A few years ago, vocational courses were thought to be for people who did not have the aptitude to study in a college and thus, needed skills in a particular field, to gain employment. This scenario, however, has completely changed today. These days, people have realized the importance of vocational education and are opting for such courses, both online and offline, to gain skills related to a particular field so that their job prospects can improve. Scroll down to know more on the advantages of vocational education…

Importance of Vocational Education and Training

Lesser Education Costs

Not everyone can afford to go college as a four-year degree course, plus the hostel fees, commuting, added costs of books, can turn out to be very expensive. Vocational courses are a cheaper alternative for people who do not want to take up a loan to go to college. Many vocational courses, similar to four-year degrees, provide placement to the students. This makes them quite useful for those who do not have the means to shell out money for a college degree.

Prepares for a Job

One of the main benefits of vocational education is that it prepares a person for a specific job. Vocational courses equip a person with the skills and qualities required to do a particular job, such as fashion designing, interior decoration, computer networking, auto repairing, etc. Many a time, the curriculum for the courses is prepared after taking suggestions from the local employers. Along with classroom instructions, practical knowledge is imparted through field work. Laboratory learning is emphasized to give the students practical knowledge on a given subject. This prepares the student for the job at hand and thus, he is able to give full justice to his profession, due to his vast knowledge.

Easy Employment

The importance of vocational education can be gauged from the fact that it makes it easier for the students to find employment. Usually, it is seen that employers prefer to hire a student who has done a vocational course rather than a college pass out, as by doing a vocational course, a student is trained specifically for a particular job. The student already possesses the right temperament, skills, qualities and education for the job and the employers feel that he will be more successful than a regular college pass out due to his knowledge. Thus, easy employment is one of the chief advantages that students from a vocational course have over others.

Success in Career

People who are already employed and those who want to get further education to advance their careers, cannot afford to take a four-year break and pursue a college degree. So, in order to enhance their skills and qualifications, an alternative is to do a vocational course. You may read more on importance of education. The time duration for a vocational course is less, but the skills that are imparted to students through such courses, are quite comparable to the college courses, in terms of quality. Thus, by doing a vocational course, a professional can enhance his career prospects and achieve success.

Promotes Entrepreneurship

After doing a vocational course, a person is equipped enough to start his own business. This course of action is taken up by many a vocational course pass out students. Thus, such courses promote entrepreneurship, which is a very good thing for the economy today, considering that the recession has left many without jobs. Vocational courses increase the number of small businesses, which further increase employment, thus reducing the stress on the government to provide jobs for the unemployed.

Before opting for a vocational course, a student should ensure that the institute he is applying for is of good repute, both in terms of education quality and placements in the past. Once these things are settled, should a student invest his time and money in a particular course. As mentioned above, vocational education provides job specific skills and contributes to career success. It imparts specialized knowledge, which is the need of the hour today! This proves that in many aspects, vocational education is as good as college education!

Popular fiction and entertainment media has taken quite some wild shots at trying to portray what the Delta Force might be. The problem is the Pentagon takes up all possible efforts to protect the secrecy and classifications of the Delta Force. Only a small and sufficient amount of information is available on the Delta Force training and what is available is through some writings and books. Please do not try to use any other questionable means to gain information, because if you do so, you might as well be saying your last prayers. Kidding, but seriously do not poke your nose into the classified information, it’s an offense (sometimes criminal offense) to do so. Moving on to the Delta Force training…

There are several books about the Delta Force such as, Inside Delta Force by Eric Haney or Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War by Mark Robert Bowden and Charles Alvin Beckwith’s Delta Force which give us some measured information about this force.

Note: Being an elite division, there are very less photographs of the deltas. A very popular Iraq invasion photograph titled ‘Uday and Qusay’s last stand’ (Saddam Hussie’s sons), shows the 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne men standing with their backs to the camera, watching as a large house in Mosul, Iraq burns down. The two men in the foremost row wearing much different MICH helmets are reportedly Delta members. Note that this fact may be incorrect.

