Paul Sellers suggests that there are two key elements of a good education: 1) Learning the codes of communication used in society, such as reading, writing, arithmetic, and speaking/listening skills. These codes allow one to engage with and learn about their culture. 2) A broader education focused on drawing out an individual's potential and nurturing their capabilities. However, education systems often get distracted by infrastructure and other issues and lose sight of the objective of a well-rounded education. Sellers argues for balancing development of communication skills with a focus on creativity, critical thinking, and empowering independent learning.
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with Esther Akpan and Suleiman Tajudeen X-rays Housing Delivery in Nigeria and other developmental Issues.
The Challenges, the prospect and opportunities for Nigerian engineers.
HOUSING THE HOMELESS - Engr S.A OpaluwahAtayi Babs
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with Esther Akpan and Suleiman Tajudeen X-rays Housing Delivery in Nigeria and other developmental Issues.
The Challenges, the prospect and opportunities for Nigerian engineers.
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This slides describes the basic concepts of ICT, basics of Email, Emerging Technology and Digital Initiatives in Education. This presentations aligns with the UGC Paper I syllabus.
Exploiting Artificial Intelligence for Empowering Researchers and Faculty, In...Dr. Vinod Kumar Kanvaria
Exploiting Artificial Intelligence for Empowering Researchers and Faculty,
International FDP on Fundamentals of Research in Social Sciences
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Normal labor is also termed spontaneous labor, defined as the natural physiological process through which the fetus, placenta, and membranes are expelled from the uterus through the birth canal at term (37 to 42 weeks
2024 State of Marketing Report – by HubspotMarius Sescu
https://www.hubspot.com/state-of-marketing
· Scaling relationships and proving ROI
· Social media is the place for search, sales, and service
· Authentic influencer partnerships fuel brand growth
· The strongest connections happen via call, click, chat, and camera.
· Time saved with AI leads to more creative work
· Seeking: A single source of truth
· TLDR; Get on social, try AI, and align your systems.
· More human marketing, powered by robots
ChatGPT is a revolutionary addition to the world since its introduction in 2022. A big shift in the sector of information gathering and processing happened because of this chatbot. What is the story of ChatGPT? How is the bot responding to prompts and generating contents? Swipe through these slides prepared by Expeed Software, a web development company regarding the development and technical intricacies of ChatGPT!
Model Attribute Check Company Auto PropertyCeline George
In Odoo, the multi-company feature allows you to manage multiple companies within a single Odoo database instance. Each company can have its own configurations while still sharing common resources such as products, customers, and suppliers.
Executive Directors Chat Leveraging AI for Diversity, Equity, and InclusionTechSoup
Let’s explore the intersection of technology and equity in the final session of our DEI series. Discover how AI tools, like ChatGPT, can be used to support and enhance your nonprofit's DEI initiatives. Participants will gain insights into practical AI applications and get tips for leveraging technology to advance their DEI goals.
Unit 8 - Information and Communication Technology (Paper I).pdfThiyagu K
This slides describes the basic concepts of ICT, basics of Email, Emerging Technology and Digital Initiatives in Education. This presentations aligns with the UGC Paper I syllabus.
Exploiting Artificial Intelligence for Empowering Researchers and Faculty, In...Dr. Vinod Kumar Kanvaria
Exploiting Artificial Intelligence for Empowering Researchers and Faculty,
International FDP on Fundamentals of Research in Social Sciences
at Integral University, Lucknow, 06.06.2024
By Dr. Vinod Kumar Kanvaria
Synthetic Fiber Construction in lab .pptxPavel ( NSTU)
Synthetic fiber production is a fascinating and complex field that blends chemistry, engineering, and environmental science. By understanding these aspects, students can gain a comprehensive view of synthetic fiber production, its impact on society and the environment, and the potential for future innovations. Synthetic fibers play a crucial role in modern society, impacting various aspects of daily life, industry, and the environment. ynthetic fibers are integral to modern life, offering a range of benefits from cost-effectiveness and versatility to innovative applications and performance characteristics. While they pose environmental challenges, ongoing research and development aim to create more sustainable and eco-friendly alternatives. Understanding the importance of synthetic fibers helps in appreciating their role in the economy, industry, and daily life, while also emphasizing the need for sustainable practices and innovation.
Acetabularia Information For Class 9 .docxvaibhavrinwa19
Acetabularia acetabulum is a single-celled green alga that in its vegetative state is morphologically differentiated into a basal rhizoid and an axially elongated stalk, which bears whorls of branching hairs. The single diploid nucleus resides in the rhizoid.
Operation “Blue Star” is the only event in the history of Independent India where the state went into war with its own people. Even after about 40 years it is not clear if it was culmination of states anger over people of the region, a political game of power or start of dictatorial chapter in the democratic setup.
The people of Punjab felt alienated from main stream due to denial of their just demands during a long democratic struggle since independence. As it happen all over the word, it led to militant struggle with great loss of lives of military, police and civilian personnel. Killing of Indira Gandhi and massacre of innocent Sikhs in Delhi and other India cities was also associated with this movement.
