JOIN USLess is more with this approach
Researchers at Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru have come up with a new model of education called the Friyay model of education which emphasises the fact that, it is about time that we change our 70-year-old education system and approach.
However, with changing times and influx of modern technology there is a need to change, adapt and adopt a new educational approach. It is high time we switch to real time learning from the present rote learning.
The crux of Friyay model of education is to make higher education a four-day affair and make Day 5 i.e. Friday a project day all together. Even corporate India slowly graduated to a five-day working week from a six-day working week. In this context, it is imperative that we move from our existing system of five-day rote-based learning to activity-based and inquiry-based — Friyay model of education.
Customised learning
The Friyay model of education is based on customised learning and personalised education. Further, it highlights the need for a blended learning environment along with distributed and differential assessment method. This explains how an ideal mix of project or problem-based learning, collaborative learning, experiential learning and technology enabled learning would accelerate learning process. Friyay model of education emphasises on the adaptation of certain revolutionary principles like:
Active learning and making higher education a four-day affair and on Fridays students should be made to work on projects only for better understanding and to obtain practical experience.
The current one hour per subject or lecture in the class needs to be replaced by two-hour classes for every course. One hour classes existed only because of instruction based teaching and this is inadequate to implement a blended learning environment.
The two-hour class should ideally consist of 40 minutes of lecture, 40 minutes of
problem- solving activities or case study analysis or game- based activities, 20 minutes of watching videos and 20 minutes of feedback and discussion sessions. There should be a small break after an hour of class.
It further proposes differential assessment for students based on their individual learning styles. The model also explains as to how teachers need to have a differential learning style matrix and then how they have to plot or map the differential assessment of students to their individual learning styles. This type of assessment would involve a distribution of 25% marks on semester mid exam, 25% on semester end exam, 25% on online game-based quizzes and case study analysis and 25% on laboratory exercises, building prototypes, research publications or online course completion along with seminar presentations.
(The writer is with Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru)