Reflections on the work of Sugata Mitra

Sugata’s School in the Cloud is the next step in the evolution of humanity.  

Nothing is more significant.

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A letter from Anne Shaw, 21st Century Schools to James Stanfield, Newcastle University
May 2013

When I first heard about Dr. Mitra’s “Hole in the Wall” project I was astounded and delighted that such an ingenious project was taking place.  In today’s globalized society – the world as an interconnected community – Dr. Mitra’s vision is exactly what is needed in the global education community.  All children must have access to knowledge.  The gaps between the “developed” world and the “developing” world must be closed. 

The Hole in the Wall project provides an opportunity for children to make a quantum leap forward in their education.  I am fond of quoting Mustafa Kemal Atatürk who said, “Teachers are the one and only people who can save nations.”  Education is the key to success for individuals as well as their nations.  Sugata’s philosophy, methodologies and pedagogy, when applied, will open the door to success for so many.  When anyone, anywhere, is successful, it benefits everyone, everywhere.  Sugata’s plan for the Hole in the Wall, if extended to all children who otherwise would not have access to the tools of the Internet and the information therein, will certainly lift these children, and with them, their nations, to greater success and a higher quality of life.

At 21st Century Schools we believe that Dr. Mitra’s work is invaluable, and we see it as fulfilling of our vision and mission to promote his research to as many people as possible, especially educators.  This is why we have Sugata’s TED Talk about his dream for a School in the Cloud featured on the home page of our web site.[i]  To date we have also shared information about his Hole in the Wall and School in the Cloud projects via our newsletter (with 25,000 subscribers globally), with our Connections on LinkedIn (992 to date and increasing daily), with our Groups on LinkedIn and with individuals in schools, ministries of education and government offices with whom we have worked, not only in the United States, but in Turkey, Malaysia, Brunei, India, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia and Jordan – with plans to expand.

Sugata’s talks and accomplishments are very inspiring.  His story of the students studying DNA replication is evidence of the significant opportunities he has made available to children worldwide.  In addition, his SOLE Toolkit for classroom teachers provides an excellent resource to help teachers make the incredible paradigm shift required to take the education of their students into the 21st century.  I particularly enjoyed his analogy in which a teacher in 1812 could not imagine how horseback riding and swordsmanship would ever be irrelevant as a critical life skill.   Similarly, today’s educators must make the shift from thinking of education as acquiring many disconnected bits of information to the paradigm of education as students being self-directed, independent and interdependent, learning how to turn information into knowledge, and knowledge into wisdom. 

How has Dr. Mitra’s research impacted me personally, as well as my organization, 21st Century Schools[ii]? 

In addition to the privilege of Dr. Mitra agreeing to serve on the Advisory Board for 21st Century Schools:

First of all, my thinking was expanded in terms of “reach”.  His example has me thinking about how I can adopt his strategy of utilizing “the cloud” to benefit a greater number of people on a global basis.  At one time I was a classroom teacher with 22 fourth graders.  Inspired by my then school principal, I decided to become a principal; that way I would be influencing the education and lives of 400 students instead of 22.  Now, the goal at 21st Century Schools is to expand our reach as far as possible – not just to one classroom, one campus or district, but to entire countries. 

We conduct regional and on-site workshops for teachers; we present at conferences and have granted requests to reprint our materials by various organizations and publishers in the USA, Australia, Germany and Nova Scotia.  That is not enough.  Having a web site, newsletters, and participating in social media such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn while good, are insufficient.  We must find a way to work more from within “the cloud” to reach a global audience.

Second- Inspiration for Further Study - I am now inspired to study Dr. Mitra’s research in greater depth.  To date I have relied on his talks at TED and other conferences as well as his SOLE Toolkit[iii] for teachers.  Although we share a philosophy of education and learning, which is supported by the work of educators such as Vygotsky, Dewey, Illich and others such as Herbert Marcuse, Paulo Freire, Michael Apple and to some extent Peter McLaren and Henry Giroux (although it seems they are more interested in writing for and to each other than creating anything that we common people can understand or implement), there is much I can do to increase my own understanding and knowledge by studying Dr. Mitra’s published works.  As my understanding and knowledge expand, I can then pass that along to benefit other educators, and ultimately, their students.

