Archetypes That Refuse Classification
LinkedIn is a living, mutating ecosystem – and some species defy easy classification. They drift between roles, appear only in certain seasons, or exist purely to bend the rules of the game.
This is where we keep them. The outliers. The oddities. The ones you didn’t know existed until you saw them in your feed – and then couldn’t unsee.
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Our children have so much to choose from – or do they? After a day packed with back-to-back classes in school, they are marched off to back-to-back tuition classes. Then there’s homework. Let’s not forget screen time and concurrent dinner. What choices are we really allowing our kids? That was one question we were forced to address during the recent pandemic. It was only then that we parents got down to assessing our children’s well-being – holistically.
One of the most sought-after “therapies” was (and still is) music. Thanks to streaming services and social media, free music was available on demand. What was even more notable was that our children were no longer satisfied as content [music] consumers – they wanted to create content. Fortunately, they had an ally in technology – apps! But, before they get to use them, some of them prefered to learn the art of creating Music – playing an instrument or using their vocal cords – professionally. And parents had a huge part to play in encouraging children to pursue their passion for music.
Allow me to share my experience as a parent. My daughter was exposed to music early in life. She grew up in a creche where the television streamed either cartoons or music videos for the kids’ entertainment. Her first love was painting – a hobby she still pursues sporadically.
But it was the pace with which she picked up music that surprised us. Fair to say that she inherited some music-friendly genes from her mother’s side, but both church and school contributed to nurturing that talent. Very soon she was learning the guitar and keyboard at a music school in the neighbourhood. She even earned a few grade certificates from Trinity College London, performed with her music school’s band, recorded home videos/ audios for social media channels, etc. Later she picked up the Ukulele too – thanks to YouTube (!!) Oh, she does have a fledgling SoundCloud channel too 🤗
So, what got me musing on these today?
As part of my current assignment, my mates and I set up a brand-new Music Academy in Hyderabad – the Indian Academy of Music (IAM)! IAM has a unique set of curricula designed for students 4 years and upwards. We even boast of one of the biggest and fully equipped jamming rooms in town – soundproof, and big enough to double up as an auditorium.
We receive a steady flow of eager parents wanting their children to start learning to play a musical instrument and/ or be trained in Hindustani or Carnatic vocals. Business aside, as a parent, I try to present an unbiased opinion and I encourage parents to introduce their kids to music at an early stage – scientists say even while the child is in the womb. The benefits – from experience – are many. Focus, concentration, determination, memory power, motor skills, coordination, team spirit, interpersonal skills, stage presence, poise, confidence, a sense of achievement and accomplishment, and so much more.
Sometimes it takes a bit of luck, and a music school opens closer home; sometimes it is a genetic lottery, and one is born with vocal cords worth taking out an insurance policy immediately, and at other times it takes the foresight and persistence of parents. My wife and I consider ourselves lucky that circumstances conspired in our favour and our daughter found the right tutors to guide her and nurture her passion.
We wish you the same, or even better!
With the proliferation of computers and handhelds in our education institutions, it was only a matter of time, one started asked questions about their efficacy as a teaching and learning enabler. Are these just a fad; a passing fancy? Will students and teachers tire of gadgets in class? Would they be more the cause of problems than solutions? Was there a way of measuring the impact of technology, digital content, digitisation and justifying the cost of setting up and maintaining the overall Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure in a school?
Without a doubt, even tier two and tier three cities in India are becoming modern Silicon Valleys. Even as we speak, this brain power – our demographic dividend – is being nurtured in thousands of school and universities across the nation. Over the last decade alone, various forms of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) have made their way into classrooms – from the ubiquitous Smart Boards to hand-held tablets – technology has become a friend, a tool and an enabler, for every stakeholder in the eco system. In fact, for this generation of students, the journey from being mere digital literates to savvy digital natives has been spectacular. Today, schools proudly display the brands of their ICT partners alongside their own names.
What has further aided this is the tremendous amount of innovation (and investment) ICT has seen, on the supply side, in the same time period. Encouraging government policies, private enterprises, competitive schools, and of course eager parents, are spurring the growth in this sector even further.
So, investment and installation of computers in schools, done! But, does it solve problems of create new ones? One thing is clear – the mere installation of computers in classrooms and/ or labs is not a solution to anything. That looks good only in marketing brochures. As with any effective teaching tool, the use of ICT in schools also require 1) training, 2) Up to date and adaptive content, 3) interactive platforms, 4) skilled teachers, 5) visionary leaders, and, most importantly 6) continuous monitoring of output and outcomes – that, in turn, leads to hybrid forms of pedagogy. This last point brings me to the crux of this essay.
Analysis of Learning outcomes in an ICT enabled environment – or Learning Analytics – particularly in a K-12 institution was something very new to me. In fact, it came to me as one of those ‘duh!’ revelations. Why isn’t Learning Analytics as common as Business Analytics or even Web Analytics? Would we all not want to make informed decisions on teaching, learning, content, media, pedagogy, etc. based on facts and data?
What Learning Analytics does is that it measures, collects, analyses and delivers data about learners for “purposes of understanding and optimising learning and the environments in which it occurs”.
Among other things, this data is helpful:
When a teacher reviews a student’s progress during the class indicating each student’s level of engagement, his or her attention span in class, corrective measures can then be taken as necessary. Teachers can also learn how and what resources students use to aid their learning – whether teacher assigned or self-discovered; which students have good ICT skills and which have poor skills or even problematic computer use. How does computer use in their school correlate with test results, and for which groups? Learning Analytics provides this data on each student.
All said and done, how many schools in India currently use any form of Learning Analytics? I would, personally, be interested in hearing first-hand from those who do and about their experience(s) – good, bad or ugly.
I would really appreciate if you would write to me at johnkphilip@outlook.com and initiate a dialogue. I may be able to assist you in introducing Learning Analytic tools in your school too.