Normal Labour/ Stages of Labour/ Mechanism of LabourWasim Ak
Normal labor is also termed spontaneous labor, defined as the natural physiological process through which the fetus, placenta, and membranes are expelled from the uterus through the birth canal at term (37 to 42 weeks
2024 State of Marketing Report – by HubspotMarius Sescu
https://www.hubspot.com/state-of-marketing
· Scaling relationships and proving ROI
· Social media is the place for search, sales, and service
· Authentic influencer partnerships fuel brand growth
· The strongest connections happen via call, click, chat, and camera.
· Time saved with AI leads to more creative work
· Seeking: A single source of truth
· TLDR; Get on social, try AI, and align your systems.
· More human marketing, powered by robots
ChatGPT is a revolutionary addition to the world since its introduction in 2022. A big shift in the sector of information gathering and processing happened because of this chatbot. What is the story of ChatGPT? How is the bot responding to prompts and generating contents? Swipe through these slides prepared by Expeed Software, a web development company regarding the development and technical intricacies of ChatGPT!
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The realm of product design is a constantly changing environment where technology and style intersect. Every year introduces fresh challenges and exciting trends that mold the future of this captivating art form. In this piece, we delve into the significant trends set to influence the look and functionality of product design in the year 2024.
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Mental health has been in the news quite a bit lately. Dozens of U.S. states are currently suing Meta for contributing to the youth mental health crisis by inserting addictive features into their products, while the U.S. Surgeon General is touring the nation to bring awareness to the growing epidemic of loneliness and isolation. The country has endured periods of low national morale, such as in the 1970s when high inflation and the energy crisis worsened public sentiment following the Vietnam War. The current mood, however, feels different. Gallup recently reported that national mental health is at an all-time low, with few bright spots to lift spirits.
To better understand how Americans are feeling and their attitudes towards mental health in general, ThinkNow conducted a nationally representative quantitative survey of 1,500 respondents and found some interesting differences among ethnic, age and gender groups.
Technology
For example, 52% agree that technology and social media have a negative impact on mental health, but when broken out by race, 61% of Whites felt technology had a negative effect, and only 48% of Hispanics thought it did.
While technology has helped us keep in touch with friends and family in faraway places, it appears to have degraded our ability to connect in person. Staying connected online is a double-edged sword since the same news feed that brings us pictures of the grandkids and fluffy kittens also feeds us news about the wars in Israel and Ukraine, the dysfunction in Washington, the latest mass shooting and the climate crisis.
Hispanics may have a built-in defense against the isolation technology breeds, owing to their large, multigenerational households, strong social support systems, and tendency to use social media to stay connected with relatives abroad.
Age and Gender
When asked how individuals rate their mental health, men rate it higher than women by 11 percentage points, and Baby Boomers rank it highest at 83%, saying it’s good or excellent vs. 57% of Gen Z saying the same.
Gen Z spends the most amount of time on social media, so the notion that social media negatively affects mental health appears to be correlated. Unfortunately, Gen Z is also the generation that’s least comfortable discussing mental health concerns with healthcare professionals. Only 40% of them state they’re comfortable discussing their issues with a professional compared to 60% of Millennials and 65% of Boomers.
Race Affects Attitudes
As seen in previous research conducted by ThinkNow, Asian Americans lag other groups when it comes to awareness of mental health issues. Twenty-four percent of Asian Americans believe that having a mental health issue is a sign of weakness compared to the 16% average for all groups. Asians are also considerably less likely to be aware of mental health services in their communities (42% vs. 55%) and most likely to seek out information on social media (51% vs. 35%).
AI Trends in Creative Operations 2024 by Artwork Flow.pdfmarketingartwork
This article is all about what AI trends will emerge in the field of creative operations in 2024. All the marketers and brand builders should be aware of these trends for their further use and save themselves some time!
A report by thenetworkone and Kurio.