About the Delta Force

The Delta Force is officially known as the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (Airborne) and several people connote it to just as the ‘special forces’. The Department of Defense tags it to be Combat Applications Group. This force is headed by the U.S. Special Operations Command and the Joint Special Operations Command. This force is a de facto member of the U.S. Army Special Operations. The total size of the force is about 800 to 1,000 members, though the exact number is kept confidential. The force is divided into 11 divisions, 3 among these are the Direct Operation Groups which can be deployed very quickly. The remaining are the re-con, intelligence and logistics battalions. The headquarters, command and garrison of the delta force is at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The career opportunities in the Delta Force are classified but are enormous. This group is the best special combat group. In the due course you will understand why.

Delta Force Training: Requirements

Being an elite group, the Delta Force places some very specified and tough requirements for recruitment. Within the United States Armed Forces (USAF), soldiers and officers who have been trained in any of the elite special forces are given a recruitment notice. In some cases the recruitment notice for 1st SFOD-D is given to a group of people or specifically to some officers of the elite special forces. The common requirements which are stated by the Delta Force include:

• The Basic (Army Basic Training), Advance (Infantry Advanced Individual Training) and Airborne training (Special Operations Preparation Course and Special Forces Assessment and Selection program) which is a standard among all special forces members.
• Secondly, the recruit should have served as a Captain or Major.
• The recruit also should have 2 years of active service in any branch and a 12 month successful command.
• The recruit also needs to pass some specified Army Physical Fitness Tests (APFT) and identity screening procedures

Commonly, the notifications of 1st SFOD-D are given to officers and some soldiers of United States Army Special Forces (the Green Berets), Navy SEALs, United States Army Rangers, 75th Rangers (the ‘Rangers’) ,the legendary United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group "DEVGRU" and 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (the ‘Night Stalkers’). Thus, if you want to get into the Delta Force, you will have to become a member of any of the aforementioned forces, which in itself is very tough task.

Army Delta Force Training

The first task that is put forth in front of the recruits is to pass the Special Forces Qualification Course (SFQC),. This course is a three tier course, which include, individual skills, MOS qualification, and collective training.

• Individual training involves physical fitness and arms training. This might act as a revision and further education for most of the recruits and runs for 40 days.
• The MOS is a 65 day program and involves the training for mission planning cycle.
• The collective training is provided for 38 days and includes Special Operations (SO) classes, Direct Action (DA) Isolation, Isolation training, Unconventional Warfare and Air Operations.

Next, the recruits undergo Language Training, and Survival Evasion Resistance Escape training. This phase is a formal training phase.

After the first phase is over, the recruited officers are put through the Operator Training Course for 6 months. The coursework involves the following:

• Marksmanship and Sniper Training: This training is provided to sharpen the reflexes of the trigger finger. The Delta Force also uses different firearms than the regular army. Hence this is a place for the recruits to get in touch with highly sophisticated weapons such as Heckler & Koch HK416, Barrett M82A1, AK 47 (series) and FN SCAR.
• Demolition Training: This part involves the training for demolition and use of produced or improvised explosives. Unconventional and infiltration warfare techniques are also provided in this phase.
• Trade Craft: CIA and FBI provide the ‘James Bond’ training in this phase as the Delta Force often acts as the executioner arm of such agencies. Joint exercises and combat training for better performance are often conducted during this phase.
• Executive Protection: Executive protection training is provided for the force as it is often deployed for the diplomat, officer and VIP protection.

Note that recruits are often asked to leave as a result of incompetency. When you plan to join the Delta force or undergo the Delta force training, you join the world’s deadliest strike force. You have signed up for the riskiest military job. You need to be the best special force member just to get selected. I hope that the elaboration on delta force training is resourceful.

Tips for Successful Career Planning

Take Up a Few Tests
Self assessment helps a person in identifying his strengths and weaknesses. Take up a few self assessment tests to find out the areas you are good in and the ones you need to work on. You can select a career option requiring skills you are good at. Doing so, you will be in a better position to perform the job and this will work in a positive way for your career growth.

Look Out for Interesting Options
A person can give his 100% to a job only if he is interested in it. A job you don’t find interesting at all, will not motivate you to give in your best. This will hamper your career growth and you will tend to move slowly up the ladder of success. That is why, don’t concentrate on one particular field. Widen your horizon and look for other available options. You can always find an interesting field you would love to make your career in.

