For most of our students in dental schools the method of training, teaching and imparting education has mostly been unvarying; following a monotonous cycle of listening, taking notes, memorizing or narrating and just praying to good lord not to let them fail their recent most exam. The spectrum of advantages associated with such a system by powers that be seems frivolously exaggerated and riddled with holes considering the current situation the profession seems to be in.
Part of the reason for such a scenario is education itself being so dynamic and multifaceted requiring a quick response to make requisite real time changes aligned with patient community requirements. Also disparity in teaching styles and methodologies, inequitable control and access to resource materials, lack of uniform and standardized plans, inability to put long hours by teachers and mentors and leaders not fully understanding the nuances required to provide a well-rounded education ecosystem which will bring out students ready to pass the test in real-world situations.
Common error which students make is falling into the herd mentality of taking admissions into the so-called popular courses equating them rightly or wrongly with the mythical future professional success. SWOT analysis at this crucial juncture of their careers would help the young minds to make up an informed choice rather than making it just a case of joining a popular course which is sometimes projected by their peers as some sort of climbing up the social ladder.
Educators really need a reform plan to realistically address these issues through custom made concepts and not ‘one shoe fits all ‘ philosophy so that they are able to produce successful professionals outside the sphere of a typical classroom setting. The only way to achieve this probably would be by not considering the students as some sort of empty pools to be replenished by their teachers rather education needs to be a blend of real-life training, online and onsite life experiences and classroom teaching. This may finally lead to the contemporary creative and innovative army of men and women who have mastered the art of success in a true sense.
The time to put some new concepts, some abstract ideas to ground is now otherwise it could well be another case of too little too late.
ISPlendidly Yours
