SlideShare a Scribd company logo
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
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
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
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
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
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.
MF16 Pg 22-28 Sellers:Layout 2 11/07/12 8:37 AM Page 5
26 MINDFIELDS | JUNE 2012 WWW.MINDFIELDS.IN
OpiniOn
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
TOMORROW
November 2011
2.00 p.m. to 9.00 p.m.
The XSEED Conference on the Future of School Education
Special Feature
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.
MF16 Pg 22-28 Sellers:Layout 2 11/07/12 8:37 AM Page 6
2012 JUNE | MINDFIELDS 27WWW.MINDFIELDS.IN
OpiniOn
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
TOMORROW
November 2011
2.00 p.m. to 9.00 p.m.
The XSEED Conference on the Future of School Education
Special Feature
...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.
MF16 Pg 22-28 Sellers:Layout 2 11/07/12 8:37 AM Page 7
28 MINDFIELDS | JUNE 2012 WWW.MINDFIELDS.IN
OpiniOn
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
TOMORROW
November 2011
2.00 p.m. to 9.00 p.m.
The XSEED Conference on the Future of School Education
Special Feature
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.
MF16 Pg 22-28 Sellers:Layout 2 11/07/12 8:37 AM Page 8

More Related Content

Recently uploaded

Multithreading_in_C++ - std::thread, race condition
Multithreading_in_C++ - std::thread, race conditionMultithreading_in_C++ - std::thread, race condition
Multithreading_in_C++ - std::thread, race condition
Mohammed Sikander
 
MASS MEDIA STUDIES-835-CLASS XI Resource Material.pdf
MASS MEDIA STUDIES-835-CLASS XI Resource Material.pdfMASS MEDIA STUDIES-835-CLASS XI Resource Material.pdf
MASS MEDIA STUDIES-835-CLASS XI Resource Material.pdf
goswamiyash170123
 
Model Attribute Check Company Auto Property
Model Attribute  Check Company Auto PropertyModel Attribute  Check Company Auto Property
Model Attribute Check Company Auto Property
Celine George
 
Executive Directors Chat Leveraging AI for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Executive Directors Chat  Leveraging AI for Diversity, Equity, and InclusionExecutive Directors Chat  Leveraging AI for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Executive Directors Chat Leveraging AI for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
TechSoup
 
S1-Introduction-Biopesticides in ICM.pptx
S1-Introduction-Biopesticides in ICM.pptxS1-Introduction-Biopesticides in ICM.pptx
S1-Introduction-Biopesticides in ICM.pptx
tarandeep35
 
Unit 8 - Information and Communication Technology (Paper I).pdf
Unit 8 - Information and Communication Technology (Paper I).pdfUnit 8 - Information and Communication Technology (Paper I).pdf
Unit 8 - Information and Communication Technology (Paper I).pdf
Thiyagu K
 
Unit 2- Research Aptitude (UGC NET Paper I).pdf
Unit 2- Research Aptitude (UGC NET Paper I).pdfUnit 2- Research Aptitude (UGC NET Paper I).pdf
Unit 2- Research Aptitude (UGC NET Paper I).pdf
Thiyagu K
 
The approach at University of Liverpool.pptx
The approach at University of Liverpool.pptxThe approach at University of Liverpool.pptx
The approach at University of Liverpool.pptx
Jisc
 
Thesis Statement for students diagnonsed withADHD.ppt
Thesis Statement for students diagnonsed withADHD.pptThesis Statement for students diagnonsed withADHD.ppt
Thesis Statement for students diagnonsed withADHD.ppt
EverAndrsGuerraGuerr
 
Overview on Edible Vaccine: Pros & Cons with Mechanism
Overview on Edible Vaccine: Pros & Cons with MechanismOverview on Edible Vaccine: Pros & Cons with Mechanism
Overview on Edible Vaccine: Pros & Cons with Mechanism
DeeptiGupta154
 
Mule 4.6 & Java 17 Upgrade | MuleSoft Mysore Meetup #46
Mule 4.6 & Java 17 Upgrade | MuleSoft Mysore Meetup #46Mule 4.6 & Java 17 Upgrade | MuleSoft Mysore Meetup #46
Mule 4.6 & Java 17 Upgrade | MuleSoft Mysore Meetup #46
MysoreMuleSoftMeetup
 
