What Makes The Hole In The Wall Experiment By Sugata Mitra So Interesting

ugata Mitra did an interesting experiment long back where poor kids were confronted with a computer device. These kids were completely new to computers and the internet. And yet, within a few hours, they were able to search for information and teach themselves everything they wanted to know about the computer.

Couple of things he observed during the experiment

Kids stopped working on the computers every time an adult walked around - He concluded that students could still learn even if teachers were not around

This experiment was repeated several times to confirm that kids could use the internet without the teachers.

This is what Sugata Mitra terms the " Hole in the Wall " experiment. of course, there were some conditions in the experiment kids were left unsupervised, they were working in heterogeneous groups and they were accessing the internet in a large public space.

The same experiment was repeated in the classrooms in England where a teacher would ask the question and the children would go around the system searching for the answer.

This experiment once again proved that, if you leave the kids unsupervised, they would learn.

This is not to say that teachers are not important.

He says children in self-organized environments can learn anything by themselves.

But what this does say is that, in the future, the role of teachers might change from being the "sage on the stage" to being the "guide on the side", he experimented with this model in various places and it worked very well.

His 20 years of work resulted in these conclusions

1. Children can learn to use any device by themselves
2. If you allow the children use computers conditions applied, they become better at it
3. Their reading comprehension goes up

"You go there, I will go with you" - He says this is what the role of a teacher would be in future

The problem with the current education is that it is preparing the kids for jobs that were relevant during the 1920s and 1930s, Sugata Mitra's experiment proves that kids can learn on their own if given the right environment. His experiment also showed that the role of teachers might

But we are in the 21st century now, and the world has changed completely.

The jobs that were available during the 1920s and 1930s have been taken over by machines or they don't exist anymore.

He says we need to change our view from a 'just in case type of learning to a 'just in time type of learning.

He also believes that we need to move away from the idea of schooling, where everyone is in the same place, at the same time, learning the same thing.

We need to move towards a more flexible model, where children can learn at their own pace, and in their own time.

This is the future of education, and it is something that we need to start working toward now.

Sadly, this is not how it is today. In most cases, the teachers are still the "sage on the stage".

But if we want our children to be better prepared for the future, we need to start thinking about changing the way we teach.

This is an important experiment because it challenges the traditional notion of learning. In the traditional model, learning is something that happens in a controlled environment with the teacher being the primary source of knowledge.

However, experiments like these show that learning can happen anywhere, anytime, and with anyone. All you need is a willingness to learn and a platform to learn from.

This is what the internet provides us with. It is a global platform where anyone can access any information at any time.

The internet has the power to democratize education and make it accessible to everyone. This is why I believe that the internet is the most important invention of our time.

He concludes his talk by saying

• Schools need to introduce the internet in classes as a formal subject
• Introduce complex dynamical systems
• Allow the use of the internet during exams
• Divide the curriculum into three parts- necessary for life, good to know, only for exams
  

I am sure you have a relative who boasts about how their little kids can find their way around the tablet and phone better than they can, kids can self-learn and explore things on their own from a very young age now.

This is the power of self-learning. It is an ability to teach oneself something without any external help. And it is a skill that we can all learn and cultivate.

Self-learning does not mean that you never take any courses or attend any training sessions. It simply means that you are open to learning new things on your own, without any external pressure or motivation.

I observe how my son learns to research and find new things on the internet all by himself. He doesn't wait for me to tell him what to do or how to do it.

He just starts exploring and learning on his own. And this is the power of self-learning. He was led by his interest and curiosity. I didn't have to force him to learn or schedule tests for him to assess his progress.

He was learning all the time, in his way and at his own pace. And this is how we should all learn. There are days he chooses to learn about the World War, and other days he is more interested in learning about dinosaurs.

The point is that his learning is led by him, and not by me.
We need to create an environment where they can explore and learn on their own, without any pressure or external motivation.
We need to let them be curious and follow their interests.
We need to trust that they can learn on their own, and we need to give them the space to do so.
Sugata Mitra's work is very important in today's times as it challenges the existing education system which is based on teacher-led learning.
In a world where technology is constantly evolving, we need to arethink the way we learn. And experiments like these provide us with a glimpse into the future of learning.