When the student is ready the teacher will appear. When the student is truly ready… the teacher will disappear. These well known statements don’t seem to have a verifiable source. The “teacher” in the first statement does not need to have to be a human. It can be a situation,nature or an inner guide. It can be experienced as a moment of epiphany. We also have a story of the 24 Gurus of Dattatreya(https://lnkd.in/duUriTXg 24 Gurus are: Earth, Water, Fire,Wind, space, moon, sun, flock of pigeons, Python, ocean, moth, bumblebee, honeybee, elephant, deer, fish, prostitute, bird with worm in beak, crying baby, silence, snake, arrow-maker,spider, and a worm. Let’s turn to the 2nd statement now. On the first reading, it’s difficult to appreciate how the teacher disappears when the learner is ready. On further reflection, what it implies is that the learner has now developed ‘learning power’, a concept articulated by Guy Claxton ( https://lnkd.in/fQQqrwF). Building Learning Power (BLP) is an approach to learning created by Professor Guy Claxton. It is based on the idea that we are all capable of becoming better learners through a variety of strategies and techniques. It depends on a learning culture that encourages children and teachers to become better learners without fear of failure, develops confidence and develop an understanding of learning processes. Soon after chatGPT was launched,Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that self-learning through technology is an opportunity for today’s generation: https://lnkd.in/d9FJN9Jh Press release from PMO dated: 20 JAN 2023 11:59AM by PIB Delhi Nowadays, you can learn many things with a YouTube tutorial, or learn an entirely new language with a single app. And the recently introduced Generative AI Chatbots like chatGPT and Bard serve to accelerate this self-learning. The NEP 2020 at para 4.6 states that its thrust will be to move the education system towards real understanding and ‘learning how to learn’ – and away from the culture of rote learning. Self-Learning is perhaps the most important 21st Century Skill. Once a person has ‘learnt how to learn’ the person is on the way to become a self-learner. Robert Frost, the famous poet and Professor said “ I am not a teacher, I am an awakener”. And Richard Feynman in his famous “ Lectures on Physics” quoted Edward Gibbons ‘ and the power of instruction is of little efficacy except in those fortunate dispositions, where it is almost superfluous’. In other words the teacher has disappeared. The futurist Thomas Frey says “If we continue to insert a teacher between us and everything we need to learn, we cannot possibly learn fast enough to meet the demands of the future”.
I am working on a book “ When Teachers were human”, which should be available in the 3rd week of July 2023. The book will cover dispositions, strategies and AI powered tools for self-learning for the Eklavya and the Dattatreya of today.
Prof. M.M.Pant has a Ph.D in Computational Physics, along with a Professional Law Degree, and has been a practitioner in the fields of Law, IT enabled education and IT implementation.
Drawing upon his experience in world class international institutions and having taught in various modes of Face-to-Face, Distance Learning and Technology Enhanced Training, Prof. Pant is now exploring the nature of institutions which will be successors to the IITs, which represented the 1960s, IIMs, which represented the 1970 and Open Universities which were the rage of 1980s & 90s.
He believes that the convergence between various media and technologies would fundamentally alter the way learning would be created, packaged, and delivered to learners. His current activities are all directed toward actual implementation of these new age educational initiatives that transform education in the post Internet post WTO era..
Prof. Pant, has been a Former Pro-Vice Chancellor, Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) and has been on the faculty of IIT – Kanpur (the premier Engineering institution in India), MLNR Engineering College and Faculty & Visiting Professor - University of Western Ontario-Canada.
He has been visiting scientist to research centers in Italy, England, Germany & Sweden and has delivered international lectures with about 80 papers published.
During his association of almost 15 years with the IGNOU, Prof. Pant has served as the Director Computing and has been the Member of All Bodies (i.e. School boards, Academic council, Planning board, Finance committee and the Board of management).
With his interest in Law, backed with practice of Law in a High Court, and his basic training in Science and IT, Prof. Pant has been particularly interested in the Cyber Law, Patent & trade mark issues, Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) issues etc. and has been involved with many activities, conferences on “Law & IT”
Prof. Pant is presently;
• Advisor to Media Lab Asia - Chairman of working group on ICT for Education, chairman of PRSG handling projects on ICT for education.
• Lead Consultant for an ADB funded project for ICT in Basic Education in Uzbekistan
• Member of the drafting Group for India’s National Policy on ICT in education
• Chairman of the group creating books for class 11 and 12 students on ‘Computers and Communication Technology’ appointed by the NCERT
• Preparing a ‘Theme Paper” for the NCTE in the area of ICT and Teacher Training
• Advisor and mentor to several leading Indian and Multi-national Companies in the area of education.
Prof. Pant has in the recent past been ;
• Member – Board of Management – I I T, Delhi for 6 years (two consecutive terms)
• One-man committee to create the Project Report & Legislation for Delhi IT-enabled Open University
• Advisor to the Delhi Government on Asian Network of Major Cities Project (ANMC-21) distance learning project in association with Tokyo Metropolitan Government.
• Chairman Board of Studies, All India Management Association
With his mission to create and implement new business opportunities in the area of e-learning & learning facilitation, Prof. Pant has promoted Planet EDU Pvt. Ltd., as its Founder & Chairman, along with a team of highly experienced and skilled professionals from Education & Training, Operations, IT and Finance.