Exploiting Artificial Intelligence for Empowering Researchers and Faculty, In...
Exploiting Artificial Intelligence for Empowering Researchers and Faculty, In...Exploiting Artificial Intelligence for Empowering Researchers and Faculty, In...
Exploiting Artificial Intelligence for Empowering Researchers and Faculty, In...
Dr. Vinod Kumar Kanvaria
 
Digital Artifact 2 - Investigating Pavilion Designs
Digital Artifact 2 - Investigating Pavilion DesignsDigital Artifact 2 - Investigating Pavilion Designs
Digital Artifact 2 - Investigating Pavilion Designs
chanes7
 
Synthetic Fiber Construction in lab .pptx
Synthetic Fiber Construction in lab .pptxSynthetic Fiber Construction in lab .pptx
Synthetic Fiber Construction in lab .pptx
Pavel ( NSTU)
 
Acetabularia Information For Class 9 .docx
Acetabularia Information For Class 9  .docxAcetabularia Information For Class 9  .docx
Acetabularia Information For Class 9 .docx
vaibhavrinwa19
 
Operation Blue Star - Saka Neela Tara
Operation Blue Star   -  Saka Neela TaraOperation Blue Star   -  Saka Neela Tara
Operation Blue Star - Saka Neela Tara
Balvir Singh
 
Advantages and Disadvantages of CMS from an SEO Perspective
Advantages and Disadvantages of CMS from an SEO PerspectiveAdvantages and Disadvantages of CMS from an SEO Perspective
Advantages and Disadvantages of CMS from an SEO Perspective
Krisztián Száraz
 
Normal Labour/ Stages of Labour/ Mechanism of Labour
Normal Labour/ Stages of Labour/ Mechanism of LabourNormal Labour/ Stages of Labour/ Mechanism of Labour
Normal Labour/ Stages of Labour/ Mechanism of Labour
Wasim Ak
 
Pride Month Slides 2024 David Douglas School District
Pride Month Slides 2024 David Douglas School DistrictPride Month Slides 2024 David Douglas School District
Pride Month Slides 2024 David Douglas School District
David Douglas School District
 
The basics of sentences session 5pptx.pptx
The basics of sentences session 5pptx.pptxThe basics of sentences session 5pptx.pptx
The basics of sentences session 5pptx.pptx
heathfieldcps1
 

Recently uploaded (20)

Multithreading_in_C++ - std::thread, race condition
Multithreading_in_C++ - std::thread, race conditionMultithreading_in_C++ - std::thread, race condition
Multithreading_in_C++ - std::thread, race condition
 
MASS MEDIA STUDIES-835-CLASS XI Resource Material.pdf
MASS MEDIA STUDIES-835-CLASS XI Resource Material.pdfMASS MEDIA STUDIES-835-CLASS XI Resource Material.pdf
MASS MEDIA STUDIES-835-CLASS XI Resource Material.pdf
 
Model Attribute Check Company Auto Property
Model Attribute  Check Company Auto PropertyModel Attribute  Check Company Auto Property
Model Attribute Check Company Auto Property
 
Executive Directors Chat Leveraging AI for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Executive Directors Chat  Leveraging AI for Diversity, Equity, and InclusionExecutive Directors Chat  Leveraging AI for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Executive Directors Chat Leveraging AI for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
 
S1-Introduction-Biopesticides in ICM.pptx
S1-Introduction-Biopesticides in ICM.pptxS1-Introduction-Biopesticides in ICM.pptx
S1-Introduction-Biopesticides in ICM.pptx
 
Unit 8 - Information and Communication Technology (Paper I).pdf
Unit 8 - Information and Communication Technology (Paper I).pdfUnit 8 - Information and Communication Technology (Paper I).pdf
Unit 8 - Information and Communication Technology (Paper I).pdf
 
Unit 2- Research Aptitude (UGC NET Paper I).pdf
Unit 2- Research Aptitude (UGC NET Paper I).pdfUnit 2- Research Aptitude (UGC NET Paper I).pdf
Unit 2- Research Aptitude (UGC NET Paper I).pdf
 
The approach at University of Liverpool.pptx
The approach at University of Liverpool.pptxThe approach at University of Liverpool.pptx
The approach at University of Liverpool.pptx
 
Thesis Statement for students diagnonsed withADHD.ppt
Thesis Statement for students diagnonsed withADHD.pptThesis Statement for students diagnonsed withADHD.ppt
Thesis Statement for students diagnonsed withADHD.ppt
 