Third – altering of materials and processes in our Professional Development.  In reviewing Dr. Mitra’s SOLE Toolkit for teachers I am struck by the fact that what I have been teaching teachers for years, while totally aligned to what Dr. Mitra is recommending, I have not provided them with simple, detailed, step-by-step instructions, or examples, of exactly how you get started in a specific lesson and follow through. 

I have been operating on the level of development of an entire unit of curriculum[iv] – a bigger picture – and while I provide teachers with many specific classroom strategies and tools, I have been leaving it to them to develop their own daily lesson plans.  Part of the reason for this is that I teach Project-Based Learning and the process of investigating questions that matter and issues important to humanity extends over a period of for six weeks in any given project, rather than a one hour class period.  The children in the Hole in the Wall project also participated in a long-term, evolving study as they investigated, for example, replication of DNA.  They had the time to conduct in-depth investigations, and those are what are needed for deep learning to take place. 

I have always believed that teachers must have specific, concrete strategies, not just philosophies, in order to change what is happening in their classrooms.  I have been equipping teachers with many strategies which they can implement in their classrooms immediately, such as strategies for enabling students to function independently and interdependently, teaching students how to teach each other, how to conduct research, how to write well, many thinking tools, and more, but I am going to add some example lesson plans to the repertoire!  Thank you, Sugata!

Observation - Sugata mentioned in his article, Limits to self-organising systems of learning – the Kalikuppam experiment,  that people had criticized his project, stating that there was no ‘deep understanding’, and Sugata responded that, given the conditions, it was a miracle that the children could learn and perform on a test.  But I believe that the students were actually operating at very high levels of learning, and that they did acquire deep understanding.  While they are not experts in DNA replication, I venture to suggest that they know more about it than most children their age anywhere in the world!  On top of that, they achieved so much more when one considers that they had to first teach themselves English, and then learn how to conduct research, then synthesize the research, and so on – all by themselves!  That was a much greater challenge than the students in classrooms with teachers had to face.

The Hole in the Wall students in the DNA replication study were developing high levels of 21st century skills, such as those articulated by Tony Wagner of Harvard University -  it seems to me that these children were developing and using every single one of these 7 Survival Skills[v].  And that is definitely more than you can say for children in 99.999% of classrooms in the world!

·         Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
·         Collaboration Across Networks and Leading by Influence
·         Agility and Adaptability
·         Initiative and Entrepreneurialism
·         Effective Written and Oral Communication
·         Accessing and Analyzing Information
·         Curiosity & Imagination

Fourth –an important reminder -  I am reminded that in supporting educators in making this radical paradigm shift, it is not an easy thing to do; it takes time, will require taking risks, making mistakes and is an evolutionary process.  I must remember to be patient with educators who push back and resist; I am challenging their very paradigm, their reality of what teaching and schooling are.

Fifth – I see a need and have an idea - in addition to the wonderful strategies of School in the Cloud, I now see a need for a cloud-based team of Cloudbrarians[vi] who can greatly assist and support teachers, students and “grannies” (what about grandpas?) by helping to sort through the vast amount of information on the Internet.  I’ve heard it said that getting information off the Internet is like trying to take a drink from a fire hydrant – and indeed, it is!  Just as Sugata provided a list of appropriate web sites for students to research DNA replication, we need cloudbrarians to begin creating lists of excellent web sites for many other topics.  Having a cloud-based team means that experts from every field, and from many cultures, can collaborate in creating these databases. 
 
Sixth, another new idea - create a Cloudbrary.  In addition to having experts create databases of excellent URLs for curriculum content, there should be databases of many other resources for educators.  In particular, in addition to the obvious resources such as classroom strategies, learning strategies, technology tools, etc., there is a need for a database of tools to help students develop the Multiple Literacies required in the 21st century.  The 3 R’s are completely insufficient, and as Sugata has noted, the ‘rithmetic as we currently teach it is obsolete. 

