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Integrating Technology In Education in India
I am an American who has been living and working in India since 1994, serving as Educational Director of the Jiva Institute, a nonprofit research and development organization which works for the advancement of education, health and culture in India.
One of Jiva's missions is to transform India's education system from its present exam-based system to a learning-centered one. From my perspective, India has an opportunity for substantial evolution in education, as it possesses a volatile climate with people beckoning for the new. Not only is the system so far out of date and so ill-matched for the requirements of the country, but thankfully, a common sentiment exists among virtually all Indians that change is needed. Very little action has been taken on behalf of the government to foster such change, that few organizations exist that are striving for this change, and that there is virtually little or now support for those who are attempting to make individual initiatives.
When Jiva set out to propagate new ideas in learning seven years ago, we talked to educators about learning-centered education, new methodologies, and so on, however we were not able to offer concrete and sustainable methods to perpetuate these concepts, as initial motivation from our brief interactions waned soon thereafter. Further, because there was already a precedent in the way most subjects were taught, we found an initial resistance on the behalf of teachers and principals to entertain ideas that differed from their familiar practices.
As a result, we turned our attention to technology, an area that had no significant tradition in the classroom, and was a burgeoning field in its own right. Within a year and a half, we developed a new IT syllabus along with textbooks that encouraged schools to make use of technology as a tool for achieving a broad spectrum of standards. I chose textbooks as my primary vehicle of delivery (as opposed to training, software, the Internet, etc.), because it is the most viable medium in India-- familiar, trusted, affordable, uncomplicated, not dependent upon power! etc. Further, I realized that if I could just get the books into the hands of students, the concepts would automatically start getting through. I further ensured this through the structure of the books, which broke the text up in smaller chunks, had activities strewn throughout them, posed HOT questions, included suggested "home" activities to get students interacting with family and environment, etc.
The hypothesis proved to be a success. After three years we have about 100,000 students in 200 schools spread over 15 states who are making use of our materials. While I would not base our success on numbers alone, it does say something, as this proliferation occurred mostly through word of mouth. At the same time, we are receiving excellent feedback from teachers, administrators and even from parents and students through letters, e-mail, and in personal interactions with them.
My intent was not just to teach about effective technology use, though that is certainly one of my aims. This has merely been a Trojan horse of sorts, that has permitted us entry into the school doors and teachers' minds.
Our second phase was to bring out a teacher training program (JETS) which could explain to teachers how to teach with technology. Once there was acceptance of our textbooks and new concepts, teachers realized, "We need training." When we tried for elaborate training programs earlier, principals were aghast at the fact that we "wanted to charge them". Can you imagine?
Realization has thus been born out of need, and our program is now finding quick acceptance among a number of schools. It is a book-based correspondence course (three books, three workbooks), 54 hours, that teaches teachers how to integrate computers in their daily routines. However, I have also used this as a means of introducing teachers to the concepts of constructivism, and further, have encouraged them to question and discuss the nuances of education and their teaching explicitly. The benefit of the program is that it is completely step by step (about 700 pages in total)--completely self-explanatory, so there is virtually no need for a trainer-- lack of qualified trainers and the high cost of such trainers have rendered the trainer or train the trainer route unfeasible-- no need for group scheduling-- teachers can do the course in school or at home, individually, or in groups.
Now that acceptance is rising, and teachers are becoming more familiar with the types of ideas we are propagating, we feel that it is time to bolster our efforts, and turn our sights back to the academic curriculum. That is where ICOT comes into the picture. Our goal is to make a new framework for education and support its implementation by the creation of supplementary materials.
Designing a new framework for education, as I know you can well imagine, is a Herculean task, but nonetheless, I am undaunted by its enormity. When it comes to standards, curriculum, etc., I can work at a pretty hefty pace, and my reliable and dedicated team members, serve as a valuable force in helping to achieve our challenging goals.
I feel that India is in a unique position because a new framework could be adopted more easily than, perhaps in a country like the US, where incremental changes have gone on for years, and therefore, drastic changes would not likely be met with much approval. India's present system is like a wasteland--no major changes have occurred to it in 15 years, and even those changes were not consequential.
My hypothesis is that because we have already broken ground with a number of schools, it will be possible for us to gain acceptance with this new framework so long as students can still pass their board exams (in 10th and 12th grades). And this I am confident can be done, as a) the new framework will engender more efficient learning and b) I am integrating a "study skills" thread which will make students better at studying and test taking.
The materials are also a critical component, because without them all the burden is placed on the teachers to create lessons that adhere to abstract standards and aspects of the curriculum. I have witnessed this challenge while at the Constructivist Design Conference last month, where I saw 250+ New York State teachers struggling to align standards to curriculum in all subjects for all years, not to speak of figuring out how to make classrooms more constructive, or to incorporate cooperative learning structures, and so on.
Though some are touting teacher training as the means forward for delivering learning-centered education, I see the necessary preponent as materials--which teachers can use as tools in the process. Let's face it, many teachers do not have the drive, training, or time to align curriculum to standards, create activities for every class, and handle all of their other responsibilities. I contend that it should be the experts who take care of that behind the scenes (and here, experts may certainly mean teachers who are relieved to do this kind of work), so that teachers can focus on carrying out lessons, facilitating learning, assessing students, and reflecting on their teaching practices.
Steven Rudolph is an American citizen, who serves as Educational Director, Jiva Institute, Faridabad. He has been living and working in India since 1994, and has performed various activities related education and IT. Mr. Rudolph has set up the Jiva Public School, an innovative learning establishment, where technology has been seamlessly integrated into all learning activities. He is the author of 10 student computer textbooks and 5 multimedia CD-ROMs and a teacher training correspondence course.Mr. Rudolph has been hired by UNESCO and the MHRD to draft the National IT Policy for Schools.
Copyright October 2000 New Horizons for Learning.
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