Today’s post comes courtesy of Susan Moore, Head of Business Development at MindLeaders ThirdForce, who looks at learning in tough circumstances.
On a recent business trip to India I had the chance to assess the challenges facing the education sector. Comparing state schools with new, low-cost private options, I saw two different worlds that have something to tell us about how important our approach to learning and teaching is.
The state system is in place to provide ‘free’ education, but the problems begin outside of the school gates. Not only are there are issues surrounding accessibility but sadly, the mindset of many impoverished parents who are just trying to survive means that their children don’t attend school at all. Most of those who do attend have an education experience that is extremely archaic.
It is true that resources are inadequate. These schools are often rooms with a few benches or even just holes in the wall. The children were eager but the outdated teaching style made learning a challenge. I observed a simple ‘chalk and talk’ teaching approach with little structure to lesson plans or strategies for learner participation, leading to disengaging lessons. The low quality of this learning experience adds to problems outside of school, so it isn’t surprising that 40% of students don’t go on to enroll in secondary education.
However, innovators in the commercial sector are changing this model. There is a massive expansion of private education companies addressing the need for affordable, accessible and high quality education. I had the pleasure of visiting some primary schools surrounding the city of Kolkata, where I saw that creating great learning environment is possible at a lower cost. The infrastructure may have been basic, but on the inside classrooms oozed the sense of a rich learning environment. Here were proud and motivated teachers working with excited and happy children hungry for learning.
Teachers were cultivating a rich learning environment which was evident through their use of structured lesson plans and contextualised learning – what we in the Western world would expect as being normal. Children’s artwork was displayed in the hallways and classrooms and there was a real sense of pride and excitement for learning amongst the children. Seeing this education company, which was leading the way in its approach and delivering best practice at an affordable cost, gave me hope for the future.