Think of the Job Requisites
Before choosing a career, it is important to ask a few questions to yourself like, the kind of work culture you would like to work in, the kind of organization that will help you in achieving your goals, the kind of work schedule you would be comfortable with and whether you can commit to traveling or not. Answering these questions will give you a clear picture of what you can do and what you may not.

Research Thoroughly
Try to find out all the information about the career options you have selected for yourself. Proper research gives you the actual picture which will help you in choosing the best option for yourself.

Utilize the Facilities of Career Center
Colleges have career centers that provide guidance to students, for choosing the right career path and help them plan accordingly. Make use of resume development workshops, interview workshops and career development seminars arranged for the students. You can also get in touch with the college alumni to gain information about their fields and scope of career development in it.

Opt for Internships and Voluntary Work
Doing an internship in the industry will help you in gaining knowledge about how things actually work on the job floor. As you are on the job, you can experience it and decide if it is your cup of tea or not. Voluntary jobs help you build your network and display your capabilities to people. It will add on to your resume and may work in a positive way for your placement.

Ask Someone to be Your Mentor
A person having an established career in the field of your choice can help you in a great way. Find someone who can be your mentor and guide you in building a great career. A mentor can motivate you when you feel low and support you at every step.

Build a Network
Networking is one of the important aspects of building a great career. Make people aware that you are ready to enter into the industry. Meet people who are already working in the field you would like to enter. They can give you proper insights of the industry and clear your doubts. Joining professional associations can also help you in getting into the industry.

Study Job Trends
Studying job and career trends will tell you whether the job of your choice is having an uptrend or downtrend and will tell you the market status of the job you want to get in.

Set Career Goals
Once you have decide on your career, take the next step by enlisting your career goals. Set short-term and long-term career goals for yourself, so that, you know when and where to concentrate to reach your set target.

Take the help of these tips for successful career planning. The planning should be done at the right time to reap its benefits. It is not a one-time task. Even after you join an industry, make sure to review your career plan at pre-decided intervals, to check if you are on the right path or have deviated from the goal you had set for yourself. Reviewing your career plan will prepare you to build a successful and satisfying career.

Over the last few years, the number of adults who are continuing with their education has increased tremendously. This term “continuing education” describes the opportunity and process of learning new skills and acquiring knowledge that is far superior to what we are taught during our formal schooling years.

Most people opt for continued education to further their knowledge base and even their employability.

Continuing Education vs. Traditional

Usually, what we learn in all of those long, arduous years of our formal schooling are just basic skills that are good enough to help us start working, but not good enough to take us further in our careers, especially with the rapid changes and advancements in technology that demands for a more sophisticated and educated workforce.

Students who participate in continuing their education are generally working professionals who seek to further advance and promote their intellectual capabilities while still working. Since their time is divided between studies and full-time work, they have to be extremely motivated in order to succeed. One of the biggest characteristics that distinguish students who are participating in continuing education is their tendency to relate the lessons that they learn in class to their work experience.

Instructors must have the proper and appropriate practical experience and knowledge in order to address the issues and concerns of these special students. Students involved in continuing education can be very selective when it comes to choosing their courses. The courses that they choose have to be in some way relevant to their work and should be able to benefit them. If the right course is chosen, it can benefit you a great deal both educationally and professionally. master educacion Universidad Pontifica de Salamanca ofrece Máster en educación e investigación

More and more adults are now engaged in continuing education that leads to formal qualifications that provide them with the adequate knowledge pertaining to a certain area of study. Furthermore, continuing education also provides us with a certain pride of accomplishment as we take our courses.

Offering an affordable, faster, and definitely more focused means of acquiring career or personal objectives, continuing education credentials can be put on resumes and presented anywhere as evidence of the individual’s professional studies.