Multiple Literacies required for the 21st century include, but are not limited to the following, which we teach in our Professional Development programs at 21st Century Schools; we teach what the literacies are, why they matter and how to integrate them into the curriculum:

·         Aural Literacy
·         Visual Literacy
·         Cyberliteracy
·         Information Literacy
·         Emotional Literacy
·         Ecoliteracy
·         Financial Literacy
·         Multicultural Literacy
·         Physical Fitness and Health Literacy
·         Global Competencies

Seventh, a new understanding – the classroom and the school are not necessary for learning – in fact, Sugata’s research actually indicates to me that the current model of schools and classrooms are impediments to education! -  I am always telling educators that “the world is your classroom”, as I strongly support getting students out into their communities to explore, to be involved in a variety of activities such as internships, field-based explorations, and global, collaborative classroom projects.  However, until I read Sugata’s research I always felt that these opportunities would be created by “the school”.  I understand now that, in many cases, the school is the main obstacle, and that children can achieve higher levels of learning and develop more advanced “21st century skills” in self-organised learning environments supported by “grannies” and other experts from many fields who can contribute a bit of their time to the project.

I think about students whose futures are literally being stolen as they sit in classrooms continually memorizing and taking tests.  For, many schools have been replaced by test prep factories.  I think about the students I saw in a middle school in the Bronx; the schools was, as I said to the superintendent, the principal and the president of the PTA – a cross between a zoo and an insane asylum, with a little bit of prison thrown in – those students knew they would not be receiving or obtaining an education, they had no hope and they were angry. In this particular school the main cause of the problem was a very bad principal; she was removed from that school after we took our extremely urgent concerns to people who then had to take care of the problem.  It did get better.  I think of the beautiful, smiling children I met in Malaysia who sit in overcrowded classes, enduring long days of rote learning and lectures; there is no real thinking, exploring, learning, and no joy of discovery and wonderment.  There is however, a high level of truancy, vandalism and dropping out of school.  I think of children in Turkey who live in remote areas and have no access to schools.  From the inner city of New York City to the remote and rugged terrain of eastern Turkey, to the deep jungles of Malaysia – children around the world stand to benefit from Dr. Mitra’s Hole in the Wall project.  And the sooner we get it to them, the better.

Eighth, taking their direction from Hole in the Wall and School in a Cloud, schools and classrooms can be reinvented to make authentic, 21st century learning a reality – we do not have to abandon schools, but reinvent them to meet the needs of 21st century students.  The possibilities are evident in the research project, Hole in the Wall.  We can now take this new understanding and paradigm, and teach educators how to create schools that are vibrant places for learning!

Reflections

In our work at 21st Century Schools we focus on helping teachers make the paradigm shift to education for the 21st century, primarily through Professional Staff Development and Curriculum Design.  We enable teachers to make this transition by providing them with specific strategies for the classroom, and by guiding them through the process of creating curriculum which is guided by questions that matter and issues important to humanity.  Investigating these questions and issues cause students to explore, and this creates a need for what the disciplines have to offer. As a result, learning is connected, understanding occurs and learning is deeper.

We help teachers make the transition from the teacher-centered classroom, in which the teacher has all the power and all the knowledge, to a student-centered classroom in which the teacher’s role is more that of a facilitator, a guide and a support.  We always tell teachers to set the students off on their explorations, inquiries and research – then get out of their way!  A properly designed curriculum will result in a classroom that literally runs itself.  The teacher is only there for support, and as Sugata says, to say, “Wow!”  Students absolutely can do so much more than teachers expect – how sad it is that teachers have such low expectations, which essentially robs the children of so many opportunities.

We especially encourage teachers to design and implement global, collaborative classroom projects in which students are actively collaborating with other students, teachers and various experts (including grannies!) all over the world. 

Overcoming the Obstacles

Conditions in many schools prevent teachers from designing and implementing this type of project-based learning, which makes the Hole in the Wall project more critical for these children than ever.

