With the turn of the 21st century, developments in all fields of study and work have taken place at a tremendous pace. Unlike earlier times, the state of all things is inclined to change at the blink of an eye. Rapid progress in technology, research, the ever-evolving dynamics of learning, and producing effective outcomes have unquestionably put a demand on the field of education to move forward towards changing its ways of imparting knowledge and skills to students. The obvious step towards meeting this demand is making innovation an imperative part of the curricula followed in schools, colleges, and all other institutions of study worldwide. The rise of innovation in the field of education would definitely produce better results as students are geared towards testing their knowledge and skills continuously for producing better things and services that help mankind and our world as whole to sustain and progress in all ways possible. Let us look at why innovation is important in education and the ways in which innovation can be made to happen to produce better ends.
Rising Problems Rising Challenges
We have problems of pollution, population, traffic congestion, global warming, incurable or chronic diseases, and impediments of all sorts in all fields of study and work like factories, companies, industries, societies, health etc. These problems need effective solutions. Finding a solution requires innovation. Existing machines, methods, and services aren’t good enough to eradicate such problems. Grooming students from childhood itself towards working upon ways for solving such problems will definitely produce better solutions.
Effectual Use of Technological Advancements
Massive developments in the technological arena have changed the ways in which education is being imparted today. The use of computers, projectors, power-point slides, and other audio-visual aids to facilitate learning is no new thing today. However, according to a research, it has been seen that even though technology has made it easy to access and learn things students are not able to produce the required outcomes when the time of exercising their knowledge and skills occurs. What, then, is the reason for this stagnation? The answer is obviously that students are not able to innovate on their body of knowledge and learning gained over the years. The factor causing this inability to innovate and meet the demands of current times is the erroneous method of imparting education that is being followed everywhere. Instead of using technology to develop examination systems, pass exams or just gain learning to meet some desired end, students, teachers and trainers must be groomed towards using that technology and learning to work upon developing ways, systems and services through which they could advance humanity in better ways. Students must innovate to solve innumerable problems that plague our mother earth. Innovation needs technology and technology itself produces innovative outcomes. Instead of educating self just to improve standards of living and fulfilling our worldly desires, or being just a consumer of everything tangible around, one needs to innovate upon those tangible things and produce much better, improvised and even invented tangible things that advance our evolution towards more progress and so on. Thus, effective use of technology towards producing something better, and not being only consumers, is the need of our times.
Innovation in Teaching and Learning Methods
A classroom full of students sitting in columns with a single teacher writing on the whiteboard and blabbering something useful, not so useful and mostly ineffectual knowledge to learners is an impasse today. Development of new methods of teaching, training and learning is the need of the hour. Productive learning is a necessity and to facilitate productive learning changes in classroom setups, teaching methodology, classroom activities are necessary. For example, rather than teaching the concept of gravity or showing just a video of it, innovative ways through which gravitational concept could be explained in live ways, like demonstrating or role-playing the “ Newton- Apple” story through active participation and contribution of students, will be more effective. Students must be given tasks like to do projects on the concept and produce new things or discover things undiscovered. When the belief that there is always a possibility of discovery and innovation in everything is given to students, then definitely this learning would motivate them to exercise their brains towards producing and not just passing exams or completing homework.
The Way Forward
Examination oriented acquisition of knowledge and achieving degrees and jobs is not what today’s education system should limit itself to. It needs to move beyond that. Hence, it is without question that innovation is imperative in the field of education. It is the way forward towards solving issues of national and international importance and is definitely the tool for socio-financial and economic development of any country. It is the criterion upon which a country’s development index hinges and leads in the improvement of the living standards of people overall.
About the Author
Kaushik Pandey
He is an English language, soft skills and communication trainer at Pune Institute of Business Management. He has been training students in the mentioned fields for more than six years now. He is an avid writer and has written a few articles on varied issues. He has a passion for writing and is always up to the task of producing creative and original content.