The contributing experts and agencies are (in an alphabetical order): Sylwia Rytel, Social Media Supervisor, 180heartbeats + JUNG v MATT (PL), Sharlene Jenner, Vice President - Director of Engagement Strategy, Abelson Taylor (USA), Alex Casanovas, Digital Director, Atrevia (ES), Dora Beilin, Senior Social Strategist, Barrett Hoffher (USA), Min Seo, Campaign Director, Brand New Agency (KR), Deshé M. Gully, Associate Strategist, Day One Agency (USA), Francesca Trevisan, Strategist, Different (IT), Trevor Crossman, CX and Digital Transformation Director; Olivia Hussey, Strategic Planner; Simi Srinarula, Social Media Manager, The Hallway (AUS), James Hebbert, Managing Director, Hylink (CN / UK), Mundy Álvarez, Planning Director; Pedro Rojas, Social Media Manager; Pancho González, CCO, Inbrax (CH), Oana Oprea, Head of Digital Planning, Jam Session Agency (RO), Amy Bottrill, Social Account Director, Launch (UK), Gaby Arriaga, Founder, Leonardo1452 (MX), Shantesh S Row, Creative Director, Liwa (UAE), Rajesh Mehta, Chief Strategy Officer; Dhruv Gaur, Digital Planning Lead; Leonie Mergulhao, Account Supervisor - Social Media & PR, Medulla (IN), Aurelija Plioplytė, Head of Digital & Social, Not Perfect (LI), Daiana Khaidargaliyeva, Account Manager, Osaka Labs (UK / USA), Stefanie Söhnchen, Vice President Digital, PIABO Communications (DE), Elisabeth Winiartati, Managing Consultant, Head of Global Integrated Communications; Lydia Aprina, Account Manager, Integrated Marketing and Communications; Nita Prabowo, Account Manager, Integrated Marketing and Communications; Okhi, Web Developer, PNTR Group (ID), Kei Obusan, Insights Director; Daffi Ranandi, Insights Manager, Radarr (SG), Gautam Reghunath, Co-founder & CEO, Talented (IN), Donagh Humphreys, Head of Social and Digital Innovation, THINKHOUSE (IRE), Sarah Yim, Strategy Director, Zulu Alpha Kilo (CA).
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The search marketing landscape is evolving rapidly with new technologies, and professionals, like you, rely on innovative paid search strategies to meet changing demands.
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Check this out and learn the top trends in paid search advertising that are expected to gain traction, so you can drive higher ROI more efficiently in 2024.
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- New developments in privacy and data regulation.
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5 Public speaking tips from TED - Visualized summarySpeakerHub
From their humble beginnings in 1984, TED has grown into the world’s most powerful amplifier for speakers and thought-leaders to share their ideas. They have over 2,400 filmed talks (not including the 30,000+ TEDx videos) freely available online, and have hosted over 17,500 events around the world.
With over one billion views in a year, it’s no wonder that so many speakers are looking to TED for ideas on how to share their message more effectively.
The article “5 Public-Speaking Tips TED Gives Its Speakers”, by Carmine Gallo for Forbes, gives speakers five practical ways to connect with their audience, and effectively share their ideas on stage.
Whether you are gearing up to get on a TED stage yourself, or just want to master the skills that so many of their speakers possess, these tips and quotes from Chris Anderson, the TED Talks Curator, will encourage you to make the most impactful impression on your audience.
See the full article and more summaries like this on SpeakerHub here: https://speakerhub.com/blog/5-presentation-tips-ted-gives-its-speakers
See the original article on Forbes here:
http://www.forbes.com/forbes/welcome/?toURL=http://www.forbes.com/sites/carminegallo/2016/05/06/5-public-speaking-tips-ted-gives-its-speakers/&refURL=&referrer=#5c07a8221d9b
ChatGPT and the Future of Work - Clark Boyd Clark Boyd
Everyone is in agreement that ChatGPT (and other generative AI tools) will shape the future of work. Yet there is little consensus on exactly how, when, and to what extent this technology will change our world.
Businesses that extract maximum value from ChatGPT will use it as a collaborative tool for everything from brainstorming to technical maintenance.
For individuals, now is the time to pinpoint the skills the future professional will need to thrive in the AI age.
Check out this presentation to understand what ChatGPT is, how it will shape the future of work, and how you can prepare to take advantage.
A brief introduction to DataScience with explaining of the concepts, algorithms, machine learning, supervised and unsupervised learning, clustering, statistics, data preprocessing, real-world applications etc.
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The six step guide to practical project management
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THE REAL ESSENCE OF GOOD EDUCATION
1. 22 MINDFIELDS | JUNE 2012 WWW.MINDFIELDS.IN
OpiniOn
Iwould ask you to take what
I say as an offer for debate
rather then me telling the
world what to do and what’s right
because that’s certainly not the case.
It’s not often that I agree with
management consultants but in this
occasion I do agree with the McKinsey
finding. The Infrastructure,
wraparound and environment of
schools that learners and young people
have in which to learn is extremely
important but I think its missing the
point to spend all your finite valuable
resources on infrastructure such as
Information and Technology,
important as it is, if you then neglect
the real essence of education which is
really the fundamental resources
within schools.
And my thesis for today, which I offer
you for debate and criticism is actually
that, no, we should not be happy with
the status quo but let us look before we
leap because its probable that it’s a
modification to the status quo that’s
required rather than a huge revolution.
So to tell you what am about to say in
a nutshell, and I say often that this is a
debate,I would say that we cant tell the
future, there is no way we can predict
for the future and what we need to be
doing is we need to be giving young
SCHOOL OF
TOMORROW
November 2011
2.00 p.m. to 9.00 p.m.
