This post is for those who have never lived in India and who have never experienced the rigours of working toward the entrance exams for the famous Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).
A true test of endurance.
For an indepth discussion and greater insight into the factors involved in success, read The Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. He describes the role played by a culture, a culture of sheer effort and hard work in determining the rise to success. And he writes about the role of summer holidays in widening the achievement gap. "Cultures that believe that the route to success lies in rising before dawn 360 days a year are scarcely going to give their children three straight months off in the summer." (p.260) He tells the story of the KIPP Academy (p.250), "the miracle school that transforms losers into winners" (p.263) and the price the children pay to break out of poverty.
"Outliers are those who have been given opportunities and who have had the strength and presence of mind to seize them."
Wait no more. Seize the moment and get to work finding your dreams. Because Time Wastes Too Fast.
Thursday 25 June 2009
Sunday 14 June 2009
Who's driving?
Some time ago, I had started a review of the many ways in which technology can be used to support teaching and learning.
Before launching any learning programme, it's always a good idea to mark out a baseline, working out your start point and what your finish goals are. Some tools you can use to find out what learners already know are surveys. If you winced at the word 'survey', try this painfree online survey tool.
You can also have some fun and help learners gauge their own progress with classroom response systems. And of course, you can improve access by offering podcasts and lecture webcasting. Carnegie Mellon offers an interesting overview of the possibilities here.
To help your learners work on their research and writing abilities, there are a range of social software tools - a module wiki, a group blog, asynchronous discussion forums, web quests, YouTube videos, podcasts and other forms of learner generated content, open to review and comment. All of these provide excellent built-in audit trails and enable learners to custom build their own e-portfolios and reflective journals.
For the presentation of data and research, there are now a host of charting and mapping tools available. This article sets out a few more tools available to academia.
More on e-learning tools here. The only way to really learn about the possibilities is to really use these tools. If you've been relying heavily on powerpoint slides and one-way transmission lectures, try turning the tables and letting your learners take the wheel for a change. Let them choose their own presentation tools. And let them have a bit of fun!
Before launching any learning programme, it's always a good idea to mark out a baseline, working out your start point and what your finish goals are. Some tools you can use to find out what learners already know are surveys. If you winced at the word 'survey', try this painfree online survey tool.
You can also have some fun and help learners gauge their own progress with classroom response systems. And of course, you can improve access by offering podcasts and lecture webcasting. Carnegie Mellon offers an interesting overview of the possibilities here.
To help your learners work on their research and writing abilities, there are a range of social software tools - a module wiki, a group blog, asynchronous discussion forums, web quests, YouTube videos, podcasts and other forms of learner generated content, open to review and comment. All of these provide excellent built-in audit trails and enable learners to custom build their own e-portfolios and reflective journals.
For the presentation of data and research, there are now a host of charting and mapping tools available. This article sets out a few more tools available to academia.
More on e-learning tools here. The only way to really learn about the possibilities is to really use these tools. If you've been relying heavily on powerpoint slides and one-way transmission lectures, try turning the tables and letting your learners take the wheel for a change. Let them choose their own presentation tools. And let them have a bit of fun!
Friday 12 June 2009
Not for the likes of me
Yesterday, I chanced upon the debate in Parliament on Social Mobility. MPs were debating a motion on social mobility and fair access to professions.
Alan Milburn eloquently described the barriers to moving up in life and the "not for the likes of me" syndrome that fosters an "aspiration gap".
What I really identified with was the recognition that mobility should be " a chance throughout life, and not just a one-off chance..." and that there was a need for a system that would allow entry and mobility at more mature ages.
Having chosen to reinvent myself and reenter the education system in my thirties, I can describe firsthand the barriers and obstacles.
Read another interesting discussion on "the equality delusion".
"Every survey in the last half century has confirmed that poverty is a fundamental cause of failure".
Coming from India, this is possibly the understatement of the millenium.
But all this discussion is about social mobility within a society. The bitter and stark truth about the accident of birth really goes much deeper. Let's zoom out and talk about the differences in development on a global level. Will there ever be an equal world?
Alan Milburn eloquently described the barriers to moving up in life and the "not for the likes of me" syndrome that fosters an "aspiration gap".
What I really identified with was the recognition that mobility should be " a chance throughout life, and not just a one-off chance..." and that there was a need for a system that would allow entry and mobility at more mature ages.
Having chosen to reinvent myself and reenter the education system in my thirties, I can describe firsthand the barriers and obstacles.
Read another interesting discussion on "the equality delusion".
"Every survey in the last half century has confirmed that poverty is a fundamental cause of failure".
Coming from India, this is possibly the understatement of the millenium.
But all this discussion is about social mobility within a society. The bitter and stark truth about the accident of birth really goes much deeper. Let's zoom out and talk about the differences in development on a global level. Will there ever be an equal world?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)