Karachi: Abbas Husain, Director Teachers Development Center, delivered a thumping session on Saturday, at the ‘International Conference on Experiential Learning 2016’ (ICEL) organized by the Institute of Business Management (IoBM).
In the session titled ‘Experiential Learning in Classrooms’, Husain highlighted in meticulous detail the many different ways teachers can engage with their students todevelop their innate love for lifelong learning.
The presentationwas centered on the premisethat the existing system of education was doing more harm to students’ learning abilities, than good.
He also shed light on the accepted systems and processes of education that are playing a crucial, but often unrecognized,role in halting children’s creativity.
With over 80 participants from all walks of life, including the academia and students,Husain’s presentation delved into the sevenlessons by John Taylor Gatto, a former school teacher,which highlighted the common methodswhereby teachers are guilty of damaging their students’ imagination and sense of wonder.
During the presentation, Husain also underscoredthe 10 qualities of individuals, as advised by Harvard’sSchool of Government,which are essential to thriving in the “new world economy” and necessary for successfullyadapting to the “rapidly changing world of work”.
“These qualities are invaluable, regardless of the degree or the working experience ofaperson,” he said.
These include the ability to describe problems without external guidance, the ability to ask hard questions that challenge prevailing assumptions, the skills to work effectively in teams and alone, persuasion, policy making and a number of others.
Husain’s parting advice to teachers; “Speak less, listen more.”
Several international speakers, such as Dr. Jonathan Damieni of Nagoya University of Commerce and Business, Japan, and Dr. Margeret Madden, Former Director of Notre Dame Institute of Education, Karachi, also graced the occasion.
The conference commenced after a welcome address by Dr. Irfan Hyder, Dean of IoBM, as he highlighted the significance of experiential learning, and shared his vision for the future.
The two-day ICEL 2016 focused onthree tracks including;business management, higher education and school education and child development.
The platform was created with the aim to share the experiences and research of stakeholders fora major paradigm shift, from conventional instruction to learning by doing. The convention also included several panel discussions, research papers, workshops, poster presentations and various case studies on challenges of implementation, faculty development and the environment.