The XSEED Conference on the Future of School Education
Special Feature
THE REAL ESSENCE OF
GOOD EDUCATION
Paul Sellers suggests that there are two distinct elements of a good education - one is that
learners need to learn the codes of communication and the other to give them an education
in the true sense - which is drawing out the potential of the individual and nurturing their
capabilities.
Illustration by Amruta Patil
MF16 Pg 22-28 Sellers:Layout 2 11/07/12 8:37 AM Page 2
2. 2012 JUNE | MINDFIELDS 23WWW.MINDFIELDS.IN
OpiniOn
people the best possible education.
Now it’s easy to say the best possible
education, of course it goes without
debate. But now let’s have a look at
that to make sure that we are
delivering the education most
efficiently and meeting the needs of
young people for them to then go on
and address the future challenges well
equipped with all the tools they need.
And my suggestion is that its rather
less complicated than we sometimes
make out.
My suggestion is that there are two key
elements of a good education,and they
are very distinct. One is that learners,
young people and individuals and
society need to learn the codes of that
society. These are the codes we
use to communicate – the script, the
numbers, the communication. They
need to have those codes to a very high
degree and indeed you can never stop
learning the codes, it’s a lifelong
learning thing, and these codes can
be taught.
On the other hand, young people also
need an education, and these two
things are different. They need an
education, which is education in the
true sense of the word, which is
drawing out the potential of the
individual, making him aware, and
making a way available for their
capability and to be able to nurture
these capabilities.
And that is a very different thing from
training on the codes, its about
drawing out, it’s the real meaning of
education, which, I am no scholar but,
I am reliably informed comes from the
Latin root, ēducātiō, where ē- is “from”
or “out of” and dūcare which is root of
the verb “to lead.” So “to lead from” or
“to lead out of.”
And my suggestion is that we don’t
have this right to lead at the moment
because we have over-engineered
education and this is where the debate
between the public and private
education can come in because the
issue about private schools and state’s
education and what the role for the
states and many state run schools are
very good.
The political rough around to
education often gets in the way and we
lose sight of the actual objective of
education in this jungle of
infrastructure and assessment and
curricula and so forth. Let’s analyze
this a little bit.
I’ve mentioned the codes and you’re
probably saying yes this is nothing new,
you may remember the three R’s, at
least in the UK we talk about the three
R’s—R for reading, the second R was
for writing,and the third R while some
people say was for arithmetic, the R in
arithmetic, other people say its for
“reckoning” which is archaic word for
calculations in arithmetic.
So the three R’s reading, writing and
arithmetic are the codes of the
language for communication that
everybody needs to a very high degree.
But I say it doesn’t stop there,these are
about communication, they are about
changing the semantics, the meaning
into a form, which can then be
communicated and adapted and
utilized.
To that I would then add the aural
skills, and by aural skills I mean the
speaking and listening skills which are
just as important because we spend a
huge part of our lives speaking and
listening. We should do that because
that is how society communicates,
that’s the way that people learn and
teach and that’s the way people
influence decisions and their lives and
their future.
And from now when I use the word
education I’ll use it in the pure sense,
educare – as to lead out/ to lead from –
because I think this is one of the
hardest points to nail down, but
something we have to get right
because, as well as a knowledge and
understanding of the codes with which
we engage with society in life, there is
also this whole area of developing an
individual’s potential, giving her the
tools and skills to learn for herself,
giving her autonomy, giving her the
tools with which to form opinions,the
tools to be original and be creative and
analytical.
So I am suggesting that these two
features—one, a really good and
ongoing grasp of the codes of
whichever society you are in, and two,
a broader pure education combined is
what the young people need to as large
an extent as possible.
Obviously you are constrained with
time, money and other resources but
let us not forget that these leanings do
not necessarily need to be confined to
the classroom because people learn
despite their classroom. We all
continue learning outside the
classroom and we should never stop
learning. And even if we think we’ve
stopped learning, we don’t, because we
continue learning and developing our
skills and that’s a challenge we all need
to take up to keep developing our skills
as life goes on.
SCHOOL OF
TOMORROW
November 2011
2.00 p.m. to 9.00 p.m.
The XSEED Conference on the Future of School Education
Special Feature
The political rough around to
education often gets in the
way and we lose sight of the
actual objective of education
in this jungle of infrastructure
and assessment and curricula
and so forth.
Obviously you are constrained
with time, money and other
resources but let us not forget
that these leanings do not
necessarily need to be
confined to the classroom
because people learn despite
their classroom. We all
continue learning outside the
classroom and we should
never stop learning.
MF16 Pg 22-28 Sellers:Layout 2 11/07/12 8:37 AM Page 3
3. 24 MINDFIELDS | JUNE 2012 WWW.MINDFIELDS.IN
OpiniOn
Let me just go back to the codes in a
bit more detail. With the basic codes,
here we’re talking about the script, the
alphabet and word formation – the
written word – reading and writing.In
each different country, each having a
different language the code is different.
And those of us who have learned
another language, when we start we
know that when we start to learn
another language you have to start
from scratch, you have to learn that
new code in order to be able to engage.