Overview on Edible Vaccine: Pros & Cons with Mechanism
Overview on Edible Vaccine: Pros & Cons with MechanismOverview on Edible Vaccine: Pros & Cons with Mechanism
Overview on Edible Vaccine: Pros & Cons with Mechanism
 
Mule 4.6 & Java 17 Upgrade | MuleSoft Mysore Meetup #46
Mule 4.6 & Java 17 Upgrade | MuleSoft Mysore Meetup #46Mule 4.6 & Java 17 Upgrade | MuleSoft Mysore Meetup #46
Mule 4.6 & Java 17 Upgrade | MuleSoft Mysore Meetup #46
 
Exploiting Artificial Intelligence for Empowering Researchers and Faculty, In...
Exploiting Artificial Intelligence for Empowering Researchers and Faculty, In...Exploiting Artificial Intelligence for Empowering Researchers and Faculty, In...
Exploiting Artificial Intelligence for Empowering Researchers and Faculty, In...
 
Digital Artifact 2 - Investigating Pavilion Designs
Digital Artifact 2 - Investigating Pavilion DesignsDigital Artifact 2 - Investigating Pavilion Designs
Digital Artifact 2 - Investigating Pavilion Designs
 
Synthetic Fiber Construction in lab .pptx
Synthetic Fiber Construction in lab .pptxSynthetic Fiber Construction in lab .pptx
Synthetic Fiber Construction in lab .pptx
 
Acetabularia Information For Class 9 .docx
Acetabularia Information For Class 9  .docxAcetabularia Information For Class 9  .docx
Acetabularia Information For Class 9 .docx
 
Operation Blue Star - Saka Neela Tara
Operation Blue Star   -  Saka Neela TaraOperation Blue Star   -  Saka Neela Tara
Operation Blue Star - Saka Neela Tara
 
Advantages and Disadvantages of CMS from an SEO Perspective
Advantages and Disadvantages of CMS from an SEO PerspectiveAdvantages and Disadvantages of CMS from an SEO Perspective
Advantages and Disadvantages of CMS from an SEO Perspective
 
Normal Labour/ Stages of Labour/ Mechanism of Labour
Normal Labour/ Stages of Labour/ Mechanism of LabourNormal Labour/ Stages of Labour/ Mechanism of Labour
Normal Labour/ Stages of Labour/ Mechanism of Labour
 
Pride Month Slides 2024 David Douglas School District
Pride Month Slides 2024 David Douglas School DistrictPride Month Slides 2024 David Douglas School District
Pride Month Slides 2024 David Douglas School District
 
The basics of sentences session 5pptx.pptx
The basics of sentences session 5pptx.pptxThe basics of sentences session 5pptx.pptx
The basics of sentences session 5pptx.pptx
 

Featured

2024 State of Marketing Report – by Hubspot
2024 State of Marketing Report – by Hubspot2024 State of Marketing Report – by Hubspot
2024 State of Marketing Report – by Hubspot
Marius Sescu
 
Everything You Need To Know About ChatGPT
Everything You Need To Know About ChatGPTEverything You Need To Know About ChatGPT
Everything You Need To Know About ChatGPT
Expeed Software
 
Product Design Trends in 2024 | Teenage Engineerings
Product Design Trends in 2024 | Teenage EngineeringsProduct Design Trends in 2024 | Teenage Engineerings
Product Design Trends in 2024 | Teenage Engineerings
Pixeldarts
 
How Race, Age and Gender Shape Attitudes Towards Mental Health
How Race, Age and Gender Shape Attitudes Towards Mental HealthHow Race, Age and Gender Shape Attitudes Towards Mental Health
How Race, Age and Gender Shape Attitudes Towards Mental Health
ThinkNow
 
AI Trends in Creative Operations 2024 by Artwork Flow.pdf
AI Trends in Creative Operations 2024 by Artwork Flow.pdfAI Trends in Creative Operations 2024 by Artwork Flow.pdf
AI Trends in Creative Operations 2024 by Artwork Flow.pdf
marketingartwork
 
Skeleton Culture Code
Skeleton Culture CodeSkeleton Culture Code
Skeleton Culture Code
Skeleton Technologies
 