Sugata explains the multiple challenges faced by many schools in India, “We are describing a part of our planet where children, with nothing other than a street-side computer, are able to answer tests on their own. They have no teachers or educational support from their parents or anyone else in the community and they lack the healthcare, nutrition, sanitation and other conditions of modern living that we, in more developed parts of the world, can take for granted.”[vii]

Other obstacles to students experiencing the greatest possible learning opportunities are related to class size, school/class schedules, obsolete policies, perspectives and attitudes of educators, parents, government officials, the public, and even the students themselves.  Many children live in areas that are not accessible to schools. Many schools only have school for half a day.  If Hole in the Wall projects were available, this would provide millions of children around the world with this critically important access to learning.

Fortunately, many countries are now purchasing tablet computers for their students, making learning possible anytime and anywhere.  There are also a growing number of companies bringing electric generators to rural schools in India along with Internet access and computers; although they may not have basics such as electricity, running water or toilets, these children will now have access to knowledge and the world.  Governments in many developed and developing countries are purchasing tablet computers for students.  Mobile phones and other devices will begin to alleviate the lack of connectivity as well.  

As technologies evolve and become more readily available to all children Sugata’s project may evolve from the Hole in the Wall to a solar powered Cloud in the Pocket! 

Conclusion

One can say, therefore, that the research being conducted by Dr. Sugata Mitra may be the only hope for millions of children/students in developing countries, and the only hope for those nations to enter the 21st century with a higher standard of living, not only economically, but in terms of the happiness that comes to students as they are able to develop fully their unique talents, pursue their unique interests and become well-adjusted, contributing citizens of our global community.

As my dear friend, colleague and world class educator Dr. Penny Honeycutt[viii] says,

“Many students are learning (and all students should be) to activate their individual and collective potential in order to contribute their unique gifts so that humanity may thrive in a heart-centered, global community.  This community would create a peaceful and prosperous world for all.  All across the globe people are waking up to the awareness that we are responsible for our future survival as a species.  This evolution in consciousness is unprecedented as far as I know.  The next stage in our evolution requires a shift from fact finding and information overload to nurturing wonderment, awe, and our human capacities to imagine and create.  Radical forgiveness and compassion will be critical attributes if we are to survive.  I think our youth know this, and they don’t buy (accept) the fear-based, Race to the Top testing regime and the meaningless standards on the wall found in classrooms across the nation.  I advocate Wonderment and Awe Boards.”

As Sugata’s research becomes known to more and more educators and governments around the world, and as his School in the Cloud develops, there will be an open door for every child, and every country, to reach their full potential as unique individuals and nations. 

Sugata’s School in the Cloud is the next step in the evolution of humanity. 

Nothing is more significant.

Notes:

[i] www.21stCenturySchools.com
[ii] www.21stCenturySchools.com
[iii] Mitra, Sugata.  SOLE: How to Bring Self-Organized Learning Environments to Your Community
[iv] See these Sample Units developed and taught by Anne Shaw in a public and private school in the USA.  Civil Rights – a Multidisciplinary and Multicultural Investigation of Civil Rights in the United States;  Money – a First Grade Introduction to Financial Literacy;  also see the beginning brainstorm for investigations in Food and Culture – a Global, Collaborative Classrooms Project (under development)
[v] http://www.21stcenturyschools.com/7_Survival_Skills.htm and Wagner, Tony.  The Global Achievement Gap - Why Even Our Best Schools Don't Teach the New Survival Skills Our Children Need--And What We Can Do About It, 2010, Basic Books
[vi] Shaw, Anne.  Coined the term “Cloudbrarians”.
[vii] Mitra, Sugata and Dangwal, Ritu.  Limits to self-organising systems of learning—the Kalikuppam experiment.   British Journal of Educational Technology, Volume 41, Issue 5, pages 672–688, September 2010, http://www.hole-in-the-wall.com/docs/Paper13.pdf
[viii] Dr. Penny Honeycutt, Principal, Youth Villages Inner Harbour School, Douglasville, Georgia, USA.  http://www.youthvillages.org/what-we-do/residential-programs/inner-harbour-campus.aspx