You might say well babies learn to
speak and listen that’s the aural code
automatically, instinctively. But I
would say that that is not true actually.
They learn probably the hardest way
possible and that is by trial and error,
by hearing the same thing over and
again and linking it up to the
semantics,linking it up to the action or
the message that’s being related and in
the end they assimilate that. And all
those around the baby, the parents and
the family are the teachers and it a long
and laborious process but when they
get to a certain point they have the
basic tools of the language, not the
reading and writing, but the speaking
and listening.
Then the teacher can come in and start
deliberately teaching the codes, which
would then allow them to develop the
reading and writing – the broader aural
skills. The same is true for example
with mathematics, that’s the other one
main code I would say is essential.
Numbers themselves are symbols, just
like words and letter are symbols,
which have a meaning, which you can
then put together, manipulate and
form. We use the symbols of
mathematics to multiply,divide,etc.,to
communicate around mathematics.
And I am sure there are math teachers
here I am not going to lecture about
mathematics because I was a low-
grade mathematics student. But you
know mathematics is another form of
communication.
Codes are intricately linked to the
culture.They allow you to describe the
culture, to enter into that culture, to
learn that culture.If you learn the code
you are well on your way to learning
the culture,so of course learn your own
culture, or at least learn it first because
your culture is your life,it very valuable,
every different culture is of equal value.
Times have moved on now and we are
conducting this conference in English
and I know many of your schools
would be English medium and this is
because things have changed, English
is no longer the code of the colonial
British situation,English is now a code
of international communication and
transaction. So it’s a different story.
So if you want to equip young people
these days with the code which will
allow them to interact internationally,
with people from other countries and
therefore be successful, because
generally speaking this international
outlook is very healthy not only from
the commercial point of view but also
from the cultural and personal
development point of view. Then yes
you have to learn English; if it weren’t
English it would be another language
that had become the world needing for
communication.
In Sci-Fi movies you have aliens from
Mars landing on the earth and very
often they can happily speak English,
which is very fortunate, but some of
the films are a little more enlightened
and tackle this problem of the code.
And when the Martian says in their
language “take me to your leader,” the
first thing will be the problem of
cracking that code,“what’s he saying? I
don’t know,sounds ridiculous.”But the
code will have to be cracked before we
get off the ground on that relationship
with the Martian.
The codes can be taught and they can
be rote learned. There’s the never
ending debate about rote learning,and
I would suggest that if you’re going to
rote learn anything its going to be
these codes and that actually with a
difference because what we need to
teach is not the scripts or the words or
the numbers or the formulae, we need
to teach the code behind the word and
numbers, which will allow the people
to decipher them.
If you focus on word recognition when
teaching students to read then you’re
doing them a bit of a disservice. You
might be helping them in the short
term because actually there are a finite
number of words that the young
student needs to deploy until they
enter a professional scenario. So it is
actually possible to rote learn the
words as sort of pictograms.
It is much better to deploy the many
methodologies around phonics that
show students how the sounds form
and the letters interact together to
form different sounds of words so that
they will never come across a word
they cannot decipher. With this they
will always have the tools to crack the
codes to decipher.
SCHOOL OF
TOMORROW
November 2011
2.00 p.m. to 9.00 p.m.
The XSEED Conference on the Future of School Education
Special Feature
Codes are intricately linked to
the culture. They allow you to
describe the culture, to enter
into that culture, to learn that
culture. If you learn the code
you are well on your way to
learning the culture, so of
course learn your own culture,
or at least learn it first because
your culture is your...
And when the Martian says in
their language“take me to
your leader,”the first thing will
be the problem of cracking
that code,“what’s he saying? I
don’t know, sounds ridiculous.”
But the code will have to be
cracked before we get off the
ground on that relationship
with the Martian.
MF16 Pg 22-28 Sellers:Layout 2 11/07/12 8:37 AM Page 4
4. 2012 JUNE | MINDFIELDS 25WWW.MINDFIELDS.IN
OpiniOn
The same goes for mathematics. I
remember when I was in school and I
told, “we are not really worried about
what the answer is, we just want to see
how you got that.” That was the main
thing; they wanted to know if I could
crack the code or not which I couldn’t
as I wasn’t particularly good in math.
I have a teaching background, I am
qualified as teacher in the UK, but I
very quickly found that it was far too
much like hard work being a teacher,
so I switched over to the management
part in the cultural relations sector,so I
have great admiration for teachers who
stick on to it and who do such a
wonderful service for students.
There are things that can be taught and
indeed should be taught. Everyone,
including the government and the
public sector, has a duty to provide
every learner with these basic codes. If
somebody else didn’t teach them the
codes then they should because it’s in
their national interest. Because if you
don’t have the codes and you don’t have
access to learning of the codes, then
you can’t become part of the society,
you are marginalized you don’t have
the tools to build on your knowledge
and learn for yourself, you will not be
productive in this knowledge society,
this hi-tech information age. You will
not be productive even in an industrial
age situation. And it must be provided
to an acceptable level, and I am not
going to stand here and try to define
what an acceptable level is, that’s for
debate, but the idea is to give people
the essential tools and it is the
responsibility of the government and
the public sector to ensure that.