PEPSICO Presentation to CAGNY Conference Feb 2024
PEPSICO Presentation to CAGNY Conference Feb 2024PEPSICO Presentation to CAGNY Conference Feb 2024
PEPSICO Presentation to CAGNY Conference Feb 2024
Neil Kimberley
 
Content Methodology: A Best Practices Report (Webinar)
Content Methodology: A Best Practices Report (Webinar)Content Methodology: A Best Practices Report (Webinar)
Content Methodology: A Best Practices Report (Webinar)
contently
 
How to Prepare For a Successful Job Search for 2024
How to Prepare For a Successful Job Search for 2024How to Prepare For a Successful Job Search for 2024
How to Prepare For a Successful Job Search for 2024
Albert Qian
 
Social Media Marketing Trends 2024 // The Global Indie Insights
Social Media Marketing Trends 2024 // The Global Indie InsightsSocial Media Marketing Trends 2024 // The Global Indie Insights
Social Media Marketing Trends 2024 // The Global Indie Insights
Kurio // The Social Media Age(ncy)
 
Trends In Paid Search: Navigating The Digital Landscape In 2024
Trends In Paid Search: Navigating The Digital Landscape In 2024Trends In Paid Search: Navigating The Digital Landscape In 2024
Trends In Paid Search: Navigating The Digital Landscape In 2024
Search Engine Journal
 
5 Public speaking tips from TED - Visualized summary
5 Public speaking tips from TED - Visualized summary5 Public speaking tips from TED - Visualized summary
5 Public speaking tips from TED - Visualized summary
SpeakerHub
 
ChatGPT and the Future of Work - Clark Boyd
ChatGPT and the Future of Work - Clark Boyd ChatGPT and the Future of Work - Clark Boyd
ChatGPT and the Future of Work - Clark Boyd
Clark Boyd
 
Getting into the tech field. what next
Getting into the tech field. what next Getting into the tech field. what next
Getting into the tech field. what next
Tessa Mero
 
Google's Just Not That Into You: Understanding Core Updates & Search Intent
Google's Just Not That Into You: Understanding Core Updates & Search IntentGoogle's Just Not That Into You: Understanding Core Updates & Search Intent
Google's Just Not That Into You: Understanding Core Updates & Search Intent
Lily Ray
 
How to have difficult conversations
How to have difficult conversations How to have difficult conversations
How to have difficult conversations
Rajiv Jayarajah, MAppComm, ACC
 
Introduction to Data Science
Introduction to Data ScienceIntroduction to Data Science
Introduction to Data Science
Christy Abraham Joy
 
Time Management & Productivity - Best Practices
Time Management & Productivity -  Best PracticesTime Management & Productivity -  Best Practices
Time Management & Productivity - Best Practices
Vit Horky
 
The six step guide to practical project management
The six step guide to practical project managementThe six step guide to practical project management
The six step guide to practical project management
MindGenius
 
Beginners Guide to TikTok for Search - Rachel Pearson - We are Tilt __ Bright...
Beginners Guide to TikTok for Search - Rachel Pearson - We are Tilt __ Bright...Beginners Guide to TikTok for Search - Rachel Pearson - We are Tilt __ Bright...
Beginners Guide to TikTok for Search - Rachel Pearson - We are Tilt __ Bright...
RachelPearson36
 

Featured (20)

2024 State of Marketing Report – by Hubspot
2024 State of Marketing Report – by Hubspot2024 State of Marketing Report – by Hubspot
2024 State of Marketing Report – by Hubspot
 
Everything You Need To Know About ChatGPT
Everything You Need To Know About ChatGPTEverything You Need To Know About ChatGPT
Everything You Need To Know About ChatGPT
 
Product Design Trends in 2024 | Teenage Engineerings
Product Design Trends in 2024 | Teenage EngineeringsProduct Design Trends in 2024 | Teenage Engineerings
Product Design Trends in 2024 | Teenage Engineerings
 
How Race, Age and Gender Shape Attitudes Towards Mental Health
How Race, Age and Gender Shape Attitudes Towards Mental HealthHow Race, Age and Gender Shape Attitudes Towards Mental Health
How Race, Age and Gender Shape Attitudes Towards Mental Health
 
AI Trends in Creative Operations 2024 by Artwork Flow.pdf
AI Trends in Creative Operations 2024 by Artwork Flow.pdfAI Trends in Creative Operations 2024 by Artwork Flow.pdf
AI Trends in Creative Operations 2024 by Artwork Flow.pdf
 
