SUZHOU, China, April 9, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Professor Sarah Dixon, dean of International Business School Suzhou (IBSS), challenged the 'status quo' of traditional higher education in China at a recent TEDx event in Suzhou.
Focused on the theme 'Creative Leap,' this year's event saw 11 speakers present their ideas to a multi-cultural audience of young professionals. Prof. Dixon expanded upon this theme to cover the need for greater creativity and flexibility in China's education system.
Dean Dixon analyzed creative leaps in education using the analogy of 'hopscotch, leapfrog, or high jump' to represent 'tradition vs. incremental innovation vs. disruptive innovation,' with three issues driving the need for education reform: global economic shifts, disruptive technologies and new business models, and sustainable development.
Professor Dixon then evaluated the problems and solutions of the Chinese education process such as the effects of the Chinese College Entrance Examination, "the Gaokao," on educational creativity, as well as constraints caused by parental control, pedagogy, management silos, infrastructure, and laid-back faculty.
"What's wrong with the Gaokao? It teaches you how to pass exams, and that there is only one right answer," said Professor Dixon. "What is the solution? Teaching that there is more than one right answer." She emphasized that students at IBSS are encouraged to develop a wide spectrum of solutions to business challenges and that "interest-driven learning," which taps into the passions and concerns of students, is key: "if you make learning more interesting, it becomes more relevant to the student."
Professor Dixon concluded by urging the audience to "get out of your comfort zone" by taking a series of creative leaps: from established mindset to "mind release," from accepting the status quo to accepting challenges, from passive to active, and from copying to true innovation.
