"Creativity is as important as literacy." - Sir Ken Robinson
The prevalent (decades-old) educational system of “rote learning” hasn’t been suitable for at least the last decade. As students, we were often bored, disengaged and sometimes not even sure why we were learning about a topic in the first place.
Thus, education shifted to incorporate innovative teaching methods, textbooks turned into e-books, blackboards into YouTube videos, new dashboards came into existence to somewhat personalise the learning process, and lecture hall monologues turned into MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) while becoming more mobile and accessible as on the go classrooms.
But if we take a closer look at it, the teaching method in schools remains almost the same, with no real innovation.
As parents and educators, we must ask ourselves: How can we equip the next generation with the skills, mindset, and experiences they need to thrive in an increasingly complex and dynamic global landscape?
The answer lies in experiential learning - a revolutionary approach that is transforming education as we know it.
There’s a good reason that premier institutes like IIM Bangalore, XLRI, IIM Indore, etc., have introduced experiential leadership programs in their flagship MBA courses.
But what if this process can be started way earlier? I, for one, think it could have helped my career journey immensely.
At the forefront of this revolution in India is HOAG, the country's first summer school program offering an Ivy-grade immersive experience for children aged 11-16 in collaboration with premier Tier-1 higher education institutes in India.
According to our natural learning methods, the moment we read or hear a word, we visualise it, such as reading about the sound waves formation, planetary motions or cellular functions. We instinctively learn via visualisation.
Therefore, simulations of such real-world occurrences offer this visualisation to aid learning in a much more real way than our mindful imaginations. However, the learning method can be improved by living those events in a virtual world which supersedes just viewing videos and graphics on a screen, thereby redefining interactive learning. (see image below)
Experiential learning classrooms help learners to grasp facts through real-life experiences and prepare them for the novel changing fields of work.
This kind of learning goes beyond textbooks and lectures, using hands-on experiences that engage students on a deeper level. By simulating real-world scenarios and challenges, these programs allow children to:
