Mentors are the catalyst for students’ success at Newton School
Once upon a time, Computer Engineering students would write code on paper and rewrite it numerous times until they got it right. Students would take notes on data flow diagrams that teachers had drawn on the blackboard, making them a bastion of tradition. Learning dynamics, however, have changed. Today, this environment is not restricted to classrooms, but rather extends into the home, the community, and the rest of the world where mentors are acting as #CareerKaCompass for each and every learner.
Educators are thinking beyond classroom training and are providing students with tech-enabled learning to offer more holistic and rich learning experiences. In fact, Newton School hosts a community of top working professionals from companies like Microsoft, Tesla, Google, Flipkart, and Amazon, who are the buoyant forces behind creating sustainable tech careers and are placing students in top technology startups and enterprises. Mentors who are essentially our #CareerKaCompass have picked this up beautifully and are doing some incredible work out here.
What might have been a herculean task a decade ago has proven to move towards an effective online pedagogy. Even if mentors face adversities of their own, they continue to help students everywhere to learn to the best of their abilities.
Mentoring or teaching has traditionally relied on the mentor's years of experience - someone regarded as a "senior" in the field where there was a certain degree of hierarchy and an age gap between the mentor and the learner. Organisations like Newton School have identified the problems with traditional learning and the concept of mentorship and have taken steps toward democratising it.
We have onboarded mentors who are sharing first-hand knowledge of the various trends in the tech sector, while also promoting highly interactive and engaging learning processes for students.
As a part of this year’s Teacher’s Day celebrations, Newton School has launched a heart-warming campaign titled #CareerKaCompass. The metaphor of mentors as a compass here indicates how they help students navigate in their journey. A student relies on them to suggest what is right and what is wrong while transforming their young lives into unique success stories.
In this context, a mentor will always be #CareerKaCompass to the effective learning process of any student, be it in a physical classroom or an online learning environment. How they influence one’s career can take many forms – providing emotional support, inspiring as a role model or providing insights that equip students on their voyage to self-discovery. In addition to teaching beyond their comfort zone, the mentors here are volunteering their time towards a community of learners where they are enriching lives for the greater good.
With their innovative way of teaching, mentors are democratising software education at an affordable price and promoting a highly interactive and engaging learning experience for last-mile learners.
Several students have voiced their adulation for the mentorship program at Newton School as mentioned below:
Digital education technology has been one of the most powerful agents of change in how societies around the world work and live in the 21st century. The way we learn must therefore adapt to ensure the current workforce is equipped with the skills needed to thrive in the future. Mentors will continue being #CareerKaCompass for students, discovering their talents and skills. Only by investing in teachers, we can truly offer every learner, wherever they are, the world-class education they deserve.
Mentors are like gurus. A mentor could be anyone – our teachers, our parents or our friends. It is also important to recognise and appreciate the gift of having a mentor in your life. Who are your #CareerKaCompass? Share your stories by tagging us on our social media with the hashtag #CareerKaCompass.