The modern world is riddled with choices that force the human mind to make decisions. It is believed that an average human makes about 35,000 decisions in a day. In the short term, it leaves many children uninterested and bored in the classroom often mistaken for misbehavior or lack of academic bent. Educational philosopher John Dewey stated that education is life. Schools today must rise to this powerful statement and empower children with the tools and know-how to make decisions by fostering exploration through learning for Empowerment Through Education.

1. Empowering through
Education: Fostering learning
and exploration of personal
interests in school
The modern world is riddled with choices that force the human mind to make decisions. It is
believed that an average human makes about 35,000 decisions in a day. Yet, most schools
drown students in cookie-cutter timetables and learning experiences eliminating all traces of
flexibility and choice making. Standardized learning builds compliant individuals who face the
danger of failure in the real world in the long term. In the short term, it leaves many children
uninterested and bored in the classroom often mistaken for misbehavior or lack of academic
bent. Educational philosopher John Dewey stated that education is life. Schools today must
rise to this powerful statement and empower children with the tools and know-how to make
decisions by fostering exploration through learning for Empowerment Through Education.
Learning experiences should be embedded with choices that help students build a sense of
identity. Scientific research also supports the incorporation of multiple means of expression
to activate the parts of the brain where the sense of self resides. Imagine a classroom where
the student gets the opportunity to respond to a text through fine art, visual art, or performing
art. Or another classroom where they get to solve a scientific problem through the lens of
social action. Through such experiences, not only does the student get to exercise their

2. decision-making muscles but they also get a chance to examine their strengths and
interests. This in turn promotes intrinsic motivation and purpose.
Students emerge from school into a world where they are expected to make life-long
decisions about a career that they want to pursue. Most contemporary jobs were unheard of
ten years ago. That itself is a clear indication of the fact that learning should promote the
skills of exploration and reflection.
So, how can schools do that actively?
1. Starting small with choice-based assignments: Consistently provide choices to
students in their assignments wherever possible. These choices could include types
of questions students have to answer to demonstrate their mastery or even the
means of expression to do the same. Push students to think through the amount of
time they would need to complete the assignment and the support they might need
from peers or adults around them. By doing so, educators can promote
strategy-building skills among students.
● Project-based learning: Project-based learning is an approach for empowering
through education in which students work on real-world problems. It allows students
to choose a problem that impacts them directly or aligns with their passion and
interests. More importantly, it encourages students to think through a problem while
giving them control over their learning. The outcome of the project also helps
students see the impact of their work in the real world therefore leaving them with
thoughts around their purpose in the scheme of things. Most importantly the
collaborative aspect driven by feedback helps students identify their working styles
as well.
● Extension learning resources: Educators should consider providing extension
learning resources for empowering through education for the topics being covered in
class. Students who are interested in exploring the topic further can peruse the
resources at their own pace. This also builds the ability to research and synthesize
learning independently.
● Interest groups or clubs: Schools should facilitate interest groups or clubs within the
learning day. Students should receive exposure to all such groups in the early years
so they get to dabble in the foundational skills of each group. Over time, with
repeated exposure, students should be allowed to pursue excellence in a few groups.
Schools should also facilitate reflection in these spaces which encourages students
to question their competence and interest in the given area.
Field trips: Field trips bring the theoretical knowledge of the world into practical view.
By exploring spaces around them, students can get exposure to the various careers
and ways in which knowledge is put into action daily. Field trips should be
meticulously planned and should be purposeful exploration. These trips can be
supported by mentor talks where students get to meet experts in the field who help
them understand the demands of building a career in the real world.
Incorporating opportunities for empowering through education and choice comes with its
challenges in large-scale classrooms. Teachers might not get the chance to provide in-depth
feedback to every student in their class. Without feedback and adequate reflection on any
activity, exploration might be meaningless.
Consider the following: the teacher asks students to create a report on how the climate of
their city has been changing over the past decade. The students create individual reports.
However, the teacher has daily assignments, planning, and administrative work as well. In

3. such a situation, reviewing and providing comments on individual student work might be
cumbersome and take a backseat. The student leaves the rigorous experience unsure of
how it developed their skills and mindsets and feels demotivated to take up such tasks in the
future.
Educators should therefore teach reflective models of thinking to students for empowerment
through education which helps them ponder over all educational experiences independently
or with the help of peers. More importantly, there should be an adequate balance of
choice-based assignments and closed ones. Again, in the real world, individuals do not
always have a choice, and thriving through structured experiences is also a skill that must be
cultivated in schools.
Ultimately, the Tech Mahindra Foundation rethinks how their learning environment and
experiences are designed to facilitate a smooth transition into the world beyond.