Love learning: ‘Educators don’t target all areas of human intelligence’

Conference to promote innovative teaching methodologies and technologies held

LAHORE:

“Educators do not tend to target all areas of human intelligence,” Forman Christian College Dean Cusrow J Dubash said on Saturday.

The veteran educator made the remarks at a conference organised to promote innovative teaching methodologies and technologies. Dubash shed light on multiple intelligence. He said it was the responsibility of the teacher to ascertain each student’s learning process. Dubash said it was unfortunate that scores of students were not learning in classrooms and were branded as low achievers, unmotivated or at risk. He said the traditional focus of the education system on verbal linguistic and logical thinking was to be blamed for this phenomenon.

“We need problem solvers, decision makers and innovators,” PORTAL Consultants Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) project coordinator Aafia Qureshi said. She said new ways of learning and teaching needed to be introduced to produce such individuals. “We need to prepare our children for the future,” she said.

Beaconhouse School System Information Technology head Aslam Sharif spoke about introducing state-of-the-art e-learning tools and education technology at classrooms. He also introduced those present on the occasion to open-source solutions designed for classroom and distance learning programmes available online.

Actor Omair Rana talked about integrating art and theatre in education. Rana said integrating the mediums in education went beyond organising annual stage plays in school. He said this was a teaching strategy that had the capability of building connections and providing an engaging context for learning.

Technology prodigy Huzair Awan shared his experience of information technology with those present at the conference. Awan said technology had broadened the scope of thinking and going about things. He said digital technology should be promoted across educational institutions.

Lahore Grammar School (LGS) Hafizabad principal Shafia Islam said the event had proved to be a boon for teachers. She said it had introduced hitherto unexplored teaching methods. Islam said technology should be made an inextricable part of teaching as it encouraged independent learning among students.

Educators hailing from cities across the nation including Lahore, Karachi, Quetta, Gujranwala, Sahiwal, Gujrat, Okara, Multan, Muridke, Hafizabad were also present at the conference.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 30^th, 2015.