Education, on the other hand cannot
be taught, its about bringing potential
out of people,e-ducare,bringing out or
to lead out. There is nothing about
education that means putting in, it’s
the reverse. The codes can sort of be
put in, but education is the other
way round.
This is where we have to pause and this
is where we have to go to education
without boundaries and think about
our infrastructural resourcing
decisions, because we spend a lot of
time putting content into young
people, even at the primary and the
secondary school levels. I suggest that
this is wrong because as soon as you
put content in, first you are not
encouraging the intrinsic faculties,you
are not encouraging them to think for
themselves, then you’re also adding a
very strong element of bias into
education at a very young age. How
did you decide on the content? How
did you decide on the curriculum?
What is it you teach?
Now schools and government have a
duty to teach the indigenous culture to
their citizens – of course there is a role
for that but let’s not confuse that with
education.Education is about drawing
out the individual. And this can be
done in many ways – engaging young
people, asking them to problem solve,
to engage in logical thoughts,
introducing them to discourse and
debate and analysis because that is the
most valuable thing in addition to the
codes. All these are capabilities are
resources which you can inculcate in
children especially when preparing
them for the future, which as I said in
the beginning is something we can’t
predict.
The future, now from where I am
standing and where you are looking, is
the same as the future must have
looked 20 years ago. Like Information
Technology today,a hundred years ago,
energy technology like electricity was
a massively new technology, which
transformed people’s lives. You know
before the discovery of electricity could
anybody have anticipated what it could
do? Then there was another
technology, the telegraph, a
communication technology. Who
could have stood here the day before
the telegraph was invented and
predicted what the telegraph could do
for society. Nobody!
All we can do is equip kids with
generic skills and good education with
which to engage with the future.
Education is about focusing on the
individual because the value of an
individual is what they bring to a
group and we should celebrate the
diversity there,we should celebrate the
fact that individuals bring different
things to the table. Whatever you see
of people’s strengths and weaknesses,
abilities or lack of abilities, everybody
actually at the bottom level is
completely whole. And bringing that
strength to the table is what creates
teams and we all know that a good
team is composed of individuals whose
strengths compliment each other and
that way you get a fantastic team.
We all know as well that if we get a
team of people together who have the
same strengths, even though they are
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The XSEED Conference on the Future of School Education
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Education, on the other hand
cannot be taught, its about
bringing potential out of
people, e-ducare, bringing out
or to lead out. There is nothing
about education that means
putting in, it’s the reverse. The
codes can sort of be put in,
but education is the other
way round.
... we spend a lot of time
putting content into young
people, even at the primary
and the secondary school
levels. I suggest that this is
wrong because as soon as you
put content in, first you are not
encouraging the intrinsic
faculties, you are not
encouraging them to think for
themselves, then you’re also
adding a very strong element
of bias into education at a very
young age.
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wonderful strengths it’s a complete
disaster. You have to have
complimentary skill sets in a team. So
its important to encourage teamwork
but at the same time to focus on the
individual and to give the individual a
self-knowledge,an awareness of where
their strengths and capabilities lie so
that they can deploy these to
maximum.
Going back to the codes,and to use an
IT analogy,the content area is a bit like
a computer operating system, when
you press the button (and I’m not good
with IT either) something happens
and the computer starts up, almost by
magic it comes up with a screen and a
picture, but that’s because it has the
operating system inside, an electric
spark kick starts a process of electrical
impulses which generates a language,
which then allows the computer to
start running and presents you with an
interface which then you can be
creative on, you can write things, you
can draw pictures you can
communicate with people.
The operating system is essential and
has to be put in the computer before
you can use it and I would equate that
to the codes.But on the education side
this is about creativity, this is about
people being able to deploy the tools at
their disposal - to be original and this
is the key word for me in education. I
talked about individuality. Now am
talking about originality because this is
how societies progress isn’t it? And this
is how things progress, societies
progress – because somebody had that
original thought,that original strength
which moves things in another
direction, and this is what we have to
encourage in young people and I
would suggest that many of our
methodologies today discourage this.
But it’s a risk because this sort of thing
can’t be tested. You can’t test
somebody’s originality by giving them
a multiple choice test, you might be
able to ask him to write an essay but
that focuses on a particular strength,
doesn’t it? Very hard to assess, very
hard for you to prove, to your
stakeholders and your parents that
you’ve actually added value to a learner,
apart from some instances where a
young person is extremely original.
There is one area where I feel that
education and codes do coincide and
that area I would broadly term as art.
