Progressive Classroom – ‘Required Change in Culture’ - By Eswar Vadya

Progressive Classroom – ‘Required Change in Culture’  - By Eswar Vadya

Today’s top 10 jobs did not exist a decade age in 2005 e.g.: Social Media, Data Scientist, Sustainability Manager, SEO Optimization, SEM Specialist, Cloud Computing, Mobile Applications, Robotic Engineering, etc. as discussed in the recent World Economic Forum: 65 percent of today’s grade school kids will end up at jobs that haven’t even been invented yet. These changes mean that students are currently learning information and processes that may well be outdated by the time they enter the workforce.

Today’s students are tomorrow’s workforce, they are going to play significant roles in the society, by being part of an organization – for profit or non-profit, by policy making, or by becoming entrepreneurs.  As famous Clark Aldrich quoted "Each child has a spark of genius waiting to be discovered, ignited, and fed. And the goal of schools shouldn’t be to manufacture “productive citizens” to fill some corporate cubicle; it should be to inspire each child to find a “calling” that will change the world. The jobs for the future are no longer Manager, Director, or Analyst, but Entrepreneur, Creator, and even Revolutionary." 

Traditional teaching, as most of us have experienced, is classroom-based and consists of direct instructions conducted by the teacher. This teacher-centered method emphasizes learning through the teacher’s guidance at all times. Students are expected to listen to lectures and learn from them.  Also tests are the most significant indicator of student performance and degree of learning. Classrooms were designed for lecture and crowd control, with the teacher as the central figure of knowledge and authority.  The teacher had knowledge to impart through direct instruction and the current classroom structure works pretty well for this. This basic classrooms structure is the same, though in some schools, the chalkboard has been replaced by the interactive “Smart Board.” Students who belong in the same class sit down and take a single set of examinations, which they should pass. Most of the examinations are taken from fundamental resources, such as textbooks and other publications that are relevant to the subject.

Modern Era’s education is developed based on the principles of manufacturing assembly line, perhaps to support then industrial need. This process prepares students to work in a culture where given a task and expect the execution. However, manufacturing is entering a dynamic new phase; in today students have to learn to operate in environment which is so very dynamic, the phase "The only constant is change itself" is ever true, this is the time- full of innovation.

The first Industrial revolution began in Europe in the late 18th century with the mechanization of the textile industry.  Prior to this, economy was mostly driven by natural resources and manual labor, in the following decades the use of machines to make things, instead of crafting them by hand, spread around the world. The second industrial revolution began in America in the early 20th century with the assembly line, which ushered in the era of mass production.  However, Manufacturing is not monolithic anymore; the Internet, Green Electricity, and 3-D Printing are ushering in this era, as manufacturing goes digital, a third great change is now gathering pace.  New 3-D technology becomes more widespread, on site, just in time customized manufacturing of products will also reduce logistics costs with the possibility of huge energy savings.

How can today’s learning’s prepare students for jobs that don't yet exist?

Perhaps by looking into innovative methods for advancing STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) education, and amalgamating with PBLS – Project Based learning.

Modern Era’s education is developed based on the principles of manufacturing assembly line, perhaps to support then industrial need. This process prepares students to work in a culture where given a task and expect the execution. However, manufacturing is entering a dynamic new phase; in today students have to learn to operate in environment which is so very dynamic, the phase "The only constant is change itself" is ever true, this is the time- full of innovation. 

Its well documented fact that there is a crisis in American education today; Too often modern day science education fails to engage student interests and is separate from their everyday experiences. 

Students are connected to the Internet everywhere except in current school. Most kids carry around a world of information in their pockets on their mobile devices, tablets, and yet we force them to power down and disconnect, and we confine them in obsolete computer labs. A progressive school needs to have connectivity everywhere and treat computers more like pencils than microscopes. The structure of the class room desperately needs a change: small groups of kids working together, project work, and student presentations require rethinking this model.  At the same time, Computers, tablets, and other electronic devices alone are not going to change the classroom. It is the change in culture that will make the difference. Part of such culture is to understand and accept that the teacher is not the only expert in the room; however, challenge is how to address teacher attitudes toward several shifts in teaching practice. Authentic assessments can be subjective, which is often a new approach for teachers who are most comfortable determining grades based on objective tests and worksheets. Additionally, in integrated programs, teachers find themselves forced to learn new content, material that likely does not come easily to them. Evaluation studies of existing programs found that the teachers’ collective attitude toward implementing the program had a direct impact on student learning. Building a culture of collaboration, respect, and trust is key to a successful progressive classroom.

We are living in Digital Era!