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| Our surroundings to work |
Skills and projects are connected
The top 10 skills required to thrive in the fourth industrial revolution as given by World economic forum are Creative, critical thinking, complex problem solving, people management, emotional intelligence, negotiation and decision making, adaptability and agility.
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| Skill set for the future jobs |
Developing these skills have taken
top priority in almost all educational systems.
However, it has now become utmost important to consider two sides of a
coin – i.e., expecting skill development along sustainable education. To promote such versatile thought process
among youngsters they are to be provided with a first-hand experience of what
happens in their surroundings. Projects
manifest certain reality in the work done.
Projects selections are not that which are designed by education boards
but those which are engaging and experienced in the world around them. Real time projects are the one which is to be
sought after. Real time projects cannot
be fixed by mentors or boards who situate themselves at remote locations. They have to be locality based or even their
existing community based. After all it
is these communities that lead towards nation building.
Developing projects for classrooms
is a systematic process.
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| Project process flow |
Step 1: Identify the problem: Problem statement
The locality of a region is
covered with many issues starting from removal of wastes to labelling of plants
to traffic congestion. The selection of
issues is to be individual based. These
issues will be brought to the classroom and students allowed to substantiate
and debate the reason for their selection of the problem statement. This allows
the ‘Guide’ to group the ‘like thought’
students.
Skills targeted: Critical thinking, creativity and Negotiation
Step 2: Developing a hypothesis
Students within their groups are
allowed to brainstorm and bring out ‘what they feel’ are most suitable reasons
for the problem at hand or simply the problem statement. The thought process of various reasons for
the above said problem is then finalised to statements which requires further
inquiry.
Skills targeted: Critical
thinking, Negotiation, People management, Emotional intelligence
Step 3: Design methodology for collection of data
Based on the
hypothesis concluded students are allowed to research and work for their sample
data collection. The collection can be questionnaire, experiment or research
based on the directions of the thought process in the hypothesis. The collected data is then to be analysed for
cumulative meaning for the hypothesis set.
In case, the data does not match any of the hypothetical statement then
students are provided scope for rework on the hypothesis based on the sample
data and then proceed with Step 3.
Skills targeted: People
management, Self-awareness, Coordinating with others, Stress management,
Mistakes management
Step 4: Analyse and Decide
The final data collected from
various sources are analysed on the finalized hypothesis. The validity of the
data is decided based on various indices as indicated during discussions from
the hypothesis. The represented data
provides scope for prediction of the past, present and future of the problem
statement under consideration. The
entire process is now documented for the final action plan.
Skills targeted: Complex
problem solving, Risk taking, Judgement and decision making, Documentation.
Step 5: Action plan
The predictability of the data
provides students to devise an action plan which will further help them monitor
and regulate the crisis that has arisen from the problem statement after data
analysis. This stage also allows
students to search for global alternatives for the selected problem.
Skills targeted: Cognitive
flexibility, Critical and creative thinking, Complex problem solving.
The entire process of the projects will allow students to
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| Classroom process flow |
Type
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Social
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Political
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Environmental
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Economical
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Topics
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1. Community
Health
2. Services
3. Population
statistics
4. Culture
& Tradition
5. Festivals
& Celebrations
6. Poverty
and hunger
7. Gender
biases
8. Equality
and Equity
|
1. Elections
2. Constitution
3. Governance
4. E-Governance
5. Town/Village/City
administration
6. Judicial
institutions and functioning
7. Corruption
and its causes
|
1. Water
management
2. Waste
management
3. Pollution
watch
4. Greenery
cover
5. Eco
friendly processes
6. Climate
7. Well
being
|
1. Responsible
consumption
2. Sales
and Marketing
3. Banking
4. Profit
and loss
5. Occupation
and growth
6. Sustainable
growth
7. Trade
and Sensex
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The topics given are in a broader
perspective. Selection of one instance
of the topics allows the students to ponder in the right direction. Bringing up a global citizen is merely not
about ‘successful people’ but more about
‘responsible and self-aware individuals’. Education equation today brings in more
technology which provides scope for versatile knowledge and indicative
awareness about various topics.
It becomes more of a teacher to
‘guide’ their students towards the right line of work. I would say that 21st century
education is more about ‘searching,
coordinating and streamlining’ rather than about ‘providing knowledge’. ‘Right’ and the ‘Wrong’ are individual responsibilities and choices,
hence education should show both sides for the student to judge and decide
their stand. Real time projects provide
such scope to a large extent.
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