Institutor, Mathematised Math

Pioneering
Author
Polymathic
Wonderer
Post-‘EdTech’
Educator
Social
Reengineerer

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To the point, the most comprehensive K-12 Mathematics-curricula concepts are teachable in 5 to 50 hours! To the motivated and competent readers, it may just be 5 hours; they need exposure to mathematical thinking, the questions to ask in mathematics, and they can then READ away the ‘Family Edition’ of K-12 books, and ‘converse’ with AI to supplement. In fact, NO one may need 50 hours, because if one is not engaged, not motivated to learn to ‘read mathematics’ (reading and conversations are the ONLY two means of true engagement), any number of hours would not help (as is the reality of mathematics education.)

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To the point, new scientific discoveries, technology and engineering inventions, innovations, and researches are getting intensely multi-disciplinary (and, data driven, closely integrated to the real world.) These domain overlaps cannot be navigated except at the level of domain concepts, and that too significantly delineated understanding of concepts; for example, designing prosthetic limbs involves biology (such as muscle dynamics, joint articulation,) physics (such as mechanics to model human movement,) engineering (such as developing materials, structures,) and mathematics (such as models to simulate biological mechanics and optimize designs.)

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Our years of action research in education revealed a profoundly interesting and contemporary insight – the power of diverse academic brilliance! Academic aisle is to unleash the reality of ‘Academically Accelerated Intelligences.’ Concisely, and simply, and kind of a lived experience too - superbly mathematised mind can successfully seek high levels of emotional, spiritual, cultural, engineering quotients (and, all the else). The only problem – academic brilliance is NO goal of the school system, and diverse academics is just alien to the system.

Academic Aisle is the most ambitious academic education programme. We offer supplementary education in K-12 curricular academics – mathematics, science, social science, as well as ‘extended’ curricula (such as philosophy, sociology, governance, technology, etc.) – to ensure active construction of conceptual and cerebral THINKING pathways. To that end, we have created our own ‘A-Z, Family Edition’ of curricular books. The books are public in our Bookshop. Expectedly, it will always be a work in progress; also because each child, family and community is unique.

One-pager Overview

It is still in the works and a project that may fructify somewhere in the world in the next couple of years. It would be a model school system for the needs and opportunities for the Fourth Industrial Economy, ‘Society 5.0.’ It must also be mentioned that the socio-economic environment mutating due to technology, but there is also a significant shift in the way we are raising children and ‘who they are.’

One-pager Overview

The broad shifts to be introduced by The LearnAbility School may be summarily tabled as under.

