Curated by the Knowledge Team of ICS Career GPS
Education
Parents must be aware of these evolving education trends
Excerpts from article published by the Parenting Desk of Indian Express
The COVID-19 crisis has turned our world upside down, affecting almost every sector. It has been very challenging for all but students have been more impacted. Given the current scenario, it’s tough to know exactly what the upcoming school year would look like.
In a new era of innovation, education is not limited to the curriculum. Parents want their children to be more independent, learn entrepreneurial and life skills to be ready to cope with challenges of life. So, along with teachers, parents too must keep an eye on the upcoming trends in education to prepare their kids for any eventuality.
Here are some evolving trends in education:
1. Shifting from STEM to STEAM
It has been said that a STEM-based (science, technology, engineering and math) curriculum prepares students to enter the workforce with practical, high-demand skills. However, adding the arts alongside these subjects (thus creating STEAM: STEM plus arts) is known to improve the performance of students.
For example, an arts assignment combined with math and science lessons can help low-achieving students understand STEM subjects better and also improve creativity. STEAM curriculum is shown to provide a well-rounded and practical education.
2. Cultivating empathy
A positive character encompasses compassion for others, good communication skills, empathy, and a good relationship with classmates. Empathy is crucial to build a trusted and friendly relationship among students, which helps them in future relationships as adults. Teachers must encourage interaction among students and include more group activities on a regular basis. Schools that focus on empathy have higher-achieving students.
3. Industry-based learning
Work will never be the same. Parents and teachers must prepare kids to face future problems. Gone are the days when students sat passively at desks while professors lectured endlessly.
Project-based learning allows students to collaborate, think critically and work in groups to develop innovative projects and come up with solutions to complex problems. All these skills are a must for any career and help prepare one for entrepreneurship. Companies also offer industry-relevant projects to students, which helps in real life learning.
4. Integrated learning approach
Integrated learning approach offers a mix of classroom learning with direct teacher intervention and partially through self-directed activities. It might be perfect if students are learning from both school and home this year.
Many experts in the field believe that a blended learning approach will surely see a significant rise this academic year.
5. Customised learning
Personalised learning has been on the rise for the past few years to support individual student progress. In addition, adaptive software programs offer teachers the flexibility to use the same program for all students in their classroom—including those with learning disabilities.
The bottomline
As guardians of their future, let’s prepare our kids to learn how to tide off this crisis with an entrepreneurial mind-set by imparting the right mix of education and technology at hand while giving them the opportunity to chase their dreams with immense confidence.
Career
C-suite career advice: Ron Konezny, CEO, Digi International
Excerpts from Ron Konezny’s interview published in IDG Connect
Ron Konezny joined Digi International in December 2014, as President and Chief Executive Officer. He has also been Vice President, Global Transportation and Logistics division of Trimble Navigation Limited, a global provider of navigation and range-finding equipment and related solutions. Konezny has extensive experience in the wireless M2M industry, working with solutions comprised of hardware and cloud-based applications.
Q. What was the most valuable piece of career advice that you received?
A. The best bet you can make is on yourself. This gave me the confidence.
Q. What was the worst piece of business advice that you received?
A. If you work hard, you will succeed. Don’t get me wrong, having a strong work ethic is critical. However, as your career matures, you have to combine your work ethic with a strong sense of context and ask yourself hard questions: why am I doing the work? What are we trying to achieve? Is the level of effort worth the outcome?
Q. What advice would you give to someone starting their career in IT/tech?
A. The whole world changes all the time, but IT changes even faster. Be prepared and embrace change.
Q. Did you always want to work in IT/tech?
A. Yes. As an elementary student, I fell in love with computers and computer programming. I’ve always liked math (my father was an accountant), and that probably contributed to my interest in computers and IT.
Q. What are some common misconceptions about working in IT/tech?
A. One of the biggest misconceptions is thinking that you necessarily need to be a technology expert to work in IT. There are many aspects to succeed in IT, not the least of which is the human side of change management.
Q. What tips would you give to someone aiming for a C-level position?
A. Sometimes people think leadership is a reward for all the work they put into getting to that level. In other words, the “you made it” moment. In all truth, that’s when the real work begins. You have to really understand the responsibility you have within your team, the pressures you will face, the very tough decisions you will have to make, it’s not as glamorous as it’s sometimes made out to be. It’s an incredible experience for those that can handle the varied pressures on the intellectual and emotional intelligences.
Q. Which would you recommend: A coding bootcamp or a computer science degree?
A. Computer science degree. It’s so important you understand how computers work. With that base knowledge, you can go many different directions, including coding.
Q. How important are specific certifications?
A. Very much depends on your career path and interests. For example, those on a more technical career path and that like working with a certain technology (e.g., networking, Cisco switches) should seriously consider specific certifications. But, be prepared for certifications to multiply and never stop your thirst for learning.
Q. What are the three skills or abilities you look for in prospective candidates?
A. Unfortunately, I have found many candidates struggle to answer these specific questions in an impressive way:
Self-awareness: Tell me about your career journey, and why did you choose that path. What do you like and what are you good at?
Outcomes, not just results: Tell me about projects you are particularly proud of, what role did you play, and what was the outcome?
Context, impact: Tell me about the specific objectives you are held to and tell me about your most recent performance review?
Q. What would put you off a candidate?
A. It throws me off when a potential candidate talks too much, is too self-absorbed, and not specific in their experiences and their roles/contributions.
Q. What are the most common mistakes made by candidates in an interview? How can those mistakes be avoided?
A. Candidates need to know the company they are interviewing to join, and know the interviewers’ background. With LinkedIn and other resources available, they are only being lazy – and perceived as that – if they don’t put in the work.
Q. Do you think it is better to have technical or business skills – or a mix of both?
A. It depends on the person’s aspirations. It’s very important to realise that you can have functional as well as leadership career paths and a symbiosis of both. Too often, functionally excellent resources are moved towards a leadership career path, even if they don’t like or aren’t good at management.
I certainly like both. I recommend tactical people to learn some leadership traits, as they always help build rapport and understand what leadership and business-focused roles require from you. For someone trying to step into a leadership path, it would be helpful to understand technical aspects to lead teams in the right direction.
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in the article mentioned above are those of the author(s). They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of ICS Career GPS or its staff.)
Like this post? For more such helpful articles, click on the button below and subscribe FREE to our blog.
Download our mobile app, ICS Career GPS, a one-stop career guidance platform.