The Importance of ‘Continuing Education’ in the Workplace

A skilled workforce will always result in increased economic productivity. Here is how continuing education benefits the working force:

o A more skilled workforce is always more productive – These days, skills and education are seen as the most important elements of the employability and income potential of a candidate. Since the economy has shifted to one that values an educated workforce more than an uneducated workforce, employers are now seeking both educated and skilled workers. The demand for continuing education has thus increased twofold.

o Continuing education helps employers retain better employees while remaining as competitive as ever – A more educated employee will always be more productive, so companies have now started hiring employees who are continuing with their education. Continuing education can be seen as a way to retain the better, more educated employees.

With the rapid advancement of the information technology sector, continuing education will not be confined to only physical space. Distance learning through interactive media will form a major part of continuing education. The internet will also play a huge role in delivering the course materials to the students.

A virtual course that is aimed at extending an individual’s knowledge beyond those formal years of education has now become reality. With respect to all of this development in the field of continuing education, we have only one question to ask: how much further can continuing education go?

The purpose of continuing medical education is to supplement research, expand and offer quality updated education for physicians and health care providers. Continuing medical education aims to retain, develop and enhance knowledge, ability and professional performance. This in turn helps doctors and surgeons serve patients and the community in a more effective and efficient manner.

Most continuing medical education institutions offer a complete series of learning experiences. This helps enhance the practitioner’s knowledge, provides updates and analysis, and expands specialized expertise. Most educational institutes construct its curriculum in such a way as to balance and complement the learner’s needs. Continuing medical education studies may include various forms of learning such as consultations and discussions, home studies and online courses. Visiting fellowships can also be a part of continuing education.

This process of classification, expansion and endorsement of principles used by physicians to enhance expertise usually results in improved medical care for patients. Continuing medical education is also termed as continuing professional development. Continuing medical education helps refresh the knowledge base, expand it and increase awareness of the professionals. It further enhances their dexterity and performance as a health care professional. These skill sets allow medical professionals to improve their services to patients and the public. location voiture pas cher

The main aim of continuing medical education is to cover skills generally recognized and accepted by the profession. The discipline of clinical medicine, and the provision of health care to the public are given utmost importance.

Continuing Education provides detailed information on Continuing Education, Continuing Medical Education, Continuing Legal Education, Continuing Education Courses and more. zizzi restaurant vouchers Want to have some delicious Zizzi Pizza or Pasta but don’t want to spend an exorbitant amount of money, then you should try going to zizzirestaurant.co.uk first to see if they have some free vouchers available

• They’re the same as a textbook

Online degree programs tend to be more comprehensive than a textbook. Most textbooks are usually written by one or two professionals, and are not always updated each year. With online degree programs, you have the opportunity to work with professors, many of whom are still working in the field as well as teaching. A textbook course only provides one point of view and expects the student to accept that view as the correct one.

Fact: Online professors offer variety of viewpoints on the subject, and are able to communicate with you on these topics through e-mails and papers submitted online.

• They require constant attachment to your computer

Online programs require quite the opposite! In fact, once you have enrolled in a program, you are able to work at your own pace – unlike a campus university where class schedules are predetermined by the professor and availability of a classroom. When learning through online programs, your classroom can be wherever you are – home, work, vacation, it’s up to you!

Fact: You no longer need to stick to a set schedule; log on whenever you have time!

• Employers won’t accept online degrees

According to Careerbuilder.com, “This may once have been the case, but online degree programs are now rightly perceived to be topical, challenging and highly relevant. They are designed with the needs of working adult learners in mind and are developed in consultation with experienced professionals in industry and business to ensure that students learn concepts and methods that are immediately applicable in their work environment.”

Fact: A study conducted by Vault.com says 61% of employers accept online degrees.

• Online = faster, easier & less credible

Online degrees can be faster to earn, but for the most part, they take almost as much time as on-campus degrees; when you factor in the work schedules of most students, this prevents students from devoting the entire day towards their online degree. This in no way makes an online degree less credible than an on-campus degree.

Fact: Careerbuilder.com says, “Employers are impressed by the initiative, ambition and self-motivation demonstrated by an employee who takes advantage of the Internet to develop their knowledge and their career.”