Grades V+
First Industrial Revolution Techno-economic Features in the 1800s	Consequently, the focus* of K-12 then (still)		Change of focus needed in the ‘New, 4IR K-12’	Fourth Industrial Revolution Techno-economic Features in the 2020s
Science itself was new	Science	TO	Technology	It’s Intensely Technological
Engineering was expensive, too specialised	Experiments	TO	Engineering	Engineering is easier and can be simulated too
Basic arithmetical computations	Computational Methods	TO	Mathematical Thinking, Mind; Mathematising real-world situations	AGI personifies mathematised artificial human
Mechanical factories needed fewer competencies	Adequate competence in a few intelligences; more to be adequately right	TO	Meta-intelligence – critical, creative, and analytical THINKING – is needed for harnessing multi-intelligences	Ability to adapt, synthesize, and navigate complex environments
Language of academics be enough to get instruction	Language competence – Social (‘Level II’)	TO	Language competence – Academic (‘Level IV’ – beyond literature level)	THINKING prowess is key - best embodied in skilled language
Basic Math, Science, Engineering etc. mattered most	20th Century skills – IQ (‘Hard, Technical Skills’) focus in schools	TO	21st century skills – EQ, SQ, Social Q, Creative Q, Digital Q, Cultural Q, Moral Q … (‘Soft skills’) – needs best education in psychology, sociology, philosophy, polity, dialectics, …	Global village of consumers, producers, investors, and even cultural and political integration is a gift of 4IR
Curated knowledge was the only option	Textbooks	TO	Popular Genre books	Knowing the best minds is an imperative
Supervisory span of control	Classrooms	TO	Corridors/Aisles/ Grounds/Community	Globalisation, diversity is key
Mass scale was key (Age-wise grades helped)	Grades/Classes	TO	Dissolved	Personalisation is the key
Each ‘station’ in the factory is all that there is	Rigidly limited to Grade expectations and resources	TO	Acceleration, not just enrichment around the age of children	‘Network organisations’ are dynamic
Defect detection is more to cover defects to let products pass quality tests	The remedial process is almost wholly aimed at filling up gaps to enable children to move to the next grade	TO	Re-education, not remedial to address the foundational gaps and the hierarchy of concepts; in time, NO child is left behind	In modern, data-driven, digital processes defects ‘auto-feed’ capability improvement
All first-gen learners meant manuals had to be read to ALL	Teaching/Class-work	TO	Learning (Teaching ≠ learning, ever) ≡ Reading, Conversations & Research	Knowing how to know is the key
Someone had to be trained to read and explain manuals to ALL	Teachers	TO	(Thinking ) Peer Teachers to bring in domain knowledge to refine domain thinking Think and seek Knowledge	Quality of thinking is of value
The community had no role in prepping for the revolution	Parents	TO	(Learning) Peer Learning is personal, needs empathetic, continuous support	Learning has to be a habit
Test of manuals was a test of memory	Tests/Exams	TO	Creations (physical, narration, written)	In AI-age, theory is of little value
Evaluation by the instructor (who else?)	(Closed) Evaluation	TO	Public/Open Evaluation	Global benchmarking is easier, done
Practice and repeat was the only way to master something	Homework, Supplement & complement to CW	TO	Independent Study, not directed; not supplement or complement to CW	Learning must be refined
A common working culture needed	Civilised	TO	(Sub)Cultured	Rootedness is desirable in 4IR
Academic literacy was the need, the new demand	Academics was the main focus – the ‘curricular’ subjects	TO	Co-curricular (all of the ‘cultural intelligences’) is the New Curricular subjects	Cultural differences are value-adding
Factories had rather rigid rules about everything	Elaborate, special Rules to govern the sub-society that is school	TO	Same cultural practices and values as the larger society/community; nothing special	Corporates are more organic compared to the past
Each factory follows its own set of rules, goals, and culture	Schools are really ‘Textbook schools;’ for instance, a Grade XI physics teacher teaches the physics textbook rather than physics in the real sense. Schools are insular, and in a way global (the way they follow textbooks)	TO	‘Living School’ – Real education in the ‘Real World’	Modern businesses are too global and tightly connected to the pulse of the larger society
It is founded on the premise that privileged children face the most miseducation. This is not just because the current school system is totally gapped out, it is because such children need a comprehensively different education to be personally, socially, culturally, professionally, and civicly self-actualised role models. Grow to carry on their legacy, contemporise it, and catalyse it to accelerate the socio-economic growth of their community, society, and nation.
To be frank, our personal goal is to handhold their growth to not be rent-seekers of any shade, be among the most productive people of their times.
Lest you are thinking that this is elitist, I must offer the social imperative that is driving this version of The Liberal School. I like it or not, the lead users of the next-gen education system would be the most financially accomplished families. The best of the middle-class, and the rest would follow their cues. To be true, we expect to build the mass version of The Liberal School in due course.

DREAM DISTINCTIONS

Embracing the Net

Soumitra Dutta,

Sandeep Srivastava.

Financial Times, UK, in 2000

FIRST INDIAN
And among a handful of others across the globe, to author a book about Internet before the first dotcom bust in 2000! Embracing the Net, 2000, Financial Times, UK, by Soumitra Dutta, Sandeep Srivastava.
Published during the 2000 dotcom bust, it was among the first ten global books about Internet and the first by Indians.
Soumitra Dutta is the Dean of Said Business School at the University of Oxford.

Government @ Net

Kiran Bedi, Parminder Jeet Singh, Sandeep Srivastava.

