No school’s curriculum is a random mix of subjects. It is created on lines of modern knowledge and skill demands which, in turn, is created by the job market. For instance, in the early 2000s, there was a massive demand for computer programmers in the corporate world. That requirement trickled down to the school levels where students started learning the subject in their primary classes. Today, right at the doorstep of the third decade of the 21st-century, computer programming is still important but not in a way as it was back then. Coding has shifted into the area of robotics and automation and thus, the top schools in Sonipat are trying to modify their curriculums to match with this present knowledge demand.
As evident, a sync between knowledge demand and school curriculum is vital. To make the students fit for the future to come, schools must take up the onus to teach content and skills that will convert the children into thriving professionals. In the absence of sync, recruiting companies will find a knowledge gap between fresh graduates and their job needs. The demand for knowledge and skills is bound to change with changing times. Schools need to foresee this, act, and try to maintain the required sync.
The ace in the schools’ hands – infrastructure
Consider a few modern-day knowledge and skills that students need to have today going forward.
- Science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics or, in short, STEAM
- Creativity and problem-solving skills
- Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal
- History and geography, not as a theory only but as an application as well
- IT knowledge in fields like data science, cloud computing, and more
- And social awareness of pressing world issues
The demands of the above are irrefutable. Tomorrow’s students need to be efficient in most, if not all, to lead a healthy and successful lifestyle. Here comes the question as to how can schools incorporate the aforementioned knowledge and skill demands into their curriculum? Is mere theory enough, an approach which most schools of the country are already following? The answer is no. Even if taught the content, students can hardly derive any value from the knowledge unless the application is thrown into the mix.
And how do the best school in Sonipat create applicative knowledge? By creating a standout infrastructure around the knowledge demands that take education beyond the boundaries of textbooks into the real world. One typical example is language labs where students can learn grammar from various resources rather than solving a worksheet from the textbook. Interactive media are called into action to sharpen the students’ language and communication skills. Robotics and 3D printing labs are other examples. Good schools are teaching coding in these labs where students are writing programs to move a robotic arm rather than printing a pattern on the computer screen. Infrastructure is thus the ace in hand for schools to create the necessary sync between knowledge demand and school curriculum.
The way of teaching needs to adapt as well
So, a top school in Sonipat will identify the subjects that need to be taught. And it will develop the infrastructure necessary to impart the required knowledge and skills of those subjects. The connection between these two elements can only be drawn by the pedagogy followed in the classrooms and that is how the demand is met by the supply. Creating digital citizens of tomorrow cannot happen through teaching with a blackboard. Creativity cannot be expected if students are not given the freedom to imagine and explore ideas. The way of teaching needs to adapt to the changing knowledge demands to make the school curriculum fit for the future job world.
For instance, say the students successfully moved a robotic arm in the robotics laboratory. They now know about writing a program of the same. But do they understand what all worked inside the robot to cause that effect? What laws of physics came in to create such a marvel? Physics lessons thus have to include what was taught in the computer and robotics class. This science subject can no longer teach the laws and the examples given only in the books. Pedagogy forms the associations between knowledge and skill fragments. With the links established, the sync between knowledge demand and the school curriculum is complete.
Swarnprastha Public School boasts world-class mathematics and language labs. SPS also houses an ATAL Tinkering Lab that teaches 3D printing, robotics, IoT, and more. Plus, it has signed an MoU with Microsoft to create the Microsoft Imagine Academy within the institution which concentrates on IT and computer science knowledge like data science, cloud computing, Microsoft Office, and software development. These are Swarnprastha’s infrastructure arsenal. Combined with its experienced teachers and progressive curriculum, the school is best placed to meet the evolving knowledge demands.SPS educates its students to thrive. And it is visible in every nuance of the school.
