I wonder why we grow up thinking we dont need to learn once we pass out of college? Is it our rich tradition of government jobs that involve anything but work? I am appalled that we, for generations, looked at a government job as the ultimate prize in life.
Anyway, the point I am making is that learning starts when you pass out of college and step into the real world. I am not saying formal education is easy. On the contrary, it is getting more difficult and rigorous by the day. The sad part though is that these rigors do not mirror reality. Students are evaluated by their ability to cram mathematical equations, but now how those can be used to solve real-life problems. How many students learning binomial theorem, trigonometry or calculus in class 12 know where they will be used in real life? I certainly didnt and that was one of the reasons I hated math. It was so difficult, and I had no idea where in hell would I need it.
Most business schools adopt a case-study based approach. The professor lectures on a topic for about 15-30 minutes and then discusses a case. For example, a lecture on failed leaders might involve a discussion on India's world cup performance. Students are encouraged to offer their views and counterviews. Of course, for students to make sensible viewpoints they need to know more about the topic than what was covered in the 30-min lecture. And that's precisely why this model works so well: students prepare for a class. And that is unheard of in the traditional model, where even lecturers make up crap on the spot.
Case-studies work on two levels. One, they immediately establish the relevance of a topic by linking it to a real-life situation. And there is no better motivator to learning than a strong relevance. Two, they offer students a chance to participate, or in other words, students learn actively. Further, the discussion gives rise to several interesting and unconventional views, and builds communication skills and confidence among students.
There is nothing new about this model. Like I said, this is the preferred approach in most business schools. And the concepts of relevance and engagement are cornerstones for trainings developed for the workplace. Why then can we not use this model in formal education where it will pay the most dividends? Imagine a generation that grows up learning how trigonometry is used to calculate the angle of flight take off or how magnets store large amounts of data in computers. Such a generation will not only be prepared to handle the real world, they will take it by storm.
When will we see Generation Storm?
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