• All accredited schools are created equal

It may seem that all online schools have been accredited or are accredited equally. But beware; it’s important to ensure that the online school you are enrolled in has been accredited by a proper institution. LearnSource.com reveals if your school has been accredited. Though accreditation process is difficult and costly, most schools will cough up the dough because it classifies a school on a higher tier than non-accredited institutions.

Fact: Be sure that you’ve chosen a school with proper credentials to ensure your hard work towards a degree is not wasted.

• No personal attention in the virtual classroom

Just because you’re not in a classroom with other students and a teacher, it does not mean that you have to sacrifice personal attention. Many teachers of online courses leave a questions and comments section at the end of a lesson and provide their email addresses for students to contact them.

Fact: Virtual classrooms provide quicker, more direct communication and eliminate noisy distractions.

• Credits don’t transfer to traditional colleges

Every on-campus college and university has its own policies regarding credit transfers. If you are planning to transfer to a traditional school after completing an online degree program, be sure to contact administration officials before beginning the course to ensure that all of your new credits will transfer.

Fact: Be sure to send your official transcript to the desired school for approval of credits.

• Online is always cheaper

Online programs may be less expensive than a private institution, especially one that’s located in another state or country than the once in which you reside. But not all schools are created equal. Some online schools may cost more than others, or may include hidden fees. Be sure to select a school that fits your budget.

Fact: Research multiples schools and their costs to ensure you’ve found the best, most affordable program.

• No supplementary resources for the online student

Online courses don’t always depend on the internet; some online schools will include textbooks as additional resources. If you are looking for additional information, be sure to ask the professor or school for extra information, books and resources that will help you in your studies.

Fact: Before you spend, check your local library for relevant resources.

• You must be computer-savvy

Online courses do not require previous technical knowledge, or be able to understand how a computer works (unless, of course, that’s your degree!). In fact, most schools generally only require the ability to access the internet, your email, and additionally resources that you’d like to use throughout the courses.

Aside from earning a degree, online programs help the student to become more comfortable with many computer programs and emerging technologies.

Fact: Daily online use will only increase your familiarity with the computers and their capabilities.

Now that we’ve uncovered the truth about online colleges and degree programs, enroll in an online degree today!

Education and psychology are related in more than just one way and the psychology of education could be related to educational principles in psychology or how education as a discipline is taught within psychology as a subject and how these two disciplines merge. This is primarily the focus of educational psychology which studies how human learning occurs, what ways of teaching are most effective, what different methods should be used to teach gifted or disabled children and how principles of psychology could help in the study of schools as social systems.

Psychological education would be completely focused on learning methods as structured or imparted according to psychological and individual needs of the students. Education would differ according to culture, values, attitudes, social systems, mindset and all these factors are important in the study of education in psychology.

Educational psychology is the application of psychological objectives within educational systems and psychological education as I distinguish here is application of educational objectives in psychological processes. The first focus of using psychology in education is more general and the second approach of using education in psychology is more individualistic. However as far as present study of educational approach to psychology is concerned, there is no difference between individualistic educational psychology and general educational psychology and all interrelationships between psychology and education are considered within the broad discipline of educational psychology.

However a distinction between the more general educational psychology and more specific psychological or individualistic education could help in understanding the nuances of individualistic study and give a subjective dimension to the study of psychology in education. This could also help in making learning systems more student based and according to the needs of culture, society, individual or personal factors. This sort of study with a focus on personal/psychological aspects of learning is not just about social objectives and objectives within educational systems but also about personal goals and objectives and the psychological processes involved in learning. There has to be a clearer demarcation between education in psychology as a general study and individualistic education in psychology as a more specific and subjective discipline.

As of now educational psychology encompasses a wide range of issues and topics including the use of technology and its relation to psychology, learning techniques and instructional design. It also considers the social, cognitive, behavioural dimensions of learning but it would be necessary to make education more personal and individualistic through a special branch with a psychological focus on education so that individual needs are considered. There could be two ways in which this branch of knowledge could evolve – either by strengthening psychological education or individualistic approach to the psychology of education or by having two distinct branches of general educational psychology and individualistic educational psychology.

