Towards Knowledge Society Vol 1 | Page 3

practices, business models and forms of economic and social organisation. Innovation, which fuels new job creation and economic growth, is quickly becoming the key factor in global competitiveness. Innovation fundamentally means coming up with new ideas about how to do things better or faster. In the traditional approach teacher was considered as knowledge diffuser or knowledge creator and learner as a mere user or consumer of that knowledge. In the modern approach in a knowledge society information resources are available equally to the teacher and learner and both collaboratively create new knowledge EDUCATION FOR KNOWLEDGE SOCIETY The prosperity of a knowledge society depends on the ability of educational system to create and maintain knowledge infrastructure, growth and exploitation of new knowledge. The successful implementation of knowledge in a knowledge society is formulated by the preparedness, readiness and competence of teachers. There is a paradigm shift. The new approach of education in a knowledge society promoted the notions of teacher as ‘a guide on the side’ rather than the ‘sage on the stage’ and conceived of the student’s role as one of the independent self directed learner. So the challenge is to align teaching with sound pedagogy and instructional design in an innovative manner at all levels of school environment. OBJECTIVES OF EDUCATION IN A KNOWLEDGE SOCIETY  To empower learner to choose, to select, to challenge, to question and to become conscious about what is going around.  To empower learner to use research materials, libraries and virtual environments to master complex skills.  To enable creation of new knowledge by providing qualitative pedagogical experiences based on technology  To empowering learners to greater productivity, increased profitability to make self directed workers in an information economy.  To encourage for the utilization of multiple cognitive abilities. Dr. George Varghese, MTTC Pathanapuram 2