Sage, India in 2001

FIRST PERSON
To author the (world’s first and best-selling) book on e-governance, in 2001, India’s e-governance year. Government @ Net – by Kiran Bedi, Parminder Jeet Singh, Sandeep Srivastava.
Published in 2001 by Sage, India. The book propositioned that there is nothing virtual about e-governance, it’s about new governance.
Kiran Bedi became the first woman to join the officer ranks of the Indian Police Service (IPS).
Parminder Jeet Singh was a police officer but currently a leading digital society researcher and author.

The Bright Stuff

Arnoud De Meyer, Soumitra Dutta, Sandeep Srivastava.

Prentice Hall, USA, 2001

FIRST PERSON
Along with the Co-authors, to publish books on strategies for transforming businesses, both pre- and post-dotcom bust, 2000. The Bright Stuff: How Innovative People and Technology Can Make the Old Economy New 2001, Prentice Hall, USA, by Arnoud De Meyer, Soumitra Dutta, Sandeep Srivastava.
Published in the aftermath of the 2000 bust, it recommended “Innovation as Strategy”, probably too ahead of its time.
Arnoud De Meyer was the past President of the Singapore Management University (SMU).

PIONEERING FEW

To have authored a narrative on a new world order and later proved the same realisable; the norm being the other way – ‘do and then narrate’.

IYCWorld Softinfrastructure Private Limited (IYCWorld) was established in 2001 and has over the years evolved into a Total Information Technology Solution provider. Headquartered in New Delhi, India, covers the Middle East, Europe and the Indian subcontinent.

my journey as author, educator, and humanist

I graduated as a computer engineer from Jadavpur University, in 1987. Concurrently, I had pursued CMA and completed all the four groups exams in 1990. I pursued M.Tech (Management System), completing the degree in 1992, at IIT, Delhi. Subsequently, studied MBA at INSEAD, Fontainebleau, France, during 1998-99.

I have been an entrepreneur since 2001, founding IYCWorld Softinfrastructure and leading it till 2018. It a showcase of a deeply knowledge-society enterprise – 23-years of ‘no debt, no equity dilution,’ powered solely by world-leading domain (education) and technology leadership. The organic growth as a key strategic design to retain long term focus on research and innovation in education.
I started my career as Assistant Professor on the management and computer faculty at IMT, Ghaziabad, UP. It was followed by Middle management HR role at Modi-Olivetti and ModiCorp (holding company for Xerox, etc. in India). Between 1996-98 I contributed to the HR function of SAMBA (Citibank in Saudi Arabia) at Riyadh. This was followed by INSEAD, books and Entrepreneurship.

Incubating educational enterprises

Seeding ‘next-gen school model’ through innovative entrepreneurship for the young professionals, across nations; including The Liberal School, Math Masters (AI-age math tutors), etc.

Global citizen

Taking a shot at creating the world’s first ‘product’ to be an integral part of ALL 8 billion+ of us, by 2030 – ‘Mathematised Thinking’, ensuring everyone succeeds in K-12 mathematics. It is a long story; briefly, I have created/authored/demonstrated entire K-12 mathematics (conceptually) as a readable narrative in under 50 hours (effortlessly localisable in all languages).

Non-career politician

One of the afflictions of the modern times, but the only one continually sliding south is the state of polity, and political institutions. Only deeply active citizens can reverse the tide; such as being ‘non-career politicians’ – nurturing best political choices and participating as needed to get to those ends. I have contested two elections to the Assembly of the NCR of Delhi.

Incubating social enterprises

Galvanising – intellectually, functionally, and financially – public, ‘free’ socio-economic softinfrastructure to ensure economic dignity of all adults. No less, technology solutions for direct, living democracy is another thrust area (as distinct from technology for government.)

Disruptor

The Family College may well be the most disruptive social product and action in history. It goals to revitalise societies by nurturing its cells – families. Unimagined socio-economic renaissance awaits the most comprehensive empowerment of every family.

Educator

Conceived and created mass-scalable 5-year formal school system for the ‘Industry 4.0’ era, to replace the current, ‘Industry 1.0’ origin K – 12 school system. Researched, experimented, and developed resources and processes for ‘Whole School Transformation’.