As in client centered approach to psychology, a psychology of education should also include further research that would highlight the need for individualistic dimensions in learning. Learning psychology is the use of psychological theories for example that of Jean Piaget and Kohler in the study of learning techniques, especially among children. I have already discussed Piaget but briefly Piaget’s theory higlights different stages of learning in children and Kohler suggested that learning occurs by sudden comprehension or understanding, however I will not go further into learning theories here. Whereas the focus of educational psychology is on learning techniques per se and the role of the learner is considered only secondary, a branch of individualistic psychology in education could help in emphasizing the role of the learner considering not just their disabilities or giftedness but also their personality patterns. This focus on personality patterns brings out the central role of understanding psychology in educational systems.

Educational psychology studies both the personal approaches to education as in giftedness, disability, learning theories applied to children and adults, and the more general objective approaches to learning as the role of schools as social or cultural systems.

The psychology of education could include the following branches:

General Educational Psychology

1. Learning Systems – As studied from individualistic learning perspectives and generalized learning perspectives, a discussion of the different theories, practices and systems or techniques of learning is an integral part of educational psychology and especially central to general educational psychology.

2. Social Systems – The use of education in social, cultural and economic systems could be considered within the psychological context and this relates to the role of education in society.

Individualistic Educational Psychology

1. Learning Systems – Learning techniques and systems or methods will have to be in accordance with the needs of the children or adult participants and according to skills of the teachers. Needs vary according to personal traits and abilities and individual needs will have to be considered during the learning process.

2. Social Systems – Individual learning psychology will have to be studied according to specific social and cultural backgrounds of the learners and thus a more subjective study of learning approaches and centralized role of the individual in the learning process considering their social, cultural or intellectual background will have to be considered. 

More and more people are finding they can earn their degree from an accredited online university which offers the same challenge and quality of a traditional classroom in an environment which allows them to fit education into a life that might be too busy for a more conventional method of instruction.

According to a recent government study, about 127,400 distance education courses were offered in 2001-02, and there were about 3.1 million enrollments in distance education. Over one-half of all postsecondary education institutions offered distance education, and another 12 percent planned to offer distance education in the next 3 years.

Distance education is defined as education or training courses delivered to a remote (off-campus) location via audio, video, or computer technologies. Courses conducted exclusively on campus, as well as classes conducted exclusively via written correspondence, are not included in this definition of distance.

It is increasingly clear that technology has expanded the ability of students to participate in postsecondary education. Virtually every type of learner can benefit from some form of online education. In addition to the rapid proliferation of new courses and programs, colleges and universities are taking advantage of the Internet to enhance the admissions process and give potential students the opportunity to apply online.

Online education enables you to learn without causing a major upheaval in your life. You can access online class rooms using any Internet connection, anytime and practically anywhere. This round-the-clock access allows you to download assignments, read and participate in class discussions, review faculty feedback, and much more, all at times which are convenient to your professional and personal schedule. Many students find that this added flexibility, which does not sacrifice quality, helps keep them on track toward their goals more readily than with the rigid scheduling of a traditional learning environment.

There is also evidence that a portion of those students who participate in postsecondary education in their homes or workplace would not otherwise enroll in postsecondary education. Thus, it appears that technology is opening up new markets of potential students without significantly diminishing the number of students who would enroll in traditional colleges and universities, many of which also are offering technology-mediated distance education.

Distance learners are also generally happy with their online learning experience. A large-scale national study of student participation in distance education addressed student satisfaction of distance education classes and, when asked how satisfied they were with their distance education classes compared to their regular classes, a majority of both undergraduate and graduate students were at least as satisfied or more satisfied with the quality of teaching in their distance education classes compared with their regular classes.

Perhaps it is time to focus attention on the more basic question of how students learn, regardless of the delivery system. Technology-mediated distance learning is evolving so quickly it’s difficult for education experts to set standards that adequately address the current status and the future potential of the online learning experience.

Because experimental studies comparing distance education courses with campus-based courses have been based upon the premise that campus-based courses are the "gold standard," which may be open to question, it may be advisable to abandon these studies. It appears that addressing how students learn and focusing on outcomes assessment would be more productive.

