‘It’s the process that counts’

Two-day education conference ends on a positive note.


Express November 07, 2010

LAHORE: “Make the learning process meaningful and enjoyable and the out come will take care of itself,” said Richard Gerver, the key note speaker on the second day of School of Tomorrow: Freedom to Learn conference.

Gerver received the prestigious School Head Teacher of the Year Award at the British National Teaching Awards in 2005, for his transforming a school that was on the brink of closure into one of the most innovative schools in the world.

Gerver added, “Learning is a journey of discovery… a constantly evolving process.” He said that teachers and students both lacked empowerment and, too often, education institutions were obsessed with formal outcomes. Gerver said that to him education and learning were about the quality of the journey.

“Technology is the leader of change. Students now have tools like the internet to enable them to explore and discover on their own,” said Gerver. The award winning teacher added that another key ingredient for learning was the element of risk. “Mistakes are what you make on your way to getting something right,” he said, adding that students and teachers should not be afraid of making mistakes.

In his closing speech, Kasim Kasuri, the chief executive officer Beaconhouse group said the School of Tomorrow was a move away from the traditional concept of education. “It is the creation of a dynamic learning environment where students can flourish, with greater control of, and involvement in the learning process,” Kasuri said. He added that the underlying theme of the conference, Freedom to Learn, embodied not just the principle of student-led learning, but also had literal connotations of access to any form of schooling which, in the wake of the devastating floods, had particular significance in Pakistan.

The task that lay ahead, according to the chief executive, was to carry forward the momentum gained at the conference and to create a facilitating environment for learning in schools.

The key themes at the two-day conference ranged from early childhood education and new ways of teaching and learning, to leadership and school improvement. A group of international scholars and educationists moderated 20 groups which developed a skeleton of strategies for the schools of tomorrow.

Over a thousand delegates from Pakistan and nine other countries participated in the conference.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 7th, 2010.

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