So artists, painters, writers, dancers,
they have a very high level
understanding of the codes of the
discipline, the technique of each
discipline. Successful original artists
they bring to it that spark, that
individuality, that creativity which
transforms what they do into
something that’s priceless, taking the
individual forward, to fulfill the
individual and to maximize his
potential.
Let’s pause here on codes and
education and focus back in on the
schools. It is hard to assess these
things,its almost a challenge that’s sort
of too big because schools are asked to
be guardians, they are asked to be
almost sort of parents,you are asked to
take care of kids for 12 years, 12
whole years!
To learn the basics and rudiments of
the codes, taught in an effective and
efficient manner, would take at the
most two to three years maybe.The rest
is a great long span of time, of course
for developing those codes and for
getting that education going. But why
12 years? Why not ask people to move
out of education at 14 or 16 into work,
leaving the entire education for later
on. This is where I think we have to
really focus on the future and
education without boundaries, to offer
that flexibility, because not everyone is
academic but everyone has that
potential in different fields of life.
But we are under legal constraints to
provide an education up to a certain
age and to keep the students in the
school for that time; we have to offer a
sort of 9 to 5 service. Society expects
us to provide sports facilities and arts
education in order to develop the
individual into to a well-rounded
personality. But why do these things
need to happen in the school
environment? Why do they need to
happen with 18, 25 or 30 kids sitting
in the classroom?
I am not criticizing that, that’s
absolutely fine. But when we have
them sitting in the classroom let’s not
compound it by having them rote learn
and read the text books and go through
lots of assessment. We have the
assessment, young people have to go
on to college and they have to pass
their entry exams, fine. But I would
suggest, and this is where you have to
take the big risk, I would suggest that
if you give those young people a proper
education which includes a proper
delivery of the codes and a proper
more liberal education, drawing that
out from their own selves, discovering
their own capabilities, if you do that, if
SCHOOL OF
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The XSEED Conference on the Future of School Education
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There is one area where I feel
that education and codes do
coincide and that area I would
broadly term as art. So artists,
painters, writers, dancers, they
have a very high level
understanding of the codes of
the discipline, the technique of
each discipline.
Why not ask people to move
out of education at 14 or 16
into work, leaving the entire
education for later on. This is
where I think we have to really
focus on the future and
education without boundaries,
to offer that flexibility, because
not everyone is academic but
everyone has that potential in
different fields of life.
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you give them the basics, then you will
have to spend a little bit of time of
orientating them to what a test is and
they are in a much better position to
score well on a test than if you gave
them a lot of practice tests. So bite the
bullet and try that one.
Thinking about the codes and higher
education, you say but people have to
go on into professions and there are
many codes in life, moral codes, codes
of behavior, dress codes, the legal
codes, and the legal profession is one
that fascinates me because, I don’t
know if it’s the same in India as it is in
the UK, but the legal profession is
quite a closed profession and you have
to be accredited before you can appear
in the court,its probably the same here
in India, we have that joint legal sort
of past. And somebody who doesn’t
have that accreditation can’t do it, they
are not allowed then.And what does it
take to get that accreditation? It
actually takes a serious study of the
codes around the legal profession.
I don’t mean this disparagingly at all of
any lawyers or judges but in the UK
the language of the law is archaic.It’s a
language from about 200 years ago or
more. When I read it as a fairly well
educated person, I read a sentence
from the legal handbook, and I don’t
understand a word.And the point is to
understand it you have to be trained in
that code.Now am not saying we train
all the kids in that code, but what it
does mean is that they have to have the
basic codes of the language first,then if
they should go on to study a legal
career, they are well equipped to crack
that next code that’s coming.
Even with computer software, you
know once you get into the
professional level, people are dealing
with codes and the codes have to be
cracked, and you are successful in life
if you crack it and you can become a
great software programmer or a great
lawyer. If you don’t have the ability to
crack those codes and if they haven’t
been instilled in you from an early age
you’ll have a hard time.
Talking about practical issues, what
does it leave us with? Lots of issues.As
I said, schools are under an obligation
to deliver a service and that’s great.
And I should say at this point that all
the schools here are well ahead in the
game because either you are on or
aspiring to be part of XSEED’s
program, iDiscoveri’s offerings of
sweets, which represents an
enlightened way forward. You might
be on or interested in the British
Council of international schools award,
a similar program which offers another
take on curriculum.Of course you have
a great curriculum, you have a plan
there’s no getting around there, but
what’s in the plan that counts.
We also have to think about the issue
of bias and culture and I go back to
that earlier point I made about culture.
It is of course in the interest of any
nation, government, community,
society,school or institution to educate,
to give cultural values and cultural
norms to the individual because we all
have to live in the society and I suggest
that this is all large amount of what we
do in school.
Take a very basic example, let’s pause
for 10 seconds and think of examples
of ways you give cultural guidance to
your students in the daily school
routine. Do you for example sing the
national anthem once a week or once a
day in your school? Ok great. Why do
you do that? That’s because you are
reinforcing the students are part of the
nation and they should be proud of
that. It’s not really about education it’s
about cultural achievement. Your
school might have a religious backing,
in that case you might give them
religious tuition during the week.
