The Old Methods Versus the New Methods of Education

             We learn everyday about our self, drawing on 'bits and pieces' from others via exposure through life. 

 

             Analyzing my own attitude towards learning and teaching and how I express that in my classroom is constantly evolving with my accumulation of past, present and future experiences.  Learning is a hard but an ongoing process. My desire to learn from a variety of people and organizations is constant. I value everybody's contributions to advancing the world and therefore am always seeking to learn from people, places and experiences, not for individual gains but for collective progress. Networking and connecting with others creates an environment which is open to new ideas, love change, and work for personal and social growth.

           I am looking forward to adding more "collective" to my learning, personally. I focus on this heavily for the participants in classes I lead, but looking back at my own education (and even continuing education), I see how much I'm missing as I learn in a vacuum.

    

        This got me thinking; even in high school and college, when I had opportunities to participate in a collective mode of study, I chose not to do so. I wonder if this has less to do with instructional style and more to do with introversion? I have been learning individually most of my school days, but now I am much more engaged collectively as a teacher. I guess it takes practice to master collaboration and communication skills to learn in groups well and enjoy it.

         

     Looking back at my school years the concept of interacting and peer participation in learning was non-existent. The students had to rely on the teacher's instructions and self-engage, as much as possible, in the learning provided. The methodology and the materials provided, did not enable students to develop their cognitive skills. Today, we still follow the same method thanks to the large classes. In my institute my classes are 80 +. Still, I am happy that I am introduced to new methods of teaching that try to apply as much as possible and my classes are better than those of my colleagues.