Composite Skill Labs The Future of Experiential Learning.
Before we get too deep into this blog, let's talk about what exactly a composite skill lab is. In simple terms, it is a space where kids learn concepts they read in their textbooks through hands-on experiments and understand how to apply them to the real world. A student may learn about force, motion, electricity, or simple machines in class and then use a project in the lab to see those concepts working in front of them.
Now that we have gotten this out of the way, we can focus on the topic at hand, which is the future of experiential learning.
The concept of experiential learning has been officially around for half a decade now. In 2020, the Union Cabinet of India sanctioned a new national education policy, replacing the 34-year-old education policy from 1986. The NEP 2020 made experiential learning a standard across all schools and subjects to replace memorization through textbooks with hands-on learning.
A New Era of Skills.
65% of today’s kids who are in primary schools will work in jobs that do not exist yet. This is not something that we are stating. The Future of Jobs report (Link) made by the World Economic Forum predicts it, and it is backed up by the Harvard Business Review 2023, stating that there is a decline in enthusiasm for traditional degrees. (Link) Kids are choosing education and degrees that are completely out of the box. As the years pass by, this is going to increase, and soon traditional jobs will evolve to align with these developments, and the current AI wave is a perfect example of this.
To tackle these challenges, schools all over the world are establishing STEM labs, composite labs, and robotics labs that teach kids the skills that stay relevant regardless of how the future turns out.
The Part That Blix Plays for the Future
From the beginning, Blix has always been focused on introducing students to STEM, robotics, and hands-on learning. We have aligned our own curriculum with government-recognized boards so it supports and enhances what students are already learning in class, making sure that the concepts they read in the classroom are not abstract anymore.
Let's go through an example of our kits so you can understand the process.
Students begin theoretically learning about an electromagnet at a certain point in their education journey. But only a few completely understand the science behind it, this is where experiential learning bridges the gap. In our Composite Skill Labs, the Blix Electromagnetics kits help students to make an entire electromagnet using the step-by-step manual we provide in the kit, and in this process, which is basically figuring out what works and what does not, they understand the science behind it.
There are so many more kits that cover different scientific concepts we see around us, like logic blocks, which expose students to the functions of sensors and teach screenless programming. While advanced kits like the Boffin lineup help kids learn coding and AI without any prior experience. Going through any of these kits, kids develop core skills like problem-solving, critical thinking, logical reasoning, and the ability to learn through trial and error.
These are not just skills that are useful in daily life. They are cognitive skills that future employers, entrepreneurs, and innovators will need in abundance.
If you’re looking to set up a Composite Skill Lab at your school or institute, explore our Complete Lab Setup Guide to understand what goes into building one.