Of course all that is absolutely fine, we
celebrate the diversity,but be clear that
you are offering the students, the
learners a type of culture, an entry into
a culture.There are many other ways to
do this. More subtly, on the choice of
content to the curriculum, why do we
choose to study climate change and
not disability, or disability and not
astronomy? Who makes those choices?
Who makes those decisions? Now
increasingly we make those decisions
based on what content we think the
learners need to engage with in future.
But that’s not right I say. We need to
make these decisions based on what
content will best ferment the process
of education, or what content will best
get the students thinking, get students
problem solving.
Socrates had the method of
questioning and answering, normally
on a one to one basis.And this method
is adopted in some of the famous
universities in the UK, Oxford and
Cambridge and many in the US and
many here in India and this method
has made the difference. These
question-answer sessions are intensive,
often one to one, very senior academic
question and answering the student.
SCHOOL OF
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The XSEED Conference on the Future of School Education
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...people are dealing with
codes and the codes have to be
cracked, and you are successful
in life if you crack it and you
can become a great software
programmer or a great lawyer.
If you don’t have the ability to
crack those codes and if they
haven’t been instilled in you
from an early age you’ll have a
hard time.
Do you for example sing the
national anthem once a week
or once a day in your school?
Ok great. Why do you do that?
That’s because you are
reinforcing the students are
part of the nation and they
should be proud of that. It’s
not really about education it’s
about cultural achievement.
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But the value of these sessions are
enormous.The students of course come
out tearing their hair out because they
say he didn’t give me any answers, he
didn’t tell me what to think, he didn’t
tell me what to do,he didn’t tell me the
answer. No they spend the whole
session challenging,and every time the
student came back with an answer
there was another challenge, another
challenge then another.
The challenge would go on forever
because it enriches the students, it
enables them to think for themselves,
it triggers autonomy; it triggers
originality of thought which is sort of
the key to creativity, which societies
really need. It crucially gives the
message that you should never believe
anything that you read or are told until
you’ve verified it for yourself or
analyzed it for yourself. If we give
students content because we are in
positions of authority at a young age
they are going to think that that is the
truth. So we have to be aware of this.
So in our teaching methodology,in our
content, in our curriculum we need to
build in this element of debate and
discussion, and throw it back to the
individual. We have to be assessment-
light – we have to have test,we have to
have exam but try not to teach to the
exam. If you teach and give the
students the proper understanding of
the codes and a proper education
which sows the seeds of autonomy and
creativity and originality, then the
exams will be a cakewalk, unless of
course they are not very good exams.
I would like to close with these
thoughts. In our educational processes
let us focus on equipping young people
with the elements of judgment, the
ability to discern for themselves what’s
the truth and what is faulty, what is
right and wrong, give them an
understanding of what is self
knowledge,self awareness,so that they
can understand themselves that they
can understand their strengths and
weaknesses, crucially that they can
understand their aspirations and
desires and they wont be distracted by
peer pressure or other pressures,which
tells them what their desires should be,
because if a person follows the path
that they are most motivated to follow
they will surely be successful.
And last of all,if you can,let them take
away from you a couple of seeds, tiny
seeds of wisdom because wisdom is
really the ultimate goal, wisdom is the
gateway to creativity, enlightenment
and at the end of the day, let’s not be
too soppy about it, at the end of the
day to happiness. And to finish it off,
let me say that I have the ultimate
respect for educators, it is the most
important job in the world, young
people are our resource of the future,
they have a right to be given the whole
range of tools and equipment for the
future because they will ne looking
after us in the future, they will be
looking after the planet, our
corporations our governments. n
Adapted from a talk by Paul Sellers at the XSEED
School of Tomorrow Conference 2011
SCHOOL OF
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The XSEED Conference on the Future of School Education
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Paul Sellers is British Council Director
for South India, based in Chennai, with
responsibility for British Council
operations in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka,
Andra Pradesh and Kerala.
Paul is a cultural relations and
educational professional, with a
background in international teaching
and management. Before taking up
his post in South India in September
2010, he was the British Council
Director for the United Arab Emirates,
and prior to that held senior positions
in Greece, Spain, Cyprus, Mexico, Italy
and China.
As a UK-qualified teacher, Paul
combines a traditional academic
background with experience of the
wider international educational arena.
He has worked with a range of
educational institutions in the public
and private sectors, ranging from
schools to universities, to guide their
international development strategies.
He has also been a regular contributor
to the annual UK World Learning &
Technology forum for ministers of
education and sector leaders. Paul's
current areas of interest are
curriculum design, learning
motivation, and learning
technologies.
So in our teaching
methodology, in our content,
in our curriculum we need to
build in this element of debate
and discussion, and throw it
back to the individual. We have
to be assessment-light – we
have to have test, we have to
have exam but try not to teach
to the exam.
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