Skeleton Culture Code
Skeleton Culture CodeSkeleton Culture Code
Skeleton Culture Code
 
PEPSICO Presentation to CAGNY Conference Feb 2024
PEPSICO Presentation to CAGNY Conference Feb 2024PEPSICO Presentation to CAGNY Conference Feb 2024
PEPSICO Presentation to CAGNY Conference Feb 2024
 
Content Methodology: A Best Practices Report (Webinar)
Content Methodology: A Best Practices Report (Webinar)Content Methodology: A Best Practices Report (Webinar)
Content Methodology: A Best Practices Report (Webinar)
 
How to Prepare For a Successful Job Search for 2024
How to Prepare For a Successful Job Search for 2024How to Prepare For a Successful Job Search for 2024
How to Prepare For a Successful Job Search for 2024
 
Social Media Marketing Trends 2024 // The Global Indie Insights
Social Media Marketing Trends 2024 // The Global Indie InsightsSocial Media Marketing Trends 2024 // The Global Indie Insights
Social Media Marketing Trends 2024 // The Global Indie Insights
 
Trends In Paid Search: Navigating The Digital Landscape In 2024
Trends In Paid Search: Navigating The Digital Landscape In 2024Trends In Paid Search: Navigating The Digital Landscape In 2024
Trends In Paid Search: Navigating The Digital Landscape In 2024
 
5 Public speaking tips from TED - Visualized summary
5 Public speaking tips from TED - Visualized summary5 Public speaking tips from TED - Visualized summary
5 Public speaking tips from TED - Visualized summary
 
ChatGPT and the Future of Work - Clark Boyd
ChatGPT and the Future of Work - Clark Boyd ChatGPT and the Future of Work - Clark Boyd
ChatGPT and the Future of Work - Clark Boyd
 
Getting into the tech field. what next
Getting into the tech field. what next Getting into the tech field. what next
Getting into the tech field. what next
 
Google's Just Not That Into You: Understanding Core Updates & Search Intent
Google's Just Not That Into You: Understanding Core Updates & Search IntentGoogle's Just Not That Into You: Understanding Core Updates & Search Intent
Google's Just Not That Into You: Understanding Core Updates & Search Intent
 
How to have difficult conversations
How to have difficult conversations How to have difficult conversations
How to have difficult conversations
 
Introduction to Data Science
Introduction to Data ScienceIntroduction to Data Science
Introduction to Data Science
 
Time Management & Productivity - Best Practices
Time Management & Productivity -  Best PracticesTime Management & Productivity -  Best Practices
Time Management & Productivity - Best Practices
 
The six step guide to practical project management
The six step guide to practical project managementThe six step guide to practical project management
The six step guide to practical project management
 
Beginners Guide to TikTok for Search - Rachel Pearson - We are Tilt __ Bright...
Beginners Guide to TikTok for Search - Rachel Pearson - We are Tilt __ Bright...Beginners Guide to TikTok for Search - Rachel Pearson - We are Tilt __ Bright...
Beginners Guide to TikTok for Search - Rachel Pearson - We are Tilt __ Bright...
 

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 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 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. MF16 Pg 22-28 Sellers:Layout 2 11/07/12 8:37 AM Page 5
  • 5. 26 MINDFIELDS | JUNE 2012 WWW.MINDFIELDS.IN OpiniOn 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 TOMORROW November 2011 2.00 p.m. to 9.00 p.m. The XSEED Conference on the Future of School Education Special Feature 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. MF16 Pg 22-28 Sellers:Layout 2 11/07/12 8:37 AM Page 6
  • 6. 2012 JUNE | MINDFIELDS 27WWW.MINDFIELDS.IN OpiniOn 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 TOMORROW November 2011 2.00 p.m. to 9.00 p.m. The XSEED Conference on the Future of School Education Special Feature ...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. MF16 Pg 22-28 Sellers:Layout 2 11/07/12 8:37 AM Page 7
  • 7. 28 MINDFIELDS | JUNE 2012 WWW.MINDFIELDS.IN OpiniOn 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 TOMORROW November 2011 2.00 p.m. to 9.00 p.m. The XSEED Conference on the Future of School Education Special Feature 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. MF16 Pg 22-28 Sellers:Layout 2 11/07/12 8:37 AM Page 8