Despite change being an inevitable force of nature, our education system has since long been fossilized into a state of rigidity that has disallowed anything to permeate through it. So much has been glorified in the past and of the past, as the best possible way of imparting learning, that it has felt as the ONLY way of doing so. Hence, the classrooms of the 1900s and 2019s present a similar ambience, a similar structure, a similar learning construct, thus and therefore presenting the same results.

But the world outside the world of education has changed phenomenally. The external influences of a rapidly changing world dominated by exponential technology influences, coupled with the internal shift in information processing patterns of the human brain are necessitating a shift in how learning happens. Despite all such indications, the slumber party for education seemed to be never ending till a 0.6-micron virus created an epidemic and ensured the reverberations could not be dismissed as a passing phase. And overnight- everything came to a standstill, for many it was dampening, but for education it became a moment of awakening. What could not be changed in the past many decades, what could not be amended from its indelible past, immediately pivoted into the new normal and continues to do so.

Next is Here! The Next Normal in education is all set to become the new reality and we all as part of the eco-system should be preparing ourselves for this advent of newness.

The notion of learning shall itself undergo a massive transformation. Learning will now be orchestrated and shall occur in dynamic interludes, where every interface becomes the genesis of a new learning experience. A lot of learning through digital means shall become an organic process of search and discovery of external knowledge as well as internal wisdom.

The true purpose of learning is to excite the learner, to engage her in a meaningful way and to empower her for life. With fast changing learning conundrums and faster changing roles of the teacher and the learner, the new learning shall be about creating an experience that prepares students for the ever-changing NOW. The seismic shift in learning shall reflect in the choices made by 21st century learners in a world of multitudinous offerings and endless opportunities, ensuing a true liberation of the human mind.

This is a new beginning… a momentous time in human evolution marked by the metamorphosis of learning.