Goodbye 2019, Welcome 2020: 

As the year 2019 ends, the most important event is the unusual cold conditions prevailing in Delhi and northern India, and the disruptions that it has caused. Analysts say that this deviation from the normal effects of motions of the earth and the Sun, is the result of the wind system.

One big news on 23rd October 2019 was the demonstration of Quantum Supremacy by Google, meaning thereby that their 54 Qubit Sycamore Quantum Computer could do a calculation in 200 seconds, that the fastest classical super computer, the Summit would have taken 10,000 years. This event has probably a much greater significance that a man landing on the moon. Just imagine what is coming in this decade. 

On the last day of a year, it is usual to reflect on the year gone by and make resolutions for the New Year. But this year is special. We are now entering the year 2020, which has been used as a marker for future predictions in the last decades. The numbers 2020 are used to represent ‘ perfect vision’ that usually happens with hindsight. Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Computing may perhaps bring similar accuracies to foresight. 

One may quarrel about the definition of the beginning of a decade, but the coming year 2020 may be considered as the beginning of the 3rd decade of the 21st Century. It is therefore worth considering whether to have just a New Year resolution for the year 2020, or a 10 year plan for the coming decade. A link that could help: How to create a 10 year plan for your life : https://daringtolivefully.com/10-year-plan

We are witnessing a global climate crisis, as well as the country’s severe economic slowdown. But there is an even greater ‘ learning crisis’ lurking beneath. Ken Robinson has referred to it in his talk…… http://sirkenrobinson.com/bring-on-the-learning-revolution/

Guy Claxton has also pointed out as to how traditional classroom teaching destroys ‘ learning power’: https://youtu.be/JxWybvns1jg

Children who are studying at School today will be adults ready for further education or to face the world in the years from 2020 to 2030 and beyond. The traditional system in its Ostrich like attitude ignores these disruptive changes, though thought leaders elsewhere in the world are beginning to take notice. 

Their future is being shaped by two major forces: the 4th Industrial Age driven by Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Quantum Computing and allied technologies like the Internet of Things, Blockchain, 3D Printing, AR and VR, and the 4th education revolution which is disrupting the traditional education model, propelled by the same technologies.

I have coined the phrase “Learning 321: education in the 3rd decade of the 21st Century” to describe the educational needs and delivery models for the coming decade. This is a very different world from the one experienced by our grandparents,parents and teachers. 

In an article in HBR May 2018, it was suggested that learning is a learned behaviour :https://hbr.org/2018/05/learning-is-a-learned-behavior-heres-how-to-get-better-at-it

In my view we should consider the learning journey as 3 stages. The first is the pre-natal, neo-natal and pre-School learning in the lap of the mother, occasionally with both parents involved. The prime goal of the School stage is to further develop curiosity, a love for learning and the ability to learn. The rest of the life is a period of lifelong learning, with the present University and higher education systems being  completely avoidable by most. Efforts at enhancing the GER in higher education, have not helped the youth, only the bodies promoting them, an interesting example of conflict of interest that was never challenged. 

Forget University : 4 steps to design your own education : https://youtu.be/TUnpSYMNEhY

Designing a University for the new Millenium by David Holland : https://youtu.be/DZQe73IXZtU

Towards this goal, I have created a pool of 42 Lifelong Learning courses. 

Why 42? In the famous book by Douglas Adams with the title “ The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, the number 42 is the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe and everything by an enormous Supercomputer named Deep thought over a period of 75 million years. Unfortunately know one knows what the question is. The Wikipedia link : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/42_(number)#The_Hitchhiker’s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy

Ecole 42,(  https://qz.com/1054412/a-french-billionaires-free-teacher-less-university-is-designing-thousands-of-future-proof-employees/  )  a new model of Software training has also perhaps used the same fascination of 42 in their name.

I have used the same 42 as the total number of my courses. The details are available at mmpant.com. They are listed as separate pages: Weekend Learning (10), weeklong learning (10), WhatsApp Live (5) and monthlong learning (17). Some are also listed as programs with a theme, such as Learning How to Learn, AI fluent SmartEducator and The Quantum Track.

I am sharing now my plans for 2020 and beyond. My focus areas now are : learning how to learn, Artificial Intelligence and its transformative ( or maybe disruptive) effect on education and Quantum Computing and other Quantum phenomena. My mode of engagement with my colleagues and learners will be primarily digital. In addition to the above 42 courses of varying time duration through WhatsApp, I have offered a course on critical thinking as a number of Tweets. I have recently created a Facebook page with title “ Prof MM Pant’s Quantum Gurukul”. Linked In can also be an engaging learning environment. During the coming year, I will be exploring all these and other digital methods of learner engagement. As a corollary, I will not usually deliver in person, face to face ‘lectures’. By the end of the decade, we may see the demise of the lecture, and an extinction of those Institutions whose main offering is a suite of ‘lectures’. 

To develop these ideas further, I will be posting a blog on every Friday evening on this WordPress site mmpant.com. During the course of the year, we would have covered whatever is needed to transform ourselves and be ready to make the transition. 

In addition to these digital learning, we have in person meetings, on one Sunday a month at Gurgaon. The venue is the WOODs, sector 46 Gurgaon. For the year 2020, these meetings are planned for January 19th, February 16th, March 22nd, April 19th, May 17th , June 21st, July 19th, August 23rd, September 20th, October 18th, November 22nd and December 20th. 

To know more about any of these courses or events, please send a WhatsApp message at +919810073724 or an e-mail to mmpant@gmail.com

Once again, wishing you all a Happy New Year with prosperity in the coming decade. Hope to be in touch with you every Friday through this blog.