Technologist

Among the pioneering batches of computer engineering graduates in India; founded India’s first truly knowledge-led company – no-debt, no-equity dilution in the past 22 years! Debunked the much celebrated ‘Edtech’ industry for learning is essentially social.

Author

Unique pride of writing next-gen, ‘Family edition’ math, science, social science ‘textbooks’ for Grades I – X; and math for XI-XII too! Besides the path-breaking books on Governance, Society, and Education.

THE INSPIRING OTHER

We ‘home educated’ our daughter in Grades VII-XII, and became co-learners in her preparation of math, physics, chemistry, biology, economics and English language as a private student for CIE’s ‘AICE’ (XII) examination, 2014-16.

For the past seven years we have worked in intensely complementary dimensions in education.

My wife and I have lived and worked as (ideally) expected of educated middle-class – proactively nurture the world we want to live in a happier humanity, cutting across all divisions!

five
The common thread of what affects quality, running through the four years, are: the school leadership’s ‘definition and expectations of quality’, the language competence of teachers in the academic language for all subjects, the domain competence of the heads of various subject departments, close routine involvement of parents, and language competence of students. The consistently important input factors for quality include the frequency and (easy) actionability of assessment reports to parents, continuous teacher motivation development, better books and learning materials, career guidance resources and processes and ‘happy socialisation’ in primary school years.
four
The five most universal indicators of quality education are: minimum dispersion between the top and bottom performance of classes in every scholastic subject,normal distribution of performance of classes in every ‘co-scholastic subject’, open and respectful student-teacher relationships, ‘education-friendly homes’, tuition-free homework/assignment submission. Srategies that work are – literary-level reading skills in any language of all students, ‘public knowledge of the lesson plans’, level of pre-class preparation by students, the micro nature of assessment and reporting, micro-remedial efforts at home and school, and cumulative progress reporting.
one
This paper is the analysis of ongoing evaluation of our successful strategies in school management by classifying schools into 9 distinct categories and tailoring optimal leadership performance role definitions/models for each. The 9 school categories emerge essentially from the 3 stages of progressive growth for schools (Effective, Successful, Living) for each of the 3 types of schools (Teacher-centered, Parent-centered, and Student-centered). Effective schools are academic focused, successful schools are overall-development focused, and Living schools are next-gen, ‘boundary-less’ schools.

This paper presents 9 high-performance leadership models tied to on-ground realities of types of schools and their stage of growth.
Six
The challenges, which reflect the agenda for further research, are as follows – tools to make it easier for parents to duly complement language and math transaction of their children in school (up to elementary school level), specifically defining the ‘facilitator/co-learner’ role of teachers in the times ahead, development of ‘career discovery and preparation’ curriculum starting early (ideally from middle school), addressing the needs of gifted and talented children in every classroom, and fool-proof strategies for development of ‘slow-learners/weaker students. To top it all, these five challenges evade effective strategies towards their mitigation, let alone attempts to eliminate them.
there
This paper, clued to research and rooted in on-ground school development strategies, proposes school leadership standards and competencies that will assuredly propel school’s equity and quality goals. However, standards and competencies are all-encompassing, and can’t be developed and applied universally. In this paper standards are mainly focused on making student learning as the end-all mission, whole-person development as core value, educating talented and gifted, multi-dimensional inclusion, teacher-student relationships, micro-curricular organization, parent and community integration, leader’s effectiveness policies, ethical and operational norms, whole-school community and distributed leadership roles.

This paper showcases extensive and sustainable details on standards and scalable competencies.
two
Very many factors influence student outcomes and the quality of school leadership tops the list by a mile. This paper is an ongoing, 12-year action research on exploring diverse models of school leadership in my capacity as a leading school’s co-founder, in India. Literature review on the subject is rich and diverse, but the verdict is still wide open; from Drysdale’s model, ISSPP’s eight models, to tri-model (transformational, instructional, distributive), but none of them are independently applicable. However, talking of ‘performance’, the literature can be divided into models that help create effective schools, versus successful schools.

This paper uniquely explores and integrates models for a working model of effective school leadership.