Several organizations have developed standards and guidelines to ensure quality distance education, including the Southern Regional Electronic Campus, the National Education Association, and the Western Cooperative for Educational Telecommunications. These guidelines cover areas such as course development, evaluation and assessment, faculty support, and institutional support. Among the benchmarks, interactivity–between student and faculty, student and student, and student and information–is the single most essential element for effectiveness in distance education.

It is clear that online learning and distance education are here to stay. The benefits are  compelling, especially to those who have succeeded in completing their education or adding a much needed certification to their credentials through an online educational experience.
By E. A. Edwards

In our “Pedagogical Leadership” class, we were assigned a group task to review any book related to leadership. The book our group selected was “Towards Schooling for the 21st Century” written by Per Dalin and Val Dean Rust. It’s published in 1996 by Redwood books. It is a book series of school development whose series editors were David Reynolds and David Hopkins.

Rationale of Selecting the Book

For selecting the book for review, we (all group members) set some criteria. The very first thing came into our consideration was the relevance of the book with our PL course. Secondly, we searched the book which gives the education vision for future generation. We selected above mentioned book. This book points-out the flaws in current educational policies and teaching and learning practices at school level, it also highlights the future trends and demands of the schooling. We all members considered it valuable for our future roles of educational leader and teacher educator; because it will guide us to be equipped with relevant resources, before entering in the classroom.

All about the Book This book is one of few educational books that looks in future rather talking about the past, and at the same time, it locates the schooling within a broader societal context. In this visionary book the authors present a comprehensive view of the challenges facing society, realities of work and the leisure of the children, and the implications of these analysis and predictions for schools today as they prepare children for the future. The authors consider that the schooling and learning would be influenced and would face fundamental changes due to revolutions in the economy, technology, ecology, society, politics and values.

This book talks all about planning for the 21st century, children and youth in future society, paradigm shift, vision for future, educational needs of youth, contemporary educational models and characteristics of good schools. Authors argue that societies have changed very rapidly in past and would be changing drastically in future, so we should think from now for our future generation. The authors also argue that children and youth should be taught according the needs and expectations of 21st century rather following old-fashioned methods of teaching and learning. We should provide them with an environment where they can think, analyze, discover, apply and create something new. Schooling must be based on the needs of new industries and the changing requirements of the labor force. Youth must be prepared for the coming world of work through the development of appropriate knowledge, attitudes and behaviors. In order to strengthen the socialization of the youth schools must work in collaboration with all influential elements (home, family, religious institutes, peer groups, pluralistic society and media). The book raises the question that does curriculum and school meet the needs of a youth/student? The authors define good school as a place where the students learning is focused through child-friendly curriculum framework, clear standards, interventions, clear instructions, relevant teaching and learning resources and fair assessment mechanism.

Overall, this book serves as a pioneer of exploring our thinking about our role and responsibilities towards changing future societies. It draws attention of teachers, heads, educationists, policy makers and community at large towards the needs and expectations of new century and guides them to bring creativeness and innovation in educational system through giving the lead to youth of the day.

My Key Learning from Book

Though, this book is written in western context and mainly highlights the emerging issues from the specific regions of the world, even then, all the described challenges are the part and parcel of our own educational system. Through this book, I have got deep insight in the issues of education in 21st century. This book has drawn a holistic picture of the current educational system through unearthing the bitter truths of the day. I came to know that how different factors help or impede the learning of the youth. While reading this book, my mind was totally dejected and started querying many questions. What does this mean for schooling today and tomorrow? What are the basic learning needs of students and are we capable enough to provide them need-based education? What do we mean by good or excellent school? Are we preparing our youth for changing future society?

I learnt through this book that to meet the dire needs of future society, we have to do pre-planning. There should be the clear vision, because it forms the basis of any planning process. Planning of anything should be 30 to 40 years prior to the implementation phase, so that, it can be well piloted before experimenting in a real setting. Teaching, learning and engagement of the youth should be in accordance with the needs and interests of the youth. Here, needs and opportunities in future society should be kept in consideration. I believe that, until and unless the indifferent and passive attitude of people, out-dated ways of planning and implementing and an unclear vision/mission exist, we will not be able to bring positive change in education system.  By Salima Sewani