Fixing Cameroon's Education System Part 4. By Fotabe Elmine




Type: Articles

Learning is a process which includes acquiring new or modifying existing knowledge, behaviors, skills, values, and performance.

Fixing the education system has become an important subject of debates and conversations around the world. In Cameroon, everyone talks about it. But to make meaningful contributions to this highly important sector of every society, a good understanding of the meaning is necessary.

Today’s education system is composed of the complex interactions of:

  • The teacher
  • The student
  • The context
  • The content
  • Technology

Many researchers in the field have said people usually learn through play, experience, and various forms of social interactions. Extensive research has led to the description of seven learning styles.

 Following are the Seven Learning Styles:

·        Visual (spatial): Learner prefers using pictures, images, and spatial understanding.

·        Aural (auditory-musical): Learner prefers using sound and music.

·        Verbal (linguistic): Learner prefers using words, both in speech and writing.

·        Physical (kinesthetic): Learner prefers using body, hands and sense of touch.

·        Logical (mathematical): Learner prefers using logic, reasoning and systems.

·        Social (interpersonal): Learner prefers to learn in groups or with other people.

·        Solitary (intrapersonal): Learner prefers to work alone and use self-study.

Many pundits on the subject have advised that learners who identify their preferred learning style are more successful. Yet, I strongly believe that combining multiple learning styles is absolutely what learners need to be successful in the ever more competitive 21st century business environment.

Until very recently, educators had not recognized this approach. Traditional schooling used (and continues to use) mainly linguistic and logical teaching methods. Many have said that this method also uses a limited range of learning and teaching techniques. It isn’t uncommon to see that many schools, even the ones that are supposedly professional schools still rely on classroom and book-based teaching, much repetition, and pressured exams for reinforcement and review.

Many teachers often label those who use these learning styles and techniques as "bright", while they consider those who do not as "average".

All this approach does is create positive and negative spirals that reinforce the belief that one is "smart" or "dumb".

As my contribution to fixing Cameroon's education System, i have moved my Institution-FUNIC Cameroon- away from what i like to call "Classroom-Workspace-Workplace" approach.

In the classroom, students are taught to define concepts, identify processes and tools.

In the workspace, students see. They see processes, and how tools are put into use.

In the workplace, students learn the realities of working. They learn, they fail, and they grow.

While this approach has improved how people learn, it hasn’t solved the issue of poor performance at work and in life after school. After thinking hard and long about the question of why Economic Development in Cameroon is slow even with a highly literate population, I decided to modify the way students learn at FUNIC Cameroon. I call this new learning approach- moTor (Inspired by engine or machine for economic growth)

The moTor learning approach: Workspace-classroom-workplace

The motor learning method is an educational innovation that exposes learners to the business models and challenges of successful business men and women, companies, governments, nonprofits, and social enterprises in their environments. It combines the seven learning styles and is comprised of the intricacies of Business cases, the originality of local business models, and the challenge of strategy reinvention.

Instead of the traditional method of teaching students concepts in the classroom before sending them on internships to observe how work is done, then going into a workplace where they actually start doing work, I have developed another approach.

My students go to the workspace where they observe how business people from two tribes: Igbo and Bamileke start small businesses and grow them, how they create value for customers and how they build successful intrapreneurs.

After this phase, the students go into the classroom, prepared to have meaningful conversations about local business models, case studies, problems, and propose well informed solutions.

The learning doesn’t end there. No! After the classroom interactions, and armed with both workspace and classroom experience, these students enter the workplace, ready to start contributing from day one as either highly motivated intrapreneurs or well prepared entrepreneurs!

This approach leads to understanding local business models and problem-solving, and critical thinking abilities.It also leads to the acquisition of practical skills, effective communication, and design-thinking

The moToR learning model is exactly what Cameroon needs for her emergence.

Visit us at FUNIC Cameroon to learn more about our moTor learning approach.