vital elements in the future of learning.
