New Education

I’ve just returned from attending the Raffles International Conference on Education where I spent a very interesting couple of days listening to colleagues in the education industry from around the world. The theme of the conference was the future direction of education as we go forward into the 21^st century. I must say that listening to all those speakers has filled me with a very positive feeling on where we are all heading.

One topic which was spoken about at length was how to engage students in the community as a whole. How can we build empathy for those less fortunate, those who suffer, those who are often ignored by society? How can we encourage students to care for the poor, for the sick and for the environment? How can we develop understanding of those from diverse races, diverse religions and diverse cultures? These were all highlighted as things which need to be instilled in every single student.

One of the buzz words which was used a lot during the conference was ‘experiential learning’. The traditional place for learning has always been the classroom. Experiential learning is the opposite. It means to go out into the real world and deal with real situations, handle real problems and come up with real solutions. These experiences will make the learning that students gain so much more meaningful.

We heard from one group of students from a local institution who went out to meet Bangladeshi construction workers here in Singapore to find out about the problems they face. They spoke of their nervousness, even their fear, before their trip. But after their trip they had only positive things to say about the experience. They came to realize that these workers were just like them with similar hopes and dreams.

So I guess the challenge for us all is how to take what we learn and put it to good use, not only for ourselves but also for our neighbours, our compatriots and our fellowman.